Run outside in your undies! 19 things to do in the Delaware area in '19.
Ryan Cormier
The calendar is about to turn.
Holiday shopping, proper dinners and Santa Claus are just a memory and now we're staring at a new year. (Funny how that happens every time, eh?)
With the stress of the season melting away day by day, it's time to shift focus to 2019 — and stress-free fun.
We here at The News Journal had our news elves compile 19 arts and entertainment events, openings and anniversaries that are heading our way and worth your time.
Here's what their big ears and tiny hands came up with.
1. The Delaware State Fair turns 100: One of Delaware's largest events of the year is turning the big 1-0-0! The Harrington-based fair will host a centennial celebration throughout its run in 2019. Want a jump-start on the anniversary fun? Hit the fairgrounds Jan. 12 for the fair's centennial license plate auction at 3 p.m. Fifty-four of the special Delaware plates that bear the state fair 100th anniversary logo will be up for grabs.
2. "Hamilton" does Philly: The smash Broadway musical from Lin-Manuel Miranda heads south to Philadelphia's Forrest Theatre from Aug. 27 to Nov. 17. While the subscription packages are already sold out, the rest of the tickets have not yet gone on sale. If you don't want to throw away your shot, go to kimmelcenter.org and sign up for ticket updates to be among the first to know.
3. The Franklin Institute debuts "Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes": Kids of all sizes will like this trip to the museum. Opening April 13, this new exhibit will offer up more than 300 artifacts from Marvel Comics, including pages, costumes and props. Organizers say to expect "a fully immersive design with life-size scenes straight from the comic world," rare comics and artwork, including original art for Spider-Man’s origin story. They add: "Interactive elements including the opportunity to travel through the mysterious mirror dimension of Doctor Strange, digitally transform into Iron Man and pose for selfies alongside life-size representations of Black Panther, Spider-Man and other iconic Marvel characters."
4. The opening of Wilmington's DE.CO Food Hall: When will this happen? Your guess is as good as ours. The $3.5-million project — a collaboration between Wilmington's Buccini/Pollin Group and Seawall Development, a company that developed Baltimore’s R. House food hall — was supposed to be open by late 2018. Heck, in August they floated in a newsletter that "almost all of the stalls are full with chefs working on building their menus and kitchens, but we can't say who just yet!" Whenever it does open at the DuPont Building (10th and Orange), the 12,000-square-foot space, able to seat 250, should especially be buzzing during the downtown lunch rush. Eight different kitchens are expected, along with a bar. Officials say it certainly won't be open by spring, but chef announcements should start riolling out in the first squartyer of the year.
5. “Costuming THE CROWN”opens at Winterthur: Opening March 30 and running into early 2020, Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library will host a dream exhibition for fans of the Netflix series "The Crown." Get up close and personal with 40 costumes from the show, which snagged an Emmy Award for Claire Foy, who played Queen Elizabeth II on the program. (The show returns for a third season in 2019.) Everything from Queen Elizabeth’s coronation robe to Princess Margaret’s wedding dress will be represented.
6. The opening of U.S. 301: The new cashless toll road is expected to open Jan.1. If you don't have E-Z Pass, you'll get a bill in the mail because your license plate is scanned as you drive by. The new $636 million interstate, which runs 15 miles from Del. 1 to the Delaware/Maryland border, has four lanes. More than 14,000 vehicles are expected each day when cars start rumbling down the long-awaited roadway.
7. Opening of Wilmington's 76ers Fieldhouse: If you have been counting the days until you could finally root for the Delaware Blue Coats in their new Wilmington home, keep counting. The NBA G league team, formerly the Delaware 87ers, had hoped to christen the 76ers Fieldhouse on U.S. 13 on Jan. 4. Construction delays at the $30 million, 2,500-person arena have pushed that moment back to Jan. 23. In the meantime, the Blue Coats will play Jan. 9 and 11 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
8. Food Bank of Delaware moves: The nonprofit agency that fights hunger in Delaware is now ready to make the leap. The Food Bank of Delaware will move its warehouse from a 42,500-square-foot facility in Ogeltown to a new 80,000-square foot home at 222 Lake Drive in Pencader Corporate Center in nearby Glasgow. They purchased the building three years ago and are currently retrofitting it. It will also house their culinary school, which will be able to double in size. Donate at fbd.org to help fill the new warehouse.
9. Delaware Art Museum's new Loper exhibit: The work of late Wilmington artist Edward Loper Sr. will sit alongside that of his son Edward Loper Jr. for a new exhibit called "The Loper Tradition." Starting March 23, their paintings will be paired for the first time, drawn from the collections of the Delaware Art Museum, other public institutions, local corporations and private individuals. The elder Loper, who died in 2011 at 95, broke racial barriers as the first African-American to have a painting accepted at what is now the Delaware Art Museum.
