Fall/Winter 2018
Cecil County Life
Magazine
Liziris:
Joy and beauty and love and light - Page 28
Inside • History fills every corner of Port Deposit • A new home for coffee and conversation • Bringing Shakespeare to Elkton
Complimentary Copy
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Fall/Winter 2018
Cecil County Life Table of Contents
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Walking through history in Port Deposit
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Liziris make a world of art
Coffee and conversation at Rise ‘N Grind Cafe
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A home for chocolate in North East The Mitchell House picks up an old Elkton tradition
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Photo Essay: It All Starts Here at Cecil College
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The Cecil Land Trust puts nature first Bringing Shakespeare to Elkton
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Cecil County Life: An opened window. A chapter marker. A continuing narrative.
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Letter from the Editor: When it comes to finding stories for each edition of Cecil County Life, we have a secret to confess. The stories are everywhere. In the spirit of the season, they fall on us like leaves. The fall 2018 issue of Cecil County Life is no exception. Our cover story in this issue introduces the artistic and life team known as Liziris, an Elkton couple who have turned parts of Cecil County and the region into a kaleidoscope of color. From the art classes they teach at the Cecil County Arts Council to the parking meters they painted on Elkton’s Main Street, Liziris have become part of the cultural fabric of the area, and chances are, they’ve painted the fabric, too. We take a tour of Port Deposit, where a long history of industry has made the town a time capsule of the architecture of long ago. Now, with new businesses that regularly draw crowds, the little town is making the most of its past while planning for the future. We meet Christie McDevitt, the dynamic owner of North East Chocolates, who has quickly made her candy store into one of Cecil County’s quintessential businesses by immersing herself in the county’s business community. McDevitt was honored as a Tourism Person of the Year for her work. We talk to a member of the Susquehanna Shakespeare Ensemble, a new group that has found a regular home at the Elk Forge Inn and Sugarhouse in Elk Mills. The troupe gives the timeless works a contemporary spin, often putting the audience right in the middle of the action. Photographer Jim Coarse takes us for a visual tour of Cecil College, a thriving campus of growth that’s celebrating its 50th anniversary. We speak with Holly Rollins, who has converted a historic home in Elkton into Vows at the Mitchell House, a splendid venue for weddings and special occasions. Finally, we pull up a chair at the new Rise N’ Grind Cafe in Rising Sun, and also take a moment to appreciate the work of the Cecil Land Trust, which pledges to preserve the natural splendor of Cecil County. With every page and with every story, Cecil County Life is an opened window into its community, a chapter marker to its history, and a continuing narrative that we are proud to provide. We are already compiling story ideas for the next edition of Cecil County Life, publishing in the spring of 2019, and we welcome your comments and suggestions for future stories.
Sincerely, Randy Lieberman, Publisher randyl@chestercounty.com, 610-869-5553 Steve Hoffman, Editor editor@chestercounty.com, 610-869-5553, ext. 13 Cover design by: Tricia Hoadley Cover photo: Jie Deng www.cecilcountylife.com | Fall/Winter 2018 | Cecil County Life
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|Cecil County History|————————————
In Port Deposit, many buildings stand as testament to centuries past
The Main Street of Port Deposit before it was paved.
Walking through history By John Chambless Staff Writer
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All photos by John Chambless unless otherwise noted
George Maldeis at the Paw Paw Museum, dedicated to the history of Port Deposit. 8
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f you pause anywhere on Main Street in Port Deposit and ignore the passing cars, you could just as easily be standing in 1860, when the mile-long town on the Susquehanna River was bustling with 2,000 inhabitants and booming with commercial opportunities. Many of the town’s homes have changed little – or not at all – since they were built, and the feeling of time travel is everywhere. As a prime hunting and fishing ground, the site of Port Deposit was inhabited for centuries by the Susquehannock Indians before the arrival of Captain John Smith in 1608, who attempted to navigate the river until his ship got stuck on rocks in the shallow water. There were more than 600 Native Americans living Continued on Page 10
Photos courtesy
The center of Port Deposit, with the fountain that provided a cool drink for horses.
This movie theater, now demolished, was only 10 seats wide but packed in audiences during its heyday.
Ice clogs Main Street in this photo showing the destructive power of the Susquehanna. A train clears debris during a flood in 1904.
Granite from Port Deposit was prized for its beauty and strength, and was used in major cities along the East Coast.
The Port Deposit riverfront was once packed with industries. www.cecilcountylife.com | Fall/Winter 2018 | Cecil County Life
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Port Deposit History Continued from Page 8
Many of the historic buildings along Main Street have been maintained and now serve as private homes.
along the shore at the time. Their stone tools and arrowheads are on display at the Paw Paw Museum in Port Deposit, where the whole history of the scrappy little town can be explored. Volunteers staff the museum a few days a month, and guide visitors in their exploration of Port Deposit. George Maldeis, a board member of the Port Deposit Heritage Corporation, was at the museum on a September afternoon, when visitors included Carolyn Roberts Simons and Lydia Roberts Brown, who grew up on the Mount Ararat dairy farm nearby. Their mother and father are in photos in the musem’s upstairs room. Maldeis welcomed them, shared anecdotes, and pointed out photos and maps that revealed the rich history of the town.
The Vanneman House was built before 1816 and has been a tavern and inn.
The Rappaport Building dates to the 1850s and now holds the Backfin Blues Bar and Grill.
This building, with a storefront on the first floor and apartments above, hasn’t changed since the year it was built. The bottom floor is now vacant.
Visitors can take a walking tour of Port Deposit and discover the town’s rich history.
An early 1800s map of the town shows some buildings that are still standing.
The terraces are a distinctive feature of Port Deposit. 10
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“That sort of thing happens a lot,” Maldeis said after the women had left to walk around the town. “People will just bring in artifacts and drop them off here.” Consequently, the museum is brimming with an eclectic collection that includes arrowheads, Civil War letters, signs that used to hang in the downtown, a wagon wheel, hundreds of photos, and an archive of documents and images on two floors of the building. Whether you’re in town for sightseeing or doing extensive research on genealogy, the Paw Paw Museum (named for the tree outside the front door that still bears fruit each season) is the place to go. Continued on Page 12
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A wheel from an ice wagon that used to deliver in Port Deposit.
This bell belonged to the Water Witch Fire Company, and is displayed outside the fire hall. George Maldeis points out to visitors Carolyn Roberts Simons and Lydia Roberts Brown the site of their father’s dairy farm, Mt. Ararat Farms, near Port Deposit.
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Port Deposit History Continued from Page 11
Maldeis, referring to an 1812 map of the town that hangs in the museum, pointed out homes that are still standing, as well as extensive docks and industrial buildings along the river that have since been replaced by condominiums, a park and new businesses. But the basic structure of Port Deposit hasn’t changed much since the 1800s. Hemmed in by the river on one side, and a hill – almost a cliff – on the other side, it has survived the centuries thanks to industry, the hard work of common people, and a few key benefactors. There are references to a mill being operated in 1731, and an Continued on Page 14
Known as the Banking House, this structure was built before 1834, and held a bank, a Methodist church, and part of the Jacob Tome Institute, housing faculty members. It was later enlarged on either side, and remained a school until 1969. It is now an apartment building.
The Port Deposit Presbyterian Church, built in 1902, is made of Port Deposit granite, like many of the buildings in town.
The Tome Carriage House was probably built when the Tome mansion was built in 1850. It once held the carriages belonging to Jacob Tome. It has been a livery stable and taxi business, and now holds a meeting hall.
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Port Deposit History Continued from Page 12
inn before that. Granite was being quarried from the north of the town as early as 1789. Given its position on the river, Port Deposit was a key shipping port for lumber and grain coming down the river, as well as the town’s distinctive granite. The dark gray stone is everywhere in Port Deposit, in the homes and the sidewalks, and is also used in the entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel in New York City. With so much work available in the quarries, mills, factories and lumber yards, Port Deposit attracted a large community of immigrant workers who both made the town run and drew the disdain of upper-class white residents and Continued on Page 16
A marker stands beside the former home of John Creswell, who served as Gen. Grant’s postmaster and a fixture of the Maryland Republican party.
