The Spy – Page 2

New Traffic Signals at Matthewstown Road Intersection

November 9, 2019 by The Spy

With nearly 10,000 vehicles a day traveling MD 328 (Matthewstown Road) and increased traffic on Black Dog Alley near Easton, the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) will signalize this busy Talbot County intersection next week.

The new signals will enhance safety by facilitating turns and crossing movements for Black Dog Alley drivers, particularly during peak-commute periods. MDOT SHA will place temporary message boards along MD 328 to alert drivers of the new signal. Work includes converting the existing flashing beacons to full-color traffic signals with video detection for improved traffic management, as well as signage and line striping. Rommel Engineering and Construction of Linthicum is expected to complete the project in two days for an estimated $30,000.

MDOT SHA works hard to maintain safe traffic mobility in work zones for motorists, as well as our crews. Drivers need to stay alert, focus on driving and, look for reduced speed limits, as well as other driving pattern changes. Drive like you work here and slowdown in construction zones.

The Art and Reality of Nancy Tankersley’s Robbie Bowan

November 5, 2019 by The Spy

When the Spy recently saw the 2019 Waterfowl Festival poster, an essential and historical part of this popular event, was graced with the remarkable work of artist Nancy Tankersley, it was a pleasant surprise that the subject of her work was an actual human being.

Not that we have anything against ducks or geese, but, to our knowledge, this is the first time in its 49-year history of Waterfowl that a “person” was the featured image. And how appropriate that Tankersley, this year’s featured artist, and perhaps one of the country’s most respected Plein Air artists, was the first to break that long-overdue milestone.

And the results are stunning in the way “Podgin’ for Oysters” allows us to watch a quintessential waterman, lean and focused, working hard for his daily catch.

But, being the Spy, we also were eager to know who the waterman was in real life, and with the help of the artist, we were able to spend a few minutes with Robbie Bowan. We found surprising similarities between the subject Nancy captured so well and Robbie’s gentle and generous nature. With his commitment to saving the oyster industry, including helping the UM Horn Point Laboratory and Phillips Wharf Environmental Center, Robbie is just as committed to chairing the annual Crab Pot Christmas Tree & Lighted Boat Parade. And that is after he finishes his day job on his two boats, Preacher Man & The Provider, hoping that all his hard work will yield profit.

We spoke to Robbie at his home last month about being waterman, his optimism that this legendary vocation can be saved, and how it feels to be on canvas.

This video is approximately two minutes in length. For more information about the 2019 Waterfowl Festival, please go here.

A Conversation with Easton Council Member Don Abbatiello

October 31, 2019 by The Spy

As a result of feedback from Spy readers over the last few months, we began a series of interviews over the next year with Talbot County and town council representatives. By providing a platform to highlight particular issues and opportunities through these conversations, it is hoped this new format will encourage more civic engagement.

We continue our new series with a discussion with Don Abbatiello, a member of the Easton Town Council for Ward 2. In our conversation, Don talks about the need for sidewalks on Easton’s east side, and the need to create walkable communities there. He also highlights some highlights from his first year on the Council, economic development, Verizon service, and update on the Easton Volunteer Fire Department recruitment efforts.

This video is approximately nine minutes in length. For more information on the Easton Town Council please go here

“Harriet” Opens on November 1 in Cambridge

October 31, 2019 by The Spy

“Harriet,” the first full-length movie about Maryland’s most famous conductor on the Underground Railroad, will be released on November 1, 2019 by Focus Features. Movie-goers can see Harriet in major cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, as well as many locations across Maryland, including Cambridge – the birthplace of Harriet Tubman – at Cambridge Premier Cinemas. The movie opens nationwide on November 15.

“The life and legacy of Harriet Tubman is well-known by Marylanders, and we are excited to know that her story of heroism, courage, and sacrifice will be shared with others,” said Governor Larry Hogan. “I encourage all citizens to visit the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Scenic Byway, the Harriet Tubman Museum and Education Center, and other sites in Dorchester County to see where her story began.”

“We are excited that Harriet Tubman’s story has been brought to the big screen,” said Maryland Commerce Secretary Kelly M. Schulz. “Through this film, people all over our country and the world will get to see the important role that Maryland played in her life and in her efforts to lead many brave men, women, and children to freedom.”

