Out & About Magazine December 2017 by Out & About Magazine

Serving Up Sustainability

of Generosity

G R E AT E R W I L M I N G T O N

Holiday Magic

The Best Ways to Give Online Ministry of Caring Celebrates 40 Years How Delaware Embraces the Season of Goodwill

Looking for gift-giving ideas? Consider these local experiences.

DECEMBER 2017 COMPLIMENTARY

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S E A S O N

Presented by

December 21-23 302.888.0200 | ThePlayhouseDE.org Season Co-Producers

Additional Support This program is supported, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. The Division promotes Delaware arts events on www.DelawareScene.com.

2 DECEMBER 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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2 INSIDE 2

Out & About Magazine Vol. 30 | No. 10

Director of Publications Jim Hunter Miller • jmiller@tsnpub.com Contributing Editor Bob Yearick • ryearick@comcast.net Senior Editor & Media Manager Krista Connor • kconnor@tsnpub.com Creative Director & Production Manager Matthew Loeb, Catalyst Visuals, LLC. matt@catvis.biz Graphic Designer Tyler Mitchell, Catalyst Visuals, LLC. tyler@catvis.biz Contributing Designer Ryan Alexander, Catalyst Visuals, LLC Contributing Writers Adriana Camacho-Church, Mark Fields, Pam George, Rob Kalesse, Michelle Kramer-Fitzgerald, Dan Linehan, Mike Little, Dillon McLaughlin, John Murray, Larry Nagengast, Kevin Noonan, Scott Pruden, Leeann Wallett

Contributing Photographers Jim Coarse and Joe del Tufo/Moonloop Photography, Tim Hawk, Anthony Santoro, Matt Urban Special Projects Sarah Green, David Hallberg, John Holton

79 START

EAT

9 From the Publisher 11 The War On Words 13 F.Y.I. 14 Worth Recognizing 15 By the Numbers 17 Worth Trying 19 The Art of Online Giving 23 40 Year Mark for Ministry of Caring 29 WhyFly?

41 Gifts With Good Taste 45 Bites

LEARN

WILMINGTON 47 In The City 50 Art on the Town 51 On The Riverfront

WATCH 55 Holiday Arts! 59 Movie Reviews

12 An Unexpected Gift

LISTEN

FOCUS

63 Kris Allen at The Queen 65 For the Record 68 Tuned In

31 The Gift of Experience 37 Holiday Goodwill Traditions

DRINK 71 Coffee With a Kick 75 In the Wake of the Fire 77 Sips

On the cover: Art by Mark DiIorio, a Newarkbased artist who primarily paints in water colors and acrylics.

PLAY

FEATURES 23 40 Years of Service to the Poor Led by the indefatigable Brother Ronald Giannone, the Ministry of Caring has spearheaded dozens of charitable projects aimed at the under-served. This month, it launches another: The $22 million Village of St. John. By Larry Nagengast

31 Giving the Gift of Experience Some creative ideas for every personality type on your holiday list. By Leeann Wallett

37 Embracing the Season of Goodwill It’s a time for charitable giving, small town traditions like tree lighting and caroling, and, for some homeowners, sky-high electric bills. By Dillon McLaughlin

79 Snapshots

Editorial & advertising info: 302.655.6483 • Fax 302.654.0569 outandaboutnow.com • contact@tsnpub.com DECEMBER 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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From The Publisher

EXPERIENCES: LIFETIME GIFTS

n my son’s wall hangs this memory, a framed scorecard and photograph signed by Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay, who threw a no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds on Oct. 6, 2010—the first playoff appearance of his storied career. We bought it at Citizens Bank Park during the first homestand of the 2011 season. I remember it well. When I heard about Halladay’s fatal plane crash last month, I immediately thought of this image. I was thankful that my son, a lifelong baseball player who continues that pursuit in college, got a chance to see this Phillies great in person. I was glad that as father and son, we experienced that magical Phillies run from 2007-2011. And I was reminded of the many wonderful Phillies moments I’ve had with both my son and daughter—from crab fries to a world championship. In fact, I’ve spent quite a bit of time lately cruising down memory lane. Mostly in preparation for this magazine’s 30th anniversary, which will take place in March 2018. In planning for that issue, I’m enjoying sifting through images of the magical moments Out & About has had the good fortune to witness. There were many.

Which leads me to the theme of this month’s issue in the season of gift-giving: The magic of giving an experience. As we all know, Jeff Bezos has become a very rich man by having Amazon deliver things to us. Today, you can order a thing for everyone on your list—all without leaving your couch. In fact, technology is making it so we might soon be able to eliminate the last human component of the gift-buying process —the delivery person. Drones can handle that. But Amazon can’t deliver a concert with a friend. Or a ski trip with the boys. Or a ball game with your kids. Delivering memories is a personal thing. And as the Halladay tragedy reminds us, it’s a gesture that should not be put off for another day. In this issue, contributing writer Leeann Wallett gives some creative suggestions on experiences as gifts. And contributor Dillon McLaughlin reports on some of the wonderful holiday traditions we’ve built around the state. Let me be clear, I’m not opposed to the efficiency that technology has brought to holiday shopping. For me, the mall is an intimidating place. Furthermore, saving time by shopping online allows us more time to pursue experiences. In fact, it makes experiences easier to coordinate because you can shop for them in advance. In a recent issue of Business Week, Jim Coulter, co-CEO of the major private equity firm TPG Capital, pointed out a significant trend in today’s economy: Spending habits are changing from things to experiences. Coulter goes on to say that experiences are not only more valuable to people, that value is enhanced when the experience can be shared through channels such as Facebook, Instagram, SnapChat... Encouraging trends are not easy to find these days, and I find Coulter’s observation encouraging. An experiential gift can last a lifetime; all you need is a prompt to relive it. Can’t say that for my Christmas tie. It disappeared days after the holidays, lost amid all my stuff. — Jerry duPhily

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A writer/editor’s slightly snarky and relentless crusade to eliminate grammatical gaffes from our everyday communications

Compiled from the popular column in Out & About Magazine

THE WAR ON WORDS A monthly column in which we attempt, however futilely, to defend the English language against misuse and abuse

This is the worst! CBS NFL color analyst Dan Fouts recently called a penalty “the worse I’ve ever seen.” Meanwhile, Mike Missanelli, sports talker on 97.5 The Fanatic, tweeted about turnovers during a Philadelphia 76ers game: “2 TOs at the worse time!” They’re not alone; many people mistake worse, the comparative adjective, for worst, the superlative. If something is as bad as it can be, use worst. Department of Redundancies Dept. Susan Monday, on her WDEL talk show: “It was a repeat performance from before.” And reader Dan Hamilton says a New York Times editorial used the term “partisan gerrymander” four times. Gerrymander means “to manipulate the boundaries of (an electoral constituency) to favor one party or class”—thus eliminating, as Dan points out, the need to call it partisan. Media Watch • Headline from the Wilmington News Journal, courtesy of reader Joan Burke: “Man critically wounded after being found stabbed.” Which prompts this from Joan: “So how does that work? Did they wound him after they found him?” • Similarly, a reader submits this from a USA TODAY story: “Five suspected terrorists were fatally killed by the police.” Thus killing them twice? • A WNJ story described UD’s football victory over Richmond as a “penultimate win.” Like many people, the writer thinks that penultimate means the absolute best, when it actually means, simply, next to last. Reader Julian Baumann, Jr., who also spotted the gaffe, comments: “UD fans surely hope not.” • And reader Luann Haney came across this in a WNJ story about the shooter who killed three people in Maryland before being apprehended in Delaware: “He also had multiple traffic offenses from attempting to allude Maryland State Police.” Allude means to suggest or call attention to indirectly. What was meant here was elude. • We end with a minor transgression by Christine Brennan, USA TODAY sports columnist: “But more than half our nation’s population has no idea how big of a deal this was.” Of is totally unnecessary in that phrase, and is avoided by the best writers and speakers.

By Bob Yearick

Most Common Mistake Let us now address the most common punctuation gaffe committed by Americans: placing periods and commas outside quotation marks. Such placement is correct in Britain and virtually everywhere else in the world, but here in the good ol’ US of A, periods and commas go inside quotation marks. It seems counter-intuitive, we know, and that’s why so many people do it. Here are examples: Wrong: She said, “I’m going to the store”. Calling his action “a mistake”, the politician apologized. Right: She said, “I’m going to the store.” Calling his action “a mistake,” the politician apologized. Stranger Things . . . not just the name of a popular Netflix series, but also a descriptor for the way we sometimes treat words. Examples:

• Overheard in the Brandywine YMCA sauna (usually a veritable bastion of eloquence and wisdom): “I may be touting my own horn here, but . . .” The man meant “tooting.” He was touting his expertise. • Overheard on the street: “I’m going to videotape that with my cell phone.” Smartphones have a video recording function, but there is no tape involved. • A friend reports that “action” is frequently used as a verb in his workplace: “You need to action this.” “This is for him to action.” Please, stop with the corporate corruption of language! Ah, Those Advertisers Advertising and advertisers have never been great respecters of correct usage (“light beer has less calories”), and two current commercials reinforce that observation: • Home Mattress Center urges consumers: “Lay down on our mattresses.” Our question: lay what down? To lay is to put or set something down. To lie (the verb needed here) is to recline. • And Corropolese Bakery & Deli in Norristown is back with its commercial on Philly radio about “a kindler, gentler time.” Kindler: not a word, at least not in this sense. It’s the rarely used noun form of kindle. Kinder is meant here.

Follow me on Twitter: @thewaronwords

Word of the Month

mammothrept Pronounced MAM-uh-thrept, it’s a noun meaning a spoiled child or a person of immature judgment.

Seen a good (bad) one lately? Send your candidates to ryearick@comcast.net

The holidays are here, and The War on Words book makes a great stocking stuffer. Buy it at Ninth Street Books in Wilmington, the Hockessin Book Shelf, on Amazon, or by calling O&A at 655-6483.

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LEARN

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he 60-year-old had been born with only one functioning kidney, and by March 2016 it was functioning at only nine percent efficiency. If he did not get a new kidney, Leo Dymowski would have to start a weekly regime of dialysis—three days a week, eight hours a day hooked up to a machine that would remove toxins from his body and keep him alive. He had already exhausted the most obvious potential donors— immediate family and close friends. They either did not have a matching blood type or were not healthy enough to qualify as donors. This situation is, sadly, not so unusual. The National Kidney Foundation’s annual figures show that every day, 13 people die waiting for a kidney. With the odds not in his favor, Dymowski began to prepare, physically and mentally, for the challenge of dialysis. A Dundalk, Md. resident, Dymowski is also a long-time Libertarian and had even run for Congress and state attorney general in past elections. His dire health situation was described on the Maryland Libertarian Party’s blog, and that is where David Sten, a fellow Libertarian and potentially compatible donor, read about it. Sten, an adjunct faculty member of the Wilmington University College of Technology, already knew a bit about the kidney transplant procedure. The prior year, a chance conversation with WilmU colleague Dr. Jim Wilson—a kidney transplant recipient— had answered many of his questions about the operation. After reading the blog entry about Dymowski’s condition and realizing he had a compatible blood type, Sten turned over the idea of donation in his mind all night. The following morning, he discussed the idea with his family, and then the wheels were set in motion. Dymowski says he was “blown away” when Sten called his wife and offered to donate his kidney. Over the next few months, Sten went through multiple tests and exams, and even shed 20 pounds. Then, on August 4, 2016, donor and recipient were wheeled into an operating room and the transplant procedure began. Dymowski says he woke up feeling refreshed, and the pain was minimal. “Dental surgery was 10 times worse. And I never took the pain meds they game me.” Sten experienced some pain afterward, but was able to return home in only three days. Now, both men are operating at full speed. Just months after the surgery, Dymowski ran for circuit court judge in Baltimore County. Meanwhile, Sten began work on his fourth graduate degree from WilmU, in addition to working full time as an IT project leader at Herr's Foods. Wilson reflected on the gift of life David Sten shared with a man he was acquainted with but hardly knew. “What a wonderful surprise to learn about David’s gift,” says Wilson. “I had to think for a moment in order to recall this conversation, which speaks to the potential power of the numerous, somewhat random, conversations we have throughout life’s journey. David’s altruistic gift will live on for many years and will make a difference not only in Leo’s life, but in the life of his entire family. Who knows how David’s and Leo’s story may inspire others in the future?”

12 DECEMBER 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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F.Y.I. Things worth knowing 3D DESIGNS & MORE

he Wilmington Public Library is hosting two special events this month. During a Make a Light-Up Greeting Card program on Saturday, Dec. 9, students will learn the basic parts of a circuit card, put together their own, and create a unique gift just in time for the holiday season. The free event is hosted by Barrel of Makers and is open to adults and teenagers, 11 a.m.-noon. Learn how to create simple 3D designs using Tinkercad.com, a free, cloudbased program, on Wednesday, Dec. 13. Participants who wish to follow along and design a personalized keychain will need to have an email account. The event runs from 12:30-1:30 p.m. and is free.

HOLIDAY HAPPENINGS

o commemorate three decades of recreating scenes from classic literature through interpretive vignettes and displays, the Historic Houses of Odessa Foundation (202 Main St., Odessa) will recreate its very first exhibit—in 1987—A Visit From St. Nicholas, also known as T’was the Night Before Christmas. The exhibit opened last month and runs through Dec. 31. All of the Historic Odessa Foundation’s museum properties, collectively known as the Historic Houses of Odessa, will be open and on full festive display for the holiday season, including special school and family tours celebrating A Visit from Saint Nicholas exhibit in the National Historic Register Wilson-Warner House (c. 1769). Historic Odessa is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is home to a National Historic Landmark, and two National Park Service Network to Freedom sites. Tickets are $10 for adults, and $8 each for groups, seniors and students; Historic Odessa Foundation members and children under 6 get in free. For more, visit historicodessa.org.

DELAWARE CAMPAIGN FOR GRADE-LEVEL READING

HAGLEY DIRECTOR AWARDED

ast month, the Delaware Campaign for Grade-Level Reading (CGLR), a community coalition to improve statewide literacy rates by the time a child leaves the third grade, was launched by state officials. Secretary of Education Dr. Susan Bunting, State Board of Education President Dr. Dennis Loftus, and United Way of Delaware President and Chief Executive Officer Michelle Taylor were joined by Gov. John Carney for the launch. A student’s ability to read on grade level by the end of third grade is a key indicator of future success in school. In Delaware, 52 percent of school children read on grade level by the end of third grade. In 17 low-income zip codes in Wilmington, Dover and western and central Sussex County, that rate drops to 37 percent. Some of these students suffer undiagnosed physical, emotional, or learning challenges, live in toxic stress, are often absent from school, and may not have access to after-school or summer learning experiences that enrich the lives of many of their peers. Visit uwde.org to see details of how the situation will be addressed.

DELAWARE WILD LANDS 2018 INITIATIVES

and conservation organization Delaware Wild Lands protects 21,000 acres of marsh, forests and farmland throughout the state. With ambitious 2018 goals, the organization needs fundraising help. In the coming year, DWL will add to successes at the Taylors Bridge Roberts Farm (1,250 acres along Blackbird Creek and Appoquinimink River) and acquire 635 more acres of adjacent land near Middletown. This will forever protect farm fields, forested wetlands and grasslands near this rapidly growing area in southern New Castle County. Additionally, DWL will expand forests and freshwater wetlands of the Great Cypress Swamp in Sussex County by acquiring another 160 acres of neighboring land. Lastly, DWL will launch new research opportunities to connect volunteers with Delaware’s natural wonders. Visit dewildlands.org for more information and to donate.

oger Horowitz, director of Hagley Museum & Library’s Center for the History of Business, Technology and Society, received the Dorothy Rosenberg Prize in history of the Jewish diaspora for his book, Kosher USA: How Coke Became Kosher and Other Tales of Modern Food. The Dorothy Rosenberg Prize recognizes the most distinguished work of scholarship on the history of the Jewish diaspora published in English during the previous calendar year. The prize is awarded annually by the American Historical Association. Horowitz was praised by the selection committee for his work combining “an analysis of Jewish legal questions, modern industrial developments, advertising campaigns, and domestic trends in a fascinating and sweeping study that leaves few aspects of twentieth-century American Jewish history untouched.”

BRANDYWINE ZOO OFFERS HOLIDAY GIFTS ONLINE

his holiday season, the Brandywine Zoo is offering a creative gift idea on its website. Order an Adopt a Sloth Package that includes a sponsorship Certificate of Adoption, a fact sheet with that particular sloth photo, two admission passes to the Brandywine Zoo, and a plush toy animal, all for $65. The order may be picked up at the Brandywine Zoo’s Zootique or the zoo will ship the package directly to you or to the recipient. When you become an annual sponsor your tax deductible donation to the Delaware Zoological Society is used to help continue conservation work at the zoo and around the world. Order online at brandywinezoo.org/support/adopt-a-sloth.