The Paw Paw Museum holds artifacts both ancient and modern, all telling the story of Port Deposit’s history.
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Port Deposit History Continued from Page 14
neighbors. In 1834, it held the only place to do banking between Wilmington and Baltimore. It was the eighth largest town in Maryland at the time of the Civil War. Men who grew rich from the industries in Port Deposit built grand homes out of the native stone, set up banks and businesses, and helped the tiny town boom. One of them was Jacob Tome, who arrived peniless in 1833 but made a fortune in the lumber business. As a wealthy man, he gave back to Port Deposit, establishing a free school system in 1889, and five years later opening the Jacob Tome Institute. Within four years, more than 600 children were attending classes there. When Tome died in 1898, a boarding school for boys was built on the high bluff overlooking the town. As railroads took the place of the huge river barges formerly used to transport goods in and out of Port Deposit, the town was connected to major trade markets north and south. In 1927, the Conowingo Dam cut off the town’s ability to ship goods north, the Depression crippled the nation, and the quarries slowed down as building projects dwindled. The Tome School closed in 1940, but the sprawling property was taken over by the U.S. Navy to become its principal training center on the East Coast. The population swelled to nearly 35,000 recruits at the Bainbridge Naval Training Center. When the facility closed in 1976, it left buildings filled with asbestos insulation and vast fields of coal ash, and it remains shuttered pending a cleanup. In 1981,
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This arbor at the center of town uses pillars and blocks from the Jacob Tome Mansion, which was demolished in 1948.
Wiley Manufacturing Company, which had filled the riverfront, closed its doors, further crippling Port Deposit. By the 1990s, however, there was a turnaround, and the Tome’s Landing condominium community was built where factories had once stood, and Marina Park was opened on the last former industrial zone. Documenting all the changes was the Port Deposit Heritage Corporation, which in 1975 began repairing a derelict building in town and turning it into the museum. Today, a dedicated corps of volunteers keeps the history of Port Deposit alive. While volunteers such as George Maldeis keep the doors open and help preserve the town’s legacy, he also acknowledged that the Susquehanna River is frequently the enemy of the town. Pulling out photographs from the 1800s and 1900s, he shows how often the river has frozen, overflowed its banks and sent cascades of ice down Main Street, often sweeping away the wooden buildings. When times were good, companies would just rebuild them. The railroad added an embankment between the river and the downtown which can trap floodwaters, and the rivers that feed into the Susquehanna add to the flooding problem during heavy rains. Continued on Page 18
The marina on the Susquehanna sits on the scenic Riverwalk.
The Susquenanna and the railroad were lifelines for Port Deposit.
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Port Deposit History Continued from Page 17
It has been, Maldeis said, a story of flooding and rebuilding since the 1800s, but now there are several historic buildings in peril due to owners who have gotten fed up with the costs of repairs and walked away. For every two or three splendidly restored Victorian mansions, there are two or three homes or shop fronts that are crumbling. But that hasn’t kept everyone away. The downtown has remained vital, with Backfin Blues providing a fine-dining oasis, and the Lees Landing restaurant on the waterfront adding a major draw. In the summer, the boardwalk-like attractions at the club bring in huge crowds. The condominiums are an attractive addition and have a spectacular view of the river and marina. There are, in short, plenty of good things in Port Deposit. It could be a boutique haven like New Hope, a Pennsylvania town that shares a long history of dependence on river-based industry. All it will take is a few more believers to keep the spark of downtown Port Deposit alive. And until then, longtime supporters like Maldeis are eagerly awaiting the next chapter. For more information, visit www.portdepositheritage.org. To contact Staff Writer John Chambless, email jchambless@chestercounty.com.
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Built in the early 1900s as an approach to the Tome School for Boys, these 75 stone steps provide a dramatic overview of Main Street and the Susquehanna. A channel to the right holds a stream.
|Cecil County Business|
Coffee and con in Rising Sun Rise ‘N Grind Café is where people sip and socialize By Drewe Phinny Staff Writer
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offee has always had a special significance for Angelina (Angie) Izzo Vanderhoef. “To me, coffee is not just a cup of coffee,” she said. “It’s more the way the Italians do it. They sit and they enjoy the time together in a space where they gather, and that’s what we wanted to provide. Coffee can be a date, or a gift, it can be a moment, an experience – so many things you can do. It brings people together.” As a child, Angie took great pains to prepare her father’s coffee exactly the way he wanted it. That family tradition has a lot to do with the way she treats customers. Angie and Jeremy Vanderhoef are the proprietors of Rise ‘N Grind Café, the first startup business in Rising Sun in 12 years. It’s at 8 E. Main St. The couple also owns the adjacent building. They initially considered that place for their new venture, and planned on tearing down the other property to use the land for a parking lot. “Then I just fell in love with this building,” Angie said, “even though it had red carpet wall to wall, and things were falling down and it was a mess, there was just something about it.” Jeremy, who also leads a small construction crew, handled most of the remodeling. “We redid the floors, but the building (which previously housed Verizon) was solid,” he said. “It had great structure. We tore down some walls, put up some new ones.” He pulled out some photos that showed how things looked previously. “You can tell this was easily the worst building on Main Street. So we’ve taken it from the worst to the best,” he said. Angie reaffirmed her belief in the place, despite its challenges. “It was a disaster, but there was something about it. I fell in love with it,” she said. “I actually had a premonition. This is just my coffee shop. It felt like a cottage to me, and that’s what I liked about it. There was shape to the building. It had character. I just thought it was the perfect coffee shop.” As the process took shape, Angie was pretty particular about the colors. “At one point, we had nine different shades of gray on the ceiling. And I would be like, ‘That’s too blue, that’s too purple, that’s too gray,’” she said. “Jeremy painted the whole thing, and I said, ‘I don’t like it,’ and he had to redo it. I’m not usually that picky, but I wanted it to be perfect.” Continued on Page 22
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nversation flow
All photos courtesy Jeremy and Angelina Vanderhoef
The interior of the cafĂŠ is warm and inviting, providing patrons a place to meet for coffee and conversation. www.cecilcountylife.com | Fall/Winter 2018 | Cecil County Life
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Rise ‘N Grind Café Continued from Page 20
As important as the aesthetic aspects of the coffee shop are to Angie and Jeremy, the product is vital to their success. “Everyone has been so supportive,” Angie said. “It’s been incredible. People said this is the best latte they’ve ever had – the best coffee.” It all starts with the provider that roasts the coffee beans. “Square One is the roaster,” Angie explained. “We want to use as much local as we can. Even though we went from New York to Annapolis looking for a roaster that we really like, we decided on Square One.” The company is based in Lancaster, Pa. The two varieties of beans grown commercially are Arabica and Robusta. “There’s a difference between the two and these are all Arabica,” Angie said. “They’re specialty for sure, which means they are not mixed with anything else. The elevation figures into it, the different beans and where they’re from. It’s a great specialty coffee.” Coffee is the top priority, but Angie takes similar pride in the other offerings. “We get our ice cream from Keyes Creamery, in the Aberdeen-Churchville area,” she said. “They’re a small, local dairy farmer and a wonderful family. They produce it when I call, so it’s fast-order. They don’t have it sitting around; they wait for me to call. We visited six or seven creameries and got chocolate samples. We really did our research. I wanted our customers to be wowed by it.” In fact, Angie got her large Italian family to sit down for a blindfold taste test. “And Keyes Creamery was a huge favorite,” she said. “It’s really super creamy. They actually use Jersey cows.” And, of course, the most butter-fat. “We have cones, we do sundaes, we do milkshakes. We do it all,” she said. “Some people actually come in for the ice cream.” Other food features include bagels and pastries. At Rise ‘N Grind, customer service is more than just words. “When we hire our employees, we can train them how to make the drinks, but there’s more to it,” Angie said. “Part of the uniform is going to be a smile. You always have to have a smile on your face. Because if this is a gift to the community, I want them to feel welcome when they’re here. I want them to enjoy their time here.” One of groups that has found its way into a late-morning routine is mothers who are raising families. “I thought people were starving for something to do with their families. I know we wanted a nice place to go with our kids, a nice, safe place for them to go and hang out,” Angie
said. “I was a stay-at-home mom for a couple years and I remember it was so hard to do that. So we wanted a place for those moms to bring their kids.” As it turns out, Jeremy said, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. is the busiest time at Rise n’ Grind, and many folks are those mothers and their children, visiting with others who share similar interests. There’s a great sense of community and warmth. Another priority for Angie is to accommodate as many customer needs as possible, with a concern for inclusiveness. “I wanted something for everyone – people with gluten allergies, so we have those items, and people who couldn’t have milk, we have soy and all the different milk Continued on Page 24
Patrons enjoy coffee and donuts outside on the patio.