10. New-look Firefly Music Festival debuts with AEG as sole owner: Four years after concert giant AEG partnered with Firefly's founders Red Frog Events, AEG bought out Red Frog earlier this year and is running the show solo. Its first big move — announcing the 2019 Dover lineup — was somewhat underwhelming, with plenty of fans griping about the lineup headed by Panic! at the Disco, Travis Scott and Post Malone. (Not that whining about the lineup doesn't happen every year.) The real verdict will come June 21-23 when The Woodlands fills up and the beats start to drop.
11. The 40th anniversary of Yuletide at Winterthur: The annual holiday tour of Henry Francis du Pont’s mansion marks its fourth decade starting in November. This past year's tour included everything from an 18-room dollhouse mansion to a display of antique Santas.
12. Cupid’s Undie Run at The Queen: Get your tighty-whities ready for a good cause. You're invited to prance around Wilmington's Market Street in your underwear on Feb. 16 to raise money for The Children's Tumor Foundation, which fights the genetic disorder neurofibromatosis. Wilmington joins 39 other cities as an estimated 12,000 pantsless people will run nationwide, leaving little to the imagination. Registration costs $35 (cupids.org) to join the fun at The Queen in Wilmington.
13. Delaware Theatre Company does "Honk!: An Ugly Ducking Musical": The average age of the theatergoer at DTC will drop a bit April 17 to May 12 when this musical adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Ugly Duckling" comes to Wilmington to delight the kiddos. "Honk!," which has had more than 8,000 productions in its 25-year history, won the 2000 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical.
14. A decision on the future of Dewey Beach's northbeach: It's been more than two months since we were supposed to have a decision on the waterfront club owned by Dewey Beach Lions Club. A membership vote was held in late October to determine who would run the spot in early 2020 when the current lease runs up. Why is everyone so interested? Not only is it an iconic, hard-partying bar that draws major crowds in the summer, but two of the town's biggest bar owners are gunning for the property, pitting current owners Highway One Group against the team from The Starboard. Dewey Beach Lions Club has not returned calls for an update since the October vote.
15. Sea Witch Halloween & Fiddlers' Festival turns 30: The three-day free Halloween festival that brings everyone back to the beach for boos instead of barbecues will have its 30th anniversary Oct. 25-27. Rehoboth and Dewey beaches will be filled with families for the weekend's costume parades, bonfires, broom-tossing contests, beach games and fiddlers' festival.
16. Brandywine Creek State Park unveils “social hikes”: Have you ever wanted to go for a hike and had no one to join you? Well, this is just for you. The park has a new offering called "social hikes" starting Jan. 5 at 1 p.m. The free event starts at the Nature Center where everyone gathers before heading off for an hourlong walk and conversation is encouraged. Two others are currently scheduled: Jan. 19 and Feb. 2.
17. OperaDelaware’s 2019 Festival: This year's theme is "In Opera We Trust" with a trio of legal-themed shows April 27 to May 4. First up is "Dead Man Walking," based on the book Sister Jean Prejean. Written by Jake Heggie, this is different than the film adaption but still focuses on an inmate on death row and his spiritual adviser. The second is "Scalia/Ginsburg" by composer Derrick Wang. The one-act opera delves into the friendship between Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the late Antonin Scalia. To round out the festival, check out Gilbert & Sullivan's courtroom comedy "Trial By Jury."
18. Middletown gets its own Two Stones Pub: That's right. The guys behind 2SP Brewing Co. — the brewery that recently made a collaborative coffee stout with Wawa — are opening their fourth brewpub in Delaware. Located in Hedgelawn Plaza off U.S. 301, owners say the taps will be flowing at the 4,766-square-foot, 200-person watering hole and restaurant by March or April. The Middletown location will join other Delaware Two Stones Pub locations in Hockessin, Brandywine Hundred and the Newark area.
19. Dover International Speedway celebrates 50 years of NASCAR: It was July 6, 1969 when NASCAR driver Richard Petty won the first NASCAR race on the Monster Mile. For 2019, the track will feature two NASCAR triple-header weekends (May 3-5 and Oct. 4-6). Every Monster Trophy in 2019 will be gold-colored as a symbol of the 50th and both weekends will feature special appearances by legendary drivers, free concerts and an expanded game-filled FanZone to help mark the occasion.
Contact Ryan Cormier of The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier), Twitter (@ryancormier) and Instagram (@ryancormier).
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