Letters from CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 36, No. 4

MAKE AN IMPACT TODAY

Your support helps us forge proud and safe communities where gender identity and sexual orientation are respected.

CAMP Rehoboth’s mission isn’t just about programs and services—it’s about making sure every person feels embraced for who they are. That takes resources, and it’s the member-driven donor system that keeps the mission moving forward. I donate because I believe in CAMP Rehoboth’s ability to create a stronger, more inclusive community for all of us here in Delaware.

— Dennis Diaz

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THIS ISSUE

VOLUME 36, NUMBER 4 • MAY 8, 2026

68 CAMP Stories

At Last, A Hat RICH BARNETT

20 Health & Wellness

Beebe Healthcare + CAMP Rehoboth

SPECIAL THANKS to this issue’s cover models— Michael and Cory Heller. See page 7.

70 CAMPshots

FESTtivities and Fab Easter Bonnets!

74 OUTlook

Stardust Memories

BETH SHOCKLEY

78 View Point

Vance’s Humiliation Tour

RICHARD ROSENDALL

80 Deep Inside Hollywood

ROMEO SAN VICENTE

84 Reflections

Blindsided by Spring

PATTIE CINELLI

88 Slow and Steady

Turtles, Terrapins, & Tortoises

TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER

90 CAMP Arts

LOGAN FARRO & MARY JO TARALLO

92 Booked Solid

TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER

94 CAMP Critters

Bless the Beasts…

98 Sea Salt Table

Tequila Chicken

ED CASTELLI

100 Historical Headliners

Roman Emperor, Greek Love

ANN APTAKER

102 Happy Talk I Love a Happy Time

JIM HENRY

108 The Real Dirt

Say Yes to Ground Covers

ERIC WAHL

112 Visiting View

Fake Spring? Not in California!

ROBERT DEDOMINIC

114 We Remember

Letters from CAMP Rehoboth welcomes submissions. Email editor@camprehoboth.org. Photographs must be high resolution (300 dpi). Documents should be sent as attachments in Microsoft Word®. Deadline for submissions is two weeks prior to the issue release date. Letters to the Editor (up to 300 words) are published at the discretion of the Editor on a space-available basis. Letters may be edited for length or clarity.

EDITOR: Marj Shannon

EDITORIAL ASSOCIATE: Matty Brown

DESIGN AND LAYOUT: Mary Beth Ramsey

ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER: Tricia Massella

DISTRIBUTION: Mark Wolf

CONTRIBUTORS: Ann Aptaker, Rich Barnett, Matty Brown, Ed Castelli, Pattie Cinelli, Sandy Clark, Michael Cook, Robert DeDominic, Logan Farro, Clarence Fluker, Michael Thomas Ford, Connie Fox, Jim Henry, Fay Jacobs, Leslie Ledogar, Tricia Massella, Christopher Moore, Eric Peterson, Mary Beth Ramsey, Stephen Raskauskas, Richard Rosendall, Nancy Sakaduski, Romeo San Vicente, Terri Schlichenmeyer, Tracey Seabolt, Marj Shannon, Beth Shockley, Mary Jo Tarallo, Laurie Thompson, Shae Wagner, Eric Wahl, Rick Welk

ON THE COVER Splash! by Murray Archibald

Letters from CAMP Rehoboth is published 11 times per year, between February and December, as a program of CAMP Rehoboth Inc., a non-profit community service organization. CAMP Rehoboth seeks to create a more positive environment of cooperation and understanding among all people. Revenue generated by advertisements supports CAMP Rehoboth’s purpose as outlined in our mission statement.

The inclusion or mention of any person, group, or business in Letters from CAMP Rehoboth does not, nor is it intended in any way, to imply sexual orientation or gender identity. The content of the columns are the views and opinions of the writers and may not indicate the position of CAMP Rehoboth, Inc.

© 2026 by CAMP Rehoboth, Inc. All rights reserved by CAMP Rehoboth. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the prior written permission of the editor.

CAMP REHOBOTH

MISSION STATEMENT AND PURPOSE

MISSION

CAMP Rehoboth is an LGBTQ+ community center determined to Create A More Positive (CAMP) environment that is inclusive of all sexual orientations and gender identities in southern Delaware and beyond. We seek to promote cooperation, understanding among all people, and well-being, as we continue our work to build a safer community with room for all.

VISION

CAMP Rehoboth envisions communities in southern Delaware and beyond where all LGBTQ+ people thrive.

VALUES

Community | Belonging | Positivity Diversity | Visibility | Transparency Safety | Partnership | Compassion

UFrom the  Editor

BY MARJ SHANNON

PRESIDENT Leslie Ledogar

VICE PRESIDENT Polly Donaldson

SECRETARY Pat Catanzariti

TREASURER Kevin Ussery

AT-LARGE DIRECTORS

Robin Brennan, DrPh (non-voting) Lorne Crawford, David Garrett, Jenn Harpel, Michelle Manfredi, Teri Seaton, Hope Vella, Joe Vescio

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Robin Brennan, DrPH

CAMP REHOBOTH

37 Baltimore Avenue, Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971 tel 302-227-5620 email editor@camprehoboth.org www.camprehoboth.org

CAMP Rehoboth, Inc. is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code. Contributions to CAMP Rehoboth are considered charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes and may be deducted to the fullest extent of the law. A copy of our exemption document is available for public inspection.

nbelievably—just as it seems spring truly has arrived—here we are, kicking off summer! But hey—it’s the beach! And we’re eager to welcome everyone back.

We’re equally eager to welcome you to this May issue. And have so much good stuff for you in its pages.

But before you dig into all that, please join us as we take a moment to revel in the success of two writers whose “good stuff” appeared in our 2025 issues. The Delaware Press Association has announced its 2026 awards, and two of the winners are:

• Rich Barnett: first place, opinion piece, “A Beach Chair Has Died” (Letters, August 2025) and

• Reneé Rockland: first place, flash fiction, “Survivor” (Letters, April 2025).

Congratulations to both writers! Congratulations also to Fay Jacobs, a regular Letters contributor who won two first-place awards for pieces published elsewhere. And again to Rich Barnett, who won a third-place award for a piece published elsewhere.

Now, back to our May issue…. First up, CAMP Rehoboth and Beebe Healthcare have some important news to announce—turn to page 20 to learn more. Let’s just say: some terrific new things are coming to the courtyard!

Next, Nancy Sakaduski talked recently with CAMP Rehoboth’s new Executive Director, Robin Brennan, DrPH; she brings us some of their conversation in the centerfold (page 60). Give it a read and make some plans to talk with Robin yourself— she’s eager to hear what folks have to say.

Continuing our publication of this year’s Flash Fiction contest winners, “The School Teacher,” second-place winner, appears on page 30. Prepare to be surprised….

Already feeling a little nostalgic for Women’s+ FEST? You can browse the Women’s+ FEST wrap-up (page 16) for a look-back, and FEST sports coverage is on page 42. Clearly, a very good time was had by a very many people!

Pride—like summer—also kicks off soon (of course, we’re Proud in every season); see page 12 for a listicle of just some of the celebratory events already cued up. There’s sure to be more, so keep an eye on our socials and the website for additions.

May is National Pet Month, and we invited readers to send along photos of their pets for us all to enjoy in this issue. Many of you did (thank you!); you can see those very good boys and girls on page 94.

One pet not pictured: a pack rat! Too bad, as May 17 is Pack Rat Day. But no worries: Nancy Sakaduski offers a profile of that fascinating creature—and of a couple humans whose habits took pack ratting a little too far. Meanwhile, Sandy Clark reflects on her own tendency to squirrel away a few trinkets.

Of course, there’s lots—lots—more. Beth Shockley is getting serious about her drumming; Matty Brown brings us the Lady Gaga experience (well, as much as one can on the page…); Michael Thomas Ford speaks from (and about) his heart; and Christopher Moore reflects on the lessons of Harvey Milk.

As always, thanks for reading Letters! ▼

CORRECTIONS: In our April print issue, the writer of our second-place Flash Fiction story, “The School Teacher,” was misidentified. The writer listed in our online issue, Craig Roberts, is correct. Additionally, the name of Honorable Mention winner Gregory Kompes was misspelled. We regret these errors.

SUNFESTIVAL Adds Powerhouse Opening Act to “Love Out Loud” Lineup

SUNFESTIVAL—CAMP Rehoboth’s Labor Day weekend extravaganza—adds local favorite Ashley Williams to its lineup on Saturday, September 5. Williams is a dynamic vocalist, actor, and director based in coastal Delaware, known for her powerhouse belt and soulful, genre-spanning sound. A core artist with Clear Space Theatre Company, she serves as Education and Administration Manager while actively performing and directing.

Williams joins previously-announced headliner David Archuleta, the iconic American Idol alum. Just this year, Archuleta released the New York Times bestseller Devout, which dives inside his deeply personal journey as a closeted Mormon teen turned international pop star. (See page 92 for a review of the book.) In April, David released the DEVOUT EP, which serves as a musical companion to his memoir.

Sunday, September 6, sees the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center transformed into an immersive dance club experience. DJs Robbie Leslie and James Anthony will soundtrack the discotheque. ▼

SUNFESTIVAL ticket and sponsorship packages will be available Memorial Day weekend. Visit camprehoboth.org/sunfestival for more information.

Photo: clearspacetheatre.org

CAMP Rehoboth Kicks Off Annual Seasonal Officer Training

On April 17 and 18, CAMP Rehoboth kickstarted its annual Human Relations Training series with the seasonal officers at Rehoboth Beach and Dewey Beach Police Departments. These training sessions follow a decades-long history of partnerships providing context and answering questions about the LGBTQ+ population that resides in and visits southern Delaware, promoting a sense of understanding and cooperation for all in our community. Thanks especially to Rehoboth Beach Chief Keith Banks and Dewey Beach Chief Constance Speake. ▼

Life, Love, & Laughter!

On April 18 and 19, CAMP Rehoboth Chorus’s new a cappella group, WomenKind, celebrated its debut concert. Thanks to the venue host, Westminster Presbyterian Church, and special guests Potomac Fever with the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC. Congratulations to the WomenKind singers, and to Artistic Directors Jeff Buhrman and Laura Miller for bringing sold-out crowds and joy to hundreds of attendees. ▼

Thank You, Vincent!

The CAMP Rehoboth community extends heartfelt thanks to Vincent DeLissio, Membership and Program Coordinator, who is embarking on a new chapter in Philadelphia. Since his time starting as an intern in 2024, Vincent supported many key programs and services, namely HIV prevention and care, membership coordination, PRISM young adult socials, and much more.

“Vincent’s presence has brought joy, connection, care, and attention to the dignity of so many community members,” said Matt Castrina, Program Manager. CAMP Rehoboth wishes Vincent success in the journey ahead! ▼

CROP Addresses Food Insecurity

Volunteers with the CAMP Rehoboth Outreach Program (CROP) visited the Food Bank of Delaware on Tuesday, April 14. The group spent the afternoon assembling boxes of food to be distributed to other pantries in Delaware. The visit is representative of CAMP Rehoboth’s longstanding partnership with the Food Bank and its efforts to help address food insecurity in the state.▼

On the Cover: Show Up, Show Out!

Cory and Michael Heller grace our May issue cover, with CAMP Rehoboth’s new slogan shirts calling folks to “Show Up, Show Out.” The call for solidarity is primed for both the upcoming summer season, when social gatherings become more common, and Pride month, celebrating the visibility of the LGBTQ+ community. The happy husbands share below what inspired them to become CAMP Rehoboth members.

CR: Why motivated you to become members of CAMP Rehoboth?

MICHAEL HELLER: I’ve been visiting Rehoboth my entire adult life and CAMP Rehoboth’s presence on Baltimore Avenue and the Letters publication were part of that experience. We became members because we feel strongly that this town is a national treasure for the gay community and CAMP Rehoboth is part of preserving the legacy of Rehoboth as a safe and welcoming place for the entire LGBTQIA+ community.

CORY HELLER: I honestly didn’t know about CAMP Rehoboth until moving down here in 2023. I appreciated that CAMP Rehoboth creates a safe place for people of all walks of life. From a healthcare perspective, I loved that they provide or partner to provide health screenings and free supplies for safe sex, filling a need since establishing with primary care can take months. I am thankful for the monthly opportunity to connect with other LGBTQIA individuals [through PRISM Young Adults]!

CR: What does being “out and proud” mean to you?

MH: To me, being out is not just announcing you are gay, it’s about living as your true authentic self. Many in my generation spent our youth hiding who they were and constantly monitoring our movements and expressions so we could blend in with what we thought society wanted us to be. Living out and proud is giving

the real me a chance to exist without fear of judgement. Sometimes it takes a really safe and welcoming environment for that inner self to emerge and shine! Pride lets me show others who I love when I’m free to show PDA with my husband and friends.

CH: Being out and proud to me means no more hiding. I know I’ve heard those words from many people like me, but I feel there’s no better way to say it. We joke and say we were hiding “in the closet” but it’s so much more than that because the “closet” is your own skin and you can feel like a prisoner or you never feel safe. Being out and proud to me means being safe. I have felt resentment at those younger than me because they get to come out at a younger age and live more of their life as they truly are. I wasn’t able to live freely in my teens or in my early 20s. But then I remember those who came before us, those who fought and those who died so that I can be free. Being out and proud to me means freedom.

CR: What are your “must-have’s” for a perfect beach day?

MH: My must-have’s are sunglasses because I’m photo sensitive! But my number two is sunscreen. I’m a drill sergeant about making sure everyone is wearing SPF. My number three is an ice-cold drink in my Stanley. Number four: an Italian sub with all the fixings and some potato chips!

CH: My perfect beach day is: 1. When Michael is with me and enjoying himself; 2. Good beach tunes; 3. A hard beverage which usually consists of Diet Pepsi or Coke and vodka; and, 4. An Italian sub from Jersey Mike’s! Also a chair, a towel, and my feet in the sand!…and sunscreen, I guess. ▼

Mariachi Supports CAMP Rehoboth

CAMP Rehoboth extends its gratitude to Mariachi Restaurant in Rehoboth Beach for hosting a fantastic Dine and Donate fundraiser on Thursday, March 19. The iconic downtown hotspot donated 10 percent of its full-day proceeds to benefit CAMP Rehoboth’s life-affirming programs and services, for a total of $900.

Special thanks to Yolanda Pineda, the entire team at Mariachi, and all community members and patrons who came out to support! ▼

President’s

This Is Why and How We Show Up

With tears in her eyes, “Thank you so much for featuring my art in the Women’s+ FEST art show. It’s my first show and I can’t believe one of my pieces actually sold!”

With heartfelt gratitude, “We don’t have anything like this in my hometown. Thanks for being here because it’s the only time I feel I can be myself!”

With a tone of respect, “It’s amazing that a town the size of Rehoboth Beach has such a thriving community center as CAMP Rehoboth. Most cities would be envious!”

These are some of the sentiments that I heard during the 2026 Silver Anniversary Women’s+ FEST, and believe me, sentiments like these made it all worthwhile. That’s why we show up, with excellent programming, in a safe space, where there is room for all.

COMMUNITY AGREEMENTS

However, creating a safe and affirming space is not just the responsibility of the CAMP Rehoboth Board and staff. It’s also the responsibility of each staff member/ volunteer/board member/participant/ visitor/attendee/guest/etc. to do their part. We are in this together!

That’s why, as we go into the summer months, it is incumbent upon each of us to reacquaint ourselves with CAMP Rehoboth Community Center’s Community Agreements. Released from the Governance Committee on March 20, 2024 and formally adopted by the Board on March 27, 2024, these Agreements help create safe, welcoming, and affirming spaces for the LGBTQ+ and ally community across all of our programs, services, activities, and events—this is how we show up for ourselves and each other!

You can read the full description of each agreement on the page opposite this column, but the short version is that we agree to:

• Cultivate wellness, establish healthy boundaries, and encourage self care

• Foster Inclusivity and embrace diversity

• Support advocacy and empowerment

• Co-create a safe space

• Avoid assumptions and respect pronouns

• Take Individual responsibility

• Protect privacy and confidentiality

• Listen, speak, and learn

Importantly, each staff member/ volunteer/board member/participant/ visitor/attendee/guest/etc. is expected to abide by these Agreements at all CAMP Rehoboth Community Center functions. Anyone who feels they cannot abide by these agreements is requested to leave until they feel they can.

These agreements are so important to the Board and staff that the Board included the following enforcement provision:

Anyone demonstrating through words or actions that they cannot honor these Agreements may be asked to leave the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center or venue/location of an event sponsored/ co-sponsored by CAMP Rehoboth Community Center.

The Board also empowered the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center’s staff with the right to enforce this policy in the best interest of the organization and the community at large.

Questions may be directed to me or anyone on CAMP Rehoboth’s staff. There is enough vitriol being directed at us from outside our community. Let’s make sure we don’t tear ourselves up from within.

A FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND PROJECT

Speaking of showing up and creating affirming spaces, I am super excited about a truly groundbreaking announcement that takes up the entire Heath and Wellness section of this edition of Letters. After two-and-a-half years of careful planning, led by former Executive Director Kim Leisey and our friends at

BY LESLIE LEDOGAR

Beebe Healthcare and the City of Rehoboth, we are jazzed to announce that we are bringing clinical health care services to the CAMP Rehoboth campus! We anticipate that this care will not only be accessible, but affirming, with the hope of advancing health, safety, and belonging for all.

“We don’t have anything like this in my hometown. Thanks for being here because it’s the only time I feel I can be myself!”

We are adopting a phased approach, beginning with offering care at the Health Suite that exists at the rear of the CAMP Rehoboth courtyard. Care in the Health Suite will continue HIV and STI screening and related counseling. It will also expand prevention options, including plans for a pharmacy-led PrEP program, which would be the first of its kind in Delaware.

During the second phase, Beebe and CAMP Rehoboth hope to offer an expanded clinical space at 39 Baltimore Avenue! No such offering is currently available within the Rehoboth Beach City limits, so, if all goes as imagined, it will also be a first-of-its-kind offering. Suffice it to say that, for right now, renovation planning is underway. We will share updates as permitting and construction timelines progress.

In short, this summer has a lot in store for our CAMP Rehoboth Community. I look forward to seeing all of you out and about as we continue to help each other create communities in southern Delaware and beyond where all LGBTQ+ people thrive.▼

Leslie Ledogar is CAMP Rehoboth Board President.

CAMP Rehoboth Community Center’s Community Agreements

Released from the Governance Committee on 3/20/2024. Adopted by the Board on 3/27/2024

CAMP Rehoboth Community Center has established the following Community Agreements to help create safe, welcoming, and affirming spaces for the LGBTQ+ and ally community across all of our programs, services, activities, and events—this is how we show up!

★ Cultivate wellness, establish healthy boundaries and encourage self care: We cultivate personal wellness and joy among our LGBTQ+ community. We welcome healing, repair and growth within ourselves and others. We encourage all participants in Community Center functions to establish appropriate boundaries and to take care of themselves physically and emotionally (take breaks, stretch, get a snack/ drink, step away).

★ Foster Inclusivity and embrace diversity: We strive to create a welcoming environment where everyone feels valued, respected, and supported. We support each other and collaborate to create positive change within the Community Center and beyond. We believe in equal access to resources. We acknowledge and challenge how racism affects people of color within the LGBTQ+ community, and we therefore actively work to create a space free from all forms of racism and discrimination.

★ Support advocacy and empowerment: We support and advocate for the rights and well-being of LGBTQ+ individuals, including transgender empowerment.

★ Co-create a safe space: We co-create an environment where individuals can comfortably express their sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression without fear of judgment or discrimination. If you see or experience concerning behaviors, we encourage you to advocate for yourself and others or bring to the attention of leadership and/ or staff. We will not tolerate harassment or other unwanted advancements, whether of a sexual nature or not.

★ Avoid assumptions and respect pronouns: We do not assume someone's sexual orientation or gender identity based on appearance or other factors. We use gender inclusive language and keep an open heart. We respect people's pronouns and, when in doubt, ask for them from a place of respect. We understand that gender and gender identity can be fluid. If we make a mistake, we will apologize and move on. We will not tolerate the disrespectful use of pronouns.

★ Take Individual responsibility: We acknowledge that each person is accountable and responsible for their own actions and reactions. We show kindness to ourselves and others.

★ Protect privacy and confidentiality: We believe in everyone’s right to confidentiality and individual privacy. We keep sensitive/personal information that has been shared within the Community Center or during a Community Centersponsored event confidential. What you see here, who you see here, what is shared here, when you leave here, let it stay here.

★ Listen, speak and learn: We listen to each other with an open mind, refraining from criticism or judgment. We speak only from our own experiences and we respect the experiences of others. If harm is caused to others, we are open to feedback, we take responsibility, and we work towards understanding. We encourage full participation—if you tend to speak a lot, step back, and if you tend to sit back and listen, speak up. We also listen to hear and understand, not simply to respond.

Each staff member/volunteer/board member/participant/visitor/ attendee/guest/etc. is expected to abide by these Agreements at all CAMP Rehoboth Community Center functions. If you feel you cannot, please leave until you feel you can.

Anyone demonstrating through words or actions that they cannot honor these Agreements may be asked to leave the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center or venue/location of an event sponsored/co-sponsored by CAMP Rehoboth Community Center. CAMP Rehoboth Community Center’s staff reserve the right to enforce this policy in the best interest of the organization and the community at large.

If you have any questions or need help in clarifying any of the behaviors listed in these Agreements, please feel free to contact anyone on CAMP Rehoboth’s staff.

CAMP Rehoboth Mission: CAMP Rehoboth is a LGBTQ+ community center dedicated to Create A More Positive (CAMP) environment inclusive of all sexual orientations and gender identities in Southern Delaware and beyond. CAMP Rehoboth seeks to promote cooperation, understanding among all people, and wellbeing, as CAMP Rehoboth continues its work to build a safer community with room for all. ▼

BY LAURIE THOMPSON

Pride Partners: Where Community Shows Up

Pride Month is a time to celebrate the resilience, visibility, and contributions of the LGBTQ+ community while honoring the ongoing work toward equality and inclusion. It’s both a moment of joy and a reminder of the power of community.

As CAMP Rehoboth enters the third year of our Pride Partners program, we’re reminded that community is not just something we celebrate—it’s something we actively build together. This year’s theme, Show Up, Show Out, reflects the spirit of visibility and collective care that defines both Pride Month and our work year-round—especially as we celebrate 35 years of serving the Rehoboth Beach community.

At its core, Pride Partners is about meaningful collaboration. Each June,

local businesses partner with us to support initiatives that promote health, safety, and a sense of belonging for LGBTQ+ individuals across Rehoboth Beach and Sussex County. These partnerships not only sustain vital programs but also position participating businesses as visible leaders in fostering inclusion.

What makes this program especially impactful is the shared value it creates. Businesses gain meaningful visibility and strengthen connections with a community that actively supports those who show up for them. At the same time, their participation helps foster a culture of inclusion and care—one where individuals, especially those who have felt marginalized, experience visibility, safety, and support in everyday spaces.

Over the past two years, we’ve seen how even small, intentional partnerships can create a lasting ripple effect.

As we look ahead to June, Show Up, Show Out is an invitation—for businesses, residents, and visitors alike— to be intentional in how we engage and support one another. There are many ways to participate, and each offers an opportunity to connect with the community while making a meaningful difference. If you’re interested in learning more, we’d welcome the conversation. ▼

Laurie Thompson is CAMP Rehoboth’s Development Manager. She can be reached via email at laurie@camprehoboth.com or by calling 302-227-5620.

Belonging for

In 1991, CAMP (Creating a More Positive) Rehoboth changed the region through a big idea: creating a safe and inclusive space for the LGBTQIA+ community. Since inception, the DCF has supported the organization with programming and capital grants.

CAMP News

PRIDE MONTH LISTICLE

As Pride month approaches, check below for some ways CAMP Rehoboth will be celebrating and partnering with others to celebrate living authentically. The following events/programs are just a sample of ways CAMP Rehoboth will promote Pride; visit camprehoboth.org for more ways to engage.

Pride Film Festival

May 14-17

The Rehoboth Beach Film Society (RBFS) is proud to present the 2026 PRIDE Film Fest in partnership with CAMP Rehoboth. The four-day festival, held May 14, 15, 16, and 17 at the Cinema Art Theater, will showcase LGBTQ+ documentaries, features, and international films.

The festival begins at CAMP Rehoboth on May 14 at 12:00 p.m. with a screening of Silence = Death. This short film will be followed by a panel discussion reflecting on the AIDS crisis and its impact on the LGBTQ+ and broader community.

Join the Rehoboth Beach Film Society and CAMP Rehoboth at the Cinema Art Theater for films, social gatherings, and hear from filmmakers to celebrate the lead-up to Pride month. For tickets and more information, visit camprehoboth. org/events.

Rehoboth Beach Pride Flag Raising

Sunday, May 31, 12 p.m.

The City of Rehoboth Beach will celebrate Pride by raising the Pride flag in front of the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center. Mayor Stan Mills will read the Pride Proclamation on behalf of the city, and guests are invited to cheer on the raising.

A celebration will be held at Aqua Bar & Grill afterwards.

Pride Build with Sussex Habitat for Humanity

Monday, June 1

Sussex County Habitat for Humanity is hosting a Pride Build on Monday, June 1. CAMP Rehoboth’s offices will close for the event, so join the staff and board members for fellowship, community, and service. Advance registration is required.

Lee Ann Walling to Visit the CAMP Rehoboth Book Club

Monday, June 1, 5:30 p.m., Lewes Public Library and online

In partnership with Lewes Public Library, the CAMP Rehoboth Book Club is an LGBTQ+-facilitated discussion group dedicated to reading novels about LGBTQ+ topics and/ or books by queer authors that tackle a variety of interests and subject matters. Registration is required at lewes.lib.de.us.

