2010-12-23 Southern Calvert Gazette

December, 2010

Priceless

Gazette

Southern Calvert Everything Solomons, Lusby, Dowell, and St. Leonard

New Commissioners Get to Work PAGE 12

Navy Chiefs Taking on Next Habitat Build Story Page 4

Fundraising Efforts Working For ‘Our Lady’ Story Page 15

Photo by Frank Marquart

On T he Cover

Calvert County Commissioners, Evan Slaughenhoupt, left, Steve Weems, Jerry Clark, Susan Shaw and Pat Nutter were sworn-in Tuesday morning and got to right with their first official meeting.

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Also Inside

Local News

7 Community 11 Defense 12

Cover Story

14 Letters

community

The Dominion Foundation provided $25,000 in grants to help compete the Patuxent Habitat for Humanity house being built in Prince Frederick. Pictured is Patuxent Habitat President Dan Doherty, left, Habitat board member Larry Miller, Mike Gardner, manager of LNG operations for Dominion Cove Point, homeowners Joyce Lester and Gladys Long, President of Calvert Co. Commissioners Wilson Parran, and Del. Tony O’Donnell. PAGE 7

15 Locals 16 Obituaries 18 Delegate 19 Education

A new system of radar and cameras will keep watch over the waters of the Chesapeake Bay to bolster both search and rescue efforts by first responders as well as to keep tabs on criminal activity. PAGE 5

20 History 21

Out & About

22 Hunting 23 Entertainment

community

out & about

This year for the annual Winter Celtic Music Festival, the Celtic Society of Southern Maryland presents Solas, known as one of the most popular Celtic bands to emerge from the United States. PAGE 8

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FOR EVENTS HAPPENING IN YOUR AREA, CHECK PAGE 21 IN OUT AND ABOUT

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Clarke Sentencing Postponed

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St. Mary’s County Circuit Court judge postponed the sentencing of Terry Clarke, who pleaded guilty to firing on young hunters near his property three years ago and became a grand jury witness in the criminal investigation of attorney John Mattingly and Daniel Brown’s alleged involvement in bribing the victims on his behalf. But, the judge shot down the defense’s motion to have the state’s attorney’s office ejected from the case.

Attorney Robert Bonsib argued that the prosecutor seeking the sentencing against Clarke, Daniel White, was too closely tied to the case and the ensuing political overtones that boiled over in the past election when Mattingly ran for state’s attorney while being indicted for numerous alleged crimes by that office.

“Mr. Clarke has been the recipient of a lot of collateral damage,” Bonsib said of his client’s relationship to the Mat-

tingly and Brown investigation. “Mr. Clarke has been an emotional wreck … he is desirous of having this resolved in the right time and the right way.”

White refuted Bonsib’s arguments, which were laid out in a court filing last week, by stating that Clarke’s sentencing was solely about the assault and gun charges he pleaded guilty to in January of 2009.

“He took an AR-15 [assault rifle] and unloaded 30 rounds at these three young men who are here today,” White said.

Clarke, co-owner of the Tiki Bar in Solomons Island and publisher of Southern Maryland Today newspaper in St. Mary’s County, was arrested in December of 2007 for firing on three young men who were duck hunting near his property on St. Andrews Church Road. Clarke, who holds a felony drug conviction from 1986, was found to be in illegal possession of many firearms and ammunition when police searched his home, record show.

In all, Clarke faces up to 75 years in prison for the 41 counts against him, which include first-degree assault, reckless endangerment and being a felon in possession of firearms.

For the past several years Clarke had been cooperating

Oyster Aquaculture Planned Near Myrtle Point

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he Combs family wants to start an oyster hatch- over how they make a living. ery in the waters just off of Myrtle Point Park in Initial reports from the corps of engineers show that the Patuxent River, and they are one step closer there is no danger to threatened or endangered species but it as the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers is seeking public com- might have a minor impact on local fish populations. ment on the project.

According to project maps from the corps of engineers The Combs family have spent at least the past three the Combs family project consists of three separate areas years in pursuit of the aquaculture project, negotiating with where the oyster seed would grow: two of them would be in state agencies and navigating the halls of government to Mill Creek, one close to the Patuxent River with the other get licensing fees down to a more manageable level, and close to Sam Abell Cove. The third site would be placed have submitted their plan, which calls for oyster growing on right off the shoreline of Myrtle Point Park in the Patuxent submerged platforms as well platforms floating on the water.

Raymond Combs Jr., who is working with his father through the permitting process, said that the family was able to successfully lobby for a bill to reduce the fees.

“It would’ve been $75,000. It was illogical,” Combs said, noting that the state’s initial fees for starting aquaculture were prohibitive.

Combs said the amount of work in getting the engineering and other planning drawings done has been difficult (Combs is a surveyor) and there is still a long wait to see if the state will provide the lease.

Auto - Home - Business - Life “The struggle we’re going Serving Southern MD through is frustrating, it’s unbeLeonardtown (301) 475-3151 lievable the hoops we have to go through,” Combs said. “But if LaPlata (301) 934-8437 we can get a process going that Bryans Road (301) 743-9000 works, it’ll eventually convince www.danburris.com the watermen.”

The state has pushed for the licensing of river bottom and surface area throughout Maryland to help replenish the dwindling oyster population. Watermen have protested the high costs of establishing an oyster aquaculture program as too high, but the state has made subsidized loans available in an attempt to entice them to switch

LOCAL NEWS

with the state’s attorney’s office in the case against Mattingly, who was indicted and re-indicted in 2009 and 2010 along with Brown for allegedly taking $20,000 of Clarke’s money and using it to bribe the shooting victims to drop their case.

Those charges against Mattingly were dropped by a special prosecutor later appointed in the case, Isabelle Cumming, and he was also found not guilty on all counts of a land fraud and theft case tried earlier this year.

Judge William Missiouri, chief administrative judge for the 7th Judicial Circuit, said that while State’s Attorney Richard Fritz may have requested Cumming take over the case, that did not mean that he gave up his office’s right to prosecute Clarke in this separate matter.

“The State’s Attorney has never abandoned jurisdiction in this case,” said Missouri, who was visiting from Prince George’s County. “There is no reason why the state’s attorney should be recused from this case.” By Guy Leonard

(CT) info@somdpublishing.net

River.

In total the three oyster growing areas encompass just under 11 acres of either river bottom or surface water.

The first growth area is planned for floating aquaculture of oyster seed, project documents state, with a minimum of 20 feet between each row tied together and anchored by ground tackle.

The other sites would be for growing more mature oysters below the river surface, about one foot from the actual bottom tethered by line and more ground tackle, documents read. By Guy Leonard (CT) info@somdpublishing.net

Thursday, December-2010

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LOCAL NEWS Fines Paid to MDE For Environmental Violations

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he Maryland Department of the Environment recently announced several major enforcement actions for alleged violations of MDE requirements for water, land, air or radiation management in the Southern Maryland region.

In Calvert County, these actions included: • Wayson Land Holdings Limited Partnership: On Oct. 26, Wayson Land Holdings Limited Partnership paid a $600 penalty to the Maryland Clean Water Fund to resolve alleged violations including performing earth disturbance greater than one acre at the Clyde Jones Road Industrial Flex Space Units construction project located in Owings without a stormwater discharge permit; • Calvert County Department of Public Works: On Oct. 14, the Calvert County Department of Public Works paid $9,600 to resolve three alleged unauthorized discharges of wastewater from the Solomons Wastewater Treatment Plant and Collection System. Corrective actions have been taken to resolve the problem; and • Erdman Healthcare Facilities Company: On Oct. 14, Erdman Healthcare Facilities Company paid $53,550 to the Clean Water Fund to resolve alleged sediment control and general discharge permit violations that occurred at the Calvert Medical Arts Center construction project. Corrective actions have been taken to address the alleged violations and the project is now complete.

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Thursday, December-2010

Eroding Cliffs Endanger Homes, Septic Systems

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hen Phyllis Bonfield and Marcia Seifert bought their Calvert Cliffs home six years ago, they were looking forward to a peaceful retirement in a quiet Chesapeake Bay community.

What they got instead was a succession of erosion-related dramas: the loss of more than 30 feet from their backyard at the edge of the cliff, a three-year battle with government agencies for permission to build a breakwater to control the erosion, and a major septic system failure that flooded the first floor of their 2,000-square-foot home with raw sewage.

“We’ve both worked a lot of years to be able to have this little piece of heaven, and so it’s been stressful,” Bonfield, 68, says.

“It’s not what we had hoped for.”

Bonfield’s and Seifert’s home is one of 234 Calvert County houses standing within 100 feet of the county’s cliffs, which are eroding at an average rate of up to two feet a year, according to state and county officials.

Not one of those houses is connected to a public sewer line.

And with many of them more than 20 years old, the potential exists for under-maintained backyard septic systems to erode into the Chesapeake Bay. An individual septic system consists of an underground tank -- with a 1,500-gallon capacity for a three-bedroom house -- and retention chambers in which solid sewage settles. Liquids drain out of the tank into a septic drain field, an underground system of perforated pipes surrounded by gravel.

Septic tanks should be cleaned out every two years and replaced every 20 years, says Paul McFaden, Maryland’s director of environmental health.

But Bonfield’s and Seifert’s original septic system didn’t even last that long.

Their “little piece of heaven” is a small, pie-shaped lot perched 70 feet above the Chesapeake near the southernmost tip of Calvert County.

At the narrower end of the lot, near the road, is the house. It was built in 1986, Bonfield says, three years before the county enacted the Critical Area Program limiting development of land within 1,000 feet of the cliffs.

At the wider end of the lot is the edge of an eroding cliff rising out of the bay. When Bonfield and Seifert, 74, first purchased the house, 53 feet stood between it and the cliff edge. Now, that distance is only about 20 feet, Bonfield says.

And with the original septic drain field for the house’s septic system designed to run under the backyard, the loss of land due to erosion posed a lurking but silent problem -- until July 2004, when a giant sinkhole, 20 feet wide and 30 feet deep, developed in the backyard where the drain field was.

At first, it was something of a mystery.

A coastal engineer from Florida prescribed filling in the sinkhole with layers of straw, sand and dirt. He didn’t pin the problem to a failing septic system, and in any case, the bad smell usually associated with septic system problems wasn’t there, Bonfield says.

But the backyard kept sinking.

When Bonfield and Seifert contacted the state’s environmental health department, McFaden gave the property a correct diagnosis - a failed septic system with an overworked drain field.

With the loss of so much backyard

land to erosion, what was left couldn’t absorb what was filtering out of the septic tank - “it was too heavy for the land,” Bonfield says.

With not enough backyard left for a proper drain field, they built a deep sewer pit in the front yard. The pit failed after a few years, flooding the first floor of the home with sewage.

A second sewer pit was dug -- this time below the driveway. The pits retain solid sewage, while liquids flow into a ravine running alongside the property, and from there, into the Chesapeake Bay. The two-pit system seems to be working, Bonfield says.

Altogether, Bonfield and Seifert sunk about $27,000 into the sinkhole -- $10,000 for each sewer pit in the front yard, and $6,000 -- $8,000 for the coastal engineer from Florida.

For a septic system to make it over 20 years “would be rare,” McFaden says, “and if it’s lasted that long, we’d be looking.”

“That would throw up a red flag,” he says. “We’re not going to play games with it.”

Still, septic systems aren’t inspected on a regular basis -- only when a homeowner calls in to the Department of Environmental Health to report a septic system problem, or when a property changes hands.

Yearly inspections would be “impossible -- you couldn’t have the money in the budget if you tried,” McFaden says.

Calvert County’s commissioners declined to comment on the issue.

But “the reality is, in some cases, the septic systems were allowed (years ago) to be installed (between) the house -- and the cliff,” says real estate broker Chris McNelis of The McNelis Group, which handles real estate listings and sales in Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s counties.

Many of the lots along Calvert County’s cliffs were surveyed in the 1930s, ‘40s, and ‘50s, “before any zoning restrictions were set in place,” says Gregory Bowen, director of the county’s planning and zoning department.

The lots are very small -- one-fourth or one-third of an acre, McNelis says -- so that when a house, driveway and septic system are “squeezed to fit ... on the lot, it (leaves room for) very few remedies.”

“It’s the planning of it years ago that certainly ... led to the demise of (some) of these properties on the cliffs,” she says. “If you disturb that soil, within 100 feet of a cliff, over time ... it could create a lasting impact.”

When Bonfield, a retired public relations officer for a nonprofit organization, and Seifert, a retired history teacher, moved to Calvert County from Pennsylvania, they consulted with a county geologist about erosion on their property. They were told the cliffs were eroding at a rate of 12 to 18 inches a year, without stabilization. The rate has turned out to be more like 5 feet a year.

“A tree goes down and you lose 10 feet,” Bonfield says.

“You don’t lose 12 inches.”

After nearly three years of wrangling with government agencies, Bonfield and Seifert were able to secure a permit to build a breakwater - a five-foot-tall, 26-foot-wide, 165-footlong engineer-designed, $75,000 pile of granite rocks near the shore of the narrow strip of beach at the foot of their cliff.

Bonfield and Seifert financed it all themselves.

Completed three and a half years ago, the breakwater has helped slow the erosion, but has not stopped it. Fortunately, their septic system is now in the front yard.

But some of the older houses’ septic drain fields may be about to ooze out into the bay.

In the meantime, to keep septic systems healthy, McFaden recommends pumping septic tanks out every two years, and not using the garbage disposal, which creates suspended solids that don’t settle easily in a tank’s retention chambers.

And don’t use too much water, McFaden adds.

“Being conservative with water usage is a big thing.” By Laura L. Thornton (Capital News Service)

State Unveils New Search and Rescue System

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new system of radar and cameras will keep watch over the waters of the Chesapeake Bay, state officials announced this week, to bolster both search and rescue efforts by first responders as well as to keep tabs on criminal activity.

