President-elect Biden Shines a Spotlight on Delaware Beach Town
2020-11-21
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1The town of Rehoboth Beach in the American state of Delaware is known for big waves, sweet treats like saltwater taffy, and a long wooden boardwalk next to the ocean that dates back to the 1870s.
2It has long called itself the "Nation's Summer Capital."
3Soon, it can say it is home-away-from-home for the 46th president of the United States.
4President-elect Joe Biden owns a home just blocks away from the beach in Rehoboth.
5It takes about two hours to get to Rehoboth from Washington, D.C. and a bit under two hours from Biden's longtime home near Wilmington, Delaware.
6Biden and his wife, Jill, bought their $2.7-million beach house after he left the vice presidency in 2017.
7The money for the home came from an $8-million book deal that the couple had signed.
8"Throughout our careers, Jill and I have dreamed of being able to buy a place at the beach at home where we can bring the whole family," Biden said in a statement after buying the house.
9Rehoboth only has about 1,500 full-time residents.
10But its population grows to about 25,000 during the summer months.
11Before the coronavirus pandemic, events like Independence Day weekend and the yearly Sea Witch Festival in October would draw up to 80,000 visitors.
12Movie stars Richard Gere and Denzel Washington are known to visit Rehoboth Beach.
13But Biden would be the first president to vacation regularly in the beach town.
14The changes in Rehoboth are already happening.
15Biden spent time in Rehoboth Beach after the Democratic National Convention this summer.
16He returned last weekend, days after being projected the winner of the 2020 presidential election.
17The area around Biden's home is restricted, but reporters arrived in Rehoboth Beach last weekend anyway.
18Television journalists gathered at the boardwalk to get a good filming spot.
19The Browseabout Bookstore in Rehoboth set up a special area with books about Biden, as well as books that Joe and Jill Biden have written.
20The area also included things like Biden calendars, cups, coloring books, jewelry and footwear.
21The top seller was a special candle that smells like one of Biden's favorite drinks: orange Gatorade.
22After he left the vice presidency, Biden would sometimes come to Browseabout bookstore to buy coffee and a newspaper after his Sunday religious service.
23"The treatment that they get is the same as everybody. We want everybody to feel welcome," bookstore worker Jessie Jones said of the Bidens.
24"There was definitely a high energy today," Jones said, as word spread that Biden was back in town last weekend.
25"People were saying, 'Let's do our Christmas shopping and, if we happen to see Joe, great.'"
26Nick Caggiano is owner of Nicola Pizza in Rehoboth.
27He first met Biden in 1972, during his first run for the Senate.
28Caggiano said Secret Service agents arrived to pick up takeout pizzas for the Bidens when they got into town on November 12.
29Rita Sonntag is a nurse who lives in nearby Bethany Beach.
30She went to Rehoboth last weekend to do some shopping.
31She then went for a walk at Cape Henlopen State Park, a nature area near the Bidens' home.
32She happened to see the couple as they rode bikes while surrounded by Secret Service agents.
33"I thought, at this point, he'd be holed up and not going out in public," Sonntag said.
34"But then I was like, 'Oh, there he is.'"
35As popular as Biden is locally, not everyone is a fan.
36At a nearby business called T-Shirt World, employee Sydney Doel said that the few Biden shirts the store offered were not especially popular.
37President Donald Trump, on the other hand, had his own section in the store, with different kinds of clothes, hats and other things.
38Some of the Trump-related goods sold out.
39Doel said that she hoped to one day see Biden around town, but her face lit up when asked what would happen if Trump bought a house in Rehoboth Beach, too.
40She and another employee agreed that the rural areas outside of Delaware's beach towns are full "of country-loving people."
41"If you ride out a bit, you see a lot more Trump signs," Doel said.
42"I think having Trump here, it would be more exciting for a lot of people."
43I'm Ashley Thompson.
