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BAY BULLETIN
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The 49th U.S. Powerboat Show and 51st U.S. Sailboat Show have been canceled by the city. Photo: Visit Annapolis
2020 ANNAPOLIS BOAT SHOWS CANCELED, INDUSTRY REGROUPS
BY MEG WALBURN VIVIANO & CHERYL COSTELLO
The City of Annapolis has canceled the U.S. Powerboat and Sailboat shows just six weeks before they were set to begin, because of COVID-19 health concerns.
The City informed Annapolis Boat Shows, which organizes the events, last week that the events will not go on in Maryland’s capital.
“We are concerned about public health and the ability to maintain a safe environment downtown with the large number of visitors that the Boat Shows draw,” said City Manager David Jarrell. “It is a blow to the City and will be additional stress on local businesses. But we can’t be the epicenter of a COVID-19 outbreak. It’s that simple.”
The Powerboat Show, whose 49th year was scheduled for October 1–4, and the Sailboat Show, whose 51st running was set for October 8–12, bring a combined $112 million impact to businesses in Maryland, organizers say, along with tens of thousands of visitors to Annapolis.
Annapolis Boat Shows had been working on a plan for health protocols to keep the shows going, but the City of Annapolis says “in recent meetings between the City and the Health Department, it was determined that there is not a way to create the necessary conditions to maintain public health and safety.”
In an announcement on its website, Annapolis Boat Shows said there were only two meetings with the City of Annapolis and health officials. The show organizers write, “We understand the reluctance of governmental agencies to take any risks when it comes to health, but the reopening of the economy and the rescue of businesses in our communities must soon become a greater part of the conversation.”
Some boat dealers and exhibitors have come to count on the October boat show season for a sales spike. Chesapeake Whalertowne’s Rick Boulay Jr. says, “It’s disappointing. Typically, the Boat Shows represent 10 percent or more of the yearly business. At the same time, I think it was a logical decision for the city.”
Whalertowne has been part of the Powerboat Show for 47 years. In place of the show, they’ll host demos at the bulkhead of their downtown Annapolis store during the first two weekends of October, and a separate event for their Eastern Shore clients at their Grasonville office.
Sailboat builder Jeanneau America, which is owned by Beneteau, will feel the effects of the nation’s longest-running sailboat show being canceled. Former President Paul Fenn tells Bay Bulletin, “Annapolis is a lot more than a show; it’s such an event for me. It’s the only show where everyone in the industry comes together. It’s a rendezvous of old friends. It’s an institution that has woven itself into the fabric of Annapolis.”
But Fenn remains optimistic:
“What’s going to take some of the sting out of it is sales are quite robust through the pandemic. But we certainly wouldn’t want to go another year without a show and maybe the spring show could make up for not having the spring and fall shows in 2020.”
Crusader Yacht Sales, an Annapolis dealer that exhibits at both the Powerboat and Sailboat Shows, is joining with other local dealers for “Walk the Docks,” an appointment-only open house September 24-27 where buyers can compare boat brands. Crusader plans to extend the concept to the first two weeks of October as well.
Then, boat brands and dealers, Annapolis Boat Shows, and the City of Annapolis will all look ahead to next year.
—CHESAPEAKE WHALERTOWNE’S RICK BOULAY JR.
“This was a hard call. No one wanted to have boat shows in Annapolis more than I did,” said Mayor Gavin Buckley. “We will enthusiastically welcome the boat shows in future years when it is safe.”
For their part, Annapolis Boat Shows say they “look forward to moving beyond this paralyzing pandemic and making plans for bigger and better things in 2021.”
BY CHERYL COSTELLO
It’s an iconic symbol of the Chesapeake Bay. Now, the last remaining screw- pile lighthouse still in its original loca- tion is structurally sound for at least another 40 years.
Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse, a National Historic Landmark off Annap- olis, had 144-year-old decaying rods and beams holding it together until preser- vationists launched a renovation project more than a year ago.
This week, Bay Bulletin returned to the lighthouse to see its new knees and joints. We joined Lighthouse Manager John Potvin and a group of Sea Scout volunteers heading out to paint. The ride came courtesy of Capt. Howard Lewis and the former clam boat Auda- cious.
