2011-11-17 Calvert Gazette

November 17, 2011

Priceless

All County Staff May Get One-Time Bonus Story Page 6

O’Donnell Considering Run Against Hoyer Story Page 4

The Calvert Gazette

Also Inside 4 County News 7 North County News 8 Community 10 Crime 11 Business 12 Feature Story 14 Education 15 Letters 16 History 17 Hunting 18 Newsmakers 19 Obits 20 Games 21 Entertainment 22 Out and About 23 Health

Thursday, November 17, 2011

On T he Cover As Gov. O’Malley pushes ahead with designs to enact Plan Maryland, a broad ranging land use plan, local officials across the state are worried about what they perceive to be an overtaking of local land use authority.

local news

Calvert County Commissioners cut the ribbon for the new Solomons Town Center Park on Tuesday afternoon, along with area coaches and parks and recreation staff. The park houses enough space for up to five multi-purpose fields and will soon be home to a playground. The project took 18 months to complete.

out & about local news

Jeremy Linehan, Michael Hildebrand, Michael Happell and Rebecca Vest run through a practice round before the Mario Cart tournament at the Prince Fredrick Library on Saturday to mark National Gaming Day.

FOR EVENTS HAPPENING IN YOUR AREA, CHECK PAGE 22 IN OUT AND ABOUT

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Thursday, November 17, 2011

The Calvert Gazette

COUNTY NEWS

The Calvert Gazette

Miller: Teacher Pension Liability Will Move to Counties

By Sarah Miller Staff Writer

During the Nov. 8 joint meeting on Calvert County’s 2012 legislative proposals, Senator Mike Miller strongly hinted that the responsibility of funding teacher pensions would be shifted form the state to the county level this year.

In response to this idea, which has been popping up for a number of years, County Commissioner President Susan Shaw tells the Calvert Gazette she is firmly against such an action.

“Given that teacher pensions are untenable for the state, they are even less tenable for the counties,” Shaw said.

The counties are struggling with decreased real estate assessments, which leads to decreased taxes and the county is working with less money rather than more, she said.

“Now is not the time to force the counties to raise taxes on our struggling citizens, including teachers, who are required by the state to pay more, to pay for pensions that cost close to four times what our county employee pensions cost,” Shaw said in an email to the Calvert Gazette.

Last year, Shaw said the amount teachers must pay into their retirement was increased by the state, but the additional funding went to balance the state budget for at least two years instead of to increase the teacher retirement trust fund.

Les Knapp, associate director of the Maryland Association of Counties (MACo) legislative staff, said MACo opposes the pension being moved from the state to the counties.

“MACo’s decision is they are moving the problem,” Knapp said.

The state funds the counties, and if the counties were to suddenly be trying to fund the teacher pensions would cause a shortfall in the counties, which would become the state’s problem again when the counties are looking for more money to offset the cost of the teacher pensions.

In some counties, Knapp said as much as 60 percent of the budget goes to fund schools.

Even the Calvert school district is against the pensions being moved from the state to the county level. Gail Bennett, policy and communications specialist with Calvert County Public Schools (CCPS), said she has heard plans to move the pensions to the school districts themselves which, because the schools are funded by the county and make no money on their own, would accomplish the same thing as moving the pensions to the county.

Miller, one of the biggest supporters of moving the pensions to the local level, said he wants to see the change made because the salaries keep getting raised without the knowledge of the state, but the state is supposed to supply an ever-increasing amount in the pension fund.

In the past five years, the cost for the pensions has gone from $550 million to $900 million, he said. Instead of the state continually being pressed to foot the bill, he said the burden should be moved to the people creating the problem.

“I think anyone with common sense is a supporter of that,” he said.

He is also confident that the change will be made and the bill will go through in the house.

“It has to go through at one point in time,” Miller said. sarahmiller@countytimes.net

By Corrin M. Howe Staff Writer “Where does Uncle Charlies Spur come from?” “When did Fishing Creek get rerouted?” “What’s up with the tar paper house on Boyds Turn Road?”

These were some of the questions asked at the third meeting of “Calvert Conversations: An Informal Discussion of Local History” sponsored by the Twin Beaches Branch of Calvert Library.

Branch Manager Joanie Kilmon was prepared to talk about the names of some of the streets in the Twin Beaches area based upon questions asked at the previous meeting. While she still doesn’t know the answer to how Uncle Charlies Spur got its name, she did have old postcards and books about the amusement park that opened in the 1890s.

Arcade Court, Band Shell Court, Carousel Way and Dentzel Court all go back to the original amusement park which was part of the attraction to Chesapeake Beach, a day trip from Washington, D.C. Kilmon said there was a horse race track built and even as late as 1930s aerial-photos showed the outline of the track; however, there was never a race run. The builders failed to talk to the Maryland Gaming Commission before building it.

Gustaf Dentzel was master carver of carousel animals at the time. Kilmon said a Dentzel carved kangaroo sat in the park administrator’s basement for a long time until it was repaired

Thursday, November 17, 2011

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O’Donnell May Run Against Hoyer

By Guy Leonard Staff Writer Maryland House of Delegates Minority Leader Anthony O’Donnell (R-Dist. 29C) said this week that he is “strongly considering” a run for the seat currently held by Democrat Congressman Steny Hoyer, the No. 2 Democrat in Congress.

O’Donnell told the Calvert Gazette last week that he might look at higher office because of his concerns over national debt and the apparent goal of some in the Occupy Wall Street movement to do away with capitalism.

This week, speaking to a gathering of Republican central committees from the five counties in the 5th Congressional District, O’Donnell seemed to strengthen his stance, though he has not yet committed to a run against Hoyer.

“I am strongly considering a run for Maryland’s 5th Congressional District,” O’Donnell said Tuesday. “I expect I’ll make that decision by no later than early December.”

O’Donnell said the economic struggles in the nation, exemplified by small businesses trying to stay afloat and families finding it difficult to make ends meet, represented an opportunity to defeat Democrat incumbents.

“In 2012 the political environment is very volatile,” O’Donnell said. “The president’s policies are not popular right now.

“This environment is not a typical political environment,” he said.

O’Donnell has criticized Hoyer for voting for liberal policies that he said do not reflect the values of the 5th District, and vowed to run an aggressive campaign if he decides to run.

“If I decide to run for this office I’ll do so unrestrained and I’ll be running to win,” O’Donnell said.

Rising GOP star Charles Lollar, of Newburg, recently announced that he would not seek to run for Hoyer’s seat, after having lost to the entrenched incumbent last year, citing the strain on his family.

Lollar was well received among Republicans and even some conservative Democrats in the region and garnered national media attention for his campaign.

Todd Eberly, professor of political science at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, said O’Donnell is a “serious candidate” who could also use a congres-

Anthony O’Donnell Photo by Frank Marquart

sional run to raise his profile for some office outside the Maryland General Assembly.

“I would view his as a serious candidate” should he decide to run, Eberly said. “I would see this as O’Donnell’s signaling he has interests beyond the General Assembly.”

Eberly said the recent redistricting map for District 5 took away some conservative votes from Anne Arundel County and replaced them with some from Prince George’s, making the district even more strongly Democratic.

Also in heavily Democratic counties like Prince George’s and now Charles, it would be a real battle for O’Donnell to propagate his staunchly conservative message successfully.

“That’s going to be a hard message to sell in Prince George’s and Charles counties,” Eberly said. guyleonard@countytimes.net

What’s In a Name? and put on display at the Chesapeake Beach Railway Museum. and camaraderie.

In fact the restorer Gary Jameson is a resident of North Beach Calvert Conversations meets the second Thursday of the and is considered a restoration specialist. month from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. and is open to anyone.

Kilmon said Mears Ave probably gets its name from Otto By the way, Kilmon wants to hear from fellow historians Mears, who was from Colorado and helped to complete the rail- about how the road called Uncle Charlies Spur in Dunkirk got road line to Chesapeake Beach. He owned Durango and Silver- it’s name. ton railroad lines out west, which is probably where Silverton Court got its name. corrin@somdpublishing.net As questions were asked during the meeting, Kilmon would jump up from the table and disappear. Then she’d return with a book. “Otto Mears Goes East: The Chesapeake Beach Railway”

by Ames W. Williams is a book she said she’s very fond of. “History would be lost if not written. Ames loved trains and small lines. It was just his hobby.”

Williams’ passion for knowing about the Chesapeake Beach Railway caused him to come to town and interview people. He preserved town history which would have been lost, Kilmon said.

While most of the most recent “conversation” centered on the Beaches, Kilmon said participants drive the topics each month. If residents come from other parts of the county, she will recruit other historians to share their local knowledge.

A program of this type is not new to the library system.

Similar conversations have been held in the past at Prince Frederick and Southern branches. Now that the Twin Beaches library has a little bit more room as a result of a grant from the founda- Ellie and Dick Wilson chat with Twin Beaches Library Manager Joanie Kilmtion, she is excited to open up more programs to enjoy the view on about street names in Chesapeake Beach.

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Thursday, November 17, 2011

COUNTY NEWS

The Calvert Gazette

Taking A Proactive Approach to Domestic Violence

By Corrin M. Howe Staff Writer “Why doesn’t she leave?” Calvert County State’s Attorney Laura Martin asked a room full of businesswomen.

Why doesn’t a woman leave a violent environment? During an interactive exercise, Mar-

Photo by Corrin M. Howe The State’s Attorney’s Domestic Violence Unit, from left, is Asst. State’s Attorney Jennifer Morton, State’s Attorney Laura Martin and victim/witness coordinator Kristy Longfellow.

tin asked that each woman with an answer line up by the door.

One by one, women from the monthly meeting of Calvert County Chamber of Commerce’s Women to Women made suggestions.

All together they proposed 10 reasons, which included: finances, co-dependency, children, love, no support system, fear of death and fear of the unknown and other reasons.

When the line was 10 women deep, Martin answered the question she proposed. “They (the women) have to solve all these problems to get through that door.”

The Domestic Violence Unit, which Martin said has received statewide recognition as a model program, began as the result of the murder of Darlene Turney on Dec. 3, 2000. Several days prior, her ex-boyfriend Ancil Tony Hamrick was in court facing some “serious jail.”

His defense attorney approached the prosecuting attorney at the time and requested bail until sentencing.

The prosecutor discussed it with Turney, who agreed because she needed Hamrick to work and pay child support.

“Three days later she’s dead. The prosecutor and victim didn’t know better,” Martin said. The lack of understanding of domestic violence precipitated an application to the Violence Against Women Act for a grant to start the program.

Now, if there is physical injury or a his-

Dowell Road Construction Talk Draws Crowd

By Sarah Miller Staff Writer It was a packed house at the Dowell Road construction discussion in the Calvert Marine Museum Auditorium on Monday night.

The nearly one mile stretch of Dowell Road starting at H. G. Trueman Road is scheduled to be widened to include sidewalks, bike lanes and a turning lane, and wider travel lanes.

The next step in the process is getting the right of way for the project. Rai Sharma, Deputy Director of Engineering with Calvert County, said property owners will be visited by an appraiser and appropriately compensated for the land needed. For land that has been foreclosed upon, county officials will have to go to the banks to purchase he right of way.

When concerns came up about getting the project funded, Commissioner Jerry Clark took the microphone to assure the crow that “nothing’s gonna derail it.”

“The money’s there,” Clark said. “The board’s committed to do this.”

Other concerns were expressed about the State Highway Administration imposing a speed limit without consulting the people living on the road.

“The state highway administration has nothing to do with this,” Sharma said, adding the speed limit will likely be set at 30 mph along Dowell Road, down from the current 40 mph limit.

The construction on Dowell Road is set to begin in 2013, and is expected to take 18 to 21 months. During that time, they will close one lane at a time or construct temporary lanes, but the road will not be completely closed at any time, Sharma said.

tory of violence, the State’s Attorney’s office will “force the cases further.”

When there is a report of domestic violence, a response team made up of law enforcement, State’s Attorney’s office and social services will go out as a team and meet with the victim.

They will go through a survey of questions with the victim asking questions such as “Has he/she threatened to kill you or your children?”

“Does he/she have a gun or can easily get one?”

Based upon the answers, the team will have a better understanding about the future safety of the victim. The solutions recommended could range from separating the parties all the way through incarceration of one party.

Currently, the State’s Attorney’s office is working on a “strangulation project.” Statistics

show that strangulation is the most common type of domestic violence and 40 percent of all reported cases of violence involved strangulation within the previous year. Studies further show that 62 percent of the strangulation cases had no visible sign of injury.

Now responding officers are trained to know what to look for in the field and to document their findings with photographs. Furthermore, a special camera exists which uses alternative light to document strangulation.

For more information about how Calvert County can assist victims of domestic violence, go to www.co.cal.md.us/government/sao/violence/ or call 410-535-1600 or 301-855-1243 ext. 2369. corrin@somdpublishing.net

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COUNTY NEWS

10 Days Waiting Period May Not be Needed

By Sarah Miller Staff Writer With some uncertainty over whether a 10-day waiting period is needed after every public hearing and whether it can be omitted, Calvert County is asking the state to help to clarify the rules.

Calvert County Attorney John Norris said the issue arise from the reading of Maryland Annotated Code, Article 24, §3, which reads under the Express Powers Act: “An act, ordinance, or resolution may not be adopted by the county commissioners, under the powers conferred by this section, until 10 days after a public hearing has been held on the proposed act, ordinance, or resolution. Prior notice of the public hearing, together with a fair summary of the proposed act, ordinance, or resolution, shall be published in at least one newspaper of general circulation in the county once each week for two successive weeks. This subsection is not applicable to: (1) an administrative act or resolution adopted by the county commissioners of Dorchester, Frederick, Somerset, or St. Mary’s County; or (2) a resolution, other than a bond resolution adopted under §15 of Article 25B of the Code, adopted by the county commissioners of a county that has adopted home rule powers under Article XI-F of the Maryland Constitution. For purposes of this subsection, “ordinance” means a permanent rule of law enacted by the county commissioners, and “resolution” means a formal expression of the opinion of an official body.”

