Coastal Point • SAM HARVEY Students get on the bus on the first day of school, Tuesday, Sept. 6.

Coastal Point Viewpoint 2005.09.09

Art festival all set to kick off fall season
With summer ending and storm windows sliding shut, Sussex County will soon settle into autumn’s kaleidoscopic rotunda. The Bethany-Fenwick Area Chamber of Commerce, however, will not wait for the deciduous trees to beget brilliance along the Delaware coast.

Ocean View ponders tax of its own
Ocean View Town Council has been looking over its shoulder since the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) Transportation Trust Fund came up more than $200 million short, in July.

Fat Tuna plans to raise funds for Gulf states
Restaurateur Michelle Parrill of Fat Tuna Grill and radio exec Crystal Layton of FM-106.9, “The X,” will hold a charity auction at Fat Tuna on Saturday, Sept. 17, to benefit victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Two big local builders donate to Katrina relief
Two major U.S. builders with local offices — Toll Brothers (Ocean View) and Centex Homes (Dagsboro) — have committed major funding to support disaster relief efforts in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.

Inlet bridge becomes a two-lane road
Motorists may feel a slight pinch driving over the Indian River Inlet these days — the bridge narrowed to one lane in either direction on Sept. 6.

Lumber hikes in Katrina aftermath
Two area lumber companies weighed in last week, following diminished supply from sawmills along the Gulf of Mexico, and a spike in demand for lumber in those areas as people flooded out by Hurricane Katrina prepare to rebuild.

Gas prices hit another record
While some predicted gasoline prices would reach $4 per gallon or higher nationwide and rumors of looming rationing abounded in the days following damage to oil and gas production from Hurricane Katrina, average prices nationwide and throughout Delaware have remained closer to $3 per gallon.

The Agenda

Fresh pond restricted through 2010
Delaware Seashore State Park is mainly the marina and beaches around the Indian River Inlet. However, the park has a stepchild along the north borders of the Salt Pond as well — the approximately 800-acre Fresh Pond area.

Nanticoke ready for pow-wow
The Nanticoke Indian Association will welcome people to the Millsboro area from across the United States and Canada this weekend, Sept. 10-11, for the tribe’s 28th annual powwow.

Carter to feature new artwork this weekend
Bethany Beach artist Jennifer Carter has produced a series of new works — all in her usual shore-side theme — in anticipation of a number of artistic events coming in the second season.

4-H'ers get a good jump on first day of school
“Blue Birds” 4-H/summer camp participants at Hickory Tree, near Selbyville, started gearing up for their first day back to school after summer vacation with the receipt of backpacks stocked with school supplies on Aug. 29.

Ocean View weighs fate of historic home
Ocean View is trying to build a Department of Public Works (DPW) building, a group of property owners is hoping to establish a historical district, and a 103-year-old house is caught in the middle.

Call all ladies
Women of the Word (WOW) are anticipating 500 for their kickoff next week, for what will be a comprehensive but down-to-earth Bible study, with videos, music, testimonies and small group discussion. There will be a teen group, led by a female youth pastor, and childcare.

Closing up
Murray’s Bait & Tackle has outfitted anglers and supplied local seafood (and fresh produce) lovers for more than 50 years, but proprietress Theresa “Tess” Murray has finally decided to retire.

Old Tymer's league offers more A game
Summer has come, and gone as quickly as she came. The air feels cooler and the leaves have a hint of fall color to them. Yes, autumn is here — signaling the end of the summer sports season and the start of school athletics and after-school programs. The boys of summer are gone, except for one last contingent: Old Tymer’s softball.

Fishing report
Tom from Cedar Creek Tackle Shop reported there are some nice flounder, up to 8 pounds, being caught in the Anchorage in 40 to 45 feet of water and near Brown Shoal. Some small trout and bluefish up to 18 inches are also reported in this same area.