2011-01-20 Southern Calvert Gazette

Gazette

Southern Calvert

January, 2011

Priceless

Everything Solomons, Lusby, Dowell, and St. Leonard

Brave Swimmers Take Icy Bay Plunge Mardi Gras King Contender Makes a Splash

Newspaper Closes Doors After 70 Years Story Page 3

Photo by Katie Hammerer

New Teen Court Under Consideration Story Page 4

Farmer Shoots, Eats Roving Emu Story Page 7

On T he Cover

Brave souls came out in support of the United Way of Calvert County’s candidate for Mardi Gras Kind, Brian Mayer, on Saturday for an icy plunge into the Chesapeake to raise money.

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Also Inside

Local News

7 Community 11 Sports 12

Cover Story

local news

Testifying to the appropriateness of school delays, this neighborhood sign was taken out in a crash during a two-hour school delay. Normally a crowd of students would have been standing near the sign waiting for the bus.

14 Letters 15 Locals 16 Obituaries 18 Education Maryland Delegate Anthony O’Donnell (R-29C), talks about the Race to the Top school funding program at the seventh annual legislative breakfast sponsored by the Calvert and St. Mary’s county teachers’ unions.

20 History 21

Out & About

22 Hunting 23 Entertainment

community

out & about

Patuxent Habitat for Humanity celebrated its first ribbon cutting of 2011 on Jan. 9. From left is Nathan, Gladys Long, and Ebony with Calvert County Commissioner Susan Shaw cut the ribbon on their new home in Prince Frederick.

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or e-mail us at info@countytimes.net Thursday, January-2011

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

January 21- 23 2011 Island s n o Solom eport Tide R

Day

High Tide Height Sunrise Moon Time /Low Time Feet Sunset Visibl

% Moon

F 21 High 2:36 AM 0.8 7:19 AM Set 8:14 AM 21 Low 8:47 AM -0.3 5:16 PM Rise 7:47 PM 21 High 3:17 PM 1.3 21 Low 9:57 PM -0.1

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Sa 22 High 3:29 AM 0.9 7:18 AM Set 8:47 AM 22 Low 9:44 AM -0.3 5:17 PM Rise 8:59 PM 22 High 4:03 PM 1.2 22 Low 10:38 PM -0.2

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Su 23 High 4:24 AM 1.0 7:18 AM Set 9:18 AM 23 Low 10:45 AM -0.2 5:18 PM Rise 10:11 PM 23 High 4:49 PM 1.1 23 Low 11:19 PM -0.2

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January 28-30 2011 Day

High Tide Height Sunrise Moon Time /Low Time Feet Sunset Visibl

% Moon

F 28 Low 2:40 AM 28 High 9:40 AM 28 Low 4:43 PM 28 High 9:22 PM

-0.3 7:14 AM Rise 2:47 AM 1.2 5:23 PM Set 12:28 PM 0.0 0.6

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Sa 29 Low 3:40 AM 29 High 10:46 AM 29 Low 5:44 PM 29 High 10:23 PM

-0.3 7:13 AM Rise 3:47 AM 1.2 5:25 PM Set 1:21 PM 0.0 0.6

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Su 30 Low 4:40 AM 30 High 11:47 AM 30 Low 6:37 PM 30 High 11:21 PM

-0.3 7:13 AM Rise 4:41 AM 1.2 5:26 PM Set 2:19 PM 0.0 0.6

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Calvert Independent Ends 70 Year Run

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he Calvert Independent newspaper, founded in 1940, printed its last issue the week of Jan. 5 and has closed down its operations, the paper’s vice president/general manager has confirmed.

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Charles Mister, general manager of the organization, who has been with the newspaper just short of four decades, declined to tell The Southern Calvert Gazette why the paper was closing down after such a long period of time.

“That’s our official word, that we are closing,” Mister said in a brief interview Monday at the Calvert Independent’s office in Prince Frederick. “We’ll be dealing with our subscribers in the next couple of weeks.”

A subscriber to the paper told The Southern Calvert Gazette that when they called the paper’s office to confirm whether the weekly was still publishing, they were told that decision to shut down the newspaper was not a local one and that the employees at the paper were saddened to see the organization cease to exist.

The subscriber also said that they were told that the newspaper’s patrons would be refunded their unused subscription payments.

Calvert residents began to wonder about the newspaper’s future about two weeks ago when the office appeared closed and the windows were covered over.

The front door of the newspaper is still locked, though

LOCAL NEWS

there is no sign on the front door denoting the organization’s closure.

Carolyn McHugh, president and CEO of the Calvert County Chamber of Commerce praised the Independent for its news coverage of the county, particularly its stories on business and citizens.

“I’m sorry to see the Independent close,” McHugh said in a telephone interview. “It had a rich history… long before there were any other papers here.

“They always supported businesses, they always would send out reporters to ribbon cuttings,” she said.

McHugh said that newspapers in Calvert County provided fair news coverage of issues there, but that the loss of one newspaper diminished that service.

She said she hoped that the paper would somehow make a comeback.

“It’s always good to have multiple forms of reporting,” McHugh said. “There’s always room for other points of view.” By Guy Leonard (CT) info@somdpublishing.net

‘Fake Pot’ Marketed As Incense Now Illegal

ocal narcotics officers are targeting the sale of process. thetic marijuana from several local businesses and have ena product that looks like incense packaged in a Capt. Daniel Alioto, commander of the St. Mary’s countered it on calls for service. plastic bags, but in reality is a kind of synthetic County vice/narcotics unit said that a warning from local “The side affects of use over the long term aren’t marijuana that has been deemed illegal by the U.S. Drug police served to alert businesses and consumers that the known, but [short term effects] aren’t good,” he said.

Enforcement Administration (DEA), police say. substances being sold were illegal and that any further vioAlioto said that the high generated by smoking the The most popular brand names of this substance go by lations would result in charges. synthetic drug was shorter and less intense than smoking names such as “Spice,” “K-2,” “Blaze,” and “Red X Dawn,” Alioto said that narcotics officers had seized the syn- marijuana, but could induce hallucinations. By Guy Leonard (CT) info@somdpublishing.net police say, but are listed as what is known as a Schedule 1 narcotic, which places it in the same category as illegal controlled substances like crack cocaine or heroin.

According to a press release issued by the DEA in November, the agency used its emergency powers to control five substances used to make synthetic marijuana products, which makes possessing or selling those chemicals or the products containing them illegal.

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LOCAL NEWS

Police End Barricade With Tear Gas

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n Jan. 13, at approximately 9:25 p.m. members of the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office Patrol Bureau responded to a residence on Crazy Horse Trail in Lusby, after a family member called 911 and indicated that there was a male in this residence that was having mental issues.

The caller stated that the occupant of the residence, aged 52, had a military background, possessed a semi automatic weapon and was threatening to harm himself. Based on this information Officers attempted to make contact with the occupant to check his well-being.

Police say the occupant answered the front door and upon learning that officers were there, he locked the door and retreated into the house.

Members of the Sheriff’s Office Special Operation Team, and negations Team were then deployed to the residence. The occupant refused negations with law Enforcement.

At approximately 11:20 p.m., members of the Special Operation Team deployed a chemical agent (Tear gas) and the occupant then exited the residence without incident.

The occupant was transported by Law enforcement for a health evaluation.

A reverse 911 call was made to the surrounding houses to notify them of this situation.

Citizen Committee on Cliff Erosion Holds First Meeting

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he first meeting of the Cliff Stabilization Advisory Committee was well attended and represented, according to Doug Crow, who is a cliff property owner in St. Leonard.

One of the last acts of the previous Calvert County Board of County Commissioners established the committee in response to the Chesapeake Bay Cliff Erosion In Calvert County Draft steering committee report released on October 26, 2010.

The Board defined the committee to be made up of 18 cliff owners or citizen associations and two nonvoting ad hoc representatives from the Planning and Zoning staff members for the purpose of studying the report recommendations for erosion control and mitigation, keeping the affected property owners informed and suggesting recommendations to the Commissioners.

Along with 19 representatives from local homeowners, the organizational meeting included staff from the Maryland Department of Environment, Department of Natural Resources, Fish and Wildlife and Planning, Maryland Emergency Management Agency and Planning and Zoning. There was no one from the Critical Areas Commission or Army Corps of Engineers.

According to the Steering Committee draft report, it has developed a framework for addressing three major issues: top-down erosion, which is water runoff and slough; bottom erosion from wave action, and the Puritan Tiger Beetle, which does not affect all the property owners.

The Steering Committee Report set out some short-, mid- and long-term solutions for the 234 homes located on

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New Teen Court Under Consideration

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the cliffs.

Of the homes on the cliffs, 83 of them are with 20 feet of the cliff edge and “are potentially in immediate danger.”

These homeowners need short-term solutions and the committee recommends the county apply for Maryland Emergency Management Assistance $3 million available funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for this work, which will enable payment of 75% of the costs.”

The mid-term solution includes addressing the Puritan Tiger Beetle habitat and a range of potential engineering solutions for the nearly half of the 234 properties which don’t have the beetles.

Sometime early this year, the committee suggests the long term solution include working with “the United States Army Corps of Engineers to conduct a two‐year feasibility study of the eroding shorelines in Calvert, Kent and Cecil Counties to seek to develop a comprehensive solution to address the eroding cliffs. The USACE would fund 75% of the cost of the study.”

The first meeting was an opportunity to become acquainted with everyone, to elect the president, Tony Vajda, and set the next meeting for Monday, Jan. 31 from 6 to 8 pm at building 205 on Main Street, Prince Frederick.

Crows’ take on the first meeting is the property owners are looking for shorter term solutions.

“Let’s do something now. We know it’s not perfect, everyone knows it’s not perfect, but let’s not wait around from another two years to do something.” By Corrin M.

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tates Attorney Laura L. Martin is part of a small group researching the idea of bringing a Teen Court to Calvert County. She likes the idea of teens learning consequences from their first-time minor offenses with the hope they will not show up a second time in the Juvenile Court System.

“To wake the teen up – they were lucky this time – to where they behavior could take them. The program teaches them. Instead of setting a fine that probably mom and dad will pay they may do community service in an emergency room to see people come in from serious accidents from speeding. Or sitting through a drug counseling session to see what use of marijuana could lead to,” said Martin.

The county’s Juvenile Court Master Tracey A. McKirgan first suggested Martin look into the Teen Court program already running in Montgomery, Charles and St. Mary’s counties which established programs in the early 2000s.

According to a report by Jeffrey Butts in “The Impact of Teen Court on Young Offenders” similar programs have been running for approximately 50 years, but began proliferating in the 1990s.

Although still researching the potential of the program for Calvert County, Martin said cases referred to Teen Court would meet specific criteria such has first-time offense and the offense or citation is minor such as certain kinds of tobacco, drug and alcohol possessions, speeding and shoplifting under $100.

A Teen Court coordinator would identify cases and then talk to the teen, parents and any victims involved. If all agree, the teen would admit wrong doing, agree to stand before a court of their peers and fulfill whatever punishment meted out.

The advantages to participating in the program include having the offense removed from their record, earning community service hours and firsthand experience of the judicial system.

Standing before Teen Court and accepting their punishment is voluntary. However, if the teen declines the offer, rejects the sentence or fails to carry it out in a timely manner, their case will be remanded back to the juvenile court system.

“What the studies have found is teen punishment from their peers are actually harsher than what they are given in the regular system,” said Martin. The same studies show recidivism rate is much lower compared to teens whose cases are handled in the traditional court system.

At this point, Martin’s goals are to research and draft a program, seek grant money from the state to pay the coordinator’s salary, find office space for the coordinator and determine which agency will house the program.

Martin said she is considering keep the program under her office and Sheriff Mike Evans has already offered office space. By Corrin M. Howe (SCG) info@somdpublishing.net

Tragedy Averted

LOCAL NEWS Driver Flees Attempted Carjacking O

Photo by Corrin M. Howe On Jan. 12, Calvert County Public Schools announced a two-hour delay for schools due to the road conditions. According to neighborhood residents, at 6:45 a.m. a 2005 Red Mustang lost control on Little Cove Point Road and Dasher Drive, knocking out the neighborhood sign. On a regular day, more than a dozen high school students would have been standing there waiting for the bus.

