Home Care In Georgetown, DE

A more and merrier Christmas is in store for Georgetown and all of Sussex County this upcoming holiday season.

Officials from the County government and the Greater Georgetown Chamber of Commerce announced on Wednesday, Sept. 13, a new partnership to pair two staples of the holiday calendar — Caroling on The Circle and the Georgetown Christmas Parade — for one big celebration.

The County’s annual Caroling on The Circle event, a musical performance that celebrates its 40th year in 2023, this year will shift to Thursday, Dec. 7, leading in the Chamber’s annual Christmas parade in what organizers hope will be a festivity-filled evening featuring the familiar sights and sounds of the season. Caroling will begin at 6 p.m. on the main stage in front of the Sussex County Courthouse. The parade, along with the Town’s tree-lighting ceremony, will step off at 7 p.m.

County and Chamber officials said wrapping all of the community’s holiday events into one package promises to serve up a bigger and brighter night, full of Christmas cheer.

“Caroling on The Circle and the Georgetown Christmas Parade are traditions that have delighted children and families for generations,” Sussex County Administrator Todd F. Lawson said. “But we recognize times and tastes are changing, and let’s face it, everyone’s schedules are hectic these days, especially during the holidays. So, we thought, why not bring it all together and give the community a stocking full of carols, marching bands, floats and, of course, Santa Claus — all on one big night? We sure hope it’s a gift the public is happy to receive!”

Officials for both the County and Chamber said they see the pairing of the events as a natural fit, a candycane swirl of sorts, allowing both celebrations to maintain their separate identities while maximizing attendance on an already crowded holiday events calendar. As an added plus, officials hope working together will harness the Chamber’s business reach in aiding the County’s “Pack the Pod” food drive, which is the thrust of the annual Caroling program.

“Partnering with the County to bring two holiday events together is very exciting for the Chamber, the County and the community,” Georgetown Area Chamber of Commerce President Linda S. Price said. “Both events have a long history and are sought-out community events. The partnership will provide more visibility for ‘Pack the Pod,’ a mainstay for Caroling on The Circle, as well as expanding on the holiday merriment the parade and lighting of the Christmas tree brings to those young and old.”

Launched in 1984 as part of the Delaware First initiative, Caroling on The Circle has been managed by Sussex County government each holiday season since then and continues to help those in need a generation later by supporting local food pantries. To date, the community has donated some 800,000 canned goods and other non-perishable food items through the Caroling on The Circle program throughout the course of its four-decade history.

The Georgetown Christmas Parade has been a community mainstay since 1989.

Organizers in the coming weeks will work to finalize details of the paired events, including the Caroling performance schedule, as well as the parade’s theme. More information will be released later this fall through the County and Chamber at their respective websites, at www.sussexcountyde.gov and www.georgetowncoc.com.

Georgetown, Delaware, United States--During the 1950 Delmarva Chicken Festival, a giant frying pan was first unveiled; used and made by the Mumford Sheet Metal Company in Selbyville, Delaware, it was ten feet in diameter and had an eight-foot handle, was 18 inches deep, required 180 gallons of cooking oil and 150 gallons of LP gas, weighed 650 pounds, and could hold 800 chicken quarters, thus setting the world record for being the World's Largest Frying Pan, according to the WORLD RECORD ACADEMY.

Roadside America says.

"For the next 37 years the pan fried an estimated 100 tons of chicken at the annual Delmarva Chicken Festival."

Sweetnicks says.

"It was originally made by the Mumford Sheet Metal Company from Selbyville, Delaware, and weighs in at 650 pounds. It garnered lots of fame during a 48-year-span of being featured at the Delmarva Chicken Festival, where it cooked more than 100 tons of chicken during its run there.

"Because of the pan’s sheer size, it could fry 800 quarter chickens in one batch. Although this particular pan has since been retired (and doesn’t it look great for its age?), the festival continues to this day."

"The Delmarva Chicken Festival (Del-Mar-Va Chicken Festival, Delmarva Chicken Festival and National Chicken Cooking Contest) is an annual event sponsored by Delmarva Poultry Industry, Inc started in 1948 or 1949 with the purpose of publicizing the Delmarva Peninsula with an emphasis on its arguably most important agricultural enterprise, raising chickens.

"The two-day event hosted in various locales on Delmarva features poultry equipment trade shows, the Miss Del-Mar-Va contest, the National Chicken Cooking Contest, a parade, arts and crafts, a carnival, entertainment, and food concessions. Chicken is the featured food, but french fries, corn-on-the-cob, funnel cake, ice cream, kettle corn, and fresh-squeezed lemonade are other local favorites. Nearly three tons of chicken are cooked each year in the world's largest frying pan.

