GEORGETOWN—Through the drizzle and the downpour hundreds stood. Some danced. Some chatted. A few talked politics. But mostly they waited.
At 1:30 pm when the fire whistle blew and the Return Day parade wound its way down the street to The Circle, people gathered around the barricade and cheered.
- The crowd in Georgetown braves the rain for Return Day
The parade in Georgetown, Delaware’s historic county seat, brought together winners and losers of this year’s election—in both a ceremonial and physical sense.
In a horse-drawn carriage, U.S. Senator-elect Chris Coons (D) and his Republican opponent, Christine O’Donnell, rode through town. U.S. Senator Tom Carper and U.S. Representative Mike Castle choose to walk.
All the candidates were met with cheers.
For some politicians, most notably Castle, this Return Day celebration was a way to say goodbye. Following his loss to Ms. O’Donnell in the Republican primary, Castle will leave Capitol Hill after the lame-duck congressional session wraps up later this month.
For others, like Coons, it was an introduction. He heads to Washington, D.C, for that same lame-duck session to begin his Senate career, immediately filling the seat once held by Vice President Joe Biden.
Both Castle and Coons felt Return Day—a unique-in-the-nation ceremony dating possibly to 1792—offered a forum for reconciliation.
“The healing process is necessary,” Castle said. “You certainly saw it in Delaware politics. It won’t resolve all problems, but it gets people talking to each other.”
The dinners, parties, and events that surround Return Day give politicians an opportunity to form alliances and strategies. It also helps them move forward as a cohesive unit, Castle said.
This may be very true for Mr. Coons, who spent much of the day talking with other politicians. To Coons, Return Day is about finding “common ground.” It’s an opportunity to talk with others, hear their views, and “begin to make progress.”
O’Donnell wasn’t as concerned with common ground today. She shied away from politicking and spent much of her time smiling and laughing with Aubrey Spicer, the daughter of the late Georgetown police officer Chad Spicer, who was shot and killed in the line of duty in September 2009. O’Donnell joked that Aubrey, who sported a Cinderella umbrella, taught her the “princess wave.” The two sat almost alone at one corner of the bandstand.
- Senator-elect Chris Coons and his campaign foe Christine O’Donnell share the stage at Return Day.
“It’s a Delaware tradition,” O’Donnell said. “It’s about coming together and supporting the constituency and doing what’s right for Delaware.”
To Gary Chorman, owner of Millman’s Appliance in Rehoboth, supporting candidates is so important that he brought his entire 11-person staff to Return Day.
His employees alternated between looks of boredom and excitement as they chatted and watched the festivities, but Chorman said bringing his staff to the event today is part of a larger goal, which is to have his employees understand and become interested in the political process.
“I am a tea party supporter, but I don’t care what my employees believe—I just want them to get involved,” he said.
Linda Fisher of Georgetown keeps childhood memories alive by attending Return Day. She has been coming to the event for 48 years.
“It’s an iconic, historic event,” she said. But over the years it has become more casual. “It used to be something you got dressed for and went to,” she said. Now, clad in jeans and a sweatshirt, she simply watches the events from her perch outside the Bail Bonds office.
Cindy Roland of Wilmington has attended the last three Return Day ceremonies. Roland’s hips moved to the music as she held a giant umbrella over her head. She said she didn’t mind the inclement weather. She just wanted to watch history happen.
“Delaware is the only one who does this kind of thing,” she said. “It’s very educational.”
