Over 50 Things to Do Around Delaware This August

The 29th annual Wyoming Peach Festival takes place Aug. 3, and the 26th annual Middletown Olde-Tyme Peach Festival takes place Aug. 17./Photo by Adobe Stock, by Iriana Shiyan

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Week of Aug. 1-7

“Robin Hood”
8/2 • Wilmington
Welcome to mystical, magical Sherwood Forest, where the entrance fee is simply whatever you can pay, at The Grand. Our hero, Robin Hood, and his merry band of colorful characters seek to rescue Maid Marian. Wacky humor and an original score add a fresh look to a legendary outlaw in a legendary time. The suggested donation is $5 per person. Catch a 10 a.m. or 7 p.m. show; doors open 30 minutes before the show.

“The Producers”
8/2–8/3 • Kennett Square, Pa.
Producer Max Bialystock was once the toast of Broadway. His last show fell flat, his books won’t balance, and it nearly sends his accountant, Leo Bloom, into a seizure. But with the accountant’s casual observation that one could make more money from a flop than a hit, a scheme is hatched—create the worst show ever with the worst actors and worst directors, collect from investors, close after the first night and abscond to Rio with the loot. Based on Mel Brooks’ 1967 film of the same name, the show gets the Brandywiners treatment at Longwood Gardens’ outdoor amphitheater. Curtain time is 8 p.m.

African and Caribbean Festival
8/3 • Wilmington
The Delaware Art Museum’s Copeland Sculpture Garden celebrates culture times two: Find Caribbean and African music, food and art outside, then step inside to take a spin around the new Caribbean-themed exhibition, “Relational Undercurrents.”

Creating Whimsical Masterpieces With John Donato
8/3 • Selbyville
The work of local artist John Donato has been characterized as “walking into a smile factory.” The factory is open for business for the delight of children at this energetic (and free!) class. Your little guys and gals will work with John to create a masterpiece worthy of premier refrigerator real estate, thanks to the artist’s trademark high spirits and blasts of color. Get colorful at 10 a.m.

Delaware Kids Fund 5K
8/3 • Newport
The Delaware Kids Fund will get you sweating for a good cause, with the 10th Annual Race in Newport. Lace up at James Street Tavern and run amok.

Lewes Antique and Vintage Fair 
8/3 • Lewes
It’s treasure-huntin’ season. Browse antique and vintage finds for every taste level and wallet thickness. You wanna beat the crowd? Doors open at 9 a.m. at the Lewes Historical Society Shipcarpenter Campus.

Rehoboth Beach Historical Society’s Beach Ball
8/3 • Rehoboth Beach
The Rehoboth Beach Historical Society’s annual gala includes dining, dancing and auctions at Kings Creek Country Club. Before you brush the sand out of that evening gown and tuxedo, this event is “beach chic,” so take it down a notch—you’ll be so happy you did, especially when Junior Wilson starts jamming.

U.S. Navy Band Sea Chanters
8/3 • Rehoboth Beach
The U.S. Navy’s official chorus performs a variety of music, ranging from traditional choral music—including sea chanteys and patriotic fare—to opera, Broadway and contemporary music. It’s a boogie on the boardwalk at the Rehoboth Beach Bandstand. We suggest you post up, grab a tub of Dolle’s and hang for the night.

Wyoming Peach Festival
8/3 • Wyoming
“Millions of peaches … peaches for me.” You can’t blame us for having the 1995 earworm on a loop this month—peaches are having a moment. In Wyoming, enjoy a parade, vendors, kids’ activities and the start of Delaware peach dessert season. The fun begins at 9 a.m.

Outdoor Fine Art and Craft Show
8/3–8/4; 8/10–8/11 • Rehoboth Beach
More than 125 artists and artisans from around the country will display and sell their fine art and crafts on the Rehoboth Art League’s three-plus acres of historic wooded land. Much more than fine art, this full-blown summer event includes great eats, music, historic tours, demonstrations, beautiful gardens and a Dogfish Head beer garden. 

Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire
8/3-10/27 • Manheim, Pa.

Get a big taste of Elizabethan life, on weekends and Labor Day Monday at Mount Hope Estate and Winery in Manheim. We recommend not bringing too much stuff with you—you’ll want your hands free for the gigantic turkey legs.

