Middletown Fire
Fire damage, estimated at $75,000, was contained to the 2nd floor apartment. Three other apartments have been cleared and 4 residents have been relocated.
Michael G. Chionchio
The Mezzanine Gallery to Exhibit t. a. hahn’solo from December 2-30
On view from December 2-30, 2022
Wilmington, Del. (November 29, 2022) – The Delaware Division of the Arts’ Mezzanine Gallery presents 2022 DDOA Individual Artist Fellow t.a. hahn’s exhibition, “Peace Taking Flight”, running December 2-30, 2022. Guests are invited to attend a Meet-the-Artist Reception on Friday, December 2. from 5:00-7:00 p.m.
After a four-decade career as a senior art and design director in marketing and advertising, t. a. hahn (of Middletown) has returned full-time to his lifelong passion – creating fine art. An alumnus of Philadelphia’s University of the Arts, hahn studied both fine arts and graphic design and chose design as a career path. He always “enjoyed the problem-solving aspect of design” – and still does – but his renewed studio practice has led to the work that garnered a Division Fellowship.
Titled Peace Taking Flight, the artist has created a series that has “taken flight.” The collection was first inspired by a single bird, “a cedar waxing that visits the trees just outside our windows for only a few weeks each summer.” Each of hahn’s avian-inspired pieces – whether small or large – combines wood (some found, some sourced, some rustic, some refined) and oil painting (generally on gesso board), often elevated by subtle LED lighting.
Early in the series, hahn used live-edge slabs, but he has recently introduced driftwood and is also exploring salvage from a 200-year-old building near his Middletown home. Born in Mississippi, the artist grew up in a family of six (parents and three siblings) in South Jersey, where he continued to live and work for much of his career. Five years ago, hahn and his wife (photographer Barb Scalzi) moved to Delaware, a locale from which he can readily source his wood statewide or on Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay shores.
Not surprisingly, hahn was influenced early on by Jasper Johns (“a graphic designer in his early years!”) and major American modernists like Alexander Calder and Mark Rothko. He also studies the works of contemporary sculptors, realist and abstract. Working in abstraction himself, hahn notes that “abstract art can be difficult for the general public,” but he believes they need to know only two things – whether they like or dislike it and that they don’t have to understand or explain their reaction, having “simply the freedom to enjoy (or not) what they are viewing.”
The artist has affiliations with the Delaware Contemporary, Philadelphia Sculptors, Noyes Museum (at New Jersey’s Stockton University), the International Sculpture Center, and the Gilbert W. Perry, Jr. Center for the Arts (aka “The Gibby”) in his hometown. His works have been widely exhibited (locally, regionally, and nationally) in over 60 solo and group shows at scores of venues, including Philadelphia Sculptors and Grounds for Sculpture (in New Jersey).
He constantly explores “the harmony of nature and the essence of the wild birds” to inform and inspire his works – finding driftwood, visiting mills, and researching avian color and beauty. His art “has always generated a sense of peace for me,” and hahn is rewarded when he completes a satisfying piece. “Icing on the cake is when others enjoy your work.”
This exhibit in the Mezzanine Gallery will display the full range of works in this series – small & large free-standing sculptures along with wall-reliefs, live-edge and dimensional woods, ‘found’ driftwood natural woods, and some use LED lighting for a subtle presence. Each piece hopefully will shine a little peace for the viewer’s experience.
The Mezzanine Gallery, open weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., is located on the second floor of the Carvel State Office Building, 820 N. French Street, Wilmington.
Image: “Violet-green Swallow,” 2019, Oil on gessobord, tasmainian blackwood, green LED lighting, 25.5″w x 72.5″h x 2″d
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Contact: Andrew Truscott, Program Officer, Marketing and Communications
302-577-8280, andrew.truscott@delaware.gov
The Delaware Division of the Arts, a branch of the Delaware Department of State, is dedicated to cultivating and supporting the arts to enhance the quality of life for all Delawareans. Together with its advisory body, the Delaware State Arts Council, the Division administers grants and programs that support arts programming, educate the public, increase awareness of the arts, and integrate the arts into all facets of Delaware life. For more information about the Delaware Division of the Arts, visit arts.delaware.gov or call 302-577-8278.
New US 301 Opens to Traffic
The Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) announces that the new US 301 mainline has opened to traffic on Thursday, January 10, 2019.
The 14 mile-long US 301 mainline will improve safety and reducing congestion with the bypassing of 29 at-grade intersections, 18 of which are signalized, and numerous driveways with direct access to existing US 301. The existing US 301 will be converted to a local roadway, with truck restrictions in place except for local services.