As part of CAMP Rehoboth’s year-long celebration of the 25th Anniversary of Women’s+ FEST, local author Lee Ann Walling will be joining the discussion in person as the group discusses her book, The Salt and Light Express, which explores and celebrates the depths of friendship between two older

women, both rebounding from personal tragedies.

Dine & Donate at Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats

Wednesday, June 3, 4-9 p.m.

All are welcome to kick off Pride with a Dine & Donate at Dogfish Head Brewings and Eats in downtown Rehoboth Beach. Enjoy a meal and drinks with friends, family, and community—while giving back.

As a longstanding Pride Month Partner, Dogfish Head will donate proceeds from the evening to support CAMP Rehoboth’s life-affirming programs and services to the community.

Immediately after, get ready to sing! Dogfish Head will host liveband karaoke until 10:00 p.m. with the Nick Kashmanian Trio.

Delaware Pride Festival

Saturday, June 6, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Legislative Hall, Dover

CAMP Rehoboth is a proud Gold Sponsor of Delaware’s only State Pride festival and the largest Pride fest in the State. Join members of the queer community and their allies to encourage an inclusive and vibrant environment.

The event is FREE and includes an exciting slate of performers. Dragula stars Jaharia and Maddelynn Hatter will grace the stage, as will Delaware Pride CEO Scarlet Masters, Miss Gay America Femme 2026 Anya Marino, and Miss Gay Wilmington 2026 Roxy Overbrooke. Additional renowned 2025 title holders, including Ivy Dripp, Divinity Cruz, Tia Wanna Ross, and Morgan

Morgan Morgan will share their showstopping talents.

The festival features vendors, a beer garden, live music, food trucks, panels, and plenty more. This event is for all ages and is family friendly.

Wear Orange Vigil to End Gun Violence

Sunday, June 7, 4 p.m.

Join CAMP Rehoboth and Moms Demand Action to honor those lost to gun violence.

On Sunday, June 7, from 4:00-6:00 p.m., Moms Demand Action will host a candlelight vigil at Epworth United Methodist Church.

Attendees are encouraged to wear orange to honor National Gun Violence Awareness Day and gather together to interact with community partners.

CROP Visits the Food Bank of Delaware

Tuesday, June 9, 12:45-4 p.m.

Join the CAMP Rehoboth Outreach Program (CROP) for its bi-monthly visit to the Food Bank of Delaware. Assist with a variety of tasks, including (but not limited to) sorting incoming food items, stocking shelves, filling coolers or backpacks with food for kids’ programs, and packing boxes for distribution throughout the southern Delaware region.

Volunteer registration required in advance.

Pride in the Courtyard will feature music, entertainment, and a space to make connections with friends new and old.

PRISM Beach Bonfire

Wednesday, June 10, 6 p.m.

Join the CAMP Rehoboth

PRISM Young Professionals Group for its June outing—a bonfire on Johnnie Walker Beach in Lewes. This is a BYO (bring your own) food and drink event, so pack your favorites and make it your own! Bring along a beach towel or chair, and anything else you need to stay cozy and comfortable by the fire.

Community. Heart. Pride. Art Reception

Thursday, June 11, 5-7 p.m. (exhibit open June 8-July 31) Community is the heart of CAMP Rehoboth. For 35 years, CAMP Rehoboth has served as a community center for the LGBTQ+ community and its allies. In celebration, this exhibit will feature a slate of artists who will share what pride, heart, and community mean to them, through a variety of mediums.

Plan to view the art and meet some of the artists at the reception.

CAMP Families—Free Film with Rehoboth Beach Library

Friday, June 12, 1 p.m.

Welcoming all families! In partnership with Rehoboth Beach Library and their “Friday Flicks” film program, join us for a fun time at CAMP Rehoboth with a free, LGBTQ+-affirming film! Keep an eye on our newsletter for the selected film.

Milton Pride

Saturday, June 13, 4-8 p.m.

CAMP Rehoboth will have a presence at Milton Pride, co-presented by Milton Theatre and Sussex Pride, held at Milton Theatre’s

Quayside. Secure your wristbands in advance and pay online or at the gate and be a part of a vibrant, inclusive celebration of love, diversity, and acceptance! Help keep the spirit of Pride alive.

Condom Stuffing Party

Monday, June 15, 1-4 p.m.

CAMP Rehoboth volunteers will gather for one of the community’s favorite traditions: a condom stuffing party. This volunteer event will bring in community members to stuff condoms, lube, prophylactics, and materials promoting safe sex to be shared with distribution points and community partners. Advance registration is required.

CAMP Rehoboth Chorus:

“I Hear America Singing” June 19 & 20 at 7 p.m., June 21 at 3 p.m.

The CAMP Rehoboth Chorus presents “I Hear America Singing,” a musical revue honoring the 250th anniversary of America, on June 19-20 at 7:00 p.m. and June 21 at 3:00 p.m., at Epworth United Methodist Church. The concert will celebrate 250 years of courage, community, and the American spirit.

The program will celebrate the foundations of America with songs including “Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears” (seeing the Statue of Liberty through the eyes of a 15-year-old Irish immigrant), and “This Is the

Dream,” (reminding listeners of the courage, the hopes, and the promises of America inspired by Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech). Singers salute the Armed Forces for their service, while also recounting the ravages of war with “When Johnny Comes Marching Home” and “One Tin Soldier.” Songs of protest and promise include “This Land is Your Land” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” The concert title is taken from Walt Whitman’s poem by the same name and celebrates “America”—both Neil Diamond’s and the West Side Story one by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim.

Tickets are $30 for adults and $15 for students at camprehoboth. org/events.

Lewes Rainbow Social Club: Pride Social June 21, Location + Time TBA Sponsored by CAMP Rehoboth, join the Lewes Rainbow Social Club for a social during June to show your Pride. The location for the social will be shared closer to the event.

Pride through Play: Unlock Your Creativity Through Improv!

Wednesday, June 24, 2-4 p.m.

This two-hour in-person workshop is the perfect opportunity to dip your toes into the exciting world of improv. Presented by Highwire Improv, the workshop begins with friendly introductions followed by a boundary check-in, ensuring a held space for exploration and creativity.

Through a series of lively improv warm-ups, attendees will discover the joy of letting go, embracing the present moment, and trusting instincts. Highwire Improv’s

experienced instructor will lead folks through a variety of games and exercises that foster teamwork, quick thinking, and adaptability. As participants dive into scenes, they will experience the thrill of creating stories and characters on the spot.

This workshop is specifically designed for individuals who are new to improv, so no prior experience is required. Consider this an invitation to explore the world of improv, unleash creativity, and discover the power of spontaneous collaboration.

Pride in the Courtyard— Celebrating CAMP Rehoboth’s 35th Anniversary Friday, June 26, 4-6 p.m.

Celebrate Pride with CAMP Rehoboth at a social in the CAMP Rehoboth Courtyard and ElkinsArchibald Atrium. This year, Pride in the Courtyard will pay special tribute to CAMP Rehoboth’s 35th anniversary, celebrating over three decades of community building and the center’s transformative legacy in building a culture of understanding and cooperation in Rehoboth Beach and throughout the southern Delaware region.

Pride in the Courtyard will feature music, entertainment, and a space to make connections with friends new and old. Light refreshments will be provided. Donations accepted. Register in advance. ▼

RUBY

Chris Bowers

Polly Donaldson

EMERALD

Connie Fox & Donna Adair

Tammy Smith & Associates

Dr. Nancy & Mrs.Tora Kennedy

Susan Kutliroff & Barbara Snyder

Carole and Judy Jesiolowski

Chris Lay & Dr. Mari Blackburn

Sherri McGee & Kris Aulenbach

SUPPORTING

Kenneth Currier & Mike Tyler

David & Marti Garrett

Leslie Ledogar & Marilyn Hewitt

Bryce Lingo & Shaun Tull Team

Evelyn Maurmeyer in memory of Natalie Moss

Sandra Pace & Barbara Passikoff

Kim Parks & Sharon Denny

Teri Seaton

Kim Witmer

Debbie Woods & Leslie Sinclair

Above The Dunes

Aqua Bar & Grill

Bethany Blues

Big Chill Surf Cantina

Colleen Clark

DJ Peggy Castle

DJ Nan

DJ Sunshine

First State Brewing Company

Freddie’s Beach Bar

Kiwi’s Kove

Mama’s Black Sheep

The Listening Booth

Regina Sayles

Sapphic Lit Pop Up Book Store

Surf Bagel

Thompson Island Grill

Chris Allison

Trudy Albrecht

Randy Amoyen

Karen Anderson

Judith Ashbrook

Wanda Ashbrook

Mary Backer

Chris Beagle

Michael Beigay

Celeste Beaupre

Crystal Beckwith

Karen Black

Deborah Bosick

Logan Braden

Joe Burton

Jett Butterworth

Mary Ann Brewer

Kathleen Callahan

THANK YOU VOLUNTEERS FOR SUPPORTING WOMEN’S+ FEST 2026!

Monica Chmielewski

Daniel Clark

Barbara Clipper

Chuck Connolly

Susan D’Addario

Jeff Dannis

Melissa Danskin

Mike DeFlavia

Karen DeSantis

Karen Doctor

Lissa Dulany

Brenda Dunn

Dawn Dupre

Sue Ebbitt

Eric Engberg

Mark Eubanks

Logan Farro

Connie Fox

Kate Galloway

Marvin Garcia

Susan Green

Leslie Hegamaster

Leslie Jennings

Andrew Keller

Shelley Kingsbury

Michael Kluk

Lisa Koenigsberg

Patricia Krupa

Karen Laitman

Eleanor Lloyd

Kim Lokhard

Liz Lokhard

Teddi Lowery

Tina Maddox

Teresa Madonna

Michelle Manfredi

Robb Mapou

Ann Maresca

Nancy Maresca

Christa Marks

Jim Mease

Sherri McGee

Andrea Miller

Milan Mladjan

Meg Morgan

Julie Neymeyer

Pat Nickols

Maggie Ottato

Denise Page

Rochelle Parks

Joanie Pegler

Kevin Pelland

Rina Pellegrini

Deb Quinton

Amelia Riley

Paula Roberts

Elizabeth Rois

Larry Rosen

Karen Rubin-Hamilton

Maria Scanapieco

Teri Seaton

Doug Sellers

Shauna Severo

Kelly Sheridan

Susan Shollenberger

Kim Smitas

Laurie Snyder

Heather Standish

Barb Thompson

Jennifer Varone

S. Hope Vella

Mark Von Stein

Sherrie Walker

Gloria Walls

Zip Warmerdam

Lee Whitehead

Kim Witmer

Melanie Yackel

Women’s+ FEST 2026

25 Years of Celebrating the Feminine Spirit

For an event to succeed year after year, it must be pretty special. Women’s+ FEST has been special from its beginning as a half-day conference at the Rehoboth Beach Library in 2001 to the multi-day extravaganza that this year drew 3,000 people. People from all over the Mid-Atlantic region and beyond gathered over four sunny days of fun and connection in the spirit of inclusivity, empowerment, and community. And while there were those who smiled knowingly as Fay Jacobs took Friday night’s attendees through 25 years of memories, there were also those who were just starting to create their own FEST memories.

GEORGETTE KRENKEL WELCOME DANCE

The tone was set for the 25th anniversary Women’s+ FEST at Thursday night’s welcome dance, where attendees watched a retrospective slideshow. Newcomers as well as old hands marveled at the event’s evolution while they looked for old friends and began to make new ones.

CULTURE

en-full) a cappella ensemble. And let’s not forget the remarkable opportunity to hear Ashley Carothers, former executive director of the Modern Military Association of America, discuss policy developments affecting LGBTQ+ service members and veterans, ongoing challenges facing the community, and emerging advocacy priorities at the federal and state levels.

EXPO

An estimated 1,000 people attended this year’s expo, which has become the place for must-have products, services, and information.

Women’s+ FEST offered a buffet of cultural treasures, from a well-attended art show that demonstrated the tremendous talent in our community to a reappearance of the pop-up Sapphic Bookstore, which offered an opportunity to chat with authors and find some great reads. New this year was WomenKind, CAMP Rehoboth Chorus’s wonderful (and wom-

ENTERTAINMENT

Friday night’s crowd loved Mina Hartong’s comedy and energy. It was just the right balance of bawdy and disarmingly hilarious, proving her title as “Miss Personality.” Yoli Mayor earned rave reviews for her soulful take on sexuality, identity, and community. A highlight was her revealing that she was conceived at the beach to the music of

“I felt a sense of appreciation and an abundance of love that women can come together and bond and connect through sports, music, entertainment, laughter, and dancing.”

ROBIN BRENNAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CAMP REHOBOTH

Sade, and that her origin story informs her artistry. Both entertainers could be seen around town, enjoying Women’s+ FEST and giving participants a chance to interact with them. Yoli even gave a surprise performance at the drag brunch.

AUCTION

The FEST live auction is always electrifying and this year, bidders really stepped up, raising $20K to support CAMP Rehoboth programs and services. Special shoutouts go to longtime supporter Olivia Travel, auctioneer Lorne Crawford, and one of the highest bidders, Suzanne Krupa, who helped bring the energy to encourage audience participation and generous philanthropy.

PARTNER EVENTS

FEST has grown to include many community partners—local organizations, businesses, and venues in and around Rehoboth Beach. Partners offered activities such as drag bingo, a drag brunch, sports events, and other opportunities for fun during FEST weekend.

DANCE

Silver shined bright at the FEST Silver Anniversary Dance on Saturday, with silver dresses, blouses, scarves, capes, and even overalls seen on the floor. Silver shimmered from the ceiling, dangled down the walls, and reflected around the room, courtesy of the disco ball.

ACCESSIBILITY

When CAMP Rehoboth Executive Director Robin Brennan asked for feedback at FEST, she got lots of great responses. But she said, “I got the biggest compliments about accessibility, and that’s what I think of when I talk about inclusion…. It’s not just in our demographics, it’s everything.” What a great team we have!

FAREWELL SOCIAL

The farewell is always bittersweet, and the tribute to Christine Havrilla was particularly poignant, but it provided a way for attendees to share stories, talk about how much fun they had, exchange contact info with new friends, and begin to look forward to next year. More than one person was heard saying, “CAMP Rehoboth sure throws a great party!” ▼

Aging Gracelessly

Not So Easy in the Great Big Easy

This was what democracy and binge-drinking looked like.

Several weeks ago, I visited New Orleans for my annual writer’s conference with the Saints and Sinners Literary Festival. The event coincided with the last No Kings Day protests and also the very, very worst airport for TSA walk-outs and national travel hellscape. I had a great time anyway.

I was in the New Orleans French Quarter with fellow Letters scribe Eric Peterson, enjoying writers’ discussions, readings, hosting a humor panel, and relishing the dining and drinking orgy that is Nola.

From Gumbo and Po’ Boys to powdered sugar-covered beignets, Hurricane cocktails to dangerously strong Cosmos, we reveled with dear writer friends and partied like it was 2006 and my first time in the Big Easy.

For 2026 me, it was more like the Big Queasy.

At my age, I quickly learned to order 100 percent Prosecco—just a splash of orange juice and Mimosa reflux would take me; even mild red beans and rice warranted a four-Tums chaser; and the gayborhood bars, once seemingly steps from the hotel, were actually 2,300 steps away. Finally, it turns out doing the 9:00 p.m. boozy Bourbon Street shuffle becomes 7:00 a.m. sciatica.

Confession! I did not answer Bourbon Street’s nightly call from balconies of gathered revelers to show my tits in exchange for brightly colored beads. Not in 2006 or any Nola visit since. I do have a post-Hurricane Katrina t-shirt saying “Show Me Your Tits and in Six Weeks FEMA will Send You Your Beads.” But throughout history, my breasts have remained private.

By the Saturday morning of our visit, Eric and I determined we must be represented at national No Kings Day. We researched the rally location and headed out. Among the morning tourist hoards we were the only ones in the French Quarter with protest signs. Everyone else was already guzzling booze or buying

souvenirs. Nobody even noticed two lone resisters.

We nabbed a taxi, headed to Louis Armstrong Park, and when dropped off got a delightful $20 surprise. “No fare,” said the cabbie, “it’s my treat to support your protest. I’d be there if I could.”

By the Saturday morning of our visit, Eric and I determined we must be represented at national No Kings Day.

Way to go big, bushy-bearded white dude in a Saints football jersey.

The rally against DC’s sinners was electric, with politicians, jazz singers, trombone players, chanting, cheering, and a cross-section of folks who looked like America—all of it. Except MAGA-hatted diehards, of course.

It was a massive jumble of humanity spanning multiple age groups, gender expressions, races, and ethnicities. “Power to the People!,” “Will Trade Racists for Refugees,” and “No Kings, PIGGY.”

As the rally wound down, the thousands of resisters lined up for a march. It wasn’t until we called an Uber to extract us that we learned of the six square blocks closed to cars and fortified by barricades and police cruisers.

Fighting our way through the marching throngs, we zigged and zagged in

BY FAY JACOBS

between the masses chanting, “This is what democracy looks like” just to reach a sidewalk. From there, we called Uber guy and trekked, through the barricades, very Les Miserable, for a long, hot, six blocks, to our ride.

Our No Kings Day was joyous, sweaty, exhausting, illuminating, and we were so thrilled to have gone. But lickety-split, we returned to our writer pals, chilled martinis, another Cajun feast, and a Sunday filled with writerly events to close out the conference.

On Monday morning we had to get home.

It didn’t help that Sunday night’s CNN coverage showed abject horror films of nationwide airport chaos caused by unpaid TSA employees calling in sick. And holy crap, New Orleans was highlighted for the very worst of the worst delays, cancellations, six-hour TSA lines, people missing flights, shrieking, crying, cursing in airport hellscape….

For a 9:00 a.m. Monday flight, our friends arranged a taxi for 2:30 a.m.; our Uber would ferry us hungover zombies at o’dark-thirty to an 11:00 a.m. flight.

Meanwhile, at midnight, unbeknownst to us, TSA funding was finally restored by Capitol Hill’s sinners and every single saintly TSA employee in America rushed to work for Monday morning payday.

Ergo, upon our airport arrival, the TSA line was six times shorter than the line for beignets at Café Dumond’s airport annex.

Checked in by dawn, we snagged a few last Louisiana purchases from the souvenir kiosks, then spent four tedious hours sitting/snoozing at our gate.

Happily home, I’m missing my friends, my gumbo, and a nice cold Hurricane cocktail. And one look at my credit card statement labels me a sinner for sure. But at least I never waved my tits around. ▼

Fay Jacobs is a freelance writer, storyteller, and author of six books of (mostly) comic essays. She has written for the Washington Post, Baltimore Sun, The Advocate, the Washington Blade, Delaware Beach Life, and—for 30 years—Letters.

health+wellness

Expanded Access Is Coming!

Beebe Healthcare and CAMP Rehoboth Announce a Partnership to Expand Access to Patient-Centered Health Services in Downtown Rehoboth Beach

“CAMP Rehoboth looks forward to welcoming Beebe Healthcare to its campus in the heart of the City of Rehoboth Beach.”

ROBIN BRENNAN, DRPH

CAMP REHOBOTH EXECUTIVE

DIRECTOR

Beebe Healthcare and CAMP Rehoboth have formed a new partnership designed to expand convenient access to patient-centered health services in downtown Rehoboth Beach. The partnership will bring clinical care, preventive screenings, care navigation, and health education to residents and visitors in the Nation’s Summer Capital.

“This partnership is a nod to the mission of both organizations as Beebe Healthcare and CAMP Rehoboth serve people of all sexual orientations and gender identities. I am appreciative of the work over the past two years to get this partnership launched,” said Kim Leisey, PhD, former Executive Director for CAMP Rehoboth.

The collaboration will launch in phases, beginning this summer at CAMP Rehoboth’s Health Suite, a space CAMP Rehoboth has long used to support community health needs. Planning is also underway for a larger, expanded clinical space in downtown Rehoboth at 39 Baltimore Avenue.

“This partnership reflects our shared commitment to delivering high-quality care with respect, dignity, and compassion,” said David A. Tam, MD, MBA, CPHE, FACHE, President and CEO of Beebe Healthcare. “By working with CAMP Rehoboth, we’re creating a more accessible entry point to essential services and building a long-term presence that strengthens the health of our community right in the heart of it.”

CARE TO START THIS SUMMER

Beebe will occupy CAMP Rehoboth’s Health Suite, located at the rear of the CAMP Rehoboth Courtyard. The Health Suite is expected to operate primarily by appointment, with some same-day availability as scheduling permits. Scheduling and operating hours will be shared at a later date and may expand over time based on community needs and seasonal demand.

“CAMP Rehoboth looks forward to welcoming Beebe Healthcare to its campus in the heart of the City of Rehoboth Beach,” said Robin Brennan, DrPH, Executive Director at CAMP Rehoboth. “Through a strong partnership, CAMP Rehoboth will ensure that clinical services will not only be accessible, but affirming, to advance the health, safety, and belonging for all.”

Care at the Health Suite will continue HIV and STI screening and related counseling, informed by the needs of the LGBTQ+ community and available to all patients. It will also expand prevention options, including plans for a pharmacy-led PrEP program, which would be the first of its kind in Delaware.

The model is intended to allow qualified clinical pharmacists, in coordination with Beebe’s medical team, to support PrEP initiation and follow-up care. Telehealth options may be incorporated as the program develops.

“This partnership reflects our shared commitment to delivering high-quality care with respect, dignity, and compassion…”

Initial services planned through the Health Suite and partnership programming include:

→ HIV screening and related counseling

→ STI screening and related testing

→ PrEP support

→ Vaccinations

→ Care coordination, navigation, and referrals

→ Health education and outreach developed in collaboration with the community

“This partnership allows us to build on the trusted services this community

“This partnership is a nod to the mission of both organizations as Beebe Healthcare and CAMP Rehoboth serve people of all sexual orientations and gender identities.”

has relied on from both Beebe and CAMP Rehoboth for years,” said Bill Chasanov, DO, Chief Health Systems Design Officer, Beebe Healthcare. “By continuing HIV and STI testing and counseling while expanding prevention options, including a pharmacy-led PrEP program, we’re making it easier for people to access timely, clinically appropriate prevention care. We’re focused on lowering barriers and making the process clear, respectful, and patient-centered from the first appointment forward.”

Patients will receive care through Beebe’s licensed clinical team in an environment that prioritizes privacy and respectful, supportive interactions. Beebe and CAMP Rehoboth will share clear information about scheduling, privacy protections, and available options for coverage and financial assistance, so individuals can make informed choices about their care.

LET’S STAY CONNECTED!

All of CAMP Rehoboth’s programs, services, and events are listed here: camprehoboth.org/ events-calendar/. Please visit the site often to ensure you have up-to-date information on what is being offered—and when

Care is available to all patients and will be provided in accordance with applicable patient privacy and nondiscrimination require ments.

health+wellness

PLANNING UNDERWAY FOR EXPANDED DOWNTOWN SPACE

In addition to the Health Suite, Beebe and CAMP Rehoboth are advancing plans for an expanded clinical space at 39 Baltimore Avenue.

Renovation planning is underway, and the organizations will share updates as permitting and construction timelines progress.

“The City of Rehoboth Beach is delighted to see accessible healthcare services becoming available within our city limits,” said City Manager Taylour Tedder. “This has long been a gap and will make a meaningful difference for residents and visitors seeking medical care. We are deeply grateful to CAMP and Beebe for their partnership and commitment.”

The expanded downtown clinical space is being planned to support yearround care and additional services that may include:

• Primary care year-round for all, with operational flexibility to meet seasonal demand and support timely access to care during peak months

• Behavioral health access when

possible, including the potential for rotating specialists based on community needs and available space

• A dedicated telehealth exam room to help patients connect with specialty care without leaving Rehoboth Beach

• Limited Lab Express services

This phased approach allows care to begin sooner in the Health Suite while longer-term renovation plans progress for an expanded clinical footprint downtown.

“This project is a testament to the relationship and vision building undertaken over the years between CAMP Rehoboth, the City, Beebe, and the community we all serve. I am deeply appreciative of our prior Executive Director, Kim Leisey, for helping shepherd this project to this point,” said Leslie Ledogar, CAMP Rehoboth Board President.

“This project is also a testament to the generosity and commitment of our members, donors, and supporters,” Ledogar continued. “It is because of the unwavering support of our community that we can make this groundbreaking, first-of-its-kind project a reality in Rehoboth Beach.” ▼

Youth Crisis Support: Crisis intervention services for children under 18. Parents and caregivers are connected to a crisis clinician. Available 24/7. Call 800-9694357 or text DE to 741-741.

988: Free, confidential support and resources for anyone in distress. Available 24/7. Call 988.

Delaware Hope Line: Free coaching and support. Links to mental health, addiction, and crisis services. Available 24/7. Call 833-9-HOPEDE (833946-7333).

Medical Foundation

Sounding Off

Anti-trans Sentiment Is on the Rise

Every letter in the acronym “LGBTQ+” is equally important, as well as the plus. But a growing number of individuals and organizations, including the US government, are trying to eliminate the TQ+ from the conversation and focus only on the LGB.

Since the start of the second term of Donald Trump in 2025, federal policy has increasingly narrowed recognition of LGBTQ+ identities by formally redefining sex as strictly binary and removing gender identity from federal law, data collection, and program design.

Executive orders have directed agencies to recognize only “male” and “female,” effectively eliminating federal acknowledgment of transgender, nonbinary, and intersex people and rolling back prior nondiscrimination protections tied to gender identity.