According to Norris: “The issue is this: If the first sentence is to be read narrowly to only apply to actions being taken pursuant to the express powers act of Article 25, Section 3, why does the third sentence state (by using a double negative) that this subsection applies to bond resolutions adopted under Section 15 of Article 25B of the Code? I found noting in Article 25, Section 3 related to such bonds; only performance and private activity bonds are referenced in Article 25, Section 3.”

Norris told the Calvert Gazette the changes they are seeking, to clarify the times when a 10 day waiting period is required and when it is not, is to avoid “gotchas” and slip ups between the county commissioners and citizens.

“Nothing in the proposal seeks to shorten the time in which County citizens have an opportunity to comment on a proposed Ordinance or Resolution, nor does any part of the legislative request seek to prohibit the County Commissioners from leaving a record open even where the State law does not require the County to leave a record open to accept additional comments after a public hearing,” Norris said in an email.

County Commissioner Evan K. Slaughenhoupt, Jr. echoed Norris’s assurances that they are not attempting to cut the community out of decision making in the county. He said he’s “not so sure it’s necessary” to even have the language clarified, but he was willing to leave the issue open to hear further dialogue on the issue.

He supports letting the county as a whole have their time to say what’s on their mind, and doesn’t see where 10 days will make much of a difference one way or the other.

“I don’t see the harm in the 10 day waiting period,” he said.

The Calvert Gazette

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St. Leonard Master Plan Getting a Facelift

By Sarah Miller Staff Writer The St. Leonard Town Center Master Plan is currently under construction.

Highlights of the plan involve decreasing the amount of setback required from the road to a house, and making the town overall more pedestrian friendly.

St. Leonard will also continue to limit building sizes to 25,000 square feet, under the plan, leaving Solomons Island and Prince Fredrick the town centers best equipped to handle box stores and industrial growth.

Jenny Plummer-Welker, principal planner with Calvert County, said this is because St. Leonard town center lacks the public sewer infrastructure that the other two town centers have.

There is also mention of burying utility lines in the town center, with a goal under the energy section to “identify and protect a preferred location for an underground utility right-of-way to eventually move above ground power lines.”

Tom Dennison, spokesperson for SMECO, said

burying lines can be expensive, and there are potential problems if one entity owns the poles, such as SMECO, whole another owns the lines connected to the poles, like Verizon. He said they are always open to ideas and suggestions though, and looks forward to working with the county on the St. Leonard master plan.

There are seven town center master plans – Solomons Island, enacted in 1986, Dunkirk in 1987, Prince Fredrick in 1989, Huntingtown in 1993, St. Leonard in 1995, Owings in 2000 and Lusby in 2002. Plummer Welker said they are working through updating the plans one by one.

There will be a joint meeting between the Planning Commission and the Calvert County Commissioners to discuss the upcoming third draft for St. Leonard at 2 p.m.

Dec. 6. After the meeting, there will be a public hearing for the plan to get input from the community as a whole.

For more information, or to see a draft of the plan in its entirety, visit www.co.cal.md.us/business/planning/ towncenters/st.leonardtowncenter. sarahmiller@countytimes.net

Gamers Welcome at Library

Photo by Sarah Miller Jeremy Linehan, Michael Hildebrand, Michael Happell and Rebecca Vest run through a practice round before the Mario Cart tournament at the Prince Fredrick Library on Saturday. 32 players ages 6 to 12 signed up for the morning games, and 16 teens from 13 to 17 signed up to play during the afternoon round. The tournament marked National Gaming Day.

sarahmiller@countytimes.net

County Employees May Get Christmas Bonus

Grocery Auction

November 17, 2011 ‐ 5:30 PM To be held at

Mother Catherine Spalding School 38833 Chaptico Road (Rt. 238) ‐ Helen, Maryland 20635 That’s right a “grocery auction”. If you have never been to one, plan to attend. Grocery auctions have been gaining popularity all over the Country. We never know ahead of time what we are getting, but expect anything that could be found in a grocery store. Auctions of this type will have a lot of “pass outs”. The larger the crowd the better because the distributor can move more product at a better price – the bigger the crowd the better the deals! Items will be offered and available in small and/or large lots – buy as little or as much as you like.

TERMS: Cash or check payable to MCSS. Gre at

De r as o als

e ! l t e DRINKS CANDIES & SNACK – MEATS – CHEESE DRY GOODS ! k it l i

l

s u a

o y y CANNED GOODS - VEGATABLES - FROZEN FOODS - SUPPLIES Bu h as c mu For more information contact: Cafeteria will be Mother Catherine Spalding School – 301-884-3165 Bring your open serving food.

Brian Russell – 301-475-1633

coolers!

Thursday, November 17, 2011

By Sarah Miller Staff Writer In lieu of the annual cost of living raise that was suspended this year due to budgetary constraints, Calvert County government employees may soon be receiving one-time bonuses from leftover money in the employee healthcare budget.

“Frankly, it’s overdue,” said County Commissioner Evan K. Slaughenhoupt, Jr. He said the bonus is a “thank you” for government employees who were willing to step up and help make the budget work in trying economic times.

County Commissioner President Susan Shaw echoed Slaughenhoupt’s sentiments, saying the bonus is a thank you for the employees, which she isn’t sure will happen again in coming years.

“You have to do it when you can do it,”

Shaw said.

She said the future “looks bleak” financially speaking, and worries that government employees will have difficulty making ends meet with the cost of living continuing to increase.

“There’s no way employees are keeping up,” Shaw said.

When calculating the cost of living index, Shaw said Calvert County uses the BaltimoreWashington general area index.

The bonus is proposed to be $750 for full time and $375 for part time employees who qualify. The total cost to the general fund, according to information handed out at the Nov. 15 board of county commissioners, will be $536,501, which will be covered by the decrease in healthcare expenses.

Commissioners will vote the issue on during the Nov. 29 meeting, and if the decision is favorable, the bonuses will hit government paychecks Dec. 15.

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The Calvert Gazette

Thursday, November 17, 2011

h t r o N

Bikers Donate Toys to Children in Need

By Sarah Miller Staff Writer Local motorcycle enthusiasts and organizations turned out Saturday morning with toys to donate to local children during the 7th Annual Renegade Classics Toy Run. Diane Harrington, co-owner of Renegade Classics in Prince Fredrick with her husband, Kerry Harrington, said they started the toy run when they opened the shop and it has been growing ever since.

“It means a lot to the guys,” she said, noting that she has seen bikers cry at the reactions of the children and the families during the giveaway at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in North Beach.

The event starts at the Harrington’s shop in Prince Frederick. Riders and others arrive with their toy donations, which are loaded into a box trailer. Then, as a group, the participants ride to North Beach to meet Father David Russell at St. Anthony’s, where a crowd of children was waiting for presents.

Skylar Tidd shows off her Christmas gift.

COUNTY NEWS

Some participants chose to make a cash donation, which goes into a fund to buy presents.

The families receiving toys are on a list provided by the county, and each child at the giveaway gets one toy, Harrington said.

There was also a special appearance by Santa Claus at the toy giveaway, who was available for pictures with the children.

The leftover toys are sent to other charities and parishes to go to other children. Harrington said they are never worried about not having enough to go around.

“People have such a misconception of riders,” Harrington said. “They have such a giving heart.”

While there were first-time participants at Saturday’s toy run, others have been involved since the first toy run. Doug Barber is one of the long-time participants.

“You’ve got to take care of each other,” Barber said. sarahmiller@countytimes.net

Steve Thorne, dressed as Santa Claus, leads the bikers into North Beach.

Diane Harrington, co-owner of Renegade Classics, gets her picture taken Madison Bechtold is fascinated by her new doll. with Santa.

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Community

The Calvert Gazette

Thursday, November 17, 2011

corner

c

8

it or Scoop it?

Save On Auto Repairs Bag ommissioners

By Susan Shaw With Your Library Card President, Calvert County Commissioners A popular and often-used online library resource has been upgraded and now offers library users even more savings when it comes to automobile repair.

The Auto Repair Reference Center offers repair information, technical service bulletins, specifications and diagrams for more than 37,000 vehicles. The information, including high-quality, printable images and in-depth repair information, is free for anyone with a valid library card from one of the three public library systems in Southern Maryland – Calvert Library, Charles County Public Library and the St. Mary’s County Library.

“In this economy, a lot of people are looking for ways to cut expenses,” said David Paul, Information Services Manager for the Southern Maryland Regional Library. “Providing this service is one way we can help anyone who is willing to get a little dirty under the hood of their car save hundreds of dollars in automobile repair.”

The auto repair service provides step-by-step, illustrated repair information for all areas of most vehicle makes and models from as far back as 1954, including brakes, drivetrain, steering and suspension. There are also electrical diagrams, recall bulletins, diagnostic information and even a labor estimator that helps determine the time it will take to do a repair and estimates the cost.

“This is a service we’ve provided for quite a while,” Paul said in a press release. “But recent upgrades have made it much more intuitive and user-friendly.”

The Auto Repair Reference Center is just one of many free online services provided by the Southern Maryland Regional Library in partnership with the Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s county public library systems.

To access the Auto Repair Reference Center with your library card, go to the “COSMOS” link on the library’s website (www.calvert.lib.md.us), and then to “online resources.”

Hospital Earns National Award for Stroke Care

One of the critical roles of a County Commissioner involves land use planning and zoning. In my last column, I alerted you to Plan Maryland (PlanMD.com), a proposed septic bill and Watershed Improvement Plans (WIPs) that seek to reduce the Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) of pollutants going into the Chesapeake Bay. While you will be hearing more about the exorbitant price tags on these pie-in-thesky plans soon, and I hope you keep your ears open for mention of these, there are more immediate zoning concerns. A recent zoning hearing addressed two controversial topics: what should a nursery be allowed to sell and what kinds of activities should be permitted in an Agriculture Preservation District?

Calvert County uses the Town Center concept for zoning. We try to concentrate residential development with a mix of housing types in town centers along with retail, offices and services, and other commercial development that serves the residents. We try to concentrate our agricultural industry in the countryside between and around town centers. The state currently calls our town centers Priority Funding Areas (PFAs), which makes those areas eligible for state funding for infrastructure like schools. Water and Sewer should be located in Town Center PFAs, for example, and not in the countryside or Priority Preservation Areas (PPAs). But what about nurseries? Greenhouses? Most nurseries in Calvert County grow at least some of their own stock; some grow a lot of it. Logically, one would not expect to grow plants and trees in a town center, where the land costs are higher.

Retail is supposed to go in the town centers where accommodations are made for traffic and parking. Yet, for nurseries to survive financially, they need to be able to sell mulch, soil amendments, pavers, and pots. To

The American Heart Association (AHA) has awarded Calvert Memorial with the prestigious Gold Plus Award for outstanding stroke treatment. The award – the highest level of achievement through the AHA’s Get with The Guidelines Program -- recognizes the hospital’s use of the latest treatment techniques for stroke care.

CMH was designated as a Primary Stroke Center in 2008. It means the hospital meets or exceeds the requirements set by the state for effectively treating strokes. Calvert’s multidisciplinary team, which includes EMS, physicians, nurses, radiology and laboratory technicians, rehabilitation specialists, pharmacists and case managers, is headed by board-certified neurologist Dr. Harry Kerasidis.

Members of Calvert Memorial Hospital’s stroke team are, from left, Kathy Moore, director of rehabilitation services; Dr. Harry Kerasidis, director of the stroke center; Darla Hardy, director of Level 2; Dr. John Schnabel, director of emergency medical services; Stephanie Cleaveland, director of the emergency department, Elena Hutchinson, occupational therapist and stroke support group facilitator; Karen Seekford, clinical nurse educator and Angela Clubb, PI stroke program coordinator.

Submitted Photo

some, that sounds like retail. To others, it sounds logical to offer one-stop shopping at a nursery for the plants, pots, potting soil, peat, and mulch needed. Where is the line between keeping retail in town centers and not having nurseries in Calvert County because they cannot survive without the retail component?

This argument has been going on for three years.

But, instead of being straightforward, as I just recounted, it has devolved into arguments between whether to allow bulk mulch sales vs. bagged mulch sales, whether “fertilizer mixing” will be allowed, on what size of road a nursery can be located, what is a commercial nursery vs. what is a retail nursery. Common sense went out the window a long time ago on this topic. For example, bagged mulch supposedly draws less traffic than bulk mulch, but how is that factual when the amount of mulch needed is the same whether it is purchased in a bag or bulk and when bagged mulch arrives on tractor-trailer trucks and bulk mulch comes in dump trucks? Why can’t the consumer choose whether to try to handle the heavy bags or to get a scoop in his trailer and shovel it?

The latest idea from the Planning and Zoning department was to limit the amount of retail a nursery could have to a particular square footage, which is less than they already have and use. 100’ buffers were proposed. What??

100’ of plants to hide plants or to shade a greenhouse?

There aren’t that many nurseries in Calvert County. Why not allow some retail to keep them in business? The argument on the other side is that the retail will gradually slide to more and more, until you have a complex like Green Street Gardens in AA County that sells purses, shoes, sculptures, and other retail items that belong in a town center along with the plants, furniture, pots, etc. Meanwhile, at least one mulch/retail business in a town center doesn’t want the rules to change for nursery businesses outside the town centers to protect his investment.

