Here it is again – Memorial Day Weekend at the Beach in Delaware and the weather forecast is great!

Want to know what’s going on this weekend?

Read What’s New at the beaches and have a wonderful holiday weekend! Some of my favorites this weekend include the Grand Opening of the Historic Lewes Farmers Market, the Delaware by Hand Art and  Craft Show at the Zwaanendael Museum.

1.       Delaware By Hand Arts & Crafts Show, Sat., 5/28, 10 am – 5 pm, Zwaanendael Museum, Lewes, DE

2.       Visit the Horseshoe Crab|Shorebird Festival, Sat., 5/28, 10 am – 4 pm, Downtown Milton and Prime Hook Refuge

3.       Shop the Historic Lewes Farmers Market, Sat., 5/28, 8am – 12 Noon, Lewes Historical Society Complex

4.       Find fresh produce and more at the new Milton Farmers Market, Fri., 5/27, 3pm – 6 pm, Milton Historical Society (more…)

No longer a well-kept secret, Rehoboth Beach has been rated one of America’s Best Little Beach towns by Travel and Leasure!

Often referred to as “America’s Summer Capital”, the Delaware beach resorts now attract people from all over the Mid-Atlantic Region. We’ve even seen folks moving here from as far away as San Diego, Seattle, Florida and more!

For people living in the area between Southern New Jersey and Washington DC, a popular weekend and retirement destination lies near the Delaware shore. A three-hour drive from both Philadelphia and Washington DC, the Rehoboth Beach area has been a magnet for retirees over the past several years and Delaware expects the 65+ population to increase by 75 percent over the next 25 years. Read more at CNBC.com

It’s not just Rehoboth Beach, but all of Coastal Delaware that is becoming one of the top places for Boomers to retire.

The Rehoboth Gallery Collective, MOSAIC, hosts “Second Saturdays: Destination Art” Walk, September 12th from 6 to 9 pm

This month MOSAIC is exhibiting the work of Delaware by Hand artists. Delaware by Hand is a non-profit organization which fosters the creation of a formalized, resident-based artist and artisan industry in Delaware. For more information visit Delaware By Hand.

•    AerieArt Gallery – Specializing in fine original paintings from the 19th and early 20th Centuries, along with offerings by local artists. Featuring Delaware By Hand artist, woodturner Tom Frey.  Both locations are open weekends and by appointment. First Street Station, second level, 70 Rehoboth Ave.,227-4776, and 45-1/2 Lake Ave., 227-5376.

•    Amandeline Gallery – Exhibiting the versatile work of Wilmington sculptor Charles Allmond. Through his bronze and alabaster animal sculptures Charles evokes emotions such as growth, renewal and love. Marvel at the simple yet stunning beauty of these works. 403 Rehoboth Ave., 226-0330. 

•    Detail Gallery -  Highlighting Delaware by Hand artist John Donato. John is inspired by animals, bright colors and making people smile. In each work he embodies the universal emotion of joy; every painting is a moment frozen in time within the lives of animals we often take for granted. The art truly sums up the feelings of Mirabelle and Detail Gallery toward animals. 54 Baltimore Ave., 227-8170. 

•    Gallery 50 -  Presenting South Carolina artist Pat Whitehead, known for her nature-based abstractions in oil; show runs from Sept.11th – Oct. 7th. The gallery will also preview work by Delaware by Hand artist Constance Costigan of Lewes. Costigan, who works in layered graphite pencil, has works in the permanent collections of both the Hirshorn Museum and The Phillips Collection in Washington D.C.  An artist’s reception for Whitehead and Costigan will take place during the art walk on from 6 -9 pm. 50-A Wilmington Ave., 227-2050.

•    Kennedy Gallery -  Hosts Delaware By Hand glass artist, Connie Ballato. Connie is a well known, Lewes-based artist who designs beautiful, stained and fused glass art. Come visit with Connie on Saturday, September 12th, from 5 to 8 pm. 140 Rehoboth Ave., 227-3903.

•    Panache Gallery -  Showcasing the work of award-winning glass designer Deb Appleby. Deb is the current Board President of Delaware By Hand. A collection of her latest one-of-a-kind functional pieces will be on display. Her work in fluid glass is inspired by the environment and designed to accentuate nature’s harmony.  Please join us for a reception with the artist during the art walk from 6 to 9 pm.    129-B Rehoboth Ave., 227-9229. 

•    Philip Morton Gallery -  Featuring the members of Delaware-based “Artists’ Exchange,”  including Julie Baxendell, Laura Hickman, Marti Marino, Lee Wayne Mills, Aina Nergaard-Nammack, Peggy Sampogna and Barbara Warden.  Many original works in a variety of mediums.  Opening Reception September 11th from 5 to 8 pm.  Show runs through September 24th.  47 Baltimore Ave., 727-0905.

•    Ward Ellinger Gallery – Announcing the addition of works by Maria Napoli and Sondra N. Arkin. Please join us during the art walk to see the innovative works of our featured artists, Judy and Lou Hagen, who recycle old metals into whimsical and unique sculptures to liven any home or garden.  Also featuring new works of Abstract Expressionism in different mediums by local artist Ward Ellinger. Open every day except Tuesday and Wednesday. 39 Baltimore Ave., CAMP Rehoboth Courtyard, 227-2710. 

