Delaware
Sussex County Land Trust Announces Delaware 250 Celebration at Rocking the Docks – Milford LIVE! – Local Delaware News, Kent and Sussex Counties
“Stars Over Sussex” will bring live music, fireworks, food vendors, and a drone show to the Lewes waterfront on July 2 for Delaware 250. (Photo courtesy of Sussex County Land Trust.)
The Sussex County Land Trust announced plans for “Stars Over Sussex,” a Delaware 250 celebration scheduled for July 2, 2026, at the Cape May–Lewes Ferry Terminal in Lewes.
The waterfront event, organized in partnership with Rocking the Docks and Delaware 250, will feature live music, fireworks, food vendors, and a drone light show commemorating America’s 250th anniversary.
Organizers said the event will serve as Sussex County’s signature Delaware 250 celebration ahead of Independence Day festivities.
The evening’s entertainment will include a performance by Fleetwood Macked, a Fleetwood Mac tribute band appearing as part of the Rocking the Docks summer concert series. The event will conclude with a coordinated fireworks and drone show over the Lewes waterfront highlighting patriotic themes, Delaware history, and Sussex County’s coastal heritage.
Ticketed viewing areas will be available at the ferry terminal, though organizers noted the fireworks and drone show will also be visible from several public locations around Lewes, including Lewes Beach, Grain On the Rocks, and nearby waterfront areas.
“This partnership allows us to create something far larger and more impactful than we could independently,” said Sara Bluhm. “By bringing together Rocking the Docks, Delaware 250, community sponsors, and conservation supporters, we’re building a truly unique celebration that reflects the spirit of Sussex County and America’s 250th birthday.”
According to organizers, the drone light show will incorporate synchronized formations and animated imagery tied to patriotic themes, Delaware’s role as The First State, and local coastal culture.
The Sussex County Land Trust also recognized Dogfish Head as one of the event’s early supporters.
“Dogfish Head continues to step up for Sussex County in meaningful ways,” said Bluhm. “Their partnership and early commitment helped us elevate the vision for this event from the very beginning.”
Additional sponsorship opportunities remain available for businesses and organizations interested in supporting the event, according to organizers.
The Sussex County Land Trust expects the celebration to draw thousands of attendees from Delaware and surrounding states as part of the region’s July Fourth holiday events.
Sara Uzer is a journalist from Sussex County with more than 15 years of experience as a writer, editor, and community advocate. She started her career in Washington, DC and has lived in Sussex County for the past five years.
Corporations, partnerships, trusts, limited liability companies, and other “artificial entities” have the right to vote in Delaware elections under some circumstances, a judge said in a novel ruling Tuesday.
Judge Craig A. Karsnitz rejected an ACLU challenge to a charter permitting voting in local elections by the entities that own most of the property in the Town of Fenwick Island, one of several municipalities in the state with similar provisions. Karsnitz dismissed the lawsuit from Delaware’s Superior Court, citing “the principle of one person/entity/one vote.”
“Visions of faceless large corporations or even HAL controlling a small town are frightening and …
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Ciro Poppiti has transformed himself into Founding Father Caesar Rodney.
Poppiti is a lawyer, National Guardsman, actor and the elected register of wills in Delaware’s New Castle County — the same office Rodney once held in his county.
On June 12 and 13, Poppiti will ride horseback from Delaware to Philadelphia’s Independence Hall, retracing Rodney’s historic 1776 journey that helped secure support for American independence.
Rodney raced through a storm after learning at midnight that he needed to break a tie in Delaware’s delegation on the vote for independence from England.
“You’ve got to get to Philadelphia by three o’clock, four o’clock the next day,” Poppiti said while portraying Rodney. “The gavel is coming in otherwise everything you have done is now destroyed.”
Rodney famously wore a green scarf to hide a cancerous formation on his face.
While Rodney rode horse trails from Dover to Philadelphia, Poppiti’s route will follow modern roads, including Route 13 through Claymont and Delaware County before heading up Passyunk Avenue to Independence Hall.
Poppiti said the ride is taking place in June because the actual anniversary in early July will coincide with World Cup events in Philadelphia.
Well-trained Amish horses and a buggy will accompany the ride to help make the trip safer on busy modern roads.
Rodney remains a controversial figure for some because his family owned slaves on their Kent County farm.
During protests following George Floyd’s death in 2020, Rodney’s statue was removed from Rodney Square in Wilmington. The statue is now displayed in Freedom Plaza in Washington, D.C.
“We have critics, critics who want to damn Caesar Rodney because he had slaves and they should,” Poppiti said. “We embrace those who are critical of Rodney because those who are critical of him are helping us and they’re fulfilling our mission. Our mission is to tell the whole story warts and all and to expose the fact that it was all people of all colors that helped make the greatest upset in world history happen.”
More information about the reenactment ride, including related events such as a gala and concert, is available at 250ride.org.
This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC Philadelphia. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC Philadelphia journalist edited the article for publication.
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