Sussex County Land Trust

10/27/2026

🌿 NOW ACCEPTING BIDS: MOWING & GROUNDS MAINTENANCE

Sussex County Land Trust is seeking qualified contractors to provide mowing and grounds maintenance services at 10 properties throughout Sussex County for the 2027–2028 seasons.

We're looking for reliable landscaping professionals to help us maintain the parks, preserves, and open spaces that make Sussex County special!

📅 Bid Deadline: Friday, October 30, 2026

📄 View the full bid package: https://bit.ly/scltmowbid

📧 Questions? Contact [email protected] or 302-233-2844.

Know a local landscaping or mowing contractor who might be interested? Please share or tag them below!

10/26/2026

Open Space, Open Strings: A Beautiful Finale to Our 25th Anniversary Celebration

Thank you to everyone who joined us at the Lewes Ferry Grounds last weekend! Our final 25th Anniversary event, Open Space, Open Strings: Bluegrass by the Bay, brought together more than 500 attendees, plus children, for an afternoon of music, community and a shared love for the places that make Sussex County special.

Thanks to your generosity, we collected 255 pounds of food for the Food Bank of Delaware! Families enjoyed food trucks, local beverages, a vendor market, bounce houses and hands-on activities, while Wood Flower and Old Town Flood kept the energy high all afternoon.

A heartfelt thank-you to the partners who helped bring this event to life:

- Carl M. Freeman Foundation, Signature Sponsor of our 25th Anniversary celebration.
- Matt VanBelle and Rocking The Docks, for their partnership and event production.
- Dogfish Head, Thompson Island Brewing Company and Lewes Brewing Company, for generously providing beverages.
- Party Poopers, Inc., for donating the restroom trailer.

And, of course, thank you to our bands, vendors, volunteers, board members and every attendee who spent their Sunday with us.

Closing this milestone celebration surrounded by so many supporters reminds us why we do this work: to protect the land, water and natural spaces that make Sussex County special.

Were you there? Share your favorite moment or photo in the comments—we’d love to see the day through your eyes!

10/20/2026

A little Sussex County history worth sharing! 🏡

Did you know the Cannon-Maston House at Ickford Park dates back to the early 1700s? As one of Sussex County’s oldest surviving historic homes, it has quite a story to tell!

Our roofing contractor, Pro Exteriors, put together this great video highlighting the history of the house, and we couldn't resist sharing it.

We're proud to be working to preserve this remarkable piece of Sussex County history for future generations to enjoy.

🎥 Take a look and learn a little more about this local treasure!

10/16/2026

☀️🎻 THE WEATHER IS LOOKING GREAT FOR BLUEGRASS BY THE BAY! 🎻☀️

Join the Sussex County Land Trust for Open Space, Open Strings: Bluegrass by the Bay this Sunday, October 18, from noon–4 p.m. at the Lewes Ferry Grounds as we close out our 25th Anniversary year!

More than 500 guests have already registered for this free, family-friendly afternoon featuring:

🎶 Wood Flower from noon–2 p.m.
🎶 Old Town Flood from 2–4 p.m.
🚚 Food trucks and a vendor market
🍺 Local b**r and beverages
🏰 Inflatables and fall family fun

General admission is FREE, but advance registration is required.

🎟️ Register:
https://rockingthedocks.ticketspice.com/bluegrass2026

🥫 Bring five canned food items for the Food Bank of Delaware and receive a complimentary drink ticket!

This celebration would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors and community partners:

🌿 Carl M. Freeman Foundation — Signature Sponsor of SCLT’s 25th Anniversary celebration

🍺 Our beverage providers:
Dogfish Head
Lewes Brewing Company
Mispillion River Brewing
Thompson Island Brewing Company

🚻 Party Poopers, Inc. — donor of the event’s restroom trailer

We’re also grateful to Rocking The Docks for producing this special celebration with us!

🙋 Want to help make the day a success? Volunteer shifts are still available:
https://signup.com/go/nfhHrHZ

Bring your lawn chairs, gather your friends and family, and join us for one final 25th Anniversary celebration by the bay! 🌿💚

10/09/2026

🙋 WE NEED VOLUNTEERS! 🙋

We’re in the home stretch for Open Space, Open Strings: Bluegrass by the Bay, and we still need helping hands to make this special afternoon a success!

Join us Sunday, October 18, at the Lewes Ferry Grounds for a volunteer shift—and enjoy live bluegrass, local food and a beautiful afternoon by the bay while supporting the Sussex County Land Trust.

Volunteer opportunities include:

🍺 Beverage stations (ages 21+)
🎟️ Guest welcome and entrance support
⭐ VIP tent and reentry gates
🌿 SCLT information table
💵 50/50 raffle sales
🛠️ Setup, cleanup and general event support

Shifts are available throughout the day. Grab a friend, choose the same shift and help us close out SCLT’s 25th Anniversary year on a high note!

👉 VOLUNTEER: https://signup.com/go/nfhHrHZ

Just want to attend? General admission is FREE, but advance registration is required. Limited $50 VIP tickets are also available, with all VIP proceeds benefiting SCLT.

🎟️ REGISTER: https://bit.ly/OSOSbluegrass26

Please share this post and help us find the volunteers we need! 💚

10/06/2026

Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) wants to hear from you!

The Delaware Department of Transportation has unveiled a survey seeking feedback on a proposed pathway that would connect Milton to the Georgetown-to-Lewes Trail. The survey is part of a study for the alignment of the trail connection. The study will consider different routes and design alternatives. To take part in the survey, go to https://publicinput.com/p47740.

09/28/2026

🎻 Open Space, Open Strings: Bluegrass by the Bay is coming to the Lewes Ferry Grounds!

