The Hemmings Motor News Great Race, presented by Hagerty, will make a lunch stop at Town Hall in downtown Millsboro on Tuesday, June 24, starting at 11:15 a.m. This classic car event spans more than 2,000 miles each year. Thousands of spectators flock to the cities and towns along the route to see the pre-1972 cars and trucks, which are battling for $150,000 in prize money.

More than 100 vehicles are competing in this year’s Great Race, with the oldest being a 1915 Hudson. Recognizable cars, such as the “General Lee” and a real-life recreation of “Doc Hudson” from the Pixar movie “Cars,” will be in competition, as well as a number of rare and highly valuable vehicles.

“When the Great Race pulls into a city, it becomes an instant festival,” Great Race Director Jeff Stumb said.

The event is free to the public and allows spectators to get up close and personal to all of the vehicles. The event will take place at Town Hall in Millsboro, and spectators will have the chance to see more than 100 vintage vehicles embark on the ultimate journey.

For more information, visit www.greatrace.com.

Children and teens are being invited to make new discoveries, enjoy free programs and participate in reading challenges this summer at the expanded Frankford library.

Children ages 2 to 12 are eligible to participate in “Fizz, Boom, Read,” the theme for this year. They must register, read 10 hours and complete the library’s reading logs in order to receive T-shirts, books and prizes.

The library has scheduled a number of summer performances. On June 18 at 2 p.m., Donna Washington, an award-winning storyteller and multi-cultural folklorist, will offer her tales. On June 25 at 2 p.m., Rich Waterhouse will present “The Wizard’s Toy Shop” with props, puppets, books and humor.

Cascading Carlos will juggle and involve children in the fun on July 2 at 2 p.m. On Thursday, July 10 at 2 p.m. Sciencetellers will bring a tale called “Dragons and Dreams” to life with experiments. The Rehoboth Summer Children’s Theatre will be performing “Alice in Wonderland” on July 23 at 2 p.m.

DASEF will present “Reactions, Rockets and Reading” on July 30 at 2 p.m. Uncle Pete will cap off the summer with some musical and movement activities on Aug. 6 at 2 p.m.

CRABS (“Children Raving About Books”) gives children in Grades 2 to 5 an opportunity to talk about books with others who enjoy reading. The group will meet on several Thursday afternoons.

A few spots are still available for the “Mad Scientist Club,” a hands-on science program for children in Grades 1 to 5. Pre-registration is required for the program, due to limited space. Special sign-up is also necessary for “Jump Bunch,” a one-time, one-hour program involving games and exercise.

Teens can register, read 10 hours, fill out the teen reading log and win prizes as part of their reading challenge, “Spark a Reaction.” They can also join in Pizza & Paperback book discussions. The Frankford Public Library will provide the pizza and beverage, as well as help teens locate their books. This year, some of the books, including “The Giver,” “Divergent” and “The Fault in Our Stars,” have been made into movies. The group will meet several Tuesday evenings during the summer, at 6 p.m.

Call the circulation desk at (302) 732-9351 for information and directions.

Coastal Point • Submitted: Rad Miracle dances to some ’80s hip-hop in ‘Ping Pong Summer,’ a movie set during an Ocean City summer in the 1980s.How do you define a nostalgic summer in Ocean City, Md.? For filmmaker Michael Tully, it’s beach days, arcade nights, getting the girl and defeating the bully. And don’t forget the hip-hop.

Filmed in 2012, in Ocean City, “Ping Pong Summer” has found its day in the sun with a national release date of June 6, after an Ocean City premiere on May 31, and the Clayton Theatre in Dagsboro will begin its second week of screening “Ping Pong Summer” on June 13.

“We’re very excited about it. It’ll kick off right when the kids get off school,” said Clayton owner Joanne Howe.

Her family kept an eye on the film, waiting for this opportunity to screen it, she said.

“I think that it’ll do well in the area, and I think that it shows off Ocean City pretty well,” Howe added.

“Think ‘Karate Kid,’ with hip-hop and ping pong swirled in,” wrote GQ magazine of the film, which features Susan Sarandon, John Hannah, Lea Thompson and Amy Sedaris, as well as Robert Longstreet and Judah Friedlander.

The year is 1985, and Rad Miracle is a shy 13-year-old white kid who’s about to enter his own coming-of-age scenario. During the annual family vacation to Ocean City, he makes a friend as obsessed with hip-hop and ping pong as he is. Then, add his first real crush, abuse from the local rich kid/bully, and a ping pong challenge he can only overcome with training from an unexpected source: a fish-wielding, beer-guzzling Susan Sarandon.

Writer/director Tully vacationed for years in Ocean City, growing up in Frederick and Prince George’s counties, Md.

“I thought it would make for a cool ’80s beach movie, with my obsessionals at that age,” he said. “We’re always telling the same stories … but ultimately it’s how you tell the story,” that makes it interesting.

He included in the story the “Karate Kid” drama of a teen newcomer who must defeat the local bully.

The film is no autobiography, but Tully included “very personal” details, such as the “I survived the Sooper Dooper Looper” T-shirt and Rad Miracle smelling a brand-new cassette tape (Tully said more than a handful of moviegoers have told him they used to do the same thing).

“For me, the movie’s become this unconscious love letter to my adolescence, when I would go to an actual store and pick up an actual product and hold it in my hand.”

He insists he could recognize albums from different record labels, such as Def Jam, based on the smell of the tape.

Ironically, the film was shot on film, when The Clayton just switched over to a digital projection system, allowing it to show more independent films.

“I think it’s wonderful for people to come out,” Howe said. “They’ve had some great films that have been made locally that it’s great for people to support.”

The Clayton has nightly showings at 7 p.m., Sunday matinee at 2:30 p.m. and senior special nights on Wednesday and Thursday.

The film is 91 minutes long and family-friendly, said Tully.

Passion behind the picture

Since he began writing the screenplay as a senior in high school in the ’90s, Tully said, the script has changed with his life. Luckily he could do other projects on smaller budgets and save this for the right time in his life.

“I think I’ve lived long enough to make it real,” he said.

Once planning to set it in fictional “Water Town,” he eventually came to embrace his love for Ocean City.

“The only way it [would be] very interesting is by being very personal,” Tully concluded.

He paid homage to the classic Ocean City spots, including the Boardwalk, Phillips Seafood, Trimper’s, Paul Revere Smorgasbord, King’s Arms Motel, Old Pro Golf, the Greene Turtle and more.

And those weren’t the only local touch he included in the film.

“It was really important for the kids that we find fresh, new talent, especially in the Maryland area.”

Rather than shipping child actors from Los Angeles, local youngsters filled the speaking roles and served as extras, including lead Marcello Conte from New Jersey and Ocean City’s own Emmi Shockley, the main love interest, as well as Andy Riddle, Myles Massey, Joseph McCaughtry, Helena Seabrook and Maddie Howard.

With a stellar adult cast, Tully said he was never very starstruck — especially now, in his 40s. But, he said, actors such as Sarandon are professionals, and everyone just wants to make a good movie. They don’t carry themselves with a high air, he noted.

Only once during filming, he thought, “Am I really in Ocean City? And that’s Susan Sarandon, and that’s an old Ocean City police car we managed to find?” Then the stress of the moment takes over, he said, and there’s no time for stargazing.

Tully said he is proudest of “finding a team of collaborators to make the movie that I wanted to make.” Not a strong editor himself, he gave props to Marc Vives, who forged the film in the editing room.

