Browseabout Books in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, began sponsoring “The Rehoboth Beach Reads Short Story Contest” in 2013. That was also the year my family first visited Rehoboth Beach and the Poconos, during a surprise, early-summer trip I had been planning for more than six months. I had known nothing about the short story contest prior to wandering into Browseabout Books, and after returning home to Virginia, I had started working on my contest submission. The theme that first year was “The Beach House.”
“The goal of the Rehoboth Beach Reads contest is to showcase good writing while creating a great book for summer reading. One of the most popular activities for residents and visitors is reading on the beach, and the contest seeks to collect the kinds of short, engaging stories that help readers relax, escape, and enjoy their time at the beach.
Each story must incorporate the chosen theme and also have a strong connection to Rehoboth Beach (writers do not have to live in Rehoboth). A panel of judges select the best entries, which are published in a professionally designed and edited paperback book.
Contest Guidelines [for 2017]
1. Submission must fit the theme “Beach Life.”
2. Submission may be fiction or nonfiction, but must be plausible as a “beach read”
(engaging, entertaining, and/or humorous).
3. No poetry, erotica, children’s literature, or religious material.
4. All work must be original, unpublished, and free from libelous material
(a signed release will be required).
5. Length must be 500–3,500 words.
6. Work must be submitted via email, preferably in Microsoft Word.
7. Work should be publication-ready (in final form and free from grammatical,
spelling, and structural mistakes).
8. Writers retain copyright but must grant first publication rights if their work
is selected.
9. There is no guarantee of publication.
10. Limit of three entries per person.
11. Publisher reserves right to edit for grammar and spelling; writers will be
given an opportunity to review changes before publication.
12. No entries will be accepted after the deadline: midnight, July 1, 2017
(entries received at or after 12:01am July 2 will be disqualified).
13. Each entry must be accompanied by a $10 fee.
14. Writers do not have to reside in Rehoboth, but the written piece must
include a substantive connection to the area.
15. Work will be judged on creativity, quality of writing, suitability as a
beach read, and fit with the theme.”
(Source: http://catandmousepress.com/contest/)
Beach Life cover image used with permission from Cat & Mouse Press
I didn’t make it into The Beach House, or into The Boardwalk in 2014, Beach Days in 2015, or Beach Nights in 2016. But after four years of disappointment, self-doubt, and knee-jerk reactions not to enter the contest anymore, the fifth time was the charm. My Judge’s Award-winning “Lefty and the Empty Bucket of Fries” begins on page 189 of Beach Life, which is now available at Browseabout Books and on Amazon.com. In celebration of surprise trips, local authors, and persevering through rejection and self-doubt, mosey out your front door and into your local or not-so-local independent bookseller. If you’re looking for a book that’s fun, engaging and beachy, I can recommend one.
Delaware
The Unbeaten Path and Your Overtested Schoolchild
My son will be graduating from high school in May and then heading off to lapidary arts school—cabochons, casting, faceting, mineral ID, opals, silver. For the past twelve years, he has been standardized tested to the point of ridiculousness. In celebration of his upcoming release, here’s the quote that, along with CBS’s The Amazing Race, has fueled our spirit of adventure these past summers:
“We must go beyond textbooks, go out into the bypaths and untrodden depths of the wilderness and travel and explore and tell the world the glories of our journey.” — John Hope Franklin
Many of the places we’ve gone in the U.S. are popular tourist attractions: Denali National Park (AK), Gatlinburg (TN), Lake George (NY), Rehoboth Beach (DE) to name a few. But we always get off the beaten path. Here, I post some of our favorite, lesser-known places and activities. I hope they inspire you to explore the United States, and am happy to answer questions about them.
(Note: I/we have no affiliations with the following places and activities, and quoted material is taken from their websites.)
