In the spirit of giving back this holiday season, Fenwick Wine Cellars (FWC) is looking to provide Christmas for a local family in need and is soliciting the community’s help to identify families facing challenges.

There are many families out there who are worthy of, and deserve, the support from others but would never ask. These are the families FWC is looking for — families who go without because they will not ask for help. Therefore, FWC is asking for people in the community to submit nominations of struggling families who are facing hard times and are in need of assistance. After carefully reviewing all nominations and considering all circumstances, FWC will select a family to be the recipient of a fully-decorated, lighted Christmas tree, a delectable holiday meal and gift-wrapped presents for the entire family.

Funds for this worthy cause will come in part from portions of proceeds from the sale of its newly released Cranberry Apple Wine that comes in the ever-so-popular Christmas Tree specialty bottle. Because the demand is so great for the Christmas Tree specialty bottles, FWC feels this is the perfect way for the community to take part in this giving back event.

With every purchase of Cranberry Apple Wine in a Christmas Tree specialty bottle, $1 will be donated to this effort. In addition, purchasers will have an opportunity to convey warm holiday greetings and encouraging thoughts to the selected family on a decorated wine cork.

Community members wishing to give back without purchasing wine, can purchase a wine cork to convey holiday greetings and warm wishes as well. The wine corks with the heart-felt sentiments will be used as ornamental trimmings for the decorated tree.

With the return of the popular red and green Christmas Tree specialty bottles, coupled with the release of the delicious semi-sweet Cranberry Apple wine, FWC is confident this will be a successful giving back event. Not only will the community be involved and feel good about supporting those in need, they will have a decorative bottle of fine wine that is sure to please everyone’s palate with its tasteful and satisfying richness.

To nominate a family for consideration, e-mail nominations by Nov. 20 to sales@fenwickwinecellars.com with a subject line of “FWC Christmas” or mail nominations to Fenwick Wine Cellars at 38016 Fenwick Shoals Boulevard, Selbyville,DE 19975. The selected family and nominator will be contacted directly by Dec. 1.

Nominations must include the following:

• The nominator’s name and contact information;

• The relationship of the nominator and the nominated family;

• The nominated family’s name, address and contact information;

• The nominated family’s story to support the challenges they are facing and why;

• The size of the family: number of parents, number of children, and sex and age for each;

• The family’s special interests.

The Friends of Cape Henlopen State Park (FOCHSP) will hold their annual Christmas Boutique & Book Sale on Saturday, Nov. 14, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Officer’s Club in the park.

Event Chair Edna Lemiska said she expects the sale will make the park a weekend destination. The wide array of merchandise offers something for every taste and pocketbook, and home-made goodies, hot dogs, sodas and coffee will also be available to sustain visitors for a day at the park. Visitors can also bring their cameras and take a picture of Santa Claus!

The Boutique will feature Christmas crafts, gifts and stocking-stuffers made by local craftsmen. Also available will be sweatshirts, T-shirts and hats — both with and without the FOCHSP logo. Handmade local quilts will also be available. Finally, there will be an assortment of baked goods available for sale.

The Friends’ Book Sale will include a selection of both hardcover and paperback books. Quality donations are sought and may be delivered at the Officer’s Club on Friday, Nov. 13, from l0 a.m. to 1 p.m. Book Sale Chairperson June Gallagher said donations will be screened to assure that the books on the sale tables are the kinds that people want to purchase. As always, textbooks, encyclopedias, magazines and torn or mildewed books are will not be accepted.

The Friends of Cape Henlopen State park is a non-profit organization comprised of volunteers that give their time to promote “one of the crown jewels” of Delaware’s state parks. The group’s mission is to promote the protection and wise management of the diverse resources within the park, as well as public education about those resources. For more information about the Friends, call (302) 858-6127; visit the website at www.friendsofcapehenlopen.org; or email fochsp@gmail.com.

The Clear Space Theatre Company Spotlight on Young Performers will present a production of “Aladdin” (MTI’s Junior Series version), with performances Nov. 13-15.

The Broadway musical was based on the classic 1992 Disney animated film and tells the story of Aladdin, the only person who can enter the Cave of Wonders and retrieve a magical lamp for the dark Vizier Jafar.

Aladdin becomes trapped in the cave with his sidekick, Abu, and accidentally discovers the resident of the lamp – a genie! Aladdin develops a relationship with the Genie and uses his wishes to become a prince to chase the affections of Princess Jasmine. When Jafar finally steals the lamp and gets three wishes of his own, Aladdin must rely on his intelligence to trick Jafar and save his friends and the kingdom.

The show is directed by Clear Space Company Manager David Button, with choreography by Shondelle Graulich of the Delaware Stage School and musical direction by Melanie Bradley.

Spotlight on Young Performers is part of the Clear Space Performing Arts Institute and trains students ages 10 to 18 in acting, dance and voice throughout a 10-week rehearsal process culminating in a full weekend of performances, which is Nov. 13, 14 and 15 this year.

“Our Spotlight on Young Performers productions are a highlight of the Clear Space Season,” said Wesley Paulson, executive director at Clear Space Theatre.

