Home Care In Millville, DE

Millville’s Evans Park will again host the town’s Oktoberfest celebration — and get those beer steins ready, because the event takes place Saturday, Sept. 30.

The town’s version of the traditional German celebration includes free concerts, artisans’ booths, games, food and, of course, beer.

Parks & Recreation Director Liz Kain-Bolen explained that the festivities will run from 1 to 6 p.m., and that Banks Wine & Liquors will sponsor “Bankstoberfest” as an “event within the event” during the day.

From 1 to 3 p.m. an authentic “oompah” band from Pennsylvania, called Shutzengiggles, will perform, Kain-Bolen said.

“They found me” she said, when asked how she found the five-piece band. “They reached out and said, ‘Hey — we’re an oompah band!’” she said with a laugh.

Decade 80, a local band that focuses on music from the 1980s, takes over the Evans Park stage from 4 to 6 p.m. Promoting themselves as “Delmarva’s premier ’80s band,” the group regularly plays local venues including Paradise Grill in Long Neck and Nalu in Dewey Beach.

Both performances are free of charge. Food trucks will also be on hand at the park throughout the day.

Banks Wine & Spirits is sponsoring their beer-tasting event featuring beers from 15 local breweries and distributors. Tickets are available for two general admission time slots throughout the day, at www.bankswinesandspirits.com.

Time slots are 1-3 p.m. and 4-6 p.m., and each general admission ticket-bearer ($40) receives a tasting glass and lanyard, as well as a ticket for one bratwurst with peppers and onions. A “V.I.P.” option ($50) adds a commemorative stein, with the beer event open for those ticketholders from 1 to 6 p.m.

Entrance into the beer-garden area will be limited to those 21 or older.

Designated drivers will be admitted to the tasting event for $5.

All tickets are available on the Banks website and will be available at the park the day of the event as well, Kain-Bolen said.

More than a dozen artisans have signed up for the event and will have their items for sale throughout the day.

At 2 p.m. and 5 p.m., there will be a “stein-holding” competition, in which participants try to carry full steins (of water, according to Kain-Bolen) from one point to another.

In case of rain, only the beer tasting events will be held – indoors – on Saturday, Sept. 30, Kain-Bolen said. Weather-related announcements will be posted on the town’s website, www.millville.delaware.gov, and on the town’s Facebook page.

Evans Park is located at 32517 Dukes Drive, Millville.

Millville residents are closer to getting a new car wash, with the Millville Town Council’s approval of a conditional-use application by a company that owns two car washes in Maryland.

The application was approved unanimously and moves Gander’s Car Wash one step closer to construction, with no comments or questions from residents at the council’s Tuesday, May 23, meeting.

The proposed car wash would be a hybrid-type, offering both express and full-service options, according to Gander’s owner John Sovero, who owns car washes in Easton and Ellicott City, Md.

It would be located next to the Millville Volunteer Fire Company’s Station No. 1, at 35528 Atlantic Avenue. Sovero has not yet purchased the property, telling the council he plans to complete the purchase as long as some soil issues remaining from the removal of a gasoline tank from the property several years ago can be remedied.

The tank was a remnant of a gas station on the property in the 1940s, Sovero said, and was removed when the state Department of Transportation widened Route 26 (Atlantic Avenue) several years ago.

Hours for the car wash would probably be about the same as Gander’s existing locations, with the business being open no later than 6 p.m. Sovero said he estimates the business would employ about 12 people, with about five working there during slower times and 12 during the busier times.

“It sounds like an interesting concept,” Mayor Ronald Belinko said of the proposed car wash. “It’s definitely needed here,” he said.

Sovero said in his other locations, about 70 percent of customers utilize the express option and 30 percent opt for the full-service option. Customers using the full-service option would enter the building on the site following their trip through the “tunnel,” where the car exteriors will be washed, Sovero said.

He said the look of the exterior of the business has not been determined.

“I’m willing to do whatever you guys want it to look like,” Sovero said, adding that he personally favors a “beachy look” similar in appearance to the Ocean View Brewing Co.

Sovero told the council that about 95 percent of all the water used at the car wash would be recycled.

Town Engineer Andrew Lyons Jr. said he had reviewed the application and that the project will receive at least two more reviews, with submission of a preliminary site plan and a final site plan.

