FXBG Advance Tuesday, June 16, 2026

French Fry Mecca. Another Mencken Journalism Award. In Honor of Bloomsday. What's Black and White and Ends in "Headlines"?

My French Fry Mecca (Hold the Ketchup)

By Kirk Evans, Advance Food Columnist

If you want a good French fry there’s only one thing to do, and that’s drive yourself to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware and queue up at the Boardwalk Thrasher’s. I suppose you can go to any of the Thrasher’s locations—two more in Rehoboth, three in Ocean City, Md. But for me, the Boardwalk has always been the place. They make one thing there, and one thing only: the best French fry I have ever eaten.

Thrasher’s crows that they only use three ingredients to create their inimitable fries: potatoes, peanut oil, and salt. And they are inimitable. I know, because I’ve been trying to imit them for years.

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Another H.L. Mencken/Fred-Area Journalism Award, With a Few Caveats

By Steve Watkins, Advance Editor

This week’s Fred/Mencken goes to John Sims, that guy you see around town all the time in his white t-shirt, black gym shorts, and slides—never without his camera and drone, and surely a police scanner in his car, or bike, or personal jet-pack, whatever he uses for chasing cop cars and ambulances.

John is the local one-man journalism operation known as Hyperbole, which has to be the most wrong-headed name ever for a newspaper (or news-Facebook page, or news-Instagram site, or news-anything). Content may be sketchy at times, and John’s writing could use some work, but he deserves full credit for practicing what we in the business call—or used to call, anyway, as much as I detest unnecessary acronyms—“GOYA, KOD.”

That is, “Get Off Your Ass, Knock on Doors.”

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What’s Black and White and Read All Over?

By VaNews/Virginia Public Access Project

Stephen O Ojeleye/Pexels

Stories from newspapers throughout the Commonwealth and Washington D.C. Firewalls will block you from reading some, but you’ll at least have some idea about what’s going on from the headlines, which, let’s be honest, are all many of us have time to read anyway.

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A Word to the Wise (Because It’s Bloomsday)

By Steve Watkins, Advance Editor

Me, Dad, and my brother Wayne

My dad was always asking us “How’s that suit your cosperosty?” whenever he wanted to know what we thought of something, and lately it’s been deviling me, wondering where he came up with the expression. My brother and I were raised hearing it, so it wasn’t particularly weird back then, but for some reason I’ve started saying it myself lately, and my daughters and Janet seem to think I’ve turned daft. After some serious internet research rabbit-holing, though, I’m happy to say that I’ve been able to trace it back to the man himself—James Joyce—and beyond.

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