Delmar DustPan

I stopped by the Seaford Heritage days at the Ross Mansion in Seaford today. This is a very nice event and for all practical purposes it is FREE. Okay it will cost you $3.00 to tour the buildings, but since I have already been thru them I skipped that part.

Gov. Ross Mansion

They had the usual food vendors, artisans, living historians and a number of musical groups including this strolling Banjo Players. Also a nice car show and horse drawn wagon rides.

One thing they had while I was there was a reenactment of a civil war skirmish. Above photo is of the Union Troops taking the field

The Confederates take the field

Yankee Rebel shoot out

A little cannon fire

Gov. Ross was captured by the union soldiers

As I said this is a very good event if you have children or grandchildren and you want to take them somewhere where you are not going to have to sell one of them to a childless couple in a third world country in order to have enough to pay for the other ones to attend (The Delaware Fair is getting to be like that). The battle will amuse them. The musicians will amuse them. You will not escape not buying them something. Myself, I paid $3.00 for a glass of lemonade but I made it up by hitting the Republican Campaign booth and picked up a cool pen that says "Thanks For Your Support, John Brady Big Guy 2008" and a pot holder that says "You won't be burned with the Big Guy as Insurance Commissioner Elect John Brady 2008, Let the Big Guy work for you." Apparently the Big Guy John Brady has some money he is throwing around.

I think it is also going on tomorrow so if you have time stop by and if you are from Maryland you can do a little tax free shopping (Seaford has a Walmart and a Lowes also)

Below is a list of disbursements for the year for the Town of Delmar Maryland as of May 1, 1913

Sussex Light and Power Co ------------------- $451.17
Note in the Bank of Delmar -------------------$200.00
Chester Smith - Surveying & Grading -----------$77.00
Hollis Lowe - Surveying & Grading ------------$18.82
NYR&N RR Co - Frt on Shells--------------------$45.00
Joseph Polyette - 2 cars of shells-------------$75.00
C. W. Mitchell - shells------------------------$ 2.76
E E Freeny - hauling dirt ------------------$ 9.30
T S Culver -Hauling Dirt --------------------$ 6.35
Delmar Lbr Mfg Co - Lumber ------------------$7.42
N B LeCates - damage assessed by opening 6th st- $50.00
A Brewington - Looking after fire engine repairs -$28.30
W L Sirman - Ground rent yrs 1911 & 1912 -----$33.55
L A Truitt & Co - coal------------------------$ 5.12
John W. Culver - cement crossing on 4th st alley-$18.88
T G Elliott - pipe, hdwe & Etc ---------------$44.25
L W Gunby - pipe ----------------------------$11.01
Delaware Buggy Hdwe Co ------------------------$10.50
Chas W. Hudson - work on street---------------$ 9.30
Geo T Jones - Printing notices receipts &Etc--$11.75
E W Hastings - dirt --------------------------$ 3.45
W B Stephens - office rent--------------------$ 6.00
Gordy & Holloway - Cement Crossing-------------$72.40
Earl B Elliott - Cement Crossing---------------$62.50
R H Lowe - ½ cement crossing at V H Gordy------$ 9.00
E W Palmer, D H Foskey, and T L Long – Service on 7th st-$ 9.50
Jos F Wells and W W Culver - moving trees------$ 4.00
M H German - assisting surveyor, comm. On licenses and property-$29.29
D H O’Neal - commission collecting St Taxes------$ 4.52
C P Sturgis, W J Calhoun – shells--------------$16.08
Minus LeCates------------------------------------$ 2.32
J W Freeny - assessing property & Grade stakes---$ 3.25
H L Elliott - hauling shells on 4th st-----------$ 2.60
W B Dunn - commission on collecting taxes--------$ 4.91
W S Marvel – Screen for ditch--------------------$ 1.00
Jas H Cordrey, Chas E Hearn – assisting surveyor--$16.13
S Truitt, Thos W Hitchens, Thos E Hearn – assisting Surveyor-$ 9.50
W B Elliott – commission collecting St taxes-----$32.40
W B Elliott – work on street---------------------$451.16
E E Gordy – commission Collecting Cor taxes------$101.53
E E Gordy – stationary and postage---------------$10.80

Total Disbursements-----------------------------$1,963.89

Now I totaled the numbers and came up with $1,967.82 or $3.93 off but I copied the numbers right so did they make a mistake?

i thank You God for most this amazing
day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky;and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes

(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun's birthday;this is the birth
day of life and of love and wings:and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)

how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any-lifted from the no
of all nothing-human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?

(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)

-----------e.e. cummings

Well as reported in this Aftenposten article they are looking at making hot dogs out of salmon. According to them a hot dog (or sausage) gets its special flavor from the seasonings used in preparing them not from the meat that makes them up. I guess hot dogs (like scrapple) is one of those products you don't want to know what goes into it. The photo I stole from Aftenposten shows forced enthusiasm for eating those dogs.