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Rise ‘N Grind Café Continued from Page 23
options. We have sugar-free, and that includes ice cream. We wanted something for everyone, something for the town.” The Rise ‘N Grind logo was created by Shepherd Design. “Joe Shepherd came up with that,” Angie said. “He’s a great guy,” Jeremy added. “We got introduced to him through this process. He’s a great find. He’s fantastic.” Jeremy added that all the subcontractors are from Rising Sun. “We take pride in staying local,” he said. During this interview, many residents stopped in to congratulate Angie and Jeremy on their successful start, and some asked what they have in mind for “the other building.” In a town of approximately 2,000 people, one or two new businesses can make a real difference and even give rise to other start-ups. So there is a lot of interest in what might be the next step on East Main. “I’ll start the renovations real soon and we’ll see what ends up popping up there,” Jeremy said. He is anxious to speak with interested parties about ideas for an appropriate business there.
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The cafe has plenty of table space for coffee, bagels, donuts and conversation.
Angie’s Italian heritage is the emotional component that plays a role in how she and Jeremy approach all aspects of operating Rise ‘N Grind Café, from the actual coffee preparation (as she did for her father), to the extra care Angie takes to make sure every person leaves with a smile. “I give hugs to my customers I’ve never met before,” she Continued on Page 26
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Rise ‘N Grind Café Continued from Page 24
said. “We tell family stories, and by the end of it, they’ll get tissues for people because they get so emotional. I want to let them know that they’re taken care of. I want my kids to see that. “I wanted to win this town over,” Angie said. “I really poured my heart and soul into this and I’m hoping that it shows. I’m hoping that they feel it.” Of course, new businesses are filled with many challenges. “There are two people that told me it wouldn’t work out. And I said, ‘Come hell or high water, I’m going to show those people.’” For its tea and beverage products, Rise ‘N Grind uses HumanKind. For every bottle of iced tea that is sold at the coffee shop, the organization promises 50 gallons of clean drinking water to places in Africa and Kenya. In the future, Angie is working on a special night for Cecil College. “I think it would be really nice to have an open mic night, or maybe karaoke or poetry readings once a month,” she said. “Something they would enjoy.”
Facebook is filled with glowing reviews, and Angie is more than happy to print those positive comments and show them to her young employees, the baristas who work hard making the different coffee drinks. “I want them to know they are the reason for these compliments. Look what you did! You were part of this person’s day and he or she was so happy because of you. You give them something to be proud of. I think that really goes a long way.” The following post is indicative of the overwhelmingly positive response to Rise ‘N Grind: “This coffee shop is just a happy place. The atmosphere is so bright and positive. Adorably decorated! The staff is super friendly and show you that they appreciate your business. The coffee was sooo good and the bagels are to die for. This will be my new go-to place!” Rise ‘N Grind Café is open from 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. On Wednesday, the hours are 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., and on Saturday, the hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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|Cecil County Arts| Separately, Liz and iris are multi-media artists. Together, in artistic partnership and in life, they form Liziris, and Cecil County is a far richer and more culturally happening community because of them
Joy and beauty and love and light D By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer
uring what became a four-hour visual arts performance at this year’s Ladybug Festival along Lower Market Street in Wilmington, two artists applied spray paint, latex paint and chalk to the storefront and sidewalk of a LoMa business. Within that small patch of property, working in the enclosed bubble of their work, the entirety of their performance held the thousands of festival goers in silent appreciation of what they were seeing, because in the space of those four hours, they were seeing that Liz McLaughlin and iris Dickerson were making every brushstroke they applied dance like a little girl at her first recital, who suddenly and without explanation is given the feeling Continued on Page 30
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Photo by Jie Deng
Liziris, in front of one of the many murals they have created together. www.cecilcountylife.com | Fall/Winter 2018 | Cecil County Life
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Liziris Continued from Page 28
of knowing what it may be like to have wings. Over the past 15 years, Liz and iris have defied categorization in the Cecil County art scene by working in several mediums, to the point where a “Liziris” project could place them anywhere: at a street fair performance, a photography shoot or a commissioned work. Liz is a commercial and artistic photographer, while iris’ work as a muralist and painter can be seen on everything from traditional canvases to the parking meters along Main Street in Photos by Jie Deng
Liziris are known throughout Cecil County for their playful projects, which include being commissioned to paint the parking meters in Elkton.
A peek inside iris’ studio at the Cecil County Arts Council. 30
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Elkton, which they transformed last year from steely black to tubular rows of flowery color. Along the way, their name is near the top of the local arts scene: Liz and iris’ Magickal Gallery was a two-year installation in Elkton, from 2006 to 2008. Their photographs and paintings hang in several private homes in Cecil County and around the country. They helped to begin the Main Street Art Bazaar cooperative in Elkton, that later evolved into what is now the Palette and the Page. They have exhibited at several festivals at the Cecil County Arts Council, at several art gallery shows and popup shows, and for the past six years, Continued on Page 32
Courtesy art
An example of iris’ work on canvas.
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Liziris Continued from Page 31
they’ve taught classes to young people at the Cecil County Arts Council summer camps. Whether with a camera or a paintbrush or a simple piece of chalk, “Liziris is about joy and beauty and love and light,” iris said. “Liz and I believe that art should be
totally accessible to everyone. It should be on the streets, in people’s homes and taught in classrooms. We’re here because we believe that art should be everywhere.” Solving the riddle of, “Where does art come from?” remains an unanswerable question, but in the story of Continued on Page 34
Courtesy art
Liz is also known for her talents as a photographer.
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Cecil County Life | Fall/Winter 2018 | www.cecilcountylife.com
The Tome School The Tome School sets high standards in academics and personal behavior with a rigorous academic program and a dedicated, caring faculty that helps students reach their potential and acquire the skills that they will need to lead successful lives. “Tome is unique,” said head of school Christine Szymanski. “We put a big emphasis on respect, personal responsibility, and academic rigor. We talk about doing things the ‘Tome Way.’” The ‘Tome Way’ has always been to provide a topquality education to students at an affordable cost—that was what Jacob Tome envisioned when he founded the school in 1889. Jacob Tome, a banker, politician, and philanthropist, built one of the largest fortunes in the U.S. at the time while he was living in Cecil County. He wanted to create a school in the area that would offer the finest education for students willing to undergo its challenging regimen, regardless of their families’ ability to pay the cost for that education. With its long tradition of excellence, the Tome School continues to be true to that mission today, focusing on academics, character, and community. The school
educates approximately 455 K-12 students each year. With small class sizes—the maximum number of students is 14 in kindergarten, 20 in grades 1-8, and 25 in grades 9-12—the faculty members offer the personal attention that students need. Tome graduates are well-prepared for the future. In two recent graduating classes, the school’s seniors exceeded the state average SAT scores in reading, math, and writing by more than 100 points. When a graduate of The Tome School arrives on a college campus, he or she is typically ready for the new academic challenge. “We are very academically driven,” explained Szymanski. “So when students get to their next schools, they are very well-prepared.” Tome School keeps tuition significantly lower than other independent schools, partly because of the substantial funding from The Jacob Tome Institute and partly because of parental assistance. Volunteer efforts by Tome families help keep tuition increases to a minimum. The Tome School is proud to be a part of the Cecil County Community, and has been an active member of the Cecil County Chamber of Commerce for 30 years. The Tome School is located at 581 S. Maryland Avenue in North East, Maryland. The telephone number is 410-2872050. For more information, visit www.tomeschool.org.
