* Before leaving home, check the Tanger Outlets Web site ( http://www.tangeroutlet.com) and print coupons for favorite stores.

* Dress for combat: slip-on shoes, easy-to-remove clothing, specialty lingerie (particularly important if you want something with lots of spandex or cleavage).

* On arrival, go to customer service for the two coupon books available. One is free with a AAA card, while the other costs $10 ($5 for seniors). The booklets don't always overlap and don't cover all stores.

It's the most wonderful time of the year ... for shopping, that is.

Today kicks off a truly American "holiday," Black Friday -- the post-Turkey Day scramble that offers more options to spend money (and cash in on some sweet deals) in one day than a single person could possibly take advantage of.

Across Delmarva, retailers are knocking down prices the day after Thanksgiving, but at the beach, thousands will be headed towards two of the biggest places for savings: The outlets.

The holidays are finally here. That means rushing around, shopping, out-of-town relatives cramming into the beach house and planning menus. Thanksgiving represents gathering with family and friends and the beginning of gluttonous days and overindulging in longtime favorites.

But it doesn’t mean the host has to spend every minute in the kitchen. If stuffing a bird, simmering cranberries or baking apple pies isn’t on the schedule this year, local chefs are pleased to offer up traditional fare for the holiday. So, go to the experts and enjoy restaurants and bakeries serving up cuisine – and let them clean up the kitchen after dinner.

With more than 17,500 tickets sold for more than 150 screenings, including 62 screening sell-outs, Rehoboth Beach Film Society leaders and volunteers calculated the votes of the audience and announced “Rocket,” directed by Charles Binamé, as the 10th Annual Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival’s feature film winner.

“Rocket” is based upon discrimination against French-speaking hockey players in Canada during the late 1930s through mid-1950s. In the movie, hockey becomes a metaphor for much larger issues regarding politics and prejudice, said festival program director Joe Bilancio.

Halloween will come a few days early for Rehoboth Beach as goblins, ghouls and witches take over the downtown area for the 18th annual Sea Witch Halloween and Fiddlers’ Festival.

The festival, produced by the Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce, will be held on Oct. 27 and 28. It features events and contests for all ages, including the Sea Witch Costume Parade, a broom tossing contest, a Sea Witch Hunt through downtown, trick-or-treating at local businesses and a 5k race.

The issue of housing and the future of jobs will be addressed at the annual Sussex County Today and Tomorrow Conference, Wednesday, Oct. 31, at Delaware Technical & Community College, Owens Campus.

Back in the 1980s, the term “affordable housing” applied to almost everyone; it meant almost anyone with reasonable credit could purchase a modest home. Today an affordable home is beyond the reach of a great number of Sussex County residents. An affordable home has become just a dream for many.

A few years ago, Alex Pires made an offer that topped $1 million trying to get the Rolling Stones to play in Dewey Beach.

It was a long shot, but Pires, a partner in the Highway One LP that owns beach hot spots including the Bottle & Cork and the Rusty Rudder, tried his best to get close to the legendary band.

Earlier this week, Pires got his wish, but not in the way he envisioned.

The Rolling Stones, along with a host of other artists including the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Toby Keith, Willie Nelson, Sting and Elton John, are suing Highway One through Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI), an organization that collects licensing fees on behalf of songwriters, composers and music publishers.

She first made her mark as the "Queen of Hip-Hop," becoming the first female rapper to notch a gold record, while opening the door for a generation of female rappers to follow.

But these days, Queen Latifah is making an entirely different kind of music, having now released two albums in succession -- " The Dana Owens Album" and "Trav'lin' Light"-- in which she sings standards from the jazz, soul, blues and "Great American Songbook" realms.

This weekend, Oct. 5-7, thousands of greyhounds will visit Dewey Beach and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, for the 13th annual Greyhounds Reach the Beach weekend. For attendees -who come from all over the country and even abroad - the weekend is equal parts education, networking, socializing and enjoying the local flavors.

For area residents, the weekend offers an opportunity to meet some of these gentle dogs. In fact, several curious visitors - having learned about the breed at Dewey Beach - have gone on to adopt greyhounds of their own.

The 18th annual Rehoboth Beach Autumn Jazz Festival kicks off in earnest with the event's opening party at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center on Wednesday, Oct. 10.

Tickets are $58 and include music by the Miracles featuring Claudette Robinson (Smokey Robinson's ex) and their local opening act, the Eddie Sherman and Peggy Raley duo; this year's Mardi Gras-flavored buffet will feature a crab and chicken dish cookoff by chefs from more than a dozen local restaurants. Rehoboth's 5-day festival will continue Thursday, Oct. 11 with a double-bill convention center concert by Candy Dulfer and Brenda Russell (see story, p. A34); about three-quarters of the 1,000-seat venue has been filled.