What do you think and want? Next time I will discuss what should/should not be allowed on agriculturally zoned land. Stay tuned for more …

NAMI Adds Recovery Support Groups in Calvert, Charles NAMI Southern Maryland, the local affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the nation’s largest grassroots non-profit organization providing education, support and advocacy for persons suffering from serious mental illnesses, announces the start of two new support groups for persons suffering from serious mental illnesses.

On Dec. 5, NAMI’s Waldorf Connection Recovery Support Group will hold its first meeting, at the Institute for Family Centered Services, 605 Post Office Road, Suite 205, Waldorf. It will meet from 6 to 7:30 p.m. and will meet every first and third Monday of the month at that location.

NAMI’s Prince Frederick Connection Recovery Support Group will start on Dec. 7, at Classroom 2 of the KeepWell Center at Calvert Memorial Hospital, 100 Hospital Road, Prince Frederick. It will meet from 6 to 7:30 p.m. and will hold its meetings every first and third Wednesday of each month.

In addition, NAMI Southern Maryland will continue to hold its ongoing Lexington Park Connection Recovery Support Group at its office, located at 21161 Lexwood Drive, Room 2, Lexington Park, every first and third Tuesday of the month, from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

NAMI Connection is a recovery support group program for people living with mental illness, providing a place that offers respect, understanding, encouragement and hope. The groups are confidential and are lead by persons living with mental illness that are in recovery themselves. Connection offers a casual and relaxed approach to sharing the challenges and successes of coping with mental illness. The groups are free and are open to all adults with mental illness, regardless of their diagnosis.

“NAMI Connection has helped me understand and accept my mental illness, and take the next step in recovery. I love NAMI – this group has helped save my own life and it will save many others,” a participant said in a press release.

Having Connection Groups in all three Southern Maryland counties will add significantly to the options available to persons living with mental illness to aid in their journeys in recovery.

9

Thursday, November 17, 2011

The Calvert Gazette

Community

Community Chorus Begins Christmas Concerts

The Chesapeake Community Chorus held their annual concert at Olivet United Methodist Church in Lusby on Sunday.

Musical offerings during the evening ranged from Mother Goose Madrigals and “Do You Hear What I Hear,” geared toward children in the audience to “Run to the Manger” and Handel’s “The Hallelujah Chorus” for the adult listeners.

The chorus is in its 9th season and currently under the baton of Larry Brown. He said the community chorus is open to anybody and not limited to any age group or section of community members.

“We get older singers, but we take anybody we can get,” he said.

The concerts aid in raising money for charities in Calvert County. To date, Brown said they have raised more than $50,000 for charity organizations.

For more information about the chorus or joining the group, contact Brown at 301-855-7477 or by e-mail at lbrown9601@verizon.net.

Upcoming Concerts Nov. 25 - Service of Remembrance for Hospice Huntingtown High School, Huntingtown 4:45 pm Nov. 26 - Festival of Trees Huntingtown High School, Huntingtown 5 pm

April 15, 2012 – For Hospice Waters Memorial UMC, 5400 Mackall Road, St. Leonard 5 p.m.

Dec. 2 – For Hospice April 22 – For Hospice Elks Lodge, 1015 Dares Beach Road, Prince Frederick North Beach Union Church, 8912 Chesapeake Avenue, 7 p.m.

QBH St M County TImes Half Ad:Layout 1 3/1/11 3:28 PM Page 1

Photo by Sarah Miller

North Beach 5 p.m.

May 6 – For Hospice Hospice Huntingtown UMC, 4020 Hunting Creek Road, Huntingtown 5 p.m.

MHBR No. 103

The Calvert Gazette

Man Charged With Smuggling Drugs into St. Mary’s jail

By Guy Leonard Staff Writer

St. Mary’s police have charged a Lusby man with trying to secret various narcotics into the Leonardtown detention center last week.

Phillip Lynn McCan, Jr., 55, faces nine separate counts related to the case.

Charging documents show that when McCan was reporting to the jail due to a court order Nov. 8, deputies alleged they found contraband narcotics on McCan when they conducted a pat down search of his person.

They found several kinds of narcotics located in the insoles of McCan’s shoes, police

alleged in court papers, including clonozepam, opanaer and 14 morphine pills.

Deputies cross checked the pills with state’s poison control authority, which stated that the pills were likely narcotics as deputies had identified them based on their markings, color and shapes, court papers read.

A drug schedule from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration confirmed that the pills were all narcotics, court papers state.

McCan was formally charged with three counts of drug possession, three counts of possessing drugs while in a place of confinement and three counts of possessing or receiving narcotics will confined in the detention center.

National Take Back Day

Thursday, November 17, 2011

10

POLICE BLOTTER Deputies investigating garage thefts

Unknown suspects stole $625 worth of property to include a Porter Cable reciprocating saw, a red metal Craftsman toolbox with drawers containing various tools, a carpet kicker, a Craftsman cordless drill and one Evo air compressor. This occurred overnight between Nov. 5 and 6 in a garage behind a home on Hunting Creek Road in Huntingtown. Dep. A. Mohler is investigating.

Two arrested, charged in narcotics case

After checking out a call for a suspicious vehicle alongside the Giant grocery store in Lusby, DFC C. Johnson found the occupants to be in alleged possession of illegal drugs. He arrested the driver, Joshua Alan Moore, 22, of Mechanicsville and charged him with possession of a schedule IV drug, Alprazolam (Xanax), and possession with intent to use drug paraphernalia, two syringes. He arrested the passenger, Samantha Joell Faucette, 21, of Waldorf, and charged her with possession with intent to use drug paraphernalia, two syringes.

Theft from vehicle under investigation

First Sgt. Tim Buckmaster, left, Lt. Col. Thomas Hejl, Lt. Richard Williams of the Charles County Sheriff’s Office and Lt. Randy Stephens, Commander, Maryland State Police Barrack “U” on the steps of the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office to mark the success of the Oct. 29 “National Take- Back Day,” when law enforcement agencies across the country facilitated the turn in of expired or unwanted prescription medications for safe and proper disposal. Residents can anonymously turn in unwanted prescription medications anytime using a designated mailbox on the steps of the Sheriff’s Office at 30 Church Street in Prince Frederick.

Unknown suspects stole a black iPod classic, the charging port and three books of CD’s from an unlocked vehicle parked outside a home on Lake Shore Drive in Owings between Nov. 8 and 9. Dep. S. Esposito is investigating.

Police: Woman filed false report to get more prescription pills

MAJOR 2-DAY REGIONAL EQUIPMENT/TRUCK AUCTION Located On-Site at

FLAT IRON COMPLEX, 45820 Highway to Heaven Lane, Great Mills, Maryland

Selling Equipment & Trucks From: SMECO; Saint Mary’s County Government; METCOM-Metropolitan Commission; U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maryland; Area Contractors; Several Small Estates; Banking & Lending Institutions; Equipment Dealers & Other Owners are Participating!

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 18, 2011 AUCTION BEGINS AT 8:00 AM THE FOLLOWING TO BE SOLD FRIDAY- BRIEF LISTING!

Farm, Equipment of all kind; Lawn & Garden & Miscellaneous; Tractor Trailer Load of New/Unused Office Furniture; Misc. Tools, Garden Equipment and Other Items too Numerous to List!

Check out our website at

www.CochranAuctions.com for photos and more detailed listing!

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 19, 2011 AUCTION BEGINS AT 8:00 AM VERY BRIEF LISTING! IMPOSSIBLE TO LIST! THE FOLLOWING ITEMS TO BE SOLD ON SATURDAY!

Tri-, T/A & Single Dumps - Nice Selection: Road Tractors; Support Trucks; (42+) Pickups, Vans, and Cars to 2008 Model Year; Trailers; Hydraulic Excavators; Track Loaders & Dozers; Compaction; Paving; Motor Graders; End Dumps; Motor Scrapers; Rubber Tire Loaders; Telescopic & Straight Mast Forklifts; Warehouse Forklifts; Working Platforms; Scissor Lift; Loader Backhoes; Skid Loaders; Tractors; Collector Cars; ATV’S/Golf Carts/ 4-Wheelers; & Many Others Items Not Listed

COMPLETE PAYMENT SALE DAY: Payment for all items must be paid in full on sale day with cash, Cashier’s checks, traveler’s check or money order. Personal or company checks will be accepted with a valid bank letter or guaranteed payment.

All sales subject to the applicable 6% sales tax of the State of Maryland.

SALE SITE INFORMATION: 301-994-0300 NOTE: Several Auctioneers will be selling at one time. Please come prepared for the arrangement.

Subject to additions and deletions. We are not responsible for the acts of our principles.

Some items sell with reserve. Buyer’s Premium applies to all purchases-$0.00 to $5,000.00-10%, $5,000 & up-$500.00 flat fee. Online Bidding-Provided by Equipmentfacts.com

On Nov. 10 at 7:45 p.m. a woman attempting to report a theft was arrested and charged with possession of Percocet, use of drug paraphernalia, a credit card, making a false report and obstructing a police officer in the performance of his duties after DFC J, police alleged. Deputies responded to her location on Laurel Drive in Lusby. Melissa Sue Wathen initially advised DFC Harms that she had given a ride to a man and when he got out of the vehicle, she discovered her cash was missing. When asked for her identification, Wathen gave Harms a false name, police alleged. After some questioning, it was discovered that Wathen was attempting to file a police report for theft in order to obtain another prescription for pills from her doctor, police reported.

Wishing well, dog house stolen

Sometime in the month of November someone stole a wooden wishing well with a red shingle roof and a wooden dog house, white with a blue shingle roof, together valued at $550 from the side of the road in front of Marco’s Quality Storage in the 1800 block of Solomons Island Road in Prince Frederick. Both items had been placed outside for sale. Anyone with information is asked to contact Dep. Y. Bortchevsky at 410-535-2800 or Calvert County Crime Solvers at 410-535-2880 for anonymous tips.

Man Charged with Resisting Arrest

On Nov. 12 at 1:30 a.m. Cpl. S. Parrish responded to a home on Monterey Road in Lusby for the report of a woman screaming. Upon arrival, Cpl. Parrish observed there was a party at the house. He advised the occupants to quiet down. After returning to his vehicle and driving up the street, Parrish was approached by one of the party-goers who advised a fight was breaking out. Parrish returned and observed Sean Paul Judd, 19, of Lusby, in the middle of the street cursing at another male, police reported. Judd was told to stop and leave the area but he refused, police stated. Judd was advised he was under arrest for disorderly conduct and at that time he began to struggle and resist arrest, police alleged, however, he was ultimately handcuffed and charged with disorderly conduct and resisting a lawful arrest.

Vehicle Burglaries Expanding

By Guy Leonard Staff Writer Calvert law officers warned residents last week that vehicle burglaries involving high value items that had mostly occurred in the Lusby area are now cropping up in more northerly locations like Prince Frederick and Huntingtown.

Calvert criminal investigations officials had said earlier that they were working on several strategies to combat the emerging problem — often driven by drug addictions — including enhanced police presence in affected areas and surveillance.

The rash of thefts began in mid-October, law officers said, and have continued to the

present day, with most vehicles that were burglarized unlocked at the time of the crimes.

However, some vehicles were damaged when the thieves tried to pry out various items such as car stereos, police reported.

The Calvert County Sheriff’s Office and Sheriff Mike Evans remind citizens to remove valuables from their vehicle when possible and to secure them from sight when that is not possible, according to a press release.

Also, citizens should lock their vehicle at all times. An additional measure to guard against theft is to leave an exterior light on at night since most of these incidents occur during the overnight hours, police advised. Police also asked citizens to report any suspicious activity to the sheriff’s office at once.

11

Thursday, November 17, 2011

The Calvert Gazette

Turning Leads into Referrals

By Corrin M. Howe Staff Writer “Giver’s Gain. As simple as that sounds it takes awhile to understand and take advantage of what it means,” said Business Network International (BNI) Regional Director John Stutzman.

Giver’s Gain is the cornerstone of the philosophy of the international networking organization that was founded in the state of California around 1983 by Dr. Ivan Misner. The idea is that when businessmen and women focus on selflessly helping improve another’s businesses, theirs will gain as well.

Misner and a group of other business owners met regularly to brainstorm how they could grow their small businesses. They discussed how to make referrals to one another and their businesses started growing. When other business groups saw they were growing, they asked Misner’s group to show them how to be successful. Now there 6,000 chapters in 50 countries. Jerry Schwartz started Maryland BNI about a dozen years ago and now there are 110 chapters meeting throughout the state and Washington, DC. “The agenda and structure has remained the same over the years. What has changed is the development of an educational section where BNI teaches skills and processes which help improve business people’s networking skills,” said Stutzman.

There are two components to BNI’s education. First it teaches its members how to be effective within the BNI structure. Then it teaches them how to effective in other business social and networking arenas.

“We are a specific type of networker. What we are not is competition for the Chamber or meet up groups.”

For example, BNI trains its members about the difference between a “lead” and a “referral.” An example of a lead is “I know Joe Smith, he owns a restaurant which might need your pest control services.” A referral is “I talked to Joe Smith. He owns this restaurant. He needs a pest control service. I’ve already given him you name and number and he

plans to call you this week. But just in case, here is his name and number to follow up.”

With a referral, another BNI member was practically made the sale for you because she told one of her own clients about someone she knows and trusts to perform a necessary service.

The way BNI members can become an extended sales team is at each weekly meeting, the members share a little bit about their business and what types of referrals they want.