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Liziris Continued from Page 32
what led Liz and iris to share their life and their talents, art plays only a supporting role. The story of Liziris is really one of destiny. For several years, Liz imagined an image of what the love of her life would look like before she first met iris, through a window at a bus station in downtown Baltimore 15 years ago. She had spent her life doing everything according to plan; while her early work as a photographer was inspired by the gritty street life she saw while growing up in South Philadelphia, she earned a mathematics degree from Rowan University, and began her career in information technology, a position she still holds as a private contractor. “I was trying to figure out who I was at the time, which is a different way of saying I looked for ways to Continued on Page 36
Photo by Jie Deng
To learn more about Liziris, visit www.lizandiris.com. 34
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Liziris Continued from Page 34
try to get through life when you’re not like everyone else,” she said. “I wasn’t really thinking of art other than being an expression of myself. I was busy being the best at what I was doing, and as soon as I graduated and did everything that I was supposed to do, I was then able to be me.” “I began to know myself as, ‘This was who I am, and I am an artist.’ It was around this time that I began to create a vision of iris, this person that I was supposed to meet and fall in love with, but I didn’t know her obviously at the time. All I knew that she was smaller than me, that she was also an artist, and she had dark hair. My friends kept telling me to give up on the image in my mind. ‘She doesn’t exist,’ they told me.” Continued on Page 38
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Photo by Jie Deng
Liz developed her artistic eye as a child growing up in Philadelphia.
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Liziris Continued from Page 36
The abstract expressionism that bursts from the canvases that iris makes can be traced to her upbringing in the valleys of the Mojave Desert and in the high hills of Hawaii, where she spent parts of her youth. In a life dominated by landscapes, she was more the observer than the participant, and she could often be found working in a sketchpad or buried in the pages of a book. After earning a degree in Deaf Studies, complimented by attending Bryn Mawr College, iris moved to Philadelphia, when by accident, her dating profile was received by Liz, who was living in Baltimore. They corresponded on line and by phone for several weeks, and then iris boarded a Greyhound from Philadelphia to Baltimore. The bus broke down soon after departure, and for the next several hours, while Liz Continued on Page 40
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Photo by Jie Deng
iris was raised in the Mojave Desert and in Hawaii.
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Liziris Continued from Page 38
waited outside the station for the bus to arrive, iris and her fellow passengers were transferred to another bus that meandered around Wilmington, and finally arrived in Baltimore at 11 p.m. McLaughlin and Dickerson first saw each other for the first time through a window at the station, soon after Dickerson arrived. They went back to McLaughlin’s home and painted together until morning. They’ve been together ever since. There are several painted portraits of Liz in iris’ art studio on the basement floor of the Cecil County Arts Council, and while each is a variation on the same theme, each one finds something new in the subject. “Liz’s features have become probably the most familiar to me, even more so than my own, because I look at her more than I look at myself,” iris said. “It’s her brightness, her angles, her intelligence, her humor, her strength, and every mood she has. When I do a piece, Liz rarely sits still, if ever, but with each painting, it’s a process of soaking up the moment, in little memories.”
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Liz and iris will be the first to say that beyond the colors and textures they have given to the Cecil County arts community, the most lasting manifestation of their gifts is seen in the classes they teach at the Arts Council. “It’s always much more inspiring for us than it is for the kids,” iris said. “We always leave inspired by their creative thinking, their perspective. They continue to teach us that we’re all more alike than we are different. They teach us that art is a thing of nature, and we never want it to stop. We flit and we fly, and it’s always something a little different, and it’s always something a little similar.” “And we go with it,” Liz said. “We ride it and we move with it. All we know how to do is to continue keeping the joy, continue to build on our art, continue to say ‘Yes,’ continue to show up, and continue to enjoy the adventure.” To learn more about the work of Liziris, or to arrange an artistic performance, art installation or a purchase, visit www.lizandiris.com. To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email rgaw@chestercounty.com.
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|Cecil County Education|
Johnson’s work 50 years ago is a big reason for Cecil College’s success G
Courtesy photo
Mary T. Johnson helped Cecil College become an important part of the community during its early days. Cecil College is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
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rand achievements come from the seed of an inspirational idea, but it takes the nurturing touch of a dedicated individual to ensure the fruition of that idea. For Cecil College, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, it was the fortitude and devotion of Mary T. Johnson that has enabled the institution to become a shining star in the crown of Cecil County. “It seemed like every time we needed someone to do something, I had the opportunity to do it as requested.
I was not only hired as the Director of Admissions and Registration but also to teach freshman English,” said Johnson, whose hats included institutional research, public relations, and marketing. In 1968, she was the third person hired at the college on the heels of the appointment of Robert L. Nash, Ph.D., as president and Edmund G. Ramsaur, Jr. as the librarian. Those were lean times as Johnson diligently worked to promote and develop Cecil College as a reputable institution within a community in the shadows of the universities of Delaware and Maryland. Moreover, the College was running classes out of a single classroom at Elkton High School. The budget for the first year of the institution was $36,000 provided by the county, which covered salaries and supplies. To stretch the budget, the staff worked with area school districts to acquire under-utilized equipment on a loan basis. Johnson’s recruiting efforts attracted 107 part-time students for afternoon and evening courses. The following semester students became full-time. “It was like a one-room schoolhouse. Everything was in that one room. My office and Dr. Nash’s office was in there. We had two typewriters. We had a closet across the hall where we put our few supplies and it also served as our bookstore,” said Johnson, with a fond reflective smile. “I laugh every time I think about when Dr. Nash said to me, ‘I have a chair for you, but no desk. You’ll have to use a corner of mine.’ This was the first day I was there. I just smiled and said, ‘I think I’ll bring my own desk from home.’ That night my husband moved my desk from the house to the high school.” “We didn’t own a punch bowl or anything. Everything we did there, I had to come to my house, take it out and have my husband take it to Elkton High School, North East, and to the college campus. I finally gave one punch bowl and the cups to the college. When I left there, I was still taking things,” she added. Johnson remained as a prominent member of the Cecil College community until her retirement in 1992. Under her guidance and persistence during those early years, the College dispelled the disparaging comments of ‘13th grade’ from the naysayers of
the world. She took every opportunity to meet with organizations throughout the county to speak on the benefits of a community college and discovered people became friendlier toward the college upon being informed. “We had several high school students take afternoon and evening courses at the college and ended up graduating from the college before they graduated from high school. They would graduate from the college in May and the high school in June. That was one of the things that turned students around. They could say now that I have two years I can go to a four-year college and be a junior,” she explained. This accomplishment strengthened the benefits of a community college in Cecil County as many of the high school guidance counselors only supported students attending four-year institutions. Johnson assisted these graduates in their transfer efforts to four-year institutions by gathering course catalogs from the colleges in Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania in order to align transferable credits. “I’m still very excited to see the college grow from its meager beginnings to what it is today with small classes, a caring, and well-prepared faculty,” Johnson explained. “That students still live at home and are with their family I think has proven to be very successful from the standpoint that our students who transferred to four-year universities do better academically than the students who graduate from high school and go to a big university.” Johnson was one of the founding members of the Cecil College Foundation and remains active in its support. A native of North Carolina, she earned a baccalaureate degree from Radford College, Women’s Division of Virginia Polytechnic Institute, and post-baccalaureate studies at the University of Delaware and University of Maryland. Prior to her arrival at Cecil College, she spent 22 years teaching English and Social Studies at Chesapeake City High School and Bohemia Manor High School, where she was also a guidance counselor. “I almost consider the college my home. Every time I step on the campus, I feel like I have gone home again. Thomas Wolfe said, ‘You can never go home again,’ but I still feel that I do.”
