A Holiday Tradition
Music With A Mission presents A Jazz Christmas on Sunday, Dec. 4 (7pm) at Tatnall School’s Laird Center with proceeds benefiting Wilmington’s Ministry of Caring. The concert will feature the jazz and jazz-pop stylings and compositions of Delaware’s Wilson Gault Somers. Music With A Mission events have raised thousands of dollars for causes as diverse as aid to the homeless and recognition and healing for the heroes of 9/11 and their families. Admission is $20 for adults and $10 for students. Visit JazzChristmas.org.
Music Grant A Boost For Wilmington Amphitheater
Wilmington was one of 15 new recipients of a $90,000 matching grant from the Levitt Foundation to produce free outdoor concerts in an underused city public space. In total, 33 towns and cities across the U.S. received Levitt “AMP Your City” grants for 2023-25. The Levitt Foundation is a social impact funder supporting non-profits nationwide who are seeking to build community through free music in public spaces.
Wilmington plans to use its funding to produce 10 free concerts per year for three years in a new amphitheater at the Urban Artist Exchange, located adjacent to Urban Bike Project at 1500 N. Walnut St.
“Since the Levitt AMP Grant Awards began in 2015, we’ve seen grassroots non-profits inspire transformation in their towns and cities through free outdoor concerts — activating underused public spaces, ensuring access to the arts, sparking additional investments, and strengthening the social fabric of their communities,” said Sharon Yazowski, executive director of the Levitt Foundation.
The Urban Artist Exchange currently contains eight art-creating and teaching studios. An amphitheater with lawn seating for 700-800 people is currently under construction with an early-summer 2023 completion date scheduled.
“The concert series will be one component of the UAE Amphitheater,” said City of Wilmington Cultural Affairs Director Tina Betz. Presentations in music, dance and theater are also planned.
“When we first entered into the agreement that created the Urban Artist Exchange, Tina Betz and I imagined UAE would be a distinctive destination known for welcoming creative people and using the arts to transform the East Side physically, socially, and culturally,” said Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki. “I noted several months ago that this incredible space has already exceeded all expectations, and we are just getting started.”
Wilmington University Launches Law School
Wilmington University has launched a law school — only the second in Delaware — that will welcome its first class in the fall of 2023.
WilmU President Dr. LaVerne Harmon said the new school “represents our history of providing career-oriented programs for students from diverse backgrounds and our responsiveness to the needs of the community. It will embrace a culture of inclusiveness, welcoming qualified students who reflect the communities they will serve.”
Tuition for full-time students will be $24,000 per year, while part-time students will be charged $18,000 — significantly lower fees than those at Widener University, Delaware’s only other law school.
WilmU has traditionally catered to working adults, and its website noted that course schedules and curricula for the law school “have been crafted to maximize the benefit for students who may be balancing professional and personal commitments in addition to their legal studies.”
Dean of the new school is Phillip J. Closius, who previously led the University of Baltimore School of Law and the University of Toledo College of Law.
The Little Treasure Shop In Newark
The Newark art community has a new retail store with plans to showcase local artists as The Little Treasure Shoppe (226. W. Park Place, Suite 14) opens this month. The shop will feature an eclectic array of vintage, home décor and original art. The Little Treasure Shoppe is currently soliciting artists and makers who would like their work represented. For more, visit their Facebook page, email TreasureShoppeDe@gmail.com, or visit TreasureShoppeDE.com.
High School Basketball National Showcase Returns to Lewes
Slam Dunk to the Beach/Hoophall East, one of three tournaments in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Hoophall Regional Series, returns to Cape Henlopen High Dec. 26-29.
The tournament annually features some of the top high school basketball players in the country, with more than 70 former Slam Dunk participants moving onto the NBA, including recent players Donte DIVincenzo (Salesianum graduate), Luke Garza, Jonathan Kuminga, Mohamed Bomba, Cam Reddish and Tony Carr.
“We are excited to return to Lewes during the holiday season and bring talent from local and national programs together at Hoophall East,” said John L. Doleva, President & CEO of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. “This showcase provides a unique opportunity for the local community to experience some of the best high school talent in the country.”
In addition to local participants, the tournament will feature teams from Arizona, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia. For schedule and tickets, visit SlamDunktotheBeach.com.