“I was thrilled to learn the details of this major feature film about Harriet Tubman, and anticipate that movie-goers will be inspired to learn more about the woman called the ‘Moses of Her People.’ Visitors are flocking to see the places that shaped her life that are on the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway,” said Liz Fitzsimmons, managing director of Maryland’s Division of Tourism & Film. “As they traverse the same fields, forests, and marshes that Tubman did, visitors truly understand why Maryland is considered The Most Powerful Underground Railroad Storytelling Destination in the World.”

The movie has received critical acclaim following its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. The film’s director Kasi Lemmons thanked Maryland, the citizens of the Eastern Shore, the descendants of Tubman, and the Harriet Tubman Organization.

“People should be thrilled to know that there is a Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park and a Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Scenic Byway so that film-goers who want to learn more about this amazing woman can come to Maryland to witness where her story began,” said Lemmons.

At the Academy: Art Education Continues During Construction

October 30, 2019 by The Spy

One immediate impact of the Academy Art Museum’s significant building renovation project, which started only a month or so ago, is that the AAM’s ability to host their extremely popular art exhibitions will be curtailed during construction. And while that might be a temporary disappointment for Mid-Shore art lovers, it does give the Academy a unique opportunity to put a much-needed spotlight on the art center’s other critical mission, which is art education.

With some 5,000 young students and hundreds of adults entering the building every year for classes, lectures, workshops, studio time, the museum has maintained an extraordinary commitment to its’ educational roots. And even with ongoing construction, Constance Del Nero, the head of the Academy Art Museum’s Children’s Education & Community Programs, makes clear in her interview with the Spy a few weeks ago, the AAM is not missing a beat in continuing these courses during its FY 19-20 year.

Constance also talks about the importance of art in people’s lives and how reaching out to children, their families, and even senior adults can not only unleash creativity but substantially improve the quality of life for all its participants.

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

About the Plant: Shore Seniors Finding Relief from Cannabis

October 29, 2019 by The Spy

Perhaps one of the most startling results of Maryland’s legalizing medical cannabis on the Eastern Shore is that most of the users are considered senior citizens. Seeking relief from pain, both physical and psychological, these older patients, some of them in their 80s, make their way to Ash +Embar of Centreville, as well as other dependencies on the Shore, seeking relief.

And, as Ashley Herr, the co-founder of Ash+Embar, notes in our most recent “About the Plant” series, they are finding that relief.

This video is approximately three minutes in length. For more information about Ash+Embar services, please go here. Disclosure: Chestertown Spy publisher and editor Steve Meehan is a principal in Hippocratic Growth, LLC. Ash+Embar is a sponsor of the Chestertown Spy and Talbot Spy and its coverage of Mid-Shore health topics.

Mid-Shore Arts: Phase II on the Raimond Arts Building with KCAC’s John Schratwieser

October 24, 2019 by The Spy

The Spy always tries to keep up with the Kent County Arts Council given their remarkable role in the community. Not only is the KCAC a vital funding source for dozens of Kent County arts organizations since Leslie and Vince Raimond helped create it decades ago, but it has recently doubled down on their mission with the restoration of the Fine Arts Building on Spring Street.

Last year, KCAC director John Schratwieser outlined for us phase I of this major capital project, and the Spy caught up with him last month to understand it the project’s all-important phase II. He also highlights how the current building, even under construction, is already playing a key role in the Chestertown community.

This video is approximately three minutes in length. For more information about the Kent County Arts Council or make a donation to the Raimond building, please go here.

Catching Up on St. Michaels with Commissioner Bill Boos: Fall 2019

October 23, 2019 by The Spy

There is no question that the Town of St. Michaels continues to be challenged with their plans to erect a new town hall. For three years, town Commissioners have been tested in public hearings, the newspaper, and in the courts, about their unanimous decision to build a modest replacement for its overcrowded administrative offices and the Commissioners chamber.

And no one has been more in the middle of this than the Commission’s president Bill Boos. During most of these three years, he has had to find a balance of representing the town’s decision in these ongoing disputes and while also moving forward with the project through its permitting and design phases in the full anticipation of breaking ground soon.

But Bill is also clear that even with this mega-project, at least for a small town, the other work of the Commissioners is taking place. From new signage to zoning, he reports that he and his colleagues are moving forward with other projects to ensure St. Michaels remains one of the best waterfront communities on the East Coast.