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|In the Spotlight|
A sweet success story Christie McDevitt didn’t aspire to be a chocolatier, but when an opportunity presented itself in 2012, she purchased a small candy business and dedicated herself to making it a success. Six years later, McDevitt has received numerous accolades and North East Chocolates is poised to grow... By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer
C
All photos by Steven Hoffman
In 2012, Christie McDevitt became a chocolatier—and a business owner—when she purchased a small candy business in North East. She was just 24 at the time. 44
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hristie McDevitt was 24 when she purchased a small candy business in North East in 2012. And, just like that, she became an entrepreneur. And a chocolatier. The entrepreneur part, no one would be surprised by. McDevitt is smart, creative, savvy, and personable, and she possesses a boundless energy. When Sandy Turner, the coordinator of Cecil County’s Tourism Department, announced McDevitt’s selection as the Tourism
Person of the Year, she called her a model for young entrepreneurs. Indeed, like a lot of small business owners, McDevitt will wear many hats throughout the day. She makes the chocolates, sure, but she is also a marketer and an event planner. She is the current vice president of the North East Chamber of Commerce and has established a business relationship with numerous other businesses throughout Cecil County. So McDevitt is a born entrepreneur. The chocolatier part? That’s a little more difficult to understand, even for McDevitt herself. Standing outside her shop in North East on a warm day in early October, McDevitt began to tell the story about how she became the owner of a candy shop and to talk about how the last six years have been one big learning experience. “I feel like the candy store is growing up with me, and I am growing up with the candy store,” McDevitt explained with a smile. She did not set out to become a chocolatier. When McDevitt graduated from Bohemia Manor High School in 2005, she thought she might want to become an architect. She enrolled in the engineering program at Cecil College, and in 2008 she completed an Associate of Science in Engineering degree in the field of Computer Aided Design and Drafting (CADD). McDevitt graduated magna cum laude with a degree in Business Administration (Marketing) from Goldey-Beacom College, and then went to work
McDevitt set out to make North East Chocolates the community candy store.
for Union Hospital in Elkton as a liaison for patients in the bariatric surgery program. Then, in 2012, the owner of a candy shop in North East retired and sold the business to McDevitt. It was an opportunity, she explained, that simply presented itself at a time when she was looking for a new
challenge. And, just like that, she was the owner of a candy store and she set out to become a chocolatier. She traveled up to New England to talk to several experienced chocolatiers to learn about the art of making tasty treats. “Independent research is a Continued on Page 46
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Christie McDevitt Continued from Page 45
passion,” she explained. “I talked to several different chocolatiers.” What she quickly learned is that making good chocolate is not easy. But McDevitt is not one to back down from a challenge. She dedicated herself to the work. North East Chocolates became one of the distinctive businesses in North East’s charming downtown. The store is situated on Main Street, along with Woody’s Crab House, Steak & Main, Tukey Point Vineyard Tasting Room, and a variety of other shops and restaurants that make the town a fun destination. Initially, the candy shop was located in West Street Village, which houses a collection of small retail shops, but McDevitt relocated the candy store to the tiny, 225 square-foot building at 24 South Main Street. McDevitt said that the building was originally constructed by the owner of the house behind it to serve as a barbershop. “My estimate is that it was built in the early 1940s,” she said, explaining that records show that, as late as Continued on Page 48
North East Chocolates is situated along North East’s charming Main Street. 46
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1938, only the original house was on the property. The building that North East Chocolates now calls home has had many uses through the years—it was a pretzel store for awhile, and a seafood steaming shack at another point. Just before a candy store, “Where Butterflies Bloom” occupied the space as a gift shop run by Ron Wetzig. These days, a giant blue M & M hints at the fun that awaits a visitor inside what McDevitt refers to as the “Itsy Bitsy Candy Store.” McDevitt explained that she wanted the candy store to have a fun, old-fashioned feel that will make generations of people recall the candy stores that they enjoyed so much when they were kids. “I want to make this a community candy store,” she explained. The main display case features a wide variety of homemade tasty treats—sea salt caramels, peanut butter cups, and an assortment of pretzels are all among the most popular items with customers, according to Jennifer Heroux, who is McDevitts right-hand woman at the candy shop. In addition to the confections, there are tins of popcorn and all kinds of old-fashioned candies on sale. “I love having the broad selection that we do,” McDevitt said, explaining that she has ordered new built-in bookcases that will more efficiently allow for products to be displayed. In this candy shop, every foot of space is precious, but that only adds to the old-fashioned, welcoming feel of the business. The candy store allows McDevitt to utilize her talents as a marketer and as an event planner. She helps the North East Chamber of Commerce plan most of its events. One example is the popular Unicorn Quest event where over a thousand participants visit different businesses in town on a scavenger hunt for items related to unicorns, including a live Unicorn from Fairwinds Farm & Stables. Continued on Page 50
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Christie McDevitt Continued from Page 48
McDevitt said that she really enjoys being out and about, connecting with other business owners. “Offices are tough to sit in,” she said. “I like to move around and be social.” McDevitt likely picked up a lot of her entrepreneurial spirit from her parents, Kevin and Linda McDevitt, who have owned their own businesses—including The Pickled Herring Pub and Custom Captive Corporation. She also understands the importance of collaboration. North East Chocolates helps promote other businesses in Cecil County in a variety of ways. One is by partnering with wineries like Chateau Bu-De Vineyard & Winery, the Turkey Point Vineyard and Dove Valley Vineyard on chocolate and wine pairings. McDevitt’s chocolates and fudge are available at Milburn Orchards, too. Her boxed chocolates are sold at The Old Gray Mare Gift Shoppe in Chesapeake City and The Palette & The Page art gallery.
McDevitt has worked hard to make sure that North East Chocolates is a part of the larger business community in Cecil County. Her business partners with numerous other businesses in the area on events. 50
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With all those collaborations and partnerships, and all the hard work she puts in supporting not just North East, but Cecil County, it’s no surprise that North East Chocolates has already been inducted into the Cecil County Business Hall of Fame. McDevitt has formed so many partnerships and has immersed herself so deeply in the business community, that North East Chocolates has a difficult time keeping up with demand. “We’ve gotten so busy that we really have to increase ordering and production,” McDevitt explained. She is thankful for her education and how it helped her in the efforts to build the candy store into a successful business. Everything she learned at Cecil College and GoldeyBeacom College—the architecture, the marketing, the business classes—has been useful.
“All of the diverse background experience and education has come in handy in the most unlikely ways,” she explained. McDevitt said that it takes a lot of drive and determination to overcome the inevitable adversity that comes with owning your own business, but if a person is willing to work hard and think outside of the box, they can make it. “There is something to be said for investing in the community that helped bring you up,” McDevitt explained. “There is a lot of opportunity in Cecil County, and I don’t think we have reached our potential yet. Anyone who is willing to do the due diligence, anyone who is willing to work hard and put their heart into the business can succeed here.” To contact Staff Writer Steven Hoffman, email editor@ chestercounty.com.
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|Cecil County Business| For many years, Elkton was known as the Wedding Capital of the East. Now, thanks to the ingenuity of Holly Rollins, she’s converted the historic Mitchell House into a little wedding chapel of its own
The house of the new nuptials 52
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Courtesy photo
Vows at the Wedding House is the perfect venue for an intimate wedding.
Photos by Richard L. Gaw unless otherwise noted.
Holly Rollins of Vows at the Mitchell House.
