It's official: Craft beer, scrapple and pickleball

Delaware has an official flower (peach blossom), fruit (strawberry), dessert (peach pie), bug (ladybug), marine animal (horseshoe crab) and even an official soil (Greenwich loam).

So what does Sussex County have? Not much. I plan to address that with my own list of “officials” for the county.

Sandwich – Scrapple. You either love it or hate it, but scrapple is synonymous with Sussex County. Although the mysterious meat has its roots in Pennsylvania, it has become a favorite delicacy enjoyed by true Sussex Countians. Bridgeville is home to RAPA Scrapple, one of the largest producers of scrapple in the nation, founded in 1926. Milton Sausage and Scrapple had its own tried-and-true recipe. By the way, you have to use white bread to complete the sandwich.

Ship – The historic Lightship Overfalls is one of a few remaining reminders of a bygone era. The lightship moored in Lewes is not actually the Overfalls, which was stationed off Cape Henlopen. It's been the Cornfield, Cross Rip and Boston, all stationed in waters off New England. The Boston was donated to Lewes in 1973 and changed to its current station, Overfalls. Thanks to the efforts of the Overfalls Foundation, the lightship has been restored and serves as one of the top maritime museums in the country.

Bird – Chicken. Yes, Sussex County has more of them than people. As the nation's No. 1 broiler producer at 2 million pounds per year, the county is where it all started 100 years ago thanks to Cecile Steele of Ocean View. She decided to raise and sell a mistaken delivery of 500 chicks rather than the 50 she ordered and the multibillion-dollar industry was born. It's become so vital that county farmers earn nearly three-fourths of their annual income from growing corn and soybeans for poultry feed.

Event – Oyster Eat. It's like no other event anywhere as a last bastion of male bonding. Each February, Georgetown Fire Co. hosts the fundraiser that features oysters, cigars and beer. It's common knowledge that what happens during the Oyster Eat stays in Georgetown. It's been that way since 1933.

Political event – Return Day. This is a no-brainer because Return Day is the only event of its kind in the country. Every two years, people descend on The Circle in downtown Georgetown to hear election results, watch a parade, be entertained and pig out, literally. With roots dating back more than 200 years, Return Day is dripping with history.

Dessert – Pretzel salad may not have originated in Sussex County, but it has become a great way to end a meal. Made with pretzel pieces, strawberries, strawberry Jell-O and whipped cream, the dessert emerged on the scene in 1963, according to General Foods. Jimmy's Grille, when it was in Bridgeville, really put it on the map in Sussex.

Flower – Tulip. Thanks to Lewes in Bloom, tens of thousands of tulip bulbs are planted each fall throughout the historic city. Lewes is awash in color when the tulips bloom in spring. The flower even has its own festival in April.

Beverage – Craft beer. The county is home to one of the most successful craft brewers in the nation – Dogfish Head Craft Brewery in Milton. But there are many other companies that have carved out their own niche, including Iron Hill, Revelation, Dewey Beer Co., Brick Works, Thompson Island, Big Oyster, Crooked Hammock and Ocean View.

Sport – Pickleball. No other sport I can recall has spurred more enthusiasm than pickleball. Why? It's a sport for all ages, and especially those on the golden years spectrum. It's not as hard as tennis and more exciting than badminton.

Wild bird – Snow geese get my vote for the official bird. Although the birds come in the winter and leave in the spring, their numbers are impressive.

Color – What else but DelDOT orange? In eastern Sussex, orange barrels, signs, barricades and cones are part of the scenery as millions of dollars’ worth of roadwork is taking place.

Truck – While an argument could be made for naming the pickup as the county's official truck, I'm proposing the dump truck. With the explosion of development going on, it's rare not to see a dump truck on the roads at any given time during the day.

Water sport – With the abundance of great waterways throughout the county, kayaking has become a very popular sport and given rise to outdoor adventure companies.

Trail sport – Cycling. Thanks to a great network of trails in the Lewes-Rehoboth area, locals and tourists alike can pedal their bikes for miles away from traffic. One of the best, Gordons Pond Trail, linking Cape Henlopen State Park and Rehoboth, runs through a coastal ecosystem. Soon to be completed is the Lewes-to-Georgetown Trail. Once completed, the trail, which links to the Junction & Breakwater Trail, will provide a bike route from Georgetown to Rehoboth. Lewes has become a bike mecca.

Fruit – Peaches and watermelon. It’s hard to select one or the other as the official fruit because both are important crops in the county. Delaware was once the peach capital of the United States. Today, farmers such as Bennett Orchards and Megee Farms keep the tradition alive. People wait in long lines to get their peaches at county farmers markets each summer. The watermelon has a long history in western Sussex County thanks to the Laurel Auction Block, where the summer fruit has been sold for decades.

Vegetable – It may surprise you that I’m nominating lima beans as the official vegetable of the county. Believe it or not, county and state farmers grow more limas for commercial freezing and canning than any other county or state. 

So, there is my list. If you have additions, send them to ronm@capegazette.com.