DT Turns 50—With a Bang
In 1962, the interstate highway system was just getting traction, the Delaware Memorial Bridge had only one span, and the Cape May-Lewes Ferry had not yet set sail. Fifty years later, the state is a much different place, and through it all, Delaware Today has been there to document the changes. See how in “Delaware Yesterday, Delaware Today: 1962-2012” at the Delaware History Center in Wilmington beginning Aug. 18. The exhibit shows how the magazine has evolved from a small black-and-white publication with regular features like the quaint Flo Knows Fashion into the glossy, full-color publication you read today for the latest on great restaurants, the arts, emerging lifestyle trends, home design, interesting personalities and more. Objects from the collection of the Delaware Historical Society round out the story. “Delaware Yesterday, Delaware Today: 1962-2012” is informative, entertaining and nostalgic, and we humbly submit that you’ll find it as interesting as we here at DT do. 655-716, hsd.org
A High Note of Summer
If you want to see one of the greatest talents in opera in a setting that might seem unbelievably intimate, don’t miss “An Evening with Patricia Racette” at the Cape Henlopen High School Theatre in Lewes on Aug. 18. Racette, a leading artist of the Metropolitan Opera and Washington National Opera, has been called “one of the opera world’s best sopranos. She has sung with The San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, Los Angeles Opera, and the Santa Fe Opera, and she is known as a great interpreter of Janacek and Puccini, she has been lauded for singing the title roles in “Madame Butterfly,” “Tosca,” “Jenufa” and “Kátya Kabanová.” At Cape. she’ll sing a program of opera favorites, jazz and Broadway standards with Craig Terry, a conductor for Chicago Lyric Opera, on piano. The performance begins at 8 p.m., but you’ll want to get there early to enjoy fine apertivi from A Touch of Italy Restaurant. Proceeds benefit Coastal Concerts and The Margaret H. Rollins School of Nursing at Beebe Medical Center. operaatthebeaach.com
Seaside Art
One of our favorite events of the year, the annual Outdoor Fine Art & Craft Show at Rehoboth Art League continues Aug. 18-19 at The Homestead, the league’s beautiful campus in Henlopen Acres. The 39th show presents more than 100 outstanding artists from the Mid-Atlantic region who display and sell works in a variety of mediums. Stroll the grounds, enjoy the music and savor delicious food while viewing outstanding works. We can think of few ways better to spend a summer day. 227-8408, rehobothartleague.org
Light Entertainment?
The Kennett Symphony will present “Water Music: Titanic 100 Years” in the Open Air Theatre of Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square on Aug. 18. What is water music? It’s music inspired by water, natch. The concert will include Handel’s Suite on the River Thames, the “Blue Danube Waltz” à la Johann Strauss, Sir Henry Wood’s “Fantasia on British Sea Songs,” Richard Rodgers’ “Victory at Sea” and music from the Leonardo DiCaprio-Kate Winslet film “Titanic.” Under the direction of maestra Mary Woodmansee Green, violinist Soyeong Park and cellist Bihn Park, co-winners of the 2011 Kennett Symphony Instrumental Competition for young artists, will perform the finale of Johannes Brahms’ Concerto for Violin and Cello. Longwood Gardens will also present the exhibition “Light: Installations by UK light artist Bruce Munro,” which will continue through Sept. 29. Munro’s first garden installation in the United States features seven large-scale outdoor installations, two installations in the Conservatory, and a small collection of illuminated sculptures in the Music Room, as well as never-before-seen views of Longwood at night. It’s something to see—and hear. Rain date for the concert is Aug. 19. 610-444-6363, kennettsymphony.org
Family Film—Under the Stars
This year, the Brandywine Family Film Festival happens outdoors at the Delaware Museum of Natural History. Aug. 17-19, a different full-length foreign feature film will be shown each night, preceded by an animated short. It’s just like going to the movies in the old days. On Aug. 17, see “Azur & Asmar,” the tale of two friends competing for the same dazzling reward. Aug. 18 brings “Cinderella Moon,” a retelling of the fairy tale based on the earliest known version, which comes from China. Finally, Aug. 19 features “Mia and the Migoo” from France, about Mia’s quest to find her father. 484-775-0350, bwfilmfest2012.eventbrite.com
A Whale of a Good Movie
Rehoboth Beach Film Society’s free Cinema by the Canal series presents ”Big Miracle” at Lewes Canalfront Park on Aug. 15. “Big Miracle” is family film at its best. The movie is based on the true story of how a small-town news reporter and an animal-loving volunteer unite Inuit natives, oil companies, and the militaries of Russia and the United States to save a family of gray whales trapped by rapidly forming ice in the Arctic. Bring your lawn chairs and a snack, then settle in for one of the most pleasant evenings you can have. 645-9095, rehobothfilm.com