11th Annual Harry K Foundation 5K
8/4 • Lewes
On your marks, get set, take off from the Greene Turtle Sports Bar in Lewes to benefit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s Delaware Chapter—stop in for a cool beverage afterward. You earned it, pal.

First Sunday for Families
8/4 • Chadds Ford, Pa.
Award-winning artist and children’s book illustrator Raúl Colón stops by the Brandywine River Museum of Art with his newest book, “Imagine,” about a young boy whose adventures in an art museum spill out into the streets of the city. Chat about the book with the author and enjoy West African dance, drums, song and storytelling traditions from the Mali Empire with the Jeannine Osayande & Dunya Performing Arts Company. 

Softball World Series
Thru. 8/4 • Roxana
Mighty girls from the United States and around the world take the field at the Lower Sussex Little League Complex in Roxana. Cheer them on—you’ll wish you threw like a girl.

Week of Aug. 8-14

Jeff Walker Youth One-Act Festival
8/9–8/10 • Wilmington
The Jeff Walker Youth One-Act Festival gives rising stars the chance to show off their directing, acting, writing and technical skills. Come support them and the Wilmington Drama League—you might just discover the next big thing.

Peach Ice Cream Day
8/10 • Camden-Wyoming
The peach is queen for a day at Fifer Orchards. Although the ice cream might be a distraction, there’ll be tons to do—live music, the crowning of the Peach Queen and Peach Princess, food trucks, farm animal exhibits, a bouncy house and U-pick peaches. Sounds like a pretty sweet day. Who says 10 a.m. is too early for ice cream? Not us, friend.

Eastern Shore AFRAM Festival
8/10 • Seaford
Celebrate all things African culture at the Seaford Sports Complex, with live music, pan-African exhibits and shops, a gospel extravaganza, delicious cuisine and family-friendly activities. This year’s theme: Ujima, the Kwanzaa principle of cooperative work and responsibility. If you need us, we’ll be knee deep in a bowl of jollof rice.

Brian Setzer./Photo courtesy of the Freeman Stage

Rockin’ This Town
8/11 • Selbyville
Back in 1982, with the music world in the throes of a disco hangover and well into the emergence of British and U.S. new wave, three throwbacks stepped out onto stages with little more than a guitar, a stripped-down drum set and stand-up bass—plus a hefty dose of punk attitude—and reminded the rest of us what rock ’n’ roll really sounded like. The Stray Cats, already a hit in England thanks to the rockabilly revival that accompanied U.K. punk, took the U.S. by storm with “Rock this Town.” Since then, the band and guitarist Brian Setzer, as a soloist and big-band leader, have continued to perform retro rock and swing that brings the style of the 1940s, ’50s and early ’60s firmly into the present day. This summer, Setzer is splitting time between a tour celebrating the Stray Cats’ 40th anniversary and his Rockabilly Riot tour, which features drummer Noah Levy, Kevin McKendree on piano and Mark Winchester on bass. The Rockabilly Riot storms into Selbyville at the Freeman Stage Aug. 11. Tickets are $39–$59. For tickets and more information, visit freemanstage.org.

Week of Aug. 15-21

Philadelphia Folk Festival
8/15–8/18 • Schwenksville, Pa.
This four-day extravaganza of traditional and contemporary music, dance, crafts, camping and children’s activities hosted at the Old Pool Farm in Upper Salford Township is the longest continuously running outdoor music fest of its kind in North America. The Philadelphia Folk Festival attracts thousands and transforms a working farm into a magical sound park. This year, catch David Crosby & Friends, Margo Price, The Mavericks, Joan Osborne and more.

End of Summer Bash
8/16 • Wilmington
Back-to-school is coming. The Delaware Children’s Museum invites you to commiserate in a super-fun way: Explore the 19-foot Earth Balloon, jam to live music by Steel Happiness, make a tiki mask and experiment with exploding sidewalk chalk (it’s safe, we promise). The fun starts at 5 p.m. and goes until 8.

Middletown Olde-Tyme Peach Festival
8/18 • Middletown
All this peach talk, yet not a Peach Pit in sight (that’s for you, ’90s babes). Middletown hosts a heck of a peach party, one so good it requires an alternate spelling. Cruise Main Street with about 30,000 of your closest friends, as you dig in to unique crafts, good eats, boutique deals, live music, entertainment, kid stuff and more. The parade that opens the festival steps off at 8:45 a.m. (Parents bringing strollers—may we suggest you get to town early?)