Button said, “Aladdin is the second Spotlight performance of a classic Disney musical, following the success of ‘The Little Mermaid’ in April 2015”

For reservations, call Melody in the box office at (302) 227-2270 or visit the website at www.ClearSpaceTheatre.org.

Coastal Point • Laura Walter: In a battle of words, nearly 30 students competed in the first Southern Sussex Rotary Third Grade Spelling Bee, here with State Rep. Ron Gray and organizer Brendan Crotty.One letter at a time, local students made history at the first Southern Sussex Rotary Third Grade Spelling Bee on Nov. 10. In all, 30 students (two per classroom) were invited to represent their elementary schools: Phillip C. Showell, Lord Baltimore, John M. Clayton and Southern Delaware School of the Arts.

First place went to Rosnell Lewis of JMC (teacher Yanira Stoker). Second place was Katelyn Wingate, and third place was Gabriel Young (both from Olivia Lein’s classroom at LB).

For years, the Southern Sussex Rotary has provided a dictionary to every third-grader in the area. This year, these books prepped students for the first annual Southern Sussex Rotary Third Grade Spelling Bee.

The evening started with words like “birthday,” “young,” “across,” “leave” and “true.” Although it was single elimination for the first round, they were allowed to restart a word after an error, since they’re younger than the usual Spelling Bee age.

By the end, only a few students were still standing.

Bicycle Connection and Leon Jones provided the top prize: a brand new bicycle, large enough for Lewis to grow into.

“If someone had offered me a bicycle when I was little, I might have tried a little harder,” joked organizer Brendan Crotty.

Second prize was a gift bag from Yesterday’s Fun toyshop. Third prize was a balloon shape gift set and solar powered toy car, donated by Ferdinand “Ferd” Comolli.

Every student participant got a gift bag for representing their schools.

“I believe it was a wonderful event and everyone seemed like they enjoyed themselves,” stated Char Hopkins of Indian River School District.

Delaware State Police are collecting non-perishable food items at all troop locations until Friday, Nov. 20.

Troop locations are open 24 hours a day, which means the timing is always convenient.

DSP partnered with churches and other organizations to determine who needs these donations. Officers will
personally deliver donations.

“The community supplies [all the food],” said Sgt. Richard Bratz. “We’re just supplying the work.”

The DSP Community Outreach Unit calls this mission to serve the public Operation: Gobble-Gobble.

For more information, visit http://dsp.delaware.gov/Community_Outreach.shtml.

With Millville’s passage of an ordinance set in motion in August by the state General Assembly, firearms are not permitted in town buildings — or any building even temporarily serving as a town building.

According to Town Attorney Seth Thompson, the ordinance prohibits firearms, ammunition, parts of firearms and explosives in town buildings — but it could extend beyond town property under certain circumstances.

If, for example, a meeting had to be moved to the Millville fire hall in anticipation of large crowds, the firearms ban would extend to the fire hall for the duration of the meeting. The penalty for violating the ordinance is a maximum fine of $200.

Those with concealed carry permits would be exempt from the ban, Thompson said, as are law enforcement officials, bank employees guarding money, those under protection from abuse orders, and those participating in firearms training or safety programs on town property.

Not exempt, however, are volunteers such as those serving in citizens’ patrol groups, Thompson said.

Council members approved the measure, similar to one recently approved in Fenwick Island, unanimously.

In other business, council members

• Approved a preliminary site plan for three self-storage units on Route 26. Each unit will measure 2,500 square feet. The town’s Planning and Zoning Commission had reviewed the plan, but wanted to see architectural drawings before voting. Since then, however, the planning commission disbanded due to frequent difficulties obtaining a quorum. The council voted to require a covered trash receptacle within an enclosure on site; and

•Approved modification of side lot lines for four lots in the Coventry subdivision.

While online sale and trade websites are a great way to sell old items, the actual transaction presents a conundrum. Do you invite strangers to your home, or venture onto their property?

Why not meet at a police station?

Local police are encouraging people to stay safe, including Selbyville Police Department, which just became a registered SafeTrade location.

“It is a safe, well-lit, public location for buyers/sellers to conduct business, and allows buyers to have property checked to confirm that is it not stolen prior to purchasing,” stated Selbyville Police Chief W. Scott Collins.

There is no charge for these services.

“The use of online sales/trade sites like Craigslist, eBay and Facebook trade pages is extremely popular. We saw that becoming a SafeTrade location as another service that we could provide our residents,” Collins stated. “It costs the department nothing, but yet provides a service to our residents.”

Collins also called SafeTrade a “crime prevention tool, with the benefit of preventing frauds and thefts, or even more serious crimes.”

Other police stations have hosted sales activity for a while, like Ocean View Police Department.

“We’re not registered [as SafeTrade], but we encourage people to do it,” said Chief Kenneth McLaughlin. “Merely if they suggest the sale take place at the police department, then people that may be dealing with stolen goods — more likely than not — won’t wanna come here.”