The state could also use the system to help monitor its new oyster sanctuary program to deter poaching, state sources stated.

“We can now better protect Marylanders’ lives, property and natural resources using this technology, which provides real time information to NRP (Natural Resources Police) and its allied agencies as situations unfold,” said NRP Superintendent Colonel George F. Johnson IV in a prepared statement. “MLEIN (Maritime Law Enforcement Information Network) will also assist first responders in finding stranded vessels or other emergencies, in cases where mariners lack the local familiarity or equipment to provide their exact location.”

The new system received its funding of approximately $2.4 million through the Department of Homeland

Security and other grant sources, a Department of Natural Resources press release stated.

The system will be phased throughout Maryland’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay, and will be monitored on a continual basis from the NRP’s Sandy Point Communication Center.

NRP responds to more than 3,000 calls on the state’s waterways each year, the release stated ranging from vessels in distress, search and rescue missions and boating violations.

The system operates by using a series of sensors in the bay and tributaries that tracks vessels coming into and leaving regional waters, the release stated.

Aside from radar sensors, the cameras will be in use both during the day and at night using infrared technology The state has already installed four radar sites and two camera sites along the Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River, state information showed, but the exact locations of the monitoring sites will be kept secret for security reasons. By Guy Leonard (CT) info@somdpublishing.net

LOCAL NEWS Holiday DWI Crackdown A

s party-goers celebrate the holidays with friends and family, everyone should heed Maryland State Police’s warning to keep the party off the road or be ready to face the consequences. Law Enforcement will be out in force beginning Dec. 20 cracking down on anyone caught drunk behind the wheel.

“After hearing about the dangers of drinking and driving time after time, most people have gotten the message that if they’re planning on drinking, they should always plan a safe way home,” Corporal Waner of the Maryland State Police said in a press release. “But sadly, millions of Americans still think they are invincible and regularly choose to get behind the wheel after having too much to drink.”

Troopers from the Maryland State Police, Prince Frederick Barrack said parents should take note that young males are a particularly high risk, with nearly one-quarter admitting to riding with someone who should not have been behind the wheel in the past year.

“We know that the holiday season can be one of the deadliest and most dangerous times on America’s roadways due to an increase in drunk driving,” said Corporal Waner. “Don’t let your 2010 end in an arrest or worse, death.”

No Arrests Yet in Lusby Homicide

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fter nearly a month Maryland State Police have made no arrests in the killing of Sandra Renee Long, 41, of Lusby and are keeping details of the investigation from the public and the media.

A detective working on the case told The Southern Calvert Gazette that the continual withholding of information on the homicide is part of their investigative strategy.

“It’s detrimental to the case to reveal certain details through the media,” said Sgt. Rick Bachtell. “There has been no one excluded [as a possible suspect] from this case so far.”

Bachtell said also that police are investigating various motives for the killing; police have refused to release the cause of Long’s death, confirming only that the case is being investigated as a murder.

The commander of the Calvert Investigative Team, part of the county’s sheriff’s office,

said that his unit is assisting the state homicide unit in the investigation as needed. The state police took over the investigation because of a memorandum of understanding with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to take criminal cases committed on state park land, said Lt. Steve Jones.

Long found was found dead in her vehicle Nov. 30 by a group of hunters near Calvert Cliffs State Park in Lusby.

Jones said that investigators, to his knowledge, have not identified any suspects in the case.

“They’ve briefed us on everything they’ve done and they’ve followed up every lead as far as I know,” Jones said.

Anyone with information regarding Long’s death is asked to call the Prince Frederick Barrack of the Maryland State Police at 410535-1400. By Guy Leonard (CT) info@somdpublishing.net

Dunkirk Market Place (Next to Safeway) (410) 257-2772 • (301) 855-8770 Prince Frederick Market Square (Next to Library) (410) 535-4338 • (301) 855-1020 www.dickinsonjewelers.com

Thursday, December-2010

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LOCAL NEWS N

early 100 people braved the bitter cold for the Lusby Town Center’s first Tree Lighting on Sunday, Dec. 5.

The community event included a visit from Santa Claus, who arrived in grand style courtesy of the Solomons Fire Department, in a parade of 5 fire engines that traveled throughout the town center’s various shopping cen-

Crowd Turns Out for New Traffic Ticket Lusby 1st Tree Lighting Law Takes Effect

ters. Santa’s visit and photo session was in between selections of Christmas carols sung by local children.

Santa, was joined with local business leaders, and county commissioner, Susan Shaw, to help kick off the holiday season.

“This is so exciting. I’ve lived in Lusby 28 years and I think this is the first community event in Lusby I’ve witnessed of this nature. It’s wonderful

and such a joy for all the kids!” said one Lusby resident.

The event was free and open to the public. The tree lighting was courtesy of the Lusby Business Association, Bank of America, and the Optimist Club.

For information on the tree lighting or the Lusby Business Association visit www.shoplusby.com or contact Nance Pretto Simmons at nance@shoplusby.com or 410-326-9196. By Nance Pretto-Simmons

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rivers who want to dispute their traffic tickets will have to speak up come Jan. 1, when a new law aimed at saving the police time and money will eliminate automatically assigned court dates for minor traffic violations.

Instead, drivers accused of speeding or notexactly-stopping at those stop signs will have three options: pay the full fine; ask for a waiver hearing in lieu of a trial; or request a court date for a trial.

Proponents say the new measure will help reduce the number of police officers being stood up by ticketed drivers in District Court.

Elena Russo, spokeswoman for the Maryland State Police, said the new process will better identify those drivers who truly wish to contest their traffic violations in court.

“And it will certainly eliminate needless trips to the courtroom (for police),” she said.

That appears to be true, said Karen Morgan, principal analyst for the Department of Legislative Services.

Morgan, who provided lawmakers with a report on the fiscal impact of the measure, said the bill -- “on balance” -- will likely save the state more money.

“I really think there will be savings,” she said.

While difficult to quantify for lack of data, Morgan’s report suggested that savings of “at least $500,000” annually to the Maryland State Police will outweigh other anticipated costs associated with the law change.

Based on anecdotal evidence supplied by the State Police, the report also stated that over 50 percent of cases scheduled for trial involved drivers who failed to turn up in court.

The law applies to “payable traffic tickets” – i.e. speeding, failure to obey traffic signals or stop for a school bus. Meanwhile, “must appear” traffic violations, including DUIs and driving on a suspended license, will continue to involve automatic court dates.

Unlike the trial option, which may consist of witnesses including the ticketing police officer, waiver hearings will only involve drivers wishing to explain their admitted offense to a judge before being sentenced.

And remember: Upon receipt of a “payable traffic ticket” after Jan. 1, 30 days of indecision could result in the Motor Vehicle Administration suspending your license. By Jon Aerts (Capital News

Service)

By Susan Shaw

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he newly-elected Board of County Com missioners (BOCC) was sworn in on Dec. 21, as prescribed by Maryland law.

So, how does a new Commissioner begin his or her term? The first order of business is to elect officers for the first year of the new term. While, traditionally, the highest vote getter in the majority party is elected the President of the BOCC, that tradition has not always been honored.

Meanwhile, orientations are already underway as most counties have earlier swearing-in dates set by the legislature. The new Commissioners from all three southern MD

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Thursday, December-2010

counties will be getting an orientation to the Tri-County Council (TCC), the regional organization made up of all the Commissioners and legislators in Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary’s Counties. The chairmanship of the TCC rotates from one county to the next. Calvert Commissioner Jerry Clark is the TCC Chair. Next will be the statewide orientation for new Commissioners from all over the state held at the Maryland Association of Counties (MACO) winter conference in Cambridge just after the New Year.

With the regional and statewide big pictures in hand, County staff will orient the new BOCC to each department of County Government. We have already met with the Sheriff to begin the process with our highest priority, public safety.

Getting this strong foundation requires some patience on the part of the public, but will pay off as we build upon it.

As a new Commissioner eight years ago, I had been deeply involved in community affairs, so I expected I could

corner

New Commissioners Sworn-In

commissioners

get right to work. Wrong! The steep learning curve required a significant amount of reading and questioning. While a basic look at a topic might lead to an “obvious” conclusion, a broader understanding might lead in an entirely different direction. Securing that broader understanding in widely diverse areas is where effort and study produces results for you, the electorate.

The diverse personal and professional backgrounds of your new Commissioners should contribute to a lively dialogue as we first get the needed foundation then begin to perform our duties as both the legislative and the executive branches of local government, the government closest to you.

Community

Navy Chiefs Taking on Next Habitat Build

By Janet Dunphy

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simple request for information has forged what promises to be an enduring partnership between Patuxent Habitat for Humanity and the NAS Patuxent River Navy Chief Petty Officers.

Command Master Chief Mark Cummings called Don Parsons, executive director of Patuxent Habitat, to get information for a web site he was building that connects volunteers with local organizations in need. By the time the conversation ended, a vision for Navy Chief Petty Officers building a Habitat home in the spring started. Then it began to move from vision to reality.

“I floated the idea around the chief’s community and there was a groundswell of support,” said Cummings. “As Chiefs, we always seek to lead by example and it’s also a way for us to unite as a Chief Petty Officer community and make a difference.”

Command Master Chief Cummings estimates that there are well over 350 active duty and retired chief petty

officers in the southern Maryland area. All will be invited to participate on a volunteer basis and sponsor the build, planned for April in St. Mary’s County.

“Habitat depends on the generosity of others for continued success. It’s a huge benefit for us to win the support of such an elite group as the Chiefs,” Parsons said.

Patuxent Habitat, a recognized affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, is a seven-year-old nonprofit whose purpose is to build affordable homes for working families in St. Mary’s and Calvert counties. The organization is also well known for its ReStore, located outside the main gate of the base in Lexington Park, which opened in 2007. A second ReStore recently opened in northern Calvert County.

“Our military community is the real cornerstone of our community at large. The importance of the reach and contribution of the active duty and retired military here cannot be overstated,” said Dan Doherty, president of the PHH board of directors. “When the senior enlisted step forward they bring a special leadership and focus to our mission that we believe will have both an immediate and long term impact.”

County Seeks Citizen Advisors

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he Board of County Commissioners is seeking applicants for a variety of local advisory committees. If you have expertise or an interest in any of the areas covered by the committees listed below, please consider applying.

Committee membership is open to residents who are registered voters in Calvert County. Applications may be obtained from the Commissioners’ Office (175 Main Street, Room 205, Prince Frederick, MD), any Calvert County Public Library branch, or online at the county’s web site.

Here are the positions available: -Adult Guardianship Review Board; six vacancies -Agriculture Commission; two vacancies -Agricultural Preservation Advisory Board; two vacancies -Agricultural Preservation Advisory Committee; two vacancies -Board of Parks and Recreation; one vacancy -Building Board of Calvert County; one vacancy -Calvert Community Fund Advisory Board; two vacancies -Calvert County Family Network Board of Directors; one vacancy -Calvert Housing Opportunities Committee; four vacancies -Commission for Women; three vacancies -Common Ownership Infrastructure Advisory Committee; six vacancies -Employees’ Retirement Plan Board of Trustees; one vacancy -Environmental Commission; one vacancy -Other Post Employment Benefits Trust Fund Board of Trustees; one vacancy -Owings Architectural Review Committee; one vacancy -Sheriff’s Department Pension Plan Board of Trustees; two vacancies -Social Services Advisory Board; one vacancy -Tourism Advisory Commission; two vacancies If you have any questions, call (410) 535-1600 or (301) 855-1243 and ask for extension 2214.

Cummings hopes this sponsorship will set an example for other military organizations and encourage them to volunteer, including enlisted, officers, other retirees, and contractors.

Patuxent Habitat has built 13 homes in seven years.

Habitat houses are sold at no profit to selected families with no-interest loans issued over a fixed period. Affordable monthly mortgage payments are repaid from 20 to 30 years and are used to support the construction of more houses.

Habitat’s focus in on families whose house hold income is less than 55% of the median household income in our area.

Earlier this year PHH completed and adopted a FiveYear Strategic Plan that focuses on expanding its mission from building two homes a year to five. The nonprofit expects to grow both its staff and volunteer base to achieve that goal.

For more information on sponsorship or volunteering, call 301.863.6227 or 410.326.9050. Additional information can also be found at www.patuxenthabitat.org.

Dominion Employees Work on Habitat Home

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mployee volunteers from Dominion’s Cove Point LNG facility in Lusby spent Dec. 9 working on a Patuxent Habitat for Humanity house being built in Prince Frederick.

Habitat received a $15,000 grant from The Dominion Foundation, the philanthropic are of Dominion, to pay for a geothermal heating and cooling system for the house. The Foundation also provided a $10,000 grant to pay for a backup electrical generator for the Project ECHO house in Prince Frederick.

Organizations in 14 states that provide

shelter or housing assistance for the homeless and others in need are benefiting from donations totaling more than $1 million made by Dominion. Dominion owns and operates the Cove Point facility.

In the photo is Patuxent Habitat for Humanity President Dan Doherty, left, Habitat board member Larry Miller, Mike Gardner, manager of LNG operations for Dominion Cove Point, homeowners Joyce Lester and Gladys Long, President of Calvert Co. Commissioners Wilson Parran, and Del. Tony O’Donnell.

‘Murder is a Game’ Coming to OLSS Stage Looking for that perfect stocking stuffer? On Jan. 28, 29 and Feb. 4, 5, 2011, The Alumni Players of Our Lady Star of the Sea in Solomons will perform “Murder is a Game” by Fred Carmichael.

It is a great little comedy as only Carmichael can write them. The action takes place in the living room of a dilapidated mansion high on a hill. It had been originally a movie set, but what is left is sparse and in bad condition. The Bigelows are “abandoned” by their publisher to get their creative juices flowing again. It becomes a complex, crazy comedy mystery from that point on. If you like total entertainment, come – you will not be disappointed.

