By Laura Walter

We undertake a lot of special events at the Daily State News, ranging from Dover Comic Con to the Stars of Delaware, plus events in education, economics and senior living. One of the most unique ones is W3: What Women Want, which is just around the corner.

What Women Want is an event by women for women, a fun, festive and relaxing reprieve from daily life that sees hundreds of women gather. Women of all ages can gather with their gal pals on Saturday, March 23, from 10 a.m. 3 p.m. at Wild Quail Golf & Country Club, Wyoming, Del.

It’s a beautiful thing to see the camaraderie each year at W3. The women don’t just go in, loop the floor and leave. They spend the day together, starting with coffee, pastries and shopping, then watching demos in fashion and physical fitness.

They come in pairs and groups: here are five friends posing for a photo; there are some gals who always wear pink for breast cancer; here are the women who always dress fancy; there are the friends who met at a senior center and are first in line for aerobics; here is a young woman is spending the day with her grandmother.

General admission tickets are $10 each and include admission to the vendor/shopping area, the Talbots fashion show, light refreshments, a complimentary signature cocktail, demonstrations, giveaways and a chance at all door prizes.

It’s always fun to check out the vendors. There’s both shopping (fashion accessories, candles, beauty products and more) and experts in finance, business, health, wellness and cuisine. It’s an awesome opportunity to learn about interesting topics: how to plan that dream vacation, how to set up retirement savings for the future, how to improve physical strength and more.

The relaxed, open atmosphere is great for shopping, relaxing, rubbing elbows and talking to other great women. And aside from the shopping, life planning, and complimentary sparkling strawberry mint cocktail—what makes W3 truly special is the Talbots fashion show.

Or, rather, the models of the fashion show.

Because the women who take turn on the catwalk aren’t anonymous models shipped in from an agency—they’re the female leaders of Central Delaware: women of stature and importance in our community. Only at W3 will you see the Executive Director of Downtown Dover Partnership Diane Laird, followed by 1st Lt. Jackie Noffsinger of Dover Air Force Base, followed by Kathrina Stroud of the Inner City Cultural League, and Dr. Nisha Lodhavia of the University of Delaware, Hope Medical Dental Clinic and Easterseals. You’ll see marketing directors, financial partners, CFOs, plus many boots-on-the-ground women who help bring their group’s mission to the public.

VIP tickets are a special treat and often sell out early (this year, a sit-down lunch, VIP swag bag, a mini-spa experience, curated coffee drinks and a seat in the sunny side dining room), so also mark your calendars to buy a ticket next February 2025.

Find the 2024 event program book in the March 17 edition of the Daily State News and online at BayToBayNews.com/specialsections.

Find event details at www.delmarvaevents.net.

Bay to the Beach: Byways is a regular column in which we explore interesting places and projects on the Delmarva Peninsula. Videos and more photos at baytobaynews.com/bay-to-the-beach-byways