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October 6, 2024

Talbot Spy

Nonpartisan Education-based News for Talbot County Community

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Cannabis on the Shore: The Hurlock Connection by Debra R. Messick

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North of Cambridge, just off Route 392, Hurlock’s  Industrial Park has housed several amazing  ventures, helping them take root and grow over the years. 

Perhaps the most unexpected, innovative enterprise yet, at least for traditional North Dorchester County, has been cannabis cultivation and production company Goodness Growth Holdings, an outgrowth of Vireo Health, Int.

The company’s website, tells the story of it’s start in Minnesota, noting that founder, Kyle Kingsley, MD, a “board-certified emergency medicine physician, serial entrepreneur, and inventor” was initially a medical cannabis skeptic, who became inspired to launch Vireo after he “delved into science absent from his medical school training, becoming intrigued by “the small but building body of clinical evidence regarding pharmaceutical cannabis use, but especially upon meeting and learning the stories of numerous patients, first hand, who successfully used cannabis to effectively alleviate their pain and suffering.”

He also cited his emergency room experience observing how “opioids are overused, frequently abused, and too often result in fatal overdoses. Medical cannabis is a safer, less addictive alternative,” the website quoted Kingsley, explaining the overriding impetus to starting his first medical cannabis company, Minnesota Medical Solutions, which soon became Vireo Health after winning a medical license in New York state in 2015. 

The company came to Hurlock’s approximately 22,000 square foot facility shortly after the start of it’s Maryland operations began, following it’s state award of grower and processor licenses in 2016. (The initial awards were soon put on hold, then quickly reinstated).

Initially, the Industrial Park location was used as an indoor cannabis cultivation station, with a bit of extra space devoted to packaging and processing the botanical harvest into consumer ready products, including edibles.

Instrumental in getting the operation off the ground was Salisbury native Bryan Sweeney, who held a degree in Environmental Science and had solid experience working within a bastion of Eastern Shore tradition, the seafood industry.

A friend who’d heard about a possible new occupational path shared it with him;  Sweeney followed up and was instrumental in getting the indoor cannabis cultivation operation up and thriving. Currently, he holds the title of VP of Operations for Goodness Growth Holdings.

In 2020 the facility’s workers voted “overwhelmingly” to approve a 3-year Collective Bargaining Agreement, joining the ranks of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 27, the first of it’s kind medical cannabis union agreement in Maryland, according to a release in New Cannabis Ventures.

Within just a few years, Vireo Health’s wholly owned subsidiary, MaryMed LLC, which operates in Maryland, Minnesota, and New York, recognized the need for substantially more growing space, in order to serve the increasingly fertile pharmaceutical cannabis landscape. The company’s products supply its own and third-party operated dispensaries; its current Maryland outlets operate as Green Goods in Baltimore and Frederick.

MaryMed acquired Goose Landing Farms in Massey, Maryland, which was growing perennials in its 110, 200 sq.ft. greenhouse facility. Soon after, the company reassigned its cultivation license and growing operation, transferring them to the Kent County site near Galena, in the community which also hosts the Massey Air Museum. This increase would enable a twelve-fold upgrade in cannabis growing capability. 

Meanwhile, the Hurlock building transitioned exclusively to a hub of production and packaging activities, a set up consisting of a carefully coordinated maze of hyper sanitary, specialized rooms dedicated to different essential tasks, from  receiving, to curing, sorting, and trimming.

Universally adhering rigorously to pharmaceutical grade standards, staffers wear disposable gloves, masks, and lab coat coverings.

Before even entering the secure front office door or employee entrance shoes are required to be rubbed up against a floor level bristle brush, then disposable foot coverings are added upon entering.

It took this visitor a minute or two to fully take in the surreal sight (and smell!) of the receiving room fully laden with harvested cannabis, which is delivered once a month from Massey, where it is harvested every two weeks, some of which is frozen to preserve freshness.

There’s also space dedicated to hermetically packing up, sealing, and carefully storing the products designated according to strain, strength, flavor, etc.

Many of the jobs involve careful hand work, but some areas benefit from technical assistance, including from a Green Broz. gentle rotating spinner/sorter machine developed for the cannabis industry, plus THC extracting machines and lab testing equipment used to ensure the resulting substance’s purification.

Relentless quality control and painstaking individual (gloved) hands on attention mark every stage of the process. In one room, the company’s flower buds get carefully apportioned into small consumer/patient packages plus larger dispensary bulk containers.

At the same time, another staffer takes her time carefully, intently focusing on inserting crushed flower particles into pre roll holders for vaping use.

Another section of the Hurlock facility’s overall space is where more sorting takes place, in this case, a precursor to extracting the plants’ THC oils for use in additional products, especially the growing line of edibles, which are small batch ‘cooked’ atop hotplates, then ‘cured,’ before packaging.

Individuals cordoned off in an intensely HEPA filtered area precision fill cannabis product jars.

With adult use legalization active, the facility expects to increase its workforce, and has posted a crop of job listings under Vireo Health, Hurlock, on Indeed com.

Debra Messick is a retired Dorchester County Public Library associate and lifelong freelance writer. A transplanted native Philadelphian, she has enjoyed residing in Cambridge MD since 1995.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Mid-Shore Food: Hooper’s Island’s Old Salty Celebrates 40 Years as Community Pillar

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Old Salty’s restaurant, about to celebrate it’s 40th anniversary, has been a beloved Hoopers Island community anchor since opening in the early 1980s. But, long before being refurbished into a famed down home haven for crabcake lovers near and far, the structure originally served as a schoolhouse for the tightly knit community at Fishing Creek, on the first of the three Hoopers Islands. 

While more than ever a local favorite, 75 percent of customers coming through Old Salty’s doors are now actually newcomers, attracted to the area by growing media coverage for nearby attractions such as Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge and the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Park. 

According to current owners Mike and Melinda Kerr Perry, one recent Old Salty’s first timer arrived via a word of mouth recommendation during a visit to New York City. Another hauling from the Netherlands spotted an Old Salty’s ad while in Washington, D.C., and decided to make the trip. 

It was under founding owners, JoAnn and Wayne Ashton, that the eatery first became an Island mainstay. (The sea captain on the sign is a picture of JoAnn’s dad, local waterman Ben Parks.)

It continued to thrive under second owner Jay Newcomb, former District One Dorchester County Councilman and President. 

That’s when the Perrys, then among the growing number of Island ‘weekenders’, became loyal customers. “From the day we walked in this place, we were basically in love with it,” Mike recalled. 

The couple would privately joke with Newcomb, that if he ever sold the place, it had better be to them. Two years ago, when Newcomb was ready to wind down his many varied responsibilities, he felt assured the Perrys would be the kind of devoted caretakers the restaurant deserved, and the deal was done, including the popular Old Salty’s recipes.

Though originally from rural Anne Arundel County and not Island natives, the couple are totally committed to keeping faith and doing their best by the place that’s become their adopted ‘home away from home.’ 

Melinda, 50, grew up in Hanover, what she calls “a little, tiny, tiny town just outside the airport loop,” without “MTV, or cable, or anything,” she laughs. But her parents lived in a house right next door to her grandparents on the same property. Her first job was as a restaurant dishwasher, then working her way through the kitchen. That was before becoming a jeweler for 28 years, holding down top management positions with Jared the Galleria.

