A Novel Idea Bookstore in Berlin announced this week that it’s closing in November. “Available” reads the sign in the window of the empty storefront that was the Westside Bookstore in Salisbury. Bethany Books in Bethany Beach and Harrison Street Books in Easton are both up for sale. In Snow Hill, the owner of Maggie’s holds down a second job so she can afford to keep her bookstore open.

Blame it on ‘the economy.’ Blame it on Amazon. Blame it on the ‘dumbing down’ of America. Blame it on competition from chains and discount stores. But Delmarva’s independent bookstores are becoming as rare as the Delmarva Fox Squirrel.

When you can buy the current best seller or Oprah pick in the grocery store, who cares if a little local store goes under?

It’s the difference between a department store and a boutique.

Indies are more than a place to ‘buy a book.’ They are the intellectual centers for their community. A place where ideas and curiosity are treasured. Where people can gather, explore interests, connect with others.

The chains only sell books that are run through distribution houses. Their priority is moving merchandise. Independents aren’t constrained by such corporate dictates. Their inventory reflects the personality and interests of the owner and staff. They’ve read many, if not most, of the books in their store. They are in business, but their priority is not just selling. It’s selling something that they genuinely find is of merit, that they enjoy and want to share. More variety. Small presses. Unknown authors.

They are there because they believe – because they know – that ideas and intelligent conversation matter. They soldier on in the face of the banalization of the publishing world and the economic reality that they are probably tilting at windmills.

You don’t go to an independent bookstore just to buy a book that’s hot. You go to browse. To hang out. To strike up conversations. They are the clearing houses for the local news, gossip, and upcoming social events. There’s a morning gathering at Browseabout Books in Rehoboth (that lasts all day as people come and go). The store also hosts a weekly live radio show very early every Thursday morning that draws an audience of neighbors. The Book Bin in Onley hosts a group book signing by local authors at the start of the holiday shopping season. Sundial Books in Chincoteague does the same during Pony Penning Week. Mystery Loves Company in Oxford has expanded to include regional titles and a gallery for local artists. All of the stores have special events on their town’s monthly art walk night.

Books are about ideas and dreams of a culture and a community. When a bookstore closes, those ideas are stifled and the dreams die aborning. The community is shallower and lesser for it.

Here are the independent bookstores on Delmarva. Visit them. Buy from them. Thank them for adding to the richness of life on the Eastern Shore:

Compleat Bookseller, Chestertown; Easton News Center, Easton: Harrison Street Books, Easton; Mystery Loves Company, Oxford; Browseabout Books, Rehoboth; Bethany Books, Bethany Beach; BooksandCoffee, Dewey Beach; A Novel Idea, Berlin; Sundial Books, Chincoteague; The Book Bin, Onley; Maggie’s, Snow Hill.

I’ll have a stiff neck for the next couple of days. It’s the week of the Perseid Meteor Shower. Actually, the shooting stars from this event streak across the sky throughout July and August, but the peak is this week – specifically at 2 a.m. on August 12. If the sky is clear, you can expect to see 60 or more meteors an hour. But wait! There’s more! The 13th is also a triple whammy of planet-viewing. Just after sunset, look to the western sky by that little sliver of a crescent moon. You’ll see Venus, Mars, and Saturn in the twilight sky. The Perseids will be really good that night, too.

I am an unapologetic meteor shower junkie. Forget the scientific explanations (the Perseids are debris from a disintegrated comet, for example). For me, it’s all magic and wonder and making wishes. Glittering surprises from the cosmos, Tinkerbelles winking as they race each other to the horizon.

The back roads through Delmarva’s marshes and the unlighted beaches are perfect for viewing the showers. Assateague State Park and National Seashore beaches are also prime spots. Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge is closing the OSV area to vehicles to allow for all-night viewing on August 12. The park next to the Island House on Wachapreague is also a good spot. The restaurant is open until 9 p.m. Take your dessert ‘to go.’ The Delaware Seashore State Park has a stargazing program at 8:30 on the 11th. Bring a blanket and no flashlights. $5 per person. There’s even a cruise that leaves Lewes on the night of the 11th and returns at dawn on the 12th. (302-645-8862. $50 per person. Reservations required).

But any place away from house lights, buildings, or street lamps works just fine. I’ve spent some nights sitting in a lawn chair in the field with the horses hovering around me, undoubtedly trying to figure out what I’m doing. Grab a blanket, find a dark spot, and take a list of wishes to make upon the stars.

August 9-14

Queen Anne’s County Fair. Centreville. Classic country fair with emphasis on 4-H projects and contests: livestock, dairy, beef, swine, goats, lamas, horse show. Saturday rodeo and truck pull. Live entertainment on the main stage each night. $2 admission, Daily 9am-10pm.

