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Larry Franz has always gotten things done. While working in a factory, he became the local union’s president, used the extra money to pay for college, and negotiated the best CBA his members had ever won. At the Pentagon, one of the toughest bureaucracies in the country, generals relied upon him to navigate through all the egos and red tape and make their plans happen. Now retired, from his bench on 2nd street, Larry is quietly doing the same here in Lewes. Instead of complaining about his rough childhood or being kicked out of the house at 18, Larry learned self-reliance, the power of listening, and the joy and freedom that comes with focusing on what you can or should be doing instead of all the rest.

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Tucked under sand and towered over by trees inside Cape Henlopen State Park, Ft. Miles was once an active military base from World War II through the Cold War and into the Vietnam War. Ed Paterline, Fort Miles Historical Association Board Member, takes us through the fort’s storied history and how a determined group of volunteers, mostly retired, turned an abandoned piece of history into a remarkable museum through old-fashioned grit and determination. They’ve helped bring history alive.

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Co-founders Steve Esfandiari, Matt DiSabatino, and Kevin McGuiness were unburdened by knowledge, experience, or a good premise for a podcast when they released their first episode back in May 2023. What they did have was an interesting town filled with interesting people. They hoped that would be enough. At least they got that right. A candid look back at what they learned, who’d be listening, and the power of giving a little oxygen to what’s good. There is something special happening in little Lewes, Delaware, and it’s the people, what they call the “we” in Lewes. Their guests - remarkable, creative, civically active people - are helping build a community spirit, maybe even a collective soul, that may be an antidote for the persistent negativity of our times and give us all some much needed hope.

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Jenn Wagner is a local artist working in multiple mediums. She describes herself as a metal worker who also paints and makes jewelry. She attended 12 different schools growing up, as her family moved around the country and the world. She followed a traditional business path, getting her MBA from Rice University, then lived with her husband in Budapest and Paris. After a serious boating accident made a normal office job unlikely, one day she visited a museum and saw a brochure for the Glassell School of Art in Houston. Propelled by what she self-deprecatingly calls her power combination of confidence and ignorance, she applied to the sculpturing program and got in despite her lack of any formal training. There, Jenn found her real passion and has never looked back. You can see her amazing work in multiple mediums on her studio website at Bronze Anchor Studios.

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Mike DiPaolo has spent over 25 years working with non-profits, helping make them and the communities they serve more effective and impactful. He helped steer the Lewes Historical Society into prominence, and today is helping the Delaware Community Foundation improve and better coordinate charitable activities throughout the state. He’s won national and state awards for his public service. When awarding him the prestigious Nancy Hanks Memorial Award for Professional Excellence, the American Association of Museums said Mike was proof that one person, with energy and drive and imagination, can turn a modest institution into a major one. Not bad for someone still in his 40’s.

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What would your life be like if you couldn’t read? Think about school, getting a job, so much of your daily life. Hillary Summerbell has dyslexia. She can’t read like most people. Not just books or textbooks. She couldn’t even read road signs, let alone use a computer. But, Hillary doesn’t give up. She finds solutions. She used the talents she had - an amazing eye for design and colors - and built a multi-million dollar interior design company and then, one night, after years of trial and error, she had that eureka moment. By simply breaking away from the linear presentation of words, she could realign them into a format that she could read. It was immediate. It worked. She’s had it tested and validated. And now, with her company, the Summerbell Reading Method, she is enabling people across the country to read what they want, when they want. There’s a Chrome extension and an app. It’s a remarkable, story of courage, conviction, and hope.

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Imagine a life where your work involves kayaking with dolphins, dressing as you like (shoes and shirts are optional), and only answering to the person staring at you in the mirror. Matt Carter created a career built around what he loves - showing people how to stay healthy, have fun playing outdoors, and relishing the simple joys in life like sitting around a beach fire doing absolutely nothing. It allowed him to raise children who so enjoyed their childhood that they want to return after school. A true Lewes original, Matt explains how all of this started when he was in college, studying in an ice cave in the Rocky Mountains. Only he had the foresight to see how that experience could be brought to the Delaware Shore. One suggestion - this episode is best enjoyed barefoot, sitting at the beach, with an adult beverage in hand. Yes, we experimented.