“That’s the goal in filmmaking, so you’re not sitting in a room writing a novel by yourself,” said Tully, but instead trying to find people “smarter than yourself” who can add to the vision. “The more that you let people be involved and let them feel that they’re contributing, the more empowered they’ll feel.”

The biggest challenge, he said, was raising the money. When Sarandon committed to the picture in the spring, the other actors began to take the project more seriously, he said.

Even getting rights to 80s music was important and tricky.

They shot on Super 16 film, which produces the perfect graininess, especially when projected on big screens.

“We really wanted to make something that felt like an artifact from the ’80s,” Tully said, versus something like “The Wedding Singer,” which looks back with a “wink and a laugh.”

For someone to someday see this 2014 film and think it was made in the 1980s would be Tully’s dream. Even getting rights to ’80s music was important and tricky. They could have upped the film quality, he said, but the money was better spent on post-production, such as the rights to the 1980s-era soundtrack, which includes music from The Fat Boys, Mary Jane Girls, Whodini, Mr. Mister, Midnight Star, Angelo Jannotti, Mantronix, Hammer Throw and more.

Now in theaters

“Ping Pong Summer” premiered in New York on May 30 and Ocean City’s Sun and Surf Cinema on May 31, featuring Tully, the young actors, producers, local supporters and political figures. (Some even attended the Sundance Film Festival and Rotterdam Film Festival showings.)

The Town of Ocean City and Worcester County governments provided $100,000 for the film’s $1.5 million budget — a low budget that stretched thanks to key actors’ willingness to work for minimal pay, according to OC Today newspaper.

“The level of enthusiasm for the fiscal support … is unbelievable and almost unprecedented,” Tully said. “Everywhere, people were willing to do whatever it took.”

People volunteered to be extras and offered shooting locations at discounted rates or free of charge.

However, the most important screenings may be those on June 6, when “Ping Pong Summer” hit the box office nationwide and was released on-demand by Gravitas Ventures. That means people could enjoy the cinematic experience in a theater or in the comfort of their homes.

The movie’s relative success could “tell the independent film world that the movie really does have legs,” Tully said. “It’s really hard if you don’t have $3 million in advertising. But so far the word of mouth has been fantastic.”

“Ping Pong Summer” will be shown at Rehoboth Beach’s Movies at Midway, as well as Wilmington’s Theatre N at Nemours and Fox Sun & Surf. Other cities showing the film starting June 6 include New York City, Los Angeles, Baltimore and Silver Spring, Md., as well as Denver, Dallas, Minneapolis, Seattle, Toronto, Boston and Nashville.

Although the film is not rated by the MPAA, Tully called it appropriate for those 10 or older. Even kids who didn’t understand all the jokes enjoyed it, he said.

“It’s family-friendly. At that point, maybe people will want to act like it’s the 20th century again and go to the theater,” Tully quipped. “I’m hoping we do well.”

Currently, Tully is in rewrites on a psychological thriller, hoping to shoot in September in Ireland. He called the new film a tribute to the U.K. thrillers of the 1970s.

Learn more online at
www.pingpongsummer.com or Facebook.

Coastal Point • Tripp Colonell: University of Delaware student Katie Chavatel is inspired by the ocean and large portion of her art revolves around that theme. Here, Chavatel’s most defining piece is created from acrylic, oil and water-based media with saWhen local artist and University of Delaware student Katie Chavatel was in ninth grade, she was cut from her school’s field hockey team. While most people would have been discouraged, it didn’t take long for Chavatel to realize that the end of her athletic career was only the beginning of what would be her true calling — art.

“I guess it happened for a reason, because I’m glad I ended up with art as my focus,” said Chavatel. “Definitely drawing, for me, is the biggest outlet.”

Chavatel keeps a sketch pad and draws anything from realistic scenes that she observes to sea creatures pulled from memory, infused with her own stylistic spin. However, for her major pieces, she incorporates some unique materials and tactics into her work that sets her already unique creativity apart.

“All of my pieces, I used really weird materials — most people would just draw or paint,” Chavatel explained of some of her earlier work as she developed her now-signature motive. “I use string a lot. I sew canvases and paper — it’s more like 3D design.”

One of her most defining pieces is an acrylic, oil and water-based mixed-media painting of an octopus — with sand, rope, string, silica and sea glass making up the texture.

“I have this fascination with layers, and I constantly want to build things up or build into them,” she said, describing her work. “It just adds to it.”

As with the octopus painting, most of Chavatel’s pieces are inspired by the ocean and the beach — the place that she has felt the most at home throughout her life. One of her creations directly embodies that notion: a drawing collaboration of her family’s home in West Fenwick, rooted to the ground by hearts and butterflies.

“I’ve always been the most comfortable here, so that kind of represents that my heart’s here,” Chavatel explained of the symbolism of the hearts, representing love and comfort, and the butterflies, representing happiness. “I really like getting all the detail of realistic stuff, but then I’ll do some abstract stuff in there.”

It’s her love and respect for her home that inspired Chavatel to employ her talents to send a message — using her natural artistic ability to create images that she hopes will help raise awareness to preserve the natural beauty of where she lives.

“I’ve always been interested,” she said of ocean pollution — the reason behind the digital design project. “Plastic in the ocean is harming our animals, so I wanted to show that plastic bottles literally make up our ocean; so I actually have them making up the wave.”

Taking an image of a surfer in the barrel of a wave, Chavatel imposed images of plastic bottles throughout the wave, to make it appear as if the surfer is riding a wave of plastic. The powerful imagery is further exemplified in a similar piece — a wave littered with plastic bottles under a sun, composed of bottle caps and trash.

“I wanted to get the word out about ocean pollution and, although it’s pretty mainstream, people don’t realize just how serious it is,” she emphasized. “Plastic is the largest source of ocean debris, and there’s literal ‘islands’ of plastic floating in areas of our oceans — mainly in gyres where the trash gets trapped.”

To see more of Chavatel’s artwork, check out her website at katiechavatel.wordpress.com or her Instagram, @katiechavatel.

Coastal Point • Tripp Colonell: Matt Merrick and Robbie Biddel serve up some local farm-made ice cream to some happy customers at their new shop in the Sea Colony Marketplace, Ba Roos Ice Cream.Just as “farm to table” restaurants support local farms, restaurateurs-turned-ice-cream-entrepreneurs Robbie Bidell and Matt Merrick are supporting local dairy farms — with a concept they like to call “from cow to beach” at their new Bethany Beach-area ice cream shop, Ba Roos.

Located at the Sea Colony Marketplace, right off Route 1, the shop offers 23 different flavors of farm-made ice cream from Hopkins Farm Creamery — a fourth-generation dairy farm just outside of Lewes.

“You can’t get much fresher,” said Merrick of the local product. “It’s going out and it’s coming right back. [Hopkins] does such a good job — it’s basically from the cow to the ice cream maker.”

Keeping it local is a trend for Ba Roos. Both Merrick and Bidell grew up locally, and now they’re both raising families in that same local area. They hire local kids from the local high school, sponsor local events and, obviously, sell local products.

“We want to support local. We want local to support us,” Merrick explained. “Almost all our kids are from Indian River. They represent the sports teams there. It’s funny — all the people coming in, it’s like an everybody-knows-everybody type of place for sure already.”

The shop is also entrenched in the local surf scene, not only as one of the sponsors of the Atlantic Shoals and Relyance Skim Camp’s Thursday-night skim jam, but as supporters of the Colin Herlihy and Brian Stoehr Surf School and local surfing, skimming and skating in general.