August Quarterly
8/18–8/25 • Wilmington
This African-American festival at Tubman-Garrett Riverfront Park includes revivals, parades, children’s events, music, crafts, fashion shows, vendors and food. It’s also the nation’s oldest African-American festival to celebrate religious freedom, freedom of speech and the right of assembly.

Week of Aug. 22-28

Jim Gaffigan
8/23 • Selbyville
The four-time Grammy-nominated actor, writer and producer; two-time New York Times best-selling author; Emmy-winning, top-touring performer; and multiplatinum-selling recording artist is also, as it turns out, kinda funny. See him do his thing in Selbyville.

Beach Barbecue
8/24 • Lewes
Give summer a proper send-off (sad face), while supporting Children’s Beach House programs, with an evening of entertainment, dinner, drinks and friends (happy face).

The Beach Boys
8/24 • Selbyville
When the Beach Boys come to your beach, that’s a win. This band has birthed a torrent of hit singles and sold albums by the tens of millions, but their greater significance lies in the fact that they changed the musical landscape so profoundly that every pop act since has been in their debt. And, hey, they just make you feel good.

The Great Duck Race and Bargains on the Broadkill
8/24 • Milton
A summertime tradition that started as an opportunity for Milton residents to turn their unused possessions into a bit of cash has grown into a full-blown festival, featuring more than 50 vendors of arts and crafts, jewelry, goodies and food. And try your luck with the ducks too—win cash prizes if your quacker crosses the finish line first. It happens in historic Milton.

Science Saturdays
8/24 • Wilmington
Look, Ma, no hands! Come rock and roll with acceleration, physics and lots of loops, as you create a miniature roller coaster at Hagley Museum’s installment of Science Saturday.

Mister G
8/25 • Kennett Square, Pa.
Latin Grammy Award-winning artist, author, activist and educator, Mister G is hailed as “a bilingual rock star” (The Washington Post). He tours internationally, playing everywhere from Lollapalooza to the Lincoln Center. His spirited bilingual performances aim to help children see each other across borders and foster cross-cultural connections. He checks in to Longwood Gardens for an evening in the Orchard; the show is at 7:30 p.m., but chair and blanket setup starts at 5.

Aug. 29-31

William Shakespeare Measure for Measure
8/29 • Selbyville
What happens when corruption reaches the highest level of court? Explore the price of principle and witness what happens when the law is bent by those who serve to uphold it. A duke in disguise leaves the fate of his people in the hands of a ruthless judge. A loyal sister is faced with an important decision: Save the life of her brother or uphold her honor. Sound a little heavy? It’s outside, and it’s free—you’re welcome.

Season Fireworks Finale With the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra
8/31 • Selbyville
Now this is the way to end the season! Join the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, on the Freeman Stage, under the direction of Maestro Julien Benichou, for a night of American greats—from jazz to light classics. Come for the music; stay for the fireworks. We’ll see you at 7 p.m.

Ending this month

Throughout the month

Bellevue Concert Series
Thru. 9/1 • Wilmington
Make your way to Bellevue State Park on Sunday and Thursday nights for blues, jazz, swing and big band music. Don’t forget the picnic basket.

“Wicked Plants: The Exhibit”
Thru. 9/2 • Wilmington
Inspired by author Amy Stewart’s best-selling book “Wicked Plants: The Weed that Killed Lincoln’s Mother and other Botanical Atrocities,” this fun-filled, family-friendly traveling exhibit gives visitors a safe, hands-on experience with some of the world’s most diabolical botanicals. Two- and three-dimensional interactives fill a Victorian-era ramshackle home, where visitors travel from room to room and learn about various poisonous plants that may be lurking in their homes and backyards—Audrey II, is that you? History, medicine, science, legend and lore are brought together to present a treasure trove of bloodcurdling botany.

“Relational Undercurrents: Contemporary Art of the Caribbean Archipelago”
Thru. 9/8 • Wilmington
This show presents 21st-century art by artists with roots in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Curaçao, Aruba, St. Maarten, St. Martin, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Trinidad, Jamaica, The Bahamas, Barbados, and St. Vincent. You’ll find contemporary painting, installation art, sculpture, photography, video, and performance by more than 60 artists from the islands of the Caribbean.

