Experience the best in upscale dining with prix-fixe menus
15th-21stSeptember
Participating restaurants as of July 24:
d Agave
d Back Burner
d Bardea Steak
d Brandywine Prime
d Cafe Mezzanotte
d Casa Nonna
d Catherine Rooney’s
d Ciro Food & Drink
d Columbus Inn
d CR Hummingbird to Mars
d Del Pez (Wilmington)
d Dorcea
d Eclipse Bistro
d El Camino Mexican Kitchen
Two-Course LUNCH:
$35 $55 or $20
Two- or Three-Course DINNER:
d Harry’s Savoy Grill
d Krazy Kat’s
d La Fia Bistro
d Market Kitchen + Bar
d Merchant Bar
d Piccolina Toscana
d Roost Pub & Kitchen
d Santa Fe Mexican Grill (Wilm)
d Taverna Rustic Italian (Wilm)
d The Quoin Restaurant
d Tonic Seafood & Steak
d Trolley Tap House
d Walter’s Steakhouse
d Wilma’s
Photo credit: Matthew Murphy.
With more than 100 degree, diploma, and certificate programs, Delaware Tech will lift you up to high-demand jobs. MAKE YOUR MOVE.
Photo by Joe Hoddinott
THE WAR On Words
A monthly column in which we attempt, however futilely, to defend the English language
MEDIA WATCH
• Luann Haney, co-winner of our recent grammar contest, spotted this in a CBS News online story: “[Manager of Dollar Universe LLC] Luis Almonte said that he buys the packages in palates from liquidation centers for vendors in Brooklyn and New Jersey.” Palate refers to the roof of the mouth. What the reporter should have written is pallet — a wooden platform used for storing and shipping various products. A similar word, palette, denotes the board on which artists keep their paints. Palette is also used in a figurative sense, to refer to a range of colors or a comparable range or selection of other things. In fact, wherever the word range is used, palette is a potential synonym.
• Reader Bob Rufe submits this News Journal headline: “Phillies have as good of a chance as Eagles.” It should read: “as good a chance.” Avoid the intrusive of in such expressions.
• Gabe Lacques, in USA TODAY: “But there’s fewer popup showers that ruin batting practice on the road, . . . There’s no wild gusts of wind that can turn an infield pop-up into a warning track adventure.” Gabe is another writer who ignores subject-verb agreement when using the contraction there’s (and, often, here’s). Both showers and gusts are plural, so the plural verb — “there are” — is correct.
• In her USA TODAY column, Nacy Armour quoted a post about Caitlin Clark from basketball guru Dick Vitale: “Some day they will realize what she has done for ALL of the players in the WNBA. Charted planes — increase in salaries-sold out crowds — improved TV ratings.” Aside from punctuation issues, there are two errors here: First, it’s someday — an indefinite future time, not some day, which refers to a single day, as in “I have an appointment some day next month.” Second, it’s chartered (rented, hired) planes. Charted involves mapping or planning, typically in a detailed manner.
• Jack McCallum, veteran Sports Illustrated writer, in a story on San Antonio Spurs Coach Greg Popovich: “He would no doubt say that he could care less about [being misunderstood], but I hold that he did . . . and does.” Hard to believe that a writer of McCallum’s talent and experience doesn’t know that the expression is “couldn’t care less.”
Word of the Month
LUSTRUM
Pronounced lus-trum, it’s a noun meaning half a decade; a five-year period.
By Bob Yearick
DEPARTMENT OF REDUNDANCIES DEPT.
• Headline in USA TODAY about a retired football player who has a doctorate in clinical psychology: “The mental NFL thinker. ” As opposed to the physical NFL thinker?
• Son Steven spotted this sloppy two-fer from Scooby Axon, of USA TODAY, in a story about Cailtin Clark’s WNBA All-Star votes: “Clark received the most fan votes, but when it came to her fellow peers in the league, she isn’t quite regarded as an elite player as a guard.” Her peers are, by definition, fellow players, and the phrase as a guard is a useless add-on.
• I recently watched the 2001 movie Behind Enemy Lines, and in a scene toward the end of the film the captain of a U.S. aircraft carrier announces: “We will set course for home base, effective 2300 this evening.” Military time is a 24-hour clock system used to avoid confusion between a.m. and p.m. Hours are numbered 1 through 24, followed by two zeros (pronounced “hundreds”) and, usually, the word “hours.” So 11 a.m. would be 1100 hours, and 11 p.m. would be 2300 hours. No need to indicate whether it’s morning or evening.
HOW LONG, OH LORD, HOW LONG?
(In which we note examples of the continuing abuse of the apostrophe.)
• President Trump, posting on X (in all caps, of course): “CERTAIN IRANIAN HARDLINER’S SPOKE BRAVELY . . .” The apostrophe makes hardliners a possessive, when it’s simply a plural: hardliners .
• From reader Maria Hess comes this post by ABC News about the late singer Bobby Sherman: “His performances made him a full-fledged teen idol in the 60’s and 70’s .” Apostrophes indicate either a possessive, which doesn’t apply in this case, or the absence of either letters, as in don’t, isn’t, they’re , etc., or numbers — in this case, 19 . So the correct punctuation is ‘60s and ‘70s .
NEED A SPEAKER FOR YOUR GROUP?
Contact me at ryearick@comcast.net for a fun and informative discussion on grammar. Buy The War on Words book at the Hockessin BookShelf, at Huxley & Hiro Booksellers on Market Street, or on Amazon.
Some Summer Sipping
Complete puzzle, take a photo, send to: Contact@TSNPub.com. Subject line: August Puzzle. Deadline: August 19. Two correct puzzles will win a cool prize.
PETS OF THE MONTH
Meet this month’s adorable adoptables sponsored by Tito’s Handmade Vodka.
CALISTA
SASSY LADY
POPPY
Sunkissed & Spoiled:
Making the Most of Summer With Your Pet
By Brianna Hansen
Summer isn’t just about beating the heat, it’s about embracing the sunshine, slower pace, and those golden opportunities to bond with our furry friends. If last month’s article was all about survival, this one’s about thrive-al. So, grab your sunglasses and let’s make some memories!
10.5 YRS | MALE | 84 LBS
Food Motivated Loves to Sleep
LAID-BACK SENIOR Knows Basic Commands
House/Leash/Crate Trained HAP WILMINGTON
6.5 YRS | FEMALE | 9 LBS
Shy but Sweet
Super Talkative
Social with Other Cats
Curious, Loves to Play
HAP WILMINGTON
DAMIEN
ENERGETIC & SWEET
3.5 YRS | MALE | 58 LBS HAP STANTON Knows Basic Commands Affectionate Loves Toys, Big Goofball Active & Playful
sponsored by
Sprinkle in splash time. Not all dogs love water, but for those who do, a sprinkler session, kiddie pool, or trip to a dog-friendly beach can be the highlight of their week! My personal summer favorite is a shady wooded hike centered around a cool pond or waterfall. Just remember to rinse off any chlorine or salt after and dry those ears to prevent infections.
And don’t forget the cats! Many felines love playing with ice cubes in a water bowl or batting at small water fountains or sink trickles.
Soak up the scents. A slow, sensory-focused walk is perfect for a cool summer night. Let your pup take their time sniffing the roses (or street sign, fire hydrant, sewer cover, etc.) and allow their nose to lead the way. Sniff walks are a great form of mental stimulation, and during slower summer days, we finally have time to let them explore at their pace.
Frozen fun… happy tongues. DIY frozen treats are a summer staple! Try blending banana, plain yogurt, and a scoop of xylitol-free peanut butter into pup-sicles. For cats, freeze a little tuna water or wet food into silicone molds for a refreshing surprise.
Make the backyard a boredom buster. Create a “sniffari” scavenger hunt by hiding treats or toys around the yard, or build a mini agility course using cones, lawn chairs, or pool noodles. Window perches and bird feeders offer feline friends a front-row seat to nature’s summer show.
Plan pet-friendly outings. On cooler days or early mornings, bring your dog along for a drive-through pup cup or enjoy a shaded patio brunch together.
And for an end-of-summer finale, join Humane Animal Partners for their annual dog-friendly cocktail party, Muttini Mixer, on Friday, September 19 at Riverfront Events in Wilmington. Dogs 75-lbs and under are invited to dress their best and join their owners for an evening of delicious food and drinks, live music, auctions, and more benefitting HAP shelter animals.
Summer is a season of connection. Whether it’s chasing bubbles, learning a new trick, or simply lying in the shade together, these are the little moments our pets live for and the ones we’ll always remember. Let’s slow down, enjoy, and make this summer something to wag about.
FYI Things Worth Knowing
FIND THEM BEFORE THEY MELT
We all scream for ice cream and we bet you'll also be jumping up and down if you find the cones we've hidden in this issue. That's because three of you will win a cool prize by identifying those four pages. Please email your answer by August 20 to Contact@TSNPub.com with the subject line: I Found the Ice Cream. We will choose three winners from correct submissions. Congrats to John Wilczynski, Bart Brooks and Gerard Rousseau who found the beer on pages 21, 35, 47 and 52 of our July edition.
NEW ONLINE RESOURCE LAUNCHED FOR DELAWARE 250
Anew online hub, “Delaware 250 in New Castle County,” has launched spotlighting ways to commemorate America’s 250th anniversary. Developed by the Greater Wilmington Convention and Visitors Bureau, the site features a Revolutionary War timeline, a three-day historical itinerary, event listings, and an overview of local attractions where the region’s war ties can be experienced. There is also a special section devoted to Separation Day, the annual celebration that commemorates when the First State cut ties with both Britain and Pennsylvania. Visit VisitWilmingtonDE.com/250.