Just meeting in public is good prevention, but sometimes not good enough. While waiting to sell an engagement ring, one North Carolina man was robbed at gunpoint in broad daylight at his local Walmart parking lot, according to a WTVD news article.

That’s why SafeTradeStations.com insists that people do transactions in a police station or similar law enforcement facility.

“If you cannot meet inside the lobby, meet in the parking lot. Typically, they have cameras, and a lot of police officers coming and going. It’s not as safe as indoors, but it’s much safer than the proverbial ‘meet in a public place,’” states the SafeTrade website.

Police can also research a product’s serial number to ensure it isn’t stolen, although McLaughlin noted that people don’t always know their serial numbers when reporting a stolen item.

Even child custody swaps take place in the police parking lots, a neutral, no-nonsense zone.

“We get that all the time. They pull up in the parking lot. It might be mom’s week to have to the kid,” McLaughlin said.

Ocean View has 24/7 video monitoring indoors and outdoors. Selbyville’s outdoor cameras will be up and running soon.

At Selbyville, the parking lot is available 24/7, and lobby is available during business hours. A serial number check on purchased property can be done by appointment.

Crime rates are lower in communities where the public is more engaged. If nobody reports anything, then suspicious activity will compound into a crime, said Cpl./1 Juanita Huey-Smith of Delaware State Police (DSP)

“Law enforcement can’t do anything on its own unless community members have an active role,” said Huey-Smith.

That’s why DSP’s Community Outreach Unit will host public information sessions across the county on Neighborhood Watch.

Anyone is invited to see how Neighborhood Watch could work for them. Each presentation is an hour or two long. Officers explain the program, how to start one, and other safety tips. Local police departments were invited to help present.

Creating a watch doesn’t have to be a formal affair, either. People can modify Neighborhood Watch into whatever fits their community.

“You can cater it to you,” Huey-Smith said. “There’s no set way that it has to be done.”

Communities can decide what works best for themselves. For example, a dense, tightly packed development like Bear Trap Dunes might have a traditional Block Captain and a phone tree on every street.

But on a rural Roxana farm road, Neighborhood Watch might be more informal. It might just be a matter of calling one’s neighbor and saying, “Hey I’m going out of town this week. Can you look out for my property?” Huey-Smith explained.

She compared it to “the old days,” with a simpler kind of safety, where people take care of each other.

“It all comes down to them looking out for each other,” said Huey-Smith, “and being good neighbors.”

As a national program, Neighborhood Watch had more of a heyday in years past. But today, some people don’t even think about locking their cars or garage, Huey-Smith lamented. An open door is an open invitation for thieves just looking for easy access.

“A criminal or someone trying to get away with something is going to take the path of least resistance,” she said.

Neighborhood Watch worked wonders for one Laurel community that suffered a lot of nuisance problems. When residents tired of it, they posted signs and showed their commitment to town safety, until the problem left, said Huey-Smith.

Delaware State Police will host presentations at 5 p.m. at the following libraries:

• Seaford – Nov. 16

• Frankford – Nov. 17

• Selbyville – Nov. 23

• Bridgeville – Nov. 24

• Rehoboth Beach – Nov. 30

• Milton – Dec. 1

• Milford – Dec. 7

• Millsboro – Dec. 8

• Lewes – Dec. 14

• South Coastal – Dec. 15

• Greenwood – Dec. 21

To learn more or request a presentation, contact Cpl./1 Juanita Huey-Smith (302) 232-3459, email Juanita.Huey-smith@state.de.us or visit dsp.delaware.gov/community_outreach.shtml.

Although individual troops have done outreach for years, Delaware State Police officially formed the Community Outreach Unit this year. The goals are positive interactions between the people and police, plus doing more “community service and catering to the people we serve,” she said.

Although William Olsen doesn’t yet have the votes needed for Town-managed trash collection, he’s moving forward in an attempt to simplify waste hauling in Ocean View.

At the Nov. 10 Town Council meeting, Olsen modeled his current proposal on the Town of Bridgeville’s process of the low bidder providing waste collection.

Previously, the Ocean View Town Council had concerns about Town Hall doing most of the work. But Olsen suggested the Town would act as an agent to procure fixed pricing for residents, but the contractor would do the invoicing itself on an individual basis.

Trash would be collected weekly, with recycling and yard waste on a biweekly basis. Residents could suspend waste collection for up to six months, if they’re not at home.

Also, joining the Town service wouldn’t be mandatory.

“I was the naysayer the last couple of go-arounds,” said Mayor Walter Curran, who opposes governments making anything mandatory, although he understands the high truck volume can beat up town roads.

Although the new proposal addressed some major concerns, “I truly don’t know: if you make it nonobligatory, … where is the leverage?”

How does that prevent individuals from hiring yet another company to continue driving through town?

Olsen proposed exceptions for homeowner associations, businesses and state-controlled properties to contract with their own waste haulers.

“From my perspective I don’t see it being a very effective tool unless it’s mandatory, which I’m against,” Curran said.

Resident Elaine Hubert saw this exact problem as a microcosm in Country Village. She said seven trucks drove the development each week, starting early in the morning and using one entrance.

