Arts & Entertainment

Despite wintery temperatures lingering outside, things got heated last Saturday at Indian River High School’s 2nd Annual Chili Cook-off, which garnered more than a dozen entries and helped raise hundreds of dollars for the school’s athletic department.

Integrative health care is not only for humans, it’s for the dogs, as well.

Under the cold, gray skies of an impending snow storm, hearts were warmed at Habitat for Humanity’s celebration blessing and ribbon-cutting on their new permanent home on Academy Street in Georgetown. Guests included U.S. Sen. Thomas Carper (D-Del.); Jack Tarburton, state director for USDA Rural Development; and representatives from U.S. Sen. Ted Kauffman’s office and U.S. Congressman Mike Castle’s office, along with state and local representatives.

For Father Michael Darcy, of the parish of St. Ann in Bethany Beach, becoming a priest felt like a natural progression. As a teenager, he thought about becoming a priest and spent a lot of time active in his home parish.

Say “So long” to that styrofoam solar system and “Bon voyage” to the baking soda-and-vinegar volcano. Last week, for the first time in well over a decade, Indian River High School students presented months of research and data in the form of projects at the 2010 Indian River Science Fair, and it wasn’t their parents’ kind of science fair.

Delmarva Christian High School students, on Monday of this week, got to see real-life reactions to one of their “J-Term” projects.

When it comes to New Years resolutions, “getting more exercise” is typically at the top of most people’s lists, but for more than 300 brave souls, Jan. 1, 2010, gave them an opportunity to exercise a little differently. The 14th Annual Leo Brady Exercise Like the Eskimos saw 315 participants courageously leap into the frigid ocean at Bethany Beach this New Year’s Day – 45 more than last year.

“This gathering isn’t about saying goodbye to Harold. Instead it’s about saying ‘Good luck,’” said Sue Ryan, owner of the Good Earth Market and self-proclaimed president of the “Harold Schmidt Fan Club.”

Having grown up as a young boy in southeastern Pennsylvania in the 1940s and 1950s, William Day now recalls the excitement and wonder that arrived with each Christmas season. His father would bring out the train set that circled the Christmas tree, and William and his siblings watched in awe. Decades later, Day and his wife, Susan, have managed to recreate the splendor and delight of the holidays with their own train set and Christmas scene in their Dagsboro home – one that has brought pleasure to their children and grandchildren and holiday guests, and will continue to do so for years to come.

There’s no questioning the hardships that local business owners are facing in today’s economy, but with the right attitude and mentality, anything can be possible. That was the message that was sent last week to many area businesspeople by Philadelphia Eagles’ legend and inspirational speaker Vince Papale.

Clear Space Productions is continuing their holiday tradition with the fifth annual production of “Scrooge!,” an original musical with book and lyrics by Ken Skrzesz and music by Doug Yetter. This year, John Marino portrays Ebenezer Scrooge.

The season of Advent offers an opportunity to celebrate the evening prayer of the Catholic Church, Vespers. Vespers have been celebrated “at the lighting of the lamps” since the early Christian era and, this year, Vespers will be celebrated on the four Sundays of Advent at St. Ann’s Catholic Church’s mission church, Our Lady of Guadalupe on Route 17, five miles south of Route 26.

For the first time, Gallery One has publish a set of holiday cards.

Each box has 16 different images – one from each of the gallery’s artists. This premier set of cards is available at Gallery One, located at 32 Atlantic Avenue in Ocean View, and at Browseabout Books, 133 Rehoboth Avenue in Rehoboth Beach.

Clear Space Artistic Director Doug Yetter will “Sing In the Holidays” on Saturday, Dec. 5, at 7 p.m. at the Milton Theatre. Tickets for the event cost $35 and include a light-fare buffet, non-alcoholic beverages (cash bar available), sing-along sheets and an evening of holiday classics and hilarity.

The Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Music Director Julien Benichou, will celebrate the season with classical favorites at the Mid-Atlantic Symphony’s “Holiday Joy” concert on Saturday, Dec. 5, at Mariner’s Bethel Church, Route 26 and Central Avenue, Ocean View, at 7:30 p.m.

The artists of Gallery One will hold their annual holiday open house on Nov. 27, 28 and 29 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. During the event, the gallery is offering each visitor a chance to watch some of the artists at work while enjoying light refreshments.

Local author James Diehl will make several local appearances in early December to promote his latest project, “World War II Heroes of Southern Delaware.” Released on Veteran’s Day, the 234-page book profiles more than four dozen men and women who came to the nation’s defense in the 1940s.

This weekend, after the Thanksgiving Day repast has been polished off, art lovers will be able to walk off their holiday meal through the galleries and studios of the area’s most noted artists. There’s even an opportunity to get a head-start on some local holiday shopping.

Have a grandfather clock that just isn’t keeping time? Don’t get your pendulum all out of whack, just call Roland Murphy.

Next weekend, 18 of the area’s most noted artists and crafters will be opening their doors for the 15th Annual SouthEastern Delaware Artist Studio Tour (SEDAST), one of the area’s most highly anticipated art events each year.

Sussex County Council next month will host the 26th annual Caroling on The Circle, to be held at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 7, in downtown Georgetown.

For many photographers, wildlife photography is about the thrill of the chase, going to far away places to capture scenes of exotic birds and animals, timing everything just right for that perfect shot. For Elaine W. Rifkin, it is still about the thrill of the chase – but for her chase, she doesn’t have to go far.

The Selbyville Library will host author Nancy Lynch on Thursday, Nov. 12, at 6:30 p.m. Lynch will present the audience with a DVD slideshow presentation and talk about her book “Vietnam Mailbag: Voices From the War, 1968-1972.” She will also be signing and selling books.

While many municipalities in recent months have restructured their recycling service or changed their curbside recycling provider, or are considering doing so, people outside of town limits who are not curbside recycling customers now have a new drop-off site to use.

Looking for a place to rock the blue jeans and the bling this weekend? Look no further than the 8th Annual Blue Jean Ball and Fall Art Show, to benefit the Lower Delaware Autism Foundation. The ball will be held Friday, Oct. 23, from 7 to 11 p.m. at Nassau Valley Vineyards in Lewes.

This Saturday marks the close of yet another successful summer season at The Freeman Stage at Bayside, and the Joshua M. Freeman Foundation is wrapping it up big once again. The Second Annual Freeman Fall Festival will be held this Saturday, Oct. 17, from 2 to 4 p.m. at The Freeman Stage and will offer plenty of entertainment and activities for all ages.

Next weekend, the Quiet Resorts of Bethany Beach and Fenwick Island will be for the birds, as the area hosts the 2nd Annual Fall Birding Weekend, Oct. 16-18. More than a dozen different experiences will be available for birders and nature lovers, highlighting some of the area’s most prized natural resources: its birds and wildlife.

“It’s only a deck.”

Route 54 serves as a high-traffic corridor for locals and visitors throughout the year, and now a new café and coffee shop is taking advantage of that fact. West 54 Café and Espresso Bar, which opened in early July, sits alongside the Shark’s Cove Marina and Catch 54, and has become one of the area’s new hotspots for breakfast, lunch, early dinner or for a place to socialize.

Summer may be winding down, but that means the Bethany Beach Boardwalk Arts Festival is right around the corner. This Saturday, Sept. 12, nearly 120 artists, artisans and crafters will combine for the all-day event that is open to the public and will feature painting, photography, glasswork, jewelry, furniture, pottery, sculpture and more. Last year’s inclement weather saw the show’s first ever cancellation, but Bethany-Fenwick Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Andrew Cripps is hoping the anticipation has just been building under this weekend’s sunny forecast.