72 HOURS May 11, 2023

Meet Bob & Freddie. When it comes to local businesses, businesspeople and organizations in Frederick, they know best. Here is a personal interview with a 2022 Best of the Best winner or finalist about why they love what they do, helping those they serve and working in Frederick.

Ceresville Mansion

FRACTURED FAIRYTALE: Cinderella show is great for getting kids back to live performances.

8529 Liberty Road, Frederick 301-694-5111 • ceresville.com

BOB HISTORY

2018-2022 – Finalist, Wedding Venue

2017, 2021-2022 – Finalist, Event Venue

2015-2016 – Winner, Event Venue

WHEN DID YOUR BUSINESS OPEN IN FREDERICK?

Ceresville Mansion opened as an event venue in 1990, and throughout the years it has been a staple in our community. In November, he Ceresville changed ownership and we, Pavel and Alena Kantsavenka, have really been impressed with how much this place has been involved in the local community. We really strive to uphold the community values that Ceresville has established over the years, but also strive to take the venue to the next level with innovation and fresh ideas.

WHAT SETS YOUR BUSINESS APART?

The things that really stand out about our business are that we are both a new business and one with a long-standing history. It’s unusual to be both, but it makes us special. We’re also an event venue that is full-service, meaning we provide the space, catering, planning, decor, coordination, tables, chairs, linens, and service, and are also able to book your other vendors for you. An all-in-one service for a stress-free event planning process.

WHAT MAKES FREDERICK A GREAT PLACE TO DO BUSINESS?

We fell in love with the Frederick business community, as soon as we started looking into purchasing Ceresville. We’ve come from living in Hagerstown and working in D.C. kind of business environment and it’s very different. In the purchase of Ceresville, we used only professionals local to Frederick. Frederick is a welcoming business community with amazing professionals and great talent. We can’t wait to be more involved locally.

INSIDE THIS WEEK

RAMEN AND TAPAS?: After a difficult start, Tsunami thrives on Market Street PAGE 5

PUBLISHER Geordie Wilson EDITOR Lauren LaRocca llarocca@newspost.com

REVENUE DIRECTOR Connie Hastings

CALENDAR EDITOR Sue Guynn sguynn@newspost.com

ON THE COVER: Stephen Recker at the Boonsborough Museum of History in Boonsboro.

Staff photo by Katina Zentz fredericknewspost.com/72_hours

DOWNTOWN THIS WEEKEND: Alive@Five officially kicks off this year’s season tonight at Carroll Creek Amphitheater with Radio Hero taking the stage at 5 p.m. Two days later on May 13, the Maryland Craft Beer Festival, often a soldout event, will take over pretty much the entirety of Carroll Creek Linear Park, offering dozens of beer tastings, live music and food trucks. Also not to be missed, MAD Dance will bring us its original piece “Portal” on May 13 and 14 at the Y Arts Center, an abstract rumination on where we’ve been and where we’re going collectively. For the kids: Take them to Maryland Ensemble Theatre’s “Commedia Cinderella,” a fun romp through history and theater, which runs through May 21. (Meanwhile, the Washington County Playhouse Dinner Theater is staging its own version of this play in Hagerstown from May 13 to June 24. Also in Hagerstown, the fantasy ballet “The Spell” will premiere this week and looks to be something special, with an original score and choreography.)

JUST OUTSIDE OF TOWN: Hit the inaugural Wolfsville Chainsaw Carving & Artisan Festival on May 13 for demos and 30-plus area artisans selling items.

AT FCC: Frederick Community College will host its first-ever student film festival on May 16, and the Choral Arts Society of Frederick will perform its overseas show on May 12 and 13, before departing to France to sing as part of the official D-Day American Celebrations.

OPENING/REOPENING: The lower-level of the former Volt housed rotating art exhibitions, but the space has been closed for some time. This week, it will reopen, rebranded as The Gallery @ Thacher & Rye with a show by artists Michael A. McCullough and Sharon Pierce McCullough, opening with a reception tonight. For more art, stop by the Delaplaine Arts Center to see a community exhibition from the Transformative Arts Project.

UPCOMING: The Great Frederick Fair announced this week it will bring the Gin Blossoms and Sugar Ray to the grandstand stage in September. Tickets go on sale June 30.

HOOD FACULTY DO MORE THAN JUST TEACH.

MEET MEGAN SHAINE, PH.D.

As director of the counseling master’s program, she helped launch the NeighborHood Counseling and Training Center, which offers affordable mental health services for the Frederick community. Hood College students work alongside licensed supervisors at the clinic, gaining hands-on experience with real patients. For Shaine, there’s no greater reward than seeing students using what they’ve learned to help the people who need it most.

Professors like Megan Shaine are the reason 9 out of 10 graduate students say Hood College’s faculty are supportive, approachable and knowledgeable in their field. Get the full story:

Bill Green

Kirk Seese designed and built “We Rise by Lifting Others,” which was installed in Carroll Creek in downtown Frederick in April. We misidentified the artist in this photo when it appeared on the cover of the April 27 issue of 72 Hours.

Landmade Brewing in Poolesville

In this episode of the UnCapped podcast, host Chris Sands talked with Gabriel Scott, cofounder of Landmade Brewing, a farm brewery in Poolesville. They talked about how the brewery came to be, their approach to beer and the importance of local ingredients. Here is an excerpt of their talk.

UnCapped: We just took a quick tour — because even though it’s in my backyard, I’ve not been here yet — and this place is absolutely beautiful, so thanks for showing me around.

Gabriel Scott: Thanks for coming by. We’re excited to be here. We’re a year in, and I think more and more people are getting to know about us, so it’s starting to be more fun.

UnCapped: You are definitely getting a lot of buzz in the Maryland drinking community. I see Landmade listed more and more as a place you have to go check out.

Scott: Yeah, that’s awesome to hear. It was a slow burn for us in the beginning. Opening a brewery during the Omicron variant of COVID is probably not the smartest idea, but we were full steam ahead and knew it was gonna be a climb to get to a place where more people knew about us and felt more comfortable going out. Our team has been awesome and patient, and we’re really proud of the products we’ve been putting out, both food and beverage, and we’re excited for more people to see what we’re doing.

UnCapped: At least it’s a farm brewery, so you guys had it a little bit better [than a standard brewery].

Scott: Totally, because people were willing to come and sit outside at the picnic tables. When we opened, we didn’t have any picnic tables — or umbrellas. We didn’t have this tent. We had no covered space. We learned on the fly. Who knew that picnic tables were such a commodity.

UnCapped: That’s right. It was impossible to buy them.

Scott: Impossible to buy. We started building our own. The hardware store started selling them for $100 more. It was crazy. But we were lucky to have the open air for that kind of stuff.

We’re also on family property, so there are benefits to that, in terms of flexibility in how we can use the property to accommodate more people.

UnCapped: How many acres is designated for the brewery?

Scott: The whole property is 200 acres, and we lease 50 of them for the brewery. That includes the orchards and all the open seating.

UnCapped: On a farm brewery, are all 50 acres your licensed space, or do you have to keep the alcohol just in this area?

Scott: There are certain spots that are bonded, where the produced alcohol has to live or stay tanked, but when it comes to the farm brewery laws, I believe you now have to have 25 acres that are dedicated to your brewery, and you’re supposed to use one acre of your agricultural offerings in your product.

Before we opened, the Brewers Association of Maryland was encouraging us to look into certain agricultural grants and things like that, but obviously during COVID, a lot of those funds were exhausted.

UnCapped: I think the whole grant process ground to a complete halt.

Scott: Totally.

UnCapped: Had you always had

the idea that you wanted to open a brewery, or was it that the opportunity arose from your in-laws buying the overarching farm?

Scott: Funny story. My three best friends and I, for 15 years, had this dream to open a brewery, like a bunch of knuckleheads.

UnCapped: So you won.

Scott: Yeah [laughs]. I lived in New York City from post-college till 2020, so almost 20 years, and we had two of our best friends and their wives who were gonna move down here with us six years ago to do this. My wife was born in Maryland and got cold feet about leaving New York City in her mid-20s.

UnCapped: I mean, it’s only a slightly different way of life.

Scott: Just a little [laughs]. It’s quite quiet here.

So we actually pulled the plug on it. You know, timing is everything. We stayed in New York City. I was in the restaurant business and had a hospitality consulting company. When COVID struck and restaurants were shut down overnight, we were in a bind. We were like, what the hell are we gonna do? My wife’s company was able to work remotely, so we came down to the farm to get fresh air with our 10-month-old baby at the time. Just waking up here every day, we were like, “Man, we could really do something here.” We just kept talking about it, but then we decided to move back to our apartment in New York that we were still renting.

UnCapped: How much did that suck? Because I imagine it was not cheap.

Scott: No. It was brutal. And New York turned into an absolute hellhole. I love New York with all my heart, it’s a huge part of my soul, and watching it go to where it went was very difficult. We actually moved to Upstate New York, where I was consulting for a farm brewery there. Every day, I’m going to work at this brewery — amazing people there, I loved them, but I was like, “Why don’t we do this ourselves?”

We always knew in the back of our brains that the opportunity was there in Maryland. I think it was a good way for Amanda, my wife, to get me to go see what living in Maryland was like. We thought, now is the time to take our shot. My friends are all married with children now, so it wasn’t so easy for them to pick up and leave, so my wife and I opened this, and obviously it’s been a lot of fun and a dream come true in many ways.

This excerpt has been edited for space and clarity. Listen to the full podcast at fnppodcasts.com/uncapped. Got UnCapped news? Email csands@newspost.com.

Chris Sands

Gabriel Scott

After tough start, Tsunami thrives on Market Street

The spring of 2020 was a hard time to open a new restaurant. But that was the situation that Moo Rung faced with the opening of Tsunami Ramen and Tapas, which opened in downtown Frederick about two weeks after the start of the global pandemic. Tsunami had a tough beginning, opening with only carry-out service, he said, but the restaurant has since developed a loyal following on the first block of North Market Street. Rung already had a successful restaurant in downtown Frederick, the sushi restaurant Lazy Fish on Patrick Street, but his family had owned a noodle shop in his native Thailand, and Rung had been wanting to open one in America for some time. “Noodles is something I can eat every day,” he said.

— Ryan Marshall

TSUNAMI RAMEN AND TAPAS

20 N. Market St., Frederick 240-815-6744

tsunamiramen.com

Instagram: tsunamiinfrederick

Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 to 10 p.m.

Friday, noon to 10 p.m. Saturday and noon to 8:30 p.m. Sunday

Price: Lunch appetizers run from $6 to $12, ramen is $13, and tapas dishes from $13 to $22.

Dinner ramen cost from $14 to

$16 and tapas from $13 to $22. The owner recommends: The tsunami ramen, featuring a pork stock base, pork flavor and Asian spices, a poached egg, bamboo shoots, mushroom, and Szechuan chili pepper oil to bring the flavor out. They cook the pork bone for four to five hours to get the flavor into the stock base and add carrots, onion, leeks, ginger and spices, then add tender pork belly that’s been cooked for three hours.

Maryland Craft Beer Festival returns to Carroll Creek

The Brewers Association of Maryland will return to Carroll Creek Linear Park in Frederick for the annual Maryland Craft Beer Festival, running from noon to 5 p.m. May 13.

Festival entry includes beer samples from dozens of Maryland breweries, including some that have not yet opened to the public. They will be pouring more than 200 unique beers, all brewed in Maryland.

You can also catch live music, craft vendors and food trucks onsite.

Ticket options include the General Tasting Pass ($45), which allows a 1:30 p.m. entry to sample beers, and the Designated Driver Admission Pass ($15), which allows nondrinkers to gain full access to the event. Beer Geek Tasting Passes are sold out.

Kids 12 and under are admitted free.

The festival is held rain or shine. Learn more at mdcraftbeerfestival.com.

Tsunami Ramen owner Moo Rung with the popular Tsunami Ramen dish.

Staff photos by Bill Green

Tsunami Ramen, front, with Chicken Karaage bowl, left, and Tuna Tartare.

Festival-goers packed Carroll Creek Linear Park in 2019 for the soldout Maryland Craft Beer Festival. Here, Bailey Rankin pours beer at the Idiom Brewing Co. tent.

Staff file photo by Graham Cullen

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is infuriating … but I love it

Predicting the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class is one of the most fruitless acts a music fan can do. Hell, arguing the merits of who should be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is perhaps even more silly, considering the semantics discussion that comes around at least once a year. But me?

Well, I just can’t help myself. Somewhere along the way, I began caring about the Rock Hall, and that care never stopped. When the finalists are announced each year, I use it as conversation fodder with other music fans, debating well into the night who should get in, who shouldn’t get in and who was snubbed by not making the finalists list. Then, when the actual class is announced a month or two later, the same type of dialogue begins.

This year was no different. In fact, when the finalists were announced in February, I culled through each potential inductee and declared if they should get in and/or would get in — and I even wrote down those predictions. As a result, I thought it’d be fun to take a look at how wrong (or right) I was, now that the 2023 class was officially announced last week.

For those who haven’t heard, here

is the list of the acts that earned the votes to get into the Rock Hall this year: Willie Nelson, Kate Bush, Missy Elliott, George Michael, Rage Against the Machine, The Spinners and Sheryl Crow. There are others who will be inducted under a categorical pretense — there’s the Musical Influence Award, Musical Excellence Award, and so on and so forth — but those aren’t the headliners, and those aren’t typically debated, because nobody really knows what any of those are about.

Now, how did my predictions hold up? Welp, here’s what I wrote a few months ago …

Willie Nelson

Should he get in: Yes.

Will he get in: Yes.

Kate Bush

Should she get in: No.

Will she get in: No.

Missy Elliot Should she get in: Not this year.

Will she get in: Yes.

George Michael Should he get in: Yes.

Will he get in: Yes.

Rage Against The Machine Should they get in: Yes.

Will they get in: Yes.

The Spinners Should they get in: Yes.

Will they get in: No.

Sheryl Crow

Should she get in: No.

Will she get in: Not this year.

Alive@Five starts tonight

Downtown Frederick Partnership will host its first Alive@ Five of the season tonight, May 11, at Carroll Creek Amphitheater in downtown Frederick. Radio Hero will take the stage at — you guessed it — 5 p.m. for the downtown happy hour series. Guys in Thin Ties will play ’80s hits at next week’s event on May 18.

Each concert is a 21-and-older event. They run from 5 to 8 p.m. on Thursdays through Sept. 28. Entry is $6 per person, and craft beverages are also $6 each. Beer, wine, cocktails and food will be available for purchase. Beer is provided by Brewer’s Alley every

week, with special tap takeovers by other downtown breweries throughout the season. Wine will be provided by District East, and cocktails will be provided by McClintock Distilling Co. and Tenth Ward Distilling Company. Local food trucks will provide a rotating schedule of food offerings with different fare featured each week.

All proceeds from the event benefit DFP.

In the case of inclement weather, Alive@Five may be cancelled.

Find the weekly lineup of bands at downtownfrederick.org/ aliveatfive.

That’s four out of seven I predicted correctly. I’m happy for The Spinners because even though I predicted they wouldn’t get in, I argued that they should (yes, I typed out reasons for all these predictions, too, but I’ll spare you from all of those).

My biggest issue? Well, I have two.

The first is that Warren Zevon, who I thought was a lock to get in this year, didn’t make the cut, and his absence makes no sense. This, of course, says nothing of the fact that Warren Zevon is a tremendous songwriter. “Keep Me In Your Heart” is worth him landing a spot among the greats by itself.