Shepherd of the Bay Holds First Service

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unday marked the first time members of Shepherd of the Bay Lutheran Church in Lusby worshiped in their new building located on the corner of Route 4 and H.G. Trueman (Route 765).

The county gave the church their occupancy permit Friday. That same night Pastor Bruce Weitzke, Building Committee Chairman Dale Feddersen and others were on the property preparing for Saturday’s work day. Throughout the day members of the congregation came to help build chair racks, storage cabinets and the altar as well as move furniture and set up sound systems to prepare for their first service in their new home.

“We are getting everyone we can involved. By tomorrow we’ll have an altar and a pulpit,” said Weitzke, who went on to say the members of the congregation have been very generous in their donations to furnish the building.

Their worship initially is in what will one day be their fellowship hall. When they worked with local architect Tom Reinecker they planned to build in phases. The second phase will be the sanctuary but not for awhile.

“We started cleaning in beginning of May. In begin

June we poured the footers and had a ground breaking ceremony. We had a couple of blips along the way as with every building project. Mattingly was kind enough to let up come in last weekend to put up shelves,” said Feddersen.

The congregation, currently at 120 people, has been meeting at Dowell Elementary School since 1999. Originally the church started off as a Bible Study of about 25 people meeting in 1997.

According to Feddersen the total cost of the first phase is about $1.3 million, which was funded by grants and loans from the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) and money raised within their congregation. A large chunk of the money as well as the time went to site work.

“Four hundred thousand in site work doing things required by the highway department and the extension pond in back for runoff. The nice thing is that everything done for site work for phase two and three except for small addition to parking lot. Phase two is just focusing on sanctuary.”

In fact, currently there is a window in the lobby of the building which is framed in for a door in the future. The window comes out and is reused someDale Feddersen and his son Sammy assemble chair racks at the new Shepherd of the where else and a double door will go in Bay Lutheran Church in Lusby. its place as an entrance facing the new sanctuary.

“I like Dale’s idea of putting a sign over the window which says, ‘A window to our future,’” said Weitke.

Sunday morning starts off with an adult Bible class at 9:30. There are supervised activities for children during this time. Worship services begin at 10:30.

Children stay with their parents during the initial service up through a Children’s message, then they leave for their own Sunday School class.

For more information visit their website at www.shepherdofthebay.com.

n Jan. 13, members of the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office responded to the Rod and Reel restaurant casino located at 4160 Mears Ave, Chesapeake Beach Maryland 20732 for the report of an attempted armed carjacking.

Sgt. Craig Kontra of the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office Warrant Unit was the first officer on scene. Sgt. Kontra made contact with the victim, and with the assistance of other officers determined that a white male approached the victim who was parking his vehicle. The male suspect opened the victim’s vehicle door while brandishing what the victim described as a .380 handgun and stated “you don’t want this car”.

It was preliminarily determined by the first responders that two suspects were at large, and based on the description given by the victim a canvas was conducted. The victim described the suspects as two white males.

Detective Mike Mudd of the Calvert Investigative Team then responded to the scene. Detective Mudd concluded the following: At approximately 1:10 a.m. the victim was waiting in his vehicle in the parking lot of the Rod and Reel while a family member was inside of the establishment. The victim stated that while he was in a parking space that a white male had opened the sliding door to his vehicle (mini van). He advised that the male was holding a black object to his side that he believed was a .380 hand gun. The victim recalled the male to state “you don’t want this car”.

The victim advised he thought he was being robbed or carjacked so he threw his vehicle into drive and sped off. The suspects were patrons of the Rod and Reel on this same evening, police say.

If you have any information regarding this case please contact Detective Michael Mudd and 410-535-1600 EXT: 2469.

By Corrin M. Howe (SCG) info@somdpublishing.net

Thursday, January-2011

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LOCAL NEWS T

he Calvert County Board of County Commissioners has named Jacqueline K. “Jackie” Vaughan director of the county Department of Public Safety. The appointment follows Vaughan’s service as acting director of the department beginning in April 2010.

Vaughan has nearly 30 years of experience as a public safety professional for Calvert County government. She

Calvert Names New Public Safety Director began her career in 1982 as a dispatcher in the Calvert Control Center and was promoted through the ranks, eventually reaching Division Chief of Communications in 2006.

Vaughan has served as a volunteer with county fire departments and rescue squads and continues to serve on the Fire Rescue Commission, the Chief’s Council, the Executive Hazardous Materials Response Team (HMRT) Committee and in the Emergency Operations Center.

“Jackie brings wide-ranging experience and firsthand working knowledge to the leadership of the county’s Department of Public Safety,” Board of County Commissioners President Susan Shaw said in a press release. “She has dedicated her career to public safety and has extensive knowledge of local emergency management. We are proud to have her lead this vitally important function of county government.”

As director of the Department of Public Safety, Vaughan leads the 9-1-1 emergency call center –

known as the Calvert Control Center – along with the Emergency Management and Safety Division, the Fire-RescueEMS Division, the Hazardous Materials Response Team and the False Alarm Reduction Unit. The department works to mitigate manmade, technological and/or natural disasters and respond to emergency needs through the county’s 100 percent volunteer fire-rescue-EMS service. The Department of Public Safety also serves as the local representative for homeland security issues, assists both the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office and the Maryland State Police and works closely with Constellation Energy on emergency planning for Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant.

“Calvert County has a very skillful and dedicated group of professionals working to maintain public safety,” Vaughan said. “I am proud to work with them in this new capacity. This is a wonderful opportunity and I thank the Board of County Commissioners for its confidence in entrusting me with the position.”

For more information on the Calvert County Department of Public Safety, visit www.co.cal.md.us/government/ departments/safety.

Red Cross Looking For Help

C

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need.

“So far, Santa Claus hasn’t contacted us,” said Mike Zabko, the CEO of the Southern Maryland chapter of the Red Cross.

And with only a couple of days until the New Year, it’s looking like the citizens of Southern Maryland are going to have to help out the man in the red suit and his flying reindeer.

“So far, nobody has done anything on our wish list,” Zabko said. “We have all needs.”

The list includes volunteers to help with the design, planning, and execution of an extensive fundraising program to support the Red Cross programs in Southern Maryland and volunteers to be trained to respond to disasters and teach first aid and CPR. An office space building located in Southern Maryland to house a new Regional Red Cross Chapter house is needed so the Red Cross can continue to provide adequate services for the growing area.

The Red Cross has space in the Technology Security Associates building in California, which is donated by Tom Jarboe and Lee Bradshaw free of charge, but they can always use more.

The Red Cross is also looking for someone to paint donated vehicles the standard Red Cross red and white colors as well as a serviceable cargo van for disaster and Health and Safety programs. Along with other vehicles, the Red Cross needs a serviceable, towable trailer to be used by the Red Cross communicators to build a portable antenna tower and emergency power transport that would be used

to establish critical emergency communications in remote locations in the event of a major disasters They also need portable electric generators to provide backup power to sites of disasters to provide immediate assistance to victim and digital trunking public service scanners for the disaster operations center and each of the Southern Maryland Red Cross regional offices.

“It has to come from the community,” Zabko said. “It comes from nowhere else.”

He said the government doesn’t give to the Red Cross. It is a completely community funded venture.

Financial assistance is also needed.

Corporate and organizational sponsors to underwrite the purchase of cold weather outerwear for volunteers and cash donations to support the Local Emergency Response Fund and our General operations fund would be both welcomed and appreciated.

Zabko said the problem is, people are willing to give for things that are splashed over the television, like the disaster in Haiti, but they don’t help the people who need help in their own back yard as much. Zabko said they need to know there are people locally who need assistance too.

The money helps maintain the Red Cross’s ability to help victims of disaster and train people to be prepared for disasters.

“We need everything and more,” Zabko said. By Sarah Miller (CT) info@somdpub-

lishing.net

Mike Zabko explains what the trucks should look like once they are painted.

Farmer Shoots, Eats Roving Emu

“

I don’t want to talk about it any more,” says Bobby Nutwell, the man who recently shot dead a stray emu running across a field on Chaneyville Road in Owings.

However, I kept asking questions and he couldn’t seem to help himself and kept on talking when I visited him at his farm shortly after the shooting.

“Have you seen what they’re saying about me on YouTube?” he asked. “It’s awful. People are hating me! I can’t believe what they’re saying. I don’t want those PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) out here. I need to stop talking about it. I already said too much.”

Nutwell’s nephew, Daniel Brady, also of Owings, added, “They’ve turned this into a much bigger ordeal than it actually was.”

Despite saying he didn’t want to talk, Nutwell was eager to go over his story again, telling me what happened. He said his cousin called him and told him about the emu running across the field, so he got his gun and shot it.

“You should have seen the talons on it,” Nutwell said.

“When we hung it up in the barn, it was about 6’ 4” and weighed 258 pounds. I think that thing could kill you!”

He reiterated that he shot it for safety reasons. “I was afraid that thing was going to run out in the road and a car might hit it. We’re also right next to Northern High School – what if it goes over there and hurts some of the kids?”

But most of all, he said he regretted talking to “that TV station.”

Others in Calvert County are ticked off at the WUSA Channel 9 story that aired about the emu shooting as well.

Among them is Sheriff Mike Evans, who was referred to in the story as Sheriff Bob Evans. “I’ve gotten swamped with calls about that,” Evans told me. “I can’t believe they did that – got my name so wrong like that. They called me Bob Evans!”

And instead of Huntingtown, the reporter referred to

Community

“Huntington” in the broadcast.

In that story, which you can watch on the www.wusa9.com web site or YouTube by searching for Calvert Emu, Nutwell was interviewed with a Confederate flag waving in the background.

“They really made me look so bad,” Nutwell says.

“Now people hate me. I’m not a bad guy. And I’m really just a farmer – don’t call me a hunter. I just didn’t want someone to get in an accident. That’s all.”

The comments on Facebook were very critical as well. Here’s a sampling: - “Welcome to Calvert... a little slice of Alabama!”

- “Confederate flag completes the vision. Very disheartening in 2011.”

- “I am sorry to say but we do have those in this county who continue to believe in the Confederacy.”

- “There are more than you are aware of…”

- “I’m speechless...”

- “Have a feeling that it will be a while before we restore any resemblance of sanity in our county... things are going from bad to worse...”

One Facebook friend even said she wrote a letter to the VP/GM of WUSA to protest, and urged others to complain to the station as well if they were upset by the image of Calvert that it gave.

As for Bobby Nutwell, I asked him if he had to do it over again, would he? “Yes, I would stop him,” Nutwell said. “Yes, I’d do it again. But I wish I’d kept my mouth shut.”

He continued by claiming that there’s

a flock of whole emus still running around out there. “I’ll tell you, that’s not the only one. We see them all the time around here – I bet there are at least 30 of them. The day after I shot him, my friend down on Robinson Road in Huntingtown sighted more of them. They’re all over the place around here. I heard they got loose up in Anne Arundel

County and they couldn’t catch them. Now, they’re all down here. Just wait until someone hits one of them.”

I asked Nutwell what happened to the big bird he shot. He said, “It’s gone.” Where is it, I pressed, did the authorities come get it or did you give it away? He shook his head no, and finally said, “We cut it up, and we’re going to fry it up tonight for dinner. It’s a delicacy in some parts. We’re not going to let it go to waste.”

Sheriff Mike Evans told us that the State’s Attorney ‘s Office and Natural Resources Police are looking into the shooting, but it appears it’s likely a closed case.

“Shooting an emu is not on our list of violations. It was on private property. And he is a legal, licensed hunter, so we could not find any criminal activity. But do you shoot every deer or other animal that might go in the road? No. He could have called us and reported it instead of shooting it. It’s sad how this ended.”

“I’m disappointed we couldn’t have caught it. One lady who lives on a farm called and said she’d be happy to take it if we caught it, so we could have found a good home for it,” Evans added.

