Return Day Committee member expresses disappointment in those who didn’t take part

This is a personal letter from Rosalie B. Walls, and I want to give a little bit of a history lesson.

 Presently, I am the corresponding secretary for Sussex County Return Day Committee Inc., having joined the committee in 1972 as a volunteer — yes, a volunteer. The Return Day Committee is composed entirely of volunteers. There are no paid employees in the Return Day Committee. Many members have to take off from work, some not just one day but several days, for the preparation required. It is not snap your finger and it all falls in place, either. This year, several members of the committee are experiencing some serious health issues.

In 1990, members of the committee had enough confidence in me that they elected me as the president on Sept. 19. Do you realize that Return Day was scheduled in November on the Thursday following Election Day that year, as it has been for 210 years? You see, Return Day (unless canceled for some reason beyond our control) is always every other year, on the even years only.

Another little bit of history: Not only did we have only a few weeks to make this happen, but that was the year the ox stand caught on fire on Wednesday. Yes, you got it, the day before the actual event. We didn’t throw our hands up in the air and say, “Oh, woe is me. I guess we will just not have ox sandwiches to hand out this year.” No, some members of the committee jumped in action. They put the fire out, buried the contaminated meat, obtained new ox, and before dark, the new meat was roasting on the spit before the bands started playing for the street dance.

In 2016, I suffered a serious loss of hearing, so I had to make the decision of informing the committee at our reorganization meeting that I felt a person in that position needed to have good hearing and that I would not accept the office of president, but I would accept a different position, if they so decided. That is why, since then, I have been serving as the corresponding secretary, an elected office. On behalf of the committee, I want to express our special thanks to those candidates and elected officials who chose to get up, dress up and show up in Georgetown, Delaware, on Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022, and to follow the rules that have been in existence since this special event started.

Now, for those candidates and elected officials, no matter what your political affiliation happens to be, that did the opposite and maybe showed up but refused to ride or even walk with their opponent — or even worse did not show up — I want to say I am having a struggle to find the adequate wording to express my disappointment in you. How dare you resort in such a childish manner to try your best to destroy the age-old tradition that has existed for 210 years. What gave you the right to try to change this tradition that affects so many people in so many ways? Did you forget what the tradition of burying the hatchet and mending fences stands for? Did you forget that you are the ones that are supposed to be setting an example for not only the younger generation but for all of us? We had great expectations of you. All because you couldn’t find it in your system to bury the hatchet, you took it out on the wrong people. Was the Return Day Committee supposed to play your little guessing game as to who was going to show up or who was going to ride with their opponent? What were you thinking? In my way of thinking, your childish actions were truly an embarrassment, and it put our great state of Delaware in an embarrassing position. This event is not just a Sussex County event anymore; it has grown to be a national event, and unless you have a viable reason, you owe all of us an apology. Oh, yes, I am sure you will be quick to place the blame on someone or something, but where were you? I would like answers to that question.

My great-granddaughter was chosen to be the youth ambassador this year. She was all set to ride in the parade. She even had been practicing her queen’s wave, but she had the misfortune to endure a temperature of 103, so she and her family had to remain at home. She had a viable excuse, through no actions of hers. She is only 10 years old. Think how disappointing that was to her.

In this past week, I have had so many people text me, call me or stop me on the street, see me at the post office and say things like, “Return Day is done, and I don’t think it can be fixed,” but I say, “No, me along with several others have put too much time, blood, sweat and tears to sit idly by and let that happen.” You have two years to get this fixed, so maybe, if you bury the hatchet and get to work doing what your constituents have elected you to do, with a little bit of luck, you might be able to regain the respect that you have lost with your actions. I hope you don’t let us down!

Rosalie Betts Walls

Georgetown