‘ROBOT SCULPTOR’ HEADLINES BRANDYWINE FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS
The Brandywine Festival of the Arts returns to Wilmington’s Brandywine Park (1001 N. Park Dr., Wilmington) on September 6 & 7, featuring more than 240 artisans from across the country. This year’s featured artist is Brian Marshall, who creates whimsical robot sculptures from vintage items. "I fabricate robots, fish and more from vintage items like a modern-day Dr. Frankenstein of junk," Marshall says. Marshall and his Robot Menagerie will have a prominent location for display and sale at the two-day festival.
In addition to painters, jewelers, photographers, woodworkers and other artisans displaying and offering their works for sale, the festival features a food court, children’s activities and pet adoption opportunities. Festival hours are Saturday 10am-6pm and Sunday 10am-4pm. Entry is $5 each day, with children 12 and under free with adult admission. Visit BrandywineArts.com.
NEW LIGHT THEATRE PRESENTS ONCE FOR A CAUSE
New Light Theatre will stage the award-winning musical Once at Delaware Theatre Company (200 Water St., Wilmington) from August 8-17. Directed by Kyle Metzger, Once tells the story of an Irish busker and a Czech immigrant whose chance encounter sparks healing and hope. Featuring a folk-rock score by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová performed by an ensemble of actor-musicians, the musical reminds audiences of the power of art, kindness, and community.
As part of New Light Theatre’s mission to illuminate social issues through meaningful performance, this production partners with RISE, the Refugee Integration Support Effort of Jewish Family Services of Delaware. Audiences are encouraged to bring new household donations. For donation details and tickets, visit NewLightTheatre.com.
Separation Day in Historic New Castle.
Photo by Lindsay duPhily
The cast of Once in rehearsal.
Photo by Lena Mucchetti
ANNUAL IRISH MUSIC & DANCE FESTIVAL RETURNS
Irish Culture Club of Delaware’s 45th Annual Feiseanna & Festival returns to the Chase Center on the Riverfront August 9 & 10. This family-friendly, all-weekend music and dance festival is free to attend and features four bands, a pub atmosphere for music, five dance stages, youth art competition, and more. This year’s music lineup includes local favorites Gerry Timlin, John Byrne Band, Seven Rings Band and McMark & Company. Visit IrishCultureClubDe.com/feis2025.
MOBILE BOOKSHOP CONJURS
THE MAGIC OF READING
Wisp Bookshop, a new mobile bookstore, is now popping up around Delaware with a mission rooted in healing, imagination, and inclusion. Created by Middletown resident Alina Pfeifer, a former teacher and homeschooling mom, Wisp specializes in fantasy books and merchandise for all ages “because reality is overrated.” With a focus on accessibility and representation, the bookshop is designed to welcome all readers, especially those with disabilities and neurodivergent kids. Wisp is more than just a bookstore, says Pfeifer. “It’s a dream that brings together everything I love: family, imagination, and the belief that books can truly change lives.”
Wisp is currently staying local to the Middletown area — Sweet Melissa Bakery (Saturdays 10am-2pm) and Crooked Hammock Brewery (Sundays 11am2pm) — but Pfeifer is open to collaborating with other Delaware businesses on pop-up opportunities. Follow Wisp Bookshop on Instagram (@wisp.mobile.bookshop) and TikTok (@wispbookshop).
NEW HOSPITALITY LEADERSHIP PROGRAM LAUNCHED
The Delaware Restaurant Association (DRA), through its nonprofit arm, the Delaware Restaurant Foundation, has launched the Hospitality Leadership Advancement Program, a new workforce development initiative for hospitality professionals, in partnership with Goldey-Beacom College. Designed for those ready to take the next step in their hospitality career, this training program offers applicants flexible, creditbearing courses, career support, and wrap-around services such as transportation and childcare stipends. Applications for the Fall 2025 cohort are now open, with a virtual orientation on August 12 and classes beginning August 25. Visit Bit.ly/gbcleadership.
WILMINGTON NATIVE RETURNS FOR FILM FESTIVAL SPOTLIGHT
The Wilmington International Film Festival will welcome home Wilmington-native and Salesianum alumnus Raymond Lambert for special screening of Phunny Business: A Black Comedy at The Screening Room at 1313 (1313 N. Market St.) on October 12 at 1:30pm. The award-winning documentary chronicles the iconic comedy club All Jokes Aside, which launched the careers of such comedy legends as Jamie Foxx, Mo’Nique, Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, and more. Raymond, the film’s producer and the club’s founder, will participate in a live Q&A session and present his “Mic and a Stool Collective,” a re-imagination of All Jokes Aside as a not-for-profit, that seeks to use comedy as a tool for education, empowerment, and engagement. Tickets are available now.
The inaugural Wilmington International Film Festival, organized by Gordon DelGiorno of Film Brothers Productions, will bring the four-day celebration of global and local cinema to the city October 7-12. More than 40 films will be screened across three venues: Theatre N, The Screening Room, and The Delaware Contemporary. The Chancery Market will serve as the festival’s headquarters and offer international food and drink, live music, and business networking. Visit Wilmington.Film.
RIVERFRONT WILMINGTON REWARDS PROGRAM
Now through August 31, shop, dine, or play at participating Riverfront Wilmington businesses and earn entries to win prizes. To enter, snap and upload a photo of your receipt. Every $10 spent equals one entry, with entries doubled on Wednesdays or when you use the hastags #riverfrontwilmingtonde and #riverfrontrewards on Instagram. Weekly giveaways and monthly grand prizes include gift cards, Blue Rocks tickets, Brandywine Riverfront Cruise tickets, and more. Visit RiverfrontWilm.com/rewards.
A CALL TO THE COMMUNITY
The Blue Streak has been an artistic oasis in Wilmington’s Trolley Square area since 1987, owned and operated by the vivacious and resilient Ellen Bartholomaus.
Today, however, Bartholomaus’ resilience is being tested. She is suffering from chronic kidney disease known as Alport Syndrome and is in serious need of a kidney transplant. Her situation is not a rarity. One in seven Americans suffer from kidney disease — many unaware of their condition until it becomes an emergency.
Bartholomaus' son Jamie suffers from the same disease and received a kidney transplant in 2008. Bartholomaus is hoping to have the same good fortune as the wait list for a kidney from a deceased donor is three to seven years. Bartholomaus cannot afford to be that patient.
“Asking for a kidney is the hardest thing I have ever done,” says Bartholomaus. “I spend each day being kind and cheerful and providing fun uplifting experiences for other people. Now I need to find a kidney to save my life.”
Bartholomaus has indeed been a catalyst for Wilmington’s artistic community for years — as anyone who has popped into The Blue Streak during the Art Loop can attest. Now, she is hoping someone in our community can become a kidney donor. See if you’re qualified at NKR.org/CLC553.
Blue Streak Gallery owner Ellen Bartholomaus.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 1 5pm Start
RIVERFRONT
The Delaware Contemporary 200 S. Madison St. 656-6466
decontemporary.org
Exhibitions: Closing Reception for RADIUS, the ArtSource Invitational; and closing reception for ARC 25
Artist: House Frequencies: At Home, On Stage by E.Lizé
The Sold Firm
800-B N. Tatnall St. 689-3237
Exhibit: Ameriica Has a Problem by y.it (James Wyatt)
WEST SIDE
Delaware Center for Horticulture 1810 N. Dupont St. 658-6262
thedch.org
Artist: Keith Sharp
BEYOND THE CITY
Bellefonte Arts
803-C Bellefonte Blvd. 547-2573
Exhibit: New Vision - . A Group Exhibition
Finist & The Owl 811 Brandywine Blvd. 786-228-6638
Exhibiti: Oil Paintings by Dan D cityfest presented by
The Power of Art
Pacem in
Terris’
annual youth exhibition helps people connect
By Adriana Camacho-Church
Inside the Music School of Delaware in Wilmington, a piece of art framed in a black background stands out.
Created by 10-year-old Wynter Wilmore, the painting depicts a vase with flowers. It is her vision of what peace looks and feels like. It is painted in hues of mainly black, white, gray, and yellow.
“What inspired my art piece is showing love for my community and the beauty in life,” says the Kuumba Academy Charter School student. “The flowers represent these things because flowers are beautiful to look at and smell and can help you feel at peace.”
Wilmore is one of more than 560 students from 30 Delaware schools and organizations who submitted artwork for the Pacem in Terris ninth annual Visionary Peace Youth Art Exhibition. Colorful images of nature, earth, hearts, doves, people of different skin tones standing side by side, and a variety of other symbols, demonstrate what peace looks like to these artists ages 5-18.
Delaware Pacem in Terris, Inc. (Latin for “peace on earth”) is a Wilmington non-profit organization
founded in 1967 during America’s conflict with Vietnam — a time of political and cultural division within the United States. It is the oldest and largest organization on the Delmarva Peninsula working for peace with justice.
Founded by an interfaith group of clergy and business leaders, the group aims to foster peace within ourselves and within our communities through programs and events that create connection and cooperation.
“Peace is not an abstract ideal,” says Carolyn
Kuumba Academy student Wynter Wilmore, 10, with a painting she created for Pacem in Terris' current exhbition. Photos courtesy Pacem in Terris
Bitzer, co-director at Pacem. “It is something we live, breathe and build together. It starts in our neighborhoods, our schools and our hearts. At Pacem, art and education are powerful tools for transformation.”
Art is a vehicle for healing and social change, Bitzer says. “Youth visions of peace connect people. Connection matters because it helps us see that we are part of something so much larger than ourselves. It helps us understand what is common to us all, even as we respect one another’s differences. It motivates us to foster peace and well-being in ourselves, our communities, and the larger world.”