The second issue? Can someone please explain to me, what in the name of “Soak Up The Sun” is Sheryl Crow doing getting into the Rock Hall on her first try? You know how many tries Rage Against The Machine had before they broke through this year? Four. Say what you want about Rage Against The Machine, but in terms of being an absolute supernova of a band that had as much political involvement as any rock act of the past three decades, RATM feels far more deserving to get into something called the “Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame” than Sheryl Crow, no?

The discrepancy serves as 2023’s example of why the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is nonsense. I say “2023’s example” because there’s an example each year. You mean to tell me the GoGo’s, who were inducted in 2021, are

more important to the fabric of rock ‘n’ roll than Warren Zevon? Or, shoot, even Iron Maiden, who was also a finalist this year but failed to break into the Hall? Go back through each Hall of Fame class and you’ll find plenty of reasons to question the decisions of whomever puts this thing together each year.

Still, even though it all might be nonsense, it’s my nonsense. Or, well, not mine, per se, but it’s a blend of nonsense I’ve grown to hate-watch, or hate-respect or even hate-love. Years ago, when I came to terms with how silly the thing truly is and let go of my constant bickering with the Hall’s decisions, the whole process became a lot more fun. Do I recognize the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as the end-all be-all of music? I don’t. At this point, it’s good, dumb fun.

Now with that said, if Jessica Simpson finds herself onstage receiving one of these awards next year, which will be her first year of eligibility … umpf. I don’t even want to think about it.

Colin McGuire has been in and out of bands for more than 20 years and also helps produce concerts in and around Frederick. His work has appeared in Alternative Press magazine, PopMatters and 72 Hours, among other outlets. He is convinced that the difference between being in a band and being in a romantic relationship is less than minimal. Contact him at mcguire.colin@gmail.com.

COLIN MCGUIRE

Courtesy of Radio Hero

Radio Hero

Find the Job That Makes You Happy.

Jazz Journey series continues in Brunswick

Drummer Jeff Cosgrove’s everchanging musical lineups continue in the seventh concert of his Jazz Journey series, as part of a Maryland State Arts Council creativity grant. The band will be Cosgrove on drums, John Deiker on saxophones and Mark Lysher on bass.

The series is a community invitation to be part of the music and explore jazz, while helping local charity organizations. It will feature new compositions from Cosgrove, and the group will expand on their places within the sonic landscape.

The concert will be from 7 to 9 p.m. May 12 at Beans in the Belfry, 122 W. Potomac St., Brunswick, and is open to all ages. There is a $10 suggested donation for adults, and kids are admitted free. All of the money from that evening’s performance will go to the Frederick County Forestry Board. People from the Frederick Forestry Board will be onsite to help answer any questions about the organization. Learn more at jeffcosgrovemusic. com.

Choral Arts Society of Frederick will perform its overseas show in town before departing for France

Before the Choral Arts Society of Frederick heads overseas to perform at the official D-Day American Celebrations in Normandy and Paris, catch their show in their hometown. They will perform the show at 7:30 p.m. May 12 and 3 p.m. May 13 in the Jack B. Kussmaul Theater of Frederick Community College.

The Frederick Community College-based choir was chosen to represent the United States in the D-Day American Celebrations, and about 35 singers from the

55-member choir will be traveling from June 2 to 8 to represent the U.S. Lynn Straininger, CASF artistic director, said they were nominated and vetted by the organization Historic Programs, the official production company of the U.S. Department of Defense.

Their shows in Frederick will conclude their season. Tickets are available online, from any CASF member and at the box office the day of the concerts. Visit casof.org for more information and tickets.

Joe Crocetta

Mark Lysher, John Deiker and Jeff Cosgrove.

Fantasy ballet ‘The Spell’ debuts in Hagerstown

Inspired by Grimm’s fairy tale of “The Twelve Dancing Princesses,” “The Spell” is a full-length, story ballet conceived and choreographed by Danielle Horochowski, artistic director and owner of the City Ballet School in Hagerstown. The new fantasy ballet by Horochowski and composer Arshak Sirunyan will premiere May 13 and 14 at The Maryland Theatre in Hagerstown.

The ballet will be feature Oscar Sanchez and Nicole Graniero from The Washington Ballet, artists of The Western Maryland City Ballet Company, dancers from The City Ballet School and musicians from the Maryland Symphony Orchestra.

“The Spell” includes 80 dancers, 28 musicians and animation art by Mitch Stark to tell the story of a peasant boy who sets out to solve the mysterious enchantment of the kingdom’s five princesses and

save his true love.

“I am in love with this story and all the characters in it,” Horochowski said. “Hearing a score created moment by moment for the characters we are developing is every choreographer’s dream.”

Sirunyan wrote the score, which he describes as “haunting, magical and fun.”

Sirunyan is an Armenian-born composer with a background in jazz. He has independently composed and produced jazz albums and contemporary ballet music since 2007 and is excited to premiere his first full length ballet.

The premiere of “The Spell” introduces 100 minutes of new classical music to the world and offers the unique opportunity to hear and see a score being performed live for the first time.

“Arshak put in all the bells and whistles to create the magic for this story,” said MSO con-

ductor Elizabeth Schulze. “To have this opportunity to be involved with a brand new ballet and score is rare. It is historic.”

Four years in the making, the world premiere of this bal-

let will make Horochowski one of the first women to stage a full-length ballet with an original score.

“It is an incredible honor to collaborate on a new work with

artists of this caliber,” she said. “It has been inspiring to work with a renown conductor and composer and see our talented dancers bring this story to life.”

According to the Dance Data Project, a nonprofit organization that tracks choreography work being done by women in the top 50 professional dance companies, only two full-length ballets were choreographed by women in the past six years, but those did not feature an original score.

“I can’t think of one woman who had a composer to work with,” said Isabelle Vail, director of research at the DDP. “That’s taking it to the next level, and it’s very impressive that she did this.”

Tickets for “The Spell” can be purchased online or at the Maryland Theatre, 21 S. Potomac St., Hagerstown.

Jonathan Pentz

A scene from “The Spell.”

Wacky Cinderella show is great for getting kids back to live performances

‘The Commedia Cinderella,” presented by the Maryland Ensemble Theatre’s Fun Company, accomplishes so many goals parents have for their children’s entertainment, I hardly know where to begin.

I guess I’ll just engage in a bit of light intellectual property theft by paraphrasing the dad of a couple of kids who was singing the show’s praises as we filed out of the theater: It was so great to get the kids out of the house and away from screens.

We’ve been done with lockdowns for a while now, but the experience has left some sticky bad habits on us parents and our kids. It’s not just that we reflexively reach for screens to escape boredom or mollify cranky toddlers more than we did before the pandemic. We have lost the habit of seeking live entertainment.

“The Commedia Cinderella” offers an extraordinary opportunity for parents to start teaching their kids and reminding themselves that entertainment doesn’t have to happen behind a glowing glass barrier.

From the moment I entered the rosy-hued performance space, I could tell this would be a children-centered performance with theatrical artistry unfolding all around them. The set looked like a classic fairytale castle centered around a large Cinderella book with big gold lettering. Three sides of the theater were lined with colorful floor mats, inviting kids to sit on the same level as the play’s action. Jaunty circus music gave an early warning of the high-energy engagement

“THE COMMEDIA CINDERELLA”

When: Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. and Sundays at 1:30 p.m through May 21

Where: The Maryland Ensemble Theatre, 31 W. Patrick St., Frederick Tickets: $12 for all ages with a limited number of Pay What You Will tickets available Info: 301-694- 4744, marylandensemble.org

to come.

After a few requisite firesafety and theater etiquette announcements from house management, the show’s four brightly clad characters burst into the theater from all directions, greeting the audience with wild dancing and shouting Italian expressions my ignorant American ears were not quite able to catch.

Throughout the show, the characters interacted directly with the kids, making direct eye contact, asking and responding to questions, and sharing space. The kids were deeply engaged and laughing the whole time.

The actors gave off the kind of energy you’d expect from a kid’s TV show. But instead of using that captured attention for teaching ABCs and 123s, the Commedia exposes children to foundational elements of Western theatrical development.

Originating in 15th-century Northern Italy, the Commedia

dell’arte brought us a set of 10 wacky stock characters whose influence is felt in English-speaking productions from Shakespeare all the way through Star Trek. Any clownish character with poor social skills can trace their roots to the Commedia’s harlequin. Any obtuse blowhard with anger management issues is an artistic descendant of the Punchinello character.

I don’t think an hour with fun Italian Renaissance characters will instantly transform kids into literary scholars, but giving them positive associations with early theatrical canon may plant a seed of curiosity that can grow in all kinds of fascinating directions.

The show is educational in other ways as well. In addition to exposing kids to history and introducing them to advanced vocabulary words like “coiffure” and “wassail,” the actors demonstrate important lessons about expectations

management and emotional control.

Some of those lessons come from sharing the classic morality inherent to almost every telling of the Cinderella story. The wicked stepmother and stepsisters get their comeuppance for treating Cinderella badly in order to satisfy their needs for attention. Cinderella is ultimately rewarded for learning to balance the virtues of humility and self-confidence.

But the bigger lessons come from the frame story. In classic form, Punchin (James McGarvey) and Arlequin (Karli Cole) are not happy with the roles they’ve been assigned in Cinderella and throw hilarious fits about it, refusing to participate in the show. It’s not until they agree to take their assigned parts for the good of the show that they ultimately end up getting the parts they wanted.

That brings me to one of the underlying meta-lessons of the show. The characters are consistently goofy and entertaining in their approach to putting on a production, but a bit of the real-life effort actors bring into rehearsals is apparent in their foolery. The kids get to watch them start and restart scenes when they don’t work. They can see the cast backtrack on bad-fit casting decisions. This not only allows real insight into the theater world but serves as a fun lesson about perseverance through failure.

As a dad, this show has everything I could hope for my daughters to experience in an hour-long comedy romp on a weekend afternoon. Unfortunately, not enough parents have gotten the memo that live children’s entertainment is back in swing.

I counted only 10 kids under the age of 10 on opening day, but the theater had room for about thrice as many. My oldest daughter is still about a year too young to obey the show’s “stay seated at all times” rule, but if you think your kids can handle that, then, by all means, take them to fill those empty floor spots.

Erik Anderson’s MA in medieval literature only qualifies him to write about Chaucer, but he’s going to tell you about local theater anyway.

James Meech

A scene from “The Commedia Cinderella.”

ERIK ANDERSON

5 tips on how to celebrate Mother’s Day when your mother has passed

Margaret Tran, an author and salon owner of CK Nails in Whittier, said after talking to her clients, she realized many of them are having difficulty with the celebration of Mother’s Day after losing their mothers.

In Tran’s book “The ACTIONS,” she takes readers through a journey to embrace change by breaking bad habits and formulating positive thoughts and behaviors in a sevenstep process that formed the acronym “ACTIONS.” These are meant to help those coping with the loss of someone they love.

Tran shares here her five tips on how to honor deceased mothers on Mother’s Day.

RETELL THEIR STORIES

I’ve made a habit of writing down my own stories in a notebook on anniversaries and birthdays as a way

of sharing my life with my mother. Recalling their favorite stories — the ones that really showcase who they were — and sharing them out loud can be a great way to honor someone.

CARRY OUT THEIR TRADITIONS

My mom and I maintain certain traditions that my kids and I loved. Every Christmas, we made egg rolls and gave them to our neighbors as Christmas presents. Do you have a special dish or soul food that you two made together?

KEEP THEIR LEGACY ALIVE

The most important thing in honoring your loved one’s memory is to keep that memory from fading through generations. If you have children, grandchildren or young

nieces and nephews, make sure they hear stories and memories from your loved one’s life.

TURN YOUR GRIEF INTO LEGACY

Use your grief as a stepping stone to build a legacy. You can either join or start a campaign to raise awareness of whatever it is that caused your loved one’s death, and create a legacy.

These tips will help you honor your loved ones’ memories by keeping their Legacy alive and creating your own legacy.

“The ACTIONS” and “The ACTIONS Workbook” are available at margarettran.com. Tran is also working on a book of poems titled “Faith and Identity” and will publish in the near future.

Courtesy photo

Margaret Tran

Best boat ride in America: Ferrying Delaware Bay

BY GARY BENNETT Special to The News-Post

If you are looking for a fun weekend excursion that combines small town strolling with an “ocean” cruise to get you there, you can do no better than booking a ride on the Cape May/ Lewes Ferry across Delaware Bay and exploring the charming, historic town of Cape May, New Jersey.

Technically, you won’t be cruising on the ocean, but you’ll be very close. Your route across Delaware Bay borders the Atlantic Ocean but in the more protected waters of the Bay and closer to shore.

ADVANTAGES OF SMALL-SCALE CRUISING

Cruising on a smaller vessel across calmer waters provides several advantages.

You’ll get the same sense of carefree, wind-in-your-hair adventure but without the multi-day or week-long time commitment that an Atlantic Ocean cruise up or down the East Coast will cost you. You’ll get the same sense of wonder and personal insignificance (a good thing) that comes when you can see nothing but water. You’ll have smaller crowds and a lack of scheduled activities that so many of us crave. You’ll definitely feel like you’re not missing anything.

These are just a few of the reasons the Cape May/Lewes Ferry has earned its reputation as the “best boat ride in America.” This is a phrase they proudly use in their branding, and I believe it.

As an added bonus, you’ll also be able to take your car along for the trip!

There will be no need for expensive air fares or rental cars before or after this cruise. The Cape May/Lewes Ferry is an essential route from Virginia, Maryland and points south up the East Coast to New York and New England. Thousands of workers and day-trippers use the ferry every day on one of its many roundtrips. It beats I-95 and the New Jersey

Turnpike by a country mile. I’ll never take either of these clogged routes again to New York City or beyond.

ABOUT THE FERRY

The Cape May/Lewes Ferry is actually

three ferries that take passengers — and their vehicles, if they wish — from the village of Lewes, Delaware, at the mouth of Delaware Bay to the town of Cape May, New Jersey, on that little peninsula that sticks out like a human appendix on

the southern shore of New Jersey. And back again, of course.

Reservations are required. I recommend making them months in advance. The ferry is very popular, but it does run about 10 round trips from sun up to sun down every day. Prices can vary depending on the season and your type of vehicle, but the average price is around $50 to $60 for a round trip. There are modest discounts for seniors, children, AAA members, the military and first responders. Well behaved pets are allowed, too.

You can book your tickets and gather more information at cmlf.com.

My wife and I have taken this cruise a few times, and each time has been absolutely delightful. Of course, it helps if you can cruise during the summer months so you can stand outside, do your best hands-free pose on the Titanic bow, Jack and Rose style, and feel the cooling ocean and bay breezes rushing by. From this vantage point, the sense of speed and covering huge chunks of territory is quite palpable.

The cruise across Delaware Bay itself takes only about an hour and a half to cover the 17 or so nautical miles from terminal to terminal, pending bay conditions. But you also need to figure in the time it takes to get to the terminal and waiting for your ship to come in, so to speak.

From Frederick, the departure terminal at Lewes is a pleasant threehour car ride across the Chesapeake Bay and along the flat lands of Maryland’s Eastern Shore and Delaware to Lewes. You literally can’t miss Lewes unless you drive your car into the Bay. (If you do, you’ve gone too far.)

BOARDING

Once you get to the terminal in Lewes, you’ll be glad to know they have the boarding process down to a science.

