F.Y.I. Things Worth Knowing

Hockessin Bookshelf Changes Hands

The independent bookstore is alive and well, and Jennifer Blab of Kennett Square is betting a new chapter of her life on people buying real books in real stores. After reading on Facebook that Rebecca Dowling was closing Hockessin BookShelf to relocate to California, Blab called Dowling and made an offer. A few weeks later, the former Kennett Library staff person became the new owner of the store at 7179 Lancaster Pike. 

Established in 2002, the Hockessin BookShelf carries both new and used books. The tiny (826 square feet) store is the center for many community events, hosting author and non-author events, books clubs, and workshops. 

The store is open Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.

Visit hockessinbookshelf.com.

Duckpin Bowling Debuts Downtown, Next Up is Shuffleboard Club

Wilmington-based developer The Buccini/Pollin Group has opened Wilma’s at 900 N. Market Street and later this year plans to open a shuffleboard club just around the corner. Shuffle Libre will feature full-size shuffleboard courts and a Cuban-themed menu and be located at The Residences at Mid-town Park (116 W. 9th St.).

Wilma’s is the city’s first duckpin and dining concept, featuring a four-lane duckpin bowling alley, retro arcade games along with a full-service bar and 60-seat restaurant specializing in New Orleans-inspired cuisine. Wilma’s is in the former Delaware Trust building, which was last home to Ernest & Scott Taproom. 

Celebrating The Delaware Contemporary

The Delaware Contemporary will host its annual fundraiser, Art pARTy, on Sat, Feb. 26 from 6-9 pm. The event will connect to the museum’s winter/spring exhibit, Narrative: Let the Stories, which explores how we define ourselves and understand the human experience through storytelling. Art pARTy will feature food, drink, music and the unveiling of new work by City Theater Company. 

For tickets, visit DeContemporary.org.

Great Dames Remarkable Ideas Winner Announced

UP Cycle Design founder Sierra RyanWallick won the 2021 Great Dames Remarkable Ideas Pitch Competition, a competitive contest narrowed down to five finalists who presented ideas to reimagine the future. Besides a $1,000 cash award, RyanWallick received a business mentor for an entire year and a portfolio of business services. 

UP Cycle Design, RyanWallick’s green startup, is a zero-waste sustainable fashion brand that upcycles materials fated for landfills into new products, a concept designed to reutilize excessive amounts of clothing donated to thrift stores. The startup supports community causes by donating 15% of the proceeds from each unit sold. In partnership with The Warehouse, a project serving teenagers in Northeast Wilmington’s underserved Riverside area, RyanWallick also mentors teens about entrepreneurship, design and sustainability.

A University of Delaware entrepreneurship major, RyanWallick began her social entrepreneurial career at the age 10 by launching AutumnLeaf Fundraisers, which has raised over $100,000 for nonprofit causes. UP Cycle Design also shows promise, having expanded to a team with five interns and plans to develop additional partnerships.

For tickets, visit EventBrite.com/IRCxWilmington. 

Debut of Dirty Popcorn Black Film Festival Set for Delaware Art Museum

Wilmington’s first black film festival, presented by Jet Phynx Films, will take place throughout the month of February at the Delaware Art Museum. The mission of the Dirty Popcorn Black Film Festival is to provide a platform and venue to discover and celebrate filmmakers of color from Delaware and the surrounding region while also providing a means of preserving the work of local black filmmakers.

The festival is still accepting short film submissions (under 30 minutes) from Black or indigenous people of color through Jan. 17 in three categories: Narrative (drama/fiction), Documentary, Experimental (music videos, animation, etc). Selected films will be shown on each Sunday of February, with a red-carpet awards ceremony set for the final Sunday  (Feb.27).

Filmmakers from Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York are eligible with no entry fee required. You can submit your entry at filmfreeway.com/TheDirtyPopcornBlackFilmFestival.

Dave Tiberi to Enter A.C. Boxing Hall of Fame

New Castle native Dave Tiberi, whose memorable 1992 fight against James Toney launched a Senate investigation and major reforms in boxing, is one of 17 boxers entering the Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame. The organization’s sixth induction ceremony will take place this Oct. 7-9 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City.

Joining Tiberi in this year’s 17-member class will be his 1992 opponent, James Toney, along with worldwide boxing stars Lennox Lewis and Julio César Chávez. Other inductees include Frank Fletcher, Chuck Mussachio, Kathy Collins-Globuschutz, Kathy Duva, Pat Lynch, Kevin Rooney Sr., Lynne Carter, Randy Neumann, Dr. Domenic Coletta, Tom Casino, and posthumously: James Broad, Eddie Aliano, and Harold Lederman. For more information, visit the Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame at ACBHOF.com.

Highmark Announces $900,000 in Grants

Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Delaware is distributing $904,00 in community grants to six organizations in the fourth quarter, bringing its 2021 total to $5.5 million through its standard and small-grants program.

The recipients of the current grants are:

Amanecer will receive funding for their program focused on building the pipeline of bilingual and culturally responsive behavioral health professionals.
Tomaro’s Change will receive support to provide free to low-cost therapeutic services to youth and their families who are uninsured or underinsured.
Meet Me at the Well will receive a grant to support their Healthcare Ecosystem Professional Pathway to give survivors of human trafficking the opportunity to pursue health careers.
Central Delaware Habitat for Humanity will receive a grant for their Health Homes initiative to address health hazards in the home.
Delaware Division of Libraries will receive funding to support the scale-up of telehealth services to an additional 10 public libraries across the state in all three counties, following a BluePrints grant that assisted its pilot launch in Sussex County.
Energize Delaware will receive a grant to improve home health for patients, families, seniors and the most vulnerable in communities, in partnership with health care providers.