Tickets are $32 per person. That includes the show and a delicious buffet dinner catered by Thompsons Seafood. Please call (410) 326-3008 for reservations.

Thursday, December-2010

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Knights of Columbus Visit Vet’s Home Hilton Garden Provides Special Rate During Winter Storms

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he Hilton Garden Inn Solomons has a special discounted “Distressed Employee Rate” that will be in effect during and after inclement weather for any local essential employees who cannot get home from work, or feels safer staying near work.

This special rate will be made available to the Southern Maryland essential workers in the event they need a warm and comfortable place to stay during or after inclement weather hits our area. Cherry Cove Hospitality offers this special rate every winter and anytime our area is affected by bad weather, in an effort to assist and support the community.

The rate is $69 per night plus applicable tax.

The Hilton Garden Inn Solomons has a full service restaurant and lobby bar-The Great American Grill, an indoor pool, fitness center, and a friendly, professional staff.

“The health, welfare, and safety of the workers providing us with the things we need to remain safe and comfortable during inclement weather are of utmost importance to us at Cherry Cove Hospitality” said Patrick Welton, General Manager of the Hilton Garden Inn Solomons. “We hope our local essential employees will not need to use this special rate, but in the event that they do, we want to provide them a safe haven to rest in complete comfort.”

Cherry Cove Hospitality is a locally owned and operated company that prides itself in providing distinctive quality and unparalleled service to the Tri-County area with hotel rooms, meeting, wedding, and event facilities, and property management services through out Southern Maryland. For more information please visit our web page at www. cherrvcove.com.

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n remembrance of Pearl Harbor Day, Members of the Knights of Columbus, Archbishop Neale Council 2279, visited with residents of Charlotte Hall Veterans Home. They expressed their gratitude and appreciation for the Veterans years of service and dedication to our country, saying it was an honor to be with them.

The residents shared stories from their past as well as years in the service. During the visit, the Knights presented the residents with four new flat screen televisions.

Pictured in the front row is Raymond Rowe, left, Edward Radzwich and Robert Amato. Standing from left is Ryon Mudd, John Stevens, Marcelino Santos and George Grooms.

The COSMIC Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Vladimir Lande performed the first act of George Frideric Handel’s “Messiah” and the “Hallelujah Chorus” last weekend. The concert also featured the COSMIC community choir. There were two concerts- one Saturday at 5 p.m. at Patuxent Presbyterian Church in California and one 4 p.m. at the Crossroad Christian Church in St. Leonard.

The choir began performances in October and began rehearsing with the orchestra in November.

Winter Celtic Music Fest Coming

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his year for the annual Winter Celtic Music Festival, the Celtic Society of Southern Maryland proudly presents Solas – known as the most popular, influential, and exciting Celtic band to ever emerge from the United States.

They will offer afternoon workshops ($40), from 2-4 p.m., and an evening concert ($25) at 7:30 pm, Saturday, Jan. 29.

The Celtic Society continues to work with St. Mary’s Ryken High School, Leonardtown, as a collaborative effort to present this event to the community.

Solas has performed internationally at many venues including Symphony Hall, Wolf Trap, the Ford Amphitheater, and

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Queens Hall in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Founders Seamus Egan (flute, tenor banjo, mandolin, whistle, guitar and bodhran) and Winifred Horan (fiddle) anchor the sound of Solas as two highly regarded and emulated musicians in many genres of acoustic music. Haling from Ireland, Mick McAuley (accordion and concertina) and Eamon McElholm (guitar and keyboards) further enrich the sound.

The internationally acclaimed group has not only captured the hearts and ears of Irish music fans, but fans all around the globe with their blend of Celtic traditional, folk and country melodies, bluesy/jazz-inspired improvisations and global rhythms.

Thursday, December-2010

Solas has built a fan base that includes acclaimed performers, such as, Bela Fleck, Emmylou Harris and the much sought-after rap producer Timbaland, who sampled the band on his radio hit “All Yall.”

Their latest release “The Turning Tide” will be on sale during this event.

More information and sound samples of Solas’ music is available at www. solasmusic.com.

Details about this event are available at www.cssm.org, or by

email to fiddling@cssm.org, or call (301) 375-0534.

Afternoon workshops will include Irish fiddle and penny whistle. Seating will be limited for the workshops, so register early.

Spinners Motorcycle Club Donates $500 to Sheriff

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uring the 2010 holiday season, the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office became the proud recipient of a $500 donation from a local motorcycle club. The Southern Maryland Spinners Motorcycle Club, located in Prince Frederick, donated the funds in support of the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office Motor Unit.

This year the citizens of Calvert County saw increased motor patrols throughout the county. Motorcycles were used during numerous funeral escorts, special events and traffic enforcement.

The Calvert County Sheriff’s Office currently has two 2002 Harley Davidson motorcycles and hopes to expand in the near future.

The generous donation from the Southern Maryland Spinners will outfit the two existing motorcycles with parade fans, which are much needed accessories during slow speed assignments such as 4th of July neighborhood parades, PRAD and the County Fair, just to name a few.

The relationship between the Southern Maryland Spinners and the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office exemplifies the community and law enforcement partnership that

is essential to keeping the community safe and engaged in events that promote public safety and community involvement, Sheriff Mike Evans said in a press release.

In November 2010 the Southern Maryland Spinners and the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office Motor Unit took part in the first annual Maryland Reeed a great Christmas gift idea? Could Sebastian Maniscalco membrance Ride alongyou use a little laughter in your life? side 700 motorcycle Tickets are now on sale for CAAriders which culminated SA’s 6th annual “Comedy Invasion For Project at the National Law EnGraduation.” forcement Memorial in CAASA is excited to present comedians SebasWashington, D.C. The tian Maniscalco (from Vince Vaughn’s Wild West ride benefited the NaComedy Show) and Keith Alberstadt (from Last tional Law Enforcement Comic Standing).

Museum and drew speIf you are looking for a night of fun entertaincial attention to all law ment and laughter, and you don’t want to drive too far, enforcement officers please gather your family and friends and join us on killed in the line of duty.

Saturday, February 19 at Huntingtown High School’s Auditorium.

All proceeds for this event will fund Project Graduation, which is an all-night alcohol-free and drug-free celebration for the graduating senior students in Calvert County. While having a great time with their friends, it keeps our young people safe during one of the most important nights of their life…

Graduation.

Tickets are $25 in advance, and $15 in advance for students aged 13-18. Doors open at 7 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased at Education & Celebrate in Prince Frederick, Richard’s Bayside Florist in North Beach, the CAASA office in Prince Frederick and at Lotus Kitchen in Solomons Island. For more Keith Alberstadt information call CAASA at 410-535-3733.

Comedy Invasion Set

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St. Mary’s Hospital

EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT

What others promise, we deliver.

Thursday, December-2010

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Community MD Boating Safety Education

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boating safety course is being offered in Southern Maryland which satisfies the Maryland Boating Safety Education requirement for persons born after July 1, 1972.

The US Coast Guard Auxiliary, Solomons Flotilla 23-2, will present a four-session Maryland Boating Safety Education course at the Milton Somers Community Center, 300 Willow Lane, La Plata MD. Classes will be held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings January 18, 20, 25 and February 1 from 6:30 to 9 pm.

Graduates of this course will receive the MD Boater Safety Education certificate. This certificate must be carried by any person born after July 1, 1972 while that person operates a registered vessel in MD waters.

Students must attend all four sessions and pass a final examination in order to obtain the certificate.

Topics include: Introduction to Boating Terms, Boating Equipment, Boat Trailering, Boat Handling Underway, Navigation Aids, Boating Emergencies, MD Boating Laws, Jet Ski Operation, Water Skiing Regulations, Hunting and Fishing.

Contact Gary Smith at 410-326-8377 or fsope.232@hotmail.com to pre-register. The course administration fee is $25.

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Calvert Government Closures for Holidays

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he Calvert County Board of County Commissioners announces the following office and facility closures for the Christmas and New Year holidays: • All Calvert County government offices will be closed Friday, Dec. 24, and Friday, Dec. 31.

• The Calvert Pines, Southern Pines and North Beach senior centers will be closed Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Meals on Wheels will not be delivered either day and Meals on Wheels clients will receive holiday baskets and shelf-stable meals for the two holidays.

• All Calvert County library branches will be closed Dec. 23 through Dec. 25, and Dec. 31 through Jan. 1, 2011.

• The Calvert County Transportation Division will be running a reduced bus schedule for Friday, Dec. 24, and Friday, Dec. 31. Visit online at www.co.cal.md.us for complete schedule information or call 410-535-4268 prior to the Friday service days.

• Appeal Landfill and all compactor sites will close at 4 p.m. Friday, Dec. 24, and will reopen Sunday, Dec. 26. Sun-

day hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and the Appeal Landfill scales will be closed to commercial haulers.

• Appeal Landfill and all compactor sites will close at 4 p.m. Friday, Dec. 31, and remain closed Saturday, Jan. 1, 2011. The Appeal Landfill and the Barstow and Mt. Hope convenience centers will reopen Sunday, Jan. 2, 2011, for regular business hours.

• Holiday gift boxes may be recycled at all Calvert County convenience centers. Residents should flatten boxes and deposit them in convenience center paper recycling bins.

Paper and cardboard boxes may also be collected in plastic bags and dropped off at the Appeal Landfill. Bagged paper drop-off is available at Appeal Landfill only from Dec. 27 through Jan. 7.

• Residents may also drop off Christmas trees for recycling at all solid waste sites free of charge through Jan. 31, 2011. After Jan. 31, all Christmas trees may be disposed of at the Appeal Landfill for a fee.

For more information, visit the Calvert County Web site at www.co.cal.md.us.

Teen Photo Contest Winners Announced

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re you interested in art? Do you have a fondness for photography? Come into Calvert Library Prince Frederick during the month of December, and take a look at our display cases.

The library is now featuring the winners from our Teen Photo Contest 2010. This year, we had participants enter work for three different categories: Portrait, Landscape, and Fine Art, reports Beverly Izzi, children’s coordinator for the library.

Our judges were the members of TACOS, our Teen Advisory Council of Students, and a guest judge, Anne Machetto, who has served for a number of years on the Arts Council of Calvert County.

Winners were awarded gifts cards for iTunes. Library customers also voted on their favorite picture, resulting in our “People’s Choice” winner.

In the Landscape category, first place was awarded to Maggie Saunders; second place was awarded to Brittany Weems, and third place was awarded to Murugi Thande.

In the Portrait Category, first place was awarded to Michelle Horne; second place was awarded to Devin Thrasher, and third place was awarded to Mikayla Morris.

In the Fine Art Category, first place was awarded to Devin Thrasher; second place was awarded to Amy Day, and third place was awarded to Michelle Horne.

The People’s Choice Award was awarded to Murugi Thande.

If you are unable to make it in during December to see the winning artwork, please take a look at our website www.calvert.lib.md.us. Starting in January, the library will be featuring the work submitted by our teen artists on the front page of our website.

If you are interested in participating in a photo contest for next year, or if you would like more information about our TACOS (Teen Advisory Council of Students), please call Calvert Library at 410.535.0291.

This photo by Murugi Thande won the people’s choice award.

Maggie Saunders’s photo came in first place in the fine art category

2011 Marks 100 Years Of Naval Aviation Air Show to Return to Pax Next Year

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rom biplanes made of wood and canvas to unmanned planes made of cutting edge and experimental materials – aviation has certainly come a long way since 1911.

In celebration of all that has been achieved in the past 100 years, the Naval Air Forces will be hosting the Naval Aviation Centennial next year. There will be events all throughout 2011, beginning with the San Diego Centennial Kickoff Celebration and Aerial Review on Feb. 10 through 12.

To bring things a little closer to home, the Naval Air Station Patuxent River is also getting ready for the Naval Aviation Centennial.

“To say I’m looking forward to this is an understatement,” said Capt. Stephen Schmeiser, commanding officer of Naval Air Station Patuxent River, who is the event’s point of contact for the Naval District Washington.

Patuxent River will be hosting an Air Expo on Labor Day weekend, Sept. 3 through 4. The air expo is classified as a Tier One event, which Katie Coughlan, the events coordinator at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, said encompasses several larger air expos and gala events.

“Everything will build up to the expo,” Coughlan told The Southern Calvert Gazette.

Coughlan said some of the exhibitions at the Air Expo will include older planes, like war birds, and the headliners, the Blue Angels. They’re still in negotiations with people who fly in air shows and the owners of static displays, which are larger displays that are meant to stay in one location for a longer period of time and can contain a component for people to explore that they night not normally get to see, like the inside of a cockpit.

Some of the pilots and static displays were brought to the attention of the people at the Naval Air Station Patuxent River during a seminar in Las Vegas, Nev. during the first week of December. Not all the pilots who perform in Air Expos are in the military. Many of them are private groups and individuals who restore the plains, or build working models of antiquated planes.

They are also in the planning stages for other community events as part of the celebration, including a static display that can be moved from place to place around the community.

“I feel we have good ideas,” Coughlan said. “We just have to develop them.”

Coughlan said the celebration is for 100 years of Naval Aviation, but it includes people from all branches of the military.

The Patuxent River Naval Air Museum is also getting in on the celebration with a special speaker series. Coughlan said the four speakers’ events will each cover a 25 year span of the 100 years of Naval aviation.

The first of the lectures was “Life Before NAS Pax,” presented by members of the community who lived in St. Mary’s County before the base was installed. The moderator for the event was Julia King and the speakers included Agnes Dean, Jane Yowaiski, State Senator Roy Dyson, Nell Levay, Webster Dyson and Ann Lancaster.

