First for March 30, 2018

First Experience: The Fruit Carver
Perhaps you’ve been to an event at the Carriage House in Rockwood Park and marveled at the sculpted fruit and veggies. The man behind them is Craig Trostle of Greenery Caterers. His carvings are made with a few tools, some personality and lots of creativity.

Independent Resources
Delaware’s Disability Ball is a night for hundreds of people living with disabilitiesto just kick back, dance and have fun. Independent Resources Incorporated has organized the annual shindig for 14years. It’s one of many services the nonprofit offers as it helps those with disabilities live independently.

Fluent in Spanish
For some Delaware students to experience other cultures, it helps if they know the language. There are about a thousand kids enrolled in the state’s Chinese immersion program. Four times that many are learning Spanish.

The Siege of Wilmington
As our experience program continues, we look back on a moment in Delaware history. Fifty years ago next week, the National Guard moved into the city of Wilmington. The black community was outraged when news circulated that Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. Today, some in Delaware’s largest city reflect on that time while others share what needs to be done to make things better.

Heather Block
A few Sunday’s ago the News Journal published a commentary from Kim Callahan of Compassion and Choices announcing the death of Heather Block on March 10th. We first met Heather in 2013. She was trying to get a medi-gap insurance bill approved to cover some of her chemotherapy treatments as she was being treated for breast cancer.

First Experience: Mitch Lyons
Another person who stood out during our time on First was artist Mitch Lyons. He too passed away recently. We first met him in 2015 where he showed us his unique clay mono-prints that had been a part of his life for over 50 years.

First Experience: Steve Tanis
Steve Tanis has been an artist and educator for over four decades. The professor emeritus at the University of Delaware taught both drawing and painting at the school for nearly 30 years. Now retired, he is still going strong. We visited with him in his Arden studio where he is busy working on his latest painting.