In 2017, the University of Pennsylvania released a study titled “The Socioemotional Benefits of the Arts.” Participation in arts programs was linked to improvements in youths' tolerance for others' perspectives. It showed that the arts boost emotional development, creative expression and mental health. The study linked the arts to safer communities, civic engagement, and social cohesion — creating a sense of belonging and shared values.
It's estimated 200,000 viewers will visit Pacem’s art exhibition during this year. In 2024, the exhibition brought in more than 150,000 visitors.
We’ve seen a steady growth of viewers since the program began in 2016, says Bitzer. Since then, more than 4,000 students have participated.
From July through December school teachers and organizations submit the youths’ artwork to Pacem. In January, every piece of artwork is displayed at Wilmington Library.
Out of the hundreds of art pieces submitted, approximately 60 are selected by jurors for display throughout the year at 28 locations in Delaware. Jurors include the executive directors of The Delaware Contemporary and the City of Wilmington’s Office of Cultural Affairs, as well as local artists.
Exhibition locations include Sussex County Family Courthouse, Leonard L. Williams State Service Center in Kent County, Appoquinimink Library in Middletown, and Nemours Children’s Hospital in Wilmington. For a complete list of locations and dates of exhibitions, visit DePacemInTerris.org.
This year, Sirla Posadas Romero, 12, is participating in the peace exhibition for the first time. Her artwork currently hangs at the Lutheran Church of Good Shepherd in Wilmington. It shows the earth and humanity shaking hands. Humanity’s hand and arm depict different skin tones.
“I hope that I can teach people from different countries, races, and cultures to get along with each other and to spread peace and love,” says Romero,
Pacem co-directors (l-r): Carolyn Blitzer, Donna Jenkins,RaShana Pierce-Brown.
a student at Cab Calloway School of the Arts. “I would hope my art piece demonstrates that no matter who you are or where you come from, there will always be someone there
For Romero, art helps her connect
“What peace means for me is my headphones, my art supplies, and my room,” she says. “I have peace when I am alone doing what I enjoy the most. As well as being surrounded by the people I love the most.”
“It is easy to get distracted by negativity and hatred, but art provides an opportunity to imagine a version of ourselves and our world that is positive, loving, and healthy, and that lifts one another up,” says Reverend Pamela Wat, Pacem’s board chair. “Having children and teens making that kind of art is good for them because it becomes a kind of meditation toward healing and peace.”
Next year, Pacem will display artwork outside of Delaware for the first time. Travelers will be able to view select pieces in Baggage Claim A of the Philadelphia Airport. The exhibition will appear for an entire year.
Cab Calloway student Sirla Posadas Romero, 12, is participating in the exhibition for the first time.
Phynx 4th Annual Dirty Popcorn Black Film Festival
AUGUST 9 & 10
• Award-winning Short Films
• “The Evolution of the Camera” Exhibit
Hidden History Reclaimed
Thanks to a group of resolute volunteers led by two DuPont retirees, a long-neglected Delaware historic site stands ready for visitors and the country’s 250th anniversary
By Bob Yearick
In a quiet pocket of Brandywine Hundred, tucked away among office parks and subdivisions, is a hidden — and somewhat confusingly named — historic gem: Newark Union Church and Cemetery. It is a place where Delaware’s early settlers worshipped, where veterans from eight wars rest, and where a group of modern-day caretakers has breathed life back into a long-neglected landmark.
The properties are a tiny part of an original grant of 986 acres from William Penn to Valentine Hollingsworth, an Irish Quaker, in 1682. They extend along Shellpot Creek on the east, north to the Red Oak, and west to the Black Oak and south along what is now Rt. 202.
This memorial stone for Valentine Hollingsworth occupies a prominent place in the cemetery, which is a tiny part of a 1682 grant of 986 acres from William Penn to Hollingsworth. Photos courtesy Anne Daly
THURSDAYS
GLASGOW, 3-7PM, US 40 & DE 896, BEAR/GLASGOW
FRIDAYS
BELLEVUE, 3-7PM, 510 DUNCAN RD, N WILMINGTON, AT BELLEVUE COMMUNITY CENTER
CAROUSEL, 2-6PM, 3700 LIMESTONE RD, PIKE CREEK
SATURDAYS
MIDDLETOWN, 9AM-12PM, 204 EAST MAIN ST, MIDDLETOWN, APPOQUINIMINK LIBRARY
Providing fresh, local, seasonal, produce and artisan food across New Castle County now through October. Rain or shine!
The name, which predates the founding of the city of Newark, Delaware, by 12 years, is a derivative of the title Hollingsworth gave to his original plantation — New Wark. That morphed into New Worke and eventually Newark.
The church stood mostly unused since the 1970s and was closed altogether by 2018. Once a vital gathering place — founded as a Quaker meeting house in 1687 — it had become just another old building in need of care.
Restoration work has been led by Bob and Anne Daly, two DuPont retirees, who seven years ago moved from Middletown to the house across the street from the church and cemetery — the original home of Valentine Hollingsworth. They soon met Jean Weldin and her husband, Ray, a member of a prominent Brandywine Hundred family that had been responsible for managing the church and cemetery since 1845. The Weldins were ready to pass the torch, and the Dalys gladly accepted.
Since then, the husband and wife, both history buffs, have spent countless hours researching and acquiring items for the museum and spearheading a group of volunteers who, in a remarkably short period, have transformed the site into a hub of community pride. Bob is president of the nonprofit Newark Union Corporation
Restoring the properties and opening them to the public was no small task. The cemetery had become overgrown, the church’s interior outdated and worn. But volunteers set to work, clearing brush, unearthing and cleaning gravestones, painting walls, and installing electricity and
In February of 2020, the church and cemetery were placed on the National Register of Historic Places, a pivotal event that made them eligible for grant money. Government and foundation grants followed, along with individual donations of both money and items for
The church was built as this two-story fieldstone Quaker meetinghouse in 1845 and renovated to a one-story Gothic Revival style building in 1906. The woman is Ms. Emma Weldin, who rests in the Newark Union Cemetery.
Carefully Curated
Today, the site is more than a historic church and burial ground. The former Sunday School room has been transformed into a small but carefully curated museum — a time capsule of local and American history.
Under the Dalys’ direction, many of the items on display reflect the lifestyle of ordinary people from the mid-to-late 1800s and early-1900s. They include a spinning wheel, a sewing machine, a broadax, a children’s sled and chairs, a Civil War medic’s kit, and Brandywine Hundred tax records and property deeds. There’s a Civil War-era canteen, a 19th-century collection plate, and an 1880s coffee grinder.
From a time when churches also served as de facto community clinics, there is an antique medicine bottle marked “Newark Union Church.” Other pharmaceutical bottles purport to hold elixirs that alleviate all manner of ailments: “Dr. Kilmer’s Swamp Root Kidney, Liver and Bladder Cure,” “Dr. B.J. Kendall’s Pectoral Elixir for coughs, colds, and all lung troubles,” and “Blackberry Balsam for dysentery and all summer complaints.” A sign for a Philadelphia firm proclaims: “J.C. Hurst & Sons Standard Remedies: Brighter hours will come.”
Among the more unusual items is Harden’s Hand Grenade Fire Extinguisher — a glass globe that contained a mixture of carbonic acid and sodium bicarbonate.
One of the more fascinating antiques is an extremely rare 1868 bicycle — “the boneshaker.” Made of steel alloy, including its wheels, the bike weighs nearly 80 pounds. It was donated by Karlis Adamsons, who paid $3,000 for it at the annual bike auction in Copake, N.Y., about 15 years ago. Considering the cobblestone and crushed stone roads of the 1860s, the boneshaker is well-named.
Adamsons and his wife, Cathy Andriadis, who live in Greenville, have been among the major supporters of the museum and cemetery. Andriadis is a board member and also handles publicity for the group.
>
Some of the crowd at the museum's grand opening ceremonies on May 31. Despite its name, the museum is in Brandywine Hundred, off Baynard Boulevard near Marsh Road.
Another major contributor is Gavin May. A resident of Unionville, Pa., the 20-year-old May has to qualify as one of the youngest history buffs around. He met Bob Daly when both of them had booths at an antique bottle show 12 years ago — when May was 8. Nowadays, the two often make field trips together to seek out artifacts for the museum.
Stories Set in Stone
Anne Daly calls it “an honor” to help maintain the cemetery, where 88 veterans representing every war from Revolutionary to Vietnam are buried.
A Victorian memory garden, with benches and native plants, and a Military Memorial occupy the center of the cemetery. There is also a marker to commemorate Delaware’s first Medal of Honor recipient, Alexander Hand, who served in the Union Navy during the Civil War.
With help from several grants from the Distressed Cemetery Fund, more than 225 headstones, footstones and corner plot markers have been raised, repositioned, repaired and cleaned, and 95% of the stone wall around the perimeter of the cemetery has been repaired and repointed.
Still legible after centuries of exposure to the elements, many of the markers tell a local history etched in marble and granite. Some familiar Brandywine Hundred names — Carr, Grubb, Sharpley, Talley, Wilson — can be found here. There are Quakers, abolitionists, farmers and merchants. And there are records of long lives as well as tragically short ones — children lost to early illness, soldiers who never made it home.
Volunteers have digitized burial records, mapped plots, and installed interpretive signs, turning the cemetery into an educational experience. School groups have visited, and the Dalys have conferred with Winterthur Museum to plan more such visits.
