Unchanged by Time and Tides
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- Written by Kris Legates
Broadkill Beach retains the quiet charms of an earlier era
By Michael Morgan
Photographs courtesy of the Milton Historical Society
From the April 2022 issue
‘Barefoot Thursday’ was duly celebrated on Broadkiln Beach last Thursday,” the Smyrna Times reported in 1859. “Everyone present on that occasion was obliged to take off his boots and go barefoot. Great country that Sussex! — and great people live ‘thar.’”
Broadkill Beach (or, as it was often called in the 19th century, Broadkiln Beach), with its wide view of Delaware Bay, is washed by that waterway’s gentle waves splashing on replenished sand. Situated on a sliver of shoreline northwest of Lewes, hemmed in by Primehook Beach to the northwest and Beach Plum Island Nature Preserve to the southeast, Broadkill is isolated from crowds, commercial outlets and traffic.
A Vital Sign
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- Written by Kris Legates
Dolle’s distinctive lettering is gone from the boardwalk, but not from Rehoboth
By Susan Towers
Photographs by Scott Nathan
From the April 2022 issue
A few hundred onlookers watched in silence on a clear winter morning as the familiar orange Dolle’s sign was removed from its perch overlooking the Rehoboth Beach boardwalk. It had stood as an iconic landmark in the resort town for 60 years.
“I never thought I’d see the day the sign would come down,” says Tom Ibach, the third-generation owner of Dolle’s Candyland. He was a small child when his grandfather erected the sign.
A team of nine from the Milton-based Rogers Sign Co. worked for hours to remove it, cutting steel supports and making sure the 15-by-30-foot structure didn’t crash to the ground. With a crane and a network of ropes, cables and straps, they slowly lowered it onto a trailer waiting to take it to a nearby storage area. Although weighing more than 3,700 pounds, the sign and the attached steel frame seemed to float down to its resting place, like a feather.
Horse Country
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- Written by Kris Legates
There's more sand than bluegrass here, but breeders and trainers still love coastal Delaware
By Bill Newcott
Photographs by Carolyn Watson
From the Winter 2021 issue
t’s Wednesday night at Harrington Raceway, and a contingent of the Marsh family is watching their 2-year-old filly, Babe Ruthie, trot around the half-mile oval. She is seconds from the biggest moment of her young life.
Head up, feet moving in classic trotting cadence, Ruthie’s distinctive gait lies somewhere between that of a toe dancer and wind-up toy. Wearing a blue sash, she pulls a flimsy-looking cart manned by a driver in gold and red silks.
She focuses straight ahead, as if she understands the stakes. Not only will this be Babe Ruthie’s first race, it’s an elimination event for the Delaware Standardbred Breeders’ Fund competition, with a $20,000 purse.
It’s also a big night for Ruthie’s trainer, Harry Marsh — although, as a long-established horseman in these parts, he’s certainly been here before.