The combined forces of three New Orleans-style Dixieland Bands helps Bethany, Delaware bid a "Fond Farewell to Summer" with its
Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral on Labor Day Monday.
The annual "End of Summer Celebration" begins at 5:30pm at the North end of the Bethany Beach Boardwalk.
This "quirky" Jazz Funeral tradition is family-friendly, free to the public, and you can even dress in costume for the occasion. The Dixieland Bands are part of the procession that carries a casket with a mannequin representing "Summer" to its final resting place at the Boardwalk Bandstand.
Those who attend the Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral will see a gathering of mourners – some draped in black shrouds, some donning dark sunglasses, some dressed in full comedic costume, some carrying flowers and reeds, and others twirling oversized umbrellas – all sobbing as they shuffle along the Bethany Boardwalk from the North end toward the town's bandstand at the center of the Boardwalk. These "Friends of Summer" have mourned the passing of the summer tourist season at the "Quiet Resort" of Bethany Beach since 1985.
But Delaware doesn’t mourn the passing of summer for long. It follows the Bethany Beach funeral with a number of great events and festivals in September including the Nanticoke Indian Powwow in Millsboro. The dates this year for the 36th Annual Nanticoke Powwow are Saturday, September 7 and Sunday, September 8.
A celebration of Delaware's native inhabitants, the Powwow includes group singing and dancing by men, women and children, along with handcrafts done by skilled Native American artisans.
And of course in late May and late September Dover hosts the NASCAR race weekends. Tens of thousands of fans converge on Dover International Speedway for two weekends every year to see the nation's top NASCAR drivers duel it out on the famous "Monster Mile."
In late September the Millbilly Festival and Redneck Games in Millsboro, Delaware will mark the inaugural year for this offbeat event. One of the 2013 festival’s main attractions will be a special appearance by “Cooter Davenport” from “The Dukes of Hazzard.”
Click on www.visitdelaware for news of many other events in Delaware.
For more information about top events in Delaware take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Delaware.