Great Weekend

This past weekend was excellent. The weather could not have been better. It was very mild and sunny, perfect for the annual Horseshoe Crab/Shorebird Festival. We spent Saturday afternoon with the Milton Lions Club. The above photo is of the Clipper Express making rounds of the park. It is such a great project. For 25¢ per person (child, adult, dog) you can ride the train as it makes three circuits around the park. The train ran 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and had over 800 riders. The club also runs the trains for the Wednesday evening concerts in the park starting the Wednesday following Memorial Day through Labor Day. At the festival the club also sold fresh lemonade and funnel cakes.

The festival was well attended and there were some fun activities including the dunk tank, a mushroom and plant walk, nature exhibition, cruise on the Broadkill River, art displays and projects, food concessions and several other activities.

Dunk Tank

Good Things to be Found

Clouds Making an Appearance

There were more events for the weekend including an "Improv in the Park" by the Delaware Comedy Theater. This was held Sunday evening as was a very enjoyable event. The sun was shining brightly, the entertainment was good.

Beer

Several posts back I said that there would be more on beer at a later date. That later date is today. As it turns out, today might just be the perfect day to tell about beer. So, Bill was tiring of retirement very early on in the process. I am not sure if it was because of the pushed forwardness of the retirement, he was not ready or that I was driving him crazy. I think it was some of all but mostly I was driving him crazy. Well, in early July he went to work again but in a whole new industry for him. And, for all who know him, it is just two miles from home -- no major commute! What industry you ask? Brewing. Yep, there is a wonderful craft brewery right here in Milton, Delaware.

He went to work for Dogfish Head Craft Brewery. If you look closely at the carton you can see the words "Off-Centered Ales for Off-Centered People." Perfect fit, right? Right!

Bill has never been a real beer drinker. When he would go out and was asked what he would like to drink he say, "Bring a beer." To which a server in frustration always responded, "We have yada, yada." He would answer, "Yada" until he found Alaskan Amber but would still mostly just ask for a beer. That is until he discovered Dogfish. He loves the beer and now that he is working there, he loves it even more. Do visit the website (linked above) for a fun look at the place.

Now, why was today the right day to talk about this beer? Well, let's look at this "off-centered" person Bill who now orders his drinks specifically like, "I'll have the 60 Minute" or "Make it the IPA." This morning was classic. He wore four shirts before he went to work. The first when he got up and took the dog outside was one from last night and went into the laundry hamper when he headed for the shower. The second one he put on after he showered. Then a little later he took Bentley for a walk. As they were walking past the neighbors house a sprinkler came on a got him full force -- shirt drenched. The third shirt ended up with a big splotch of something on it. The fourth shirt I hope will make it through the day.

Next he tried to check on the status of an insurance claim only to find out that the delay was because he used his full name one place and his shortened name has always been the one of record. Funny how things work that way.

The next occurence of the day he does not know about yet because it happened after he headed for his day at the brewery. Late yesterday I asked him to make sure the towels from the master bath were in the laundry. I was speaking of the towels I had left on the floor when I put clean ones in the bathroom. Fast forward to this morning. I have just completed a nice warm shower, reach for my towel and no towel to be seen. So, I put my skimpy nightshirt back on, grab my crutches and go to the other end of the house to retrieve a towel from the linen closet. I had to put on the nightshirt because I am sure the neighbors would not have appreciated a public display of my nakedness. I know I should have checked, but it is more fun to blame him.

He'll come home with a new case of his favorite ale tonight and all will be well.

200th Anniversary Celebration & Parade (Last Installment)

Anniversary Saturday was a very activity filled day. Besides the parade there were boat races on the Broadkill, a garden show, vendors in the park, two concerts and fireworks. Sunday included more games, a community picnic and more concerts. This post includes three collages of Saturday's happenings.

This collection shows how close everything was in the park, the busy, busy train, and illustrates a bit of how hot it was.

People, horses, floats and dogs

Tractors, carriages, old cars, new cars, 4 wheelers and library carts

200th Anniversary Parade

All must be patient with me as I am just learning how to use "Movie Maker." Anyway, click on the play button below to see a montage of what I believe is part of the very soul of "Small Town" America -- the Volunteer Fire Department. This was all part of the Milton 200th Anniversary Parade. More pictures and commentary will follow.