Mike, 52, was raised five miles away in Severn, chopping tobacco and vegetables, on land his family has lived and worked on for 160 years. He, too, had early restaurant training, “cutting my teeth” cooking in an Elks Club kitchen during his teens. He’s gone on to own several businesses. 

As Baltimore’s urban commercial sprawl began spreading further out, things there started to change. But on Hoopers Island, they rediscovered the life they’d known and loved.

“That’s what we feel like we found here, living in a complete neighborhood of family, it’s what drew us here,” Mike added.

With extended family living on Hoopers Island in the 1970s, Mike was a frequent visitor. In 1986, he and his brothers bought their own property there. As he and Melinda became a couple, they began coming over, falling more and more in love with the area, eventually buying a house,  becoming Old Salty’s patrons, and now, owners, who want to give back to the community.

“This entire area has kept this place in business for 40 years, and that’s a heck of a feat,” Mike noted.

To that end, they decided to do something special to mark the milestone and return some of the longstanding love. 

After a year of planning, the Old Salty’s 40th Anniversary Bluegrass Festival gets underway Saturday, May 20 at 1 p.m. The free community event with no cover charge will be open to all. Artisans, vendors, and kids activities are on the menu, along with live music featuring Billy Harrison & The Haywire, Cooking with Fire, and Across the Track.

A 30 x 30 foot tent will be set up in the waterfront field behind the restaurant, and people are welcome to bring chairs and blankets. 

Food and drink options for purchase will include a limited Old Salty’s menu, including, of course, crab cake, from a mobile food trailer; Fat Truck Brewing of Centreville will also be on hand.

The festival represents an ongoing initiative of the Perrys to build on the restaurant’s solid reputation as a dining destination, while adding to it’s repertoire of events for locals and visitors alike.

Live music is now on the menu each weekend, both at the Salty Hooker Tiki Bar, added out back last March, and indoors at the Back Creek Bar. 

On May 5-6, Old Salty’s also hosted it’s first annual fishing tournament, The Salty Hooker Throwdown. 

The venue’s large indoor hall, the former school auditorium, has recently offered some decidedly nontraditional special event fundraisers, carefully billed as adults only programs, such as January’s Bingo with the Boyz and April’s Drag Bingo Brunch. Both drew big crowds and raised sizable sums in support of  Patriot Point, the Veteran Refuge on Taylor’s Island.

“Having something as important as Patriot Point in our backyard, and being able to support it, is truly amazing,” Mike added, noting that both he and Melinda have military members in their families.

Another point of pride for the Perrys is providing fresh, seasonal local seafood and produce. “A customer came in last week and asked for oysters on the half shell; I had to tell him, sorry, that’s over,” Mike mentioned with a smile. 

They’re grateful for ongoing support from the Dorchester County Chamber of Commerce, which is holding a ribbon cutting ceremony Friday, May 19 at noon to kick off the 40th Anniversary, including all three Old Salty’s owners to thank the community together. 

For more information, visit Old Salty’s Facebook Page.

Debra Messick is a retired Dorchester County Public Library associate and lifelong freelance writer. A transplanted native Philadelphian, she has enjoyed residing in Cambridge MD since 1995.

 

 

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Covering Sacred Miles: A Bicycle Excursion Along the Underground Railroad

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Those dedicated to reckoning with our nation’s history but unable to devote the considerable time, stamina, and energy it’s dedicated pursuit deserves, owe a debt of gratitude to climate scientist turned enterprising author David Goodrich, and his remarkable work, On Freedom Road.

When Goodrich began commuting 13 miles by bike from his Rockville home to NOAA’s Silver Spring headquarters, his main objective was improving his health. (The fact that he was also improving the planet’s well-being may have also factored in.)

David Goodrich

But through that lifestyle change, Goodrich learned about others practicing far-flung adventure cycling. When he retired in 2011, Goodrich, who had headed NOAA’s Climate Observations and Monitoring Program, and had also served as director of the UN Global Climate Observing System in Geneva, Switzerland, joined their ranks.

He embarked on a trip from Delaware to Oregon, which resulted in his first book, A Hole in the Wind (Pegasus Books, 2017).

Another journey, this time across the Upper Midwest and Canadian prairies, geologically known as the Western Interior Seaway, brought forth a second volume, A Voyage Across an Ancient Ocean (Pegasus Books, 2020).

While both books offered on the ground insights into current ecological realities, the seeds for an altogether different two-wheeled expedition were planted during that first coast to coast journey.

As Goodrich explains in the opening pages of his third volume, On Freedom Road, Bicycle Explorations and Reckonings on the Underground Railroad (Pegasus Books, 2023):

“I was only looking for a place out of the wind. In May 2011, eleven hundred miles into a bike trip from the Atlantic to the Pacific, a cold, hard headwind left me tucked down on the handlebars all morning.”

At the next town, Vandalia, Illinois, an “Open” sign beckoned welcome refuge, so Goodrich warmed up in the basement of an old church housing the Fayette County Museum. While perusing musty smelling displays, the curator showed him a “heavy brass ring, so big I needed two hands to hold it,” then explained that it was a slave collar.

Although its authentication was later proven to be doubtful, the impactful  initial sight of the purported artifact stayed with him.

A few years later, while accompanying his wife Concetta, a dedicated birder, to Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, the couple visited the newly opened Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Park and Visitors Center next door.

Along with the moving history of Harriet Tubman’s journey displayed throughout the Center’s exhibits, one item especially caught Goodrich’s eye–the map of her daunting routes from Cambridge, through Delaware and Philadelphia, up through New York, then into Canada and freedom. He knew right away it was a ride he wanted to make.

A few years earlier, on a trip to Wales to show his son the ancestral Goodrich family castle, he learned that a relative, Captain John Goodrich, had helmed a boat on the Middle Passage, in which many did not survive. That moment of reckoning was another factor inspiring him to explore the legacy of suffering and courage along the Underground Railroad.

On Saturday, April 1, Goodrich returned to the Tubman UGRR National Historical Park in Church Creek to speak about Freedom Road for the discussion program Ranger Lawson Nakwudo’s Book Review.

In introducing Goodrich, Ranger Lawson noted that over the course of four years, Goodrich rode by bicycle 3,000 miles east of the Mississippi to travel the routes of the Underground Railroad, delving into its history and stories where they happened.

The book is divided into two main sections, Freedom Road East, The Trail of Harriet Tubman, and Freedom Road West, The River, The Blues, and the Borderland.

Goodrich mentioned physical training throughout the winter and spring to prepare for the 50 and 60 mile days of riding through varying terrain from rugged rural and busy urban.

He also invested countless hours doing painstaking background research at the Library of Congress, reading definitive works such as Kate Clifford Larson’s Bound for the Promised Land, and tracking down vital, hard to find Underground Railroad route information, including African American historian Charles L. Blockson’s Hippocrene Guide to the Underground Railroad.