WILMINGTON IN TRANSITION FAIR

eaturing sustainable goods—all local, handmade, artisanal, fair trade, natural, upcycled and recycled—sustainability organization Wilmington in Transition is hosting the 8th Annual WiT Local, Sustainable Food & Gift Fair on Sunday, Dec. 10. The fair is from 2-6 p.m. at Silverside Church (2800 Silverside Rd., Wilmington). Local culinary talent will serve up food for all dietary restrictions, too. Live music, a raffle table and more will be announced. For updates, visit witde.delawarehourexchange.org/wp. DECEMBER 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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WORTH RECOGNIZING Community Members Who Go Above & Beyond

GERTRUDE AND TOMMY ABEL:

Every Christmas is a shopping spree—for others

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ince 1992, Christmas for the Abel family of Greenville has not been the same. That year they refused to get consumed by the commercialism, the buying and taking, the accumulation of things. Instead, on Christmas morning they delivered furniture, linens, toiletries, pots and pans, clothes, food and toys to a mother and her child who had moved into an apartment from a homeless shelter in Wilmington. The Ministry of Caring, which provides support services for those living in poverty, brought the two families together. “It became a Christmas tradition,” says Gertrude Abel. “We wanted to give moms committed to getting out of poverty a boost, a little bit of help by saving them the expense of purchasing these items themselves. It made us happy to make someone else happy.” Friends and family wanted to help too, so in 1994 they also began to donate. Twenty-five years later, more than 250 mothers have received help through some 250 volunteers who take them on shopping sprees for the best deals at Kohl’s, Walmart or Target. About $700 is spent on each mother. “Gert” Abel and her son, Tommy, made the Christmas tradition official in 2006 by creating the Clif Abel Children’s Fund in honor of their late husband and father, who died that year. Its purpose is to buy household items for mothers, under the guidance of the Ministry of Caring, who move out of shelters into rented apartments, and who typically hold jobs or are in job training programs. The Abel family became acquainted with the Ministry of Caring because Clif Abel oversaw the building of the ministry’s first homeless shelter for women with children. The shelter opened in 1983 on North Jackson Street in Wilmington. Clif ran the construction department at MBNA, the bank formerly headquartered in Delaware. Last year, the Abels changed the focus of the fund from a holiday shopping program to an all-year support effort. Says Tommy Abel, an entrepreneur and business owner: “Christmas tends to highlight an awareness of those who are less fortunate, but poverty is not a seasonal problem, it’s a year-round problem.” In Delaware, 35,000 children live in poverty, according to data from the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Kids Count project. And a single mother heads about one in three families with young children. Jennifer Treen, a 41-year-old with an 18-month-old son, says shopping with Gert Abel five months ago turned out to be more than a buying experience. “She’s the kind of person who will give you the shirt off her back,” says the Wilmington resident. “My mom passed away 17 years ago. It felt good to be with Gert; she reminded me how it is to be with family. I’m so grateful for what she did for me.” Year round, the Abels buy sheets and towels for the Ministry of Caring women’s shelters, toys for the birthdays of children in the Ministry’s daycare centers, and bus passes to help the mothers get to job training programs. They also sponsor two scholarships a year to elementary students, one for St. Peter Cathedral School in Wilmington and another for Serviam Girls Academy in New Castle. — Adriana Camacho-Church

14 DECEMBER 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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by the numbers

A few holiday facts for you

280 The approximate year, AD, that the real St. Nicholas was born. Nicholas was neither fat nor jolly, but he allegedly used his inheritance to help the poor and sick, and a legend was born.

Number of the other names Santa answers to around the world, in case you happen to run into him while abroad: Kris Kringle in Germany; Befana (meaning “elderly woman”) in Italy; Père Noël in France, and Ded Moroz in Russia.

1938

The year Rudolph the RedNosed Reindeer was invented for a Christmas promotion for Montgomery Ward department store. What? Yeah, we’re weeping with disenchantment, too.

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336 122 The year (AD) of the first recorded Christmas celebration, held during the time of Roman Emperor Constantine.

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The height, in feet, of the world’s largest snowwoman, (also trumping all snowmen), built by residents of Bethel, Maine, in February 2008.

DECEMBER 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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Worth Trying Suggestions from our staff, contributors and readers

Terakawa Ramen Next time you find yourself in Philadelphia, stop by Chinatown’s wildly delicious, low-key restaurant Terakawa Ramen. I opt for the Tan Tan Ramen ($11), a bowl filled with spicy miso and chicken broth soup with sesame, topped with minced pork, bean sprouts and chopped scallions. Alternative meat proteins are available, along with a range of vegetarian options and curry and donburi dishes. — Krista Connor, Senior Editor & Media Manager

Jim Carrey Channels Andy Kaufman In 1999’s Man on the Moon, Jim Carrey famously portrayed provocative, eccentric, controversial, enigmatic, absurdist comic Andy Kaufman. In the just released documentary Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond, behind-thescenes footage demonstrates that Carrey became the performer who first rose to fame on the TV show Taxi. The doc began streaming on Netflix late last month. — Bob Yearick, Contributing Editor

Cafe New Castle The dining scene in historic New Castle is as constant as the architecture, so when there’s change people notice. This quaint eatery at 414 Delaware St. is worth the attention. The front of the house is charming, the back room is brightened by natural light, and the place makes a great cup of coffee. The menu is limited but appetizing, and the items I’ve sampled were fresh and well-prepared. Café New Castle offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner (though it only stays open past 3 p.m. Thursday through Saturday) and does serve wine and beer.

That Performance Place A music, theater and dance performance school with tons of enrollment options, it’s located in Elkton, Md. A family-friendly venue, this creative haven is a great example of the local music community. It’s a great place to support the scene and a wonderful place for children to learn music. Check for upcoming events at That Performance Place via the Facebook page. — Ryan Alexander, Contributing Designer

— Jerry duPhily, Publisher

Have something you think is worth trying? Send your suggestion to Jim at jmiller@tsnpub.com.

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WINTER ARTS FESTIVAL Friday, December 8 | Noon – 8 pm Saturday, December 9 | 9 am – 3 pm

Shop for holiday gifts from 18 artisans and enjoy festive music and decorations.

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18 DECEMBER 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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Putting The Personal Touch In Online Giving Experts explain how they use it, and provide safety tips for donors By Dan Linehan

enerosity is part of the fabric of the holiday season. Thanksgiving is about showing gratitude and Christmas is now celebrated with gifts worldwide. Given the convenience of satisfying that altruistic urge at the click of a mouse, it’s natural that more of our giving is moving online. Nonprofits have taken notice, and are enlisting their supporters as digital evangelists. It was in this capacity that Jennifer Archie sat down at her computer a few months ago and wrote about her husband, Tim, and his 21-year battle with multiple sclerosis. Archie revealed that Tim, who uses a wheelchair and has difficulty speaking, nonetheless “rides out this disease with humor and charm and grit day in day out, parenting his boys and backing me every day.” She also wrote about the other parts of her “crappy year,” including the deaths of her sister, Tim’s mother and a friend.

The point wasn’t to elicit pity. Archie wrote that she would be participating in Bike MS: Bike to the Bay, an October ride from Dover to the beach that raises money for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and she asked her friends and colleagues to donate. They did. Within three weeks, she had raised more than $30,000 from 112 donors. Though it utilized a modern medium, Archie’s fundraising effort reveals something eternal about giving. Its power was drawn from the personal relationships she and her husband had cultivated over the decades. In other words, the people who gave were the ones who already cared about her family, not strangers drawn in by a generic online pitch. “I do think there was an accumulated pool of empathy that I tapped into,” Archie says. She believes the effect was magnified by the request’s novelty, since she and her husband had never asked for money—or rarely sought sympathy—in the past. ► DECEMBER 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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Before her ride, Jennifer Archie is joined by her husband, Tim, and their sons, Duff, 21, and Ben, 17.

Archie’s example is instructive for nonprofits seeking to harness the potential of online giving. Nationwide, online fundraising grew at a clip of 8 percent in 2016 at a time when overall giving was virtually flat, according to the Blackbaud Institute for Philanthropic Impact. Still, this is not a digital gold rush. There are downsides for both nonprofits (Face-to-face solicitation is more effective) and donors (Is the organization effective and is my identity secure?).

The medium: The message

There’s a guiding principle in fundraising: People give to people. “The No. 1 reason people give is because someone they know asks them to,” says Stuart Comstock-Gay, president and CEO of the Delaware Community Foundation. Central to that relationship is trust, which is difficult to establish online but can still be leveraged by social media, he says. It is rare, nowadays, to donate online without a suggestion that you share news of your gift on social media. “You’re still looking for people who can endorse your message and reach out to their friends,” says Comstock-Gay. There is another option: Craft a compelling Facebook campaign with a ready-made tug on the heartstring to pull in new donors. Certain nonprofits, such as pet shelters, have messages more suited to this tactic. That can work, Comstock-Gay says, but social media does not typically create the bonds with strangers necessary for them to donate. The key, again, is to foster authentic relationships based on trust. The gold standard, he says, remains the same: “Can I get people who know us to stand up?”

DECEMBER 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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Targeting is key

The YMCA of Delaware chiefly relies on about 500 volunteers to directly ask members to donate, says Matt Clements, the Y’s director of philanthropy. “There’s a higher response rate and you tend to get a larger gift when you ask face-toface,” he says. That’s not to say online fundraising doesn’t have a role, though it is most effective when the pitch is tailored to a specific group. For example, to raise money for “Giving Tuesday” —a movement to dedicate the Tuesday after Thanksgiving to charitable giving — the Y will email members who haven’t given yet this year. The email pitch includes specific beneficiaries: low-income families who can join the Y thanks to these donations. “The biggest thing is just segmenting your message,” Clements says, meaning the request is as tailored to an audience as possible. One disadvantage to online giving is the cost of processing online donations; a small portion of each donation typically goes to the company that handles the transaction. For a nonprofit, losing, say, 3 cents off each dollar might be a loss worth taking, compared to getting nothing, to acquire a new donor. But if an existing donor is moving from paper checks to a website, a nonprofit is effectively losing money. “At the Y, we use it, but even for us it’s a financial barrier,” Clements says of online transactions. “I can imagine for smaller nonprofits it’s a larger barrier.” While online donations account for less than 5 percent of the Y’s donations now, that is set to grow. That’s because, in general, older people give more to charity. “As current millennials grow older, the use of digital technology will increase,” Clements says.

Giving safely online

With thousands of charities at your fingertips, how do you know what’s safe and what’s not? Furthermore, how can you separate the legitimate charities from the (relatively few) frauds? Kelly Sheridan, who administers college scholarships for the Delaware Community Foundation, does all her personal giving online and has some advice. First, to limit her exposure to identity theft, she never uses a card connected to a bank account. That way, if her data falls into the wrong hands, the thief can’t simply empty her account. Sheridan vets a charity by exploring its website and finding the group’s mission statement and sources of funding. “I don’t usually look hard at their financials as much as their mission statement and a listing of who else has supported them,” she says. If you’re the type of person who does want hard data, check out Guidestar.org to find free financial information, including the compensation of top employees. Technical reminders on giving safely online come from Jamila Patton Anderson, the Y’s director of public relations: Look in your browser’s address bar and you’ll see most website addresses begin with “http.” Secure websites, ones that are protecting your data, have an “s” at the end: “https.” Also, the address should have a small picture of a lock next to it.

FINE FOOD MAKES A FABULOUS GIFT

Though Archie lives in Alexandria, Va., the Delaware beaches hold a special place in her memory. In the ‘80s, she and her friends would share beach house getaways. And that’s where she met Tim, who consistently made her laugh. “It was definitely a ride for the memories of Dewey Beach,” she says of her October bike ride. Aside from the huge financial success, Jennifer Archie and her husband, Tim, eat at the Rusty perhaps the most unexpected part of her Rudder in Dewey Beach in 1987. She biked back to the fundraising campaign was the emotional beaches in October to raise money for multiple sclerosis lift it gave her and Tim. Her first foray into research. Tim was diagnosed with MS in 1996. online giving re-connected them to old friends, all thanks to her decision to share an authentic story. “Every day, I would come home from work and read Tim the names and the thank-you notes,” Archie says. “This really lifted him up… It really is sustaining, I have to say.”

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Childcare is one of the many services provided by the Ministry of Caring and its founder, Brother Ronald.

forty years of service to the poor Led by the indefatigable Brother Ronald Giannone, the Ministry of Caring has spearheaded dozens of charitable projects aimed at the under-served. This month, it launches another: The $22 million Village of St. John. By Larry Nagengast Photos by Moonloop Photography

rother Ronald Giannone established the Ministry of Caring in Wilmington in 1977 with a house, purchased for $5,000, that became a shelter for homeless women. But that was just a start. Giannone has always been a big thinker, and over the intervening 40 years, he has grown the ministry into a charity that runs 20 programs in 29 buildings throughout Wilmington, with an annual budget of about $11 million. Childcare, dining rooms, emergency shelters, long-term and transitional housing for the homeless, for senior citizens, for men and women suffering from AIDS and HIV: If there’s a need, the Ministry of Caring is there to fill it. Throughout those four decades, Giannone has been guided by the ministry’s basic principle: “The poor should not be treated poorly." This month, the charity will launch another massive project—the transformation of the former Cathedral Church of St. John, a landmark in Wilmington’s Brandywine Village

for more than 150 years, into a residential complex designed to serve moderate and low-income seniors and the working poor, age 62 and older. Early in December, the ministry will go to settlement and close the deal to purchase the cathedral complex from the Episcopal Diocese of Delaware for $651,800—a steep discount from the original asking price of $1.7 million. A grant from the Longwood Foundation will cover the purchase price. Following a groundbreaking ceremony Dec. 15, construction will begin, says Priscilla Rakestraw, the ministry’s director of development. The project, dubbed the Village of St. John, now carries a $22 million price tag, and all but $2 million has been raised, primarily through a combination of grants from foundations and businesses, the state, Wilmington and New Castle County governments, and a variety of tax credits available for developing low-income housing and restoring historic sites. ► DECEMBER 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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ready by 2019

The goal, Rakestraw says, is to have 53 apartments—a combination of efficiencies and 1- and 2-bedroom units—ready for occupancy by about 80 residents by December 2019. Seventeen units will be created within the church and the adjoining dean’s house. The other 36 will be in a new three-story building on the southwest side of the 2.6-acre property. The project represents not only a repurposing of a 19th-century structure to meet 21st-century needs, but also an opportunity to spur a revitalization of Brandywine Village, which has battled a steady decline over the past 40 years. “I can’t tell you how exciting it is to be part of this project,” says Kevin Wilson, a principal of Architectural Alliance, which has handled all the design work. “We’re preserving history and we’re anchoring the neighborhood.” Brandywine Village had a history as a bustling neighborhood dating to the Revolutionary era, when the Green Tree Tavern occupied the corner of Market Street and Concord Avenue. In 1856 Alexis I. du Pont, son of the founder of the DuPont Co., chose the corner as the site for a new Episcopal church. A year later, as construction was beginning, du Pont suffered fatal burns while trying to rescue workers from an explosion at his family’s powder mill on the Brandywine. While on his death bed, Rakestraw says, he changed his will to ensure that there would be sufficient funds to complete the church. Construction projects in 1885, 1919 and 1952 added a parish hall, a parsonage and a spacious kitchen as the congregation grew and the complex became the headquarters of the Episcopal Diocese of Delaware.

a neighborhood in decline

More recently, the neighborhood, once home to trendy restaurants and hardware and paint stores, fell into decline. Its most prominent businesses now are a Dollar General, a couple of fast food outlets and some liquor stores. Meanwhile, the church’s membership declined, and the shrinking congregation didn’t have the resources to maintain the aging buildings. Church members eventually joined other congregations, the diocese moved its offices to Brandywine Hundred and the complex was put up for sale.

24 DECEMBER 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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Repurposing the former Cathedral Church of St. John, which is more than 150 years old, will be key to the new project.

Eighty-five-year-old Edie Menser, a longtime parishioner who remembers first visiting the church when she was 4, recalls “Christmas Eve services with trumpets blowing” and choir members heading across the street to Hearn’s Restaurant for breakfast between the two services on Easter morning. “I was married here, my children were married here, my greatgrandchildren were baptized here. Those memories are precious,” she says. “I would have loved for the church to have stayed open, but it’s going to be used, and that’s important.” With the apartments bringing new residents into the area, existing businesses in Brandywine Village should benefit, and others should be encouraged to locate there, Giannone says. “If you put $22 million toward a project, you’re going to change the neighborhood for the better.” The restoration and renovation project will preserve both existing buildings’ exterior, including the stained glass windows in the cathedral and chapel. The new building, Wilson says, “has been designed to be harmonious with the church,” using the same stone and the same finishes, “but its massing will be simpler” so it won’t diminish the prominence of the church. While matching the church’s early Gothic style, the new building will incorporate contemporary features to maximize its energy efficiency, including rooftop solar panels for heating hot water. Since the granite for the church was quarried in nearby Alapocas, finding matching stone proved somewhat of a challenge, Wilson says. A local supplier, the Delaware Brick Co., located not only a dark gray granite that matches most of the existing church but also some oxidized stone that looks much like portions of the church exterior that have acquired a reddish tint over the years.

changes on the inside

“We met with both the state and the city historic preservation folks, and they all agreed it was a good match,” Wilson says. Also being preserved are two engraved marble plaques, honoring Alexis I. du Pont and his wife, Joanna, for their roles in the church’s construction. But there will be significant changes to the interior. While the small chapel will be maintained for interdenominational worship, the cathedral’s sanctuary will be transformed into a common area, a wide-open gathering space for residents to meet, relax, play cards and enjoy group activities. The hand-carved pews in the cathedral are in excellent condition, and the ministry hopes to find a church in the area that could use them, Rakestraw says. ► DECEMBER MAY 2017 2015 || OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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The altar area of the former Cathedral Church of St. John.