“We’re teaming up with them. They’re teaming up with us,” Bidell said. “I like to think of this area as a farm/beach town.”

“Our theme is kind of ‘beach, surf, skim, skate,’” Merrick added. “If you come in, you’ll kind of get it.”

Right now, the shop shows surf movies to go along with the bright, beach-themed atmosphere; but they’re also planning on showing local surf and skim footage, as well, and will soon hang some signed surf- and skimboards from local pros.

While their ice cream and atmosphere are certainly enough to set them apart, it’s not the only reason to stop in. Ba Roos also offers sundaes with a variety of toppings, floats, shakes, fresh-made smoothies and fresh-squeezed lemonades, and soon they’ll offer coffee drinks, as well.

“It’s a build your own float, if you want half chocolate/half vanilla with a Mountain Dew — so be it,” Bidell explained. “For the folks in the morning, after you get done running, you want a power-shake or a smoothie or some lemonade.”

Soon, the shop will venture into specialty sundaes, as well, with the first one they have in mind going along with the surf theme and being named after big-wave surfing pioneer Laird Hamilton.

“We’re gonna do the Laird Hamilton — go big,” Merrick described of what will be their biggest sundae. “Do it in a bucket and have four or five spoons.”

Another added feature to watch for from Ba Roos will be when Hopkins teams up with Pfeifer’s — a local orchard — to come up with their summer flavors using fresh and local fruit.

“We basically have every flavor [Hopkins has]. Then they do some awesome ones with Pfeifer’s, which is one of the local orchards,” Merrick said. “They pick it from their orchard and put it together.”

Since opening Memorial Day weekend, Merrick and Bidell said, the shop has seen nothing but success and gotten positive feedback; but, for them, this is just the start. They’ll be working with Hopkins on new ice cream flavors, catering events with their mobile bicycle-powered ice cream cooler, and eventually will take Ba Roos further into the dessert market, with pies and cakes.

Ba Roos can be reached by calling (302) 616-2250 or stop by the Sea Colony Marketplace on Route 1, just south of Bethany Beach.

During the June 2 meeting of the Frankford Town Council citizens expressed concerns about the legal nature of a pending town charter amendment designed to allow for a pension plan for town employees.

While Town Clerk Terry Truitt and the council addressed some of those concerns publicly during the meeting — despite the subject not being included on the agenda — Truitt this week offered further explanation of both the proposed amendment and the process involved.

“There was a vote at the December 2013 meeting, at which there were only three members of council present, in which the motion was made to authorize [Town Solicitor] Dennis Schrader to introduce the charter amendments to the two representatives for our district,” Truitt stated, citing that the minutes of that meeting were available on the town website.

As promised in the June 2 meeting, Truitt said, Schrader was contacted on June 3 and asked to verify that the process has been handled legally. She then explained the initial reasons for the amendment.

“This topic of charter amendments came through the advice of the town auditor’s, after noting that the last two fiscal years’ budgets had exceeded the medical cost budgeted, due to inflationary reasons and employees.”

Truitt also noted that the council does not have the authority to amend the town charter on their own and has to first go through the Delaware House of Representatives, then to the state Senate, before the governor and a team of lawyers review it for possible signing in to law.

According to Truitt, the Gov. Jack Markell has already signed HB 274, regarding the removal of the 15 percent cap on employee benefits, and is also expected to sign HB 275 regarding town annexation.

The Town will hold a budget meeting on Monday, June 23, at 7 p.m., regarding the proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

Americans will proudly raise their voices and the flag for a nationwide sing-along on Saturday, June 14, celebrating the 200th anniversary of the “Star-Spangled Banner.”

The Bethany Beach Bandstand will be a patriotic hub as a mass of musicians lead beach-goers in singing the national anthem at 4 p.m.

“I’m excited to be a part of it, too. Bethany’s such a patriotic town. I think it’s a perfect fit,” said Julie Malewski, Bethany’s events director, adding that she hopes the public chorus will leave an impact on passersby.

“It’s obviously a one-time event,”?Malewski said. “It would be a neat thing for Bethany to partake in because of the historical significance.”

Bethany was invited by the Smithsonian Institution to host an official event at 4 p.m., coinciding with the Washington, D.C., event.

Musicians will represent bands including Fish Whistle, the Fabulous Dialtones, The Threetles and more.

“The reaction has been wonderful. I contacted them from the Summer Concert Series,” she said of the performing musicians.

Although she just learned about the event a week or so ago, Malewski said it is picking up traction, support and more musicians.

But everybody is invited to attend.

“You don’t have to have singing talent. You just have to have patriotic spirit,” she said. “We’ll accommodate everybody.”

According to the Raise It Up! website, this is the only public celebration of the bicentennial being held in Delaware or on the Delmarva Peninsula.

A variety of groups are sponsoring events in 75 other places, from libraries and museums to businesses and entire towns.

The Washington, D.C., singing party will feature a 500-person choir, the United States Air Force Band, three guest conductors and several guest artists, including Brian McKnight.

People are also being encouraged to sing the national anthem wherever they are.

Francis Scott Key composed the original poem containing the lyrics to the song in September of 1814 (during the War of 1812). People were stunned that the British had burned Washington, D.C., and had now set their sights on Baltimore, Md.

But Key was heartened when he saw the U.S. flag’s “broad stripes and bright stars,” still flying after the bombardment of Fort McHenry. That flag is still a treasured American artifact, held in the Smithsonian’s National History Museum in Washington, D.C.

People attending the June 14 event can arrive at Bethany Bandstand at 3:30 p.m., leading up to the 4 p.m. song. Parking enforcement will be suspended in Bethany from 3 to 5 p.m. that afternoon.

For more information on the celebration, visit www.anthemforamerica
.smithsonian.com.

Coastal Point • Laura Walter: The South Bethany Historical Society proudly presents ‘The Best Little Beach in Delaware,’ a history book spearheaded by, from left, John Speer Jr., and Lora and Tony Caputo. The front cover shows Speer’s family in 1969 with several houseguests, all leaping gleefully into the air.“With the advent of the 21st century, it became increasingly apparent that much of South Bethany’s rich history was slipping away.”

That concern ignited the South Bethany Historical Society, and the sentence now introduces the colorful 160-page history of the small town, published just last week.

“The Best Little Beach in Delaware” includes memories of life in the quiet town, as told by the residents themselves. They remember clamming, crabbing, watching National Guardsmen train in Bethany Beach, running errands in Selbyville and tying boats to shrubbery before bulkheads were installed.

“We tried to make history fun,” said coordinator and chairman John Speer Jr.

The book includes many opinions, from those who remember throwing parties in their parents’ beach houses to those who wish today’s parties were a bit quieter.

“The founder wanted us to interview the old-timers before they all passed or left the area or started getting forgetful,” said Tony Caputo, writer, designer and South Bethany councilmember, of SBHS founder Mary Suazo.

About 20 volunteers did the writing and interviewing.

Besides full interviews and stories, pages are dedicated to homeowners’ association, neighborhood watch, tennis club, wildlife sightings, storms and much more.

Past mayors had their say, discussing hot topics of the day.

Photo pages even show the 1950s homes that have remained or been razed to build larger houses.

“We tried to make history fun,” Speer said.

People can see the beginnings of the town, from the first property sales to the decision to incorporate.