Starting in Cambridge, Goodrich informs his readers “I knew we were on the right road when I saw the mural.”  (He and riding companions Rick Sullivan and Lynn Salvo, who holds the Guinness Record for oldest woman to ride across the U.S., each touched Harriet’s iconic outstretched hand for luck.)

The Tubman Trail leg of the trek began with a 50 mile “shakedown” circuit beginning and ending in Cambridge, covering the landscape of Minty Ross’ formative years– Madison, Blackwater, the Brodess Farm, and the Bucktown Store.

Next, it was north towards Poplar Neck to find Red Bridges, the shallow Choptank River crossing spot used by freedom seekers, then into Delaware to locate the still standing Star Hill African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in Dover. Originally called Star of the East, the church was erected on a little rise in 1842 in order to be visible to freedom seekers coming from Maryland, Goodrich noted.

The trio approached, hoping to at least view the famed church from the outside. But as they arrived, Sunday morning services were in progress. Trying to be unobtrusive, the three white spandex clad cyclists slipped into the back of the building. Two women from the congregation silently arose, returning with ice water for them. Later, they were offered refreshments and spoke with the church’s longtime unofficial historian, Lucretia Wilson, who believed that Tubman must have traveled through the area.

In a post Civil War interview, Tubman acknowledged  the Delaware town of Blackbird, populated by several free Black communities, as being among her favored route landmarks.

Goodrich credited the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway for providing excellent tracking of Tubman historic sites throughout the Delmarva Peninsula. Further north, even in Philadelphia, the trail often “runs cold,” he acknowledged.

But the reader can travel along, discovering rich background stories of legendary figures Thomas Garrett, William Still, and many others.

Photos from the era further document the area’s Quaker abolitionist activities, including one taken in 1865 at the Longwood Meeting in Kennett Square, PA, showing William Lloyd Garrison and Conductor and Tubman friend Thomas Garrett, who has park dedicated to him in Wilmington, featuring a statue depicting him and Tubman. Another,a daguerreotype taken at the 1850 Anti-Fugitive Slave Law Convention in Cazenovia, New York, shows wealthy Abolitionist champion Gerrit Smith, Frederick Douglass, and sisters Mary and Emily Edmondson, who had grown up enslaved “where a golf course stands, three miles from my home in Maryland,” Goodrich noted.

In New York City, following Eric Foner’s Gateway to Freedom history, Goodrich again vividly shows how haunts pivotal to Underground  Railroad history are often hiding in plain sight, as the book’s jacket suggests. On Nassau Street, he visits the building once home to the American Anti-Slavety Society, where Tubman, needing money, once laid down on the floor, and was ultimately bequeathed an amount far surpassing her initial request. Today, the bottom floor of the 12 story building houses an unassuming eyebrow threading salon.

Proceeding further north, through Albany and Auburn, the cyclists see first hand the marked difference in the the modest Tubman and more grand Douglass gravesites, just 40 miles apart, reflecting each one’s approach to battling slavery’s injustice.

While Tubman’s Trail might initially seem of greater interest to our area’s readers, Freedom Road West offers a wealth of information and insight to the Underground Railroad, from a slave rebellion in New Orleans up through the Mississippi Delta and a Civil War massacre at Fort Pillow, Tennessee, one of the first places Colored Troops proved their fighting spirit.

Transcending time, Goodrich rides us through the treacherous borderland along the banks of the Ohio River, rife with fugitive slave bounty hunters, where he crossed paths with the ghost of Josiah Henson, who became Harriet Beecher Stowe’s inspiration for the main figure in Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

Goodrich is careful to note how markedly less dangerous their own route was than for those being hunted, at constant fear for their lives. But their modern day trek continued on relentlessly through foul weather, bleak accommodations, and in Oberlin, Ohio, a persistently unshakable flu bug.

Finally giving in to the need for a day’s rest, Goodrich ultimately ended up at another modestly housed museum, The Ohio Historical Society in Columbus, viewing a “magic shawl” once belonging to Harper’s Ferry martyr Lewis Leary.

The fragile cloth remnant, reverently handed down, had once cradled a Leary descendent as a baby, future poet Langston Hughes.

On Wednesday, April 5 at 6 PM, Goodrich will again be discussing Freedom Road at Chestertown’s Retriever Bar as part of The Bookplate’s “Authors and Oysters” presentations. For information call 410-778-4167.

Debra Messick is a retired Dorchester County Public Library associate and lifelong freelance writer. A transplanted native Philadelphian, she has enjoyed residing in Cambridge MD since 1995.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Dr. Clarence Lusane: Why Having Harriet Tubman on the $20 Bill Matters

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During the last year of Barack Obama’s presidency, his Treasury Secretary, Jack Lew, announced a major change to the face of some U.S. currency, notably the $20 bill.

News broke that Harriet Tubman has been chosen to replace Andrew Jackson, the nation’s 7th president, whose brutal Indian removal policy resulted in the tragic forced Diaspora march known as the Trail of Tears.

So far, the complex logistics involved in making the change have slowed the process considerably; the original target date of 2020 has been reset for 2030.

Meanwhile, flashpoints over who is truly  representative of American democratic ideals have flared. Even as Harriet Tubman’s legacy has grown, Andrew Jackson’s portrait was hung in the Oval Office during Donald Trump’s presidency.

Ongoing debates have intensified regarding the importance of symbolism as cultural currency.

Dr. Clarence Lusane, scholar, author, and commentator, whose expertise emanates from his longstanding study of U.S. political history, and it’s relationship with  African American history, honed in on the discussion in his most recent book, Twenty Dollars and Change: Harriet Tubman and the Ongoing Fight for Racial Justice and Democracy (San Francisco, CA: City Lights Books, 2022). 

(Among Lusane’s previous works are The Black History of the White House, Hitler’s Black Victims, Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice: Foreign Policy, Race, and the New American Century.)

Professor Lusane, former Howard University Political Science Chair, explained his book’s premise during a February 3rd Black History Month event at The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park and Visitor Center. He was joined by Ernestine (Tina) Martin Wyatt, Tubman’s great-great-great grandniece, co-founder of Washington D.C.’s Harriet Tubman Day, who he credited with helping review and comment on his manuscript prior to publication.

In 2017, Lusane had made a prior memorable pilgrimage to the Park.  In his preface to Twenty Dollars, Lusane described how he and son Ellington, then 7, awakened “at 5:00 a.m.for a bus trip to the much-anticipated grand opening of the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center in Church Creek, Maryland.” 

Traveling with a group of Black senior women, many aged 70 and up, who had chartered the bus, the ride was filled with “lots of discussions about history, race, and what Harriet Tubman meant to African Americans and the nation as a whole,” Lusane recalled. He also noted that throughout most of that stimulating sojourn, Ellington remained oblivious, more occupied with his Power Rangers book.

In addition to the numerous “hands-on historical displays, for the opening, a large tent was set up and talks were presented on a range of subjects. For young people, there were history lessons and role-playing, entailing costumes and wigs that could be worn as the youth learned about the antebellum period and how enslaved people organized revolts and escapes to freedom,” he recalled.

On the return trip home, instead of his Power Rangers story, Ellington’s attention was glued to his newly acquired book, What Was the Underground Railroad, by Yona Zeldis McDonough. 