Evans said Animal Control did tell Nutwell he could keep the dead bird. “If we took it, we’d just have to bury it somewhere or try to put it in a freezer and we don’t have the time or facilities. He said he wanted to eat it, so they said if he wants to eat it, let him.” By Diane Burr (CC) info@

somdpublishing.net

Thursday, January-2011

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Community Cornhole For a Good Cause

A

sign outside Solomons Volunteer Rescue Squad and Fire Department says, “Corn Hole Tour Jan. 22.” Obviously it’s some kind of activity for raising money, but what exactly is Corn Hole Tour?

“It’s like horseshoes only you play with a bean bag filled with a pound of corn,” according to William Jones, first vice president of Southern Maryland’s Volunteer Fireman’s Association.

“Cornhole or Corn Toss is similar to horseshoes except you use wooden boxes called cornhole platforms and corn bags instead of horseshoes and metal stakes. Contestants take turns pitching their corn bags at the cornhole platform until a contestant reaches the score of 21 points. A corn bag in the hole scores 3 points, while one on the platform scores 1 point,” according to the American Cornhole Association which purports the game being playing in German in the fourteenth century and “rediscovered in the hills of Kentucky one hundred years ago.”

This will be the third Cornhole tournament SVRSFD has held in order to raise approximately $30,000 to host the Southern Maryland Volunteer Firemans Association Convention the weekend of April 30 and May 1 in Solomons this year.

The entry fee is $50 per team (of two) and is a double elimination. Preregistration starts at noon and the games begin at one o’clock, according to Jones. There will be prizes for the first, second and third place teams, $500, $250 and $100 respectively. The company will also raise money through selling beer, soda, rockfish and chicken salad sandwiches, “one of the most popular items.”

“The last tournament we had a team from Fredericksburg, Virginia. We’ve already heard from a team in Baltimore who plans to stay at the Hilton Country Inn.” Southern Maryland Volunteer Fireman’s Association represents Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s counties each year at the Maryland Fireman’s Association, whose “mission is to serve, promote, advocate and represent the interests of all the volunteer fire, rescue and EMS companies in the state including management, administration, budget, operations and logistics.”

The counties rotate the president and

Caryl Alexander, center, explains a printing technique to Laurna Strikwerda and John Linn, visiting from Washington, D.C. and staying in the Victorian Inn in Solomons. Alexander will assemble all the prints made by visitors on a wall, which will become a community project on display for the remainder of February.

MLK Days at Annmarie Garden

Photos by Corrin M. Howe

convention responsibility every year. On April 30, 2011, Jones will be installed as the association’s newest president. His first responsibility is to host the annual convention weekend which includes installation services for new officers, a memorial service for fallen personnel and an awards ceremony.

“It’s a big meal and each year we all try to outdo one another,” said Jones, who said besides representation from all the volunteer rescue, fire and EMS departments, local and state politicians attend as well.

The convention ends Sunday with a parade on Solomons Island where the various squads can “show off marching units and new equipment.”

The fundraising for the convention started earlier this year with volleyball, Cash for Gold, Charter Boat raffle and other activities.

Jones expects he will continue to hold fundraisers to pay for his outgoing responsibilities of providing awards, certificates and dinner for all his officers at the end of his presidency.

For more information contact Renee Crampton at 443-532-1412 or email gary. crampton@comcast.net. By Corrin M. Howe

(SCG) info@somdpublishing.net

Buy a Brick to Honor a Vet

T

he annual sale of memorial bricks to be placed at the Veterans Plaza of the Solomons “On Watch” memorial statue in honor of World War II veterans is open now through April 1.

Unveiled in August 2007, “On Watch” is an eight-foot-tall bronze statue by Maryland artist and sculptor Antonio Tobias Mendez commemorating the people and work done at the Solomons Amphibious Training Base. The base was the first of its kind in the U.S. and operated from 1942 to 1945.

The bricks of Veterans Plaza surround-

8

ing the statue bear the names of veterans who served during the World War II. At the beginning of each year, the Calvert County Department of General Services conducts a limited sale of bricks for those who wish to memorialize someone important to them. The cost of each memorial brick is $100 and all contributions are tax deductible.

The memorial brick application is available online at www.co.cal.md.us/News/OnWatch.asp. For more information, contact Melinda Wood at (410) 535-1600, ext. 2565.

Thursday, January-2011

Doug Reynolds, from St. Leonard, is a local artist featured at the Garden’s MKL Days. He created black and white collages out of items one normally associates with springtime. Each collage takes 72 to 120 hours and run from $400 to $800.

Master Gardener Training Offered

D

o you have a love of gardening and want to share with others? The Calvert County office of the University of Maryland Extension will be offering Master Gardener training in March/April.

Trainees (also known as interns) are screened, interviewed and accepted into the program. Once they complete the course and final exam with a passing score, they must provide 40 hours of volunteer service to the program within 12 months to be certified as a Master Gardener.

University of Maryland Extension programs are open to all citizens without regard to race, color, gender, disability, religion, age, sexual orientation, marital or parental status, or national

origin.

Classes will be held Tuesday and Thursday evenings, March 1 – April 7, 2011 from 6:15 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. at Community Resources Building, 30 Duke Street, Room 105, Prince Frederick, MD 20678. One Saturday field trip is planned. The cost is $175, which includes a Maryland Master Gardener Handbook (valued at $69) and other materials needed to teach the course.

If you have a disability that requires special assistance for your participation, please contact us. For more information, call University of Maryland Extension at 410-535-3662 or 301-855-1150.

Class size is limited and the deadline to register is Feb. 11.

Habitat Christens First Home of 2011

P

atuxent Habitat for Humanity celebrated its first ribbon cutting of 2011 on Jan. 9 in Prince Frederick. The home, referred to as the Apostles Build, was sponsored by several Calvert County churches and businesses. It was completed in record time, thanks to many volunteer hours, reports Laurie Y. Walker, Volunteer Coordinator for Patuxent Habitat for Humanity Patuxent Habitat for Humanity is a seven-year-old nonprofit organization whose purpose is to build affordable homes for working families in St. Mary’s and Calvert

counties. Sponsors, primarily local businesses and individuals with a stake in the community, provide funding and volunteers for specific home builds.

Each home costs about $110,000 to build and the families who are selected to live there are required to participate in the build.

For more information on sponsorship or to volunteer, call 301-863-6227 or 410-326-9050. Visit the web site at www.patuxenthabitat.org.

Community ‘Operation Identification’

I

n an ongoing effort to capture criminals and recover lost or stolen property, the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office has designed a form that is available to the public called Operation Identification. Citizens can use the form to record descriptions of property, serial numbers, model numbers and replacement cost.

In the event you are the victim of a burglary or theft, or if the property is lost, this information will greatly assist the deputies investigating your case. Often times, victims do not have this information and property that perhaps could be recovered is not. Identified by its serial number, the property can be entered into a nationwide database.

This will also assist the Sheriff’s Office in identifying suspects who may have been involved in other cases as well. The form is available for pick up at the Sheriff’s Office or you can access it from the county website by visiting www.co.cal.md.us and following the Sheriff’s Office link.

Benefit Sock Hop

C

From left is Nathan, Gladys Long, and Ebony with Calvert County Commissioner Susan Shaw cut the ribbon on their new home in Prince Frederick.

hase away winter’s doldrums with a New-Fashioned Sock Hop Saturday, Jan 29, from 6 to 10 p.m. at Tom Wisner Hall at King’s Landing Park, Huntingtown.

Heavy hors d’oeuvres and desserts by Turnabout Café; wine from local wineries. Leap of Faith will play music from ‘50s to present. Fabulous silent auction.

Proceeds benefit Turnabout, Inc, a 501c3 non-profit organization.

Tickets are just $40 in advance; $45 at the door. For tickets and more info, call 301-855-8241.

St. Mary’s Hospital

EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT

What others promise, we deliver.

Thursday, January-2011

9

Community

SMECO Employees Donate to Habitat

SMECO Warns of Higher Bills Next Month

T

he Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative (SMECO) is warning its customers that the frigid temperatures combined with recent snowfalls this December will likely translate into much higher bills in January when customers use more power to heat their homes.

“Demand for electricity is projected to be 11 percent higher for December than the same time period for 2009, and nearly 18 percent higher than our five-year December average,” said SMECO president and CEO Austin Slater in a press release.

“That is a substantial increase in electricity demand and will impact our customer-members’ bills for January.”

SMECO recommends that customers turn down their thermostat to 68 degrees to reduce energy consumption through their home’s heating system; they also caution against using bathroom exhaust fans except when necessary because they can draw heat out of the home.

The cooperative also recommends that customers avoid changing the level on their thermostat once they have it set at a comfortable level because it causes the heating system in their home to operate less efficiently.

Tom Dennison, spokesman for SMECO, advised that customers can access the cooperative’s Web site at www.smeco. coop to find out more ways they can conserve on energy bills.

“The month of December had 22 days where the temperature fell below 32 degrees,” Dennison said in a statement. “Add gusting wind and snow and you are looking at an increased demand for power to stay warm.

“We encourage customers to take steps [to curb power use] as we continue to endure these record low temperatures.”

E

mployees of Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative (SMECO) recently donated more than $10,000 to the two Habitat for Humanity affiliates in Southern Maryland. The Patuxent Habitat for Humanity serving Calvert and St. Mary’s counties received more than $6,600 and the Habitat for Humanity in Charles County received more than $3,300. The money will aid the groups’ mission of building affordable homes for working families in the region.

SMECO employees raised the money through the

2010 Charity Golf Tournament, supported by a group of volunteers and by the SMECO executive team. Each year, the Co-op selects a different charity to benefit from employee contributions.

Pictured from left is Austin J. Slater, Jr., SMECO President and Chief Executive Officer, and Denise Chalmers, Procurement Specialist, Patuxent Habitat for Humanity President Dan Doherty, Jean Kinney Combs, Director of Administration; and Don Parsons, Executive Director.

Get Your Business Out There!

Advertising Works!

Place an Ad in Either our Business Directory or Restaurant Guide for as Low as Just $ 48

Gazette

Southern Calvert

10

301-373-4125

Call now to make the next step on publicizing your business!

Thursday, January-2011

Pat on nig

Bre reb reb

Sp rts Panther Girls Still Learning as Season Progresses

F

riday night’s Southern Maryland Athletic Conference girls basketball game looked promising at the start for Patuxent High School.

Jumping out to a quick 6-0 lead against host Leonardtown, the Panthers looked like a team poised to blow the doors off the Raiders and pick up their first win of the season.

Instead, Leonardtown’s pressure defense frustrated the Panthers and turned that 6-0 lead into a 45-25 loss, but first-year head coach Stan Hampton wasn’t disappointed in his team’s effort.

“At times, the girls get nervous, they panic in certain situations,” Hampton said of the tempo-changing full-court pressure defense Leonardtown applied. “They’re going to get it and things will click. They just have to believe in themselves more.”

The Panthers were led by junior center Breanne Thomas, who led all scorers with nine points and pulled down 11 rebounds and Lauren Williford added four points. Hampton believes Thomas can be a premier player in the conference with a little bit more aggression.

“Bree is an amazing athlete,” he says. “If she demands the ball more and works hard, she can do some things. She could be one of the most dominant forces in SMAC.” As far as the remainder of the season (the Panthers had 12 games left after Friday), Hampton was confident that they would improve as a team coming down the stretch.

“It’s about staying focused, doing the little things like boxing out and learning the fundamentals,” he said. “This season is a growing experience.” By Chris Stevens (CT) info@somdpublishing.net

Patuxent’s Lauren Mooney drives up the floor on Leonardtown’s Erin Mallory during Friday night’s girls basketball game.

Photo by Frank Marquart

Patuxent High School Schedule Breanne Thomas, shown here reaching for a rebound, led Patuxent with nine points and 11 rebounds.

Photo by Victor Marquart

Thurs., Jan 20 Wrestling

Fri., Jan. 28 Boys’ Basketball

Fri., Jan. 21

Girls’ Basketball Patuxent at Northern, 7 p.m.

Patuxent/Chopticon at Leonardtown, 5 p.m.

Boys’ Basketball

Patuxent at Great Mills, 7 p.m.

Girls’ Basketball Great Mills at Patuxent, 7 p.m.

Tues., Jan 25 Wrestling

McDonough at Patuxent, 7 p.m.

Thurs., Jan. 27 Wrestling

Patuxent at Huntingtown, 7 p.m.