Arnolds Park Amusement Park (Lake Okoboji, Iowa)
https://www.arnoldspark.com/
Rides, raceway, cruises on the steamer Queen II, maritime museum, concerts, food, games, shopping, pebble beach, chilly lake
Bushkill Falls (Bushkill, Pennsylvania)
http://www.visitbushkillfalls.com/
“The Niagara of Pennsylvania”…scenic trails, gift shops, gem mining, miniature golf, paddle boats, fishing, picnic areas, children’s playground
Cape Henlopen State Park (Lewes, Delaware)
http://www.destateparks.com/park/cape-henlopen/
Beaches, disc golf course, historic Fort Miles, hiking, biking, nature center
Carolina Motel (Franklin, North Carolina)
http://www.carolinamotel.com/
Hands down, our favorite home away from home, anywhere—super clean, friendly, and affordable
Dry Falls (near Highlands, North Carolina)
http://highlandschamber.org/
A kid-friendly waterfall you can walk behind, but the spray won’t keep you “dry”
Exit Glacier (Seward, Alaska)
http://www.alaska.org/detail/visit-exit-glacier
A road-accessible glacier with a nature center, trails, and ranger-led hikes
Franklin Gem & Mineral Museum (Franklin, North Carolina)
http://www.fgmm.org/
Located in the old jail, eight rooms housing one of the largest collections of gems and minerals in the Southeast (don’t miss the Coca-Cola gems), gift shop
Funland (Rehoboth Beach, Delaware)
https://www.funlandrehoboth.com/
“Family business since 1962″…rides for all ages, food, games, prizes
Great Smoky Arts & Crafts Community (near Gatlinburg, Tennessee)
http://www.gatlinburgcrafts.com/
“The largest group of independent artisans in North America. This historic 8-mile loop has been designated a Tennessee Heritage Arts & Crafts Trail.”
The stretch between marker R-39 and Indian Creek (on Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia)
http://www.smithmountainstriperclub.com/
The first and only place I’ve ever caught a striped bass on artificial bait—a white bucktail
Martin Guitar Museum and Factory Tour (Nazareth, Pennsylvania)
https://www.martinguitar.com/about/visit-us/
Motel Nord Haven (Healy, Alaska)
http://www.motelnordhaven.com/
Clean and cozy lodging 15 minutes from the tourist traps near the Denali National Park entrance
Mountain Springs Lake Resort (Reeders, Pennsylvania)
http://www.mslresort.com/
A hidden gem in the Poconos (when I stopped to asked directions, no local had ever heard of it)…nature trail, beaches, fishing, playgrounds, Ping-Pong barn, cottages, a bit of a property management feel but quaint and quiet
Mt. Washington Auto Road (Gorham, New Hampshire)
http://mtwashingtonautoroad.com/
“Completed and opened to the public in 1861, the privately-owned and operated Auto Road climbs 4,700 feet from the base and reaches more than a mile in the sky to the highest point in the Northeast at 6,288 feet.” The drive is not for the faint of heart.
Natural Stone Bridge and Caves (Pottersville, New York)
http://stonebridgeandcaves.com/
62′-high, 180′-wide stone bridge arch, self-guided tours, rock and gift shops, gem mining, disc golf
Pemi Valley Moose Tours (Lincoln, New Hampshire)
http://www.moosetoursnh.com/
3-hour tour—air conditioned bus, main roads through the White Mountains, one potty stop, moose, deer, a bear or two
Quiet Valley Living Historical Farm (Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania)
http://quietvalley.org/
“Quiet Valley Living Historical Farm, is a non-profit, living history museum preserving 19th century Pennsylvania German agricultural heritage. Period dressed interpreters portray descendants of Johann Depper, re-enacting daily life on the farm.”
Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail (near Gatlinburg, Tennessee)
http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/roaringfork.htm
Narrow, winding, scenic; saw eight bears one early August evening
Rose Creek Mine (Franklin, North Carolina)
http://www.rosecreekmine.com/
Undoubtedly, our favorite family activity. Bring rubber gloves, a change of clothing and shoes, and a chair pad or towel to soften your seat on the sluice bench.
Schooner Eastwind (Boothbay Harbor, Maine)
http://schoonereastwind.com/
Built by hand by a family that has sailed around the world twice
Sled Dog Kennels and Demonstrations (Denali National Park, Alaska)
http://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/kennels.htm
http://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/sled-dog-demonstrations.htm
Zoder’s Inn and Suites (Gatlinburg, Tennessee)
http://www.zoders.com/
“Its Main Street location puts guests within walking distance to the town’s restaurants, galleries and shops, while its wooded six-acre setting offers just the right amount of privacy and seclusion.” I’m 45 and may have been conceived at Zoder’s.
UNSALTED GEMS 