Fall events kick off second season

By M. Patricia Titus
Staff Reporter

Resort residents and visitors bade farewell to summer this week, ringing out the busy season for 2006 with musical celebration in Fenwick Island and the traditional Jazz Funeral on the Bethany Beach boardwalk. But with the season’s unofficial passing also comes the start of the time many look forward to even more than summer — fall, and the second or “shoulder” season.

Fall 2006 looks to be another banner year for the resort area, with even more events and opportunities for residents and visitors alike to step out and enjoy all the area has to offer.

It all kicks off Saturday, with the annual Bethany Beach Boardwalk Arts Festival, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., right on the boardwalk. Artists and crafters will display their work and offer many pieces for sale, with a backdrop of live music and the beach, and there will be a silent auction to benefit art programs at local elementary schools.

From there, things slide comfortably into second gear, with events ranging from triathlons, fishing and golf to even more arts, entertainment and holiday fun.

• Sept. 9-10 — Nanticoke Indian Powwow; the annual powwow event brings Native Americans and others from around the country to Millsboro to enjoy two days of dance, food, music, arts, crafts, clothing, jewelry and culture; Grand Entry will be Saturday at noon, with a second dance session at 3:30 p.m. Sunday’s session begins with an outdoor worship service at 10 a.m. and Grand Entry and dancing at 1:30 p.m.; all-day parking, including admission, costs $8 per car; walk-in admission is $2 for adults and $1 for children; $2 for motorcycles; $25 for buses plus $2 for each passenger. Call (302) 945-7022 or visit www.nanticokeindians.org for more information.

• Sept. 9 — 30th Gary P. Lister Bottle & Cork Ten Mile Run & 5k Run Walk, part of the 7 Sisters of Dewey Beach Running/Walking Series; Ruddertowne, 8 a.m.; for additional information call (302) 654-6400 or visit www.races2run.com.

• Sept. 10 — Fall Festival for Life, to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Delaware; Hi Point Farm, Cedar Neck Road, Ocean View; six live bands, displays and sale of art, petting zoo, food, nature walks and talks. Admission: by donation, $15 for adults, $10 for students, free for children 5 or younger.

• Sept. 12-16 — Polka Motion 2006 Polka Music/Festival at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center; advance tickets or more information can be found at www.polkamotion.com or contact Mike Ziemski at (410) 526-4744.

• Sept. 14-17 — Delmarva Bike Week, at Ocean Downs Racetrack, outside Ocean City, Md.; 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday; admission is free; for additional information, visit www.delmarvabikeweek.com or call (410) 629-1560.

• Sept. 15-17 — Gem, Mineral & Jewelry Show at Ocean City Convention Center, 40th Street & the Bay; 14-karat and sterling jewelry, pearls, beads, loose stones, remounts and more; Friday, noon to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Sept. 21-24 — Sunfest, in Ocean City’s Inlet Parking Lot; fine art, crafts, performers on two stages and a variety of food vendors; fall children’s activities include pumpkin decorating and scarecrow making; evening headline entertainers require ticket, available on Ticketmaster.com, at 800-551-7328 or Convention Center Box Office; hours: Thursday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; ride the bus to Sunfest by using satellite parking or West Ocean City Park & Ride; shuttle from Park & Ride costs $1 all day and parking is free.

• Sept. 21-24 — Sunfest Kite Festival, 5th Street to N. Division Street beaches boardwalk, Ocean City; four days filled with kite flying, children’s workshop, kite battles and sport-kite competition; 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.

• Sept. 22-24 — Elvis Festival, Rusty Rudder, Dewey Beach; featuring two days of Elvis Impersonators competing for $5,000 in cash; visit deweybeachlife.com for more information.

• Sept. 22-24 — Berlin Fiddlers Convention in Berlin, Md.; national bluegrass recording artists and local musicians compete for more than $3,000 in cash prizes; food and craft vendors; free concerts Friday, 7-10 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to noon; competition, Saturday, noon to 5 p.m.; free bluegrass gospel concert at Taylor House Museum lawn, Sunday, 9-11 a.m.; for more information, visit www.berlinmdcc.org.

• Sept. 24 — Make-A-Wish Sea Colony Triathlon, to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation; includes individuals and relay teams tackling a .5-kilometer (.9 mile) ocean swim, a 36-kilometer (21.7 mile) scenic bike ride, and a 10-kilometer (6.2 mile) run, for which they raise pledge monies; volunteers and spectators come out by the hundreds to cheer on the athletes as they swim along the Sea Colony beach, and bike and run along Coastal Highway; more information at www.midatlantic.wish.org/event_detail.php?eventID=21.

• Sept. 28 to Oct. 1 — Annual Dewey Beach Music Conference, three nights of showcases and two days of demo and mentoring sessions, tradeshow and industry meet-and-greet events. Details at www.dbmc06.com.

• Sept. 30 — 11th Annual Boast the Coast Maritime Festival and Lighted Boat Parade, in the historic district of Lewes, 11 a.m. to dusk; for more information, contact the Lewes Chamber of Commerce at www.leweschamber.com or call 877-465-3937.

