Sunday brought one of the most beautiful days of summer, a day not lost on thousands of people who live in the Cape Region – or the thousands more who visit.
It began before dawn as scores of people set up chairs along the water’s edge to watch the sunrise, joining others already running along the Boardwalk in the cool, morning light.
Early morning was a prelude to the first Sunday of Rehoboth Art League’s 43rd annual Outdoor Fine Art and Fine Craft Show, set in the shade of the art league’s nearby campus in Henlopen Acres.
The show brought together more than 125 artists, whose work blossomed beneath the trees, as eclectic and wild a garden as has ever bloomed in Rehoboth. Artwork for an intimate study appeared alongside work scaled for soaring entryways. Sculptural works mingled with sparking mosaics, stained glass and whimsical pottery, all set off by sparking jewelry. The show goes well beyond visual arts: culinary works were provided by Nage and The Point, and a beer garden featured Rehoboth’s own Dogfish Head beer, all underscored by a summer soundtrack that on Sunday featured the sultry sounds of Rehoboth’s Holly Lane and Shore Jazz.
Coming during summer’s peak weeks, the outdoor show has long been a source of friction between the league and the community that surrounds it, but this year, on Sunday at least, traffic problems appeared minimal. Many visitors left their cars at satellite parking areas at Rehoboth Elementary School or Kmart on Route 1, both served by a complimentary Jolly Trolley bus. In addition, officials distributed scores of tiny flags so homeowners could indicate where not to park, and one-way traffic around the campus kept traffic flowing.
Overflowing with creativity, innovation and skill, the show demonstrates the role Rehoboth Art League has played for decades, nurturing artists and their talents and providing space to do art, learn about art and display art – a hidden yet essential element of what makes Rehoboth the town that it is.
If you missed this captivating show, it continues again next weekend, Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 13-14.
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Editorials are considered and written by Cape Gazette Editorial Board members, including Publisher Chris Rausch, Editor Jen Ellingsworth, News Editor Nick Roth and reporters Ron MacArthur and Chris Flood.
