Dianne Deming

The 11th Annual Rehoboth Beach International Film Festival begins Wednesday, November 11, and runs through Sunday, November 15 at the Atlantic Midway Theaters on Rt. 1. Choose from a wide variety of about 100 arthouse and international films. Tickets may be purchased at the Big Tent behind the Midway theaters beginning at 2:30pm on Wednesday (for Wednesday showings only), and 8am Thursday-Sunday for film society members, and 9am for the general public. Films tend to sell out, so get in line early, buy the popcorn later! For more info, log onto http://www.rehobothfilm.com/festival.html. Enjoy!!

The 20th Annual Autumn Jazz Festival in Rehoboth Beach got off to a great start Wednesday night with a fabulous performance by The Spinners. There are plenty more opportunities to enjoy some tunes as the Festival runs through Sunday. Log onto www.rehobothjazz.com for tickets, and to see a complete list of official venues and performers.

• Several other events this weekend include:
  *A special Jazz Festival Reception with all new original works by Dane Tilghman at Philip Morton Gallery, 5-8pm Friday, October 16 (www.philipmortongallery.com),
  *the Rehoboth Beach Light the Night Walk to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society on Saturday, October 17 (www.lightthenight.org/de), and
  *RACE: The Seashore Strider Running Club's 4th Bayfront at Rehoboth 5K, beginning at 9am on Saturday, October 17 (www.seashorestriders.com).

Also, mark your calendar for these upcoming events:

Annual REALTOR(R) Auction and Gala, Thursday, October 22nd, 5:30-10pm at the Independence clubhouse. Bid on silent auction items, enjoy a delicious meal and cash bar, followed by the Main Event of the evening--the live auction of baskets provided by area real estate offices. Last year's high bid basket was a cruise to Alaska, donated by RE/MAX Realty Group in Rehoboth Beach. The Sussex County Association of REALTORS(r) Community Service Committee sponsors the event. All proceeds go to help needy families in Sussex County. Tickets ($40 each) may be purchased at http://store.communicateplus.com/scaor/default.htm?departid=2000.

Also, please note the 20th Annual SEAWITCH HALLOWEEN & FIDDLER'S FESTIVAL will be held NEXT WEEKEND, OCTOBER 23-25, 2009, not the weekend of Halloween. Check it out at www.beach-fun.com.

There is plenty happening in Rehoboth and Dewey Beaches this weekend! Besides the beach fun, here are some other ideas:

The 28th Annual Skimboarding Championships, part of the Zap East Coast Pro/Am Tour, takes place this Saturday and Sunday in Dewey Beach! Come to the beach at Swedes St. to see some of the best competitors in the world show their stuff for prizes, glory, and the sheer joy of mastering the wave. Need more details? Log onto www.skimusa.org.

Then in the afternoon, the Rehoboth Beach Museum is sponsoring the First Annual Watermelon Festival this Saturday, August 15, from 4-7pm at the museum and Grove Park (Rehoboth Ave. and the Canal). There will be a Seed Spitting Contest (of course), prizes, food and crafts for sale! Admission is a mere $2/adults; $1 kids 6 and older. Children under 5 are free. Go to http://www.rehobothbeachmuseum.org/j/ for further info.

If you missed it last week, you're not too late! The Rehoboth Art League is holding its annual Outdoor Art Show this Saturday and Sunday, August 15 & 16, from 10am-5pm each day, at the Art League campus in Henlopen Acres (12 Dodd's Lane). Stroll the beautiful grounds and visit 120 artists and artisans featuring painting, glass, pottery, jewelry, drawing, sculpture and more. (http://www.rehobothartleague.org/outdoor.html) There is no admission charge. Free offsite parking with a convenient shuttle bus is available from the Little League Field on Holland Glade Rd. (adjacent to the Seaside Outlet Mall).

Several exciting offerings will be heard at the Rehoboth Bandstand this weekend as well. All performances begin at 8pm, although I would suggest you come early or bring a lawn chair if you want a seat. The shows August 13-16 are:

• Thursday - The Delaware Comedy Theatre providing entertaining improv suitable for the whole family
• Friday - Julian Fleischer, Singer who describes himself as "jazz dominant, pop submissive and rock-and-roll curious."
• Saturday - US Army Field Band and Soldiers' Chorus, premiere touring musical representative for the U.S. Army
• Sunday - Hindsight 20-20, Classic Rock, the Cape Henlopen School District's "House Band," made of hard-working teachers and administrators

So, come to the beach this weekend and have a ball!

Downtown Rehoboth Beach packs a lot of options into a few streets. Here old-time charm and modern amenities blend to offer a wonderful beach town experience for visitors and residents alike. Rehoboth Avenue is the bloodline of downtown, running from Rt. 1 to the Boardwalk. Baltimore Ave. to the North, and Wilmington and Delaware Avenues to the South make up the main business district of this quaint seaside resort, long a popular destination spot for people from Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, New Jersey and New York.

Rev. Robert W. Todd purchased 414 acres from local farmers in 1873 to establish the area as a Methodist Camp Meeting area, much like those he had seen in New Jersey. Formal meetings ceased by 1881, although the site continued to be used for services. Ten years later, the Delaware General Assembly established a municipality for the area. What was originally named Henlopen City was soon renamed Rehoboth Beach.

According to the Rehoboth Main Street website (www.rehomain.com), Downtown Rehoboth came of age in the era of Victorian influences and evolved throughout the twentieth century to change with the times. Both the residential and commercial area, despite their growth and maturation, have retained the warm and friendly charm and ambiance that reflect Rehoboth Beach's historic past.(For more on Rehoboth history, go to http://www.rehomain.com/downtown_information/history.htm).

Rehoboth Beach is the Restaurant Capitol of Delaware, with delicious choices ranging from fine dining to unbeatable beach fries. Specialty shops and boutiques, spas, miniature golf, T-shirt shops, hotels and ice cream venues provide something for everyone downtown.

Summer weekends, stop by the Bandstand to catch free shows. A wide variety of entertainers are scheduled Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, including the Delaware Comedy Theatre troupe, military bands and choruses, civic bands, party bands, big bands and even an Elvis impersonator. For a full schedule of performances, log onto www.rehobothbandstand.com.

There are eleven commercial properties currently for sale in Downtown Rehoboth Beach, ranging in price from $799,000 to $4,700,000. Businesses only are also for sale, running from $59,900 to $289,900. Commercial leases are available in the downtown area as well.

The Debbie Reed Team consistently wins awards for being at the top of the market in commercial sales among all RE/MAX offices in the mid-Atlantic region. If your goal is to own a business at the beach, or if you are looking for a great investment opportunity, call The Debbie Reed Team at 302-227-3818 and one of our buyer's specialists will be happy to assist you. You can also view all commercial and residential listings currently on the market in all of Sussex County by logging onto www.debbiereed.com.