Nevertheless, I recommend you get to the terminal an hour or so before your appointed departure time so you

(See FERRY 27)

Courtesy of Gary Bennett

”10x10” — Opening 4 to 8 p.m. May 12, noon to 6 p.m. May 13 and 14, Gribs Gallery and Studio, 208 Main St., New Windsor. Exhibit continues through Aug. 12. Each piece is 10 inches square and for sale. Opening includes music, gaming tournament and food truck. Gallery hours are 4 to 6 p.m. Fridays and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays or by appointment. 443-536-9198.

”As I See It” — May 17 through July 2, Artist in the House Gallery at Locals Farm Market Restaurant, 19929 Fisher Ave., Poolesville. Featuring the work of Marcie Wolf-Hubbard. Her current work integrates her drawings in encaustic painting and mixed media to create unique surfaces, full of texture, and luminosity. Hours are 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, 5 to 8 p.m. Friday.

”Miniature Worlds” — through May 19, Rosemary and Thyme Gallery, Frederick 50+ Community Center, 1440 Taney Ave., Frederick. Featuring works by local artist Kunie Stabley. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday. 301-600-3525, dmarkowitz@ frederickcountymd.gov or tinyurl.com/50-center.

”Nature’s Grace” — through May 21, Links Bridge Vineyards, 8830 Old Links Bridge Road, Thurmont. Original paintings by Pauline Rakis. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 1 to 6 p.m. Friday. 301-602-5733 or linksbridgevineyards.com.

“Nostalgia” — through May 28, DISTRICT Arts, 15 N. Market St., Frederick. Nostalgia can mean a sentimental longing for the past, accompanied with happy remembrances of times gone by. It can also mean a longing accompanied with a sense of loss or missed opportunity. This group exhibition reflects 27 independently juried artists’ interpretations of the word nostalgia. 301-6954050, staci@districtarts.com,

districtarts.com/nostalgia. Colored Pencil Extravaganza — through May 31, Eastside Artists’ Gallery, 313 E. Patrick St., Frederick. Colored pencil art by award-winning artist Lis Zadravec and 10 of her students. Colored pencil demos every Saturday and Sunday throughout May at 2 p.m. Gallery hours are 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. eastsideartistsgallery.com.

”Art as Refuge and Inspiration” — through June 25, Blanche Ames Gallery, UUCF, 4880 Elmer Derr Road, Frederick. Work by Mary Fletcher and Samantha Purvis. View Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday mornings or by appointment. bagalleryappointment@ gmail.com or frederickuu. org.

”Family Album” — through June 25, Delaplaine Arts Center, 40 S. Carroll St., Frederick. Oil paintings by Robert Cantor celebrate the peculiarities of nostalgia and memory while alluding to the way that time, technology and consumer culture have shared those memories and irrevocably altered the dreams and aspiration associated wit them. Starting with black–and–white snapshots from his childhood, Cantor uses figures from his extensive pencil sharpener collection to replace himself and his brothers wherever they appear. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

301-698-0656 or delaplaine. org.

”Mike do this, Mike do that, Mike don’t do that” — through June 25, Delaplaine Arts Center, 40 S. Carroll St., Frederick. Pencil and graphite drawings by Michael Bruner. Inspired by surrealism and memory, Bruner’s highly detailed drawings use beauty, humor, and repulsion to reflect on the complexities of identity and subliminal thoughts and emotions. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. 301-698-0656 or delaplaine.org.

”Romancing (Im)

“Mike do this, Mike do that, Mike don’t do that” is a collection of pencil and graphite drawings by Michael Bruner, on exhibit at the Delaplaine Arts Center, 40 S. Carroll St., Frederick, through June 25. Inspired by surrealism and memory, Bruner’s highly detailed drawings use beauty, humor and repulsion to reflect on the complexities of identity and subliminal thoughts and emotions. Learn more at delaplaine.org. Shown here, “Young Artist in a Drop Dead Suit,” by Michael Bruner.

Perfection” — through June 25, Delaplaine Arts Center, 40 S. Carroll St., Frederick. Ceramics by Danielle Hawk are domestic objects stripped of their purpose. Using their function as a metaphor for productivity and social performance, their uselessness becomes a symbol of the impossibility of achieving societal calls for constant perceived perfection.

“Comfort” — through July 1, FAC Art Center, 5 E. Second St., Frederick. An interactive multimedia show of art related to coffee and tea and an exploration of the rituals and personal connections surrounding those drinks. frederickartscouncil.org.

from around the region and the nation. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. 301-698-0656 or delaplaine.org.

Harmonious Art Group’s Annual Exhibit — through July 9, Activity Center at Bohrer Park, 506 S. Frederick Ave., Gaithersburg. In celebration of Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Works by 36 artists. Opening reception 1 p.m. June 10. 301-2586394 or gaithersburgmd.gov.

”Spectrum: Realism to Abstraction” — through July 29, Gallery 50, 50 W. Main St., Waynesboro, Pa. 12 featured artists. Gallery hours are 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturdays and by appointment. artsalliancegw. org or contact@ artsalliancegw.org.

“The Hot Button” — through August, Hot Button Gallery, 129 E. German St., Shepherdstown, W.Va. Carol Williams exhibits textiles and poster art that reflect her passion for social responsibility through artistic communication. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays. The artist will be available for conversation at these times. anothercarolwilliams.com.

“Making Memories as We Wait” — through July 1, FAC Art Center, 5 E. Second St., Frederick. Solo exhibition by Khánh H. Lê, who probes his personal and familial histories to carve out a cultural identity for himself. Through the collaging of materials such as acrylic paintings, glitter, prints and sparkling plastic craft jewels, Lê merges narratives — both horrific realities and idyllic fantasies — that are filled with tension as he explores notions of home, country and safety. 301-662-4190.

National Juried Exhibition

— through July 9, Delaplaine Arts Center, 40 S. Carroll St., Frederick. Features works in a variety of media by artists

”Loving Nature” — June 2-25, NOMA Gallery, 437 N. Market St., Frederick. Oil paintings by Caroline Mayer. Opening reception 5 to 8 p.m. June 3. Artist talk 7 p.m. June 15. Gallery hours are noon to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. 240-367-9770 or nomagalleryfrederick.com.

Crestwood Gallery Spring Exhibit — through Sept. 8. Original artwork including photography, watercolors, oil, acrylic, mixed media and wood carvings by Frederick artists. Hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Crestwood Center, 7211 Bank Court, Frederick. 240-215-1460, frederickhealth.org/ crestwoodart.

Courtesy photo

Transformative Arts Project helps marginalized communities share their stories

BY CRYSTAL SCHELLE

Special to The News-Post

Transformative Arts Project presents “Metaphorically Speaking: This is Me, This is My Community, This is What We Need.”

When: Through May

Where: Delaplaine Arts Center, 40 S. Carroll St., Frederick

Tickets: Free

Info: transformativeartsproject.org, delaplaine.org

Art can be the best way to express one’s thoughts, especially if you are from a marginalized community whose stories are often quashed. As a way to give a voice to the voiceless and empower communities through art, a nonprofit called Transformative Arts Project is behind the exhibition

“Photovoice Community Impact Project: Metaphorically Speaking: This is Me, This is My Community, This is What We Need,” on view at the Delaplaine Arts Center in downtown Frederick through May.

“Our mission is to empower communities through art,” said Laura Sherwood, the organization’s

executive director and founder. “But my background is in research and ethical storytelling, so we are looking at the ways we can elevate communities’

voices through visual arts, which is what the mission really is for me.”

The idea for TAP started when Sherwood was working on her

dissertation about female activists and learned some activists in India were using visual storytelling and art to elevate the voices of extremely marginalized communities. Discussions with the groups led to her start the Photovoice Community Impact Project, which used these same ideas to produce an exhibition of the work.

(See TAP 23)

Before Volt became Thacher & Rye, its ground level space was utilized as an art gallery, Artique Underground. Exquisite work was displayed regularly in public exhibitions, curated by Nancy Pascale. Fast forward to 2023, and the space will once again become home to art exhibitions, the first of which feature work by husband and wife artists Michael A. McCullough and Sharon Pierce McCullough in a show curated by Carrie Delente.

Rebranded as the The Gallery @ Thacher & Rye, the new space will open to the public for the first time on May 11. A reception for its first exhibition will be held from 5 to 6:30 p.m. that day.

Michael A. McCullough is an artist from Gettysburg, Pennsyvania, who has worked in various mediums throughout his career — furniture making, photography, printmaking and painting among them. Most recently, he focuses on abstract work in acrylic on canvas or linen in an intuitive, abstract expressionist style. His work is based on the interactions and connections he has with the world — as he sees it, remnants

of fleeting glimpses of past interactions or remembrances. His work has been displayed in numerous museum and gallery exhibitions and is included in national and international collections. He resides with his wife, Sharon Pierce McCullough, in the foothills of Pennsylvania.

Sharon Pierce McCullough is an ecologically conscious painter and sculptor from Cashtown, Pennsylvania, who experiments with recycled and

natural materials. Works include geometric, minimal and figurative abstracts, and her sculptures range from representational to conceptual. Her paintings are created using acrylics, enamels and house paints, while her sculptures use various materials, such as plaster, found objects, cement and textiles. She has received numerous awards, and her artwork has been exhibited in many museums and galleries and is held in national and international collections.

This initial show will remain on view through December.

On the horizon, Gaslight Gallery will once again partner with Thacher & Rye to curate a sculpture garden in the restaurant’s courtyard. Selected pieces by area artists will be installed later this month, and the new work can be seen on June 4 at an artist reception hosted by Thacher & Rye celebrity chef Bryan Voltaggio, which runs from 2:30 to 5 p.m.

The Gallery @ Thacher & Rye is at 228 N. Market St. in downtown Frederick.

— Lauren LaRocca

The Gallery @ Thacher & Rye opens this week, sculpture garden to come

Courtesy photo

A painting by Michael A. McCullough.

Courtesy photo

Work by Sharon Pierce McCullough.

Photos courtesy of Laura Sherwood

Private museum collection may change

BY ERIK ANDERSON Special to The News-Post

Historians have good reasons to think they know the U.S. Civil War really well. It was recent in historical terms, and life during the war was well-documented.

But what if not all of those documents have been studied?

Charles Schwalbe, president of the board of directors for the Boonsborough Museum of History, began to contemplate the ramifications of that near-certainty when the museum commissioned an inventory of the entire collection bequeathed to it by its founder and former owner, Doug Bast, who died in March 2021 at the age of 83.

“I’m certain of it. I am,” Schwalbe said of the likelihood that a scholarly examination of the collection will alter current understandings of the Civil War.

He doesn’t think the meticulous effort to inventory and digitize the collection’s estimated 100,000 historical objects and documents will produce any startling discoveries but that a new angle on known history will emerge from “a synthesis of a variety of things, sort of an unfolding of something that wasn’t known before by putting pieces together.”

Only two years into the laborious process of organizing the collection, many tantalizing hints of unpublished or underreported Civil War perspectives are starting to surface from Bast’s collection. Firsthand contemporaneous accounts of military campaigns, hand-drawn battlefield maps and troves of slavery records are just a few of the important document collections recently uncovered by the museum’s volunteers.

Though Bast, a Boonsboro native with deep ancestry in the community, made his slowly-acquired private collection public in a limited way by opening the museum in the 1970s, its present-day custodians do not believe very much of it has ever been reviewed by professional historians.

“While Doug was always willing to share his knowledge and to show people around, it was never publicized much,” Schwalbe said. “What we’re doing now is going through all this stuff, and we’re finding just amazing things.”

IS THE COLLECTION WELL-KNOWN OR UNKNOWN? YES.

Steve Recker, a professional database architect and amateur historian who is masterminding the inventory process, said the collection’s level of public exposure is difficult to quantify and is, in some ways, paradoxical.

The full scope of the collection is largely obscure even to its biggest fans, such as himself, and its artifacts have never made

national headlines or caused earthquakes in academia. On the other hand, the collection’s existence has gained so much notoriety among hopeful scholars that the museum’s board is constantly receiving loan requests, and its influence has been felt even in Hollywood.

Recker said that paradox traces back to Bast’s idiosyncratic attitude about granting access to his guarded historical treasures, the sheer number of items and the collection’s inconsistent layers of organization.

When the production team of the 1997 Steven Spielberg movie “Amistad” asked to examine Bast’s collection of genuine 19th-century slave shackles so they could make realistic replicas, he granted permission for the team to photograph some of the items in the museum but refused to loan out the artifacts for detailed studies.

“What Doug would do is he would share certain things, but he’d always sort of keep some stuff under his vest — or maybe not even know everything he had because there was stuff all over the place,” Recker said. “He never comprehensively went through everything, and he never created a database or anything like that. I don’t even know where everything is.”

Recker said Bast exhibited a tendency to offer historians the possibility of access to certain materials because he enjoyed luring them into long talks about his favorite subjects. But he would forever push back the date of the promised access. This behavior allowed many scholars over the decades to see the collection’s potential for holding unpublished historical information but left them unable to positively confirm their suspicions, let alone announce breakthroughs.

Emilie Amt, a recently retired history professor from Hood College who knew Bast, said she was never able to see enough of his slavery documents to determine whether they are unique records.

Based on the dozen she has seen and photographed, she suspects he acquired most of them from the Washington County courthouse when it purged old records in the 1960s. Those records were copied before Bast obtained the originals and have

since been made available in online databases. However, she said given that the collection contains hundreds of documents, she could not be certain that all of them have been enrolled at a courthouse.

“These documents in Boonsboro may not tell us anything we can’t find from other sources, or they may,” she said. “Until all the documents are catalogued and researchers go in and look at them, we won’t know. But seeing the originals can sometimes tell us things that the copies that are online don’t tell us.”

She said even if the original slavery records don’t provide more information than their known copies, they can spark an emotional connection to history. She recalls encountering an original “freedom certificate” in Bast’s collection that belonged to Grace Frances. As a free African American living in antebellum Maryland, she would have needed to always carry that certificate or risk being taken into slavery.

“There’s a tremendous emotional impact from seeing that and understanding a little more on a visceral level what life was like under that system,” Amt said.

DIGGING INTO THE COLLECTION

Since February, Recker has found slavery documents in the museum that show no signs of having been copied or formally examined. He said documents that were officially enrolled and copied by a courthouse bear a distinct stamp, and he has now seen dozens lacking that stamp.

He found a collection of uncopied slavery records that had belonged to Thomas Buchanan, a circuit court judge who lived in Washington County in the early 19th century. Many of these documents record Buchanan’s own transactions in human trafficking, such as an 1811 letter acknowledging his $300 payment “for the Mulatto girl called Capy.”

These kinds of records are invaluable to genealogists and scholars of African-American history, who frequently run into dead ends in their research because most enslaved individuals were only ever documented as property. The reference to Capy in a few of Buchanan’s papers may be the only extant evidence of the girl’s existence, and many more enslaved human beings are named and described in this collection.

But in addition to providing a way to identify previously unidentified individuals, the records offer a window into the early tensions around the subject of slavery between North and South. Because Maryland allowed slavery before the war and Pennsylvania greatly restricted the practice, slaveholders had to navigate a complex legal regimen to transport enslaved individuals across the state line. In some cases, this required formal consent from the enslaved.

A 1796 legal document in the Buchanan collection bears the seals of two Pennsylvania judges who affirmed an enslaved woman named Grace had granted permission for her enslaver to take her and her children from Pennsylvania to Maryland on the condition that “any Child or Children which may hereafter be born of the Body of the said Negro Woman Grace” would be free from slavery.

Schwalbe said one of the discoveries that most piques his curiosity is an

Caskets at the Boonsborough Museum of History in Boonsboro.

Recker looks through a ledger from a store, dating back to 1870.