In a recent virtual interview anchored from his publisher’s landmark bookstore in San Francisco, Lusane alluded to that visit, notably his son’s piqued interest afterwards, as being among his main influences for writing the book as he did.

Another impetus was the realization that his current college students, born after 2000, had missed learning about much of the historical backstory behind today’s current events.

Lusane also wanted to provide a more comprehensive understanding of Tubman’s remarkable life, well beyond being the “Moses” of her people, including her courageous Civil War service, which went far beyond the often mentioned roles of nurse and cook.

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History’s website details the successful  Combahee Ferry Raid:

“On June 2, 1863, Harriet Tubman, under the command of Union Colonel James Montgomery, became the first woman to lead a major military operation in the United States when she and 150 African American Union soldiers rescued more than 700 slaves in the Combahee Ferry Raid during the Civil War.”

This service is especially noteworthy, considering that after the war, while Confederate soldiers were awarded pensions of $20, along with their Union counterparts, Tubman struggled to receive any such compensation until later in life, when she received a payment based largely on her second husband’s service, Lusane mentioned.

He also pointed to Tubman’s lifelong commitment to the fight for expanding voting rights, notably for women. Lusane described how, as the 1913 Women’s Suffrage March on Washington was getting underway, Black women were in danger of being relegated to the rear of the march.

Practically on her deathbed, Tubman nevertheless sent a message urging Ida B. Wells and others to remain in the fight, that God would not forsake their cause, he added.

In 1965, in Bessemer and Birmingham, Alabama, Lusane’s own grandmother drew inspiration from Tubman’s example, joining the March across the Edward Pettis Bridge.

As timely as the book is due to Tubman’s bicentennial birth celebration last year, it also speaks to the heated debate over national symbols. Though often simmering in the background, the outcry after George Floyd’s 2020 murder ignited a greater national reckoning than ever before. At long last, statues, schools, and streets named for Confederate and white supremacist figures, were no longer acceptable to many.  

That debate hits close to home for Lusane. During the turbulent 1960s, he attended Detroit magnet high school Cass Tech, named for Lewis Cass, one of the city’s legendary political lions (the Cass family had donated farm land for the original school in 1861).

But, as the Detroit Historical Society detailed, Cass had served as President Andrew Jackson’s Secretary of War, in charge of his policy of Indian removal. Earlier, as the governor of Michigan Territory, he’d coerced tribes around the Great Lakes to sell their lands to the U.S. government.

Cass was also a slaveowner, and a proponent of and originator of the phrase Popular Sovereignty.

“Back then, we didn’t know all that,” Lusane added, noting that the school’s student body was 90 percent Black. “We probably would have been out protesting. But, once you do know something, you can’t unknow it. You have to at least raise your voice, and that’s what I’ve tried to incorporate in this book,” Lusane added.

Acknowledging the legitimate concerns of some in the Black community that symbols can be exploitive, representing “performance anti-racism” in lieu of actual change, Lusane makes his case that they nevertheless matter.

“Symbols are important. They’re mobilizing. They’re educational. They’re narratives about society and life. And whoever controls which symbols are presented, has significant control. So, symbolism isn’t separate from power, it’s a critical component of it.”

Debra Messick is a retired Dorchester County Public Library associate and lifelong freelance writer. A transplanted native Philadelphian, she has enjoyed residing in Cambridge MD since 1995.

 

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Who's DORiS? Turns Ten by Debra Messick

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Marco Antonio Garcia never set out to become an innovator on local airwaves. But after nearly 10 years of asking the intriguing question, ‘Who’s DORiS?’ it’s clear he’s more than answered, carving out a creative interview and music space that resonates with listeners, first in Salisbury, now on his hometown station, 101.5 FM, WHCP, Cambridge Community Radio.

Garcia describes his DORiS Media enterprise as “a multi-medium production company dedicated to bridging the gaps in the community through the arts.” But ‘the arts’ is just a part of his wide reaching focus, featuring laid-back but revealing interviews with an array of grass roots community champions, doers and dreamers, making a difference.

His initial foray into radio was “something of a whim” while an anthropology/political science undergraduate Salisbury University, Garcia recalled. 

Through the TRIO program, designed to facilitate higher education opportunities for students who would be the first generation in their family to go  to college, the 2012 graduate of Cambridge South Dorchester High School attended Chesapeake College before transferring to Salisbury U., participating in leadership and communuty outreach travel programs which expanded his horizons, teaching him not only about how organizations work but also putting lhim further down the road to getting to know “people different from me and finding common ground,” he recalled.

Prior to pitching a radio show as a semester long project reflecting the campus and community, Garcia hadn’t even been aware of Salisbury’s student run station WSXU, 96.3 FM. 

“I wanted to do interviews essentially as research, sample segments showing who we were,” Garcia recalled. But the process resonated with him on a deeper level.

At age 14, his biggest hero was New Journalism pioneer Joan Didion, whose compelling interviews with 60s music legends Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, and Jimi Hendrix, especially impressed Garcia.

As a youngster he was also drawn to the celebrity interview styles of Oprah Winfrey, Barbara Walters, Johnny Carson, and David Letterman.

“They hung out with the stars, but conducted enlightening journalistic interviews, Garcia noted.

Since embarking on his radio journey, several more on air voices have guided him, from longtime NPR Fresh Air host Terri Gross, to Tribe Called Quest founder turned DJ Ali Shahwed Muhammed, to Charlemagne The God’s Breakfast Club. 

DORiS Mixtape segments, often including poetry and film soundbites as well as music, llaldraw on another inspiration, The Quiet Storm’s late host Melvin Lindsey. With minimal voiceover, Lindsey would let the music flow, a style Garcia finds fits him. He also is personally heartened by the host’s up front presence as an on air personality who was a Black Gay man (Lindsey died from AIDS, Garcia noted.).

Getting the go ahead from his professor to embark on a 15-week run, Garcia had just a day to come up with a name, and another to set a format.

Though not a radio nerd growing up, he had enjoyed tuning into syndicated personality Delilah’s show, listening to her interact with and advise callers on personal issues interspersed with requested songs, while falling asleep nightly. 

Inspired to channel that vibe, Garcia wanted a short, punchy name beginning with a D. To that end, he wrote down three of his seven aunts’ names–Darlene, Doreen, and Doris. A few friends helped him brainstorm and sound out the names overnight, until all agreed that DORiS was the one.

Even with a day to decide, Garcia wasn’t sure about his format until he went into the studio at air time when his 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. slot was set to start, except that it would be a relaxed type of  talk show.

His frat and theater friends dropped by to hang out, many bringing alcohol, lending a party/hang outl atmosphere to the program.

Garcia, who’s classroom papers usually were returned covered in red ink, especially enjoyed the freedom to be himself while asking questions on air.

“Teachers always told me not to inject so much of my personality, that it was unprofessional,” he recalled.  “But everything I did wrong in the classroom ended up working on the air.”

While refreshing and fun those first few weeks, the fourth episode marked a turning point. That was when he interviewed a Delaware State University professor, who had reached out to him,  on DACA’s impending sunsetting status (also known as the Dreamers program, offering U.S. born children of illegal immigrants a pathway to citizenship).