200th Anniversary Kick-Off Party

Friday, we spent an enjoyable evening attending the town's anniversary "Kick-Off" party. It was a dinner and show held at the Milton Theatre. It was a good dinner which was followed by a very entertaining show.

First, a little about the Milton Theatre. The theatre sits in the center of town. There were 200+ people at the event on Friday so my guess as to its sitting capacity is somewhere near that number. The theatre was built circa 1910 and has lived through many incarnations such a a fire station, several restaurants, retails shops, social center, etc. One article I read said that it has survived three fires and numerous storms. It was closed following the Great Storm of 1962. It suffered major flood damage then. It has enjoyed a rebirth in the past seven years. Now Milton and Sussex County enjoy a place for great theatrical performances and other gatherings.

I took some pictures during the event and chose not to use the flash (used museum setting). These will just give you an idea of the great work that has been done to the structure.

Image on wall(stage right).

This is picture of some of the equipment and the stage. We will have to make a point to attend many more functions here.

A toast to Milton.

The toast was followed by the show which was the story of Milton told by three readers and singers. It was certainly a fun presentation. I have included a few moments in video at the end of this post.

The show lasted past the time for us to see the hot air balloon glow but we enjoyed the comraderie of others who did after the show outside the theatre.

Celebrating 200 Years

This past weekend the town of Milton celebrated its 200th anniversary. We participated in some of the many activities making up the celebration. It is not an understatement to say that there was a whole lot going on in the little town last weekend.

Thursday evening Bill and I assisted in the construction of the Milton Historical Society's float for Saturday's parade. Although the evening was very warm it was fun to engage in an activity I remember well from high school, college and then other similar community events. Here are a few pictures to mark the activity.

This photo is of the tall, marshy grass used as a backdrop on the float. This grass abounds around here.

Here is the banner and name of the float -- S.S. Lydia B. Cannon. The Historical Society is housed at the Lydia B. Cannon Museum. Here are some of us hard at work and putting the float together.

After leaving the float detail we enjoyed dinner at the "just opened" Iguana Grill. It was a very fun evening experiencing more of the area.

Concerts in Park

When you see such sights as this tower, it is hard to believe how close we live to the huge influx of summer visitors. It is estimated that upwards of 190,000 people visited area beaches last weekend. That is not hard to imagine when trying to get to a beach. But, it is very hard to imagine when one spends the weekend in Milton. Saturday we attended the Horseshoe Crab Festival here in Milton and found parking spaces and very comfortable crowds of people. We even found an old stand like I have been looking for weeks.

Anyway, part of the festival was an evening concert (Lisa Scott & Melting Pot -- jazz, R&B). This was the first in a series of summer concerts. Most concerts are held on Wednesday evenings. Last night we attended our second summer concert and our first Wednesday evening one. What a pleasant evening!! We even took Bentley for his first park outing. He loved it, especially all of the other puppies who had also come for the evening.

The concerts are held at Milton Memorial Park. It is small park along the water and in the center of town. The library, City Hall, the fire hall and several businesses are just steps away. There is a small bandstand in the center of the park and a working narrow gauge train called the Milton's Clipper Express runs during the concerts. This is run by the Milton's Lions Club . We have become members of this club and enjoy the train experience ourselves.

Here is the the train leaving its little station. On Saturday the train ran most of the day and during the concert. It is amazing but 710 folks, boys and girls of all ages and their pets, rode the train at 25 cents a pop.

Yes, last night Bill and Bentley rode the train. They both enjoyed it. I am sure that it would take the "jaws of life" to get me off once I got on.

After the train ride we took a liesurely stroll around the park stopping first to listen a little closer to the U.S. Navy Cruisers (classic rock -- more easy listening if you ask me) perform. They were very good.

From where we were standing listening to the music we turned and could see (this view)across the water the bank, City Hall and fire station.

The park is the Milton Memorial Park and their are several places throughout the park with little memorial plagues and dedicated areas. This is the largest marker and tells of the holly industry that burgeoned in the early 20th Century.

This plague was next the one in the previous picture. It is dedicated to Charles G. Jones, SR -- The Holly Wreath Man. The tree that the plaques are in front of is a beautiful holly tree (bush). The State Tree of Delaware is the American Holly. I am hoping to take a holly wreath making class this fall.

Here are few more views of the Broadkill we enjoyed as we continued our stroll through the park and listened to the music.

Some quick sounds of U.S. Navy Cruisers