Winterthur’s 75th Anniversary Season Kicks Off with Bank to Bend Garden Walk

The arrival of early spring will be celebrated on March 14 with Bank to Bend, an annual garden event that invites visitors to experience the first waves of seasonal color across the historic March Bank landscape.

Held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the event marks the beginning of the 2026 season and the start of the museum’s 75th anniversary year. The day includes guided and self-guided garden walks, a plant sale, a clivia exhibit, a library open house, and a lecture by local author and horticulturist Rick Darke.

The event takes its name from a tradition established by Winterthur founder Henry Francis du Pont, who encouraged family members to walk the path along the March Bank to Magnolia Bend each year to observe and report the first flowers of the season emerging in the garden.

The March Bank is one of the best-known examples of the wild garden concept promoted by British gardener and writer William Robinson. In his 1870 book The Wild Garden, Robinson advocated planting hardy native and exotic plants in groupings that resemble natural landscapes rather than arranging them in rigid patterns.

Robinson challenged traditional English gardening practices by encouraging gardeners to allow plants to naturalize and establish themselves in self-sustaining communities. The approach was intended to create landscapes that were both resilient and visually dynamic.

Du Pont embraced Robinson’s philosophy when developing the March Bank, beginning plantings in 1902 when he was 22 years old. What started with a few thousand bulbs planted beneath a canopy of woodland trees eventually expanded into a sweeping naturalistic display that now includes millions of late-winter and early-spring-flowering bulbs.

The display begins to evolve in late January and continues through early May. The first blooms typically include white giant snowdrops, followed by yellow Amur adonis and winter aconite. As the season progresses, the landscape transitions to carpets of lavender-blue glory-of-the-snow and royal-blue squills.

Drifts of yellow daffodils appear next, followed by purple-and-white Dutch hybrid crocus and white bloodroot. By late March, the bank fills with emerging Virginia bluebells, Italian windflowers, and other naturalized plants.

Visitors attending Bank to Bend can explore the garden paths on their own or join scheduled activities throughout the day. A plant sale will offer cyclamens, perennials and unusual snowdrops, and guests can also attend a Director’s Garden and Estate Walk led by Winterthur CEO Chris Strand.

The Winterthur Library will also host a special collection open house in the afternoon.

For an additional $10, visitors can attend a lecture by Landenberg-based author and garden designer Rick Darke from 11 a.m. to noon in Copeland Lecture Hall. The talk, titled The Wild Garden in Our Time, will explore how naturalistic garden design continues to influence modern landscapes.

Darke is known for combining ecology, horticulture, and cultural geography in his work on the design of public gardens, parks, and residential landscapes.

Maintaining the historic garden remains an important responsibility for Winterthur’s horticulture team. One of the last remaining 20th-century wild gardens in the United States, the landscape is carefully managed to preserve the natural appearance envisioned by du Pont.

“Color is the thing that really counts more than any other,” du Pont once said of the garden he designed, grew and maintained for nearly 70 years.

“It’s a meticulous process that requires an understanding of the original design intent and keen observations to preserve its character,” said Linda Eirhart, Alice Cary Brown Director of Garden at Winterthur. “The wild garden style requires continuous care to maintain its desired appearance.”

Garden staff maintains historic plant combinations and seasonal views while also encouraging natural spreading of plants across the March Bank. Garden Manager Carol Long distributes seeds from certain spring bulbs to help expand the display, a process she calls “Johnny Appleseeding.”

Additional information about the March 14 event is available at
https://www.winterthur.org/event/bank-to-bend/

Thandiwe Nelson-Brooks brings more than two decades of health care leadership experience to a facility serving more than 47,000 veterans across Delaware and South Jersey.

WILMINGTON, Del. — The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has appointed Thandiwe Nelson-Brooks as the new executive director of the Wilmington VA Medical Center, effective March 8, according to an announcement from Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 4.

Nelson-Brooks had been serving in the role on an interim basis since January. She succeeds Vamsee Potluri, who transferred to another VA facility within the network in September 2025.

VISN-4 Interim Director Jennifer Harkins said Nelson-Brooks brings strong leadership experience to the position.