By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer
W
hile there are skinny shreds of overlap in their respective fields, Debbie Reynolds, Willie Mays, Charles Barkley, Joan Fontaine, Pat Robertson and Billie Holliday have little, if anything, in common. Ask anyone who has any knowledge of the history of Elkton, however, and you are liable to hear differently. All of them were married at The Little Wedding Chapel on Main Street, in a town that was once known as “The Marriage Capital of the East.” From nearly the beginning of the 20th Century to just before World War II, Elkton was the hotbed of the quickie nuptial, where over 100,000 tied the knot in ceremonies, enticed by Maryland’s low-key marriage laws that waived the typical 48-hour waiting period for marriage
The Mitchell House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
licenses that had been instituted in nearby Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and Delaware. During its marriage ceremony heyday, Elkton boasted fifteen wedding chapels on Main Street in order to accommodate the couples who wanted to tie the knot; in fact, some who were granted the license to officiate weddings would offer their services as young couples came off the bus at nearby stations. In June of 1913, the city issued 60 wedding licenses, compared to the year before, when Elkton had only issued 12. Word quickly spread, and by the Great Depression, business was booming. In 1936, Elkton issued nearly 12,000 marriage licenses, and conducted an average of 32 weddings a day. By 1938, state officials passed a 48-hour mandatory waiting period for marriage licenses, and while Elkton was still averaging about 6,000 weddings a year in the Continued on Page 54 www.cecilcountylife.com | Fall/Winter 2018 | Cecil County Life
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1970s, the magic of nuptial spontaneity seemed to vanish, and when the historic Little Wedding Chapel closed in 2017, some locals thought the magic was gone for good. It’s not. In fact, the future of wedding ceremonies in Elkton has been given a new life, and a new home. Holly Rollins and her husband, Attorney Ellis Rollins III, have converted a portion of the historic Mitchell House on Main Street to Vows at the Mitchell House, and since it opened in April, it has already served as a wedding destination for 20 couples and many other special events. The house has been in the Rollins’ family since the 1950s, when Ellis Rollins, Sr. purchased it for his family when he was the attorney
Book club/poe/tea2 Open since April, Vows at the Mitchell House has already expanded its calendar to include themed events, in addition to weddings.
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There’s Never Been A Better Time to Buy! For more information call 302.653.1650 or visit www.LenapeBuilders.net 54
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general for Maryland. His son Ellis Jr. then inherited the house and converted it to his law office, and then handed it off to his son, Ellis III, who continues to run his practice in a portion of the home’s first floor. For the past few years, however, much of the remaining first floor space stood vacant, but the idea to open a wedding business had already been launched several decades ago, when Holly and her sister Lisa considered buying the Little Wedding Chapel. “Even though we never did make the purchase, the idea continued to percolate for both of us,” Holly said. “In the middle of last year, the chapel closed, so now there were no other chapels in Elkton. We were having our annual New Year’s Eve lunch at the start of 2018, and we began to think about what could be done in the space,” Holly said. “Then Lisa told me, “Hey! I know what we could do!’ and before we knew it, I was in business. It was that simple.” With plenty of room for a small wedding and corresponding reception, Vows at the Mitchell House can accommodate up to 40 guests, as part of complete, one-stop shop of service: Holly is a wedding officiant and conducts wedding ceremonies; Sweet Spice Bake Shop in North East, owned by Rollins’ daughter Casey Warrington and Lisa Lonabaugh, provide catering and sweets for each event; and Elkton Florist in Elkton and The Twisted Vine in North East will fulfill all floral requests. Even though it’s called Vows at the Mitchell House, it’s a welcome spot for other special occasions, as well. Since its opening, Rollins has hosted baby showers, bridal showers, anniversary parties, vow renewals, cocktail parties and themed tea parties.
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A special highlight that’s dotted the event calendar was a Mother’s Day tea, that featured an appearance by a Queen Elizabeth impersonator and two of her subjects. She’s due for a return visit for a Charles Dickens’ holiday tea on December 8, and on Oct. 26, the Mitchell House hosted “Edgar Allen Poe - The Master of Macabre, an Intimate Dinner Party,” that featured readings from “The Raven” by local actor Curtis King. “I had not thought of those other opportunities when we started, but after a local newspaper ran an article about the business, someone asked me if we hosted tea parties,” Holly said. “I said, ‘We sure do!’ Then someone asked me, ‘Can we have
Wedding Photos/art courtesy of Vows at the Mitchell House
Continued on Page 58
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Cecil County Life | Fall/Winter 2018 | www.cecilcountylife.com
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our baby shower there?’ I told her, ‘We sure can!’” Whatever the occasion, those looking to celebrate in an intimate space would be hard-pressed to find a spot with more character and history. The Mitchell House, located at 131 E. Main St., built by Dr. Abraham Mitchell, a physician from Lancaster County, in the 1760s, and was used as a hospital during the American Revolution. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. The two-and-a-half story landmark showcases colonial craftsmanship with its hardwood floors and working fireplaces. “We’ve had sit-down dinners, DJs and dancing, but even if one wishes to be here with a fiancee, parents and children, it’s a beautiful place for any special occasion,” Holly said. “This all came out of a need and an appreciation for Elkton’s history. A lot of people have come to Elkton to get married, because they knew that Grandma and Grandpa got married here, and they wanted to carry on that family tradition. “Vows at the Mitchell House has really been an outgrowth of that history and those traditions, in a very warm and intimate environment.” Vows at the Mitchell House is located at 131 E. Main Street, in Elkton. To learn more and to make a reservation for your event, visit www.vowsatthemitchellhouse.com. To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email rgaw@chestercounty.com.
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Cecil College: It
Photos by Jim Coarse Text by Richard L. Gaw Appearing regularly on the Cecil College website is a series of articles profiling graduates of the college who have gone on to careers as wide and varied as the course curriculum, majors and degrees offered by the College every year. It’s called “It All Starts Here,” and in many ways, it’s the perfect title, because for the thousands of students who have attended and graduated from the college since it began 50 years ago, Cecil College has served as incubator of their dreams. Continued on Page 62
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It All Starts Here
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Cecil College is a comprehensive, open admission, learner-centered institution providing career, transfer and continuing education coursework and programs. Spread out over a beautiful, sprawling and accessible campus that’s close to anywhere in the Cecil County region, the college offers more than 90 degree and certificate offerings, in a continuum of intellectual, cultural and academic curiosity that prepares each student with the skills, knowledge and experience to prepare for a career, personal enrichment or another college. Continued on Page 64
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Is there a program here that’s right for you? Learn more. Visit www.cecil.edu. Cecil College. It’s YourCecil. It’s MyCecil. It’s OurCecil, and it all starts here.
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|Around Cecil County|
Honoring ‘the gift of good land’ The Cecil Land Trust is committed to conservation so farmers can feed the people
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All photos courtesy Alisa Webb
The historic bridge over Basin Run is a part of the Cecil Land Trust stream restoration project.
Drewe Phinny Staff Writer
P
oet, novelist and environmentalist Wendell Berry invokes the phrase, “Gift of good land” frequently in his writings. He feels that there are strings attached and “we have it only on loan and only for as long as we practice good stewardship.” You’ll hear those words a lot when talking to Bill Kilby and Alisa Webb, president and executive coordinator, respectively, of the Cecil Land Trust. Kilby and Webb put their heads together to figure out ways to spread the word about responsible land use that will feed farmers and their customers in the future. But the beneficial effects to society don’t end there. Taking care of the soil just might play a part in other areas of life, such as addressing the current opioid crisis. Although Webb is a major contributor to the CLT’s operation, she defers to Kilby on many of the nuts and bolts issues. In fact, when asked who can best describe the origin of the CLT, she modestly said, “Bill’s the founder and the president… He is the man with all the answers.” Bill Kilby takes land protection personally. He has made it his mission to educate landowners about their role in healthy lands and clean waters in the Cecil County region of the Chesapeake Bay. The goal is to create large, contiguous blocks of protected farms. Continued on Page 68
Cecil County residents benefit from the Cecil Land Trust stream restoration project. www.cecilcountylife.com | Fall/Winter 2018 | Cecil County Life
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Cecil Land Trust Continued from Page 67
“What we’re trying to do is set up an agricultural ‘enterprise zone,’ you could call it, a business model where you start with these large protected pieces of land,” he said. Kilby described it as a business park using an agricultural model, with the guarantee of future investment in the land – for instance, in expensive equipment such as a corn chopper. “This equipment costs hundreds of thousands of dollars, so you can’t buy a chopper like that unless you have something to chop,” he said. The CLT enables farmers to consider a future in Cecil County. “One of the ways we do that is to help them protect their lands,” Kilby said. “We use an easement, which basically says we will make it worth your while to protect your farm, with some restrictions. One is regarding houses. We want this to remain farm grounds, not a place to build houses.” The latest incentive program offered by the CLT is Healthy Soils, which is the new buzz word for doing the right thing with your land. That includes no-till farming, which is a way of growing crops or pasture from year to year without disturbing the soil through the preparation process. “You don’t disturb the whole field. You cut a slot with a disc and the seed drops down, so the only place you’re disturbing the soil is in that particular area,” Kilby said. “The old way leads to soil erosion, which means sediment in the bay.” Another consideration is called cover crops, the purpose of which is to protect and enrich the soil. “When someone finishes harvesting the field, they’ll spread manure and then plant a cereal crop like wheat, barley or rye,” Kilby said. “As it grows over the winter, it holds the soil in place. It has to do with carbon sequestration.” That term describes long-term storage of atmospheric carbon dioxide, which has been proposed as a way to slow the accumulation of greenhouse gases. The more carbon that is taken out of the atmosphere and left in the soil, the better. At the CLT offices on the third floor at 135 East Main Street in Elkton, Kilby pulled out a market map that showed the importance of Cecil County farm production to a large area that might surprise some people.
