SUSSEX COUNTY, Del. - Political wonks and fans of fun join forces this week as Return Day is set to make its return to Sussex County. The big event is held every two years in Georgetown after major elections. The idea is to "bury the hatchet" after heated political campaigns, literally.
The main event is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 7 and it is part of a long and storied history here in the First State. In fact this event goes back so far, it is so old, that it is a little unclear when it actually first began. It is possible Return Day started in 1792 while it was in Lewes, but according to the county the tradition moved to Georgetown in 1811-1812, either way it's been well over 200 years.
As for the name Return Day, voting has changed a lot in the past two centuries. Back in the horse-and-buggy days, voters would travel to the County Seat, cast their ballots, and then two days later, the politically curious would "return" to the county seat to hear the results shouted out by the town crier.
With a grand gathering of people already planned the community turned Return Day into a festival with music and markets, evolving into a beloved Georgetown tradition.
Nowadays, you don't need to travel great distances or feed your horse just to find out the results of an election, but the frivolity, the community and the spirit of bipartisanship that permeate Return Day keep people coming back.