Northern at Patuxent, 7 p.m.

Sat., Jan. 29

Patuxent at SMAC Indoor Track Championships, at Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex, Landover, MD, 8 a.m.

Mon., Jan. 31 Boys’ Basketball

Chopticon at Patuxent, 7 p.m.

Girls’ Basketball

Patuxent at Chopticon, 7 p.m.

Thursday, January-2011

11

r a l o P y e a k W a T d s nite r e m U m p i l e w S H e o t v a e r B lung P

s ater cy wKing. i e th s tests Gra an, Mardi m l i nc he Cou me t ownto beco T h c Bea uest orth ayer’s q N a M , nton rian e Be of B Mik upport in s

g akin em r o f be Bay ake e p esa e Ch of th

er mer Ham e i t y Ka tos b Pho

ap a le

J

ust outside the Rod N’ Reel Restaurant in Chesapeake beach, a small collection of people gathered on the edge of a dock in swimwear, bracing themselves for a cold jump into frozen waters.

Lined up like ducks, the participants looked to each other to see who would enter the water first. Eleven people prepared for the frosty jump into the icy water to help benefit United Way of Calvert in the Polar Plunge held Saturday, organized by Brian Mayer, a loan officer, and his wife, Val Willis-Mayer.

The Polar Plunge was one of many events that are held every year during the months leading up to the United Way’s annual Mardi Gras event in March by candidates that are in the running to be crowned King or Queen of Mardi Gras.

A Polar Plunge doesn’t seem as conventional for a fundraiser compared to other

ON T

ON T 12

Thursday, January-2011

y

Reel Resbeach, a e gathered wear, bracnto frozen

articipants would ene prepared ater to help n the Polar d by Brian wife, Val

e of many during the Way’s anby candie crowned

m as coned to other

“Somewhere like a bar isn’t always a great place to hold a fundraiser, but this was open for anyone. It’s something everyone could do,”

events that have been held, but Mayer, candidate for King, thought it was a wholesome activity that everyone could be involved in and enjoy.

“Somewhere like a bar isn’t always a great place to hold a fundraiser, but this was open for anyone. It’s something everyone could do,” Mayer said.

Though it was cold, there were only smiles on the faces of participants and onlookers in the crowd there in support of Mayer in his quest for becoming Mardi Gras King.

“I think that I will win, I have received a lot of support from the business community,” Mayer said.

Other examples of fundraisers have been Texas hold’em tournaments, silent auctions and dinners where the proceeds go to United Way. Something that could be seen as a great advantage for Mayer throughout his campaigning is that he has utilized the very popular social network Facebook. With Facebook as one of the most widely viewed internet sites, choosing to publicize events on the site was a smart tactic for campaigning, his wife said.

“Facebook has done wonders for reaching people who want to support Brian who may not live here or be able to come to an event,” Willis-Mayer said.

The Internet has changed the way the race is being run, and not only Facebook is

being used to campaign. The United Way has created links for each contender that donates one dollar to the candidates fundraising when clicked.

“The dollar donation is very important for the candidates, each dollar that is raised equals one vote toward that person,” Jennifer Moreland, Director of Community and Resource Development said.

The proceeds from fundraising and the Mardi Gras celebration go toward community outreach in education and health programs in Calvert County.

The contestants who are chosen to be in the running of king and queen are selected by a Mardi gras committee. Six contestants, Three male and three female, are nominated from different areas of Calvert County and the Calvert community. The six contestants this year are Everard Johnson, Brian Mayer, John McGuffin, Jan Lomax, Charleen Obal, and Amber Yurko.

The style of the race has also changed; three years ago the six candidates were nominated as couples but today each person has no association to another candidate in a marital or relationship fashion.

The reason this was changed was because sometimes one person from the couple was comfortable in the public eye, fundraising, going to events, speaking to groups of people and being a leader. Unfortunately more often than not, the other person was not as commandeering, Moreland said.

-Brian Mayer

“The people we select have to be comfortable and confident when fundraising and well equated to the community,” Moreland said.

Each candidate rallies and campaigns for roughly six months before the Mardi Gras event in March. Each person has a different way of campaigning to win.

Some use funny videos parodying Elf and Forrest Gump such as John McGruffin or some utilize the Internet through Facebook like Brian Mayer.

However, the six months of effort to become king or queen comes to an end in March when the Mardi Gras party is held, this year on March 5 which will be its 11th year running.

In 2000, The United Way brought a little bit of the New Orleans to Maryland when a cocktail party was held at The Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro, Md., to raise money for their capital campaign at the time.

Since then, the celebration has transformed into a full Mardi gras extravaganza with stilt walkers, magicians, authentic Creole food and mimes to entertain guests who attend.

The party used to only occupy an upper level of The Show Place Arena, but more and more people began attending so everything had to move to the arena floor,

Moreland said.

At $135 a ticket, the price could be seen as a bit steep; however, last year the event attracted 500 people.

“We thought that there wouldn’t be that many people because of the economic downturn, but the number of people there to support was wonderful. This year, I have no idea how many people with come, so much interest has been shown from the community,” Moreland said.

“We will be having the Tom Principato Band playing this year, the style is a rock and blues mix with a bit of New Orleans style,” Moreland said.

The theme this year will be “Glitz and Glam” in which Moreland characterized as a “Red carpet event”. Anyone may attend and is encouraged to go to the fundraisers and the Mardi gras celebration to help United Way Raise money. By Katie Hammerer (SCG) info@somdpublishing.net

ON THE COVER ON THE COVER ON THE COVER ON THE COVER ON THE COVER ON THE COVER ON THE COVER ON THE COVER ON THE COVER ON THE COVER ON THE COVER ON THE COVER Thursday, January-2011 13

Editor

Storm Hits Annapolis; Not Mother Nature, Legislators Arrive for 90 Day Session

S

L

TER T E to the

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Tiki Bar Helped Raise $7,500 for Charter Captains The Captains of the Solomons Charter Captains Association (SCCA) would like to publicly thank The Tiki Bar owners and staff for supporting its neighbors of Solomons. This past year Joe Kurley, General Manager for The Tiki Bar, again worked with the SCCA in hosting their Halloween Party, “Lost on Tiki Island”.

With his management skills and our support we were able to have the biggest party yet. Over 350 people attended, some coming from as far as Virginia to attend. There were some unbelievable costumes that won great prizes. The food was excellent and the oysters were a big hit. The event raised more than $7,500 for the SCCA to promote charter fishing in Solomons in 2011.

The Tiki Bar has always recognized the independent charter boat businesses and the SCCA as a valuable asset to Solomons and the economical impact they have on tourism for this area. One charter boat in a season can bring over 600 people to the area to fish, eat and drink locally, stay overnight and bring back more people. With over 40 boats in this harbor that is 24,000 tourists a season and more. With the hard and difficult economic times many captains experienced this past season, they look to generate new interest in charter fishing and experiencing all that the beautiful Chesapeake Bay and Solomons has to offer.

The Tiki Bar is seasonal, much like the fishing season; we both start in the springtime and end in the fall. Pat Donovan and Terry Clarke are owners of The Tiki Bar and good anglers themselves. They appreciate how wonderful the Solomons area is and how good the fishing can be. They want to help us get more people to enjoy the Bay and see SCCA Charter Captains stay in the recreational business.

This is truly a neighbor helping a neighbor in times of need. The Captains again express their appreciation for the support given and look forward to a better 2011 tourist season.

Respectfully,

he question everyone is asking these days: do you feel the slow uptick in the economy? Most say “not really”, some say “no”, and others, “maybe”. Not many positive responses, mainly because people are starting to understand the problem, but are very doubtful as to the fix.

The root of the economic problem is not in industry, it’s not in business, it’s not in the private sector; the root of the economic problem is in the public sector. Federal government, state governments, and local governments all across this nation, with some select exemptions, have acted irresponsibly. They have made commitments they cannot afford to keep, they have spent like credit card thieves racking up trillions in debt in the name of the taxpayers. Unfortunately, they aren’t considered thieves; the debts they run up won’t be wiped away, so taxpayers and businesses await the bill.

Consider that the federal deficit has now reached more than $14 trillion dollars and is growing every day. This year, state governments across the nation face an estimated $82.1 billion dollar deficit. Here in Maryland, our state government will have a $1.6 billion dollar budget hole which the governor and state legislature will have to fill. The actual structural deficit for Maryland is estimated at $2 billion dollars per year for future years.

And for most state governments, such as Maryland, these deficit numbers do not include the long term, underfunded commitment that federal, state and local governments have made to pay defined guaranteed retirement health and pension benefits.

Now we know that the Social Security Trust Fund, which we all paid into our entire working life, has since August, 2010 been paying out more to beneficiaries than what is being paid in. And beginning now and for the next 22 years, the baby

Capt. Sonney Forrest President, SCCA 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 Corrin Howe

Government Correspondent Community Correspondent Sports Correspondent Community Correspondent

Contributing Writers Joyce Baki Keith McGuire

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.

14

Thursday, January-2011

boomer population will be added to the Social Security and Medicare rolls, eventually causing there to be only two people paying into the system for every one that is drawing out of the system. Social Security and Medicare represent our nation’s largest economic threat.

Yet while those who have paid in to Social Security are going to be asked to retire later and take less, the nation is polarized by federal, state, and local government retirees who often are eligible to retire at ages as low as 50 years with pensions as much as 75% of their previous earnings and medical benefits that far exceed Medicare.

So is it any wonder few people believe that a slight uptick in the economy is a sign of recovery? The private sector is frightened by what they now know; government has become a huge liability that we are responsible for. And for the most part, those who got us in this mess have been sent back to Washington, and back to state capitals like Annapolis to solve the problems.

Our economy will not stabilize until the forces of government that are now understood and are causing uncertainty and instability, have been neutralized. The common citizen gets it, but do the politicians?

Members of the Maryland Legislature who make up the Spending Affordability Committee recommended this past December that this year the structural deficit be reduced by one-third, approximately $670 million dollars. In other words, fix one third of the problem and leave two thirds of the problem unresolved.

To do this would mean that Marylanders would continue to languish in uncertainty and fear. The private sector will not respond to Maryland legislators continuing to kick the problem down the road. For the sake of all Marylander’s, for better or for worse, when the dust settles at the close of this year’s legislative session in April, we deserve solutions.

Churches, Businesses Made Apostles Build a Success Patuxent Habitat for Humanity and The Long Family would like to express our thanks and appreciation to the following Calvert Churches and Businesses for their contributions to the Calvert Apostles Build.

Calvert Apostles Build Churches: Christ Church, First Lutheran Church, Huntingtown UMC, Our Lady Star of the Sea, St. John Vianney, Emmanuel UMC, Grace Brethren, Middleham & St. Peter’s, St. Paul’s Episcopal, Carroll Weston UMC, Trinity UMC, Calvert Baptist, Greater Mount Zion Church, Olivet UMC, Solomons UMC, St. Paul UMC, Trinity Lutheran, Saint Nicholas Lutheran.

Covenant Business Partners: Dunkirk Supply, Gradient Construction, Howlin Concrete, Kaine Homes, Kitchen & Bath Distributors, Quality Built Homes, Residential & Commercial Fire Protection, RRH Construction, T& T Sweeping, TF Miller, Tri-County Aire, Wyrostek Plumbing, Adam Gatley, ALM American Construction, Aqua Well, Atlas Concrete Services, Beaver Dam Construction, Blake Creek Designs, Calvert County Government, Chesapeake Custom Embroidery, COA, Crane Service Company, Bay Metal Works, Dominion Natural Resources Inc. THANK YOU ALL. Laurie Y. Walker, Volunteer Coordinator Patuxent Habitat for Humanity

Soldier, Sniper, Hunter, Writer

R

oy F. “Rocky” Chandler looks like a grandfatherly figure at first glance. Eloquent and erudite, it’s not difficult to imagine that he is the author of nearly 70 books. But every good writer writes about the subjects with which they are familiar, and that’s where Chandler separates from most.

