According to a recent Spy report, the word is out, and Easton’s the place to be if you’re a skateboarder.

That’s right, with the new skatepark and pumptrack opening at A. James Clark Sports Complex, it didn’t take a New York minute for news to travel to the Mid-Atlantic skateboard community, with Delmarva skaters being the most stoked. Before Easton, board enthusiasts typically had to drive to Annapolis or use the less-than-ideal Salisbury park if they wanted a decent facility. 

Last week, the Spy sent one of our agents to provide some surveillance video.

This video is approximately one minute in length.

No doubt the entire Mid-Shore was a witness to one of the most remarkable lightning storms in recent history last night, but it took an article this morning in the New York Times that indicated that it had achieved national attention.

Once started to support juvenile diabetes research, and later helped ShoreRivers with its conservation work, the pandemic put to rest, at least for a few years, the gathering of bicyclists from all over the region to join the Tour de Talbot.

But those dark days are in the past as over 500 participants gathered in the Easton Volunteer Fire Department’s parking lot for the enjoyment of an organized bike rides ranging from 30 to 60 miles and perhaps some of the flattest roads on the East Coast.

This year the Tour has committed all proceeds($20,000) to four local organizations. CarePacks of Talbot County, YMCA of the Chesapeake, Mariah’s Mission, and Talbot Thrive. Each of these groups play significant roles in bolstering our community’s well-being.

A few Spies filled this report.

On Saturday afternoon, Academy Art Museum’s gathered together hundreds of friends and artists to celebrate its 65th birthday this year. It was done on the museum’s wonderful South Street lawn with music, complimentary ice cream, and some fun screen-printing of the AAM’s commemorative poster.

But the fun part for many was to help recreate a historic photoshoot the Museum originally staged for its 25th anniversary. In this case, it required professional equipment for the photographer to find just the right angle to match the original. The Spy can’t wait to see the final edition.

A few spies were at the event and filed this report.

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

A trusted spy in the community has provided us recent surveillance footage of Maryland Governor Wes Moore ducking into Out of the Fire restaurant on Tuesday for a quick lunch. In an impromptu chat with other diners, the newly-elected governor made it clear to Easton would be seeing a lot of him in the future. We can only suspect it is OOTF’s pizza that wants him to come back so often.

A few days ago, the Spy was passed a note suggesting we look into the remarkable conwidence that accorded a few days ago in Anne Arundel County on New Year’s Day. According to the Annapolis Capital, Becca Paterson McNally gave birth to one Reese Davenport McNally at precisely 12:01 A.M. at the Luminis Medical Center, making Reese the first baby born in that county.

That was wonderful news for Annapolis, and mother and child are in good health, but the twist to the story is that this is the second time for Becca’s family, the Pattersons of Easton, had achieved the “First” title.  In turns out Reese’s mom, Becca herself, won that distinction as the first baby in Talbot County in 1991 when her mom, Robin Davenport, gave birth at the Easton hospital.

It is yet to be determined if the Patterson family is gearing up for another “First in Line” award; only time will tell.

Readers can read the full story here (major paywall)

Alfred Hitchcock, indeed, would have been delighted by the recent gathering of turkey vultures at the Easton grain elevator plant off off Dover Street. Still, one suspects that most residents that pass by the large processing center might find the sight of the bird conferees a tad off-putting. 

That was the response from one of our Spy readers, and they inquired as to what the town might do to disband this rather spooky convention of hundreds of vultures. We don’t have an answer for any municipality response, but we have seen this phenomenon before. 

Ten years ago, Spy editor Kathy Bosin explored a similar occurrence on an AT&T cell tower off St. Michaels Road. In that article, she explains that these remarkable gatherings are called “wakes” because it mirrors a traditional wake where family and friends gather to pay their respects to a loved one. And while the birds do not express grief of any type, their bowed heads and black silhouettes remind the solemn atmosphere of a funeral.

We asked one of spies to capture some reconnaissance film to share.

This video is approximately is less than one minute in length. 

.

The Spy’s favorite Baltimore Magazine writer, the Mid-Shore’s very own Lydia Woolever, continues this month with her ongoing special stories about the Eastern Shore and the Chesapeake Bay.

This time around, with the help of photographers Jay Fleming, Timothy Hyman, And Mike Morgan, Lydia takes on the complex impact the Chesapeake Bay Bridge has had on Maryland since it first opened 70 years ago.

Read on here.

Readers of the Spy might enjoy a recent article by Martha S. Jones of the New York Times that was published yesterday.  The historian marks the 200th birthday of a conductor of the Underground Railroad with a visit to her birthplace, only to learn how climate change is washing away memories of “the ultimate outdoors woman.”

Please read the article here.