The large kitchen on the main floor will be ripped out and replaced by a combination kitchen/café. The greatest challenge will be in repurposing the numerous classrooms and offices that line the hallways on the west side of the cathedral. Some of the rooms are large enough to be envisioned as two-bedroom units with an open design. “I’d want this one for myself,” Rakestraw says as she guides visitors into a bright and airy second-floor space that once was used for choir rehearsals. But the size and placement of many of the offices and classrooms can lead to design challenges or surprising results. “We have to carefully design spaces to keep their unique architectural features, like the ornate woodwork in the ceilings and walls,” Wilson says. In several places, stone fireplaces surrounded by wood panels will become the focal point of a new resident’s living room. In addition to the changes inherent in transforming offices into apartments, structural improvements are also needed. For example, century-old leaded glass windows will be removed and replaced with energy-efficient frames and glass. The construction of the new building will create a more or less triangular courtyard in the area between the structures, a place Rakestraw expects to become popular with residents as a picnic ground or for outdoor conversations.

24-hour security

As part of the purchase, Rakestraw says, the ministry is acquiring a parking lot on the north side of Concord Avenue that runs from the rear of businesses on Market Street west to Tatnall Street. Residents and visitors will be able to use the lot, and there also will be a group of handicap parking spaces along the semicircular driveway at the Tatnall Street entrance to the complex. “The best part of this,” Rakestraw says, “will be the security—24 hours a day, on site. It’s not going to be a place that people can run in and out of.” The construction marks a continuation of the ministry’s steady growth under Giannone, whose leadership has led to more than a score of projects aimed at housing, feeding and employing the poor. It began in early 1977, when Giannone, recently assigned to the St. Francis Priory off Silverside Road in Brandywine Hundred, confessed his disappointment to his superior that work at the retreat house didn’t give him the opportunity to help the poor. “What’s stopping you?” his superior replied, and soon he was on the phone and knocking on the door of state social service agencies trying to find out where help was most needed.

26 DECEMBER 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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He learned of homeless women sleeping under bridges in Wilmington and grandparents caring for infants and toddlers because their parents were in prison. “That was my baptism by fire to conditions on the East Side of Wilmington,” he says. He found a home for sale for $7,500 on North Van Buren Street, talked the price down to $5,000, rounded up donations to pay for it, enlisted the support of volunteers and other religious orders, and opened the Mary Mother of Hope House for homeless women. Since then the Capuchin Franciscan friar has built an operation that, among other things, serves 170,000 meals a year at its three dining rooms and provides care for 153 at-risk children at three centers in the city. The Mary Mother of Hope House was followed by the first Emmanuel Dining Room in 1979 and the second three years later. In 1983, the ministry opened the Mary Mother of Hope transitional residence for single women and Mary Mother of Hope House II, an emergency shelter for homeless women with children. Two years later came a job placement center and House of Joseph I, an emergency shelter for homeless employable men. The third Emmanuel Dining Room opened in 1987, followed in 1989 by a distribution center, which provides free clothing, home supplies and furniture for people in need. The St. Clare Van, a health services outreach collaboration with St. Francis Hospital, was launched in 1992, the year the first childcare center opened. In 1995, three more programs were launched: St. Francis Transitional Residence, providing housing for homeless women and their children; a dental clinic and a Samaritan Center, which helps the poor and homeless with housing referrals, case management, hygienic services and other supports. From 1997 to 2000, four more housing initiatives were created: House of Joseph II, a permanent residence for homeless people living with AIDS; Nazareth House I and II, transitional housing for families; and Sacred Heart Village I, 78 one-bedroom apartments for the elderly. Next came Bethany House I, in 2002, providing long-term housing for women with disabilities, and Il Bambino, in 2003, an infant care program for the poor, working poor and homeless. In 2007, the ministry opened Maria Lorenza Longo House, a long-term residence for single women, followed in 2010 by Padre Pio House, a long-term residence for men with disabilities. The Mother Teresa House, providing affordable independent housing with supportive services to low-income men and women disabled by HIV/AIDS, opened in 2011, along with the Josephine Bakhita House, a residence for recent college graduates dedicating a year to service of the poor and hungry. Bethany House II, also serving women with disabilities, opened in 2014. The ministry’s most recent venture, Sacred Heart Village II, opened earlier this year to provide housing for low-income seniors on Wilmington’s East Side. Many of those projects, Giannone says, had significant support from MBNA, one of the first banks to prosper in Delaware after passage of the Financial Center Development Act in 1981, and the generosity of the late Charles M. Cawley, who started the credit-card bank in 1982. Cawley “wanted the bank to have a social conscience,” and one of his early moves was to hire Francis X. Norton, a former leader of social programs in the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington, and then “assigned him to work with me,” Giannone says. “Charlie became very hands-on. I would tell him how much money we would need, and he would support us,” Giannone says. That relationship led to, among other things, construction of the Guardian Angel Child Care on Wilmington’s East Side and the development of Sacred Heart Village I on the grounds of a former Catholic Church in the Trinity Vicinity neighborhood. In addition to funding multiple projects, Cawley instilled a culture of community service at MBNA that generated a stream of dependable volunteers for the ministry, Giannone says. Now 67, the Bronx native shows no signs of slowing down—and neither does his ministry. “I’ll be here as long as God gives me life and my superiors allow,” he says. And the Village of St. John, with its strong foundation and granite walls, will be around even longer.

Ongoing Needs The Ministry of Caring has ongoing needs for volunteers, including assisting at its childcare centers, helping with food preparation and service at its dining rooms, helping with activities for senior citizens and sorting donated clothing or assembling hygiene kits at its Samaritan Outreach Center. Details on volunteering are available at ministryofcaring.org. The ministry is currently running a drive for food and necessities that are essential to serving the poor. The Emmanuel Dining Room needs large family-size containers of vegetables, pasta, spaghetti sauce, fruit, cereal, beans, pancake mix, syrup, oatmeal and tuna fish. DART prepaid passes enable the ministry’s shelter residents to seek employment, and gift cards from local grocery stores enable the dining room and shelters to purchase emergency provisions. The shelters for homeless men, women and women with small children need canned/packaged nonperishable foods and paper products, as well as new or gently used coats, towels, twin-size blankets and sheet sets. Monetary donations are also accepted. To arrange donations, contact: ReeNee at 652-3228 (mlafate@sacredheartvillage2.org) or Priscilla at 652-5523 (prakestraw@ministryofcaring.org). DECEMBER 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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The WhyFly team: (l-r) Dave Urban, Scott Ellingsworth, Nick Sabean, Seth Helgesen, Joe Cary, Josh Reed, Co-Founder Mike Palita, Kevin Kriss, Max Henig, Co-Founder Mark Thompson, Jakyrin Jones, Chris Urban. Photo Joe del Tufo

The Question: WhyFly? The answer: Yes, please, as more users sign up with this start-up that provides 'gluten-free internet' By Kevin Noonan o a Google search for “WhyFly” and the first things that pop up are testimonials from pilots about the joys of flying an airplane. After that come websites that give you tips on the sport of fly fishing (it’s all in the wrist). Finally, you find it—WhyFly, the start-up internet service provider that’s located in the small city of Wilmington and is ready to take on the big boys of cyberspace. WhyFly’s approach has been simple and, so far, profitable: They offer more for less and they do it with a neighborhood vibe that has convinced many residents and businesses to sign up with them instead of internet giants like Comcast and Verizon. WhyFly is the brainchild of Mike Palita and Mark Thompson. Palita is from Oxford, Pa., and worked for Capital One Bank as director of data center technology before leaving to start WhyFly, and Thompson is from Newark and left his founding post with Media Analytics, located in West Chester, Pa., to join Palita in the new venture. The real motivation for WhyFly came when Thompson moved to Wilmington in 2016 and was dismayed at the state of internet connections in the city. He and Palita decided to start their own company and eventually set up shop in the Nemours Building, where they also won over their first significant customer—The Mill, another young start-up company that rents co-worker office

space to various clients, including WhyFly. The Mill has about 200 clients and one of the first was WhyFly, which also wired The Mill and all its resident businesses for the internet. “With the current providers out there, they [The Mill] were getting some pretty high rates and they still weren’t getting enough band-width to support the needs that they had,” says Nick Sabean, director of marketing for WhyFly. “The internet is basically a commodity at this point—people need this service, they need to connect to the internet. So, they gave us a shot.” Robert Herrera, who owns and operates The Mill, found kindred spirits in the WhyFly gang, which is one of the reasons he gave them that shot. But Herrera admits he was initially skeptical when he gave the newly-hatched company the critical job of supplying internet service to his offices. “It was definitely a big risk at first,” Herrera says. “Now it seems like it was a long time ago, when you see how well they’re doing. They really had a vision—to supply superior internet service at reasonable prices—and they made it happen with hard work and determination. They’re the perfect poster child for what The Mill is all about and they’re a great addition to the City of Wilmington.” ► DECEMBER 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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WhyFly can offer better rates because it’s focused on the internet and not on television and all the hassles and expenses that come with cable. And with more and more people—especially younger people—cutting the cord to their cable services, WhyFly has found its market. They like to call it “gluten-free internet” because of its simplified format. “We launched the residential production in June,” Sabean says, “and were able to deliver service that has no contracts, costs $55 a month and is able to give you anywhere from 75 to 120 megabits [per second] of upload and download speed, and low latency [the amount of time between a given command and its response], which is actually the biggest issue about connectivity.” Another big selling point for WhyFly is the fact that it’s local— if you call for technical service, that call is answered by somebody a couple of blocks away instead of a couple of continents away. Even in today’s high-tech world, that local touch is appreciated by WhyFly’s customers. That includes Loretta Walsh, a long-time member of Wilmington’s City Council. She switched to WhyFly and was so pleased with her choice that she even placed a rave review on the company’s Facebook page. “After an hour-and-a-half on hold and being transferred repeatedly to agents with my past provider, I called WhyFly Wilmington,” Walsh says. “Kevin [Kriss, vice-president of operations] answered my call and within three hours two installers were at my home. These gentlemen were smart, courteous and had my new Wi-Fi system set up in less than two hours. I now have high-speed, no-hassle service from a local start-up in Wilmington.” Sabean says WhyFly already has more than 2,000 businesses and residences wired up and that number is growing every month as word of mouth spreads and one local business after another hops on board. In fact, Sabean says that WhyFly offers an incentive for that word of mouth: They will give a month of free internet to anybody who refers them to another customer. One customer already has 18 months of free service coming his way. A small business that recently switched to WhyFly is Lou’s Pawn Shop on North Market Street. They negotiated with Verizon and Comcast and weren’t happy with what they heard, so when WhyFly came calling they decided to give the new, upstart company a try. “Suddenly, these guys were on the scene with a great offer and we couldn’t be happier,” says Matt (who didn’t want his last name used), the manager of Lou’s Pawn Shop. “We’ve had no problems at all with them. They’re always checking with us to see how the service is and you don’t get that kind of individual attention from the big companies. They’ve delivered everything they promised and more and we’re very happy with the service they’ve provided.” WhyFly has grown so much, so quickly, that it’s moving most of its operations to a new headquarters on 6th Street between Orange and Shipley. Sabean says that should give the company more sidewalk visibility and strengthen its reputation as a friendly neighbor that you can count on. WhyFly also has plans to expand to Newark and Rehoboth Beach and after that, the company will investigate moving into Pennsylvania and beyond, although they always want to keep that small-town feeling to their operation. After that, well, who knows? “In five to 10 years I see them hitting a lot of mid-size cities that have a similar demographic to Wilmington, and being as successful there as they are here,” Herrera says. “And the beautiful thing about it is that Wilmington will always be their hub.” THE QUESTION: WHYFLY? continued from previous page

30 DECEMBER 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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GIVING THE GIFT OF EXPERIENCE Some creative ideas for every personality type on your holiday list

Third Eye Blind show at The Queen. Photo Joe del Tufo

By Leeann Wallett

his holiday season, let’s be a little more creative in our gift-giving. Instead of buying essentially inconsequential things, let’s think about creating memories. Here’s a list of fun, local experiences that the various personality types in your life will be sure to remember.

For the Art Enthusiast

Painting with a Twist has taken Delaware by storm with its mantra: Sip. Paint. Relax. Four locations in New Castle County offer a fun night out with step-by-step painting instruction from local artist instructors. Classes include all materials—easel, paint, and mat—as well as complimentary adult beverages and soda. In addition to its typical lineup, Painting with a Twist Wilmington owners Stephanie and Jay Pomante host two recurring special events—Paint Your Own Pet (PYOP) and Painting with a Purpose. PYOP allows you to submit a quality picture of your dog or cat (or other pet) to have it pre-sketched on your canvas by one of the instructors before you arrive to the class. Bi-monthly Painting with a Purpose classes raise funds—50 percent of the sales—for a specific nonprofit organization. The 2018 February and March recipients will be, respectively, the Pennsville Community Arts Center and the Alzheimer’s Association. 1812 Marsh Rd., #409, Wilmington, 746-2907, paintingwithatwist.com.

For the Nature Lover

Longwood Gardens is “anything but dreary” during the winter months, says Patricia Evans, communication manager. New next year, in tandem with its Winter Blues Festival (to be held in March), Longwood will have blue flowering plants throughout the main conservatory. “It will be filled with plants like poppies, hydrangea, cornelius,” says Evans. “The Conservatory will be a picture-perfect setting for amateur and professional photographers.” In addition, there will be blue-inspired workshops and lectures like “Fabric to Dye For,” where participants will be able to make their own indigo dye vat. Evans recommends purchasing a membership to save on food and classes. The best part about membership levels two and above is that “you can be flexible in who you want to bring to visit the Gardens,” says Evans. So bring your mom, dad, friend or significant other with you as you explore the great outdoors, indoors. 1001 Longwood Rd., Kennett Square, Pa., 610-388-1000, longwoodgardens.org. ► DECEMBER 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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Photo courtesy of NextFab

GIVING THE GIFT OF EXPERIENCE continued from previous page

NextFab's Woodshop.

For the Handy(wo)man

NextFab is Wilmington’s newest makerspace, where artists, woodworking enthusiasts, computer whizzes and entrepreneurs can learn, grow and make things. Located in the West Center City neighborhood of Wilmington aptly named the “Creative District,” the third NextFab (there are two in Philadelphia) occupies 10,000 square feet in a former photography studio. Says Laate Olukotun, director of marketing: “November and December are the busiest times in the space because people (members) are making gifts for their family and friends.” Plus, to get you into the holiday spirit, NextFab will offer “...a handful of holiday workshops like ‘Make Your Own Electric Snowflake,’ where you will solder and work with circuit boards,” says Olukotun. This class is open to members and non-members ages 10 and up. In addition, new this year, NextFab will offer four woodworking class (gift) packs, which will include a fully guided experience through a series of discounted classes and include a NextFab membership. Here are the options: $50 - Make Your Own Cutting Board Pilot Membership: • Access to classes for one month Included classes: • Orientation • Shop Safety • Wood Preparation

$150 - Learning the Lathe Pilot Membership: • Access to classes for one month Included Classes: • Orientation • Shop Safety • Intro to Lathe • Bowl Turning

$250 - Woodworking Foundations Community Membership: • Three days/month for two months Included Classes: • Orientation • Shop Safety • Wood Preparation • Table Saw • Finishing Basics • Hand Tool Basics

$500 - Complete Techniques Community Membership: • Three days/month for four months Included Classes: • Orientation • Shop Safety • Wood Preparation • Table Saw • Finishing Basics • Hand Tool Basics • Intro to Lathe • Bowl Turning

503 N. Tatnall St., Wilmington, 477-7330, nextfab.com. ► 32 DECEMBER 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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Wilmington Ballet Company’s The Nutcracker

Classic Albums Live Presents: Fleetwood Mac – Rumours

SAT & SUN | DEC 2 & 3 | $16 -$47 Wilmington’s very own annual Christmas tradition at the Playhouse turns 51!

FRI | DEC 8 | 8PM | $34

SAT | DEC 9 | 8PM | $25

Fleetwood Mac classic recreated note for note

Frenetic and soulful one-man act crosses genres on improvised instruments

Mannheim Steamroller Christmas

Irish Christmas In America

Ripe

SUN | DEC 10 | 3PM & 7:30PM | $55-$80

WED | DEC 13 | 8PM | $26-$31

THUR | DEC 14 | 8PM | $18

The spirit of the season comes alive in this holiday tradition

Come home to Ireland for the holidays with music, stories, and dance

The Ripe family asks you to get loose, get down, and get ready. The party is just getting started.

