Cape Henlopen State park boosters keep it humming

Some of the attractions visitors like the most about Cape Henlopen State Park — its free-to-use collection of bicycles, its sprawling playground, a live camera trained on an osprey nest — are things the Friends of Cape Henlopen have had a hand in.

"You know the bike barn in the nature center? That's us," said Loretta Seibert, a Friends member.

The 300-member volunteer group is constantly raising funds to keep its park activities running and to be able to dream up new ones. On Saturday morning, on what felt like the first sunny morning in a week or more, the members held a flea market at the park's Officer's Club building. If the park's long fishing pier weren't under construction at the moment, they would have held an annual youth fishing tournament Saturday, too.

All of it, members said, is in service of keeping the borrow-a-bike program and other amenities going. After starting in 1999 with 15 purchased bikes, the park's bike shed now has 44 adult-sized bikes, along with several trailers and trailer bikes for child passengers. Some 13,000 people rode the bikes last year.

"The bike program is a big part of what we do," said Bob Wallace, a past president of the group. "It's a big favorite of the people who come in. They can't believe it's free."

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At the flea market, trinkets and odds-and-ends donated by Friends members were for sale, mostly the kinds of things you'd stock a beach house with: old books and decorations. Like any self-respecting flea market, it boasted a bake sale, too.

Stu Schmidt, the group's current president, was helping with the sale while taking a break from his favorite job in the park: getting his fingers greasy. He plays a major role in maintaining the dozens of loaner bikes, which must be kept in operating shape while taking a beating from salty air and frequent use.

When Schmidt, a retiree, joined the group two years ago, he saw the bikes were in dire need of maintenance, he said. "I decided I'd tear them all down and rehab them."

Over the years, the group has helped the park buy radar detectors for rangers, a cash register computer, wheelchairs for visitors and a telescope.

As Schimdt sees it, the group's efforts are essential to keeping the park up to date with what visitors want. "This is one of the older parks in the system," Schmidt says; he'd like to see its nature center modernized, and praised the park for adding six new cabins to its camping area. Park officials raised $5,700 for that project with a Kickstarter campaign this spring.

For Schmidt, though, the bike-borrowing program is the Friends' most visible and effective effort.

"I like to see people ride away with a smile," Schmidt said.

Contact James Fisher at (302) 983-6772, on Twitter @JamesFisherTNJ or jfisher@delawareonline.com.

HELP THE PARK

The Friends of Cape Henlopen State Park will have a Trail Day on Saturday, June 4, from 1pm-5pm.  Volunteers are welcome to come help clean up trails in the park. A lunch will be provided at the park's picnic pavilion. For more information visit friendsofcapehenlopen.org/calendar.