Val Cavalheri

Homage to Harriet Tubman on Main Street

September 26, 2019 by Val Cavalheri

On September 7th, Cambridge held a special event titled A Day of Resilience, honoring Harriet Tubman. It was also the official ribbon cutting of the mural located on the exterior wall of the Harriet Tubman Museum and Educational Center located at 424 Race Street. Recently, the Spy spent some time with the man who designed and painted the mural, Michael Rosato.

Rosato’s studio is located in Cambridge, a couple of doors down from the mural he created. But to call him a local artist would not be giving full credit to the magnitude of his work, which includes (to name just a few) the Oklahoma City National Memorial in Oklahoma City, OK, Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Tx., the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC, the Headquarters of Bacardi in San Juan, Puerto Rico, etc. His website catalogs the public and private spaces that show his talents. The creativity alone is worth a look.

As prolific as his work has been, Rosato didn’t set out to be an artist. His dream was to be a fighter pilot. Like his dad, who was killed during the Vietnam War. But then life threw a curveball. On a trip to St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, Rosato stood in front of Michelangelo’s Pieta and felt a deep emotional response that he’d never felt. He knew then that he needed to pursue art, create beauty, and evoke the feeling he had experienced in others.

That was around 28 years ago, and no, he didn’t go to school to study art. Instead, he says, he learned from the greatest teachers. “I taught myself how to paint by going to the National Gallery of Art. If I didn’t know how to paint a tree, I’d look at how Hudson River School painters painted a tree. If I didn’t know how to do a sky, I’d go see how John Constable handled it. So, my art school was the masters of art on the wall. Having access to free art, like at the Smithsonian, was instrumental in the development of what I do.”

As is not unusual in these types of stories, fate stepped in. A chance conversation while getting his hair cut, led to an opportunity to assist an artist who was painting a commissioned mural for a Saudi princess in Roslyn, VA. Even though Rosato had never done this type of work before, as soon as he was shown how, he said: “I can do that. And then that was it. I fell in love with painting. It was after a year working with him, I went on my own and boom…”

That boom, for our area, of course, was the Harriet Tubman mural, which was commissioned and made possible with the support of the Maryland State Arts Council, Dorchester Center for the Arts, Alpha Genesis CDC, the Harriet Tubman Museum and Educational Center, and Downtown Cambridge. The 14×28 foot mural portrays a historical icon that wanted her story told. Rosato would be the storyteller.

He chose the three-dimensional, trompe l’oeil effect to compel you, as a viewer, to want to interact with Tubman, as she reaches through the wall with an outstretched hand. “It made it a lot easier to paint,” says Rosato, “when I realized that the gesture and the face had to express: ‘take this hand, now we’re going to freedom.’ I wanted her to have a very strong, quiet strength. That plays in with coming up with a character of the person that I was painting.”

Working with pictures of both an older and a younger Tubman, he created a 30-year-old version, full of vigor. “That strength, that superhuman strength–the 30-year-old attacking the world,” he said. “That feeling that nothing can stop you, that comes with the naïveté of youth. But at the same time, the incredible heroic nature of that kind of person and that kind of spirit.”

No small feat that Rosato wanted to portray, but one he knew he achieved when, once again, fate intervened and showed him he was on the right track. As Rosato remembers it, he was nearing the end of the two weeks it took him to complete the mural. He had worked ten hours that day and decided to stop, leaving Tubman’s outstretched hand unpainted. Tracy Lynndee, owner of Maiden Maryland, passed by the unfinished mural with her 3-year old granddaughter, Lovie. The young girl reached out and touched Tubman’s hand. A photo of that moment was taken, posted on social media, and it went viral. Suddenly, even those who had never heard about the mural, or Cambridge, or Rosato, or even Tubman, felt a connection.

The circle was complete.Unlike Michelangelo, who never got to see Rosato’s reaction to his sculpture, Rosato, has been able to watch the emotional response the mural elicits in others. Like the 80-year-old woman who thanked him and started crying. Or the African American lawyer who told him he had ‘done it right.’ “Every time I’m there, says Rosato, “if people are there, something new happens, and it’s really amazing. And it happens daily. So, it really has resonated. Harriet Tubman encapsulates the American concept of heroism. She is definitely an American hero. There is also something kind of neat about public art and the fact that this is on the side of the Tubman Museum Educational Center. It provides an opportunity for you to go in and learn the story, and you start to realize what a remarkable individual this was.”

As for the future, Rosato is about to start painting 15,000 square feet of space at the United States Marine Corps Museum in DC. He sees similarities to the Tubman mural: “I’m working with these marines, who are just incredible people. They possess the spirit to sacrifice self for others. You start to realize that the character of people like Harriet Tubman, like these marines, it’s something special. She represents the greater power that is willing to lift you out of your darkness. We all want that hand.”