The cemetery is still active, and three or four burials have taken place there for the past few years. The biggest event is the Wreaths Across America ceremony, held annually throughout the nation on the second Saturday in December. During the ceremony, each veteran is honored with a ceremonial wreath. Meanwhile, families have begun to use the church for weddings, baptisms, and memorials.
A Future Rooted in the Past
Newark Union continues to raise funds for ongoing maintenance and hopes to expand programming, including guided tours and educational events. Volunteers are also working with local historical societies to uncover more stories. And there are sure to be several special events during the country’s 250th anniversary next year.
In the meantime, word-of-mouth has spread about this historic treasure, and the number of volunteers and drop-in visitors is increasing. “People just fall in love with this place,” says Bob Daly.
The Dalys plan to establish regular museum hours soon. For now, tours and drop-in visits can be scheduled by emailing NewarkUnion8gmail.com or by calling 302-377-0960. The website is NewarkUnion.com.
Bob Daly, a long-time antique bottle collector, gave vintage glass candy containers to children during opening ceremonies.
Game Changer
New environmentally-focused disc golf course invigorates Wilmington’s Canby Park
TBy Ken Mammarella
he new Discovery Disc Golf Course in Wilmington’s Canby Park is Delaware’s “only one designed for ease of play and beginners,” designer Brad Owens says. And it’s “a big hit with the older folks as well,” practicing their approach shots and putts or enjoying the nine-hole course.
Owens sees even more benefits. Improvements underway in Canby Park and the need for course maintenance are strengthening bonds among residents in the adjacent Bayard Square neighborhood.
“Disc golf increases positive foot traffic and ownership of the space,” he adds, potentially reducing the appeal of the park for “the homeless, drug use, and unpleasantness in the woods.”
From l-r: David “Chez” Sanchez, Shemik Thompson, Brad Owens, Cameron Thompson (in Eagles shirt) and Edwin Hess help install the Chez-designed signage throughout the course. Photo by Jet Phynx
The course showcases five smile-inducing and helpful robots by Chez, the artist who under his full name (David Sanchez) owns Spaceboy Clothing on Market Street. One robot, for instance, urges players to keep the park clean, another urges passersby to watch out for flying discs.
The course, which opened this spring, has nine holes that can be played in an hour or so. Short and long tees make for a second yet different round — the holes run 120 to 310 feet — if golfers want to enjoy 18 holes in one spot. A website is under construction: Discoverdgc.org.
At 43.5 acres, Canby Park is Wilmington’s secondlargest park. Owens nicknames it “the left lung of Wilmington” for being an important swath of greenery in Delaware’s largest city.
The new course has a “super environmental focus,” he says, and that includes turning fallen trees into benches, mulch and a curved “dead hedge” around the seventh hole. A dead hedge is a fence created from old branches and twigs, forming a beneficial “bug hotel,” he says, and a challenge for golfers. A gnarled tree near the second hole has become a personal, almost-sacred space for him to meditate and “feel and smell nature and hear the city.”
The course came about because Owens, who moved to Bayard Square in 2020, stepped up to lead the Bayard Square Neighborhood Association, which Kevin Kelley had formed in the 1980s but which later fizzled out. The association posts regularly on Instagram.
“In 2023, we began pushing for Canby Park improvements (although it’s been on the wish list for over a decade),” Owens says. “I coordinated a park planning committee and conducted the neighborhood survey in November 2023.”
More recreational opportunities for young people topped that survey, which drew 400 responses. “I submitted my proposal for the course in February 2024. The course project — from proposal to fundraising to installation — has taken about 18 months.”
Owens brought some key attributes to the projects. He is an attorney trained in nonprofit law. He is wellconnected to government and nonprofit leaders after 15 years of working with both, including his new job as director of Delaware’s Prescription Opioid Settlement Distribution Commission. And, following a basketball injury, he chose to learn disc golf as an activity that is less intensive.
The work involved multiple partners. The Delaware Center for Horticulture consulted on eco-improvements, and people from the nonprofit’s Branches to Chances (a horticultural job training program for the unemployed, underemployed or previously incarcerated) installed a rain garden. The Delaware Department of Correction made picnic tables and a disc return station. The Bayard Square Neighborhood Association formed the Canby Park Disc Golf Club, which is managing the new course and an 18-hole course (built in 2011 in the western section of the park) in partnership with the city.
benches, decorative lighting, trees and flowering native shrubs.
• Two new playgrounds for children of all ages.
• A new water spray play feature for summer activities.
• A new “state of the art” dog park for both small and larger pets, where the tennis courts now are.
• A new picnic grove.
• Improved storm water management features, with new rain gardens & vegetated bio-retention areas.
• Renovated parking areas, including a new circle drive to facilitate accessibility throughout the park.
The park work is funded by $1 million in the state Bond Bill and $500,000 from the Delaware Department of Transportation Community Transportation Fund, via former state Rep. Sherry Dorsey Walker.
The course cost $60,000, and funders include former state Rep. Sherry Dorsey Walker, Rep. Josue Ortega and Wilmington council members Yolanda McCoy, Maria Cabrera, Latisha Bracy, Chris Johnson and James Spadola.
“Without the city’s partnership, we could not have succeeded,” Owens adds.
So, how does the course play?
Christian Wilson, a 2025 William Penn High School grad and aspiring pro disc golfer, praised it. “You don’t have to travel a million miles for a round,” he says, before he started two rounds.
So did Frank Ellison, a disc golfer since 1985. “The Discovery course is an amazing addition,” he says. “It’s set up perfectly. I can play it, and I can take my 5-year-old son. It makes you really think about your shot selection. It’s the perfect course to practice on, if you’re a pro, with its obstacles and challenges. And it’s fun.”
Clockwise from top left: Owens and Mayor John Carney pose during the mayor’s tour. “He knows how to play,” Owens says. Photo by Brad Owens Project partners from the Delaware Center of Horticulture help plant a native rain garden. Photo by Brad Owens Owens drives from a tee at the new course. Photo by Jet Phynx
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SEPT 13, 2025 “Japanese Storytelling with Magical Masks, Mime and Music” by Kuniko Yamamoto
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OCT 3, 2025 Julian Lage: World’s Fair 10-Year Anniversary Tour
OCT 25, 2025 Ruthie Foster
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NOV 22, 2025 The Martin Sexton Abbey Road Show
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Cool Operators
Five Delaware ice cream shops that have stood the test of time
By Pam George
Below: The
JulieAnne Cross is well-known as the founder of the Delaware Burger Battle, scheduled for Aug. 23 this year. However, Cross often craves a Delaware delicacy that is cold, not hot. Each year, she is one of the first to note the Dairy Palace’s seasonal debut. The New Castle ice cream stand has been in business since 1954, when it initially opened as a Dairy Queen. Cross has been a customer since 1988, when she lived in Kent County.
“A colleague brought me there on a work visit, and I’d go anytime I was up north,” recalls Cross. “I was a blackand-white shake girl then. The big dollop of vanilla ice cream in the middle of the shake was always my favorite. Now I’m a twist-cone-with-rainbow-sprinkles girl.”
The Dairy Palace is not the only landmark that puts nostalgia in a cone. Working north to south, here’s the background on some of Delaware’s oldest ice cream establishments.
Everything and the Kitchen Sink: The Charcoal Pit
Kaytie Dowling Brownstein’s childhood memories are “punctuated with ice cream at The Charcoal Pit,” she says. “Swim team victories were celebrated with a Kitchen Sink (we never finished one), and school dances always ended with a black-and-white shake (we never left one unfinished).”
The Brandywine Hundred restaurant was founded in 1956 by the Sloan brothers — Sam, Marty, Lou and Aaron — who also started The Dog House in New Castle. An ad in The News Journal (formerly JournalEvery Evening) touted “sundaes with a high school education.” Take, for instance, the Red Devil for Wilmington High School and the Sallies for Salesianum High School.
The restaurant still has its mid-century façade, however, during the past year The Pit redesigned the scholastic-inspired sundaes to match the colors and mascots of each school, says Mary Avilez, the restaurant’s
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Sweet treats on display by Woodside Farm Creamery crew members (l-r): Alexa Vito, Caden Walters, Sammie Kowalski. Photo by Joe Hoddinott
Sweetheart Shake from The Charcoal Pit. Photo provided
manager. “We changed the ingredients and made them bigger and more extravagant. However, the Kitchen Sink remains the same as always and is still enjoyed by many.”
Ingredients include 20 scoops of ice cream, arranged in a towerstyle, banana spears, crushed cherries, crushed pineapple, and walnuts. It’s topped with whipped cream and cherries.
“The Kitchen Sink was designed to be shared,” Avilez says. “It is big enough for at least four people to eat. It was a way to bring the kids in after sporting events, dances and plays. If the kids come in and enjoy themselves, the parents won’t be far behind.”
As Brownstein observes, it’s challenging to finish the entire dessert. Jenna Montgomery would agree. “The Kitchen Sink defeated a solid attempt by four of us, then teenage girls.”
Avilez says the black-and-white is the top-selling shake, perhaps that’s because you can pair with a grilled Pit Special — a burger, special relish and fries.
From Cow to Cone: Woodside Farm Creamery
Nestled in the green hills of Hockessin, Woodside Farm dates to 1796, when the Mitchell family purchased it. It received a Century Farm Status in the 1990s.
Dairy was part of the Mitchells’ operations, but the family ceased production in 1961. In 1991, Jim and Janet Mitchell purchased long-lashed Jersey cows, which are known for their rich milk. Ice cream became a natural addition to the dairy offerings, and the stand opened in 1998. In 2009, the farm was named the Family-Owned Business of the Year by the Small Business Administration .