The members also have a ten-minute presentation to explain their business. The chapter also encourages the members to meet with one another outside the weekly meeting to learn more about the others so that they can make quality referrals. Throughout the following week, each member is actively looking to refer business based upon the referral requests at the previous meeting.

One of the advantages to a BNI weekly meeting is that only one representative from each profession is allowed in the chapter. This “locks out” competition so that the other members only have one banker, one real estate broker, one florist, etc. to refer all their business.

The weekly meetings last 90 minutes and are very structured to get the most out of the time together. Chapter business, educational teaching and member’s 10 minute presentation are sandwiched between a period when each member and visitor gives a 60 second elevator speech about their business and what type of clients they want that week. At the end of the meeting all the other members have an opportunity to present referrals to one another based upon what was requested.

The Prince Frederick BNI Chapter meets every Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Greene Turtle in the Prince Frederick Shopping Center at the intersection of Route 4 and 231. For more information contact Jerry Schwartz at

jerry@bnimaryland.com.

corrin@somdpublishing.net

Chance Partnership Puts New Biz on the Map

By Carrie Munn Staff Writer

enough about the kitchen business to offer, what they agree is the number one advantage to doing business with them, topnotch customer service.

The Fabric Store has been open since March, and Broad Creek Kitchens opened its showroom in July. They said they’ve already worked with many Southern Maryland homeowners looking for a crafter to work with them handson, and have since gotten steady business thanks to positive word-of-mouth.

“I like being able to put my personal touch on a project,” Stinson said.

Langley and Stinson are trying to get the word out through local advertising and invite anyone considering a home improvement project to stop by and see them at 27215 Three Notch Road in Mechanicsville, Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. or 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays.

A chance meeting of two experts in their fields, looking into renting commercial space along Three Notch Road in Mechanicsville led to Tony Langley and Jimmy Stinson setting up shop in one shared building.

Langley owns The Fabric Store and Stinson owns Broad Creek Kitchens and Millwork.

This is Stinson’s second location, following his flagship business in Fort Washington. A resident of Hughesville, Stinson frequently stays busy on-the-job. One of the advantages his business offers, he explained, is that customers see him not only designing new kitchens and collecting the check, but on the job hanging cabinets or doing trim work.

Stinson has been in the business for about 25 years and says he offers real wood products and quality workmanship, because he and his small crew do entire kitchen makeovers from the floor to the ceiling, from structural work to designer lighting fixtures.

In the rear of the Mechanicsville business, customers can find a man who’s been in the fabric business for 44 years. With an assortment of high-quality home décor fabrics at $9.95 per yard and affordable, professional upholstery work, Langley said, “Anyone would have a hard time touching my pricing on the East Coast.”

Over the years, Langley has forged relationships with fabric manufacturers and encourages his clients to take samples home, “live with them for a few days,” and come back when they’ve made a decision.

Then he’ll make the curtains or re-cover that old cushion at a rate that beats out bigbox competitors.

Photo by Carrie Munn Langley said the marriage of the two businesses is only logical and has learned Tony Langley, left, owner of The Fabric Store, and Jimmy Stinson, owner of Broad Creek Kitchens, stand in front of their shop along Three Notch Road in Mechanicsville.

Closing the Books on 25 Years of Local Business History

By Corrin M. Howe Staff Writer Stuart Hanson, pharmacist and former owner of Whitesell Pharmacy in Lusby, sits at the kitchen table in the office/residence above his former shop. He kept the first book in which Reese Whitesell recorded prescription sales. The first entry is Sept. 20, 1984.

Hanson points out four days later Shelia Marcino, long time manager, started working and on Nov. 6, Hanson began working parttime for Whitesell.

Hanson started his career in pharmacy on July 1, 1975. He went to work for Drug Fair, a national chain, which opened a store in Prince Frederick. At the time he and his wife were living down in Jimmy Carter’s hometown, Plains, Georgia. “(Drug Fair) paid the way. My wife and I decided we’d try it out for a year and see if we liked it,” said Hanson.

At the time the only other “big box stores” in the county were Safeway and A&P. He said there is a legend where Drug Fair’s electric cash register motor burned out the first day because they were a “wildly busy store.”

Hanson worked with Drug Fair for 10 years and Nationwide Pharmacy for about two years where he overlapped working one day a week at Whitesell for part of that time.

Whitesell Pharmacy was to be Reese Whitesell’s easy retirement job. He sold his other store in Frederick to be closer to his grandchildren.

“He lived above the store. We could hear the grandkids running around. He thought he would have an easy retirement job, but he was busier than he thought he would be.”

Hanson bought Whitesell Pharmacy on July 1, 1986.

“We struggled at first. I worked 12 to 14 hour days. But I always had good employees and enjoyed working with patients.”

He said the business grew and grew. He thought he would have setbacks like when the doctor across the street moved out; however, another doctor moved in.

“I thought when they moved the main road (from Rout 765 to Route 4) that our business would dwindle down to nothing.”

Even after Wal-Mart and CVS moved into the county he said Whitesell “kept growing and growing no matter what we did.”

However three or four years ago three pharmacies moved into Lusby’s Town Center.

“I still want to work, but I just don’t want the heavy responsibility of owning. I could never afford a partner. And no matter how good your managers are there is always something that comes up which needs an owner.”

He sold his business to Walgreens at the end of October and accepted a part-time position in their pharmacy department.

“I really, really enjoyed working. I profusely thank my customers over the years.”

He is proud to say that he helped people in their daily lives and owned an independent business that made it.

Hanson said his grandfather was a farmer who didn’t become hugely successful; however, he was fond of saying, “Nobody left my kitchen table hungry.”

Now he can say, “I made payroll for 25 years and never bounced a check.” corrin@somdpublishing.net Stuart Hanson stands by an original sign Reese Whitesell had made for inside his pharmacy.

The Calvert Gazette

Thursday, November 17, 2011

12

STORY

Fear of Plan Maryland

By Guy Leonard and Sarah Miller Staff Writers As the state and Gov. Martin O’Malley push ahead with designs to enact Plan Maryland, a broad ranging land use plan to govern development and growth throughout the state, counties and even towns are worried about specific impacts from what they perceive to be the plan’s overtaking of local land use authority.

Elected officials in Calvert and St. Mary’s counties have gone public with their apprehensions over what is seen by some as a state takeover of local land use decisions.

Calvert County Commissioner Evan K. Slaughenhoupt Jr. said he’s not against the idea of a comprehensive plan for the state, but that is not what PlanMaryland represents. Instead, he said, it looks like it’s more about taking control away from the local governments and reassigning it to the state government.

“They put their blinders on,” said Slaughenhoupt, of Dunkirk.

He said they should have looked at common features between the counties and built from there. Going to the extent of having two plans, one for the more rural areas and another for the cities, may have been more viable – an option that was never looked at.

“[Governor Martin O’Malley] has definitely shown his love for the cities,” Slaughenhoupt said.

He said this plan harkens back to a similar initiative in the 2006-2007 timeframe called Reality Check Plus, and seeing a similar plan taking shape with no input from the local governments is “no surprise. Disappointing, but no surprise.”

He said this plan gives the state the ability to make land use decisions for the counties that should be made at a local level and designate certain areas to be specific zones, when he county may have had other plans.

“We probably are going to be very hurt,” Slaughenhoupt told the Calvert Gazette.

The Maryland Association of Counties (MACo) is also against Plan Maryland in its current form. Les Knapp, the associate director of MACo, said they don’t have a problem with the idea of Plan Maryland, and they have identified areas they agree with and support. But there are blanks that need to be filled before the plan moves forward.

“We just want to know what the rules are upfront,” Knapp said.

He said there are also concerns that the individual counties have not been consulted as they should have been.

“We don’t feel the process to date has been collaborative,” Knapp said.

Knapp said MACo has drafted and sent letters to the state, with three things highlighted that the state should be looking at – the plan should “contain clear protection for local land use autonomy,” implementation of the plan should be delayed until blanks are filled in and questions answered and the plan should be a collaborative effort.

In Leonardtown, officials say the first draft of Plan Maryland, complete with a map of the town, showed the state’s vision for growth differed much from that of local elected officials.

Laschelle McKay, town administrator, said that since the second draft of the plan has come out, this time without maps, town staff is still worried.

At the heart of their concerns are what are known as priority funding areas, which have traditionally been chosen by towns and counties, over where state money should go to influence development.

With the first iteration of Plan Maryland, the map showed the priority funding area changed to not include all of Leonardtown.

Without the same maps in the second draft, the uncertainty of the state’s designs on Leonardtown’s growth continue, she said.

“We worried it would be shrinking Leonardtown’s development district,” McKay said, adding that a provision in Plan Maryland allows jurisdictions to appeal the state’s final decision on what are designated areas for both development and preservation, but local governments have little leverage.

“I think everyone has the same concerns that the process is there but the state has the final say,” McKay said. “Just it being such an unknown that’s scary.

“Who knows how this map is going to end up?”

James Peck with the Maryland Municipal League said according to the latest draft, municipalities would be allowed to stay intact as priority funding areas. Peck also said the “major concern” was for counties, where their development plans outside of state mandated priority funding areas could be stifled for lack of infrastructure funding from state coffers.

St. Mary’s County Commissioner Todd Morgan (R-Lexington Park) said the state’s ability to deny funding for infrastructure such as water and sewer and other amenities that are critical to county growth plans was one of the key leverage items in Plan Maryland.

He said by emphasizing development where infrastructure already exists, growth in rural areas would suffer.

“We’re extremely concerned about Plan Maryland,” Morgan said. “We’re not happy about this plan. We have to abdicate our

rights for what is considered to be prudent development.

“We’re not willing to abdicate.”

Water and sewer connections are unlikely to make their way into Valley Lee or other rural areas in St. Mary’s, he said. Instead those areas depend on septic systems, which are also targeted by the state for more restrictions.

Given this, Plan Maryland will put the damper on rural expansion, Morgan said.

“It will severely limit any development outside of development districts,” he said.

Charlotte Hall-based developer John K. Parlett said that Plan Maryland would only increase the cost of development in rural areas of the county, still desired by many residents despite requirements to purchase development rights to do so, and so make it even less accessible to those with lesser means.

“My biggest concern is they’ll take away our ability to put development where we want and how we want to do it,” Parlett said. “[The state’s] agenda is completely different; they don’t want development in the rural areas, they want it in development districts.

“But people want to live where they want to live,” Parlett continued. “Plan Maryland will exacerbate the haves and the have nots.”

Morgan said that St. Mary’s best chance for viability in the future is to be able to allow growth to accommodate Naval Air Station Patuxent River – Plan Maryland would only make that more challenging.

“Plan Maryland will limit our ability to expand and grow,” Morgan said, adding the plan was driven more by political ideology than by good policy.

The plan itself requires no legislative review, but is rather an executive mandate based on a state law from the 1970s that requires the state have an overarching growth plan.

“The state is controlled by a very liberal governor who has nothing to lose and nothing is going to stop him,” Morgan said. “It’s a no win situation.”

13

Thursday, November 17, 2011

The Calvert Gazette

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The Calvert Gazette

Spotlight On

Thursday, November 17, 2011

14

State Teachers’ Union: School New Traffic Pattern at Northern High, Middle Schools Funding is Broken REVISED TRAFFIC PATTERN FOR NHS-NM S ONLY STUDENTS WHO PARK IN LOT "A" MAY TURN LEFT OFF CHANEYVILLE IN A.M. ONLY BUSES MAY TURN LEFT IN FRONT OF MARY HARRISON IN A.M.

Last minute legislative changes to the decades-old maintenance of effort law protecting local per-pupil school funding has opened the door to $2.6 billion in potential local education cuts, the Maryland State Education Association (MSEA) announced in a report released this week.

Maintenance of effort is intended to ensure that the education funding partnership between state and local governments remains well-defined, intact, and dependable by discouraging local governments from shortchanging schools and students, a release from MSEA states.

This partnership, coupled with the historic investment in our students made possible by the Thornton Plan in 2002, has led to significant progress in Maryland’s public schools, including number one rankings by Education Week magazine three years in a row. However, if MOE is not fixed, Maryland could face an unprecedented and dangerous wave of education cuts that would lead to increased class sizes, discontinued programs and services, and widespread layoffs, the release states.

MSEA’s report, Maintenance of Effort, Repairing Maryland’s School Funding Safeguard, details how MOE became broken, the impact of the broken MOE law on schools and students, and what steps can be taken to fix the law.

To read the full report, and to see a county-by-county breakdown of the effects of the broken MOE law, visit www.marylandeducators.org/moe.

ALL STUDENT DROP OFFS FROM PRIVATE VEHICLES WILL CONTINUE TO BE MADE BY DRIVING ONTO FLINT HILL ROAD

A kll

All NHS‐NMS Student Drop Offs Proceed to Flint Hill Rd. ONLY Buses Make Left Turn at MHC

CHANEYVILLE ROAD

ONLY Student Drivers Who Are Parking in Lot "A" May Turn Left

Students who drive and park in Lot "A"only

Flint Hill Rd

PARKING IN THE NHS DRIVEWAY WILL ONLY BE PERMITTED BETWEEN 7:30AM - 2:00PM

will be stopped from turning off Chaneyville from 7:12 until all buses depart

No through lane - triple stack buses in A.M

NHS DROP OFF

THREE BUS LANES Main Office

NO EXIT 7:00-7:20 AM

NORTHERN HIGH SCHOOL

NO STUDENT DROP OFFS STUDENT PARKING

Main Office

NMS Drop Off

NORTHERN MIDDLE SCHOOL

ONLY

KEY ~ students who park in Lot "A" ~ all vehicles ~ NMS drop off ~ NHS drop off ~ school buses

Citizen Input Drives Decisions

By Corrin M. Howe Staff Writer Each year the Calvert County Public Schools (CCPS) Board of Education seeks members from the community to act in an advisory capacity and to provide insight into pending polices and decisions before the board.