When she asked her company for a better rate, the company suggested she gather more residents to negotiate a better price. She negotiated an agreement, not a contract. Her neighbors are billed individually ($68.91 per quarter), although she serves as a point person for any questions or concerns.

Now the entire community has a few waste haulers, plus yard waste collection from April to November. Some people still haul their own trash to the dump.

“Tell them what we want, and you gotta be specific,” Hubert advised Town Council. “Basically it’s your power that we need to get it started.”

Council considered gauging broader public opinion with a springtime referendum, but Town Solicitor Dennis Schrader warned against it. Only registered voters could participate, although non-resident property owners would be affected.

“You make big bucks to make big decisions,” Schrader quipped. “If you have to rely upon referendum, then you can’t make the decision.”

Discussion and more research will continue at the November Town Council meeting.

In other Ocean View news:

• Council heard a presentation by Bill Gay on the Community Alliance To Create Sussex County Homes for Wounded Warrior Families.

Similar to Habitat for Humanity, the Alliance helps disabled veterans and their families find affordable homes. The nonprofit will partner with other groups, like Habitat, Milford Housing Development Corporation and others. Meanwhile, mentors help ensure they’re socially and financially strong enough to move into the community, and pay for their own (discounted) mortgage.

“It became more and more obvious that there are disabled wounded warrior families who needed a great deal of help getting affordable housing,” said Gay, who worked with Operation SEAS the Day.

The first home is being completed now, and an Army Ranger will be moving in at Christmas. The group hopes to build or provide at least two homes per year in southeast Sussex County. Donations of money, services, land or time to renovate or build an affordable home for a family to own.

Personally, Curran totally supports the effort and was impressed by the volunteers’ dedication.

The group is not officially linked to the Wounded Warrior Project, it operates in the same spirit of aiding injured veterans.

• Police Chief Ken McLaughlin earned one of the first Courage Awards from atTAcK addiction, a Delaware group that provides education on addiction and supports those in recovery. This grassroots organization was founded by parents who lost their children to addiction.

• Ocean View Police Department had successful Halloween events — a Special Olympics dance and the Cops & Goblins festival. They’ll also partner with Special Olympics Delaware for special one-on-one tours in “Champions on Tour of the Thin Blue Line” program.

• With help from the drug-sniffing dog, OVPD seized “a good deal of cocaine, heroin and marijuana” in drug raids on the morning of Nov. 10, McLaughlin reported.

• Resident Mike O’Dowell expressed his frustration about the town sirens corresponding to Millville Volunteer Fire Company, which he’s heard ring for six minutes straight.

Many towns do not use these sirens, “and if they do, it’s for tornadoes or other emergencies,” O’Dowell said. “The annoyance is not worth the expense that it is. It’s outdated.”

The emergency vehicles have sirens, so drivers know when to pull over.

“Did you ask why they use it?” asked Councilmember Carol Bodine.

“Yes,” O’Dowell said, adding that a MVFC member said she could hear the siren from her tractor, even if she doesn’t have her cell phone. O’Dowell countered that someone on a tractor wouldn’t arrive at the emergency on time, but that’s why there are other volunteers.

“It seems like everyone here says, ‘that’s the way it is.’” O’Dowell said.

The siren could inhibit business because his neighbor rents a house to a family that won’t return because of the sirens, O’Dowell alleged.

“We don’t have the power to tell them not to do it,” Curran said, but the topic could be discussed again.

• With only one company submitting a complete bid, Town Council unanimously awarded (with Thomas Sheeran absent) the FY2015 Avon Park Drainage Project to Common Sense Solutions, LLC ($45,420). Although the project was estimated at $38,600, the town budgeted $60,000 for this project.

• Olsen withdrew a proposed proclamation in which Town Council would oppose seismic testing for/and offshore oil and gas development in the Atlantic Ocean off the Delaware coast.

However, Councilmember Geoffrey Christ noted that Ocean City, Lewes and Dewey have passed similar resolutions, so he plans to put it on next month’s meeting agenda.

• Executive session was canceled.

• Resident Eugenia Athan emailed a request for Town Council to consider lowering the Central Avenue speed limit from 30 mph to 25 mph, especially as homes and future sidewalks will be so close to the road. Administrative Official Charles McMullen said he can pursue the topic with DelDOT, which was somewhat receptive to the idea.

• After a silent public hearing, Town Council approved the second reading of Chapter 187, Article III, §187-12 and §187-13, a housekeeping ordinance to clarify the Town’s or property owners’ of sidewalks. (Property owners of any lot abutting a public sidewalk — not along the rear yard — shall be responsible for snow and ice removal.)

Ocean View Town Council’s next regular meeting will be Tuesday, Dec. 8, at 7 p.m.

Ocean View will definitely be keeping one of the traffic signals originally installed for the Route 26 Mainline construction project.

Two traffic signals on Central Avenue were meant to be temporary, used during the wintertime detours this past January to March. But the Town of Ocean View requested these become permanent signals to control traffic at Cedar Drive and Windmill Road.