Collections manager Stephen Recker stands for a portrait

our understandings of the Civil War

announcing his death, Doug Bast began his collecting habit at the age of 9 when he bought a glass bottle from a classmate for a dollar because he liked the color.

Given Boonsboro’s proximity to the Antietam National Battlefield and other Civil War sites, Bast was well-positioned to scoop up items from that era whenever he noticed people in his community clearing out their properties. A museum pamphlet quotes Bast telling the story of his first major Civil War acquisition.

“Once I was riding my bike, and an old farmer was burning a pile of ‘old Civil War junk’ he felt was clogging up his barn. I saw an old piece of paper that looked interesting, and he said I could have it if I promised not to bring it back! It was an original copy of Lee’s Proclamation to the People of Maryland from the Maryland Campaign of 1862. That is still on the wall of the museum.”

Recker said that over the decades, Bast became a cannier and more aggressive collector. He started asking elderly people if he could acquire their antiques. Many longtime local families gladly gave their items to Bast for the sake of preservation, but sometimes he had to go the extra mile to secure what he wanted.

uments under piles of old National Geographic magazines. It was clear that Bast’s Parkinson’s Disease had taken a severe toll on the last several years of his life.

LOOKING TOWARD THE FUTURE

unpublished diary collection by Henry Kyd Douglas, a Confederate officer who served on the staffs of General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson and his successors during the most pivotal campaigns of the Civil War.

Douglas did write a book about his time serving with Jackson, which was published posthumously. But without examining his contemporaneous diary entries, it can’t be known whether historically significant information was left out of the book.

“[Douglas] was a prolific diarist. He kept daily diaries of his life, and we have almost his entire collection,” Schwalbe said. “Think of the insight into the top echelon personal perceptions of activities during the Civil War.”

Recker said he might be the most excited about a collection of notes, scrapbooks and photographs by Fred Cross, a one-time military archivist for the state of Massachusetts. He traveled extensively through the important Civil War sites of Washington County from the 1920s through the 1940s, documenting his interviews with surviving veterans and the

descendants of families who lived near major battles.

Cross published a lot of his work about the Civil War, but never his research from those expeditions. Bast ended up with what appears to be Cross’ entire unpublished body of fieldwork, including thousands of battlefield photographs and their original negatives, about 20,000 pages of his writings and many physical battlefield relics.

As much as he would love to dig into those records in search of one-of-a-kind Civil War veteran stories, Recker said he must not allow himself to get distracted from his primary task of creating a master inventory of the collection.

“What we’re trying to do is not so much today understand what we have [but] just protect it so that somewhere down the road, people can get into the weeds,” he said. “I’d love to get into some of the particulars, but we’re just trying to make sure it’s there for future generations.”

WHO WAS DOUG BAST, AND HOW DID HE GET ALL THIS STUFF?

Called “Boonsboro’s encyclopedia” in a March 2021 Hagerstown Herald-Mail article

If an elderly person didn’t want to part with an item, Bast would agree to buy it on the condition that he would delay collection until the person’s death. Recker said Bast was known to closely watch the health of those whose items he was set to collect, sometimes immediately entering their houses when they died to find his items. His reputation as a local collector grew, and it became a frequent occurrence for families to drop off big loads of items at Bast’s doorstep when they were cleaning out their homes for sale.

As Bast entered the antiquities trading and auction world, he gained so many channels for collection that he began to acquire historically interesting items from well beyond Washington County. His museum boosts medieval manuscripts, Roman pottery and an Egyptian mummy, among many, many other world artifacts.

Recker said that when Bast first transformed his home into a museum, his collection was reasonably well documented and organized. Most of the items from this early period have corresponding provenance records and are displayed in an orderly fashion. But when he expanded the museum into his family’s old furniture shop several decades later, Bast’s collection habits became more chaotic.

When Recker was granted access to the property by the museum board, he discovered dozens of unlabeled boxes containing a mixture of important artifacts and garbage. He found valuable historical doc-

With the help of a few other volunteers and some grant awards, Recker has built both physical and digital systems for cataloging each item in the museum, a project that he estimates will take another four to six years to complete. He hopes that in about three years, many of the most important collections will be made viewable in a public-facing database. He plans to place priority on collections that will assist local families with their genealogical research but does not have a guess for when the entire museum collection will be publicly available in a digital format.

A recent grant for conservation assessments allowed the board to engage Lucy Midelfort, the architectural conservator for Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, who inspected the two museum buildings to ensure they provide a safe home for the Bast collection. Recker said they are hoping more grant money will enable to them to contract more conservators to assess the state of the collection itself.

Long term goals include rehabilitating the second floor of the furniture shop (annex) to be used as public research library, transforming the first floor of the annex into a modern and accessible museum space and refurbishing the original house museum while keeping Bast’s intended display scheme.

The museum is currently open each Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. Visitors will be greeted by docents who will take them through the house museum in groups of five. After providing a small introduction to each room, visitors will be able to explore the displayed items at their leisure.

Erik Anderson is a freelance writer in Frederick who cares about few things more than the history of his community. Email him at erikanderson07@gmail.com.

A rare document is displayed at the museum shows Thomas Buchanan’s purchase of a slave, dating back to 1811.

Staff photos by Katina Zentz

portrait in the rare books collection at the Boonsborough Museum of History in Boonsboro on April 27.

Everyday poetry

‘Portal’ dance performance addresses a culture in transition

BY CRYSTAL SCHELLE Special to The News-Post

During the pandemic, Kitty Clark longed to dance onstage again. Venues were closed due to COVID-19 protocols, and Clark, who’s based in Hagerstown and is the cofounder of MAD Dance, desired to feel the floor under her feet, move her body to the music, and express herself in a way that could touch others.

That’s when she and longtime collaborator Ray C. Shaw, of Frederick, decided to use Zoom for more than meetings. They used the platform as a way to dance and plot out choreography. From those virtual dance classes, the dance theater production “Portal” was born.

“Portal” will be staged at 7:30 p.m. May 13 and 14 at the Y Arts Center in downtown Frederick. Tickets are available for purchase on a sliding scale.

“‘Portal’ definitely grew from all the pandemic insanity, where we were locked up and sanitizing our hands and kind of fearful of people and fearful of our own bodies and what they would or would not do if we encountered this virus,” Clark said during a phone interview before rehearsals.

Clark, who admittedly loves to champion causes, had refocused herself on the environment right before COVID hit. She said she immediately pivoted to focus on educating people about COVID, from wearing masks to getting their vaccines. But really, she said, “All I really wanted to be saying was, ‘Get it together, people. We’re killing ourselves by dumping all this carbon into the environment. We got to check this.’”

One of the positives that came out of COVID, she said, was that activities and discussions went online, and “you could learn and meet people who you would not ordinarily have encountered.” Particularly, the Maryland Arts Council and the Maryland Citizens for the Arts were convening online to talk about everything from grant funding to how to keep your work alive during the pandemic. Inspired, Clark attended the Maryland Art Council’s Maryland Art Summit in 2021. In a breakout session, she met Neha Misra, a contemporary visual eco-folk artist, poet and climate

justice advocate based in Silver Spring.

But it wasn’t until January 2022 that Clark reached out to Misra. Clark said she was about to apply for a Maryland Arts Council grant for MAD that could be used “to do something cool, do something interesting, do something artful that is meaningful to your community.” That resulted in Clark and Shaw commissioning Misra to write a poem.

Using Misra’s poem “Portals of Transformation,” Clark and Shaw created a modern dance that also incorporates a video element that was filmed outdoors. The score was composed by musician Cam Millar, who also is Clark’s husband.

The dance is in four parts. In the first part, Clark and Shaw co-create the portal. The second section depicts the struggle of climbing through the rubble to try to make their way on this journey. The third section shows them piercing and clearing the clutter out of the way.

The final section, titled “Beauty,” is when “we have made it and we’re finally going through that final door,” she said. “Will the audience or the witnesses make the same choice? Will they go through that same journey and come with us?”

Clark said “Portal” asks questions. “How can we come out of the pandemic and get re-embodied? We’ve been so fearful of our bodies and other people’s bodies. It also

MAD DANCE PRESENTS “PORTAL”

When: 7:30 p.m. May 12 and 13 Where: Y Arts Center, 115 W. Church St., Frederick Tickets: Sliding scale Info: 301-331-4398, facebook.com/mad. dance.theatre

addresses climate. What are we doing about our climate?”

She said those questions were the impetus for “Portal” — and ultimately it ponders how we transition from where we are to the next phase is, whatever it is.

But the future is not necessarily bleak, Clark said, though it’s easy to get negative and downtrodden about climate issues.

Clark, however, has found optimism in the poem and in Misra, whose work focuses on climate change. “She paints a very vivid picture of the effects of climate change on our planet … [but] the last line of her poem is ‘The portal is us.’ It’s up to us. We can do this. We just have to go through the portal. We have to transition from this place to the next place.”

Crystal Schelle is a journalist whose work has been published locally, regionally and nationally. She enjoys trivia, cats and streaming movies.

If you’ve ever wanted to start writing, or if you’ve been writing and have hit a wall, here’s what you do.

Set yourself down and settle for a minute, then check your senses — touch, sound, sight, smell, taste — and just start describing what the most noticeable sense is picking up. Let yourself freeassociate. You could even start with how your fanny feels in what you’re sitting on.

You don’t even have to be writing. You could record on your smart phone initially and write from it later. The point is to help you calm down all the “I can’t,” “too much to do,” “what could I possibly have to say that hasn’t been said before” thoughts; to lose interest in yourself and refresh your interest in all that is around you; and to let in a bit of old-fashioned curiosity.

You get a two-fer this month, because I just glanced out the study window and see a bit of sky I thought was a thing of the past after our deluges — blue! Plus the one I wrote the other week while weeding out back. (The tree-bushes are on the mend. They just needed someone to write a poem about them. And Bay-safe chemicals.)

Sounds

We are heading into summer, yet a hard, spotted leaf falls now and then from the photinias I’ve let grow huge and sick. You’d think it was autumn, or the closing down of Rivendell as the elves depart. In a breeze, the leaves tap the patio more insistently as the tree-bushes clamor feed us, dose us, woman! Yet here I sit in the sparse shade they still offer me and write this poem.

Sky

The clouds have changed today. Still heavy with the greys of many days of April rain, yes, but some hold a light I’d forgotten. They keep moving, as clouds do, and soon one grows so thin it splits like an amoeba, parting tips growing wispier and yellow. (I’d forgotten yellow.) Soon, they barely touch and I think of Michelangelo’s God reaching that forefinger out to Adam’s for the spark of life, or just the gift of blue sky.

SHERYL MASSARO

Cathleen Newberg Kitty Clark and Ray Shaw in “Portal.”

A John Waters weekend in Westminster

Cult favorite celebrity John Waters will appear onstage at the Carroll Arts Center with his new spoken word show, “End of the World,” at 8 p.m. May 13. The original oneman presentation puts his famously insane and hilarious storytelling prowess on display.

“End of the World’’ is the all-new, fast-moving, comic monologue from John Waters about today’s despair and diseases, though desires and desperation break through with an insane optimism that welcomes all audiences into a new dawn of depravity. From how to reinvent the movie business to embracing stupidity in an intellectual way and even to going beyond the limits of sexual transgression, Waters will mutate madness into hope and lead the audience to a joyous delirium ever after.

Fans can also purchase an additional ticket for Group Therapy, a short private post-show Q&A with Waters on the Carroll Arts Center stage. Group Therapy ticket holders will receive a free signed poster. There will be no opportunity to take photos during the show, but a selfieopp with Waters is possible during this private post-show event.

General admission tickets are $75 and Group Therapy tickets are $50.

Also this weekend, the Film Lovers in Carroll County (FLICC) will present two screenings of Waters cult classic “Cry-Baby” (1990) at the Arts Center at 1 p.m. (captioned) and 7:30 p.m. May 12.

Johnny Depp heads up a

supercool cast as the irresistible bad boy whose amazing ability to shed one single tear drives all the girls wild, especially Allison Vernon Williams (Amy Locane), a rich, beautiful “square” who finds herself uncontrollably drawn to the dreamy juvenile delinquent and his forbidden world of rockabilly music, fast cars and faster women. It’s the hysterical high-throttle world of 1954 in Waters’ outrageous musical comedy.

Born in Baltimore, John Waters’s zany filmography also includes “Pink Flamingos,” “Female Trouble,” “Polyester,” “Hairspray,” “Serial Mom” and “A Dirty Shame.” Like many Waters films, portions of “CryBaby” were filmed in Maryland with locations including the now-closed Enchanted Forest amusement park in Ellicott City, Baltimore’s Hampden neighborhood, Reisterstown and even downtown Sykesville. Initially a box office failure, the film has become a cult classic since its 1990 release. In 2008, a stage musical version of the film opened on Broadway, scoring four Tony Award nominations.

The film runs 1 hour 31 minutes and is rated PG-13 for mild profanity, violence and sexual material. Tickets are $7 for adults; $6 for ages 25 and under and ages 60and up.

Tickets for both events can be purchased at carrollcountyartscouncil.org or by calling 410-848-7272. The Carroll Arts Center is located at 91 W. Main St., Westminster.

Courtesy photo

Johnny Depp heads up a supercool cast in John Waters’ “Cry Baby,” a film that has become a cult classic.

‘You To Me’ will premiere in Frederick

WAREHOUSE CINEMAS

NEWS AND EVENTS:

$7 TUESDAYS

Any movie, including Dolby Atmos. All day. Anytime.

SPECIAL RELEASE: THE WIZARD OF OZ

"There's no place like home"... except for Warehouse Cinemas. For one week only, come and enjoy a classic in one of our luxury recliners. For $5, you can see The Wizard of Oz on the big screen. Be sure to get your tickets, you don't want to miss this!

103164.6; 103164.6; BW; 1 x 10

FILM LEAGUE PRESENTS: RESERVOIR DOGS

Wednesday, May 24th at 7:00pm & 7:30pm

UPCOMING FILMS THIS WEEKEND:

“Book Club: The Next Chapter,” and “The Wizard of Oz”

Warehouse Cinemas is an independently owned cinema that offers a unique, premium movie going experience by providing firstrun movies + retro films, leather recliner seating w/ seat warmers, high-quality picture and sound, including Dolby Atmos, a modern-industrial décor, and premium food and drink options, including movie themed cocktails, wine and a 28-tap self-serve beer wall. Scan the QR Code or visit us at warehouscinemas.com for this week’s feature films.

A young couple’s relationship hits a breaking point when drugs are stronger than love. You can pour all your love and break yourself for another, and it might still not be enough.

On the surface, “You to Me” is a story is about addiction. But if you dive deeper, this is a story about when you have to make the choice to do something for yourself, to be selfish to save yourself, because the person you love is drowning you.

“You to Me” was written and directed by Alexandra Rainis, with William Gounaris by her side as cinematographer, supported by a plentiful cast and crew.

This short film has partnered with Tammy Lofink, founder of Rising Above Addiction, to accurately depict and narrate the drug use in the story. Please be

advised, the film will feature portrayed drug use and choreographed intimacy. Join the cast and

crew for a one-night-only premiere and Q&A during its screening at 6:30 p.m. May 17 at Lockhouse

FCC will host its first-ever student film festival

The Frederick Community College Film and Video Production program will hold its firstever Student Film Festival, where audience members will have the chance to view original short films and animations created by FCC students.

The festival will start at 6 p.m. May 16 in the Jack B. Kussmaul Theater, located in the Visual & Performing Arts Building. The event is expected to last about 2.5 hours and is free and open for all to attend.