Big donations from Maryland Historic Trust and the Merrick Foundation, along with community support, raised more than $40,000. They got the work finished this summer, much sooner than expected.
Sea Scout Jalyn Hayes told us as we approached the lighthouse, “It’s very peaceful. I really like the scene.”
So do anglers who find it a good fishing spot, and history buffs. Built in 1875, Thomas Point still has some original parts from when the Coast Guard worked and lived there. “This is the first screwpile that was installed at the lighthouse here. This is the original screwpile from 1875,” Potvin marvels.
But the beams and tie rods needed to go, along with a wooden beam that was supporting the privy, the struc- ture’s very rustic bathroom. Big do- nations from Maryland Historic Trust and the Merrick Foundation, along with community support, raised more than $400,000. They got the work fin- ished this summer, much sooner than expected. It was painstaking, as Potvin explains.
“We took all the tie rods and all the beams down sequentially. We can’t take them all down at the same time. So we had a rhythm of how we did it. We took
Statue of Frederick Douglass at the Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Museum in Baltimore. Photo: Barrett Doherty/tclf.org
MD. PROCLAIMS SEPT. UNDERGROUND RAILROAD MONTH
BY MEG WALBURN VIVIANO
The Chesapeake Bay region and the state of Maryland hold some of the best-documented history from the events of the Underground Railroad. For the second year in a row, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan has proclaimed September International Underground Railroad Month.
LIGHTHOUSE from page 5
the first two tie rods down. When we got those down, we got two new tie rods down and replaced one beam. We did it quadrant by quadrant.”
There’s just one final tie rod to be replaced, but the project ran out of money before that could happen. It will cost another $8,000. The work is ongoing, including the paint makeover the high school Sea Scouts are helping with. “It’s one of the real staples of Maryland, so it’s really a great experience to come out here and actually do work on it. So I can actually then be like, ‘Hey, see that lighthouse? I’ve actually helped keep that thing alive,’”
As part of the month-long recognition of these self-liberations, new outdoor exhibits will be unveiled at Frederick Douglass Park on the Tuckahoe, in Queen Anne on the Eastern Shore.
Maryland has the most documented successful escapes utilizing the Underground Railroad and the most National Park Service’s National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom sites—85 of them.
International Underground Railroad Month acknowledges the Underground Railroad’s contribution to ending slavery in the United States
International Underground Railroad Month acknowledges the Underground Railroad’s contribution to ending slavery in the United States and its role as a cornerstone for the early civil rights movement that followed.
and its role as a cornerstone for the early civil rights movement that followed. It is also meant to honor the brave men and women involved in the effort, including national leaders like Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Josiah Henson, and Henry Highland Garnet.
September is an appropriate month because it marks two significant milestones: Douglass’s 182nd self-liberation from Baltimore’s President Street Station on September 3 and the 171st anniversary of Tubman’s self-liberation from Maryland’s Eastern Shore on September 17.
Visitors can learn more about both leaders thanks to Maryland historic sites, like the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway or Maryland’s Frederick Douglass Driving Tour.
“Maryland has attractions, historical sites, and programming that recognize the brave men, women, and children who traveled along the Underground Railroad to freedom and those who
To learn more about the Bay region’s role for freedom-seekers on the Underground Railroad, visit https://www.visitmaryland. org/UGRR.
assisted them,” says Governor Hogan.
Making Sense of the World through Prose and Poetry
BY PAULA ANNE DELVE PHILLIPS
In the days of the pandemic, many of us are drawn to artistic expression to help make sense of things and find value in experiences in which promise and pain go hand in hand. Some take paint to canvas, but how many of us have taken pen to paper?
As the autumn of a difficult year approaches, many souls may find their feelings have yet to be fully realized or expressed. It’s an opportune time to delve into poetry as a path to better understanding and means of self-expression. For those ready to test the water, one could hardly find a better guide than Maryland Poet Laureate Grace Cavalieri.
For over four decades, Cavalieri has helped listeners “understand the world through language” by hosting the public radio series, The Poet and the Poem. Those expecting stodgy ivory tower material are in for a surprise. Lively and stimulating, her half hour shows include background interviews of the poets, interwoven with poems read by the authors themselves.