These changes have extended to the symbolic and bureaucratic level, including the removal of gender identity questions from hundreds of federal datasets and, in many cases, the stripping of the “TQ+” from government references to LGBTQ+ communities.

This erasure not only reduces visibility but also impacts access to healthcare, funding, and legal protections, contributing to a broader climate in which transgender people are singled out within both policy and public discourse.

A report by GLAAD surveyed 932 antiLGBTQ+ incidents between 2024-25, and 52 percent specifically targeted transgender and gender nonconforming people. The incidents included violent attacks that caused 84 injuries and 10 deaths. People of color suffered disproportionately and were victims of eight of the 10 fatal attacks.

These numbers are alarming, especially considering these individuals represent such small percentages of the general population.

And, these trends are global. The European Union’s Agency for Fundamental Rights found that violence against trans, nonbinary, and gender diverse peo-

ple has sharply increased since 2019. How is hate festering?

It’s become easier to spread hate online, GLAAD reported, because of hate speech policy rollbacks from major platforms like Meta and YouTube. And, when hate speech is reported, platforms fail to step up and properly mitigate.

Every letter in the acronym “LGBTQ+” is equally important, as well as the plus.

Human Rights Watch and FBI reports show increasing anti-trans hate crimes in parallel with legislative and media attacks. During the 2024 election cycle alone, politicians spent nearly $215 million on anti-trans advertisements across network television, underscoring the scale and intensity of messaging directed at transgender issues.

The scariest part is that there are members of the LGBTQ+ community who have become increasingly trans-phobic and anti-queer, too. And in recent months, they’re getting more vocal.

And words aren’t just words. They have real impact.

Transgender, nonbinary, and gender-diverse people face a heightened risk of homelessness, unemployment, and mental health crises. Studies consistently show that LGBTQ+ youth, particularly trans youth of color, experience much

BY STEPHEN RASKAUSKAS

higher rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide attempts than their cisgender peers.

When society, government, and even parts of the LGBTQ+ community itself send the message that these identities are invalid, it impacts every social space, from schools and workplaces to online environments.

Access to healthcare remains one of the most urgent basic human rights we need to protect. Clinics that provide gender-affirming care are under threat from state and federal restrictions, while insurance policies increasingly exclude coverage for essential care. For many, this means delaying or foregoing care entirely, leading to preventable suffering.

Countless other routine tasks, like updating documents or seeking employment, can become fraught with discrimination, harassment, or outright denial of services. These systemic obstacles reinforce a hateful message that society values some lives less than others.

We can do better.

Allies within and outside the LGBTQ+ community play a vital role, whether by amplifying trans voices, confronting prejudice in their own circles, or pushing back against harmful legislation.

But, if we aren’t doing our part to protect our own community, how can we expect others to fight for and with us? We can’t.

Online, the instinct to respond to every harmful comment is understandable, but not always effective. Engagement is most useful when there is a persuadable audience. If misinformation is spreading in a space where others may be influenced, a calm, factual response can interrupt the narrative. If someone is clearly trolling, harassing, or repeating debunked talking points, blocking, muting, or reporting is not “losing.” It’s protecting your energy.

In person, support often looks quieter but carries more weight. In social settings, that can mean correcting someone who misgenders a person, even when that person isn’t present. It can mean inter-

Continued on page 28

Do you tinkle when you laugh, sneeze, cough, or exercise?

Do you constantly wake up at night to go to the bathroom?

Do you feel like you need to pee, but can’t go once you try?

Do you sometimes just can’t get to the bathroom quick enough?

Do you carry around extra underwear, just in case?

Do you notice blood in your urine?

Do you feel pain when you start to go to the bathroom?

Is your worry starting to take over your daily life?

Brandywine Urology Consultant’s Dr. Alice Y. Wang, MD, is Fellowship trained in Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery who, depending on your symptoms, can provide a variety of treatment options ranging from lifestyle changes, minimally invasive treatments or surgical operations. Dr. Wang is accepting male and female patients in all three offices. Please contact the office today to schedule your conversation with Dr. Wang.

Brandywine Urology Consultants, Delaware’s leading urological practice, delivers comprehensive urological solutions for men and women enabling them to remain in Delaware throughout the duration of their treatment. Brandywine Urology Consultants team of Surgeons and Advanced Practice Providers specializes in urinary cancer care, reproductive and sexual health, bladder and kidney dysfunction, chronic urinary tract infections and prostate health.

BY CHRISTOPHER MOORE

The Unfinished Lessons of Harvey Milk

Harvey Milk is often remembered as history, and that is part of the problem.

He has been cast in bronze, written into books, and quoted in ways that make him feel complete and contained. His name is spoken with reverence, as it should be, yet reverence creates distance. It allows us to admire him without fully engaging with what his life still asks of us. When a figure becomes fixed in the past, it becomes easier to believe the work is already done.

But Harvey Milk is not done teaching us.

We are living in a moment when hate is no longer confined to the margins. It is louder, more visible, and in some cases more acceptable. The language shifts and the targets change, but the underlying impulse remains the same. It is the belief that some people should be less visible, less protected, and less free.

Milk understood that impulse, and he understood how to challenge it.

He believed in the power of being seen, not as performance, but as presence. He recognized that invisibility is not neutral but imposed to make exclusion easier to justify. When people are unseen, they are more easily dismissed or erased. To live openly, when one can, disrupts that system by forcing recognition. It shifts the conversation from abstraction to lived reality and makes it more difficult to deny the humanity of those whose lives are already intertwined with our own.

That lesson remains unfinished. Visibility is still contested, and for many people it still carries risk. At the same time, it remains one of the most effective ways to challenge dehumanization, because hate depends on distance, and visibility closes that distance.

Milk also spoke of hope, though not in the way the word is often used. For him, hope was a discipline that required consistency and effort. It demanded that people continue working toward outcomes that were not guaranteed and

remain committed even when progress felt uncertain.

In a time when hate is again visible in explicit ways, that kind of hope is necessary. It allows people to continue building and advocating even when there is no immediate evidence that change is within reach. Hope becomes a refusal to accept that the present moment defines what is possible.

Perhaps the most sobering lesson is that progress is not permanent. Rights that seem secure can be challenged or reversed.

Milk also understood that progress does not happen in isolation. He built alliances across communities, recognizing that struggles for dignity and fairness are interconnected. He understood that injustice rarely operates within neat boundaries, and that it moves across systems and communities.

That lesson feels especially relevant now. Hate gains strength when communities are divided. A meaningful response requires connection, even when that work is difficult. Milk’s approach was grounded in the belief that progress requires people to recognize their shared

stake in one another’s well-being. There was also anger in his work. He spoke with honesty about what was wrong and did not dilute his message. At the same time, he understood that anger alone cannot sustain a movement. While it can spark action, it cannot carry that action forward.

He balanced that anger with a vision of what could be built. Without that balance, anger becomes consuming. With it, anger becomes a catalyst for change.

His life also included joy. There was humor and lightness alongside the seriousness of his work. This was not incidental. Joy provides energy and resilience, and it reminds people why the work matters.

Milk’s path into leadership offers another lesson. He did not wait for perfect conditions or present himself as fully prepared. He stepped forward, learned in public, and continued to grow. His example challenges the idea that leadership requires permission and suggests that it begins with a decision to act.

Perhaps the most sobering lesson is that progress is not permanent. Rights that seem secure can be challenged or reversed. The stories that explain those gains can be softened or erased. Even the individuals who led those efforts can be reshaped into symbols that feel safer and easier to celebrate.

We are seeing that now, not only in policy, but in the way history itself is being revisited and rewritten. There are efforts to minimize or erase the contributions of those who challenged injustice directly.

Harvey Milk is not immune to that process.

To remember him only as a symbol is to lose the urgency of what he stood for. To quote him without engaging his message risks turning his legacy into something ornamental. His life was not meant to be preserved in stillness, but to continue pressing on the present.

If his lessons are to matter, they must be lived.

That means choosing to be visible

Continued on page 28

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Sounding Off

Continued from page 24

rupting jokes or comments that rely on dehumanizing stereotypes, even when it’s uncomfortable. The goal isn’t to escalate every situation into a debate, but to signal clearly that the behavior is unacceptable.

In the workplace, advocacy requires a balance of professionalism and accountability. If policies are exclusionary or unclear, pushing for inclusive language in HR documents, healthcare coverage, and workplace training can create structural change. When a colleague is targeted or misgendered, address it in the moment if it’s safe to do so, or follow up with management or HR. Documentation matters. It’s also important to check in privately with trans coworkers, asking what support looks like for them, and respecting their preferences rather than assuming.

There will be moments when disengagement is the right choice. Not every comment deserves your labor, and not every space is safe to challenge. Being strategic about when to speak up—and when to conserve energy—is part of sustaining longterm advocacy.

Standing up for trans people isn’t always about taking to the streets, writing to politicians, and grand gestures. (Those all are needed!) It’s choosing to say something when it would be easier not to and choosing to listen when someone tells you what support actually looks like. ▼

Stephen Raskauskas is a Sussex County native who has produced content for radio, TV, digital, and print.

Write On!

Continued from page 26

when it is possible and recognizing the responsibility that visibility carries. It means practicing hope as a discipline, especially when the future feels uncertain. It means building connections across communities, even when doing so requires effort. It means speaking clearly about injustice without allowing anger to define the entire vision. It means making space for joy as part of sustaining the work. It means stepping into leadership through action rather than waiting for ideal conditions. It means protecting progress with the understanding that it can be undone.

It also requires a more personal question about responsibility. We cannot become Harvey Milk, nor should we try to replicate his life. What we can do is recognize that the qualities he embodied are not reserved for a single figure in history. They exist in everyday choices, in conversations, and in moments of courage that may never be widely recognized but still matter.

We all have the capacity to carry forward a version of what he represented. Harvey Milk does not belong to the past. Not yet. Not while these lessons remain unfinished, and not while there is still work to do. ▼

Christopher Moore is a writer, a teacher, and a lover of NPR, yoga, abandoned shopping malls, reproductive freedoms, and a man who lives in Toronto. His email is moore.cc@gmail.com.

Photo: Encycopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Harvey-Milk#/ media/1/895071/110671

BY CRAIG ROBERTS

2 ND PLACE

READER’S PANEL COMMENTS

“The School Teacher” drew me in with its sense of atmosphere and the steady way it builds unease. I was intrigued by the narrator’s fascination with a colleague whose devotion to order seems almost admirable at first, but gradually becomes something far more unsettling. The story drew me forward with a mounting sense that something was not quite right, and I appreciated the way it sustains that tension through to its final turn.

“The School Teacher” is a story that begins orderly and precisely and then gradually shifts. It’s a tightly constructed piece with a quietly disturbing payoff. Makes you wonder about a few of those teachers from your past….

“The School Teacher” made me feel like I was on my favorite ride at Funland. Thrilling.

The School Teacher

He lived alone. He preferred it that way. A sixthgrade science teacher at the local middle school, he parked in the same spot in the faculty lot every day—the exact spot. His Jeep backed in, precisely. Other faculty members could set their clocks by it: 7:20 a.m., ready for the school day to begin.

His classroom reflected the same devotion to order. No loose papers on the shelves. Pens and pencils meticulously sorted into their compartments. The students knew what to expect—no diversions from routine, no surprises.

And yet, there was something appealing about him. His quiet reserve. A slight smile that hinted at a mischievous streak. I wanted to know him better. I tried to start conversations, but they were usually short and sweet. Still, I hoped I might break through his reserve. Maybe this semester.

And then it happened. One day, he spoke to me, “What are you doing this weekend?”

I told him. Something ordinary. Coffee. Errands. Nothing worth noting.

He nodded, as if I had confirmed a hypothesis.

On Monday, my weekend was pinned to the bulletin board outside his classroom—typed neatly, broken into hours, annotated in red ink. Coffee at 9:12. Groceries at 10:47. A long walk I didn’t remember taking, marked simply observational run.

I laughed it off. Coincidence. A prank.

But when I looked closer, I saw my handwriting at the bottom, steady and precise, signing my name.

Inside his room, the pens were still aligned. The shelves— immaculate.

He met my eyes and offered that small, knowing smile.

“Routine,” he said softly. “Is just prediction perfected.”

And for the first time, I realized—he hadn’t asked about my weekend to make conversation. He was checking his work.

After that, my attraction didn’t fade—it sharpened.

What once felt like curiosity became fixation. I watched the way he straightened the microscopes before class, how his footsteps matched the bell schedule, how his eyes lingered a second too long, as if measuring me. His quirks no longer unsettled me; they drew me in. I began adjusting my own routines, wondering if he would notice. Hoping he would.

The more I leaned toward him, the more the world seemed to align itself—my days smoothing into predictable arcs, my thoughts circling back to him like runners on a track. I told myself it was affection. Admiration. Something harmless.

Until one afternoon, I arrived early and found him in my classroom.

He was erasing my board. Rearranging my desk. Sliding my chair exactly three inches to the left.

“I took the liberty,” he said calmly, not looking up. “You’ve been drifting.”

It felt as though he had slipped inside my head, rearranged the furniture, and labeled every drawer.

On my desk lay a new schedule—my schedule—weeks mapped out in the same tidy font, my life corrected, optimized. At the bottom, already signed, was my name.

I should have been afraid. Instead, my heart raced.

When I looked up, he finally met my eyes and smiled—no mystery now, no mischief.

“Don’t worry,” he said gently. “You’re right on time.”

And I understood, too late, that my obsession hadn’t grown on its own. It had been carefully taught.

His control spread quietly, the way frost creeps across glass. Not just at school—everywhere. What I ate. When I ran. When I slept, or rather, didn’t.

At night I lay awake, my thoughts no longer mine, each impulse arriving pre-approved, pre-arranged. It felt as though he had slipped inside my head, rearranged the furniture, and labeled every drawer. I would reach for a thought and find it already filed.

I began catching myself mid-action, pausing, wondering: Is this me? Or is this him?

The question became unbearable. So on that Monday—the last Monday before winter break—I decided to act.

Before the first bell. Before the hallways filled with noise and excuses. I approached him as he unlocked his classroom. He looked unsurprised, as if I were exactly where I belonged.

I stepped inside. I closed the door.

And that’s when I noticed—my name already written on the board. Not in chalk, but engraved lightly into the surface, as though it had always been there. Beneath it, today’s objective: Acceptance.

He turned to face me, calm as ever, hands folded, the room

humming softly with the sound of the heating vents clicking on.

“You’re early,” he said.

I looked around, my heart pounding, and saw my routines reflected back at me—my handwriting in his planner, my coffee mug on his desk, my reflection faintly visible in the glass of the cabinet door, standing exactly where he was standing.

I understood then.

He hadn’t been controlling my life. He had been preparing me to take his place.

I tried to scream, but no sound came from my mouth.

In fact, the impulse itself vanished the moment it formed— snuffed out before it could reach my throat. That’s when I knew there was no turning back. The damage had already been done. Not today. Not even recently.

Probably that first day I passed him in the hall. A shared glance. A fractional pause. My mind—my soul—had opened a door without asking who stood on the other side. I had mistaken order for safety, discipline for strength. I had welcomed it, unannounced.

There was nothing left to fight.

So I embraced the inevitable.

I sat at his desk—no, my desk—and felt the fit was perfect, as if it had been waiting for me all along. I unpacked my bag slowly, deliberately. Lesson plans. Attendance sheets. A red pen placed parallel to the edge. I prepared my materials for the day ahead, my hands steady, my breathing even.

I paused only once, adjusting the pencils—aligning them carefully, precisely, in the correct manner.

The bell rang.

And somewhere, deep inside my head, I felt him smile. ▼

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Craig Roberts is a New York–based writer and educator. Born and raised in Allentown, Pennsylvania, he earned his BFA in Acting from Ithaca College, along with two master’s degrees in education from Mercy College and Baruch College.

As a performer, Craig has appeared in a wide range of productions, from The All Night Strut to The Laramie Project. He now travels the country presenting History Time Henry, an interactive musical that brings American history to life for schoolchildren.

Craig currently resides in Greenwood Lake, New York, where he works as a docent at The Museum at Bethel Woods—the historic site of the 1969 Woodstock Music Festival. He enjoys teaching school groups about that transformative moment in music history. ▼

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A Musical Portrait of America

In One Singer’s Own Voice

As the CAMP Rehoboth Chorus prepares for its June concert, “I Hear America Singing,” audiences can expect more than a few hours of patriotic music. Inspired by the poem of the same name by Walt Whitman, the program reflects on the nation’s 250-year journey—not through grand gestures, but through the voices and experiences of everyday Americans.

Performances will take place June 19 and 20 at 7:00 p.m., and June 21 at 3:00 p.m., at Epworth United Methodist Church, Rehoboth Beach.

“The concept grew beyond simple flag waving,” said Artistic Director Doug Yetter. “We wanted to explore the real foundations of our country—immigration, civil rights, the environment, and the conflicts that have shaped who we are.”

For chorus member Michael Resnick, that layered approach resonates deeply. Resnick, who joined the chorus after relocating to coastal Delaware in 2023, brings a lifetime of music, leadership, and lived experience to the ensemble. Born in Arlington, Virginia, and raised in Bethesda, Maryland, he studied music education at the University of Maryland and began his career as a band director in Prince George’s County. “I loved teaching and directing,” he said. “But I was coming out, and it wasn’t the right time to be openly gay in that environment.”

That turning point led him to pivot professionally—first into administrative work, then into a career in technology training that eventually took him into the intelligence community, where he administered learning management systems and supported training efforts around the world.

All the while, music remained a constant.

From performing with the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington to directing a synagogue choir for two decades, Resnick consistently returned to singing—and to the sense of belonging it creates. “When I was coming out, I reflected on

the advice I always gave my high school seniors: to get involved. I needed something to ground me,” he said. “Music was that thing.”

For Resnick, the message is both simple and enduring. “Music has always been my way of connecting,” he said. “And right now, that feels more important than ever.”

That same sense of connection drew him to the CAMP Rehoboth Chorus. “I didn’t know much about the chorus, but I knew people involved,” he said. “I joined, and I was hooked. It’s a way to meet people, to create something together, and to be part of the community.”

The theme of “I Hear America Singing”—balancing reflection with hope—aligns closely with Resnick’s own perspective. While the program acknowledges the complexities of the nation’s history, it ultimately looks forward.

“I hope people walk away feeling hopeful for the future,” Yetter said. “We’ve been through a lot as a country and successfully navigated through those trials.”

BY TRACEY SEABOLT

For Resnick, one of the most powerful aspects of the program is its invitation to connect personally with the music. The song “My Land,” made famous by Celtic Thunder, rings true for him, stirring emotions each time he sings it.

That emotional authenticity is part of what makes the chorus’s performances resonate. Members bring not only musical skill, but also personal stories that shape how the music is experienced— onstage and in the audience. Resnick sees that as especially meaningful in a program centered on national identity. “It’s still our country,” he said, echoing Yetter’s hope to reflect on our history— both the good and the challenges—while being optimistic for the future.

Beyond the music, the chorus reflects the growth of a vibrant arts community in southern Delaware. “I’ve been really impressed with how much the arts scene has grown here,” Resnick said. “It’s exciting to be part of that.”

That sense of connection—between past and present, individual and community—is at the heart of “I Hear America Singing.” “This program is about who we are,” Yetter said. “Not just as a nation, but as individuals and as a community.”

For Resnick, the message is both simple and enduring. “Music has always been my way of connecting,” he said. “And right now, that feels more important than ever.” ▼

Tickets for the June concerts are available at: give.camprehoboth.org/ product/CHORUS-0626/ camp-rehoboth-chorus-i-hearamerica-singing.

Tracey Seabolt relocated with her family from Maryland to southern Delaware in 2017. She joined the CAMP Rehoboth Chorus in 2019 and its a cappella ensemble, WomenKind, in 2025— and found a musical home with both.

Photo: Michael Resnick; credit: Ron Parks

Hear, Hear!

The Mayhem Manifesto

“The category is: dance or die.” The stakes couldn’t be higher. Ultimately, though, the choice is yours to make.

So argues Lady Gaga at The Mayhem Ball, which hit Capital One Arena in Washington, DC on Tuesday, March 24, during the closing leg of the icon’s latest tour. Signature theatrics and remarkable showmanship proved Gaga is at the apex of her powers. Now 20 years into her career, her stage presence feels more confident, and her vision more crystalized than ever.

Through the show, Gaga reconciles with the so-called “Mistress of Mayhem,” or “The Lady in Red,” a physical embodiment of her inner chaos. The Mistress hauntingly threatens Gaga at every turn. The only way out alive? Blood, sweat, glitter, glam, and dancing the devil off your back.

Before she even hit the stage, dueling Gaga halves shared “The Manifesto of Mayhem” on the arena screens. After describing her evil saboteur with delighted cunning, Gaga casts her spellbinding intention for the night, sharing the only escape from the chaos is her art: “Her and I will find a way to live as dueling twins / But I will know, if in the end, Mistress of Mayhem wins.” Cue the chills; the stage is set.

The opening incantation threaded through the opening numbers, as “Bloody Mary” (whose TikTok Wednesday virality set the sonic tone for Gaga’s 2025 Mayhem studio album) segued into last year’s Grammy-nominated hit “Abracadabra.” Not only does her latest signature song lyrically reinforce the show’s world-building by namechecking “The Lady In Red” and the choice between “death or love,” it’s also a hard-hitting, techno raver—a call-back to Born This Way’s industrial edge, and a full-body endorphin rush—hitting the best criterion for opening a setlist: getting the crowd to its feet, and fast.

When Lady Gaga hit the scene in 2008, her tour sensibilities indulged in

a sense of grandeur. Throughout The Fame Monster Ball from 2009-2011, she fought a 1,300-pound angler fish puppet every night—which required a 1.5-ton counterweight to float above the stage and acted as the titular “fame monster” seeking to destroy her.

At The Mayhem Ball, Gaga reclaimed the indulgent maximalism she’d shied away from for the past decade. Acting as the puppet master atop a two-story giant red dress—measuring approximately 24.6 feet tall—the 300 yards of fabric opened to reveal an opera house with dancers ready to perform at her bidding. Quite literally, Gaga loomed bigger than ever.

…the ballad offered a tender hug in its earnest plea to live authentically and unabashedly.

The maximalist tendencies extended beyond the set design and costumes. As Act 1 continued, Gaga’s performance reveled in melodrama. A particular highlight was the first meeting of the dueling Gagas during “Poker Face.” “What are you doing here?” one asks the other, before answering with a High Camp scream and the single’s instantly recognizable, four-count synth.

Indeed, the show’s biggest highlights were when Lady Gaga confronted her inner chaos directly. Since her debut, Gaga’s themes remain cyclical. Trappings of fame, the twisted nature of self-mythology, and forgiving past lives all resurfaced. During the rock-tinged “Perfect Celebrity,” Lady Gaga laid in a sandy burial ground, exorcising her skeletons and past eras. Elsewhere, “Paparazzi” offered stunning staging as a runway-length cape illuminated in rainbow colors and metallic crutches got tossed as a nod to show Gaga as the victor of her own story. Thankfully, the show balanced these beautifully labored highlights with playful fun. After all, outside of its hard-hit-

BY MATTY BROWN

ting edge, Mayhem also shimmers in bright 80s bombast. Gaga took that energy to the stage during stompers like “Zombieboy” and “LoveDrug,” which recalled the charming whimsy of her debut—so much so, in fact, that Gaga dug out the groovy, cult classic “Summerboy” for longtime fans.

Yet, “Killah” proved the best marriage of Gaga’s clashing rockist and poptimist sensibilities. Here, French DJ producer Gesaffelstein’s galloping electric guitar licks filled the arena, and with Gaga’s cheeky, Bowie-esque delivery (plus another High Camp scream moment), it felt like a perfect synthesis of Gaga’s artistry and where she could head next.

It’s worth noting that, like many modern pop concerts, these moments were spoiled for me well in advance. Between the livestreamed 2025 Coachella set, and in an era where tour clips fill algorithms, I knew what was coming. Still, nothing beats a live show. In our digital age, pop stars like Gaga are delivering tight, spectacularly cohesive theatrical sets, where the energy of the room defines the experience.

Plus, an acoustic section of the show rotated fan favorites each night, inviting a perfect dose of anticipation. Once there, Gaga took to the piano to play an acoustic, rousing rendition of 2011’s “Hair.” As a queer anthem and longtime personal favorite—and amid the rest of the show’s dramatics—the ballad offered a tender hug in its earnest plea to live authentically and unabashedly. Certainly, it’s moments like this that cement Lady Gaga as the premier pop diva of my lifetime.

Then, in reconciling warring selves, The Mayhem Ball asked audiences to make their own choice in the great ultimatum—and death is not really an option. So, let’s dance the pain away. Lady Gaga sure knows how to offer just the space to do so. ▼

Matty Brown is Communications Manager at CAMP Rehoboth.

It’s

My Life

Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

Well, I’m not dead.

As you may recall, at the end of last month’s column, I was scheduled to have cardiac ablation. That occurred without incident. The worst part was having to be shaved, which left me looking from the neck down like a chunky twink doing daddy cosplay. The best part is that for the first time in years my heart rate is under control.

They used intense cold to freeze parts of my heart wall, so now I’m referring to myself as Snow Miser, the character from The Year Without a Santa Claus Cubby is already weary of me humming the associated song and saying, “I’m too much!” whenever I walk through a room. The fact that he physically resembles Snow Miser’s brother/nemesis, Heat Miser, makes it all the more hilarious to me, and annoying to him.

