Last year, Millsboro Town Council demanded that small-time hobby crafters buy the same $30 business license that multibillion-dollar corporations buy. It caused the cancellation of the popular, well-attended Grace Church Street Fair and the Indian River Senior Center craft fair. Both events had been held for many years.
Many hobby crafters hope to break even or make a modest profit for their efforts after paying their entrance fee. This year, it has been reduced to $12.50 per event. It’s likely there will be none to attend.
Why destroy such popular traditional events? For comparison, the largest outdoor event in Sussex County, Apple Scrapple, has no business license requirement. Also, the CHEER craft fairs in Georgetown and Ocean View, the Selbyville Old Timers Day, the East Coast Garden Center fair, the Angola by the Bay fair, the Independence community fair, the American Legion fair and the Millville Fire Hall fair have no license demands put on them. The image the town has created of itself is anything but flattering.