“It’s very exciting to be hosting this event on behalf of our creative students to provide the opportunity for the entire Frederick community to enjoy their work,” said Jason Santelli, FCC film and video production

program manager. “It’s my hope that showing their projects on the big screen will inspire our students to create and achieve beyond the classroom, and show the community the value of our Film & Video Production program.”

The festival will showcase between 13

and 15 short films and animations, each ranging in length from 8 seconds to 48 minutes. Not all films and animations may be suitable for young audiences. An event schedule can be found on the FCC Student Film Festival webpage, which provides a rating for each film and animation.

Here are some films and animations that will be screened.

”Red Creature on the Dark Path” — PG Animation created using only photographs based on an original poem.

”Write That Down!” — PG-13

Two siblings run into conflict when they both applied for the same job, realizing their differences might divide them more than they thought.

”The Dreams” — R Francis is a troubled man who suffers from reoccurring PTSD flashbacks of his wife, or what he calls “The Dreams,” becoming distracted and unable to focus. He then meets Nicole Strauss, a therapist who specializes in ‘Dream’ management, and the two work together to treat his ailment. As Francis works with Strauss, we learn that ending the Dreams isn’t his true goal. While the event is free, tickets are required for admission and can be reserved on event’s tickets page.

More information on the FCC Film and Video Production program is available on the FCC website.

Studio, 103 S. Carroll St., Suite 1D, Frederick. Doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online.

Courtesy photo

A scene from “You to Me,” a short film premiering in Frederick.

Local Mentions

ALL YOU CAN EAT MOTHER’S DAY BREAKFAST

May 14, 2023 - 8am-12pm

Laytonsville Vol Fire Dept 21400 Laytonsville Rd

Laytonsville, MD

$14 adults

$6 kids (6-10)

Kids 5 and under FREE

Cash or check only Info - Murphy at 240-876-8937

BBQ CHICKEN PLATTER SALE

SATURDAY, MAY 27, 2023

Carry-out or Eat-in

½ Chicken, Mac & Cheese, Baked Beans, Cole Slaw, Roll, and Drink

$16 00 per platter

Pre-order by May 22

Pick up May 27 from 11am to 2pm Order facebook com/

The Jefferson Ruritan/ Or Call 301-834-6165 or 301-695-2684

Jefferson Ruritan Club

4603B Lander Rd, Jefferson, MD 21755

BEEF OR CHICKEN PLATTERS

Burkittsville Ruritan Club

Carry-out or Eat under pavilion

4-pc Fried Chicken or Roast Beef w/gravy, French Fries, Green Beans, Applesauce and Drink - $15/platter

Pre-order by May 13

Pick-up on May 20 (1-4p)

Call 301-371-7795

BEEF OR CHICKEN PLATTERS

Burkittsville Ruritan Club

Carry-out or Eat under pavilion

4-pc Fried Chicken or Roast Beef w/gravy, French Fries, Green Beans, Applesauce and Drink - $15/platter

Pre-order by May 13

Pick-up on May 20 (1-4p)

Call 301-371-7795

CATOCTIN MOUNTAIN ORCHARD

Available in our Market:

Strawberries, GoldRush, Evercrisp, Pink Lady & Fuji Apples

Kale, Spinach & Lettuce

Hanging Flower Baskets

Fresh Baked Fruit Pies, Apple Cider Donuts, Fresh Apple Cider, Jams & Jellies

301-271-2737

Open Daily 9am-5pm 15036 North Franklinville Rd Thurmont MD

www catoctinmountain orchard com

Local Mentions Local Mentions Local Mentions

CHRISTMAS IN JULY

Cash Raffle

New Midway Vol Fire Co

Daily Drawing

Tickets $20 00

$100 Minimum Drawing

$1000 Top Prize

For Tickets

Text 301-639-8963 or 301-835-9808

Drop by the C Burr Arts Public Library on May 13th from 10 a m to 4:30 p m for half an hour or more to check out a human "book" who has experienced prejudice and discrimination because of their race, religion, nationality or other factors "Readers" can hear first-hand stories from those who are often stereotyped and come to understand the human side of their experience You are invited to have an open dialogue in a safe and non-judgmental space.

In partnership with Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Frederick

JOHNSVILLE RURITAN MAY SHOW

May 20-21

Saturday - 10:00 Garden

Tractor Pull

Sunday - 1:00 Petting Zoo

Kiddie Tractor Pull

Corn Hole Tournament & Music

Dr. Jonathan R. Van Meter has opened his dermatology practice Phone number: 301-882-8470

Address: 164 B W Main St , New Market, MD 21774

www.vanmeterdermatology.com

Jefferson Community PAPER SHRED DAY

Sat , May 13, 2023 - 9am-noon

Donations Accepted

Jefferson Ruritan Grounds 4603B Lander Rd Jefferson, MD 21755

SPRING CASH BINGO

Fri. May 19, 2023

Carroll Manor Fire Co

1809 Ballenger Creek, Point of Rocks Station

Doors open: 5PM

Bingo begins: 7PM

Tickets: $40 Call 301-874-5642

Or online at www carrollmanorfire org

2:00 Cake Auction, 50/50 Drawing

Available both days

Fried Chicken Platters, Sandwiches, Fries, Cakes & Pies

Barrel Train rides and Crafts!

LOVE YOU MOM, MOTHERS DAY DINNER

Show Mom how much you love her by bringing her to a wonderful All-You-Can-Eat meal at Flint Hill United Methodist Church Saturday, May 13, 2023 from 12-5p m

Adults: $20

Children 6 to 12: $15

Under 5: Free

Home-cooked turkey and country ham dinner including all the trimmings Save room for our delicious desserts we have for sale at the bake table Hope to see you! at 2732 Park Mills, Adamstown

STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL & ALBERT’S YARD SALE

SATURDAY JUNE 3rd

9 AM TO 2 PM

St Mark’s Lutheran Church 17015 Sabillasville Road Sabillasville MD 21780

SCENIC VIEW ORCHARDS

Opening Saturday, May 6th

Our Own Strawberries

Asparagus, Kale, Spinach

Lettuce, Apples, Rhubarb

Potatoes, Potted Flowers

Honey, Canned Fruits & Vegetables, Jams and Jellies

16239 Sabillasville Rd

Sabillasville MD

Open daily 10:00-6:00

301-217-2149

www.scenicvieworchards.com

Frederick Farmers Market

1215 West Patrick St

Saturdays 10:00-1:00

YMCA Farmers Market

1000 North Market St

Tuesdays 3:30-6:30

St John’s Lutheran Church 8619 Blacks Mill Road

Creagerstown will be featuring a DRIVE-THRU FRIED CHICKEN DINNER

June 3rd, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Dinner Includes:

Green Beans, Pepper Slaw, Biscuit, and a Piece of Cake - $13 Buckets of Chicken will be available as follows: 8-pc - $10; 12-pc$15; 16-pc - $20 Preorders due by 5/28

Please call Carmi Sayler at 301-401-0633 or call 301-898-5290 and LM w/full name, number, and order

SUB SALE

Middletown Volunteer Fire Company Auxiliary

Carry-Out Only

8" Subs-ham, turkey & cold cut w/cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion & pickle: $8/ea Country ham

sandwiches: $5/ea

Cut off date: 5/17

Pick up date: 5/24

11AM-6PM at MVFC Activities Building

1 Fireman's Lane

Beverly 301-293-2088

Karen 443-871-9075

Janie 301-471-9604

lv messages

The First Missionary Baptist Church Food Pantry will be open to distribute food from 8 AM to 10 AM or while supplies last The address is 6430 Jefferson Pike, Frederick MD 21703 Please come early!

La Despensa de Alimentos de la Primera Iglesia Bautista Misionera estará abierta para distribuir alimentos de 8 AM a 10 AM o hasta agotar existencias La dirección es 6430 Jefferson Pike, Frederick MD 21703 ¡Por favor, ven temprano!

Local Mentions

Local Mentions Services Business Opportunity

Thurmont Community Ambulance

2023 Big Money CASH BASH

Saturday, May 20, 2023

Thurmont Events Complex Building • 13716 Strafford Drive, Thurmont, MD Bring Your Lawn Chairs & Canopy

Gates open 10AM • Food, Beer, Wine Coolers and Soda included 12-5PM -NO COOLERS ALLOWED-

Drawing beings 11:45AM • Winner Every 5 Minutes

Must be off premises by 8PM

$25.00 Per Person

No Patrons Under 18 - ID Req'd - Must present ticket to enter gate No pets except service animals - NO CARRYOUTS ALLOWED - Ticket Holder Can Win Multiple Prizes

COMPLETE LAWN CARE BUSINESS

Comes w/everything you need including hand tools, 2006 Ford Explorer, 2-pull Tandem trailers, wheel barrels, fertilization Will not separate. Call 301-694-4721

Yard Sales

INSIDE/OUTSIDE

ESTATE SALE

5743 Shookstown Rd Frederick, 21702

Every SAT and SUN through to May 20th

9AM-4PM both days

HH, 78 records, VHS, DVDs, toys, tools, antiques, jewelry, jars etc

RUMMAGE/YARD SALE, PLUS, PLUS!

May 20th, 2023 8am-1pm

Parking lot of Mick’s Plumbing & Heating 27 Howard St Thurmont, Md

Numerous tables with a great variety of goods including craft, jewelry and designer cup vendors plus furniture, clothes, household goods and a motorcycle! A portion of the proceeds are being donated to First Baptist Church of Frederick for their Youth Mission Trip this summer Grab the family and come shop till you drop!

WEDNESDAY NITE BINGO

FSK Post 11

Doors open at 4:30pm Early Bird starts at 7:00pm

Games: Early Bird, Winner Take All, Quickie, 50/50, Specials, Regular Bingo, Sr Jackpot, Grand Slam (Jackpot $2,000)

30 games in total

1450 Taney Ave Frederick, MD 21702

Thurmont Co Ambulance CARNIVAL

May 30 - June 3, 2023

Pre-Sale Ride Tickets

$16 00 Nightly, 6 p m – 10 p m

Rides by Snyder ’s Attractions

All Rides Requires You Must Be 32” in Height

Tickets: 301-749-5359 Or 301-271-3820

Nightly Entertainment:

Tue, May 30: Country Ramblers

Wed, May 31: Taylor Brown w/Elvis Show

Thu, June 1: Bobby D & The Truckstop

Burrito’s

Fri, June 2: Full Effect

FIREWORKS

Sat, June 3: Borderline

Nightly Platters:

Tue, May 30: Cod Fish, $8

Wed, May 31: Pulled Pork, $8

Thu, June 1: Fried Chicken, $8

Fri, June 2: Butterfly Shrimp, $8

Sat, June 3: Roast Turkey Sandwich, $8

Games, Raffles

Tickets avail at:

Weis in Thurmont

Thurmont Kountry Kitchen

Woodsboro Bank in Thurmont

Direct 2 U Gas Station or Any of the functions at the Complex

Thurmont Event Complex

13716 Strafford Dr, Thurmont

THE LITTLE RED WAGON

We have local tomatoes! It will warm up stop by for your hanging baskets, potted flowers, garden veggie plants, & more! Assorted wire and decorative baskets!

11434 Keymar Rd

Woodsboro, MD 21798 Live Info: 240-439-9401

Miscellaneous

A HUGE YARD SALE

May 11, 12 & 13

7 a m - 3 p m

16143 Kelbaugh Rd

Thurmont, MD

Yard ornaments, HH, books, many great treasures

CLEAN-OUT YARD SALE

Sat, May 13th

Starting at 8 a m Buckeystown United Methodist Church 3440 Buckeystown Pike Buckeystown, MD

CLEARBROOK HOA COMMUNITY

YARD SALE

Saturday May 13th , 8AM to 2PM Rain Date is Sunday May 14th , 8AM to 2PM

Services

LANDSCAPING

CRUSHED STONE DELIVERY

Delivering various crushed stone CR6, 57s, stone dust, 1 ton up to 22 ton loads

Skid-loader service available

Quarry Direct Hauling

Andrew - 240-674-2731

Lambs Knoll Enterprise LLC

!!FATHER AND SONS!!! HANDYMAN HANDYMAN

INTER. PAINTING

Home Repair & Improvements

301-694-9630

LIC #74117

Serving Frederick for 34 Years!

HENRY'S BLACKTOP PAVING, LLC

301-663-1888 • 301-416-7229

henrysblacktoppaving @gmail.com

Call for FREE est MHIC 3608

POOL WATER

We fill any size pool Call Nolan Hubble 240-315-1762

BOB'S HAULING

Removal of Bulk Junk/Trash from Attic, Garage, Bsmt, Yard Work, Mulching, Sm Paint Jobs, TVs, Storages, Sheds, Yard Trimmings, Odd Jobs Reasonable Rates Short Notice Fred & Mont Co 301-606-6316

Child Care/Home Care

LOOKING FOR WORLD-CLASS MUSIC LESSONS WITH THE CLICK OF A BUTTON?

We offer high-quality private music lessons, as well as partner and group classesONLINE!

Taught by renowned professional musicians with expert teaching experience In a Fun, Engaging, and Nurturing atmosphere

Affordable Prices to fit any budget starting at just $20 per class

Book a lesson today using the code KMA20 to get 20% off your first lesson www krescendomusic academy com

Questions? Get in touch with us at info@krescendomusic academy com

Inaugural Wolfsville Chainsaw Carving & Artisan Festival is this week

BY CRYSTAL SCHELLE Special to The News-Post

Brandan Gray started chainsaw carving nearly four years ago after he spotted a bear carved with a chainsaw and wondered if he could do it himself.

The 49-year-old Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, resident is a machinist by trade and admits he’d never been the artistic type. But he was confident he could recreate that bear using a piece of spare firewood.

“I’ve always had chainsaws to cut firewood and whatnot, and I was out one January day and I decided I would have my go at carving a bear,” Gray said.

He didn’t have the correct chainsaw for the job — he needed a much smaller carving saw, as it turns out — but when he was done, he had a carved bear.

“It wasn’t something to write home about,” Gray said jokingly, but it sparked his newfound hobby and launched his business, Cove Mountain Carving Chainsaw Art.

Gray is one of many chainsaw artists who will participate in the inaugural Wolfsville Chainsaw Carving & Artisan Festival, which runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 13 at the Wolfsville Ruritan Park in Myersville. Admission is free.

Casey Haines, chairperson for the Wolfsville Ruritan Club event, said she got the idea several years ago when she attended an event in Pennsylvania that included chainsaw carving.

“I’ve personally always loved chainsaw carving, the art of it,” she said. “I thought, well, this would fit really well in Western Maryland and our area.”

She also saw it as a way to potentially raise funds for the Wolfsville Ruritan Club.

This first-year event will include, of course, chainsaw artists and artisans. Anything

Everything for sale at the event will be handmade. Haines said between 30 and 35 participants, most of whom are local, will have on-hand their pottery, jewelry, goatmilk soap, flowers and vegetable plants, and other items.

Demonstrations of chainsaw art and knife making will be held throughout the day, and a live auction will happen at 3 p.m. Homemade slippery potpie will be available.

Gray said he plans to do some live demonstrations at the event. Since he started his carving business, he’s been busy carving animals into white pine logs. Although he crafts a variety of an-

imals, owls seem to be the top favorite among his fans and himself.

In fact, at one of his first events in Pennsylvania, he entered a carved owl family into a competition and said it was the highest-selling auction piece.

“I got a lot of attention there, and it’s been nonstop ever since,” he said.

When it comes to his pieces, Gray said his talent came as a surprise to him.

