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Rehoboth’s SunFestival returns

Comedian Judy Gold to headline; dance party slated for Sunday

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SunDance is back after COVID-related cancellations. (Blade file photo by Daniel Truitt)

Comedian Judy Gold is slated to headline CAMP Rehoboth’s annual Labor Day celebration, SunFestival, on Sept. 3, kicking off a weekend of festivities and fun. Gold’s comedy portfolio boasts two Emmy awards and several stand-up specials on platforms including HBO and Comedy Central.

Each year, proceeds from SunFestival — CAMP Rehoboth’s largest annual fundraiser — help support the organization’s programming and advocacy for the local LGBTQ community. And, this year, CAMP Rehoboth has announced the long-awaited return of SUNDANCE, a Sunday night party that has brought the weekend to a close since 1988.

Here are all the festivities you can expect during the long weekend.

Saturday, Sept. 3

SunFestival starts with a bang, greeting guests with two auctions and a show on Saturday evening in the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center, located at 229 Rehoboth Ave. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the festivities formally begin at 7:30 p.m.

Judy Gold will headline the evening with a comedy performance, and attendees are also invited to participate in a two-part auction that will include both silent and live components prior to her performance. Gold, a lesbian, has often discussed topics of gender and sexuality in her work, and made two previous appearances in Rehoboth in 2009 and 2014.

CAMP Rehoboth has unveiled a variety of exciting items up for sale, including an eight-night cruise for two through the Caribbean, two tickets to see Lizzo at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., complete with a paid hotel stay, and two tickets to see the critically acclaimed musical “Funny Girl” on Broadway.

The silent auction, held virtually on the SunFestival website, opened on Aug. 27 and will close for bidding on Sept. 3. Bids can be placed online at SunFestival2022.ggo.bid.

The live auction will begin on Saturday evening, spearheaded by renowned auctioneer Lorne Crawford. Those interested in donating items for the auction can reach out to [email protected] for more information.

Sunday, Sept. 4

SUNDANCE might have been put on pause for two years, but this staple of the summer is making its return to Rehoboth Beach this year, and attendees can expect an endless night of dancing and fun at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center. Doors open for the event at 7 p.m.

From 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., DJ Robbie Leslie — and his musical projects Studio 54 and Palladium — will provide a musical experience called “Sundance Disco Twilight Tea,” and patrons can enjoy the songs of the weekend beneath the light of a disco ball.

Then, from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m., DJ James Anthony, a renowned remixer and producer, comes straight from New York to close off the evening and Labor Day weekend with his token “big room” sound, according to an event description posted to the CAMP Rehoboth website.

Leslie said in a July 29 CAMP Rehoboth news release that the convention center is the perfect venue for this year’s celebration. “It’s big enough to have a shared energy and at the same time it’s very focused, (but) it’s not so big that it gets fragmented,” he said. “So that to me is the ideal venue.”

In the same news release, Anthony explained that his preparation for the evening’s musical programming was largely influenced by the mood of the event, rounding out the summer season in Rehoboth Beach.

“People know that it’s the end of summer and, for many people, this may be their last time in Rehoboth until next summer,” he said. “You want to send them off on a good note and make that one last summer of ‘22 memory.”

 “After COVID, I’m just thrilled to death to be coming back,” Robbie added in the news release. “Rehoboth Beach has very much been an integral part of my professional career  … [so I am] really excited about coming back.”

This year, CAMP Rehoboth’s action-packed celebration comes with one more development that sets it apart from years past: the adoption of a new mascot, Sunny the Mannequin, for SunFestival 2022.

Sunny made his formal debut on July 29 in an announcement included in the organization’s newsletter — Letters from CAMP Rehoboth — but was also seen around town throughout the Fourth of July weekend at “Poodle Beach, pool parties, and standing tall inside a Jeep on Route 1.”

Guests can stop by the CAMP Rehoboth office located at 37 Baltimore Ave. before the event to take their picture with Rehoboth’s latest star, and can share their photos on social media using the hashtag “#SunFestivalRB.” Those interested can also scan the QR code located on Sunny’s shoulders to purchase a ticket to the event.

For those who prefer the traditional route, tickets for the weekend’s events can be purchased at Eventbrite, and additional information can be found at camprehoboth.com/SunFestival2022.

Those who plan on attending the weekend’s festivities and have accessibility needs can contact [email protected] for more information.

Labor Day in D.C.

Staying in D.C. for the long weekend? No worries as there are plenty of events happening closer to home. 

• Safe Space: A Queer Dance Party at JR.’s. Saturday, Sept. 3 at 10 p.m.

• Flashy Labor Day Weekend at Flash. Sunday, Sept. 4 at 10 p.m.

• Four different “Hard Labor” events hosted by Xavier Entertainment starting Friday and running through Monday at these venues: Club Elevate, AQUA, Nellie’s, and Ivy City Smokehouse. Details at Xavier’s Facebook page.

• Labor Gay: The Annual Day Party for Working Gurls at Trade. Monday, Sept. 5, 2-6 p.m. 

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Delaware

Delaware governor issues executive order creating LGBTQ+ Commission

Body to ‘strengthen ties’ between government and community

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Delaware Gov. Bethany Hall-Long, center, on Jan. 16, 2025, signed an executive order that created the state's first LGBTQ+ Commission. (Photo courtesy of Sussex Pride)

Delaware Gov. Bethany Hall-Long on Jan. 16 signed and issued an executive order creating a Delaware State LGBTQ+ Commission that she said will hold public forums for the exchange of ideas on the needs of the state’s diverse LGBTQ community.