Sinbad

Vienna Boys Choir Christmas In Vienna

Damien Escobar

FRI | DEC 15 | 8PM | $37-$43

SAT | DEC 16 | 8PM | $39-$44

SAT | DEC 16 | 8PM | $37-$90

A Grand favorite returns with sharp topical humor

Angelic voices make for wonderful celebration of the season

Hip-hop meets classical with this dynamic violinist

The Suitcase Junket

Photo by Lukas Beck

Coming January 2018

TheGrandWilmington.org | 302.652.5577 | 302.888.0200 818 N. Market Street, Wilmington, DE 19801

Follow us on: This program is supported, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency, in partnership with the National Arden Concert Gild, The Green Willow, Brandywine Friends Endowment of Oldtime Music, Latino Community Council are valued partners for many performances in the 2017-18 season. for theand Arts.the The Division promotesAdvisory Delaware arts events on www.DelawareScene.com.

All tickets subject to box office service charges. Artists, dates, times and programs are subject to change. DECEMBER 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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For the Sports Fan

The 2018 Wilmington Blue Rocks offer entertaining minor league baseball. Instead of splurging for full or half-season packages, try one of the more affordable Mini Plans. There are three packages: 6, 9 or 12 games; day of the week, and the flex plan. All Mini Plan holders receive: A member gift (next year will be a Blue Rocks cap), an invitation to the member appreciation picnic on July 24, tickets to fireworks or giveaway games, and a flexible ticket exchange policy (and much more). In addition to those holder benefits, “each plan provides customers with a dedicated sales representative,” says Stefani Rash, director of ticket sales. If the Mini Plan is not enough, give a full-season plan so your recipient not only receives a commemorative booklet, but also a plaque with his or her name on their season seat. 801 Shipyard Dr., Wilmington, 888-2015, milb.com. GIVING THE GIFT OF EXPERIENCE continued from previous page

DECEMBER SPECIAL! JOIN NOW for $29 and pay NO MEMBERSHIP FEES until January 2018!

PLUS GET A

FREE BSF T-SHIRT! Above offer valid on all annual membership options; Does not include month-to-month.

2518 West 4th St. Wilmington, DE

(302) 658-5077

BalanceFitnessTraining.com

SPECIAL E VE N T S T H I S M O N T H AT Nemours Building 1007 N. Orange Street

Have a budding writer in the family? Whether they’re bloggers, poets, fiction or nonfiction writers, the 2018 Bay to Ocean Writers Conference hosted by the Eastern Shore Writers Association has something for them. The Saturday, March 10, conference at Chesapeake College in Wye Mills, Md., will have hands-on learning workshops focused on the “craft of writing,” specific genres, publishing and marketing, and social media for writers. The keynote speaker will be critically acclaimed author Christopher Tilghman, author of five novels who teaches at the University of Virginia. Register by the end of the year for the early-bird price of $95. Regular price is $120 for non-members; $95 for members; and $55 for students with valid ID. The registration cost includes continental breakfast, lunch, afternoon snacks and all sessions, including the keynote. Chesapeake College: 100 College Circle, Wye Mills, Md., easternshorewriters@gmail.com, easternshorewriters.org.

For the Beer and Wine Aficionado

TheatreN.com

A Charlie Brown Christmas & Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)

Elf (2003)

Saturday, Dec 2nd at 10am

Saturday, Dec 9th at 10am

Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

For the Aspiring Writer

White Christmas (1954)

Saturday, Dec 16th at 10am Saturday, Dec 23rd at 10am

The Dogfish Head From Grain to Glass two-hour tour leads you through off-limit parts of the brewery for a more in-depth look at the brewing and distilling process. The tour costs $30 per person with a maximum tour capacity of 20, so register early. In addition to the beer and cocktail tastings, you’ll walk away with Dogfish Head pint and shot glasses. During the off-months, tour times may vary, so call ahead to ensure tour start times. Tours are booked on a first-come, firstserved basis and are for those 21 or older. 6 Cannery Village Center, Milford, 888-dogfish, dogfish.com. Total Wine & More offers more than just libations and gifts. It also hosts various beer, wine and spirits classes for the serious enthusiast at its Claymont location on Naamans Road. Topics range from introductory wine classes to an advanced class focused on refining one’s palette (I hear Super Tuscan wines are quite fine). Total Wine & More also arranges private wine or beer classes for a minimum of 14 attendees up to the capacity for the room. Visit their website for a list of upcoming classes. Northtowne Plaza, 691 Naamans Rd., Claymont, 792-1322, totalwine.com.

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For the Rock Fan

Firefly 2018 pre-sale passes are now sold out, so why not head to Wilmington’s darling theater, The Queen. Now managed by Live Nation, The Queen has “turned it up to 11” with its rock-heavy lineup thanks in part to Talent Buyer Christianna LaBuz, who has brought more regionally and nationally known acts to the historic venue. Here’s a short list of notable upcoming performances: February: The Wailers (2/8); Less than Jake (2/16); Blues Traveler (2/22) March: Anders Osborne (3/15); Drive-By Truckers (3/28) Still interested in attending Firefly? It will be held at Dover International Speedway on June 14-17, 2018. Or if your recipient loves all types of music genres, consider a digital music subscription to one of the popular streaming sites like Spotify, Pandora or Apple Music for an on-demand, ad-free experience. Firefly: 1131 N. Dupont Hwy., Dover, 855-281-4898 (ticket support), fireflyfestival.com. The Queen: 500 N. Market St., Wilmington, 730-3331, thequeenwilmington.com.

For the Athlete

Open from late November through February, the Riverfront Rink is the perfect place to bring the family or your significant other for a leisurely skate. The ice rink holds up to 350 guests and admission is only $8 for adults and $5 for children. Skates can be rented for $3 per person. Open skate is available Monday through Thursday from 4 to 9 p.m. and skate sessions (1.5 hours minimum) are in effect Friday through Sunday at times posted on the website. The Riverfront Rink will be open through March 4, 2018. If you’re feeling extra generous this holiday season, the rink can be rented for private parties for 150 guests starting at $2,500. 308 Justison St., Wilmington, 650-2336, riverfrontrink.com.

For the Home Cook

(who takes pictures of all their food for Instagram) Delaware Technical Community College (DTCC) offers a wide range of personal enrichment courses for those who want to expand their knowledge or technical abilities. All courses are hands-on and led by a strong network of adjunct instructors. “This spring, there will be a range of culinary classes including vegan cooking, dumplings and tapas, samosas and flatbreads, and sushi,” says Lisa C. Hastings-Sheppard, senior special programs director in the Office of Workforce Development and Community Education. In addition to its culinary classes, says Hastings-Sheppard, “we offer three photography courses—introductory, intermediate and advance—which allow budding photographers to learn about technique, composition and most of all, how to capture a great shot.” And to complement all the photos you’ll be taking, DTCC will provide a Photoshop class, where individuals can learn how to enhance and edit their work. The DTCC Continuing Education spring course catalog will be out soon, so make sure to check your mailbox. George Campus, 300 N. Orange St., Wilmington, 830-5200; Stanton Campus, 400 Stanton-Christiana Rd., Newark; 454-3956, dtcc.edu.

Celebrate the Holidays with Us! Make your Christmas Eve and New Years Eve Reservations Today!

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302.376.0600 109 Main Street, Odessa, DE 19730 Mon: 11:30am-9pm • Tues - Thurs: 11:30am-10pm Fri-Sat:11:30am-11pm • Sun: 10am-9pm

www.cantwells-tavern.com DECEMBER 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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3 ACTORS. 37 PLAYS. 97 MINUTES.

NOVEMBER 29-DECEMBER 23, 2017 TICKETS AS LOW AS $25! Group (10+) & student discounts available

A saucy, fast-paced romp through the Bard’s plays. Join these madcap men in tights as they weave their wicked way through all of Shakespeare’s comedies, histories and tragedies in one wild ride that will leave you breathless with laughter. “If you like Shakespeare, you’ll like this show. If you hate Shakespeare, you’ll love this show!” —The Today Show

200 WATER STREET / WILMINGTON, DE 19801 / 302.594.1100 / DELAWARETHEATRE.ORG

This program is supported, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. The Division promotes Delaware arts events on www.DelawareScene.com

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Delaware Embraces the Season of Goodwill It’s a time for charitable giving, small town traditions like tree lighting and caroling, and, for some homeowners, sky-high electric bills By Dillon McLaughlin

here’s no doubt about it: Delawareans know how to celebrate the holiday season in grand style. Up and down the state, residents donate thousands of items to food drives, observe decades-long holiday traditions, engage in some old-fashioned caroling, and bring their communities together in dazzling displays of light and goodwill.

NORMAN OLIVER'S TURKEY GIVE AWAY

The Turkey Give Away, this year falling on Nov. 21, started with NOR Enterprises' founder Norman Oliver providing turkey dinners to the homeless, back when he was a sophomore at Delaware State. His efforts quickly grew to include the Henrietta Johnson Medical Center, and, over the next three-and-a-half decades, expanded to the entire state. This year, Oliver expects more than 300 volunteers to help distribute 5,000 turkeys. For Oliver, the event is about making sure everyone's holiday is something to celebrate, as well as avoiding the pitfalls his own family experienced. “I was in one of those families that needed [help],” says Oliver. “I'm honored and blessed to be able to do this and to see how many volunteers we’ve grown to.”

SANKTA LUCIA CELEBRATION

First celebrated in the 15th century, Sankta Lucia's Feast Day was brought here by Delaware's Swedish settlers. Today, the celebration of light, food, and Swedish heritage begins with a short talk in Old Swedes Church about Sankta Lucia and her significance to Swedish history. That’s followed by a procession of children leading Lucia herself into the church. “Personally, I believe it puts you in the holiday spirit because it's a tradition,” says Rebecca Wilson, executive director of the Old Swedes Foundation/Historic Site. “Some kind of celebration has been going on since the 15th century. When you see these children walking down the [church] aisle singing these songs, it brings a very good feeling to you.”

Staff from Duffy's Hope, an organization that works with atrisk youth in Wilmington, will be at the event on Sunday, Dec. 10, selling poinsettias to raise money for their organization. Tickets for the 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. performances can be reserved under the Events tab on oldswedes.org.

NEW CASTLE COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT'S COAT & FOOD DRIVE

Most organizations in the city do something to support the less fortunate, usually collecting nonperishable food for the Food Bank. One of the larger events like this is the New Castle County Police Department's Annual Winter Coat & Canned Food Drive, now in its fifth year. This year's event is set for Saturday, Dec. 16, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Garfield Park PAL in New Castle. In the past, the drive has provided more than 400 new winter coats to those who need them. For those who can't make the official event, collection bins can be found at the NCCPD lobby on North DuPont Highway.

SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS

For Spirit of Christmas, now in its 17th year, residents of Old New Castle open their homes for tours, while the town's museums set up smaller versions of the main tours. There are also musical performances, craft and jewelry sales, and food stands. The celebration ends with caroling and a tree lighting ceremony in Market Square. Spirit of Christmas is hosted by the New Castle Presbyterian Church. ► DECEMBER 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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FOCUS DELAWARE EMBRACES THE SEASON OF GOODWILL continued from previous page

Have yourself a

Delicious little Christmas!

Buy a $100 Gift Card in December and get A $25 Gift Card FREE!

1314 N. Washington St, Wilmington (302) 6559463 domainehudson.com

The Dickensian costumes people associate with the event are actually part of a separate, concurrent celebration, A Victorian Christmas, hosted by the New Castle Historical Society. A Victorian Christmas starts with Fezziwig's Ball, a tribute to Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Reservations are needed for the ball on Friday, Dec. 8, and for tea on Saturday in the Arsenal, the headquarters of the New Castle Historical Society. “[Spirit of Christmas] is something our community and visitors look forward to each year,” says Kelly Koczak McCurdy, event co-chair and publicity chair for the Spirit of Christmas. “Upwards of 3,000 people have joined us for the celebration in any given year.” Expect events that need reservations to fill up quickly, though attendance is free to the larger, town-wide celebration. This year's Spirit of Christmas and A Victorian Christmas will be Saturday, Dec. 9, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Old New Castle. Reservations for Fezziwig's Ball and seated teas in the Arsenal can be made online on the New Castle Historical Society's Events page, or by calling 322-2794.

CAROLING AND TREE LIGHTING IN TOWNSEND

A relative newcomer to Delaware Christmas traditions, the Townsend Tree Lighting started as a simple caroling event and is now in its fourth year. In the second year, organizers added the tree and the event has continued to grow. Caroling starts roughly a half hour before dark, with songbooks passed around for those who don't know the words or need a refresher. Councilwoman Lorraine Gorman sees the event as an important part of the community in the small town, building relationships with neighbors and fostering community engagement. In fact, the inspiration for the event comes from the general decline of similar events. “Years ago, people would go door to door to carol, but they don't do that anymore,” says Gorman. “This is sort of our replacement.” The lighting ceremony is free and open to anyone who wants to come. This year's event is Saturday, Dec. 10, at approximately 4:30 p.m. in Townsend Municipal Park.

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Photo courtesy of the City of Rehoboth Beach

The annual Rehoboth Tree Lighting is the result of collaboration among individuals, businesses and the city.

REHOBOTH BEACH TREE LIGHTING

The tree for this year's installment of the longstanding tradition that is the Rehoboth Tree Lighting is the result of teamwork from businesses and members of the community. The tree itself comes from a Rehoboth couple, Bill Grass and Jeff Schuck. JL Briggs & Co., based in Georgetown, cuts down the tree. In honor of the holiday, their work is a donation. Likewise, George Plummer & Son donates its time and crew to transport the tree to the boardwalk. Once the tree stands above the Bandstand, Delmarva Power makes its own donation to wire the tree’s lights. The city takes it from there, and its crew decorates the tree. The night of the lighting, starting at 6:30 p.m., locals and tourists gather along Rehoboth Avenue for holiday songs, in songbooks printed by the Cape Gazette as yet another donation. At 7 p.m., the countdown starts and the tree is lit. It’s one of the largest Christmas events in the state, with up to 15,000 people in attendance. To Krys Johnson, communications director for the City of Rehoboth Beach, it’s an excellent example of the kind of community you can find at the beach, which is exactly what the city government wanted when it started the tradition. Says Johnson: “This is a great way to kick off the holiday season in an old fashioned, feel good way.”

CAROLING ON THE CIRCLE

On Monday, Dec. 4, Georgetown will host Caroling on the Circle for the 34th time. It’s a community-wide singing event drawing hundreds of participants to the Circle outside the Sussex County Courthouse, with traditional and Spanish carols in the songbooks distributed for the evening. It’s also a food drive, collecting nearly 700,000 items for local churches, pantries, and food banks since the 1980s. Last year, 20,000 items were donated. “Our community has a proud tradition of being strong and self-reliant,” says County Administrator Todd F. Lawson. “But just as independent as Sussex Countians can be, this community has an even greater capacity for helping one another. Each year, Caroling on the Circle reminds us how giving our community is.” Caroling on the Circle, which starts at 6:30 p.m., is free to attend, although organizers ask that you bring a nonperishable food donation. ► DECEMBER 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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DECORATED HOMES

While most people are satisfied with a few strings of lights, festive candy canes and lasers, there are a few Delaware homeowners who go all out, with thousands of lights, dozens of characters, and displays synced up with holiday carols. Among the more prominent of these holiday displays is the Smith Family House in North Wilmington, at the intersection of Silverside and Prior Roads. What started in 1986 as kids wanting to give their mother a holiday surprise grew into a Christmas display visible from I-95. The display stays up from just after Thanksgiving until the first week of January and incorporates more than 300,000 lights and hundreds of figures, with visits from Santa until Dec. 23. Santa Claus Lane in Bear has also gained a wide-spread reputation for its glittering extravaganza. Every year, the house's residents, the Fauchers, turn their home into a Christmas beacon, with a power bill, as WHYY recently reported, that regularly exceeds $80,000. Santa Claus Lane is on Red Lion Road between Routes 7 and 13. Riders on the Holiday Lights Express in Hockessin (more info on that below) get a special treat. Houses that back up to the railroad tracks feature displays in their backyards that aren't visible from the road. If last year is any indication, expect lights at the Buckman home, 2264 St. James Dr. in Penn Drew Manor, near Stanton. The lights number in the thousands. Albert Lasavage puts a ton of effort into decorating his home at 303 Second Ave., Lyndalia. The display includes music and Santa visits. DELAWARE EMBRACES THE SEASON OF GOODWILL continued from previous page

WEDNESDAY, 12/6: KRIS ALLEN’S SOMETHIN’ ABOUT CHRISTMAS TOUR SATURDAY, 12/9: PEEK-A-BOO REVUE BURLESQUE FRIDAY, 12/22: HOMEGROWN CHRISTMAS JAM SATURDAY, 12/23: MONTANA WILDAXE THURSDAY, 12/28: DAVID WAX MUSEUM FRIDAY, 12/29: MEGAN BETLEY COME SEE A SHOW & GRAB A GREAT CRAFT BEER FROM TWIN LAKES, TERRAPIN, NESHAMINY CREEK, WEYERBACHER & MORE

Other Events HOLIDAY LIGHTS EXPRESS

This is a 45-minute holiday train ride on the Wilmington & Western Railroad. The train, a 1929 Pennsylvania Railroad “Doodlebug” rail car, is covered in lights, and visitors get a special view of the decorated backyards along the route. The train runs nightly from Dec. 8 to 23 and Dec. 26 to 30 at 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 p.m.

HAGLEY'S ELEUTHERIAN MILLS CHRISTMAS INTERPRETATION The ancestral home of the du Ponts, Eleutherian Mills is decorated as it would have been for a 19th century Christmas, with a new display for Christmas music this year. Hagley is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and closed on Christmas.

