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Helens answer the call in Rehoboth Beach

Nearly 1,000 people participate in second annual Mrs. Roper Romp
The second annual Mrs. Roper Romp took place Sept. 21 in Rehoboth Beach. There were nearly 1,000 Ropers participating, including this group at Aqua on Baltimore Avenue. Shown are (l-r) Mike Venanzi, Vicki Venanzi, Scott Bunch, Bill Miller, Josh Roland, Brian Yanofchick, Peggy Reed and Michael McGuire. CHRIS FLOOD PHOTOS
Chris Flood
September 27, 2024

Story Location:
Rehoboth Beach Main Street
509 Rehoboth Avenue
Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971
United States

Dressed in red wigs and various styles of caftans, nearly 1,000 men and women participated Sept. 21 in the second annual Mrs. Roper Romp in downtown Rehoboth Beach.

Hosted by Rehoboth Beach Main Street, two dozen restaurants and bars participated in the event. Unlike last year’s inaugural romp, which had participants battling wind and rain, this year’s event featured beautiful sunny skies, leading to a cheery disposition. People heard lots of, “Hello, Helen,” as participants passed each other on the sidewalk.

The romp is a costumed bar crawl based on Mrs. Helen Roper, a character on the 1970s TV show, “Three’s Company.” The Rehoboth romp is one of many around the world. The event began in 2013 as a “Million Mrs. Roper March” of men and women in caftans and curly red wigs during a New Orleans parade.

For more information on Rehoboth Beach Main Street, go to downtownrb.com.

 

Prior to bar and restaurant hopping, participants gathered on the Boardwalk for a group photo. SUBMITTED PHOTO
Shown in their wigs and caftans are Connie Bragg, left, and Martha Le.
Deb Kelly, left, and Stefanie Milam enjoy the afternoon sun.
The Purple Parrot was full of Mrs. Ropers. Shown are (l-r) Lenny Zielinski, Donnie Burg, R.J. Szostkowski, Denise Zielinski, Anna Burg, Steve Burg, Rhonda Burg, Mike Berg and Stephanie Szostkowski.
It’s hard to miss the wigs as this Jeep makes its way down the street.
Everywhere one looked there were Rompers looking for the next special.
These women enjoy the view of the street from Nalu while watching people look at them.
Dressed as Chrissy from “Three’s Company,” these men navigated Rehoboth’s streets like heel-wearing veterans. Shown are (l-r) John Rafter, Bob Bieber and David Stackhouse.
If a Helen wasn’t at the Purple Parrot, they were likely at Freddie’s around the corner.

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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, random stories on subjects he finds interesting and has a column called ‘Choppin’ Wood’ that runs every other week. Additionally, Chris moonlights as the company’s circulation manager, which primarily means fixing boxes during daylight hours that are jammed with coins, but sometimes means delivering papers in the middle of the night. He’s a graduate of the University of Maine and the Landing School of Boat Building & Design.

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