Rehoboth’s endless summer

No longer just a summer resort, Rehoboth has the largest and most active gay community on the Atlantic between Fire Island and Fort Lauderdale. The ocean and the midday sun remain warm into October so there’s still time to work on your tan. The bars and restaurants have specials all week long, and there is still tax-free shopping at Tanger Outlets and throughout the town.

“The Chamber of Commerce and Main Street Rehoboth, have done a fantastic job of bringing events into town virtually every weekend,” said financial planner and long-time Rehoboth Beach resident, Alex Yearley. Many of these festivals have LGBT followings

This weekend brings the second annual “Erase Hate” event held at Ocean Boulevard Furniture on Route 1 to benefit the Matthew Shepard Foundation. Judy Shepard will be on hand for Saturday’s fundraiser, held from 8:30-11:30 p.m. For more information, e-mail dmelesurgo@gmail.com.

Everyone’s favorite chanteuse, the Blue Moon’s Pamala Stanley, will be performing during this year’s Jazz Festival, which will be held Oct. 12-16. Stanley will perform at the Blue Moon on Oct. 14 and 15 starting at 7 p.m. Performing at venues throughout Rehoboth will be several other LGBT favorites, including Holly Lane and John Flynn. Visit rehobothjazz.com for a full schedule of events.

The Seawitch Festival held Oct. 28-30, gives people and their pets the opportunity to dress up and parade around town at several events. Saturday’s costume parade features impressive contingents of decked-out marchers and bands, including D.C.’s Different Drummers. The parade begins Saturday, Oct. 29 at 11 a.m. on Rehoboth Avenue but get there early to stake out your spot because it gets crowded. This is a terrific event for kids, with a packed weekend of activities, from a tykes biking the boardwalk event on Friday to the Saturday parade to scavenger hunts, costume contests, magic shows and much more. Visit beach-fun.com for more information.

The annual Rehoboth Beach Film Festival, which includes many LGBT selections, will be held Nov. 9-13. The full schedule of films and events will be posted shortly at rehobothfilm.com.

The second Saturday of each month, the numerous art galleries in town take part in an Art Walk.

Purple Parrot, Blue Moon, and Rigby’s will provide entertainment during the fall and beyond, and Double L will hold ManDance once a month.

And then there is legitimate theater. There is a very active theater community in this area as theaters such as Possum Point Playhouse, 2nd Street Theatre in Milford, and Clear Space in Rehoboth stage shows throughout the year.

In addition, there are always special events in many of the popular venues throughout the year including a weekend of special events Oct. 7-9 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Blue Moon.

So do not think that once summer ends, there will be nothing to do, because in Rehoboth there are lots of activities and interesting events throughout the year.