• Oct. 1 — Coast Day and Coast Day Crab Cake Cook Off, sponsored by the University of Delaware College of Marine Studies and the Delaware Sea Grant College Program, at University of Delaware Hugh R. Sharp Campus, 700 Pilottown Road, Lewes; admission is free, parking $2; for information, call (302) 645-4346 or e-mail rbaty@cms.udel.edu.

• Oct. 5-8 — Endless Summer Cruisin, in Ocean City’s Inlet Parking Lot; car show features 1,500 hotrods, customs, classics; live entertainment, commercial vendors and special attractions; hours: Thursday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; for more information, visit www.specialeventpro.com.

• Oct. 6-8 — Greyhounds Reach the Beach; annual visit by greyhounds and their owners to Dewey Beach; for more information log on to www.adopt-a-greyhound.org.

• Oct. 6-8 — Oktoberfest, at Ocean City Convention Center; three full days of continuous entertainment, including Jolly Joe & the Bavarians, the Polka Jets and the Alpen Rose Dancers; schnitzels, wursts and barrels of bier; Friday and Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Arts & Craft Fair, with more than 100 exhibitors displaying holiday items, gifts, fine art: Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information: www.oceanpromotions.info.

• Oct. 7-8 — 27th Annual Fall Surf-fishing Tournament; Anglers of all ages and families compete for more than $5,000 in cash and prizes, including a possible $25,000 for the bluefish that beats the Delaware state record; Designated fishing areas run from Fenwick Island to just north of the Indian River Inlet. For more information or to register, visit: www.bethany-fenwick.org/fallfish06.shtml.

• Oct. 11-15 — 17th Annual Rehoboth Beach Autumn Jazz Festival, bringing jazz musicians and fans from around the area to Dewey Beach and Rehoboth Beach venues. Call 1-800-29-MUSIC or visit rehobothjazz.com for information.

• Oct. 12 — Bethany-Fenwick Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Fall Golf Outing, at Bayside Golf Club, Selbyville; considered a “must play” for local business owners; the 2006 edition debuts at the new Jack Nicklaus-designed Bayside golf course; for more information, visit www.bethany-fenwick.org/golf06.shtml.

• Oct. 20-22 — 3rd Annual Rocktober Fishing Tournament and Festival at Indian River Marina; more than $24,000 in cash prizes and a weekend of fishing and festival fun; prizes will be awarded in categories for rockfish, flounder and tautog; for further information, contact Casey Lynn at (302) 645-5949.

• Oct. 27-29 — 17th Annual Sea Witch Halloween & Fiddlers Festival; a highlight of the fall season for the entire area, with a Halloween parade, fiddlers’ competition and performances, and fall fun for the entire family, in and around Rehoboth Beach; call 800-441-1329, ext. 12, or visit www.beach-fun.com for information.

• Nov. 3-5 — Punkin Chunkin World Championships; Delaware’s most unique sport in the final year in its traditional location outside Millsboro, at the intersection of Routes 305 and 306 (moving in 2007 to Bridgeville); competitors will aim to shoot their gourds the farthest possible with a variety of contraptions and canons; chili cook-off; food and music; admission: $7 per person and $2 for parking; for more information: www.punkinchunkin.com.

• Nov. 8-12 — 9th Annual Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival; award-winning independent film festival takes over Rehoboth theaters for several days, offering viewing opportunities not usually available in the area or in many areas, with about 100 films, seminars and celebrity guests; visit rehobothfilm.com for information.

• Nov. 16 to Jan. 2 — Winterfest of Lights, Ocean City, townwide, including Inlet lot and Northside Park, 127th Street; dazzling lights on cold winter nights to put everyone in a holiday mood; Yukon Cornelius’ gift shop, photos with Santa; small fee to ride tram, children 11 years or younger, free; Sundays through Thursdays, 5:30-9:30 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 5:30-10:30 p.m.; for more information: www.ococean.com.

• Nov. 18 — Irish Dreams Festival at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center; a celebration of Irish music, literature, film, dance, sports, art and antiques. For more information, visit www.rehoboth.com/IrishDreamsFest.

• Nov. 24-25 — 12th Annual South Eastern Delaware Artists Studio Tour (SEDAST), opening to the public the doors of the studios of 16 local artists in a wide variety of media; for more information, visit www.artstudiotour.com.

• Dec. 1 — Selbyville Christmas Parade, Church Street, Selbyville; this parade opens the local holiday season with marching bands, antique cars, beauty queens, elaborate floats and Santa Claus.

• Dec. 2 — Ocean City Christmas Parade, 125th Street to 115th Street, Coastal Highway; professionally judged parade with bands, floats, marching units; 11 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.

• Dec. 4 — Rehoboth Beach Hometown Christmas Parade along Rehoboth Avenue, beginning at 6 p.m.; line-up starts at 4 p.m.; parade entrants are judged, with prizes awarded at the Christmas party immediately following the parade at the Rehoboth Convention Center; youngsters can chat with Santa and light refreshments will be served; groups and individuals wanting entry information should call the Hometown Parade voice mail at (302) 441-8615.