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The weather is warming up, the waves are crashing, and the smell of the ocean fills the air in Rehoboth Beach. Beachgoers and resort town officials are prepping for what both hope will be a successful summer season.

“I’m excited, everyone’s had a different kind of year and everyone’s really ready for a big summer,” said John Ryan, the financial analyst for Red Bull. The 26-year-old has been coming to Rehoboth since he was ten. This year he’s looking forward to joining friends and family at the beach to “really get rid of, let’s say, a boring winter.”

“Delaware has been the main go to for over a couple of decades now,” Ryan said. “Everyone’s here just ready to kick it off.”

Rehoboth has a full slate of summer events that get underway Memorial Day weekend.

“Memorial Day also is the kick off for our bandstand,” said Rehoboth Mayor Stan Mills. “They’re free concerts, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. This year, they got about 42 professional music groups coming” with diverse backgrounds like rhythm and blues, funk, military oldies, motown, and classic rock.

Rehoboth also offers a plethora of shops and restaurants to enjoy along the walkable square mile of downtown Rehoboth. “We have about 300 business fronts, we’ve got about 200 retail stores, and then we’ve also got about 100 eateries in town, anywhere from carry out to eating in.”

Rehoboth’s “restaurant week” will take place from June 4 to June 9, where participating restaurants will have different kinds of special deals.

Just a little further south, Bethany Beach is also preparing for the return of summer residents and visitors by bringing back their Monday movie nights. Bethany’s concert series has been extended into October this year, and now includes a ‘Broadway at the Beach’ program in September.

“This year we are sort of gearing to a younger market,” said Julie Malewski, Bethany’s events director. “Wednesday nights in July, we’re featuring a couple of teen bands.”

The summer season gets underway with the Poseidon Festival, featuring musical performances, live sand sculpting, and pirate and mermaid characters. The festival also includes a chance for visitors to get to know Bethany’s lifeguards, police, and fire personnel as part of a meet and greet event Saturday night. “It’s a way to kick off the unofficial start of the summer Memorial Day weekend, to just let people know how to prepare for the potential of coastal emergencies while making light of a heavy subject with island inspired entertainment,” Malewski said.

The crush of summer visitors always brings concerns for safety, especially for pedestrians and cyclists. According to the Delaware Office of Highway Safety 2022 annual report, Delaware has one of the highest per-capita pedestrian fatality rates in the country.

As a result, Bethany has launched its summer WAVE campaign to promote pedestrian safety.

“The Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Committee, their plan was to come up with this program called Wave– Wait/Watch, Assess, Verify, and Engage/Enter– which is how to safely cross through traffic,” she said. “It seems like a lot of common knowledge, but it’s just as a reminder of the best way to get around town.”

With more people coming to Delaware’s beaches, the other concern is also traffic.

“The way the roads are structured is not conducive to having that much tourism,” said Deborah Van Pelt who retired to Lewes four years ago. “Most residents here, we don’t go out during the weekends from Friday to Sunday. We get everything that we need in the house before that, or otherwise, we’re stuck,”

“The traffic is quite annoying sometimes because there’s so much of it,” said Peter Sealesci who lives in Felton. He’s developed alternatives to make his trip to the beach quicker. “Where we’re from, it’s about 45 minutes from here. So we’ve tried to find back roads to get into Rehoboth or Lewes instead of getting on the main road, which is Route One.”

He says Rehoboth needs to reassess its road infrastructure and find a better way to deal with traffic. City officials agree and are already working on it.

“We are doing a parking and traffic study this summer just to take a look at our traffic and parking inventory to see if there can be any improvements for future summers,” said the mayor of Rehoboth.

Some like Van Pelt decry the growth and changes happening in Delaware’s beach towns. “There’s so much tourism here, and it does boost the economy here,” she said, but added, “I’m not happy about it because of what it does to the environment as well for the animals and the beach itself. A lot of people that come here don’t take care of it.”

Others, like frequent Rehoboth visitor John Ryan, are excited for growth at the beach communities. “You do see change here, you can see movement between businesses,” he said. It’s “another great vibe, a new summer, a new kick.”

President Biden is spending the week at his vacation home in Rehoboth Beach, Del. While he may get some downtime, it's impossible to fully check out from the job.

SACHA PFEIFFER, HOST:

Joe and Jill Biden are trading 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue for their vacation home in Rehoboth Beach, Del., this week. They're doing what many families do on vacation - see a movie, take walks on the beach - but trying to blend in as president is tough. NPR's Barbara Sprunt has more.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Mr. President.

(CHEERING)

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Mr. President.

BARBARA SPRUNT, BYLINE: When you're the president, even a simple bike ride is a production. You're trailed by Secret Service, passerbys (ph) gather to cheer you on and the press pool that follows you in D.C. is still close by.

TEVI TROY: A vacation for a president is not really a vacation. You're not ever fully off.