Cedar has met the warrants for a traffic signal during the peak summer season, so Delaware Department of Transportation will replace the temporary signal with a permanent signal. Cedar traffic may get a right-turn lane, too. If this can be done without much hassle or property acquisition, this work will be added to the Route 26 Mainline project.

Windmill did not meet the requirements, so the current flashing light (which mirrors the original traffic pattern) will be removed.

The schedule for all work has not been determined.

This announcement was made at the Nov. 10 Ocean View Town Council meeting and confirmed by Chief Engineer Jill Frey of Century Engineering.

More details are expected at the public Construction Advisory Group meeting, scheduled for Dec. 8, at 10 a.m. at Bethany Beach Town Hall.

With heroin the focus of the nation in terms of drug use, the Ocean View Police Department has been working to address the growing local issue.

For the second time, OVPD will host a Delaware Overdose Survival Education class (DOSE), offered by Brandywine Counseling and Community Services.

“We decided to host another program because of the demand from the community. We have a number of people who called after the first event that thanked us for hosting it, but at the same time they did not feel comfortable coming out and dealing with the problem in public,” said Chief Ken McLaughlin.

The program will be held on Thursday, Nov. 12 at 6 p.m., at the Ocean View Police Department. Those who attend will learn how to prevent an overdose, recognize an overdose, and learn how to respond to an overdose.

Persons in attendance will receive a certificate of completion for training to respond to a suspected overdose with naloxone, a drug that blocks opiate receptors.

“This will be a good thing to get more folks educated on the problem, and helping some of these family members that really just don’t have a place to turn right now,” McLaughlin said. Referring to the previous workshop, he noted, “We had some great instructors there. The one lead instructor was a recovering addict herself, and it was very interesting to hear things from her perspective. And to see a success — someone who has come full circle as an addict, who’s now teaching others — it gave me a little bit of hope where I thought there was none.”

McLaughlin said that sitting in a room with those who are directly affected by drug use was an eye-opening experience for him and his officers.

“It helped us grasp the fact that these family members, parents, are suffering from this disease much as the individual addict is. I just can’t imagine going through that as a parent.”

At Thursday’s workshop, a representative from AtTAcK Addiction, a Delaware organization working to de-stigmatize heroin use and give support to families, will be in attendance.

“We support them and their initiatives, and in return they support us,” said McLaughlin.

Although heroin abuse has been a growing topic in state agencies, McLaughlin said more could be done.

“I’m really disappointed that the fire service statewide has been somewhat reluctant to adopt the Narcan. It’s new and it’s a drug and the EMT’s are used to administering drugs but I’m very pleased Bethany and Millville companies have adopted it and are carrying it.” Narcan is a brand name for naloxone.

Having heard that some individuals are opposed to emergency services carrying the life-saving drug because of patients becoming dangerously aggressive, McLaughlin said that has not been his experience.

“It’s a misconception out there,” he said. “It’s a possibility, but we haven’t seen that yet. We’re trained so that we’re prepared to deal with it if it happens.”

McLaughlin said the area has continued to suffer from a heroin problem over the last few years, and the department is being vigilant when it comes to enforcement, treatment and resources.

“Just two weeks ago or so we had another Narcan save. Nick Harrington administered Narcan on an overdose call. The subject is still alive,” he said. “We used one of our auto injectors, which I think is the first time one of the auto injectors has been used by law enforcement in the State of Delaware. It’s sad the problem continues to persist.”

McLaughlin emphasized that continued efforts to address the local drug problem are essential. “I think the politically-correct crowd is making insinuations that we need less enforcement. I believe it’s just the opposite — we need more enforcement than ever. However, the components that are missing are the education and treatment of people. Those are the missing pieces of the puzzle, as far as I’m concerned. “

Regarding his department’s efforts to combat the growing heroin problem in the area, McLaughlin said he is proud of how OVPD has been working hard to serve the community’s needs.

“I’ve said this over and over again, but we really have this area covered now. We’re racing each other to get to the calls, which is a good thing,” he said. “We have a small little area to take care of and try to do the best that we can for the people that we represent.

“I’m proud of our efforts to date, and that we’ve saved a couple of lives, and hopefully have given some people the opportunity to change their lives and get on the right track. Time will tell.”

The Ocean View Police Department is located at 201 Central Ave. in Ocean View. For more information, call (302) 539-1111.

Coastal Point • File Photo: During last year’s Millsboro Candy Cane Parade, a Girl Scout troop are dressed up as candy cane cuties.The Greater Millsboro Chamber of Commerce will ring in the Christmas Season with the 65th Annual Candy Cane Christmas Parade on Wednesday, Dec. 9, starting at 7 p.m. The parade is sponsored by D&D Stained Glass of Millsboro.

Line-up will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the M&T parking lot on Mitchell Street. The judges’ reviewing area will be downtown, near Dollar General. The parade will include lighted floats, cars and trucks and fire trucks and the sounds of local high school bands playing Christmas carols, while the kids anticipate the arrival of Santa in Millsboro.

Applications for parade participants are available on the Chamber website at www.millsborochamber.com or call the Chamber office at (302) 934-6777. There is no fee to be in the parade.

