rehoboth beach

Construction crews are dwindling, the smell of fresh asphalt is in the air and the morning commute gets a little bit smoother each day.

But motorists aren't the only ones happy to have the sound of jackhammers cease and see the hundreds of orange traffic cones disappear.

For business owners along Route 1 in the Lewes-Rehoboth Beach area -- many of whom have seen a drop in customers since the construction crews moved in fall of 2006 -- the end can't come soon enough.

This summer, the magic word for bars and clubs at the beach is "outdoors." From Rehoboth Beach to Ocean City, the night life is moving to poolside cabanas, outdoor tiki bars and waterfront cantinas.

Rehoboth Beach

Aqua Grill on Baltimore Avenue will be holding serious parties this summer. After an off-season makeover, the restaurant reopens this weekend as a warm-up for Memorial Day's blowout. Sponsored by PlanetOut, the three-day party features appearances by singer and performer Randy Thompson from Key West, Fla.

Even without throngs of tourists filling the boardwalk, residents should expect a little less walking room on the sidewalks this weekend.

As the 25th annual Spring Sidewalk Sale kicks off this weekend, Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce President Carol A. Everhart said visitors should expect some great deals and merchants can expect to clear additional retail space for new summer merchandise.

Mid-Atlantic resorts are hoping gas prices spiraling toward $4 a gallon and a cooling economy won't keep vacationers at home this summer -- but they're bracing for shorter stays and less spending on restaurants and entertainment while people holiday.

"People are staying less time,'' said innkeeper Vicki Barrett, who runs a six-room bed and breakfast in Ocean City. "They're not staying for five days or seven days -- they're staying for two days or three days.''

It's still the offseason here, with a few seagulls spotting the gray, drizzly skies. Some boardwalk shops are shuttered tight against the wind and rain.

The beaches will soon come alive with the sun as thousands of vacationers descend, spending freely and countering the gloom and doom, forgetting for a short time about high gas prices and food costs, layoffs and mortgage payments.

At least, that's the hope of beach business owners, who rely on the summer for the bulk of their income.

Rehoboth Beach is a great restaurant town. There are too many places to list here, but here's a run-down of what's new or almost new this summer:

*Aqua Grill (57 Baltimore Ave., 302-226-9001) has gotten a face lift under new ownership. Enjoy its light grill menu on the patio. The signature dish is a bacon bleu burger. Entrees: $7-$13.

*Claws Crab House, (167 Rehoboth Ave., 302-226-1729) is scheduled to open this summer as downtown Rehoboth's only crab house.

Despite otherwise dismal news in real estate, Realtors along the coastline say this year the options for last-minute vacationers are better than ever.

With new development throughout the beaches, Jack Lingo Realty Rental Manager Jo-Ann Bacher said many owners of investment properties are eager to rent.

"(Summer rentals are) shaping up really well," Bacher said. "Even at this late date there are still lots of properties to choose from."

There is work in progress to ensure the preservation of one of Delaware's most visited destinations.

Members of the Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk Committee are close to recommending approval of an engineering contract that would pave the way for boardwalk improvements that could exceed $1 million.

After seeing how many areas of the upper boards were in need of replacement, City Commissioner Stan Mills, a member of the Boardwalk Committee, said he thought the substructure should also be examined.

Beracah Homes, Inc. announced Monday that Bay to Beach Builders of Greenwood has taken delivery of its 100th home. Bay to Beach is the highest producing Preferred Builder for Beracah, with a 20 home per year average. Bay to Beach’s 100th home is a unique blend of modular manufacturing and structural engineering, as the home will reside in a critical wind area in Rehoboth Beach, DE.

On the day of their 5-year anniversary, Beracah Homes of Greenwood delivered Deric Parker of Bay to Beach Builders his 100th home. A Preferred Builder since Beracah Home’s first production run on April 7th 2003, Bay to Beach primarily completes new residential construction, but the company has recently ventured into commercial projects. Using Beracah’s assembly line system of stick built construction, Bay to Beach was recently rewarded the contract to build the new Cheer Center in Greenwood.

Every summer Rehoboth Beach and the Cape Region are flooded with young international students, 1,500 in Rehoboth Beach alone, who come to study and work in the United States.

The International Student Outreach Program (ISOP), a nonprofit organization made up of volunteers from local churches and state and federal government agencies, attempts to help foreign students adjust to life here in the United States.