1The town of Rehoboth Beach in the American state of Delaware is known for big waves, sweet treats like saltwater taffy, and a long wooden boardwalk next to the ocean that dates back to the 1870s. 2It has long called itself the "Nation's Summer Capital." 3Soon, it can say it is home-away-from-home for the 46th president of the United States. 4President-elect Joe Biden owns a home just blocks away from the beach in Rehoboth. It takes about two hours to get to Rehoboth from Washington, D.C. and a bit under two hours from Biden's longtime home near Wilmington, Delaware. 5Biden and his wife, Jill, bought their $2.7-million beach house after he left the vice presidency in 2017. The money for the home came from an $8-million book deal that the couple had signed. 6"Throughout our careers, Jill and I have dreamed of being able to buy a place at the beach at home where we can bring the whole family," Biden said in a statement after buying the house. 7Rehoboth is about to change 8Rehoboth only has about 1,500 full-time residents. But its population grows to about 25,000 during the summer months. Before the coronavirus pandemic, events like Independence Day weekend and the yearly Sea Witch Festival in October would draw up to 80,000 visitors. 9Movie stars Richard Gere and Denzel Washington are known to visit Rehoboth Beach. But Biden would be the first president to vacation regularly in the beach town. 10The changes in Rehoboth are already happening. 11Biden spent time in Rehoboth Beach after the Democratic National Convention this summer. He returned last weekend, days after being projected the winner of the 2020 presidential election. 12The area around Biden's home is restricted, but reporters arrived in Rehoboth Beach last weekend anyway. Television journalists gathered at the boardwalk to get a good filming spot. 13The Browseabout Bookstore in Rehoboth set up a special area with books about Biden, as well as books that Joe and Jill Biden have written. The area also included things like Biden calendars, cups, coloring books, jewelry and footwear. The top seller was a special candle that smells like one of Biden's favorite drinks: orange Gatorade. 14After he left the vice presidency, Biden would sometimes come to Browseabout bookstore to buy coffee and a newspaper after his Sunday religious service. "The treatment that they get is the same as everybody. We want everybody to feel welcome," bookstore worker Jessie Jones said of the Bidens. 15"There was definitely a high energy today," Jones said, as word spread that Biden was back in town last weekend. "People were saying, 'Let's do our Christmas shopping and, if we happen to see Joe, great.'" 16Nick Caggiano is owner of Nicola Pizza in Rehoboth. He first met Biden in 1972, during his first run for the Senate. Caggiano said Secret Service agents arrived to pick up takeout pizzas for the Bidens when they got into town on November 12. 17Rita Sonntag is a nurse who lives in nearby Bethany Beach. She went to Rehoboth last weekend to do some shopping. She then went for a walk at Cape Henlopen State Park, a nature area near the Bidens' home. She happened to see the couple as they rode bikes while surrounded by Secret Service agents. 18"I thought, at this point, he'd be holed up and not going out in public," Sonntag said. "But then I was like, 'Oh, there he is.'" 19As popular as Biden is locally, not everyone is a fan. At a nearby business called T-Shirt World, employee Sydney Doel said that the few Biden shirts the store offered were not especially popular. President Donald Trump, on the other hand, had his own section in the store, with different kinds of clothes, hats and other things. Some of the Trump-related goods sold out. 20Doel said that she hoped to one day see Biden around town, but her face lit up when asked what would happen if Trump bought a house in Rehoboth Beach, too. She and another employee agreed that the rural areas outside of Delaware's beach towns are full "of country-loving people." 21"If you ride out a bit, you see a lot more Trump signs," Doel said. "I think having Trump here, it would be more exciting for a lot of people." 22I'm Ashley Thompson. 23The Associated Press reported this story. Ashley Thompson adapted it for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. 24___________________________________________________________ 25Words in This Story 26beach - n. an area covered with sand or small rocks that is next to an ocean or lake 27resident - n. someone who lives in a particular place 28pandemic - n. an occurrence in which a disease spreads very quickly and affects a large number of people over a wide area or throughout the world 29regularly - adv. at the same time every day, week, month, etc. 30candle - n. wax that has been formed into a stick or another shape and has a string in the middle that can be burned 31shopping - n. the activity of visiting places where goods are sold in order to look at and buy things (such as food, clothing, etc.) 32bike (bicycle) - n. a 2-wheeled vehicle that a person rides by pushing on foot pedals