It’s Labor Day weekend at the Delaware beaches.
We’ve made it through another summer here in Lewes, Rehoboth Beach, Dewey Beach, Bethany Beach and Fenwick Island. Though the season doesn’t officially end until Sept. 23, the tourist season ends this weekend. Visitors and locals alike will be out soaking up the last of the summer ambiance on the beaches and boardwalks.
They’ll all be back in droves on the weekends in the coming months, but this is the final weekly guide to the Delaware beaches for the summer. Read on for everything you need to know if you’ll be here this weekend.
Weather
There have only been a couple of rainy weekend days at the Delaware beaches this summer, and this weekend isn’t predicted to buck the trend.
According to the National Weather Service, both days will be sunny with temperatures around 80 degrees.
Hurricane Franklin caused the service to issue a rip current advisory earlier this week. It ends Thursday afternoon, but with hurricane season roaring, it’s always smart to be vigilant when in the ocean. About 100 people are killed annually by rip currents, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association.
Rip currents are “powerful, narrow channels of fast-moving water” that can move as fast as eight feet per second, according to NOAA. However, getting caught in one is far from a death sentence – if you know what to do.
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Don’t panic and don’t try to swim straight for land. Both increase your risk of fatigue and drowning. Swim parallel to the shore to get out of the rip current and swim back to land at an angle, NOAA recommends.
Always swim near a lifeguard. At this time of year, the beaches have fewer guards because many of them have returned to school, so your regular beach may not be guarded. Make sure there’s someone in the chair.
Traffic
President Joe Biden will be at his North Shores home, just north of Rehoboth Beach, this weekend. According to the White House’s “Week Ahead Guidance,” he plans to arrive Friday and stay for the weekend.
Biden usually arrives around 6 or 7 p.m. Sometimes he takes the Marine One helicopter, sometimes he opts to be driven. If he takes the helicopter, the Gordon’s Pond parking lot, on the north end of Cape Henlopen State Park, will close for a few hours.
If he arrives via motorcade, intersections on Coastal Highway will close as he passes through, causing brief traffic delays.
Biden doesn’t typically venture far from his home when in town. It’s likely he’ll attend Mass at St. Edmond’s Roman Catholic Church in Rehoboth Saturday evening and briefly stop downtown traffic when he arrives and leaves.
More information will be available as his arrival nears.
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What to do
Labor Day traditions: The Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral takes place on the Bethany boardwalk at 5 p.m. Monday. It features New Orleans-style jazz bands and is the town’s official farewell to the summer season. Rehoboth Beach’s take on the summer farewell, the Piping Out Parade, also starts at 5 p.m. Monday on the Rehoboth boardwalk.
Live music: Plenty of bars at the Delaware beaches offer live music on weekends, such as, to name a few, the Bottle & Cork, The Rusty Rudder, Paradise Grill, and Irish Eyes. Lewes, Rehoboth and Bethany Beach all offer free live music on summer weekends, too, so check your town’s website for more details.
Theatre: This weekend is your last chance to see “Jesus Christ Superstar” at Clear Space Theatre Company in Rehoboth Beach. “Master Magician” Chris Capehart will perform at Dickens Parlour Theatre in Ocean View and The Milton Theatre has various music and comedy acts this weekend.
Festivals: The Freeman Arts Pavilion in Selbyville will host an Arts and Jazz Festival Saturday starting at 4 p.m. Three notable jazz musicians will play and art will be for sale at this free event.
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What to know
Loitering and teen issues: Dewey Beach police have long wrangled large crowds of teens at night, and especially so around the Fourth of July this year. They often gather in the parking lot of the business plaza on the northeast corner of Coastal Highway and Dagsworthy Street, where Wings To Go is. In August, Dewey Beach Police Chief Constance Speake announced new efforts to curb loitering there.
“This lot often times is used for large groups to gather. These gatherings block passage in and out of the businesses,” Speake said in a Dewey Beach Police Department Facebook post.
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The department recently entered into an agreement with the property owners that gives officers authority to “give warnings to persons that have no legitimate business on the property to vacate the premise or face arrest for trespassing.”
Both Dewey Beach and Bethany Beach are enforcing curfews. In Bethany Beach, the curfew is 11 p.m. for anyone under the age of 18. It’s the same in Dewey, except on Fridays and Saturdays, when the curfew begins at midnight.
Beach closures: There are currently no beach closures in Sussex County; however, water quality advisories are most frequently issued at this time of year.
The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control issues an advisory when officials find elevated levels of Enterococci bacteria in the water at a guarded beach (among others). Enterococci indicates fecal matter in the water and the potential for disease.
Above-standard Enterococci levels are usually caused by “wildlife sources and increased rainfall, waves or wildlife feeding near the surf (shorebirds, marine mammals or other warm-blooded animals),” according to the department.
It’s a good idea to check back frequently. Swimming is not recommended when a water quality advisory is active.
Surf-fishing: We’ve reminded readers of the surf-fishing changes every week this summer, so consider this your final warning from Delaware Online/The News Journal.
You still need a permit to surf-fish on drive-on beaches, available at most state park offices, but now, if you want to drive on the beaches on a weekend or holiday, you also need a reservation.
Reservations are $4 per vehicle, per day and can be made at www.destateparks.com/SurfTagSales. The online system opens at 11 a.m. on Tuesdays for Saturday reservations and 11 a.m. on Wednesdays for Sunday reservations. The most popular drive-on beaches will likely sell out, so make reservations now.
Shannon Marvel McNaught reports on Sussex County and beyond. Reach her at smcnaught@gannett.com or on Twitter @MarvelMcNaught