As a reminder today is the last day to reserve a space to sell stuff at the annual Day In The Park in Delmar. "Day In the Park" will happen on June 7, 2008 at State Street Park in Delmar. So if you are interested in having a booth at "Day In The Park" you will need an application and you will have to hunt down a member of the Chamber of Commerce to get that application as it is too late to write to; The Greater Delmar Chamber of Commerce, PO Box 416, Delmar DE 19940 ATTN: Day In The Park.

See my previous post

The Delmar Planning and Zoning Commission met tonight. Commissioner Ed Ferro and Joe Dixon were missing. This was Joy Slabaugh, newest commissioner, first P & Z meeting. Since at times people think I am in some way involved in an official capacity at these meetings I attend let me say I am not I just attend them as all good citizens should. My usual disclaimer is what I write is not the minutes of the meetings, it is just my interpretation of what took place and what I am interested in posting. If you want to know the real story go to the meeting.

Bill Mervine of Prestige Homes was finally given permission to build at Lot 3 Bynum Lane. It took a letter from the town attorney (Jim Waehler) to convince them that he could. It was approved 4 to 1 with Mike Houlihan voting against it as he said he was an elected official and the people that voted for him didn't want the land built on.

Frank Nechay came asking for an extension of time for his Lighthouse Square Flex Warehouse development (By Holiday Inn). He said they had semi-closed on May 14th but still had a Storm Water management plan to work out. The time extension was granted.

The Bank of Delmarva came for final Plat Approval for their Rt 13 Site. As you may recall they desire to build next to Rite Aid. This time the person who appeared was Wade Insley, attorney and 30 year Director of the Bank Of Delmarva. Obviously the implied threat was there.

Wade H. Insley III

The Commission deep in thought

The issue is the height of the sign. Commissioner Carl Anderton would like for all new businesses in Delmar to have a sign that is not much larger than ten foot. He has been successful in getting a few new businesses to go along with him. They do not have to as the ordinance says they can have a thirty foot tall sign. Bank of Delmarva wants to put in a 19 foot tall sign. Now I have mixed feelings over it. First I don't want Route 13 to have a lot of large signs on it but second if the business has the right (as based on our Code) than they should be allowed to do it. The thing to do is to change the code. It would be nice if the Bank of Delmarva would go along with the ten foot sign but Mr. Insley's attitude did not in any way attempt to be reasonable about the height of the sign. Needless to say since he had the code on his side and no one except Carl seems interested in going up against the Bank of Delmarva they voted to approve Final Plat and sign Design. Big thumbs up to Carl Anderton for trying to improve Delmar.

Steve Fuller of the Foskey Lane Business Park development came for revised preliminary approval. As you may recall from a previous post Steve Fuller is connected with Stillwater Ponds development that once approval was given he turned around and put it up for sale. So will he do the same thing for this development? The Foskey Lane Business Park is on the North side of Foskey Lane opposite Harvey Mack and borders on Rt13.


Sakina Byrd came asking for approval to operate a Day care at 203 E. State Street (Delaware). She was reminded that she would need a business license and she could not have her customers park in the church parking lot beside her house/business. Approval was given.

Michael Digennaro of Delmar Auto Outlet asked for approval to put up a pole shed at the Auto Dealership to detail and do minor repairs. Approval was given.

Foster Vernon, who applied to operate a Hot Dog Stand in Delmar, sent a letter to the commission to say he was withdrawing his application as with all the permits and Health Department requirements he would be unable to make a profit with the business. It is indeed a poor reflection on the state of business in Delaware when a man wants to open the quintessence small business of a hot dog stand and can not do so due to government regulations.

Doug Marshall had asked for a letter saying the property he was going to build on was grandfathered in due to it lot size. The Maryland attorney said it was and the Commissioners gave approval for it.

We, Benjamin F. Barker, Joseph J. Ellis and Jackson L. Ellis, Commissioners named in the act of the General Assembly of the State of Delaware, Incorporating the Town of Delmar in Sussex County of the State Of Delaware passed at Dover February 28th 1899 after having been duly qualified by taking the oath of office prescribed by said act and having called to our assistance Samuel E. Foskey, a surveyor, who was likewise qualified did in the month of May and June in the year 1899 proved to survey said town and established it's limits, streets, alleys, lanes, and sidewalks, and in do herely certify that this is a correct plot or map of said town.

Witness our hand this 7th day of July A.D. 1899

B. F. Barker, Commissioner
J. J. Ellis, Commissioner
J. L. Ellis, Commissioner
Samuel E Foskey, Surveyor

For all our government interference, in real life, people will break into groups based on what I like to call the “Just-like-me” (JLM) theory. People exhibit “natural Tribal-like” tendency to group into clusters or groups that are Just-Like-Them. The groupings tend to be based on economics, racial, ethnic, religion, gender, age, and “values”. People will live in neighborhoods that exhibit the Just-Like-Me, they even work in companies that come close to Just-Like-Me. At sport games you see the audience split into their clusters. When you raise your children you want for them to be Just-Like-Me, only richer and smarter. One of the fears in raising our kids was sending them to public school as the school systems has no “values” and it is a along way from Just-Like-Me. There is an entire marketing philosophy called cluster marketing that addresses the Just-Like-Me idea.