MILFORD HOLIDAY STROLL An old-fashioned yuletide season tradition, with a special emphasis on local businesses, restaurants, and art, this event offers live entertainment and lights along Walnut Street. More information can be found at downtownmilford.org.

YULETIDE AT WINTERTHUR Henry Francis du Pont's former home is decorated with displays of holiday traditions from the 1800s to the early 20th century. The display runs now until Jan. 7. Winterthur is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday.

CHRISTMAS IN ODESSA The 53rd Annual Christmas in Odessa is a self-guided walking tour of private homes and public buildings, most of which were built in the 18th and 19th centuries. The event takes place Saturday, Dec. 2, between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Tickets are $20 if purchased in advance and $25 day of. More information can be found at christmasinodessa.com.

WINTER WONDERFEST Winter Wonderfest is Lewes' vibrant display of Christmas spirit, with a Light Spectacular in Cape Henlopen State Park, a Christmas village at the Cape May Lewes Ferry Terminal that includes rides, games, and music, and an ice rink available for classes and themed parties. The event until Dec. 31. For more information, email info@wonderfestde.org.

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Dogfish Head's IPAs for the Holidays, a 12-beer variety pack. Photo courtesy of Dogfish Head Brewery

GIFTS WITH GOOD TASTE Here’s a smorgasbord of satisfying food and drink options that are easy answers to your gifting dilemmas By Pam George

he clock is ticking, and you still haven’t finished your holiday shopping. In addition to buying for family and friends, you need presents for your dog-sitter, housekeeper, and administrative assistant. You’ve also got a stack of event invitations, which means you need to stock up on host and hostess gifts. Lower your stress level by relying on a present that’s sure to please. Everyone needs to sup and sip. Here are a few delicious ideas.

A bottle—or more—of cheer

This go-to gift is the usual choice for the person who’s throwing the party. You can’t go wrong with a bottle of wine or a six-pack. But it’s also ideal if you know that several people on your shopping list have a penchant for a certain type of beer or a local wine.

Many area purveyors are offering special releases or packages during the season. Dogfish Head, the big daddy of Delaware’s craft beer scene, has released a 12-pack with four varieties of ales, including Sixty One, an exclusive that is a hybrid of continually hopped 60 Minute IPA and Syrah grapes. The other ales in the pack are 60 Minute IPA, 90 Minute IPA and Indian Brown Dark IPA. Look for the set at stores throughout Delaware. dogfish.com. Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant has released Reindeer’s Revenge, a four-pack of an American-style Belgian golden ale with flavors of grapefruit, spice, and banana. For the holidays, you can also purchase four-packs of Russian Imperial Stout and 750-milliliter bottles of Iron Hill’s special reserve selections. (Buy a case of reserves and you’ll get 10 percent off.) Iron Hill’s growler gift pack includes the 64-ounce bottle, two glasses with the company logo and a $20 gift card. ironhillbrewery.com. ► DECEMBER 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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Local brewers aren’t the only ones highlighting the season. GIFTS WITH GOOD TASTE Chaddsford Winery’s Holiday continued from previous page Spirit is a spiced red wine with a hint of sweetness, cinnamon and cloves. You can drink it warm or cold with an orange peel. chaddsford.com. If you’re not sure what your wine-lover likes, consider a gift card from Penns Woods Winery, also in Chadds Ford. You can buy $25 to $200 cards online. They’re delivered via UPS. pennswoodsevents.com. Frank Pagliaro of Frank’s Wine in Wilmington says many customers are buying his wine-of-the-month club memberships for friends. “That always seems to be a huge gift item,” he says. “For $149.99, you get a bottle each month and the opportunity to purchase more of that wine for 25 percent off during that month.” He expects that bourbon, rye, and Irish whiskey will be popular gift items since these categories of spirits are “on fire” right now. frankswine.com. Don’t know whether they like Grey Goose or Tito’s? Give the mixologist in your life all the fixings for the perfect cocktail with a subscription to the Shaker & Spoon Cocktail Club. The monthly delivery is a box with three recipes and everything needed to make 12 drinks—except the alcohol. shakerandspoon.com.

carnivore's delight

For the meat-eater in your family, consider The Meat House’s Butcher's Club Membership. The recipient will receive a choice of one to 12 options each month for six months. Selections might include filet mignon, jumbo shrimp, cowboy steaks, prime New York strip or rib-eye. If you just want to purchase a special item from the Chadds Ford shop, peruse exotic sausages made with wild boar, alligator or pheasant. themeathouse.themeathouse.com/pa-chaddsford. You can also sign him or her up for the Stock Yards Steakhouse Club, offered by Harry & David. There are three- , six- and 12-month options. Despite the name, the selections feature more than red meat. An oven-roasted turkey comes in November, for instance, and spiral-sliced ham is the April feature. harryanddavid.com.

Photo Anthony Santoro

EAT

Spirited weekend

If you have a serious Dogfish fan in the family, buy him or her the Spirited Weekend package offered by Dogfish Head Distilling Co. Held from Jan. 12-14, the weekend includes two nights at the Dogfish Inn in Lewes and guided tours of all the Dogfish Head properties in coastal Delaware, including Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Dogfish Head Brewings & Chesapeake & Maine. That’s not all. The package also features an exclusive bottle of Rum Casked Whiskey in a handmade wooden box, a Moscow Mule happy hour at Striper Bites (the restaurant next to the inn), a fireside chat with Dogfish Head founder Sam Calagione, a mixology class, and a discount code to use on spirits at the Milton brewery. Transportation to the Dogfish Head properties is included. dogfishheadbrewery.ticketleap.com.

winter coffee break

Gifts that go down easy aren’t limited to booze. This season, Brandywine Coffee Roasters, started by Brew Ha Ha! founder Alisa Morkides, is offering Doe Run, a limited release blend of Gustavo de Jesus Rivera Colombian micro lot and Costa Rica Cereza Roja Natural. It’s a light roast combination that will take the chill off winter mornings. According to Morkides, it’s a full-bodied blend with tasting notes of cocoa, raspberry, cranberry, and ginger snaps. brandywinecoffeeroasters.com. The roast is also available at the Brew Ha Ha! cafés, which are now selling holiday latte drinks, including Candy Cane Latte, Frosted Gingerbread, White Mocha Matcha, and Salted Caramel Mocha. brewhaha.com.

Bring your Delaware "transplant" a sub from Claymont Steaks.

Local Favorites

If you’re traveling during the holidays, and want to give your hosts a taste of the First State, there are plenty of options. If you’re not going far, Grotto Pizza sells frozen, shrinkwrapped bake-at-home pizzas. grottopizza.com. Claymont Steak Shop uses a special wrapping process for those who want to transport subs out of the immediate area. claymontsteakshop.com. And both of these Delaware-based businesses offer gift cards. “They’re popular as stocking stuffers and thank-you gifts for clients and employees,” says Demi Kollias, owner of Claymont Steak Shop, which has three locations in New Castle County. Put together a package of local ingredients, including products from Wilmington Pickling Company. You can find them at Locale BBQ Post in Wilmington’s Little Italy. (Dan Sheridan owns both businesses.) localbbqpost.com. The pickles are also available at Janssen’s Market, which increases its supply during the holidays to meet demand. janssensfinefoods.com. Add a box of chocolates from Govotos, which has been part of area family holidays since it opened in 1894. There is a location downtown as well as one in Talleyville. Prefer to send by mail? The shop ships orders from Oct. 1 through May 15. Gift certificates are also available. govatoschocolates.com. There are several area bakeries that sell goods that are beloved holiday staples. Serpe & Sons Bakery in Elsmere reopened in October 2016 after a devastating fire. Once again, you can grab some Italian pastries or cookies and a slice of tomato bread for yourself. serpesbakery.com. You can also buy Italian goods, from panettone to homemade cannoli to prosciutto, at Papa’s Food Market in Little Italy. Search Papa's Food Market on Facebook.

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NEW YEAR'S e v e 2 017 sunday, december 31st 9pm – 12:30am $ 60/person in advance $ 65/person at the door call for reservations 302.777.2040

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Photo courtesy of Janssen's Market

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A bountiful gift basket from Janssen's Market.

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Those who don’t want to DIY a gift basket can turn to the pros. In north Wilmington, Janssen’s Market is the go-to place. “Gift baskets are always popular,” says Paula Janssen, who owns the store with her parents. But not just any gift basket. “Fruit baskets are no longer as common—very few families can eat an entire basket of fruit before it goes bad,” she notes. She says the team prefers to work with the giver to personalize a basket to suit the recipient’s preferences. It may include several pieces of fruit. Note that Janssen’s is still the place for hard-to-find items that were once holiday staples. Picture plum pudding, fruitcake, mincemeat and stollen, a fruit bread.

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When all else fails, there’s the gift card to the recipient’s favorite full-service restaurant. “You’re not giving just food; you’re giving an experience,” says Xavier Teixido, owner of Harry’s Savoy Grill and co-owner of Kid Shelleen’s Charcoal Grill & Saloon. You won’t be the only one opting for an easy way out. “Each year, our gift card sales increase,” Teixido says. It helps that restaurants like Harry’s Savoy Grill offer completely digital transactions. Not only can you buy them online, but you can also send them digitally to the recipients, who can redeem them using their mobile phones. “You need a last-minute gift, you can send it to them or print it out and take it to their house,” says Teixido, who acknowledged that many people still feel more secure with a card in hand. harryshospitalitygroup.com.

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302.777.2040 | TonicBarGrille.com 111 WesT 11Th sTreeT DECEMBER 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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EAT SULLIVAN’S UNVEILS NEW MENU

BITES S Tasty things worth knowing

PHILANTHROPIC AWARD TO HEATHER HOOK

he Salvation Army Delaware Command recently recognized Executive Director for The Kenny Family Foundation Heather Hook for her longtime civic service and philanthropic efforts, during the organization’s Annual Civic Recognition Ceremony. Hook has launched partnerships with hundreds of local organizations in Delaware to help build a sustainable future for New Castle County. Hook was awarded the "Doing the Most Good in Delaware" Civic Recognition award by Major Alma Cain of The Salvation Army Delaware during the Heartbeat of the Community Annual Dinner in October. Hook began working with the Kenny Family Foundation (KFF) in 2010 and became executive director in 2012. Her background includes work in human resources, sales development and training and operations. She is active in many community efforts, particularly in the city of Wilmington, where she lives. She served on the Board of the Cool Spring Tilton Neighborhood Association for four years, two of them as president, and she currently sits on the Board of the Steering Committee for West Side Grows. With KFF focused on active support in New Castle County, Hook is committed to working with other non-profits and organizations, as well as programs that support training, health and financial literacy for young people and those with barriers to employment. She graduated from the Tatnall School, attended Rollins College and holds a bachelor’s degree in Human Resources and Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Delaware. KFF is a charitable organization created by the Kenny family, owners and operators of ShopRites in Delaware, to help support community organizations in New Castle County. KFF is a proud partner of The Salvation Army.

ullivan’s Steakhouse Wilmington (5525 Concord Pike) recently introduced an expansive new menu. Guests can now enjoy extensive bone-in selections including a Dry-Aged Long Bone Ribeye, Wagyu BoneIn Strip and Long-Bone Berkshire Pork Chop. The concept is inspired by the many culinary experts who agree that the best way to cook meat is with the bone in. As the marrow of the bone heats up, the juices of the bone seep into the meat and result in a juicer, smoother and more buttery flavor profile. Sullivan’s is also bringing back the lost art of tableside preparation with a new BLT Salad and Chocolate Meltdown, both assembled in front of guests.

TASTE OF DELAWARE

n Wednesday, Dec. 6, the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce and honorary host U.S. Sen. Chris Coons will showcase 24 Delaware restaurants, breweries and more on Capitol Hill for the free Seventh Annual Taste of Delaware event. Hundreds of people are expected at the Kennedy Caucus Room in the Russell Senate Office Building from 4 to 7 p.m. to enjoy some of the best food and drink Delaware has to offer. Participants include De La Coeur, Dogfish Head, Home Grown Café, Peco’s Liquor Store and more. “This event is a tremendous showcase of the talented and gifted restauranteurs, chefs, bakers, distillers and brewers who make Delaware a great place to live, visit and do business,” says Coons. Taste of Delaware made its first appearance in 2010, featuring Grotto Pizza, Capriotti's and Dogfish Head in a small conference room. The event has grown into a highly anticipated annual event among government officials, restauranteurs and food fans. “This event has become one of the Chamber’s favorite events over the years,” says DSCC President Rich Heffron. “We enjoy the partnership with Senator Coons’ office and staff, and have fun giving the spotlight to Delaware’s wide variety of talent in the hospitality industry.” For more information, visit dscc.com/ tasteofdelaware.

CATHERINE ROONEY’S FUNDRAISER

alesianum School’s rugby team will hold a fundraiser at the Trolley Square Catherine Rooney’s on Friday, Dec. 1, from 6-9 p.m. The team is raising money for a trip to Argentina next spring. There will be a silent auction, live auction, 50/50 raffle, guest bartenders, free food and a cash bar. Auction items include: a four-night stay in Dewey Beach, 50-inch flat screen television, six club-level NFL tickets, wine baskets, spa services, and more. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. For more information, contact Carin Patterson at carinpatterson@gmail.com.

CULINARY TRAINING AT THE FOOD BANK

he next class of The Culinary School at the Food Bank of Delaware in both Newark and Milford will begin on Monday, Jan. 22. Applications are currently being accepted. The program provides job training to unemployed and underemployed adults, adults with disabilities and individuals returning to society from Delaware's Department of Correction. The 14-week program includes 12 weeks of hands-on training of basic and highend kitchen skills, safe food handling and life skills. It culminates with a two-week paid internship at a food service company, restaurant or catering company. The school is a certified trade school by the Delaware Department of Education. The mission of The Culinary School is twofold: to teach highly desirable skills, and to help students to use these newly developed skills to land jobs in the industry. The Food Bank’s Executive Chef Tim Hunter and Chef Instructors Tish Badamshin, Sean McNeice and Rocky Brown introduce students to a commercial kitchen, and teach them culinary mathematics, basic cooking techniques, presentation and baking skills, knife handling basics, ServSafe food safety skills and more. The Culinary School needs adults to serve as mentors to students; a culinary background is not required. Since the school’s inception, The Culinary School has graduated more than 550 students. For more information visit fbd.org. DECEMBER 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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r e ll e t y r o st within within

Unleash

the

December 2017 • #inWilm

Bluﬁlms Media & DETV

Beth Trepper Exhibition

Taste of the Holidays

Complete Works of Shakespeare

Big Little Art Show

CTC’s Sunday IN the Park

Winter Arts Festival

Hot Cocoa with Santa

Carols IN Color

A Christmas Carol

Damien Escobar

The Nutcracker

The Spring Standards

New Year’s Eve Fireworks

December 1 - 29

December 8 & 9

Basil Restaurant

INtheSpirit Holiday Party 2 for specials December 20

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Ivan Thomas

December 1

December 9

The Illusionists December 21-23

Now - December 31

December 10

December 22 & 23

December 1-30

December 15 - 27

December 26

December 1 - 16

December 16

December 31

inWilmDE.com 11/21/17 4:19 PM

THE CITY Photo Joe del Tufo

NEW GROW DELAWARE FUND Community and business leaders joined city officials last month to announce the unveiling of The Grow Delaware Fund, a unique partnership that will provide $5 million to support loans to small businesses in Delaware that are seeking to strengthen their operations and grow jobs. The new initiative will offer flexible financing to Delaware-based businesses through long-term fixed rate financing designed to minimize monthly principal and interest payments maximizing a business’ ability to grow. This will allow Delaware businesses to both add and retain jobs. The initiative will complement The Grow Wilmington Fund, which was established in 2014 and is a partnership between Wilmington Office of Economic Development, Discover Bank, Cozen O’Connor and the National Development Council, an SBA 7(a) lender and community development financial institution. It began with $1 million in seed money from Wilmington’s Urban Development Action Grant Corporation (UDAG), a quasi-governmental non-profit development corporation, wholly-owned by the city of Wilmington. UDAG’s investment leveraged $3 million of private funds to establish a $4 million fund that offers low-interest, long-term loans to small businesses currently operating in Wilmington or looking to relocate to the city. The fund can be used to acquire real estate, perform leasehold improvements and obtain working capital. Since its inception the fund has loaned in excess of $3.2 million to support four small businesses which were able to create 17 new jobs and retain 52 existing ones.

A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO OUT & ABOUT MAGAZINE

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Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki thanked Governor Carney, Discover Bank and Longwood Foundation for their $1.5 million commitment to the small business community in Wilmington via the Grow Delaware Fund. “Wilmington is excited to be able to share its successes with a growth fund with small businesses and municipalities throughout the state. In Delaware, we get more done because we work together and freely share programs and ideas that can be leveraged for the greater good.” Among the businesses that have benefitted from the Grow Wilmington Fund are Short Order Production House (formerly, The Kitchen) which used the fund to open its offices at the Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Wilmington) Railroad Station and Paul Campanella’s Auto & Tire Center, which used the Grow Wilmington Fund to move from its former location just outside of the city limits to its new location near the intersection of Concord Avenue and Broom Street. Together, the Grow Wilmington and Grow Delaware Funds will leverage over $11 million to assist economic development and job creation. “This is how we want to see economic development function in Delaware,” said Gov. John Carney. “It takes a model that worked well at the local level and expands it statewide, helping businesses to grow and proposer from Claymont to Delmar. Small businesses are a cornerstone element of Delaware’s overall economic strength, and I look forward to seeing the new successes that will come out of assistance from the Grow Delaware Fund.”