This Citizen’s Advisory Committee is a mixed group of parents and non-parents who desire to provide feedback on areas of concern.

For example, in recent years, the committee has discussed school safety, nutrition and wellness, grading policy and procedures and life after high school and whether or not CCPS prepares them for college, trade schools or the workforce.

Last year the committee found the school system needed to better prepare graduating students in the area of financial literacy. As a result of that finding, school staff will propose adding a mandatory half credit in financial literacy to the high school graduation requirements. This

proposal is set to go before the board in December, according to Gail Bennett, policy and communication specialist.

This year the board has tasked the committee with reviewing two points from last year’s “What Counts” community survey.

According to an Aug. 11 memo from Superintendent Jack Smith to the board, regarding next steps in What Counts: “One valuable task for the committee might be to help staff identify what evidence exists to indicate the degree to which the school system is meeting identified areas of values and successes, how CCPS can better identify gaps in services when the metrics show we are falling short of our goals, and what actions and resources might be needed to close the gaps.”

As a result, at the next meeting of the CAC, the group will begin discussions on “Rigorous and Diverse Academic Programs.”

Bennett said the committee might start with questions such as “How do we define a rigorous and diverse academic program?” “Do we offer enough rigorous and diverse programs?” “Are they accessible to all students?”

The CAC meets once a month for about two hours at the board of education building on Dares Beach Road. Although the meeting is usually in the evening on the fourth Monday of the month, Bennett said it can be moved for various reasons.

The BOE starts looking for interested citizens around June each year and starts appointing one year terms by August. The committee still has vacancies for those interested in applying. They can go to CCPS website, and look under the Board of Education tab, scrolling down to the Citizen Advisory Committee and click on “Application.”

There are no term limits for the committee, which has both long-standing and new members. It also has a student representative from each high school. corrin@somdpublishing.net

Calvert County Science Fair Expanded Calvert County Public Schools is expanding its traditional Science Fair to include an exposition of student projects in the areas of science and engineering, a schools press release states.

“The Science and Engineering EXPO is one forum to display scientific and engineering practices that students have applied in classes and clubs,” said Yovonda Kolo, Supervisor of Science and STEM. “We are looking forward to an exciting time.”

The Science and Engineering EXPO will still include traditional individual and group science fair entries, which will be judged according to the Intel International Science and Engineering Guidelines.

All students in grades 6 through 12 are encouraged to participate in this section of the expo. As in previous years, the top ten percent of winners from the science fair will have the opportunity to compete at the Prince George’s County Area Fair. The top winners there are eligible to move on to the Intel Fair.

New this year is the exposition which will not be judged. Targeted groups of students from MESA (Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement), Robotics, Project Lead the Way, and technology and science classes will be invited to participate in the exposition with their sponsor.

The exposition will showcase 21st century skills and practices that promote innovation and creativity. The Science and Engineering EXPO will be held at Calvert Middle School on Feb. 25, 2012.

15

Thursday, November 17, 2011

The Calvert Gazette

L

PlanMaryland: O’Malley Tries To Tell Us Where To Live

By Marta Hummel Mossburg If Gov. Martin O’Malley has his way, future generations of Marylanders will be forced to live where current residents are fleeing.

His PlanMaryland — and it is truly his, as it was assigned through executive order — will dangle development money at counties abiding by “sustainable” development paths and withhold it from counties pursuing “unsustainable” growth plans. Sustainable is one of those terms, like climate change, whose meanings are so subjective and mutable that they could raise George Orwell from the dead in protest of their abuse of the English language.

But in planning-speak, sustainable translates to high-density housing near public transportation.

The problem with the plan is that internal migration maps of Maryland show that hundreds of thousands of people are leaving high-density areas of the state in favor of more rural places. From 2000 to 2009, nearly 78,000 people left Baltimore City; more than 77,000 left Prince George’s County; and about 68,000 people left Montgomery County. The top places that absorbed those migrants in state include the much more suburban and rural Frederick (16,176), Carroll (12,872), Charles (12,349), and Harford (11,673) counties. Thousands of people left the state altogether. The Tax Foundation projects that Maryland lost $5.6 billion from 1999 to 2009 due to outmigration from the state — one of the worst losses in the country.

So any plan that directs most state funding to more dense areas directly contradicts the will of the people — and will likely accelerate the loss of vital tax dollars and population.

Worse, contrary to the plan’s assertion that “It will not remove local planning and zoning authority,” Mr. O’Malley has already acknowledged it will — by withholding money for those very purposes that local residents have already paid in state taxes. During the annual Maryland Association of Counties conference earlier this year, he promised that the state would no longer subsidize “stupid land-use decisions.” Responding to concerns from local lawmakers, he also refused to put a limit on how far the state’s mandates will go.

Vaguer is better from his perspective because that gives him more leeway to cherry-pick winners and losers among the counties. Lest anyone think this is all about Mother Earth and future generations enjoying Maryland’s natural bounty, take a look at electoral maps. Few Republicans reside in the state’s most densely populated areas.

The other major problem with PlanMaryland is that it is based on faulty assumptions about the policy’s ability to lessen pollution, lower greenhouse gases, create more job opportunities and reduce infrastructure costs for state government.

As demographer Wendell Cox (a colleague of mine at the Maryland Public Policy Institute) pointed out at a forum last week about PlanMaryland, compact development makes air pollution worse because the slower speeds of cars in highly populous areas intensify air pollution. That increases asthma and other health problems, costs not accounted for in the plan.

Mr. Cox’s firm, Demographia, works with governments around the globe on public transportation and urban policy. He said fuel efficiency is much more important than increasing density for reducing emissions.

Two other points of interest: Limiting growth makes housing prices go up (not down as asserted by the state), as

Drum Point STD’s Twisted History The Special Tax District for Drum point which was sold to the community as a way to free ourselves of our failing infrastructure by repairing our roads with our money and then turning them over to the county has had quite a twisted path.

The first STD was established in 1996 it was for 4 years and collected approximately $1,063,368. The money was needed for and spent on infrastructure as it was intended. Then to many property owners surprise and concern the association began creating a petition for a second STD to cover years 2000 thru 2004 which included the addition of amenities that many didn’t want.

The point was brought up by myself and others of the ever increasing and unknown future cost that come with the addition of amenities. We who differed from the associations goals were quickly told to shut up. I believed and still do believe the board is trying to lay the groundwork to build a town.

To prove me wrong the association bought a house, now their town hall, and hired an employee. The association had to apply for a zoning variance for the house they bought. The president stood up and told the zoning commission that all the neighbors were OK with the planned use of the house. The first person to testify against the requested variance was the neighbor. Despite being caught in a lie and being in violation of the covenants, the variance was approved. We were promised that no STD money would be spent on the house purchased with our money but that was a lie too. STD money did go to the 401 Lake Drive property.

So much for STD 1 and 2. Then DPPOA wanted STD number 3 which brought more dissension to our quiet community, but the real action started when DPPOA went for STD number 4 in 2010 and although DPPOA had substantial cash left from STD 3 they wanted another $192 per lot. I couldn’t find an exact

Editor

S

Guest Editorial:

TER T E to the

it shrinks land available for development. It also adds major stresses to 100-year-old-plus water and sewer lines as more people tap into them — one other set of expenses not accounted for in the plan.

And as the center-left Brookings Institution has shown, most jobs are not accessible by transit. In the Baltimore region, only 7.9 percent of jobs are within a 45-minute transit trip, making autos a key component of upward mobility. Even massive transit subsidies will not change the fact that the vast majority of people will continue to rely on cars. As Mr. Cox said, “There is no place in the world where there has been a material shift from auto to transit.”

As far as greenhouse gases are concerned, Lord Christopher Monckton, former science adviser to British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and another speaker at the event sponsored by the Carroll County commissioners, pointed out that “If you were to shut Maryland down entirely, our emissions would be taken up by China in less than a month.” And that’s not even accounting for the cost of doing so, which Mr. Monckton estimates at a whopping $7.3 trillion by 2050 — the main reason why he says a “proper cost benefit analysis” is necessary prior to the state launching into such a comprehensive plan.

Maryland needs runaway, unanticipated expenses for social engineering like it needs another Fortune 500 company to leave the state. And the irony is that a governor who prides himself on using data to govern will only look at selective parts of it that bolster his argument, at the expense of property rights, Marylanders’ pursuit of happiness and economic growth.

Marta Hummel Mossburg is a senior fellow at the Maryland Public Policy Institute.

site shows $192; the current president says it was $192; and the petition shows $192.

Mr. Munger goes on to say it would cost $2 million to turn over some roads the other four gentlemen said it would take $1.3 million to turn over the same roads. Where did the extra $700,000 come from?

He also went on to say we couldn’t gate our boat ramp and beach, of course we can.

Mr. Munger went on to state that “DPPOA by law represents all property owners, all members in good standing can vote on all issues, members approve of all budgets and expenditures.”

How could this be? Every time we ask to vote on STD budgets we are told we don’t get

to vote. Even after I got over 300 signatures requesting a vote, we were told no. The current president went so far as to write in the newsletter that community input is not required for the STD. Once again they tried to change the covenants to get rid of their biggest roadblock – the will of the property owners. They lost by over 1,000 votes.

They try to maintain control by spreading half-truths and lies. I ask you how can you trust people who ignore the people they represent, the rules which govern their actions and then don’t even live up to what they say in print?

number of how much was left but I’ve been told it was between $300,000 to 500,000.

Luckily our county commissioners saw what DPPOA was trying to do and cut the amount from $192 to $50 per lot. Now after only collecting the $50 per lot, less than 1/3 of what they wanted per lot the association still had $281,000 as of the end of September.

I don’t think it takes a mathematician to see DPPOA was out to screw lot owners. We the property owners have had to listen to scare tactics, half truths and lies.

Arthur W Dawson I refer to a letter published March 19, Drum Point property owner 2011 – signed by then president John McCall, Vice president Len Addiss, secretary Duane Heidemann and treasurer Dan Mathias – which stated the amount Publisher Thomas McKay was $125 not $192. The DPPOA STD Associate Publisher Eric McKay application shows $192; the latest DPEditor Sean Rice POA newsletter says it was $192. The Office Manager Tobie Pulliam same letter claims that we the dissentGraphic Artist Angie Stalcup ers are misinterpreting the bylaws.

The bylaws state that “all exAdvertising sales@somdpublishing.net penditures will be voted on by the Email info@somdpublishing.net members.” If we misinterpreted the Phone 301-373-4125 bylaws, why did DPPOA later change Staff Writers the bylaws and leave that section out?

Guy Leonard Law Enforcement The last thing in that letter stated “usSarah Miller Government, Education ing simple math the real time before Corrin Howe Community, Business a savings in the tax burden might be realized in the peoples pocket would Contributing Writers be 66 years,” and the dollar figure Joyce Baki to turn over all the roads would be Keith McGuire $3,986,400. If you round that number P. O. Box 250 . Hollywood, MD 20636 to an even $4,000,000 and finance it with a 30-year bond at today’s rates The Calvert Gazette is a weekly newspaper providing news and information for the residents of it comes out to $149 per lot per year.

Calvert County. The Calvert Gazette will be available on newsstands every Thursday. The paper is That is an immediate savings of $17 published by Southern Maryland Publishing Company, which is responsible for the form, content, and per year, and unlike the $166, the $149 policies of the newspaper. The Calvert Gazette does not espouse any political belief or endorse any won’t go up, it’s a fixed cost. product or service in its news coverage. Articles and letters submitted for publication must be signed Then Mr. Munger also wrote in and may be edited for length or content. The Calvert Gazette is not responsible for any claims made March 2010 that the amount requested by its advertisers. in STD 4 was $125 not $192. How can you explain that? DPPOA’s web-

Calvert Gazette

P ages P

The Calvert Gazette

Thursday, November 17, 2011

16

ast Let Us Give Thanks

By Joyce Baki The tradition of Thanksgiving – a day of thanks and prayer – is believed to have begun with a meal held in 1621 by the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indian tribe in Plymouth, Mass.

The Pilgrims who made it through their first brutal winter gathered to give thanks. They were following a tradition that had been around for many centuries; around the world, people had held feasts and festivals after the autumn harvest to share meat and crops.

The first Thanksgiving meal would probably have included turkey, venison, fish, lobster, clams, berries, fruit, pumpkin, squash and beetroot. All of these foods are native to America. Today, a traditional Thanksgiving meal consists of turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, cranberry sauce and pumpkin or sweet potato pie.

Some interesting Thanksgiving:

facts

about

• Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November in the United States. Canada celebrates Thanksgiving on the second Monday in October.

• President George Washington was the first president to issue a national Thanksgiving Day Proclamation in 1789.

• Abraham Lincoln issued a Thanksgiving Proclamation on October 3, 1863, and

officially set aside the last Thursday of November as Thanksgiving.

• President Franklin D. Roosevelt changed the date of Thanksgiving to the Thursday before the last Thursday in November in 1939 to make the Christmas shopping season longer and stimulate the economy.

• In 1941 Congress passed an official proclamation declaring that the fourth Thursday of November be observed as the legal holiday of Thanksgiving.

• President Harry S. Truman gave the first official Presidential “pardon” to a Thanksgiving turkey in 1947.

• Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be named the national bird of the United States. Thomas Jefferson opposed this and pushed to make the eagle the national bird. Some believe it was Ben Franklin who named the male turkey “Tom” to get back at Jefferson.

