June 11th, 2013

Destination? Lewes, Delaware, The First Town in The First State, Activities, Events, Entertainment, June 11 – June 15, 2013…What’s Going On?

Busy, Busy, historic town, located at the entrance of the Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean in Southern Delaware. Something for everyone.  What’s Going On, Lewes?

We are in the coast and a lot of the events and activities depend upon the weather.  That’s why you come to the Delaware Beaches…to experience this casual lifestyle that by no means I take for granted.  So, check the weather before you head out.

Tuesday, 6/11 – Summer Concert at Stango Park – Captain Blue’s Grass Band.  The genre?  Bluegrass.  7 p.m. until 8:30 p.m.  Take your blanket, chair, or both, friends and bug spray.  Beautiful Stango Park in Lewes is next to the Lewes Public Library along King’s Highway.

Wednesday, 6/12 – Seining the Bay – Search the shallows with a seine net, catching fish, snails, shrimp, crabs, and other critters.  Dress appropriately; you will get wet.  No flip-flops.  Ages 5 and up with a paying adult.  No pre-registration is necessary.  Tickets are available only on the day of the program.  $5/person.  Call 302-645-6852.  Location?  Seaside Nature Center located inside the Cape Henlopen State Park (admission) on 15099 Cape Henlopen Drive.

Until Thursday, 6/13 – Chautauqua – America Takes Flight – 15th Annual Chautauqua Tent Show.  Step back in time with musical entertainment, first person theatrical performances, and numerous educational opportunities for the whole family.   Free!

Until Friday, 6/14 – 4th Annual Delmarva on View – Lewes Library Benefit Photography Contest & Show.  Delaware, Maryland and Virginia in Photographs.  Professional and Amateur Categories.  For entry, rules and deadlines, please visit http://www.leweslibrary.org

Wednesday, 6/12 – Battery 519 Museum Tour – 2 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. – Take a guided tour of WW II coastal defense gun battery and learn about how it functioned and why it was here.  Ages 10 and up, with a paying adult.  $5/person.  Cash only.  More info?  Please call 302-645-6852.  Call same Tel. for pre-registration.  Location?  15099 Cape Henlopen Drive, Lewes, Delaware.

Wednesday, 6/12 – Zumba with Kelly!! 6 p.m. until 7 p.m. at Lewes Canalfront Park on Front Street, Lewes.  It is Free!!  Every Wednesday through August 28th.

Wednesday, 6/12 – Fort Miles Lantern Tour – 8:30 p.m. until 10 p.m.  Tour the gun battery by lantern light and experience how soldiers defended our coast during WW II.  Ages 10 and up with a paying adult.  $5/person; cash only please.  Call 302-645-6852 for more info. and to pre-register.  Location?  15099 Cape Henlopen Drive, Lewes, Delaware.

Thursday, 6/13 – Ghost Crab Walk.  Meet at the Seaside Nature Center inside Cape Henlopen State Park, at 15099 Cape Henlopen Drive.  The walk starts at 8:30 p.m until 9:30 p.m.  Take a flashlight and search the bay for the elusive and fast ghost crab.  Ages 7 and up with a paying adult.  $5/person.  Call 302-645-6852 for further info. and to pre-register.

Friday, 6/14 – Family Boat-Building Weekend on the Banks of the Canal – Lewes was a shipbuilding town, where hundreds of vessels were built.  Rekindle this art in Lewes as part of their Family Boatbuilding Weekend over Father’s Day weekend.  Support their participating groups and families as they build wooden boats called “Bevin Skiffs” June 14-16 in front of the Lewes Lifesaving Station to view more than 16 wooden boats made by wood boat enthusiasts.  Launching of the new handmade Bevin Skiffs at Lewes Canalfront Park on Sunday around 1 p.m. will be the place to be.  More info?  Please call 302-645-7670.

Friday, 6/14 – Flag Day on Front Street!  A Celebration of The Red, White, and Blue!!

Saturday, 6/15 – The 23rd Annual Lewes Garden Tour 2013 – Rain or Shine!!  It is sponsored by The Lewes Chamber of Commerce, http://www.leweschamber.com.  This is a self-guuided tour of 7 private gardens and one public garden in the Historic Seaport town of Lewes.  Five of this year’s gardens are all located in or near the Historic Distric.  Many of them are walking distance from the Zwaanendael Park where the Garden market and the Chamber’s Visitor Center are located.  Two of the gardens are located on the Lewes Beach-side of the canal.

Lewes’ newest public garden will be on the tour.  The Children’s Learning Garden, designed to teach children about all aspects of gardening, is a new initiative by Lewes in Bloom, the award-winning volunteer organization responsible for the beautification of Lewes.