August 11

Cooking Class, The Cordrey Center, Millsboro. What to do with all those tomatoes and zucchini? Denise Clemons, food writer of the Cape Gazette, prepares a full dinner pared with wine, using all local and fresh ingredients. $25. Space is limited. Call for reservation. 302-682-9080

METEOR SHOWER JUNKIE ALERT

The Perseid Meteor Shower lasts almost all summer, but mid-August is the most active time for the shooting stars. The absolute hottest time is 2AM on August 12. The next two entries are just for us!

August 11

Stargazing at the Seashore, Delaware Seashore State Park. Great chance to see the Perseid Meteor Shower. Bring a blanket or pillow. Staff demonstrates star maps, constellations. Program starts at 8:30. $5. NO flashlights. 302-227-6991. www.destateparks.com

August 11-12

Meteor Shower Cruise, Lewes. The night of August 11-12 is the hottest night of the Perseid meteor shower, always one of the most active showers. The cruise heads out to sea, getting away from the lights of land and providing the best chance of seeing the most shooting stars. Cruise leaves at 10PM and returns to the dock at 6PM. $50. Reservations required. 302-645-8862. www.fishlewes.com

August 12-14

Eastern Shore African-American Festival, Seaford. Ethnic foods, music, cultural vendors and displays, community organizations, African Drumming, continuous music. Free admission. www.Easternshoreafram.org

August 13

Second Friday: Onancock, Berlin

SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION ALERT: I’ll be at A Novel Idea Bookstore in Berlin from 6-9PM, signing copies of my book, “Art Drives on Delmarva” as part of the Second Friday activities. 18 William Street.

History of the Banjo in Virginia, Ker Place, Onancock. Carson Hudson, historian and musician of Williamsburg tells the musical story of the banjo from its African and Appalachian roots. Outside on the lawn of Ker Place. Bring a blanket and chairs. Free admission; refreshment and light fare for sale. Pickers bring your instruments for pre-and post- presentation jamming. 5-8 PM. www.kerplace.org

Friday Night Cruise, Denton. Step back to the era of American Graffiti with classic cars parked along Market Street and a DJ spinning oldies. 6-9. 410-479-1545

August 13-15 (also 20-22, 26-29)

Tred Avon Players, Oxford; “Leading Ladies” a backstage comedy. www.tredavonplayers.org

Berlin Plein Air. Artists scatter throughout town, painting what they see as they see it. www.worcestercountyartscouncil.org

Worcester County Fair. All of the usual livestock competitions, plus vintage motorcycles and lawnmover pull. Daily 11am-8pm

August 14

Second Saturday: Chincoteague, Cambridge, Rehoboth

Blast from the Past, Campbell Field Airport, Weirwood, VA. Afternoon of live music: bluegrass, R&B, rock & roll, country. $25 at the gate. Gate opens at 1; show starts at 2. 757-442-2139.

Phillips Wharf Environmental Center Dinner & Auction, Tilghman Island. Over 100 items for auction, from antiques to electronics. Plus dinner at the firehouse. 5-9PM. Benefits the Center, which is a hands-on operations to ‘inform, inspire, and involve people – especially kids – about what’s in and around the Chesapeake Bay. www.pwec.org

31st Annual Seafood Feast-i-val, Cambridge. All you can eat, all varieties of crab, clams, fried fish, BBQ chicken, and all the fixins’, plus live music, craft sales, displays, door prizes. $35 at the gate. www.seafoodfeastival.com

Sundaes at Sunset, Layton’s Chance Winery, Vienna. 6-9PM. Enjoy wine (or chocolate for kids) over ice cream, listen to music, watch the sun set. www.laytonschance.com

Movies on the dock, Crisfield. Free. “The Sandlot” Special appearance by Sherman the Shorebird. Bring your own seating. 9 PM.

Fine Art Auction to benefit AIDS Delaware, Gallery 50, Rehoboth. Great gallery of contemporary art working with their great artists with an evening of auctioned and purchased art. $10 admission. 6-8:30 pm. www.50contemporaryart.com

August 14-15

Pirates & Wenches Fantasy Weekend, Rock Hall. Total fun. Rock Hall is taken over by pirates, scallywags, scoundrels, musicians, vamps, and other folks who’d feel comfortable in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Lots of vendors, live entertainment, re-enactments both whimsical and serious, decorated dinghy flotilla parade. Beach plunder parade. Video of last year’s event: http://bit.ly/ciBI8G Download full schedule and map: www.rockhallpirates.com

Rehoboth Art League Outdoor Fine Art and Fine Craft Exhibition. Rehoboth. Over 100 artists and artisans displaying their works and demonstrating their crafts under the trees at the Art League’s 3 acres campus. One of the prettiest shows around. Live music this year: Caribbean, jazz, Bolivian. $5 admission. www.rehobothartleague.org

August 15

Land Conservancy Tour. The Eastern Shore Land Conservancy showcases protected farms, parks, preserves, and homes which are now in trust and protected from development. $25. Self-guided tour of properties in Queen Anne’s and Caroline County. Also covers admission to properties in Kent County in October. www.esic.org