The Pocomoke Public Eye

Wednesday, November 12, 2025

Nominee for Delegate Otto's replacement-

(WBOC)

(View news story:)

Somerset County man nominated to fill late Delegate Charles Otto’s seat | Latest News | wboc.com

Approaching: Nov 26th deadline for Pocomoke Christmas Parade registrations-

Monday night December 1st

we will celebrate our 53rd year!

Pocomoke City will be transformed into a "Winter Wonderland", playing host to one of Delmarva’s largest nighttime Christmas parades.

Always held on the first Monday night after Thanksgiving, the Pocomoke parade has become an Eastern Shore tradition and will attract units from Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia along with thousands of spectators.

Each year the parade features marching bands representing high and middle schools from seven counties in three states. Also featured will be beautifully decorated and lighted floats entered by schools, civic organizations, churches, and commercial enterprises.

Marching units, fire departments, equestrian units, Queens and of course Santa Claus will round out the two-hour event, slated to kick-off at 7:00 p.m. sharp. The route will take the parade north on Market Street beginning at 14th Street and ending at the Pocomoke River.

Professional judges, including members of the National Judges Association (NJA), will score entries in many different categories. Cash prizes and trophies will be awarded following the event to the top entries in each category.

A special thanks to the City of Pocomoke, the community of Pocomoke City and surrounding areas for the recent support given to us to continue this great tradition that has been a part of the town for over four decades.

Visit Pocomoke Christmas Parade for the registration applications noted above, and other info. Note: Deadline for registering is midnight Wednesday, November 26th.

OC's Winterfest of Lights!

Opening Night is night is Thursday, November 20, 2025 and is free & ticketing begins November 21st
NOV 21 – DEC 31, 2025 -| 5:30 PM – 9:30 PM
OPEN WED – SUN | NOV 21 – DEC 21, 2025
OPEN DAILY DEC 22 – 31
Admission is $6 for guests 12 years and older and FREE for children 11 years and younger.
The Winterfest of Lights is subject to closure for inclement weather. Call 410-289-2800 for more information
Pets are welcome on Wednesday evenings!
Mobility Devices available for rent on site – $10.00 per two hours (scooters, powered wheelchairs) – Standard wheel chairs also available. Scooters-4-Rent.com (302) 280-6203
Horse and carriage rides are on some Mondays & Tuesdays. Choose from a private 2- or 6-person carriage, or reserve individual seats on the 12-person carriage. Available dates are December 1st, 8th, 9th, and 15th.
(View more about it:)
Your Ultimate Guide to Winterfest of Lights 2025 - OceanCity.com

Tuesday, November 11, 2025

Veterans Day 2025, Armistice Day 1925-

Tuesday, November 11, 2025

(ai) Armistice Day was the original name for the holiday honoring the end of World War I, while Veterans Day is the current name of the U.S. holiday that honors all American veterans of all wars. The name was changed in 1954 to broaden the holiday's scope beyond WWI to include those who served in other conflicts, particularly after WWII and the Korean War.

(100 years ago)

(Same edition- Editorial Page)

Monday, November 10, 2025

New timeline for Wallops Neutron Rocket launch-

Rocket Lab Neutron rendering

" the new timeline has the company bringing Neutron to Launch Complex 2 at Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia during the first quarter of next year."

View news story:

Neutron rocket’s debut slips into mid-2026 as company seeks success from the start - Ars Technica

Ruby Tuesday

Ruby Tuesday, located at 145 Newtowne Boulevard in Pocomoke City, has closed. Signage addressing the closure was found on the restaurant's front door. The sign read, "This location is permanently closed but please feel free to visit our other location in Fruitland."

The popular restaurant chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2020, and has begun to close locations across the United States. However, there are still over 200 Ruby Tuesday locations currently in operation across the country, including at 413 N Fruitland Boulevard.

We asked... (WWII/Delmarva)

How close were enemy craft to Delmarva during World War II?

German U-boats operated just off the coast of the Delmarva Peninsula throughout World War II, sinking ships and laying mines, with some incidents occurring within sight of the shore

. Enemy vessels never entered the Delaware or Chesapeake bays to attack ports directly, but their presence in nearby coastal waters posed a very real and significant threat.

Notable incidents near Delmarva

Operation Drumbeat (early 1942)

Beginning in January 1942, German submarines carried out a highly successful campaign known as "Operation Drumbeat" against Allied shipping along the East Coast.
The tanker Francis E. Powell was torpedoed and sunk just over 20 miles off Wachapreague Inlet, south of Chincoteague, Virginia. Survivors were brought to Lewes, Delaware, and Chincoteague.
The tanker W. L. Steed was sunk about 100 miles off the Delaware coast in February 1942.
Survivors of the freighter San Gil, also torpedoed off the coast, were brought to Lewes in early 1942.

Mine-laying in Chesapeake Bay (June 1942)

In June 1942, the German submarine U-701 entered the Chesapeake Bay and laid a minefield in the shipping channel.
Within days, this minefield damaged or sank five ships, and the U-boat also torpedoed a British tanker nearby.

Submarine-spotting

The Civil Air Patrol assisted the U.S. military in supplementing naval air patrols to spot U-boats, sometimes with jury-rigged bomb racks on their civilian aircraft.
Land-based lookout towers, such as one built at Cape May, New Jersey, were constructed to spot German vessels.

The surrender of U-858 (1945)

After Germany's defeat, the German U-boat U-858 surrendered in the waters off the Delmarva coast on May 14, 1945.
It was the first enemy ship to surrender to U.S. forces following the war and was brought to Lewes, Delaware, behind the Cape Henlopen breakwater. The captured German crew was sent to a prisoner-of-war camp at Fort Miles.

The threat to the bays

Despite the activity just offshore, German surface vessels were deterred from entering the Delaware and Chesapeake bays by a combination of anti-submarine defenses, coastal fortifications, and the risks posed by shallow water.

Delaware Bay: The "Harbor Defense of the Delaware" system, centered at Fort Miles, used minefields, naval patrols, and long-range guns to protect the bay from German attacks. This system effectively deterred enemy warships, though U-boats still operated nearby and laid mines at the bay's entrance.
Chesapeake Bay: While U-boats successfully laid mines just inside the Chesapeake Bay, they were deterred from penetrating further. The minefield was laid as U.S. anti-submarine tactics were improving.

A prison camp was established in Westover for German POWs. Since many American men were off to war or otherwise engaged, the prisoners were used for cheap labor in local industries and farms. Mason Canning Company utilized German prisoners to load cases of tomatoes into railcars. At lunchtime the local ladies who worked on the peeling line would climb up into the railcars for a good time.

Your friend,
Slim