The ability to eat ice cream while watching the source saunter across a field is a main draw to the farm. For Shelia Lindsey and her children, visits to Woodside Farm Creamery were a summer tradition.
“We sat at one of the picnic tables under the large tree against the stone farmhouse,” she says. “The cows are at the fence in the parking lot. It was more than just ice cream, but a family memory.”
However, over the years, wild flavors have become another attraction. Take, for instance, Motor Oil, a coffeebased ice cream swirled with fudge and glossy, greentinted caramel. (The flavor is also available at The Ice Cream Store in Rehoboth — more on that later.)
Other popular flavors have included Cappuccino Crunch, Chocolate Thunder, and Cookies & Cream. But even plain vanilla wins high praise. You can’t go wrong with a high butterfat content.
Woodside Farm Creamery owners Jim & Janet Mitchell.
Photo by Joe Hoddinott
Back to the ’50s:
Dairy Palace
It might seem unusual to find an ice cream stand on the National Register of Historic Places. But as Cross notes, the establishment is a summer tradition for many Delawareans. Vince and Joyce Parker purchased the Dairy Queen in 1956. In 1970, when the corporation decided to modernize, the Parkers bought the property to preserve its appearance.
Dairy Palace’s specialty is soft-serve ice cream, which is dispensed from a machine and not scooped from a tub. It contains less milk fat and more air, resulting in a silky, creamy texture. Some credit Charles Taylor’s automatic ice cream machine for the increased popularity of softserve in the 1920s. Carvel Ice Cream was founded in 1934, while Dairy Queen debuted in 1940.
Many faithful fans visit Dairy Palace for the chocolate-vanilla swirl, which is available in a cone or as a milkshake. Unusual shake flavors include butterscotch, blueberry and pineapple. “The pineapple shake at Dairy Palace is my #1 comfort food and nothing comes close,” wrote one person on Facebook. “It’s so simple yet so easily screwed up by the lesser ice cream places.”
Dairy Palace is now owned by Joy Parker, who inherited it from her parents in 1999.
Old-Fashioned Fun:
King’s Homemade Ice Cream
In 1972, Earl King opened King’s Homemade Ice Cream in an old general store in Milton. The picturesque structure with the peaked roof dates back to 1830, making it the oldest commercial building in continuous use in Sussex County. Initially, business was slow, Earl told The Morning News in 1983. But it didn’t take long for people to discover the hidden gem.
Montgomery’s family stopped at King’s Homemade Ice Cream in Milton for a tub of banana ice cream en route to their Broadkill Beach abode. “It was a staple in our beach house freezer and such a treat to enjoy a scoop whenever,” she says. “Sometimes, a tub would travel north in a wellpacked cooler to savor a taste of the beach back home in Wilmington.”
Earl’s son, Tom, and Tom’s wife, Chris, opened the Lewes location in 1981. It was initially in the current Hotel Rodney. One year later, the business relocated to its current Second Street location — a building with sections dating back to before the Revolutionary War.
“I love King’s in both locations, but there is something so quaint about the original location in Milton,” says customer Karen Falk. “They add so much to this historic town. Their Dutch chocolate is amazing!”
Area resident Melinda Girardi loves the peach ice cream made with Fifer Orchards peaches. Other recommendations included coffee, pineapple sherbet, mint chocolate chip, strawberry, butter brickle, and coffee, which Earl used to make with Maxwell House. Another flavor, King’s peanut crunch ice cream, was listed in the book The Very Best Ice Cream and Where to Find It. (The Hotel du Pont’s honeydew melon ice cream was also listed.)
The shop is now owned by Chelsea King and her husband, Rudy Spoor.
From Bacon Maple Crunch to Boogers: The Ice Cream Store
The Hearn family knows something about ice cream. At one time, they owned multiple stores in Delaware, including the Dairy Queen on Lewes Beach and Tastee Freeze locations. (They also owned the Country Squire on Rehoboth Avenue and The Starboard in Dewey Beach.) So, it’s not surprising that Chip Hearn got the entrepreneurial bug at an early age. As a high school student, he sold water ice from a table, according to an article on RehobothFoodie.com.
While studying business at the University of Virginia, he turned his class project into a marketing plan for the ice cream business the Hearns were opening in a former potato chip specialty store. Back then, shops that didn’t make their own ice cream contracted with a company. If the supplier closed or merged, the shop had to find new vendors. To avoid any brand confusion, the students came up with The Ice Cream Store, which opened in 1970.
It wasn’t until Hearn and his father, Luther, met Jim and Janet Mitchell of Woodside Farm Creamery that the business achieved fame outside Delaware. At the time, the Hearns wanted to sell hot sauces in grocery stores without paying exorbitant shelf fees. Since produce departments lacked this pay-to-play policy, the father-son duo attended a produce show, where they met the Mitchells.
Chip Hearn shared his dream for The Ice Cream Store. “I said, ‘I want to make the best vanilla, the best chocolate.’ And [Jim Mitchell] said, ‘I do make that.’ I said, ‘I know you do, Jimmy, but I want to do something completely >
A coveted soft-serve cone from Dairy Palace.
King's Homemade Ice Cream in Lewes.
Photo courtesy Dairy Palace
Photo by Pam Aquilani
different,’” Hearn recalls.
What’s different? Hearn would later come up with Boogers, a greencolored ice cream with a green caramel swirl and marshmallow bits. The kooky concoction landed in National Geographic Kids.
Today, The Ice Cream Store offers more than 100 flavors, including Better Than Sex, which contains Duncan Hines Devil’s Food Cake Mix and vanilla from Madagascar. Hearn gets ideas from the contacts he makes at ConeCon, sponsored by the North American Ice Cream Association.
“When I can’t do it well or Jimmy can’t do it well — because we don’t know the trick — someone at the championships will tell me the trick,” he says. In addition to Woodside, Hearn counts on other suppliers. For instance, a Brooklyn company makes vegan ice cream.
If the city approves the 92-room Belhaven Hotel, the Ice Cream Store will temporarily close at that site. Hearn, who supports the project, is seeking an alternative Rehoboth Avenue location to occupy during the construction. If all goes well, he says he’ll keep both.
Because, evidently, customers can never get enough ice cream.
You'll find flavors galore at The Ice Cream Store.
Photo courtesy The Ice Cream Store
Scoop! There it is
Your guide to sweet spots from the city to the coast
• Wilmington / Hockessin • Charcoal Pit
2600 Concord Pike, Wilmington CharcoalPit.net
Dairy Palace 2 Jay Dr, New Castle Facebook.com/DairyPalaceDE
Dino’s Ice Cream
6 S Union St, Wilmington DinosIceCreamTruck.com
Ice Cream Delight
1 Ice Cream Dr, Wilmington IceCreamDelightDe.com
The Ice Cream Shoppe
700 Philadelphia Pike, Wilmington TheIceCreamShopp.com
Wilmington Brew Works has opened Brew Works North, an adults-only taproom in the Plaza III shopping center on Marsh Road. The opening followed a legislative push to update Delaware law, led by Rep. Debra Heffernan and Sen. Dan Cruce, allowing WBW to operate a second site.
Featuring bar games such as darts, pool, cornhole, and skee-ball, Brew Works North offers a bright and bold retroinspired design that contrasts with the original Miller Road beer hall. It serves WBW beer and cider, as well as guest taps from other Delaware breweries and cocktails crafted with Delaware-made spirits. Snacks are available, and outside food is permitted. While WBW will continue to brew its beer at its original location, the new site will house the brewery’s expanding hard cider production. — More at WilmingtonBrewWorks.com
GRACE WINERY WELCOMES NEW EXECUTIVE CHEF
Grace Winery in Glen Mills, Pa. has welcomed Chef Dan Netter as its new Executive Chef and unveiled an all-new tasting room menu focused on hyper-local ingredients and dishes designed to complement its French-inspired boutique-style wines. Netter, a Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef with experience at top restaurants across the country, brings a passion for regional flavors and family-style cooking. The new menu — including wine-infused shareables, seasonal plates, and desserts — is now available in the Tasting Room with new extended hours (Fridays 4-9pm, Saturdays 129pm, and Sundays 12-7pm). — Visit GraceWinery.com
CHADDS FORD LANDMARK RETURNS
After nearly five years of anticipation and rebuilding due to the damage caused by Hurricane Ida, Hank's Place officially reopened July 15 at its original site at Rt. 1 and PA 100 in Chadds Ford, Pa. — just in time for its 75th anniversary. The beloved restaurant is now open daily from 7am to 3pm, with dinner service returning soon with hours extended to 7pm Tuesday through Saturday. The new building is designed for comfort, accessibility, and convenience with ample on-site and adjacent parking. All table and counter service is available on a first come first served basis.
—Visit HanksPlaceChaddsFord.com
NEW FOOD HALL COMES TO NEWARK
Wonder, next-generation food hall, opened its first Delaware location on July 10 at The Grove in Newark. The new concept brings together over 15 restaurants — such as Streetbird by Marcus Samuelsson and Bobby Flay Steak — all cooked in one kitchen and with delivery to select zip codes. Pickup and limited dine-in options are also available. Newark marks Wonder’s 53rd location nationwide and its first in Delaware. The location operates daily from 11am-9pm. — Visit Wonder.com
STEWART’S BREWING COMPANY CELEBRATES 30 YEARS
On July 27th, Stewart’s Brewing Company celebrated its 30th anniversary, marking three decades as a mainstay in the Bear community. As the first brewpub in New Castle County, Stewart’s has been an integral part of the state’s craft beer scene since 1995, serving up upscale pub fare and award-winning beers. “We have all been through quite a lot with economic ups and downs, COVID restrictions and labor shortages. I am appreciative of the staff, customers and friends. Thank you all,” said owner Al Stewart. — Visit StewartsBrewingCompany.com
The ‘Rocky Road Roller Coaster’
A local family builds their Sugar Empire with vibrant food trucks and a beloved ice cream shop.