“We are very excited to appoint Ms. Nelson-Brooks to this role permanently,” Harkins said in a statement. “I am grateful for her experience and leadership that she brings to Wilmington.”

Nelson-Brooks previously served as interim director of the VA Pacific Islands Health Care System in Honolulu after being appointed deputy medical center director there in December 2023. She brings more than 20 years of experience in clinical and administrative health care leadership.

She began her VA career in 2010 as a clinical nurse consultant and Health Promotion Disease Prevention program manager at the VA New Jersey Health Care System in East Orange, New Jersey.

“Our veterans are the ‘why’ behind everything we do,” Nelson-Brooks said. “There is no greater professional honor than dedicating this next chapter to serving those who have served our nation. As I step into this new role, I welcome opportunities to connect with our veterans and their caregivers, hear their stories, and better understand how we can continue improving the care and services they deserve.”

The Wilmington VA Medical Center plays a central role in the region’s health care system and veteran community. More than 1,300 employees provide care to over 47,000 veterans each year at the Wilmington hospital and its five outpatient clinics located throughout Delaware and southern New Jersey.

Beyond being a medical facility, the Wilmington VA serves as a critical anchor for veterans’ health services across the region. The center provides specialized care tailored to military service, including treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, service-related hearing and vision loss, and exposure-related conditions such as those linked to Agent Orange and burn pits.

The hospital is also an important resource for Delaware’s aging veteran population, offering primary care, memory and dementia support, home-based care programs, and social services for caregivers. Many older veterans rely on the VA as their primary source of consistent medical care.

The medical center also plays a key role in supporting mental health services across the region, offering PTSD treatment programs, substance-use disorder services, suicide-prevention resources, and peer support networks.

In addition to its health care mission, the Wilmington VA serves as a major employer and economic driver in the city. The facility supports hundreds of medical professionals and staff while bringing federal health care funding into the region and partnering with local universities to train future doctors and nurses.

By providing care for tens of thousands of veterans annually, the Wilmington VA also helps reduce strain on local hospital systems by handling complex chronic conditions and specialty care unique to military service.

With deep military roots across Wilmington and New Castle County, the VA medical center remains one of the region’s most trusted institutions for veterans and their families.

Nelson-Brooks said strengthening those connections with veterans and caregivers will be a priority as she begins her tenure leading the Wilmington facility.

Biomarker testing is not yet covered by insurance despite evidence that testing provides for earlier care, improves health outcomes, and reduces health care costs.

DOVER, Del. — Leaders from the Alzheimer’s Association and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network met with lawmakers from both political parties Tuesday morning at Legislative Hall to advocate for broader access to modern diagnostic technology, including biomarker testing, for Delaware patients.

The meetings focused on building support for Senate Bill 120, legislation sponsored by Senator Spiros Mantzavinos and Representative William Bush, which would require many Delaware health insurance plans to cover biomarker testing when supported by medical and scientific evidence.

Biomarker testing opens the door to personalized medicine, including targeted therapies that can improve health outcomes and reduce costs.  Biomarker testing is also supported by the American Lung Association, the Michael J. Fox Foundation, and the two organizations that organized the briefing today.

Advocates say the bill would help ensure patients across the state can access new diagnostic tools that are rapidly transforming care for diseases such as Alzheimer’s and cancer.

What Senate Bill 120 would do

Senate Bill 120, introduced during Delaware’s 153rd General Assembly, would require coverage of biomarker testing under a wide range of health insurance plans, including:

• Individual health insurance plans
• Employer group plans
• State employee health plans
• Public-assistance health plans connected to Medicaid

The coverage requirement would apply to policies issued, renewed, or modified after Dec. 31, 2026.  Funding for the Bill was included in Governor Meyer’s FY2027 budget.

Biomarker testing includes laboratory and molecular diagnostic tests that identify biological signals in the body — such as proteins, genes, or other markers — that can help doctors diagnose disease and determine the most effective treatments.

The bill is currently assigned to the Senate Banking, Business, Insurance & Technology Committee, where lawmakers are expected to hear testimony from medical professionals, patient advocates, and insurance providers.

