WEEKEND #6, 2021
(Independence Day Weekend)
Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
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DEWEY BEACH 5G ANTENNA PROTEST
If you were searching for something that would unite the people of Dewey Beach, Monday morning's protest against the Verizon beach antenna sites is probably the closest you will ever find.
This issue has united the town's people with members of the business community against a common foe, Verizon. The protest was led by Dan Dionisio, the Save Dewey Beach chairman, who has lived in town for 16 months.
"This has been an FCC-led tsunami and Dewey was hit by the first wave before anyone really knew what was coming or what their rights were," Dionisio told the group. "As soon as the poles went up," he said, "there was a collective pain in this town that could be felt and it showed itself in every conversation I was part of."
Among those attending the protest were Mayor Dale Cooke, former Mayor Diane Hanson, Comm. Paul Bauer, Town Manager Bill Zolper and bar owner Alex Pires. Refreshments were provided by Pires and Steve Montgomery of The Starboard. Also at the protest were about 100 attendees including Rehoboth Beach Comm. Jay Lagree and Jeffrey Smith from the Dewey Citizens for Accountability. Noticeably missing were the state representatives.
Dionisio called Monday's event both a celebration and protest because "we need to show our leaders that we are not going away."
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HENLOPEN FACADE FALLS ON INDEPENDENCE DAY
Luckily nobody was injured
Rehoboth Beach police were called to the Henlopen Hotel around 7:20 a.m. this past Sunday after a large piece of the building's soffit suddenly gave way and dropped to the hotel's first-floor deck. Fortunately, nobody was injured but that entrance remained closed for the rest of the holiday weekend.
Justin Mogavero, the hotel's general manager, wrote in a statement on Monday that "Yesterday the Henlopen Hotel experienced a malfunction with the cosmetic exterior soffit of the building... As this is a shared space, we worked closely with the City of Rehoboth, Rehoboth Building Inspection Department and Condo Board of Directors to evaluate the damage and remove all debris," he stated.
He said the hotel's structural engineer, John Grieshaber from Larsen & Landis, has inspected the property and verified that the damage was "purely cosmetic" and the structural integrity is sound. "We will resume our work with our engineers and the City of Rehoboth to fix the affected areas as soon as possible as we continue to welcome guests to the Henlopen," he added.
Photo courtesy Elizabeth Marie
By mid-day, workers had the debris picked up and prepared for repair.
As an odd coincidence, police were called to the adjacent Stuart Kingston Gallery building after a crack opened on the second floor. It was reported just before 11 a.m. on Monday.
Police "coned" off the area beneath the opening until repairs can be made.
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POLICE RESPOND TO COMPLAINTS AFTER MEN BUTCHER RAY ON BEACH
Rehoboth Beach police received a couple of complaints last Tuesday after a fisherman gave a ray he caught to several young men who said they wanted to use it for shark bait. This happened north of the Henlopen condo in the Deauville area around 7:30 p.m.
The ray had a wing span of about five or seven feet and was several inches thick. The police started receiving the calls when the guys began to stab it to death and hack it apart.
Police arrived within minutes, began to interview the parties involved and contacted DNREC for guidance.
"This activity was reported to DNREC's Delaware Natural Resources Police," Sgt. Brooke Mitchell said on Wednesday via Michael Globetti, DNREC spokesman. "An angler had caught the ray and given it to other people on the beach who began cutting up the ray. The Delaware Natural Resources Police officer who took the call explained to the person reporting it that rays are not regulated and what was occurring was not unlawful activity. The officer also explained that sometimes the meat from the wings of rays is eaten as seafood," she added.
The men agreed to take all of the remains with them.
FIREWORKS TRUCK EXPLODES ON THE BEACH IN OCEAN CITY
Investigators are still trying to determine what went wrong when workers were setting up for Sunday's fireworks display. The fiery explosions from the Ryder truck on the beach sent some visitors running for cover. It happened at 10:16 a.m. off Dorchester Street. Fortunately no serious injuries were reported.
Ocean City canceled its fireworks shows while the investigation is ongoing. See this WBAL-TV report for info.
Photo courtesy Cesar Campos, Campos Media
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SHARK WEEK BLIMP FLIES OVER DELAWARE/MARYLAND BEACHES
Plane spotters were eagerly waiting to catch a photo of the first-ever Shark Week blimp. Here it was over Bethany and in Ocean City this past Sunday. Soaring at 128-feet long and 44-feet high, this blimp (N618LG) travels an average of 250 miles a day. This particular blimp set two Guinness World Records in March of 2018 for water skiing with a blimp and is one of only 15 flying today. Here it was flying over Dewey early Monday as it headed to Jersey.
Shark Week, now in its 33rd year, starts on July 11. See the Discovery website for info. Promo photos are posted online.