This painting titled The First Thanksgiving by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris is on file with the U.S. Library of Congress.

• Turkeys are the only breed of poulkey gobbles, a female turkey clucks. The skin Thanksgiving to eat dinner with family and try native to the Western Hemisphere. Domesticated turkeys cannot fly, however wild that hangs from a turkey’s neck is called the friends, watch football and holiday parades and make wishes as we snap the turkey’s wishbone. turkeys can fly for short distances at speeds up wattle.

• The American Automobile Associa- As you gather, give special thanks to the men to 55 miles per hour.

• The first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day tion projects approximately 42.2 million travel- and women who serve in our military, as well Parade was held in 1924. The large balloons ers will take a trip of at least 50 miles from their as the firefighters, police, hospital workers and many others who will be away from the table made their first appearance in 1927 with Felix home during the Thanksgiving holiday.

• Have questions about cooking your making sure we have a safe and happy holiday! the Cat. The parade was not held during World War II (1942-1944) because rubber and helium turkey? Visit www.eatturkey.com, the official website of the National Turkey Federation.

Happy Thanksgiving! were needed for the war effort.

• A male turkey is called a “tom” and a Throughout America we will gather on female turkey is a “hen.” While the male tur-

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Call 410-535-2897 for more info!

17

The Calvert Gazette

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Deer In The Woods

By Keith McGuire Apparently, it’s not all about the words used in the regulations. For some reason, Maryland DNR decided to call the waterfowl hunting days for minors “Youth Waterfowl Hunting Days” and the deer hunting days for minors the “Junior Deer Hunt Season.” Could it be that only the boys were supposed to hunt the big bucks?

Well, they forgot to tell young Corrine Fernald! She and her Dad, Robert Fernald, were sitting in the woods this past cold Saturday morning (wishing that they were fishing) when a nice 8 – point buck walked by. Corrine wasted no time in harvesting her first buck! Congratulations to her and her Dad. Some might be wondering if the rut is in full swing now. Bucks are only beginning to venture out in daylight, it seems. They are generally nocturnal creatures until the mating season when they can be seen at any time. In the woods, you will see leaves scraped away from under small overhanging branches in certain (somewhat traditional) places. The bucks scrape these leaves away, leave their mark and scent in the scrape and lick the low-hanging branch to also leave their scent. This is one of the signs that deer hunters look for when pursuing the big bucks. Once a scrape is made, many bucks come to visit it and leave their scent hoping to confuse a young desirable doe so that she will seek out a different buck.

The dominant buck will visit the scrape periodically to see if a ready doe has been by to leave her calling card.

Another sign that hunters look for is the rub. Big bucks mark their territory – right up to their bedding areas – by rubbing the bark off small saplings with their antlers. Bigger bucks tend to rub bigger trees, although smaller saplings can be marked by bigger bucks, as well.

Rubs can be very destructive to trees – as anyone with small evergreens in their backyards near forested areas can attest. Bucks favor the more aromatic conifers like cedar trees for rubbing. I guess it’s their cologne splashed on before a hot night in the woods!

Nothing beats the senses of smell and hearing of a deer in the woods. Their eyesight is not so great. They can pick up movement, though, and when that is combined with what they smell or hear, they can put things together quickly. In picking your location to hunt deer, always consider the wind. If the wind direction is out of the South, pick a spot with a small amount of cover (under a holly branch or near a blown down tree) on the North side of a deer trail or scrape where deer are likely to visit, and sit still.

According to researchers, deer don’t see colors, so a hunter sitting still and quiet with a f lorescent orange hat and vest can still be invisible to the deer. Anytime we’re hunting in woods where there are hunters with firearms, f lorescent orange is required in order to identify ourselves to the other hunters with color-differentiating eyesight. A hunter taking aim at what he (or she) believes to be an animal should withdraw the shot the very moment that the slightest bit of f lorescent orange can be seen in the area.

Apparently, it must not be all that exciting to hunt snipe, because I didn’t get any feedback to my request last week for information from readers.

If you have a particularly interesting hunting story and a picture (or if you have Snipe hunting experiences) please drop me a line at riverdancekeith@ Corrine Fernald, 14, shows off her first buck taken during the Junior Deer Hunt gmail.com. with her dad, Robert.

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Newsmakers

The Calvert Gazette

Thursday, November 17, 2011

18

Local Craftsman Makes Traditional Toy Soldiers

By Sarah Miller Staff Writer

father-in-law, who had some old rubber molds from the 1930s.

“We would mess around with them,” Harrington said.

Harrington’s father-in-law gave him the molds as a Christmas present one year. Before that point, Harrington’s wife Lori said they belonged to her great grandfather and went down the line until they got to Harrington.

“It’s kind of neat to keep that in the family,” she said.

Harrington said the molds were an “awesome Christmas present” and he was happy to get them.

After a while, Harrington began purchasing additional molds, a task he said became much simpler with the Internet. His normal suppliers in the United States are located in New Jersey, Tennessee, Washington and he even has one international company in Ireland that he purchases from.

The process from beginning to end is long and detail-oriented.

The molds are in two pieces that fit tightly together, with a hole at the top to pour the molten metal in. Because the mold is in two pieces, there will be a ridge down the middle at the seam. Harrington files the ridge down before painting the pieces.

There is little waste when it comes to the metal. If a piece breaks or doesn’t come out of the mold right, Harrington said he can

In a world of mass-produced plastic toys and machine-produced decorations, Owings resident Patrick Harrington is keeping the tradition alive of creating miniatures with oldfashioned casts and molten metal.

Harrington said he first began experimenting with metal molds in the 1990s with his

Photos by Sarah Miller

Antique & Collectible Auction

Friday, November 18th 6 p.m.

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melt the piece down and begin again. With tin at $12 per pound, it is in Harrington’s best interest to waste as little as possible.

Pieces that are already painted present more of a challenge. If they break, Harrington can fix them, but unless the amount of metal is significant, he said it’s rarely worth the trouble to strip the paint in order to melt the figurine down.

Other craftspeople will only cast the molds, and then sell them for others to paint.

This is often the case with gaming pieces, where customers buy kits with models and paints. Harrington is unique in that he works with the pieces from beginning to end and normally only sells the finished product.

Harrington’s pieces go for $8 per figure, though he said he is willing to make deals with people who want to place larger orders.

In addition to the traditional toy soldiers, Harrington casts Christmas display figurines, such as ice skaters, carolers and Santa Claus, sports models and even cartoon characters such as Minnie and Mickey Mouse. He also has soldier figures from most war periods,

from Napoleon to modern day.

He said he started out doing only Civil War figures, but got bored with only painting blue and grey. Now, he will cast a few of one thing and move on to something different.

“There is no one subject,” Harrington said.

Currently, Harrington is using single molds, where one item at a time is produced.

In the future, he said he plans to experiment with a centrifuge and molds that produce multiple items. He said the centrifuge is good for detail-oriented items, such as miniature rifles, because the centrifuge pushes the metal to the ends of the mold and distributes it evenly.

Harrington has one local show coming up Dec. 10 at Northern High School, during the Northern High School Annual Holiday Craft Fair.

For more information, contact Harrington at 301-855-4012 or by e-mail at alvasmall@ aol.com. sarahmiller@countytimes.net

19

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Fydella Dunmore, 90 Fydella M. Dunmore, 90, of Baltimore, MD passed away on October 24, 2011 at Maryland General Hospital, Baltimore, MD. She was the oldest of four children born to the late John Wesley Wills and Mary Susan Randall Wills on March 7, 1921 in Friendship, Maryland. At a young age, she moved to Calvert County where she attended the public schools. It was also in Calvert County that she was nurtured in her Christian Walk.

She enjoyed her membership at Wards Methodist Church where her mother was church pianist and Sunday School Superintendent. Fydella would eventually work in Wards in the Women’s Society, and was known for planning the children’s programs and for sponsoring picnics as major fundraisers for the church.

Fydella met Allen L. Rice and they were married in Wards Methodist Church. From their union, one daughter, Alberta, was born.

Their marriage ended in divorce.

In 1954, Fydella took residence in Washington, DC. She married Eugene Dunmore in 1962 and happily became “mother” to Michael.

While in Washington, she assumed the role of a highly valued employee of the Wyman family.

Also in the nations’ capital, she chose to unite with Lane Memorial Christian Episcopal Church. Here she sang on the choir and served on the Board of Stewardesses. She thoroughly understood her role as servant of God, and, as such, was always ready to respond positively to requests to serve. No task was considered too menial - whether caring for the Communion linens, stuffing envelopes or even opening the church.

Very talented, Fydella was also known as a consummate cook and baker. Her cakes, cookies and pies were always choice items at bake sales. Her musical gift was displayed through the solos she rendered at her church, and through her involvement in a gospel singing group known as the Friendly Jubilees. This group, in earlier years, traveled throughout Calvert County.

Her love and honor for God were seen in the beautiful way that she chose to live her life. Though her two brothers, John Thomas and Ernest Wills Sr. preceded her in death, the company of her remaining natural family, her extended family and her church family brought her joy beyond measure.

Fydella’s wisdom, patience, bright smile and positive attitude, despite her illness, gave many, many people the encouragement that they needed to face the vicissitudes of life. Her letters, written from her bed, brought inspiration to those who would receive them. She was a light that shone brightly within the Futurecare-Homewood Nursing Center.

She shall be remembered by her daughter for the emphasis that Fydella placed on adhering to the Golden Rule. She shall be remembered by her granddaughter for the faith in the possibilities that could not yet be seen for Kimberly, for the evident pride in her accomplishments, and for the admonishment to her to always remain close to the Lord.

Fydella made a definite impact upon each person whose life she touched. She transitioned to Eternal Life on the morning of October 24, 2011.

The fragrant memory of Fydella M. Dunmore will linger in the hearts and minds of her daughter, Albert Brown (Shelton); her be-

The Calvert Gazette

loved granddaughter, Kimberly Brown, Ph.D. (Charles); her cherished sister, Mary F. Wills; a loving stepson, Michael Dunmore and his wife, Gloria, and their children, Jamal, Ayana, Marlon and Ketorah; a sister-in-law, Florence Wills and many, many caring nieces, nephews and cousins, Lane Memorial members and friends.

Funeral service was held on Wednesday, November 2, 2011 at 11:00 AM at Lane Memorial Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, Washington, DC with Rev. H. Shirley Clanton officiating. The interment was at Ft. Lincoln Cemetery, Brentwood, MD. The pallbearers were Carroll Hicks Jr., George Hicks, Bristol Nick, Calvin Rice, Benjamin Spriggs and Ernest Wills Jr. Funeral arrangements provided by Sewell Funeral Home, Prince Frederick, MD.

Evelyn Patterson, 91 Evelyn Mae “Polly” Patterson, 91, of Lusby, MD formerly of District Heights and Mechanicsville, MD passed away on November 9, 2011 at Solomons Nursing Center.

She was born on June 14, 1920 in Clifton Forge, VA to the Late Florence and Preston Wyne. Polly was the beloved wife to the late Richard C. Patterson whom she married in Washington, DC. Polly graduated form Clifton Forge High School and went on to be an Office Manager for NAPHCC and retired in 1971 after 30 years of service. She moved to Lusby, MD from Mechanicville, MD in 1994.

She was preceded in death by her parents Florence and Preston Wyne, her brother Robert Wyne, her sister Mildred Stevenson, her husband Richard Patterson, and son, John Patterson.

Polly is survived by a son, Richard C. Patterson, Jr. of Lusby, MD; two grandchildren, Leigh Senger and Mathew Patterson as well as two great grandchildren.

The family received friends on Saturday, November 12, 2011 from 11-1 PM in the Rausch Funeral Home, P. A., 20 American Lane, Lusby, MD, where funeral services was held in the funeral home chapel with Rev. Faith Lewis officiating. Interment was held on Monday, November 14 in Cedar Hill Cemetery, Suitland, MD. Should friends desire contributions may be made in Polly’s memory to Olivet United Methodist Church, 13570 Olivet Rd., Lusby, MD 20657.

tended University of Minnesota on a basketball scholarship. After college, he entered the field of video production, editing, and camera operations. Instead of taking a position as head editor of a television station in Syracuse, New York, he stayed in New York City because he was to become a father. Kenneth’s professional career included two stints at WPIX Channel 11 as an ENG cameraman and editor for the nightly news, WBCS Channel 2 News editor and technician, and editor for WNYW Fox 5 News. He also was the associate producer for a Gospel Video Program, Make a Joyful Noise, in coordination with the Harlem Plaza Corporation.

In recent years, Kenneth worked at Mary Immaculate Hospital as a switchboard technician, managing all incoming calls to the hospital, including the emergency phone call for the Sean Bell murder.

Kenneth was an avid jazz collector and sailor. He gained his sailing license in 1995 and would routinely go sailing and fishing at Willow Lake, Long Island Sound, and Jamaica Bay. Kenneth had a jazz collection that would put a radio station to shame. A regular caller to WBGO, patron of Smalls, Sweet Basil, and The Jazz Standard, Kenneth’s collection ranged from dixie-land, bebop, hard-bop, and funk.

With a CD and tape collection numbered in the thousands, he would regularly play songs from jazz greats like Art Blakey, Miles Davis, Dexter Gordon, Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, Max Roach and Sonny Rollins.

Kenneth is survived by his wife, Delores McBride and son Kiesean Riddick, New York, NY: Father-in-law John McBride. New York, NY, sister-in-laws Arlene Smalls, Ann Tyler, and Patricia McBride, New York, NY: 3 aunts; Alverta Buck, Marnett Stewart, and Ruth Blake, Lusby, Maryland: aunt-in-law Elease Williams, New York, NY: 1 uncle: Thomas Gray, Lusby, MD: 3 cousins: Marlene Stewart and Louvenia Banks, Lusby, MD Leander Lockes Baltimore, MD and a host of friends and loved ones.