“The nine-member commission will serve to strengthen ties between the government and LGBTQ+ organizations,” a statement released by the governor’s office says.

The statement adds that the new commission will “help remove barriers to societal participation for LGBTQ+ people and improve the delivery of services to the community in Delaware to areas such as employment, equality, education, and mental health.”

It says that members of the commission will be appointed by the governor and serve without monetary compensation for a three-year term.

According to the statement, the commission members “will represent different facets of the LGBTQ+ community, taking into account age, race, gender, identity, background, life experiences and other factors, and reflect the geographic diversity of the state.”

Hall-Long’s executive order creating the new commission came at a time when she is serving in effect as interim governor for a period of just two weeks. As lieutenant governor, she became governor on Jan. 7 when outgoing Gov. John Carney resigned to take office in his newly elected position of mayor of Wilmington.

Carney, who served two terms as governor, could not run again for that position under Delaware’s term limit law. Democrat Matt Myer won the governor’s election in November and will be sworn in as Delaware’s next governor on Jan. 21, when Hall-Long will step down.

Myer was expected to appoint the commission members in the weeks following his assumption of gubernatorial duties.

“Ultimately, the commission will advise the governor, members of the governor’s Cabinet, members of the General Assembly, and other policymakers on the effect of agency policies, procedures, practices, laws, and administrative rules on the unique challenges and needs of LGBTQ+ people,”  the statement released by Hall-Long’s office says.

“It is truly an honor to bring this commission to fruition, and I am very excited to see the positive changes the commission will make in the lives of our LGBTQ+ neighbors,” Hall-Long said in the statement.

David Mariner, executive director of Sussex Pride, an LGBTQ advocacy group based in Delaware’s Sussex County, which includes Rehoboth Beach, praised the new executive order as an important step in advancing LGBTQ equality.

“It is my hope that through this commission, we can address the critical issues facing LGBTQ Delawareans,” Mariner said in his own statement.

“This includes developing an LGBTQ health report with a tangible roadmap to health equity, increasing collaboration and communication on hate crimes and hate-related activities, and ensuring that nondiscrimination protections, guaranteed by law, are a reality for all of our residents,” he said.

The statement announcing the LGBTQ+ Commission and the full text of the executive order can be accessed here. 

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Delaware

Delaware advocacy group to host panel on media’s role in countering hate

Blade editor among journalists participating in Wednesday event

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Blade editor Kevin Naff is among journalists participating in a panel discussion on hate this week.

LEWES, Del. — Speak Out Against Hate (SOAH) will hold its bi-monthly community meeting at 5 p.m. on Nov. 13 at the Lewes Library and via Zoom. The meeting will concentrate on the role of the press in responding to the divisiveness and rising tide of hatred in our country and communities. 

The meeting will feature a panel of journalists comprised of Chris Rauch, owner and publisher of the Cape Gazette; Benjamin Rothstein, journalist at the Daily State News and its sister paper the Greater Dover Independent; Kevin Naff, editor and co-owner of the Washington Blade; and Jake Owens, editor-in-chief of Spotlight Delaware.

Patty Maloney, president of SOAH said, “Following a national and state elections that saw our country nearly evenly divided, this important discussion with our local press will shine a light upon the role of the press locally and nationally in confronting the obvious chasm within our citizenry.”

For more information about the event and to register, please visit Speak Out Against Hate at soah-de.org.

Speak Out Against Hate was formed to confront and counter the rising tide of hate, whenever and wherever it exists.

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Delaware

Comings & Goings

Owners win top honors from Delaware Restaurant Association

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Bob Suppies, David Gonce, Tyler Townsend, and Lion Gardner of Second Street Hospitality.

The Comings & Goings column is about sharing the professional successes of our community. We want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their business, joining boards of organizations and other achievements. Please share your successes with us at [email protected]

The Comings & Goings column also invites LGBTQ college students to share their successes with us. If you have been elected to a student government position, gotten an exciting internship, or are graduating and beginning your career with a great job, let us know so we can share your success. 

Congratulations to Second Block Hospitality, winners of the Delaware Restaurant Association’s designation as Restaurateurs of the Year. This award was won by business partners Lion Gardner, David Gonce, Tyler Townsend, and Bob Suppies, whose Second Block Hospitality restaurants include Bodhi Kitchen, The Pines, and Drift, all in Rehoboth Beach, Del.

“The partners of Second Block Hospitality, each bring unique expertise from diverse business backgrounds, and have successfully united to create a flourishing restaurant group in downtown Rehoboth Beach. Their first venture, The Pines, was inspired by the rich history and hospitality of old Rehoboth Beach, where pine trees meet the ocean. Their newest ventures, Drift Seafood & Raw Bar, and Bodhi Kitchen, showcase sophisticated seafood and Asian-inspired street food, earning awards, accolades, and features in top regional publications. Driven by a mission of hospitality, innovation, and community, the team exemplifies the qualities honored by the Restaurateurs of the Year Award, celebrating their passion, diversity, and creativity in Delaware’s dining scene.”

Townsend said, “The entire team at Second Block Hospitality is thrilled to have won Restaurateurs of the Year. Since 2018, we have worked hard to bring the very best in dining, cocktails, entertainment, and décor.” 

Suppies added, “Yes, winning this award truly validates we are on the right path to keep bringing innovative design paired with amazing food and drinks. More is coming from Second Block for sure.”

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