Inhabited by Native Americans. Claimed for the Dutch. Settled by Swedes. And ruled as a British colony prior to the American Revolution. No wonder Delaware is so culturally diverse!  Events throughout Delaware celebrate our diversity. Don’t miss the 34th annual 8-day celebration of La Festa Italiana – the St. Anthony of Padua Italian Festival. It will run in the parish neighborhood at 9th & DuPont Streets from Sunday through Sunday 8-15 June. The Italian Festival today is one of the biggest ethnic festivals in the Mid-Atlantic.

Every year since 1959 the festival has evolved. New in 2008 is a “new and improved” upgraded emphasis on exploration of the Italian culture and the Italian – American heritage experience.  Also, for the first time in 2008, to improve the experience for Festival goers, the Festival site will be fenced and gated, with a nominal admission charge. Visit www.stanthonynet.org/Festival for more information.

Visitors to Riverfront Wilmington can now arrive by boat. The Riverfront Development Corporation of Delaware has opened a 360-foot length of public docks along the Christina River. Located next to a restored shipbuilding crane near Iron Hill Brewery and Joe’s Crab Shack, the floating docks are secured to pilings and connected to the Riverwalk by a ramp. The docks can accommodate 10-12 boats on a first-come, first-served basis. There is no cost for boats to tie-up at the docks, which will be open from sunrise to midnight.  Also, the Riverfront Wilmington River Taxi is now operating on a regular schedule for the 2008 season.  The 36 passenger boat offers daily trips, private cruises, wine cruises and family nights along the Christina River. The Taxi hours of operation are Tuesday – Saturday 12:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m., Sunday 2:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. and closed Monday.  The River Taxi can be boarded at any one of the following dock locations:  Dravo Plaza, Overlook Pavilion, Riverfront Market, Tubman-Garrett Riverfront Park and Kalmar Nyckel Foundation.  The cost is $5 for Adults and $3 for Children.   For more information about Riverfront Wilmington events and attractions, visit www.riverfrontwilm.com.

The first Dewey Beach Sports Festival will be held this weekend, June 7 to 8, at the Dickinson Street Beach. Two hundred athletes and an estimated 3,000 spectators will be in Dewey Beach for the event.

The Festival will feature the Toyota Pro Beach East Volleyball Tour and Skim USA Amateur Competition.  The Toyota Pro Beach East Volleyball Tour will showcase some of the best men and women beach volleyball players in North America in a double-elimination format. Entering its tenth year, the Toyota Tour has launched the career of some of the top players in the U.S. The number one ranked player on the Association of Volleyball Professionals Tour, Phil Dalhausser, was a regular on the Toyota Tour just two seasons ago. Skim USA, the largest Skimboarding organization in the world and the official sanctioning body for the sport, will host an amateur East Coast skimboarding competition at the waters edge on Dickinson Street, next to the volleyball center court. More than 100 amateur athletes from across the region will compete in this fan friendly beach sports event.  

Seating is free to the public on Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and on Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For more information visit www.deweybeachsports.com

Nemours Mansion and Gardens has been returned to its turn-of-the-century magnificence.  A world-class team of architects, engineers, craftsmen and gardeners has completed a dazzling restoration which cost thirty-nine million dollars.   This premier North American estate with its spectacular mansion, re-landscaped gardens and new visitor center reopened for tours on May 1st.

Situated on 222 acres which include a mix of woodland areas and formal gardens with reflecting ponds, parterres and a huge fleur de-leis jardin, Nemours is a landscape jewel and arguably the finest formal French garden in North America.