Coastal Point photos • Laura Walter: Students at Lighthouse Christian School prepare to sing ‘The Lord’s Army’ to veterans on Veterans’ Day. Below, veterans line up for handshakes and thanks from everyone in attendance.Lighthouse Christian School is on a mission to teach students to honor U.S. veterans, filling their Dagsboro chapel at their annual Veterans Day program on Nov. 13.

A special tribute to World War II included student-led skits, prayers, songs and recognition of military families.

Before a full house of veterans and families, children sang songs from the 1940s, explained memory boxes and witnessed a POW/MIA remembrance ceremony.

Lighthouse Christian has two main goals, said organizer Pat Viguie: first, to honor veterans, families, current service members and those who paid the ultimate price.

The second mission is to educate. Children ages 3 to 14 put hours of work into the performance before the event even begins.

“We love America and we love our veterans,” Viguie said.

Lighthouse Christian isn’t the only ones. Honor Flight is a nonprofit that takes veterans to see their memorials in Washington D.C. for free.

With 134 hubs across the U.S., Honor Flight has transported over 140,000 vets since its inception in 2004. It all started when a physician’s assistant was treating a WWII vet and offered to personally fly him to D.C. He came home to find a veritable waiting list of veterans dreaming of the same opportunity.

“We travel big,” said Andrew Schiavello, president of the Philadelphia chapter. “We dedicate the day to you.”

In three years, Honor Flight Philadelphia has carted 62 busloads of vets (and guests) to Washington, with an honor guard or police escort every mile of the trip. The convoy begins at Arlington National Cemetery to remember those fallen, then travels to every major military memorial across town. School children write letters, and distinguished guests great the veterans on site.

“There’s nothing that can disqualify a veteran from travel [except a doctor’s order], and then we bring Honor Flight to you,” Schiavello said.

The next trip is on May 21, 2016. Special medical accommodations can be made. People can learn more at www.honorflightphiladelphia.org.

Back at Lighthouse, veterans received a special gift from the “A Hero’s Welcome” organization.

“[When serving in the military,] Can anyone tell me what you looked forward to?” asked Director Rosely Robinson.

“Chow” one man answered, and the others laughed.

“Mail call” was the correct response, and every WWII vet received an envelope of student letters and a small fabric star, salvaged from an American flag.

Every Lighthouse veterans event ends with a handshake of thanks between every service member and every guest. Veterans were then invited to share a luncheon catered by local restaurants.

First State Ballet Theatre (FSBT), Delaware’s professional ballet company, caps its 14th year of exciting performances at Delaware Tech’s Owens Campus with Sussex County’s longest running production of the beloved holiday classic “The Nutcracker” on Saturday, Dec. 12, 2015.
“We are delighted to have partnered with FSBT for the past 14 years to make ‘The Nutcracker’ at Delaware Tech a Sussex County tradition and we look forward to another wonderful performance,” Vice President and Owens Campus Director Dr. Ileana Smith said.
“The Nutcracker is by far the world’s most popular ballet. The combination of Tchaikovsky’s beautiful music, the familiar story, the exciting dancing of FSBT’s professional company and our beautiful costumes created in Russia make The Nutcracker a favorite with audiences of all ages,” FSBT’s president, Robert Grenfell, said. “And to keep our performances affordable we have not raised our family-friendly ticket prices since our first Sussex County performance in 2002.
“Another special aspect of this year’s production is our continuing collaboration with Sussex Dance Academy, whose students will perform the Angels and Polichinelles variations in Act II,” Grenfell added.
The Dec. 12 performance begins at 7 p.m. in Delaware Tech’s Arts and Science Center Theater located on Route 18 in Georgetown. General admission tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for Delaware Tech staff, students and seniors. Tickets are on sale now and may be purchased online at go.dtcc.edu/nutcracker. For more information, call 302-259-6107.
“The past three year’s performances were completely sold out and we were forced to turn away many last minute patrons at the door,” Grenfell said. “I encourage everyone to go online today to buy their tickets for this year’s show.”

The Church of Christ at Ocean View (CCOV) will hold its third annual Thanksgiving dinner on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 26, from 1 to 4 p.m. The event is free. All members of the community are being invited to come and enjoy good food and good company.

The traditional turkey dinner, including fixings and dessert, will be served in the Family Life Center at the church, which is located at 55 West Avenue in Ocean View.

“This event gives us a chance to share with others,” said CCOV preacher Gregg Wilgus. “We aim to create a welcoming environment for everyone — individuals, couples and families — anyone who might enjoy a family atmosphere during this time of Thanksgiving.”

Those who are interested in joining CCOV for Thanksgiving dinner are being asked to reserve a seat by calling (302) 539-7468 or sending an email to office@ccovde.org, to help the event organizers ensure that enough food is available for everyone.

CCOV is a nondenominational church that welcomes visitors and members of the community. For more information, visit www.ccovde.org.

