Coastal Delaware Goes to the Dogs This Weekend

Another week, another full schedule of great local events scheduled for the coastal region.

It's been a fantastic fall festival season so far, and there's still plenty more to come. In addition to everything you'll read about in this week's blog, many other big events are still to come during the rest of October.

These include the Apple Scrapple Festival in Bridgeville, the Rehoboth Jazz Festival in Rehoboth Beach and the Sea Witch Halloween & Fiddler's Festival, also in Rehoboth Beach, in addition to many others.

EDITOR'S NOTE: If you haven't already heard, World Championship Punkin Chunkin has been cancelled for 2017 and it's future remains uncertain. So if you had this event marked on your calendar for early November, please be advised that it will not be held this year.

It's a great time to live and work in southern Delaware, so be sure to get out and enjoy as many of these great local festivals as you can, before Old Man Winter descends on the region and sends us all indoors for a few months.

The Delaware beaches quite literally go to the dogs this weekend, as two big dog-centric events take place in Rehoboth and neighboring Dewey Beach. If you love watching our four-legged friends run on the beach and frolic in the waters of the Atlantic, then the beach is where you're going to want to be over the next few days.

But the headline event for this weekend is the 2017 Wings & Wheels Festival at the Delaware Coastal Airport in Georgetown. This event has grown many-fold since its inception, and is now one of the highlights of southern Delaware's fall festival season.

You can read more about these events, and everything else on this weekend's calendar below. But first, here's the Oldfather Group's Adam Linder to tell you more.

Now, here are our top five choices for great local events being held on the weekend of Oct. 6-8 at and near the Delaware beaches: 

Wings & Wheels (October 7). Now in its 10th year, this fantastic local festival features, as the name suggests, a bevy of old cars and old airplanes and has now become one of the biggest and best events on the fall festival calendar.

Located at the Delaware Coastal Airport in Georgetown, this FREE Saturday event features World War II re-enactors, great food, a varied selection of entertainment, craft vendors and guest appearances that include original Doolittle Raider Lt. Col. Dick Cole.

Other activities planned for the day include the return of the popular flour bombing competition, Naval Academy parachute jumps and plenty of great exhibits.

The event is scheduled to from from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information on the 2017 Wings & Wheels festival, visit www.wings-wheels.com.

Southern Delaware Wine, Food and Music Festival (Oct. 7). This celebration of wine, food and music will take place on Saturday from 12 to 4 p.m. at Independence Hall in Millsboro.

The event features samplings and demos by renowned chefs, live music, wine pairings, local beer tastings and a silent auction. Attendees will also have a chance to witness the return of the popular "Chef Throwdown" competition, pitting two local chefs (one from northern Delaware and one from southern Delaware) vying against each other for year-long bragging rights.

Proceeds raised during the day will go to support several local charities, including Children & Families First, the Cape Henlopen Educational Foundation and Delaware ProStart.

Greyhounds Reach the Beach (October 5-8). Started in Dewey Beach more than 20 years ago, this unique event brings greyhounds from around the country, and their owners, together for a few days of fellowship and special events.

Many of these pooches are retired from the racing industry and were later adopted by their owners when their careers at the track were finished. There are more than 50 vendors in the Rehoboth/Dewey area who participate in the event, so if you see a few sleek and stealth hounds at the beach this weekend, be sure to say hello.

Activities include food, special events, an ice cream social, a "Blessing of the Hounds" and lots of activities throughout the area.

Visit www.grtb.org for more information on this unique gathering.

Dewey Golden Jubilee (Oct. 6-8). Approximately 150 Golden Retrievers and their owners are expected this weekend for the second of two annual “Golden” weekends in Dewey Beach.

Frequently cited as one of the most dog-friendly beaches in America, Dewey Beach will again be party central this weekend, with scheduled activities to include a costume contest, a "Poop Patrol Stroll," a bonfire on the beach and a "Blessing of the Animals," among others.

For more information on the Autumn Golden Jubilee event, visit deweysgoldenjubilee.com.

 

Rehoboth/Dewey Fall Sidewalk Sale (Oct. 6-8). If you’re interested in a bargain this weekend, then the Rehoboth/Dewey area has just the thing.

The Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce will be holding its 41st annual Fall Sidewalk Sale this Friday through Sunday, with dozens of businesses throughout the resort towns participating. Hours are scheduled for 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on each of the three days.

And if it rains, no worries – THIS IS A RAIN OR SHINE EVENT. Visit the Chamber's Website, or call 302-227–6446, for more information.

 

Whatever you choose to do this weekend, we hope you have a fun and exciting few days here in the coastal region.

And be sure to check back here next week in our “Weekender Blog” for more great happenings in and near coastal Delaware.

Have a great weekend everyone!