Garcia’s late dad Alberto had emigrated here illegally from Mexico City, working while awaiting a green card until, when Garcia was 9, he became ill and his undocumented status was discovered, putting the family at risk.  (His stepmother finally got a green card after 22 years, he added. His grandmother has visited from Mexico City and he hopes to finally travel there soon.)

Following that show, Garcia’s focus for DORiS transitioned into something beyond a limited academic project. Others seemed to be recognizing the show’s potential, as well, as he was soon awarded an hour long 12 noon show (along with the night time slot).  “It became more of a ‘grownup’ thing,” he recalled, and it continued on beyond the initial 15 week time frame.

While living with best friend Fraser Hood’s family, Garcia got word that Hood’s mom’s co-worker’s husband, Mike Starling, was a longtime National Public Radio veteran who was starting a new station in Cambridge.

Garcia reached out to Starling, who asked for a demo tape, then promptly signed Garcia to the station’s fledlgling lineup. 

Without even doing any social media or marketing for the first three seasons, DORiS radio found its niche, thanks to strong ongoing community support, for which he’s most grateful. Today, Garcia also sits on the WHCP Board, eager to help expand opportunities for a wider array of on air offerings for broadcasters and listeners alike.

Garcia also takes pride in helping provide visibility to local Delmarva talent, including fellow CSD grad Tim Saunders’ annual Freshman Class show spotlighting homegrown talents were performing songs at sites with special meaning to them, among them, a barbershop and in a field, prepping trot lines.

During the 2020 summer in the wake of protests against George Floyd’s murder at the hands of police, Garcia took his show on the road to Baltimore and D.C., where he was pepper sprayed and shot at with rubber bullets, amassing a wealth of video. “I saw first hand that they weren’t just shooting rubber bullets,” Garcia recalled.

Lately, he’s been taking advantage of exploring more creative personal projects, from acting opportunities like the local theater production of Legally Blonde, The Musical, the webseries Foolproof from Black Cat Productions Founder Tori Paxton, to an upcoming project in collaboration with educator/artistic impressario Shelton Hawkins and others.

Asked if there was anyone he was especially eager to interview, Garcia didn’t hesitate before answering “Wes Moore!,” noting that he’d been an admirer of the new governor’s since reading The Other Wes Moore back during Garcia’s formative school years. 

But Garcia’s passion for what he does comes through whoever he talks to. “Everyone has a story to share, even if they don’t realize it,” he noted, “and I learn sonething from everybody I talk to.”

For more information, visit DORiS Radio with Marco Garcia at www.spinitron.com, www.whcp.org/, and www.whosdoris.com.

Debra Messick is a retired Dorchester County Public Library associate and lifelong freelance writer. A transplanted native Philadelphian, she has enjoyed residing in Cambridge MD since 1995.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Setting a Place for Minty’s Return by Debra R. Messick

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In 2015, when Teresa Lamar spotted the vacant storefront building at the corner of Locust and Willis Streets, she felt like she’d come home to a place she’d never been.

Bearing an ‘old-timey’ Hyser’s Soda Fountain sign  out front, and a vintage Breyers Ice Cream sign in the expansive back yard, the charming spot seemed to sing a siren song of yesteryear and future promise, both drawing her in. 

The business, at various times called Hyser’s, Harrison’s Confectionary, and Lewis’ Cash Market, remains nostalgically remembered by many residents who lived nearby as youngsters and rode bikes to enjoy pizza, burgers, snow-cones, and many other affordably scrumptious delights.

An Eastern Shore of Virginia native in family of ten children, Lamar had maintained a Cambridge office connected to her 24-year career as a government contractor. 

As she approached her own coming crossroads between the corporate world and retirement, Lamar was growing more attuned to her heart’s desire, as far as her next chapter was concerned.

A lifelong love of cooking and a sense of community combined to inspire her reimagination of the neighborhood fixture rechristened as Minty’s Place, the shortened version of Harriet Tubman’s birth name, Araminta.

In October 2019, when Lamar’s restaurant opened at last, the southern/soul food menu made a splash with it’s warm, welcoming ambiance and tasty dishes like baked beans, made with a variety of beans including black beans and hints of cinnamon and honey, Moses Chicken and Waffles, the Emancipation Burger served with dry slaw and cheddar cheese, a mini turkey-burger slider, grilled pickle, skillet mac and cheese, barbeque, lemon whipping cream pound cake, plus Vegan options like smoky collard greens, seeming to have a promising future.

But with the Covid-19 pandemic lock down beginning in March, 2020, Minty’s Place closed it’s doors for what was hoped to be a temporary hiatus. 

Taking time to effectively restaff the restaurant and focus on family with the arrival of a grandbaby this past June, the hiatus has lingered beyond the health emergency. Throughout the downtime, Lamar has carefully maintained the site’s exterior, periodically posting signs advising an eventual reopening.

Though still closed for now, several months ago a large Harriet Tubman mural with the famous quote attributed to her, “I come to set a place for you,” was spotted adorning the entire Willis Street side of the shop. Above the 824 Locust Street entrance the words Love Thy Neighbor, expressing Lamar’s wish to bring healing to all with a new beginning, also appeared.

In keeping with her constant striving for quality, Lamar had engaged noted mural artist Michael Rosato to create the work she envisioned as bringing the community together. Rosato is the master craftsman behind the famed Take My Hand Tubman mural behind the Harriet Tubman Museum and Education Center at 424 Race Street, and numerous others now dotting the Chesapeake Mural Trail. 

After considering several names for the restaurant, finally deciding to name the eatery in her honor was Lamar’s way of paying tribute to Tubman’s enduring legacy. The mural was an effort to underscore Tubman’s efforts to wrestle freedom for the area’s African-American slaves, while also addressing those continuing to suffer deprivations due to segregation in Cambridge, which she learned about while studying the area’s history.

Where Minty’s is located marked the unofficial ‘dividing line’ between the races here,” Lamar noted. “There was a time when Blacks couldn’t even enter the establishment.”

Despite her goal of setting a new tone which welcomed all, the mural and, ironically the words ‘Love They Neighbor’ became issues brought up to the attention of the Cambridge Planning and Zoning office.

Several residents made the point that permission had not been granted for the artwork and words. 

Lamar responded that she had been unaware that permission was required before going ahead. 

Technically, she was correct, given that there are currently no specific guidelines detailing what is and isn’t permitted, particularly in a primarily residential neighborhood. 

“I know that change, for anyone, is hard. I respect that, and want Minty’s to be inclusive and welcoming for all,” she added.

Planning and Zoning staff allowed the mural painting to continue, regarding the Tubman portrait and quote on the building’s side a mural. 

As for the Love Thy Neighbor words, Lamar will need to present a design plan Planning and Zoning, which effectively ties in the words directly with the mural. 

With the setting of new mural guidelines currently under study, as announced at last month’s Historic Preservation Commission meeting, Minty’s is set to be grandfathered in, according to Planning and Zoning staffer Charlene Shaw.

