It could be easy to be parochial about this, but it seems little Delaware has finally made the map.
In entertainment, the forces behind Philadelphia’s esteemed World Café Live have seen enough in Wilmington to invest in a repeat venture in the soon-to-be-renovated Queen Theatre. Smyrna-boy-turned-country-music-star Chuck Wicks made a fair showing on ABC’s hit “Dancing With the Stars.” And will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas awarded four Christiana High School students college scholarships on no less than “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” He could have picked students from anywhere.
In sports, another horse owned by Rick Porter furthered the state’s leading role in the Triple Crown races. The trainer for the World Champion Philadelphia Phillies is from Laurel. Former University of Delaware quarterback Joe Flacco damn near took the Baltimore Ravens to the Super Bowl in his rookie year. And his former Blue Hens teammate, Ben Patrick, caught a touchdown pass for the Arizona Cardinals in the big game.
In politics and government, Dover Air Force Base became a hub of news coverage when the Obama administration lifted a ban on covering the return of fallen U.S. servicemen. The main strategists for each of the presidential campaigns were Delawareans. And last, but certainly not least, one of our U.S. senators was elected vice president of the United States of America—a U.S. senator from Delawhere?
Having lived in my native state for most of my 46 years, I can honestly say I never thought I’d see so much attention focused on this place. So maybe it’s just me, but life here suddenly seems charged with an all-new energy. And what better time to celebrate than now, the month of Best of Delaware.
For my money, this is the best little state in the union. I’m preaching to the choir by pointing out that we have world-class universities, world-class hospitals, companies that defined the idea of multi-national and world-class cultural institutions. (Have you seen Nemours lately? If not, turn to page 64.) What’s more, you don’t have to be wealthy to enjoy any of it. Delaware is affordable.
Former CNN correspondent Ralph Beglieter told us months ago that the rest of the country would hear a lot more from Delaware, and it has. Now, perhaps, everyone will finally understand why we’re The First State.