Funeral service was held on Monday, November 7, 2011 at 12:00 PM at Sewell Funeral Home, Prince Frederick, MD with Pastor Brenda Stepney officiating.

The interment was at Chesapeake Highlands Memorial Gardens, Port Republic, MD. The pallbearers were family and friends.

Funeral arrangements provided by Ponce Funeral Homes, Brooklyn, NY and Sewell Funeral Home, Prince Frederick, MD.

Maggie Young, 90 Maggie Elizabeth Young, 90, was born to the late Alexander Young and Ozella HeightJohnson on June 26, 1921, in Prince Frederick, Maryland. She departed this life on October 25, 2011 after a short period of illness at her

Where Life and Heritage are Celebrated

Kenneth Riddick, 64 Kenneth “Kenny” Lee Riddick, 64, son of the late William and Agnes Riddick was born on July 11th, 1947 in Bronx, NY. Kenneth was called home for eternal rest on October 30th, 2011 in New

York.

Kenneth graduated from Evander Childs HS in 1965. Afterwards, Kenneth at-

home with Bea, Pam and Sheeda at her bedside.

Maggie was educated in a oneroom schoolhouse in Adelina. She was a member of Carroll Western United Methodist Church.

She enjoyed visiting other churches and listening to gospel music. Maggie loved the Lord and enjoyed the preached word, the singing and attended most of the services. Her favorite song was “One Day At A Time” and her favorite saying “I Won’t Give Up”. She also enjoyed playing with her kids and the neighborhood children. She truly enjoyed flying with her friend and employer Franklin Parran in his personal airplane.

She leaves to cherish in loving memory her six children Lloyd, Raymond (Patricia), James (Monica), Chester (Phyllis), Dale (Valerie), and Beatrice (Francis) and one son-in-law Joseph Smith. Maggie has 31 grandchildren and 15 great-great grandchildren. She leaves to cherish two sisters Virginia and Mary Johnson (William) and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

She was preceded in death by her Children, baby girl, Wilbur, Elizabeth and Viola.

One Sister Evelyn Johnson and six Brothers, Wilbur, Woodrow, Willie, James, Leroy and Raymond.

She leaves to cherish many fond memories, her devoted friend Keith Robinson who she called her nurse & family friends Ernestine Smith, Morris Haskins, Jackie and Carlton Mason and Libby Johnson. She was blessed with the love and assistance from her niece Susan Harris, who made sure all her spiritual needs and wants were met. She was also blessed to have the Taylor Family in her life.

Funeral service was held on Saturday, October 29, 2011 at 11:00 AM at Carroll Western UM Church, Prince Frederick, MD with Pastor Roland Barnes, eulogist. The interment was at Carroll Western Cemetery, Prince Frederick, MD. The pallbearers were Brian Savoy, Derrick Gross, Benjamin Boyd, Raymond Height, Jr., Gerald Boyd, and Allen Boyd. The honorary pallbearers were William Jones, Jr. and Donald Chew.

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

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The Calvert Gazette

ner

KiddKioer

CLUES ACROSS

1. Currently fashionable 5. Free from gloss 10. Licenses TV stations 13. Pop 14. Wakes a sleeper 15. Not light 17. 13-19 18. Sets of statistics 19. Ultimate image 20. Rescued by payment of money 22. Vowel sound 23. River in Florence 24. European money 26. Electronic data processing 27. Carriage for hire 30. Not out 31. Bird homes 33. Helps little firms 34. Challengingly approaches 38. Taxis 40. 007’s creator 41. Scoundrels 45. Landed properties 49. Dash 50. Yemen capital 52. Atomic #89 54. One point E of due S 55. Kilocalorie (abbr.)

56. Ed Murrow’s home 58. A braid

Thursday, November 17, 2011

60. Czech writer Karel 62. Examines in detail 66. W. Rumania city on the Muresel 67. A citizen of Oman 68. Cain’s brother 70. Add alcohol beverages 71. N. Swedish lake & river 72. Fury 73. Prohibition 74. Birthday sweet 75. Frozen rain

CLUES DOWN

1. Time in the central U.S. 2. Garden digger 3. The content of cognition 4. Indian shot lily 5. Pop star Ciccone 6. “l836 siege” of U.S. 7. Murdered by Manson 8. An equal exchange 9. M M M 10. Insures bank’s depositors 11. Indication of superior status 12. Large groups 16. Chip stone with sharp blows 21. ___ Lanka 22. Fat for birds

20

25. The brain and spinal cord 27. Reciprocal of a sine 28. Goat and camel hair fabric 29. Founder of Babism 32. Strategic Supply Chain 35. Former OSS 36. Feline mammal 37. Smallest whole number 39. Brunei monetary unit 42. Public promotions 43. Tap gently 44. The woman 46. Terminate someone’s job 47. The bill in a restaurant 48. Rushes out to attack 50. Divine Egyptian beetle 51. Llama with long silky fleece 53. A coral reef off of S. Florida 55. 1000 calories 57. A S. Pacific island group 58. A special finish for velvet 59. Former Russian rulers 61. Home of Adam & Eve 63. Informer (British) 64. Israeli politician Abba 65. Lily flower of Utah 67. Securities market 69. Soul singer Rawls

Last Week’s Puzzle Solutions

21

Thursday, November 17, 2011

The Calvert Gazette The Calvert Gazette is always looking for more local talent to feature! To submit art or band information for our entertainment section, e-mail sarahmiller@countytimes.net.

An Interview with Sam Grow: Humble, Homegrown Musician Heads West

By Carrie Munn Staff Writer

Sam Grow grew up in Charles County and cut his first record at the age of 17. After making a name as the front man of The Sam Grow Band, the artist will now head to California to perform an acoustic solo set of original songs as the opening act for popular singer-songwriter Tony Lucca.

Now 24 and fronting one of Southern Maryland’s hottest bands, Grow said he’s excited to open for a performer he is such a huge fan of. “It will be a big moment for me,” he shared during an interview Friday.

Grow said he’s continually learning from and is humbled by the veteran musicians he shares the stage with routinely, as the Sam Grow Band plays about 300 gigs a year. He explained how as a kid, hanging out at the Hot Licks in Waldorf, current bassist Gene Quade barely gave him the time of day. But after meeting up with the 30-year music veteran at a studio, Quade co-wrote Grow’s “Ignition” album and has been a mentor and driving force ever since.

“Gene’s been the boss since day one,” Grow said, adding Quade often challenges him to grow as a songwriter.

Grow said lead guitarist Mike Stacey and drummer Joe Barrick are also phenomenal musicians. “I’m a fan myself … I’m just the fan that gets to be on stage with these guys,” Grow said.

“The only reason I am the performer and musician I am today is because of [my bandmates].”

After four years as a full-time band and with a bevy of sponsors like Coors Light, Jagermeister, Bully Bling Energy Drink and Hot Licks, The Sam Grow Band typically plays four to six shows each week. The week prior to heading out to open for Tony Lucca, the group played six shows, three of which were local benefits.

Grow said, “That’s the payoff for me … getting to do those kinds of things and give back to an area that’s given so much to us.” When it comes to benefits, Grow said they’re the band that never says no.

He doesn’t refer to the crowds that gather at shows as fans, but rather he calls them the Sam Grow Family and said,

“Bands make it because of their support system.”

“Over the years, we’ve gotten to know our true fans and have nurtured relationships with them,” Grow explained, adding, “It’s still amazing to me to see the same faces in the crowds at several shows every week.”

The support means so much to Grow that he continues to personally respond to an abundance of Facebook posts weekly, stating that while management offered to take over the task, he didn’t like the stale, impersonal responses and thought fans deserved more. “Showing genuine appreciation for anybody who thinks you’re cool enough to buy your cd’s and come out to your shows and listen to your music is just so important,” he said.

Grow said he’s proud to be a local boy and “Southern Maryland born and raised.”

Grow said the local open mic nights are a hotbed of raw talent and he enjoys hanging out and hearing the up-andcomers share their talents on his rare off-nights. He does take two days each week to spend time with his young daughter and fiancé, who he described as one of his biggest supporters.

Grow’s mom has also been instrumental in his pursuit of music as a career. He said that near the completion of a college degree in business administration, he knew he would much rather dedicate his energies to writing music and when he shared that with his mother, she helped make it happen.

“She’s always been my biggest cheerleader,” said Grow.

Some of young Grow’s earliest influences were The Platters, Roy Orbison and Elvis Presley. In fact, he said, his father bought him his first guitar after he’d learned an Elvis tune. “I’ve come to appreciate how timeless that music really is,” he said.

His music has been influenced by everything from indie to country. “I like music that tells a story,” Grow said.

While Grow and his band aren’t eager to sign with a record label, he said some have taken interest in the group.

Recently, with the help of the “Sam Grow Family” and social networking, the group’s single hit number 7 on the iTunes singer-songwriter list of most downloaded songs in a day.

“I’m still riding high on that,” the singer said.

The band has received compliments from within the

music industry on their grassroots approach, winning over Southern Marylanders and successfully marketing singles.

Grow said he feels the longer the band can remain unsigned and independent, the better.

Though they have traveled to New York and Nashville for performances and Grow is about to embark on a set of West Coast solo shows, the group likes playing in Southern Maryland. The Sam Grow Band has become a local favorite, booking bigger rooms like Vera’s and Hotel Charles and also playing acoustic sets in all-ages, family-friendly venues like Rustic River.

“I love performing,” Grow said, “That’s when it really all comes together and I’m so grateful to be able to do what I do.” carriemunn@countytimes.net

Out&About • The National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE), Calvert County Chapter 1466, will meet at 1:00 pm on Thursday Nov 17 at the Calvert County Public Library, Prince Frederick, MD. There will be a special presentation by guest Doug Hill, ABC Chief Meteorologist, followed by a regular business meeting. Also, join us for an early lunch at 11:15, this month at Mama Lucias in PF. Active and Retired Federal employees, spouses, members, non-members and guests are welcome. For NARFE membership Information and Application, Call 410-586-1441.

• Enjoy PEM Talks at the Calvert Marine Museum with thoughtful discourse on paleontology, the environment and maritime history, the three themes covered by the museum’s exhibits. The 2011-2012 PEM Talks focus on Lost Landmarks, the ‘bones’ of the past that lie hidden around us. Learn to look with new eyes at the places you pass every day and better understand how the past informs our lives today. On Thursday, Nov. 17, the Lost Landmarks series will feature Greg Bowen talking about “Growing Up on a Tobacco Farm.” The talks begin at 7 p.m. in the museum auditorium and are free to the public. For more information about the 2011-2012 PEM Talks Series, visit the website at www.calvertmarinemuseum.com.

• On Friday, Nov. 18, the Calvert Marine Museum will host a free open house for families with special needs from 5 to 7 p.m.

This program is a partnership with the Calvert County Parks and Recreation Therapeutic Recreation Services. For more information call 410-326-2042 ext. 11.

• Our Lady Star of The Sea School is hosting its Christmas Shopping Bazaar from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19. Do your Christmas shopping with OLSS and help raise money for the school. Vendors include Grandma’s Girl, Color Storm Dragon, Peggy Maio, Bernie Goldsborough, Making Scents, Sewing by Laura, BND Designs, the Hip Hop Lady Bug and much more. Event is at the OLSS School at 90 Alexander Lane, Solomons.

• Vendor / Craft Fair at the Chesapeake Ranch Estates Club House, Saturday, Nov. 19, 9 am to 3 pm at the CRE Clubhouse, 500 Clubhouse Drive, Lusby. Come look for holiday gifts - shop early for the best selection. Bring a friend! Table Rentals $15. Rental fees will go towards Thanksgiving Food Baskets to help families in need. Call 410-326-3182 or email info@poacre.org.

• On Saturday, Nov. 19, the Calvert Library offers a Genealogy Workshop as part of their Lifelong Learning Series at the Prince Frederick branch from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Kathie Eichfeld has years of experience compiling biographical and genealogical data and will present the genealogy databases available at Calvert Library.

Learn about other websites that can help with your search. Along with Kathie, Conni Evans who has done extensive research overseas will

The Calvert Gazette

answer questions on the strategies to use when searching for far-flung forebears. For more information or to register call 410-535-0291.

• On Saturday, Nov. 19, engineer some holiday fun with the “Sweet Treat Express.”

The Friends of the Chesapeake Beach Railway Museum will help you and your children make Rice Krispie® train engines. The fun happens at the Northeast Community Center, Cheasapeake Beach, from 1 to 3 p.m. www.cbrm.org.

• Come explore the night sky and discover its many wonders with the Astronomy Club of Southern Maryland! Learn how to choose, set up and use telescopes and other amateur astronomy gear. Interested? Meetings are held at Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum. The next meeting will be Saturday, Nov. 19, from 7 to 10 p.m. For more information call 301-602-5251 or email tom_dugan@hotmail.com. (http:// somd-astro.s5.com/) • It is time to start your holiday shopping! On Sunday, Nov. 20, visit the Holiday Gift Extravaganza Show at the Dunkirk Fire Department from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sponsored

by Windows of Strength, there will be an array of unique items from which to choose a special gift for that hard-to-please person on your holiday list.

Windows of Strength is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing assistance with nonmedical costs not covered by insurance and government programs to organ transplant recipients and their caregivers. For more information contact Sandy Walker-Samler at 443-951-5125 or email mywish@windowsofstrength.org.

