Rehoboth's Sea Witch rivals July 4th for family fun
Brilliant sunshine and bright blue skies. Who knew that’s what witches and zombies really like? Pirates and princesses, ghosts and ghouls, and super heroes and heroines of all description crowded into Rehoboth Beach in what had to be record numbers for the 25th annual Sea Witch Festival.
Anyone who misses homemade Halloween costumes of yore should have joined the thousands of people who began lining Rehoboth Avenue by about 9 a.m to watch as the parade unfolded. Among the favorites were dozens of imaginative families demonstrating that originality is alive and well at Sea Witch.
Getting even the youngest visitors in a happy and healthy mood, Sussex Outdoors kicked things off Oct 24 with a children’s bicycle and tricycle race on the Boardwalk, led by Norman the scooter dog riding his bike.
That was just the beginning of three days of mostly outdoor festivities for children all over Rehoboth Beach, Dewey Beach and even Cape Henlopen State Park, where families enjoyed a fantasy trail lighted by jack-o’-lanterns.
Just about the time the parade ended, the always fantastic Fiddlers Festival got underway, followed by old-fashioned kids’ games on the beach and the annual broom toss, which required more brooms than ever this year.
Add live performances at the Bandstand, a dog parade, great restaurants, a pipe-organ “spooktacular,” a 5K race and summer-like weather perfect for spending time on the beach, and the result is a spectacular event that tops Fourth of July when it comes to families and friends getting outside and participating in events and activities.
Satellite parking and shuttle buses eased traffic into Rehoboth this year, a major improvement. Still, Rehoboth’s streets were filled to capacity and Route 1 traffic slowed to a crawl, leaving families scrambling to get into town and rushing to get to the parade; traffic remains a concern to plan for in 2015.
In its 25th year, Sea Witch is thriving, to the delight of all.
Here’s to another great weekend next year, with hopes that, unlike another popular event this time of year, Sea Witch will never outgrow its home in Sussex County’s Rehoboth Beach.