The speaker series is open to the public and not limited to people working on the base or members of the military.

“The idea is to get Pax in the community,” Coughlan said.

She said there is a lot of history between the base and the St. Mary’s community, and part of the celebrations for the 100 years of aviation will be to get the community involved in and informed about that history.

Coughlan also said there are plans to get the students in the surrounding community involved in the Naval Aviation Centennial.

“We’re looking for a way to involve the schools,” Coughlan said. To that end, she said they will be getting the school liaison officer, Dawn Simpson, involved in the planning.

“I’m pretty excited about the whole year,” Schmeiser said.

The Naval Aviation Centennial is meant to celebrate all the strides and accomplishments made in the past 100 years.

Schmeiser said it is also a time to look to the future in hopes that there will be as much progress and advancements made in the next 100 years.

Coughlan said the plan is to do enough things to get the community excited without making everybody tired of the event before the air expo.

“As much as we’re celebrating 100 years of aviation, we’re celebrating freedom and family,” she said.

She said in addition to celebrating and recognizing the people in the military who make sacrifices for freedom, they will be recognizing non-military community members who also make life safe for people.

“We want to hit home with the local community,” Coughlan said.

Capt. Ted Mills, Executive Officer at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, said celebrations across the country will be going on all year.

“I think the navy is working to make it a celebration due the honor of the occasion,” Mills said.

He said it didn’t come as a surprise that the Air Expo at NAS Patuxent River was a Tier One event. He said nobody was really worried about it not being a Tier one event because of the significance of the naval Air Station Patuxent River to the history and current development of naval aviation.

According to a document supplied by Coughlan about the history of Naval Air Station Patuxent River, “Naval Air Station Patuxent River was commissioned at 11 a.m. April 1, 1943 – three days short of a year from breaking ground for construction. The station’s birth came about as an effort to centralize Navy testing facilities.

Spurred by events of World War II, the consolidation efforts were swift and farming operations at Cedar Point, Md., were replaced by flight test operations within a year after groundbreaking.”

Currently, “… more than 22,200 people work on station. Thus, the Navy is the largest employer in the community. Pax is also home to more than 140 aircraft of vari-

ous types, models and series, which represent the past, present and future of Navy and Marine Corps Aviation… Pax River now hosts the full spectrum of acquisition management, research and development capabilities, air and ground test and evaluation, aircraft logistics and maintenance management. This distinctive synergy supports land-based and maritime aircraft and engineering, T&E, integration, and life cycle support for ship/shore electronics. These combined capabilities are unique within the Department of Defense and ensure Patuxent River’s status as an aviation leader working effectively to continue progress into the 21st century.”

Other events for the Naval Aviation Centennial across the country include the NAS Corpus Christi Salute to 100 Years of Naval Aviation in April, the NAS Jax, Birthplace of the Blue Angels Air Show in November and the Washington, D.C. Centennial Closing Gala in December.

For more information, visit www.navalaviationcentennial.org or www.public. navy.mil. By Sarah Miller (CT) info@somdpublishing.net

Thursday, December-2010

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New Calvert Commiss

Commissioner Susan Shaw was elected board president by a 3-2 vote and commissioner Pat Nutter was elected vice president in a 5-0 vote.

“This is an exciting day for many reasons. It’s the first

all-Republican board in Calvert County. For many years it was all Democrat, but part of the oath we took today was that we would serve without partiality,” Susan Shaw said after the oath.

he newest Calvert County commissioners were more than mentally ready to take their positions on the Board of Commissioners Tuesday, Dec. 21.

In a ceremony at the Calvert County Fairgrounds, Evan Slaughenhoupt, Steve Weems and Pat Nutter were sworn-in as the newest Calvert County Commissioners, to serve with Jerry Clark and Susan Shaw on the all-Republican county governing board.

Sheriff Mike Evans was also sworn-in Tuesday, with Kathy Smith, Clerk of the Circuit Court for Calvert County administering the oath for each official.

“Whether you say ‘culvert’ or Calvert, whether you say ‘honenton’ or Huntingtown, wherever you are from I’m here to serve you,” said new commissioner Steve Weems after taking his oath.

“I’m smart enough to know I don’t have all the answers.

I’m smart enough to know the answers are out in the community,” said Pat Nutter after his oath, adding that he pledges to be a full-time commissioner and be involved in education and community groups.

During his remarks, Evan Slaughenhoupt said: “I see a balance on this board not political but balance between male and female young and old, those who were born and raised in Calvert County, and those who got here as soon as we could.”

After the constitutional oaths, the commissioner board got right to work with its first official meeting. The board elected officers, set the holiday calendar and picked members to serve on the legislative committee for the Maryland AssoPhotos by Frank Marquart ciation of Counties (MACo).

Calvert County Commissioners, Evan Slaughenhoupt, left, Steve Weems, Jerry Clark, Susan Shaw and Pat Nutter were sworn-in Tuesday morning and got to right with their first official meeting.

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Hundreds of people attended the event, and all four county high schools were represented.

The Patuxent High School NJROTC color guard presented the colors for the National Anthem, which was sung by Amy Gionfriddo from Calvert High School and Anna Elkins from Northern High School. An orchestra from Huntingtown High School performed Christmas music.

Right after the election results became official, the newest commissioners started acclimating themselves to their new roles through initial orientations with county staff members, attending board meetings, familiarizing themselves with documents, schedules, calendars and attending community forums. The Southern Gazette caught up with two of the new commissioners before Tuesday’s event for comments on what lies ahead for each of them. The Southern Calvert Gazette was not able to reach Pat Nutter for an interview prior to press time on Tuesday.

“I’m looking forward to working with the other board members and excited to get started,” Weems told The Southern Calvert Gazette.

“I’ve been attending forums, hearings and events to keep in the public,” said Slaughenhoupt, who admitted he still has a lot to learn.

The new commissioners will also attend a three-day orientation beginning Jan. 5, 2011 presented by the Maryland Association of Counties (MACo). During this orientation, newly elected officials “will learn about local government budgeting and structure and be provided with the opportunity to learn directly from seasoned elected officials about the duties, responsibilities and challenges they will face over the next four years. The conference draws nearly 300 county and state elected and appointed officials,” according to their Web

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site.

Both Slaughenhoupt and Weems expect the issues from their original campaigns to change over their four year terms; however, they intend to stick to their original ideas and plans they ran upon in their platforms.

Issues arise and fall and have shelf lives. We will deal with them as they occur,” said Slaughenhoupt, “I will want to implement management tools, but I can’t do that on the first day.”His main goal is to improve the ethics code and use proven management tools in the county government’s decision making process.

“My soul focus is to make some efficiency in county government and to bring transparency. Are citizens getting a fair deal when dealing with the county?” said Slaughenhoupt.

Weems wants to maintain a balanced budget as well as the county’s AAA bond rating, while sticking to his convictions when various issues arise. “I want to make the county a better place to live and raise a family. I want to maintain the quality of life by keeping the open green spaces we’ve all come to cherish.”

Both commissioners have already started hearing from their constituents.

“Mostly they are wanting to know if their general areas of interest will continue to receive funding. There is a degree of anxiety,” said Weems.

As far as advantages and disadvantages to serving on an all-Republican board, Slaughenhoupt doesn’t believe partisanship plays a significant role at the local government level.

“It’s more about issues and relationships,” said Slaughenhoupt.

Weems feels “moderation is the key. If we don’t uphold the values we cherish, people are going to shift to another party. If we don’t succeed then you’ll see a dramatic shift.”

For the most part, Weems said he intends to spend some time “keeping my mouth shut and ears open as I try to soak up everything like a sponge.” By Corrin Howe (SCG) info@somdpublish-

ing.net

Calvert County Sheriff Mike Evans

Thursday, December-2010

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Editor

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TE ET to thR e

Can the GOP Survive in Maryland?

By Ron Miller

Before I launch into this week’s topic, allow me to correct a misperception from my previous column on redistricting. In my focus on the legislators in the Calvert County delegation who don’t truly represent the values and interests of the county, I neglected to salute the ones that do, or will.

Tony O’Donnell, who was reelected as the House minority leader in the Maryland House of Delegates, is a tireless advocate for the taxpayers and job creators of our state, and, in the words of the late William F. Buckley, Jr., “stands athwart history, yelling Stop, at a time when no one is inclined to do so, or to have much patience with those who so urge it.”

This role doesn’t get him on many Christmas card lists, but it has won him five terms and the appreciation of Marylanders who work hard to provide for their families and build their communities, and don’t consider themselves the government’s ATM for every well-intentioned yet halfbaked social experiment that we simply cannot afford.

This time, he won’t be alone. Mark Fisher, a local businessman and philanthropist, won his first election and will be representing Calvert County alongside Delegate O’Donnell. His message of economic growth through reducing the burden of government on small businesses resonated with the voters of Calvert County, and he will remind the big spenders in Annapolis that it’s our money, earned with our blood, toil, tears and sweat, and is not theirs to waste as they choose.

That leads me to the future in Maryland of the political party these men represent.

On Dec. 11, the Maryland Republican Party held its winter convention, during which it selected its new chairman and other senior members of the executive committee.

I was approached about running for chairman but respectfully declined. That doesn’t mean it’s not a desirable

position; at last count, at least five people had thrown their hats into the ring. Clearly, reports of the Maryland GOP’s death were greatly exaggerated.

In fact, while the GOP didn’t fare well in state races, the party took control of 15 of 24 county commissions or councils. This should give the party hope for a future beyond the Ehrlich era.

Nonetheless, this is a critical time for the Maryland GOP as an opposition party. One-party rule has brought us billion-dollar annual deficits, the dubious distinction of being one of the most taxed states in the nation, and a persistent unemployment rate exacerbated by fleeing businesses and an anti-business agenda emanating from Annapolis.

Maryland needs a viable GOP to protect the producers, creators and innovators in our state.

What would make the Maryland GOP a force with which to be reckoned in this, the bluest of blue states? Here are some ideas.

The party needs to commit to conservative principles and state them clearly and consistently so there is no doubt about what it means to be a Republican.

Internally, if they don’t agree on principle, then they are lost. Externally, in their attempts to reach the voters, they fail because so many of their statements of principles are long-winded and overly embellished. They need to apply modern marketing and messaging tactics to the presentation of their core beliefs if they’re to promote them effectively.

The line of demarcation between the internal factions within the Maryland GOP is usually centered on specific policies, and that line must be erased. There are multiple paths toward singular goals, and within those paths I’m confident they can find agreement. That will require humility, a rare trait n the political world, and the attitude of Romans 12:18, which commands us “as far as it depends on you, be at peace with everyone.”

The Maryland GOP must reach out to non-traditional constituencies, especially the black community, or they will always be a struggling minority party. That outreach

Shop With a Cop a Big Hit On Dec. 11, the Calvert Shop with a Cop event was held at the Outback Steakhouse in Prince Frederick. The Calvert Shop with a Cop event is an annual event with this year marking the fifth year that it has been done here in Calvert County.

Publisher Thomas McKay Associate Publisher Eric McKay Editor Sean Rice Office Manager Tobie Pulliam Graphic Artist Angie Stalcup Advertising suzannep@somdpublishing.net Email info@somdpublishing.net Phone 301-373-4125 Staff Writers Guy Leonard Sarah Miller Chris Stevens

Government Correspondent Community Correspondent Sports Correspondent

Contributing Writers Joyce Baki Corrin Howe Keith McGuire

The program is supported completely by donations. This year, donations were received from Stoney’s Restaurant’s, SMECO, The Solomons Yacht Club, CAASA, numerous civic associations, such as the numerous Calvert Optimist clubs, FOP Lodge 109, the American Legion Post, as well as private citizens and businesses.

As a result of the generous donations received, a total of 73 children were picked up by Law Enforcement Officers and given rides in police cars, with lights and sirens activated, to the Wal-Mart in Prince Frederick. The fine people at the Walmart also discounted 10% of sales to the children, which gave them an additional $10 to spend.

The funds donated throughout the year allowed each child to receive a $100 dollar gift card to use at Walmart. The Outback Steakhouse staff opened their doors to the program and provided breakfast to the children after shopping.

This year’s event was a huge success and lots of smiles were seen throughout the day from the children, officers and volunteers involved.

The children also received a surprise visit from Santa when they returned from shopping who spoke with them about whether they had been good boys and good girls throughout the year and asked what they wanted for Christmas. The children were also provided with two additional toys courtesy of the Toys for Tots Program and a special Christmas toy donated by Hallmark.

The officers who assisted with the program were a mixture of Calvert County Sheriff’s Deputies, Maryland State Police, Natural Resources Police and two fellow officers who live in Calvert County but work for the Prince George’s County Police Department.

This day could not have been successful had it not been for the numerous volunteers who either cooked, helped wrap presents or assisted the officers with shopping.

Southern Calvert Gazette P. O. Box 250 . Hollywood, MD 20636

Southern Calvert Gazette is a bi-weekly newspaper providing news and information for the residents of Southern Calvert County. The Southern Calvert Gazette will be available on newsstands every other Thursday of the month. The paper is published by Southern Maryland Publishing Company, which is responsible for the form, content, and policies of the newspaper. Southern Calvert Gazette does not espouse any political belief or endorse any product or service in its news coverage. Articles and letters submitted for publication must be signed and may be edited for length or content. Southern Calvert Gazette is not responsible for any claims made by its advertisers.

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Thursday, December-2010

must be multi-faceted and sustained.

They must do everything in their power to invest in and build up their team in Prince George’s County, which has struggled mightily for a long time without a lot of help.

They mustn’t be afraid to spend money to establish a beachhead in counties were the return on our investment isn’t going to be realized in one or two election cycles. In financial terms, their portfolio needs to be diversified and balanced with short-term and long-term stocks in order to grow.

