Community and fund-raising events will offer tasty options for those saving the final weeks of the summer season. The following is a selection of late summer events, with the Taste of Newark winding up the list in the late fall.
Battle of Bartenders, Aug. 15
The fifth annual Main Street Mile Guest Bartender Fundraiser, “Battle of the Bars”, on Friday, August 15 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the patio at the Courtyard Marriott at the University of at 400 David Hollowell Drive in Newark. The event benefits the Newark Police Department K-9 fund and the Downtown Newark Partnership.
This year’s event pits four downtown Newark restaurants against each other in the battle for bragging rights and the “Paco Cup”, named in memory of Newark’s first K-9 officer. Bartenders from Catherine Rooney’s, The Deer Park Tavern, Grotto Pizza, and Taverna will compete to generate the most tips and drink sales.
“Battle of the Bars” includes the Bartender Olympics, hosted by Kildares Irish Pub, in which the winning bartenders receive a “bonus” from all the other bars’ tip jars to be added to their final total. All tips and donations support the Newark Police Department K-9 fund. The live entertainment for the evening, donated by the Courtyard by Marriott, is Bryan Parr.
For additional information, visit www.mainstmile.com.
Peach Festival , Middletown, Aug. 16
The 2014 Middletown Peach Festival will be held, beginning at 9 a.m. with the annual Peach parade on Broad Street. The event concludes at 4 p.m.
Many activities are centered around Main Street. Main Street and a portion of adjoining north Cass Street will be closed to traffic for the event.
Entertainment is scheduled throughout the day around town. There are activities for children, a local artist exhibit, historical exhibits, a peach pie contest, crafts, music, food, games, and peaches.
The festival is held rain or shine. Last year’s attendance was estimated at about 30,000 people. Shuttle buses are now used to transport attendees to the event.
The festival is sponsored by the Middletown Historical Society and marks the role of the peach industry in building the town.
Delaware once ranked first among the states in peach production, but declined after a blight hit the massive orchards of the day. The University of Delaware has reported that peach production is on the rise with about 300 acres of orchards in the state as of 2011.
Dover Downs Brew Festival, Aug. 16
The 4th Annual Dover Downs Hotel & Casino Brew Festival will take place on Saturday, August 16 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Rollins Center . Microbreweries from the Mid-Atlantic region will be featured along with entertainment and pub food. Entertainment will be provided by The Splashing Pearls and Captain’s Blues Music.
The following breweries will be represented: Victory, Yards, Evolution, Stoudt’s, Lancaster Brewing, Schlafly, Allagash, Left Coast, Day of the Dead Brewing, Iron Fist, Green Flash, North Coast, Lewis Osterweis, Smuttynose, 3rd Wave, Oskar Blues, Fordham, Old Dominion, Eastern Shore Brewing Company, 16 Mile, Twin Lakes, Evil Genius, Mispillion River Brewing, DuClaw and Dogfish Head.
The general admission price of $25 includes ten drink tickets and a souvenir glass while supplies last. A designated driver ticket of $15 includes unlimited, free soda. Tickets may be purchased through VIP Services at 800-711-5882 or online at doverdowns.com. Tickets can also be purchased at the door.
Dover Downs Hotel & Casino has a 500-room full service hotel, spa/salon and gaming options including slots, tables, poker, online gambling, Keno, professional football parlay betting, nationwide horse racing simulcasts and live harness racing , November through April.
For further information, visit www.doverdowns.com.
Taste of Rehoboth, Aug. 21
The Taste of Rehoboth will return for a second year at the town’s convention center on Aug. 21.
The Thursday event comes with a $50 charge. It is held between 5 p.m. Fifteen or more restaurants are expected to participate.
The event is a downtown Rehoboth beach Chefs Collaborative designed to promote philanthropic organizations and food driven charities while also promoting the use of locally sourced goods and services, environmentally sustainable purchasing practices, and a focused commitment to their craft, according to sponsors
Delaware Burger Battle, Aug. 23
Twenty restaurants from across (and just outside) of Delaware will converge at the Delaware Burger Battle, presented by The Kenny Family Foundation, from noon to 3:30 p.m. Aug. 23, at Twin Lakes Brewery near Greenville.
