Good afternoon,
In this strangest of years, Wilmington had its moment.
The virtual Democratic Convention ended with a flourish when Joe Biden, Jill, vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris, and husband Douglas exited the Chase Center and made their way the outdoor stage at its parking lot.
Minutes earlier, Biden had given the most important speech in his nearly five-decade-long career as the finale for the tightly-produced event.
The spectacle probably made more than a few local Biden critics cringe. But at the same time, there had to be some local pride over history in the making.
(Photo from Delaware State Rep. Paul Baumbach)
On cue, vehicles put on their emergency flashers and fireworks went off.
Throughout the day and into the night, Wilmington and the Chase Center had taken on the trappings of a political convention, complete with a sizable police presence.
Trucks with video screens that normally prowl areas like the Las Vegas strip, blasted headbanging rock and carried messages about “Creepy Joe,” a reference to reports about women feeling uncomfortable and a more serious allegation dating back to the ’90s that surfaced recently.
A group of about 100 Trump supporters was on hand, but according to media accounts complied with a police order to move back.
Sorry Milwaukee, but in the end, the Chase Center, the Hotel DuPont, and a couple of high schools ended up as key sites. The balloons and funny hats were gone, but we finally saw some legal fireworks.
Enjoy the weekend and support your local independent business – Doug Rainey, chief content officer.
