Funland, Freeman Stage Open for the 2020 Summer Season; Virtual Sandcastle Contest Slated for Saturday

The Summer of 2020 rolls on this week with the return of a couple of coastal Delaware’s most popular seasonal attractions. That’s right – finally making their long awaited debuts this weekend are both Funland on the Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk and the great local shows held at the Freeman Stage near Fenwick Island.

Both attractions have been cautiously preparing for an abbreviated summer season, finally green lighting their respective openings this weekend to the anticipated delight of both residents and visitors.

So if you’re in the area, we urge you to support these great local traditions in whatever way you can. And don’t forget to enjoy a meal while you’re at the beach and help all of your favorite spots survive the current season, so they can come back stronger than ever for the Summer of 2021.

But for this weekend, we continue with our “Glass is Half Full” approach to this year’s summer season by highlighting five more ways to enjoy the middle weekend of July in both coastal Delaware, as well as neighboring Ocean City, Maryland.

If you’re at the beaches over the next few days, you can’t go wrong with the quintet of options featured below. We begin our events preview this week on the Boardwalk in Rehoboth Beach…

Funland Rides Opening for the Season (July 10). We teased this a couple of weeks ago and it finally happens this Friday, July 10 – the rides at Funland on the Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk will be open to the public for the 2020 Summer Season.

That being said, there will be some changes in place for this year as Delaware and the rest of the country continues dealing with the COVID-19 situation. These regulations have been put in place after consultation between the Funland management and the Delaware Department of Health, the Small Business Association of Delaware and the Delaware Fire Marshall’s office.

The biggest difference is that ride tickets will need to be purchased ahead of time and are sold only as a “fun pass.” That means visitors will be allowed into the rides section of the park for a two hour window, which right now are scheduled for either 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., or 7:15 to 9:15 p.m.

Fun passes are available for $20 a person and allow unlimited riding during that two hour time window. They must also be reserved BEFORE arriving at Funland by visiting www.funlandrehoboth.com.

Visit Funland online to learn more about changes that are being made to allow as many people as possible to enjoy the park for the remainder of the summer season.

First Freeman Stage Shows of the Summer (July 9-11). The reopening of local entertainment venues began a few weeks ago with the Milton Theatre and extends this weekend with not only Funland returning for the summer, but also the fantastic shows at the Freeman Stage, located just west of Fenwick Island.

As with everything else this summer, the shows at the popular entertainment venue will have a bit of a different feel for 2020. The seasonal schedule will include mostly local and regional acts this year, with special seating designed for adherence to social distancing guidelines.

All that being said, the Freeman Stage is back! And with it, more of a feeling of normalcy at the Delaware beaches.

The first weekend of shows are highlighted by Lower Case Blues on Thursday, July 9, a Steely Dan Tribute on Friday, July 10, and special appearances by both Cascading Carlos the Juggler and the Lauren Glick Band on Saturday, July 11.

Visit www.freemanstage.org for much more on what’s coming this summer at the popular Freeman Stage.

Virtual Sandcastle Contest (July 11). There’s nothing that symbolizes summer in Delaware and Maryland’s coastal region quite like the many sandcastle contests that take place every year on area beaches.

And while COVID-19 is playing quite the villain this summer, that’s not stopping the good folks at Delaware Seashore State Park from holding their annual sandcastle contest this Saturday, July 11.

But in keeping with the theme of this week’s blog, there are changes in store for this year’s event. But while it may be a bit different than in years past, there’s still plenty of family fun to be had at the park.

This year’s sandcastle contest will officially be held on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., with creations dotting the beaches throughout the park. While the competition usually takes place only at the South Inlet Day Area, this year’s virtual event allows sandcastles to be built anywhere in the park on any day leading up to July 11.

For more information on this year’s contest, visit the event’s Facebook page here.

Click here for more of what’s going on this weekend in the coastal region