Why advocates say biomarker testing matters

Health advocates, including Glen Gray for the Alzheimer’s Association of Delaware, say biomarker testing has become a cornerstone of “precision medicine,” allowing physicians to diagnose Alzheimer’s care much earlier, before traditional symptoms are noticed.

For Alzheimer’s patients, new biomarker tests — including blood-based diagnostics — can detect disease-related changes in the brain earlier than traditional methods and help determine whether patients qualify for newly approved treatments.

For cancer patients, biomarkers can identify genetic or molecular features of tumors that determine which therapies are likely to work.

Supporters argue that insurance coverage has not kept pace with advances in medical science.

Without coverage mandates, advocates say patients may face thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket costs or have claims denied if insurers classify the tests as experimental.

Advocates also argue the technology could help reduce overall health care costs.

Studies show that diagnosing dementia based only on symptoms can lead to misdiagnosis rates of as high as 30% to 40%, often resulting in unnecessary medications, repeated specialist visits, and expensive imaging tests. Biomarker testing can confirm the underlying disease earlier and more accurately, helping physicians distinguish between Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia that require different care approaches. Supporters say that clarity can prevent years of costly trial-and-error treatment, reduce unnecessary prescriptions, and limit repeated diagnostic procedures.

They also note that newer blood-based biomarker tests are far less expensive than traditional diagnostic tools. Until recently, confirming Alzheimer’s disease often required a PET scan costing between $3,000 and $7,000 or an invasive spinal tap. Blood tests can provide similar diagnostic insight at a fraction of the cost and can often be ordered by primary-care physicians, reducing the need for specialist referrals. Advocates say earlier and more accurate diagnosis can also help prevent emergency hospital visits, reduce crisis-driven care decisions, and ensure that expensive new Alzheimer’s treatments are prescribed only to patients who are most likely to benefit.

A growing policy discussion in Delaware

The push for SB 120 reflects a broader national conversation about how state insurance policies should adapt to rapidly evolving medical technologies.

If enacted, Delaware would join a growing number of states that have adopted laws requiring insurance coverage for biomarker testing tied to evidence-based medical guidelines.

Advocates from both organizations said they plan to continue meeting with lawmakers in the coming months as the bill moves through the legislative process.

They argue that ensuring access to biomarker testing is essential to bringing modern, personalized medicine to patients across Delaware.

Helen’s Sausage House expanding to third Delaware restaurant near Route 1 and Route 9

A well-known Delaware breakfast spot is expanding to the beach, with Helen’s Sausage House planning to open a new restaurant in Lewes later this year.

The family-owned eatery announced it will open its third location at The Vineyards, 21431 Zinfandel Lane, near the intersection of Del. Route 1 and U.S. Route 9. Construction is expected to begin this spring.

The Lewes restaurant will join existing locations in Smyrna and Newark. After opening the Newark location in 2023, third-generation co-owners Clifford J. Murphy III and Zack Hunter said the Delaware beaches were a natural next step for the business.

“The beach has always been a special place to Helen and all of our family,” said Hunter, a Long Neck homeowner just like Helen was. “Finding a location that could serve the community year round was important to us.”

Hunter has been managing the original Smyrna location since 2023 and will oversee both the Smyrna and Lewes restaurants with assistance from General Manager Samantha Jamison, daughter of longtime Smyrna employee Tina Jamison.

“So many people stop at the Smyrna store on their way to the beach, we’re excited to become a real part of the community there and be more accessible to visitors coming from all over,” Hunter said.

The Lewes restaurant will offer the same menu as other Helen’s locations, including its well-known sausage and scrapple breakfast sandwiches.

“Helen used to take us to the water park right down the road when I was a kid. I know she would be proud to see us expanding her legacy,” Murphy said.

Helen’s Sausage House was founded in 1983 by Helen Achenbach and has been known for its breakfast offerings, particularly sausage sandwiches. Clifford “Butch” Murphy II operated the restaurant from the early 1990s until 2022, when ownership passed to his son, Clifford J. Murphy III, Helen’s grandson.

Today, the original Smyrna location at 4866 N. Dupont Highway is open from 4 a.m. to noon daily except Sunday, while the Newark location at 145 E. Main St. is open from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. seven days a week.