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Rehoboth becomes Margaritaville for annual crawl

Restaurants offer unique concoctions for Main Street fundraiser
Aileen Hearn assembles a strawberry cream margarita with a fried Oreo bite on top. Hearn’s Somewhere restaurant won best and most creative margarita in this year’s Rehoboth Beach Main Street Margarita Crawl. BILL SHULL PHOTOS
Bill Shull
June 14, 2024

Somewhere is something else when it comes to making margaritas.

The Baltimore Avenue restaurant with a tropical vibe won both best and most creative margarita in the annual Rehoboth Beach Main Street Margarita Crawl. Owner Aileen Hearn whipped up a concoction that would make Jimmy Buffett swoon.

“It is a strawberry cream margarita with a fried Oreo bite on top,” Hearn said, as she assembled the drink. 

Cilantro Cocina de Mexico came in second. Blue Moon was third. Sirocco won best mocktail.

The Margarita Crawl, organized by Rehoboth Beach Main Street, was held June 8, on what was a chamber of commerce weather day.

“It’s tasty, not hot. It’s got a little kick, but not hot,” said Lisa Knoll of Pennsylvania, as she tried the pepperoncini margarita at DiFebo’s restaurant on First Street.

Main Street sold more than 800 tickets at $20 a shot. 

A 2-ounce shot is what people got.

A total of 24 downtown restaurants took part this year. Each establishment created its own unique take on the tropical drink. Most places also had nonalcoholic mocktails, and some had snacks.

Crawlers checked off their favorites and dropped the card in a ballot box when their route was done. Most people at least started off with a plan to hit every one.

The money raised from the crawl goes to Rehoboth Beach Main Street’s mission of promoting a vibrant, year-round, in-town experience for businesses, residents and visitors.

For anyone wondering, Hearn said she did the math, and if someone drank all 24 samples, it would equal about three-and-a-half margaritas.

 

A closer look at the winning margarita: a strawberry cream margarita with a fried Oreo bite on top.
Rose Ettlin and Kim Fry of Rehoboth Beach show off a dragonfruit margarita from Summer House.
This group of 15 wore matching tropical shirts to take on the crawl. One of the women came all the way from Alaska just for the crawl. They are seen at DiFebo’s on First Street.
For $20, crawlers got a scorecard to keep track of their favorite concoctions at 24 downtown Rehoboth Beach establishments.
Pam Joyce and Amy Senseny of Rehoboth Beach sample the raspberry margarita at Purple Parrot.
Victoria’s set up on the Boardwalk with a spicy, kiwi cooler margarita. Shown are (l-r) Tanika Castro, Patty Cullen, Kathy Townsend, Michaela Ferguson and Daniel Zelo.
Garren and Lisa Knoll came from Pennsylvania to do the crawl. They were happy to show off their pepperoncini margarita from DiFebo’s.
Beth Dugan and Fred Kurst of Manassas, Va., start the crawl at Summer House.
Shorebreak Lodge on Wilmington Avenue had a long line for its concoction, which was a Pura Vida margarita: fresh basil, fresh lime, topped with a soft foam and basil oil.
Ken Williams, left, and David Smith are about to try the summer margarita at Arena’s. It was made with fresh lime juice, fresh watermelon juice, basil, mint and a little agave nectar.
Bartenders Chris Chandler, left, and Adam Marcinizyn offer up a raspberry margarita with fresh raspberries and crushed Nerds at Purple Parrot.
This crew made Blackwall at the Beach one of their stops on the Margarita Crawl. Shown are (l-r) Jeff Lachin, Sally Lachin, Elaine Lachin, Pat Brooks and Rich Brooks, all of the Washington, DC area. Blackwall made a peach margarita for the event.
Bartender Chris Hare pours a sample of Blue Moon’s tropical heat margarita for a crawler. Blue Moon came in third for best margarita.

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Bill Shull has been covering Lewes for the Cape Gazette since 2023. He comes to the world of print journalism after 40 years in TV news. Bill has worked in his hometown of Philadelphia, as well as Atlanta and Washington, D.C. He came to Lewes in 2014 to help launch WRDE-TV. Bill served as WRDE’s news director for more than eight years, working in Lewes and Milton. He is a 1986 graduate of Penn State University. Bill is an avid aviation and wildlife photographer, and a big Penn State football, Eagles, Phillies and PGA Tour golf fan. Bill, his wife Jill and their rescue cat, Lucky, live in Rehoboth Beach.

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