They should identify issues within the black community, like parental choice in education, where they can form short-term, tactical alliances with the intent of establishing a long-term strategic relationship. They must show that they care about the issues that matter to the black community, but they must give answers that are consistent with conservative principles and that they know can work.

The Maryland GOP will not be competitive in the marketplace of ideas in the black community unless they are persistent, patient and attuned to the community’s needs, yet within the boundaries of what it means to be a Republican.

The solution to our problems in Maryland is not for the Maryland GOP to revert to moderate or liberal principles. The Democrats already offer those positions to the voters of Maryland, and they don’t need the Maryland GOP to mimic them. They are the opposition, and they need to be firm in their commitment to conservative principles, and do a better job of explaining how these principles will help make people’s lives better.

If they do their very best to connect with as many people in Maryland as possible, and they go into neighborhoods where they’ve never gone before, and they still can’t win over a sufficient number of voters to their cause, only then would I concede the battle is lost. They haven’t done that yet, and the work must begin now. The party will benefit and the cause of good government in Maryland will benefit as well.

Ron Miller is a conservative writer and commentator. The nine-year plus veteran of the U.S. Air Force and married father of three writes columns for several online sites and print publications, and his own website, TeamRonMiller.com.

Mike Evans, Sheriff Calvert County, MD

Writers By The Bay Going Strong After 15 Years

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arriages haven’t stayed together as long as the core group of Writers By the Bay, a writer’s critiquing group that meets in Calvert County twice a month. In fact, after 15 years together, some of the members developed communication patterns reminiscent of spouses where they interrupt, provoke, criticize, reminisce, have private jokes, tease, encourage and inspire one another.

“They are a nice bunch of people, good fun and stimulating, so there is also a strong social element to the process,” says Stuart Haddon, who has been attending the meetings for about a year.

Don Campbell, co-leader of the group, says “If they (writers) can put up with us, we can put up with them.”

Peter Abresch, author of Elderhostel® mysteries and Easy Reading Writing, founded the group in 1995 and Campbell joined about two years later. In the beginning, it was just two or three writers meeting regularly once a month.

Over the years the group boast as many as 20 members and now meets twice a month.

One of the challenges over the years has been to find both a time and a location which is convenient for people to meet. The group started off meeting at Fairview Library, moved down to Prince Frederick Library and occasionally met at Mt. Harmony Community Center. Currently the group meets the first Tuesday of the month at Prince Frederick Library from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. and the third Friday of the month at Smithville United Methodist Church in Dunkirk from 7 p.m. until everyone is tired.

While some writing critiquing groups exist for academic style of writing, Writer’s By the Bay has a very broad base of writers. Over the years the group has reviewed poetry, short stories, literary works, novels and non-fiction. Their group also tends to focus more on content rather than on the grammar.

“I found in academics when looking at their writing, page after page is not easy reading. It is hard reading. It should be fun to read. Can you hold the reader’s interest? Can you bring them into the story? It should be more like an experience than a story,” says Abresch.

Campbell explains the group tries to be gentle. “Sometimes it stinks (to be criticized); most of the time it doesn’t.”

The group tries to let the writer understand how their work is being perceived. For example during a recent meeting, comments centered around the setting of an author’s scene. Some members in the group imagined the scene set in one place while other members pictured it set in another. It is always left up to the writer to decide if they will use the input received during the critique.

Previous meetings have had lively discussions over punctuation, names of characters, and whether or not to italicize a character’s internal thoughts. More than a few gatherings have heard, “Excuse me, I wasn’t finished yet.” Or “I think we can stop beating this dead horse and move on to the next piece.”

“You have to be thick skinned,” said Campbell.

Abresch agrees, “If you want someone to tell you it’s good, send it to me with $20 and I’ll tell you it is good and I won’t even read it.”

Helping writers with their work is the first priority of each meeting. Recently the group has been very active with writers bringing in their

work for comment, according to Campbell.

“The biggest benefit I receive from the group is honest feedback on my ideas and the clarity of my writing. If something doesn’t work, they’ll tell me in no uncertain terms,” says

ings. Writers can read their piece on their first visit; the group just asks the writer to submit the piece in the group’s format (see insert). By Corrin M. Howe (SCG) info@somdpub-

lishing.net

L If You Go To get meeting reminders, send an email to Peter@elderhostelmysteries.com to be asked to be on the Writer’s By the Bay list. If interested in receiving help on a piece, the writer needs to do the following: • Type piece in a minimum of 12 font.

• Double space between lines • Number each line “continuously” so people can refer to the line when making a comment.

• Limit the selected reading to 10 pages per meeting.

• Bring at least six copies to share with others in the group.

• Bring a sense of humor and a thick skin.

Preston Ford, a long-time member of the group.

Haddon adds, “While I don’t take on board all of the suggestions made during a critique, I always come away with some ideas for improving what I have written. Providing input to other writers has also been very helpful, particularly when people share their work with me.”

The group also spends time sharing writing and publishing tips.

“I learned a lot about writing in the process of working with other writers.

We agreed we weren’t going on to the next sentence until this one was right,” says Campbell.

Abresch sends out writing tips he calls “BookMarc” to anyone who requests it. They don’t have to be a member of Writer’s By the Bay to receive regular emails. Just send an email with a request to subscribe to BookMarc to Peter@elderhostelmysteries.com.

“The BookMarc newsletters from Peter are an excellent reference as a basis for self-criticism,” according to Haddon.

Campbell would like to have critics join the group, especially those willing to take pieces home with them to provide comment. He said he knows of a number of reading groups in the county which gather to read and discuss published books. Why not read unpublished works and provide feedback to the writers?

Membership in Writer’s By the Bay is fluid. Those interested just need to come to one of the scheduled meet-

Over 250,000 Southern Marylanders can’t be wrong!

Thursday, December-2010

15

Christine Elliott, 86 Christine Myers “Chris” Elliott, 86, of Leonardtown, MD formerly of Greenbelt, MD passed away on December 19, 2010 at St. Mary’s Hospital, Leonardtown, MD. She was born on September 24, 1924 in Mt. Ranier, MD to the late Edith Rebecca Catterton and the late Charles Tillman Myers.

She was the loving wife to Claire Jack Elliott, Sr. whom preceded her in death.

Chris graduated from Mt. Ranier High School in 1942 and went on to become the Bakery Manager of the Rolling Pin Bakery, Bladensburg, MD. She was a long time member of the College Park Moose Lodge.

Chris is survived by her children, Kelly Elliott and wife Donna of Lusby, MD, Jack Elliott and wife Jeannine Finnacom of Piney Point, MD, Chris Campbell and husband Bob of Lancaster, CA, Karen Zello of Chesapeake, VA, and Louise McGinley and husband Ronnie of Frederick, MD; seven grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

The family received friends on Tuesday, December 21, 2010 in the Rausch Funeral Home Chapel, Lusby, MD where a funeral service was held at 4 p.m. with Pastor Steve Fehrman officiating. Interment will be private.

Mi’yana Gray, Stillborn Mi’yana N e v a e h (Heaven) Gray was stillborn on Dec. 2, 2010 at Saint Mary’s Hospital to Sheena Ferrall and William Gray, Jr. She leaves to cherish her memory; parents, William Gray, Jr. and Sheena Ferrall; Siblings, Marissa and Mya Gray, and Joshua White; Grandparents,Thomas and Vicky Ferrall, William, Sr. and Jacqueline Gray; Aunts, Jeannie Ferrall, Jamie Ferrall, Wendy Ferrall, Cindy Ferrall, Sheera Ferrall, Sabrina Ferrall, Selena Fer-

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rall, Clauvenda Fenwick, Monica Jones, and Shawnte Jones; Uncles, Thomas Ferrall IV, Christopher Fenwick,and Maxwell Fenwick Sr.; Great Grandparents, James and Shirley Wills, and Oscar and Ida Gray; Great-great Grandparents, William and Jeanette Jones; and a host of cousins and family Funeral service was held on Saturday, December 11, 2010 at 11:00 AM at Sewell Funeral Home, Prince Frederick, MD with Bishop Robert Holland officiating.

The interment was at Ernestine Jones Cemetery, Chesapeake Beach, MD. The pallbearers were Maxwell Fenwick, Jr., Taydrion Hall, and Christopher Fenwick Funeral arrangements provided by Sewell Funeral Home, Prince Frederick, MD.

Sandra Long, 43, Sandra Renee Harrod Long, 43, of Lusby, MD passed away on November 30, 2010.

S h e was the you ngest daughter of the late George W. Harrod, Sr. and Helen Mae Wallace Harrod. Sandra was united in Holy Matrimony on March 14, 2007, to Louis Long, Sr. She was a loyal and devoted wife.

Sandra attended Calvert County Public schools and graduated from Calvert High School in 1985. Later Sandra found what she loved to do and became a terrific caregiver, taking pride in those she served. For a number of years she worked at the Charlotte Hall Nursing Home, and the late Mr. Thomas Axley of Scientist Cliffs.

At the time of her passing she was employed full-time by the ARC of Southern Maryland and worked part-time at the Holiday Inn Select in Solomons, Maryland. She especially loved working with Michael Bowen. Sandy diligently attended to her clients and made sure that their services and needs were met.

Sandy had the wonderful gift of making her clients feel important and valuable.

Sandra was a tremendous mom to her two daughters, Keana and Moesha. She worked extremely hard to provide for them.. Her daughters were her motivators to not only do better, but to be better. She personified a good mother,

Thursday, December-2010

daughter, sister, auntie, godmother and friend to many.

2 Cor. 5:17 “Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creature, old things have passed away, behold all things have become new.” Sandy was a member of The Greater Bible Way Church of Prince Frederick, Maryland where she was baptized and filled with the precious gift of the Holy Ghost.

She had great love and respect for her former pastor, Apostle Joseph N. Brown and Shepherd Mother, Pearlie M. Brown. Sandy also had an exceptional love for her current leaders, District Elder Neil O. Gross and Co-Pastor Delethian L. Gross. She was deeply inspired, uplifted and motivated by their teaching and was encouraged to know more about the kingdom of God. On Wednesday nights it gave her joy to attend bible study and prayer. Sandy attended Sunday School and morning worship service regularly. She was a member of the Faithful Workers Club and served well.

Psalms 116:115 “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” Though Sandy’s life was taken unexpectedly we’re most grateful to God that she was saved and had a place waiting for her in the kingdom of God. She was preceded in death by her father, George W. Harrod, Sr., brother, Clayton Harrod, sister, Mary H. Harrod and mother-inlaw, Geraldine Long.

She leaves to cherish her memories: Her husband, Louis Long, Sr.; two daughters, Keana and Moesha; her mother, Helen M. Harrod; father-in-law, Henry Kent; three step children, Louis, Jr., Ciarra and Avery Long; godsons, LaKwaun and Darnell Saunders and Damien Parker; seven sisters, Annie M. Gross, Delois Johnson, Phyllis Dawkins (George), Joyce Weems (Samuel), Judy Harrod, Carolyn Gantt and Patricia Harrod; four brothers, George, Jr., Leonard, Levi and Tyrone Harrod; seven uncles, Calvin “Sonny” (Elsie), Obbie (Carolyn), Herman (Hilda), Thomas (Ruth), Jimmy, Pat and Darrell Long; 12 aunts, Thelma, Bertha, Ruth, Mertina, Christine, Claudia, Leslie, Rose, Carlene, Darlene, Maxine and Shawn; three brothersin-law, Terrell, Troy (Lorraine) Cepeda (Nina); four sisters-in-law, Sharon, Karen, Sylvia (Donald) and Vanessa and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

Funeral service was held on Thursday, December 9, 2010 at Greater Bible Way Church, Prince

Frederick, MD with District Elder Neil O. Gross officiating. The interment was at Greater Bible Way Church, Prince Frederick, MD. The pallbearers were Brother Troy Dawkins, Brother Otis Evans, Brother Frank Harrod, Brother Melvin Johnson, Deacon Derrick Parker, and Brother Michael Wallace. The honorary pallbearers were Deacon Lorenzo Gross, Deacon Floyd Harris, Sr. and Brother Richard Parker.

Funeral arrangements provided by Sewell Funeral Home, Prince Frederick, MD.

C. D. McCready, 80 C. D. “Dudley” McCre a dy, 80, of Dowell, MD, passed away on Dec. 7, 2010 at his residence in Dowell, MD. Dudley was born on April 17, 1930 in Calvert County, MD to the late Grace Humphreys McCready and John E. McCready.

Dudley worked for and retired from People’s Life Insurance Company. He was an active member of First Baptist Church of Calvert County. Dudley was an avid Redskins fan and enjoyed buying and selling used Ford trucks, often driving great distances in search of one.

Dudley was preceded in death by his parents, John and Grace Humphreys McCready, his first wife, Shirley R. McCready and his brother J. Edward McCready. Dudley is survived by his wife Joyce M. McCready, Children Dudley R. McCready, J. Christian McCready, Cheryl L. Jetmore, step-children Kimberly Gott, Carl Pitcher, Cynthia Turner, Robin Cox, Jamie Pitcher, Jr. and Gerald “Jerry” Pitcher, Grandchildren Ronald C. Jetmore, Jenny L. Copsey, Anna Ruth McCready, Grace E. McCready, Jenna M. McCready, Galen Gott, Jamie and Emma Pitcher, Crystal Vallingdinham, Mark Turner, Kayla Turner, Carly Turner, Ashley and Kenny Cox, Jesse, Jenna and Shannon Pitcher, Stephanie and Joey Candido, Great-grandchildren Molly Copsey, Bess Copsey, Emerson Jetmore, step-grandchildren: Lexy and Mya Vallingdinham and Madison Dare, Siblings Marie M. Hardesty, Ethel M.