ANOTHER SCOOTER MISHAP AT REHOBOTH TRAFFIC CIRCLE
For at least the second time this summer, a scooter rider was involved in a mishap with another vehicle at the traffic circle on Rehoboth Avenue. Around 2 p.m. last Tuesday, the 56-year-old man riding this scooter dumped it on the ground when a BMW failed to yield to him at the circle.
Fortunately he only sustained a cut to his upper lip. He was never struck by the BMW which fled the scene.
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WATERSPOUT SPOTTED OFF REHOBOTH BEACH
Eric Allen captured video of disorganized waterspout circulations around 5:20 p.m. this past Tuesday. Here's video he shot from the Star of the Sea.
Image courtesy Eric Allen
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SIGNIFICANT BOATING INCIDENTS THIS PAST WEEK
Boating accidents and mishaps this time of year are common and this past week was no exception. Delaware Natural Resources Police officers are investigating this boat accident reported around 7:45 p.m. last Wednesday on Round Pole Branch Creek off the Broadkill River involving a pontoon boat and a duck boat. This is just southwest of the Coastal Highway bridge over the Broadkill River.
Image courtesy Milton Fire Dept.
Sgt. Brooke Mitchell, DNRP spokeswoman, says the duck boat ran into the side of the pontoon boat. The operator and sole occupant of the duck boat was ejected upon impact but refused treatment at the scene. He was later taken to the hospital, she said. The pontoon boat had a family on board and one occupant was taken to the hospital from the scene. All injuries appeared to be non-life-threatening.
Sgt. Mitchell said the crash remains under investigation. No mention yet of any charges.
Around 12:45 p.m. last Tuesday, a teen was injured when two Jet-Skis collided near Harpoon Hanna's in the Fenwick area. The teen had several teeth knocked out and bruised his head, but injuries were not life-threatening.
A third incident took place around 1:30 p.m. on Sunday near Holts Landing. A 77-year-old man standing on a pontoon boat fell backwards into the bay. When they pulled him back up, he was in cardiac arrest. Medics briefly regained a pulse while he was being taken to the hospital but no update has been released concerning his condition.
SWIMMER INJURED IN REHOBOTH
Teen and man critically injured in other incidents
in Bethany and Fenwick
This summer has been good so far with a low number of surf injuries in Rehoboth Beach. One of the few people taken to a hospital this past holiday weekend from the beach in Rehoboth was this 26-year-old man who dislocated or broke his knee after he was struck by a wave in the surf around 5 p.m. on Sunday off Laurel Street. He was taken to the hospital by ambulance after being treated initially by Rehoboth Beach lifeguards.
Photo courtesy Evan Stoddard
In Bethany Beach, a man in his late 50's was struck by a wave and landed on his head sustaining a suspected upper back/neck injury. He was flown directly from Bethany to a trauma center. It happened around 12:35 p.m. on Sunday off 5th Street.
Less than 30 minutes later in the Fenwick Island State Park, an 18-year-old woman also suffered a suspected neck injury after she too had been struck by a wave and hit her head against the sand. She had been pulled from the water and was reportedly pulseless. She was shocked twice to bring her back to life.
GREEN TICKETS RETURN TO FUNLAND!
Funland will be closed this Wednesday for
transition
Funland is returning to its traditional open-door ticket model this week. Because of Covid, when the park opened last July, all guests were required to wear a wristband that allowed them to access the park and ride only for a specific time block. The number of guests was limited and not having to collect tickets reduced personal interactions.
With the pandemic hopefully behind us, the popular amusement park plans to return to the open-door ticket model. "In order to allow for a smooth transition our last day of reservations will be July 6th," says Christopher Darr, Funland's personnel manager. "We will be closed completely on July 7th in order to reset the park to a traditional layout. We will reopen on Thursday, July 8th, at 1 p.m. and we hope everyone has their green tickets ready or we will see you at the ticket booth," he added!
Images courtesy Funland and William Henschke
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REHOBOTH COMMISSIONER CAMPAIGN NEWS
Rehoboth Beach Homeowners' Assoc. Candidate Forum
set for July 17
July 4th is the unofficial start of the Rehoboth Beach campaign season and this summer is no exception despite last year's pandemic. Candidates are already meeting and greeting voters.
Here is Rehoboth Beach political newcomer, Tim Bennett, during a meet-and-greet at Jan Konesey's home this past Saturday. Shown are Letitia Gomez, Bennett, Paul Carrano and Lynne Myers.
In addition to yard signs, Rachel Macha also has four flags being flown in town like this one on the corner of Rodney Street and King Charles Avenue. "It has been great to be out in the community talking and meeting with people this year," Macha writes, "a nice change compared to last year's campaign during Covid."
No campaign photos yet from Comm. Dick Byrne or former Comm. Toni Sharp. Please send photos or news if you see any of them!
This year's candidate forum will be before a live audience starting at 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 17, at CAMP Rehoboth. The RBHA is soliciting questions in advance, which will be presented to the candidates by David Mariner and Mark Saunders, RBHA president. The forum will be live-streamed and recorded. The link will be posted on the CAMP Rehoboth Facebook page and the video will be posted on the CAMP Rehoboth YouTube channel.