N.C. Wyeth: New Perspectives 
Thru. 9/15 • Chadds Ford, Pa.
Well known during the 20th century for bold, imaginative work that brought new characterizations to classic stories like “Treasure Island” and “The Boy’s King Arthur,” N.C. Wyeth pursued parallel interests in painting landscapes, seascapes, portraits, still lifes, murals and advertising images throughout his career. This will be the first exhibition to examine in depth the entirety of Wyeth’s oeuvre, repositioning him within the greater context of early-20th-century American visual culture. See it at the N.C. Wyeth epicenter: the Brandywine River Museum of Art.

Wednesday on the Water Wine Tasting
Thru. 9/25 • Wilmington
Talk about no-whining Wednesday—this is happy hour done right. Hop aboard the River Taxi at the Wilmington Riverfront and enjoy a cruise and wine tasting.

Historic Lewes Farmers Market 
Thru. 9/28 • Lewes
This producer-only farmers market provides fresh, local foods every Saturday 8 a.m.-noon at George H.P. Smith Park

Family Night on the River Taxi
Thru. 9/29 • Wilmington
Sundays and Tuesdays are for you and your crew on the River Taxi. The fun starts in Wilmington—what, you didn’t know?

Festival of Fountains
Thru. 9/29 • Kennett Square, Pa.
If you think Longwood Gardens is magical during the day, just wait until you see what tricks they have up their sleeves when the stars come out. This summer, get drenched in fireworks and dancing water, with an array of fancy fountain work.

“Spider Mother”
Thru. 9/29 • Wilmington
If just the evocative title alone gives you the goosies, listen to what Clay Dunklin has in store for you at The Delaware Contemporary: In this site-specific exhibition installation, the artist arranges a web of 30 shallow, bowl-like forms that are—any guesses?—inverted skullcaps cast from the artist’s own head. It comes from a deep personal experience—Dunklin underwent medical testing and hospitalization for a rare, debilitating neurological disease called HaNDL, which causes a buildup of fluid around the brain, resulting in intense pressure. Experience Dunklin’s unique exhibit—including an audio element—in Wilmington.

Sunday Brunch Series
Thru. 9/29 • Wilmington
You can’t go wrong on Sundays at the Riverfront this month. Start the day off on the Riverboat Queen, with a dockside brunch buffet and a little mood-setting jazz.

Rehoboth Farmers Market

Thru. October • Rehoboth Beach

More than 30 vendors sell vegetables, fruit, cheeses, meats, prepared foods, baked goods, flowers and all kinds of goodies at Grove Park every Tuesday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Riverwalk Farmers Market
Thru. October • Milford
On Saturdays, head to the Riverwalk to see what’s in store.

“Trash Talk: History in Assemblage”

Thru. 11/10 • Wilmington
This exhibit explores the ephemeral and oftentimes overlooked stuff we give significance to and collect. Working in the modern mode of assemblage inspired by twentieth-century artists such as John Chamberlain, Pablo Picasso, and Marcel Duchamp, Baltimore artist Jim Condron follows the tradition of using found and unconventional materials.

“Follies: Architectural Whimsy in the Garden”

Thru. 1/5/20 • Wilmington

There’s no better time than sweet summer to step into the imaginative and entertaining world of garden follies at Winterthur. Explore a fantastic display of contemporary and historic architectural features—from a Gothic-inspired tower to American summerhouses to a faerie cottage and more—all set within the majestic beauty of Henry Francis du Pont’s 60-acre garden. This irresistible garden exhibition, featuring thirteen unique vignettes, offers a one-of-a-kind outdoor experience with a twist of fun.

“Costuming the Crown”

Thru. 1/5/20 • Wilmington

There is nowhere else on the planet (literally!) except Wilmington where you can check out 40 iconic costumes worn by the actors and actresses of the Emmy-Award Winning Netflix series “The Crown.” Coronation gowns and travel jackets and ball gowns, oh my. While they sound like the crown jewels, check out the little sparkly things in between the jaw-dropping clothes, like the show’s props, costume designer sketches and real-life snippets of royal life. We’ve been there—you could spend a day being dazzled by the wedding gowns alone.