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| Vol. 18, No. 4 | Sept. 24, 1998 |
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| Vol. 18, No. 4 | Sept. 24, 1998 |
This year's Coast Day activities are scheduled from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 4, at the Marine Studies complex, 700 Pilottown Rd., in Lewes. Admission is free; parking is $2. Detailed information about event times and locations will be available at Coast Day. A variety of programs, entertainment and food will provide fun for the entire family. Following are the highlights of this year's schedule.
Kids and the coast are a natural combination. From critter petting tanks to crab races, and seafood to ship tours, the College of Marine Studies (CMS) and Sea Grant College Program are planning numerous activities to interest children of all ages. From participating in painting a sea-life mural with renowned artist Wyland, to touring an underwater environment created by middle-school students, kids will find all kinds of activities to stimulate the intellect and delight the imagination.
Kids should come prepared to paint and let their imagination carry them into the deep. The finished mural will be photographed and entered into Wyland's Ocean Challenge, with winners to be announced in November.
At 11 a.m., kids can go on a muckless marsh walk to look at the wonders of Canary Creek. If this half-hour walk is too strenuous for young tots, let them watch the Great Crab Race. The races will be held at 11 a.m. and 1 and 3 p.m. Watch the blue crab feeding at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. This is no race, just a rundown on this crustacean's appetite and feeding habits.
A puppet show with Captain Croaker and other characters is sure to delight the younger set as they learn about boating safety. The show, sponsored by the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, will be presented at noon, and 1, 2, and 3 p.m. near the Marine Operations Building.
Throughout the day, families can watch nautical videos in Room 202 of Cannon Laboratory. Three award-winners from the International Wildlife Film Festival will be aired. At noon and again at 2 p.m., Champions of the Wild: Sharks will play. Incredible Journeys: A Whale's Voyage will air at 12:30 p.m. and again at 2:30 p.m. At 1 p.m., catch Touched by a Dolphin.
Children can try their hands at making a fish print on paper that they can take home. This activity will continue throughout the day. Look for the tent between Smith and Cannon labs. Kids' help will be needed to construct a life-size model of a deep-sea hydrothermal vent from noon to 3 p.m. with Craig Cary and CMS graduate students.
A walk is planned through the Coastal Habitat at the north entrance to Cannon Laboratory. Once inside, children of all ages will enjoy the Year of the Ocean exhibit with a special look at the deep sea, coral reefs and beaches. For another look under the ocean, visit the five-room exhibit, "Undersea Adventure," created and staffed by Talley Middle School students.
Young computer jockeys are sure to enjoy navigating the World Wide Web by visiting the home pages of the College of Marine Studies and the Sea Grant Program as well as other marine-related sites. Computers will be set up all day in Cannon Lab.
The Coast Guard will give an air/ sea rescue demonstration in the CMS harbor. In addition, tours of several vessels will be held continuously in the harbor. Open for tours are a 47-foot Coast Guard motor life boat, the 82-foot oyster schooner, A. J. Meerwald, and the 166-foot DELRIVER oil skimmer.
Be sure to visit the Delaware Marine Trades Association Boat Show near the seafood pavilion.
Children who sign a safe boating pledge will receive a free life jacket, while supplies last.
The Delaware River and Bay Authority will operate the Cape May Lewes Ferry trolley from the CMS campus parking lot to the Lewes city harbor, where visitors can board the historic tall-ship, Kalmar Nyckel.
Fees to board the ship are $5 for ages 13 and up, $3 for ages 7 through 12, and free for those under 7.
Drinking water is one of our most precious resources and also one of our most vulnerable, especially along coastal areas such as Delmarva. Researchers from the College of Marine Studies will be screening well-water for nitrate levels during Coast Day.
According to Joseph R. Scudlark, marine studies, who will conduct the testing, nitrate is a soluble form of nitrogen that appears at low concentrations in most surface waters as a result of natural biological productivity and decomposition. Higher concentrations in groundwater are usually derived from agricultural and/or sewage disposal practices.
Nitrate contamination of drinking water is particularly problematic in the coastal region, where the combination of a shallow water table and sandy, unreactive soils allows nitrate at the surface to rapidly infiltrate to the water table, he says.
Samples should be dropped off in Room 125 Cannon. Results will be available within several hours, or they will be mailed within one week of Coast Day.
Should a sample's nitrate level exceed the recommended maximum concentration, instructions will be provided on where to go for further assistance. For more information on this water testing, contact Scudlark in Lewes at 645-4300.
Coast Day seafood lovers will find a schedule packed with activities sure to keep mouths watering. From the annual Crab Cake Cook-Off to a new Chef's Seafood Chowder Challenge, featuring clams, there is a lot to do and eat.
According to Doris Hicks, Sea Grant Marine Advisory Service, chowders are chunky, hearty soups that are so full of good things that they sometimes are more like stews than soups.
This event is a friendly challenge between the First State Chef's Association and the Delmarva Chefs and Cooks Association to come up with the best seafood chowder recipe as voted upon by visitors to Coast Day, Hicks explained.
Hicks said the public will sample 2-ounce portions of the chowders before casting their votes. After the votes are tallied, she will announce a winner as well as the featured seafood for next year's Chowder Challenge. A traveling trophy is designed for the winner of this event.
Beginning at noon, visitors can watch local chefs work their seafood magic in a series of culinary presentations. Chef Robert Davis, from Phillips by the Sea in Ocean City, Md., will make seafood tortillas with mango salsa. Davis was voted chef of the year by the Delmarva Chefs and Cooks Association.
At 1 p.m., Joseph Piane, president of the First State Chef's Association and executive chef, Piane Caterers, Wilmington, will demonstrate how to garnish the fruits of the sea.
Ed Hennessy, chef instructor at Delaware Technical and Community College in Stanton and board member and past-president of the First State Chef's Association, will focus on grilled cedar-planked fish at 2 p.m.
The presentations will conclude at 3 p.m., when chef Andy Hollenbach, from the Galaxy Restaurant in Ocean City, Md., shares his out-of-this-world calamari cuisine.
The Crab Cake Cook-Off will feature eight finalists, chosen from entries received from Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York. Coast Day visitors will be able to watch the contestants prepare their recipes and sample a morsel or two. Judging takes place at noon, with winners announced at 1 p.m. This year's panel of three judges will include Cherry Barranco, last year's first place winner. The top prize includes $150, a plaque and the opportunity to be a judge at next year's competition.
Plenty of seafood will be available for purchase from local vendors.
For more information, contact the Marine Communications Office at 831-8083 or the University of Delaware Sea Grant Marine Advisory Service at 645-4346 or visit the web site at <www.ocean.udel.edu>.