SPRUNT: That's Tevi Troy, a former White House aide and a presidential historian.

TROY: You have to bring national security aides. You have to bring a communications apparatus. You obviously have to bring the football, which is the nuclear codes. So a presidential vacation is much more complicated than just loading up the minivan with peanut butter sandwiches and some suitcases.

SPRUNT: Presidential vacations can be interrupted by breaking news or legislation that needs to be signed. And even if their responsibilities don't end, presidents get criticized for the appearance of taking a break. That's true for Biden, too, who has traveled to his homes in Delaware numerous times throughout his presidency. Biden has long been a regular at Rehoboth, and beachgoers don't seem that starstruck.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: He's a regular human, just like you and I, so I don't feel any type of way (laughter).

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: If we saw him, we'd be like, oh, OK, you know, there he is.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #4: Fine.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #5: I wouldn't even go near him.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #6: I'm indifferent to it.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #7: So, like, the first time, it's like, oh, OK, you know? Hey, that's cool. You know, it's the motorcade. And now it's kind of, like, we're over it.

SPRUNT: For some locals, like Bridget Mullins, the novelty of the president coming to town along with his motorcade and tendency to back up traffic has worn off.

BRIDGET MULLINS: And he went to the main church here, and that was exciting the first time, you know? But after that, it's a hassle.

SPRUNT: But kids - kids are a different story.

ARIAH: I love the fact that, you know, we're in the same town.

SPRUNT: That's 11-year-old Ariah, who has a big smile with remnants of an ice cream cone quickly melting on this hot day.

ARIAH: I want to go live with him. He's rich, and he could buy me an iPad. He can make sure I got the best birthdays, the best Christmases.

SPRUNT: Further down the beach are high schoolers Gabriella Hildreth and Ariana Stanton, who are surprised to hear the news.

GABRIELLA HILDRETH: Is he here? I'd...

ARIANA STANTON: I literally told her earlier. I was like, Biden comes here all the time.

SPRUNT: They quickly launch into a debate about what to do if they saw the president.

GABRIELLA: Can I have a picture (laughter)?

ARIANA: I don't know. Shake his hand, I don't know.

GABRIELLA: Yes, I would. I would want to. Then you could be like...

ARIANA: I would not.

GABRIELLA: ...I shook President Biden's hand.

ARIANA: I wouldn't say anything. I would leave him alone. I feel like he gets it all the time, though, so I would just...

GABRIELLA: You'd feel like you're overstepping your boundary...

ARIANA: Yeah.

GABRIELLA: ...Maybe. Like, just let him be.

SPRUNT: Nineteen-year-old Lily Sakellariou is also thinking about a potential interaction with Biden. She's working this summer at the ice cream store, a popular spot that has a picture of Biden on display behind the waffle-cone maker from when he visited years ago.

LILY SAKELLARIOU: He has almond joy as the flavor, and we just put that online this morning.

SPRUNT: She wonders, will the almond joy bat signal work?

SAKELLARIOU: Well, I'm sure he would be super nice. (Impersonating Joe Biden) Appreciate it, kid. Oh.

SPRUNT: So you'd be nervous?

SAKELLARIOU: Yeah, but I'm up for it. I would want him to, I don't know, say it's the best ice cream cone he's ever had - compliment my scooping, maybe.

SPRUNT: Daniel Fry, who's visiting Rehoboth for a family reunion, says he'd also be excited to see Biden regardless of politics.

DANIEL FRY: I am probably as pro-Republican and pro-Trump as can be. I am not a fan of Joe Biden, but he's still our American president. And, you know, it's always been an honor and privilege to be in the presence of the president. So I think it's kind of a cool thing.

SPRUNT: Fry just missed seeing Biden in the park. But he plans to come back tomorrow in the hopes of catching a glimpse. Barbara Sprunt, NPR News, Rehoboth Beach.

(SOUNDBITE OF NICK SHOULDERS' "SURF DE MARDI GRAS")

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"Long Island Medium" Theresa Caputo was in Rehoboth Beach on Tuesday, filming at the Purple Parrot.

Photos posted on the restaurant's Facebook page showed Caputo sitting at a table in the biergarten with at least five other people, surrounded by a working camera crew. She also posed for a photo with an employee.

Purple Parrot general manager Christopher Chandler said the big-haired reality star was there for about two hours. The production crew did not tell him for whom or what they were filming, he said.

It appeared Caputo was there to meet with some "locals," Chandler said, who were seated at the table with her. She also did impromptu "readings" of at least two other guests, according to Chandler.

Caputo starred in 14 seasons of the TLC reality show "Long Island Medium," but the last season aired in 2019, according to the TLC website. Another season has not been announced, and TLC spokesperson Nicole VanderPloeg said she did not know what Caputo was filming in Rehoboth. Caputo's representatives did not immediately return requests for information.