Lamar continues looking ahead, hoping to be ready for a reopening sometime this Spring or Summer, taking care to finalize finding the best additions to her cooking and serving staff, ensuring a smooth and steady future. 

Lamar intends to assist in cooking some dishes, but wants additional skilled staff to share in the bulk of menu offerings, which will include some items prepared with an eye on healthy versions of favorites.

She is excited to continue moving forward, building Minty’s for the community and also to hand down as a family legacy.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity that Minty’s Place can be part of a thriving and evolving Cambridge community. Our goal is to be a positive addition that adds to our communities with good food for the soul,” Lamar added.

For more information visit www.mintysplace.com,  Minty’s Place Facebook and Instagram pages, or call 240-531-1362.

Debra Messick is a retired Dorchester County Public Library associate and lifelong freelance writer. A transplanted native Philadelphian, she has enjoyed residing in Cambridge MD since 1995.

 

 

 

 

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The Magic of Stories for All Ages with Noa Baum

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Just hearing the words story time often triggers the most pleasant of childhood memories–our own, or those we’ve been privileged to share with youngsters we treasure.

On Saturday, November 19, a masterful, award- winning storyteller brings memorable tales along with her remarkable talent, to the Tell Me More series at Talbot County Free Library in Easton. The program is presented by The Library and Carpe Diem Arts.

Baum’s visit, free and open to the public, begins at 10 a.m. at the Library, located at 100 West Dover Street.

With her renowned performance style, Baum will share an animated telling of her latest book, How the Birds Became Friends (Familius, September 2021), an updated take on a traditional Burmese folktale, illustrated by artist and ecologist Zev Labinger.

As the story opens, a vexing problem is plaguing the local avian world:

“Long ago when the world was very young, the birds did not get along.
They were always fighting about who was better.

Beaks pecking! Feathers flying!”

Not traditionally considered a child’s tale, it has long been a favorite among the many folklore stories Baum has collected over the years, offering compelling answers to solving difficult problems, especially the dilemma of achieving peaceful, productive coexistence.

Originally featuring a pheasant, Baum chose to make the unassuming hero of her story a somewhat more familiar feathered figure, a quail.

Though meek and mild, tiny Quail somehow finds a way to not only survive the dysfunctionally sour notes of nonstop disharmony within the community it calls home, but to resolve the seemingly never ending squabbling with an “outside the box” answer, one leading to friendship.

When one of the most notorious troublemakers, Crow, begins badgering Quail about how much better he is, instead of arguing back, Quail not only agrees, but compliments Crow in the process. Initially taken aback, Crow begins to see Quail in a whole new light. Their budding friendship at first confounds, then amazes the other birds, who learn a remarkable lesson.

What Baum especially loves about the story is the way tiny Quail, seemingly imprisoned within a never ending cycle of strife, manages to transcend and break the harmful pattern through a gesture of simple kindness.

Those initial feelings of being helpless and powerless in the face of insurmountable problems– a situation children especially can relate to–is one that many adults in today’s world will also recognize, Baum observed.

Those were among the same emotions Baum herself experienced during her own formative childhood in Jerusalem during the 1950s and 60s, in the aftermath of the Holocaust and the ongoing Jewish-Palestinian conflict.

Moving to the U.S. in 1990 with her American born husband, that personal history was unexpectedly enriched after forming her own surprising friendship with another mom who happened to be Palestinian, also raised in Jerusalem.

She had never known what it was like to experience the time and place forming the foundation of her own history from anything other than her own Jewish perspective. Baum’s caring, coupled with an innate curiosity, eventually drove her to ask her friend questions about the specifics of her own story.

The two embarked on a transformative dialogue, discussing the very human details and emotions pervading their respective stories. The enlightening exchange was not fully devoid of conflict, at times. But the two women decided to keep on talking, and learning, from each other.

That remarkable story sharing experience became the basis for Baum’s one woman show and book, A Land Twice Promised: An Israeli Woman’s Quest for Peace (Familius, June 7, 2016).

The book’s description on Amazon.com provides this capsule account:

“A Land Twice Promised delves into the heart of one of the world’s most enduring and complex conflicts. Baum’s deeply personal memoir recounts her journey from girlhood in post­-Holocaust Israel to her adult encounter with “the other.” With honesty, compassion, and humor, she captures the drama of a nation at war and her discovery of humanity in the enemy.

Winner of the 2017 Anne Izard Storytellers’ Choice Award, among others, this compelling memoir demonstrates the transformative power of art and challenges each reader to take the first step toward peace.”

The book and show also propelled Baum forward into her current life path, blazing a fulfilling career as a performing artist cultivating the time honored art of storytelling, with the underlying purpose of overcoming conflict through mutual understanding.

Inheriting her mother’s gift for performance, Baum Initially pursued an acting career, which had been her mother’s unfulfilled dream, but became deflated at not achieving success. Still, she found ways to apply her performance skills within whatever opportunities arose.

The financially struggling theater group she was with had taken to offering story sessions to bring in additional income. But instead of simply memorizing or reading the story, as others did, Baum brought them to life, turning the experience into a mini theatrical performance.

Author Noa Baum

Later, taking a part-time job with an after school program in a disadvantaged part of Tel Aviv, she drew on those skills to help reach the sometimes challenging youngsters. “I had a big bag of scarves and would get the kids involved in acting out the stories,” Baum recalled.

The strategy worked, especially for one notoriously difficult and combative girl. By the story’s end, she had completely settled down, becoming transfixed with the idea of becoming a princess. Looking back, Baum realizes that the experience impressed on her how powerfully transformative storytelling could be.

Now a dedicated student as well as teacher of the art, Baum attends workshops worldwide and conducts her own course for aspiring storytellers coming from an array of fields and backgrounds. She’s also developed training sessions for therapists, educators, and industry.

Following Baum’s presentation of How the Birds Became Friends, copies of the book will be available to for signing, and refreshments and to-go crafts will be offered, as well.

For more information, call Talbot County Public Library at 410-822-1626, or visit https://www.tcfl.org. This event is supported in part by Talbot Arts (talbotarts.org) with revenues provided by the Maryland State Arts Council (msac.org).

Debra Messick is a retired Dorchester County Public Library associate and lifelong freelance writer. A transplanted native Philadelphian, she has enjoyed residing in Cambridge MD since 1995.

 

 

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Mid-Shore Food: The High Spot Comes Home by Debra Messick

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In a town steeped in history, but grown used to seeing the old and familiar fade away, a subtle miracle manifested on High Street over the past weeks.

In front of the recently closed Theo’s Steakhouse next to the Post Office, folks sadly processing the demise of another eatery thought they’d spotted a sign from the past. Many, no doubt, had to blink, making sure they weren’t hallucinating. After ensuring that the vision wasn’t a mirage, the warm, fuzzy feelings rushed in, swirled with splashes of curiosity and anticipation.

Clues that began emerging on social media were soon, happily, confirmed. 

The High Spot, featuring The Amber Room, was set to return, this time, under the auspices of Ava’s Hospitality Group restaurateur guru Chris Agharabi, who brought Ava’s Pizzeria and Theo’s to High Street several years back. 

This will be the third time the name High Spot has hung above the 305 High Street location. The sign was first raised by the Robbins family, who made it a beloved local mainstay for over a generation. 