“It’s all small, close-knit, homogeneous group of people — a nice group of people,” Caputo said. With such a quiet, small town, he said, that there’s room for quick and rational decision-making.

“I like the memories of the early settlers who explained what life at the beach was like back then,” Speer said. “I like to know what people do and think. There was a lot going on.”

People didn’t have color television or air conditioning, so they enjoyed the beach, pausing only for major events, such as the televised moon landing, Speer said. “Everyone was outside playing or having fun.”

Some events are told differently by different people, but that’s what Speer likes.

“The essential matter of history is not what happened, but what people thought or said about it,” the book says in a quote attributed to historian Frederick William Maitland.

“It’s all personal. I was anticipating that someone would be slighted. No — the feedback’s been excellent,” Caputo said.

“We all have the same reaction. We start reading and we can’t put it down,” said Maria Johansen, president of the historical society. “It’s fantastic. We’re so happy and pleased with the job done.

Though it’s only just gotten into local hands, the book was nominated for a Gold Ink Award — the publishing industry’s contest for great design. It was designed by Group J Design in Rehoboth Beach and published by Walsworth.

Speer said he believes this may be the only community history book in Delaware printed in color. The publication was a two-year process.

Many residents have already purchased for themselves and extended family.

“The Best Little Beach in Delaware” book costs $25 and can be purchased locally at McCabe’s Gourmet, Made By Hand, Jayne’s Reliable in Dagsboro and other town events. Profits benefit the historical society.

“It’s a wonderful celebration of the town’s history, and now we have a literary history!” said Mayor Pat Voveris. “A lot of people put a lot of work into it. It brings a lot of memories, a lot of smiles.”

Even during road construction, Route 26’s businesses are open, and the Delaware Department of Transportation must provide access to each.

“Our local businesses are open,” emphasized Ken Cimino, contractor AECOM’s on-site public outreach coordinator. “I encourage folks to get out and visit local eateries and businesses.”

Apart from typical summertime traffic, the Route 26 drive has gotten easier during daylight hours. Until Oct. 1, lane closures are only permitted overnight. Flaggers guide traffic in certain areas from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m., Monday to Thursday nights.

In October of 2012, DelDOT surveyed local residents about night work, and only nine people opposed it. A total of 68 people responded “yes” to night work, and 117 people did not reply, which counts as approval.

Day work still continues, but it cannot shut down traffic.

“It will create some spectator slow-downs. People slow down to watch,” Cimino said, “but there will always be one lane open in both ways.”

On the west end of the project area, construction began in Clarksville on Sussex County’s sewer expansion, with about 800 feet of new gravity sewer line from Millville town limits to Hocker’s Super Center at Route 17.

This summer, the goal is to complete realignment of the Route 26 intersections at Cedar Drive and Central Avenue — work that has already begun. With those sharp turns straightened out, people can more easily use the designated detour routes when George & Lynch closes lanes on Route 26, possibly this winter.

Route 26 will only ever close completely in two spots, to replace small bridges near Lord Baltimore Elementary School and Millville Town Hall, from January to March in 2015 or 2016, depending on construction progress.

Representatives of local grocers were concerned about how much longer construction would linger at the Old Mill Road intersection, next to Food Lion and Giant.

“I stressed to them we’re moving eastward. Until we finish all the drainage work, we wouldn’t be back in that intersection for any lengthy period of time until late in the summer,” Cimino said.

Warm rains and weather have led to quickly growing grass in areas recently planted ahead of work alongside the existing roadway. The State controls everything within the areas fenced-off with black construction fence, so George & Lynch will hire someone to mow the grass.

“Depending on how much rain we get, you can bet we’ll be out there cutting grass every other Friday,” Cimino said, with intentions to conform as closely as possible to Ocean View, Millville and Sussex County ordinances.

Emergency responders have a unique challenge in passing construction zones, so an emergency services working group has been established. They met after Memorial Day, to find that operations have progressed well so far, Cimino said. They discuss road conditions, from flaggers to reassembly of the roadways. The emergency group will meet again after July 4.

The Route 26 public meetings are typically held the second Tuesday of each month at 10 a.m. at Bethany Beach Town Hall. However, due to low attendance, the meetings may become quarterly in the future, Cimino said.

Residents and businesses are being encouraged to contact Ken Cimino anytime with questions or concerns, at (302) 616-2621 or Kenneth.cimino@aecom.com or 17 Atlantic Avenue, Suite 2, in Ocean View.

Pipe replacement to close two local roads

DelDOT contractor Mumford & Miller Concrete Inc. will be removing and replacing crossroad pipes in Sussex County in the coming weeks.

The following roadways will be closed to traffic from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.:

• Bishopville Road, which connects Selbyville to Maryland (between Lighthouse Road and Hudson Road) on June 16 and 17.

• Thatcher Street in Frankford (between Main Street and Honolulu Road) from June 23 to 25.

In case of rain, the construction will continue the following day. Detour signage will be posted for motorists.

Area farmers’ markets are preparing to open for the summer season.

The Fenwick Island Farmers’ Market has done so well in the past few years that Market Manager Ellen Magee said the market will now have a second location in West Fenwick, at Bayside.

“We thought there was a need, and Americana Bayside was interested in having a market. We thought this would be a good partnership,” explained Magee.

The Fenwick Island market has approximately 15 vendors, and is open at Route 1 and East Essex Sreet from 8 a.m. to noon on Fridays beginning June 20, and from 8 a.m. to noon on Mondays beginning June 16 at Bayside.

“We’re a producer-only market, so they have to make or grow local ingredients. It really is a farmers’ market,” she emphasized. “We always want more and more people to find our market. We have good, fresh, local produce and baked goods, honey, jams and jelly and flowers, and it’s not been sitting on a shelf somewhere for a long time. It really comes from the local community that way.”

The Bethany Beach Farmers’ Market has 16 vendors and will be open on Sundays from 8 a.m. to noon, beginning this weekend.

Henry Bennett, who co-chairs the market committee, said that all the vendors, with the exception of a mushroom grower from Kennett Square, are from the Delmarva region.

“It’s a truly producers-only market,” he said. “You can be guaranteed that when you go to Bethany Beach’s farmers’ market you’re buying things from the person who grew it and only what’s in season and only what’s local. That’s what we pride ourselves on.”

Bennett, whose family owns the Bennett Orchards, said that direct customer contact is invaluable. He added that buying from local farmers keeps money in the local economy.

“When you buy things produced on a farm eight miles away, they’re putting that money back into the local community, hiring people and things like that. The money is staying in the community.”

“Farming is the No. 1 industry in the state of Delaware. May people think it’s tourism, and it’s not. It’s agriculture,” said Magee. “If the people want to continue to have agriculture as part of their livelihood and in their back yards, these farmers’ markets are the greatest opportunity for them to buy local.”

The Millville Farmers’ Market will be opening later this season, on June 19, due to a lull in produce production from this year’s poor weather.

“Mother Nature is going through menopause. It’s been hot and cold and rainy and so forth, and they just don’t have the products,” said Market Master Linda Kent. “It was too wet and too cold, and the products weren’t coming in as quickly as hoped.”

The market will run on Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the parking lot next to town hall. There will be seven vendors at the market, selling goods ranging from freshly picked peaches and blueberries to local honey and baked goods.

New this year to the Millville market are a number of informational programs that will aim to educate market-goers on a variety of topics.

On June 26, from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Don Long will give a talk on recycling and composting. On June 19 and Aug. 21 from 8:30 to 11 a.m., Delaware Electric Co-Op will discuss the co-op, storms and “remembering when you’re planting, if you’re near any electrical wires underground, to call first.”

