NIGHTLIFE

Dewey Beach Elvis Festival leaving the building after 17th year

ROGER HILLIS
DELMARVANOW CORRESPONDENT

All good things come to an end, and a yearly Dewey Beach music event is saying farewell.

The Rusty Rudder in Dewey Beach will present its 17th annual Elvis Festival, which will be the final edition of the event, on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 29-30.

The Rusty Rudder's 17th annual Elvis Festival will take place at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29, and 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30 ($10). Two dozen Elvis Presley tribute artists from throughout the country will compete for cash prizes during the nighttime portion of this final edition.

Attendees hoping to secure tables, chairs or bar stools are advised to arrive early, as Elvis fans are once again traveling from far and wide. Doors open at 4 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. Saturday.

A similar (yet unrelated) Delmarva event, the Ocean City Elvis Festival, has no end in sight. The fourth annual festival will take place Thursday through Sunday, Oct. 19-22, at OC's Fountainbleau Hotel, and we'll have more about that next month.

Mark Gagnor, Ernie Hefferon and Dan Barrella perform on stage during the during the Elvis impersonators contest held at the Rusty Rudder in Dewey Beach.

Elsewhere in Ocean City, Seacrets will host its Beachin' BBQ Beach Closing Party from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30. Brett Andrew & Co. will perform on the outdoor beach stage before it is put on ice for the season and admission is free. (Music will continue to take place on both of the inside stages in the months to come.)

Irish Eyes at Anglers, located on the Lewes harbor, will host its free end-of-summer party Friday, Sept. 29. Local classic rock and soul combo The Funsters will hit the stage at 9:30 p.m.

In downtown Rehoboth Beach, the Dogfish Head brewpub is one of the few area nightspots to spotlight original music from local, regional and national recording artists — and this weekend will be no exception.

Brett Andrew & Co. will perform at Seacrets in Ocean City from 1-5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30 as part of the Beachin' BBQ Beach Closing Party.

On Friday, Sept. 29, New York pop and R&B diva Jennifer Denali will perform at 7 p.m., followed by traditional country singer Charley Crockett of Dallas, Texas (who is a direct descendent of Davey Crockett) at 9 p.m.

On Saturday, Sept. 30, Philadelphia quartet Black Horse Motel will mix Americana and indie rock at 10 p.m. Looking ahead, San Francisco garage rock act The Stone Foxes will perform Saturday, Oct. 14.

Admission to all Dogfish shows is free.

E-mail Roger Hillis at rogerhillis@gmail.com

This week's must-see list

Final Elvis Festival at the Rusty Rudder in Dewey Beach at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29 and 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30. $10

Beachin' BBQ Beach Closing Party at Seacrets in Ocean City from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30. Free

End of Summer party with the Funsters at Irish Eyes at Anglers in Lewes at 9:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29. Free

Black Horse Motel at the Dogfish Head brewpub in Rehoboth Beach at 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30. Free

Bad Since Breakfast at M.R. Ducks in Ocean City at 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29. Free