Michael Farr funding new Children’s Fishing Pier in Rehoboth
For the better part of two years, Rehoboth Beach officials have been talking about the replacement of the Children’s Fishing Pier at Lake Gerar. The discussion was spurred by an anonymous donor’s willingness to put $250,000 toward the project – $200,000 for construction and $50,000 for future maintenance.
Until now, the donor has remained nameless. But during a recent meeting, city commissioners formally approved a design and funding agreement with the Village Improvement Association, which built the existing pier in 1963 and has served as the middleman between the city and the anonymous donor.
As part of that agreement, a plaque will be installed, and the anonymous donor’s name will be on it. In light of that, and now that the project is officially moving forward, the donor was willing to reveal himself to the Cape Gazette.
“I would prefer to remain anonymous,” said Michael Farr recently while standing on the pier. “But this is important to me.”
Farr grew up coming to Rehoboth Beach. His first visit was when he was just 9 weeks old. Farr’s maternal grandparents purchased a house at 17 Columbia Ave. in 1943. He lived in Washington, D.C., but he, his mom and his three sisters would spend the summers in Rehoboth while his dad stayed on Maryland’s Western Shore.
“It was all women in the house, and I would do anything I could to get out of the house,” said Farr. “I’d come here at 6:30 in the morning with three slices of bread and stay until 2 in the afternoon. I used to know every inch of this place.”
Farr said he approached the Village Improvement Association about replacing the pier because he had heard the city was thinking about tearing it down. He didn’t want that to happen.
The VIA does a wonderful job for the community, said Farr, who also credited city officials. Working in partnership with a private individual to make this happen is an example of good leadership, he said.
Farr and his wife Laurie have owned their own home in Henlopen Acres for 31 years. He said he just wanted to give back to the town because it’s a good thing for the community, he said.
“Rehoboth is a wonderful town. There’s all these magical things that can only happen in a place like Rehoboth Beach. This pier was my happy place, and this was important to me,” said Farr.
Chris Flood has been working for the Cape Gazette since early 2014. He currently covers Rehoboth Beach and Henlopen Acres, but has also covered Dewey Beach and the state government. He covers environmental stories, business stories and random stories on subjects he finds interesting, and he also writes a column called Choppin’ Wood that runs every other week. He’s a graduate of the University of Maine and the Landing School of Boat Building & Design.
