The Fourth of July went down without any major glitches at the Delaware beaches this week, other than the usual sunburns and hangovers.
The rest of the summer is just an extension of the party.
July and August are the busiest months at the beach. Tourists are filling up hotels and beach houses with family and friends and they’re all swimming and sunning, dining and shopping — doing all the things that make up that $2.6 billion-dollar tourism industry.
Be kind to your service workers. They’re getting utterly slammed right now and probably don’t have much time off. At the same time, they’re probably grateful for the return to normalcy after COVID upended things, meaning they’re grateful for you, their customers.
PHOTOS:How the Delaware beaches celebrated the Fourth of July
Delaware Online/The News Journal publishes this guide to the Delaware beaches every week. All you need to know about this weekend’s weather, beach closures, events and more can be found below.
Weather
The National Weather Service predicts Saturday will be partly sunny, with patchy fog in the morning and temperatures of about 80 degrees.
For the past few weekends, there’s been a chance of rain or thunderstorms at the beaches. The same is true for overnight Saturday and on Sunday.
Oftentimes, summer storms come and go quickly, so don’t count Sunday as rained out just yet. Keep your beach plans flexible and play it by ear.
Things to do
Delaware Seashore State Park will hold its 43rd Annual Sandcastle Contest Saturday at Tower Road oceanside from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. It’s free to participate and open to amateurs and “experienced builders” alike, with prizes awarded in two categories: 12 and under and all ages.
There are still tickets available to see country music musician Walker Hayes Friday night at the Freeman Arts Pavilion in Selbyville. You may have heard his song “Fancy Like,” which gained popularity on TikTok.
There are two acts to see at Freeman on Saturday. Groovy Nate plays at 10 a.m., “a children’s entertainer who creates fun and educational shows using funky grooves, exotic musical instruments, and comedy — a la Sesame Street meets Parliament/Funkadelic,” according to Freeman’s website. Hollywood Nights: A Bob Seger Experience plays in the evening.
The Bottle & Cork in Dewey Beach has some notable music acts this weekend, too. Magical Mystery Doors: Tribute to Beatles/Zeppelin/Doors play Friday night and Allen Stone, a soul and R&B musician who has appeared as a mentor on “American Idol,” plays Sunday night.
More:Jimmie Allen headed ‘on tour in September,’ says fan at surprise Delaware performance
Things to know
The beach replenishment that’s been ongoing at the Delaware beaches since April is almost complete, but not quite.
There may still be periodic closures at Bethany Beach and South Bethany as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers finishes pumping much-needed sand onto the beaches. Rehoboth Beach, Dewey Beach and Fenwick Island have already been replenished.
If you’re back at the Delaware beaches for the first time since last year, there have been some major changes to surf-fishing rules.
You can still walk onto the beach and fish with just a fishing license, and you still need a permit to surf-fish on the drive-on beaches. There’s no cap on how many permits can be sold anymore and they’re available at most state park offices. If you want to drive on to surf-fish on weekends or holidays, however, you now need a reservation.
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Reservations are $4 and can be made at destateparks.com/surftagsales. Reservations for Saturday go on sale at 11 a.m. Tuesday and for Sunday at 11 a.m. Wednesday. You’ll want to get reservations as soon as possible at this time of year. They are likely to sell out.
Cape Henlopen surf-fishing beaches have been the most popular this summer, often selling out, but the website allows you to see which other beaches have openings. If you can’t get your usual spot at Herring Point in Cape Henlopen, try a Delaware Seashore State Park beach.
Shannon Marvel McNaught reports on Sussex County and beyond. Reach her at smcnaught@gannett.com or on Twitter @MarvelMcNaught
