Fundraiser revisits Rosedale Beach
The Sussex County Chapter of the Delaware State University Alumni Association hosted a scholarship fundraiser July 19, at the CHEER Center in Georgetown with the theme: Revisiting Rosedale Beach & Juke Joints of the ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s and Beyond.
A special guest was Tamara Burks, who along with the Sussex County Chapter of DSUAA helped establish a historical marker for Rosedale Beach. From the 1900s to the 1970s, the pre-integration era in the U.S., the hotel and resort facilities at Rosedale Beach on Indian River offered summertime entertainment for people of color. In addition to the Rosedale Beach Hotel, the resort included a boardwalk, dance hall, picnic and beach area, campground and amusement park. Great Black musicians performed at the dance hall, including Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, James Brown, Cab Calloway, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Fats Domino, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Jackie Wilson and Lionel Hampton.
The March storm of 1962 took away the Rosedale Beach boardwalk, and it was never rebuilt. After integration, the resort went into decline; the hotel eventually was dismantled, and the site became the home of condominiums on Indian River. Rosedale Beach, it is said, was named for local residents Rose and Dale Harmon.
DJ Tarraye and the band Best Kept Soul provided musical entertainment. Net event proceeds will go toward scholarships for Sussex County students planning to attend Delaware State University.
