WEEKEND #14, 2021
Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
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FIN WHALE BEACHES ITSELF AT CAPE HENLOPEN, DIES
Multiple agencies assisted the MERR
Institute this past Thursday trying to rescue a young 57-foot male fin
whale that stranded itself on a sandbar on the bayside of The Point
at the Cape Henlopen State Park. Suzanne Thurman, MERR executive
director, was taken to the scene that morning with the assistance of the Delaware
Natural Resources Police to get a closer look at the whale and evaluate
it for injuries or entanglement.
The whale ultimately beached itself for the final time on the oceanside of
The Point Thursday evening. Staff and volunteers from the MERR
Institute and the Virginia Aquarium had made plans to provide
palliative care, sedation and possibly euthanasia, but those plans turned
out to be unnecessary as the whale died around noon on Friday just as the
medical supplies and equipment arrived, says Rob Rector, one of the MERR responders.
A necropsy was performed later that day, Rector says, and preliminary findings
confirmed that this was indeed a debilitated animal suffering from underlying
conditions. Examination of the whale by the necropsy team revealed significant
parasitic infections in the liver, lungs and kidneys. The thin body condition
and empty stomachs suggest the whale had been impaired and not feeding recently.
Vessel trauma consistent with a propeller and skeg interaction was present
on the back of the animal, however, the injury was small and showed evidence
of healing, suggesting it was unrelated to the cause of stranding, he pointed
out.
Fin whales
are the second-largest whales on earth, after blue whales. They are listed
as endangered throughout their range and are more commonly found in deep waters.
The whale was buried on the beach last Friday evening by DNREC's Shoreline
and Waterway Management team.
Photos courtesy Sgt. Brooke Mitchell/DNRP,
David Koster/PortraitsInTheSand.com
and Rob Rector/MERR Institute.
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IT'S HAPPINESS IN DEWEY THIS ELECTION SEASON!
But can it continue?
Was it the 5G poles, the pandemic or have the people of Dewey given up and
decided it is time to bury the hatchet?
The three candidates "running" for the three open commissioner
seats attended this past Saturday's candidate forum hosted by the Dewey
Beach Civic League at Hyatt Place. About 25 people were in the
audience but none had any questions for the candidates.
Rob Marshall moderated and led the discussion about the town's positive finances,
outdoor dining, 5G pole status, pedestrian safety, thoughts on new taxes,
adding more police at the current pay level, police station upgrades, Covid,
supporting the town manager, parking, controlling beach population, storm
water and flooding and the upcoming Coastal Highway median project.
People in Dewey are enjoying the harmony of what would often be a contentious
and divisive election season. Will this trend continue? Stay tuned!
PEDESTRIAN HIT BY MINI-VAN ON COASTAL HWY IN DEWEY
The irony, just hours after pedestrian safety was a featured topic of Saturday's
candidate forum, a 31-year-old man was seriously injured while crossing Coastal
Highway near Rodney Avenue in Dewey Beach. He was struck by the white Toyota
Sceana minivan in the southbound lanes around 9:45 p.m.
According to EMS reports he was thrown over the hood and into and over the
windshield. He was unconscious for a couple of minutes but regained consciousness
as he was being treated by EMS. One report also said he appeared to have been
intoxicated.
Sgt. Clifford Dempsey, police spokesman, said the pedestrian has been charged
with crossing outside of a crosswalk. He also noted that Dewey Beach police
have been actively reaching out to pedestrians this summer to promote safety
with the help of Office of Highway Safety funds, supplies and literature.
Photo courtesy
Dewey Beach PD
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REHOBOTH USES ABOUT 100K PLASTIC TRASH BAGS A SEASON!
Kevin Williams, Rehoboth Beach public works director, provided estimates
of plastic trash bag usage to Comm. Dick Byrne who chairs the city's Environment
Committee. According to those numbers, the city public works crews use
around 1000 plastic bags a day during the summer in the city's public trash
cans. Assuming a 100-day season, that's about 100,000 bags each summer.
Ocean City -- which does not use plastic bags in its 600 beach trash barrels
-- uses a custom-built 4-wheel-drive full-size automated
trash truck that allows a single driver to pickup and empty those beach
trash cans. But Rehoboth Beach officials are quick to point out that Rehoboth's
beach is narrower than Ocean City's and is often more densely populated. "Ocean
City has a huge beach," Williams explains, "where they mark out
a long strip down the center of the beach where they place their cans and
run the truck down at various times to empty the trash cans with the remote
arm." Ocean City does, however, use plastic trash bags in its 200 boardwalk
cans.
Photo courtesy
Jessica Waters, O.C. spokeswoman
In Rehoboth, officials say that it is not feasible or safe to remove trash
during peak periods with large machinery. Rehoboth's beach trash cans are
positioned along the dune fence and during the day the city's crews pull full
bags and place them there for ultimate pick up after the crowds subside.