MBy Andrea Smith
eg Hurst’s Google calendar is a game of Tetris. The North Wilmington mom is responsible for five kids under 11 years old, five food trucks, an ice cream shop, and 22 staff members, which all take up space in her schedule as color-coded time blocks.
But unlike Tetris, blocks that don’t align perfectly are allowed to overlap. Oftentimes her kids come to work with her at Cajun-Sno New Orleans Style Snoballs, an original food truck serving shaved-ice treats with a distinct snow-like texture; DonutNV, a franchise food truck specializing in mini donuts; and Sweet Lucy’s Ice Cream and Treats on Concord Pike, the ice cream shop that’s evolved to offer snoballs and other desserts.
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Meg and Dan Hurst’s Sugar Empire consists of three businesses: Sweet Lucy’s Ice Cream and Treats, Cajun-Sno New Orleans Style Snoballs, and DonutNV. Photos by Andrea Smith
“Austin and Mikayla can fully work the Cajun-Sno truck by themselves if they want to, which is amazing,” Meg says of her two oldest kids. Sienna, 6, is learning to read labels and hand Meg the ingredients for snoballs. Niko, 4, can greet customers and offer them utensils. And Charlie, the youngest at less than 2 years old, is the hype girl who’s always excited for a sweet treat. As heirs to the Sugar Empire, they’re learning what it really takes to run a family business.
“Sugar Empire is [our company] over top of Cajun-Sno, Sweet Lucy's, and DonutNV,” Meg explains. “I wanted [that name] to remind myself to keep growing, and to keep expanding, and to keep doing cool things. We definitely have the next, like, three businesses planned out.”
She says this while wearing a tie-dye hoodie with the words “SUGAR MAMA” boldly displayed across the front, which she custom ordered from another local mom-owned business, The Spilled Tee. Her husband has a matching hoodie with the moniker “DONUT DAN.”
Meg met Dan Hurst at Brandywine’s Hanby Middle School. ”He was my first ever crush,” she smiles at the memory. “We didn't start dating until I was in college, but we both grew up here.”
They became partners in business around the same time they became partners in love, getting married in 2013 and then launching Cajun-Sno just days after their honeymoon. The business draws from Dan’s childhood memories of visiting N’awlins Snoballs on Concord Pike
with his dad, who’s also an entrepreneur. “We’d wait in line for 15 or 20 minutes to get a snoball, and when they went out of business, you couldn’t get snoballs around here,” Dan says. “We wanted to bring snoballs back.”
He received an insurance settlement after a motorcycle accident in 2010, and the couple agreed to invest the money in their first venture. From there, life snowballed, if you will. “We found out we were pregnant with our first baby six weeks [after opening Cajun-Sno], so everything was like, boom, boom, boom!”
Over the next 11 years, they added another Cajun-Sno trailer plus three DonutNV trucks to their fleet. They bought Sweet Lucy’s in February of 2020 and survived the COVID-19 pandemic, depending on the local community to keep them in business while at home they faced the possibility of foreclosure on their house.
“The whole ‘blood, sweat, tears’ thing — that's real. Anxiety is real. I've had panic attacks at midnight when I'm trying to pack up trucks and get things where I'm supposed to be,” Meg shares. “Difficult weeks happen… Mother Nature will decide she'll hate you for two weeks during your busiest two festivals of the year, and in those times, it's so important for Dan and I to lean on each other, to lean on our team, and on a lot of our friends or other food truck buddies.”
A former family and marriage therapist, she understands the importance of mental health and reserves a spot in her calendar for weekly therapy appointments.
She’s candid about struggling with postpartum depression and aims to empower working moms.
Sugar Empire employee Chelsea Richards became friends with Meg while they were both pregnant with their first children, and now she’s picking up shifts at Sweet Lucy’s and in the trucks. “I was a stay-at-home mom, and once my kids went back to school, that’s when I was going to go back
to work. Then I figured out ‘Wait, what am I going to do?’” she says. “Ice cream. Who doesn’t love that?”
Meg plans to expand the Sugar Empire but isn’t ready to share details about new concepts just yet. In the near future, her goals include rebranding Sweet Lucy’s and Cajun-Sno with updated logos, expanding the Cajun-Sno menu and party packages, buying and sending out even more snoball and DonutNV trucks, and creating an all-encompassing website.
“We've been averaging about 35 events a week,” Meg says. CajunSno and DonutNV are largely dependent on event bookings, while Sweet Lucy’s has regular hours year-round. “I call it my ‘Rocky Road roller coaster.’ …There's highs and there's lows.”
Recently, she had to pivot after a car accident took two parked DonutNV trucks out of commission, and while they're thankful no one was injured, it still hurts the family business to cancel events and future bookings.
“It’s organized chaos,” Dan says of their lifestyle. “Every day is different.”
Austin, Mikayla, Niko, and Sienna Hurst share a snoball from Cajun-Sno New Orleans Style Snoballs.
Hometown hero George Thorogood during a 2000 performance in Newark. O&A file photo/Tim Hawk
BANDS On The Run
DJs seem to be taking over Newark’s Main Street, and there are several reasons for that
By Ryan Neave
Music to a bar or nightclub is what, say, George Thorogood is to Delaware. The two just go together.
For decades, music has lured people into Delaware bars and clubs, where a few adult beverages loosen inhibitions, allowing patrons to dance the nights away and order more rounds of drinks.
In Newark, the music scene has changed drastically over the years, particularly on Main Street.
Located downtown, smack in the middle of the University of Delaware, Main Street in the ’70s had a reputation for live music and plenty of stories about iconic bands and unforgettable performances, one of them being the aforementioned Thorogood and his Delaware Destroyers.
Over the decades, the street played host to a roster of rockin’ A-list bands, such as Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, The Allman Brothers, Dave Matthews, and Metallica.
These days, it’s performers like DJ Amaze and DJ Joey G who are getting the buzz. Still, while live bands have taken a backseat to DJs in Newark’s nightlife, and, while they are artists in their own right, nothing quite equals the beat of a drum or the shriek of a singer jamming out on stage.
Here’s a look at the two major venues on the college town’s Main Street.
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DEER PARK
Deer Park Tavern has long been a weekend go-to for students, offering entertainment and budget-friendly drinks. In the ’70s, local bands would perform in what’s now the “Back Bar” area on the first floor. Nowadays, Thursday “Pitcher Nights” feature drink specials and DJ sets instead of live bands.
Deer Park Manager Tone Stark, who has been with the company since 2012, has witnessed firsthand the decline of live bands over time. “Students tend to go with what is hip and cool,” says Stark. He personally favors the cover band Chorduroy and wishes they had more performance dates lined up. “They were hands down the best band we have had in a long time,” says Stark. “They played for 10 years, but then the demand for bands started to decline after the COVID-19 pandemic.”
chalks up this change to taste in music. “We keep up with the latest trends and keep it relevant, something that bands today fail to do,” he says, adding that “old school rock music” is not nearly as popular with this generation of college students as pop and hip-hop music.
Ally, who occasionally comes out for the acoustic duo bands on Tuesday nights, sees the appeal of bands yet understands why they seem out of style these days. “I love live music, but DJs know exactly who their audience is and what they like,” she says.
Nick “Musky” Muscara, another loyal pitcher consumer, gets right to the core of the DJ-live band issue: DJs are cheaper.
“With live entertainment, there are more production values being taken into account,” she says. “With DJs, technology has helped music become more artificial and ethereal and, in turn, enhanced.”
Red Crush is another cover band that would play regularly on Sunday years ago. Stark says the “Sunday Fundays” would feature brunch and live entertainment during the day, followed by Red Crush performing at night.
DJ Souza, who started mixing at Deer Park last year,
Rebbeca, 22, a senior at UD, cites social media as a contributing factor. “People like to hear the exact song that is trending at the moment, because social media platforms, most notably TikTok, make them popular,” she says.
Friday Nights at Deer Park are usually your best bet
Vanylla Godzylla at the Deer Park Tavern.
Photo courtesy Deer Park Tavern
for finding a decent band. On these nights, you see mostly townies, and those students who enjoy the energy of a live band.
Becca, who is at Deer Park most Friday nights, says she likes bands because they “give audiences extra interaction with the artist, as opposed to a DJ, who gives only a little bit.”
Alexis Baldwin, lead singer of punk rock cover band CRASHOUT, is shocked at the lack of attention bands receive now. She attributes it to “It is a part of college culture today. The nightlife is party-oriented.”
“You have to be involved in it,” she says. “People like to drink, have fun and don't care about what's going on in the background.”
KLONDIKE KATE’S
This is another historic spot that is a restaurant by day, a bar at night. Jamie McCardell, one of Kate’s managers, says things were different 15 years ago. “In 2010,” McCardell says, “there would be bands playing at least once every weekend because they managed to garner a following.”
Gianna, who hits both Deer Park and Kate’s, is torn. “DJs hype up current songs, which get people to dance,” she says, “but live bands, which I personally prefer, feature more classic songs, which get everyone singing and dancing just as much.”
A DUAL PERSPECTIVE
Over at Rainbow Records, a popular Newark vinyl spot, Austen Morgan helps run the place while also playing in the local band Wings a Mile Long, which means he brings both perspectives to the issue.
Of DJs, he says,“The cost is cheap, and the artist plays exclusively hip hop/pop, which is the type of music this demographic is into today.” He adds that DJs have better control over the vibe, too, volume and all.