“I have no art background. I have no work training. I don’t even draw. I just opened the door to a talent that I didn’t even know I had,” he said.

He does credit his nearly 30-year career as a machinist for helping him

see the image in the log before he starts carving. As he put it, it’s easy for him to look at something and visualize it in 3D.

His pieces will be on sale at the festival, with prices ranging from $80 to $1,000, depending on the size and time put into carving.

Haines said she hopes the festival not only showcases the talent of artisans in the area but also the Wolfsville Ruritan itself. She said all the money the Ruritan makes goes back into the community. The Wolfsville Ruritan helps to pay for field trips for elementary schools, for example, and other nonprofits that are in need of money often ask for help from the Ruritan.

IF YOU GO

When: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 13 Where: Wolfsville Ruritan Park, 12708 Brandenburg Hollow Road, Myersville Tickets: Free Info: wolfsvilleruritan.org

“If somebody in the community has their house burned down, we send them money,” Haines said. “If somebody gets injured or sick, we send money.”

They also volunteer to help families beyond a monetary donation.

Haines hopes that this event will also spark interest in more people interested in becoming volunteers.

“I just don’t think people really understand how much the Ruritan does for the community,” she said.

For those who purchase a piece from Gray, he has a simple motto he leaves them with: “I hope it brings you lots of years of joy.”

Crystal Schelle is a journalist whose work has been published locally, regionally and nationally. She enjoys trivia, cats and streaming movies.

Courtesy photos

Chainsaw artist Brandan Gray.

Chainsaw art by Brandan Gray.

Thursday May 11

CLASSES

Teen Manga and Graphic Novel Book Club — 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Carroll County Public Library, Eldersburg Branch, 6400 W. Hemlock Drive, Eldersburg. For ages 12-18. We will read a manga comic or graphic novel every month and then meet up to share our thoughts. This will be a hybrid event; please register and choose if you will attend in person or online through Zoom. 410-386-4460. ask@carr.org. ccpl.librarymarket.com/event/ teen-manga-and-graphic-novel-book-club-3.

ETCETERA

200 Monroe Restaurant — 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at The Monroe Center, 200 Monroe Ave., Frederick. Frederick Community College invites you to enjoy a gourmet dinner created by the talented students at 200 Monroe Restaurant! Reservations are required! For dine-in or carryout, visit opentable.com/200Monroe.  $40-$44. HCTI@frederick.edu. opentable.com/200-monroe.

Pour House Trivia — 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Champion Billiards Sports Bar, 5205 Buckeystown Pike, Frederick. Come on out with the team and play some Pour House Trivia. 7 p.m. start. Extended Happy Hour from 4 to 8 p.m.  301-846-0089. frederickchampions.com/weekly-specials.

GALLERY

The Hagerstown and Frederick Railway Exhibit — 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Heritage Frederick, 24 E. Church St., Frederick. From 1896 until 1954, a network of interurban trolley lines were built linking communities across Frederick and Washington counties. This exhibit presents the history of these electric railways and how they changed the landscape and communities of Frederick County. $12, $10, $8. director@ frederickhistory.org. cognitoforms.com/HeritageFrederick1/ stitchesthroughtimeexhibittickets.

MUSIC

FCC Jazz Ensemble I — 7:30 p.m. at Frederick Community College | Visual & Performing Arts Center | JBK Theater, 7932 Opossumtown Pike, Frederick. A special performance in the JBK Theater with the FCC Jazz Ensemble I, under the direction of Anita Thomas. Join us for this festive performance featuring a wide variety of jazz.

PERFORMER

Nerd Comic Tommy Sinbazo — 8 p.m.

at Carroll Arts Center, 91 W. Main St., Westminster. A veteran of the nerd comedy scene, Tommy’s quick wit and off-the-cuff humor has been slicing through crowds like a Vorpal sword rolled by a loaded D20 for over 18 years. This Cosplaying, Leathersmithing, Magic Missle of Myrth is guaranteed to amuse. Featuring comedians Ashley Pontius and Christian McCartney. For ages 21 and up only. Pre-show happy hour from Pipe the Side Brewing starts at 6:45 p.m. $10-$15. 410-848-7272. carrollcountyartscouncil.org.

THEATER

“South & Saints” — 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Maryland Ensemble Theatre, 31 W. Patrick St., Frederick. A MET original premiere. Directed by Ray Hatch. In collaboration with AARCH and The Maryland Room at C. Burr Artz Library, exploring the rich and colorful history of the African American community in Frederick. 18 and older.

$5 to $32. 301-694-4744. zcallis@ marylandensemble.org.

Friday May 12 CLASSES

Build Your Own Centerpiece Workshop — 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at The Common Market Co-op, 927 W. Seventh St., Frederick. With Alexes — THE Alexes of Flowers by Alexes! Learn some professional tricks of the trade and create a beautiful flower arrangement to take home. Register online.

$30-$60. 301-663-3416. aharmon@ commonmarket.coop. commonmarket.coop/classes-events/ build-your-own-centerpiece-workshop.

ETCETERA

Murder at the Winery — 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Links Bridge Vineyards, 8830 Old Links Bridge Road, Thurmont. The Off Center Events team will be leading the mystery party guiding all event attendee characters as they solve this “whodunnit.” Enjoy getting into full character as you will be assigned a specific role. This is a fun flowing event, no specific lines or intense skills needed to play along. Ticket includes light dinner and one glass of wine. 21 and older.

$63. 301-602-5733. LinksBridgeVineyards@ gmail.com.

F.A.M.E. All Acoustic Open Mic at the Y Arts Center — 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Y Arts Center, 115 E. Church St., Frederick. Come out and play - unplugged! All ages, all abilities welcome! Rick Hill hosts. 301-471-0889. D.Koronet@att.net. frederickacoustic.org.

FAMILY

Baker Park Nature Explorers (ages 4-6) — 11 a.m. to noon at Baker Park Gazebo, North Bentz Street, Frederick. Interactive nature class for kids every Friday through June 9. Become an explorer through active play and discovery time. In partnership with the City of Frederick, Fox Haven will lead a program that encourages children to be curious and find inspiration amid the ecosystems around us. Different topic each week. $3-6. 240-4905484. alecks@foxhavenfarm.org. foxhavenfarm.org/events/ baker-park-nature-explorers/2023-05-05.

FILM

“Cry-Baby” (1990, 1 hour 31 minutes, PG13 for mild profanity, violence and sexual material) — 7:30 p.m. at Carroll Arts Center, 91 W. Main St., Westminster. 1 p.m. show is captioned. A bad boy (Johnny Depp) with a heart of gold wins the love of a good girl in this campy musical send-up of the 1950s leather-jacket genre directed by John Waters. $7. 410-848-7272. carrollcountyartscouncil.org.

MUSIC

Friday Nights Live at American Ice Co Café — 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at American Ice Co Cafe, 62 W. Main St., Westminster. Come out to listen and support musicians play every Friday night. The stage behind the café is the perfect place to spend warm summer nights with a glass of wine, bottle of beer, or one of our specialty lattes. 443-952-0552. gabby.aic.co@gmail.com.

Bluegrass Jam — 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Mount Pleasant Ruritan Club, 8101 Crum Road, Walkersville. Open to all levels of acoustic musicians and vocalists. Spectators, families welcome. Sandwiches, snacks and sodas available for purchase. No smoking or swearing. $5 donation at the door requested. 301-898-3719.

F.A.M.E. Open Mic at Sky Stage — 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at FAC’s Sky Stage, 59 S. Carroll St., Frederick. FAME (Frederick Acoustic Music Enterprise) hosts Open Mic night every 2nd Friday from May-October, 7-9 p.m. Come to listen, play, or both! Whether you are a pro or a novice, this is a welcoming environment for you to collaborate, build your skills, and get to know local artists!

301-662-4190. skystage@ frederickartscouncil.org. frederickartscouncil.org/ programs/sky-stage.

“Over There! The CASF Celebrates D-Day in Normandy, France” Concert — 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Jack B Kussmaul Theater at Frederick Community College, 7932 Opossumtown Pike, Frederick. Join The CASF

as we conclude our 2022-2023 season with selections from the concerts which we will be performing this June in Normandy, France, as representatives of the U.S. and the great city of Frederick! Proudly sponsored by PNC Bank.

$15. tickets@casof.org.

Mike Kuster at Tenth Ward Distilling Company — 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Tenth Ward Distilling, 55 E. Patrick St., Frederick. Mike Kuster will bring his honky tonkin’ good time show to Tenth Ward Distilling Company in Historic Downtown Frederick. 301-360-5888. mikekuster.net.

OUTDOORS

Sporting Clay Shoot Fundraiser — 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Orvis Hill Country Shooting Grounds, 519 Gladhill Road, Fairfield, Pa. Test your skill and help The Institute raise funds with this exciting clay shooting tournament. Entry fee includes morning refreshments, ear and eye protection gear, 15 shooting stations with 100 targets, water & snacks, and catered lunch. Prizes awarded. Must be age 18 or older. Bring your own shotgun or rent one; golf cart rentals also available.  $125. 717-762-0373. info@ natureandcultureinstitute.org. natureandcultureinstitute.org/ event/skeet-shoot-fundraiser.

PERFORMER

Ladies of Laughter: Funny & Fabulous Tour — 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. at New Spire Arts, 15 W. Patrick St., Frederick. The Ladies of Laughter Funny & Fabulous tour includes winners and the best talent from its heralded international competition. See 3 past winners: the suburban mom (Jane Condon), the lawyer turned comedian from Singapore (Jocelyn Chia) and the urban, philosopher that makes you see your world differently (Leighann Lord). All 3 are primed to make you open your mind, make you laugh and forget about all the world’s problems. This is a show that you will be telling your friends about for a long time!

$30. 301-600-2868. bhiller@ cityoffrederickmd.gov. weinbergcenter.org/shows/ladies-oflaughter-funny-fabulous-tour.

THEATER

“Clue!” — 6 p.m. at Washington County Playhouse, 44 N. Potomac St., Hagerstown. Based on the iconic 1985 Paramount movie which was inspired by the classic Hasbro board game, Clue is a hilarious farce-meetsmurder mystery. The tale begins at a remote mansion, where six mysterious guests (See CALENDAR 24)

That project led to the creation of TAP as a bigger umbrella project because, Sherwood said, “I saw the benefit of arts in every way.” The organization was officially founded as a nonprofit in 2021.

Since then, Sherwood said she’s been working with different communities, specifically minority groups, as well as seniors and youth. For instance, one project invites Ukraine refugee youth to tell their experiences through photos and stories.

“It’s not even a long story. It’s just a picture and a quote, and it just has such depth,” Sherwood said. “That’s the power that Photovoice has for us to understand another person’s lived experience.”

Photovoice puts cameras into the hands of communities that are typically underserved or marginalized and asks them to document their lives on a specific issue or theme. The project enables others “to connect and see their experience,” Sherwood said. Where a documentary would have someone else posing the questions, with PhotoVoice, the story is coming directly from them.

“It’s putting it in their hands, and they’re becoming the documentary reporter of their own life,” she said. “It’s proven to be very powerful and impactful for communities where voices are not typically heard.”

For the Frederick Photovoice project, TAP partnered with nonprofits that are already serving those communities. Participating in “Metaphorically Speaking” were people with the Asian American Center of Frederick, AmeriCorps, seniors and immigrant communities, youth and seniors through the Housing Authority of the City of Frederick, adults with disabilities, Jewish Council for the Aging and Living Well Youth Works, as well as additional communities.

The organizations are “already doing the work, so we bring the program to them,” Sherwood explained. “It really is a win-win for everyone because for the participants it acts as an empowerment. They get to find a way to be creative and tell their stories, and then for the organization, it also acts as a needs assessment to understand the needs of their participants. For outsiders, for fundraisers and our community supporters, it helps them to see the work that the communities are doing.”

Participants were asked to capture one to two images of symbolic representations of themselves and their community and identity the needs of the community. They wrote an accompanying paragraph that

describes the images that were explored from their lived experience, according to the flyer about the exhibition.

The Delaplaine exhibition includes 40 pieces, and participants range in age from 11 to 86.

Sherwood worked with the youth with weekly over six weeks, giving them a prompt. All participants were told that the images would be in black-andwhite, so aesthetically the project at the Delaplaine would have a cohesive look.

In the beginning, Sherwood said the older adults had to be taught how to take photos. They were given iPads and were shown how to use them. However, for some of the prompts, all age groups would use photos they already had to illustrate their stories because it it connected to the story that they wanted to tell.

“Photovoice isn’t about the picture,” Sherwood said. “It’s about the story that they want to tell. … It’s really the meaning that you attribute to the story. I really work with them on helping them to get their stories that they’re trying to tell.”

Sherwood said the work has been emotional for some participants, but that is part of the process.

“I just want it to be an opportunity for them to feel empowered and proud of who they are and the communities that they represent,” Sherwood said, “and that they can use creative ways to advocate for their community.”

For those viewing the exhibition, Sherwood said, “I hope that they will experience how powerful Photovoice can be … and I hope they can see how this can help us understand our communities.”

Photo courtesy of Laura Sherwood

CALENDAR

assemble for an unusual dinner party where murder and blackmail are on the menu. When their host turns up dead, they all become suspects. Show preceded by dinner. Select Sunday matinees. Friday and Saturday through May 27.

$63 for adults, includes dinner; $57 for active military and first responders; $53 ages 5-12. 301-739-7469. washingtoncountyplayhouse.com.

“Church Basement Ladies” — 6 p.m. at Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre, 5 Willowdale Drive, Frederick . In 1965 rural Minnesota, the ladies of the local Lutheran church fortify their flock with love, wisdom, and the food they prepare in the church’s basement kitchen. In Church Basement Ladies, we meet the pastor, three cooks, and one daughter who run the kitchen and care for the congregation. This funny musical comedy sees the four women handle a Lutefisk Dinner, a funeral, an Easter Fundraiser, and, of course, a wedding. Doors open at 12:30 p.m. first, third and fifth Sundays; 6 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through May 20. Show follows lunch/dinner buffet.

$55 Fridays and Sunday matinees, $59 Saturdays. 301-662-8200. wayoffbroadway.com.

“South & Saints” — 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Maryland Ensemble Theatre, 31 W. Patrick St., Frederick. A MET original premiere. Directed by Ray Hatch. In collaboration with AARCH and The Maryland Room at C. Burr Artz Library, exploring the rich and colorful history of the African American community in Frederick. 18 and older.

$5 to $32. 301-694-4744. zcallis@ marylandensemble.org.

Saturday May 13

“Friends Are Everywhere” Spring Concert — 3 p.m. at Frederick High School, 650 Carroll Parkway, Frederick. The Frederick Children’s Chorus captures the feeling of friendship and kindness in song. Join us for this inspiring concert.

$15 adults, $10 seniors, students 18 and under free. Carrie.Silver@fredcc.org.

CLASSES

All-Levels Yoga with Yogamour — 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at FAC’s Sky Stage, 59 S. Carroll St., , Frederick. An all-levels yoga class with experienced instructors from Yogamour, a Frederick-based studio and non-profit. Saturdays through October.

$15 donation. 301-662-4190. skystage@ frederickartscouncil.org. frederickartscouncil.org/programs/ sky-stage/.

Planting the Family Garden — 10 a.m. to noon at University of Maryland Extension Office, 330 Montevue Lane, Frederick. Join us in the Demonstration Garden for a handson experience planting the home garden. Learn about seeds and transplants, planting techniques, planting for pollinators, and basic IPM (integrated pest management). 301-600-1596. strice@umd.edu. bit.ly/FCMG23FamilyGarden.