Join the Sussex County Land Trust and Rocking The Docks on Sunday, October 18, from noon to 4 p.m. for a free, family-friendly afternoon featuring:

🎶 Live bluegrass from Wood Flower and Old Town Flood
🚚 Food trucks
🛍️ Vendor market
🍺 Drinks
🏰 Bounce houses and fall family fun
🌱 A celebration of SCLT’s 25th Anniversary

General admission is free, but advance registration is required. Limited VIP tickets are available for $50.

🎟️ Register to attend: https://bit.ly/OSOSbluegrass26

🙋 Want to help make the event happen? We need volunteers for event setup, guest welcome, VIP and gate attendants, beverage stations, the SCLT table, raffle sales and cleanup.

Sign up to volunteer: https://signup.com/go/nfhHrHZ

Come enjoy Bluegrass by the Bay—or spend part of the day helping us bring this celebration to life!

09/27/2026

💥 $125,000 FOR OPEN SPACE… IN A NOR’EASTER! 💥

What. A. DASH. 🏃‍♀️🍺🌧️🌿

Apparently, it takes more than a nor’easter to stop the Dogfish Dash community!

Today, you showed up through the wind and rain and helped the 19th Annual Dogfish Dash raise an incredible $125,000 for the Sussex County Land Trust! 🎉

And we already know one place where that support will make a very real difference: a portion of this year’s Dash proceeds will help fund a permanent public restroom at Stephen P. Hudson Park. That’s what your support looks like on the ground — protecting open space AND investing in the parks and amenities that allow our community to enjoy it. 🌿

🍺 To our incredible partners at Dogfish Head — thank you for believing in our mission and putting so much heart and wonderfully off-centered spirit into this event.

🏃 To every Dasher who crossed that finish line in THAT weather — YOU did this.

🙋 To our volunteers who braved the wind and rain and helped us all week long — you are absolute rock stars.

🤝 To our sponsors and community partners — thank you for investing in the future of Sussex County.

👏 And to everyone who bought a raffle ticket, cheered, grabbed a b**r, shared a post or simply showed up — you were part of this, too!

🚲 And congratulations to Frank Biddle, winner of our Priority e-bike! A huge thank you to Priority Bicycles for donating such an incredible prize.

2024: $100,000.
2025: $109,000.
2026: $125,000 — in a nor’easter! 🌧️

That’s $334,000 raised for SCLT in just three years of the Dogfish Dash. 🌿💚

As SCLT celebrates 25 years of preserving Sussex, we can’t think of a better reminder of what’s possible when this community comes together.

THANK YOU, DASHERS! 💚🍺🌿

09/23/2026

🐟🏃 DOGFISH DASH WEEK IS HERE! 🌿🍻

The 19th Annual Dogfish Dash is this Sunday, but the fun starts TODAY! Join Dogfish Head and the Sussex County Land Trust throughout the week as we gear up for race day and raise funds to help preserve open space in Sussex County.

📍 TONIGHT | Packet Pick-Up & Benevolence Day
📅 September 23 | 4–8 PM
📍 Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, 320 Rehoboth Ave., Rehoboth Beach

Pick up your race packet and stay for dinner! 20% of proceeds will support SCLT through Dogfish Dash fundraising efforts.

🔥 FRIDAY | Fireside Chat
📅 September 25 | 5–6 PM
📍 Dogfish INN, 105 Savannah Rd., Lewes

Join us by the fire, connect with fellow Dashers, and get ready for race weekend!

🎽 SATURDAY | Packet Pick-Up
📅 September 26 | 12–5 PM
📍 Dogfish Head Milton Brewery, 6 Cannery Village Center, Milton

Skip the race-day rush and pick up your packet Saturday afternoon!

🏃 SUNDAY | DOGFISH DASH!
📅 September 27 | 9 AM
📍 Dogfish Head Milton Brewery, 6 Cannery Village Center, Milton

It all leads to Sunday! Come cheer on the Dashers and help us celebrate another year of running, community and conservation—all in support of preserving the places that make Sussex County special.

🚲 AND DON'T MISS THE RAFFLE!

We’re raffling off a Priority Bicycles e-bike valued at $2,000! Raffle tickets will be available throughout Dash Week, with the winner drawn Sunday.

🎟️ Grab your tickets at any Dash Week event!

Still need to register for the Dash? There’s time!
👉 www.dogfish.com/dash

Thank you for supporting the Sussex County Land Trust and the Dogfish Dash. We’ll see you at the Dash! 💚

09/11/2026

🌿 Want to help protect Sussex County’s open space AND have a really fun day doing it?

The Dogfish Dash is Sunday, September 27 at the Dogfish Head Milton Brewery, benefiting the Sussex County Land Trust!

Last year, the Dash raised an incredible $109,000 for open space preservation right here in Sussex County — and there are two great ways to be part of it this year:

🏃 RUN THE DASH!
The legendary 3.81-mile Dogfish Dash is open for registration. Grab some friends, create a team, break out your best recycled costume, and join us!
👉 Register to Dash: www.dogfish.com/dash

🙋 VOLUNTEER!
Not a runner? We need lots of helping hands throughout Dash Week and on race day. **All ages are welcome**, so bring the family, volunteer with friends, or get a group together.
👉 Sign Up to Volunteer: https://bit.ly/26dashvolunteer

Whether you run, volunteer, or cheer, you’re helping the Sussex County Land Trust safeguard the land and resources that make Sussex County special. 💚

Hope to see lots of our Sussex County neighbors at the Dash!

Our off-centered race through Milton is back for another incredible year! Join us for our 18th annual Dogfish Dash on Sunday, Sept. 28th! This year, all proceeds will go to our friends at the Sussex County Land Trust, and though it’s the same race day you know and love, including yet another Recyc...