DECEMBER 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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THE CITY

Photo Tim Hawk

REDUCING NEIGHBORHOOD BLIGHT Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki has proposed a package of legislation focused on strengthening neighborhoods through reducing blight. The Mayor said a package of four Ordinances being introduced before City Council would: • shift the enforcement of housing code requirements from criminal to civil • strengthen the Vacant Property Registration Fee Program • strengthen the Nuisance Property Program • simplify the residential rental license fee • permit the Commissioner of L&I to mandate training for landlords who maintain nuisance properties

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“Blighted and vacant properties weaken neighborhoods, encourage criminal activity, inhibit economic development, undermine otherwise stable real estate markets, and encourage irresponsible property owners to continue their detrimental behavior,” said Mayor Purzycki. “The legislative and policy reforms I am proposing will enhance the City’s ability to reduce vacant and blighted properties and prevent other properties from becoming destabilizing forces in neighborhoods. I believe strongly that property owners who do not live up to their responsibilities should not be permitted to continue hindering Wilmington’s efforts to create better neighborhoods.”

HELP US DEVELOP THE PLAN! Complete the online survey at:

surveymonkey.com/r/Wilmington2028 A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO OUT & ABOUT MAGAZINE

11/21/17 5:01 PM

YOUTH RECREATION PROGRAMS OFFERED THROUGH APRIL Mayor Mike Purzycki and Department of Parks and Recreation Director Kevin F. Kelly, Sr., encourage Wilmington’s youth ages 8 to 17 to participate in free recreational, educational and cultural activities being offered during the fall and winter at nine sites around the City. Activities include tutoring, homework assistance, aerobics, basketball, tennis and board games among others. Programming at the nine locations will be offered from now through next April. Participating schools and agencies include: Bancroft Elementary, Bayard Middle, Elbert-Palmer Elementary, Kingswood Community Center, Police Athletic League of Wilm. (PAL Center), PS DuPont Middle, Sarah Pyle Academy, Southbridge Neighborhood House and Warner Elementary.

NEWS YOU CAN USE! SIGN UP FOR CITY E-NEWS The City of Wilmington would like to share news and information with you concerning government programs and services, proposed policies and laws, trash and recycling collections and even weather and traffic advisories when conditions warrant. It’s easy to become a City eNews subscriber. Visit wilmingtonde.gov. to subscribe. Their is no cost to be a subscriber. GUEST PARKING PASS Guest parking passes allowing vehicles without a residential parking sticker to park in an otherwise restricted area are issued in special cases, such as for visitors to your home. For more information about obtaining a Guest Parking Pass, call 576-2099 or email GuestPass@WilmingtonDE.gov. CITYWIDE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN The City of Wilmington is developing a new citywide comprehensive plan that will guide growth and development across the city for the next decade. The plan is called Wilmington 2028 and is being managed by City Planning Director Herb Inden and his departmental team. Visit wilmingtonde.gov. to find out more. COMMUNITY CLEAN-UP DAYS The Clean Wilmington Committee can assist your organization in scheduling community clean up days. Demonstrate your pride in your community by lending a hand and encouraging your family and neighbors to get involved as well. Clean neighborhood activities make great projects for school, church, and scout programs or for anyone who wants to pitch in and help their community shine. To sign up, call the Public Works Call Center at 576-3878.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO OUT & ABOUT MAGAZINE

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DEC 1

WILMINGTON ART LOOP

DEC 9, 10, 17

WILMINGTON CHILDREN’S CHORUS CONCERTS

DEC 12

CAROLING ON THE SQUARE

DEC 15

FINAL DAY OF 2017 LEAF & WASTE COLLECTION

DECEMBER 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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DECEMBER 1, 2017 NEXT ART LOOP JANUARY 5, 2018

JOIN US FOR THE HOLIDAYS! ANNUAL CANDLELIGHT CONCERTS Sat., Dec. 9 (7pm) & Sun., Dec. 10 (5pm) At First & Central Presbyterian Church WCC’s five performing ensembles celebrate with selections from England, Ireland, Wales, and Scotland. CARTOON CHRISTMAS TRIO Sunday, Dec. 17 at 7pm At Delaware Art Museum WCC’s advanced Youth Choir members will join everyone’s favorite holiday trio to perform favorite tunes from “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and other holiday cartoons.

WilmingtonChildrensChorus.org 50 DECEMBER 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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1. Amtrak Station 2. Opera Delaware Studios/City Theater Co. 3. Wilmington Youth Rowing Assn., WYRA.ORG 4. Tubman-Garrett Riverfront Park 5. Residences at Christina Landing 6. Harry’s Seafood Grill / Riverfront Market, HARRYS-SAVOY.COM 7. Delaware Theatre Co., DELAWARETHEATRE.ORG 8. FireStone Roasting House, FIRESTONERIVERFRONT.COM 9. Cosi at the Barclays Crescent Building, GETCOSI.COM 10. Hare Pavilion/Riverwalk 11. AAA Mid-Atlantic Travel Center, AAAMIDATLANTIC.COM 12. The Delaware Contemporary, DECONTEMPORARY.ORG

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13. Justison Landing, Currie Hair, Skin & Nails, CURRIEDAYSPA.COM Veritas Wine & Spirits, VERITASWINESHOP.COM Starbucks on the Riverfront Riverfront Pets, RIVERFRONTPETS.COM 14. Del Pez Mexican Gastropub, DELPEZMEXICANPUB.COM Goju Training Center, GOJUROBICS.COM 15. Delaware Children’s Museum, DELAWARECHILDRENSMUSEUM.ORG Riverwalk Mini Golf, RIVERWALKMINIGOLF.COM 16. Joe’s Crab Shack, JOESCRABSHACK.COM 17. Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, IRONHILLBREWERY.COM 18. Public Docks

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Visit RiverfrontWilm.com for info on events happening at the Riverfront! 19. Big Fish Grill, BIGFISHRIVERFRONT.COM 20. Frawley Stadium, BLUEROCKS.COM Delaware Sports Museum & Hall of Fame 21. Chase Center on the Riverfront, CENTERONTHERIVERFRONT.COM 22. Dravo Plaza & Dock 23. Shipyard Center Planet Fitness, PLANETFITNESS.COM 24. Timothy’s Restaurant, TIMOTHYSONTHERIVERFRONT.COM Molly’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream, MOLLYSICECREAM.COM Ubon Thai Restaurant 25. Wilmington Rowing Center, WILMINGTONROWING.ORG 26. Russell W. Peterson Urban Wildlife Refuge/

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DuPont Environmental Education Center, DUPONTEEC.ORG 27 Riverfront Commuter Lot, RIVERFRONTWILM.COM/PARKING 28. Penn Cinema Riverfront IMAX, PENNCINEMARIVERFRONT.COM 29. CrossFit Riverfront, CFRIVERFRONT.COM 30. The Residences at Harlan Flats, HARLANFLATS.THERESIDENCES.NET 31. Altitude Trampoline Park, ALTITUDEWILMINGTON.COM 32. The Westin Wilmington, WESTINWILMINGTON.COM River Rock Kitchen, RIVERROCKKITCHEN.COM 33. Delaware Humane Association, DEHUMANE.ORG 34. Kalmar Nyckel Shipyard/Fort Christina Park, KALMARNYCKEL.ORG Photo by Joe del Tufo

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WATCH

(L-R): Paul Goodman (Bob Cratchit), Carter Weiss (Tiny Tim) and Ben Lovell (Ebenezer Scrooge). Photo John Mc Cafferty, MJ Mac Productions

Holiday Arts to Warm Your Hearts Here’s a sampling of the December events in Wilmington By Michelle Kramer-Fitzgerald RETELLING A FAMILY CLASSIC WITH THE DRAMA LEAGUE FAMILY

Wilmington Drama League’s (WDL’s) mainstage collaborates with its children’s theater arm, The Chrysalis Players, to celebrate the season in the timeless tale, A Christmas Carol (Broadway Version), Dec. 15-30. Based on the Charles Dickens classic, this holiday staple is directed by regional theater maven Jeffrey Santoro—also artistic director of the Delaware All-State Theatre—with music direction by Jake Collins and assistant direction/choreography by Shauna Goodman. A Christmas Carol (Broadway Version) was originally presented in 1994 by Radio City Entertainment at Madison Square Garden, directed by Mike Ockrent and choreographed by Delaware native Susan Stroman. The theater typically produces a family-themed show around this time of year, notes Kathy Buterbaugh, WDL production manager, often competing in the “buzz” of other local holiday-themed shows. “But it’s always a bit more special when we can connect the excitement and flavor of the season to our stage,” she admits. When the folks at WDL realized no one was presenting A Christmas Carol locally this season, they jumped at the opportunity. And,

Buterbaugh adds, “It takes an amazing team to produce something on this large a scale, and we’re blessed to have exactly that in Jeff, Shauna and Jake, whose combined talents can handle anything.” To put things in perspective, the cast itself numbers over 50 actors, ranging in age from 7 to 70. “We’ve assembled some of the best talent around to bring these engaging, robust characters to life,” notes Santoro. “In the uncertainty of today, it’s nice to present a heartwarming, familyfriendly production. As Dickens said, ‘No one is useless in the world who lightens the burden of it to anyone else.’ That’s a great lesson for all of us this Christmas season!” A Christmas Carol tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a wealthy miser who places money above people or happiness. With his trademark “Bah! Humbug!” Scrooge looks down on all things related to celebrating Christmas—until one evening when he is visited by three ghosts who show him the value of kindness, love and family. The production features music by celebrated composer Alan Menken, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and book by Mike Ockrent and Lynn Ahrens. (Fun fact: Ahrens was a main writer and performer of the beloved ABC-TV series Schoolhouse Rock!) ► DECEMBER 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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HOLIDAY ARTS TO WARM YOUR HEARTS continued from previous page

What is Buterbaugh’s favorite aspect of this grand-scale production? “It's a tie,” she says. “Journey versus destination. The people involved are amazing—together we sing, dance, build, paint, fall down, get up, share a collective experience. But it’s just as thrilling to share our product with audiences, especially in this season of giving. So, my favorite part? Sharing.” Wilmington Drama League’s A Christmas Carol (Broadway Version) runs December 15, 16, 22, 28, 29 and 30 at 8 p.m. Matinees are Sunday, Dec. 17; Saturday, Dec. 23, and Wednesday, Dec. 27, at 2 p.m. Tickets are $20 for adults, $17 for seniors/ students and $10 for children and can be purchased at wilmingtondramaleague.org.

DELAWARE THEATRE COMPANY’S SIDE-SPLITTING ODE TO THE BARD

Hold onto your codpieces, Wilmington, and get ready for some jolly holiday belly laughs. Delaware Theatre Company recreates all 37 of Shakespeare’s plays with the madcap romp The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised], running now through Dec. 23. Three men—in tights—in about 97 minutes, weave their way through parodies of The Bard's collection of master works, including Romeo and Juliet, Titus Andronicus, Othello, Hamlet and more. Actor 1 is played by John Zak; Actor 2 by Jeffrey C. Hawkins and Actor 3 by Josh Carpenter. Director Steve Tague (who himself has portrayed Hamlet, Macbeth and Richard III) will undoubtedly put his own stamp on this beloved spoof. Written by Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield, the play premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1987 and has been the most performed stage parody for the last 20 years. "The first show I attended at DTC [in 2007] was Steve Tague's production of Complete Works," recalls DTC Artistic Director Bud Martin. "I don't remember laughing so hard at a show before. When I came to work at DTC…I was anxious to have Steve revive that wonderful production for us.” Martin notes that one of the entertaining characteristics of this piece is that it can change every day based on current events. Given today’s pop culture climate, it will likely be much different from the 2007 staging. Kendall Jenner as Juliet? I can’t wait… Tickets start at $25 and can be purchased at DelawareTheatre.org or by calling 594.1100.

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Photo courtesy of Rob Swanson

The Cartoon Christmas Trio performs with members of the Wilmington Children’s Chorus at The Queen.

A HOLIDAY MASH-UP OF TWO MUSICAL FAVORITES

Two popular local ensembles join forces this season in a holiday and nostalgia-filled musical extravaganza. Bring the entire family to enjoy the Cartoon Christmas Trio accompanied by the Wilmington Children’s Chorus at the Delaware Art Museum on Sunday, Dec. 17, at 7 p.m. Since its inception in 1995 by bassist Rob Swanson, the trio’s focus has been classic soundtracks of holiday cartoon music, especially that of the beloved A Charlie Brown Christmas. The trio is Jimmy Coleman on drums, Jeff Knoettner on piano and Swanson on double bass. Recently, the trio has been adding the voices of children’s choirs to complete the original vision of the music from the Charlie Brown special. “I believe it’s now the fourth year we’ve worked with the kids [from WCC],” says Swanson. “We’re very excited to collaborate again.” Tickets are $10 and are available at delart.org. A cash bar and light fare will also be available for purchase.

A STIRRING HOLIDAY STORY IN VIVID COLOR

For more than 25 years, Christina Cultural Arts Center has partnered with Philadelphia’s renowned Eleone Dance Theatre to bring Wilmingtonians a dazzling blend of music, dance and spoken word with the distinctive holiday musical Carols in Color. Now, Carols returns for a one-night-only performance at The Grand Opera House Sunday, Dec. 10, at 4 p.m. Carols in Color retells the story of the birth of Christ according to the Gospel of St. Matthew using contemporary music, exuberant dance and powerful narration. It was originally based on the piece Black Nativity by Langston Hughes and a 1960s musical adaptation by Vinette Carrol. Carols was first produced in 1992 by Philadelphia-based director, choreographer and arranger Leon Evans and continues today under the artistic direction of Shawn-Lamere Williams with executive direction by Sheila A. Ward and the musical direction of Patrick Crawford. Tickets are $25-35 plus fees for adults and $16 plus fees for students, and can be purchased at TicketsattheGrand.org or by calling 800.37.GRAND. DECEMBER 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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WATCH

Murder on the Orient Express

STARS µµµµµ Kenneth Branagh as detective Hercule Poirot in Murder on the Orient Express. Photo Nicola Dove / Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

TRAIN OF THOUGHT Branagh’s star-studded version of Christie is beautiful, fun By Mark Fields

’ll confess to a latent fondness for mystery novels, and especially that of Dame Agatha Christie, whose books were perennial take-aways from the public libraries of my childhood. Nothing quite tickled my adolescent fancy as depictions of veddy, veddy British manor life contrapuntally laced with the frisson of cold-blooded murder. So I was intrigued by the plan to remake one of Miss Agatha’s classic stories, Murder on the Orient Express, with Kenneth Branagh as director and star (in the role of the Belgian mastermind detective Hercule Poirot). Branagh, who is most renowned as an actor and director of Shakespeare both on stage and on screen (his cinematic Henry V surpassed Olivier’s, in my opinion), is, nevertheless, no

stranger to the mystery thriller genre. One of his first directing efforts was Dead Again, a stylish film noir detective story, and he played sleuth Kurt Wallander for several years on PBS. So, the man knows his way around a whodunit. This new adaptation hews fairly closely to the details of the original novel. A disparate group of travelers, ostensibly strangers to one another, are journeying together on the luxury train that once linked Istanbul and Paris. One of the passengers, Edward Ratchett ( Johnny Depp), a dislikable and shady American businessman, is found stabbed to death in the middle of the trip. Fortunately, Monsieur Poirot is on hand to solve the crime. ►

DECEMBER 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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Nemours Building | 1007 N. Orange Street

December 1 - 3

The Florida Project

Mark Felt

Fri 2, 8:30 Sat 4 | Sun 3

Rocky Horror Picture Show

Fri 5:30 | Sat 1, 7:30 Sun 12, 6

Sat 11 pm

December 8 - 10

Victoria and Abdul

Jane

Fri 2, 5:30 | Sat 4 | Sun 3

Fri 8:30 | Sat 1, 7:30 | Sun 12, 6

The tropes of the genre are quite familiar: A series of interviews TRAIN OF THOUGHT revealing possibly incriminating continued from previous page details; protestations of innocence; a few bursts of menace; more than a few coincidences. And eventually, an astonishing solution by the master detective. Branagh is aware, of course, of the pitfalls of any such mystery plot, and especially this one, a cultural touchstone known by so many. So, Branagh the director dresses the movie in sumptuous sets and costumes, reveling in the exotic locales of Jerusalem, Istanbul, and the Eastern European countryside through which the train travels. He also delights film fans by filling the cast with good-looking stars such as Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Judi Dench, Josh Gad and Penelope Cruz. And Branagh the actor creates a Poirot quite distinct from the prim, fussy characterization of David Suchet on TV and Albert Finney in the 1974 big screen version. Branagh’s Poirot is tired, brooding and equivocal, though he also does possess a most opulent mustache. The film is beautiful to look at, and also entertaining. The direction is assured and accessible, though this viewer wished that the director was a little less in love with his own sorrowful visage on camera. None of the performances, beyond Branagh’s, are particularly noteworthy because none of them are any more than archetypes, nor do any of them have much time on screen. Each star gets a little turn, and then the story must chug along. Given the strictures of the genre, Murder on the Orient Express is a trip worth taking, but perhaps not one you will remember vividly a few months from now. Also playing in December: It’s last chance for Oscar releases with I Tonya, a fictionalized version of the Tonya Harding story, Dec. 8; The Greatest Showman with Hugh Jackman as P.T. Barnum, Dec. 20; Jessica Chastain in Molly’s Game, Dec. 25; and Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool, starring Annette Bening, Dec. 29. Oh, and a little sci-fi sequel, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, opens Dec. 15. Photo courtesy of National Geographic Studios

P L AYI N G T H I S M O N T H

WATCH

December 15 - 17

Bill Nye: Science Guy Fri 2, 8:30 Sat 4 | Sun 12

Frank Serpico Fri 5:30 Sat 1, 7:30 | Sun 3, 6

Rocky Horror Picture Show Sat 11 pm

December 22 - 24

Jane Goodall with a chimp family.

