VIDEO: Rehoboth fireworks best ever

Gloomy skies were no match for the fireworks show in Rehoboth Beach, which drew an estimated 80,000-plus visitors to town July 3.

Rehoboth spokeswoman Krys Johnson said the city anticipated the crowd and while there is no way to count, the final estimate was more than 80,000 people – meaning Rehoboth was packed.

The No.1 question on the crowd’s mind was: Will the fireworks take place on schedule?

“It seems like every Fourth of July, we get caught in rain,” said Mary Kraft, who attended the festivities with her granddaughter, Jennifer Dempsey, both of Bel Air, Md., where last year’s fireworks were rained out.

Kraft and Jennifer, dressed in stringy red, white and blue haberdashery, visited Rehoboth for the first time to see the fireworks. Kraft said they came because forecasts were calling for rain on July 4, and Rehoboth was scheduled July 3.

That wasn’t the case John Landingham, his wife, Jennifer Gavin, or their 3-year-old son, Wyatt. “Rain or no rain, it’s just fun to be here,” Landingham said.

And they would know: Landingham and Gavin are both leukemia survivors; Landingham has had chemotherapy twice, at ages 13 and 18, and the result has played havoc with his eyesight. Although he can see, his eyes are sensitive to light, and he has trouble reading small writing. His wife has had three bouts with leukemia. The family has been coming to Rehoboth for 11 years, but this was their first year for the fireworks.

Although the weather was gloomy, Wyatt was having the time of his life, pretending to be a growling lion to the amusement of Marie and Jim Keating, retirees from Wilmington with a home in Rehoboth who happened to be sitting next to Landingham and Gavin.

Despite a brief shower about 6 p.m. that sent people scurrying for cover, the fireworks went off as scheduled at about 9 p.m.

Still, the weather turned out to be a boon to local businesses, which reported strong sales throughout the weekend.

Funland personnel director Chris Darr said the park had a slow start to the holiday weekend with rainy weather in the evening  July 1.   

“Today is a perfect day for us because it is not nice enough to be on the beach all day but the weather is not bad enough to stay inside,” Darr said of July 3. “By 9 a.m. we knew it was going to be a very busy day with all the cars that were parked in town.  It has been a great business day for Funland.”

At America’s Pie, co-owner Jenn Gummel agreed. “It’s been amazing,” she said. “We couldn’t have asked for a better weekend.”

Gummel said the Rehoboth Avenue pizza place - on its first summer after opening last fall - made about 100 pies per day over the last week as the summer picked up.

Rachel Webster, co-owner of Rehoboth Toy and Kite on Rehoboth Avenue, said, “This has been way better than last year’s Fourth of July. I don’t know why. Cloudy days work really well for us. It’s typically not a super busy night for us.”

William Frankis, co-owner of Greene Turtle and Playland Arcade on Wilmington Avenue, said of the gloomy weather, “If anything, during the day, it makes us busier.”

Rehoboth Beach Patrol Capt. Kent Buckson said the weekend was a tale of two days for the lifeguards. On July 2, the weather was cool and sunny, leading to crowded beaches and lifeguards treating mostly cuts and scrapes and splinters. On July 3, drizzle and cloudy skies drew fewer people to the beach, so the guards were responding to more missing children or lost items, Buckson said.

Overall, the surf was very calm this weekend, he said, and he estimated around 50,000 people were on the beaches. Buckson said about 20 guards work during the fireworks show to maintain a presence on the beaches, which remain crowded during the fireworks show.

“People have been good,” Buckson said.