The 24th annual Boast the Coast event will take place on Saturday, October 5, 2019. Boast the Coast was conceived in 1996 to showcase Lewes’ nautical heritage and to feature activities that complemented the already long-established University of Delaware’s annual “Coast Day” event.
Coast Day takes place on their Lewes campus on Pilottown Road the first Sunday in October with Boast the Coast always the day before.
There are a number of free activities associated with Boast the Coast taking place in 1812 Park adjacent to the City Dock on the canal from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The children’s activities include free nautically-themed face painting and balloon art by Chuckles the Clown. Free deck tours of the R/V “FIRST STATE,” the Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife’s 65’ research vessel, will take place at City Dock, also from 11a.m. – 2 p.m. There is a Seafood Tasting in the park during those hours with food priced individually.
The Lewes Historical Society is partnering again this year with the Lewes Chamber of
Commerce and Cape Water Tours for a special one-day tour as part of the Boast the Coast activities. The Cape Water Tours vessel, Discovery, will have two, one hour-long cruises at 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. This year, the tours will depart from the Cape Water Tour’s dock at 213 Anglers Road, Lewes (NOT City Dock.)
The knowledgeable Lewes Historical Society guide aboard the Discovery will narrate the cruise South along the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal along seldom explored routes to be regaled by historic tales and lore. Tour goers will hear tales of the early settlers of the area and pirate visits of the past. While taking in the wetland scenery, they’ll imagine Lewes’s most famous historic event: the Bombardment by the British during the War of 1812. They will see wildlife along the way, and enjoy the changing season on the quiet back waters. Advanced reservations for each of the two tours can be made by going to the Cape Water Tour’s website: https://www.capewatertaxi.com/treasured-tales-lore-tour-1-hour/ Tickets are $10 per person. Seating is limited so advance reservations are strongly suggested. For reservation assistance call Cape Water Tours at 302-644-7334. Tours leave from the Cape Water Tours’ dock. Directions to their dock: From Savannah Road, turn onto Anglers Road. Proceed to the end of the road. Their dock is past Irish Eyes restaurant, on the left, behind the white building with the blue roof that says, “Anglers fishing Center.” There is plenty of free parking.
The annual Lewes Merchants’ Fall Sidewalk Sale has long been associated with Boast the Coast. It is a three day event, wrapped around Saturday’s Boast the Coast events, beginning on Friday, October 4 through Sunday, October 6 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Lewes Historical Society’s Craft Show will be open from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. on their campus located at 110 Shipcarpenter Street – Admission is $5, children under 12 free; Their Lewes History Museum will be open 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. and their Cannonball House located at 118 Front Street will be open Noon – 4 p.m. Both will be open with exhibits on display at no charge with donations accepted. The Lightship Overfalls, located a little further down Front Street in Canalfront Park, will also be open for free tours on Saturday, October 5 from 11 a.m.- 2 p.m.
Other events associated with Boast the Coast day are: the Historic Lewes Farmers Market in the Shields Elementary School Parking lot from 9 a.m. to Noon; the Zwaanendael Museum’s Maritime Program; the Lewes Library Carnival with old-fashioned games with prizes, a balloon artist, first responder trucks and performances from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at 111 Adams Avenue; the Cape Artists’ Open House at their Third Street Gallery from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with light refreshments and the Peninsula Galley’s Opening Reception, “The Figure,” featuring Haley Manchon, Syd McGinley & Beth Trepper, from 5-7 p.m. at 520 E. Savannah Road.
For more information about Boast the Coast activities, visit the Lewes Chamber of Commerce website – www.LewesChamber.com – or contact them at 302-645-8073; 877-465-3937.