It only takes a few minutes in the Academy Art Museum’s main galleries to remind oneself of the extraordinary wealth of artistic talent that occupies the Mid-Shore. On the walls and in cases, some of the AAM’s best artists and photographers are taking center stage as the museum continues its annual Members Exhibition.

We sent a special agent to capture just a sample of what can be seen until November 26th.

This video is approximately two minutes in length. For more information about the Academy Art Museum please go here. 

Even with the stiff competition of major events on the Mid-Shore, including Chestertown’s Downrigging, Easton’s AAM Craft Show, and CBMM’s Oysterfest in St. Michaels, if you polled anyone under five years old, the popular choice by a wide-margin would be Centreville Day.

While adults and teens have good reason to flow to the Big Three, toddlers, and their parents are increasingly finding Centreville Day to be their cup of tea. Scaled for young children, with not-too-scary Halloween figures, good storytelling and many options for painting, the pre-school crowd was out in force on Saturday where we had a spy on assignment.

Here is their report.

This video is approximately one minute in length.

Fall’s here and that means the Academy Art Musuem’s annual craft show is here as well. Over Saturday and Sunday, the AAM is opening its doors to 70 of the finest crafts artists working today.  We sent a Spy over last night for a quick report.

This video is approximately one minute in length. For more information about the Academy’s 26th Annual Craft Show please go here.

The Spy is always eager to share news of a Mid-Shore native making it in the art world, and this time around, it is Easton’s own Maggie Rogers who was profiled in The New York Times today.

In a fascinating article, Maggie shares her interest in the spiritual influence of music and the remarkable journey she has taken, including time at the Harvard Divinity School, to help keep art sacred.

Read the story here. (Paywall might prevent free viewing).

 

Editor’s note: Esteemed Photographer Dave Harp sent along this stunning photograph to the Spy a few days ago. He writes “below is a photo I made of him in a tree behind my house, shortly before he departed in March.

He attracted hundreds, if not thousands, of avid birders and regular folks interested in a glimpse of his highness. It was such a pleasure having him (most likely a young male) around on gray winter days!

It was a snowy winter in Cambridge.  What started out as a Christmas present in December turned out to be a winter-long gift, when a snowy owl (Nyctea scandiaca) graced Cambridge with its presence until the end of March. The owl, most likely a young male, was far out of its normal range, which goes into the high arctic.

Nearly two feet tall, he made quite a presence and attracted birders with powerful scopes, photographers with their giant lenses and people with cell phone cameras looking for a glimpse of the beautiful owl.  He would spend days on chimney’s, roofs, docks and trees in the historic west end of Cambridge, probably living off rodents, ducks and small birds. He was the talk of the West End all winter and provided a respite from thoughts of covid and other worldly matters. “Where’s Snowy today?” was usually answered by looking for pods of people, some with tripods and cameras, gazing heavenward.

We hope he returns next year.

A spy on special assignment was able to sneak into the special preview event on Friday night for the 24th annual Academy Art Museum Craft Show. Undercover footage was obtained of some of the over 70 best craft artists from across the United States.

It what might be one of the most popular crafts shows in the Mid-Atlantic region, the AAM event will be open to the public October 16 and 17.

This video is approximately one minute in length. For more information on the Crafts Show please go here.

 

On May 23, Doc’s Sunset Grille in Oxford hosted the first annual Big Al’s “Gone Fishin’” Tournament to benefit the Oxford Volunteer Fire Company (OVFC). The fundraiser was named for Al Ledford, Oxford resident, avid fisherman, and proud EMT and fireman volunteer who died in January 2020. 

On August 8, a check presentation ceremony was held at the Oxford Firehouse. Tim Kearns, OVFC’s president, received the $10,962 check from Big Al’s son, Mark Ledford. Ledford acknowledged the Tournament sponsors: Chooch Oristian from Doc’s Sunset Grille and Tom and Susan Campbell from Campbell’s Boatyards. 

Liza Ledford, Big Al’s daughter-in-law, remembered him as someone who perceived life as a gift to be shared. The Oxford Firehouse, she said, provided him the opportunity to do just that while fulfilling his passion for service. When the fire siren rang, Big Al could always be counted on to be there, ready to assist the community.

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The tournament attracted twelve boats who competed for the $5,000 in prize money.

Winners were: 

–Biggest fish by male angler (and overall biggest fist)- Bunk Ewing on “Catch Ya Later” (sponsored by Doc’s)

–Biggest fish caught by a female angler – Riley Waters on “Talk to Ya” (Sponsored by Campbell’s Boatyard)

–Next sizes up Male: Neil D’Aldamo on “Always Somethin” (Sponsored by Roto-Rooter)

–Next sizes up Female: Joey Janda on “Miss Conduct” (Sponsored by Roto-Rooter)

 

 

 

Sometimes it’s hard to process the idea that the United States Naval Academy sponsors a blues and rock band. But thanks to the Avalon Foundation and the Tidewater Inn, the famed ‘Blues & Gold’  took the streets (Harrison and Dover) for another free concert on Saturday night.

The Spy filed this intelligence report on their performance as a few hundred residents gathered to hear the sounds of B.B. King, Eric Clapton, and Joe Bonamassa on a perfect summer evening.

This video is approximately one minute in length.

One of the Spy’s favorite Baltimore Magazine authors, Lydia Woolever, has once again made the Eastern Shore the focus of her latest article as she tackles the complex crab industry attempting to keep up with consumer demand.

“In Maryland, the commercial blue crab harvest is now worth more than three times that of oysters and rockfish combined, with some 34 million pounds harvested in 2019, at a dockside value of more than $56 million. As of press time, a bushel of males exceeded $300, while a pound of meat peaked at $50—driven in part by the coronavirus pandemic, during which local consumers flocked for carry-out crabs as a source of comfort.”

Read the full article here.