The Millville Town Council this week approved final site plans for a go-kart track at the Millville Boardwalk/Captain’s Quarters entertainment complex on Route 26.

The plans call for a track with 16 electric go-karts, of which a maximum of eight will be allowed on the track at one time, according to Chad Warren of Davis, Bowen & Friedel, the engineering firm representing Millville Boardwalk.

Along with the track, the project includes additional parking and several storage buildings: two 12-foot-by-20-foot sheds, two 20-foot-by-30-foot garages and a 24-foot-by-60-foot garage.

Millville’s Planning & Zoning Commission had recommended approval for the go-kart project at its Sept. 8, 2022, meeting, on a vote of 4-0.

Town Engineer Andrew Lyons Jr. said at the council meeting this week that the project met all requirements of the Town and other agencies.

No change of zoning is required. The land is currently zoned C-1 (commercial).

Warren said the go-karts will be operated from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Since they are electric, and since there are no adjacent residential properties, noise will not be an issue, he said, comparing the noise level of gas go-karts to electric ones as “compared to a Tesla versus an F-150” pickup-truck.

The council approved the final site plans for the go-kart track and buildings 5-0, with several members commenting that they are looking forward to bringing their grandchildren to the track when it opens.

The council also approved a request from the Millville Volunteer Fire Company for a grant of $87,367.87. The figure represents the total impact fees collected by the Town in the 2023 fiscal year to date.

MVFC President Greg Hocker said at the March 14 meeting that the funds will be put toward expenses related to the department’s new boat, including the addition of lights for the boat, as well as UHF radio, which he said is necessary to be able to communicate with U.S. Coast Guard personnel from the boat. Part of the grant money will also be used for extra fire gear for fire company members, as well as gym equipment for the new workout space in the recently renovated fire hall.

Hocker thanked the council and residents for their support of the fire company, saying, “We need you as much as you need us.” He emphasized the need for support from municipalities, adding that the fire company’s ambulance service, in particular, “is running in the red,” and that the fire company’s funding from state and county governments has not increased, despite tremendous growth in its service area.

The council also approved several 2023-fiscal-year budget increases outlined by Town Finance Director Lisa Wynn, including $484,000 for the purchase of more property on Dukes Drive, $20,000 for computer software related to the Town’s website reboot and $30,000 in additional park maintenance funds.

Town Manager Deborah Botchie said the additional expenses will come from the Town’s contingency fund.

The council also approved a measure that will exempt amenities in residential communities from town taxes.

Natural gas service is making its way to parts of Millville, according to representatives from Chesapeake Utilities who gave an update on the company’s progress in constructing pipelines and activating service there at the Tuesday, Feb. 28, town council workshop meeting.

David Detrick of Chesapeake Utilities told the council and residents at the meeting that Beebe Healthcare’s South Coastal Emergency Department and Cancer Center have had natural gas service since 2019, before the facility opened.

Beebe, Detrick said, was the “anchor connection” which, thanks to state funding, allowed Chesapeake to expand into the Millville area.

In 2020, Detrick said, Chesapeake completed an extension of 9 miles of 8-inch pipe from Dagsboro, and in 2021, extended a gas main on Pepper’s Corner Road to the Sycamore Chase and Friendship Creek developments.

Last year, Chesapeake connected the Bay Forest community to its natural gas system. Bay Forest previously had an underground propane delivery system that was operated by Sharp Propane, Chesapeake’s “sister company,” Detrick said.

Chesapeake currently has approximately 100,000 customers on the Delmarva peninsula, Detrick said. Another line coming in from the Selbyville area now provides a “looped system” that improves delivery and “system integrity,” he said.

Using geographic information systems (GIS), Chesapeake is tracking ongoing development in the area, according to Detrick. He added that communities that currently have Sharp propane delivery systems “are on our radar, and we’re working to get to as many of those as we can” for possible conversion to natural gas.

Detrick said that, as recently as 2022, Chesapeake looked into extending natural gas service to Bishop’s Landing and found that it is not currently economically advantageous. He said Chesapeake plans to “take another run at that one this year, so we’re hopeful that that will eventually get converted.”