Since I’m not dead, I now need to find something else to worry about instead of the possibility of my heart exploding. Fortunately, there are a lot of options. There are lots of medical bills to be paid. It’s swarm season for the bees (we’ve had three already) and they need collecting. Mayor-ing provides a long list of options. If you’ve never woken up in the middle of the night wondering where you’re going to find three million dollars to fix your village’s aging water delivery system, I highly recommend it if you enjoy fretting. Still, it’s a little strange to have such a major stressor crossed off the list. My condition wasn’t imminently life threatening, but it was getting worse and there was always the possibility that things would end badly. I mean, something has to be the reason for moving on, and I figured this would be mine. And it still could be. But for now, my heart is one of the least of my worries.

When I thought maybe my time was limited, I decided to Get Things Done. You know, the writing projects that have lingered. The things around the house that need fixing. Making lists for Cubby of where things are, who to call for this

and that, where the gold is buried in the back yard. The day before my ablation procedure, I sent a couple of people in my life messages saying, “In case I don’t wake up, I want you to know how much I appreciate you.” I probably should have sent follow-ups letting them know things went well. I’ll remember that for next time.

Without the threat of an unpredictable heart, things didn’t seem so pressing. I can get to them later, I told myself.

Not 48 hours after my procedure, I was mowing the yard as if it was any other Tuesday. While marveling at the wonders of modern medicine, I also found my determination to Get Things Done fading a bit. Without the threat of an unpredictable heart, things didn’t seem so pressing. I can get to them later, I told myself.

I think this is probably the wrong attitude to take. I should still be inspired to do all those things before something else comes along to prevent me from doing them. Maybe it’s human nature to retreat from the pressure of completing things, though, a way to pretend we’re never actually going to run out of time.

One of our neighbors really is facing the end of his life right now. I talked to him after my procedure and felt just a little bit guilty that my health problem was fixable, while his is not. He said, “I’ve had a good life. I worked hard, made some friends, and figure a couple of people might miss me when I’m gone. What else can a man ask for?” That is an excellent question. I imagine the answer is different for each of us, and worth considering. If I knew I was absolutely dying soon, would I be content with how I’ve lived? Or would I look at that list of uncompleted things and wish I’d made different choices?

BY MICHAEL THOMAS FORD

I once had dinner with another writer friend, someone far more well-known and commercially successful than myself, and we were commiserating about the horrors of the publishing life. At one point I said, “Of course none of this matters after we’re dead.”

My friend looked horrified. “I can’t even think about that,” he said. “My worst fear is that people won’t talk about my books after I’m dead. If I’m forgotten, what was the point of any of it?”

I was tempted to tell him all the things about him that are more important than his books being talked about after his death, but I didn’t. We all need different things from our lives, and who am I to interfere with someone else’s neuroses anyway? After dinner, he asked if we could walk around until someone recognized him, which we did. It seemed to cheer him up.

So, what am I doing now that my lease has been extended? Well, as I mentioned, there have been bee swarms to collect. And the other day I spent a gratifying amount of time reading about the theft of Madonna’s underpants from her dressing room at Coachella. I did fix the faulty fan in the bathroom, or at least hired our friend Chuck to do it, which is the same thing. And the other night when I woke up worrying about that three million dollars I need to find to fix the village’s water pipes, I paused to enjoy the fact that my heart rate was unbothered.

I did start a new book project this week. We’ll see how that goes. In the meantime, I’m going to see how the search for Madonna’s panties is going. ▼

Michael Thomas Ford is a much-published Lambda Literary award-winning author. Visit Michael at michaelthomasford.com.

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Words Matter

Your Guide to a Better Beach Day

Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial start to beach season, and after the winter we’ve had along the Mid-Atlantic, I am pretty sure we are all ready for warmer weather, brighter days, and kisses from the ocean breeze. I admit that I haven’t always been a “beach person,” but over time I’ve come to love it and realized that part of the journey was simply about me embracing the moment and loving myself. Here are five recommendations from my journey that may also help you truly enjoy your time at the beach.

1. Embrace whatever body you bring to the beach. If you have been hitting the gym hard since January and look like the Instagram fitness, thirst-trapping influencer you’ve been following, or if you’ve taken a break from your exercise routine and put on a couple of pounds, it doesn’t matter. All bodies are beach bodies. All bodies are beautiful, including yours.

So, what—you didn’t pack six-pack abs to stroll the sand with? As long as you brought your positive attitude and good vibes. Instead of coming to the foot of the ocean to confine ourselves and conform to any one traditional standard of beauty, use it as an opportunity to admire the diversity of all the shapes, sizes, and colors of what the universe has placed in our sight.

2. Build a castle. Yes, borrow a bucket from a friend (or their children), or just use some old cups and bowls you bring from home, and spend a little time building a sandcastle. It sounds childish, but that is exactly the point. Engaging in youthful play that challenges us to be creative and use our imagination to make something out of just the sand, water, and shells in front of us can help us tap into a different kind of curiosity, joy, and freedom we don’t always get to experience in our adult lives.

One of my favorite summer activities has become an annual sandcastle-building competition between a friend and me. We set a timer for 15–20 minutes and rush to construct a structure that we hope

BY CLARENCE FLUKER

I haven’t always been a “beach person,” but over time I’ve come to love it…

can beat our opponent’s. We ask people nearby whom we don’t know to act as judges. Our guest judges are always amused—I think they enjoy the idea of judging just as much as we enjoy doing it. It’s a nice way to spread joy.

I’m also known for bringing bubbles to the beach. In an excerpt from the book he co-authored, Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul, Dr. Stuart Brown, founder and president of the National Institute for Play, said, “I have found that remembering what play is all about and making it part of our daily lives are probably the most important factors in being a fulfilled human being. The ability to play is critical not only to being happy, but also to sustaining social relationships and being a creative, innovative person.”

Unstructured time to explore, be silly, and foster social connections can be hard to come by as an adult on a day-to-day basis, so when the time does present itself, we must seize it.

3. Listen to the waves. It is very common to go to the beach, and no sooner than feeling settled on your blanket or in your chair, someone pulls out a Bluetooth speaker to play music. I love music and think it can really complement the beach experience. I also think it is okay to sit quietly and absorb the sounds of the water and the natural environment

surrounding you. Carving out some beach time to center yourself in the moment and the space can be refreshing to your mind, body, and spirit.

4. Talk to a stranger. While talking to people we don’t know is the exact opposite of what we were taught by our parents, we’re adults now and (should) all have a little better discernment about choosing when and when not to speak to people we don’t already know. Striking up a conversation with someone or a group of people, with no other motive than just to chat, adds to the community-building element of the excursion. Unlike bars or clubs, beaches may provide an atmosphere more conducive to approaching someone for casual conversation and making a new friend just for the day or weekend. You may even meet a new permanent beach buddy.

5. Stay for the sunset. Let the day end slowly. Watch the sky shift, reflect on what you received, and leave the beach carrying a little more peace within. There is a blessing in the sunset. ▼

Clarence J. Fluker is a public affairs and social impact strategist. Since 2008, he’s also been a contributing writer for Swerv, a lifestyle periodical celebrating African American LGBTQ+ culture and community. Follow him on Instagram: @Mr_CJFluker.

Be a Sport!

BY CONNIE FOX

The Women’s+ FEST SPORTS PAGE

This page, clockwise: Pickleball players: Hope Halleck, Janet Redman, Gina Delzio, Deb Hall, Diane Emblem, Norma Williams, Shelia Cockburn, Sherri Richardson, Marci Mule. Evie Simmons Golf Tournament: Barb Thompson, Leslie Ledogar.

What a fabulous weekend for sports! OK, a little cool for golf, but no rain! Lots of smiles, lots of really good play, and lots of casual play for fun.

More than 200 women participated in sports this year, with over 50 volunteers running the sports. A special thank-you to sports coordinators Dawn Dupree and Barb Thompson for the 18-hole Evie Simmons Memorial Golf Tournament, to Rina Pelligrini and Chuck Connolly for pickleball, to Susan Schollenberger for the G Linda Rikard 9-hole golf, and again to Rina Pelligrini (yes, double duty!) for cornhole, assisted by volunteer Mike DeFlavia. And the winners are:

18-HOLE EVIE SIMMONS MEMORIAL GOLF TOURNAMENT

1st place team: BJ Ferguson, Carol Miller, Sharon Conover and Maryann Veitch, at 11 under par!

Longest drive: Jen Leonard

Closest to the pin: Linda Kauffman and Lisa Orem (two holes used)

Closest to the line: Suzanne Furman

PICKLEBALL

(played in three Flights representing ability levels)

A FLIGHT WINNERS:

Gold: Cindy Murphy and Jamie Whiting

Silver: Kathleen Dougherty and L’Oréal Endy

Bronze: Carey Buck and Taylor Swain

Stars: Pam Coupe and Susan Greally

B FLIGHT WINNERS:

Gold: Marianne Sheridan and Julia Orza

Silver: Fran Liebowitz and Jane Souweine

Bronze: Teddie Dyson and Leigh Kidd

Stars: Sherri Richman and Marcia Mule

C FLIGHT WINNERS:

Gold: Jackie Grandchamps and Gail Conti

Silver: Laura Kump and Sandi Rossi

Bronze: Diane Corsi and Deb Murray

Stars: Hope Halleck and Kay Sledge

More than 200 women participated in sports this year, with over 50 volunteers running the sports.

9-HOLE G LINDA RIKARD MEMORIAL GOLF TOURNAMENT

1st place team: Lexi Gardner, Kaye Sullivan, Peggy Castle, and Lisa Moseley

Runners-up: Erin Reed, Joann Davis, Kelly Sabol, and Donna Talla

Closest to the pin: Dee Dye

Longest drive: Carolyn Cole

Putting contest was hotly competitive! After four rounds, it was declared a tie between Julie Tagen and Barb Mahoney.

CORNHOLE

1st place: Jaeron Rae-Dukes and Rita Szczeblewski

2nd place: Kathleen Barkas and Tea Leens

3rd place: Mariah Burton-Nelson and Elaine Picarello

On a more personal note—it has been my pleasure to coordinate FEST sports for the last eight years. I’ve worked with some incredible women to plan and execute sports for the weekend. As I move on to other endeavors, I want to thank all those women. It has been a blast! ▼

Celebrity Interview

A Chat with Lady Bunny

If it’s one thing Lady Bunny is never short on, it’s opinions. Whether it’s Pamela Anderson, drag queen story hour, or who could play her in a biopic, Bunny’s opinions remain directly pointed and raucously hilarious. We recently sat down to chat about the state of drag today and what Lady Bunny could possibly still have left to do in her career.

MICHAEL COOK: Like drag performers, the trans community today remains such a polarizing topic and an easy mark for the extremists as well….

LADY BUNNY: I don’t think that the Republicans really have the nerve at this point to attack gay people, so they’re attacking a tiny group. I think some of these wedge issues are because neither party has a great record on the economy so we can fight over these issues. It’s like the bathroom issue; I saw this the other day: two doors, two restrooms, and on each door, it has a male and a female, anyone can use it. So, honey, single occupancy bathrooms are the answer to the whole debate.

MC: When you see the issues the community is facing today as opposed to the ones that you faced, are the differences very striking?

LB: When I was coming up, the issues were AIDS and how to stay alive and how to get treatment. The next issue was gays in the military, and then the next one was marriage equality. It definitely hits a little differently from my age group because coming up in the 60s and 70s in a liberal household during the sexual liberation, gays started to be accepted more…. One thing I heard a lot from straight people back then, a common attitude was, “well, you could be gay, but just don’t shove it in our face.” So today, having grown up hearing that, it makes me a little bit sensitive.

MC: The reasons you talk about are exactly why what you do is so important. In polarizing times like today, laughing is absolutely crucial. Speaking of, you tried Ozempic?

LB: Well, it went well—I have diabetes so my doctor just prescribed it. Then the Kardashians and the Hollywood celebs found out about it, and the diabetics couldn’t even get it because [they] were all using it for weight loss, even though they weren’t even fat. It does work well… if you don’t mind bad breath and jittering (laughs)!

I think some of these wedge issues are because neither party has a great record on the economy so we can fight over these issues.

MC: There are a handful of performers from RuPaul’s Drag Race that you worked with, like Bianca Del Rio and Bob the Drag Queen, who have also gone on to great success. Are you still close with them?

LB: Bob and I weren’t really working the same scene before he did Drag Race. I am definitely still in touch with Bianca, Monét (X Change), and loads of them. MC: You are also not shy about calling out Drag Race and the impact you think it has had on drag as a whole. Is it hard to do that despite the internet perhaps not agreeing with you?

LB: Let me take my friendship with RuPaul, who I always love bumping into and who I’ve had so many good times

BY MICHAEL COOK

with. Performing with Ru, living with Ru in Atlanta and New York, and just being part of that same scene—that doesn’t mean that I can’t say that the Rusicals on Drag Race are horrible. I do a bit where I make fun of Ru’s dancing and people like that. Honey, we’re both in our 60s, it’s not like I’m being ageist.

MC: What is one thing left that Lady Bunny wants to accomplish in her career?

LB: I mean, I look so much like Pamela Anderson, I think playing her in a biopic would be great (laughs)! I have another show that I’m working on. So, I’m gonna do Don’t Bring the Kids everywhere I can, and then Bunny Butcher’s Broadway. I grew up playing little parts in Chattanooga, Tennessee, so I always have a little bit of the theater in my blood. When I started going out to clubs with drag, I realized I could choose my own costumes, I didn’t need a director, I pick my own music and do my own choreography, and write my own material. For me, that’s much more satisfying than just being an actor.

MC: I was hoping you were going to tell me you were going to do a memoir because I think it’s still in you.…

LB: Oh, I am! I have spoken with a couple publishers; I would love to do that.

MC: We would have to see who would play you in the big screen adaption though. Maybe Pamela Anderson?

LB: JoJo Siwa (laughs)! ▼

Follow Lady Bunny on Instagram @official_lady_bunny.

Michael Cook has been a part-time resident of Rehoboth Beach for over a decade. He is currently a contributor to WERRRK.com., OUTSFL, & The Philadelphia Gay News.

Photo courtesy of Lady Bunny.

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Out & About

Georgia on My Mind

When I moved to Rehoboth Beach last fall, I gave all my drag away. Two huge storage boxes filled with cosmetics, undergarments, shoes, gowns, big tacky rhinestones, wigs, and various hips, butts, and boobs made of foam rubber. I figured I needed to downsize, and the closest I thought I’d get to drag at the beach was participating in the annual Mrs. Roper Romp.

Then, I was encouraged to audition for a play called The Legend of Georgia McBride (now playing at Rehoboth’s Clear Space Theatre through May 21). To my great delight, I was cast…as a drag queen. Cue the ironically sad trombone. My character spends nearly the entire play in wigs, gowns, and high heels—which, of course, are supported by those same foam rubber body parts I gave away to a good home less than a year ago.

The play is about someone who is new to drag. As the play opens, he’s a straight, married, Elvis impersonator. Soon after, the audience learns that his financial situation is precarious at best and that his wife is expecting their first child. To make matters worse, the bar where he performs has given his slot to a couple of out-of-town drag queens (that’s where I come in). Before long, our erstwhile Elvis is slipping his size-13s into a pair of stilettos and lip-syncing to Edith Piaf on the same stage where he used to shake his hips to “Jailhouse Rock.”

I will admit that when I first heard the premise of the play, I was a little disappointed. Did a story about drag really have to revolve around a straight man? Haven’t we seen this story a million times before, from Some Like It Hot to Tootsie to Mrs. Doubtfire? But after reading the play, the answer was no—I, at least, had never seen this story before. The hero of this story isn’t trying to fool anyone into thinking he’s a woman—he’s stepping onto a stage dressed as a woman, but he’s clearly in a drag show.

The whole point is that he’s a man in a dress. If anything, people watching him perform are likely to assume that he’s… gay.

And that’s the question that the play is asking. Can a straight man be a drag queen? Will he be fabulous enough? Can he access the necessary feminine energy as easily as a gay man might? If he’s never been beaten down by the patriarchy, can he take up space in a community built by people who have been fighting for decades?

A few years ago, I went to a drag show in Vegas and legitimately wondered if I was the only queer person in the audience…

According to the script (by Tony winner Matthew López), the answers are yes, yes, yes, and yes. Now, granted, the play is in many ways a fantasy, requiring a few leaps of logic to make the comedy work. And, importantly, it’s a comedy— where plentiful laughs and a generally optimistic outlook on life are more front and center than any deep philosophical questions.

But the questions are there. And whether or not The Legend of Georgia McBride unfolds like a realistic drama might, the message is clear. Yes, this is a world that was built by queer people, but that doesn’t mean it belongs to us alone. One could argue that a certain competitive reality television show has already brought drag to the mainstream, at least where the audience is concerned.

A few years ago, I went to a drag show in Vegas and legitimately wondered if I was the only queer person in the audience. (I was never proven wrong on that score.) Women, both trans and cisgender, are increasingly

BY ERIC C. PETERSON

challenging gender stereotypes by performing an exaggerated version of femininity as drag queens. So why not a straight man? If he respects the audience, respects the art form, puts on a good show, and—perhaps most importantly—has the courage to face the homophobia (whether external or internalized) that comes with performing in drag, who are we to block the stage door?

After all, we want access to traditionally straight spaces—we want to be considered for that executive corporate job, invited to our partner’s bedside during a hospital stay, or able to order a wedding cake from any bakery we choose. So, can we—in good conscience—deny someone access to our spaces just because they’re straight? (Admittedly, I do have opinions about bachelorette parties in gay bars, but that’s more about them disrespecting their fellow patrons than simply existing as straight women.)

And it’s true that there aren’t many cisgender, heterosexual men who do drag—but as long as we’re living in a fantasy for a moment…what kind of world would it be if there were? After living in Georgia McBride’s world for a few months now, I think it might be sort of fabulous.

Wow, I really wish I hadn’t given all that stuff away. ▼

Eric Peterson is a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) practitioner, pop culture junkie, and sometime novelist. His debut novel (Loyalty, Love & Vermouth) is available at Broweseabout Books and online.

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OutTakes

You Might Need This Someday

Icleaned out a junk drawer in our bathroom the other day. No applause needed. When I was done, I definitely had a sense of accomplishment…for about 30 seconds. That’s when I started asking questions. Questions like, do other people have two junk drawers in their bathroom, plus a couple more in the kitchen, and another one in the living room? Do I have a problem?

I did a quick mental inventory and after reassuring myself that there were no piles of old Chinese food take-out containers, no precariously stacked cartons marked “Miscellaneous,” and no map required to navigate from the kitchen to the living room, I concluded that this did not rise to the level of needing therapy.

Still, when I looked at the bathroom drawer, why was I hesitant throwing away packs of hair ties and bobby-pins? After all, my hair hasn’t been long enough to need those things since the pandemic. When was the last time I used a safety pin for anything? And yet, I still had a package of those in assorted sizes. All the free toothbrushes, sample toothpaste tubes, and tiny spools of dental floss from my dentist visits over who knows how many years were stuffed into this junk drawer. Was I expecting to open my own dental supply shop someday?

In the back of my mind, I knew the reason behind my need to hang on to these things. It’s the same reason I have four Swiss Army knives, flashlights stashed in our house, our cars, and my laptop bag, and a handful of hex keys from various furniture assembly kits. It’s the family motto passed down to me from my grandfather: Don’t throw that away! You might need it someday!

In the late 70s, when he could no longer live alone, my mom and her sister had to go through all of Grandpop’s stuff. He had boxes of his old barber tools: towels, scissors, clippers, brushes, and combs. In his desk, they found hundreds of pens and pencils from what seemed like every company in Baltimore including many that had gone out of business

years before. There were rings full of keys to locks long lost and forgotten. He had boxes of old Life and Look magazines that his customers perused as they waited for their shaves and haircuts. Amazingly, he still had my grandmother’s old salon hair driers from the beauty shop she owned. My grandmother died in 1947.

I suffer from the same inconvenient malady that Grandpop did. I am a pack rat.

I suffer from the same inconvenient malady that Grandpop did. I am a pack rat. I used to think I was just a collector. I have stamps and coins from all over the world. I have a shelf full of ceramic and glass pitchers. I have every National Geographic magazine from the last few years. I have baseball cards, a cabinet full of green depression glass, hundreds of CDs and vinyl records and books, and more art supplies than I will ever be able to use.

I have rocks, too. Rocks that I polished myself in a tumbler. Rocks that my dad brought back from Korea for me. Rocks I picked up from upstate New York on a trip in 1978. Rocks that are technically crystals from a trip to North

BY SANDY CLARK

Carolina. Like my grandfather, I also have the rings of old keys and a shoebox full of old pens and pencils.

My grandfather has been gone for many years now. No one else in my family seems to have inherited our pack rat heritage, so when the decluttering trend of the last few years swept through, I was feeling a little alienated, a little sad, and a little alone.

But to my surprise, I recently learned there are enough of us self-proclaimed pack rats to have our own day to celebrate! That’s right, May 17 is Pack Rat Day! Yay! Except when I read more about suggested ways to celebrate, it was all about organizing and decluttering our stuff. But I love my stuff! OK, maybe not the safety pins and hair ties. Maybe not the IKEA assembly tools and the bag of duck sauce packs I have in the kitchen.

I do feel better after I have cleaned out a closet or junk drawer or the garage. And I do actually throw things away. Now that I am retired, I have more time to handle these projects. It does take me a long time to go through my stuff because of the memories many of these things hold. So, perhaps the organizing and decluttering is not such a bad idea after all.

I know that no one is going to want any of these things I am holding onto and one day, if I don’t do something, someone else is going to have to dispose of them. But right now, I like having them around, maybe not for the same reasons my grandfather had, or maybe so. I sometimes take these things out and just look at them and remember parts of my life, glad for these physical reminders and the pack rat habit I shared with Grandpop. ▼

Sandy Clark, retired and living in central Delaware with her wife and two cats, loves sharing her humorous observations on the weirdness of life.

Bright Shiny Things

BY NANCY SAKADUSKI

Happy Pack Rat Day (You Know Who You Are)

Unlike most holidays, which are created to celebrate something (Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day leaps to mind), National Pack Rat Day (May 17) seems to have been created by the type of person who asks, “Why do you have 16 clocks?” In other words, a sourpuss. Apparently, Pack Rat Day was designed to get us to “rethink our relationship with material possessions.” Talk about a buzzkill. Fortunately, I was well into writing this article before I actually looked up the description.

The term “pack rat” originally referred to wood rats (sadly, not found in Delaware), delightful creatures that build elaborate homes with rooms they fill with found objects. Not having access to thrift stores, pack rats snag items from the wild, which might include anything from a leaf on the ground to a wire in your car’s taillight. They are partial to shiny things, such as key chains, ribbons, coins, and jewelry, but will pick up pretty much any appealing object small enough for a rat to pack. They even are thoughtful enough to swap items, often leaving something in exchange for what they take. Due to their excellent collecting skills, middens from ancient pack rat dens have provided paleontologists and archaeologists with important clues to human history and climate change (some pack rat nests have been inhabited for 1,000 years). So, we can say with confidence that pack rats serve a useful purpose.

Hoarders, on the other hand, accumulate such excessive amounts of materials that their living spaces become unusable. The Collyer brothers (Homer and Langley) were a famous, if sad, example. They began by collecting books, machines, musical instruments, and human organs in jars (their father had been a doctor) but the collection expanded over time. In the end, the Collyers had accumulated an astonishing 100 tons of items in their New York home, including 14 pianos, 25,000 books, hundreds of yards of cloth, thousands of cans, stacks and stacks of

newspapers, and presumably a clock or two. Rumors spread that the brothers also hoarded cash.

To defend against burglars, Langley created a maze of traps using the objects he’d collected. Then, in 1947, an anonymous tip led police and officials

Chief Inspector John O’Connor of the New York City Building and Housing Department attempts to make his way into the Collyer house.

from the New York Housing Commission to clear a path into the house. They found Homer Collyer’s body, sitting in a small cubby made of newspapers piled to the ceiling. It took workers a month to clear the way to Langley, who had been crushed by one of his own traps.

A happier story is that of Christian Carmack Sanderson, who was born in 1882 and lived in the Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, area for many years. Starting in childhood and continuing for 75 years, he collected historical objects, never losing his excitement at being a witness to history. He carefully labeled each item and often gave it a rating such as “rare” or “extremely rare.”

Chris collected whatever interested him—no matter how quirky—and seemed to give as much importance to a corsage his mother wore to Franklin Roosevelt’s inauguration as to a fragment of black bunting from Abraham Lincoln’s coffin. He traveled to many events, and his friends began sending him things for his collection. Over time he amassed thousands of items.

Never married, Chris lived with his mother and was devoted to her. When she died, his collecting seemed to turn from pack rat to hoarder. Piles of newspapers accumulated and the rooms of his house filled. When Chris died in 1966, it took a group of volunteers over five years to sort through it all. They saved what they could and, thankfully, remained true to Chris’s definition of what is “rare.”

Among the items they preserved were a picture made entirely from butterfly wings, lava from Mount Vesuvius, broken china from the San Francisco earthquake, Christmas cards hand painted by neighbor and friend Andrew Wyeth, Easter eggs Chris decorated with his mother, sand from the Panama Canal, a wanted poster from the Lindbergh baby kidnapping, a collection of cigar bands, rare autographs (Sitting Bull, Helen Keller, and dozens more), a tile from Eva Braun’s bathroom, and a papier mâché shoe.

These items (and many more) are displayed in the charming and one might say “rare” Christian C. Sanderson Museum, located at 1755 Creek Road in Chadds Ford. It is open March-November, Saturdays and Sundays, 12:00-4:00 p.m. or by appointment. The building holds more than 18,000 artifacts and is well worth the visit. Full disclosure: I was once on the museum’s board and have a lifetime membership, so I am a big fan. ▼

Ode to Joy

Robin Brennan

CAMP Rehoboth’s New Executive Director

“The word ‘joyful’ recurs in a way that suggests it’s a defining, observable quality—not just a attitude. She would likely bring both gravitas and warmth to a nonprofit leadership role.”