Food Bank Launches New App-Driven Food Rescue Program
A new application that Food Bank of Delaware is introducing to the state in partnership with Bayhealth and the American Heart Association will connect community volunteers with retailers, restaurants and other food services to rescue (redirect) food. This is a first-in-the-nation statewide rescue program and will feature volunteers (302 Food Rescue Crew) delivering unused food to Food Bank partners across Delaware who serve food insecure individuals.
The new 302 Food Rescue app is powered by Food Rescue Hero. Food Rescue Hero was purposefully designed to automate the time consuming and logistical challenges facing food rescue organizations. Since 2016, the app developed by this Pittsburgh-based organization has prevented more than 100 million pounds of perfectly good food from getting wasted and redirected it to people who need it.
“America has more than enough food for everyone to eat,” said Food Bank of Delaware President and CEO Cathy Kanefsky. “But each year, billions of pounds of perfectly good food go to waste in our country. 302 Food Rescue will allow us to do our part here in Delaware to divert fresh food from the landfill and put it on the plates of those who need it most.”
Visit 302FoodRescue.org.
Former Out & About Contributor Publishes Poetry Book
Former University of Delaware student Leah Browning, whose work has appeared in Out & About Magazine and been performed by Wilmington’s City Theater Company, recently released her first full-length collection of poetry entitled When the Sun Comes Out After Three Days of Rain.
Browning, who has lived in San Jose, California the past 12 years, is the author of Two Good Ears and Loud Snow, a pair of flash fiction mini-books published by Silent Station Press; three short nonfiction books for teens and pre-teens, all released by educational publisher Capstone Press; and six chapbooks of poetry and short fiction.
When the Sun Comes Out After Three Days of Rain was published by Kelsay Books and is available at KelsayBooks.com, Amazon.com and other online booksellers.
The Perfect Stocking Stuffer
The War on Words paperback makes an ideal stocking stuffer. A collection of dozens of the popular columns by Bob Yearick that appear every month in this magazine, it fits neatly into any stocking — or under the Christmas tree.
In it, you’ll discover the most misused and abused punctuation mark, and why “begs the question” does not mean what you think it means, as well as other grammar secrets.
Get your copies at the Hockessin Book Shelf, 7179 Lancaster Pike, Hockessin, or go to the website: HockessinBookShelf.com.
It’s Back! City Loop Series Resumes December 10
The City Loop Series resumes with the Ugly Sweater Santa Crawl set for Saturday, Dec. 10 (8pm start). The 41-year-old Loop Series is a collection of costumed bar crawls that has become one of Wilmington’s most-enduring nightlife traditions.
This year, the non-profit group Motorcycle Santas is teaming with Loop organizer Out & About Magazine for the Ugly Sweater Santa Crawl. Partial proceeds from the event will benefit Ronald McDonald House.
The 2022-23 Loop Series will also include the 34th annual St. Paddy’s Loop on Sat., March 11 and a Feb. 2023 Loop with a theme to be determined by online vote. For participating venues and other details, visit OutAndAboutNow.com.
A Sweet Cider Returns For Dessert
If you love apple pie and are a fan of hard cider, have we got good news for you…
Wilmington Brew Works is teaming up once again with “That Pie Girl” Amy Watson Bish for — you guessed it — That Pie Girl’s apple-pied-flavored cider.
The hard cider was such a sell-out success after its debut last year, that the WBW team was intent on bringing it back. Its initial run went on tap last month at the brewery last month. It will go back on draft this month (before Thanksgiving) with another 144 bottles on sale to go.
“Every sip of That Pie Girl’s Apple Pie cider tastes as if you’re eating the pie of its namesake,” says John Fusco, WBW’s vice-president of creative and brand marketing. “Cinnamon, allspice, and cloves greet you on the aroma and through the finish, as a touch of caramel and vanilla add a touch of sweetness.
“Thanksgiving is one of the biggest holidays for enjoying cider. While a dry cider pairs very well with the main course, we set out to craft a cider that would pair wonderfully with dessert, with help from Wilmington’s Favorite Pie Girl, Amy Bish!”
Visit WilmingtonBrewWorks.com.