Chesapeake recently received approval from residents of Bear Trap Dunes in Ocean View to extend service there, Detrick said. Conversion in Bear Trap Dunes should be completed by mid-summer, he said.

In Millville By the Sea, Chesapeake has approval to offer natural gas to sections that have not been built yet, but not in existing areas that have propane service from another company. Currently, Chesapeake is working to extend service to Schooner Village (Village 7) in Millville By the Sea and is preparing to move into Village 2, according to Chesapeake sales representative Kelley Gabbard.

Natural gas service can’t be extended to an area until development has been approved, Detrick said, once studies have been done on costs of such service. The company can’t expect existing customers to pay for as-yet-undeveloped areas, he said.

Mayor Ronald Belinko, who lives in Bishop’s Landing, said Chesapeake made a presentation in his community, adding that, at that time, developer Beazer Homes still maintained control of the development, whereas its homeowners association has since taken over.

Bishop’s Landing currently has propane service from Sharp, Belinko said, and Detrick explained that two years ago, Chesapeake reached an agreement with Sharp regarding conversion of areas that have Sharp propane service.

Chesapeake essentially buys the system from Sharp, Detrick said, and if the community, as a whole, votes in favor of transitioning to natural gas and the economics are favorable for Chesapeake, the conversion can proceed.

Gabbard said the conversion process is lengthy and involved, including about six steps from a community reaching out to Chesapeake through connection to gas mains. Sharp, Detrick said, has been constructing its propane systems to be convertible to natural gas.

Detrick said Chesapeake legally cannot interfere with a community’s existing agreement with a propane company and that residents in each community need to work through those issues with the propane company before Chesapeake can come in.

With a few snips and some artful buzzes, the Millville Barbershop is helping fans show their pride for Super Bowl LII.

For Paul Cusimano, co-owner and barber, there is no better way to show team spirit than with a haircut with the logo of either the Eagles or Patriots shaved into someone's head.

That's why his most artistic barber was shaving the Eagles logo into the back of his head Thursday. But what might bring a few local boos is the Patriot right next to the bird to cap off his total Super Bowl cut.

"We are trying out something new," Cusimano said. "My guy, Victor (Hernandez), is a fantastic hair artist, and with the Pats and the Eagles in the Super Bowl, why not try to show off that team spirit for the Super Bowl?

"All the crazy Eagles fans are insane, so we are trying to get some of that in here."

The tiny shop is tucked away on Route 26 about 4 miles west of the Bethany Beach boardwalk.

The haircut with the logos costs $36 — $16 for the haircut and $20 for the design. Cusimano said they already have a couple appointments booked for the weekend, and he expects more during Super Bowl week.

The haircuts aren't difficult for Hernandez to do, Cusimano said.

"He's just a natural, amazing artist," Cusimano said. "He can look at any picture you bring in, no matter what it is, and pretty much put it into your hair. It'll have all the 3D shading and effects just like you see in a picture."

Millville Barbershop started to delve into hair art a year ago, Cusimano said.

Doing the logos into people's hair combines two of his loves, Hernandez said.

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"I always liked to draw, and I always cut hair, so I just incorporated it," he said. "It worked out."

Last year, Hernandez did logos of the Patriots when they won the Super Bowl.

This year, though, he has gotten more attention — both for the popularity of the his haircuts and because of the Eagles' local following.

Hernandez can do "really crazy stuff," Cusimano said, it just depends on how much time and how they want it shaded.

Sometimes, too, they can color the hair with pastels.

"It's like a tattoo," Cusimano said. "It's like a session."

As for the Super Bowl, the two both said they are rooting for the Eagles. They both agreed Patriots quarterback Tom Brady had won enough Super Bowl rings already.

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But the two had different takes on who would win the game.

Hernandez said he expects the final score to be 32-24, with the Patriots "sadly" winning.

Cusimano, though, had high hopes for the Eagles.

"I think it’s going to be Eagles 27, Patriots 24," he said. "I think they’re going to get it on a field goal. I think it’s going to be close but I think they’ll get it. It’s going to be awesome. I can’t wait."

On Twitter @hughesg19

If you go

Millville Barber Shop

Where: 35147 Atlantic Ave, Millville, DE 19967

Hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or by appointment

Phone: 302-539-3413