The participating restaurants: Abbott’s Grill, BBC Tavern and Grill, Cantwell’s Tavern, Chelsea Tavern, Deer Park Tavern, Drip Café, Ernest & Scott Taproom, Fuego, Kildare’s Irish Pub, La Fia, The Meat House Chadds Ford, Nage Restaurant, Pizza by Elizabeths, Redfire Grill + Steakhouse, The River Rock Kitchen, Rose & Crown, Skipjack, Tutto Fresco Restaurant, Ulysses American Gastropub and World Cafe Live.The Delaware Burger Battle marks the unofficial last weekend of summer for many families before the start to a new school year.
Redfire Grill + Steakhouse, Hockessin, returns to compete after winning last year’s Critic’s Choice award. James Beard nominee Jay Caputo will arrive with burgers from his Rose & Crown in Lewes, while fellow nominee Bryan Sikora represents La Fia in downtown Wilmington.
Money raised from the battle will benefit Ministry of Caring’s Emmanuel Dining Room, which helps alleviate the needs of Delaware’s hungry by serving meals to anyone in need, at no cost and with no questions asked. Over the past two years, more than $11,000 has been raised and donated to the Ministry of Caring from Burger Battles.
Tickets to the Battle include unlimited samples of the 20 burgers and beer from Twin Lakes Brewery. Tickets are $45 through Aug. 22 and $55 at the door, if the event does not sell out. Teen tickets (for people ages 11-20) are $15, and tickets for children 10 and under are $5. For more information, visit www.deburgerbattle.com.
Brandywine Arts Festival, Sept. 6-7
More than 200 artists from 15 states will market their paintings, jewelry, pottery, photography and other works Sept. 6-7 at the long-running Brandywine Festival of the Arts. The festival has been around for a half century.
The festival, begun in 1961 as the Brandywine Arts Festival, a street fair in downtown Wilmington, has become a much-anticipated end of summer celebration, now held the weekend after Labor Day in Brandywine Park in Wilmington. It was renamed the Brandywine Festival of the Arts in 2010, when Barry’s Events, headed by Wilmington entrepreneur Barry Schlecker, revived the event.
With at least 10 food vendors and about a dozen local musicians performing original works, coupled with Dollar Days discounted admission to the adjacent Brandywine Zoo, the festival offers visitors of all ages many options.
“Whether you’re looking for artwork to brighten your home or to get an early start on holiday shopping, visitors will be pleased with the dozens of choices that await them,” Schlecker says.
Artists also enjoy the festival, which usually draws 10,000 or more visitors a day.
“It’s definitely one of the better shows I do. It’s in the top two or three,” says potter Steve Datz, a Wilmington resident who has his Ryefield Ceramics shop in Middletown, Del. Datz has had a booth at BFA for five years.
Musicians performing their original music at the festival include Nancy Heubner, Robbi Kumalo, Splashing Pearls, Mosno Al-Moseeki, RKVC, Justin Tracy, Shane Palko & Friends, Michelle Ley, Jessica Graae, Rachel Schain and Stephen and Zooey.
Participating food court vendors include Fat Ricks BBQ, Koi on the Go, SAS Cupcakes, Food for Thought, Home Grown Café, Bella Vista Trattoria, Sausage King and Olevano olive oil. Beer and wine will also be available.
WSFS Bank is the festival’s presenting sponsor. Beneficiaries of the event include Friends of Wilmington Parks and the Brandywine Zoo. Hours are 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 6, and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 7. Admission is $5; children under 12 are admitted free. For more information, see www.brandywinearts.com.
Taste of Newark
The 11th Annual Taste of Newark is Sunday, September 28, 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. on the Old College Lawn, UD Main Campus (rain location is at Clayton Hall). Tickets are $50 each if purchased before the event and $70 at the door. Tickets are limited and a sellout can occur.
Guests enjoy the samplings from nearly 50 Newark restaurants accompanied by area wine distributors on the Old College Lawn.
Celebrity cooking demonstrations provide entertainment .
Fueling the competition among eateries is the annual “Iron Chef” style Battle of the Chefs! Now in its sixth year,
Newark’s top chefs battle for the title of Newark’s Top Chef, with one hour to concoct masterpieces from a secret list of ingredients. Competing this year are Donny Merrill of Skipjack, Matt McKay from the Newark Country Club, and Ben MacGuiness and Robbie Jester from 16 Mile Taphouse, to be judged by a panel of local celebrity judges.
For more information or to purchase tickets, call 302-368-2561 ext 112 or visit www.eventbrite.com, keyword “Taste of Newark.”