Coastal Point • Laura Walter: The only time Charlie Brown (Michael Wolfe) ever caught the football (‘Scout’ the dog), as Lucy (Alison) pulls young Woodstock (Liam) and Snoopy (Dean), during the Frankford Halloween Parade and Fall?Festival this year.Toni Presley believes that town pride still exists in Frankford. She can’t wait to see it displayed at the “Christmas in the Park” tree-lighting on Nov. 28, with families, carols and Santa Claus.

At the Frankford Town Park, the lights display has already been a nighttime holiday destination for several years.

“However, we are envisioning a smaller version of Ocean City’s [Winterfest of Lights] … which means a lot more lights!” Presley stated. “We are also trying to get community involvement by having different churches and community organizations decorate sections of the park.”

Under the “Envision Frankford” team, fundraising is under way to improve the decorations for a full-blown town event.

“What we’re trying to do is get people involved in the town again,” said Presley, a 30-year resident. “I used to think how cute this little town was. But over the years, it just looks like people lost interest, which we’re trying to revive … We want the community spirit to grow.

“I know it’s there, but I think it fell to sleep on people,” she said. “Because everybody sits back … thinking everybody else is gonna do it. It doesn’t get done by a few people. It takes a town. It takes a community to accomplish things.”

Frankford has the potential. The playground itself is still a neighborhood hub, despite challenges facing the town council (of which Presley’s husband is a new member). The park has walkers and young families visiting every morning, basketball players in the afternoon and soccer games until dusk.

Crowds of revelers attended the Halloween Parade and Fall Festival in October.

“Given the positive feedback we have been getting from the town residents, it was a huge success!” Presley stated.

For the tree-lighting, the Presleys — themselves past winners in the town’s former holiday decorating contest — are managing lights and fence decorations.

The “Envision Frankford” team is also currently seeking volunteers and will be requesting sponsorships.

The Town already got a tree donated by Roots Landscaping & Garden Center and a Santa house with lumber partly donated by Sussex Lumber, being built by the Indian River High School shop department, and has arranged for Santa Claus to meet with children once a week in December.

Anyone who wants Frankford to be something greater can get involved, Presley said, noting that she was already delighted to hear interest from a woman outside of town limits. Even a recent gift raffle (gifts donated by Lowe’s) benefitting the effort had winners from Frankford, Dagsboro and Georgia.

“We have a lot of things we want to get people together to do,” Presley said. “Since this is our first year, and this is a huge project, the more help, the better. Anyone who would like to join us, please contact Robbie Murray, president of the Frankford Volunteer Fire Company, at (302) 236-9333.”

The Joshua M. Freeman Foundation and the Freeman Stage at Bayside will present the Washington National Opera at Delaware Technical Community College on Friday, Dec. 4. The 7 p.m. performance will be held in the theater of the Arts & Science Center located on the Owens Campus in Georgetown.

Also on that same day, nearly 800 students from West Seaford Elementary, Seaford Central Elementary, Frederick Douglass Elementary, Blades Elementary and Sussex Academy will be able to have an interactive operatic experience with the artists in the theater.

“We are so honored to again be hosting this internationally recognized arts organization as we celebrate the end of our incredible eighth season,” said Patti Grimes, executive director of the Joshua M. Freeman Foundation. “The 2015 season was a significant step toward our goal of bringing quality arts experiences to Sussex County, and we are so grateful for the enthusiastic response we continue to receive from the community.”

The Washington National Opera will feature their Domingo-Cafritz Young Artists Program, which guides young singers, accompanists, conductors and stage directors on the verge of international careers.

The program provides intensive study with renowned vocal and drama coaches, and offers voice lessons, language classes, career guidance and master classes from staff and guest artists. Each season, exceptionally promising professionals are selected from a pool of hundreds of applicants from around the world through a competitive audition process.

This latest event that is being held at Delaware Technical & Community College is part of a continued partnership between the Delaware Technical Community College and the Joshua M. Freeman Foundation.

Tickets for the performance of the Washington National Opera Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program performance cost $11 each and should be purchased ahead of time at www.freemanstage.org, due to an expected large turnout on that evening. Kids 18 or younger will be admitted free of charge. The Owens Campus is situated at the intersection of Route 113 and Seashore Highway, Route 18/404, in Georgetown.

Coastal Point • Submitted: The Neighbors in Need truck is parked in the Bethany Area Realty parking lot on Rt. 26 next to Wawa on the first Sunday of each month. The community is invited to drop off canned goods and nonperishable items that will taken to the Helping Hands Food Bank in Frankford.According to data, 17.4 million households in the United States were food insecure last year, and 6.9 million experienced very low food security. And in Delaware, one in eight people struggled with hunger.

But despite what organizations like Feeding America were reporting, Bethany Beach resident Ann Raskauskas wasn’t aware that the issue was so prominent in her backyard until she saw it face to face.

That’s when she launched the Neighbors in Need charity, right in the parking lot of Bethany Area Realty on Route 26, where she works as a Realtor.

“I had a lady who came into my office last year,” Raskauskas recalled the early days of the organization. “She had four kids and none of them had eaten in five days.”

Through donations, the charity generated enough food for the Ocean View resident and her children through donations from the community until the family was able to get back on their feet — which has been the goal since its inception now around two years ago.

