After serving as a combat engineer in the U.S. Army, Denis Clements retired to Lewes, Delaware. Once here, he nurtured his green thumb with Lewes in Bloom before joining the Friends of Lewes Canalfront Park, a volunteer committee operating under the Greater Lewes Foundation. The nonprofit raises funds to maintain and enhance Canalfront Park at 211 Front Street in Lewes.
Today, Denis is board chairman of the Friends group. “We promote the use of the park and raise funds for events,” he says. “We operate at the pleasure of the city of Lewes to serve the community and keep events enjoyable.”
Lewes Canalfront Park has been a hub of activity since 1631, when Dutch settlers built homes nearby and fishermen launched boats from its shore. Thanks to organizations like Friends of Lewes Canalfront Park, which once stopped developers from paving over the green space, the park remains the heart of the community.
“Between the Overfalls Foundation, which maintains the 1938 lightship, the Lewes Little League, which maintains the baseball fields, and the Lewes Historical Society, which maintains the historic Lewes Life Saving Station, we are a liaison for all the moving parts in the park and marina,” Denis explains.
Today, Canalfront Park offers a marina with floating docks, a fishing pier and shelter, a cedar canalfront boardwalk, a village green, lighted walkways with benches and arbors, native landscaping, a canal overlook deck, a gazebo, a new pirate ship playground, kayak and canoe ramp, tennis and pickleball courts, restrooms, a 28-space metered lot, and handicap access from the street to the green and walkways.
This summer, the park’s Thursday evening concert series featured bands such as The Williams Brothers, The Funsters, and Matt Lafferty and the Pros, drawing crowds of 300 or more. “People bring their own beach chairs to sit on the lawn,” Denis says. The lineup also included a children’s theater performance of Aladdin and even a pop-up opera. “It’s an experiment to see what people like and give a variety of options.” All events begin at 6:30 p.m., and for the first time this year, food trucks were on site.
CRUSH QUESTIONS:
Q: What is your favorite part about living in coastal Delaware?
Denis: “My wife and I just love Lewes. It’s great beach access without heavy crowds.”
Q: Tell us something about yourself we wouldn’t otherwise know.
Denis: “I weeded and cut grass as a kid, and now here I am back to it. I’m heavily involved with flowers. I guess I’ve come full circle.”
By definition, a crush is a brief infatuation with something. What are you currently crushing on?
Denis: “Traveling! We have an Airstream camper and have been to every state in the U.S. and a lot of Canada.”
