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Boast the Coast was a huge success

October 26, 2012

The Lewes Chamber of Commerce and Visitor’s Bureau’s 17th annual celebration of Lewes’ nautical heritage, our Boast the Coast festival, had plenty of activities related to the water and Mother Nature provided a beautiful Indian Summer day. The enthusiasm of those individuals and families who attended was evident as they visited the City Dock for free boat tours on the Cape Water Taxi and the opportunity to see the Lewes fire/rescue boat along with free tours of the Lewes Historical Society’s Cannonball House and the Lightship Overfalls.

They also sampled seafood by Irish Eyes Pub & Restaurant and Jerry’s Seafood in 1812 Park, enjoyed the musical entertainment by Flumpa the Tree Frog and the magic show by Chuckles the Clown (aka Tom Greenwood), shopped at the Merchants’ Sidewalk Sale and the Lewes Historical Society Craft Show and bought tulip bulbs from Lewes in Bloom (to plant in advance of next April’s annual tulip festival.) Finally, hundreds of spectators watched the Lighted Boat Parade at dusk as the decorated boats made their way down the canal.

Our thanks to the Parsons family for providing the use of their dock for parade announcer Mayor Jim Ford and our event Chairman Orville Mills, who judged the parade with city council members Bonnie Osler and Fred Beaufait. We are very grateful to Blue Sea Café owner Chris Becker for sponsoring the Captains’ Reception that recognizes the boat captains and their crews: private boat owners Bob Hyberg, Speed Lackove and Rod Seifred; Bill Byam of the University of Delaware’s College of Earth, Ocean & Environment; Al Herman of the Sea Scouts; Coast Guard vessel from Indian River station; and Butch Archer from the Lewes Fire Department. We’d like to acknowledge our continued partnerships with the University of Delaware’s College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment and the Cape May-Lewes Ferry for jointly marketing Coast Day with Boast the Coast as an all-weekend Lewes destination.

The success of this year’s event would not have been possible without the generous financial support of our corporate sponsors that enables us to offer all of the day’s events for free. This year’s sponsors were: Beebe Medical Center, The Pilots’ Association for the Bay & River Delaware, Irish Eyes Pub & Restaurant, PNC Bank, The Bank of Delmarva, Beacon Motel, Blue Sea Café, Cape Gazette and Grand Rental Station. We’d like to thank the City of Lewes for the use of the City Dock, 1812 Park and trash removal; the Lewes Police Department, Dock Master Marty Whitaker and Bill Larson for the excellent sound amplification for the parade announcements.

Betsy Reamer
executive director
Orville Mills
event chairman
Lewes Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau

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