• On Sunday, Nov. 20, during Calvert Marine Museum’s “Sunday Conversations with Maryland Authors,” meet Raymond McAlwee, author of “Chesapeake Bay Stories.” A lifelong denizen of the Bay, his short stories include a little history, travel, food, and fiction about the diverse people who make the Chesapeake Bay their home. The free presentation begins at 2 p.m. in the museum lounge. www.calvertmarinemusuem.com • View one-of-a-kind ornaments at the 4th Annual Ornament Show & Sale at Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center. These beautiful hand-crafted ornaments are created by talented artists from across the region. Beginning Nov. 23, Annmarie Garden makes a great stop for your holiday shopping. Find special gifts in their amazing gift shop. For more information, visit www.annmariegarden.org.

• The Calvert Marine Museum will present the musical performance “Rosie” on Sunday, Nov. 20. “Rosie” will take you back to the days of rationing, the housing shortage, spies, and women going to work outside their homes for the first time in the 1940s. Salute the women of World War II at 2 p.m. in the museum auditorium. This free program is sponsored by Northrop Grumman.

• The 23rd Annual Festival of Trees will host a special kick-off event on Saturday, Nov. 19. “A Lot More Zep” is a rock opera featuring the music of Led Zeppelin and performed by

Thursday, Nov. 17

Thursday, November 17, 2011

22

Entertainment Events

-Live Music: “No Green JellyBeenz” Acoustic Olde Town Pub (22785 Washington Street, Leonardtown) – 7 p.m.

-Live Music: “Piranhas” Ruddy Duck Brewery (13200 Dowell Road, Dowell) – 8 p.m.

-Live Music: “Dylan Galvin” The Blue Dog Saloon (7940 Port Tobacco Road, Port Tobacco) – 8 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 18

p.m.

-Live Music: “Fair Warning” Ruddy Duck Brewery (13200 Dowell Road, Dowell) – 8 p.m.

-Live Music: “Dave Norris” DB McMillan’s (23415 Three Notch Road, California) – 5 p.m.

-Live Music: “ Joe Martone Jazz Band” Chef’s American Bistro (22576 Macarthur Boulevard, San Souci Plaza suite 314, California) – 7 -DJ Tommy T and Friends Karaoke Dance Party Scheible’s Restaurant (48342 Wynne Rd., Ridge) - 9 p.m.

-Live Music: “Karma Exchange” The Greene Turtle (6 St. Mary’s Avenue, Suite 104, La Plata) – 8 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 19

-Bull and Oyster Roast with Anthony Ryan and Renegade American Legion Post 206 (3330 Chesapeake Beach Road, Chesapeake Beach) – 1 p.m.

-Live Music: “Synergy” Lisa’s Pub (4310 Indian Head Highway, Indian Head) – 9:30 p.m.

-Live Music: “Four Friends” Ruddy Duck Brewery (13200 Dowell Road, Dowell) – 8 p.m.

-Live Music: “The Honchos” Casey Jones Pub (417 E. Charles St., La Plata) – 9:30 p.m.

-5Th Anniversary Celebration w/ “3 Day Ride” Big Dogs Paradise (28765 Three Notch Road, Mechanicsville) – 8 p.m.

-Live Music: “Yoko Says No” Cryer’s Back Road Inn (22094 Newtowne Neck Road, Leonardtown) – 8 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 20

-NFL Sunday w/ $1 Domestics Fat Boy’s Country Store (41566 Medleys Neck Road, Leonardtown) – 2 p.m.

Monday, Nov. 21

-$2.50 Margaritas All Day Big Dogs Paradise (28765 Three Notch Road, Mechanicsville) – 10 a.m.

-Cooking w/ Dan Rebarchick: Stuffed Ham Lenny’s Restaurant (23418 Three Notch Road, California) – 6 p.m.

Tuesday, Nov. 22

-Cigar Night The Westlawn Inn (9200 Chesapeake Avenue, North Beach) – 8 p.m.

-Open Mic Night Ruddy Duck Brewery (13200 Dowell Road, Dowell) – 6:30 p.m.

-All Night Karaoke Martini’s Lounge (10553 Theodore Green Boulevard, White Plains) – 8 p.m.

the Sojourner Band. The concert begins at 8 p.m. at the Mary Harrison Cultural Arts Center, Northern High School, Owings. For more information, call 410-5350892 or visit www.calverthospice.org.

• The Hospice Festival of Trees will be held Friday, Nov. 25 through Sunday, Nov. 27 at Huntingtown High School. The festival features beautifully decorated Christmas trees and the Festival Shoppes with wonderful vendors offering merchandise, art and unique crafts – great for holiday presents. On Saturday, Nov. 26, children can enjoy either breakfast or lunch with Santa which includes food, photo with Santa, crafts and a whole lot of fun (reservations required).

School, church and community vocal and instrumental groups will perform throughout the festival. All proceeds benefit Calvert Hospice. For more information, visit www.calverthospice.org.

• Chesapeake Beach lights up the town for

the holidays on Sunday, Nov. 27, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. when tens of thousands of holiday lights will twinkle in Chesapeake Beach making it the “Brightest Beacon on the Bay.” Bring your family to the official start of the holiday season where all of the lights are lit magically from the Chesapeake Beach Town Hall by our own “Mother Christmas.” Ride through Town to enjoy the holiday sights which will be displayed until the week after the New Year. www.chesapeake-beach.md.us.

• Tans Cycles and Parts will once again put together an incredible Lionel model train display.

These amazing exhibits draw people from afar; we are lucky to have them right in our backyard!

The Halloween Train Display runs thru Nov. 20, weekdays 3 to 8 p.m. and Saturdays noon to 5 p.m. The Holiday Train Display begins Nov. 25 and runs thru January 14, weekdays 3 to 8 p.m. and Saturdays noon to 5 p.m.; special times on December 24 and 31 (noon to 5 p.m.) and December 27 thru 30 (noon to 8 p.m.). Tans is located at 9032 Chesapeake Avenue, North Beach. For more information, call 410-257-6619.

For more information on events in Calvert County visit www.ecalvert.org.

23

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Debra Meszaros is a Certified Sports Nutritionist and Bio-feedback practitioner with further educational studies in Naturopathy, Homeopathy, Orthomolecular Nutrition and additionally holds fourteen U.S. patents. Through her extensive health education, and experience of 20-plus years in cellular biology, she has developed an all-encompassing Holistic health service that allows individuals to discover their biochemical uniqueness, allowing them to fine tune their health. The basis of her service is to facilitate access to information that will help your understanding of health processes and elements that are within your area of control. Her services are available in Maryland, Virginia and South Carolina.

She can be reached at (540) 622 – 4989 Monday through Friday.

By Debra Meszaros MXSportsNutrition.com Science has been studying sleep and its influence on your health for a very long time and no one will argue that sleep is vital and extremely important. Unfortunately, many people have difficulties sleeping, either falling asleep or waking up.

There are various reasons for why.

How Important Are Your Sleeping Habits?

Your metabolism is altered when you are sleep deprived as the hormone that signals satiety, Leptin falls; additionally Ghrelin, which signals hunger, rises. Research shows sleepdeprived people tend to consume more starchy and sweet foods rather than vegetables and protein. Sugar cravings are thought to be brought on by the fact that your brain is fueled by glucose and when sleep-deprived, the brain searches for carbohydrates to keep going. The body is designed to run on protein and fats as primary fuel, not carbohydrates; although many people have retrained their bodies to run on carbohydrates, doing this long term has associated health and performance risks. Sleep deprivation impairs your immune system, lengthens your recovery time, and can even cause changes in your brain activity. The act of focusing can be a difficult task when one is sleep deprived.

Some other consequences are high blood sugar, high blood pressure, depression and accelerated aging.

Programming Rhythm: The circadian system drives the biological activities of your body on a cellular level. Disruptions in programmed cycles affect your entire body. Sleep disruption upsets its delicate balance, so planning your sleep cycles is one of the best things you can do for your body. There are five stages of sleep in which your body takes about 90 minutes to complete. During the five stages there are different functions taking place in each stage and there is a perfect time in the cycle to wake. Have you ever thought you had a good nights sleep and still woke up tired? Odds are you woke up while in stage three or four. So lets learn the proper rhythm to your sleep patterns. Stage one lasts about 5 minutes, this is a light sleep period and you are easily woken during this time. Stage two can last ten to twenty-five minutes and is considered still a light sleep stage. Stage three is a deep sleep stage; here if you are woken you will most likely be groggy and take awhile to actually wake. Stage four is a more intense deep sleep stage; here blood flow is directed away from the brain towards muscles, restoring physical energy; the recharging stage. Stage five is known as the REM sleep stage occurring approximately 70-90 minutes after falling asleep. This is the dream stage. Stage five is the stage you want to program waking up from. So, the formula is to plan your sleep in multiples of 90 minutes. Example would be to plan to fall asleep around 10pm and wake at 5:30am.

Pre-Conditions Of Sleep: For some it’s really not about “when to wake up” that’s the issue, but actually falling asleep. There are definitely some con-

The Calvert Gazette

Creating a Healthy Sleep Routine ditions that need to exist to get a restful sleep and to quicken the time to actually fall asleep. I call the actions one takes before turning in for the night as “pre-conditioning”. “Preconditioning” consists of some simple steps and guidelines to follow like: one to two hours before bedtime concentrate on summing up your day, preparing for sleep, not activities like watching TV or using any electronic type devices as we want no brain stimulation at this time. What we actually want to do is to spend wind-down time with activities that soothe or relax you. There is a nice trick that works well for most active individuals called journaling. Get yourself a notebook that you will keep at bedside. Before retiring for the night, go through your day, recapping the events in your mind. Write down anything that you feel was unresolved, unfinished, or points of importance. Writing down tasks or ideas for the next day is also helpful in clearing the mind of anything you would normally lie awake thinking about. Once you have written them all down, close the notebook and say to yourself “I’ll deal with all of that tomorrow”. You’ve now pre-conditioned yourself for sleep.

Sleep Recovery & Quality Factors: As you already know, stress, whether mental, emotional, or physical in nature, affects your overall health status and your adrenals, so knowing when in the sleep cycle recharging and recovery happens would be of great interest and helpful. It is between the hours of 11pm and 1am that you should definitely be sleeping. The quality of sleep is also of great importance and there are several factors that can increase the quality of your sleep.

Light is your body clocks worse enemy. The room needs to be completely dark so your pineal gland produces melatonin and serotonin. Complete darkness means that even the faint glow of a clock can disturb this process. Close your door, no night-lights, and if waking to use the bathroom, either don’t turn on the light or install “low blue” light bulbs. These bulbs emit an amber light that does not hinder melatonin production.

The perfect room temperature is about 70 degrees F and not lower than 60 degrees F. These temperatures match the lower body temperatures the body reaches during the night.

Avoid sugar based snacks or carbohydrate foods before bedtime as they may contribute to an increase of energy.

Make sure any other conditions you find supportive to sleep exist.

Build a routine to your sleep cycle especially the total time of sleep. Keeping each day the same helps the body build a routine, but listen to your body during times of illness or emotional stress and lengthen your sleep period if it is needed. Please remember that there is no such thing as “catching up on sleep”.

You cannot skimp on sleep all week and plan to “catch up” on the weekend. Consistency wins and routine is king.

Hopefully you now understand the process of sleep many of us take for granted, and realize the true benefits of quality, routine sleep.

DISCLAIMER: When you read through the diet and lifestyle information, you must know that everything within it is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from your physician or other health care professional. I am making no attempt to prescribe any medical treatment. You should not use the information here for diagnosis or treatment of any health problem or for prescription of any medication or other treatment. The products and the claims made about specific products have not been evaluated by the United States Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease. You should consult with a healthcare professional before starting any diet, exercise or supplementation program, before taking any medication, or if you have or suspect you might have a health problem. Confirm the safety of any supplements with your M.D., N.D. or pharmacist (healthcare professional). Some information given is solely an opinion, thought and or conclusion based on experiences, trials, tests, assessments or other available sources of information. I do not make any guarantees or promises with regard to results. I may discuss substances that have not been subject to double blind clinical studies or FDA approval or regulation. You assume the responsibility for the decision to take any natural remedy.

You and only you are responsible if you choose to do anything with the information you have read. You do so at your own risk. Use your intelligence to make the decisions that are right for you. Consulting a naturopathic doctor is strongly advised especially if you have any existing disease or condition.

Shop Local

LUSBY TOWN SQUARE Holiday Open Houses & Customer Appreciation Days

Michelangelo’s Hair Salon & Day Spa: December 7th • 5 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Special Rates on Sunkissed Tanning: December 10th • 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Memberships Express Fitness of Lusby: December 10th • 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. & Tanning Refreshments, Food

Considering educational options for your child?

Our Lady Star of the Sea School A Private, Co-educational Catholic School for Grades K-8 Located on Historic Solomons Island.

Choosing the right school for your child is an important decision. Our Lady Star of the Sea offers an integrated academic curriculum in a faith-based environment.

• • • • • • •

Academic excellence High test scores Fully-accredited program Certified teachers Small class sizes Character development Extra-curricular activities and athletics

Come see for yourself!

P.O. Box 560, 90 Alexander Lane Solomons, MD 20688 www.olsss.org

Drop in on the second Wednesday of any month or call 410-326-3171 to schedule a visit and sit in on classes.

Upcoming Events at OLSS: November 19 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Christmas Shopping Bazaar December 10 6 p.m.

Candy Canes & Cocktails Silent Auction December 17 9 a.m.

Winter Seahawk 5K Run/Walk January 20-28 6 -10 p.m.

Alumni Dinner Theatre