"Plastic bags are saving us thousands of dollars in labor expenses,"
says Comm. Jay Lagree, who is the chair of the city's Beach and Boardwalk
Committee. "Can you imagine what it would cost to deal with garbage
cans like we did before plastic bags," he asks, noting how trash cans
without liners frequently smell bad and attract flies especially on hot summer
days. Those cans would have to be cleaned frequently.
"Using unlined cans means we have to ensure that we empty the cans before
they overflow -- a challenging task without scheduling multiple collection
times throughout the day when navigating the beach can be almost impossible,"
explains Mayor Stan Mills, who previously chaired the Beach and Boardwalk
Committee.
Mayor Mills too expressed concern about Rehoboth's narrow beach when compared
with Ocean City's. "The larger truck is more of a safety concern unless
used only in the early morning before crowds gather," he points out.
If Rehoboth had the beach width, he says he would entertain the use of such
a truck even though Rehoboth only has about 135 trash cans on the beach.
"Continued use of the beach tractor pulling a trailer for trash collection
may be the best program especially in the future if we can expand recycling
to the beach," Mayor Mills adds, "that way trash and recyclables
might be able to be collected at the same time and placed in different bins
on the same trailer. Use of a specialized trash truck would not work for trash
and recycling collections unless separate collection schedules are maintained."
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RBP PAYS TRIBUTE TO FALLEN EMT/FIREFIGHTER
Off-duty lifeguards, family and friends joined the Lewes fireboat crew last
Monday to remember the mother
of RBP EMT Jacob Klingler who died earlier this month. She too worked in emergency
services as an EMT and firefighter.
They scattered her ashes in the ocean while the beach patrol conducted a
bell salute for her at the foot of Rehoboth Avenue.
Donations may be made in her memory to the National Fallen Firefighters
Foundation, P.O. Drawer 498, Emmitsburg, Md. 21727 or online by clicking
here.
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FOOD BANK HOLDS POP-UP DISTRIBUTION AT SEA
AIR
by Tom Dooley
For the second time this year, the Food Bank of Delaware held a
pop-up food distribution event at Sea Air Village, a mixed community
of retirees and working families off Coastal Highway near Tanger Outlets
Seaside outside of Rehoboth.
Distributed were fresh produce, canned goods, assorted food staples and frozen
meats.
Here is Kevin Snead putting food stuffs into a resident's van.
Some residents in this community have no personal transportation so major
grocery shopping is a challenge and they are often dependent upon community
assistance for their needs. This program is a welcome lifeline.
To donate, advocate or volunteer for the Food Bank of Delaware,
please see the FBD website.
Photos courtesy Tom Dooley
NO DRAG VOLLEYBALL PLANNED FOR SECOND YEAR IN A ROW!
The Rehoboth Beach Drag
Volleyball grand finale planned for this coming Labor Day Weekend has
been postponed until Labor Day Weekend 2022. This year's event was canceled
out of an abundance of caution because of the Covid-19 Delta variant as it
continues to spread. This is the fourth time the popular tournament has been
canceled in its 34-year history. The group still plans to hold its final match
next summer, but what then?
Mark Kimble, one of the captains of the Delmarva Divas, is one of
the original players from when drag volleyball started in 1988. He says it
is certainly a unique sport but requires "a lot of work." The group
consists of two teams of nine players each who spend quite a bit of time not
only practicing volleyball but also rehearsing for their performance. Kimble
has been participating for more than half of his life like so many of the
players. He said it is time for them to retire and make 2022 their final match.
The group plans to return in 2022 for that final tournament! "We have
put out there that anyone that wants to take it over is more than welcome,"
Kimble says. "It's a lot of work and I just don't think people want to
do it," he pointed out.
Would you like to save drag volleyball? Please contact him via Facebook
for info. More historical details are in Rich
Barnett's CAMP Rehoboth article from 2008.
Photos courtesy Hoyte Decker and Philip Reich
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REBUILDING REHOBOTH HISTORY BUILDING BY BUILDING
He collects tidbits of Rehoboth Beach history like an entomologist collects
insects. Photographs, postcards, newspapers.com
articles, insurance company and land records and surveys all help him recreate
a nearly perfect replica of 1910 Rehoboth Beach.
Meet Paul Lovett, a local historian who spends several hours each day examining
and reconstructing the town's history. Part of his story is about the history,
he says, and the other part is to characterize that history in the 1910 railroad
time frame.
Lovett continues to build this detailed N-scale (1:160) replica of Rehoboth
Avenue during that railroad era. When he is finished, it will run from the
ocean fishing pier known as Horns Pavilion to the west side of the
U.S. Government Canal, where the train's steam engine turned around.
