One of my favorite things about Rehoboth is that this town has never been very good at following the rules.
Especially the calendar.
The rest of the country celebrates Pride in June.
Rehoboth waits until July and says, “We’ll take it from here.”
Honestly … iconic.
This weekend, the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center becomes the place to be. Local artists, vendors, community organizations, entertainment, activities and enough friendly faces to make you forget you spent 20 minutes looking for parking.
You’ll walk in planning to “just look around.” An hour later you’ll be carrying a handmade candle, three stickers, information from a nonprofit you didn’t know existed and somehow you’ve agreed to follow six new people on Instagram.
That’s just how these things work.
I’ll be adding my own brand of chaos to the fun.
Saturday morning at 9:20, I’ll be hosting Drag Queen Story Hour, followed by another performance at 11:45.
If you’ve never experienced Story Hour, let me ruin the suspense.
It’s exactly what it sounds like.
I read books. I do ridiculous character voices. The kids laugh. The parents laugh.
And every once in a while, a 5-year-old absolutely humbles me with a question I was not emotionally prepared to answer.
“Why do your eyebrows look like that?”
Excellent question.
I ask myself that every Saturday.
My favorite part isn’t even the books. It’s watching kids realize adults are allowed to be silly. Somewhere between paying bills and folding laundry, we convince ourselves growing up means becoming serious all the time.
Kids haven’t gotten that memo yet.
Thank goodness.
So bring them. Let them laugh. Let them ask the weird questions. Let them meet the loud drag queen with the giant blue hair who probably has more glitter on her than should be legally allowed before 10 a.m.
Then stick around. Browse the vendors. Support a local artist. Say hello to the organizations that work year-round to make our community stronger. Cheer on the entertainers. Grab lunch downtown afterward. Make a day of it.
Because that’s what Rehoboth does best.
It brings people together without making a big fuss about it. It just opens its doors, smiles and says, “Come on in.”
I’ll be the one trying to balance an iced coffee, a children’s book and a wig that’s one strong ocean breeze away from becoming someone else’s souvenir.
I can’t wait to see you there.