“Opening the new US 301 to traffic is an important milestone in what has been a decades-long effort to address the safety and congestion issues created by the existing roadway,” said Governor John Carney. “This new road will only enhance our economic development efforts for businesses that are looking to grow and move their goods around Delaware and beyond as efficiently possible.”
State Representative Quinn Johnson added, “As a more than 20-year resident of Middletown, I’ve seen firsthand the growth that has and continues to take place in and around Middletown. The entire community will benefit from the reduction in truck traffic on local roads and the economic opportunities that arise from new companies looking to locate in this area.”
“When I was Governor, my administration identified the Route 301 corridor as an area of future high growth, and that is certainly what it has become,” said U.S. Senator Tom Carper. “This highway project, funded by a federal government loan that I was proud to support, will improve safety for motorists and residents, reduce traffic and help bolster commerce through this booming area.”
“The construction of the new US 301 is an example of why our country needs to invest in our infrastructure. The construction of the road put hundreds of Delawareans from the building trades to work on a project that will help Delaware’s economy, reduce congestion, and improve road safety,” said U.S. Senator Chris Coons. “I’m grateful to then Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx for providing a federal loan for this project, and I’m proud to have worked with our delegation to support federal funding for a project that will positively impact the entire First State. I look forward to celebrating its completion.”
“The U.S. 301 project and its all-electronic tolling system are a testament to smart planning and forward-looking infrastructure projects that ease congestion and boost our economy,” said Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester. “This state-of-the-art roadway accounts for increases in our population and is an investment in our future that improves safety and mobility throughout the region.”
“I would like to thank our contractors and subcontractors who worked through one of the wettest construction seasons on record to move this project forward, and it is impressive that less than three years after groundbreaking we are now putting traffic on the new US 301,” said Secretary of Transportation Jennifer Cohan. “Work will continue to complete the entire project in 2019, and we look forward to having a formal opening event to celebrate this project.”
The new US 301 mainline is the first road in Delaware to use all electronic tolling, and tolling is active with users paying via their E-ZPass or being billed in the mail. For two axle vehicles using E-ZPass and traveling the entire road, the toll is $4, and $5.60 for those without E-ZPass.
Ground was broken for the US 301 project on February 5, 2016. The project is partially funded by a $211 million U.S. Department of Transportation loan that will be paid back through toll collections on the highway. The total cost of the project, including land purchases and the maintenance of a reserve fund, is estimated at $636 million.
Middletown FFA wins forestry career development event
Middletown’s FFA Chapter won the 2016 Forestry Career Development Event (CDE) – a challenging test of tree identification skills, forestry knowledge, and math abilities – held this week at Brecknock Park in Camden. Middletown will represent Delaware in the forestry event at the 89th National FFA Convention & Expo from Oct. 19 to 22, 2016 in Indianapolis, IN. The Milford FFA Chapter placed second and will compete at the Eastern States Exposition or “The Big E!,” scheduled to take place in Springfield, MA on September 17. Other teams competing were from Newark Charter and Smyrna.
The annual forestry CDE took place under the direction of Delaware Forest Service education specialist Ashley Peebles. This year’s challenge was designed to measure a diverse range of student skills, which included the ability to identify tree species, tree pests and disorders, and forestry equipment. Students also demonstrated knowledge in reading topographic maps, timber stand improvement, compass and pacing, board-foot volume estimation, and an individual written examination.
According to the FFA, Career Development Events help students “develop the abilities to think critically, communicate clearly, and perform effectively in a competitive job market.” Twenty-four CDEs and one activity cover job skills in everything from communications to mechanics. Some events allow students to compete as individuals, while others allow them to compete in teams.
Established in 1928 as the Future Farmers of America, FFA is now officially known as the “National FFA Organization,” and describes itself as an intercurricular student organization for those interested in agriculture and leadership that forms one of three components of agricultural education. FFA is also one of the largest youth groups in the United States: it is comprised of 629,327 student members in grades seven through 12 who belong to one of 7,757 local FFA chapters throughout the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. As such, FFA is also the largest of the career and technical student organizations in U.S. schools.
Middletown House Fire Caused by Cigarette
February 21, 2015
The Delaware State Fire Marshal’s Office has determined that last night’s fire in Middletown, Delaware was accidental.
The blaze, reported shortly before midnight, occurred in the 100 block of Shallcross Place in the Town of Middletown. The Volunteer Hose Company extinguished the fire.
State fire investigators determined that a mattress inside one of the bedrooms was ignited by a cigarette. The fire was contained to the bedroom. The occupants were able to escape without injury.
Fire damage was estimated at $5,000. The smoke alarms inside the home were inoperable and needed to be maintained. The American Red Cross was called to assist three adults and 2 children with emergency aid.
For more information, please contact Assistant State Fire Marshal, Michael Chionchio at 302-739-5665.