Lovett acts like a general contractor. He creates the specifications for
each building, seeks sponsors and hires professional model builders to make
the miniatures. About 30 sponsors have participated at $300 to $500 per structure.
The models are made from real wood and 3D-printed components. The boardwalk
is made board by board. The real boardwalk, he notes, has been completely
replaced at least 10 times.
Rehoboth Beach was a railroad town. Train tracks came down the center of
Rehoboth Avenue providing passenger service for 50 years from 1878 to 1928.
Freight service continued for another 35 years. Rehoboth Avenue was not originally
intended for purposes of the railroad, but rather to provide wide vistas to
enhance breezes and views. The old downtown area, designed in 1873, was bounded
by Christian Street, Lake Avenue and the ocean. That triangular parcel was
actually a seaside cranberry farm belonging to Lorenzo Dow Martin. He sold
the farm in 1873 to the Methodist-Episcopal Camp Meeting Association.
The design of Rehoboth's streets followed the contours of that farm.
Rehoboth was at its peak in 1910, Lovett points out. The town had gas lamps
lit by a lamplighter and a new, noisy electric power and ice-making plant
(where First Street Station is today) that spewed coal ash over the
town. Livestock was free-roaming including horses, cows, chickens, goats and
pigs.
Two new model complexes coming in a few weeks to the diorama are under construction
by Lovett's Miami-based model builder: Thoroughgood Lumber and Cottage
that were on the south side of Rehoboth Avenue, across from today's post office;
and Dick's Grocery Store and adjacent gas station that was on the
northwest corner of 1st Street and Rehoboth Avenue. The Newark, Delaware model
builder is working on the tables that will be the base for the second and
third blocks of Rehoboth Avenue. That will include an operating train. Already
on the diorama, the ocean block is finished with about 30 buildings.
"I have studied Rehoboth history for two to three hours a day for about
five years," Lovett says. "I know the history and am recreating
it. My primary purpose is to share it with folks like yourselves," he
says.
The diorama will be about 38 feet when it is finally completed. "It
needs to find a home in Rehoboth where it will live for generations to come,"
Lovett says. It will need to find a new home in the not-too-distant future.
In a few more months it will be too large for its current location,"
he said. "In the meantime," he added, "I am so indebted to
Main Street for allowing it to be displayed at its offices."
Lovett has presented the diorama to visitors -- which comes with a Rehoboth
history lesson -- more than 70 times! "I love to share the stories,"
he adds. Lovett has written essays about Commodore
William H. Shock, a Civil War veteran with a cottage on the boardwalk
during the 1890s; Lorenzo Dow Martin, the cranberry farmer who sold his farm
that became the core of Rehoboth's business district; and will soon be writing
about the "boardwalk titans."
To arrange an appointment to see the diorama, please email
Lovett, call him at (302) 893-9391 or visit his hobby's
website.
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4 NEW SHOWS OPEN AT RAL!
The Rehoboth Art League opened four exhibitions this past Friday.
On display in the Corkran Gallery is the Delaware Watercolor
Society Juried Fine Arts exhibition, The
Wonders of Watermedia. This group approached RAL to showcase its work.
Nicholas Serratore, RAL exhibitions director, says it is a wonderful juried
show as the society has a large membership representing all styles of work
from abstract to portrait to traditional landscapes. Here is Gail Zinar, a
3rd-place award winner for her work, The Cost of Covid.
In the Ventures Gallery is Mezzanine
by Antonio McAfee, the 1st place winner in RAL's 2019 regional photography
show. "It's very unusual and very evocative and reminiscent of Roni
Horn who is a photographer for people who are familiar with her work,"
Serratore explains. "He attempts to provide alternate ways to see Black
figures, ways that allow the subjects to have multitudes of possibilities
and imagine within a still image."
In the Tubbs Gallery is More
Beyond by Jan Crooker who has been a long-time RAL member and recent award
winner as well. The premise of her show, Serratore says, is that during the
pandemic we were unable to get out and observe the world. She was forced to
paint from memory from what she had seen from before Covid and rely on photographs.
Reflections
by Laura Erickson is on display in the Homestead which Serratore
calls a "Very lovely quiet relaxing show." She works with plaster
and acrylic mixed together to create beautiful and serene ocean scenes, among
others. This exhibition explores the natural and varying relationships among
the body, mind and the subconscious and the water and sky, Serratore added.
These shows will be on display through September 26. Please see the RAL
website for details.
Coastal Delaware's premier lifestyle magazine ...
A look inside: Delaware Beach Life
August 2021 issue
PHOTOS OF THE WEEK
Deer on Oak Avenue by Gil Hofheimer...
Saturday's rainbow over Dewey Beach by David Koster, PortraitsInTheSand.com
...
On beach by Rehoboth Avenue by Jill Abbott...
