There seems to be a certain turning point one can detect in early August on the Mid-Shore. While we have seen some remarkable summer days in June and July, with light breezes and low humidity, there is a certain settling in early August to the more familiar hot scorcher weeks we all know is part of summer here, where the community retreats to the comforts of air conditioning as it waits out the rest of the season.

Nonetheless, from the Spy’s point of view, these past June and July months were memorable days for all who live in Talbot County. Beyond the heartwarming return to “normal” after two years of COVID life, there were countless days when it did indeed feel like perfect summer days as the community took to the water and our cultural festivals. 

We also saw a record number of voters turnout for last month’s primary election, which can only make one feel so proud of one’s fellow citizens. The Spy had a front seat row for the Talbot County Council contests with both political parties, with our long-form interview profiles done in partnership with the Avalon Foundation. Those interviews provided remarkable insights into the personalities of the candidates, but it also reinforced my perception of who lives in this community. After interviewing thirteen of them, it was hard not to be impressed by their unique backgrounds and genuine interest in making Talbot County one of the best places to live in the United States.

The summer has also brought some wonderful things to the Talbot Spy beginning with the addition of Laura Oliver’s new column in our Sunday edition. After a few months to recover from the passing of the Spy’s first Sunday columnist George Merrill, the stars aligned to bring Laura on board, and the response to her unique take on things has been nothing less than amazing.

And I’m delighted to say that the Spy has had the same reaction with our weekly weather report on Thursdays by filmmaker Cece Storm. Each week, Cece uses images blessed with her brilliant visual eye and pairs them with quotations from our literary masters in what might be one of the most original weather forecasts in the county.

These are just two examples of how the Talbot Spy is fulfilling its educational mission to inform and entertain in public affairs, the arts, and regional culture. Through the help of some of the best writers on the Eastern Shore, the Spy continues to play a unique role as the Mid-Shore’s only nonprofit news source. Every day we publish fresh, insightful, and nonpartisan news leading with community education rather than traditional journalism as our top priority. With now 11 years of service of doing just that, with over 500,000 unique visitors a year, it is beyond satisfying for this editor and the dozens of volunteers that make it work.

This effort is not cost-free, however. Every month, we do need to find support for our modest writer fees, internet services, and the miscellaneous expenses of any small enterprise. And so, three times a year, we ask our readers to donate what they can to help keep the Spy spying on Talbot County. As we start our Summer 2022 campaign, I sincerely hope you might consider contributing to the Talbot Spy Fund at the Mid-Shore Community Foundation.

Electronic donations can be made here or personal checks can be sent to the Talbot Spy Fund, C/O Mid-Shore Community Foundation, 102 East Dover Street, Easton MD 21601.

With warm wishes and many thanks,

Dave Wheelan
Executive Editor

Over the last few years, there has been a considerable effort to “preserve” local history and use it strategically in such debates as the location of the Talbot Boys Confederate memorial in Easton. But in today’s edition, Spy contributors Neil King, Jr. and Jeff McGuiness have sought to actually “protect” local history from being abused on a national scale.

Neil and Jeff, whose last contribution earlier this year, Statues and Fields, became one of our most widely-read stories in 2021, have returned with a tough but responsible response to MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow’s recent false narrative of Frederick Douglass and his time living as a slave at Talbot County’s Mt. Misery estate.

The cable news star had used Douglass as part of a “good riddance” essay on the recently-deceased former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who had owned the historic home while serving in Washington during the Bush years. Part of Maddow’s narrative was that the former cabinet member was, in some psychologically deranged way, perfectly A-OK in owning the property where Douglass had suffered his worst beatings, which Rachel suggested was consistent with Rumsfeld’s unforgivable use of torture with Iraqi war prisoners.  

Spoiler alert: Rachel Maddow was dead wrong about Mt. Misery. Please read their brilliant essay here. 

As many had feared, the Delta variant has found its way onto the Mid-Shore along with its deadly infection rate and increased pressure on our relatively small healthcare network. To our chagrin and complete frustration, the Spy has had to return to reporting local COVID cases. While conditions still don’t warrant daily updates, we will be analyzing those numbers every 24 hours to determine if any significant changes require public notice. I want to thank again Spy public affairs editor John Griep for his ongoing coverage of this health crisis. 

Finally, I’d like to thank the hundred or so Spy readers who contributed to our summer fundraising effort. These small donations are now the lifeblood in keeping the Spy spying on the communities we love. Speaking for our writers and volunteers, I am profoundly grateful for these gifts and their use to keep the Talbot Spy free for all our readers. For those who still would like to contribute please feel free to do so here.

Dave Wheelan
Publisher and Executive Editor

Over the last few years, the Spy has lent, at no cost, its extensive mailing list and website readership once a year to some of the region’s most significant educational and cultural institutions to receive constructive feedback on their core mission and programs. In 2019, we worked with Washington College to help the historic liberal arts college with its strategic planning. That project was followed by a similar survey in 2020 for the nationally respected Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum.

Those surveys proved to be remarkably helpful for both institutions since each questionnaire resulted in over 500 participants. This exceptionally high response rate provided precious data and more anecdotal input that has dramatically improved their long term plans.

This year we have chosen to work with the Academy Art Museum as it continues to fine-tune its exhibition and educational programming for the entire Eastern Shore.

Could you please take a few minutes out of your day to help the Academy and its long-standing mission to serve the Eastern Shore.

Take the Survey here.

Dave Wheelan
The Spy Newspapers