As a U.S. Army veteran of both World War II and the Korean War, Chandler’s expertise is all about shooting, infantry combat, sniping and even big game hunting in

Chandler is noted as an honorary sniping instructor for Iron Brigade Armory, an outfit that builds custom sniper rifles under the direction of retired Marine Lt. Colonel Norman Chandler II, Rocky’s brother, who is a weapon’s specialist.

Among the group’s training cadre is Sheriff Timothy K. Cameron, who is part of what Chandler would call the “one-shot brotherhood.”

“That’s when I did a lot of sniping,” Chandler said of his Korean War service.

“I’d be shooting going down the line and often they’re not protected from the side.”

During the war Chandler also ran a sniper school for the U.S. Army teaching advanced marksmanship to soldiers headed for combat, he said.

Chandler’s tales of combat in Korea range from harrowing to weird.

“It was pretty hard, dirty fighting,” Chandler said. “By the time I got there the Chinese had come down… their attacks were all frontal assault.

“They blew the whistle and down they came.”

He recounts one story when the enemy over ran a position where he was entrenched but they were moving so fast that they didn’t even engage soldiers who were dug in.

“They ran right over us and we fired at them as they passed,” Chandler said.

Cameron, a close friend of Chandler, said that he had learned a lot from the stories of his experiences and counted him as his favorite author.

“He is the real deal,” Cameron said.

“He’s always been drawn to the shooters and the street cops more than the policy Roy Chandler, local author and war veteran, keeps copies of the nearly 70 books he has written in his makers. career. the wilds of Alaska.

Chandler has co-written seven non-fiction books about combat sniping as well as his own titles on big game hunting but has also delved into fiction in his literary career dating back to the late 1960’s.

His novels, with titles such as Hawk’s Revenge and Pardners, are tales for and about men, the brotherhood of arms and strong comradeship with a generous helping of action, adventure and ensuring the bad guys always get their comeuppance.

“In my books the good guys always win and the bad guys always lose,” Chandler says unapologetically, stressing that his heroes always act out of a sense of personal honor and commitment to their friends.

Chandler is unsure whether he will write another book, but he says he’s always careful not to reveal plot details.

It spoils the creative juices, he says.

“You lose the richness and the flavor of the plot if you talk about it,” Chandler said.

Chandler’s love of the written word and of story telling matches his love of military service, from which much of his life story and concurrent story telling repertoire comes.

He said he never attained the desired officer’s rank in the U.S. Army, but that didn’t stop him from taking part in the

close-knit relationships forged in combat and hard service.

Chandler retired from the service in 1965 as a Master Sergeant.

“All I ever wanted to be was a captain in the U.S. Army,” Chandler said from his residence just south of St. Mary’s City, “I wanted my 220 guys, but as a first sergeant I could have that.”

At the age of 18 Chandler volunteered to fight and found himself in the Pacific taking part in the invasion of Guam in 1944.

As a member of the 77th Infantry Division, Chandler took part in brutal and close quarter jungle fighting, facing the redoubtable Japanese foe.

He and other young soldiers soon learned to respect the enemy’s tenacity and will to fight to the death, he said.

“The Japanese fought so hard; they were expert fighters,” Chandler, who was shot in the leg during the island campaign, said. “We captured about a dozen but we killed thousands.”

During the Korean War, Chandler used the skills he learned since childhood about shooting and marksmanship to harass and demoralize North Korean and Chinese soldiers.

He doesn’t talk much about the number of soldiers he killed as a sniper in that war, only saying that he was taking effective shots out to 800 yards or so.

Chandler said that in the hill-to-hill style fighting common in that war, he would shoot up and down the enemy’s lines from the flank using a scoped, bolt action rifle.

Chandler’s exploits have been documented in documentaries on venues such as the History Channel, and he is well known to local law enforcement for his expertise on tactics and marksmanship.

L

“His books are my favorite books and his characters are the ones who don’t exist enough in real life.”

After Korea, Chandler was eventually posted in Alaska where he performed weapons testing and found time to get in a great deal of big game hunting.

“I like the hunt, the difficulty of the shot,” Chandler said, adding that it was always a bittersweet moment.

“There was always a feeling of regret I had … when I killed it,” Chandler said of his prey. “I wished it could get up and run off again, it was such a beautiful animal.”

“I killed everything in Alaska [the first year he was there] except polar bear and musk ox; we never hunted those.”

Despite all of his past exploits, Chandler has given up shooting and hunting, mostly because of eye problems that could be exacerbated by recoil from guns, he said.

“Now I have three ground hogs under my motorcycle shed and they’re as safe as could be,” Chandler said.

Though he has felt twinges of regret from the hunting of animals, his time in combat on the battlefield have given him no such problems.

Chandler doesn’t consider himself anyone special, he just counts himself as one who has been on the scene in tumultuous times.

“I have never felt the least bit bad about that,” Chandler said of his military service.

“I’m not a hero, I was just one of the guys who was there.” By Guy Leonard (CT) info@

somdpublishing.net

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

Thursday, January-2011

15

Barbara Brown, 69 Barbara Arista Joy Brown, 69, of Washington, DC passed away peacef ully a nswer i ng the Lord’s call to come on January 3, 2011 at

her residence.

Born in Plum Point, Maryland on October 4, 1941, Barbara was the daughter of Bernard and Emma (Harrod) Brown. A graduate of W.S. Brooks High School, she continued her education at the Federal City College, Washington, D.C., studying sociology.

Barbara received the Lord as her personal Savior at an early age in St. Edmonds United Methodist Church. She dedicated her life to God and continued on a path of giving of herself.

For thirty-eight years, Barbara worked in numerous positions in the telecommunications industry, retiring in December 2002 from Verizon’s accounting department in Silver Spring, Maryland. She was also a member of the Communications Workers of America and the Telephone Pioneers of America organizations. Barbara’s spirituality was demonstrated through her acts of compassion, kindness, thoughtfulness, charity and love given throughout her life. She was always doing something for her family, friends and others within her community. She never waited to be asked, but just quietly stepped in whenever or wherever there was a need. Barbara’s acts of kindness and sharing, truly demonstrated God’s love. She was the consummate “caregiver and mother to all of us.”

Barbara was preceded in death by her parents and four siblings.

Barbara is survived by her devoted daughter, Tiffany Emma Brown; sisters, Velma Mack and Roxy Brown; brothers, Dwight, Dean and Derrick Brown; uncle, George H. “Broome” Harrod; brother-in-law, Francis D. Mack; nieces, nephews and a host of other relatives and friends.

Barbara enriched our lives through her giving nature and love for all. There was no limit to her desire to give and serve. She graced the lives of those she encountered with joy, inspiration and love. Barbara greeted everyone with a smile in her voice. She saw the good in everyone.

Funeral service was held on

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Thursday, January 13, 2011 at 11:00 AM at Sewell Funeral Home, Prince Frederick, MD with Pastor Joan Jones officiating.

The interment was at St. Edmonds UM Church Cemetery, Chesapeake Beach, MD. The pallbearers were Langston Brooks, Francis D. Mack, Jr., Steven Brooks, Harry Harrod, Sidney T. Brooks, Jr., and Shawn Brooks. The honorary pallbearers were Dwight Brown, Dean Brown, Derrick Brown, Francis D. Mack, Sr., James Moseley, Mitchell McNeely, Bradley McNeely, Alazar Woldeab, Elliot Freeland, and Warren Bell.

Clinton Brown, 47, Clinton Raym o n d Brown, 47, of Chesap e a k e Beach, MD passed away on September 5, 2010 in Hunting-

town, MD. Clinton Raymond Brown was born on February 11, 1963 to Francis L. Brown, Sr., and the late Deloris M. (Brown) Hayes in Prince Frederick, Maryland.

Clinton was educated in the Calvert County and Uniondale New York Public Schools. He was a graduate of Northern High School Class of 1981. He joined the United States Army on June 17, 1981 and remained enlisted until his retirement in October 2001. He would fondly state that he served 20 years, 3 months and 14 days in the Army.

Clinton received specialty training for the following military assignments: Signal Support Systems Specialist, Tactical Communications Systems Operator, Army Recruiter, Senior Drill Sergeant/ Platoon Sergeant and Noncommissioned Officers Training.

He retired at the rank of E8 “Master Sergeant” and received numerous commendations to include the Army’s Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon with Numeral 3, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Army (Retired) Lapel Button, Marksman Badge, Driver and Mechanic Badge, Drill Sergeant Identification Badge and Gold Recruiter Badge. The distinguished and honorable service he rendered

Thursday, January-2011

to the country and community will have an enduring impact on all those his work and life touched.

After being honorably discharged from the United States Army in 2001, Clinton began to teach Army JROTC in the Swainsboro Public Schools System from (2001-2003) and Baltimore City Public Schools System from (20032010). Clinton and his colleague, Major Colbert, were instrumental in implementing the JROTC Program at Southside Academy. Clinton dedicated many hours to the JROTC Program. He would often be seen in the hallways of “Southside Academy” asking the students “what are we doing and where are you supposed to be.” He was always willing to lend a help-in-hand to those in need. Clinton worked hard at everything he put his hands to and could master anything. He was always a steadfast and diligent worker. His love for teaching JROTC went well beyond measure.

Clinton received an Associates of Arts Degree from Central Texas College in 2004 and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Multidisciplinary Studies from Liberty University in May 2010. Clinton was pursuing a Master’s of Education Degree and would have graduated in May 2011 from Liberty University. His goal was to become an administrator.

Clinton attended St. Edmonds United Methodist Church at a young age and later became a member of Good Shepherd Baptist Church in Augusta, Georgia where he was baptized. After relocating to Maryland Clinton joined Greater Mt. Nebo AME Church, but also attended St. Edmonds United Methodist Church.

In 2005, Clinton was united in holy matrimony to Jackie R. Gray

by Rev. Peggy J. Jobe at Greater Mt. Nebo AME Church. He and his wife took great pleasure in opening their home up to family and friends. His famous “ribs, specialty drinks and bread pudding” were the highlight of each event but he would not share his recipes. He was a devoted family man and enjoyed cooking and entertaining especially being the “MC” of all events he attended. Once he got the microphone there was no getting it back. The most notable event was their “Annual Mother’s Day” cookout, which was a day set aside for the past 3 years to honor all mothers. Clinton was an avid Redskins and sports fan but also spent time riding his Harley Davidson, golfing, playing pool and attending race-car events. He welcomed a conversation about any sport and would wear the “Redskins” burgundy and gold with pride. His favorite saying was “this train is moving forward and you can get on board if you want to.”

Clinton leaves to cherish a life full of wonderful memories his loving and devoted wife: Jackie R. Brown; daughter: Kendra S. Brown (Girlee); son: Edwin S. Stewart; dad: Francis L. Brown, Sr.: a devoted brother and best friend: Eldrick P. Brown, Sr.: two sisters: Joyce Irene Brooks and Marion Oliver: mother-in-law: Corine Gray Reed; sister-in-laws: Dalphine Brown, Novella Gray, Varonica Gray, Dianetta Blake and Angela Greene; brother-in-laws: Jerry Oliver, Richard Harvey, Douglas Greene, Kermit Gray, Marcus Blake and Anthony Gray; special nephews: Eldrick P. Brown, Jr. (EJ), Dustin Brown and Joe Brooks; godchildren: Dawann, Dawanna and Celeste; special uncles: Maurice Brown, Eugene Ray, Daniel Ray and Phillip Ray; special aunts: Corine and Kathleen Ray, Violet Jones, Ilene Morsell; special cousins: Leslie Gross, Kevin Brown and Larry Brown; special friends: Garry Colbert, Michael Thomas, Clifton & Paulette Creek, Ronald & Goldie Watson, Nathaniel Koomson and Larry Johnson; and a host of god sisters, god brothers, adopted sisters, adopted brothers, adopted children, Baltimore City Public Schools Colleagues, JROTC Staff, relatives and friends.

Clinton was preceded in death by his mother, Deloris M. (Brown) Hayes; brother: Francis; son Demetrius (Twann); grandparents: Elma and Lettie Ray, Ethel and Velvet Brown; uncles: Robert, Roosevelt, Columbus, Raymond, Benjamin Ray and Rufus Brown; aunts: Genevieve, Florence, Hattie, Eva, Martha and Dorothy.

