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Indians take cconference championship
Yellow Submarine invades the beach
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MAY 22, 2026
THE LOCAL VOICE OF YOUR COMMUNITY.
Volume 23, Issue 21
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Surf Bagel gets thumbs-up for overflow parking By Kerin Magill Staff Reporter Surf Bagel last week got the goahead from the Fenwick Island Town Council to proceed with an overflow parking lot across Essex Street from the Coastal Highway business. The approval from the town council was the culmination of a process that
saw the council approving a new ordinance to allow temporary parking lots for use by businesses in town. Both Surf Bagel and town officials have acknowledged that traffic issues arose last summer — the first in Fenwick for the bagel shop, which opened in the winter of 2025. The problems mainly involved cars discovering the business’ parking lot was
full and then turning down Essex Street and Bunting Avenue in search of street parking. “They would continue to do laps until they found parking,” said Surf Bagel President Matt Patton. Patton told the council on Friday, May 15, that the proposed parking lot, across Essex Street and next to a former bank building that is now vacant, “is the
best solution we have.” Last month, the council approved a new ordinance in its parking regulations that allows businesses to apply for permission for temporary parking lots, to be used for up to one year. Surf Bagel quickly submitted plans for its proposed lot, which would be used by employees See PARKING page A3
Bethany’s tulips once again a crowd-pleaser By Susan Canfora Staff Reporter Last month’s annual tulip bulb giveaway in Bethany Beach was as popular as ever, with town horticulturists and Public Works employees pulling up spent tulips that bloom each spring, creating eye-catching, colorful displays. “They rip them out and position them around in the median, and a large group lines up,” Bethany Beach Mayor Ron Calef said during the May 15 town council meeting. “There are hundreds of them that we give away, but overall in town, there are over 20,000 tulips,” he said. Later, he told the Coastal Point that the bulbs are given away instead of kept in the ground for next year because of the care they require and because the horticulturists are “changing the color configuration.” “The new beds of flowers they have already planted for the summer have Special to the Coastal Point • Marian Dowling
See BETHANY page A3
This brood of goslings appeared to have top-notch security at its 12 and 6 on this journey.
County approves of respite home near Bethany Beach By Susan Canfora Staff Reporter Concerned that only 20 percent of those with terminal illnesses make their final wishes known, Terri Sarisky conceived of Sunset Bridge Retreat Home near Bethany Beach, where those at the end of their lives can spend a week or two close to loved ones, admiring the
beauty of nature and finalizing their affairs. This week, the Sussex County Council unanimously approved her request to build the two-story home, with Councilman John Rieley saying, “It was an honor to sit through the presentation” Sarisky made at the May 12 meeting. “It’s a good idea,” Rieley told the Coastal Point. “This area is aging rap-
idly. There are a lot of gray-hairs here that are going to need end-of-life services, and this is an innovative approach to addressing this. We could probably use 50 of these centers. They are very sensitive to their neighbors,” he said. The request was to grant conditional use of land in a medium-density residential district for a non-profit public charity providing a respite care facility
and use of about 3.6 acres on the east side of Charleys Run, less than half a mile from Fred Hudson Road. “We are thrilled and grateful for the recent approval to bring the Sunset Bridge Retreat Home to the local community, as it addresses a critical unmet need,” said Sarisky, president and See RESPITE page A8