In addition to her psychic abilities, Caputo is a New York Times bestselling author and host of the "Hey Spirit!" podcast.

She's currently on tour, set to perform in Washington, D.C., Friday and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Saturday and Sunday.

Shannon Marvel McNaught reports on Sussex County and beyond. Reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter @MarvelMcNaught

REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. - After several delays, beach replenishment is underway.

Originally, the projected was slated to begin in late March and go from Rehoboth Beach and make its way down the coast.

When seeing the heavy equipment and piping, many people are asking questions about the process. Some people are expressing frustration about the noise.

"There is a lot of beeping going on...which can get a little annoying. We know we have to put up with it because we chose to vacation in the off season which is what we like to do," Allison Belisle said.

Nonetheless, many people know the importance of the process to restore the beauty of the beaches.

"This is the first year I can recall them doing it in season but it definitely needs to be done and I am glad they are doing it," Chad Miller, Owner of Pet Wants, said.

Weeks Marine of Cranford, New Jersey, received the $23.8 million contract to conduct periodic nourishment on three dune and beach projects. The contract is a joint effort between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. Costs of the project will be shared by the federal government and the state of Delaware.

In Rehoboth Beach, 196,000 cubic yards of sand will be placed between North Surf Avenue to the bandstand area. Another 194,000 cubic yards will be placed between Salisbury Street and Beach Avenue in Dewey Beach.

Bethany Beach's replenishment will take place from Third Street to Wellington Park, and again in South Bethany from around North Fifth Street to the north end of Fenwick Island State Park. The Bethany Beach projects are estimated to use the greatest amounts of sand, with 245,000 cubic yards going to the northern project location and another 287,000 going to the southern one.

Fenwick Island will have sand placed from around Kames Street south to Lighthouse Road.

Dunes and associated beach access points will be repaired in certain areas, but most of the work will focus on widening the beach from the water to the dune. The Army Corps could revisit contract options to place additional sand depending on surveys on the condition of the beach.

As of now, replenishment is expected to begin in Dewey Beach in May. Dredges will then move to Bethany Beach in late May to mid to late June. The project will finish in Fenwick Island mid to late July to mid-August.

Rehoboth Beach could become the latest coastal community to put additional restrictions on marijuana after it was legalized by the Delaware legislature earlier this year.

House Bills 1 & 2 were passed in April, despite Governor Carney's non-signature, allowing possession of a personal amount of marijuana and also setting up to 30 initial retail marijuana licenses, along with cultivation and testing licenses.

In the wake of those votes, Dewey Beach, Milllville, and Fenwick Island have all voted in their own marijuana usage bans, just in case the state legislature changes its mind, while Bethany Beach plans on discussing the topic in September.

Rehoboth's Board of Commissioners isn't planning to wait that long, as they will be discussing a public consumption ban, along with potential bans on retail, cultivation, and testing, during a public workshop Monday, August 7 at 9 a.m.

The move would be similar to a decision made by Dewey Beach leadership earlier this summer.

During a July workshop, Commissioner Patrick Gossert said there is pressure for Rehoboth to fall in line with their neighboring communities, especially if they are against marijuana use in public.

"I think it would be just to stay in line with other communities, so that we we're not ground zero for manufacturing, cultivating, testing, or retail stores within our city limits."

Commissioner Toni Sharpe said she could be persuaded to potentially support a business looking for one of the licenses in the city, with the right argument.

"If I heard a very solid case of why we should have this, and how it would align with our city and our brand, I would be open to listening, at a minimum."

Among the topics brought up during the meeting were how businesses already selling CDB oils and other offshoots of cannabis plants

Commissioner Bunky Markert said he had his doubts if tourism could be achieved by having marijuana stores in the city.

"The dispensaries might very well drive people to come in, buy, and leave. I don't think we need that. I think that would be better served by an establishment on Route 1, or some other place."

Rehoboth and the other towns' actions have a limit, as there is plenty of i unincorporporated Sussex County land surrounding both Rehoboth and Dewey, most notably on Route 1 in the Midway area, along with the "Forgotten Mile" that connects the two towns on Coastal Highway.

Sussex County Council has yet to broach the topic, so potential business owners along Route 1, and potentially the Route 24 and 26 corridors away from the beach areas, could still be in play for some of the licenses.

At least one Rehoboth Commissioner will be a tough sell for the pro-marijuana advocates, as Tim Bennett asked Jay Lagree his stance on other substances that have restrictions on consumption.

Bennett: "I have a rhetorical question: Would we consider banning alcohol and tobacco in town?"

Lagree: "I'd love to, but it's probably not going to happen."

Prohibition does have some history in the Delaware coastal areas, as Bethany Beach banned alcohol sales until 1984.

The Rehoboth Commissioners cannot actually hold a vote on any bans at next week's meeting, but it could be voted on as early as their scheduled Regular Meeting on August 18.