Mary Alice Lipes can still taste the yummy custard ice cream cones she had there as a youngster.

“I remember most vividly the custard ice cream that was a family recipe of the original owner. It was my absolute favorite dessert of theirs. I know they had others, but I honestly don’t even remember what they were, I never wanted to venture beyond the custard! My family went to the High Spot maybe once a month, and after dinner, as we left the Amber Room, we would stop at the counter for an ice cream cone,” Lipes recalled.

Teri Robin Insley’s grandparents brought her to the original High Spot about four times a month. The food she enjoyed there still inspires mouthwatering memories; she can still almost savor the flavor of roast beef with fries and mashed potatoes and bread pudding with hot vanilla sauce.

Catherine McCulley had second hand childhood memories relating to the High Spot. She remembers that during the 1960s and 70s it was quite the gathering place for Cambridge attorneys. One of them, her dad Conrad, met his good friend, former Phillies and Cambridge Cardinals baseball player Fred Lucas there almost every afternoon for coffee.

The eatery’s next incarnation came courtesy of Chef Patrick Fanning, who added “Gastropub” to the name. 

After a highly successful run as one of the town’s leading restaurants, Fanning’s fortunes crashed, and once more the High Spot’s doors closed.

Agharabi stepped in and reimagined the space as Theo’s Steak House. Like Ava’s across the street, Theo’s offered charming, heated outdoor cafe dining during Covid, we eventually transitioning back indoors.

But as July turned the corner into August, Theo’s departure notice appeared in the window. Not long afterward, with no fanfare and little warning, the iconic sign simply appeared, as though it had never left:  The High Spot, The Amber Room, Fine Dining. 

As word began to spread on social media (what serves as a town crier for these times), more details emerged, shared by Ava’s Hospitality Group’s Marketing Director Sophie Ziegler.

On August 3, Ziegler shared a post in the Facebook Group Cambridge Maryland Memories:

“The rumors are true! High Spot is returning to Cambridge– because it should have never left!”

That first post alone elicited 150 comments, among them, this memory from group member Patricia Stephenson Dietrich:

“Hamburgers were the best. With fried onions. Took my mom there every Friday. I grew up in Cambridge; I have so many wonderful memories,”  and this advice from Linda Parsons Willey: 

“Provide your customers with good food at a reasonable price. Make it a friendly, family atmosphere, and maybe have a few unique things on the menu. This is why the original High Spot was so popular. Wish you success in your new venture.” 

Ziegler and Agharabi have continued to reach out and request input from those wishing to share memories of what made the High Spot special to them, and are working to incorporate as many as possible into the evolving menu, which includes a lower front page message:

“As a nod to the original High Spot(s), we are excited to bring back the old and the new. We know that the High Spot is a part of Cambridge History which can never be duplicated. We hope our version brings back a small memory or two. We look forward to hearing your memories and bringing some of them to life.”

Because the custard was mentioned by so many people, Agharabi is eagerly trying as many recipes as possible–currently up to 9–in hopes of recreating it. 

“We’re having a lot of fun perfecting our custard recipe, and making it into orange and coca-cola floats!,” Ziegler added.

They’ve also made efforts to impart the original feel of casual, elegant ambiance, enhanced with fresh touches. Subtle, striking black and white water-themed photography harkens back to an earlier era. In the Amber Room, newly lightened walls reframe and highlight  the original majestic mirrors. 

Artist/Entrepreneur April Dean Goodman, whose Soul Shine emporium is located just a few doors down on High Street, loved what she saw while stopping in during The High Spot’s low key opening day last week. She couldn’t wait to spread the word on her Facebook page:

“The menu looks awesome…affordable, beautifully-made, comfort food dishes served in a tastefully-decorated dining room. 

Unpretentious and homey, homies. 

Besides plenty of tables for traditional dining, there is also a sweet lounge area under the expansive front windows…with lovely green velvet occasional chairs and leather loveseats. Perfect for casual and relaxed gatherings with friends, family, or business peers. Like hanging in someone’s beautifully-appointed living room. I’m diggin’ it! So well-done. 

Happy hour is killer! Half-priced appetizers from 4pm to 6pm every day. Where else can you get crab-stuffed mushrooms for 6 dollars or Buffalo oysters with Bleu cheese for 9? Drinks are also 2 bucks off during happy hour.

The restaurant is generously staffed and everyone seems very excited about the newness of it all! There were tons of staff smiles when I stopped by a few minutes ago!! 

Owner, Chris Agharabi is very good at what he does. He owns Ava’s in both St Michaels and Cambridge; 3 restaurants in Rehoboth; and a production facility in Easton. He is generous to our communities. He is also always open to feedback. 

Hope to see you down there!”

Ziegler shared what the company hoped the latest High Spot would bring to the city

“We really want High Spot to be a home base for a great meal for the people of Cambridge – people of all ages. We hope it’s a place they can depend on for everything from birthdays and prom night to special family dinners nights out.

We also hope people appreciate the subtle, nostalgic details, like soft dinner mints and stewed tomatoes, which we’re bringing back from the original High Spot,” Ziegler added.

She and Agharabi also wanted to encourage people to continue applying for positions as servers, line cooks, bartenders, and more at https://www.avashg/careers.

Additional staff will allow for additional days and hours to expand the current schedule, Wednesday through Saturday, 4 to 9 p.m. 

Ziegler also invited former bartenders to come in and guest bartend to help raise money for local charities/schools at [email protected].

For more information and to make reservations, visit https://www.highspoteats.com.

Debra Messick is a retired Dorchester County Public Library associate and lifelong freelance writer. A transplanted native Philadelphian, she has enjoyed residing in Cambridge MD since 1995.

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The Mt. Vernon of the Mid-Shore: Midge Ingersoll and her Vision for Handsell

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Restored Handsell House, 2021

The road leading to historic Handsell, tucked away amid farmland in the rural outskirts of Vienna, Maryland, is long, winding, and well worth taking.

Located 15 minutes from Cambridge, one mile off of Rt. 50, the original Chicone Village (also referred to as Indiantown), can be previewed on Google Maps, TripAdvisor, Zoominfo, and TikTok. 

Since 2005, Trustee and Founder Midge Ingersoll, along with a devoted cadre of true believers making up the Nanticoke Historic Preservation Alliance, has been on a tireless mission to put the property squarely on the area’s  historical roadmap.

Anchored by a partially restored ivy covered brick Georgian mansion remnant, whose ongoing restoration is a work in progress, the site offers in some ways less, yet so much more, than a traditional museum, a historical landmark vividly brought to life.

A Native American longhouse, work shelter, and garden, allows visitors to glimpse its original inhabitants, who were mentioned in the journals of Captain John Smith, before the Colonial era traders, settlers and prominent landowners moved in. 

At the land’s edge, a magnificent stone stands, engraved with a dedication memorializing all the Enslaved, an idea developed by Trustee and President Shirley Jackson, whose family lived and worked as sharecroppers in the area. (Recently, the group also created an Enslaved Community Database, listing some 200 individuals owned by members of the landowners, though not all lived on site.)

