Halloween candy is already in grocery stores.

So you know it wasn’t long before the pop-up costume stores started to open.

While some of us may still be lounging on a beach or having a brat summer, others are making Halloween plans even though the spooky holiday is months away.

Spirit Halloween, the nation’s largest Halloween retailer, is expected to open 1,500 stores in the U.S. in 2024, according to a news release. They also plan to look for 50,000 seasonal sales associates and store managers.

The stores sell costumes, décor and animatronics and pop up in strip centers and malls across North America.

When is Spirit Halloween opening in Delaware?

The Spirit Halloween website indicates that the three Delaware stores would open in August, but doesn’t give an exact date. The stores include:

• A former Walgreens at 261 N. Dupont Highway in Dover.

• A former Walgreens at The Grove shopping center, 241 Grove Lane, Newark.

• A former Mandees at Midway Plaza, 4703 Kirkwood Highway, Milltown.

New decorations at Spirit Halloween?

The “Carnevil” is coming to town this Halloween season with Spirit Halloween’s 2024 lineup.

Creepy clowns, a raucous ringmaster and popular horror properties abound, as Spirit’s animatronic props this year are a mix of ornery original characters and beloved figures from classic horror cinema.

While the collection was previewed in June, not all products will be available for sale until August, when the Carnevil officially opens in stores. Early shoppers will be pleased to find there is no shortage of options, including some side oddities and return favorites to round out the main attraction.

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Maximize August fun: Sweet Delaware festivals & events in August you shouldn’t ignore

When should you start looking for a Halloween costume

According USA Today Reviewed story that looked at 2022 data from the  National Retail Federation (NFR), people get a major head start on Halloween, planning costumes and searching for decorations as early as the first week of September. In 2022 alone, Americans spent more than 10 billion dollars on Halloween.

USA TODAY reporters Mike Snider and Mary Walrath-Holdridge contributed to this article.

EDGE winners from 2024 celebrate their grant awards

The Delaware Division of Small Business opened the next round of our Encouraging Development, Growth and Expansion (EDGE) Program. Applications will be accepted August 1 – Friday, August 30, 2024, at 4:30 p.m.

EDGE is a competition for grant funding. Five STEM-based companies can each receive up to $100,000 for eligible expenses while five Entrepreneur Class (non-STEM) businesses can each receive up to $50,000. Since its launch in 2019, DSBA has awarded over $6 million in grant funds to 100 businesses throughout the state.

Eligible businesses are those that have been in operation for less than seven years and have 10 or fewer full-time employees.

Businesses who have applied for EDGE grants in the past who still meet the requirements, are strongly encourage to apply again In fact, many of the awardees are applicants from previous rounds.

While the main goal is to secure grant funding, DSBA has also heard time and time again from awardees and applicants how the EDGE Grant Competition process allowed them to form, and better understand, their business plan.

In the Milford area, previous EDGE Grant awardees include EZY Venture in Harrington, Dolce Bakery and Coffee Shop in Milford, Brimming Horn Meadery in Milton, The Berry Patch in Lincoln, My Sister’s Fault in Milford, Studio B in Milford and G&R Campground in Houston.

Learn more about the EDGE grant and how to apply by visiting DSBA online.

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Tuesday was no ordinary day on Capitol Hill, as Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland and Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware faced off to see who could make the superior Orange Crush cocktail.

This battle comes after Delaware lawmakers passed a bill to make the drink the official state cocktail. It combines orange juice, vodka, triple sec, and lemon lime soda, and it’s taken quite seriously among Marylanders.

“I really do want to thank Delaware for the flattery. We know imitation is the best form of flattery,” said Sen. Cardin.

The cocktail originated in Ocean City, Maryland. It was first concocted at Harborside Bar and Grill — but that was just the birthplace, said Sen. Coons.

“All of us know that something that is wonderful when invented can be improved,” he said.

The battle started out with the two taking slight jabs at each other, but all in good fun.

“We’re great friends but on this issue of Orange Crush we have to draw the line in the sand,” said Sen. Cardin.

“We share a peninsula, we share a history, we share a hope, we share a yearning, we share a memory, and today we will not share a victory because we will have the best Orange Crush,” said Sen. Coons.

At the duel the two senators were set at separate cocktail making stations. A judging panel that included Washington Post Food reporter Emily Heil, Washingtonian food editor Jessica Sidman, Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware waited in the other room so the judging could be “objective.”

Sen. Cardin quickly made his drinks, taking time with his presentation placing a straw in the drink and finishing with a garnish of orange. Sen. Coons took a bit more time, juicing his oranges and then filling his glass with ice by hand.

When the judges came back into the room they took notice of the presentation.

“First impression — it feels like this is a Top Chef challenge where one chef didn’t finish plating the dish,” Sidman said of Sen. Coons’ cocktail.

“When I was governor of Delaware, we used to compete with Maryland on who had the cleanest beaches, who was the best place to incorporate in, who had the best water, who had the best state parks, the best national parks, and all that stuff. I never imagined we’d be competing on this field today,” said Sen. Carper.

In the end Sen. Coons defeated Sen. Cardin, securing the votes of three of the judges. The one vote against Sen. Coons’ cocktail came from Sen. Carper.

After winning the duel Sen. Cardin read a proclamation from Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland:

“I, Wes Moore, Governor of the state of Maryland, do hereby proclaim the Orange Crush as the official Maryland drink of summer and do commend this observance to all of our citizens in Maryland and Delaware.”