AT THEATRE N Jane

Aida’s Secrets

Ferrari 312B

Fri 2 | Sat 1, 7:30 | Sun 11am, 5

Fri 5:30, 8:30 | Sat 4 | Sun 2

For more information and tickets, visit

TheatreN.com

This enthralling documentary centers on recently discovered film footage of naturalist Jane Goodall from the early years of her landmark chimpanzee research in Gombe National Park in Tanzania. Directed by Brett Morgen, the film reveals new information and insight into one of the most familiar figures in natural science and her passionate dedication to study. At Theatre N, Dec. 8-10. Also at Theatre N in December: Sean Baker’s touching tale of marginalized citizens living in the shadow of Disney World, The Florida Project, Dec. 1-3; Victoria and Abdul, directed by Stephen Frears, Dec. 8-10; and a pair of documentaries Dec. 1517, Bill Nye: The Science Guy and Frank Serpico. For specific dates and times, visit theatren.org.

60 DECEMBER 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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OCTOBER 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

11/21/17 1:05 PM

DECEMBER

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302.478.3939 | 3100 Naamans road | MexicanPostDelaware.com | facebook.com/Mex.Post 62 DECEMBER 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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11/22/17 8:53 AM

Photo Ashtin Paige

LISTEN

American Idol season 8 winner, Kris Allen.

Somethin’ About Christmas Tour American Idol season 8 winner Kris Allen and pop artist Marie Miller come to Wilmington to help make the season bright

op artists Kris Allen and Marie Miller are coming to The Queen on Wednesday, Dec. 6, during Allen’s Somethin’ About Christmas Tour. Allen, the season 8 winner of American Idol (2009), released the album Somethin’ About Christmas last year but says he wasn’t able to play many shows for it, so he’s geared up for this tour. “I played a couple shows with a small set-up, but none with a full band last year,” Allen says. “So I’m excited to bring these songs to life. We’ve also got some fun things lined up in the show that I think people are going to love.” Christmas is a special theme for Allen. Before this album he had worked on a couple of Christmas projects: an EP in 2012 and an original Christmas song in 2014. Those releases fueled the fire for wanting to create a full-length holiday album, he says. “More than anything, though, I just love that classic type of music. For some reason it has always stuck with me,” says Allen. “When I was making this album, I wanted it to feel like a classic— that jazzy and warm feeling you get when you listen to Burl Ives sing ‘Holly Jolly Christmas.’” He wanted to try to create something similar for himself— and as a result, this album is one of his favorites among those he’s recorded over the years. His albums date back to 2007—before American Idol was a reality for him—with Brand New Shoes. Allen’s

post-Idol self-titled album was released in 2009, which debuted at number 11 on the U.S. Billboard 200. The album’s lead single, “Live Like We’re Dying,” was released on Sept. 21, 2009, and peaked at number 18 in the U.S. with combined sales of more than 1.7 million. His most recent album, aside from the Christmas record, is his fifth studio album, Letting You In, released in 2016—and he says he wouldn’t be surprised if a new album found its way to listeners’ ears in 2018. Meanwhile, Marie Miller, a folk pop singer-songwriter from the Shenandoah Valley, who is currently signed to Curb Records, is looking forward to being part of fans’ Christmas festivities while on tour, she says. She is currently busy promoting her record Letterbox, an album featuring literary undertones. “I grew up reading and loving old books, and so I have found that many of the characters from these books find themselves in my music,” Miller says. “My song ‘Story’ has references from The Iliad, The Lord of the Rings and Alice in Wonderland. Basically, I am a big nerd.” The show starts at 7 p.m. and tickets are $25. Get them at thequeenwilmington.com. —Out & About Magazine DECEMBER 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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11/21/17 12:39 PM

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64 DECEMBER 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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11/21/17 10:53 AM

LISTEN

FOR THE RECORD WITH

Kurt Houff

“For the Record” is a periodic feature in which musicians discuss what they’ve been listening to lately.

Photo Joe del Tufo

By Jim Miller

f you talk to Montana Wildaxe lead guitarist and co-founder Kurt Houff about music, it’s surprising how much of the conversation focuses not only on sound, but also on sight and feel. “Your influences are not always directly related to music,” Houff says. “Visual, auditory, anything that you process can be an influence to your music. It comes out in what you do. “I have people come up to me and ask, ‘What do you see when you are building a solo?’ And honestly, I think of it more as a painting than an auditory thing. It’s more of a visual thing.” It’s an interesting observation from a musician who has been long celebrated locally for his ambitious guitar solos—rollicking, circuitous sonic monologues that somehow counter a laid-back, almost instinctual style of play. However, if Houff makes it all look easy, it’s an illusion of sorts. There is work to it, after all. “I’ve done a fair share of studying [but I] apply it to the point where, when I go to perform, it’s not obvious that I tried to study something,” the guitarist says. “I assimilate it with what I do from a day-to-day perspective so that it really becomes another tool or another set of colors to put on [my] palette.” With more than three decades with Montana Wildaxe, Houff has had time to collect a wide array of musical tools and colors. Along with the other members of Delaware’s most legendary jam band, Houff will be displaying that onstage artistry the night of Saturday, Dec. 23, at The Queen in the annual holiday show that has become a local tradition, attracting both longtime fans and inquisitive newbies looking to discover what the fuss is all about.

Houff himself remains somewhat curious about the popularity of the yearly event. “I can’t put my finger on exactly why people continue to come out,” he says. “I’m assuming the music’s good because I enjoy it. But I think it also has to do with the camaraderie amongst the people who have come to see us [all these years]. They come out to see their friends who they haven’t seen in a while, and we’re a part of those friends. We’re kind of the catalyst for getting together.” In addition to their revered renditions of songs by the Grateful Dead, Allman Brothers, Little Feat and other classic jam bands, Montana Wildaxe’s connection with its audience certainly has helped fuel its success. Houff recalls a time, not so long ago, when the band played back-to-back weekend nights every month at Kelly’s Logan House. “We’d get a lot of crap for it, but we’d do the first set then we’d take that seemingly endless half-hour break and hang out with everybody,” Houff recalls, chuckling. “Throw back a couple of beers or whatever and then head up on stage. They’re working their tails off having a good time in the crowd, and we’re up there sweating everything out for them.” If you plan to get wild and festive with the Wildaxe crew this month—whether for the first or for the umpteenth time— you may be interested in the influences that have colored the sensibilities of one of the local music scene’s most colorful musicians. Here’s Kurt Houff on those influences: ►

DECEMBER 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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LISTEN FOR THE RECORD WITH KURT HOUFF continued from previous page

Artist Unknown – Autumn Leaves

My first exposure to recorded music in album form—I don’t even know what the album was called— but I believe it was a collection of jazz standards with the first cut on the record being an instrumental version of “Autumn Leaves.” My mom used to tell me that, as a 3-year-old child, I would pull that album off the stack because I recognized the picture on the cover, a beautiful autumn landscape, and then I would put it on. I would play the first cut, walk over, jerk the stylus off the record player and start it again. I would play it for hours, the same song, over and over again. I’m pretty sure it was a piano trio. And to this day, piano trios are my favorite jazz vehicles.

The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

When I was 8 or so, my sister and her friends were just absolute Beatles freaks, for lack of a better term, and so Sgt. Pepper’s would probably be the next record. Paul McCartney basically indicated that this album was the Beatles’ response to the Beach Boys and [what they were doing in the studio at that time]. Hearing that later made perfect sense to me. But back to when I was first listening to it, that wasn’t even a thought in my head. I was just floored by sounds of that record: the guitar tones, some of the tape loop stuff, and McCartney’s bass lines throughout the entire album. Part of [what was going on at that time] was that artists were exposed to new and different things and were asking, “How do I get at this sound that I hear in my head?” In today’s music, that childlike sense of discovery doesn’t seem to exist much anymore. Everybody’s jaded. Nobody’s going “How do I do this differently?”

Jeff Beck – Wired

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The next step in my thought process was probably Jeff Beck. The hit song off that record was “Blue Wind,” and it [featured] the guitar carrying these quite different melodies that I was not used to hearing a guitar carry. That’s what struck me about it. I had listened to some Yardbirds stuff and Jeff Beck Group’s “Shapes of Things.” Then I listened to Yardbirds without Jeff Beck, but those guitarists didn’t speak to me as much as the Jeff Beck stuff. So as soon as Wired came out, I was like, “I gotta listen to this!” I didn’t know how he was getting those sounds back then. It was not like I’d seen tapes of him, or video footage, or any of the stuff you can Google now. So I just listened to it and said, “That’s cool. How does he get the guitar to do that?”

66 DECEMBER 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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11/21/17 10:54 AM

Rory Gallagher – Tattoo

I was watching TV and saw Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert and they had a Rory Gallagher bit. There he is in this really worn flannel shirt playing this beatup Stratocaster with a tone that was pretty much guitar-to-amp. Some of the stuff that he did with guitar just absolutely blew my mind. It was probably the first time I saw somebody doing that with guitar. This would have been ’74 or ’75 and I would have been 11 or 12. I think I’d just recently bought my first copy of Guitar Player magazine. [I was] just really starting to wrap my head around it all. So I went to the record store at the Concord Mall—Village Records or something like that—and went in there and saw the record. The album cover is a picture of Rory done up like a tattoo. Same flannel shirt he was wearing on Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert. His playing was pre-Stevie Ray Vaughan “Stevie Ray-ism.” Somebody who kind of channeled stuff. And once he got into an extended jam, he was somewhere else.

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The Kinks – Arthur

I think it was the political commentary. I didn’t quite grasp it as I would today: songs like “Mr. Churchill Says” and songs about the prudishness of the Victorian era. It’s rock ’n’ roll. I mean rock ’n’ roll really is a rebellious voice back to its origin. It’s a distaste for authority, just beating the man down. Dave Davies played a significant amount of Stratocaster on that record and the tone of those guitars always speaks to me. Houff and the rest of Montana Wildaxe perform their annual holiday show on Saturday, Dec. 23, at The Queen. For tickets and more information go to TheQueenWilmington.com.

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DECEMBER 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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DECEMBER MUSIC at Kelly’s Logan House Look for these great bands upstairs!

FRIDAY, 12/01

LISTEN

TUNED IN Not-to-be-missed music news

Radio Halo - 10 p.m.

SATURDAY, 12/02

Fat Daddy Has Been - 10 p.m.

FRIDAY, 12/08

Gable Music Presents - 7 p.m. Apache Trails - 10:30 p.m.

SATURDAY, 12/09 Red Hotts - 10 p.m.

FRIDAY, 12/15

Chorduroy - 10 p.m.

SATURDAY, 12/16

Victoria Watts Band - 10 p.m.

FRIDAY, 12/22

Gable Music Presents - 7 p.m. Barely Rarely Trio - 10:30 p.m.

SATURDAY, 12/23 Jump Off - 10 p.m.

FRIDAY, 12/29

Tempur Tantrum Jimmy & Cassidy Band - 10 p.m.

SATURDAY, 12/30 The Loop - 10 p.m.

SUNDAY, 12/31

Cherry Crush - 10 p.m. 1701 Delaware Ave. Wilmington, DE 19806 (302) 652-9493

LOGANHOUSE.COM Bands and times subject to change.

RECORD DEAL FOR GRACE VONDERKUHN

Last month, local artist Grace Vonderkuhn and her band signed with Egghunt Records, a label out of Richmond, Va., known for breaking artist Lucy Dacus and signing Eric Slick, the drummer for Dr. Dog. The band—vocalist and guitarist Vonderkuhn, bassist Brian Bartling and drummer Dave Mcgror—is releasing its first full length album on vinyl (and digitally and on cassette) on Feb. 23, 2018. “Worry,” a single from the album, premiered last month. The band is currently on tour, with a big tour slated for the album release—including a possible appearance at South by Southwest in Austin in March. Go to gracevonderkuhn.bandcamp.com for more.

REUNION SHOW FOR FAT DADDY HAS BEEN

Local legend Fat Daddy Has Been returns to the Wilmington scene for a one night-only reunion show Back Like We Never Left, to benefit Sanfilippo Syndrome treatment and research. The cause is dear to the band because drummer Donny Merril and his wife Molly’s daughter Michaela suffers from the rare syndrome. The band teamed with Kelly’s Logan House for the reunion show on Saturday, Dec. 2, from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. It will feature all former members of Fat Daddy Has Been performing songs from all three of their critically-acclaimed albums. All proceeds will benefit Sanfilippo Syndrome research. Three-year-old Michaela (“Mickey”) Merrill has Sanfilippo Syndrome (also known as MPS III), a rare genetic disorder sometimes referred to as childhood Alzheimer’s. Mickey has subtype-A, which is the most common and, unfortunately, the most severe. As the disease progresses, victims lose their abilities to speak and understand, to walk, and to eat. The life expectancy is 10-20 years. Currently there is no treatment or cure, but promising research is happening in both the U.S. and abroad. Her family and friends are working hard to get Mickey admitted into a clinical trial as soon as possible. For more about the cause, visit savemickey.com.

68 DECEMBER 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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11/22/17 11:06 AM

PRESENTS:

TOBY KEITH AT STATE FAIR

The Delaware State Fair recently announced a headlining performance by Toby Keith on July 19, 2018, at the Delaware State Fairgrounds in Harrington. Keith has charted 61 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, including 20 number one hits. Gates open at 6:30 p.m., and the show starts at 7:30. Tickets range from $54-94. Advance tickets for admission and concerts are on sale now at delawarestatefair.com, or by calling eTix at 1-800-514-3849. The 2018 Delaware State Fair will be held July 19-28.

SUN BROTHER RETURNS TO WILMINGTON Nashville-based singer-songwriter Billy Toulson, going by the name Sun Brother and originally from Delaware, is returning to his Wilmington roots this month. On Saturday, Dec. 30, he’ll perform at Chicky’s Pizza Pub, 201 N. Market St., Wilmington). Listen to his sounds at soundcloud. com/sunbrotherde and facebook.com/sunbrotha.

SOUNDPLEX: NEW MUSIC-SHARING APP

Soundplex is a new social networking platform for musicians, entertainers, producers, and music fans worldwide, launched by 20-year-old Delawarean Michael Lewis. Designed as an app, it is currently only available on the App Store for iOS devices. Lewis created Soundplex to provide musicians with a platform they can use to control their own career—to avoid pitfalls of record labels getting royalties and profits. On Soundplex, musicians can build their fan base, grow their brand, and most important, share and sell music while keeping 100 percent of the royalties and profit. App users can sign up and choose from two accounts, Musician or Listener. As a musician on Soundplex, you have full access to tools Lewis has created to help you thrive, grow, network, and profit with music. As a Soundplex user, you have access to the latest music from your favorite artist and more, plus the opportunity to chat with friends and other Soundplex users on the chat tab. For listeners and fans, create a profile and follow your favorite musicians right through the app. Your newsfeed will be filled with blog updates, new videos and new music from the musicians you follow. Follow Soundplex on social channels: Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

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WXPN WELCOMES STEVE FORBERT

Steve Forbert is coming to the Kennett Flash in Kennett Square on Friday, Dec. 15. Compromised is Forbert’s newest album, which is full of catchy choruses exploring life, love, turmoil and survival. After years with local bands, Forbert left his hometown of Meridian, Miss., in his early 20s and headed for New York City in search of record deals. He started out busking at Grand Central Station and playing at open mic nights before his folk pop “Romeo’s Tune” hit number 11 on the charts and brought him into the international spotlight. Critics and the public embraced his melodic and lyrical style, which is a traditional sound among the post-disco punk and rock of the late ’70s and early ’80s. The show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $27 in advance, $30 day of show. For more, visit kennettflash.org.

Karaoke - Every Thursday 8pm-12am DJ Castro - Every Friday 8pm-12am Live Entertainment - Every Saturday Daily Specials all month long! 201 N. Market Street, Wilm.

ChickysPizzaPub.com • (302) 660-8787 DECEMBER 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

12_Listen.indd 5

HAVE YOU HEARD OF SOMETHING?

