By Jerry duPhily
Welcome to the first issue of our 38th year. Our anniversary is in March.
It seems like yesterday we were the new kids on the block. Today, we’re being asked if we still have a photo from 25 years ago, when my dad was playing drums in a band at the Logan House.
It’s one of the joys of creating this periodical. In a sense, we’re a scrapbook for the scene.
We’re also looking to add new memories to that scrapbook, so if you have a suggestion for a story we should share, send our way. Speaking of stories worth sharing, I’m confident you’ll enjoy this month’s cover story on neighborhood favorite Kid Shelleen’s. Likewise for the profile of community activist Traci Manza Murphy as well as our inspiring visit to the Wilmington Kitchen Collective — three stories right up Out & About’s alley.
Also up our alley is supporting or inventing creative reasons to get out and about. Some of our events, such as City Restaurant Week, Wilmington Grand Prix and Newark Food & Brew Festival, are celebrating significant milestones this year. So, please check out our 2025 event schedule on the adjacent page. We have Labyrinth playing at Penn Cinema for Movies on Tap Jan. 24 while Greater Wilmington Beer Week and the St. Patrick’s Loop are just around the corner.
Finally, we also have new editorial concepts we’re rolling out this year. As mentioned in last month’s column, our Pets of the Month partnership with Humane Animal Partners and Tito’s Handmade Vodka begins this month. See page 12.
We’ve also brought back our Bites department, provided tasty tidbits on area dining happenings (see page 37). We welcome restaurateurs and diners to send us news items pertaining to the local scene.
And in the coming months we will unveil a new partnership with Avelo Airlines and Delaware River & Bay Authority. This will be an interactive endeavor in which we ask readers to write or share stories about their travels. Those who do it well could win airline tickets. So, polish up that prose.
Those fresh concepts are just the beginning. Look for more new departments in 2025, many sparked by the thoughtful reader suggestions we received during our recent reader survey.
Yes, we’re closing in on four decades of Out & About, a milestone both humbling and a bit unsettling. After all, we feel like we’re 29 . . . and just getting started.
Happy New Year!