–  Claude.ai, on being prompted to summarize descriptions of Robin Brennan.

Robin A. Brennan, DrPH, MS, became executive director of CAMP Rehoboth on March 23, following a nationwide search to find a replacement for Kim Leisey, PhD who retired earlier this year. Robin’s impressive background with large, complex health systems in areas such as population health and DEI education, combined with her obvious enthusiasm and clear understanding of CAMP Rehoboth’s mission, made her a stand-out candidate for the position. Leslie Ledogar, president of the CAMP Rehoboth Board of Directors and chair of the Executive Director Search Committee, said they chose Robin because of her “depth of leadership experience, her fundraising acumen, and her overall joyful, focused approach.” Let’s get to know a bit more about her.

BY NANCY SAKADUSKI

and our volunteers and community members. But that kind of blew me away—how much work does get done, really, from the community.

NS: I see you are an Eagles fan. You have my condolences. Do you think Coach Nick Sirianni would have any advice that could help you at CAMP Rehoboth?

NANCY SAKADUSKI: Welcome! You’ve been coming to Rehoboth Beach since the 1990s—What was your impression of CAMP Rehoboth before you got involved?

ROBIN BRENNAN: The word connection. Events that they would host to connect folks, whether they were visiting from out of town or they lived there. I saw CAMP Rehoboth almost as a secondary welcome center to Rehoboth Beach…. I saw CAMP Rehoboth as providing something for everyone.

NS: Were there any surprises once you peeked behind the curtain?

RB: I think the surprise is that… all of the work is really done through our incredible team

“I just carry this optimism of we can do anything. Let’s figure it out, let’s roll our sleeves up.'

RB: Oh, my goodness [laughs]. Well, I think one great piece of advice maybe I should be giving to him is to be a little bit more calm and patient. I have to remind myself that I get impatient because I see such potential in everything. I see endless possibilities in any kind of situation. I just carry this optimism of we can do anything. Let’s figure it out, let’s roll our sleeves up. So, I think if he gave me advice that I’d listen to, it would be probably to give myself a little bit of grace—that some things naturally have to kind of present themselves and you have to marinate on it. And I’m one that’s real eager to go, ‘OK, well this is a great idea, let’s do it!’ Really thinking of what is the end result and how do we work our way there.

NS: I proposed a meet & greet called “Hob-nobbin’ with Robin,” but for some reason it got shot down. How do you plan to meet the many folks involved with CAMP Rehoboth?

RB: I like that! [laughs].… I think what I would like to do is a combination of things. In my transition plan is setting up a time for community members when I am completely present.… I also want to be really intentional. I want to meet people where they’re at. On the one hand it could be convenient if anybody wants to come in and see our space and meet our team or meet me, but I also am really intentional about going out into the community and saying, ‘Hey, here’s who I am; let me see where you are,’ because I think that also has another dynamic to it—who are we serving and how can we be more helpful. How can we partner and collaborate with folks. And not just in Rehoboth.… Who are our partners, and where can I go to intro-

“I see endless possibilities but there’s a part of me that does continuous quality improvement—how can we enhance this? Less waste, more efficiency, good morale…”

duce myself? So that way it’s not just that I’m just sitting back and waiting for people to come meet me, but I’m being proactive.

NS: Since I’d never met you, I asked Claude.ai* to find the words and phrases most associated with you. Can you guess?

RB: Oh, my goodness…I don’t know if I want to guess.

NS: Quoting from numerous sources, repeated words and phrases included: joyful, passionate, engaging, and mission driven. Here’s how Claude.ai responded when asked to summarize what people said about you: “The word ‘joyful’ recurs in a way that suggests it’s a defining, observable quality—not just a platitude. She would likely bring both gravitas and warmth to a nonprofit leadership role.”

RB: Wow. Scary. A little bit frightening, but true. I am like the happiest person that a lot of people meet. I have a really big heart, but I consider myself the most negative positive person. I mean, I’m a critical thinker…I see endless possibilities but there’s a part of me that does continuous quality improvement—how can we enhance this? Less waste, more efficiency, good morale…my brain doesn’t quit. I’m never bored, but I am rarely seen without a smile, and I think that’s the joy part…. I find this grounding in balance and humility and that gives me such great pride and joy. I’m an extremely happy person.

NS: What kinds of things bring you joy?

RB: My family, number one, [but also] endless possibilities of how folks thrive and how they are resilient. That brings me joy. Laughter brings me joy. I like to celebrate others. That really, really makes me happy.

NS: What are you passionate about?

RB: I become animated and intense when I’m talking about public health or health inequities. How we can find solutions to everyday problems in our world. And often that kind of constructive dialog.… People are really divided, whether it’s politically, whether it’s they have these really strong opinions, and I just kind of get down to the basics. I’m a very simple

person and think that human beings want very similar things. I think belonging—that is one of those areas—but I think there’s also the other end of the spectrum—entitlement. And so, I love to observe where folks fall on those. What do they think they lose by somebody else gaining?

NS: Are you willing to share a bit about your family?

RB: I have an incredible wife [Alli]. We’ve known each other for over 20 years…. We started our foundation in our family as friends first…. We’re almost opposites on almost everything, from our styles to things we like to do, but we come together when it’s most important and our values about family is everything…. We have our daughter [Olive] who is 14 and she is almost a scary combination of both of us.… [And] my mom—we see her all the time. So, family isn’t just my immediate family, but we also have friends that are family, that we see, that we vacation with, we have traditions and holidays that we experience and then we have three small dogs [Frank, Bruno, and Marvin].

NS: What’s something very few people know about you?

RB: Hmmm. That’s a good one…. I really love textbooks. I used to review textbooks. I teach psychology even though I’m a public health doctor by trade. I did teach public health for years, but I consider

myself a psychology practitioner. I have two degrees in it. I didn’t get my doctorate in psychology, but I teach it because it’s so fascinating…. One thing maybe people do know is I love the movies. I absolutely love to escape into a movie…. Just the whole idea of going to the theater and the popcorn smell—I just love that.

NS: What can members of the CAMP Rehoboth community do to help ensure your success here?

RB: It’s [been] almost a month, and Women’s+ FEST…it was like drinking from a fire hose. I met so many people. And I sat down to listen…and what’s really helpful is, ‘Tell me your perspective, tell me about you, tell me your purpose,’ and it’s already happening where people have reached out…checking in, introduced themselves, shared their perspective. That’s been really helpful.

NS: How do you plan to build bridges with people who don’t share CAMP Rehoboth’s values?

RB: I think listening. I’m not a righteous person and I think that’s really helpful. I can come in very non-threatening, because I think people get that I’m very concerned and I care and I’m curious, so I think it’s those things. A constructive dialog is different than an argument. And I think it’s getting to “What’s the goal here?” When I think of it, how can anybody not see the worth and value of CAMP Rehoboth, [an organization] that brings people together so that everybody not just survives, but thrives. ▼

*Claude.ai is an artificial intelligence assistant developed by Anthropic.

Nancy (Day) Sakaduski is an award-winning writer and proud ally who has provided writing services to CAMP Rehoboth for 14 years. She also serves on the Lewes Public Library Board of Commissioners and the Delaware Art Museum’s Sussex County Advisory Council.

OUR SUPPORTERS make it happen

As part of CAMP Rehoboth’s ongoing commitment to recognizing and celebrating the strength of its community, the membership recognition list has been updated to provide a more consistent and inclusive reflection of current member support. Founder designations—previously indicated with heart symbols—no longer appear within this listing.

Enduring gratitude remains for the individuals who make up the Founders’ Circle, whose vision and generosity helped establish the foundation of CAMP Rehoboth. Their legacy continues to shape and inspire

PURPLE

Greg Albright & Wes Combs*

Sondra N. Arkin*

Carol Bresler & Carolyn Billinghurst*

Dr. Bruce Brown & Joe Ilardi

Pat Catanzariti & Carole Ramos*

Beth Cohen & Fran Sneider*

Polly Donaldson

Skip Dye & Steven King*

Will Freshwater & Stephen Cremen

Cindy Gruman & In Memory of Angela Strano*

Judy & Carole Jesiolowski*

James W. Johnson & Matthew H. Shepard*

Melissa & Amanda Kaufman*

Russell Koerwer & Stephen Schreiber*

Jay Kottoff & Mark Matey*

Anita Matson

Celie & Tabitha Niehaus

Kathleen Nilles & Camille Nichols*

Chris Rinaldi & Brian Powers*

Jennifer Rubenstein & Diane Scobey*

Gary Seiden & Ah Bashir*

Leslie Sinclair & Debbie Woods*

Drs. Diane C. Sweeney and Karen S. Beling*

S. Hope Vella

Jen Walker*

Charles Wedding & In Memory of Ronald A. Bessette

Christopher Yochim*

Karen Zajick & Jennifer Weeks

INDIGO

Terry Albarella & Shannon Manchester*

Andrea Andrus & In Memory of Maggie Shaw*

Murray Archibald & In Memory of Steve Elkins*

Alex Benjamin & Pete Grover*

Jane Blue & Louisa Watrel*

Deb Chase & Terry Barrera

Jewell Estes

Lou Fiore & Jim Burke*

Kathy Fitzpatrick & In Memory of Henry “Corky” Fitzpatrick*

Connie Fox & Donna Adair*

Richard Gamble & Paul Lindsey*

Gail Gormley*

Leslie Hegamaster & In Memory of Jerry Stansberry*

Holly Horn & Kathleen Garrity*

Bernadette & Michele Humphrey-Nicol

Jeffrey Jones & Robert White

Peter Karsner*

Bonnie Kirkland & Wanda Bair*

Roger Kramer*

Susan Kutliroff & Barbara Snyder*

Christine Lay & Mari Blackburn*

Curtis J. Leciejewski, DDS, PA*

Kim Leisey & Kathy Solano*

Linda Martin & Lucy Kennedy

Lynette Matson & Laure Larkin

Sherri McGee & Kris Aulenbach*

Rick Mowery & Joe Conn*

Tom Negran & In Memory of Marc

Anthony Worosilo*

David P. Nelson & William F. McManus*

John Newton & Mowry Spencer*

Mark Niehaus & Brooks Honeycutt*

Jennifer Noel

Mark OConnor

Jeanine O’Donnell*

Gwen Osborne & Katie Handy

Vincent Pompo & Bob Yungman

Porter-Gordon Family*

Virginia Reaves

Lori & Renee Rocheleau*

Mark Roush & Dave Banick*

Maria Scannapieco & Kris Painter

Mitchell Shahade

Tammy Smith & Tracey Hepner*

Jeff Sube & Ross Peddicord*

Frank Surprenant, DDS

Susan Tobin & in Memory of Cathy Martinson*

Terry Vick*

Kevin Warr

Brian Yanofchick & Scott Bunch*

BLUE

Ronald Bass & George Robbins*

Tim & Meredith Birrittella*

Teresa Bolduc & Kim McGeown*

David Bower*

Chris Bowers*

Matthew Brown

Tony Burns*

Paul Christensen & Dennis Morgan*

Coleen Collins & Berdi Price*

Donna Davis & Gail Jackson*

Sharon Denny & Kim Parks

Anne Geary*

David Goldberg

Miguel Gomez*

Irene & Lou Katz*

Nancy & Tora Kennedy*

Paul & Anne Kuhns*

Matthew Rogers & Erik Hein

Chris Rouchard*

Doug Sellers & Mark Eubanks*

Kimberly Sheaffer & Karen Brause*

Laurie Snyder

Donna Voigt & Jo Hamilton*

GREEN

Michael Beigay*

Joseph Bennett & Corey Andrew

Andrew Benson

Wesley Blickenstaff*

David W. Briggs*

Barry Bugg*

the organization’s work and mission. Members of the Founders’ Circle will continue to be honored through a dedicated list published annually in Letters, reflecting the names as they appear on the Founders’ Circle wall in the CAMP Rehoboth atrium.

This update allows for clearer recognition of the vital contributions of today’s members, whose ongoing support sustains and strengthens the organization. Appreciation extends to all who have played—and continue to play—a role in building and uplifting the CAMP Rehoboth community.

