The Southern Sussex Rotary Club is having it’s 4th annual All You Can Eat Crab Feast on Saturday, September 18. All proceeds benefit the Joshua M. Freeman Foundation and Southern Sussex Rotary Projects.
Tickets are $35.00 and the meal includes All You Can Eat Crabs, Chicken, French Fries, sides and salad.
The event will be held at the Cove at Bayside on Route 54 from 4-6PM on Saturday September 18. Tickets can be purchased at the PNC Bank or from Brendan Crotty (302) 541-8778
Published by The Cape Gazette
The Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral Silent Auction and the Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral are two bookend events that will help make the final weekend of the traditional summer season an enjoyable one.
The silent auction will be held from 3 to 5 p.m., Friday, Sept. 2, at Bethany Blues Restaurant. The 26th Anniversary Jazz Funeral is scheduled for Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 5, beginning at about 5:30 p.m., according to Carolyn Bacon and Marie Wright, the assistant chairs of this year’s events.
The sixth annual silent auction is shaping up to be a festive occasion that kicks off Labor Day weekend and raises funds for one of five local nonprofit organizations.
Bidders will have a variety of auction items to choose from. “Just to name a few, there are gift certificates from some of the finest local restaurants, various bottles of wine contributed by local wine shops, hard-to-find toys and games, beautiful home accessories, very trendy clothing, exciting gift baskets, and lots more,” said Wright.
“Absolutely all funds raised by the Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral Silent Auction go directly to the American Red Cross of Delmarva,” Wright said. “The American Red Cross provides relief to victims of disaster and helps people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies.”
As a certified Red Cross volunteer worker, Wright will be part of the Red Cross group on hand to answer any questions attendees have about its charitable efforts.
“It is well to remember that the Red Cross is a humanitarian organization led by volunteers and guided by its Congressional Charter and the fundamental principles of the International Red Cross Movement,” Wright said. “Since funding is tight for almost all nonprofit organization, Red Cross of Delmarva is reaching out to our local communities to lend a hand.”
The Dixie Cats, the Downtown Dixieland Band and the Jazz Funeral Irregulars will play at both the jazz funeral and the silent auction at Bethany Blues Restaurant, 6 North Pennsylvania Ave. in Bethany Beach.
At the jazz funeral, spectators and the bands go to the north end of the Bethany Beach boardwalk on Labor Day Monday to join in a funeral procession of mourners carrying a casket with a mannequin representing summer 2011 to its final resting place at the Boardwalk Bandstand to the Dixieland strains of such songs as “Amazing Grace.” Both events are free to the public.
“Those who attend will also hear a number of solo performances by members of these bands,” Bacon said. “These are seasoned musicians who enjoy their craft and they show that joy when they perform.”
Local businesses are encouraged to participate by contributing donations that are appropriate to their fields of endeavor.
“We have high hopes of gathering a wide variety of merchandise and gift certificates from a broad base of businesses,” Bacon said. “We want to have an exciting array of items for visitors and locals to bid on at the silent auction, so we can raise funds for charity. No donation is too large or too small, and all monies raised at the silent auction go directly to Red Cross.”
Beside gift certificates, there are a plethora of donated items for the auction: gift baskets; coupons; and services like boat rides, massages, and house cleanings. “Realtors may want to contribute advertising space in their 2012 real estate booklets for the silent auction on September 2,” said Bacon.
This year’s jazz funeral will honor the memory of Bethany businessman Art Antal, who was event chairman for six years. Antal was the proprietor of the former Starcade Amusement Center and the Golfin’ Dolphin Indoor Mini-Golf Course on Garfield Parkway. Antal took over the reins of the jazz funeral after founder Moss Wagner relocated to Colorado. Sadly, Antal passed away in fall 2010.
Anyone who wishes to help out with the Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral or the silent auction can email jazzfuneral@mchsi.com, call 302-537-1585 or drop a line to PO Box 505, Bethany Beach, DE 19930.
Published by: Coastal Point
Justin’s Beach House and the Justin Jennings Foundation have gained much support since their start more than a decade ago. Members of the surrounding community, local business owners, and even those outside the area, have stepped up to help make Justin’s Beach House a rent-free, safe haven for families struggling with the stresses of cancer.
This past week, the Sussex County Eagles, along with their upstate cohorts, the Wilmington Eagles, brought together $2,600 for the foundation, which will help cover maintenances and upkeep of the house, as well as assist in the foundation’s annual campaign.
“Our main concern as Eagles,” said Frank Culbert, organizer and president of the fraternal organization of the Sussex County Eagles, “is to reach out to the local community. I was introduced to Justin’s Beach House by Robert and Carolyn Strine. They have always been a big help for our organization and told me about the foundation and what it’s doing. We thought this would be a perfect way to give back.”
The Sussex County Eagles have increased their membership to more than 700 men and women. Throughout the year, the Eagles hold a number of events to help raise money for charities and organizations in the community, from a bull and oyster roast to spaghetti dinners.
“We recently raised money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society,” said Culbert, who has been with the Eagles in Delaware for nearly 40 years. “We try to help out different organizations.”
Last fall, Justin’s Beach House reached completion, and it saw its first visitors over this past Christmas and New Year’s holiday. Craig Nantais, chairperson of the Justin Jennings Foundation and father of the late Justin Jennings, was grateful for the donation, which, he noted, will be put to good use.
“When Frank approached me and told us that the Eagles wanted to make a donation,” said Nantais, “it was a wonderful surprise. We are still paying off the land through donations and fundraising events. The money goes toward the general fundraiser for Justin’s Beach House, the upkeep and the mortgage.”
An application process determines which candidates qualify for a stay at the home, and their families receive a week’s stay at the Bethany Beach house, located on Atlantic Avenue. Candidates include cancer patients – parents or children – who currently receive treatment or are within a year of having been treated. Currently, Justin’s Beach House is booked through the summer months, with a new family able to find solace in Bethany Beach during every week from June through Sept. 2.
“Of the 12 families that are coming into town this summer,” said Nantais, who began the Justin Jennings Foundation along with his wife, and Justin’s mother, Mary Ellen Nantais, shortly after Jennings’ death from brain cancer in 2000, “10 of them have children who are struggling with cancer, but we’re here for the entire family, too.”
While word of mouth about Justin’s Beach House has spread among cancer support groups and friends and families from the area, the Justin Jennings Foundation keeps close connections with surrounding hospitals, as well, and has brought in many applicants.
After years of fundraising and construction, this summer marks the first summer that Justin’s Beach House will be in operation.
“It’s really incredible to see all this support pour out of the community,” said Craig Nantais. “We’ve been so fortunate to have so many people donate their time, money and gifts for families that are struggling, and it’s great to see the final product bring something to those who need it most.”
While many donations have helped along the way, the Justin Jennings Foundation board relies heavily on several fundraising efforts to continue to house families. One of those is set for Labor Day weekend, when athletes and their supporters will contribute by participating in the annual Justin’s Beach House Memorial 5K Walk/Run, put on by the Seashore Striders, which will take place on Saturday, May 28, in Bethany Beach.
Pre-registration for the 5K Walk/Run costs $20 and can be done online at www.seashorestriders.com. It will cost $25 the day of the event. Overall male and female placers will be recognized, as well as the top three male and female finishers in five-year age groups. Short-sleeved T-shirts will be available to pre-registrants, and a post-race party at Mango’s restaurant on the Bethany boardwalk will be held.
For more information about the 5K or Justin’s Beach House, visit www.justinjennings.org or contacting Sue McKone at (302) 537-4437 or sumac201@hotmail.com.