Have an exciting local photo to share? Enter the DBL
photography contest. The deadline is September 15.
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OTHER NEWS:
MERR REPORT--- Suzanne Thurman from the MERR
Institute reports that in addition to the fin whale, MERR investigated
two deceased loggerhead sea turtles this past week, both were found on Sunday
in Bay Colony on the west side of Indian River Bay. Both
appear to have been boat propeller victims, she said.
HOTEL SWIMMING POOL INCIDENTS IN O.C.--- Ocean City EMS
crews responded to two hotel swimming pool incidents this past week both of
which were on Baltimore Avenue. Just before 4 p.m. last Tuesday, EMS crews
were called to the Flamingo Towers for a person reportedly in cardiac
arrest in the pool. On Friday, Jessica Waters, O.C. spokeswoman, said that
she knew that fire department personnel responded for a call for a swimmer
in distress in the pool but she did "not know the status of the patient.
At the time of the call it was unknown if it was a drowning or relates to
a medical condition/emergency." Around 6:10 p.m. on Friday, EMS responded
to the Days Inn for a toddler found in the pool. When they arrived
the boy was reported conscious and coughing up water.
DRIVER SUFFERS CRITICAL MEDICAL PROBLEM, RUNS ACROSS COASTAL HWY
MEDIAN NEAR LEWES AND CRASHES--- A 52-year-old man driving a Ford
Transit appears to have suffered a medical problem while he drove north
on Coastal Highway near Wescoats Road around 4:10 p.m. this past Thursday.
MCpl. Heather Pepper, police spokeswoman, says the man's van drove across
the concrete median and all southbound lanes and onto the southbound shoulder.
But his van continued traveling north on the shoulder of the road and sideswiped
a 1999 Honda Accord. The van then continued north on the shoulder
through the intersection at Wescoats Road and traveled back across the southbound
lane and came to rest in the left and center lane of southbound Coastal Highway.
That is where rescue personnel found the man in cardiac arrest. Amazingly,
they were successfully able to resuscitate him before taking him to the hospital.
A couple and two children in the Honda had minor injuries.
BOATER KILLED DURING FISHING TOURNAMENT CRASH--- A man died
last Friday after two boats collided about 62 nautical miles east of Ocean
City. Petty Officer Breanna Centeno, Coast Guard spokeswoman, said the two
boats were participating in a fishing tournament when they collided. Four
persons were thrown into the water but were rescued by another boater. One
of the four was later pronounced dead after attempts to resuscitate him were
unsuccessful. WGMD
identified the dead boater as Capt. Chris Ragni, Sr. from Milton. The Coast
Guard is leading the investigation.
BOAT CATCHES FIRE, SINKS AT O.C. INLET--- Ocean City firefighters
responded to the Inlet around 5:17 a.m. Sunday after a boat burst into flames
against the south jetty. All seven passengers on the vessel were rescued by
another boater with no injuries reported. Video has been posted on the O.C.F.D.
Facebook page.
Watchdog visits and visually inspects property and vessels to check on
their well-being and notifies the owner of its status...
http://www.HBwatchdog.com
NEWS RELEASES / NEWS REPORTS:
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move Gmail messages from Promotions to Primary tab
In
federal lawsuit, Nantucket residents say offshore wind will harm endangered
whales
First
Cape May lifeguard dies while on duty
9
injured in crash on Coastal Hwy at Argo Corners
Milton
board approves variance for Cypress Grove housing project
Milton
Theatre directors open Revival venue in Salisbury
Milton
council hears traffic report
Police
seek assistance to ID burglary suspect at Five Points
Two
major Lewes projects require steel work
Lewes
Beach minor subdivision draws concern
Johnny
Walker's at Lewes Beach one step closer to reality
Highest-ranking
pharmacist elected to state office in the country is going after PBMs
Using
art to celebrate and remember West Rehoboth's history
It's
Richards and Derrickson in Henlopen Acres election
Rehoboth
to Turn the Town Teal for ovarian cancer awareness
Rehoboth
in Bloom keeps on sprouting
Rehoboth
Beach Patrol names award winners
Rehoboth
Beach sued over refusal to approve theater buildings
Rehoboth
beachgoers urged to swim in guarded areas
Judge
upholds Rehoboth BoA interpretation of gross floor area
Dewey
Beach commissioners seek speed limit decrease
Water-quality
advisory lifted for Tower Road beach
Thompson
Island expands brewing staff ahead of Ocean View opening
Large
canopies deserve scrutiny in Ocean City
Teen's death brings attention to breaking
free from a rip current
Ocean
City beaches to be reloaded with federal sand after Labor Day
Ocean
City Life-Saving Station Museum Louis S. Parsons, III Photo Contest
Maryland
launches "give wild horses a brake" campaign on Assateague Island
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