On June 26, July 17 and Aug. 14, Beebe Population Health will be doing free screenings, including blood pressure, glucose and cholesterol.

“I’m trying to hit all the populations — the young and the old,” said Kent of promoting better health, from “farm-fresh and local” foods to the Beebe screenings. “It’s part of the community service. I’m chairman of the Millville Volunteers. Three years ago, we thought it would be a great outreach to provide this service as an avenue for the vendors and the people to come together.”

For more information about Delaware farmers’ markets, visit dda.delaware.gov/marketing/
FarmersMarketsGuide.shtml.

Bethany Beach Farmers’ Market

Garfield Parkway & Pennsylvania Avenue, Bethany Beach
Sundays, 8 a.m. to noon, June 15 to Aug. 31
www.bethanybeachfarmersmarket.com

Fenwick Island Farmers’ Market

Bayside, 31254 Americana Parkway, West Fenwick
Mondays, 8 a.m. to noon, June 16 to Sept. 1
Coastal Highway & East Essex Street, Fenwick Island
Fridays, 8 a.m. to noon, June 20 to Aug. 29
www.fenwickislandfarmersmarket.com

Millville Farmers’ Market

Millville Town Hall, 36404 Clubhouse Road, Millville
Thursdays, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., June 19 to Sept. 11
www.millville.delaware.gov
https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Millville-Farmers-Market/248240975318828

The Farmers’ Market at Sea Colony

Marketplace at Sea Colony, Route 1, south of Bethany Beach
Wednesdays, 8 a.m. to noon, June 25 to Aug. 27

Georgetown Farmers’ Market

Georgetown Town Park, North Bedford & Edward Streets (next to the Presbyterian Church), Georgetown
Wednesdays, 3 to 6 p.m., May 14 to Sept. 24

Rehoboth Beach Farmers Market

Grove Park, 501 Rehoboth Ave., Rehoboth Beach
Tuesdays, noon to 4 p.m., May 6 through October
www.rbfarmersmarket.com

Historic Lewes Farmers Market

Lewes Historical Society, 110 Shipcarpenter Street, Lewes
Saturdays, 8 a.m. to noon, May 10 to Sept. 27
www.historiclewesfarmersmarket.org
https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Historic-Lewes-Farmers-Market/299775900676

The Ocean View Historical Society is hoping to open its doors — and, more specifically, its historical complex — this month to help teach locals and visitors about the area’s history.

Beginning June 18, the Ocean View Historical Society will have the Tunnell-West historical complex open to the public from 1 to 4 p.m. every Wednesday.

“We pretty much have the three buildings done, but we felt it’s time to do it other than just Homecoming,” explained Richard Nippes, president of the OVHS. “Hopefully, if it’s a rainy day, it’ll give people something to do. That’s the purpose of doing this, to get it out to the people. We figure we’ll give it a shot and see if people will come out.”

The complex currently includes the Tunnell-West house, which was built in the 1890s, as well as the town’s first post office and a replica of Cecile Steele’s chicken coop.

Nippes said docents will be on-hand on Wednesdays to answer visitors’ questions and give out fun, interesting information regarding the complex. Such information includes a “translated” version of the original land grant given to Matthew Scarborough in 1688.

“That way people get some idea of how the town started… There won’t be just furniture for people to look at, materials for people to read, to learn,” explained Nippes.

“I assume very few people in the town know Ocean View once had a jail. Now we have a big jail, but many years ago they had a little jail that got blown up. From rumors and legends that I’ve had people tell me, there were some young gentlemen who got rowdy and were thrown into jail. After they got out, they, or some of their buddies, planted some gunpowder underneath of it and blew it up. It was never rebuilt.

“We think it was probably right inside where the park is. … There are a lot of little tidbits like that we’re going to try to put around for people to read and learn about.”

Nippes added that, through the State’s Historical & Cultural Affairs Division, the society will be able to rotate out artifacts to be viewed by the general public.

“They’re very enthusiastic about what we’re doing and very anxious to help us be successful. They have some programs that we’re going to tap into. Most people aren’t aware that they have warehouses filled with historic artifacts that we can borrow,” he said.

“In other words, if we want to change the display of the house, get different furniture, clothing, uniforms, things that we probably could never come up with, we would be allowed to borrow it… We’re thrilled we’re going to be a part of that.”

Earlier this year, one Ocean View resident announced that they plan to donate their property, which includes a home and barn, to the society. Nippes said the society plans to apply to have the home and barn added to the National Register of Historic Places.

“We may call it the Coastal Towns Museum. At the present moment, we’re exploring the possibility of having other towns display information, so they have a place to put some of the materials for their communities, at least temporarily. We’re still working on building a Coastal Towns Museum on our complex.”

Nippes said the society hopes to eventually build a visitors’ center, display area and classroom at its Central Avenue complex.

“We’ll be bringing kids over in September to begin educating them. They really don’t have much knowledge about Delaware, Sussex County, or Ocean View, Millville or anything. We’re hoping to fill that void.”

Currently, the Ocean View Historical Society has approximately 100 members; however, Nippes said they are in need of more.

“We really need support from younger members of the community who like history and who would like to get involved,” he said. “We need more people to join the historical society and get involved.”

Yearly membership costs $25 for an individual. Although members are not required to attend meetings, Nippes said the society would hope more people would want to become actively involved.

“You don’t have to come to any meetings, but we would hope that you do, because we’d like to get more people involved. We need people to get involved and help us raise the money to build the museum and open it up for people,” he said. “We could certainly use more input by people in the society from Ocean View and surrounding communities who like history and want to preserve it.”

Nippes said the society is currently working on interviewing older residents of the town, in the hopes that, one day, the society will be able to tell their stories to visitors.

“It really brings history alive to hear these people talk,” he said.

Nippes said he hopes families will take the opportunity to stop by the complex and learn about the town and the historical society.

“Hopefully, people will come and learn a little bit about our town and this area.”

For more information on the Tunnell-West house, visit www.ovhistoricalsociety.org. The Tunnell-West house is located at 39 Central Avenue in Ocean View. For more information on joining the Ocean View Historical Society, contact Nippes at (302) 539-8374.

Millville By the Sea builders aimed to get back in the Millville Planning & Zoning’s good graces this week after failing to submit full site plans for approval.

To make up for very small-sized lots, builders of Sand Dollar Village Phase II planned to let neighbors share their lawns, each borrowing a chunk to create a livable yard. But despite Millville Seaside Properties II brainstorming this idea for a year and selling homes with that type of easement, the Town of Millville only learned about the easements by accident.

In a large development of many designs, the house was a traditional cottage on a small, low-maintenance lot. That kind of “product” fills most of the neighborhood, while the remainder is larger properties, plus a neighborhood park.

Houses were 24 feet wide, perfectly centered on 38-foot lots, meeting the Town’s 5-foot setback requirements on either side. But with only about 12 feet between houses, residents had two nearly useless strips of land on both sides.

To enhance the cottages’ side porches, the developer suggested giving residents access to all the land on one side, right up to the neighbor’s wall. That’s in lieu of a back yard on 23 lots. They would not own half that yard but could use all of it. And someone else would use half of their yard.

(The arrangement is similar to one used by developers of the Sea Villas community in Bethany Beach when it was established, wherein neighbors’ decks were constructed partly on the property of an adjacent lot. The unconventional easements caused the Bethany Beach Town Council more than five years ago to establish special zoning in the R1B residential district, to allow for the unique situation.)