Grover, Erma M. Breeden, Annie M. Batchelor, Lynette M. Ward, Eunice M. Habig, Donas H. McCready, J. Berkley McCready and Harold L. McCready.

The family received friends on Sunday, December 12, at the Rausch Funeral Home, Lusby, and on Monday, December 13, at the First Baptist Church of Calvert County, Prince Frederick, where a service celebrating his life was held at 11AM with Pastor Ralph Nevin officiating. Interment will follow at Calvary Bible Church Cemetery, Lusby, MD. Pallbearers were Harold Denton, Bill Gray, Jamie Pitcher, Donnie McCready, Martin Rodey and Scott Cox, Honorary Pallbearers were Ronnie Cibulay, Dickie Pitcher, Rodell Mackall, James Jones, Harold Ward, Dean Batchelor.

Memorial contributions may be made in his memory to First Baptist Church of Calvert County, P. O. Box 778, Prince Frederick, MD 20678.

Robert Moore, 88 Rober t Coad “Bob” Moore, 88, of Solomons, MD, formerly of Temple Hills, MD passed away of December 1, 2010 at AsburySolomons Health Care Center.

He was born on March 8, 1922 in Washington, DC to the late George Leonard and Eleanor Coad Moore. He married his beloved wife Jessie E. Moore on February 20, 1954 in Washington, DC and she preceded him in death on October 31, 2008.

Bob graduated from Oxon Hill High School and then was drafted into the Army. He served in the Army during WWII from October 5, 1942 till December 17, 1945 when he was honorably discharged. He then went on to receive his bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland. Bob became a Union Carpenter and belonged to local 132. He joined Tuckman-Barbee Construction Co. in 1965 as a Superintendent and was promoted to Outside Superintendent in 1979. He eventually became a partner with the company, serving as the Corporate Secretary and retired in 1998 after 33 years of service. Bob was

a dedicated family man and enjoyed playing golf and model ship building.

He was preceded in death by his parents, wife, and siblings, George L. Moore and Joseph B. Moore.

Bob is survived by his children, Thomas Moore of Millersville, MD, Janet Whitney of Church Hill, MD and Amy Galyon of Prince Frederick, MD; sister, Eleanor M. Buck of Silver Spring, MD; eight grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

The family received friends on Saturday, December 18, 2010 at the Rausch Funeral Home, P.A., Lusby, where Memorial Services were held at 2PM in the funeral home chapel with Rev. Rick Hancock officiating. Inurnment will be private.

Memorial contributions may be made in Bob’s memory to Asbury-Solomons Benevolent Care Fund, 11100 Asbury Circle, Solomons, MD 20688.

Rachel Smith, 87 Rachel Elizabeth Smith, 87, of Lusby, MD passed away on S a t u r d a y, November 20, 2010 at her residence. She received her call from the Lord Jesus Christ to come home.

She was the daughter of the late Thomas and Rachel Mackall and the wife of the late Earl Smith, Sr. for 43 years. From their union there were four children: Theresa (Larry), Earl (Donna), Patsy (Harold), and Carlene (George).

Rachel was taken out of school at a tender age to help support the family. Farming and homemaking was her profession.

She enjoyed cleaning, cooking, baking, canning, and gardening.

Her passion was caring for her family.

In addition to her parents, Rachel was preceded in death by her husband, five sisters, two brothers, three nieces, Mattie, Audrey, and the late Pastor Marion Mackall whom Rachel helped to rear.

Rachel surrendered her life to the Lord and was previous member of Young’s United Methodist Church under the pastoral ship of

Reverend Paul Johnson and Reverend Tillman. She served on the Senior Choir under the direction of the late Sarah Brown. In the early eighties, she received the gift of the Holy Ghost at Calvert Lighthouse Tabernacle and became a member until her death. She cherished her Pastors and church family.

Rachel leaves to cherish her memories, her four children, and five devoted spiritual daughters: Rachel Satterthwaite, Ava Gray, Joyce Wilson, Catherine Long, and Jean Tolson whom Rachel also helped to rear. A dear aunt, Joanna Holland; fourteen Grandchildren: Tyraka, Teronee, and Salaunda (Theresa); Shanta, Catrina, Earl Daniel, William, and Henry (Earl).

Funeral service was held on Saturday, November 27, 2010 at 11:00 A.M. at Calvert Lighthouse Church, Prince Frederick, MD with Pastor Marvin Carter officiating. The interment was held at Youngs Cemetery in Huntingtown, MD. The pallbearers were Sammy Brooks, Vada Brooks, Tony Pratt, Russell Stewart, Stanley Stewart, and Donald Smith. Honorary pallbearers were Elsworth Hutchins and Thomas Hutchins.

Funeral arrangements provided by Sewell Funeral Home, Prince Frederick, MD.

Hannah Sorrell, 94 Hannah Sophia Dawkins Sorrell, 94, of Lusby, MD passed away on November 24, 2010 at the Solomons Nursing Center, Solomons, MD. She was born March 21, 1916 to the late William and Maryann Dawkins in Calvert County, Maryland.

Hannah was educated in Calvert County, Maryland where she resided until her death.

November 1938, Hannah married Arthur F. Sorrell Sr. who has preceded her in death.

Hannah worked in her earlier years in the Tobacco and Corn fields and later in the Oyster house. She did her job well and never complained. She was truly a go-getter, never allowing anything to stand in her way. Whatever her

goals were; she achieved them.

Hannah became a member of the St. John United Methodist Church at a very early age and stayed true to her belief in God. She was a faithful Usher for many years. She also participated in other church activities as well and helped anyone that needed her assistance.

Hannah held her helping hands out to her children, grandchildren, in-laws, neighbors, and friends never, ever complaining.

She teased, joked, laughed, traveled, and enjoyed her life.

She is survived by her daughters, Lillian, Shirley, and Barbara; two sons, Arthur Jr., and Frank; five grandchildren, Peira, Cynthia, Joanne, Paul (Brenda), Delvin (Illinois); seven greatgrandchildren, Brinkley (Sharee), Kareem, Shameeka, Kia, Dimitri, Diamond, and Dominique; three great-grandchildren, Bria, Christian, and Syraiyah; two brothers, George and Calvin Dawkins; one sister-in-law, Joella Dawkins, and a special friend, Eliza Dent, and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, relatives, friends, church members, and neighbors. She will be solely missed by all.

Funeral service was held on Wednesday, December 1, 2010, at 11:00 AM at St. John United Methodist Church, Lusby, MD with Dr. Reverend Samson Y. Nortey officiating. The interment was held at St. John United Methodist Church

Cemetery.

The pallbearers were Eddie Gross, Gary Dawkins, George Dawkins Jr., Larry Dawkins, Zithem Weems, and Brinkley Wallace. The honorary pallbearers were James Mackall, Jr. and Charles Weems.

Funeral arrangements provided by Sewell Funeral Home, Prince Frederick, MD.

William Trollinger, IV W i l liam “Jasper” Tr ol l i n g e r, IV of Hollywood, MD, passed away on December 7, 2010 at the Burnett Calvert Hospice House, Prince Frederick, MD. Jasper was born on October 5, 1952 in Washington, D. C. to Peggy Maddox Trollinger and William J. Trollinger, III. Jasper is survived by his daughter’s Lacey Elizabeth Trollinger of Ft. Mill, SC formerly of La Plata, MD and Tara Jasmin Trollinger of Marbury, MD, mother Peggy Trollinger of Lusby, MD, sisters Mary Trollinger and Alice Posey both of Charles County,

MD, four nephews and his former wife Daureen of Charles County, MD. He is also survived by extended family and friends.

He was preceded in death by his father William J. Trollinger, III. The family received friends on Saturday, December 11, at the Rausch Funeral Home, Lusby, where a service celebrating Jaspers life was held at 11:30 AM. with Father Joseph Trollinger officiating. Interment will be private.

Memorial contributions may be made in his memory to Calvert Hospice, www.calverthospice.org, P. O. Box 838, Prince Frederick, MD 20678 or to the American Cancer Society, www.cancer.org, P.O. Box 22718, Oklahoma City, OK 73123-1718

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Thursday, December-2010

17

Merry Christmas with Good Tidings of Comfort and Joy

Delegate Tony

O’Donnell

District 29C Calvert and St. Mary’s

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his past M a y I was tremendously fortunate to be invited on a trip to Israel as part of a Maryland delegation. The trip was funded through a generous outreach and education program of The Harry and Jeannette Weinberg Foundation. No taxpayer dollars were spent on this trip. The delegation included, besides me, MD Lt. Governor Anthony Brown, and MD Secretary of

Health John Colmers as well as leaders of private businesses and non-profit organizations in Maryland. The trip included visits to Israeli government, business, religious and non-profit sites and organizations. We also met with representative Palestinians to get their perspective of the disputed territories and the broader ArabIsraeli conflicts.

Although I could probably write a small book on the trip and all the places we visited and the people we met, I certainly cannot do a description of the trip justice in the limited space available in this column. I will say that in many ways the trip to the holy land and the excellent program and structured itinerary provided by the Weinberg Foundation was a once in a life time experience for me.

The trip had a profound impact on how I both understand and how I view that part of the world that I never would have obtained on the nightly news or other media outlets for that matter.

Since the Christmas Holiday is upon us, I wanted to briefly describe one portion of my trip to Israel that relates to the Christmas Holiday and the birth of Jesus Christ. One of the sites we visited was a little town in the disputed West Bank territories. That little town is famous the world over. We sing songs about this little town and what happened there

NRP Stands By Fines for Deer Rescuers

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ews of two Maryland men, who were each fined $90 by the Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP) after rescuing a trapped deer from the icy waters of the Patapsco River, has reached around the world after being featured on The Drudge Report the past few days. The men launched their raft to rescue the animal while an NRP officer and a Baltimore County fire crew reportedly stood by discussing whether it was safe to attempt to make a rescue.

The men were subsequently each fined for not having personal flotation devices in the raft. Maryland requires the devices in water craft, but they are only required to be worn by individuals thirteen years of age or younger.

Khalil Abusakran, one of the two rescuers, said he repeatedly told the NRP officer he had the required devices in the raft, according to a Washington Post report.

NRP Superintendent Col. George Johnson issued a prepared statement today disputing Abusakran’s claim and standing by his officer’s action to issue the tickets.

“Contrary to widespread reports, the raft was not equipped with the legally required safety equipment. Given the conditions of the water, what began with an animal in distress could have quickly led to a human tragedy, requiring an emergency response that could have endangered even more lives,” said Johnson in the statement. “The Maryland Natural Resources Police are charged with protecting public safety as well as enforcing the laws of the State of Maryland.

I have full confidence that the officer on the scene performed his duties as required by law.”

There is more to the story other than allegedly not having flotation devices onboard, according to Johnson’s statement. “The citizens involved disregarded the orders of numerous public safety officers on the scene — including Baltimore County Police and Fire Officers as well as the NRP — by entering the icy waters on an inflatable raft and remaining in the water after being ordered back to shore.”

Small fines aside, all’s well that ends well. “We are all very grateful that there was ultimately a safe outcome — for the citizens and the deer,” concluded Johnson.

Both men have vowed to fight the tickets in court on February 18. By David Noss (somd.com)

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Thursday, December-2010

over two thousand years ago. This dusty little town in a disputed territory outside of Jerusalem, administered today by the Palestinian Authority, is of course the famous little town of Bethlehem.

To have the honor of visiting the birthplace of Jesus Christ is something I will vividly remember all of my life.

It was a small town that three wise men visited at the time of the birth of Christ.

A rather non-descript little town that has been visited by an endless stream of kings and queens and the worlds rulers ever since. It was a moving experience for me and as this Christmas Day approaches I think about what transpired there that has so changed the course of events for thousands of years, and for us believers for eternity. I am truly thankful to have had the opportunity to visit one of the most holy sites in all of Christianity.

While there at the conclusion of our trip the Maryland delegation was afforded the opportunity to purchase some mementoes of our visit to Bethlehem. One of the really inexpensive and simple items I purchased, I actually obtained the limited remainder the vendor still had, was a simple Christmas tree ornament. The simple ornament is wooden and carved from olive tree wood from Bethlehem. It is a small three dimensional star around a simple structure depicting a manger

with two figures representing Joseph and Mary and what appears to be a small baby. It takes some imagination but anyone familiar with the Christmas story and knowing this came from Bethlehem would understand what was being depicted in this simple hand carved ornament.

This simple ornament, as inexpensive as it was, has been one of the best gifts I have been able to give to a few close family and friends on this Christmas Holiday. It has more meaning to me, and I can tell to those who have received this small token gift, than virtually any other gift I have given regardless of material worth or value in my life. It has meaning in that it actually comes from the birth place of Christ and that it can adorn a tree we decorate to honor this most holy of holidays. Simple, meaningful, inexpensive gifts embody the spirit of giving and of this season of comfort and joy!

Merry Christmas everyone!

As always, feel free to contact my local legislative office at (410) 326-0081 or email at anthony.odonnell@house. state.md.us with questions, comments or concerns regarding these items or other matters.

Distribution of Stimulus Funds in Maryland Shows Disparities

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ethesda and Congressional District 8 received the lion’s share of Maryland’s per capita stimulus dollar awards, an analysis shows, despite the fact that the recession in Bethesda was the shortest in the state and District 8 has the highest median income.

The stimulus bill promised “to assist those most impacted by the recession,” but Bethesda raked in an average of $8,006 per resident, the highest in the state, while Maryland as a whole received $1,044 per resident and some places received far less than that: Dundalk’s average, for example, was just $15.28 per resident, the Capital News Service analysis of figures from Recovery.gov and the census shows.

Bethesda, in lower Montgomery County, weathered the economic problems of the past several years handily. Housing prices in Montgomery County are up 9.7 percent this year and October unemployment in the Bethesda-Frederick-Rockville metro area is 5.4 percent and never exceeded 6.4 percent this year. The median income in Bethesda is $133,000.