It will be a fun day with more than 40 vendors specializing in garden related retail items and working artists will be in the tour gardens painting.  Tour visitors can enjoy beverages and lunch in the Refreshment Tent provided by Cafe Amici in Zwaanendael Park with coffee service beginning at 8 a.m.  During the hours of the tour, free shuttle service is available for ticket holders.

Cape Artists painting in the Gardens:  10 a.m. until 2 p.m.  Libby Zando, Sarah Pavlik, Jean Bowers, Geri Gaskin, Ellen Serafini.

The Garden Tour will begin at 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.  $20/person in advance and $25 the day of the Tour.  Tickets can be purchased in advance at the Lewes Chamber of Commerce located at 120 Kings Highway in the Fisher-Martin House.  Payment by charge…Visa and MC by calling the chamber; 302-645-8073.  Toll free 877-465-3937.

Sunday, 6/16 – Yoga at Canalfront Park on Front Street in Lewes at 8 a.m.

Have a good one!!

October 13th, 2012

The Seaside Nature Center, Cape Henlopen State Park, Lewes, Delaware…What’s Going On?, Activities, Events

It is a special time of the year for us, the residents of the Delaware Beaches.  It seems like on this Second Season we have the Beaches all to ourselves.  I took a drive late in the afternoon to check out the Cape Henlopen State Park.  Specifically, I wanted to find out what was going on in October.  The Seaside Nature Center offers programs for the whole family, including birdwatching, lectures on nature, seaside seining, hiking and biking.  The Park offers the ocean, the bay and plenty of water sports.

Until November 30th you will have to pay to get into the Park.  It is $4 for in-state cars and $8 for out of state cars.

The Seaside Nature Center is located inside the Park at 15099 Cape Henlopen Drive, Lewes, DE 19958.  Tel. 302-645-6852.  So….if you are visiting, this is what’s going on:

Note:  All programs meet at the Seaside Nature Center unless otherwise stated.  The Seaside Nature Center is open year round from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily.

On Tuesdays, until November 13th at 8 a.m. – Bird Walks at Cape Henlopen.  Explore their birding hot spots with a staff naturalist.  Bring your binoculars and field guides.  Beginners are welcome, as well.

Saturday, October 13th – Animal Skullduggery at 11 a.m.  Investigate what animals do in the Park by examining their skulls, footprints and adaptations.  Ages 7 and  up with an adult. No fee.

Saturday, October 13th – Lantern Tour of Fort Miles.  Fort Miles was a key part of the nation’s coastal defense during and after WWII, and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  At 6 p.m. Tour the Fort Miles Gun Battery by lantern light and experience how soldiers defended our coast during WWII.  Ages 10 and up with an adult.  Limit to 30.  Pre-registration is required by calling 302-645-6852.  $5 per person.  The Fort Miles programs meet at the Orientation Building in the Fort Miles Historic Area.

Saturday, October 20th – Wine, Cheese & Beer Tasting at the Officer’s Club (Youth Camp 3) from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m.  Enjoy fine beverages and cheese as proceeds support the Friends projects in the Park.  Tickets are available at the Park Office, Biden Center, Lewes Chamber of Commerce, or call 302-858-6127.  Note:  Your ticket will be your entrance into the Park.  $20/person in advance and $24/person at the door.  If you would like more information on Friends events, volunteering or becoming a Friend of Cape Henlopen, please call 302-858-6127 or visit http://www.friendsofcapehenlopen.org.

Friday & Saturday, October 26th and 27th and Sunday, October 28th –  Please Save this Date because it is the 24th Annual Children’s Fantasy Trail inside the Park.  From 6 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.  Sunday, from 6 p.m. until 7:30 p.m.  The kids will see their favorite storybook characters, trick or treat for candy and toys, enjoy live entertainment, including juggling, magic, songs and more….Please wear your costumes!!  $5 per person, adults and children.  Volunteers are needed!  If you are interested in being a character or carving the many pumpkins that line our trail, call the Volunteer Coordinator at 302-644-5005, or the Seaside Nature Center at 302-645-6852.

It was almost closing time at the Seaside Center, but I still had time to check some of the exhibits.

Lectures are given in this room.  It had some reptiles and turtles.

The osprey cam has closed for the season since the ospreys are gone for the winter.  Still, the Seaside Center has a very interesting exhibit where you can see the development of the ospreys as they come back to the Park year after year.

There was a new Seahorse Exhibit.

A Touch Tank offered kids a fun time…they were getting so wet.

1,000 gallon tanks with local fish.

I was watching the horseshoe crab.  It was moving around here and there; not too fast.

All of a sudden, it turned on its side….

The Seaside Nature Center has a cute store too.  I am sure kids go crazy; lots of neat things to buy.

It was closing time…time to go.  The sun was setting…the deer were coming out.

Love it!! Talk to you later.