Cheryl Buxton*

James Chalmers & John Potthast*

Rod Cook & In Memory of Charlie Browne*

Stephen Corona*

Mike DeFlavia & Tony Sowers*

Marianne DeLorenzo & Linda Van de Wiele*

Max Dick*

Whit Dunkle & Tom Wright

Cynthia Flynn & Deirdre Boyle*

Roland Forster & David McDonald*

Joseph Gfaller & Kraig Turner

Kathy Giles & Theresa Leonard

Perry Gottlieb & Tim White*

Wesley Hacker & David Block*

John Hackett & Tom Newton*

David Hagelin & In Memory of Andy Brangenberg*

Jenn Harpel & Katie Rickards*

Steve Hoult & Rick Bane*

Karen Hugues & Cathy McCallister*

Anthony Incalcatera & James Buswold*

Claire Ippoliti*

Alex IX & Gare Galbraith

Valerie Johns*

Dorsey Johnson & Kay Jernigan*

Dee Dee Jones & Julie Blake*

Jocelyn Kaplan & Idalie Adams*

Jon Kaplan

Greg Kubiak*

Stacey Lawson & John Redmond

Leslie Ledogar & Marilyn Hewitt*

Judy Lettes*

John Mackerey & Donald Filicetti*

Jill Masterman & Tammy Jackson*

James Mease & Philip Vehslage*

Susan Morrison*

Doug Murray & Bob Mancuso*

Kim Nelson & Lori Simmons*

Fran O’Brien & David Gifford*

Keith Petrack & Michael Fetchko*

Anne Pikolas & Jean Charles*

Bill Rayman & Frank King*

Marty Rendon & John Cianciosi*

Lucien Rossignol & Tom Harris*

Sheila Sferrella & Cindy Wedel

Marj Shannon & Carla Burton*

Scott Shaughnessy*

Greig Stewart & Jake Hudson*

David Streit & Scott Button*

Laurie & Matthew Thompson

Anne Tracy & Mary Gilligan*

Patrick Turner & Fr. Michael Callaghan

Ron Verblaauw & Manny Meli

Lee Voegler & Larry Munsey

Kathy Wiz & Muriel Hogan*

Melanie Wolfe & Monica Niccolai*

YELLOW

Ann Abel & Carol Morris*

Keith Anderson & Peter Bish*

Dale Aultman & Paul Gibbs*

Bad Hair Day, Inc.*

Pamela Baker & Diane Dixson*

Mike Ballenger & In Memory of Martin Thomas*

Ronald Barisano*

Chris Beagle & Eric Engelhart*

Tom Beall*

Joel Berelson & Charles Maples*

Sherry Berman & Deb Hamilton*

Linda Bova & Bridget Bauer - The Sea Bova Associates

Michael Boyle & Greg Murphy*

Mary Ann Brewer

Mark Bromley & David Salie*

Daniel Bruner & Tim Beymer*

Joe Burton & Matt Castrina

David Carder*

Nick Carroll & Ken Naugle

Kate Cauley & Pat Newcomb*

Jim Chupella & Jim Wigand*

Dottie & Myrna Cirelli-Kelley*

Steve Clayton & Brad Lentz*

Nancy Commisso*

Monica & Lona Crist*

Kenneth Currier & Mike Tyler*

Lewis & Greg Dawley-Becker*

Anthony Delacruz & Ronald Mangano*

Fred DiBartolo & Steve Wood*

Maureen Dolan & Karen McGavin*

Joan Doyle

Pete Drake

Gary Espinas & Daniel Sherlock*

Karen Faber & Lisa Balestrini Faber*

Cecily Fisher & Loretta Higgins*

Deb Fox & In Memory of Deb Bonneau*

Bill Fuchs & In Memory of Gerry Beaulieu*

Cynthia Gooch Copley

Susan Goudy*

Ken Green & Joe Kearney*

Susan Griesemer & Jean Chlastawa*

Siobhan Halmos & Beth McLean*

Matthew Hastings

Mary Hoban

Kathy Jantzen & Debi Cunn*

Elaine Kakareka

Mark Kehoe*

Mary Layne & Monika Ruppert

Edmund LeFevre & Keith Wiggs*

Monica Lewis & Ann Zimmerman*

David Lindeman & Andrew Phipps

Frank Liptak & Joe Schnetzka*

Larry Mackall & Onnie Dickerson

Patricia Magee & Anita Pettitt*

Robb Mapou & Mike Zufall*

Evelyn Maurmeyer & In Memory of

Natalie Moss*

Sandy Meagher & Kim Staton*

Jedediah Millard & Alex Reed

Sherril Moon & Lou Montgomery*

Margaret Moore & Sheree Mixell*

Kerry Muldoon & Terri Ryan

Pat Nickols*

Donna Ohle & Susan Gaggiotti*

Judy Olsen & Joanne Kempton*

Carolyn Ortwein & Ann Barry*

Maggie Ottato*

Dotti Outland & Diane Mead*

Rutland Paal & Robert Mittleman*

Peninsula Gallery - Tony & Carol Boyd-Heron*

Denny Pintello & Coke Farmer*

Frank Pirhalla

Stephen Pleskach & In Memory of Mark Owens*

Barbara Ralph*

Gene Roe*

Thomas Rose & Thomas Sechowicz*

Kate Sapio

Mark Saunders & Bob Thoman*

Lisa Scholl*

Troy Senter & Stacey Chan*

Carol Sieger & Maggie Guardino

Scott Silber & Albert Drulis*

Polly Smale & In Memory of Charlotte Reid*

David Smith & Kenn Williams*

Susan Soderberg & Terri King*

John Michael Sophos & Miss Dot Sophos*

Diane Sozio & Patricia Hutchinson*

Lorraine Stanish & Beverly Miller*

Matthew Stensrud & Michael Cohen*

Pete Stoehr

Lenny Stumpf & John B. Pitchford*

Kaye Sullivan & Alexandra Fossi Armijo*

Kimberly A. Takacs

Diane Taylor & Cathy Forthuber

Barb Thomas & Colleen Harper

Linda Tiano

Kenna Utt & Lauren Ghidotti

Lana Warfield & Pamela Notarangelo*

Michael Weinert*

Justin Weitz & Kevin Gray

Walter Welsh & Martin Thomas

Paul Weppner

Scott Wood & Tod Callis

Steven Wunder & Rod Hastie

Joanne Yurik*

John Zingo & Rick Johnson*

ORANGE

Dawn Alexander & W. Kerr Gracie*

James Apistolas & Christopher Galanty*

Romulus Barba & Dean Yanchulis*

Miriam Barton*

James Beal & In Memory of David Van Patter*

Sue Becker & ME Wivel

Continued on page 64

Jeri Berc*

Bea Birman & Mary Malgoire

Kathy Board & Jackie Maddalena*

Boland Family, In Memory of Michael J. Kelly*

Bill Briganti & Gary Moore*

Ronald Butt & Steve Cannon*

William Byron*

James Carfagno & David Szumski*

Deborah Carroll

Teena Clayton & Amelia Riley

Chris Coburn & Anne Kazak*

Lois Cortese & Jill Stokes*

Carl Alan Cox & Darin Henderson

Kay Creech & Sharon Still*

Billie Criswell & Graham Spellman

Timothy Davis

Kathy Davison & Ruth Dickerson*

Ann De Blasi

Linda DeFeo*

J. Lynne Dement & Lisa J. Snyder*

Anne Denner & Nancy Maguire

Karen DeSantis & Carol Brice*

Kevin Doss & Arie Venema*

Lissa Dulany

Brenda Dunn & Karen Anderson*

Mary Dupont

Susan Eig & Ellen Schiff*

Jeanne Embich*

Peggy & Evie Englebert

Maureen Ewadinger*

Ellen Feinberg & Lesley Rogan*

Paul Finn & Joseph Porporino*

Gary Fisher & Josh Bushey*

Patricia Fitzsimons

Peter Garneau & Dennis Rodriguez

Kathleen Gilroy & Rosanne Marroletti*

Ron Glick & Tien Pham*

William Gluth & Channing Daniel*

Joe Gottschall & Scott Woody*

Maryanne Graham

Debbie Grant & Carol Liewen*

Tracey & Erica Hellman*

Bill Hillegeist*

Sharon Hoffer

Vance Hudgins & Denny Marcotte*

John H. Hulse*

Janet Idema & Patricia Higgins*

Marilyn Kates & Laura Glenn*

Rob & Jean Krapf*

Barbara Lang & Diane Grillo*

Jim Lawrence & Bob Palandrani

Jim Lesko*

Jennifer Liner

Marsha Mark & Judy Raynor*

Marie Martinucci & Pam Kozey*

Michael & Stephan Maybroda

Liz McGovern & Judy Eckert

Jean Metzar & Deborah Bonn

Doreen Millon & Julie Boughn*

Steve Mrozowski

Sandy Neverett & Pam Cranston*

Sandra Oropel & Linda Frese*

Sandra Pace & Barbara Passikoff*

Steve Parker*

Patricia Pawling & Jennifer Butz*

Rina Pellegrini*

Colleen Perry & Jane Kuhfuss*

Joanne Picone & Kathy Bostedo*

Susan Reinagel & Dawn Henderson*

Pat Renninger & Tammy Plumley*

Judy Rosenstein & Elva Weininger*

Deborah & Charles Ross*

Katherine Sams*

Jill Sasso & Roe Manghisi

Guillermo Silveira

Tina Snapp & Susan Leathery*

Robert Stoltzfus & Gerald Warhola*

Sandra Sullivan & Lorie Seaman*

Terrence Sullivan*

Trudie Thompson & David Welch*

Lisa & Nikki Turgeon-Williams

James Vernicek & Jeff Dailey*

Joseph Vescio*

Tama Viola*

Don Wainwright & Tom Jamison*

Paula Walker & Gayle Dumonceaux

Lee Ann Walling

Troy Watson & Dennis Wolfgang*

Don Wessel & In Memory of Donald Prol*

Westminster Presbyterian Church

Ralph Wiest & Anthony Peraine*

Lynne Wilmer & Jeannie Marsh

Robert T. Wright & Jack Lim*

Sherri Wright & Dick Byrne*

Mary Yarossi

Niki Zaldivar & Cecil McNeil*

Helaine Zinaman & Roselyn Abitbol*

RED

Dale Adams*

C.J. Albro

Chris Allison

Marty Altman

Marge Amodei & Penni Hope*

Anthony Andalft & Marvin A. Lawson

Cynthia Arno*

Gaileen Atchison

Diane Athanas

Josh Bach & Edward Ginley

Christine A. Baker

Lana Baldwin

Ruth Ball & Mary Ellen Jankowski*

Sarah Barnett*

Karen Beck*

Alex Belano & Ron Laxton

Bernice Bell & Susan Marney

Carol Bell

Joe Benshetler & Kurt Angell

Abby Bernstein & Karen Frank*

Lisa Beske*

Christine Bielenda & Karen Feuchtenberger*

Thomas Biesiadny*

Debra Bievenour

John Billig & Eu Han Lee

Lorraine Biros*

Betty Blue & Jill Stewart*

Rachel Bock

Annabelle Boire*

Carl Bomberger & Mike Rhoads*

Robin Bond & Leanna Johannes*

Laura Borsdorf*

Lora Bottinelli

Barb Boyer

Deni Boyer & Loretta Imbrogono*

Beth Bozman*

Susan Brinsfield & Barbara Devenport*

Debora Brooke*

Jennifer Broomfield & Dana Broadway

Cathy Brown*

Ellenor Brown

Matty Brown*

Erin Bryan

Carol Buck

Geoffrey Burkhart & Bruce Williams*

Richard Buske & Shawn McHugh

Ingrid Callmann & Karen Askins*

Leslie Calman & Jane Gruenebaum*

David Camorali

Maria Castillo*

Peggy Castle & Debbie Geismar

Center for Healthier Relationships, Individuals, & Sexualities

Linda Chaney & Irene Lawlor*

Ann Mei Chang

Helen Chang & Pat Avery*

Matthew Chapman

Dan Childers & Ted Hernandez*

Sandra Chinchilla & Michelle Holmes*

Curt Christensen & Ellen Heald*

Theodore Ciccone

Sandra Clark

Rob Cline*

Barbara Clipper*

Julie Cockley

Anne Cole & Sandra Freeman

Carolyn Cole*

Shelly Conaway

Sharon Conover

Josh Cooper & Steve Rathburn*

Edith Coppotelli & Joan Ciolko

E. Corbin

Amy J. Cormier & Alison C. Cormier

Elissa Corrado

Mary Costa & Kris Nygaard*

Renate Costner

Richard Coyle

Wendy Cramer & Carolyn Baranowski*

Thomas Croce

Helene Cuadra

Rich Custer*

Howard Cyr & Lynn Ashley*

Judith Daleo

Julie Danan

Carol Davidson

Jeff Davidson & Steve Yahn*

Denise Davis & Jeanne Bilanin

Ellen Davis & Myra Kaplan

Graeme Davis*

Jeremiah Davis*

Mike Davis

Linda Dean & Donna Whiteside*

Penny Lee Dean*

Scott Dechen & James Maino*

Michael Decker & Arley Jaimes*

Susan Deise & Jerri Budzinski*

Vincent DeLissio

Tracy Denton & Brenda Welsh

Mary Devine

Dawn Devries & Helen Krum*

Lori Dewald

Geri Dibiase & Deborah Knickerbocker*

Daniel Digiorgio & John Edwards

Phyllis Dillinger*

Mary Dipietro & Wendy Schadt*

Deb Dobransky & Ketty Bennett*

Frances Doyle*

Zita Dresner*

Barry Dunkin*

Deborah Duran*

Deann Dye & Julie Tagen

Susan Ebbitt

AJ Eckman

Richard Egler

Laurene Hedrick Eheman & Deb Hedrick

Gail Elliott & Bea Hickey*

Kay Ellis*

Lisa Evans & Joann Gusdanovic

Jacqueline Everett & Vicki St. Germain

Jean Falise & Karen Belles

Susan Farr & Joanne Pozzo*

Rene Fechter & Cynthia Smith*

Larry & Ro Fedorka*

Mark S. Finkelstein & Michael Zeik*

Barbara Fischetti & Janet Thoden*

Nancy Fisher & Diane Debus*

Alyssa Fitzgerald

Kathy Fitzgerald & Lisa Gourley

Barbara Fitzpatrick & Denise Centinaro*

Jason Flick & Timothy Jancel

Sandra Fluck & Bev Pasquarella*

Karen Folger

Tony Forrest & Glyn Edwards*

Jodi Foster & Caroline Pellicano*

Joyce Foster & Maggie Bishop

Beebe Frazer*

Neil Frock & Bob Harrison*

Susanne Furman

Frank Gainer & Ramon Santos*

Rosalie Galante

Marcia Gallo & Ann Cammett*

Karen Gantz & Jeanie Geist*

Kathryn Gantz & Kathryn Gehret*

Marvin Garcia

Alexis Gardner

Cheri Garnet

Dona Garofano & Janet Blaustein

Eugene Garone & John Moore

Ed Gasper

Mindy Gasthalter*

Wendy Gee

Angela & Cheryl Glodowske*

Jackie Goff & Mary Vogt*

Anita Gossett & Ronnie Smith*

Robert Gotwalt & Norman Jones*

Bill Graff & Jeff Schuck*

Lisa & Raymond Graff*

Melissa & Betsy Gregory-Hosler

Wendy Grooms & Barbara Fishel*

Richard & Frances Grote*

Renee Guillory & Melissa Vila-Guillory

Linda Haake & Holly Schneider

Laura I. Hackell

Kerry Hallett & Millie Crotty

John Hardt

Sue Claire Harper

David Harrer & Floyd S. Kanagy*

Mary Hartman & Laurie Nelson*

Mary Diane Hausman

John & Mary Havrilla*

John Hawkins & Silvia Ritchie*

Daniel F.C. Hayes*

Gail Hecky*

Michael & Cory Heller

Whitney Herring & Lisa Flowers

Nancy Hewish & In Memory of Vicki

Martina*

Shelli & Barbara Hilbert

Helen Hilderbrandt

Karen & Mickey Hinman

Jamie Hirdler

David Hogue

Connie Holdridge*

Robert Holloran & Ed Davis*

Cindy Holmes

Mollyne Honor & Shelley Garfield*

George Hooper & Michael Davis*

James Hospital & Jack Fraker*

Corey Houlihan & Karen Abato*

Ellan Hylton*

Batya Hyman & Belinda Cross*

Grant Ingalls

Fay Jacobs & Bonnie Quesenberry*

Robert Jasinski*

Mary Jenkins & Laura Reitman*

Dr. Quincy Jenkins & Alex Jenkins

Chip Johnson & In Memory of Joseph Lachac*

Gay Jones & Barb Bartels*

Sparky Jones*

Sharon Kanter & Cyndy Bennett*

Adam Kantorski & Conrad Booker

Daphne Kaplan & Steve Scheffer*

Sharon Kaplan & Pamela Everett*

Carol Kashow

Dawn Kasow

Linda Kauffman & Deirdre Speck*

Peter Keeble & Tom Best*

John Kelly & Randy Sutphin*

Kevin Kelly & Samuel Stovall

John Kennedy*

Rosemary Kerwin & C Robinson

Kevin Kimbrell & Ronnie Nicholls

Tom Klotz & Noel Nazario

Jane Knaus*

Kathleen Kombacher

James Koplin

John Kort & Hung Lai*

Marcia Kratz*

Karen Kreiser & Beth Nevill*

Barbara Kutsmeda

Karen Laitman

Cheryl Landry

Gail Larabee & Lynne Butcher

Mary Jo & Rachel Lauer

Kathleen Law

Leah VanLaanen Beauty

Vanita Leatherwood

Marcia Leighton

Lisa Lekawa & Lori Guitson

Lierra Lenhard & Enid Feinberg

Charles & Matthew Lentz

Jen Leonard & Claire McCracken*

Jeri Leonard

Christine Leslie & Mary Leslie*

Cecelia & Robert Leto

Joshua Levengood

Nancy Levenson

Jodi Levine & Lucy Jones

Arlene & Ginny Levy-Balmforth

Barbara Lewis

Barbara Lilien*

Alexander Lincoln

Cindy & Diane Lisehora-Lins

Kim & Liz Lokhard

Christine Lopez & Georgia Hammond

Jessica Love

Cynthia Lowe & Rae von Doehren*

Debbie Lupton & Ramona Dobbs*

Carol & Jack Lynch

Minda Lynch*

Tina Maddox & Susan Green

Jim Madgey & Ted Bywalski

Barbara Mahoney

Amanda Mahony & Alex Albanese

Marcia Maldeis & Stan Mills*

Scott Mallan & E.B. Easter

Michelle Manfredi

Stephen Marana Jr.

Kathi Marek & Mary Seminara

Christa Marks & Lisa Koenigsberg

Dee Marlin

Harold Marmon & Robert Hill*

Shelly Marsh & Barb Sann

Nan Martino*

John Matthews & Nick Polcini*

Marcia McCollum

Todd McDonald & Steve Harkabus

Sally McGovern & Debbie Pierce

Anita McMullin

Michaela McNichol & Jewell Estes

Jim & Bruce McVey-Back*

Alicia Mickenberg & Kathleen Fitzgerald*

Laurie Schneider & Margie Ripalda*

Sheryl Schulte & Jeanne LaVigne*

Teri Seaton*

Gary Alexander & Craig Sencindiver*

Frank Shockley & Arthur Henry*

Susan Shollenberger*

Pat Campagna & Debra Sansoucie*

Cabrina Campbell & Kimberly Olson

Elizabeth Campbell

Terri Campbell & Victoria Smith

David Case & Ray Buckingham

Jo Cason & Peggy Neidlinger*

William & Claudia Fenderson

Karen Ferguson*

Irene & Edward Fick*

Ben Ficks & Bob Angell

Dorothy Filbert

Jerry Filbin*

Deb Johnson

Derrick Johnson & Darryl Isom

Donna A. Johnson*

Laura Johnson

Richard Jolly & Charles Ingersoll*

Charles Jones

Jamie Middelton*

Sharon Miken*

Alicia Miller & Shawn Noel*

Marilyn Miller & Candice Zientek*

Robin Miller

Continued on page 67

Shelly Miller & Lida Frankel

Linda Miniscalco & Jeanne Drake*

Beth Mitchell & LuAnn Zimmick

Richard Monck

Martha Monell

Teri Moore & Barb Kulbaba*

Todd Moore & David Coccagna

Meg Morgan & Susan Lynham*

Pearl Morris*

Jack Morrison & Bob Dobbs*

Joan Moses & Janine Davidson*

Barry Moshinski & Robert Ponzini

Barbara Moulton & Susan Huber

Jeanne Mueller

Joanie Murphy

Lisa Murphy

Cynthia Myers*

Denise Myers & Alexis McKenzie*

Taniea Myles & Bea Canal

Noelle Navarro

Karen Neelans

John Neff

Mariah Nelson

James Newkirk & Leon Wilkowsky*

Arletta Nicholl & Mary Anderson*

Scott Nickle*

Konrad Noebel, MCAT, LMT & Brian Cox*

Sharon Owens & Doreen Halbruner*

Jennifer Padula

Christopher Pajak

Bud Palmer*

Fran Panzo & Karen Groething

Marilyn Pate & Dorothy Smith*

Michelle Peeling & Wendy Adams*

Kevin Pelland

Al Perez & Gary Kraft*

Grace Pesikey & Janet Urdahl*

Beth Petitte*

PFLAG-Rehoboth Beach*

Cynthia Phillips & Virginia Riegel

Peggy Phillips & Norma McGrady*

Angela Pierce

Alynda Ponder-Pope & Louann Ponder-Pope

Trudy Portewig & Luanne Schinzel*

Linda Porto & Linda Tobin

Renata Price & Yona Zucker*

Jana Puffenberger

Joseph Purdy & Anthony Pontorno*

Julie Pusey

Mark Quiming

Mary Rakosky

Elaine Raksis & Maxine Klane*

Linda Rancourt & M. Sue Sandmeyer*

Ginny Ranson

Julie Rasmussen & LeAnn Erickson

Lewis Rathbone*

Julie Rathman & Sandra Eagles

Nancy Ratner & Linda Feinman

Carole Redman*

Carolyn Redmon & Nancy Allen*

Ken Reilly & Tony Ghigi*

Virginia Reime & Gene Tadlock*

Jeff Reinhart & Jack Miller*

Don Reppy*

Thomas Resh & Jeffrey Meyers*

Judith Rhodes & Martha Hughes

Gloria Richards*

Sherri Richman

Patricia Ridge*

Mary Jo Tarallo & In Memory of Linda Rikard

Keith & John Riley-Spillane*

Wm Paul Robbins & Gary D. Ralph*

Valerie Roberts & Nohemi Sanchez

John & Susan Roehmer*

Debbie Ronemus & Peggy Sander*

Mary Rossettini & Kathleen Taylor*

Gail Ruffins

Pamela Rule

Herbert Russell*

Kelly Sabol & Erin Reid*

Gaukhar Sadvokassova

Marguerite Sagatelian & Joy Legreid

Nancy & Joe Sakaduski*

Valerie Sans & Jac Grandchamps

Richard Scalenghe & Thomas Panetta*

Gary Schell & Jim DiRago*

Carol Scherling

Nancy Schindler & Eric Youngdale

Sharon Schmitt*

Melissa Schooler

Peter Schott & Jeffrey Davis*

Diane Schwarz

John Scotti & Greg Landers*

David Scuccimarra & Dorothy Fedorka*

Shirley Semple*

Paul Seyfert

Banner Sheppard & Marlin Hubler

Kelly Sheridan*

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CAMP Stories BY RICH BARNETT

At Last, A Hat

Iwas born the year men quit wearing hats. 1960. The young president John F. Kennedy took office bareheaded, and men everywhere followed suit. I’ve often thought it might explain why I’ve never been comfortable wearing a hat.

The first hat I remember was an aqua and orange Miami Dolphins ball cap, which my grandfather purchased for me at a football game shortly after the expansion team was formed in the late 60s. The problem was my ears, which I describe as having a certain resemblance to a French bulldog. They refused to cooperate with the Dolphins cap on my head and the whole look was kind of goofy.

Yet, I persevered. Mostly to fit in. And because I liked the look. Boys in caps looked cool and sporty.

Over the decades, I have owned a surprising number of baseball caps. My current ones reside together in a box in a closet, not displayed on shelves or walls the way some men present theirs, as if they were rare books or Fabergé eggs worthy of display. Mine were not.

At some point, the ball cap itself changed. It became less a sign of youthful sportiness and became a brand advertisement, fashion, or a statement. You can’t walk 10 feet now without seeing someone in a baseball cap, and increasingly, you can’t help but wonder what they’re trying to say. On older men it can look less like ease and more like a negotiation with time. One that isn’t going well.

And here I am again angsting about it. Want to know why? Two simple words: sun exposure.

After a couple of basal cell skin cancers, including one on the top of my ear and on the side of my face, my dermatologist made it clear that it’s time for a hat, specifically one providing better protection than a baseball cap. With Memorial Day fast approaching and a Rehoboth summer ahead of me, I needed to solve my hat conundrum.

A friend in Key West with a flair for headwear suggested I check out a little

shop called La Rubia, known for its exquisite Panama hats. It’s run by a husbandand-wife team and said friend thought the husband—Larry Blackburn—might be the perfect hatter for me. Mr. Blackburn is a man about town and a serious photographer.

It did not make me look younger, or cooler, or more interesting. Well, perhaps a bit eccentric.

From him I learned that the Panama hat originated not in Panama but in Ecuador. It is handwoven from toquilla palm straw, with the finest examples taking months to produce. They are, in their way, objects of art.

I was drawn initially to a classic ivory fedora with a striped band and a feather. It was a handsome hat. It reeked of old Havana. It made me look like I was trying to be a pretentious writer in a hat.

I explained the situation more fully. The dermatologist. The sun. My history with hats. My ears.

Mr. Blackburn suggested a largebrimmed Panama, sometimes referred to

as a planter’s hat. It was, he said, a style that looks good on a tall man. As a liberal Southerner, I had serious doubts. And a large brim? All I could picture was Nathan Lane in The Birdcage.

The first one he brought out was white with a very fine weave and a rolled 3.5” brim. Its crowning glory was a black and white braided horsehair band. Absolutely not. Undeterred, he next brought out a more casual beige version with a simple brown leather band.

And for reasons I cannot explain, this planter’s hat worked. It did not make me look younger, or cooler, or more interesting. Well, perhaps a bit eccentric. But it simply looked right. The brim was wide enough to do its job. The shape suited my face. My ears, while still present, were no longer sticking out. The proportion was spot on. And, yes, it had just enough style.

Sold!

Mr. Blackburn offered me a hat box to transport it but suggested I really ought to do it properly and wear it home. So, I did. For the rest of my trip and all the way back to Rehoboth. It didn’t feel awkward atop my head and I didn’t feel self-conscious. Most importantly, it kept the sun at bay.

I was born the year men stopped wearing hats, and here I am, 60-some years later, having acquired one for reasons that had nothing to do with style or image. Or not entirely. For most of my life, I thought a sports cap might help me feel more relaxed, more masculine, more whatever it was I thought I was supposed to be. It turns out the hat that works isn’t trying to do any of that. And finally, neither am I. ▼

Rich Barnett’s column just celebrated its 20th year in Letters. He is the author of two books and is an occasional contributor to Delaware Beach Life. His character-driven short stories have appeared in a variety of publications, most notably three times in Saints and Sinners annual LGBTQ fiction anthology. He can be reached at richbarnettwriter.com.

CAMPshots

SCENES FROM REHOBOTH BEACH

FESTivities and Fab Easter Bonnets!

CAMP Rehoboth Women's+ FEST, RB Easter Bonnet Crawl, Gumbo Crawl and More!

THIS PAGE (left to right) 1 ) at Women's+ FEST Performer

Meet and Greet: Yoli Mayor, Mina Hartong, Christa Marks, Teri Seaton, Leslie Ledogar, Murray Archibald, Evelyn Maurmeyer, Mina Hartong, Karen Laitman, Robin Brennan, Alli Brennan; 2) at Women's+ FEST Headliners Showcase + Live Auction: Vincent DeLissio, Shady P, Colleen Malloy, Paula Sydenstricker, Kris Aulenbach, Tracey Hepner, Tammy Smith, Sherri McGee.

OPPOSITE PAGE 3) at Women's+ FEST Headliners

Showcase + Live Auction: Murray Archibald, Laure Larkin, Lynette Matson, Nancy Hewish, Suzanne Krupa, Linda Kemp; 4) FEST Silver Anniversary Premier Dance: Mary Ann Trueheart, Tina Snapp, Shauna Stewart, Colleen Sheerin, Ruth Kloetzli, Laura Johnson, Judith Ashbrook, Arie Gray, Wendy Watson; 5) at Georgette Krenkel Welcome Dance: Fay Jacobs, Maggie Ottato, Patricia Krupa, Amelia Riley, Ilah Adkins, Karen Camasso, Jamie Forshey, Kim Whitmer.

More CAMPshots page 72

SCENES FROM REHOBOTH BEACH

(Continued from page 71)

THIS PAGE (left to right) 1) at Evie Simmons Memorial Golf Tournament: Claire McCracken, Amy Lyons, Donna Deely, Deb Duran, Michele Cavanaugh, Wendy Gee, Allison Flatley, Jane Kuhfisd, Lisa Orem, Barbara Thompson, Lisa Dillon, Lynn Casey, Tina Brown, Beth Petitte, Renate Costner, Melissa Vila-Guillory, Renee Guillory; 2) at G. Linda Rikard Memorial Golf Tournament: Laurie Thompson, Jen Leonard, Susan Shollenburger, Mary Jo Tarallo, Robin Brennan, Lisa Mosley, Kaye Sullivan, Peggy Castle, Noelle Navarro, Lexi Gardner.

OPPOSITE PAGE: 3) at FEST Farewell Social: Ann Maresca, Nancy Maresca, Karen Anderson, Brenda Dunn, Dawn Rowem, Kris Wilson, Kat Callaway, Mickie Snyder-Hall, DE State Representative Claire SnyderHall, Cindy Holt, Wilma Holt; 4) at Pickleball Doubles Tournament: Kris Painter, Maria Scannapieco, Kay Sledgianowski, Tim Winstead, Meg Rice, Rina Pellegrini, Chuck Connolly, Laurie Thompson; 5) at Cornhole Doubles Tournament: Nan Martino, Minda Lynch, Tracey Hepner, Tammy Smith, Marianne Sheridan, Denise Myers.

(More CAMPshots page 104):

OUTlook

Stardust Memories

Recently, I came across the most extraordinary thing, in the most unexpected place. We were in our scary, cobweb-overrun basement, looking for stands for our PA speakers because I’m playing music again. I was looking at a set of shelves in the room we used to use for band practice, and I found a long, slender, black plastic box, with an ASPCA sticker on it from the 1980s.

As soon as I saw it, I remembered what it was. The plastic box held cassette tapes, about 10 or 15 of them. Those cassettes were audition tapes of me doing the news. I did radio news for about a decade total when I was in my 20s and 30s. A whole different career from the one I retired from, although the two are adjacent.

But hearing my young, news-reading voice was a bit startling, mostly because I can’t imagine doing that job again— being a reporter, being constantly on call, anchoring a live, 30-minute news show every night, or even a five-minute newscast. As a reporter, covering murders, executions (I was living in South Carolina for a few of those jobs), the state legislature’s shenanigans, politics, deadly tornadoes, the circus coming to town, a papal visit, painting elephants, you name it, I probably did a story on it. It was a great job—for someone in their 20s and 30s with lots of energy and ambition. Yep, looking back, that ship has definitely sailed. But it was fun to listen and remember.

So, I knew those resume tapes would be in that box. What I didn’t know was that there were three other cassettes I had put in there years ago for safekeeping. One is of my late father playing trumpet in the Len Gray Orchestra recorded at Salisbury University in 1992. I was ecstatic to find it. Listening to songs like “Moonlight Serenade” and “One O’Clock Jump” takes me to a simpler time. I hear his muted trumpet soloing on “At the Woodside” and “Mona Lisa.”

Hearing that tape brought back a precious memory of my dad and me in

the basement of our house, just before he downsized and moved to his swinging bachelor pad condo across town. He would practice his trumpet in the basement, and the instrument, a music stand, and a chair were still down there. I asked him if he could play “Stardust,” one of my favorite songs. And don’t you know, he got out his trumpet and serenaded me beautifully with that song. It was quite a

What I didn’t know was that there were three other cassettes I had put in there years ago for safe keeping.

sweet moment, one I’ll never forget. But it took finding that tape to remember it. The second surprise cassette was of my brother, an album he made called Songs from the Place. The Place was his rehearsal and recording studio above the dirty-book store on South Salisbury Boulevard. We used to do a lot of partying up there when I was in high school. The building was recently razed, sadly. Like much of my childhood home, it has transformed into something that, at times, is unrecognizable.

BY BETH SHOCKLEY

But to hear his fingers sail over the guitar fretboard just makes me so proud of him and in awe of that talent. In 1993, he sent the recording to me to master, a final part of the recording process. At the time, I was working nights in New York City as an assistant mastering engineer at Europadisk. I did what I could, but the quality of the original recording was not good; it had a lot of hiss and other noise. It was too late for it to be of professional quality, but it turned out good enough for him—and what a treasure it is now. My brother even signed the cassette tray card to me.

The last surprise cassette was one of me, singing and playing guitar in 1978, when I was 18 years old. Wow, I sound so young. There are four original songs. The tunes are OK, the lyrics—well, I was 18. This is a snapshot of the part of me, who, like my dad and brother, loved to play music.

It’s good to be in touch with that part again, as I’m about to audition for a new band. I don’t know if I’ll pass muster, but if it’s meant to be…. I’m pretty nervous because I haven’t been in a band since 2017. I’m also very excited. My dad performed music well into his 60s, and even into his 70s. We’ll see what happens. Drumming and singing is a little more physical and demands more from the body. All I can say is, so far, so good.

What is pretty amazing, aside from the fact that these “snapshots” exist at all, is that every cassette tape, including the one of me from 1978, still played. In a way, finding these tapes tells me I’m on the right track, getting back into playing music. I’ve done a lot of things in my life, had several different careers. It’s time to center music again, at least part-time, if I can. My brother seems happy about it. And I can feel my dad smiling, wherever he is, in “Stardust” memories. ▼

Beth Shockley is a retired writer and editor, and shares life with her wife and kitty boys.

Where Inclusion Lives. And The Future Is Expanding

Set within 125 acres of natural beauty near Washington, D.C., we are a community rooted in nature and guided by a spirit of openness. A place where diversity is celebrated and belonging is real. Here, you’ll find more than beautiful surroundings—you’ll find people who see you, welcome you, and are excited to know you.

With exciting new expansions on the horizon, there are more opportunities to gather, grow, and help shape what comes next.

Because here, the future isn’t just something you move into—it’s something you help create.

*Collington’s expansion is pending approval by the Maryland Department of Aging. Renderings for illustrative purposes only; subject to change.

We Are All on Vance’s Humiliation Tour

‘Blessed

are the peacemakers’ was not said by Jane Fonda.

Our hapless vice president has nicely illustrated the plight of Republicans who submit to Trump, stumbling dutifully from campaigning for Hungary’s Viktor Orbán to disastrous peace negotiations with Iran to lecturing our Augustinian pope on Saint Augustine’s “just war” theory.

Given how disastrously the first 15 months of Trump’s second term have gone, he is lucky that he picked JD Vance as his running mate and packed his cabinet with people ripe for humiliation, whom he can blame for his incompetent, deranged, whim-driven leadership style.

This is like a dark version of the 1969 movie, If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium, except it’s more like, “If It’s Tuesday, It Must Be Time to Bomb Denmark.”

Pete

Hegseth, at a prayer service in the Pentagon,

quoted something written by Quentin Tarantino for Pulp Fiction as if it were real Scripture.

It’s not that I regard Trump’s campaign to wreck our country and our international alliances as harmless fun. It’s that virtually the entire Republican Party is too afraid to get off his hell-bound train.

It’s gotten so bad that even the fanatical leaders of Iran are starting to look sympathetic. Imagine the fun of working for their propaganda ministry.

Leo XIV, the first American pope, is proving to be far more popular than the president. This, I suspect, is the main problem. Trump cannot stand to be outshone by someone who has made clear he is not afraid of him. Leo happens to be my fellow Villanova alum, and I am the nephew of an Augustinian, but my non-Catholic friends love His Holiness.

One of the funniest things about the situation is Trump’s and his minions’ tone deafness. When Leo criticized the war on Iran and said, “Blessed are the peacemakers,” Trump & Co. reacted as if he had quoted Jane Fonda instead of the Sermon on the Mount. Pete Hegseth, at a prayer service in the Pentagon, quoted something written by Quentin Tarantino for Pulp Fiction as if it were real Scripture.

Granted, Samuel L. Jackson’s delivery was convincing in that movie.

As for FBI Director Kash Patel, let’s just say it is better to keep one’s mouth shut and be thought a drunken fool than to sue The Atlantic and leave no doubt.

BY RICHARD J. ROSENDALL

Sometimes I unwind by playing games. There are several animated variations of Monopoly that you can play on your mobile device, created for Hasbro by Marmalade Game Studio. The version set in pre-WWI Paris has a choo-choo train circling the city, but it never stops to let passengers on or off. This could be the basis of a suspense thriller like the 1994 Speed, in which Sandra Bullock’s bus is set to explode if its speed drops below 50 mph.

As the French would say, “Laissez-nous descendre de ce train!”

(You can look that up as I looked up the pronunciation of the street names in that version of Monopoly.)

I honestly don’t know how we get off this thing we are stuck on with Trump. It’s not as if we can move to a colony on Mars to avoid getting blown up. Besides, I could not bear to leave my beloved city of Washington, so lovely in springtime, for a dusty pile of rocks.

Plenty of people, myself included, have been urging everyone to vote. Never mind that Trump is determined to steal the election, because he can never be wrong and can only lose an election rigged by treasonous Democrats.

Have you noticed, by the way, how he has drained all the force out of words like treason and terrorism by overuse?

Those of us who can afford it have the option of moving overseas or spending a lot of time traveling. My friends Alan and Will, in addition to their home in DC, now have a place in Bordeaux. I cannot begrudge them their escape, especially since they are big foodies and have included me many times over the years in the multi-course gourmet meals with paired wines they enjoy hosting.

Most of us, both here and abroad, are exhausted by Trump. As I write this, his approval rating on the economy is down to 30 percent. It may be tempting to note that he is nearly 80 and the Good Lord could call him home any day, but I wouldn’t count on it.

Other than reciting the latest appalling headlines—and let’s spare ourselves from any more of that today—all we can do other than remember our civic duty is to live our best lives.

That, and try to get control of the blue properties so you can build a hotel on Avenue des ChampsElysées. ▼

Richard Rosendall is a writer and activist who can be reached at rrosendall@me.com.

