Year-end roundup: A dozen downstate Delaware memories of 2019

As we look back over the past year, it’s easy to focus on northern Delaware, where most of the big deals, big players, startups and coworking spaces live (not to mention, Technical.ly’s Delaware base is in Wilmington).

While New Castle County gets a lot of coverage, we cover the whole state — Kent and Sussex counties have agtech, coastal tech and, of course, craft beer.

So here’s a 2019 retrospective list devoted entirely to things we’ve written about downstate Delaware this year, in chronological order:

1. A new marketing push calls Inland Bays oysters a ‘Delaware delicacy’ (January)

Delaware’s commercial shellfish aquaculture industry was established only over the last year and a half — and in January, the marketing started.

2. Cyber Streets is launching a Girls in STEM program in Lewes (April)

Dover-based STEM program for youth Cyber Streets offered a program just for girls in Lewes last spring.

3. How Twitter is taking the Dogfish Head/Boston Beer merger (May)

The merger of Rehoboth’s Dogfish Head Brewery and Boston Beer (brewers of Sam Adams) was one of the biggest — and most talked about — business deals of the year.

4. Cape Henlopen High School will incorporate coastal engineering into its curriculum (May)

Coastal engineering is a growing field. What better school to introduce it to students than Cape Henlopen High?

5. High-speed broadband is coming to rural Delaware. Here’s what it means for agtech (May)

Agtech is one of the biggest industries in Delaware, and it’s getting a boost with rural high-speed broadband — still a rarity in many ag states.

6. Sussex Tech’s new district logo is student designed (July)

Votech high school Sussex Tech got a bit of a rebrand over the summer, with a new logo designed by student (now grad) Joseph Wilder.

7. Sussex County is launching the Economic Gardening Initiative for growth companies (July)

There’s a new downstate economic development program for growing businesses offering resources and capital to second-stage companies.

8. Instagram roundup: Zap World Champs of Skimboarding returns to Dewey (August)

Dewey Beach is one of the world’s top beaches for skimboarding. Proof: The Zap Pro-Am World Championship takes place there annually.

9. This CBD oil processing startup aims to grow the Delaware economy (October)

Harrington CBD oil processing startup EZVentures was an EDGE Grant recipient, and is adding a new facet of agtech in Delaware.

10. The 5 spookiest haunted Delaware videos of 2019 (so far) (October)

Think upstate haunted locations like Rockwood and Dead Presidents are scary? This video roundup for Halloween found that ghosthunters on YouTube flock to Sussex County, especially Lewes.

11. There’s more technology on Delaware farms than you might think. A lot more. (October)

We took a tour of Delaware farms in Kent County in October. Here’s what he learned.

12. Rehoboth-based Boobalicious’ products are now sold on Amazon Prime (November)

Now you can purchase the Rehoboth startup’s all natural under-the-bra deodorant, which supports addiction recovery, via Amazon Prime.