Nationally, unemployment still hovers near 10 percent and statewide it’s 7.4 percent.

“Bethesda’s recession was pretty short,” said Sara Kline, Moody’s Analytics economist for Maryland. The recession in the Bethesda metro area ended in October 2009, after 10 months. Maryland was in recession through May 2010, for 18 months.

Areas like Cumberland and Salisbury, which remain in recession according to Moody’s

analytics because of high jobless rates and falling home prices, received less stimulus money per capita than Bethesda, Rockville, Upper Marlboro, Frederick, Annapolis and Baltimore.

Salisbury also received less than Germantown and Towson.

The stimulus bill was passed Feb. 13, 2009, with the purpose of creating jobs and promoting economic recovery, assisting those most affected by the recession, investing in technological advances, transportation and environment and stabilizing state and local government budgets.

The Capital News Service analysis was done using place-of-performance data, which is the physical location where the money was used, according to Recovery.gov. So although much of the money was originally funneled through state and local agencies, the analysis shows better where the money actually ended up.

However, stimulus reporting stops at the sub-recipient level; for example the Maryland Department of Transportation received an award for nearly $3 million from the Federal Highway Administration. The Maryland Department of Transportation then awarded the money to Howard County for highway infrastructure. Theoretically, Howard County hired a contractor to actually do this work, but this third level of awards is not required to be reported. Nevertheless the place the highway improvement project took place would be shown in the database and those are the numbers reflected in the CNS analysis. By Stephanie Gleasson (Capital News Service)

‘Our Lady’ Hosts First Craft Bazaar

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ur Lady Star of the Sea school held its first craft bazaar Saturday in conjunction with the annual 5K run.

These two events are a part of the large fundraising campaign to keep the school open and independent.

“I think they’ve been making a wonderful effort to keep the school open,” said Amy Werking, a member of the parish. She also helped to keep score for the 5K run.

Lori Sampson, who was selling products from Making Scents, said she’s looking forward to coming back to the bazaar next year.

“We love it,” Sampson said. “It’s been great.”

Peggy Maio, who was selling blankets at the bazaar with her husband Frank, said she thought the bazaar was great.

“I hope this keeps the school open,” Maio said.

The vendors at the bazaar included Pampered

Chef, Yera Dé Herbal Teas and Grandma’s Girl Homemade Herb Dip. Crafts made by the Our Lady Star of the Sea students were also available, as well as merchandise from other independent merchants and artisans.

There was also a section called “Santa’s Workshop,” where people could purchase pre-wrapped gifts and other toys for Christmas. Santa made an appearance at the workshop and was available for pictures.

Carmen Gerber, a Spanish teacher with the school and the person in charge of the fundraising taskforce, said one of the reasons the school decided to have the bazaar on the same day as the 5K was because the people were going to be there anyway.

“I’m extremely happy with the turnout,” Gerber said, “It’s amazing.”

She said more than 200 runners showed up and they ran out of numbers to hand out to them because they weren’t expecting so many.

“I could cry, I’m so excited,” Gerber said. This was her first time organizing the marathon. Before last weekend, she’s always been a participant.

Sister Carolyn Marie, the principal of Our Lady Star of the Sea School, said the fundraising has been “a real community builder within the school community.”

She said each vendor had to donate an item to the silent auction being held during the bazaar.

Sister Carolyn Marie said she confident the school will be able to meet their fundraising goal by January.

“I know we are, because we’re almost there,” she said.

Gerber shares Sister Carolyn Marie’s optimism.

“We thank everybody who came out to support us,” she said, “We’ll be back Pauline Morgan and her daughter Elizabeth, a fifth grader at Our Lady next year.” By Sarah Miller (CT) info@somdpubStar of the Sea, sell raffle and 50/50 tickets at the first ever Our Lady Star of the Sea craft bazaar.

Spotlight On

Scholarship Available for CSM Students and Alumni

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tudents and recent alumni from the College of Southern Maryland are eligible to apply for the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation’s Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship Program. Through this initiative the private foundation will award up to $30,000 annually per recipient to help students and recent alumni from community colleges and two-year institutions pursue bachelor degrees at any accredited college or university in the United States and abroad. These scholarships can be used for tuition, fees, books, and room and board, for the length of the undergraduate degree, generally two years. Current CSM students with 30 or more credits

by Dec. 31 or CSM alumni who have earned an associate’s degree since spring 2006 and have not since transferred to a four-year college are eligible to apply. CSM may only nominate two individuals.

Interested students and recent graduates must obtain application instructions and a list of minimum qualifications directly from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation at www.jkcf.org and apply online by Jan. 19.

For additional information, contact CSM Professor Mike Green, the college’s faculty representative for the Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship at 301-934-7598 or mikeg@csmd.edu.

lishing.net

Ryken Hosts Robot Exhibition

S

tudents of all ages from Southern Maryland gathered at St. Mary’s Ryken last week to fine tune and finalize their robotics projects before the Maryland State Competition.

The students are competing through the FIRST robotics program. The FIRST LEGO league is for students in elementary and middle school and the FIRST Tech Challenge, for high school students.

David Buddenbohn, the engineering technology instructor at the Forrest Career and Technology Center, which hosts the Robo-Bees teams 389 and 390, said the exhibition was a chance for the students to fine-tune their robots before the Maryland Regional Competition at the College of Southern Maryland campus in LaPlata.

The winners of the regional competition will go to the National Competition in St. Louis, Mo. The students who work with LEGO robots have a theme involved in their robots and the track they’ll be on. This year, the theme is the human body. Some of the goals the robots have to achieve include mending a broken bone, where the robot has to pick up a larger LEGO piece and put it over two halves of a broken bone. The students are timed, and have until the end of their time to complete the objectives in a row.

The students with the FIRST Tech Challenge

had to build robots that could retrieve a length of PVC pipe from a dispenser and move the pipe to the other side of the field and put it in either a stationary or rolling goal box. They get points for how many pipes they get in the goal. Students can also get points for getting their robot up a teeter-totter style obstacle and balancing on it so the ends aren’t touching the ground.

The older students work in conjunction with another team, with two robots on each side of the field. Buddenbohn said this is to encourage cooperation as much as competition.

Buddenbohn said the students order Tetrix kits, which have all the parts they need to build their robots. They work with the different parts, and even combine parts from multiple kits if the school can afford to buy more than one, to build a robot that can achieve a goal.

“It’s all about engineering and design,” Buddenbohn said.

He said the robotics teams are a part of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) program. Because of this, the Navy has sponsored some of the robotics teams. People from the base have also come to the schools as teachers and mentors for students on the robotics teams. By

Sarah Miller (CT) info@somdpublishing.net

Thursday, December-2010

19

P ages P

Ring in the New Year

ast

By Joyce Baki

A

s you ring in the New Year will you make a New Year’s resolution? If so, you’ll be doing something that has been done for thousands of years. The early Babylonians made resolutions although not to lose weight or quit smoking. A popular resolution for them was to return something that had been borrowed.

Celebrating the New Year is believed to be the oldest of all holidays. More than 4,000 years ago ancient Babylon celebrated it with the first new moon after the Vernal Equinox or the first day of spring. It was logical because spring is the season of rebirth, the blossoming of flowers and trees

and the time to plant crops. The Babylonians celebrated for eleven days with each day of the celebration having a different significance. The Romans changed the date to January 1 almost 2,000 years ago.

The use of noisemakers and fireworks is also believed to originate in ancient times. Noise and fire were thought to dispel evil spirits and bring good luck. The Chinese invented fireworks which are used now in many major New Year’s celebrations around the world.

The tradition of the Tournament of Roses Parade was started in 1890. To celebrate the ripening of the orange crop, the Valley Hunt Club decorated their carriages with flowers and the Rose Bowl, a college football game, was added in 1902. Believe it or not, it was replaced with Roman chariot

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B"C@6$%#$+05775&(#$''65"7#$(+#$++5.5&($6#D""7#0$*#1"#-A$%C"+;# E575.#.A"#4"175."#$.#444;-$6)"%.0$%5("0@7"@0;-&0# 1#2$#32'*4%&#5#/6#7%88%% Gingerbread Lighthouse Workshop 889::#$;0;#$(+#29::#';0;# Back by popular demand! Join our “elves” as we make lighthouses out of candy. There is a $2 materials fee. Sign up early at the admissions desk as space is limited.

9:;732'*4%&#5#/6#7%8<% Ornament Workshop 889::#$;0;#29::#';0;#$(+#=9::#';0;# Make a little something extra for your tree! Each workshop will be making a different ornament. $2 per child donation requested. Sign up early at the admissions desk as space is limited! =>$2'*4%&#5#/6#7%8?%% Horseshoe Crabs: Survival of the Fittest Join an interpreter in the Discovery Room for a hands-on look at these fascinating survivors. Touch these animals that have been around since before the dinosaurs and also explore a model showing their inner anatomy. Free with museum admission, fifteen minute programs starting on the top of every hour from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

9;#32'*4%&#5#/6#7%8@% Aqua Invaders: The Game 89::#';0;#$(+#=9::#';0;## Join in the fun in the auditorium for an interactive view of how well meaning people can spread invasive species around their neighborhoods. Free with museum admission.

1#2$#32'*4%&#5#/6#7%8E Jellyfish!

Join an interpreter at the sea nettle exhibit to take a close look at why these planktonic animals do what they do and how they do it. Free with admission, fifteen minute programs starting on the top of every hour from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

9:;732'*4%&#5#/6#7%<,%% Seahorses!

Join an interpreter by the Seahorse exhibit to get a look at these fascinating creatures. Explore their habitat, their relatives, and why there are so few of them left. Free with museum admission, fifteen minute programs starting on the top of every hour from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

F7(2'*4%&#5#/6#7%<+% Oysters!

Meet “Rock E. Feller” the oyster. Join a museum interpreter at our oyster reef exhibit to discuss and get a hands-on feel of oysters with “Rock E. Feller” , our own handmade oyster model. We'll talk habitat and take Rock E. apart to learn all about the things that make oysters such a great addition to our ecosystem - and our menus. Fifteen-minute program starting on the !"#$%&'%(#))#*+& top of every hour from & 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. !"#$%&'$()"*+$(),-..-%&$ Free with museum (&)$/'+$%&'$01-*)$2344$ admission.

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20

Thursday, December-2010

races the following year. In 1916 the football game returned. It is a rule that all floats in the Tournament of Roses Parade be made with natural materials like flowers, plants, seeds, bark, nuts or vegetables and that no artificial flowers or plant materials be used.

The construction of floats takes almost a year to complete and the Valley Hunt Club still enters a carriage decorated with flowers. The Rose Bowl parade is never held on a Sunday and this rule was instituted in 1893 to “avoid frightening horses tethered outside local churches and thus interfering with worship services.” Today, this helps avoid competition with NFL football games. If January 1 falls on a Sunday, the parade and bowl game are held on January 2.

The Greeks began the tradition of symbolizing the New Year with a baby.

To celebrate their god of wine, Dionysus, they would parade a baby through town in a basket to represent the annual rebirth of Dionysus as the spirit of fertility. Early Christians felt this practice was pagan, but the popularity of the baby as a symbol of rebirth forced them to reevaluate this position. The church allowed the members to celebrate the new year with a baby that would symbolize the birth of Jesus, who was to have brought rebirth to the world. The Germans brought the image of a baby with a New Year’s banner to America. They had used this symbol since the 14th century.

Many foods are thought to bring luck if eaten during the New Year’s cel-

ebration. In many parts of the United States it is believed that you will have a prosperous New Year if you eat black-eyed peas, generally accompanied by ham or hog jowls. The hog is considered lucky because it symbolizes prosperity. Another “good luck” food is cabbage. The leaves of cabbage symbolize paper currency and it is believed that eating cabbage will increase your chances of getting rich. The Dutch believe that eating doughnuts on New Year’s Day will bring good fortune. Rice is also thought to bring good luck.

One of our most famous traditions in the United States is the dropping of the New Year ball in Times Square, New York, a tradition which began in 1907. The original ball was made of iron and wood. Today’s ball is made of Waterford Crystal, is six feet in diameter and weighs 1,070 pounds. The ball begins to drop at 11:59 p.m. and takes one full minute to move 77 feet to reach the bottom. It is estimated that up to one million people crowd into Times Square each year to watch the ball drop and another one billion watch the event on television.

At midnight it is common to sing the song “Auld Lang Syne.” This is an old Scottish song that was partially written

by Robert Burns in the 1700s. The words, “auld lang syne,” mean “old long ago” or the good old days. The song makes a promise to remember your old friends throughout the new year.

The song was made popular by Guy Lombardo, a bandleader, who heard the song in his hometown of London, Ontario, sung by Scottish immigrants. When he and his brothers formed a band, Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians, the song became one of their standards. In 1929 they played the song at a New Year’s Eve party in New York City and as they say – the rest is history.

CLASSIFIEDS Ring In Your New Year Right

By Joyce Baki Real Estate Estate sale in White Sands Subdivision. 2 bed 2 bath log cabin. 1+ acres. Property sold as is. Tax Assessed Value for this year 2010 is $160,862. Best buy investment property or first time homebuyer. Call Karen @ 240.538.7499 or email us at WesAndKarenDodson@Gmail.Com

This Estate home sits on a peaceful cul-de-sac.

It has 3 spacious Bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms.

Our ìDifferent by Designî home includes granite kitchen countertops, 9î ceiling, and luxury master bathroom with large walk-in closets. Many options to chose from. Call today for an appointment to tour this community. Home Builders, Inc. 240-725-0540

Real Estate Rentals

LUSBY 3 bedroom/1.5 bath one-story home in wooded area with two decks; all applicants; double carport; 2 out buildings PLUS WORKSHOP ZONED COMMERCIAL; ½ ac; $1,450.00. For appointment: (410) 586-1100.