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Members of the Nottingham Presbyterian Church train farmers how to use the commercial kitchen equipment at the church.
“It’s about distributing,” he said. “We feel that what we do with that gift of good land is what we’re supposed to do. Farming in this area of Cecil County and Chester County, Pa., is all very land-dependent. There are 7 million people within a 50-mile radius of Colora, Md.” Kilby explained that farmers are utilizing more sophisticated data collection to supplement their work and get the most out of their livelihoods. “When you do direct marketing, you need a business plan so we go to the library’s small business section and they will help you put together a feasibility study,” he said. “We wanted to see what the market was.” One of the conclusions of the study pointed to the importance of Cecil County to the whole region. “With the world the way it is, it gives you some concern about food security,” Kilby said. “We ought to make sure our water and land is protected so the people who live within those 50 miles of Colora, of all places, will have a food supply and a water supply they can depend on. Those are the kind of things the CLT is thinking of on a larger scale.” Continued on Page 70
Livestock has many roles in the farm ecosystem.
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Cecil Land Trust Continued from Page 69
In an effort to ensure survival of the farmer, the Cecil Land Trust is working on the concept of food systems. “In order to survive,” Kilby said, “We’re going to have to do more direct marketing to those 7 million people. With that in mind, CLT just signed an agreement with West Nottingham Church to use its commercial kitchen to help farmers add value to their basic products, such as lettuce, tomatoes or chicken broth, and some other things that people are interested in. “Right now we have an Amish man who grows cabbage and he wants to be able to process that cabbage to make slaw, vacuum-seal it, sell it to restaurants as fresh cabbage from his farm directly to you. So we have to have a commercial kitchen for that, due to food safety, which involves the health department, etc.”
Family fishing is part of the Cecil Land Trust ‘Life Skills and Leadership’ community outreach.
Continued on Page 72
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Webb added, “They have a beautiful, industrial kitchen and, at a cost of $150,000, a farmer can’t [afford that] so we want to partner with them. We had 13 different farms using the facilities, and the Amish and others can come to make their products and sell them directly to you.” The church, which used to handle Meals on Wheels, sees helping the CLT as part of its mission. Perhaps the most socially significant aspect of this land management philosophy concerns the CLT role in possible solutions for addiction. Recently, the state planning department came to discuss relevant issues for the organization. They wanted to know just what Cecil Countians are thinking. The group varied from Chamber of Commerce members to parks and recreation workers to regular citizens. In an electronic poll, 85 percent of twenty-five people said addictive behavior is their greatest concern. The other question involved Cecil
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Cecil County Life | Fall/Winter 2018 | www.cecilcountylife.com
County’s best assets. Respondents answered, “location, land and water.” Kilby wondered how the CLT could use its resources to address drug addiction and made the connection to young people’s challenges. “I don’t know what we can do about the current opioid behavior, but we can do something about the future,” he said. “So we are devising a plan we can present to the county that uses these CLT resources for youth development. I don’t think anyone can argue about being passionate about land and water.” Having taught science in both public and private schools for 28 years, Webb has the perfect background and experience for this program. “It’s getting the kids earlier. You need to show them the good things from the land, the water – you know, go canoeing, kayaking down the Octoraro. It brings you joy,” Webb said. “Going fishing or Continued on Page 74
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Cecil Land Trust Continued from Page 72
just taking your shoes off and walking in a stream, picking up the rocks, just the wonder and curiosity of doing that. Just imagine giving an acre of land to these children and showing them how to take care of that land, plant the crop, and then harvest that crop, and make something out of it and sell it.” “That’s a huge investment. If you get these kids seeing something and getting a passion for water and fishing, farming, planting, getting their hands dirty, something tangible before they go into these drugs… They don’t see the farmlands, they’re not going barefoot. We want to share our passion for the outdoors and the land and water with kids in hopes of igniting a love of the land and everything it has to offer, with hopes of preventing bad life choices, such as drugs.” Kilby has lived and loved his life in Cecil County, and he wants to share his enthusiasm with young people who may not be familiar with all that is
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offered by the land and water. “We want kids to know that the Octoraro is a really good place to go tubing or kayaking, and if you’ve ever gone down the rapids in a kayak or tube, it’s something you never forget,” he said. “We really have a treasure here with its natural resources, its farmland and its water, and it’s time we used those things to help kids to develop a passion for things other than addictive behavior.” A current CLT incentive project involves the 535acre Crothers Farm, which is in its ninth generation. The Crothers family is putting its farm into land preservation. “Not only is it preserving their heritage but they are going into the aforementioned carbon sequestration. They have 7800 feet of stream,” Kilby said, “that feeds the North East water supply, so we’re protecting it with a buffer so it’s healthy and cleaner.” That will also mean 100 fewer houses. Conservation, water supply, keeping the farm
going for another generation with fresh food for 7 million people. And an ambitious plan to teach kids the advantages of catching a fish, exploring a stream or paddle boarding on the North East Creek. The Cecil Land Trust stays busy honoring the gift of good land. For more information, visit www. cecillandtrust.org. As horse ownership increases, their contribution should be incorporated into land-use planning efforts.
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Immaculate Conception Church Bazaar
Nov. 10 and 11 Join Immaculate Conception Church in Elkton for its 44th Christmas Bazaar. There will be shopping with 60 vendors, photos with Santa, children’s crafts, breakfast and lunch, raffles and silent auction, gift wrapping, a Book Nook and entertainment. Hours are Nov. 10 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Nov. 11 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Mount Harmon Paper Chase
Nov. 11, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Mount Harmon Paper Chase will be held Nov. 11. Horseback riders can enjoy some of Maryland’s most scenic and historic trails. Ther will be Manor House tours, refreshments in the Colonial kitchen, and prizes. Admission is $30 per rider ($5 for guests). Visit www.mountharmon.org.
Holiday Pet Parade and Santa’s Arrival
Holiday High Tea
Nov. 24, 1 to 3 p.m. Celebrate the holidays at a traditional High Tea, which includes a pot of tea, assorted sandwiches, English scones and cream, and an assortment of pastries, all enjoyed in the beautifully decorated Blue Max Inn. The fee is $28. Reservations are required. Call 410-885-2781.
Winterfest of Lights
Nov. 25 to Jan. 6. There will be a Lions Club tree lighting and concert at Pell Gardens on Nov. 25 at 6 p.m. The Bo Manor High School Chorus performs, and Santa arrives to throw the switch for the tree and the Winterfest lights. Call 410-885-5298.
Holiday Wreath Workshop
Nov. 30, 6 to 7:30 p.m. Visit Chateau Bu-De Winery to create a holiday moss wreath. We use both live and preserved moss, grape vines and seasonal inspired accessories. Must be at least 18 years old to attend. The cost is $54. Call 410-885-2500.