The town council had approved the final site plan for Sand Dollar Village Phase II in February of 2013, but a MBS attorney only recorded a Deed of Use Easement with Sussex County in April of 2014.

Millville officials had never heard of plans for such an easement until May, when Sussex County’s mapping office asked Town Manager Debbie Botchie about the MBS maps lacking a Millville stamp of approval.

“Why weren’t they approved?” P&Z’s Holly Wingate asked.

“We didn’t know we had to come back in front of the Town in order to do that,” said Doug Smith of Miller & Smith, developer in Millville Town Center and Millville Seaside Properties II.

“In our mind, it’s a private easement,” said Craig Hovenner (of Christopher Companies and MSP II), adding that they had interpreted the code as only requiring notification for public easements. “It really was a misunderstanding.”

However, the Town saw the easements as a systematic process applied to each property, rather than being initiated by individual property owners.

Smith said the blanket process was done all at once, for simplicity and consistency.

“The final site plan had been approved without such easements,” Botchie later said. “Our code is very clear that all easements must be put on the site plan for review.”

Millville Town Center was the original sub-divider of the land. The large Millville by the Sea community is split into neighborhoods, which are being sold in phases. Sand Dollar Village was later bought by Millville Seaside Properties II (managed by Christopher Companies and Miller & Smith).

The town code doesn’t specifically require the purchaser (MSP II) to record such easement agreements, Town Solicitor Seth Thompson said.

Linett asked several times about the decision to use easements.

“When did you decide it would be a good idea to consider that?” Linett asked.

“This time last year,” Hovenner finally offered.

“It’s more, ‘I’m not using this area. You use this. We agree you can do that,’” Smith explained. “A use easement can occur at any point in time” as a contract between individual property owners, he said.

In this case, the easement is written into the property title, so “whenever someone buys or sells that house, the easement would be found, because it runs with the ground,” Smith said.

“They signed a bill of sale” before the easement was legally recorded, Botchie said. “You’re selling a product that doesn’t have a deed-of-use easement.”

Town code requires the development owner to present preliminary and final site plans, including “the location, width and purpose of all existing and proposed easements, setbacks, reservations and areas dedicated to public use within or adjoining the property,” plus “an outline of existing or proposed deed restrictions or covenants applying to the property.”

MBS attorneys and engineers, she said, “are very well aware of our code and easements. Did they not bring this to your attention that easements had to be approved?” Botchie asked.

“They did not,” Smith said. If there was a mistake, he said, “We’re trying to rectify it.”

They’re trying to “correct a procedural issue,” Thompson clarified.

The easements for unoccupied homes will be stricken from Sussex County’s records for now.

Although those easements will be nullified for the unoccupied homes, the Millville Town Council could still vote to allow such easements.

“It’s not your typical single-family home product. This isn’t going to work for everybody, but for some people it may be perfect,” said Kyle Gulbronson of URS, town engineer.

Frances Deering said she had bought one such cottage because of the easement.

“I like the idea of a side yard. It’s different,” she said. “It looks small on paper, but it’s wide enough for my use, low maintenance. As far as privacy … once you put up [window] blinds, it’s not an issue.”

Houses already sold and occupied were not part of the night’s discussion.

“We don’t want to burden those individuals who already have it in the deed,” Botchie said.

However, all 12 other lots are considered in violation of town code, at present.

What goes inside

Residents may not install permanent structures (buildings or sheds) or hazardous items (barbeque grills and fire pits) in the 6.5-foot easement. However, a paver patio is acceptable because it can be removed when the family moves out, said Millville Code & Building Administrator Eric Evans.

“The Easement Premises may be used as a general recreational, picnic, social and garden area, as though … owned by the Owner of the Benefitted Cottage Lot,” the deed says.

“You’re trying to give it as much beneficial use as possible but … limit property damage,” Linett remarked.

The Town of Millville probably couldn’t enforce these contractual rules about barbecues or statues even if it wanted to. The Town only enforces Town ordinances. The homeowners’ association is meant to write rules and handle neighborly squabbles.

“I think the HOA is the entity that would enforce that,” said Rosenstein.

“Not true!” a woman in the audience said.

Patricia Moulder has lived in MBS for five years but says the current property management association is not very effective.

“Our HOA — we have a booklet I was given five years ago. It’s got do’s and don’ts, but when you go to the Wilgus people, they blow you off. But they [Smith, Rosenstein and Hovenner] are saying ‘Go to your HOA.’”

People could also be assessed slightly higher taxes, Evans warned, as people don’t need a Town permit for a temporary paver patio, but they need one from the County. The County will reassess the property value for both lots because it doesn’t recognize the easement for tax purposes. Both homeowners could be partially taxed for one patio.

It’s not a significant amount, “but that homeowner should be aware of it,” Botchie said.

Plus, as more residents (renters or future homeowners) use the properties, Botchie was concerned the original intent and understanding would erode, causing problems.

In a townhouse, someone would expect the proximity of neighbors, but would people anticipate having their neighbors allowed right next to their houses, Thompson wondered.

“When we started marketing these homes, we did in actuality educate the buyers,” Rosenstein said. They showed prospective buyers the property or photos and explained how the easement would work, she said.

But Linett asked if the easement is made clear from the beginning, when information is picked up off a real estate rack.

Although no one would say that the information is in sales brochures, MBS representatives said the sellers discuss easement language before executing the contracts, and it’s in the final deed.

Neighbors could remove the easements by mutual agreement.

“We’ve used this side-use easement many times,” Smith said, although the system is new to Millville.

“It’s part of contract that is recorded. It’s part of the title that runs with the ground,” Smith added.

“We’ve done it before, and we haven’t had any issues. It doesn’t change the property line. You have use up to the neighbor’s house. You’re responsible for maintaining that,” Smith said. “Then those side yards become real focal points and add value and character to the community. That’s the logic behind that.”

Reluctant acceptance

Although he originally opposed the measure, Linett offered a motion that passed 3-0-1, recommending that Town Council approve the revised application for a deed use assessment easement for those lots, subject to the fact that MSP II provides upfront notifications and sales literation in regards to the easement do’s and don’ts.

“I feel we need to work together with them,” Holly said, despite the “major breakdown in communication.” She emphasized the importance of the HOA effectively monitoring the easements.

Susan Brewer agreed.

Paul DuCott, in his first P&Z meeting, recused himself, as a resident of MBS.

Linett also suggested that Millville modify its town ordinance to make the site plan process absolutely clear.

“I’m sort of disappointed that you guys thought of this a year ago,” Linett said, “and in all the discussion we had, there was no discussion until, just by happenstance, Debbie and Eric learned about it.”

With that, Botchie said she had denied the next permit the Christopher Companies requested, because they failed to file forms, which “instills lack of trust” and officially violates Millville’s Clean Hands Policy.

Millville and MBS developers have met regularly for years on the plan to build about 2,900 homes on 690 acres.

A public hearing will be held Tuesday, July 8, at 7 p.m. before the regular town council meeting.

Town wants Millville By the Sea to draw the line

Joan Bennett took a seat in the audience for the Millville Town Council’s June 10 meeting. The now-former councilmember has sold her property in Millville and stepped down from the public position last week.

“Joan brought an extreme abundance of knowledge to the Town of Millville,” said Mayor Gerald “Gerry” Hocker Jr. “You will be missed. Thank you for your many years of service. You were a true asset.”