This video is approximately seven minutes in length. For more information about the town government in St. Michaels please go here.

Food Minute: A New Sprout Sprouts Up in St. Michaels

October 22, 2019 by The Spy

Nothing makes a Spy happier than to hear there is a new place in town for good food, so it’s no surprise that we were delighted to see the Sprout has opened in St. Michaels last week.

The local, prepared food service, founded in Trappe only eight years ago, has shown its entrepreneur chops by establishing home delivery and self-service outlets (Sproutlets) throughout the Mid-Shore, followed by establishing their first cafe and main kitchen in Easton last year. Now they are joining the robust food scene in St. Michaels with their eat in-take out format certain to please the locals as well as boat crews needing “real food” during the season.

The Spy took some surveillance footage to share.

This video is approximately one minute in length. For more information about SPROUT. please go here.

Creating Community Art by Mary McCarthy

October 21, 2019 by The Spy

Recently Tilghman Island’s Post Office building enjoyed a makeover in the form of a 52-foot-wide mosaic. Created by over 45 volunteers during a six-month period, the work was inspired by Nadine Sachs, a mosaic artist who wanted to “add a little color and sparkle to Tilghman Island.” The following story, by guest writer Mary McCarthy, chronicles the project.

Beautifying a building just for the sake of beauty

During the last six months, it’s been my privilege to play a small role in a beautiful project. My friend and neighbor Nadine Sachs, who’s a talented mosaic artist, initiated a community art project in which she’d install a large-scale glass tile mosaic on the island post office. Her art studio is adjacent to my island writing cottage, so whenever I’ve been in town and available, I walked over to help. Nadine, a former professional ballerina, and current professional organizer, is 55 and an inspiration and good friend. She taught me how to mosaic, though my skills are rudimentary.

I have very little artistic ability, and certainly didn’t help place any of the tiles into the whimsical marine life shapes, but enjoyed watching as colorful jellyfish, plant life and other underwater magic appeared. I was a low-level tile gluer and grouter, and she assured me that these roles were important as well. I also contributed sea glass and pottery I’d found both on the island and in the case of a fishtail or two, in a Victorian dumpsite outside Washington, D.C.

The six-month project was undertaken by over 45 volunteers and installers, mainly over-55 community members though some younger community members participated as well (I was thrilled to have my daughter visiting before she left for veterinary school one day) and the atmosphere was always delightful, especially because one neighbor always brought homemade cookies. 250 pounds of grout were used over six months on the 52-foot long project mosaic that was laid out over 17 separate tile boards.

Nadine scoured home improvement stores and construction sites for donations of leftover tile for the project, even scavenging leftover mirrors and cutting them down into small, however-sharp pieces that could be used in the artwork. Band-aids were handy! If she couldn’t find a color she needed for one area, she spray-painted plain glass.

My favorite part of watching the project unfold was seeing how happy the community was to come together for the common effort and for the idea of Nadine’s inspiration, which was simply to create something to make the island more beautiful, not for money, recognition or advancement in any arena. As it was being installed, so many people went by and smiled, took photos, and appreciated the new central island source of beauty, that now exists simply because Nadine worked this hard to provide something for her community to make it a nicer place to live.

I made a YouTube video of the process of placing the tiles to create the mosaic and hanging the artwork. I am no videographer- the video is too long because I used an app I had never used and didn’t know how to shorten the video clips once I’d added them. I could only use music I’d purchased, and for some reason, only certain songs were available to choose, though of course, I love the songs I’ve bought so I don’t mind the mix (hello, soft hits of the 70s!). If you have a free 17 minutes (!) and like mosaic-making videos, you’ll love it I suppose.
I sat with Nadine on her back porch overlooking the beautiful colors of the Chesapeake on a fall day this weekend after the project was complete, and she said these colors, these sounds of nature were her inspiration and what she wanted to bring to the project. It’s nice for the community to be able to share that sense of peace and wonder the Chesapeake has to offer.

Mary McCarthy is the author of a number of books, most recently the children’s book I SEA, A Beachcombing Treasure Hunt. Her 25-year professional journalism career includes editing and writing for many newspapers, magazines, and websites. She served as an elected official on the Centreville Town Council and serves on the Board of Directors of the North American Sea Glass Association where she is also Education Chair.

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