Austin says that if bands want to cater to the pop/ hip hop lovers, they need serious technology. He calls it “backtracking,” where live music is layered with digital recordings to mimic the polished pop sound people expect now. It’s neither cheap nor easy.
CRASHOUT performs at Rainbow Records.
Photo by Ainsley Farrington
or the popularity and the trending status of the songs they play? It’s likely all three. DJs are cheaper, louder, and way more plugged into the TikTok-driven music scene than bands are.
HOMETOWN HEROES’ HOMEY AWARDS
Believe it or not, August marks the 19th Annual Hometown Heroes Homey Awards show in Delaware. It just goes to show that Mark Rogers’ decadeslong dream to celebrate local original music on area radio has been an enduring and endearing one. The Queen hosts the show Sunday, August 10.
Presented by Delaware Public Media and powered by Gable Music Ventures, the show will feature award presentations in 28 categories as well as some exciting live performances. The show will be emceed by Rogers, who has featured the nominated bands and artists on his weekly Hometown Heroes radio program Sunday nights from 7-9pm on 88.1 WMHS in Wilmington and on 91.1 WDDE in Dover (also streamed on DelawarePublic.org).
—More at TheQueenWilmington.com
TY MATHIS LEADS ONE-MAN EFFORT WITH NEW ALBUM MIND PARADE
The end of the summer signals the start of new things for local musician Ty Mathis. Monday, September 1, sees the release of his new album, Mind Parade, which the artist considers his favorite among all six of his studio albums.
On Mind Parade, Mathis is the drum major for a band of one. In addition to singing on the album, the 20-something artist plays all the instruments including guitar, bass, drums and keyboards. Mathis recorded and engineered the entire album in his Newark home studio.
Fans will be able to get a taste of Mathis’ new music before the release when he performs at the Delaware Art Museum on Thursday, August 21. Two singles, “Summer Daydream” and “Midnight Peace,” are available now on all streaming services.
—More at TyMathis.org
KID DAVIS & THE BULLETS OFFERING AMSTERDAM PRE-SALE PACKAGES
After a summer that saw them on their first European tour, Kid Davis & The Bullets are bringing back a little bit of Europe to America. On Thursday, September 4, the band will release their much-anticipated new album Amsterdam, with a release party at Gallucio's.
Until then, there are some cool pre-sale packages available via the band’s website. Fans who pre-order vinyl or CDs in August can also get a hold of limited-edition album t-shirts, engraved Stella Artois chalices, and other Bullets-themed goodies.
Produced by James Everhart (Cosmic Guilt) and recorded by Josh Friedman at Philly’s Hi-5 Studio, Amsterdam is described as a “sweeping, cinematic journey through longing, lost, rebellion and redemption.”
— More at KidDavisAndTheBullets.com
Blues Brothers
Jake Banaszak and B.J. Muntz met as teenagers. Two decades later, they’re still best friends as well as the dynamic duo powering Lower Case Blues.
JBy Kevin Noonan
ake Banaszak was into music at a young age and one day, when he was a freshman at Hodgson Vo-Tech, he brought his guitar to school. Another freshman, whom Banaszak didn’t know, walked over to him and asked if he could play his six-string. Banaszak readily agreed.
“And, right away, I said to myself, ‘This guy is pretty good,’” Banaszak says.
And, right away, he and B.J. Muntz became best friends, a bond that was cemented by their love of music.
B.J. Muntz (l) and Jake Banaszak in action at the Rehoboth Beach Bandstand. Photos by CorelGroll
Now, more than a quarter of a century later, they’re still best friends and still making music together with the band they formed 22 years ago — Lower Case Blues.
Lower Case Blues has been one of the most popular bands on the local circuit for many years, especially at the clubs and bandstands at the Delaware beaches. And over the years, Banaszak (who plays guitar) and Muntz (bass) have opened for some legendary acts, including Buddy Guy, Grand Funk Railroad, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Blues Traveler and Robert Randolph.
For Banaszak, perhaps the most special moment came when he was 22 years old and Lower Case Blues opened for blues legend Buddy Guy at the Bottle & Cork in Dewey Beach.
Another highlight was opening for Blues Traveler. Not only did the boys in Lower Case Blues get to meet the members of Blues Traveler, they got to hang out with them for more than two hours after the gig. Banaszak even walked away with the phone number of John Popper, Blues Traveler’s lead singer and harmonica virtuoso.
In 2025, they’re busier than ever, playing almost every night in various clubs, mostly at the beaches, along with their drummer, Tristan Gilbert.
“They’re an amazing band and they pack this place every week,” says Seth Moran, the general manager at Dockside Marina Bar and Grill at the Indian River Inlet, where Lower Case Blues plays every Tuesday night during the summer.
“They have a loyal following, but we also get a lot of people in here who heard of them and want to check them out for themselves. And those people usually end up coming back,” Moran says. “They get everybody up and dancing and you can’t ask for anything more from a band.”
The road to Semi-Success
Banaszak says the duo never dreamed of stardom — not that they wouldn’t have embraced it had it happened. But, to them, the music scene was about the music, not the scene.
“I wasn’t trying to get famous. I just wanted to play,” he says. “And B.J. was the same. We just wanted to play our music and write our songs and, hopefully, some people would want to come out and listen to them.
“Then we got some clubs and other small venues to hire us, especially down the beach. It kind of built from there, to the point where we play almost every night now.”
Few people know the local music scene as well as George and Paula Wolkind. They founded and still operate the Delaware Rock and Roll Society and Hall of Fame. And Paula Wolkind says Lower Case Blue’s success is largely because you’re never quite sure what you’re going to get.
“They bring something unpredictable in style and they don’t play the same things the same way all of the time,” she says. “That’s one of the reasons they have such a large following no matter where they go. The fans know that it’s going to be a different experience every time.
“Another reason people love them is because they’re not afraid to play their own music,” she adds. “Sure, they’ll
play some old blues standards and covers, but they also play a lot of their own music and their fans love that.”
There’s No ‘I’ in Lower Case Blues
There are a million sad stories of ego-driven friction destroying bands, especially ones that have been together for a long time. And the two men behind Lower Case Blues have had disagreements over the years, but their music and their friendship have endured.
“Obviously, life is like that,” Banaszak says. “We spend a lot of time together and there have been some ups and downs, for sure. But for the vast majority of the time that hasn’t been a problem, because of the respect we have for each other, as musicians and people.”
That respect and cooperation also applies to their song writing, which has always been a collaborative effort. One of them will have the seeds for a song and then they’ll hammer out the rest, with each listening to and appreciating the opinion of the other.
“It’s very much a collective thing,” Banaszak says. “Sometimes I’ll have an idea for a blues tune or a shuffle, and B.J. will say ‘I think it sounds better if we do this . . .’ And I usually agree with him.
“Really, the key is to be open to new ideas and don’t be so stubborn as to think that you’re always right. It doesn’t matter who gets the credit — the only thing that matters is the song. The music always comes first, and I think that’s why we’ve been able to last as long as we have.”
New Album, New Songs
That cooperative spirit is very much evident on their latest album, Take it For a Ride, which features 10 new original compositions. Tristan Gilbert, of Baltimore, plays drums on the album and appears with Banaszak and Muntz at most of their major shows. You can hear the new album, order it, and find their schedule of live dates on the band’s website: LowerCaseBlues.net.
Back in the day, a band like Lower Case Blues would hope one or two of their songs would sneak onto radio playlists, which could lead to big record sales and soldout concerts at major venues. But most people don’t buy records anymore and it’s up to the band itself, rather than a record company, to promote its music.
So, Banaszak and Muntz understand that stardom will probably never happen for them, and they’re content with that.
“There are things we look forward to, like playing at festivals or the bandstand in Rehoboth Beach,” Banaszak says. “But, honestly, it doesn’t matter to me whether we play in a bar or on a big stage — a good night is a good night. If you play in front of 30 people and they all have a great time, then it was a great night.”
According to Dockside Marina’s Moran, Lower Case Blues has good nights every night, and that doesn’t happen by accident.
“It’s pretty simple — they’re really, really talented,” Moran says. “And you can sense that they’re not just
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playing — they’re really in tune with their music and the people sense that and really respond to it.”
Unwind by the Brandywine.
Enjoy live music, food trucks, beer & canned cocktails on Wednesday evenings through August. Dog-friendly.
HAGLEY.ORG/NIGHTS
As for the future, the boys in the band don’t look too far ahead. For now, they have their heavy schedule of beach clubs, and they’ll take part in a Rock Legends cruise next year. The cruise, which runs from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., to Jamaica, lasts five days in February and is already sold out. The musical lineup includes heavy hitters such as The Guess Who, Eric Burdon & the Animals, Uriah Heep, Blue Oyster Cult, Atlanta Rhythm Section and the Gene Simmons Band — and that little ol’ band from Delaware, Lower Case Blues.
But no matter what they do beyond that, no matter what the futures holds for them, they know that music will be a big part of it.
“We just kind of go day by day,” Banaszak says. “But the biggest thing for us is to continue writing and recording original stuff. We love to play [cover songs of other bands], but our focus has always been — and will always be — on our own music.
“And the most important thing is that it’s just as much fun now as when we first started. There are always new worlds to conquer and new songs to write, and that never gets old.”
PRESENTED BY DOGFISH HEAD CRAFT BREWERY
HAGLEY MUSEUM AND LIBRARY
Drummer Tristan Gilbert (center) performs with Banaszak (r) and Muntz on the new album.
Photo by Chris Gamber
SBeach Events
Beach Events
The summer fun continues
ummer may be winding down, but there’s still plenty of fun to be had at and around the beaches. Here’s a rundown of events and festivals happening through September.