Employment

Must be a graduate from an accredited and approved professional nursing program with a minimum of 3 years experience in long-term care.

Must be currently licensed and registered as an RN in the State of Maryland with previous experience in Quality Assurance, JCAHO, Utilizaiton Review, and related areas.Computer experience in Microsoft Word and Excel preferred Must possess ability to work well with others. A complete job description is available for review. To apply, please email resume to lyounger@ccncmd.org.

Busy marina in Solomons looking for weekend help. Desired candidate must be trustworthy and reliable, able to work well with customers, and multi-task Position may involve a wide variety of duties; grass cutting, maintenance, fuel dock, etc Applicant's must apply in person at Calvert Marina 14485 Dowell Road Dowell, MD 20629.

Applications are now being accepted for immediate Part Time and Full Time positions available for Certified Emergency Medical Technicians or First Responders to work as Security Officers in a beautiful retirement and assisted living community in Solomons, MD. Part Time position may become full time.

Uniforms are provided. We are looking for mature and serious minded individuals who are willing and able to follow directions and work independently. Applicants must have reliable transportation. Successful Applicants will receive formal training as Security Officers and become certified as Security Officers in the state of Maryland. They will also receive sitespecific on-the-job training. E-Mail Resume to talonpi@earthlink.net

The Southern Calvert Gazette will not be held responsible for any ads omitted for any reason. The Southern Calvert Gazette reserves the right to edit or reject any classified ad not meeting the standards of The Southern Calvert Gazette. It is your responsiblity to check the ad on its first publication and call us if a mistake is found. We will correct your ad only if notified after the first day of the first publication ran.

To Place a Classified Ad, please email your ad to: classifieds@somdpublishing.net or Call: 301-373-4125 or Fax: 301-373-4128 for a price quote. Office hours are: Monday thru Friday 8am - 4pm. The Southern County Gazette is published every other Thursday.

T

hrough January 2, 2011, Annmarie Garden Sculpture Park & Arts Center hosts their annual Garden in Lights. Surround yourself with colorful one-of-a-kind creations as you walk the quartermile loop. Mythical creatures, spectacular wild animals, illuminated works of art, hidden beasts and more will delight all ages. After your walk, enjoy a hot drink, entertainment, the Ornament Show, the Celebrations Glass exhibit and more in the Arts Building. Visit Annmarie Garden’s Web site, www.annmariegarden.org, for information on new golf cart tours, pet night and special discount nights for military, police and others. Regular admission fees apply.

Tens of thousands of holiday lights twinkle in Chesapeake Beach to make it the Brightest Beacon on the Bay. Take the family and ride through Chesapeake Beach to enjoy holiday lights which will be displayed until the week after the New Year. Make a stop at Tan’s Cycles to visit their Holiday Train Garden. The train garden is on a 20’ X 20’ platform with five levels, 25 trains, seven super streets, a carnival, waterfall, construction site, disappearing trains, tunnels, bridges and much more. The display is free to the public.

www.chesapeake-beach.md.us

Looking for things to do with the family during the holidays?

The Calvert Marine Museum offers programs throughout the school holiday. Each day from December 27 through December 31 you can discover interesting facts about sea life. Did you know that horseshoe crabs have been around since dinosaurs? What good are jellyfish? On Friday, December 31, meet Rock E. Feller the oyster and learn all about how they fit in the ecosystem. Check the Calvert Marine Museum Web site, www.calvertmarinemuseum.com, for complete listings and registration information.

Out&About Start off your New Year with an invigorating swim in the Chesapeake Bay! Join the crowd at North Beach as they run across the beach into the chilly waters for the annual Polar Bear Plunge. Afterward everyone is invited to warm up beside a large beach bonfire and enjoy a hot drink. It is great fun for all ages – both to participate and to watch! The fun starts at 1 p.m. at the beach located at the intersection of 5th Street and Bay Avenue. www.ci.north-beach. md.us.

Make a resolution to learn something new this year. Annmarie Garden offers some great classes. Learn about the airbrush – from mechanics to operation to maintenance – as you experiment with basic techniques to create your own unique work. Discover watercolor painting winter scenes. Or develop new skills as you create pottery. For a complete list of classes, visit www.annmariegarden.org.

Friday, January 7, is First Free Friday at the Calvert Marine Museum. The museum is open free from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Enjoy the opening of The Art of Healing the Chesapeake – A Tribute to Tom Wisner. See a display of portraits by Tom Wisner and the student work he inspired on display in the lobby. Enjoy a benefit concert, Chesapeake Bound: Remembering Tom’s Music, performed by Teresa Whitaker, Frank Schwartz and Mac Walter starting at 6:30 p.m. in the auditorium. Donations will help support the “Chestory Archive of Regional Story and Song” at the museum. www.calvertmarinemuseum.com.

Free Art Show and Concert Inspired by Tom Wiser

T

om Wisner used to say that he was made of water... a life shaped and reshaped by the rivers and tributaries of the great Chesapeake Watershed.

The Calvert Marine Museum will celebrate the “Bard of the Chesapeake” with a concert and art show on Friday, January 7 at 6:30 p.m., during the monthly First Free Friday event. The museum will be open to the public from 5 – 8 p.m.

Wisner, who died last year, was a well- known Maryland poet, artist, song writer, story teller, musician and environmental educator.

The concert, entitled Chesapeake Bound: Remembering Tom’s Music will reunite Teresa Whitaker, Frank Schwartz and Mac Walter, all long-time friends and collaborators of Wisner. Whitaker and Schwartz have performed and recorded with him for over 30 years. Beginning in the auditorium at 6:30 p.m., the performance is free, but all donations will support the “Chestory Archive of Regional Story and Song,” currently being established at the museum.

Frank Schwartz is a singer/ songwriter playing bass, guitar and banjo. He was a founding

member of Maryland’s famous rine Museum is creating the Irish band O’Malley’s March. “Chestory Archive of Regional Teresa Whitaker is a storyteller, Story and Song,” comprised of arts educator, songwriter and Tom Wisner’s writings, phosinger whose delicate and earthy tos and art works, educational voice conveys emotional nuance materials, musings and songs. and punch. Mac Walter, a three- Some of the materials will betime WAMMIE winner and come available through the webvirtuoso guitar master, will be site and it is intended to become returning to the museum for his a rich resource for educators third concert. throughout the watershed and Appealing to the eye as the bay. Contributions collected well as the ear and on display at the museum during First Free Tom Wisner at last year’s Follow on the in the lobby, The Art of Healing Friday will support this effort.

Water: ‘A Celebration of the Bay’s Life the Chesapeake: A Tribute to in Story and Song.’ held in January at the Calvert Marine Museum.

Tom Wisner will offer a glimpse into Tom’s artistic vision.

Rediscovering &()%'!5%'6(!%000' “homeland” every time he put pen to paper, paint to canvas, hand to guitar string, foot to shifting sand or mind "2'3*425!?2$32*5!,P'+!2'!PRSM!67!!

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Thursday, December-2010

21

Fur and Feathers

Makes Scents To Me

By Keith McGuire

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y

Dad worked two jobs and weekends, but when it came to hunting season in 1964, he decided that it was time to introduce his boys to the woods. He went to the local hardware store and bought three shotguns; a new one for himself and one each for my brother and me. That year, we loaded into the family Ford late on Friday night and headed for Green Ridge State Forrest in Allegany County for the season opener the next day. My brother was lucky enough to bag a small buck. He and I were hooked and everyone was happy! Today, in 2010, I can’t sit in the woods without remembering that first adventure. We were just plain lucky!

My deer hunting skills are more refined than they were in those early days. Based on my own observations, I certainly understand the deer a little better. I’ve engaged in many discussions and experiments about the most effective techniques, and I’ve employed several of them in my almost daily ventures during the season.

I’m convinced that the modern deer hunter is among the cleanest individuals on the planet. Many take a shower

22

Thursday, December-2010

with scent-free soap every morning, air their clean clothing outdoors to remove any scent from scent-free laundry detergents, and spray themselves with scent killer sprays before heading into the woods.

These and other measures to control scents that are unnatural in a deer’s environment are used each time a deer-hunter heads into the woods.

In the woods, a good deer hunter determines the location of his hunt based on wind direction so that any residual scents are downwind of where the animals are likely to travel.

It takes years to correctly calculate the way deer habitually move through a particular woodland area before a good location for a tree stand or ground blind can be determined.

When possible, several locations should be picked so that choices can be made based on the wind direction for a given day.

The second most important technique is to control motion. It’s easy to say, “Don’t move!” But, let’s be real.

Herky-jerky motion will scare everything in the woods. Sit still and move in slow deliberate ways when you have to move. The legal fluorescent orange requirement has no effect on deer when movements are controlled.

A lot of folks use commercially developed scents to cover their own scent or to attract deer. Cover scents are scents that stand out before human scent. Skunk urine used to be popular, but has pretty much been abandoned by modern hunters for obvious reasons. Vanilla extract is the one in vogue now. Attractant scents are usually [said to

be] derived from deer urine, but can be designed to imitate the smell of something that deer like to eat, such as corn or apples. Use these scents according to the directions that come with them.

Most successful hunters employ some or all of these techniques. Even hunters who smoke can benefit if they know the patterns of deer movement for a particular area and play the wind so that their location is not revealed by their own scent streaming into the path of an approaching deer.

If you are hunting and not harvesting, try these methods. Refined skills beat dumb luck every time. Make scent control your priority and don’t move!

I will be offering stories of hunting adventures in future articles for this column. If you have a particularly interesting story, drop me an email at riverdancekeith@hotmail. com. Be safe and enjoy the season.

State One-Act Festival Coming to Three Notch Theatre

ENTERTAINMENT

L

ast weekend marked the first time the Southern Maryland Originals will hit the stage at the Leonardtown Campus of the College of Southern Maryland (CSM).

Southern Maryland Originals consisted of four one-act plays, and was a precursor to the Maryland One-Act Festival, coming in January. The one-act plays performed last weekend included: “Woman: revised,” “The Importance of being Hairy,” “Love Among the Oysters,” and “Witch Hunt.” There was also poetry readings and musical performances between the individual plays.

All of the plays are written by local writers. “Woman: revised” and “Witch Hunt” are both written by Trish Cole, “The Importance of Being Hairy” is written by George Johnson and “Love Among the Oysters” is written R. DaSilva.

“I started getting a love of local works when I produced one-acts,” said Lisa Gregory, producer of Southern Maryland Originals. She said she had produced the one-act plays for the Newtowne Players at Three Notch Theatre in Lexington Park. She has been working with the Newtowne Players since 2006. Ever since Three Notch Theater stopped performing one-act plays, Gregory said there has been a need for them in the community.

Gregory said she is pleased with the choices for the one-acts, and thinks they have the potential to go far.

Woman: revised” will be sponsored in the 2011 Maryland One-Act Festival, which will be held at Three Notch Theatre Jan. 14 through 16.

Gregory said “Woman: revised” has people depicting different words while the dictionary term of the word “woman” is updated.

These words include the titular woman, lesbian, crone and vaginitis.

The play itself lasts about 15 minutes, with a total of four women, one man and one stuffed wombat occupying the stage.

“People who like linguistics will like that one,” Gregory said.

Gloria Ranta, who portrays the word “crone” said it was kind of strange to be involved in the play because she had actually seen the play before, though she’s glad she got the part.

Tina Fratantuono, who portrays “woman” said she’s been in the

Photo by Sarah Miller

Photo by Sarah Miller

play before, when she played the part of “Vaginitis.”

“The Importance of being Hairy” is about a woman who wants to be with a hairy man, and goes on a date with a man named Harry, mistakenly thinking he is hairy, Gregory said.

“Love Among the Oysters” is what Gregory described as “Leonardtown Shakespeare,” and is written entirely in couplets. It is written by the same creator of “A History of St. Mary’s County in 23 Minutes.”

Photo by Sarah Miller “It’s very sweet and lyrical,” she said.

Gregory said Witch Hunt “has a lot of potential to be an award winning type of script.”

Cole, as well as having written “Witch Hunt,” portrays Bridget Bishop during the play. Bridget Bishop, along with two other women, are modern day women being accused of “unnatural acts against God and family,” which was a real crime during the colonial period, at the same time women and men were being accused of witchcraft and executed for it.

She said she looks forward to making the Southern Maryland Originals into an annual event on the CSM campus. In order to give the students at CSM a chance to be involved in the Southern Maryland Originals, Gregory said the auditions for the plays were delayed until after the beginning of the semester.

Gregory said there were about 25 volunteers, on-stage and off, helping to bring the Southern Maryland Originals to life.

“I think the more theater type stuff you have in the county, the better,” Kyser said.

Fratantuono said she’s looking forward to opening night.

“We’re ready to go,” she said. “We’re ready to rock and roll.” By Sarah Miller (CT) info@somdpublishing.net

Thursday, December-2010

23

HELPING

MEMBERS

MEMBERS One dollar a month could help your neighbor keep the lights on.

24

Thursday, December-2010

What is Members Helping Members?

It’s a program where customers in Southern Maryland can help their neighbors who are struggling to pay their electric bills throughout the year.

How do I contribute?

It’s easy! Simply sign up to add $1 to your electric bill each month. SMECO will match customer donations up to $25,000 in 2011.

Each month, the accumulated donations will be sent to the Southern Maryland Tri-County Community Action Committee, which will administer the funds to those customer-members who seek aid and meet the qualifications.

Where do I sign up?

If you would like to donate just $12 a year to help your neighbors keep their lights on, you can sign up to be a member who helps members in several convenient ways.

•

Call: 1-888-440-3311

•

Online: www.smeco.coop/mhm

•

In person at one of the customer service counters at a SMECO location