Cavalieri, No. 10 in a lineage of Maryland Poet Laureates going back to 1959, is preparing to launch a new series of podcasts titled The Poet and the Poem: Voices of Maryland Poets and recently received a mini-grant of $1,000 from Maryland Humanities to help with post production costs. As with her other projects, the new half hour series will be made available to public radio stations through the Pacifica Foundation. Interviews can also be acquired directly for use by educational institutions and interested individuals.
In January 2021, 15 new programs will be featured on the Maryland State Arts Council website. They can be also be purchased on iTunes or downloaded as MP3 files from her website. Meanwhile, readers can catch up on her existing podcasts.
Her shows provide listeners the opportunity to delve into prose and po
See POETRY on next page
says Sea Scout Ian Osborne.
And alive it is—Thomas Point Light still shines as a navigation tool for boaters. “If you’re in the red zone you know you’re in danger of running aground. If you’re in the white zone, you know that you’re safe,” Potvin shows us.
After this important preservation project, Potvin is proud to say Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse now has a minimum 40 years life expectancy. It will begin hosting tours again in 2021.
If you want to make a donation to help complete that last tie rod, you can do it here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/savethe-thomas-point-lighthouse
etry, history and culture. Cavalieri has interviewed a broad swath of distinguished and talented writers from across the country, all are available on her website: www.gracecavalieri.com.
Cavalieri’s interviewing acumen and the inherent cultural diversity of content are stunning, and lessons of history abound. Listen to Cavalieri’s interview with Monifa A. Love, from Bowie State University who has two collections of poetry to her credit. Love graduated with honors from Princeton University, studied poetry with Galway Kinnell, earned a doctorate in English from The Florida State University and matriculated as a McKnight Doctoral Fellow. While her academic achievements may seem overwhelming, her poetry tackles down to earth experience with directness and power, shedding light on tough subjects. Hear her words about the mother and grandmother of Malcolm X, and share her grief over the deaths which sparked the Black Lives Matter Movement.
Lovers of Shakespeare will particularly enjoy the program featuring English professor Andrew McConnell Stott at the University of Southern California. Stott imbues some very old subjects with fresh humor and fascinating historical detail. His most recent book, What Blest Genius?: The Jubilee that Made Shakespeare, tells
the story of a three-day festival in 1769 that established William Shakespeare’s reputation as the greatest writer of the Western Hemisphere.
For a change of pace, enjoy the words of Jose Padua, who counts legendary poet Billy Collins among his fans. Padua’s career gives hope to the unpublished. The manuscript for his current book circulated for 20 years before going anywhere. Enjoy his reflections on a decade spent in the Shenandoah Valley before his return to Washington, D.C.
The complete works of Maryland Poet Laureate Grace Cavalieri can be found in the George Washington University Gelman Library Special Collections.
Library assistant Joan Fletcher pulls the curbside appointments report for the next day at Calvert Library Prince Frederick. Photo courtesy Calvert Library.
Prince Frederick Library to Reopen at the End of the Month
BY KRISTA PFUNDER
Prepare your to-read lists: Calvert Library reopens to the public August 31. Beginning with the Prince Frederick location, the library will open with limited services and at smaller capacity. Up to 40 people at a time will be admitted and visitors will need to keep their visit to an hour or less. Other branches will open in September.
“Customers will be able to use computers and browse and checkout the collection,” says Robyn Truslow, public relations coordinator for the Calvert Library.
Copy, print and fax services will also be available. Staff will be on hand to provide references, technology training and reader’s advisory assistance. The library does not plan to open their meeting rooms for the foreseeable future since those rooms are being used for quarantining returned materials, for up to a week prior to being checked in.
Customers over the age of five will be required to wear face masks covering their nose and mouth and to maintain a distance of six feet from others. Customers entering with children are asked to stay together and help their children maintain social distance.
Other branches of Calvert Library
are slated to reopen on September 8. The Southern Branch location will allow 20 customers at a time while Fairview will allow 15 and Twin Beaches will accept 11. p