Nov. 17, noon to 1 p.m. Parade registration is at 10:30 a.m. under bridge in South Chesapeake City, near the elementary school. The parade starts at noon and travels down Bohemia Avenue to Pell Gardens. Prizes will be awarded after the parade in Pell Gardens. Santa will be on hand to mingle with parade attendees, both two-legged and fourlegged. Call Natalie Gentry at 410-920-7018 for more information and registration.
Dec. 1, noon to 2 p.m. Come to Main Street in North East, Md., to get into the holiday spirit with this Christmas celebration featuring bands, floats, antique vehicles, Santa and more.
Chesapeake City Winterfest
Holly Tree Lighting Event
Nov. 24 to Jan. 6 Chesapeake City’s Victorian Christmas celebration takes place on both sides of the C&D Canalm with a blizzard of holiday lights and spectacular lighted displays along the waterfronts. Call 410-885-5298 for more information.
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County Christmas Parade
Dec. 1, 4 to 6 p.m. See the lighting of the Holly Tree at Holly Tree Park for the 71st year. The program begins at 4 p.m. and ends with song and cheers at 6 p.m. Visit www.cecilrec.com.
Mount Harmon Yuletide Festival
Dec. 1 and 2 The Mount Harmon Yuletide Festival will be held Dec. 1 and 2 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be holday decorations and greens for sale, hearth cooking demonstrations, chidlren’s holiday crafts and more. Admission is $10 ($5 for members). Visit www.mountharmon. org.
Santa Brunch
Dec. 8, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Join in the fun at the Chesapeake Inn Restaurant and Marina for a festive Brunch with Santa and his elves. Held in the waterfront Ballroom, this family event includes brunch, a photo with Santa and more. $28.95 for adults and $14.95 for children. Call 410-885-2040.
Santa’s Workshop
Dec. 8, 2 to 5 p.m. The Chesapeake City Town Hall hosts a Santa’s Workshop from 2 to 5 p.m. Admission is free. Call 410-885-5298.
Candlelight Tour
Dec. 8, 6 to 9 p.m. Take a holiday decor tour of Chesapeake City’s historic district through homes, B&Bs and churches. Horse and carriage rides set the mood for this Rockwellian evening of Yuletide hospitality. Advance tickets are $15 ($20 on the night of the event). Ticket sales start at 4 p.m. on Dec. 8 at Franklin Hall (98 Bohemia Ave.), where the self-guided tour begins. Hot cider and cookies are offered. Toys will be accepted for Toys for Tots. Call 443-553-0071.
A Holiday Wish
Dec. 27, 10 a.m. to noon The Chesapeake Inn Restaurant & Marina features Anna and Elsa from “Frozen” in an all-new show. With special appearances by rugged mountain man Kristoff and lovable snowman Olaf, the show culminates in Queen Elsa using her powers to present a gift to everyone in the kingdom, transforming the Ballroom into a glimmering ice palace for the holidays. Tickets are $29.95 for adults, and $19.95 for children. Call 410-885-2040.
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|Cecil County Arts|
Bringing Shakespeare’s magic to Cecil County
A new ensemble puts classic works on stage Courtesy photo
The ensemble presented ‘Macbeth’ at the Millburn Stone Theater. The group uses no sets, and minimal costume pieces.
By John Chambless Staff Writer
T
he majesty of William Shakespeare’s words is capturing new audiences in Cecil County as the Susquehanna Shakespeare Ensemble brings his comedies and dramas to the region. The company, which is just under two years old, works diligently to streamline Shakespeare’s plays and present them without the frills that could get in the way of his timeless messages. Performing on bare stages, with contemporary clothing, the troupe puts the raw power of acting and wordplay right in the audience’s lap. During an interview last month, company member Charlie Johnson looked back at the origin of the group, as well as its wide-open future,
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notably a run of shows at the Elk Forge Inn and Sugarhouse. Standing in the tented patio area where the shows are presented while patrons dine, Johnson credited Marshall B Garrett with the formation of the ensemble. “It was Marshall’s idea. He went to school for it, and went to grad school specifically for Shakespeare,” Johnson said. “He works as company manager at Center Stage in Baltimore. He used to be the production manager at the Millburn Stone Theater at Cecil College. A lot of the people who work with him on these shows met him there. But we have actors from all over, basically. I met him through Millburn Stone, where we did ‘As You Like It’ together.” Having built up a regular core of actors who enjoyed performing Shakespeare’s works, Continued on Page 80
Photo by John Chambless
Charlie Johnson at the theater space where the Susquehanna Shakespeare Ensemble is presenting a monthly run of performances.
Courtesy photo
Johnson played the demanding title role in the group’s recent production of ‘Hamlet.’
Courtesy photo
Joe Grasso played the title role in ‘Macbeth’ at Millburn Stone. www.cecilcountylife.com | Fall/Winter 2018 | Cecil County Life
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Shakespeare Ensemble Continued from Page 78
Garrett wanted to create a group that would tour to places throughout the region -- not relying on a home base, but putting a fresh, contemporary spin on Shakespeare’s comedies and tragedies wherever they could find space. “I did a lot of theater in high school, and I went to the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York for musical theater,” Johnson said. “I started getting into Shakespeare there, when we’d do scenes from different plays. I realized how much fun it was, and when I came back home from school, I did ‘As You Like It’ with Marshall. Then I started doing a lot more.” For the group’s production of “Hamlet,” Johnson took on the title role, “which
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was very hard,” he said, laughing. Cut to a lean 90 minutes (some versions can run over four hours), the show was staged with a house rock band that played modern songs that reflected the action and emotional themes on stage. The actors wore T-shirts emblazoned with sentiments their characters would express. Ophelia, for instance, wore an “I loveth Hamlet” shirt. Characters even stepped Continued on Page 82
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Shakespeare Ensemble Continued from Page 81
into the band to sing or play at a few points. For Johnson, the chance to deliver Hamlet’s words to an audience member perhaps three feet away brings an immediacy to the action that’s hard to resist. “We use neutral lighting, so the cast and the audience is lit. That’s important because we talk to the audience a lot,” he said. “The audience and the cast are on the same level. And being able to tell people the show is only 90 minutes can be a good selling point,” he added, laughing. The ensemble works very quickly. Rehearsing “The Tempest,” for instance, was a matter of four intense rehearsals. “We don’t memorize the lines completely. We have books in hand, although we are very familiar with the lines,” he said. “One of the things we do is work with people who know Shakespeare well enough that we can have a very short rehearsal period. It’s intense, but it’s a lot of fun. It’s a good feeling when you have a show that’s under so much pressure and it comes out so well every time.”
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Retail store open year-round! Ice cream, milk, cheese, eggs, and more... The company has been asked to perform a once-a-month Shakespeare production at the Sugarhouse Barn at the Elk Forge Inn. Owner LeAnn Lenderman enjoyed the process of working with the company on “The Merry Wives of Windsor” and “As You Like It” last year, and asked for more. The result is a series of one-night dinner theater shows. Nov. 30 will be “Much Ado About Nothing,” Jan. 5 is “Twelfth Night,” Feb. 14 and 15 is “Shakespeare’s Lovers” (a collection of romantic short scenes and speeches), and March 22 is “Julius Caesar.” Johnson said that the audience reaction to the streamlined, unconventional productions has been gratifying. Fighting “the stigma that high school gives to Shakespeare,” when students are forced to plow through often difficult text, the director and cast work to convey the meaning behind each line. “I’ve had people say that they may not understand every single word, because some of the language is archaic. But that’s our job, to understand the words,” Johnson said. “People have told me, ‘Even though I didn’t understand some words, I understood the action and the meaning.’ Which is great. That’s exactly what we’re going for. It’s so good to hear that. “We want to make Shakespeare accessible and exciting. Basically we want to make people understand why we love it so much.” Updated information is available at www. facebook.com/SusqShakes. Tickets are available through the Elk Forge Inn and Sugarhouse website, www.elkforge.com. To contact Staff Writer John Chambless, email jchambless@chestercounty.com.
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