"The pan made its debut at the second annual festival in 1950. The first and original pan was used and made by the Mumford Sheet Metal Company in Selbyville, Delaware, and was "given to the Delmarva Poultry Industry for use in promoting chicken produced on the Delmarva Peninsula". It was ten feet in diameter and had an eight-foot handle, was 18 inches deep, required 180 gallons of cooking oil and 150 gallons of LP gas, weighed 650 pounds, and could hold 800 chicken quarters. The 65th Annual Delmarva Chicken Festival was estimated to use four tons of chicken." (Wikipedia)

"During the 1950 Delmarva Chicken Festival, the “world’s largest fry pan” – a 10-foot-diameter behemoth cooking vessel – was first unveiled. The pan became famous for its ability to fry up tasty chicken for thousands of attendees. The 650-pound pan became a symbol of the Delmarva Chicken Festival and of Delmarva’s chicken industry," the Bay To Bay News says.

"The festival is organized by Delmarva Chicken Association, which advocates for the common good of the chicken community in Delaware, the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Virginia's Eastern Shore. The pan’s owner and curator, the Georgetown Historical Society, has generously agreed to loan the pan to the festival for display. Perdue Farms, one of the festival’s presenting sponsors, and The Metal Shop of Delmar arranged for the iconic pan to be transported from Georgetown to Salisbury. Once the festival concludes, the pan will be returned to its permanent home in the historical society’s Marvel Carriage Museum.

"The fry pan was manufactured by a Delmarva company – Selbyville’s Mumford Sheet Metal Works. And right from the start, the chicken community’s boosters counted on its incredible size to capture public curiosity. Eight inches deep and made of cast iron, it has dividers that split it into quarters. During festivals, it could fry 800 chicken pieces at once when its 180 gallons of cooking oil were heated up by propane burners below."

"The World's Largest Frying Pan was originally produced for use at the DelMarVa Peninsula Annual Chicken Show and Feed. Currently on display at the Historical Society in downtown Wilmington, this was one of the World's Largest Things I had just heard of through the grapevine. I knew of its existance, but had no idea where DelMarVa was," the World's largest Things says.

"Well, DelMarVa is a contraction of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia, and the festival took place in various locations in the region refered to as the DelMarVa Peninsula. The pan would therefore move around, also, but just so happened to land in the very town in which I was making inquiries. Background information was a little more difficult, but I tracked down some generalizations from the Historical Society and some specifics at the Library.

"From the Historical Society plaque: World's Largest Frying Pan / In 1948, the Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company sponsored a contest to breed the best broilers. From this came the Delmarva Chicken Festival. In 1950, the Mumford Sheet Metal Works in Selbyville manufactured this ten-foot-diameter frying pan, the world's largest, for the contest. After cooking over one hundred tons of chicken, the festival retired this pan in 1998. Delmarva Poultry, Inc., continues the festival to this day."

Best Things Delaware says.

"Today, Delawareans have preserved the peculiar cookware piece at the Nutter D Marvel Carriage Museum."

Southern Delaware Tourism says.

"Also, the museum grounds are the home for the Delaware Telephone Museum, Sanger Western Auto Museum, the Boyer train exhibit and the original world’s largest frying pan that was used at the Delmarva Chicken Cooking contest from 1950 to 1989 when it was taken out of service.

"There is a brand-new Wagon House on the grounds that houses carriages from Mr. Nutter Marvel's collection. Among these 30+ carriages are the Queen's carriage, the Disney carriage, a peddlers wagon and an 1800's era horse drawn hearse carriage. There are many treasures to be seen here such as the beautiful collection of victrolas, ephemera, photographs, furniture and many more items related to Georgetown history."

"The Georgetown Historical Society welcomed the original 1950 "worlds largest" frying pan into our collection at the Nutter Marvel Carriage Museum complex. The first picture is of the frying pan being rolled into position by volunteers from the Sussex Central FFA who also transported it to our facility," the Georgetown Historical Society says.

"Georgetown and Easton hosted the first festival in 1948. This pan constructed in 1950 was used until 1988 when it was retired and a new one built by the Mumfords. We want to thank the Delmarva Poultry Industry for entrusting us with this priceless piece of Delmarva history! Clifford Lawson, Ralph Lowe and the Sussex Central Future Farmers of America for their assistance, the Mumfords for being able to come to the "homecoming" and one of our own Mr. Terry Johnson for putting this project together!

"The pan's storied history began in June 1950 when it made its first appearance at the third Delmarva Chicken Festival in Dover, Delaware. Designed and built by the Mumford brothers at Mumford Sheet Metal Works in Selbyville, Delaware, the pan was given to Delmarva Poultry Industry, Inc. (DPI) for use in promoting chicken produced on the Delmarva Peninsula. Indeed, the giant pan has fulfilled its mission! Over the course of the pan’s more than 60 year history, it has cooked tons of chicken and remains one of the festival’s most publicized attractions. The pan measures 10 feet in diameter with an eight foot handle and weighs in at 650 pounds.