Funeral service was held on Friday, December 31, 2010 at 11:00 AM at Dunkirk Baptist Church, Dunkirk, MD with Rev. Peggy Jackson-Jobe of Greater Mt. Nebo AME Church eulogist. The interment was at Ernestine Jones Cemetery, Chesapeake Beach, MD. The pallbearers were Joe Brooks, Larry Brown, Maurice Brown, Garry Colbert, Derrick Herbert, and Larry Johnson. The honorary pallbearers were Douglas Greene, Kermit Gray, and Anthony Gray.

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

Margaret Gardner, 94 Margaret Sidney “Peggy” Gardner, 94, of Lusby, MD, formerly of Silver Spring, MD passed away peacefully at The Hermitage at St. Johns Creek, Solomons, MD December 17, 2010.

She was born on June 16, 1916 in Wa s h i n g ton, DC to the late Hubert Powell Gooding and Ollie Lucy Huyett.

S h e was the loving wife to Frederick Eller Gardner whom she married on September 21, 1940 and he preceded her in death on March 13, 2008.

Peggy graduated from Eastern High School in Washington, DC and went on to be a Secretary for the Department of Commerce in Washington, DC. She retired in 1976 after twenty two years of service. She loved to do crafts, playing bridge and bingo.

Peggy is survived by her daughter Peggy Hearn and husband George of Dunkirk, MD; one granddaughter, Sherrie Hearn of St. Leonard, MD and one sister, Dorothy C. Kimball of New Port News, VA and one granddog, Buffi.

A Memorial Service was held on Tuesday, December 21, 2010 at 11 AM in the Rausch Funeral Home Chapel, Lusby, MD with Pastor Connie Miller officiating. Interment was private.

Contributions may be made in memory of Margaret to The Heritage at St. Johns Creek, 13325 Dowell Road, Solomons, MD 20688.

Honesty Gorman, 7 Honesty Roshell Gorman, 7, of Prince Fr e de r ick , MD passed away on December 24, 2010 at 1:33 a.m. at Children’s National Medical Center, Washington, DC. Honesty Roshell Gorman, was born January 28, 2003 in Prince Frederick, Maryland to Lateashia Harrod and Marshay Gorman. God called His angel home after battling with bone cancer for seven months.

Honesty attended Calvert Elementary School for three years. She enjoyed reading, drawing and being a teacher to her little brother, Marshay Jr. Honesty was affectionately known as “Flipper”, “Little”, and “Honnie” to her family members.

She loved singing, dancing, cooking and cleaning the house. Everyone

that came in contact with her felt her strength and courage throughout her sickness.

Honesty leaves behind her mother, Lateashia Harrod; father, Marshay Gorman; sisters: Tyriva Kirk, Shayla and Ashlee Gorman; brother, Marshay Gorman, Jr.; maternal grandparents: Marvin and Alice Harrod; paternal grandparents: Genious Gorman Jr., and Robert and Renee Brown; great grandparents: Myrtle and Carroll Freeland (deceased), Genious Sr. and Betty Gorman, Julius (deceased) and Florence Gray; aunts: Lashonda Coates and Charnita Gorman. She also leaves a host of great aunts and uncles, cousins and friends.

Funeral service was held on Thursday, December 30, 2010 at 11:00 AM at Greater Mt. Zion Church, Prince Frederick, MD with Pastor Dante King officiating.

The interment was at Plum Point UM Church Cemetery, Huntingtown, MD. The pallbearers were Rodell Berry, Pastor Jason Brownlee, Carlton Freeland, Dovell Kirk, Carl Moulden, and Glen Wills, Sr. The honorary pallbearers were Omar Cooper, Lamont Howard, Julius Gray, Jr. and Noel Rice.

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

his son graduated from high school this summer.

He is survived by his parents, Erma and Russell “Grant” Helvey, Sr. of Berlin, MD; maternal grandmother, Mabel Lee Bolen of Beckley, West Virginia; son Matthew Helvey; sister, Tressa Helvey; brother David Helvey; and niece and nephew, Jessica and Nicholas Keith, all of Owings, MD. Local funeral services were held on January 6, 2011 at Raymond-Wood Funeral Home. Rev. Walter Beaudwin, Pastor of Smithville United Methodist Church, officiated. A second service was held on January 8, 2011 at Ghent Missionary Baptist Church in Ghent, West Virginia. Rev. Cecil McKinney officiated. Interment followed at Ashworth Family Cemetery in Ghent. His pallbearers, all cousins, were John Helvey, Chuck Cushman, Shane Severt, and Jake, Josh and Bryan Bolen.

Memorial Contributions may be made to the Matthew Helvey Educational Fund, c/o Grant Helvey, 1433 Ocean Parkway, Berlin, MD 21811.

Arrangements provided by Raymond-Wood Funeral Home, Dunkirk.

Russell Helvey, Jr., 49

Mrs. Elizabeth (Betty) Freas King, age 95 years, died on December 25, 2010, Christmas Day, at Asbury Solomons-Island Health Care Center.

She was born in Washington, D.C. on August 16, 1915.

As a child she lived in Glendale, MD, Hartford, CT & Darnestown, MD. She attended Montgomery Blair High School for a year & transferred to Gaithersburg High School, graduating in 1934.

Following high school, she apprenticed with Edna Rainey in cosmetology in Kensington, MD & worked at Bill’s Beauty & Barber Shop in Rockville, MD & Ruth’s Beauty Salon in Gaithersburg, MD. In 1940 she married Donald G. King of Gaithersburg, whom she had dated for nine years prior to marriage. In 1946, they moved to Gaithersburg, living there until 2004. In 1951, Betty opened her own business, Betty’s Beauty Salon. She was in business for fifty-nine years. Betty also opened the first Beauty Shop at Asbury Methodist Village in Gaithersburg, MD which was a closet sized space. There are now several beauty shops on the Asbury campus. She did the hair of her first Client, Ms. Winnie Allen, for over 59 years, until Ms. Allen’s death at the age of 103.

Russell Grant Helvey, Jr., 49, of Owings died at Calvert Memor ial Hospital on January 2, 2011.

He was born on November 13, 1961 in Washington, DC to Russell, Sr. and Erma Bolen Helvey.

He lived in Calvert County his entire life. He made his living as a Master Electrician but music, especially the drums, were his passion. He started playing drums at age five and never stopped. He played in the Northern High School Marching and Jazz Bands. He and his high school friends started a few bands and played at many local venues. He learned the guitar as well. He constructed a recording studio and recorded music for other local bands, wrote his own music and recorded and produced several albums. He also enjoyed riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle around Calvert County and was looking forward to a cross country trip after

Elizabeth King, 95

She was a member & officer in the Gaithersburg Businessmen’s Association, Charter member & Past President of The Soroptimist International Club of Upper Montgomery County, Pythian Sisters, Grace United Methodist Church in Gaithersburg, MD, Emmanuel United Methodist Church in Huntingtown, MD & Neeld Estate Citizen’s Association.

She & her husband Donald, appeared as Mr. & Mrs. Santa for thirty plus years for the City of Gaithersburg, state wide schools, churches, service clubs, nursing homes, MD School of the Blind as well as The Washingon Redskins Children’s Christmas Party. She also performed at many schools, service clubs & business functions with a group called Miss Donna & Her Misses, a comedy routine.

The money raised from these performances benefited Montgomery General Hospital. In 1998, she moved to Asbury Methodist Village, living there for five & one half years, prior to transferring to Asbury Solomons- Island at Solomons, MD, with her husband, Donald, where they resided for six years.

Betty & Donald were married for 70 years in January of 2010.

In September of 2010, at the age of 95, Betty opened her new venture, Betty’s Clothes Closet at Asbury Solomon’s-Island, a consignment clothes shop for residents of the Continuing Care Retirement Community, with all of the proceeds going to the benevolent care fund to assist those who have outlived their funds. Betty was written up in The Washington Post newspaper, the Calvert County Recorder, newspaper & The Bay Weekly newspaper in August of 2010 prior to the opening of the consignment shop which was named after her.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Effie Magruder Freas

& Edward Hayes Freas, & her husband, Donald G. King, who died in May of 2010 . She was also preceded in death by her cousins Helen Hayes & James MacArthur of whom she was always proud of their achievements on the stage, theatre & film. She is survived by her children, Sandra King Geest (Jay) of Huntingtown, MD, and Donald Wayne King (Ginger) of Germantown, MD; three grandchildren, Steven Geest, Patrick King and Katherine King Mangus, two stepchildren, Amy Savage and Jenny Savage, and three great grandchildren, Kyle King, Austin Mangus & Dylan Mangus.

Memorial Services were held on January 10, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. at Asbury Methodist Village, Guild Memorial Chapel, 211 Russell Avenue, Gaithersburg, MD 20877, & January 12, 2010 at 1:30 p.m. at Asbury Solomons-Island , Auditorium, 11100 Asbury Circle, Solomons, MD. Inurnment will be at Darnestown Presbyterian Church, Gaithersburg, MD 20878.

Donations in her memory can be made to The Asbury-Solomons Island Foundation- memo line, Betty’s Clothes Closet, AsburySolomons Island Foundation Office, 11100 Asbury Circle, Solomons, MD 20688. Arrangements provided by Rausch Funeral Home, P.A., Lusby, MD.

Hazel Pinkerton, 96 H a zel Irene Pin ker ton, 96, of Solomons MD, formerly of California, New York, Virginia, Rhode Is-

land, and Spain passed away on November 19, 2010 in Solomons, MD. She was born on October 17, 1914 in Balboa, CA to the late Nellie Vaughan and George E. Spencer.

She was the loving wife to Capt.

Richard D. Pinkerton whom she married in California in 1937 and he preceded her in death in September 1997.

Hazel was a Secretary for the Latin American Bureau, a division of the U.S. State Department for 16 years and retired in 1979. She moved to Calvert County, MD in 1996 from Bethesda, MD. She loved gardening, needlework, and painting.

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, and brother Albert Spencer.

Hazel is survived by her children, Barbara Stephon of E. Lansing, MI, John Pinkerton and wife Kathy of Blacksburg, VA, Margaret Rymer and husband Gary of Prince Frederick, MD and Deborah Stinnett of Honolulu, HI; ten grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.

The family received friends on Thursday, January 6, 2011 from 2-4 PM in the Rausch Funeral Home Chapel, Lusby, MD where a funeral service was offered at 4 PM with Fr. Bob Stephenson officiating. Interment was on Friday, January 7, 2011 at 10 AM in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA. The family request memorial contributions to be made in Hazel’s memory to the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, www.nmcrs.org, 875 N. Randolph St., Suite 225, Arlington, VA 22203.

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Spotlight On

Funding Top Issue at Legislative Breakfast

L

egislators, teachers and representatives from school unions of Calvert and St. Mary’s counties gathered to discuss issues for the upcoming school year.

The seventh annual legislative breakfast for the Education Association of St. Mary’s and Calvert Counties was held Jan. 8 at Lenny’s in California.

The legislators who were on the panel to discuss the topics were Maryland State Delegates John Bohanan (D-29B), Anthony O’Donnell (R-29C), James Proctor (D-27A) and Mark Fisher (R-27B), and Maryland Senator Roy Dyson (D-29).

Representing the education association and presenting the topics to the panel was Calvert Education Association (CEA) Legislative Chair Carol Howard, CEA President Debbie Russ, EASMC Legislative Co-Chair Meissa Kierman and EASMC Vice-President and Co-Chair Anna Laughlin. The EASMC President, Wanda Ruffo Twig, acted at the mediator for the event.

There were also teachers from both Calvert and St. Mary’s County present to hear what the legislators had to say.

The first topic up for discussion was school funding.

“I can’t believe you’d take money away from what we do here,” Howard said. She

said the government couldn’t continue to make promises then “stab [them] in the back.” She said she is also tired of seeing the legislature make directions based on what they think is going on with the schools.

“Allow us to tell you what’s happening in our buildings,” she said.

To that end, Howard asked the legislators to devote one day to spend in a classroom with the children in a classroom and put themselves in the teacher’s shoes, so legislators could understand what is affected when they cut funding.

“Funding for education is not as robust as it has been in the past,” Bohanan said.