Before in elections, I was home free because all the candidates were Just-Like Me - old white guys. This year is an entirely different story; we have a black guy, a white woman, and an old white guy running. I hear more and more people saying I am going to vote for so and so because he is black, like me, or they are voting for the woman because she is like me or I am going to vote for the old white guy because he is Just-Like-Me.

Let me say I am not happy with any of the candiates. None address adequately the economic situation in America which is the number one problem. I feel none are going to change anything. All have been in government long enough to do something and they haven’t.

To me Senator Obama is like a cheap pie, all crust and no filling. But the Media is so backing this guy they just shove him down our throats every chance they get. No other candidate can run against him because the Media runs them down. He gets tons of free publicity on the TV stations and he is not asked hard questions, no one is publishing his background. It is a media set up. For those reasons and the Just-Like-Me theory it says I am not going to vote for him.

Senator Clinton - you have to be kidding, but I will give her big credit for busting ass in this campaign and fighting on even when the media is knocking her down, but again the Just-Like-Me comes into play - plus I don’t think she has any idea about the economy.

Senator McClain is not Just-Like-Me. Old, white and a man, yes, but I don’t agree with all of his views and frankly he puts you to sleep listening to him.

The only logical choice is to write in OutRaged Richard or vote for Ron Paul for president.

From the "Delmar News" May 20, 1904

A DISGRACEFUL AFFAIR

One of the most disgraceful affairs that has taken place in Delmar for some time past occurred last Saturday night. The participants in this affair were several young men from Salisbury, ably assisted by some from Delmar. The Salisbury boys came up on train No. 80, arriving here at 10 p.m. with the intention of having a good time drinking brandy, purchased from a nearby distillery. They loaded up in a wagon and drove out into the country where it is said that all the brandy that was for sale was purchased. They returned to town and by the time they arrived here things were beginning to look double to them. From that time until the south bound passenger train at 2:50 a.m. they had a big time at least it seemed so to them. Several pistol shots were fired, and they had lots of amusement all to themselves, making things miserable for all who were unfortunate enough to be in the locality of the depot.

That young men will engage in anything so degrading is a disgrace to mankind, and there should be a law to prevent such affairs. It also appears to us that if we are to have no saloon we should also not tolerate such an affair as that of Saturday night. When the saloon was allowed to exist in Delmar we were not disgraced to any greater extent than this affair is a disgrace. If we are to have no saloon why should not the law affecting the sale of intoxicants be enforced to it's fullest extent?

I was watching the movie "The Curse of the Golden Flower", which I thought was good, and had a fleeing thought to ask my two daughters to join me in watching it. I realised however it was pointless to ask them as there is a totally different world between which movies men enjoy and what movies women enjoy. Since I just have daughters and no sons, the movies I enjoy I usually enjoy alone as they have no appreciation of the Dirty Harry Movies, "Braveheart," "Saving Private Ryan," "Apocalypse Now," "Reservoir Dogs," etc. I, however, have sit thru those mind numbing movies they watch like "Steel Magnolias", "The Ya Ya Sisterhood,""Pretty Woman" etc.

I have tried to have them appreciate the humor of the Three Stooges - nothing, they actually thought the Three Stooges movies were stupid!!

I have tried to teach them the classic movie quotes so they could use them in intelligent conversation, like;

"Badges? We Ain't got no badges. We don't need no badges. I don't have to show you any stinking badges." (The Treasure of the Sierra Madre)

"What we have is a failure to communicate" (Cool Hand Luke)

"Make him an offer he can't refuse" (The Godfather)

"I love the smell of napalm in the morning" (Apocalypse Now)

"Say hello to my leetle friend" (Scarface)

""You can't Handle the truth" (A few Good Men)

"Lets Play Global Thermonuclear War" (War Games)

"I'll be back" ( The Terminator)

"Go Ahead, make my day" (Sudden Impact)

"Do you feel lucky? Well, do ya punk?" (Dirty Harry)

But it is useless, I have never heard them use any of those quotes.

I have noticed the LACK of small birds (Wrens, Titmouses or titmice, Sparrows etc) in my backyard. This has occurred in the past week. Did the rain drive them away somewhere?

The North Water Tower is being drained for it's inspection. The North water tank is a single pedestal elevated storage tank that holds 250,000 gallons (at 8.33 pounds a gallon that is over 2 million pounds up there). The tank is about 125 feet in height and when full the water level elevation is 119.5 feet above ground level.

The North water tower was built in 1999 by Brown Steel construction (Caldwell Tanks). The cost was $700,000 and funding was provided by USDA Rural Development with a split of Delaware 41% and Maryland 59%.


There is a drainage pond on the grounds that is there specifically for when the tower is drained.