"It is eight inches deep, requires 180 gallons of cooking oil to fill, and can cook 800 chicken quarters at one time. When readiedfor operation, the pan is placed on a concrete block base over gas fired burners. About 150 gallons of LP gas are used during a two day festival. In 1988 after 38 years of use, the original pan was retired and replaced with a new one, identical in dimensionsto the original."

(1-9) Facebook/Delmarva Chicken Association

(10) DELAWARE SNAPSHOT: Out of the frying pan - “The World’s Largest Frying Pan” – introduced June 13, 1950 -- officially retires in 2014 with closing of the 65-year-old Delmarva Chicken Festival. The poultry-world icon, built by Mumford Sheet Metal Works in Selbyville, is 10 feet across and 8 inches deep. Volunteers use rakes to turn 800 chicken quarters, cooking in 160 gallons of oil. The retired original pan is given to Georgetown Historical Society and a chicken company gets its 1988 replacement. /Delaware Public Archives

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Delaware Technical Community College Owens Campus21179 College DriveGeorgetown, DE 19947 View larger map

By Glenn Rolfe

GEORGETOWN — There’s a move in play for the Delaware Technical Community College baseball program.

In time for the spring 2025 season, the Owens Campus team will relocate due to the Department of Transportation’s grade-separated interchange project at Del. 18/Del. 404 and U.S. 113.

With the project’s southwest loop, Del. 404 will be closer to the current field and, therefore, too close to long-distance baseballs.

“To be quite honest, in our current location, we already have issues with balls going onto the roadway,” said Dr. Bobbi Barends, vice president/campus director for the Owens Campus. “I’ve been at games where balls have gone through windows when people are driving. It’s not a pleasant thing for anyone involved.”

So, the school’s plan is to move the baseball complex to a spot off Ennis Road. It will join other property owned by the college, including the former Ennis School, which will open as the Bryan Allen Stevenson School of Excellence in fall 2024, and a small farm used by agriculture students.

DelTech’s softball field is not impacted by the road construction.

And, with the work projected to begin next fall, the baseball team will be able to play at the current site during spring 2024, she said.

Planning documents for the new facility, including a grass field, are in the works, said Mike Jackson, DelTech’s vice president for finance.

“It would be early next spring, to be able to have a plan in place to start doing some civil engineering work — at the latest by next summer — meaning grading the location and the field and whatnot. And, after that, (to) be able to mobilize into construction,” he said.

Dr. Barends added, “We are in the process of working with a firm for drawing the estimate for moving the ballfield. It is kind of an active process right now.”

To pay for the approximately $800,000 effort, DelTech will utilize funding from the Transportation Department’s right-of-way purchase of its property and funds allocated in the fiscal year 2023 bond bill.

“The state is paying us for the land they are acquiring. The Bond Bill Committee has given us some additional funds to help relocate the field,” said Brian Shirey, general counsel for the college. “It’s a combination of the money we are receiving from DelDOT for the land they are taking and then additional funds we received for this purpose from the Bond Bill Committee.”

Dr. Barends said improvements could be seen for the players.

“We hate to have to move a field. That’s no fun,” she said. “But we’re looking forward to providing them with a field that is just as good, if not a little better, than what they have now.”

There are also plans for upgrades to the softball field.

Dr. Barends saluted the two sports programs.

“Our baseball and softball teams are exceptional. Our women went to the national championships the last three years. Our men have been to the regional and district championship playoffs the last two years,” she said.

“I will say that they are excellent on and off the field. So, not only are they great athletes, but they are excellent students. They do well in the classroom, and they volunteer much time on the campus. We’re proud of our student athletes.”

She went on to emphasize DelTech’s mission to serve Delawareans. “The majority of our student athletes are Delawareans. That is a real focus of our college president and our administration, that we serve Delawareans. Ninety-six percent of our students are Delawareans, so we focus on recruiting athletes from Delaware.”

The cynical side of me that has whispered in my ear, "No good deed goes unpunished," has been put to shame by a place I have driven past many times on my way through Georgetown. It is called The Shepherd's Office. The sign out front proclaims its mission, and the building is a beehive of activity, affirming that good is energetically being done here. The Shepherd's Office received a 2020 Governor's Outstanding Volunteer Award.

I've been meaning to do a story about this for some time, but recently, with Thanksgiving only a couple of days away, I thought it was a really good time of year to actually visit this beacon of light and hope for people in need. I didn't call first, just arrived unannounced and was welcomed by Greta Browning, the assistant director. As I and my husband/photographer Jeff sat at her desk interviewing her, I soon realized what a warm and inviting person she is, her kind and patient smile drawing us in.

