Rehoboth bound for summer vacation

REHOBOTH, Del. — The Memorial Day holiday weekend is just around the corner and it promises to be a busy one. Viewed as the official start of the summer season, AAA projects that 34.8 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more next week. That’s an increase of 1.2 percent — or 500,000 travelers — from last year.

The vast majority — 30.7 million — plan to drive to their holiday destination. That’s also up 1.2 percent from 2011, according to AAA.

Last year over 340,000 people in the Washington area — or 41 percent — indicated they would head to the beaches. While figures for this year have yet to be released, AAA Mid-Atlantic said it “wouldn’t be surprised if there is an uptick in travel to the beaches this year,” thanks in part to a drop in gas prices, which are about 25 cents lower than this time last year.

This expected uptick is good news for the beach economies of Delaware, Rehoboth in particular, which have largely managed to weather the economic storms that have battered the country in recent years.

There’s something special about slipping beyond the Beltway onto Route 50 East on a Friday evening or Saturday morning, stopping at Wawa for gas and that all-important cup of coffee. Your whole mindset changes as you make your way over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and drive past miles of farmland on Route 404, dotted with produce stands, until you arrive at the Delaware shore.

For many in the Washington area, Rehoboth is a destination. And it’s a place that lives up to its name, meaning roominess or freedom. Located some 120 miles east of the nation’s capital, Rehoboth was originally established as a Methodist Episcopal camp meeting ground and Christian seaside resort in the 1870s.

Delaware is blessed with a string of beautiful beaches, nature reserves, bike trails and camping grounds. Lewes lies to the north and Dewey and Bethany to the south. Each offers something different to visitors and residents alike.

“One of the greatest sources of strength for our area is that the whole D.C. area decamps there, said freshman Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.)

Henlopen City Oyster House owner Chris Bisaha echoed this sentiment.

“There’s a lot of money coming into this town from Washington, D.C.” He should know. He sells 4,000 fresh oysters, on average, each week during the summer.

The square-mile municipality of Rehoboth has a year-round population of about 1,400, that explodes on weekends, especially during the summer. Nearly 7 million visitors come to the resort area each year, according to the local Chamber of Commerce. And because of its geographical location, the Delaware beaches have access to over 20 million potential visitors from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, D.C. and Virginia. This has helped especially during the recent economic downturn.

“We are sitting in a very sweet spot,” said Carol Everhart, president and CEO of the Rehoboth-Dewey Chamber of Commerce. “And it’s because of that sweet spot we [have] never lost that visitation we had."

What had changed during the economic downturn were people’s spending habits. “How they were spending was different. Instead of coming for a week, they came for shorter stays. Instead of going out for every meal, they only went out on occasion,” added Everhart.

This pattern was borne out again Tuesday by AAA’s survey. Of the 47 percent of travelers who said gas prices would affect their travel plans this year, one-third said they would economize in other areas such as cutting spending, staying at less expensive accommodation or with friends and relatives.

On any given weekend between Memorial Day and Labor Day, 200,000 will drive into the Rehoboth-Dewey area for some rest and relaxation. Daily visitor estimates can run somewhere between 65,000 and 70,000.

“I think we’ve fared very well through this [economic] downturn,” said Mayor Sam Cooper. Now in his 22nd year in office, the eight-term incumbent stressed the affinity people have with the town.

“We have a lot of return visitors who stay committed,” he added. “Our industry is daily tourism, but it’s more than that. I don’t want to see it become a company town. It’s a quality of life, not just about bringing in the dollars.” But the dollars clearly help keep this economy thriving throughout the year.

Rehoboth prides itself on being the self-described “nation’s summer capital." This place maintains much of its small-town charm.

Stroll down Rehoboth Avenue for the morning paper and a cup of coffee and you’re likely to find Steve Crane putting out the dailies from Washington, New York and Wilmington.

He’ll greet you warmly outside his bookstore. This is favorite time of the day, meeting and greeting old friends and customers who fast become friends.

For 37 years Crane and his wife, Barbara, have been a fixture on the avenue. Both former public-school teachers from Wilmington, they own and operate Browseabout Books, the sole independent bookstore in the city.

The store draws you in with its large green awning and mural-covered walls depicting shelves packed with famous book titles and a café scene. Asked about the murals, Crane admitted, “I had to bring attention to this building. Wouldn’t it be great if we made the outside of the store look like books?” Local artist Patti Shreeve helped make it a reality and a former employee, Lewis Allen, painted the café scene.

The store boasts some 40,000 titles and in peak season hires 35 employees from nearby and such far-flung places as Romania, Hungary, Belarus, Ireland, Scotland and England. His assistant manager, Noemy Tudos, came one summer from Romania and eventually returned and settled here.

“It’s an emporium that specializes in books. There’s something for everybody,” said Crane — books, cards, toys and gifts to remember the summer by. The staff know their books and their authors and it’s unlikely you’ll leave the store without buying one of their recommendations. So don’t worry if you leave your Kindle behind or forget your beach reading.

With over 300 shops and restaurants in town, there’s plenty to choose from and indulge in while in downtown Rehoboth. “They [visitors] can find everything from french fries to the best French meal,” said Annmarie Westerfield, executive director of Rehoboth Beach Main Street.

Over the years, coastal erosion and damage caused by Hurricane Irene last year meant city authorities had to do something to reclaim their beach. Thanks to the Beach Replenishment Program, the Army Corps of Engineers has just completed replenishing the beach in time for Memorial Day, making the beach deep enough to host the annual Fourth of July fireworks show. Some 80,000 are expected to gather for the occasion.

At a time when budgets are being cut and federal earmarks shunned by some lawmakers, this is one earmark that remains popular, according to Sen. Coons.

“One thing I’ve learned as a senator is over and over, staff and members, Republican and Democrat, tell me, 'Don’t forget Dewey, don’t forget Rehoboth,'" said Coons. “You can’t have sandcastles without having sand on the beach, and I’m happy to do my part for my kids.”