“Because I’ve never been at a loss for words … I want to thank you all. It’s been interesting. It’s been challenging,” Bennett said.

She complimented the Town staff’s hard work and contractors’ expertise.

“You’re terrific people to work with.”

Bennett’s current tenure began in March of 2011, but she had previously served on the Millville council after she moved to the area from Connecticut.

“Millville has always been blessed to have a council made of different expertise,” Hocker said. “We always compromise. We’ve always respected each other.”

Also on June 10, the council approved Millville Town Center’s final subdivision site plans for Millville By the Sea’s Summerwind Village, located near the lifestyle center.

Summerwind Village fulfilled the Town’s preliminary site plan requirements, with a minor issue that “can be addressed in the field,” said Kyle Gulbronson of URS, town engineer.

Councilmember Harry Kent saw propane lines on the map but wanted to know how propane travelled from a new tank farm to the neighborhood.

He envisioned “a 4-inch gas main running through a field. That’s a concern to me … I’d like to know up front what we’re going with.”

The Town must ensure adequate plans exist, although it cannot dictate the location of gas lines, said Seth Thompson, town solicitor.

Kent said he wanted utilities clearly delineated for the public and emergency services, though Chuck Ellison of developer Miller & Smith said separate a utilities right-of-way is not required because Millville Town Center owns all the land.

While Ellison failed to produce a full-sized map with gas lines, he sketched the general map on a whiteboard and promised to produce an official schematic for the council soon.

Several residents were agitated about the gas lines, muttering throughout the meeting and physically signaling their displeasure to council.

Wally Barns, who resides on the former propane tank location, asked how deep will the lines be, and were there any environmental rules for installation.

Gas lines are dug about 18 to 24 inches belowground and beneath streams, Ellison said. They cannot interfere with the Army Corps of Engineers’ ditches, so installation and ground stabilization is quick.

Penney McCormick also worried over a possible gas explosion or fire. She asked about the location.

The gas line will follow an existing walking path, which may be slightly rerouted when a permanent road is installed. At that time, the gas line may be adjusted to closely follow the roadway instead.

“The location is temporary [but] installation is the same as if it was a permanent facility,” Ellison said of the propane line.

There will be proper signage along the path, he added.

The Town must still review and approve the changes in the revised MBS Master Plan, which is subject to future public approval process.

Despite having wide lots, some houses nearly fill the land, Kent observed.

“Those houses are going to be approximately 10 feet apart. Are there any special easements with that?” asked Kent, indirectly referencing the previous night’s Planning & Zoning Commisison meeting, in which MBS received a slap on the wrist for selling lots with neighborly easements, without the Town of Millville’s knowledge or zoning approval.

“No, sir,” Ellison said.

Kent also wanted fresh paperwork. Although an addendum was submitted, he was reading paperwork that still included a former tank farm and erroneous detail to be stricken.

The council voted 3-0-1 (Steve Maneri abstaining) to approve the Summerwind Village final subdivision site plans with two conditions: MBS developers resubmit the maps to include a propane line, as well as new paperwork removing language about the temporary propane tanks.

The council also approved (3-0-1) MBS’s request to build the planned T-shaped boat dock at a slightly different location on the community lake, to spread out amenities and for ease of sloping the pathway.

Town Manager Debbie Botchie also reported at the June 10 meeting that Millville’s total cash assets have topped $6 million.

The Millville Town Council will meet on June 24 for a workshop at 7 p.m.

The State of Delaware has rested its case Wednesday morning against former state senate candidate Eric Bodenweiser, who is charged with 14 counts of first-degree unlawful sexual intercourse and 14 counts of second-degree unlawful sexual contact.

Throughout the trial, defense counsel Joe Hurley and Eric Mooney have highlighted what they say are inconsistencies in the alleged victim’s account of abuse by Bodenweiser, which allegedly took place when the victim was 10- to 13-years-old, at Bodenweiser’s former Frankford-area home.

Delaware State Police Detective Jonathan King testified that, until a recent interview with the prosecution, the alleged victim had stated that Budweiser had forced penetrative sex on him twice. In an interview last month, the accuser stated that there was one instance where he had penetrated Bodenweiser.

King testified that he hadn’t heard of the incident until it was stated in the May interview and in the courtroom. Hurley played video of the Oct. 1, 2012, interview, focusing with the alleged victim about other details of the alleged abuse.

“Take your time. Be as detailed as you can. I don’t want to rush anything out of you. I want to get it right… Details are significant,” stated King to the alleged victim.

King also asked the man, “Any other incidents you recall? Anything else specific?”

“No,” he replied.

During that interview, the alleged victim also stated that he had never met Paul Bodenweiser, Eric Bodenweiser’s older brother.

“No, I never met the man.”

However, last week, the alleged victim testified that he had sent Paul Bodenweiser an email on Sept. 13, 2012, from a former girlfriend’s email account.

“Paul, I’m not sure if you remember me… This lowlife of the human molested me… I’d like to assist you in any way.”

James Stewart, lifelong friend of Eric Bodenweiser, testified that he knew there was tension between Bodenweiser and his older brother Paul.

“There’s some difficulty there, I would say, definitely.”

On Wednesday, Sandra Stewart, who lived in Bodenweiser’s Frankford home from February to June 1990 with her now-husband, James, testified that there was not a tanning bed in the home when she initially moved in.

“It was there sometime in the spring, because I remember using it,” she said. “As soon as you walked in through the front door, you were looking at it.”

Stewart’s husband, James, also testified that the tanning bed was not in the Frankford residence until the spring of 1990 and could only be placed in the living room in order to reach the only 220-watt outlet in the home.

Bodenweiser’s accuser had alleged that one instance of sexual abuse occurred in Bodenweiser’s master bedroom, after he had been using the tanning bed in the bedroom in the nude.

Linda Vanderwende, who works as an office manager for the Poly Tech Adult Education Program, testified that the alleged victim had applied to attend the James H. Groves School, located on the Poly Tech campus, and took a placement test, but certified records showed he did not attend or graduate from the program.

Last week, the victim had testified that he graduated from James H. Grove, after the prosecution questioned his October 2012 statement to King that he had graduated from Lake Forest and his court testimony that he graduated from Poly Tech High School.

Kelly Truitt, a supervisor who has been employed by Bodie’s Dairy Markets — owned by Bodenweiser’s family — for more than 30 years was also called to testify by the defense counsel.

Truitt testified that Bodie’s employment records show that Bodenweiser wrote a letter of recommendation for the alleged victim’s mother to work at one of the family’s convenience stores. She added that, at the time, Bodenweiser was employed as a cashier at one of the markets. She stated that there was an incentive program for employees who referred new employees to the stores.

According to Truitt, the markets’ records reflected that the victim’s mother applied to the market on June 5, 1986, and was hired June 10, 1986, and that the employment ended June 19, 1986. The records noted that she was employed for nine calendar days but left to take employment elsewhere.

In previous interviews and testimony, the alleged victim stated that he did not disclose the abuse to his parents because he was worried for his mother’s job at the market. The alleged victim testified in court that his mother had been employed by Bodie’s for approximately one year, after he reviewed her paystubs. The alleged victim was asked by the court to produce that the documentation; however, it was not produced.

The alleged victim said during his testimony that he continued to return to Bodenweiser’s home after the first incident of abuse because he thought it was better than being at home with his father.