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Deep Inside Hollywood

Wanda Sykes Brings “Legacy” to Netflix

Recently,

Wanda Sykes guested on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and suggested to the beloved host that since his time at CBS would be ending soon, his final episode should involve him “burn(ing) it down.” And if the polite Colbert doesn’t end his tenure as furiously as Sykes would like, she’ll have ample opportunity on her own to tell us what she thinks about the world with her third Netflix stand-up special, “Legacy.” The Emmy-winner recorded the set—directed by acclaimed Daughters of the Dust filmmaker Julie Dash—at Hampton University, her alma mater, and we can’t think of a better informal start to Pride season than that. The hour-long special drops on May 19, just a few days before Colbert’s May 21 final show. Ideal scenario: Sykes shows up again on Colbert’s set, promotes the special, and helps him—in her own words—“go the hell off.” ▼

Queer Casting Call: Sean Hayes, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Reneé Rapp

Academy Award nominee Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor (King Richard) has a new gig lined up. The queer character actor just landed a regular role on the CBS dramatic series, Einstein. The show, which stars Matthew Gray Gubler and Melissa Fumero, launches in the 2026-2027 TV season and will feature Ellis-Taylor as a veteran police officer who has to work with Gubler in the title role as Albert Einstein’s great grandson. Meanwhile, over at the in-progress Apple TV series The Morning Show, two new additions will significantly increase the queer quotient. Will & Grace alum Sean Hayes will take a major recurring role as brother and manager to the character “Bro” (Boyd Holdbrook), and charismatic young lesbian singer-actor Reneé Rapp (Mean Girls) is also hopping on board to play—what else—an ambitious up-and-comer climbing the network news ladder. You’ll see them when the fifth season drops in 2027, so you’ve got time to catch up.▼

Romeo San Vicente never tiptoes when he can stomp and barge.

BY ROMEO SAN VICENTE

Alan Cumming Goes Dark with Tip Toe

If you saw the 2019 Russell T. Davies futureshock drama series Years and Years and found it upsetting, only to see the real-life years of 2020 to the present moment lap the tragedies contained in that fictional narrative, perhaps you’ll want to settle in for his next cozily confrontational trip to the dark heart of humanity, Tip Toe. In the works right now, the series stars Alan Cumming (The Traitors) as the owner of a gay bar, and David Morrissey (The Walking Dead) as a homophobic construction worker, whose relationship begins professionally and turns bitter as Cumming befriends Morrissey’s gay son. According to Davies, the story will “explore contemporary threats facing the LGBTQ+ community” and not shy away from the ugly realities of aggrieved conservatives turning on queer people, not to mention the gasoline on the fire that often accompanies it in the form of social media. Davies also refuses to guarantee a happy ending, but we’ll see how that goes when it all drops. The series began filming in late 2025 in Manchester for an as-yet-undisclosed start date. Stay tuned. ▼

Bridgerton, Season Five? Lesbians Take the Spotlight!

Bridgerton has always been a wonderful reimagining of the British period costume drama. Its combination of characters, plotlines, casting, music—all of it, really—makes for a delicious romantic confection that asks “what if?” and “why not?” with abandon. So now, in the upcoming fifth season for Netflix, a main stage lesbian romance is promised. The characters of Francesca (Hannah Dodd)—a properly reserved countess—and Michaela (Masali Baduza)—more of an extrovert but still unsure of what she wants—will find themselves connecting in ways neither young woman had thought possible. There are queer characters on the show already, but each season has focused on one main heterosexual coupling. This storyline will push the straights aside for a bit to let queer love bloom and, as always, it’s about time. Look for the episodes, currently in production, sometime in 2027. ▼

Reflections

Blindsided by Spring

The first time pollen took me down, I thought I was having a heart attack. At 3:00 a.m., lying in bed in my Lewes home, I couldn’t take a full breath. My chest felt heavy, my thoughts spiraled, and the idea of driving myself to the emergency room seemed a distinct possibility. I didn’t go—not because I felt fine, but because I couldn’t figure out who would take care of my dogs. By morning, the worst had passed. I told myself it was a fluke. It wasn’t. It was my initiation into spring on the Delmarva Peninsula.

I was completely blindsided by the perils of pollen. When I lived in DC my car would turn yellow and some neighbors, in between their hacking and sniffling, complained about how bad their allergies were that year. I never paid much attention because I couldn’t relate to their suffering. Aggravating allergies had never been a part of my reality. Until they were.

One beautiful April morning I played two hours of pickleball outdoors. I initially felt great, but as the afternoon wore on I felt woozy and nauseous. I felt so sick at book club that evening I barely spoke and never touched the delicious food and drink.

It was Easter week and I had big plans. Music events filled my calendar from Thursday through brunch on Sunday. During the day, the most I could do was lounge on my couch (lying horizontal made me cough), sip hot water with honey and lemon, and doze. I couldn’t write, I couldn’t read, I couldn’t walk my dogs, and I didn’t have any appetite. I had no energy; felt spacey and out-offocus.

By Sunday, I’d had enough. I was desperate. My usual neti pot ritual, saline nose spray, and hot water concoction wasn’t working as it has for the colds I get every couple of years. This was different.

I did research on allergy symptoms and discovered that for some people allergies show up in ways that don’t

always get labeled allergies. In addition to breathing issues, symptoms can manifest as brain fog and fatigue. They can even affect your mood. I could relate.

Aggravating allergies had never been a part of my reality. Until they were.

Pharmaceuticals that alleviate symptoms for others, don’t work for me. Over-the-counter medications historically have closed up my throat and made me unable to drive a vehicle, think a coherent thought, or speak any sense. But I didn’t know what else to do. A trip to Walgreens only furthered my frustration. Not only were there two aisles with several rows of allergy medications but there was also a portable shelf planted in the middle of the store filled with even more medications. I could barely focus let alone try to figure out what, if anything, could possibly help me. Of course, because it was Easter, no pharmacist was on duty.

Back home I became wary of the very air around me. I was paranoid of further breathing in that yellow gunk, the culprit

BY PATTIE CINELLI

clogging my chest cavity. The yellow film coating my car and porch no longer seemed harmless. It felt invasive. I kept the windows shut, even on the most beautiful spring days, missing the sound of the birds and the scent of blooming flowers.

As the second week progressed I was getting antsy because I wasn’t healing the way I expected. My friend was concerned and thought a talk with a medical and food intuitive I used several years ago might get me out of this medical muck. That conversation helped shift things. She identified the root of my imbalances. She cleared my congestion, suggested a specific two-day detox program, and several herbal supplements that helped my body recover and will help me stay well in the future.

In many ways those 10 days were a gift. I learned a lot about myself, my friends, and my community. It’s getting easier for me to accept help. Acts of kindness seemed to appear exactly when I needed them. A friend popped over with the most delicious homemade chicken soup, the only food I could consume. Another brought home-cooked food that I devoured once I got my appetite back. Another took my trash cans to the curb and back again. Another friend, who lives three hours away, faithfully called me daily and kept me grounded and responsive.

As the tree pollen begins to fade and the grass prepares for its turn, I’m no longer caught off guard. I know what’s coming and I know how to deal with it. I’ve learned how to better support my immune system and keep myself grounded and centered. I’ve also learned how resilient my body is, especially if I learn to listen, cultivate love, and practice a lot of patience. ▼

Pattie Cinelli, a functional health & fitness writer, works at staying well. Contact her: fitmiss44@ aol.com.

Slow and Steady…

Turtles, Terrapins, and Tortoises

The line you’re standing in is, of course, the slowest one in the whole building. Surely, you’ve been waiting for—what? Fifteen minutes to get through? An hour? Feels like that. This line is slower than a turtle, right?

Nah, probably not quite.

First, before we figure that out, let’s make a distinction: the difference between a turtle, a terrapin, and a tortoise is that the first one is built for water cruising; the middle one is somewhere in-between, being both land-dwelling and semi-aquatic; and the tortoise is made for land speed breaking.

Does that matter, though? They all have shells, right? Yes, but the hard part is that all tortoises and terrapins are turtles, but not all turtles are tortoises or terrapins. Tch. They’re all from the genus Chelonia, (also sometimes called Testudines), and they share a common relative from way back, but they’re now only cousins, probably at least twice removed.

Yep, they all have shells which are basically fused spine and ribs covered in keratin, making the animal’s shell, in essence, part of its skeletal system— which means that despite what you saw on Saturday morning cartoons, it can’t remove that shell at bedtime, or ever. Shells have nerves and blood flowing through them, by the way, and they can be broken so, nope, a turtle is not encased in armor. Don’t let your kids ride on them, in other words.

Their skin kind of looks like it needs to have a spa day with lots of lotion, but it’s actually well-made—waterproof, and those parts do shed. Depending on the species—there are more than 350 known species, found on every continent except Antarctica—a turtle’s skin might be gorgeously colored different shades of green, black, brown, gray or orange, yellow, or pink.

As for their personal lives, turtles are livin’ the dream.

Smaller (pet-size) turtles will live 40 to 100 years, so if you want a quiet pet that’s a very good listener and won’t spill your secrets…

Generally in early spring, sometime between April and June, Mommy turtles and Daddy turtles mate when the water they live in is about 50 to 77°F; terrapins mate at around the same time of year and tortoises will get it on pretty much any season. Turtles are not monogamous and the female can store sperm from several different males for years, if she needs to, fertilizing the eggs as the months pass.

Once she’s ready to get pregnant for real and to lay those eggs, she drags her fecund self out of the water and digs a nest on the beach (turtle and terrapins); or she creates a shallow, well-drained, mostly-sunny spot in the ground, preferably in sandy soil (tortoises). Depending on the species, sea turtles will lay multiple clutches with up to 200 eggs per clutch; a terrapin lays up to 20

BY TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER

eggs in four clutches; tortoises can lay 30 or more eggs in multiple clutches.

Bottom line: any moment now, the world could be overrun with turtles.

Or not: because of the perilous journey from nest to sea, and the fact that they make tasty snacks for larger predators, only about one in a thousand baby sea turtles survive to adulthood. Less than five percent of terrapin and tortoise babies survive to voting-age.

In a perfect world, that age would be but a drop in the ocean.

Smaller (pet-size) turtles will live 40 to 100 years, so if you want a quiet pet that’s a very good listener and won’t spill your secrets, be aware. Also, side note: wash your hands because pet turtles can carry diseases such as salmonella. On the other end of the timeline, giant tortoises—the really big ones in zoos, the ones that have social media followers—can live a couple hundred years, maybe longer.

And there you were, standing in line and fuming.

It could be worse: for reference, snails and terrapins move at about 0.03 mph. Sloths move at 0.17 mph. Tortoises generally speed along at just over 0.6 mph. But sea turtles can swim faster than Michael Phelps, at about six mph leisurely and more than 20 mph, if threatened.

And you’re off like a herd of turtles! ▼

Terri Schlichenmeyer’s third book, The Book of Facts and Trivia: Science, came out in 2024.

SPOTLIGHT ON THE arts

CAMP Rehoboth Puts Art at the Heart of Our Community

FEST ART+ 2026

Thank you to everyone who attended Women’s+ FEST and the FEST ART+ 2026 reception! We had a wonderful turnout, and an overall fun-filled Women’s+ FEST weekend.

If you missed the reception—and haven’t yet seen the exhibit—no worries! FEST ART+ 2026 will be on display through May 21. So come on down and enjoy works celebrating women and the feminine spirit, contributed by over 30 artists. From paintings and photographs to stained glass and sculpture, FEST ART+ 2026 is an exciting and expressive exhibition—don’t miss it!  ▼

Community. Heart. Pride. Celebrating 35 Years of CAMP Rehoboth

Shortly after FEST ART+ 2026 closes, Community. Heart. Pride. Celebrating 35 Years of CAMP Rehoboth, an exciting community exhibition, opens in the CAMP Rehoboth Gallery. The exhibit will be open June 8 to July 31, with an opening reception planned for Thursday, June 11. Keep an eye out on social media for more details. ▼

CAMP Rehoboth Gallery typically is open Monday-Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. You can call ahead to confirm: 302-227-5620.

arts+entertainment

CAMP REHOBOTH ARTIST PROFILE ⊲ Eric Peterson

At first blush, the personality traits of writers and actors might seem diametrically opposed. It’s easy to think of writers locked away in solitary confinement writing the “Great American Novel.” Actors seem to thrive on “the smell of the greasepaint, the roar of the crowd,” to borrow the title of the classic ‘60s Anthony Newly musical.

Turns out writers and actors share similar characteristics in varying degrees—both are artistic, enterprising, investigative, and social, according to the website Career Explorer.

Eric Peterson dabbles on both sides of the aisle and is not shy about admitting that he is a self-proclaimed extrovert. Eric pens the monthly Letters column “Out and About.” He also is a playwright, and the author of the novel Loyalty, Love and Vermouth. Oh, and he also is an actor. You could call him a Renaissance Man.

Currently, he’s earned a role in the Clear Space Theatre production of The Legend of Georgia McBride (playing through May 21), but his theater roots go way back to high school when he portrayed Will Parker in the school’s version of Oklahoma.

Eric earned a degree in theater from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, where he says he had a chance to dabble in just about anything. He landed some plum roles, including Rev. Hale in The Crucible and Edmund the Bastard in King Lear.

He says he started writing as a playwright and the cross-over between writing and theater came somewhat naturally. “I spent all my time in the theater as an undergraduate theater major,” he said. “It was a language I understood, and I would dream up little bits of dialogue in my head that (I believed) were just as good as some of the scenes we were studying in class, so I tried my hand at it.”

His plays include an adaptation of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The House of the Seven Gables, Seven Strangers in

a Circle (nominee, Best Play, Washington Theatre Festival), and Smoke & Mirrors. He is a regular contributor to NBC Out and has co-hosted

The Rewind Project, a podcast about old movies and modern times. He was named a finalist in the 2022 and 2023 Saints+Sinners Short Fiction contest.

His first novel—Loyalty, Love and Vermouth—is about Charlie Vernon, a gay man, and his chosen eclectic family. Adventure ensues as they work to retrieve Charlie’s beloved dog, who was stolen when thieves broke into his DC apartment.

He is almost finished with his second novel. This one is about a man who hasn’t been home for 30 years. He finally goes back to bury a beloved aunt and realizes that—while the town wasn’t and isn’t perfect—he missed out on a lot by staying away so long.

Aside from his passion for writing and theater, Eric has always had a “real job.” He has worked for years in human resources, especially diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

“When I was young and fresh out of college as a theater major, I hoped to make a living both on stages and sets, and writing scripts for theater, film, and TV,” he said. “But I soon discovered that a career path that forced me to constantly look for work was not aligned with my personality.”

Eric was determined to transfer his acting skills into corporate training and discovered diversity training. “Looking back, I think both DEI and theater are about understanding people who aren’t like you—either as an actor trying to inhabit a role, a playwright trying to create a character, or a professional trying to make the workplace more welcoming and inclusive to different kinds of people.” He added, “So, while I continued to perform and write, I loved my career and my industry.”

When he lived in DC, Eric worked for Booz Allen Hamilton, a federal contractor; SHRM, the association for HR professionals; and Cook Ross, a DEI consulting firm.

As a queer person, I know firsthand how the stories we hear about ourselves have a huge impact on how we see ourselves and imagine our futures.

When the current administration rocked the world of DEI, Eric decided it was time to relocate to Delaware.

“DC is obviously a very progressive city,” he said. “In many ways, Rehoboth Beach is even more so.”

Eric compares his career path and resident journey to his family’s life in the military; he likes to tell people that he grew up in the United States Navy because his father was a career Naval Officer. Eric was born in California and lived in Spain, Maryland, Japan, Rhode Island, Hawaii, and Scotland before going to school in Washington State and eventually moving to DC. “Honestly, that might have been the impetus for wanting to understand different kinds of people—a desire that led me first to

Continued on page

arts+entertainment

BOOKED SOLID

Devout: Losing My Faith to Find Myself by David Archuleta © 2026, Gallery Books, $29.00, 290 pages

So just make up your mind already.

The decision is very much in your control—or, at least that’s how it’s supposed to be. It’ll be your future, your path, and seizing it may not just be necessary, but mandatory. It’s your life, and no one can live it for you. As in the new memoir Devout by David Archuleta, that goes for career and for love, too.

Born to parents who both had musical careers before they wed, David Archuleta remembers an early childhood growing up in a Hispanic Mormon community in Florida, where kin was always nearby. He was six when his parents moved the immediate family to Utah; the first thing he remembers about that is the snow, and how it was so cold, it burned.

Because music was in his blood, Archuleta grew up singing and dancing, often with his mother whom he calls “my rock.” It was his father, however, who encouraged him to perform; first, with a gentle push, then a shove toward a career Archuleta didn’t really want.

But he did want to make his father happy, so he went along with the contests, embarrassing meet-and-greets with stars, and uncomfortable introductions. Slowly, though, performing became more fun, and Archuleta made friends.

Profile Continued from page 91

theater, then to DEI, and then to writing novels,” he mused.

He now works as a DEI consultant out of his Rehoboth Beach home, which he shares with his two-and-a-half-yearold schnoodle (schnauzer/poodle mix) Scout, named for the narrator of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird

He is no stranger to the area, having visiting Rehoboth since the mid-90s, so it was not a big adjustment for him to move to the beach full-time. He returns to DC fairly frequently but loves his new community. “Mostly, I love the people and how committed they are to joy,” he says. “No matter what kind of mess is

BY TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER

Meanwhile, back home, everything was breaking apart. A “family friend” whom Archuleta refuses to name accused his father of abuse. He was exonerated, but it affected the family’s closeness and they stopped being affectionate.

That was a painful backdrop to Archuleta’s soaring career, his appearances on Star Search, friendships with other rising stars, his runner-up spot on American Idol, tours, and recording contracts. His father kept pushing him.

But there was one thing missing.

Since he was a boy, Archuleta had known that he was attracted to men, but his Mormon faith taught him that that was unacceptable. Kissing, his abuelita said, was wrong. He tried hard to date girls, in the most chaste way. Anything past that was against God—and anything at all with a man was unthinkable….

Though it absolutely favors his personal life and dwells on it a bit too much, Devout strikes an otherwise nice balance between that, author David Archuleta’s career, his sexuality, and his faith. The latter two are loaded with controversy.

You don’t need to be Mormon to fully understand the faith part; Archuleta offers non-Mormons a brief education, so readers can see the importance of the church’s teachings in his life and why he felt the need to abandon it as his understanding of his bisexuality grew. It’s emotionally raw and honest, but also so respectful that it almost bears re-reading. Such candor and the heart-on-his-sleeve tone you’ll sense are features in the entire book, alongside Archuleta’s family’s struggles and his learning to strike out alone.

It’s harmonious in more ways than one, and fans will be happy.

So, too, will anyone who wants a unique memoir with a dose of faith, or someone who’s an American Idol watcher. Find Devout and be sure to share. You won’t mind. ▼

happening in the world, my people here in Rehoboth are always willing to lift a cocktail and tell a joke, and because of them, I’m having the time of my life.”

Eric’s byline in Letters says that he is a fan of pop culture in all its forms— pop music, television, movies, novels, Broadway, you name it. “I guess I like to be entertained,” he quips.

“On a deeper level, I enjoy thinking about (and writing about) how the stories we take in affect us, for good or for bad. As a queer person, I know firsthand how the stories we hear about ourselves have a huge impact on how we see ourselves and imagine our

futures. That idea forms the basis of many of my columns which is probably why I wrote my by-line that way.”  ▼

Logan Farro is CAMP Rehoboth’s Visual Arts Coordinator. They may be reached at logan@ camprehoboth.org.

Mary Jo Tarallo is a former journalist and public relations professional for various nonprofits including a ski industry trade association. She won a Gold Award for a United Way TV program starring Oprah Winfrey.

Bless the Beasts…

To help us celebrate National Pet Month, we invited the pet “pawrents” among our readers to share photos of their furry (or feathered or finned or scaly…) pets, for publication in this May issue. Thanks to all of you who accepted the invite!

Collectively, these wonderful, beloved pets embody so many of the aims of the month: some are “poster pets” for pet adoption, others’ “infectious personalities” helped their families through the pandemic, some have benefited from the services of pet professionals, one works tirelessly to keep the waves in the ocean, two maintain their regal poses even as they supervise a neighbor’s yardwork…. You get the idea.

Pictured, left to right, top row: Buddy, Jaxx, Dodger & Griffin, LuLu. Second row: Dewey, Pretzel, Gigi, Gracie. Third row: Obie & Phantom, Joey, Izzy & Ivy, Pepe. Fourth row: Kovy Bear, Tanner, Dudley, Callie & AJ, Max, Covi.

Contributing pawrents: Bill Briganti & Gary Moore, Matthew Bronson, Deb Buniski & Amanda Randall, Dick Byrne, Maria Castillo, Jean Chlastawa, Don Filicetti & John Mackerey, Patti Galati & Karen Jung, Sandy Kraft, Bob Murray & Shawn Barron, Sandra Pace & Barbara Passikoff, Michael Poniatowski, Gail Purcell, Sam Sorrell, Jennifer Story, Keith Tarbet.

NATIONAL PET MONTH

National Pet Month, celebrated in May in the US (and April in the UK), aims to:

• Promote the benefits of pet ownership

• Support pet adoption

• Raise awareness of the benefits of pets for people (and people for pets)

• Increase visibility of skilled professionals who work with animals

• Raise awareness of the role, value, and contribution to society of working companion animals

• Promote donations of money, time, and/or talent to animal charities

SUNDAYS

Sunday Tea 3PM-6PM

SUNDAYS

Sunday Fun Day! STARTS MAY 10

THURSDAYS

Night

14

MAY

MONDAYS

MAY 15 DJ Chord 8PM-12AM

TUESDAYS

TUESDAYS

FRIDAYS

The Sea Salt Table BY

ED CASTELLI

Tequila Chicken

Ionce saw a cartoon about Memorial Day that really spoke to me. There was a car bursting with people and supplies. The caption read something like “Hotdogs, potato salad, plates, utensils, bathing suits, Frisbee.... Did we forget anything?” Meanwhile, they were driving by a cemetery covered in American flags.

So many gave their lives so that we can enjoy a picnic in a free country. Especially those who were drafted, sent far from home, never to return. My heart bleeds for their parents, siblings, partners, and children.

I believe a big part of Memorial Day is honoring survivors. A day set aside for us to show them that their loved ones are not forgotten. And didn’t die in vain. Have you seen the slogan over the highway at the Dover Air Force Base? “All Gave Some. Some Gave All.” That’s powerful stuff. Even in these divisive times, I hope we can all agree that great sacrifices have been made on our behalf.

Every Memorial Day, Bethany Beach hosts a program at the bandstand. Speakers include state representatives, town officials, and veterans. I make a point to come off the beach, even if

just for a couple minutes. I take my hat off for the anthem, bow my head for prayers, and listen to a few speeches.

No, I’ve never stood through the entire program. But I have found it rewarding to pause my day, showing gratitude for those who fought for my welfare.

So, without being preachy from behind a keyboard, allow me to gently suggest we all set aside a few moments to think on the meaning of this important holiday. Fly a flag, post an honorary Insta, or have a silent moment before digging into the baked beans.

And then yeah, carry on and kick off summer, baby!

Of course, we’re all thinking about picnics. Personally, I’m craving my mom’s fried chicken. Hers was not very batter-y. Just a light dredge in flour, salt, and pepper. What made it out of this world was her use of shortening laced with bacon drippings. I still remember unwrapping the speckled waxed paper at roadside rests.

I never mastered Mom’s recipe. But this month, I’m highlighting my Tequila Chicken. It’s based on an Ina Garten recipe that I’ve tweaked over the years. Perfect to toss in the picnic hamper!

Let’s get started, shall we?

STEPS

 Combine the following:.

• ½ cup gold tequila

• 1 cup fresh squeezed lime juice

• ½ cup orange juice

• ½ cup plain Greek yogurt

• Tbl Dijon mustard

• Tbl chili powder

• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

• 6 garlic cloves, pressed

• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Add 2½ pounds of skinless chicken breasts or tenders. Marinate 4 to 8 hours.

 While you’re heating your grill, drain the marinade, then salt and pepper the chicken to taste. Lightly oil your grates.

Grill until meat just reaches 165°. Platter and allow to rest a bit.

TIPS

• The marinade makes these uber tender and moist. The alcohol burns off but it’s important to use a top-shelf tequila.

• Serve with a chopped “salsa salad” made with whatever you have on hand. Like tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, black beans, and avocados tossed with a lime dressing. ▼

Ed and his husband Jerry split their time between homes near Harrisburg Pennsylvania and Bethany Beach. Ed builds websites to pay the bills but loves to cook, garden, hike, and dote on their dog Atticus.

Historical Headliners

Roman Emperor, Greek Love

Museum visitors strolling through galleries filled with male statues from the ancient world, particularly from Greece and Rome, often find it difficult to tell the difference between Greek statues and Roman ones, since they can be similar. But the similarity can be deceptive.

Generally speaking, Greek statues of men express what the Greeks considered “The Ideal,” meaning harmony within a human being which is expressed by beauty of form. Roman statues of men, on the other hand, though similar in execution by sculptors who adopted the famous Greek mathematical canon of form, generally express power.

Power was the central idea of the Roman empire. Its art, especially its lifesize and larger-than-life-size statues of its emperors and military leaders, represented Rome’s power. Their visage is often stern. Their bodies overtly muscular. One hand and forefinger often raised dictatorially in the air.

