Sports
Fun
Local team advances to Series
Local orchestra performing two show
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JULY 26, 2024
THE LOCAL VOICE OF YOUR COMMUNITY.
Bethany council bids adieu to Frye
Volume 21, Issue 30
FREE
Preserving history
By Susan Canfora Staff Reporter
By Kerin Magill Staff Reporter
Bethany Beach Mayor Rosemary Hardiman thanked a long list of town employees and volunteers for making the Independence Day celebration and parade successful — particularly Parade Committee Chairman Bruce Frye, who is retiring from planning the annual event. “Did you get permission to retire?” Councilman Patrick Sheplee joked at the Friday, July 19, town council meeting, as Frye smiled and said he was leaving behind “a well-oiled machine for the next chair that the council will appoint in the fall.” There is a line from the classic song Hotel California by The Eagles that applies, Sheplee said, quoting, “You can check out any time you want, but you can never leave,” as the audience laughed and applauded. “You will be missed. You have set a standard,” Hardiman told Frye. “Thank you very much, Bruce — not only for that, but for all of your help to
Just west of the Fenwick Island Lighthouse, Winnie Lewis stood in the deep-red painted doorway of the “keeper’s house.” Lewis summed up the dedication of the small group of volunteers that has overseen the recent renovation of the house and the repainting of the lighthouse itself. “This is a labor of love,” she said last week of the project, about five years in the making and the first major work done to help preserve the lighthouse property since 1997. Lewis is president of the New Friends of the Fenwick Island Lighthouse. Last Friday, workers from Ocean Tower Construction, based in Selbyville, put the finishing touches on the top of the lighthouse tower. This summer, the keeper’s house has been opened to the public for the first time. New Friends members continue to work on putting displays together and furnishing the house as it might have been during the Coastal Point • Kerin Magill time it housed keepers and Winnie Lewis holds a photo of grandfather, William Pepper, who was one of the last keepers their families. “It’s been exciting for us,” of the Fenwick Island Lighthouse. blueprints for the lighthouse and the first keeper’s home. Lewis’ daughter, Tracy, said of the renovation work, which was done under the auspices of the state Division of Histor- Also on display is a 1912 nautical map of the area from Fenwick Island to Chincoteague, Va. ical & Cultural Affairs. The lighthouse and 1881 keeper’s The lighthouse was completed in 1858, according to house are owned by the State. to Mariners, No. 284,” dated Dec. 29 of that year. It “Notice One of the pieces of the lighthouse’s history that the stood 75 feet, 6 inches tall from its base to the walkway that public can now see is a photo of Lewis’ grandfather, encircled the watchroom. Built of brick, the structure of the William Edward Pepper, who was assistant keeper there lighthouse tower was unusual in that it contained two walls from Aug. 10, 1869, to Oct. 23, 1885. Pepper was paid $400 — one of which being the same diameter from top to botper year for his efforts, according to records embedded in a tom and the outer one being narrower at the top. lighthouse history compiled years ago by “unofficial lightA central wrought-iron staircase gave access to the lighthouse historian” Dorothy Pepper. house’s lantern — a Fresnel lens about 5 feet, 2 inches tall, William Pepper was one of 19 assistant keepers and 15 and weighing about 2,000 pounds, including its brass askeepers who served at the Fenwick Island lighthouse besembly. tween 1859 and 1948. Other items of interest include a copy of the original See LIGHTHOUSE page 4
See BETHANY page 6
IRSD ‘passes the torch’ to new leaders at school board meeting By Mike Smith Staff Reporter Last Monday, July 22, was the first day of an administrative institute retreat for Indian River School District administrators, so district leaders were “offcampus” for leadership training, collaborative discussion about the school district and team-building. Later that evening, the elected school board met at Indian River High School to honor recent board members, including Heather Statler, James Fritz and Madeline Moses, for their past service. “We had a very productive first day at our four-day administrative institute,” See IRSD page 3