Ingersoll’s connection to the property, which began as a happy accident, set her on a course of nonstop discovery. The ensuing journey, requiring copious blocks of time devoted to painstaking research, patience, and perseverance, became a path of choice, one she’s been delighted to dedicate herself to.

“If you have more passion than anyone in the room, you’re in the right place,” Ingersoll noted.

She spent her formative years in the ‘old Quaker town’ of Moorestown, NJ, surrounded by historic structures, each of which could have whispered a multitude of stories. 

Earning an art degree, Ingersoll successfully channeled her talents into a successful 30-year architectural rendering career. Amassing a portfolio of thousands of homes, she became well versed in building design plan schematics. 

Putting her skills to work on behalf of numerous friends who had old homes, Ingersoll also was actively involved in Moorestown historic preservation efforts. All the while, she was laying a foundation for a flourishing future involvement along these same lines, upon putting down part-time and eventually full time Dorchester County roots.

In 1990 she and husband Jon purchased a Neck District farmhouse dating back to the mid-1700s, and slowly began researching and working to restore it. 

Handsell House in 2003 (Handsell photo)

Brickmason David Lewis, who had been assisting their efforts, one day approached Ingersoll with news that he’d seen an intriguing house for sale on Indiantown Road, asking if she’d like to take a look, and that was all it took to get her hooked.

As related on Handsell’s website, “After just a little bit of research, we knew we were onto something BIG. As the layers of the story unfolded, through research in archives, deeds, Wills, and historic family letters, a better, yet not fully complete story emerged of Native people, licensed Indian traders, English settlers, British attacks, merchant activity, and structural devastation.”

Meeting around her kitchen table, Ingersoll and five others agreed to each put in $100 to begin the process of forming the Nanticoke Historic Preservation Alliance, which would purchase the house and property from Lewis and his wife, with a Preservation Easement from the Maryland Historical Trust.  It became listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.

Though the brick house is open only at specially scheduled times, tours can always be requested and arranged. The grounds are open daily, and with Guide by Cell Audio Tours accessible by phone. (Records indicate that over 1,000 people made use of the audio tours last year.)

Recreated Chicone Long House and Garden

Handsell has also opened its grounds to special overnight camping groups, including the Naval Midshipmen Native American Club, and inner city youngsters from Baltimore. 

On Saturday, October 8th, Handsell will host one of its two annual open house events, the Nanticoke River Jamboree.(Each April a Chicone Village Day is also held.) Both events regularly draw hundreds of visitors from throughout the Eastern U.S., and feature living history interpreters from North Carolina, Virginia, and D.C. 

For the first time this summer, Handsell also offered a well received series of Saturday programs, and Ingersoll can envision additional opportunities to showcase the grounds, such as a Handsell haunted house.

For more information, visit https://www.restorehandsell.org, call 410-228-7458, or email [email protected].

Debra Messick is a retired Dorchester County Public Library associate and lifelong freelance writer. A transplanted native Philadelphian, she has enjoyed residing in Cambridge MD since 1995.

 

 

 

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The 100th Harvest for Mid-Shore’s CULTA Cannabis

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All Photos by Jill Jasuta

Historically, Cambridge had been home to many successful businesses, notably fruit and vegetable canneries, seafood packing houses, and related production facilities. The industries produced economic boom times and plenty of jobs for locals needing work.

Those once bustling businesses have long since drifted away. Yet some vacant factories and warehouses remained, somber signposts of past glory gazed at in the rear view mirror.

But lately, flickers of hope have been resurfacing on the horizon, in the form of good enterprising ideas looking for fixer upper buildings featuring good bones to call home, along with lots in need of love to live again.

One such Cinderella scenario has taken place at 10 Washington Street, in a modern farming complex tucked away behind the Police Department, in what some might consider an ironic twist of fate and others poetic justice.

The property, once home to a glass manufacturing facility, has been transformed into a state of the art, green certified cultivation campus for CULTA, the Maryland-based medical cannabis startup which, since sprouting from the fertile minds of co-founders Mackie Barch and Matt Bickel in 2017, has rapidly matured into a homegrown success story.

Following a continuous upward trajectory, in 2021 CULTA’s business offices moved from Silver Spring to a larger Bethesda facility. The company’s innovative, ever expanding craft product lines are available at the flagship Federal Hill dispensary in Baltimore, as well as others throughout the state.

Jay Bouton, Senior Director of Cultivation

Jay Bouton, Senior Director of Cultivation, shared that after starting out with an original crew of 10, today about 150 of the company’s 180 employees work at the Cambridge growing facility.

A Colorado transplant, Bouton reflects a number of staffers willing to relocate here from out-of-state due to the quality of jobs available. “The industry in Maryland has matured from a workforce perspective, and more people are finding that it offers great career paths doing something that they have always had a passion for,” he added.

According to the CULTA website, the unconventional urban farm comprises three outdoor acres and 20,000 indoor square feet featuring a heavily automated, multi-stack LED vertical growing system inside a medical grade code building, ensuring the same surgically clean environment as a hospital or medical facility.

On April 17, 2018, the company celebrated its first cannabis harvest of 450 plants, nurtured within the outpost’s initial indoor grow space.

In 2019, CULTA broke new ground, literally and figuratively, becoming not only the East Coast’s first outdoor cannabis cultivator, but the first organically managed farm in the state to earn stringent Green Clean certification, regarded as among the highest international industry standards.

This month another milestone was announced–the 100th harvest, with a bumper crop of 950 cannabis plants, Bouton noted.

“When I first stepped into the facility in 2018, I was immediately impressed by how clean the entire place was. Over the years, as we have expanded, the facility has continued to exceed all expectations and proves that anything is possible with the right team. Retrofitting an existing warehouse has its unique set of challenges, but that is also part of the fun and the challenge to make it work with the canvas you have available,” he mentioned.

“​Technology that is available to the cannabis industry is changing rapidly, and you can see that firsthand with our two phases of indoor grow rooms. The lighting, HVAC, and irrigation/fertigation equipment that we installed in 2020 was much improved over the equipment available to us in 2016, when the first purchases were made. LED lighting and multi-tiered grow rooms have been the biggest recent changes to the industry overall,” Bouton noted.

“We joined the Sustainable Cannabis Commission (SCC) in January of 2022, with a focus on becoming carbon neutral in the next 10 years. We have installed only LED lighting in our grow rooms for the past three years, which gives us significant energy savings for every batch harvested. These lights also reduce the amount of heat in the room, which in turn decreases the amount of air conditioning needed, creating more savings. Sustainability will continue to be a primary focus for CULTA for years to come,” he added.

It also appears that the innovative enterprise looks forward to being part of the Cambridge landscape for the foreseeable future, as well.

“​We feel that we have been welcomed to Cambridge with open arms and couldn’t have chosen a better town to call home. Since we popped our first seeds in 2017, there have been many improvements and additions to the area, and we look forward to being involved with the future of Cambridge,” Bouton added.

For more information visit https://culta.io/.

Debra Messick is a retired Dorchester County Public Library associate and lifelong freelance writer. A transplanted native Philadelphian, she has enjoyed residing in Cambridge MD since 1995.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.