Earlier this week, Eric Bodenweiser’s ex-wife, Ruth Bennett, who lived with him in the Frankford home just prior to when the alleged abuse took place, said that she remembered the alleged victim as a short, stocky boy with dark hair, “smiling a lot, kind of shy.”

Bennett testified that her daughter, Bo, whom the alleged victim said he met on the bus while going to Frankford Elementary School, never attended the school.

“She never went to Frankford Elementary,” said Bennett, stating that her daughter had attended Seaford Christian Academy.

Bennett also testified that there had not been a tanning bed in the home while she was living with Bodenweiser. Bennett said she left the home in October of 1987.

Radio personality Dan Gaffney also testified this week that he had spoken to the alleged victim in September 2012, first on-air and then off-air, about the abuse.

Gaffney said he spoke with King within a day or two of the interview, when he asked King if he could contact Bodenweiser.

“I felt like I needed to tell him,” said Gaffney, adding, “[King] didn’t want me to do it, told me I should not.”

Gaffney said King’s request was “just his opinion,” and he had still contacted Bodenweiser, telling him a man was accusing him of doing something “bad.”

According to Gaffney, who testified that he did reveal any details of the allegations to Bodenweiser, Bodenweiser responded, “I never touched anybody.”

Last week, Hurley filed a motion for a voir dire hearing, arguing that the alleged victim had been coached on how to speak to the jury.

“The clasping of the hands, the rotation of the body, the eye sweep of the jury and the modulation of the voice are all hallmarks of training,” he said.

Although there was a brief hearing regarding that motion, it was not discussed with the jury.

On Tuesday afternoon, Hurley requested that the 14 counts of first-degree unlawful sexual intercourse filed against Bodenweiser be reduced in number and degree. As of Coastal Point’s Wednesday deadline, Superior Court Judge E. Scott Bradley had yet to make a ruling on that motion.

According to Hurley, closing arguments are expected as early as Friday.

For updates on the trial, visit www.coastalpoint.com.

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Let us know what you think, and share the fun with friends and family! We're going to be constantly enhancing what's in the app, so if there's something you think should be in there that we haven't gotten to yet, be sure to tell us. We want to give you access to the best of the shore, right on your smartphone or tablet.

Night work continues on the State Route 26 Mainline Improvement Project between Clarksville and Ocean View. There may be lane closures overnight from Monday night to Friday morning, 7 p.m. to 6 a.m.:

• at the intersection of 26/Central Avenue (near Fulton Bank) between West Avenue and Woodland Avenue.
• at the 26/Old Mill intersection (by Food Lion).
• between Old Mill Road and Old School Lane to install a new drainage system.

Detours are not required for this. Motorists should drive with caution, follow the flaggers and slow down in work zones.

All lanes will remain open to install a storm water management pond near the Route26/Route 17 intersection.

A summer kids’ event called Weird Animals VBS will be hosted at Ocean View Church of Christ from June 22 to June 26.

“At Weird Animals, kids will learn about some of God’s most creative creations! They’ll participate in memorable Bible-learning activities, sing catchy songs, play teamwork-building games, make and dig into yummy treats, experience cool Bible adventures, collect Bible Memory Buddies to remind them they are one of a kind, and test out Sciency-Fun Gizmos they’ll take home and play with all summer long,” organizers said.

“Plus, kids will learn to look for evidence of God all around them through something called God Sightings. Each day concludes with The Tail End — a celebration that gets everyone involved in living what they’ve learned.”

Family members and friends are encouraged to join in daily for the special time, at 7:55 p.m.

Kids at Weird Animals VBS will join an international mission effort by providing houses for lepers in Laos and Cambodia. Weird Animals VBS is for kids from age 3 to those who have completed fifth grade, and will run from 6 to 8:15 p.m. For more information, call (302) 539-7468.

Good weather and a Jack Nicklaus-designed course marked the day for the Delmarva Christian High School Annual Golf Classic, held at the Peninsula Golf & Country Club in Millsboro on June 9. The DCHS Annual Golf Classic hosted 128 golfers for 18 holes of golf.

“Delmarva Christian High School and its Board of Directors are committed to providing a rigorous Christian education while keeping tuition as low as possible,” representatives noted. “The DCHS Annual Golf Classic plays an important role in providing funds necessary to operate at a high level of excellence while providing an opportunity to as many families as possible.”

More than 45 sponsors and eight volunteers came alongside to support the school, provide food and awards.

“Our sponsors are the key to our success and very much appreciated. We don’t take their investments or our relationship with them lightly. It’s through their partnership that we are able to grow our need-based tuition grant fund. This fund allows us the opportunity to offer more need-based tuition grants to area students who desire a high-quality Christian education,” said Bob Bennett, director of Stewardship at DCHS.

Reflecting on the success of this year’s event, Principal Mike Vonhof noted, “The greatest thing about the Golf Classic is the opportunity to connect with so many different people who genuinely care about the mission of DCHS. It is great to enjoy golf and a meal together and even better knowing that we are supporting families who desire an excellent Christ-centered education for their children.

“DCHS is grateful to our Director of Stewardship, Bob Bennett, for his work organizing the event, to the businesses and individuals who supported it and to the Peninsula for hosting it.”

Rehoboth Beach Writers’ Guild member Crystal Heidel will be signing copies of her locally-set novel, “Still Life in Blood,” at Bethany Beach Books in Bethany Beach, on Friday, June 20, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

In the tradition of other bestselling crime/mystery writers (such as Lisa Gardner’s D.D. Warren Boston mysteries or Karin Slaughter’s Atlanta crime books), “Still Life in Blood” is Heidel’s first novel in a series set in Southern Delaware’s resort area and features a cast of characters that center around the Delaware State Police Homicide Unit.

“Still Life in Blood” is the product of hundreds of hours of research on police procedures, painting techniques and interviews with a Delaware State Police homicide detective, who described the novel as a “fantastic, true-to-life murder investigation with a local flair.”

“Still Life in Blood” has won first place for adult novels in both the 2014 Delaware Press Association’s Communications Contest and the 2014 National Federation of Press Women’s Communications Contest.

“Still Life in Blood” revolves around Francesca Munro, an artist in Rehoboth Beach, who has kept her psychic abilities a secret for years. However, when the police question her about a woman’s murder, Munro fears that her visions may be exposed.

Delaware State Police Homicide Detective Jack Remington begins to investigate the murder of a woman, drained of blood and left in a Rehoboth Beach alley. He suspects that Munro is somehow involved but doesn’t know to what extent until more bodies are found.

She begins to question her connection to the murders when a diary belonging to her mother surfaces, plunging her into the past and her mother’s suicide. Can Remington solve the murders before Munro becomes the final piece in a twisted killer’s one-man show?

A member of the Rehoboth Beach Writers’ Guild and a long-time resident of Sussex County Delaware, Heidel said she likes to observe award-winning movies and television shows for the conciseness of dialogue and the use of smash cuts and lighting to try to create the near-perfect scenes in her own writing.

For more information about Heidel or “Still Life in Blood,” connect with her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/crystalheidel, visit her website at crystalheidel.com, or stop by and get a copy of the book signed at Bethany Beach Books on Friday, June 20, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Laree Jalot of Ocean View was named to the Dean’s List at the University of New Haven for the spring 2014 semester. Full-time undergraduate students must have a 3.50 or better cumulative GPA for the semester to be eligible for the Dean’s List.

The University of New Haven is a private institution founded in 1920 and enrolls approximately 1,800 graduate students and more than 4,600 undergraduates.