Freedom BANG class — 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Walkersville Public Library, 2 S. Glade Road, Walkersville. Freedom Bang is a pre-choreographed fusion of boxing, HIIT, hip hop, world dance, optional weighted gloves and just a touch of attitude. Offering a wide range of intensity options to help you customize your workout. Ages 18 and older. 301-600-8200. AWadding@ FrederickCountyMD.gov. fcpl.org.

All About Bees: Honey Tasting & Hive

Tour with Laith Nichols — 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Fox Haven Farm & Retreat Center, 3630 Poffenberger Road, Jefferson. Learn about the amazing biology and behavior of honey bees, how honey is made, and the importance of all bees and other pollinators in the production of food. This class can is geared towards anyone interested in the amazing world of honey bees! Weather permitting, a hive opening tour of our apiary is included. Participants are welcome to pack a picnic to enjoy on the land before or after class. $17. 240-490-5484. alecks@ foxhavenfarm.org. foxhavenfarm.org/events/all-about-beeshoney-tasting-hive-tour-with-laith-nichols.

Zumba Saturdays at the Library — 10:15 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Urbana Regional Library, 9020 Amelung St., Frederick. Ready to exercise! Ready to dance! Ready to shake off the pounds? Come on in for Zumba at the Library on Saturday mornings through May 27. Ages 18 and older.

301-600-7004. marchange-desir@ frederickcountymd.gov. frederick.librarycalendar.com/event/ zumba-saturdays-library-8.

Target Fitness: Fitness for Busy People

— 11 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. at Urbana Regional Library, 9020 Amelung St., Frederick. How will you get it all done and make time to get and stay in shape? Veronika Farkas of Group X Athletics will help make it all come together. 18 and older.

301-600-7004. marchange-desir@ frederickcountymd.gov. frederick.librarycalendar.com/ event/target-fitness-fitness-busy-people.

Edible Landscaping and Straw Bale Home Tour — 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.. A fruitful tour of edible and ecological landscapes. Learn how to successfully create abundant landscapes with little to no maintenance. Food forests, mushrooms, swale gardens, living willow structures, hügelkultur beds, herb spirals, kiwi arbors, pawpaw groves and a circular strawbale home. Tastings included. Lead by author and edible landscape designer Michael Judd at Long Creek Homestead. $65. 301-663-3416. aharmon@ commonmarket.coop. commonmarket.coop/classes-events /edible-landscaping-and-straw-bale-hometour-offsite-2.

ETCETERA

Thurmont Main Street Farmers Market — 9 a.m. to noon at Thurmont Community Park, 21 Frederick Road, Thurmont. Every Saturday through Oct. 7. Home-made, home-grown. One of the largest farmers markets in Frederick County. A different food truck every

Saturday. 240-626-9980. vgrinder@thurmontstaff.com. thurmontmainstreet.com.

JustServe Volunteer Fair — 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-day Saints, 199 North Place, Frederick. Meet nonprofit organizations, government agencies and faith-based groups from around the county to find out where help is needed.

Human Library — 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at The C. Burr Artz Public Library, 110 E. Patrick St., Frederick. Human Library events are meant to provide a safe space where volunteers act as “open books,” sharing their lived experiences with prejudice and discrimination to facilitate dialogue with “readers” who “check the books out” by taking time to listen to their story. Titles of the “books” include “Breaking Through Glass Ceilings,” War Refugees: From Being One to Helping Others,” “Teaching to Learn and Learning to Teach” and “First Women of the First Responders” among others. 301-600-1629. fcpl.org.

‘Frederick During the Civil War’ Walking Tour — 10:30 a.m. to noon at Museum of Frederick County History/Heritage Frederick, 24 E. Church St., Frederick. Explore what it was like to live in Frederick during the Civil War. Stories include the last Confederate invasion of the North, the ransom of Frederick, and the Battle of Monocacy. The museum and garden open at 10 a.m. for walk-up ticket sales and appreciation; tours start promptly at 10:30 a.m. and last 90 minutes.

$12, $10, $8. director@FrederickHistory.org. frederickhistory.org/programs/adults/ walking-tours.

Porch Program: “Combat Readiness Through Medicine at the Battle of Antietam” — 11:30 a.m. at Newcomer House, 18422 Shepherdstown Pike, Keedysville. Also at 2 p.m. Historian, author and musician George Wunderlich, director of the Army Medical Department Museum, will speak about his new book, co-authored with Scott C. Woodward and Wayne Randolph Austerman. This in-depth research highlights important medical innovations and improvements gained from the deadliest one-day battle in US history, the Battle of Antietam, Sept. 17, 1862. Free autographed copies of the book will be given out while supplies last. 240-308-1740. rachel@heartofthecivilwar.org. heartofthecivilwar.org.

“Spirit Reunion” — Special Mother’s Day Event — noon to 2 p.m. at Canapes Catering, 550 Highland St., Suite 100, Frederick. Join Sharon for this event that will give you a new perspective, a peaceful heart and a place for healing. Sharon’s unique gift and presentation reveals that connections do exist beyond the physical world. If you have ever wondered if miracles are real and if loved ones still have a significant role in our lives then don’t miss the “Spirit Reunion” and show up ready to have a life changing experience. $65. 240-772-1273. authorsharonprice@gmail.com. authorsharonprice.com/events-classes.

Schifferstadt Architectural Museum — 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Schifferstadt Architectural Museum, 1110 Rosemont Ave., Frederick. Explore the home of Frederick’s pioneer family, the Brunners. Built in 1758, it is the oldest surviving building in the city and a National Historic Landmark. Inside is the only known example of a German heating system that provided safe, clean, energy-efficient radiant heat. Learn the story of the desperate German immigrants who fled dire conditions in Europe and came to prominence in Frederick County. Walk in for a guided tour. $8 for adults, free for under age 12. 301-4564912. boycerensberger@gmail.com. fredericklandmarks.org.

Ghost Tours of Historic Frederick — 7:45 p.m. to 9:15 p.m. at Brewer’s Alley Restaurant and Brewery, 124 N. Market St., Frederick. Journey through Frederick’s gruesome and bloody past. Nearly 300 years of war, executions and revenge. True documented stories of the paranormal with Maryland’s oldest operating Ghost Tour. Uncover political savvy and defiant citizens, patriots from the Revolutionary War, beckoning soldiers from the Civil War. Reservations recommended.

$15. info@marylandghosttours.com. marylandghosttours.com.

FAMILY

Ballenger Creek Trail and Stream Clean-Up — 10 a.m. to noon at meet at the Ballenger Creek Community Center, 5420 Ballenger Creek Pike, Frederick. This event, organized by the Division of Energy and Environment, will supply volunteers with tools (gloves, bags, litter grabbers). Wear sturdy, closed-toe shoes, old clothes, sunscreen, bug spray, and bring work gloves and a water bottle. Space is limited, RSVP required.

301-385-7226. scliber@frederickcountymd. gov. frederickcountymd.gov/7564/ Litter-and-Floatables.

“The Commedia Cinderella” — 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Maryland Ensemble Theatre, 31 W. Patrick St., Frederick. A lively troupe of commedia players love the story of Cinderella so much the try to improve upon it. Arlequin, the mischief-maker, boasts about getting the role of the prince. But Columbine gives Punchin the prince’s role making. Arlequin the prince’s servant instead! Full of slapstick shenanigans, dance, music and with this re-telling of the classic tale gets a wonderful Commedia dell’arte spin. $15. 301-694-4744. zcallis@ marylandensemble.org.

Children’s Writing Workshop: “Spring Rains and Cinquains” — 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. at Thurmont Regional Library, 76 E. Moser Road, Thurmont. You’ve probably heard about short forms of poetry, such as haiku and limerick, but in this workshop we’re going to play with an unusual form called the cinquain. Join Jeff Lockwood, the Catoctin Mountain Park artistin-residence.  The “rules” for a cinquain are few and invite writers to explore the natural world using short, evocative lines that capture their sense of joy and wonder.

“The Commedia Cinderella” — 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Maryland Ensemble Theatre,

31 W. Patrick St., Frederick. A lively troupe of commedia players love the story of Cinderella so much the try to improve upon it. Arlequin, the mischief-maker, boasts about getting the role of the prince. But Columbine gives Punchin the prince’s role making. Arlequin the prince’s servant instead! Full of slapstick shenanigans, dance, music and with this re-telling of the classic tale gets a wonderful Commedia dell’arte spin. $15. 301-694-4744. zcallis@ marylandensemble.org.

FESTIVALS

National Train Day Open House — 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Western Maryland Railway Historical Society, 41 N. Main St., Union Bridge. See the history of the Western Maryland Railway both in Carroll County and Maryland. The Museum collection is housed in a 121-year-old railroad station and office building.  See trains from full-size to small model trains of all sizes scales. Hot dog stand, children’s ID program table. 410-259-7649. wmrhs1@verizon.net. westernmarylandrhs.com.

Bethesda Fine Arts Festival — 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Norfolk Streetery, Bethesda. Continues May 14. Over 120 of the nation’s best contemporary artists, live entertainment and Bethesda restaurants. Artists will have the opportunity to sell their original paintings, photography, furniture, jewelry, woodwork, ceramics, and more in downtown Bethesda. 301-215-6660. edavis@bethesda.org. bethesda.org/arts/artsfestival.htm.

Maryland Craft & Beer Festival — noon to 5 p.m. at Carroll Creek Linear Park, 44 S. Market St., Frederick. Hosted by the Brewers Association of Md. Dozens of Md. breweries, live music, food and craft vendors $45 and up, $15 for designated driver. mdcraftbeerfestival.com.

GALLERY

Wolfsville Chainsaw Carving & Artisan Festival — 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Wolfsville Ruritan Park, 12708 Brandenburg Hollow Road, Myersville. Chainsaw and blacksmith demonstrations. All vendors selling handmade items. Live auction 3 p.m. Wolfsville Ruritan’s slippery pot pie lunch 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. (301-293-2426 to pre-order quarts to go).

240-818-9883. caseysmeadow@gmail.com.

HEALTH

BANG Class — 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Walkersville LIbrary, 2 S. Glade Road, Walkersville. Freedom Bang is a prechoreographed fusion of boxing, HIIT, hip-hop, world dance, optional weighted gloves and just a touch of attitude.  Offering a wide range of intensity options to help you customize your workout.

301-600-8200. awadding@ frederickcountymd.gov. fcpl.org.

MUSIC

“Over There! The CASF Celebrates D-Day in Normandy, France” Concert — 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Jack B Kussmaul Theater

at Frederick Community College, 7932 Opossumtown Pike, Frederick. Join The CASF as we conclude our 2022-2023 season with selections from the concerts which we will be performing this June in Normandy, France, as representatives of the U.S. and the great city of Frederick! Proudly sponsored by PNC Bank.

$15. tickets@casof.org.

FCC Orchestra Ensemble — 7 p.m. at Frederick Community College | Visual & Performing Arts Center | JBK Theater, 7932 Opossumtown Pike, Frederick. A classic FCC Orchestra Ensemble concert! Lynn Fleming and ensemble members are ready to deliver a great mix of music for strings as well as some fun surprises along the way.

Joyride — 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. at Cactus Flats, 10026 Hansonville Road, Frederick. Rock ‘n’ roll. 21 and older.

Boz Scaggs in Concert — 8 p.m. at The National Theatre, 1321 Pennsylania Ave. NW, Washington, DC. It’s appropriate that Boz Scaggs’ new album is “Out of the Blues,” since the blues is what first sparked his fivedecade musical career. $60 and up. broadwayatthenational.com.

PERFORMER

Cult Filmmaker John Waters “End of the World” Spoken Word Show — 8 p.m. at Carroll Arts Center, 91 W. Main St., Westminster. An all-new, fast-moving, comic monologue about today’s despair and diseases presented by cult favorite filmmaker and artist, John Waters. Fans can also purchase an additional ticket ($50) for Group Therapy, a short private post-show Q&A with John on the Carroll Arts Center stage. Group Therapy ticket holders will receive a free signed poster. There will be no opportunity to take photos during the show, but a selfieopp with John is possible during this private post-show event.

$75. 410-848-7272. carrollcountyartscouncil.org.

THEATER

“Church Basement Ladies” — 6 p.m. at Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre, 5 Willowdale Drive, Frederick . In 1965 rural Minnesota, the ladies of the local Lutheran church fortify their flock with love, wisdom, and the food they prepare in the church’s basement kitchen. In Church Basement Ladies, we meet the pastor, three cooks, and one daughter who run the kitchen and care for the congregation. This funny musical comedy sees the four women handle a Lutefisk Dinner, a funeral, an Easter Fundraiser, and, of course, a wedding. Doors open at 12:30 p.m. first, third and fifth Sundays; 6 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through May 20. Show follows lunch/dinner buffet.

$55 Fridays and Sunday matinees, $59 Saturdays. 301-662-8200. wayoffbroadway.com.

“Clue!” — 6 p.m. at Washington County Playhouse, 44 N. Potomac St., Hagerstown. Based on the iconic 1985 Paramount movie which was inspired by the classic Hasbro board game, Clue is a hilarious farce-meets-

murder mystery. The tale begins at a remote mansion, where six mysterious guests assemble for an unusual dinner party where murder and blackmail are on the menu. When their host turns up dead, they all become suspects. Show preceded by dinner. Select Sunday matinees. Friday and Saturday through May 27.

$63 adults, includes dinner; $57 for active military and first responders; $53 ages 5-12. 301-739-7469. washingtoncountyplayhouse.com.

“The Spell” — 7 p.m. at The Maryland Theatre, 21 S. Potomac St., Hagerstown. Also 3 p.m. May 14. By City Ballet and the Maryland Symphony Orchestra. Features a cast of 100 local and guest dancers. Original score by composer Arshak Sirunyan, choreography and stage design by Danielle Horochowski and theatrical animation design by Mitch Stark. $24 to $86. 301-790-2000. mdtheatre.org.

“South & Saints” — 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Maryland Ensemble Theatre, 31 W. Patrick St., Frederick. A MET original premiere. Directed by Ray Hatch. In collaboration with AARCH and The Maryland Room at C. Burr Artz Library, exploring the rich and colorful history of the African American community in Frederick. 18 and older.

$5 to $32. 301-694-4744. zcallis@ marylandensemble.org.

Sunday May 14

ETCETERA

Breakfast Fundraiser — 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Union Bridge Fire Co., 8 W. Locust St., Union Bridge. All-you-can-eat pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage biscuits, sausage gravy, puddin’, hominy, muffins and more. Benefits the fire company; cancelled if snow emergency plan is in effect. Prices subject to change as market prices dictate. $10 adults, $5 for ages 6-12, under 6 free, $12 for carry out. 410-775-7422 or 443-5479477.

Second Sunday Tree Walk with the Frederick County Forestry Board — 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at City of Frederick, Rec Center or Pergola, City of Frederick. Guided tour with the Frederick County Forestry Board. Learn how to identify common local trees and hear fun facts about each on a tour with the board’s expert guides. Registration required. Free. 301-473-8417. sonia@demirayink.com. frederick.forestryboard.org/tree-walk.

Cemetery History & Mystery Tour — 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Mount Olivet Cemetery, 515 S. Market St., Frederick. Discover Frederick’s past as you navigate through the labyrinth of graves, crypts and monuments of historic Mount Olivet Cemetery, one of Maryland’s largest and most beautiful cemeteries. Final resting place of Francis Scott Key, Thomas Johnson and Civil War heroine Barbara Fritchie.

$15 for adults. 301-668-8922. Info@ marylandghosttours.com. marylandghosttours.com.