Proctor said he has walked in the teacher’s shoes himself, and he thought they could save money by having teachers and principals pay for some of the extras, like pizza parties and lunchtime snacks, out of their own pocket rather than the school’s budget.

Another hot topic that was brought up was the issue of teacher evaluations and how much of the evaluation should be based on the standardized tests the students have to take.

Laughlin said teachers get evaluated on a long list of things, like working with their co-workers, doing things with the schools and the students outside the class-

room. She asked the legislators why, if half their evaluation was based on their ability to get students to perform on one single standardized test, should the teachers be evaluated on all the other things too.

She said people who aren’t even involved with the school system deciding what should go on with the evaluations will only lead to a bad school district.

Proctor said he agreed with Laughlin in that the legislators should not be involved in teacher evaluations should be determined by the districts and the local government.

O’Donnell said the school systems knew what they were getting into with the Race to the Top program, and the evaluations standards were something they agreed to when they got involved.

Shaun Adamec, the press secretary to Governor O’Malley, said the governor is unwilling to jeopardize the Race to the Stop federal grant money by lowering the percentage of the evaluations based on standardized tests.

One of the problems with lowering that percentage is basing much of the evaluations on the student’s performances on the

Maryland Delegate Anthony O’Donnell (R-29C), talks about the Race to the Top school funding program.

standardized tests was something the state agreed to when they applied for Race to the Top. “It’s a commitment we made,” Adamec said.

He said the governor would be willing to work with the teachers, but “there’s not a lot of wiggle room.” By Sarah Miller (CT)

info@somdpublishing.net

Pension Issue Discussed at Legislative Breakfast

T

he debate over funding teacher pensions has been boiling for a while now, and it was not surprising to see the issue on the docket for the seventh annual legislative breakfast.

Members of the Education Associations of St. Mary’s and Calvert counties and legislators gathered on Saturday morning to discuss upcoming issues for the next school year.

Debbie Russ, the Calvert Education Association president, had one simple question for the legislators to answer – “what are you planning to do to protect teacher pensions?”

Maryland Delegate John Bohanan (D-29B) was the first to answer Russ’s question.

“We have to pay for what we want,” he said.

While he advocated for the teachers contributing to their pension funds, he also acknowledged the government had a responsibility to provide funds already promised to the teachers.

“We’re going to honor the commitments made,” Bohanan said.

Bohanan’s words echoed

18

those of Governor Martin O’Malley, who spoke before the Maryland Association of Counties Annual Winter Conference about pension reform on Jan. 6.

“We owe it to our police officers, teachers and other hardworking state employees, and we also owe it to our children, and to our taxpayers to find a sustainable way forward that protects our commitments and maintains fiscal responsibility,” O’Malley said. “It is my belief that we cannot have an

Thursday, January-2011

honest conversation about sharing costs, or even the need to share costs, until we reach an agreement on how we can fix the pension system. While other elected leaders may well offer other approaches, the balanced budget proposal I submit to the General Assembly later this month will not pass pension costs onto the counties.”

Delegate James Proctor (D-27A), a former educator and principal from Prince Georges County, said he doesn’t want to see

any changes made to the current pension system and he has always been in favor of a large, glorious plan for the teachers to depend on for their retirement.

“I am working for you,” he said.

No groundbreaking decisions were reached, but the legislators tried to assure the teachers and school employees in the room that they were not alone. By Sarah Mill-

er (CT) info@somdpublishing.net

ell op m.

Our Lady Star of the Sea Working Toward Next Goal

T

he Our Lady Star of the Sea School in Solomons will be open and independent for another year.

The school hit its goal to raise $165,000 by January with about $25,000 to spare. The extra money will be funneled into their next fundraising goal, to raise an-

Madison Bernhard brought her cousin and friend Kaylah Kramer to school with her Friday.

other $165,000 by June.

Sister Carolyn Marie Betsch, principal of the school, said she isn’t worried about meeting that goal as well, considering they have a lot more time in which to get it done.

“We’ve got a good chunk for the next one,” said Sister Carolyn Marie.

She said in addition to the fundraising, the school will be trying to increase enrollment. Sister Carolyn Marie said the school is working on a long-term plan, and they can’t just keep jumping from fundraiser to fundraiser indefinitely.

Spotlight On

One activity the school hosted to encourage enrollment was a “Bring Your Friend to School Day” Friday. During the day, children and their friends were in class together so students from outside Our Lady Star of the Sea could see what the school is like.

The goal of this event was to get potential students in the school to experience it, rather than just the parents at open houses, she said.

“There’s so many positive things to entice people to send their children here,” Sister Carolyn Marie said.

The students were excited to have their friends at school with them.

“It’s great, I mean it’s really good for the school,” said fourth grader Ben Carsley.

Photos by Sarah Miller

Faithlin Hunter and Elizabeth Morgan enjoy snack time during the Bring Your Friend to School Day at Our Lady Star of the Sea.

The teachers were happy to have the fiends of their students in for the day as well.

“I think it’s great, the more the merrier,” said Tracie Padilla, the fourth grade teacher with Our Lady Star of the Sea. She said there were three communities at work to make the school’s fundraising efforts a success – the school community, the parish community and the Solomons Island and Lusby community. She said there were several restaurants that had fundraiser nights for the school as well, such as Outback, Vera’s White Sands Beach Club and Roy Rogers.

The Calvert Marine Museum donated the $650 through the Melvin Conant Memorial Youth Fund to allow the students to build the canoe that they are offering through a raffle. Calvert Marine Museum and Program Director George Surgent offered Our Lady Star of the Sea an opportunity to have the students participate in their “Build A Canoe” program at no cost.

Suzanne Pucciarella, a parent who was instrumental in the school’s fundraising effort, said: “Our Lady Star Of the Sea School would like to thank all the businesses and media who supported us during our most recent fundraising efforts. We reached our goal through the help of your generous contributions, our hard working parents, teachers and students.”

The next fundraiser will be the Alumni Players Dinner Theatre. The production will be “Murder is a Game”, a comedy-mystery, which will be shown Jan. 28 and 29, and Feb. 4 and 5. Call 410- 326-3008 for tickets. By Sarah Miller (CT) info@somdpublishing.net

Thursday, January-2011

19

P ages P

ast

From Bourne’s Island to Solomons Island

By Joyce Baki

I

n 1680 the island of Solomons was known as Bourne’s Island. This land had been acquired

by Captain Samuel Bourne, who had come from England and settled in the region. Captain Bourne had bought the land from Samuel Groome of Middlesex, England. Captain Bourne died in 1693 leaving the land to be divided between his sons, Samuel and Thomas, and his daughter Rebecca, the wife of William Young. However, Captain Bourne was heavily indebted to his father Thomas Bourne of London. The elder Mr. Bourne came to Maryland and claimed the lands to cover these debts. When Thomas Bourne died his grandchildren were allowed to purchase his estate.

The land remained in the Bourne family for many years. The Somervell family bought the land around 1740, changing the name of the island to Somervell Island.

In 1865 records show Solomons as an area of roughly 80 acres called “Sandy Island” when it was sold to Isaac Solomon for $6,000.

Born in 1819, Isaac Solomon dealt in oysters. He had established a canning factory in Baltimore in the early 1860s and was expanding his business. According to Islands in a River a book written by Richard Dodds, “this was the first large-scale canning factory on the Patuxent River, and in addition to the cannery business included a wharf, lime kilns, marine railway, and housing for 200 workers.” The home of Isaac Solomon is believed to be the building owned by the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory on the end of the island known as “Old Solomons House.”

Solomons Island was easily accessed from the Chesa-

Photo by Adrian Jones

peake Bay and quickly developed a good reputation for large shipbuilding and seafood harvesting. Isaac Solomon leased small lots on the island to people who paid one-year’s rent varying from $9 to $21. The U.S. Census of 1880 lists 51 households with a total of 237 residents.

There was a fishing fleet of more than 500 vessels, many locally built.

Shipyards developed to support the fishing and oyster businesses. These shipyards built schooners and sloops, and became famous for its bugeyes, which through several conversions would become skipjacks. Solomons Island would also provide support for the Navy, first in the War of 1812 and again in World War II. During the War of 1812 Commodore Joshua Barney would sail his flotilla from Solomons Island into the Patux-

ent in an effort to slow or stop the British from using the Patuxent in its military efforts against Washington, DC. The flotilla consisted of armed shallow-draft barges that could fire upon the British then retreat into shallow waters where the British could not follow. During the month of June 1814, Barney’s flotilla fought the British in the waters of the Patuxent near Jefferson Patterson Park, retreating into the shelter of St. Leonard Creek. Unable to defeat the well-armed British Navy, Barney would move the flotilla up the Patuxent to the town of Queen Anne near Upper Marlboro, where he would scuttle the remainder of the vessels rather that let them fall into the hands of the British. If you would like to learn more, visit any of our Welcome Centers and ask for a Byways Map. You will be able to follow the path of the Chesapeake Campaign throughout Maryland.

Solomons was designated by Allied Command as the site to train amphibious invasion forces during World War II. This would be the nation’s first amphibious training facility and would be active for four years (1942-1945). More than 68,000 servicemen trained at this location. The lessons they would learn would prove invaluable on D-Day, in the Guadalcanal, at Iwo Jima, Normandy and other numerous military operations. At the end of Dowell Road, the former location of the base, a statue stands looking out to sea. “On Watch” commemorates all of the men and women whose lives were touched by the Amphibious Training Base. The hgx@hollywoodgrafx.com monument was designed and created by Maryland artist and sculptor Antonio Tobias Mendez.

Today Solomons is a beautiful waterfront community still filled with marinas, charter boats and other water-related businesses.

Tourism has become a vital part of the economy of Solomons. Take time visit this vibrant community and learn more about what it has to offer.

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‘Who Cares’ The Human Perspective on the Calvert Cliffs The Calvert Marine Museum will present the fourth PEM Talk in The Calvert Cliffs Conundrum series on Thursday, Jan. 20, at 7 p.m. Who Cares? The Human Perspective on

the Calvert Cliffs talk will be given by Dr. Ralph Eshelman.

Dr. Ralph Eshelman was the first director of the Calvert Marine Museum and served for 16 years. He is widely published in and lectures on both maritime and military history, polar exploration, geology, and paleontology.

The Calvert Cliffs are impressive, whether from the water, standing on the beach, or looking down on them from above. Few people realize that Native Americans also sought out these wonders and were the first people to utilize the cliffs. Even Captain John Smith remarked on them during his explorations.

This talk will explore ways of looking at a resource that is awe inspiring to many and yet threatening to some.

An open conversation will follow the presentation as part of the “Facing Our Fences: Naming the Barriers to Community” series presented by a partnership of community builders.

Visit the website at www.calvertmarinemuseum.com for more information.

Calvert Eats Local hosts Bill Lambrecht

Out&About

Calvert Eats Local is a grassroots group that meets monthly at Calvert Library Prince Frederick with a commitment to support local agriculture. Not only does this support the local economy and reduce environmental impacts; it also provides healthier food and good role modeling for participants’ families. If you care about the food you consume, you should come to their next meeting on Monday, January 24 at 7pm. It is a potluck so bring your dish made with as many local ingredients as you can muster. Bring your plate and utensils as well to be truly green.

Not only will there be a potluck this month, but CEL will host author and journalist Bill Lambrecht. Does the idea of genetic engineering make you a little nervous? Lambrecht’s food quest started in 1986 when he discovered a US Department of Agriculture experiment engineering human genes into pigs. His exploration continues through a study of Monsanto, notorious food giant. The library has Lambrecht’s book, Dinner at the New Gene Café: How Genetic Engineering Is Changing What We Eat, How We Live, and the Global Politics of Food, if you want to take a look before he comes. Fascinating reading. Come by to meet the author and to learn about Calvert Eats Local. For more information, call the Calvert Library Prince Frederick at 410-535-0291 or 301-855-1862.

“Murder is a Game” 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” there 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! All proceeds go to Our Lady Star of the Sea School. 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.

The Spiritual Side of Dating At The Visionary Alliance, we hold the conviction that “Man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.” (Mahatma Gandhi) When we focus on the optimistic, creative, and positive in our thoughts and actions toward others and ourselves, we can only create a future that will meet our deepest dreams and desires.

