It’s festival season at the beach – let the games begin! If you don’t live here full-time, you might think it gets quiet at summer’s end, but there’s actually more events in the fall. Read on and you’ll see!
Late September features the Dewey Beach Music Conference, a three day indie fest with dozens of new bands performing at six different venues (all free thank you very much)! Then September ends with a hunk, a hunk of burning love at the Dewey Beach Elvis Festival which has got to be one of the funniest events I’ve ever been to. The impersonators, who come in all shapes and sizes, go all out as they compete for cash prizes.
Patti Austin, 2016 Rehoboth Beach Jazz Festival Artist of the Year (Photo by Chuck Snyder)
October kicks off with the Lewes Fall Craft Fair (Oct 1), held at the Cape May-Lewes Ferry Terminal. The show includes new and returning craftspeople from Delmarva and the Eastern Shore. This year, there will be more than 70 artisans exhibiting a variety of media ranging from metalwork to woodworking. Then delight your taste buds at the Celebrity Chefs’ Beach Brunch (Oct 2), a culinary fundraiser featuring top area chefs, live music, brunch cocktails, a craft beer garden, and more! On October 8, Dewey Goes Pink, with a huge run/walk event that raises funds to fight breast cancer. The Rehoboth Beach Jazz Festival is not to be missed (Oct 13-16) featuring the likes of Grammy Award winning Patti Austin, Jeffrey Osborne, and many, many others. The whole town gets caught up in the swing of things and you’ll find live music in practically every bar in town. Halloween fans should not miss the Sea Witch Festival, a three-day spooktacular extravaganza (Oct 28-30) that brings over 80,000 people to town to celebrate. One of my personal favorites is the Best Costumed Dog Contest parade. Some of the participants spend weeks getting ready for this and it shows! Too. Much. Fun. And speaking of dogs, there’s also Gold Rush: Golden Retrievers Weekend (Sep 30-Oct 2); the Bark on the Boards Dogwalk, a benefit for the Delaware SPCA (Oct 1); and Greyhounds Reach the Beach (Oct 6-9). We love our furry friends!
Sea Witch Festival
The weekend of November 4-6 will see thousands of locals head west to Bridgeville, Delaware for the World Championship Punkin Chunkin. I’m guessing right about now you’re having a good laugh reading about this. I know I did. Then I saw a documentary about it on the Discovery Channel and whoa. Over 100 teams (men, women, and kids) compete in device categories that include everything from slingshots and catapults to trebuchets and pneumatic cannons. (The world record was set three years ago in Bridgeville at 4,695 feet. That’s almost a mile!) So I’m here to tell you, this is serious business and a whole lotta fun. Add to that: live music, lots of food and drink, cooking competitions and a pageant, and you’ll have a weekend to remember.
November 4-12 is the Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival that showcases more than 100 of the best American and international films, including features, documentaries, and shorts. An excellent opportunity to view lots of wonderful films, including a wide variety of lesbian and gay offerings. Don’t miss it!
Over at the Rehoboth Art League you’ll find the Holiday Fair – Fine Craft Show (Nov 5-6). Art lovers can stroll the Historic Homestead (built in 1743), the Chambers Studio, the Paynter Studio and the Corkran galleries to select from jewelry, glassworks, pottery, clay sculpture, painting, woodworking, mixed media, and decorative and wearable fiber creations.
December brings Christmas Parades in many of the beach towns, a Holly Festival, tree lightings and sing-a-longs, but we’ll be sure to have a new issue of Tagg in your hot little hands by then!
Foodies can enjoy the Eating Rehoboth food tours, which are offered every Friday and Sunday through Thanksgiving. Each tour gives you the chance to sample the culinary delights from FIVE different downtown restaurants AND one specialty shop, all while strolling around our fine little town and learning some of its history.
Beer lovers can tour Dogfish Head Craft Brewery in Milton, 16 Mile Brewing Company, and the Evolution Craft Brewing Company to name a few. More than half of the 24 stops on the Delaware Beer Wine & Spirits Trail are located right here at the Delaware Beaches. Don’t miss the Nassau Valley Vineyards, Beach Time Distilling (rum, vodka, gin, and seasonal spirits), and the Delaware Distilling Company (gin, vodka, and spiced rum). Cheers!
When you come to the beach for any of the above, you’ll be delighted to find off-season specials at all of the restaurants. For a complete list go to the Cheap Eats/Specials section of RehobothFoodie.com. And I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the discounted rates at area hotels and B&Bs.
So I hope you’ll “fall” into the beach very soon – I know you’ll be glad you did!
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