Mosaic was founded in 2008 to promote a heightened awareness of the emerging Rehoboth Beach art scene. The goal: promote art, unite galleries, and support artists. The group hosts a free art walk in downtown Rehoboth Beach every second Saturday of the month. Visit www.mosaicrehoboth.com for more information.

Are lower taxes enough of a reason to relocate? Maybe not, but it can be the main motivating factor for many Boomers who are preparing for retirement.  If you live in New Jersey, a state with one of the highest sales taxes or New York, one of the 5 least tax-friendly states, Delaware is worth a look. Delaware ranks a low 47th when considering tax burden as a percentage of income. With no sales tax and very low property tax, Delaware always makes the list of Tax Friendly states for retirees.

Low taxes alone however will not make you happy. I always tell my real estate clients that we don’t become different people when we retire. We may have more time to do the things we enjoy and we may take up a new hobby or sport, but we will still be the same people. If you like living in the heart of the action where you can walk to everything, you won’t be happy in a remote community an hour away from the things you enjoy. In Delaware, you would be more content living in a town like Lewes, Rehoboth or Milton. If you love being near the beach with access to great restaurants and shops, these are wonderful places to live. And, the taxes on a multi-million dollar beach house here are probably less than you pay now on a $400,000 home in New Jersey. Something to think about!

In date order here are our Top Ten Holiday Events for 2008!

This year our home in Milton is on the Holiday House Tour December 13^th. That would be a great weekend to visit Milton and get a feel for this town and its new and historic homes. Happy Holidays -

1. Sounds of Christmas at the Theatre of the Arts, Rehoboth Beach – November 23rd – December 20^th – sure to become an annual holiday event!
2. Tanger Outlets After Thanksgiving Sale – November 28^th All Tanger Outlet stores are open at midnight on Thanksgiving night!
3. Holiday Tree Lighting and Sing-a-long & Boardwalk of Lights – November 28^th, Rehoboth Beach Bandstand
4. Milton Christmas Parade – December 3^rd at 7 p.m. in Downtown Milton
5. Scrooge! A Clear Space Holiday Tradition – December 4^th, 7 p.m. – Delaware Technical & Community College, Georgetown
6. Lewes Hospitality Night – December 4^th, 6 p.m. – Lewes merchants host shopping, entertainment and complimentary refreshments.
7. Lewes Historical Society House Tour – December 6^th, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Self-guided tour of private homes and historical sites. Visit www.historiclewes.org for more information.
8. Christmas Parade and caroling in Zwaanendael Park (right across the street from the RE/MAX office in Lewes) – December 6^th at 5 p.m..
9. Milton Holly Festival – December 13^th, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Milton Fire Hall and Goshen Hall in the heart of town.
10. Milton Holiday House Tour – December 13^th, 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. to benefit the Milton Theatre.

Until Sunday, it was a mostly rainy weekend, perfect for a Film Festival! We managed to see about a dozen films between Wednesday evening and Sunday afternoon of this past week. This is the second Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival we have attended and it was excellent. We were able to share some of the films with a few of our clients and ran into many friends all weekend long. One of our favorites did win Favorite Feature – Captain Abu Raed. The cast was wonderful and the story transended the country of Jordan where it was filmed.

Our other favorites included The Grocers Son and Crazy as well as several documentaries like No Denying about the Holocaust and Sizzle, a mock documentary about global warming. When we returned home, we went to the Netflix web site and looked up the films we had missed. Over the next few months, we hope to catch up on the Independent films we missed this year at the Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival.

Is there culture here at the beach in Coastal Delaware? More than we have time to take in. Last month was the Jazz Festival; this month was the Film Festival and there are new venues for theatre, live performance, music and film opening all the time.

Bill and I went to two films on Opening Night of the Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival and the movies we selected really illustrate the diversity of films you can see at this annual event. First we saw “The Lantern” which was filmed in Ellendale, Delaware, right behind our offices located on Main Street. The director, Gustave Rehnstrom, grew up in Ellendale and his family still lives in town. The audience was full of local residents and many of the actors and crew that worked on this film for the past three years.

The second film was Captain Abu Raed, the first independent film to come out of Jordan. This is a definite must see for everyone who enjoys independent and foreign film. It’s one of those films you never want to end and so far this one is a candidate for our favorite flm of the year. This film has already won many awards at Film Festivals around the country and here it is featured in Rehoboth Beach!

Today is the beginning of the Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival. If you enjoy independent film, you really should head to Rehoboth Beach over the next 5 days. There is a great choice of films, great food and comraderie in the tent behind the Midway Theater on Route 1 between Lewes and Rehoboth Beach. I’m going to pick up out tickets this afternoon and our first movie is tonight – The Lantern, filmed locally in Ellendale, Delaware, where Bill and I have our business office and headquarters for Real Living Homes and Gotcha Covered. Bill remembers seeing all the activity right behind our office when they were filming this past summer.

For more about the Film Festival visit www.RehobothFilm.com or call 302-645-9095.