It was a rainy, cold November day, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and near lunchtime. The small rooms were filled with donations, including boxes of brown paper snack bags containing an offering of peanut butter crackers, a granola bar, and a fruit cup – a sweet treat and protein for those in need of nourishment and friends.

As we sat at Greta's desk, two women in back of us were putting together these bags on a table. The main source of providing a hot meal for the hungry were the many crockpots that ringed one room. Only so many can be plugged in at once so as not to blow a fuse. There is no stove. There is a hot dinner served from 4 to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, and takeout clamshell-style containers are provided. Also, there is a Sunday church service at 12 p.m. with Pastor Jim Martin, the director, followed by a free lunch. One must be 18 years old or older to participate.

A backpack giveaway supplied needy children with school necessities. Clothes are also collected and provided outside on tables from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. Amazingly, they can have anywhere from 180 to 200 people arrive for dinners most days. Can you believe that many people need food and the warmth of fellowship in our area? Many are living in the woods in tents and sleeping in their cars in this land of plenty. There are three tent villages in Georgetown alone.

The Food Bank of Delaware helps provide staples, and Applebee’s Restaurant holds an all-you-can-eat breakfast with part of the cost of each meal going to help these missions. Paradise Grill in Long Neck has also held fundraisers, along with Pelican Creek. Eric Bodenweiser of Georgetown owns the house where The Shepherd’s Office is located, and rents the buildings and premises to the organization as well as chairing its board of directors.

We have seen the village of small houses provided for the homeless in Georgetown and other towns in our area. There are 40 Pallet houses that measure 8-by-8-feet in Georgetown. One is kept empty for emergency purposes. Couples with proof of marriage may share a house, and if one needs time out from their spouse due to sharing such close quarters, the extra house provides a breather.

I asked Greta, if she could wave a magic wand and have three wishes granted, what would they be? She said more affordable housing in Sussex County, a bigger space, and more donations of food and money. So please consider helping if you are able. She proudly told us that she found jobs and houses for three people in the past two weeks!

As we drive back to our own warm home, our hatchback filled with groceries and sundries from our stop at Walmart, we think of the people, the invisible people that not many know about, living in tents in the woods around us, warming their hands over makeshift stoves and small open campfires on a cold, rainy day like this.

As we gather during the holidays for turkey and all the side dishes in our homes or in our local restaurants, maybe we should remember the guests at The Shepherd's Office on Thanksgiving Day and think back hundreds of years ago to the first thanksgiving gathering, when the Native Americans helped the Pilgrims survive their first New England winter in their new land. They dined together outdoors, just like the hungry and the good Samaritans at The Shepherd's Office.

My favorite and most memorable Thanksgivings have always been with strangers who invited me into their world for dinner!

To donate, you may drop off cash or a check made out to The Shepherd's Office. You may also mail a check to 408 N. Bedford St., Georgetown, DE 19947, or donate online at shepherdsoffice.org. Anyone interested in volunteering may call the office at 302-858-4547.

With numerous housing development projects in the works, officials in Georgetown, Delaware, are looking to curb the affordable housing crisis in coastal areas by offering assistance to young and working class professionals.

Town Manager Gene Dvornick said it’s often young families and workers who struggle to get housing in beach towns, which has impacted employers along the coastline.

“I think every business along the coast relies on younger workers,” Dvornick said. “[Businesses] are struggling to not only attract that younger worker but also to find an affordable housing solution.”

Dvornick says the need for rental homes in Georgetown, a 30-minute drive from Delaware’s shore, is increasing, especially as retiring people settle in areas closest to the beach — making it hard for workers to find rentals.

“Folks that are working on the eastern side of the county in the service industry or in the retail industry are being forced further to the west towards Georgetown, Seaford, Bridgeville, and Laurel,” Dvornick said. “Even as they migrate west for housing, the options that are available to them are few and far between.”

Georgetown has several projects in the works to accommodate for the influx.

“An apartment complex being built out behind the Walmart in the village of College Park. We have a project that just received final approval, Admiral’s Landing, which is a combination of townhomes,” Dvornick said. “Then we’ve got two projects that are currently in various phases of the planning process; one is a mixed, single-family townhome and one that’s a multi-family.”

Another project, still underway, is a single-family rental house development — something that has never been built before in Sussex County. It’s modeled similarly to Leeward Chase’s townhouse rental project, located outside of Georgetown.

A total of 120 rental houses are expected for the 20-acre development.

The town will benefit from the following, according to a presentation:

“In the case of Georgetown, it grows our population. It certainly grows our property tax base,” Dvornick said.

Details of the development are still being worked out. The first reading of the ordinance will take place on April 24 and it will be adopted at a meeting on May 1.