The 38th annual Coast Day will be held Sunday, Oct. 5, in Lewes.

Oct. 5: Coast Day 2014

Weather and climate focus of the 38th annual Coast Day in Lewes

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4:23 p.m., Sept. 18, 2014--The 38th annual Coast Day returns on Sunday, Oct. 5, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., rain or shine, at the University of Delaware’s Hugh R. Sharp Campus in Lewes.

This year’s Coast Day theme, “Weather and Climate: On Our Radar,” sheds light on the environmental and human forces that play a role in extreme weather events and the world’s changing climate. Visitors will have an opportunity to explore how coastal communities and ocean ecosystems are being impacted and how scientists and planners are looking to the future.

Events Stories

June 5: Blue Hen 5K

University of Delaware graduates planning to attend Alumni Weekend are encouraged to register for the annual Blue Hen 5K walk and run, which will be held Sunday morning, June 5.

June 6-9: Food and culture series

The 20th annual June Lecture Series at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UD in Wilmington will be held June 6-9. Titled 'June a la Carte,' this year's program focuses on great political documents, feminism, world politics and a Newark cuisine sampler.

A special exhibit will feature the work of UD scientists, Delaware Emergency Management Agency planners and National Weather Service forecasters, explaining how they collect data, inform decisions, respond to weather events and plan for a changing climate. Their work extends beyond Delaware, from the sea ice of the Arctic to the coral reefs of the Caribbean. 

Coast Day will mark the release of a new local book, Delaware’s 1962 Northeaster, the newest book in Arcadia Publishing’s Images of America series. The book, co-authored by Wendy Carey of Delaware Sea Grant and Tony Pratt and Kimberly McKenna of the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, features historical photos of Delaware’s most destructive storm in history, which ravaged the Delaware coast in March of 1962. 

Seafood festival

Coast Day celebrates a milestone this year, with 25 years of the popular Coast Day Crab Cake Cook-off. Eight finalists will face off starting at 11 a.m., cooking their coveted crab cake recipes. A 25th anniversary Coast Day Crab Cake Cookbook will be for sale, featuring the top first, second and third place winners since the cook-off began. 

The second annual Coast Day Oyster Shucking Contest will have contestants prying open a dozen shells per round while on the clock. The winner will be chosen based on the quality and swiftness of their work. The Broadwater Oyster Co. is donating the oysters; the contest starts at 3 p.m. at the Food Festival. Entries to compete as a shucker will be accepted until Sept. 29.

Local chefs will be handing out free samples at the Seafood Chowder Challenge where tasters can vote for their favorite chowder. 

But, not all of the food at Coast Day is offered in competition form. In addition to seafood cooking demonstrations, Coast Day visitors can grab a bite to eat from local food vendors, including everything from barbeque to pizza, or even ice cream from the UDairy Creamery’s Moo Mobile. 

Coast Day favorites

Visitors to Coast Day get a peek behind the scenes of the Lewes Campus with various labs open for interaction with scientists and their research about crabs, algae, sharks and other creatures. They will be able to take a tour aboard one of four ships that will be docked harborside, including UD’s newest research ship, the R/V Joanne Daiber

Coast Day also offers fun for families, and the UD Marine Critter Touch Tank is a big hit with young visitors who can get up close with creatures like horseshoe crabs and small sharks. 

Free life jackets will be given to kids who sign a safe boating pledge, while supplies last, courtesy of the Marine Trades Association. 

The magic of ocean chemistry will be revealed in a chemical magic show at 12:30 and 2:30 p.m. up in the Virden Center. George Luther, UD professor of oceanography, will perform chemical magic tricks to explain marine-related phenomena. 

Visitors can pick up a Coast Day treasure map in front of Cannon Laboratory; maps are free and prizes will be given to children who complete the map. 

The Coast Day “Focus on the Coast” lecture series features the following dynamic talks:

  • “Coastal Floods and Fury -- The March ’62 Storm in Delaware” by Wendy Carey, Delaware Sea Grant;
  • “Appreciating Marine Life with Origami, Crocheting, 3D Printing and Modeling,” John Jungck, University of Delaware;
  • “The Fickle Weather and Climate of the First State,” Daniel Leathers, University of Delaware; and
  • “Marine Mammals and Sea Turtles of the Delaware Coast,” Suzanne Thurman, MERR Institute.

Live music, vendor displays, and interactive educational exhibits throughout the event are sure to offer something for everyone. 

Coast Day is hosted by UD’s College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment and Delaware Sea Grant. This year’s sponsors include Delaware Municipal Electric Corporation, DuPont Clear into the Future, DNREC, NOAA, WMDT-47, Dover Rent-All, Gamesa, Port of Wilmington, WDDE 91.1 FM, Delaware Center for the Inland Bays, ERM, Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, Statoil, UD Water Resources Agency, and L Town Surf and Earth. 

Admission and parking are free, and Coast Day is open rain or shine with plenty of indoor and tented activities in the event of inclement weather. 

Free bus shuttle service to and from Coast Day 2014 is being offered to University of Delaware students, employees and members of their immediate families, courtesy of the Office of Development and Alumni Relations.

Learn more at the Coast Day website or follow the conversation on social media using #DECoastDay. 

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