Silly String and golf
March 23, 2007
Joe Romano has a new thing for string—Silly String, that is.
The long-time starter at The Rookery Golf Course in Milton, who also works at Clubhouse Golf outside Rehoboth Beach, is starting up a charitable drive to accept donations of the brightly colored gooey stuff at both locations.
According to several news stories, including a piece that ran in Time Magazine last November, British and American combat forces use Silly String as part of their bomb and booby-trap clearing operations.
The troops spray the lightweight material from at least ten feet away, and can quickly tell if any trigger wires are in the area that could set off one of those godawful bombs. The string sticks to the wires, but is light enough to not set off any of the devices.
Romano’s family connections to the war effort inspired him to add to the Defense Department’s inventory of the plastic party favor.
Maureen Donohue is the daughter of Cheryl Romano and Joe’s stepdaughter. Currently a high school senior at Cape Henlopen High School, Maureen’s next move after graduation this June is to attend Marine recruit training at Parris Island, South Carolina in July. She is also the Battalion Executive Officer in Cape’s JROTC program. Her brother Sean, 19, is currently completing his own Marine basic training at Parris Island.
“We’re just trying to do something for the soldiers,” Romano explained recently. “What I’m doing is setting up donation boxes at the store and the Rookery’s pro shop for folks to drop off the cans for us to send along. If this will save some soldiers’ lives, I’ll be happy,” he said.
The donations will be accepted through July 4. All of the cans they receive will be delivered to the local VFW Post, to go with the care packages sent overseas.
Silly String is available locally at Walmart and Kmart, according to Romano. “I just bought a case at Walmart myself, so I know they have it,” he laughed.
Membership opportunities at local clubs
Newcomers to the Cape Region who love to play golf may not know about the membership options available at local country clubs, at reasonable cost.
Two popular Cape Region clubs that fit this description are Sussex Pines Country Club near Georgetown and Shawnee Country Club in Milford.
Jonah Meyer, who serves on the membership committee at Sussex Pines, recently advised that his club is holding an Open House for prospective members on Saturday, April 28 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visitors can tour the facilities, including the pool, tennis courts, and golf course, while enjoying some light refreshments.
Meyer explained that Sussex Pines offers several types of memberships, tailored to personal interests. The full family option, with unlimited golf for all, currently requires about $2,800 in dues, payable in several different installment plans. Individual memberships with full privileges call for $2,450 in annual dues, but a reduced-rate junior membership is also available for those under 26.
The club also requires a $4,000 initiation fee, as well as a capital contribution commitment and a partially refundable stock purchase, as with most such organizations.
Those interested in attending the Open House should call 302-856-6283 (option 1) for a reservation, or go to www.sussexpinescountryclub.com for more information.
Shawnee Country Club uses similar dues and stock purchase structures, but is not currently requiring an initiation fee. Single full use membership dues are now set at $1,700 per year, along with a $300 annual food and beverage minimum, along with the $1,000 stock purchase.
A Shawnee family membership with full golf privileges for all members requires dues of about $2150, along with a $600 annual food and beverage minimum. The club also permits a phased stock purchase arrangement for young adult members up to age 30, and there are other membership options.
For more information about Shawnee, call 302-422-9745.