Selbyville Carries Its Promises Forward, From the Parade Raffle to the Corners of Church Street

Last December, the Selbyville Christmas Parade was canceled because of bad weather. That meant no floats on Church Street, no Santa and no 50/50 drawing. The Selbyville Historical Society was supposed to get that year's raffle money, and it got nothing.

On Oct. 5, the Town Council decided to give the Historical Society the beneficiary spot again. As Coastal Point reported, Town Administrator Stacey Long pointed out that the society "was not able to benefit last year because the parade was canceled due to inclement weather." The council made the same call once before, and it is how Selbyville tends to handle interruptions downtown. When something knocks a plan off schedule, the town picks it back up later.

The Raffle Has Done This Before

The parade raises money each year by selling 50/50 raffle tickets, and a different local group receives the proceeds. Here is how the last six years went, according to Long's summary to the council.

Weather canceled two of the last three parades. Both times, the group that missed out went to the front of the line the next year. Nobody got skipped, and nobody had to apply again.

This year the drawing is on parade night, Friday, Dec. 4. Tickets are sold at Town Hall for $1 each or six for $5, and you don't need to be there to win. The parade starts at 7 p.m. on Church Street. The town's flyer promises floats, marching bands, fire trucks, antique cars, a visit from Santa Claus, and food.

If you want to take part instead of watch, the deadlines are coming up. Per the Town of Selbyville's parade notice, sponsor forms are due Tuesday, Nov. 17, and vendor forms are due Monday, Nov. 23, to Loryn Rose at Town Hall. Her email is [email protected], and her phone is 302-436-8314, ext. 120. Parade entries also have to register by Nov. 23.

Two Corners the Parade Rolls Past

On Church Street, the parade passes two properties with a lot of history, and both are being carried forward too.

The first is 6 E. Church St., the former J. Conn Scott Furniture building. James Conn Scott started the business in 1924. His grandson Richard Scott, the third-generation owner, ran it until the family closed the 35,000-square-foot Selbyville store. The 7,000-square-foot Rehoboth Beach location stayed open. Speaking to Coastal Point, Scott blamed "everything costing more to run now, having all the insurance and trucks and everything," and said tariffs and unsettled prices were part of it. He also said, "I'm never really going to say goodbye." Mayor Rick Duncan told the same paper he was sorry to see the store close "after 100 years of being an historic icon here in town."

The second is 2 E. Church St., where the Georgia House restaurant used to be. The old steel-frame building was torn down and a new one put up.

Both corners are part of one plan from Matt Leimbach, who owns Matt the Carpet Guy and a cabinet shop in Selbyville and lives in Bishopville. As Coastal Point reported, he is planning:

• A Moment Café at 2 E. Church St. It is a 3,000-square-foot coffee and ice cream shop with Christian music on weekends, plus two two-story apartments and meeting space. It is expected to open in spring 2027, and the Town Council has approved its final site plan.
• A roller-skating rink, still unnamed, in the former J. Conn Scott building. The plan includes hardwood floors, an arcade, food and some virtual reality, and it is expected to open later in 2027.

Leimbach told the paper he wants the café to "bring to the community that 'Berlin, Md., vibe,'" and he said the furniture building was "100 percent worth saving." He also said the rink could give some local teenagers their first job, selling concessions. He described the whole project as giving back to a town that has been good to his business: "Let's see if we can get other people to catch the vision and do the same thing."

A Plan the Town Kept After the State Said No

Those two corners were already on the town's list. In August, Selbyville officials went to Dover to apply for state Downtown Development District status. Five municipalities applied. Duncan said the town's plan aimed to bring new business to three properties: the former Georgia House, the closed J. Conn Scott store, and the Selbyville Historical Society building, which used to house the Selbyville Public Library.

The third property connects back to the parade. This year's raffle money goes to the Historical Society, and its building is one of the three downtown properties the town named in its revitalization plan.

The state did not grant Selbyville the designation. The town kept the plan anyway. "Now have an established plan, and this will help with any future funding we may pursue for revitalization purposes," Long told Coastal Point after the Sept. 14 council meeting. During the application process, she also mentioned that someone wants to open a tearoom across from the post office.

Downtown isn't the only place looking for coffee shops. In early October, the council voted unanimously to give preliminary site plan approval to the proposed Lighthouse Towne Center, a 24,000-square-foot building at Lighthouse and Lynch roads. Owners Doug and Tammy Clark said they hope to attract coffee shops and offices, including medical practices, Coastal Point reported.

The Calendar From Now Through New Year's Eve

The longest-running commitment on this fall's calendar is Mountaire Farms' Thanksgiving for Thousands. Ruth Munoz Basel, the chaplain at Mountaire Farms, told the council the event packed 3,300 boxes in 1994. It now packs 15,000 across the Shore and Mountaire's two North Carolina plants. Each box has a fresh chicken plus corn, green beans, cranberry sauce, yams, and mixes for mashed potatoes, gravy and brownies, enough for a Thanksgiving dinner for four. This year is the 32nd, and Mountaire is looking for 300 volunteers. "They fill up real quick," she said, according to Coastal Point.

Here are the dates in order:

1. Saturday, Nov. 7, 9 a.m. The Selbyville Volunteer Fire Co. Auxiliary holds its craft show at 30 N. Main St.
2. Tuesday, Nov. 17. Parade sponsor forms are due.
3. Saturday, Nov. 21, 7 a.m. Thanksgiving for Thousands begins at Mountaire in Selbyville.
4. Monday, Nov. 23. Parade vendor forms and participant registrations are due.
5. Friday, Dec. 4, 7 p.m. The 65th Selbyville Christmas Parade runs on Church Street, and the 50/50 drawing for the Historical Society happens that night.
6. Monday, Dec. 7, 6 p.m. The Town Council meets at Town Hall. It is not meeting in November.
7. Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2 p.m. The Selbyville Public Library hosts an online Holiday Chorus Concert with The Singers of Note.
8. Thursday, Dec. 10, 4 p.m. The library holds an online Holiday Cookie Decorating session for all ages.
9. Friday, Dec. 11. This is the last day to drop new, unwrapped toys for Toys for Tots at Selbyville Town Hall during business hours.
10. Thursday, Dec. 31, 11 a.m. The library's youth Noon Years Eve Party has crafts, games and a countdown to noon.

If the weather holds on Dec. 4, the Historical Society finally gets the raffle money it missed last year.

If you own a home in Selbyville, especially one you visit only part of the year, and want to talk about how the Church Street plans and the Lighthouse Road project fit into your own plans, Karla Morgan is glad to help, whether that's over coffee this winter or after the parade. Let's Connect.