11/21/17 3:25 PM

302.482.3333 • ChelseaTavern.com 821 N. Market St., Wilmington, DE 19801

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70 DECEMBER 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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11/21/17 2:14 PM

DRINK

Co-owner Joe Lins mans the coffee roaster; the storefront of Little Goat Coffee Roasting Co. in Newark.

Coffee with a Kick Newark gets its own micro roastery, Little Goat Coffee Roasting Co. Text and Photos by Krista Connor

ittle Goat Coffee Roasting Co., which opened early this fall on Haines Street in Newark, roasts and sells specialty coffee in an atmosphere that achieves a customer-pleasing trifecta: approachable, unfussy and quality-centered. It’s a third-wave micro roastery and coffee shop, leaning more toward roastery—as indicated by the limited seating and littleto-no food on the menu. The space is home base for wholesale distribution in New Castle County, say owners Joe Lins and Olivia Brinton. Today, each is clutching a mug of coffee or espresso cup and they intermittently step behind the bar to refuel while discussing their new enterprise. They would eventually like to see every fine dining restaurant within a 20-mile radius serve Little Goat coffee, Brinton says. With national daily gourmet coffee consumption up 10-15 percent from last year for consumers between the ages of 18 and 60, that would seem to be an achievable goal. “We are really focused on the quality of the cup of coffee,” says Brinton. “And we hope that each customer that comes here for a cup will think of us when they want to buy a bag of beans.” And people are buying, whether it’s an $8 half-pound, $14 pound or $50 five-pound bag. So far, the roaster has gone through

about seven 150-pound burlap bags a month. Consumption is split evenly between café sales and wholesale distribution, which, at this point, consists of Hockessin’s The Perfect Cup Café and The House of William & Merry. The café space at Little Goat is small and open, cozy but contemporary while avoiding industrial-style tropes. Here, you can be a purist sans pretention while still tossing around phrases like “tasting notes” without garnering eye-rolls. “I think our goal is to make really good coffee accessible to anyone, rather than it being an unapproachable topic; you’re scared to ask questions at some places,” says Brinton. They diversify their selection—sourcing from different places at a time is more sustainable than having one go-to— though Brinton says they’ll typically have Sumatran and Central or South American beans year-round with a wild card like an Ethiopian bean—which is something of a special coffee anyway. A popular Ethiopian legend tells how coffee was discovered by an 11th century goat herder named Kaldi, who found his goats full of unusual energy after eating the red fruit of the coffee shrub. Kaldi tried the fruit and had a similar reaction. Hence the name Little Goat Coffee Roasting Co. ► DECEMBER MARCH 2016 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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DRINK COFFEE WITH A KICK continued from previous page

The coffee bean roasting process takes only about 15 minutes.

The collaboration between Lins and Brinton, who are old family friends, began to brew about five years ago. Lins, a stone mason looking to transition into something that his wife Elizabeth could be a part of, was developing an interest in home roasting. Meanwhile, Brinton, recently returned from working at a coffee roastery in Asheville, N.C., during college, had the necessary background. They began selling wholesale coffee at farmers markets over the past year, a buildup to opening the current shop, which is in the building where the Switch skateboarding store was before it moved to Main Street. (“We kept the skateboard door handles as a tribute to them,” says Brinton). The location is prime because of the foot traffic between Main Street and Delaware Avenue. Lins and Brinton are involved in the entire process their coffee undergoes, from its plant origin to its aromatic dive into a paper bag (featuring a hand-stamped logo), which is then displayed along a chalkboard wall advertising the roasts of that day or week. The star of the show—the roaster —sits in unassuming glory through a side door, like a heroine not yet aware that she’ll save the day. It’s surrounded by bags of green—raw, unroasted—beans awaiting their metamorphosis. Today, Lins plans on roasting Colombian beans. The process is surprisingly simple. He stands on tip-toes and hoists a bin of green coffee beans through the drum at the top of the roaster, and pours. This Colombian coffee has tasting notes of brown sugar, sweet orange and sugar cane, according to Brinton. “And if we can get some of those tasting notes to come through after roasting, then 72 DECEMBER 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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KRESTON WINE & SPIRITS

Celebrating 85 Years

Co-owner Olivia Brinton (right) with the Lins family: co-owner Joe, his wife Elizabeth and their children, Lola, Finnegan and Henry.

it’s a job well done.” As with good wine, the tasting notes come from the source itself with no added flavors. This is due to terroir, cultivation, harvesting, etc. One bin even smells like blueberries. Meanwhile, visible through a tiny porthole on the roaster, the Colombian beans are roiling like clothes in a dryer, turning brown. When they are sufficiently roasted after about 15 minutes, Lins presses a lever and a silver metal mouth spews the beans into the cooling bin. Lins and Brinton move immediately toward the bin and their expert eyes look for “bad beans,” which means anything under-ripe or otherwise unsatisfactory. They toss out only one or two. “We’re really proud of these beans,” says Lins. “The farmer goes through such effort, and it shows.” Each of Little Goat’s coffees is traced back to its farm of origin. For Brinton and Lins’ own records, a laminated printout of, say, a Peruvian bean shows a photo of the farmer, exact geographical location of the cooperative and a detailed description of the region. Little Goat doesn’t actually source directly from growers because, as Brinton puts it, the small quantities wouldn’t be worth it for the farmer. Instead, a New York-based specialty green bean importer, Royal Coffee, does the sourcing and works closely with the growers. Royal Coffee—and beans certified by sustainability auditor Rain Forest Alliance—align with Little Goat’s ethics, which is a word that comes up frequently in conversation here. “We can’t grow coffee in the continental United States, so the best we can do is source it, as the second-most traded commodity in the world, as ethically responsibly as we can,” says Brinton. Royal Coffee monitors labor and payment and always purchases the next year’s harvest a year in advance, so that farmers are guaranteed business. Royal also encourages community growth. For example, if a town builds a school, Royal may pay an extra $2 a pound for coffee. Likewise, Royal holds communities accountable to their projects and product. Brinton says she and Lins apply that same sourcing ethic to all aspects of the business, down to the café sweetener and creamer for those who opt to use it. Organic dairy is sourced from Natural by Nature in Newark, and honey comes from a local beekeeper; all the perfected details come together in tribute to the one thing that matters most: That pure, unblemished green bean. “We do spend a little more on the quality of our green beans than most places,” says Brinton. “If anything, we feel pressure to roast these beans the best way possible because they are super special.”

Same Family, 4 Generations, Since 1933

BEST SERVICE • BEST SELECTION • BEST PRICE A Fine Selection of Wine, Spirits, Beers & Growlers

1933

Like A Fine Wine

Kreston’s Has the Benefit OF AGE

Delaware's Oldest Liquor Store MIDDLETOWN 448 E. Main Street Middletown, DE 19709 Tel: (302) 376-6123

WILMINGTON 904 Concord Avenue Wilmington, DE 19802 Tel: (302) 652-3792 DECEMBER 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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Book Your Next Party Holiday Parties Happy Hour Office Party Family Gatherings With a private bar and accomodations for up to 100 guests, our banquet room

is a great location for planning your next special event. From birthday parties to corporate luncheons, let us help you plan your next function. Private Room with our $25 bar/food package based on minimum of 40 (gratuity not included)

Call Today! (302) 475-8933 64 APRIL 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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2038 Foulk Road • Wilmington, DE 19810 • (302) 475-1887 www.stanleys-tavern.com

11/21/17 11:38 AM

Photos by John Murray

DRINK

Author’s photos taken in Santa Rosa, Calif., the night and early morning of Oct. 8-9, when he and his group were evacuated from their hotel. 1. Fire is four-six blocks away with power still on and the group not yet in harm’s way. 2. Power is off. The glow in upper right is Home Depot. 3. The fire is three blocks away as it consumes what was once Coffey Park in Santa Rosa. 4. Sunrise over the Mayacamas Mountains with fire all along the peaks of the mountains.

IN THE WAKE OF THE FIRE Damage in California’s wine country was significant, but not devastating By John Murray

aving successfully returned from the area of the wildfires in Napa and Sonoma, I wanted to give Out & About readers a quick update on the situation in Northern California. For the most part, the wineries of Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino Counties are open for business, although each area suffered damage to several wineries and vineyards. Wineries that were totally destroyed include Paradise Ridge in Sonoma and Signorello in Napa. The destruction to the City of Santa Rosa was unbelievable. The Coffey Park area, north of center city, was decimated. Thousands of homes and businesses were destroyed, and some lives were lost. I happen to have been right in the middle of that destruction. In fact, my group of 12 wine lovers that I had taken to tour Napa and Sonoma had to be evacuated from our hotel in the late night/early morning hours of Sunday, Oct. 8 and Oct. 9. The intense firestorm was just across the street from the hotel, where a gas station and a Kmart were engulfed. We were the lucky ones—we lost nothing and were not injured. There were wineries that were destroyed and some lost outer buildings and equipment.

The damage to vineyards, while not significant, did destroy grape vines in the Fountain Grove Appellation in Sonoma, Atlas Peak in Napa and Mount Veeder in Napa and Sonoma. Vineyards create a natural fire break because of the ample space between vines and the amount of water each plant holds. This limited the damage to most wineries in the area. It also was fortunate that the harvest was about 80 percent completed. Most of the wine was already in barrels and will have no smoke problems. Pricing should remain strong and no price increases are expected. In fact, the best way to support the wine industry in California is to continue to buy wines from the areas that were affected. And don't change plans if you intend to travel to the Bay area, but do call ahead to be certain that the wineries remain open. Because of the displacement of much of the work force, tasting room hours may be cut back. John Murray is co-owner of State Line Liquors and a regular contributor to Out & About Magazine.

DECEMBER 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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Sunday, Dec. 31st Doors Open at 8pm

All Inclusive; Ticket Includes  Premium Open Bar  Dinner Buffet All Night  Free Valet & Coat Check  Tented & Heated Patio for Indoor / Outdoor Party

Buy $75 in Gift Cards. Get a $20 Snowflake Card. Now through December 31st. IRONHILLBREWERY.COM

Snowflake Card is redeemable between January 1st and March 31st, 2018.

 Full Dinner Service or Lounge Seating by the Dance Floor  Limited Availability  See EventBrite Page for Details

web / print / video catalyst.design 76 DECEMBER 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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DRINK

SIPS

Here's what's pouring TWIN LAKES BREWERY IS BACK!

fter a brief hiatus, Twin Lakes has reopened in Newport (405 East Marsh Lane, Suite 7), and is bigger and better than ever after outgrowing its Greenville space, says tasting room manager and Director of Communications and Community Outreach Chris Bell. The brewery moved to Newport about a year ago and in October reopened to the public and relaunched its tasting room. The tasting room is open Wednesday and Thursday, 4-8 p.m.; Friday 4-9 p.m.; Saturday 12-8 p.m., and Sunday 12-4 p.m. Staying true to its original artisan craft style, Twin Lakes uses the freshest natural ingredients, whole flower hops, and well water. The tasting room offers a full range of standard beers, seasonals, and one-off varieties. The brewery recently started highlighting live music, too—see the website twinlakesbrewery.com for details. Additionally, light fare from Sugarfoot Café is on hand, along with shuffleboard, darts and brewery tours. “These all add to the pleasant atmosphere, making it a great place to catch up with friends,” says Bell. Bell says Twin Lakes is proud to continue its supporting partnership with the Wilmington Flower Market, and invites guests to the brewery on Friday, Dec. 1, for the holiday kick-off party for fundraising efforts for the 2018 Flower Market. Twin Lakes is also hosting a Delaware Day Toast on Thursday, Dec. 7, which is open to anyone. For December, the full range of yearround beers are available: Greenville Pale Ale, Blue Water Pilsner, Chesapeake Wheat, Tweeds Tavern Stout, and Caesar Rodney Golden Ale. Seasonals include winter holiday Jubilicous Ale and Oktoberfest beer. And if you stop by the tasting room, you might get lucky. “The brewers are constantly putting out small batches of things for people to try,” says Bell.

TASTE OF THE HOLIDAYS

ample a diverse selection of beer, wine and champagne at the annual Taste of the Holidays at the Delaware Contemporary (200 S. Madison St., Wilmington, on the Riverfront) on Friday, Dec. 1. The event, which will benefit nonprofit Preston’s March for Energy, is from 5-9 p.m. and will coincide with Wilmington’s monthly Art Loop. In addition, the Delaware Contemporary will be holding its annual Contemporary Craft Show, with items from 15 to 18 exhibitors, so that guests can indulge in some holiday shopping while enjoying music as well as their favorite beverages and food offerings from several vendors. Craft show participants will sell jewelry (precious stones, sterling silver, gold fill), handset letterpress paper goods (cards, notebooks, prints), woodwork, functional and sculptural ceramics, wood and steel furniture, photography and prints, terrariums and succulents, perfumes and more. Admission is free, and tickets for drink samples will be available for $1 each. Preston’s March for Energy is a Delaware-based nonprofit organization whose mission is to raise funds to provide adaptive bicycles for children with special needs. Taste of the Holidays is the final 2017 production of Barry’s Events, producer of the New Castle County Ice Cream Festival at Rockwood, the Brandywine Festival of the Arts and the Hockessin Fourth of July Celebration. For more information, call 690-5555 or visit barrysevents.com.

NEW DRINKS AT LIQUID ALCHEMY BEVERAGES

ith a twist on traditional pumpkin and stout-style winter standards, Wilmington meadery and cidery Liquid Alchemy Beverages has produced a handful of new meads and ciders for the holiday season. The holiday meads include: GloggToberfest, a traditional Swedish holiday drink with ingredients like orange zest, black raisins, almonds, cardamom seeds and raw cinnamon, and Ground & Tapped, a cold brew coffee and raw maple syrup blend. Ciders include Cinnical, with cinnamon, and dragon-fruit-laden Magenta-Dragon. No reservations are needed to visit the tasting room at 28 Brookside Dr. in Wilmington. Call 438-0252 with questions.

TWILIGHT TIDINGS AT THE TAVERN

he Chadds Ford Historical Society is hosting a new event for this holiday season, Twilight Tidings at the Tavern, on Saturday, Dec. 2, at the Barns-Brinton House in Chadds Ford. Celebrate the season with a look at the four major holidays of the 18th century winter season: Christmas, New Year, Twelfth Night and Candlemas. Similar to the Society’s popular Tavern Talks format, Twilight Tidings at the Tavern will be a 90-minute open house where you can explore the 1714 tavern at your own pace, meeting guides in authentic colonial clothing, learning about holiday celebrations of the 18th century, and enjoying samples of historic holiday foods and complimentary beverages like wassail, mulled wine and punch. Winter in colonial America gave people a chance to relax and unwind following the harvest and butchering seasons. Unlike now, the winter calendar of the 18th century was not dominated by the celebration of Christmas. New Year and Twelfth Night were often more festive and raucous holiday celebrations that may have lasted for days. Twilight Tidings at the Tavern is a 21-and-over event at the Barns-Brinton House, 630 Baltimore Pike (U.S. Route 1), Chadds Ford, Pa. There are two tour times available: 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Tickets are $20 ($15 for CFHS Members), and must be purchased in advance at the Society’s website, chaddsfordhistory.org, by phone at 610-388-7376 or in person at the Society’s office. Space is limited.

AT THE RAIL INDOOR BEER GARDEN

arm up at Delaware Park with At The Rail’s first indoor popup beer garden, which offers a large selection of winter craft beers, sample flights, specialty food items, live music, an exclusive $2,500 Slot Dollar Drawing and more. The indoor beer garden runs Dec. 26-30. DJs will be around from 6-8 p.m. daily, with live music from 8 p.m.-midnight. DECEMBER 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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DECEMBER 27-29, 2017 CAPE HENLOPEN HIGH SCHOOL @SLAMDUNKTOBEACH

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78 DECEMBER 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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PLAY

SNAP SHOTS

5. 7.

38TH ANNUAL HALLOWEEN LOOP Photos by Anthony Santoro 1. Revelers bar hop throughout Trolley Square.

5. Mariyn Michael, Jack Michael and Theresa Marino at Dead Presidents.

2. Johnny Smoke of Pike Creek—or Gene Simmons?—at Catherine Rooney’s.

6. Ernest & Scott Taproom summons the frightful—Javier Panto, Liliana Flores and Victor Lopez.

3. Diane Daiger and Jay Beer in Trolley. 4. This festive crew makes up some of the 3,500 celebrators who came out to party.

7. “Policewomen”—Lindsay Payne, Aliah Friend and Marsell Ronboro—keeping an eye on the shenanigans at FireStone Roasting House.

DECEMBER 2017 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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presents

OUT & ABOUT MAGAZINE’S

SCRAWL anta

Fri, Dec 8 • 8PM • $5 Cover

Wear a Santa Hat or Ugly Sweater and

DON’T PAY A COVER!

Cover proceeds benefit Nemours/A.I. duPont Hospital for Children

Special Discount Code On Your Loop Wristband! CATHERINE ROONEY’S CHELSEA TAVERN DEAD PRESIDENTS ERNEST & SCOTT TAPROOM GALLUCIO’S CAFE GROTTO PIZZA KELLY’S LOGAN HOUSE LAVISH TIMOTHY’S RIVERFRONT TROLLEY SQUARE OYSTER HOUSE

TROLLEY TAP HOUSE

Ugly

Sweater CONTEST! MAKE US LAUGH

OutAndAboutNow.com • 302.655.6483

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