In most ways, the Roman emperor Hadrian was no different from his imperial predecessors. He was an able military leader. His military exploits expanded the furthest reaches of the empire’s borders. He made a politically expedient marriage, as was the practice of most of Rome’s powerful elite.

But there is one difference in Hadrian’s reign as emperor of the Roman Empire (August 117 to July 138): he was openly gay.

Though many of Rome’s elite took same-sex lovers from time to time, they treated these trysts more as sexual novelties to be practiced discreetly. Hearth, home, and family were revered in Rome, and a man’s same-sex love affairs, while winked at by his contemporaries, were not paraded openly. Hadrian, though, never bothered to hide his sexual and romantic preference, and in the year 123 he met the love of his life.

The object of Hadrian’s affection was a beautiful Greek youth named Antinous. It appears that Hadrian met Antinous while inspecting the Roman province of Bithynia

et Pontus, which was formerly a Greek province in Anatolia (modern day Turkey). Shortly thereafter, Antinous went to Rome for his formal education, and by the year

But there is one difference in Hadrian’s reign as emperor of the Roman Empire (August 117 to July 138): he was openly gay.

128, teenage Antinous became Hadrian’s lover. The emperor’s devotion was so deep he openly took Antinous with him on imperial outings, traveling through much of the empire with the young man.

How the elite of Rome felt about Hadrian’s open love for Antinous didn’t really matter, even if they sneered privately. An emperor of the Roman Empire was considered all powerful, divinely chosen to rule the known world. A Roman emperor, in other words, could do whatever he wanted. And what Hadrian wanted was to love Antinous.

Hadrian was enamored of the refined arts and intellectual culture of Greece, particularly the culture of Athens. By the time of Hadrian’s rule, Athens had been the cultural center of Greece since the time of Pericles, over 500 years before. Hadrian was so enamored of

BY ANN APTAKER

Greek culture that he actually took up Greek religious practices, participating in the Eleusinian Mysteries on more than one occasion. He often visited Athens, remaining in that city for lengthy periods of time, and was even granted Athenian citizenship.

While all this was going on, Hadrian didn’t neglect his imperial responsibilities. He maintained the deadly efficiency of the Roman army and led it on successful conquests and annexation of distant lands, enlarging the already immense scope of the Roman Empire. Oftentimes, while traveling around the empire’s farflung territories, Antinous was at Hadrian’s side, and in his bed in his imperial tent at nightfall. Hadrian didn’t bother to hide his romantic attachment to the much younger Antinous, and historical scholarship generally describes Hadrian as Rome’s openly gay emperor.

The love affair ended sadly for Hadrian. During a trip down the Nile River, Antinous mysteriously drowned in the river. It has never been determined how or why Antinous drowned in the Nile, whether it was foul play or an unfortunate accident, but whatever the cause Hadrian was devasted. He was so overcome with grief that he deified Antinous as a god and founded a religious cult for his worship. Hadrian also founded a city in Egypt in Antinous’s honor, naming it Antinoöpolis, giving it the Greek spelling.

Statues and busts of Hadrian figure prominently in museum exhibitions, and the British Museum’s 2008 exhibition of Hadrian’s reign was no different in praising his military and political skills as emperor. Where this exhibition differed from others was its inclusion of Hadrian as a gay man who’d fallen in love in the Greek fashion with the youth Antinous. ▼

Ann Aptaker is the author of short stories and the Lambda & three-time Goldie award winning Cantor Gold series. Her latest in the series—Gold for the Dead—was released in October 2025.

By Djehouty - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons. wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=85310985

Happy Talk

I Love a Happy Time

End of April and I’m cramming. I need to boost my Spanish skills asap for my intensive Spanish immersion course that begins May 4 in Malaga. I’ve subscribed to an online service that includes 20 minutes a day of coaching by “Sophie,” an AI entity who is programmed, I am guessing, to coach Millennials or Gen-Zs.

“You’re doing great!” she effuses after I supply a correct answer to a softball prompt. “Want to try another one?”

“Si.”

“¡Genial! Let’s try this: How would you say ‘I need to buy some fruit’ in Spanish?”

“Necesito escuchar algo frutas.”

“Entiendo, I think you meant ‘comprar’ instead of ‘escuchar’.”

See what I mean? I’m a Boomer, Sophie. You can just tell me I screwed up. No need to pussyfoot with all this “I think you meant” hedging.

Then Sophie delivers the hammer: “You said (in Spanish): ‘Necesito escuchar algo frutas,’ which means (in English): ‘I need to listen to some fruits’.”

This flub is so funny I call my friend Lisa in Philly, best bud for decades who often comes to visit me in Rehoboth.

“You should just drive into town,” she says, “plenty of fruits to listen to there.”

“I know, right? I can just show up at Aqua during Friday evening Happy Hour.”

Backstory: Thirty years ago I was dating a guy whose parents did not speak English and who visited occasionally from Chile. I wanted to talk to them, so I enrolled in Spanish classes at the university where I was teaching. Faculty could take a course a semester gratis, so it seemed like a win-win.

Until my bf up and ran off with a Korean. Hasta la vista, Spanish classes, even though I had reached the level that lets American kids off far too easily as being “proficient” in a foreign language. I don’t know if universities even require proficiency in a foreign language any more. The corporate model that now

dominates academia requires only transactional kids. Expanding minds via foreign languages be damned.

Then there’s the xenophobia that reigns supreme in the age of Trump. What?! Learn something other than English?! Why on Earth?! And Spanish, to boot! Don’t I realize that we are expected to direct our animus at those people above all? Why even build a wall if turncoats from within are interested in dialogue?

Plus, when a Certain Someone is decreed King of the Planet and Emperor of the Universe in Perpetuity, English will be the Only Official Language, and speaking anything else will be verboten, under punishment of listening to the First Lady read aloud.

Here’s what happened: Last year, Bad Bunny released DebÍ Tirar Más Fotos, and I fell in love with it immediately. Wonderful mix of soulful and upbeat tunes, ingenious mixing, fresh sounds. I downloaded the lyrics so that I could memorize at least some of them to be able to sing along.

Then Bad Bunny gets named as Super Bowl halftime performer, and I’m beside myself. Of course, you saw the show—delightful beyond words. Like his music, full of surprises and creativity that entertained the eyes just as much as the ears, all the while delivering a geography lesson.

Trump’s reaction? “The Super Bowl Halftime Show is absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER!” Reuters reports Trump as writing on Truth Social after the show. (Thanks, Reuters, for parsing through the drivel so that the rest of us do not have to.) “It makes no sense, is an affront to the Greatness of America, and doesn’t represent our standards of Success, Creativity, or Excellence.”

Which is true, I guess, because the standards of success, creativity, and excellence set by this administration are truly something else. I mean, seriously, who does Bad Bunny think he is? Kid Rock?

And please don’t get me started on the affront to standard edited English

BY JIM HENRY

that transpires when Donald’s thumbs get going. No, Your Highness, it doesn’t change the Meaning one Bit just because you Capitalize randomly whenever some sprite Whispers in your ear.

Last year, Bad Bunny released DebÍ Tirar Más Fotos, and I fell in love with it immediately.

My reaction? I’ll show you, Agent Orange. I’m gonna take up where I left off on those Spanish lessons three decades ago so that I, for one, can make sense of every line of every song in Bad Bunny’s songbook.

So here I am cramming.

“¡Casi perfecto!” Sophie gushes after another of my “near” misses. “Don’t worry, that’s a common phrase! Shall we try something else?”

She has just the sweetest voice.

“¡Sí. Claro que si!”

I figure I can at least match her enthusiasm.

“¡Muy bien! Let’s try this one: How would you say ‘We had a great time’ in Spanish?”

“Nos encantamos una tiempo feliz.”

“¡Muy bien intentado!” Sophie begins.

Oh, dear. We all know about best intentions….

“You said (in Spanish): ‘Nos encantamos una tiempo feliz.’ Which means (in English): We loved a happy time.”

Well, it’s true. I do love a happy time. I trust my future classmates and instructor do, too. ▼

A retired English professor from the University of Hawai’i, Jim Henry spends summers in his treehouse, featured last August in Delaware Beach Life.

SCENES FROM REHOBOTH BEACH

(Continued from page 73)

THIS PAGE (left to right) 1) at Drag Bingo at Aqua: Amethyst Diamond, Jo Fig, JP Torres, Luisa Toerres; 2) at Women's FEST Expo: Lee Ann Walling, Beth Strauss, Tagan Shepard, Serena J Bishop, Lori G Matthews, Brooke Campbell, Shae Wagner; 3) at FEST Art Reception + WomenKind Performance: Jane Knaus, Mary Ann Truehart, Angela M Pierce, Tina Snapp; 4) at Singles Tea Dance at Aqua: Lexi Gardner, Tama Viola, Tish Still, Brittany Richardson.

OPPOSITE PAGE 5) at RB Gumbo Crawl: Kateryna Ramos, Yolanda Pineda, Ti Gaskins, Tom Johnson, Paul Spaventa, Eileen Spaventa, Sloane Spaventa, Susan Sulpivio, Jerry Filbin, Melinda Lee, John Davis, Chris Mooney, Nicole Chubiogiv, Michael White, Paul Weiss, Chris Beagle, Eric Engelhart, Scott Sarver, Mark Latulippe, Frank DelCampo, Charles Bounds, Richard Ambrose, Cliff Martell-Fantini, Herb Engert, Wendy Jenkins, Ike Jenkins, Jennifer Peterson, Sean Williams, Max Dick, Glenn West.

(More CAMPshots page 106)

SCENES FROM REHOBOTH BEACH

(Continued from page 105)

THIS PAGE (left to right) 1) at RB Easter Bonnet Crawl: Frank Lopez, Craig Chase, Jim Riddle, Dan Furman, Michael Buie, Sherry Dawson, Jack Kofood, Mark Hunker, Michelle Phillips, Tim Lessa, Angel Degado, Aron Wilson, Heath Parish, Marco Morales, Norman Bennett, Judy Luniewski, Autumn Luniewski, 1st Place Winners—John Rafter, Bob Bieber, Pamala Stanley, Michael Clay, Butch Clay, Chuck McSweeney, Richard Thibodeau, Joly Colletti.

OPPOSITE PAGE 2) at Lewes Rainbow Social Club Easter Bonnet Social: Susan Leathery, Mel Danskin, Jett Butterworth, Brian Hecksher, Paul Seyfert, Barry Dunkin, Ruth Kloetzli, Peter Garneau, Keith McDonald, Mike Summerlin, Nan Martino, Cheryl Landry; 3) at No Kings Rally at RB Bandstand: Mike Benardo, Angie Manos, Scott Young, John Kircher, Paul Hurdle, Duncan Maccellan, Glenn Reighart, Donald Garverick, Mark McDaniels, Lori Kline, Matty Brown, Rev Vicki Gordy-Stith.

(More CAMPshots page 110)

The Real Dirt

Say Yes to Ground Covers

Flowering ground covers are among the most versatile and ecologically valuable tools in our landscapes. Spanning climates from the Mid-Atlantic through parts of the Southeast and coastal Northeast, our Planting Zone 7 in southern Delaware offers a long growing season and a wide range of conditions— from sandy, salt-influenced soils near the coast to rich woodland interiors. Ground covers serve multiple purposes: they suppress weeds, stabilize soil, conserve moisture, and create a continuous layer of seasonal color. Many species also provide nectar and habitat for pollinators, making them especially important in sustainable and native-focused designs.

One of the most beloved flowering ground covers for sunny sites is creeping phlox, also called moss phlox, (Phlox subulata), a standout native species that forms a dense mat of needle-like foliage topped with vibrant pink, purple, or white blooms in early spring. It thrives in welldrained, even sandy soils, making it particularly well-suited to coastal landscapes. Moss phlox tolerates drought once established and performs beautifully on slopes, rock gardens, and seaside banks. Another excellent flowering option for sun is stonecrop, including native Sedum ternatum, which produces delicate white flowers and thrives in poor, dry soils. For a longer bloom season, creeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum) offers low, fragrant foliage and summer flowers that attract pollinators while tolerating heat and drought.

In partial shade and woodland edges, a different palette of flowering ground covers emerges. Woodland phlox (Phlox stolonifera), another native species, creates a soft carpet of lavender-blue blooms in spring and spreads gently through dappled light. Wild geranium (Geranium maculatum) provides delicate pink flowers and thrives in similar conditions, offering both ornamental value and ecological benefits. Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia), also native, produces airy white flower spikes above oak-like leaves and forms

attractive colonies in moist, shaded soils. These species are particularly valuable in naturalistic plantings where they mimic the structure of forest understories while supporting native insects and pollinators.

Ground covers serve multiple purposes: they suppress weeds, stabilize soil, conserve moisture, and create a continuous layer of seasonal color.

For deeper shade, flowering ground covers become more subtle but no less important. Allegheny spurge (Pachysandra procumbens), a native alternative to invasive pachysandra, produces fragrant white flowers in spring and thrives in dry shade beneath trees. Wild ginger (Asarum canadense) offers heart-shaped foliage and hidden, unusual flowers close to the ground, contributing to a lush, layered woodland effect. Green-and-gold (Chrysogonum virginianum) is another standout native, with cheerful yellow blooms that brighten shady edges and spread steadily without becoming aggressive.

Coastal Zone 7 environments—such as those found along the Delaware

BY ERIC W. WAHL

shoreline—introduce additional challenges, including salt spray, wind, and sandy soils. In these settings, native and coastal-adapted ground covers are especially valuable. Bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) is a classic coastal ground cover, forming evergreen mats with pink spring flowers and red berries that support wildlife. Creeping juniper (Juniperus horizontalis), while primarily grown for foliage, can tolerate salt and drought and provides excellent erosion control on dunes and slopes. Beach-adapted species like creeping phlox and certain sedums also perform well in sandy soils, bridging the gap between ornamental and ecological function.

When selecting flowering ground covers for our area, it is essential to match the plant to site conditions—sun exposure, soil moisture, and drainage all play critical roles in success. Native species are particularly advantageous because they are adapted to local climates, require less maintenance, and contribute to biodiversity by supporting pollinators and other wildlife. Gardeners should also be mindful of aggressive non-native species such as periwinkle or English ivy, which can outcompete native vegetation and disrupt ecosystems.

Incorporating a mix of flowering ground covers—especially natives—creates a resilient, layered landscape that evolves through the seasons. From the vivid spring carpets of creeping phlox to the subtle woodland blooms of foamflower and wild ginger, these plants offer both beauty and ecological function. In coastal areas, their role becomes even more critical, stabilizing soils and withstanding harsh conditions while maintaining visual appeal. Thoughtful selection and placement can transform ground covers from simple fillers into foundational elements of a sustainable and richly textured garden. ▼

Eric Wahl is a landscape architect at Pennoni, artist, author, and president of the Delaware Native Plant Society.

SCENES FROM REHOBOTH BEACH

(Continued from page 107)

THIS PAGE (left to right) 1) at Transgender Day of Visibility Community Gathering at Unitarian Universalists of Southern Delaware: Tyrice Nock, Julie Setting, LGBTQ+ Commission Chair Cora Castle, Graeme Davis, Karen Lunstead, Wayne Lunstead, David Mariner, Vienna Cavazos, Vincent Delissio, Matty Brown, Dalton Schwartz, Matt Castrina; 2) at Clear Space’s Outfit the Ensemble Fundraiser at The Starboard: Linda Wolfe, Carl Schloegel, Zach Asnis, Eryk Bluto, Mindi Tunnel, Ashley Williams, Jadon Matthews, Gabby Glanville, Joe Gfaller, Jadine Pilotti, Justin Jewell, Candice Jewell.

OPPOSITE PAGE 3) at Diego's: Joe Zuber, Darryl Ciarlante, David Gedez, Danny Haile, Louise Menna, Bern Brinn, DJ Brooke; 4) at The Pines: Kelly Long, Mickey Allison, Richard Chambers, Larry Daymude, Andre Gasper, Geno Vento, Dave McCarthy, Watt Cassell; 5) at Blue Moon: Kali Coutour, Autumn Schneider, Roxy Overbrooke, Randy Hanney, Tim Ragan, Miss Mann, Janell Collins; 6) at Aqua: Bryan Houlette, Sandra Skidmore, Maureen Ryneski, Tara Bending, 7) at Rigby’s: John Black, Robbie Azmat, Ryan Gordon.▼

BY ROBERT DEDOMINIC

Fake Spring? Not in California!

Greetings, Letters readers, Robby from Brooklyn here, wishing all of you a Happy Spring. Finally. I think…is it spring yet?

I know I previously have waxed poetic and gone on and on about my favorite season—Libra season! Now I must swing the pendulum the other way and lament about one of my least favorite seasons: Fake Spring!

Fake Spring occurs during those weeks at the end of March or beginning of April, where for a few days in the Northeast it’s sunny and gorgeous. The highs are in the 60s and 70s. Gays break out the tank tops and short-shorts, bars open their windows, and restaurants put some seats and tables out front. The streets are busy; people are smiling. You go and walk the West Side Highway and check out Little Island. We got to lounge at The Gansevoort Peninsula in Hudson River Park. Opened in 2023, it’s Manhattan’s first public beach with 1,200 tons of sand, beach umbrellas, Adirondack chairs, a sandy shore, and a salt marsh. Love it! After three months of bitter cold, snow, and dark days, it truly is glorious. But if Mother Nature giveth—she also taketh away.

Because as quick as that mercury hit 70 degrees, the very next week we were thrust back in bitter cold. And to add serious insult to injury, it just feels colder and darker because we had those glorious days of sun. Those with small apartments and closets—don’t switch out your winter jackets and sweaters for the tanks and shorts just yet!

Fake Spring hit harder this year just because everything seems harder this year. By all accounts, for most of us it was a rough winter. Throw in a POTUS who loves claiming things are fake—although weirdly we never once discussed Fake Spring—and we have the epitome of “rough.”

Funny how we never heard anything about fake elections till the man named

After three months of bitter cold, snow, and dark days, it truly is glorious. But if Mother Nature giveth—she also taketh away.

in the Epstein Files thousands of times lost an election in 2020. Funny how we never heard the term fake news until a twice-impeached POTUS tried to convince his followers that every news story that paints him in a bad light is false. How has this man hijacked 10 years of our lives?

He won’t highjack any more of my column, because by the time you are reading this I will be on a big gay cruise sailing throughout Mexico! At the end of April I, along with a few thousand other gays, will be boarding the newest Virgin ship, the Brilliant Lady. The ship arrived at the Port of Los Angeles on April 6, marking the first Virgin Voyage cruise season operating from California.

We are sailing with Atlantis Events— the world’s largest gay travel company. My friend Mike and I will be hitting the following Mexican ports: Ensenada, Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta, and Mazatlan. Mike and I have been friends since back in the day when we worked together on Fire Island. Staying in touch even after Mike moved to West Hollywood years ago, we participated in multiple AIDS Lifecycles together. A week aboard a nonstop floating gay celebration is exactly what I need to get my groove back—just call me Stella aboard the ship.

By the time you read this I will be celebrating spring in Los Angeles—a place where Fake Spring doesn’t exist! By the time you read this I will have completed the epic, unique hike in LA called the “Bridge to Nowhere.” According to Mike, “It’s an iconic hike where you hike up along a river to a giant bridge that goes nowhere…it was built for a highway that was never finished and now people bungee jump off of it.” Sign me up!

By the time you read this I will be drinking at the Abbey scoping Bravo reality ‘stars!’

By the time you read this I will be sunning myself poolside at a rooftop bar somewhere in WeHo.

We needed this! And by we I mean me. Just as much as we needed Heated Rivalry and the Artemis II astronauts, we needed a week in LA and a week on a gay cruise. We needed this for Jane Don’t—robbed of the Drag Race crown!

By the time you read this it will be spring, real spring, no more Fake Spring. Bon Voyage! ▼

Robby is a freelance writer and teacher. For more stories and photos from his cruise follow his Substack and blog—The Gays of Our Lives!

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We Remember

Mary Therese Conte

Mary Therese Conte passed away on March 1, 2026. Born in Utica, New York, December 3, 1941, she was the cherished daughter of the late Francis “Frank” and Ann (Marchetta) Conte. She was raised and educated in the area and graduated from SUNY Cortland College with a bachelor’s degree in education.

She devoted her career to inspiring young minds as a teacher and librarian in Washington, DC, public schools after moving to DC in the early 1960s to teach social studies at Alice Deal Junior High School. She went on to get a master’s degree in library science from University of Maryland and soon thereafter became the school librarian for Wilson High School in DC, where she served until her retirement.

She was a beloved faculty member who always took the time to listen, counsel, and befriend students in need who relied on her kindness, generosity, and support, often meeting with their families to solve problems and buying supplies and/or clothing they needed but that their families couldn’t provide.

A free spirit and a true friend to all, Mary was known for her infectious optimism, love of life, and boundless energy. During her years in DC, she entertained her friends with her superb cooking and endless enthusiasm for working on projects in her home, especially in her garden, as well as helping friends with their home projects. She also looked forward to and loved spending time in Rehoboth Beach, hanging out on the beach, partying, and dancing with her many friends.

After purchasing a home in Lewes for weekends and summer vacations, she moved to Lewes full time and worked on renovating the house and yard while also enjoying hiking, biking, and kayaking with her many friends. A boating and fishing enthusiast as well, she made her motorboat the place where special occasions were celebrated with friends and laughter was always abundant. She also became deeply involved with the development of the Historic Lewes Farmers Market, serving many years as a volunteer and then volunteer coordinator. She was also one of the founding members of Village Volunteers, which continues to serve the vital needs of area seniors today.

Mary began spending winters with friends from Delaware in Dunedin, Florida, and after purchasing a home there, moved to Dunedin full time in 2018, so she could enjoy her outdoor activities and sunset happy hours with friends year-round. There she became a senior champion pickleball player and nurtured her passion for biking, making long-distance bike tours around the West Coast of Florida and even in the Carolinas. She returned to Lewes in the last few years of her life to be among long-time, devoted friends in the area. Mary is survived by her nephew, Joseph Conte, and his wife Amy; niece, Kerry Conte, and her partner Sal; great-nephew, Nico; and great-niece, Sofia. She was predeceased by her brother, Nicholas Conte. She additionally leaves behind her sister-in-law, Jean Conte; her longtime friend, Carol Gross; and numerous friends in Lewes and Dunedin.

Mary’s Graveside Service and Rite of Committal were held March 30, at Calvary Cemetery, 2407 Oneida Street, Utica, New York. Donations in Mary’s memory may be made to the Historic Lewes Farmers Market, historiclewesfarmersmarket.org.

Mary’s Life Memorial webpage may be visited at parsellfuneralhomes.com. ▼

Gerald Beaulieu

Gerald Paul “Gerry” Beaulieu completed his journey in this life on March 22, 2026. He leaves a legacy of kindness, gentleness, compassion for the needy and those less privileged, and volunteerism in those communities where he lived.

Gerry was born in Manchester, New Hampshire, the oldest of three boys. His mother, Jeanne, died when he was 10, and he was raised by grandparents, relatives, and an orphanage while his father worked to support the family until he remarried and blended families with a new stepsister and stepbrother. Gerry attended bilingual schools through high school. He graduated from St. Charles Seminary and St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore, Maryland, with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and history.

Gerry moved to Washington, DC, in 1969 and began a career in health and hospitals. He started as a billing clerk and worked his way up to a junior accountant position in his first job. His passion for learning and selfimprovement led him to take night classes while working full time, and he earned an MBA in accounting at George Washington University. He had the foresight to learn Medicare billing while the program was in its infancy and eventually assumed positions

as assistant director of finance and reimbursement at George Washington University Medical Center and later chief financial officer at Georgetown University Hospital, where he served on several national and regional committees. Gerry was named president of Columbia Hospital for Women and reorganized the hospital after a Chapter 11 bankruptcy. He closed out his career as the chief financial officer for the American Society of Landscape Architects and consistently focused on helping his employees grow and supporting their career advancement. After his passing, a previous employee remarked, “He was the best boss I ever had.”

Gerry’s volunteerism dated back to his earliest days in Washington, DC. He was especially instrumental in his work as treasurer—during the AIDS epidemic—for several organizations focusing on the needs of AIDS patients, including NOVAM in Alexandria, Virginia,

which funded transportation for medical care, and the Hearth Foundation, which assisted patients with affordable housing. Gerry was treasurer of the Whitman Walker Clinic, which started as an LGBT clinic and grew over time to be a community health clinic with several locations in Washington, DC. He also served as treasurer of NCCEP, a group that coordinated Department of Education grants to assist underprivileged children and their parents in navigating applications and admissions to college.

After enjoying numerous vacations in Rehoboth Beach, Gerry, along with his husband, Bill Fuchs, and their two long-haired Chihuahuas, relocated permanently to the area in 2014. Gerry immediately jumped in, volunteering his skills to several community organizations, including treasurer and board member of Rehoboth Beach Historical Society, treasurer of Rehoboth

Main Street, and finance committee member for Clear Space Theatre Company.

Gerry was preceded in death by his parents, stepmother, and stepbrother, and his brother, Ray Beaulieu. He is survived by his husband, Bill Fuchs, of Rehoboth Beach; his brother, Marcel Beaulieu (Patty), of Laconia, New Hampshire; stepsister, Pauline Thurston (Bill), of Forney, Texas; and seven nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, Gerry has requested that donations be sent to Beebe Medical Foundation, 902 Savannah Road, Lewes 19958, beebehealthcare.org/donate; or Clear Space Theatre Company, 20 Baltimore Avenue, Rehoboth Beach 19971, clearspacetheatre.org.

A service celebrating Gerry’s life was held Saturday, April 25, at Epworth United Methodist Church. Gerry’s Life Memorial may be visited at: at parsellfuneralhomes.com. ▼

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