Construction fencing now covers most of the paved plaza at the east end of Garfield Parkway, where the bandstand meets the boardwalk. The walkways at the north and south ends are still open, and so is every business around the plaza. What you can't see from the boardwalk is the actual project. It sits underneath the paving, and when the fencing comes down the plaza will look much like it did before. The difference is all below the surface.
The town has said it expects to finish before Thanksgiving. That date matters because Thanksgiving week is when the plaza fills up again. Race packets get picked up across the street, runners line up behind the bandstand on Thursday morning, and a holiday buffet runs through the afternoon a few steps away.
What's going in under the paving
The Town of Bethany Beach's October 8, 2026 notice explains the project. A timber bulkhead under the easternmost stretch of the wooden boardwalk holds up the paved part of the plaza, and after years of wear it needs major rehabilitation.
The old bulkhead isn't being pulled out. It stays in place, and a new Mechanically Stabilized Earth wall, or MSE wall, is going in right next to it on the east side, under the plaza paving. The new wall is made of compacted soil reinforced with several layers of high-strength geotextile, built up against the existing timber. According to the town, the finished wall will give the plaza much more structural stability than the timber bulkhead does alone.
The town's notice sums up what this means for anyone walking past during the work:
Pedestrian walkways at both the north and south ends of the Plaza will remain open throughout the project, and all businesses in the Boardwalk Plaza area will remain open and accessible.
The finish line moved from a season to a holiday
The deadline has gotten more specific since summer. When Town Council took up the contract at its July 17, 2026 meeting, the town manager said he hoped to have the work done by October or November. Council approved a $153,370.70 contract with Delaware Environmental Construction Services, which was the low bidder. The meeting minutes note that the town hadn't worked with this contractor before, that its references were very positive, and that oversight of the construction would come under a separate contract.
When the October notice came out, "October or November" had become "before Thanksgiving." The town's text alert put it in one line: "Expect to finish before Thanksgiving. Businesses will remain open during construction." This is a forecast, and weather can change it. But it gives a concrete date to watch: Thursday, November 26.
Thanksgiving week around the bandstand
Here's how the week lines up around the bandstand at 99 Garfield Parkway, using the race's official schedule and the restaurants' own pages:
- Wednesday, Nov. 25, 4 to 5:30 p.m. Packet pickup for the Bank of Ocean City Bethany-Fenwick Turkey Trot happens at Harvest Tide Steakhouse, 98 Garfield Pkwy.
- Thursday, Nov. 26, 7:30 a.m. Race-day packet pickup opens at the bandstand.
- Thursday, 9 a.m. The 2-mile run and walk starts behind the bandstand at Garfield Parkway and Atlantic Avenue and finishes on the boardwalk.
- Thursday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Seatings for Harvest Tide Steakhouse's Thanksgiving buffet.
Harvest Tide's regular hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 4 to 9 p.m. That means the Wednesday packet pickup falls just as the restaurant opens for the evening, and the Thursday buffet runs on a daytime schedule the restaurant doesn't usually keep. ZOCA, at the same 98 Garfield Pkwy. address, lists hours of noon to 9 p.m. every day. Its page doesn't give separate Thanksgiving hours.
So the race start, the finish and both pickup spots all sit on the stretch of Garfield Parkway and boardwalk that's fenced off right now. If the town meets its target, runners won't notice anything, and that's how this kind of project is supposed to go.
Before you sign up for the Turkey Trot
Registration prices on the official Turkey Trot site go up as race day gets closer. The cheapest tier closed October 25.
- Through 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 24: $35 race fee plus a $3.10 signup fee
- From Nov. 25 through race morning, Nov. 26: $40 race fee plus a $3.40 signup fee
Signing up before Thanksgiving Eve saves $5.30. That's about the cost of a coffee on the walk down Garfield.
The race site names the Bethany Beach Volunteer Fire Company as the beneficiary, with proceeds also going to other local charities. The start line is also a food drop-off for the Neighbors in Need Food Pantry, so bring a bag of canned goods with you.
Dogs are welcome on a leash 6 feet long or shorter, and retractable leashes aren't allowed. If you're pushing a jogging stroller, the race asks you to line up at the back of the starting corral behind all the other runners.
The Parkwood Street ramp comes next
The plaza wall is the first of two off-season boardwalk projects. At the same July meeting, Council approved a $120,000 proposal from Rummel, Klepper and Kahl for structural engineering to replace five pedestrian access ramps to the boardwalk. According to the minutes, the current budget doesn't fully cover the work, and a budget supplement will be needed later. Construction is planned for the off-season, "hopefully sooner rather than later."
Of the five ramps, the Parkwood Street ramp is the only one discussed by name. The mayor said it needed a review because it's narrow and serves as an access point to the boardwalk for many large events and races. It also has a heavily used foot wash and shower, which crowd the space further. The minutes say a wider ramp might be needed.
The town's notices so far don't say which ramps come first or when work begins, so the Parkwood ramp will look the same on Thanksgiving morning. Still, both projects come back to the same point. This short stretch of boardwalk handles the town's biggest crowds, and the winter months are when the town has scheduled work to rebuild it.
The first Saturday in December
Once the plaza reopens, December brings two tree lightings in neighboring towns. South Bethany's fifth annual Holiday Tree Lighting is Saturday, December 5, 2026, at 5 p.m. at South Bethany Town Hall Fitness Park, 402 Evergreen Road. The town's event page lists live music, snacks and donations for a food pantry, with more donation details to come.
Bethany Beach holds its own tree lighting on the bandstand plaza as part of Holiday Happenings. Last year's schedule, sent in the town's November 26, 2025 email, started at the Nature Center at 10:30 a.m. It continued with pony rides from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., a party at Town Hall from 1 to 3 p.m., rides from 1 to 4 p.m., and the tree lighting at 5 p.m. The town's 2026 schedule will be posted on its Holiday Happenings page. If the plaza work wraps up as planned, the tree will go up on the newly reinforced plaza.
From a Turkey Trot start to a tree lighting, it's a busy stretch for a plaza that's half-fenced as this goes out. If you're watching the Bethany Beach calendar this winter for your own household, or deciding when a second home here might see the most use, I'm happy to talk it through with you. Betsy Perry follows the town's notices as closely as she follows the market. Let's talk about your next coastal move.