Images courtesy Jan Konesey and Rachel Macha
"OFF THE WAGON" BY KIM KLABE OPENS AT GALLERY 50
Kim Klabe returned this past Friday to Gallery 50 with Off the Wagon, her latest exhibition. She pours beer and wine on 400-pound watercolor paper and then looks for shapes when the liquid dries. She follows those shapes and creates images from them.
Here she is on the right with Gallery 50 proprietors, Ed and Dale McGann.
Klabe is an abstract expressionist who had painted with oils for two decades but became bored with that medium. She likes the excitement of this technique which she has been perfecting. "I can't plan for what these are going to be," she says. "The wine and the beer basically decide what it is going to be. I will look at the poured wine or beer and kind of turn the paper around until I see something that catches my attention," she explained.
Each work is based on imagination and creativity and is always a surprise, she says. She uses only alcohol-based markers and pencils. There is no paint because she does not want to cover the beer or wine pour. Wine dries gray, pink, red or purple while beer dries brown, but she says they pour the same way.
Klabe sprays them all with several layers of archival spray varnish to seal and protect. Her show will remain on display through July 21.
MAGNIFICENT REHOBOTH BEACH FIREWORKS PHOTOS!
Images courtesy Sam Markman and Richard Tananis
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PHOTOS OF THE WEEK
4th of July on Rehoboth Bay in Dewey Beach by David Koster, PortraitsInTheSand.com...
Sunrise from Mariners Park by Renee Simonton
The "pie ladies" of Rehoboth on Independence Day...
OTHER NEWS:
MERR REPORT--- Suzanne Thurman from the MERR Institute reports that last week her organization responded to two dead loggerhead sea turtles and a live baby dolphin that had stranded in Battery Park in New Castle. Unfortunately the dolphin became separated from his mother and they are unable to survive on their own, she said. The dolphin was humanely euthanized. She said there was no obvious cause of death for the turtles, but one had some signs of blunt-force trauma such as being struck by a ship.
REHOBOTH POLICE ASSIST WITH DEWEY BRAWL; MAN LATER ARRESTED FOR HANDGUN VIOLATION--- Dewey Beach police called for assistance from Rehoboth Beach after multiple fights erupted starting around 1:20 a.m. this past Saturday in the area of New Orleans and Saulsbury streets. Sgt. Clifford Dempsey, police spokesman, says the combatants appear to mostly come from the Dover area. Around 2 a.m., police arrested a man on Read Avenue who had a Sig Sauer 45 caliber handgun. He did have a concealed carry permit, Sgt. Dempsey said, but he was intoxicated which makes it a crime in Delaware. Police were not certain if he were involved in the earlier brawls, he added.
MAN CRITICALLY INJURED IN GOLF CART CRASH--- A 57-year-old man had to be cut from an overturned golf cart using a Hurst Tool after the cart overturned severely trapping him by the leg. It was reported around 5:20 p.m. on Landing Road in Pot-Nets Seaside. He suffered serious leg and head injuries.
FOX RUNS INTO COOL TOPICS AT STAR OF THE SEA--- A small fox ran into the Cool Topics shop located in the Star of the Sea around 1:45 p.m. last Friday. Rehoboth Beach police worked for about 30 minutes to try and get the fox out of the store. When officers came with a snare, it ran from the store.
SHOULD CONSTRUCTION BE ALLOWED ON THE MONDAY AFTER A JULY 4TH SUNDAY?--- After receiving a complaint about construction on the July 5th holiday, officials in Rehoboth Beach struggled to determine if it were actually prohibited or not by city ordinance. The city code states that "No construction shall take place on any Saturday, Sunday or the following State of Delaware holidays: New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day..." But the contractor argued that the documents from the city Building & Licensing office clearly stated "Independence Day" which was Sunday, July 4th, not the observed Monday! The complaint had been received around 8 a.m. on Monday on Hickman Street in Country Club Estates. Fortunately this problem won't happen again until 2026.
NEWS RELEASES / NEWS REPORTS:
Automatically move Gmail messages from Promotions to Primary tab
Why you should head to the Delaware beaches this summer
Coastal Delaware wind farm awaits a 2026 debut
Old Landing Road's Mistress to be memorialized
Rehoboth Beach commissioners reverse Clear Space Theatre approval again
Clear Space Theatre approval reversed
SUV runs into porch of Angola residence (12:20 p.m. last Tuesday)
There are two Dolle's signs now in Rehoboth Beach. For now
Dolle's Candyland through the years
New sign installed for Dolle's new home
Biden-Trump president vacation history
Washington Post Travel section online chat talks about Funland
Dewey businesses, officials combat trash problem
Dewey Beach residents file lawsuit to bring down 5G poles on beachfront
Ocean City police arrest 4 for 1st-degree burglary
Ocean City Police Department conducting a death investigation
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