With that in mind, The Visionary Alliance is pleased to present the third in a series of workshops featuring Dr. Carol Drury on Saturday, Jan. 29, 2010 at the Holiday, Solomons.

The subject of her workshop is “The Spiritual Side of Dating” and will include such topics as: The Brain Chemistry Behind Sexual Attraction, Love at First Sight, What’s the Biggest Turn-on For Men & Women, Internet Dating and Dating Over 50. She will also help workshop attendees to understand what’s been holding them back from finding the happiness they seek as well as the top ten reason people don’t get that second date.

Make this a Valentines Day Gift to yourself. Learn what is holding you back from finding the happiness you desire during this one-day workshop filled with information and insight! Workshop includes breakfast and lunch, and a free copy of Dr. Drury’s book, “Valentine’s Day - and Other Romantic Occassions” The cost is $350 per person. To Register for the work-

shop or learn more about The Visionary Alliance, visit our website: www.TheVisionaryAlliance.com.

What Counts in Public Education?

What do you value in Calvert County Public Schools?

What factors do you think contribute to student success?

The Calvert County Board of Education in cooperation with the Maryland Association of Boards of Education is sponsoring a forum where parents, community leaders, school system staff, and other interested citizens can share their ideas on these two questions as well as on how the effectiveness and quality of public schools should be measured. One important measure, certainly, is how well students perform on standardized tests. But, what else should count in assessing the quality of Calvert County Public Schools?

The What Counts forum will be held at Huntingtown High School on February 3, 2011, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Participants are asked to arrive 15 minutes early for registration, and the forum will begin promptly at 7 p.m.

To ensure adequate seating, please RSVP to Karen Maxey at maxeyk@calvertnet.k12.md.us or 410-535-7220.

Pre-Valentine’s Day Maker’s Market Annmarie Garden’s monthly Maker’s Market will resume in February for a special Valentine Maker’s Market on Saturday, Feb 5 from 9am-1pm, INDOORS! If you haven’t made it to Maker’s Market yet, stop by and visit on Feb. 5 from 9am- 1pm to find the perfect homemade, handmade or homegrown Valentine Gift!

Admission to Maker’s Market is FREE. Ample, accessible and convenient parking is located in the adjacent parking field. Handicap parking is available through the main gate.

Meet friends, make new ones and support local community at Annmarie.

Interested vendors are encouraged to apply to Maker’s Market at www.annmariegarden.org for this special Valentine Maker’s Market held indoors. Space is limited and special rules apply, please review the application for details and apply today.

Could you use a little LAUGHTER in your life?

Tickets are now on sale for CAASA’s 6th annual “Comedy Invasion For Project Graduation” CAASA is excited to present comedians Sebastian Maniscalco (from Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show) and Keith Alberstadt (from Last Comic Standing).

If you are looking for a night of fun entertainment and laughter, and you don’t want to drive too far, please gather your family and friends and join us on Saturday, February 19th 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 to this “PG-13” show are $25 in advance and $15 in advance for students aged 13-18. Tickets can be purchased at Educate & Celebrate in Prince Frederick, Richard’s Bayside Florist in North Beach, the CAASA office in Prince Frederick and at Lotus Kitchen on Solomons Island. Call 410-535-3733 for more information.

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Duck, Duck, Goose

ducks would likely pitch in from the north or northeast. Other than that minor detail, it was a beautiful morning.

My Son and I were ready to make a memory.

First light came as we sat poised in the shoreline weeds waiting for an early mallard flight. As the morning light improved our visibility we could see “dippers” working the water out front and the occasional bufflehead would zip by just out of range, catching us off guard. Then it happened.

Five birds circled and silently pitched in from the East – canvasbacks! We were up and shooting as two ducks hit the water and the remaining three flew off to a better place. Our effort had been rewarded. The day was a good one. We had our limit of canvasbacks!

We were ecstatic!

We sat for another hour exchanging light conversation and reflecting our observations as ducks and geese continued to fly above the river in front of us. A single duck pitched in from the East without warning as we both jumped up to shoot. My son yelled, “No! No! Don’t shoot! Don’t shoot!”

The drake canvasback wasn’t a mallard after all. He landed just past our decoy spread to the right and despite our best efforts to scare him away, he investigated both groups of decoys to the right and left, and then parked just outside the spread as if pretending to be the leader of the group of fake ducks.

Morning overcast skies had given way to a blue picturesque background accented by contrails and wispy clouds. Geese were on the wing coming off the water

Fur and Feathers

By Keith McGuire

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he wind was supposed to shift from northwest to south this morning which caused some debate about how and where to set up the decoy spread on the little point of land we were hunting today. Ice made our decision for us. At dawn the wind was little more than a whisper, not enough to ripple the water until 9:00 AM. Still, we had to set the decoys on the southwest side of the point knowing that

Museums Need to be a Haven for Truth

By Sherrod Sturrock

The National Portrait Gallery’s recent decision to remove a work of video from their current exhibition, “Hide/Seek,” after complaints from a Catholic organization and members of Congress has caused much commentary in the press. I have not seen the

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exhibition, but it did strike me as possibly dangerous for a museum to give in so precipitously to criticism.

A subsequent column by Philip Kennicott published on December 23 in the Washington Post, captured the essence of my discomfiture. He wrote: “It is a complicated dance that museums must perform, welcoming people in yet speaking at them in an authoritative voice; empowering the visitor while telling uncomfortable truths.”

Part of that balance is linked to embracing controversy and working through it to a new understanding within the larger community.

But that’s a big city art museum – they’re always doing something controversial. As a museum that focuses on the natural and maritime heritage of Southern Maryland, you might think we are not in a position to court controversy. You would be surprised.

One of the questions that we and other maritime museums around the bay

Thursday, January-2011

and headed toward fields. The distant honking was punctuated by barrages of gunfire as the geese found other hunters’ decoys.

We talked about the differences in goose and duck hunting.

Ducks often come to the decoys silently, while geese make a constant noise.

Mallards are noisy ducks, but will still pitch in to decoys with the only sound being the whisper of their wings. I have a fair collection of duck and goose calls, but, like the Karaoke singer that no one wants to hear, I’m seldom allowed to use them. Instead, I’m the guy who sits with his head down waiting for the guy with the call to say, “Take ‘em!” Geese get me more excited than ducks because I can hear them getting closer and closer as they circle to land. By the time the geese are in range I am as excited as a game show contestant who knows the winning answer.

By 9:00 AM the south wind was decidedly more pronounced. Conversations had turned to discussions of the best place to get breakfast. We unloaded our guns, plodded through icy water to collect the decoys, took a couple of pictures with our ducks and called it a day.

P.S. The tree stand didn’t come home.

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.

struggle with is the role of humans in the drastic depletion of the historically rich resources of the Chesapeake Bay: oysters, blue crabs, eels, menhaden, rockfish, all are struggling to maintain healthy populations against overwhelming odds. How do we celebrate the fiercely independent and admirable watermen while looking at the hard truths of the results of overfishing and poor management?

I have written in this column in the past about the issues surrounding our removal of fossils from the cliffs. This is the subject of our current PEM Talk Series: The Calvert Cliffs Conundrum. We are working hard to encourage community dialogue rather than acrimony around this topic. But it is highly controversial, dealing as it does with mutually exclusive and conflicting goals.

In our recent updating of the maritime gallery, we added an exhibit about the African American heritage here in Southern Maryland. This too is a topic that makes many of us, both black and white, uncomfortable. Why bring up this ugly, painful history? It’s much easier to think of large cotton plantations in Georgia as the location of atrocities than to listen to Charles Ball recount being torn from his mother’s arms and sold into slavery here in Calvert County.

History done well is a messy business.

Even our Estuarium has its share of

controversial topics. The “Eco Invaders” exhibit which deals with invasive species points accusing fingers at well meaning efforts to fix problems, like erosion (Kudzu) or support for the failing fur industry (Nutria). Just last year Maryland and Virginia decided not to import Asian Oysters to help prop up the oyster fishery, so perhaps we are learning from our mistakes.

At the end of his article, Kennicott refers to people’s belief that museums are places “where a set of fundamental values – openness, fearlessness, truthfulness – are celebrated with all the historical trappings.”

According to a study commissioned by the American Association of Museums, “Almost 9 out of 10 Americans (87%) find museums to be one of the most trustworthy or a trustworthy source of information among a wide range of choices.” You, our visitors, trust that museums tell you the truth – that means even when it’s not politically expedient, and beyond telling, that they encourage dialogue that invites differences to be openly discussed. That at the core is the role and function of museums: to help us better understand what it means to be human in the world.

Sherrod Sturrock is the Deputy Director of the Calvert Marine Museum. Send comments to: sturrosa@co.cal.md.us.

Wolf ’s Hot Rods and Old Gas Rocks Maryland

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ome bands are comprised of members who focus solely on their band and making it successful. Then there are bands like Wolf’s Hot Rods and Old Gas, which it comprised of people from different bands who play together simply because they enjoy jamming.

Steve “Wolf” Crescenze, the man the band is named after, said the group has been together for a couple of years, with different members rotating in and out in a regular basis. They play blues, rockabilly, roots rock and county music.

“What we are, we’re all professionals who have other projects,” Crescenze said.

He said there is a main, core group made up of Bart Balderson on drums, Lisa Lim on guitar and vocals, Tom Maxwell also on guitar and vocals and Crescenze on bass and backup vocals. There are also a couple members who play with the group on a rotating basis, including Wave Milor on harmonica and vocals and Zach Sweeney on guitar.

“We really highlight the guitars,” Crescenze said.

At any given performance, Wolf’s Hot Rods and Old Gas will have three or four guitarist onstage, and Crescenze said they will add a couple of guitar solos to songs.

“It’s kind of a guitar feature performance,” Crescenze said. There is a lot of call and response between the guitars, with them feeding off each other, and improvisation.

Milor said the musician’s ability to play with so many guitars in a genre that

wasn’t necessarily made for them is a testament to the abilities of the members of the band.

“I think it’s a pretty novel idea,” Milor said.

He said the people rotate based on the location of the concert and their availability around the other groups they are involved in.

“It’s like taking the top people from different bands,” Crescenze said.

The members of the band are from locations all over Maryland and Virginia, like Gainesville and Fredericksburg.

“It’s been a really good opportunity for me,” said Maxwell.

Maxwell said joining Wolf’s Hot Rods and Old Gas allowed him to go from barely playing at all to playing three times per week or more.

He described the sound of the band as “an old school bar band kind of sound.”

The name for the group is indicative of the people the group is comprised of, Crescenze said. The youngest member of the group are “Hot Rods” in their early and mid 20s while Crescenze said he is the ‘Old Gas” who is old enough to be their grandfather.

Even though the group is intergenerational, Crescenze said they have no trouble performing well together.

“When you get down to music, it kind of transcends age,” Crescenze said.

Maxwell said Crescenze has a lot of experience, which helps the group to pick music that will work best for them.

Wolf’s Hot Rods and Old Gas performs all over Maryland, with regularly scheduled gigs every month in Washing-

ton, D.C., and every other month at Bare Bones Grill and Brewery in Ellicott City.

Maxwell said the venue he looks forward to the most is Bare Bones because they get a good reception and a good crowd to play to.

“We have a good time there,” he said.

The next concert for Wolf’s Hot Rods and Old Gas will be at 8 p.m. on Jan. 14 at Fat Boys Country Store, located at 41566 Medley’s Neck Road in Leonardtown. This is a regular concert, held on the second Friday of every month.

The event at Fat Boy’s Country Store is part open jam, where various people can come in, sign up and play, and part concert.

“You never know who’s coming, it’s all pot luck,” Crescenze said. The band gets to it’s regular set later in the evening.

They will also be at the Beach Cove Restaurant on Bayside Road in Chesapeake Beach on Jan. 19 at 8 p.m.

For more information, visit www. wolfsmusicweekly.com or www.facebook.com/WolfsMusicWeekly. To see samples of their performances, visit www.youtube.com/wolfsmusic1.

By Sarah Miller (CT) info@somdpublishing. net

Photos Courtesy of Wolf Crescenze

Thursday, January-2011

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Thursday, January-2011