Schifferstadt Architectural Museum — 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Schifferstadt Architectural Museum, 1110 Rosemont Ave., Frederick. Explore the home of Frederick’s pioneer family, the Brunners. Built in 1758, it is the oldest surviving building in the city and a National Historic Landmark. Inside is the only known example of a German heating system that provided safe, clean, energy-efficient radiant heat. Learn the story of the desperate German immigrants who fled dire conditions in Europe and came to prominence in Frederick County. Walk in for a guided tour. $8 for adults, free for under age 12. 301-4564912. boycerensberger@gmail.com. fredericklandmarks.org.

FAMILY

Mother’s Day Special at Green Meadows Farm — 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Green Meadows Petting Farm, 10102 Fingerboard Road, Ijamsville. Moms get in free to the petting farm with a paid admission. The farm opens at 10 a.m. with admissions up until 3 p.m. (close at 4:30 p.m). Feed the friendly farm animals, go on a hay ride, and watch pigs race along with all the hands-on you want with our many farm animals. Large play area for kids.

$16 (credit) for ages 2 to 82. 301-865-9203. info@greenmeadowsevents.com. greenmeadowsevents.com/rates/ mothers-day.

Mother’s Day Food Truck Sunday — 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Brook Hill United Methodist Church, 8946 Indian Springs Road, Frederick. Free family activities and games. Food available for purchase from local food trucks. Free dessert.Purchase a gift for mom at the youth group fundraiser —  Come out and enjoy our beautiful picnic area and fire pit!   Free. 301-662-1727. childrens_ministry@ bhumc.org.

“The Commedia Cinderella” — 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Maryland Ensemble Theatre, 31 W. Patrick St., Frederick. A lively troupe of commedia players love the story of Cinderella so much the try to improve upon it. Arlequin, the mischief-maker, boasts about getting the role of the prince. But Columbine gives Punchin the prince’s role making. Arlequin the prince’s servant instead! Full of slapstick shenanigans, dance, music and with this re-telling of the classic tale gets a wonderful Commedia dell’arte spin. $15. 301-694-4744. zcallis@ marylandensemble.org.

FESTIVALS

Bethesda Fine Arts Festival — 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Norfolk Streetery, Bethesda. Continues May 14. Over 120 of the nation’s best contemporary artists, live entertainment and Bethesda restaurants. Artists will have the opportunity to sell their original paintings, photography, furniture, jewelry, woodwork, ceramics, and more in downtown Bethesda. 301-215-6660. edavis@bethesda.org. bethesda.org/arts/artsfestival.htm.

Mount Airy Spring Faire — 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Mount Airy Volunteer Fire Company’s Carnival Grounds, 1008 Twin Arch Road, Mount Airy. Live music, entertainment,

CALENDAR

booths from local artisans, farms, businesses and organizations, plant sales, presentations, a cornhole tournament, raffles and games, food trucks and more. 240-772-1141. info@ mountairymainstreet.org. mountairymainstreet.org/ event-details/mt-airy-spring-faire.

MUSIC

Gettysburg Chamber Orchestra Concert

— 4 p.m. at United Lutheran Seminary Chapel, 147 Seminary Ridge, Gettysburg, Pa. Featured soloist will be Tami Petty, who will sing the famous “Four Last Songs” by Richard Strauss and two arias from Puccini’s operas “Tosca” and “Madam Butterfly.” 717-334-5508. musicgettysburg.org.

THEATER

“Church Basement Ladies” — 12:30 p.m. at Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre, 5 Willowdale Drive, Frederick . In 1965 rural Minnesota, the ladies of the local Lutheran church fortify their flock with love, wisdom, and the food they prepare in the church’s basement kitchen. In Church Basement Ladies, we meet the pastor, three cooks, and one daughter who run the kitchen and care for the congregation. This funny musical comedy sees the four women handle a Lutefisk Dinner, a funeral, an Easter Fundraiser, and, of course, a wedding. Doors open at 12:30 p.m. first, third and fifth Sundays; 6 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through May 20. Show follows lunch/dinner buffet.

$55 Fridays and Sunday matinees, $59 Saturdays. 301-662-8200. wayoffbroadway.com.

Monday May 15 CLASSES

The Art of Lei Making — 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Kentlands Mansion, 320 Kent Square Road, Gaithersburg. Join a celebration of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month with a Native Hawaiian cultural workshop led by Kumu Kaimana Chee of Halau Nohona Hawai’i. He will give a brief history and background of the lei, a floral garland common in Hawai’i that symbolizes love, friendship, celebration, honor, or greetings. Participants will also learn how to make their own lei and enjoy a traditional Hawaiian chant and hula performance in honor of the lei. All flower and lei making supplies are included in the registration.

$45 resident, $50 non-resident. 301-2586425. kentlands@gaithersburgmd.gov.

Sol Yoga — 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Walkersville Library, 2 S. Glade Road, Walkersville. Join us for this free yoga class offered by Sol Yoga.  Wear comfortable clothes. 21 and older. 301-600-8200. fcpl.org.

Meditative Dance Movement — 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at FAC Art Center, 5 E. Second St., Frederick. The dance experience starts with a brief guided meditation involving breathing, stretching, shaking and gentle yoga-like

movements to help become more heartcentered and embodied. Then, dance music starts slow and then ramps up over time. $10. laurabsherwood@gmail.com.

ETCETERA

Teen Stress Relief with WAGS — 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Urbana Regional Library, 9020 Amelung St., Frederick. Are end of semester exams and finals stressing you out?! Join us for a calming evening with the wonderful WAGS therapy dogs. Relaxing music and activities provided. For teens.

301-600-7000. lconforti@frederickcountymd. gov. frederick.librarycalendar.com/event/ teen-stress-relief-wags.

MUSIC

Jazz at Baker Park — 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Baker Park Band Shell, North Bentz and Second streets, Frederick. FCC’s Jazz Ensemble II is an advanced jazz combo is comprised of Frederick Community College students and community members of all ages.

301-846-2566. mgersten@frederick.edu. frederick.edu/music.

Tuesday May 16

CLASSES

Garden Talk #3 of 4: Medicinal Uses of Herbs in the Garden at Monterey Pass — 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Civil War Garden at Monterey Pass Battlefield Park, 14325 Buchanan Trail East, Waynesboro, Pa. Pharmacist & Master Gardener Greg Susla will conduct attendees through the garden with an eye to exploring the various herbs cultivated there. He will discuss the medicinal uses of herbs during Civil War times — whether ingested, steeped into a tea or applied topically — and also talk about whether any of the herbs have a medical use today. Free, but space is limited and registration is required.

717-762-0373. info@ natureandcultureinstitute.org.

ETCETERA

Cotivation Sprints — 8:30 a.m. at Cowork Frederick, 122 E. Patrick St., Frederick. Whether it’s bookkeeping, proposals, marketing or clearing your inbox, Cotivation(tm) Sprints will help you focus and get it done. Join others for a structured, healthy, productive day of coworking. We’ll kick things off at 8:30 a.m., share our goal(s) for the day, then hunker down and get to work.

$30. 240-772-1295. ainsley@ coworkfrederickfoundation.org. coworkfrederick.com/cotivation.

Clothes Closet — 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Thurmont United Methodist Church, 13880 Long Road, Thurmont. Free clothing to men, women and children. 301-271-4511.

Teen Mindful Studio: Grateful Creations

— 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Urbana Regional Library, 9020 Amelung St., Frederick. Make,

practice or try new mindfulness techniques using library materials in Teen Mindful Studio. This month: practice gratitude with a relaxing and calming art project. No pressure, just have fun! Snacks provided. 301-600-7000. lconforti@frederickcountymd. gov. frederick.librarycalendar.com/event/ teen-mindful-studio-grateful-creations.

Pride On The Patio — 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Showroom, 882 N. East St., Fredrick. Weekly LGBTQIA social mixer. Relaxed an casual. Happy hour pricing, full menu available; drink special Gender Fluid. 21 and older. 240-409-8858. prideonthepatio@gmail.com. facebook.com/PrideOnThePatio.

Home Safety 101 — 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Urbana Regional Library, 9020 Amelung St., Frederick. Before the vacation season begins, get some great tips on home safety from FCPL and Chad Smith of Comparion Insurance Agency. 21 and older. 301-600-7000. jincolla-moore@ frederickcountymd.gov. frederick.librarycalendar.com/event/ home-safety-101.

Frederick County 275th: Historic Ghost Walk — 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Urbana Regional Library, 9020 Amelung St., Frederick. Celebrate Frederick County’s 275th anniversary with a spooky historical walk around Urbana. We will start at the Urbana Library steps and take a short walk through the neighborhood while discussing historical sites and ghostly tales that have taken place right here in Frederick County! 301-600-7000. lconforti@frederickcountymd. gov. frederick.librarycalendar.com/event/ frederick-county-275th-historic-ghost-walk.

FILM

Art Center Bijou — 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at FAC Art Center, 5 E. Second St., Frederick. Meet on the second, third and fourth Tuesdays for Bijou, a curation of films presented by Falling Squares. Brief discussion of the film(s) after the viewing. 301-662-4190. artcenter@ frederickartscouncil.org. frederickartscouncil.org/news-events/ calendar-grid.

Wednesday May 17 CLASSES

Mount Airy Knitters — 10 a.m. to noon at Carroll County Public Library, Mount Airy Branch, 705 Ridge Ave., Mount Airy. For adults. Join the Mount Airy Knitters for a weekly roundtable of knitting, conversation, and fun. All experience levels are welcome. 410-386-4470. ask@carr.org. ccpl.librarymarket.com/event/ mount-airy-knitters-58.

Surviving Hardship: How Adopting a Trauma Informed Approach Promotes Healing and Resiliency” — 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Frederick Community College Conference Center, Building E, 7932 Opossumtown Pike, Frederick. A panel of survivors and local experts discuss the

importance of approaching trauma and its influence on people and organizations through a trauma informed lens. 18 and older. rachelmandelmd@gmail.com.

Mixology: The Basics of Cocktail Tools, Ingredients and Recipe Development

— 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Tenth Ward Distilling Company, 55 E. Patrick St., Frederick. By the end of this interactive two-hour course, participants will be able to use and identify standard mixology tools such as shakers, strainers, jiggers and more; know the building blocks of a standard cocktail; understand how cocktail ingredients such as simple syrups and garnishes are prepared; and identify a number of classic cocktails. Participants will also have the opportunity to craft and enjoy their own cocktail and taste and learn about a number of complex cocktails developed by the Tenth Ward team. Must be 21 to register. $34. 301-624-2727. mkrzywicki@frederick.edu.

ETCETERA

“America 250 Speakers Series” — 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Frederick Community College, 7932 Opossumtown Pike, Frederick. Popular Frederick County historian Chris Haugh will present “Stories in Stone: Patriots of ‘76 in Frederick’s Mount Olivet Cemetery.” Haugh is an award-winning researcher, writer and documentary-filmmaker. He is now the staff historian and preservation manager at Mount Olivet Cemetery, and he writes the cemetery’s “Stories in Stone” blog.  571-235 4649. douglasjones.dj51@gmail. com. mdssar.org/lawrenceeverhart.html.

Adult Writing Workshop: “Minute Memoirs” — 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Thurmont Regional Library, 76 E. Moser Road, Thurmont. Writing the story of your life is a common goal for many people, but one that is rarely achieved. This workshop will absolutely assure your success in this regard. Led by Jeff Lockwood, Catoctin Mountain Park artist-in-residence.

HEALTH

Gentle Yoga Class for All — 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. at The Common Market Co-op, 927 W. Seventh St., Frederick. This class is the perfect intro for a new student or an experienced yogi that is wanting to fill their cup with an accessible and supportive yoga practice. There will be plenty of modifications offered to meet various levels so that ALL can enjoy the benefits of yoga. The practice will include low impact movement, seated postures and plenty of stretching. Students will become comfortable using props like blocks, straps and even the occasional chair. 301-663-3416. aharmon@commonmarket.coop.

MUSIC

Joe Keyes Improv Jazz — 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at FAC Art Center, 5 E. Second St., Frederick. Joe Keyes leads his nine-piece Late Bloomer Band through a fresh concoction of funk, R&B, soul, rock, and jazz. 301-662-4190. artcenter@frederickartscouncil.org. frederickartscouncil.org/news-events/ calendar-grid.

FERRY

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can prepare to board and enjoy the many amenities. Be sure to watch a ferry or two come in to get a feel for the choreography. It helps to build anticipation too! The terminals in Cape May and Lewes are both charming and functional, complete with restaurants, gift shops, historical information, play areas for the kids, pleasant walking areas, occasional outdoor entertainment and wonderful breezes.

First, you’ll drive up to the toll booth, present your reservation and be issued a ticket. Then you’ll be directed to the staging area, where you’ll queue up in numbered lanes according to your arrival time and other factors such as vehicle size. Next, you can depart your vehicle and enjoy the amenities or stay with your car. I highly recommend you leave your vehicle behind and head for the terminal for all the fun.

Finally, about 20 minutes prior to boarding, you’ll be called back to your vehicle to prepare to board. Once on the ferry, you’ll be directed to park

“nose to tail” with other vehicles on the lower deck, depart your vehicle and head upstairs to enjoy your cruise.

SIZE DOESN’T MATTER

Don’t worry about the size of your vehicle. The ferry can accommodate vehicles as large as RVs, tour buses and even large tractor trailers carrying interstate cargo. Your heavy duty pickup or plus-size SUV will only engender yawns from the helpful staff. Bikes and motorcycles are welcome, too.

Having your vehicle along is handy if you plan to venture up to Atlantic City for gambling or a show or points further north, but it’s not necessary. The ferry drops you off just a short walk from historic Cape May along the Cape May Canal. Shuttles are also available.

During our last trip, we headed up to Atlantic City to see Boz Scaggs in concert for my wife’s birthday, but we saw many folks with just their bicycles along for cycling around Cape May, and many others who had nothing with them but their smiles. They obviously planned to walk around Cape May and return to Lewes on a later cruise. We even

saw some unaccompanied teenagers dressed for a day at the beach.

ON THE FERRY

On board, you will enjoy snacks and light fare from the grab and go areas and beer, wine, cocktails and soft drinks from the outdoor Lido bars.

Numerous first-come, first-served indoor and outdoor seating options abound, but I highly recommend standing for your hour and a half voyage outside (if you can and weather-permitting), so you can easily move around the vessel to enjoy different sightseeing vantage points. You’ll enjoy spotting far away lighthouses, picturesque harbors, bobbing buoys, strange-looking seabirds and humongous oceangoing vessels.

If you’re lucky, you might even spot dolphins or whales playing in the sun or the ominous fin of a shark protruding from the water. The vessels are safe and smooth-sailing, but you’ll still want to hold onto the railings as you cut swiftly through the water.

CAPE MAY

Cape May, New Jersey, is known for its stunning homes that go back to the Victorian era, charming, walkable streets and pristine beaches on Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. It has the distinction of being the oldest seaside resort in America. Be sure to visit the Cape May Lighthouse and the World War II Lookout Tower on Cape May Point and the Fisherman’s Memorial on Cape May Harbor.

LEWES

Lewes is a small but growing town that was one of the earliest founded towns in America. It is home to amazing views of the Atlantic Ocean and numerous waterfront dining establishment. It is well worth getting up early to watch the sun come up in the east over the Atlantic Ocean.

Gary Bennett is a longtime Frederick resident who spends his time hiking, biking, volunteering and providing childcare for grandchildren. He is married and retired from his career as a nonprofit marketing executive.