52nd Annual Outdoor Fine Art & Fine Craft Show
August 2 & 3 and August 9 & 10 | Henlopen Acres, Rehoboth Beach
The Rehoboth Art League’s signature summer event features more than 100 artists and artisans from around the country displaying and selling their fine art and fine crafts. This unforgettable event is full of activities, including food, live music, artist demonstrations, gallery exhibits, beautiful gardens, the historic Peter Marsh Homestead, and a Dogfish Head Beer Garden.
— Visit RehobothArtLeague.org
43rd Annual ZAP Pro/Am World Championship of Skimboarding
August 8-10 | McKinley Street, Dewey Beach
Known as the skimboarding capital of the East Coast, Dewey Beach has hosted one of the longest running skimboarding competitions for over four decades. Watch and cheer on top skimboarders from around the globe as they compete to earn the title of the best in the world. Presented by Alley-
Oop & Skim USA, this three-day, all-ages event also features live music, food, art, and giveaways.
— Visit AlleyOopSkim.com
28th Annual Eastern Shore AFRAM Festival Saturday, August 9 | Ross Mansion, Seaford
This free, outdoor multicultural festival celebrates AfricanAmerican and Pan-African arts, history, and culture in a family-friendly atmosphere and includes live music, cultural foods, exhibits, special presentations and more.
— Visit VisitSouthernDelaware.com
Houndmouth with The Takes Wednesday, August 13 |Bottle & Cork, Dewey Beach
Known for hits such as “Sedona,” Houndmouth brings their signature blend of indie rock and Americana to the stage, joined by rising folk rock group The Takes.
— Visit HistoricMilton.com
By Amy Watson Bish >
Nicholas Rodriguez in Sincerely, Sondheim
Sunday, August 17
Clear Space Theatre Company, Rehoboth
Direct from the Tony Award-winning revival of Company, Nicholas Rodriguez (One Life to Live, Sex and the City 2, Tarzan on Broadway) celebrates Stephen Sondheim in this critically acclaimed concert. Accompanied by Broadway legend John McDaniel, Nicholas performs music from Company, Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods, and more.
— Visit ClearSpaceTheatre.org
3rd Annual Shuck Cancer 5K
Saturday, August 17 | Big Oyster Brewery, Lewes
Lace up your sneakers and run to help fight cancer. Proceeds from the event go to Fighting Pretty, a non-profit organization whose mission is to help women battling cancer feel strong and beautiful. After the race, runners will enjoy a fun after-party at Big Oyster Brewery.
— Visit FusionRaceTiming.com
Bargains on the Broadkill
Saturday, August 30 | Milton Memorial Park, Milton
A trifecta of annual events the whole family will enjoy! Shop from over 60 local vendors selling art, crafts, and food at Bargains on the Broadkill; cheer on the canoe and kayak teams in the Irish Eyes Broadkill River Race; and buy a numbered duck and vie for cash prizes in the Great Rubber Duck Race.
— Visit HistoricMilton.com
Andy Grammer
Thursday, August 28 | Freeman Arts Pavillion, Selbyville Multi-platinum pop-rock singer-songwriter Andy Grammer brings his Monster tour to Freeman Arts Pavilion, performing hits like “Honey, I’m Good” alongside raw, soul-searching new songs. This powerful live show blends catchy optimism with heartfelt reflections on growth, struggle, and connection.
— Visit FreemanArts.org
47th Annual Bethany Beach Boardwalk Arts Festival
Saturday, September 6 | Downtown Bethany Beach
Soak up the last of bits of summer on Bethany’s boardwalk at this annual show featuring jewelry, glass, pottery, paintings, photography, woodworking and more by over 100 juried artists.
— Visit BethanyBeachArtsFestival.com
47th Annual Nanticoke Indian Powwow
September 6 & 7 | Hudson Fields, Milton
This two-day powwow features intertribal Native American dancers and an expansive market of authentic Native American art, crafts, jewelry, food, the Southern Delaware Street Rod Car Show and more.
— Visit NanticokeIndians.org
Festival Hispano de Georgetown
Sunday, September 15 | Downtown Georgetown
Celebrate Hispanic cultural heritage with a day filled with music and dance, arts and crafts, and of course delicious traditional food with an emphasis on Latino dishes.
— Visit HispanicFest.FestivalHispano.org
Polkamotion by the Ocean
September 18-20
Rehoboth Convention Center, Rehoboth Beach
Founded in 1980, this multi-day festival brings polka fans from across the country to Rehoboth to enjoy the sounds of the nation's top polka bands, dancing, and authentic Polish delights.
— Visit Polkamotion.com
2nd Annual Delaware Seafood Festival
Saturday, September 20 | Schellville, Rehoboth Beach
Indulge in steamed seafood while enjoying live music, along with beer tents, shrimp eating contest, craft vendors, kids zone and more. Proceeds support the Stevenson Foundation which provides funding for local small businesses, scholarships for kids looking to enter the culinary industry, and Center for the Inland Bays.
— Visit ShoreSmokeSeasonings.com
Riverwalk Freedom Festival
Saturday, September 20 | Mispillion Riverwalk, Bicentennial Park & Downtown Milford
Hosted by the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Milford and Milford Parks & Recreation, the Riverwalk Freedom Festival is the town’s largest outdoor festival. The event is free and open to the public and features live music, beer garden, food trucks, car show, pet parade, kids’ activities & games, vendors, and ends with a bang with fireworks at dusk.
— Visit MilfordChamber.com
UNLEASH YOUR TEAM SPIRIT
From basketball and volleyball to swim lessons and more—there’s something
The City
CONNECTING YOU TO ENERGY SUPPORT AND SAVINGS
The City of Wilmington and Delmarva Power are teaming up once again to help residents better understand their utility bills and connect with energy-saving solutions through a series of Energy Resource Events.
Residents are invited to attend the upcoming Energy Resource Fair on Wednesday, August 6 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Victorious Faith Christian Worship Center (500 Concord Pike).
Residents will be able to:
• Learn how to read and understand their energy bills
• Discover ways to reduce energy use and lower costs
• Speak one-on-one with Delmarva Power customer service representatives
This event is free and open to the public. Additional Energy Resource Fairs are coming soon.
Stay up to date by visiting WilmingtonDE.gov or following the City of Wilmington on Facebook and Instagram. Questions? Call 311 or (302) 576-2100.
SUMMER CITY CINEMA WRAPS WITH WICKED IN RODNEY SQ.
Wilmington City Cinema is wrapping up its 2025 summer season with a magical finale — a free outdoor screening of Wicked in Rodney Square on Wednesday, August 13.
All summer long, residents and visitors have enjoyed family-friendly movies, games, snacks, and community fun throughout the city. Now, Mayor John Carney and the Department of Parks & Recreation invite you to join them for one last evening of summertime magic.
Final Summer Movie Night: Wednesday, August 13 – Wicked
Where: Rodney Square
When: Movie begins at dusk
Free snacks and drinks for all guests
For more information, visit WilmingtonDE.gov or contact Shakasha D. Clark at (302) 576-3844 or Kamaria Griffin at (302) 576-3822.
WPD COMMUNITY RESOURCE FAIR COMES TO CANBY PARK
The Wilmington Police Department’s monthly Community Resource Fairs offer residents a chance to connect directly with local officers and vital city services. The next event takes place on Thursday, August 14 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Canby Park (Rodman Road & South Union Street). Weather permitting, this will be an outdoor event.
Launched in 2022, the fairs were inspired by the success of National Night Out and have since expanded to a year-round initiative. These events bring together WPD officers from multiple divisions and a wide range of government, nonprofit, and community partners who serve Wilmington residents.
Each event is:
• Free and open to the public.
• Includes food, giveaways, and family-friendly activities.
• Designed to build stronger relationships between officers and the communities they serve.
Upcoming fair dates and locations are available at WilmingtonDE.gov/ResourceFairs. Those interested in participating as a vendor or nonprofit partner may contact David Karas at david.karas@cj.state.de.us. Note: Pre-registration is required and limited to nonpartisan government and nonprofit service providers.
2ND ANNUAL CITYFEST DANCE JUBILEE
From September 18-20 , the Tina Betz Urban Artist Exchange (1509 Clifford Brown Walk) will host the 2nd Annual Cityfest Dance Jubilee with Artistic Director Emanuel "Manny" Chacón.
Manny, a Wilmington native, currently serves as the Assistant Director of Dance at Villanova University and is the founder of La Cultura Dance Collective, among many other projects.
Residents are invited to come out and enjoy three days of non-stop dance and movement arts celebrating Delaware’s homegrown talent. The Jubilee will feature performances and workshops led by both local and world-renowned dance organizations. This event is free and perfect for the whole family to enjoy. Attendees are asked to bring chairs.
For updates and full details, visit CityfestWilm.com or follow @cityfestwilmde on Instagram.
Located at 1700 Augustine Cutoff, bordering the Highlands, Trolley Square, and Lovering Avenue Communities; locally-owned Big Red's Sky Board operates as the ONLY digital billboard in the City of Wilmington. We advertise campaigns to a Daily Effective Circulation of 15,500+ people age 18+.
Easterly facing, Big Red’s endorses to westerly-driving Residential, Commercial, and Corporate Travel into the City of Wilmington + points beyond Augustine Cutoff is a direct route to I95, Rt. 141, Trolley Square Community, Wilmington Riverfront, The City’s Business Center, Restaurants & Bars, Cultural Institutions, Sporting Venues, and the 52 Corridor extending into PA. We are also a direct route to the Southern Corridor to beach points, MD, DC, and VA