Interestingly enough, one of the area’s newest philanthropisst got her start after perhaps its most influential philanthropist had passed away, as she sought to honor the legacy of the late Matt Haley by asking herself what she could do to help the community.

“He did so much charity work,” Raskauskas explained. “I was trying to figure out what I could I do to honor him — hunger is a huge problem, I didn’t realize there was such a need locally.”

To help combat the issue, Raskauskas began renting a truck and parking it a Bethany Area Realty on the first Sunday of each month, asking the community to drop off canned goods and nonperishable items that are then collected and taken to the Helping Hands Food Bank in Frankford.

Since then, Neighbors in Need has grown to partner with events like the Fenwick Island Turkey Trot and to go on to help and average of over 500 people each week. Of those 500, Raskauskus estimated that 40 to 50 end up being emergency cases, and around 150 families are donated to regularly ever week. Most people receiving donations, however, are just everyday families that are simply facing difficult times and need a little help.

“They’re all working people,” Raskauskus said. “Most of them have just fallen on hard times because they’ve been laid off or they have medical issues and things like that.”

But despite how much the program has already grown since it was started, the need remains constant. Not only does Neighbors in Need accept donations on non-designated donation days, but donations in the form of gift cards and cash are also accepted.

“We’re never gonna turn anything down,” Raskauskus said. “People stop off at my office all month. I come into work a lot of times and there might be five bags of food. By all means, people are welcome to just drop food at my office and we’ll make sure it gets delivered.

“One man comes in every month and gives $100, usually we’re able to turn his $100 into $250 worth of food with coupons.”

This past summer, she got another idea to help collect goods. Noticing a considerable amount of food being left behind by summer renters, Neighbors in Need started offering collections for vacationers leaving town and not bringing their leftovers with them. But just because designation donation days have dropped off from every Sunday from June to August down to the first Sunday of the month from September to May, doesn’t mean that need for donation has dropped off as well.

“Neighbors in Need is really based year-round,” Raskauskus said. “Everybody gives a little bit more around the holidays but if anything the need is going to grow.”

Meeting that growing demand for help wouldn’t be possible however, without a giving community — which is what Raskauskus attributed the program’s success to.

“I really wanna thank the community — the response has been tremendous,” she said. “It’s such a terrific community — they’ve just gone overboard on giving.

“When the food bank was running low on tuna and vegetables I just put it out there on Facebook and within 10 minutes I already have four or five people saying they were gonna drop food off — the people are so supportive, our community is such a giving community.”

To donate to Neighbors in Need visit the drop off center the first Sunday of each month with canned good donations at Bethany Area Realty located at 778 Garfield Parkway in Bethany Beach from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

You can also donate at the Fenwick Island Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning at the Bethany Fenwick Area Chamber of Commerce starting at 7:30 a.m. For more on Neighbors in Need, visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Neighbors-in-Need-597647913715177/ or call Ann Raskauskus at (302) 537-9700.

Dr. Christine Fox recently brought her 20-plus years of experience as a general dentist to Bethany Dental Associates.

Fox previously owned her own practice in New Jersey before moving to Delaware to be closer to her aging parents. She said patient comfort is of the utmost importance for her, and her patients experience, gentle, caring treatment.

She is a 1994 graduate of the University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey, which is now the Rutgers School of Dental Medicine. She is proficient in restorative and cosmetic dentistry, as well as oral surgery and Invisalign braces.

Along with her two teenage children, she and her husband enjoy travel, antiquing and spending time with their two dogs, Bella and Copper.

The Town of Bethany Beach found itself in a little unexpected controversy earlier this week after the Town posted a flyer advertising their popular Holiday Happenings event coming up Dec. 5.

On that flyer, they invited people to come to the boardwalk to see the lighting of the “Tree of Warmth.”

Apparently, people on social media saw this as an attack on Christmas and vocally reprimanded the Town for not calling it a Christmas tree, and bowing down to political correctness.

The Town issued a release on Wednesday, Nov. 18, to clarify the Tree of Warmth. Here is that release:

We apologize that so many are offended by the term “Tree of Warmth.” Unfortunately, the term has been taken out of context. Certainly this tree is a Christmas tree, a tree for all to enjoy as they celebrate the Holiday season. The term, Tree of Warmth, was chosen only as part of a marketing strategy between the Town and its business community, to generate interest and participation in the donation of warm clothes for the needy.

A “Tree of Warmth” is not a new concept. The term has been used for years, as other groups, cities and Towns nationwide have used it as they collected warm clothing for the needy. We are taking it a step further by collecting canned goods as well.

In Bethany, people visiting our tree or participating in our Holiday events are asked to bring new or gently used hats, scarves, gloves, and mittens and canned goods to the tree each week. During our celebrations and after choir performances, we will collect the items for distribution to those in need in our area.

There is no underlying conspiracy here. The tree will be beautifully lit and stand on the bandstand plaza as a symbol of the warmth of the season, the Holiday, of Christmas.

It is a sad reflection of our time that so many can take something so simple, benign and charitable and make it so dark and sinister during a season of joy and harmony.