A Look Back and Forward at the White Swan Inn

September 23, 2019 by Val Cavalheri

In historic Chestertown, just across the Chester River, on a tree-lined street where both visitors and residents can be seen enjoying a leisurely stroll, sits an unassuming building in the center of town. Step through the door, and you find yourself in a time warp. This is the White Swan Tavern.

Although not always knows by this name, White Swan is a familiar landmark since pre-Revolutionary days. Currently owned by the Havemeyer family, the inn was conscientiously restored and now operates as a bed-and-breakfast country inn. It is also used for small conferences, weddings, and receptions, as well as afternoon teas and other special events.

On arrival, we were met by Sarah Crump, manager and head innkeeper. “I do the taxes,” she said, “and sometimes I also do the beds.” What she doesn’t take credit for is that she’s also part history teacher, part tour guide, and full enthusiast of this walk into another time and another era. As we would learn, the six available bedrooms, and some of the rooms in the house, are named after the various personalities who owned or contributed to its ‘soul.’ She would tell us their stories.

Parts of the Tavern date back to 1725, we were told, when it was then a one-room dwelling used as the home and workshop of John Lovegrove, known as the Shoemaker of Chestertown. As the town grew, the smell of Lovegrove’s tanning pits, forced the townspeople to kick him out (these tanning pits would prove to be of much importance in the future). This portion of the house was, at one time, moved off of its foundation and used as an unattached summer kitchen. Today, returned to its original location, it is one of the inn’s bedrooms and known as The John Lovegrove Kitchen. It has the most distinct 18th century feel with a large walk-in fireplace, brick floor, and open beam ceiling.

In 1733, Joseph Nicholson bought the property and added to the home. This addition is the front portion of the present structure. The Nicholsons, who were a respected Royal Naval family, had three sons, two of whom had impressive military careers. “And then there was James Nicholson,” says Crump. “James Nicholson is the infamous captain who ran the Virginia aground and abandoned it. He worked for the British and lost a ship to the Americans. He worked for the Americans and lost a ship to the British. He then sassed himself into a duel with Alexander Hamilton, that he backed out of. So that was James, born here. Not our proudest tie to history, but you know, we’ve got one.” The elder Nicholson left two items in his will, which can be seen in this section of the house: an escritoire and a grandfather clock (circa the 1750s).

John Bordley bought the property in 1793 and expanded the back half of it, converting the home to a tavern. For this distinction, one of the bedrooms carries his name. Bordley sold the inn to Isaac Cannell in 1801.

Cannell is considered the tavern’s first innkeeper and has the breakfast and tea room named after him. Afternoon tea served from 3 to 5 pm daily, is one of White Swan’s amenities and available to anyone who rings the front bell, whether or not they are guests. The room’s most noteworthy feature is an antique heavy wooden chair set in the corner of the room. The chair is wide both in the seating and sides and tall in the back. “It was something that would go in front of the fire for heat,” says Crump. This was also, very likely, a chair for ‘fine ladies’ because a ‘fine lady’ should not see what goes on in a tavern environment. So, they put blinders on the chair, set it right in front of the fire and women were told to look straight ahead. We have put it in the corner, and the ‘fine lady’ can see whatever she likes from here!”

After Cannell, various other owners and innkeepers ran the tavern and lent their names to the current bedrooms: Thomas Peacock Room, Wilmer Room, Sterling Suite, and T.W. Eliason Victorian Suite.

Of these, the most interesting is Thomas Wilson Eliason, who bought the inn, changed it into a grocery store and in 1860 gutted parts of the building. Says Crump: “[The family] were merchants in everything except hospitality. They cut a hole in the side of the wall, and the only way to get to the second floor was a new stairway they had to build to get to it. This now exists as a lead-in from our Bordley room into the bathroom.”

Unlike the rest of the inn which is in the Colonial style, the Ellison Suite is Victorian. It’s on the second floor and wraps around from the back to the front of the inn. The furniture in this room is distinct for its size. Or rather its height. It is low to the ground and, as explained by Crump, is called Victorian nursing furniture. “Women were so tightly corseted, they couldn’t actually bend down to play with their kids. So, they would sit down on the low chairs and could play with toddlers of all ages. Instead of taking the corsets off, they chopped all the furniture down.”

One more thing and worthy of mention here since it’s been written about in books and articles: Ghosts. The White Swan has its share of them. “Especially in the Lovegrove room,” says Crump. We actually had the Delaware paranormal research group come in and do an investigation, and they got voices in the Lovegrove and in our Eliason room, and some sounds out of the Wilmer as well.”

Until 1977, the building existed as shops and offices and included the P&E News Agency. The restoration of the building by the Havemeyer family began in 1978 as an archeological dig.

This became one of the most historically significant contributions to the area, as over 70,000 artifacts were recovered, many of them thrown away as trash in John Lovegrove’s leftover tanning pits.

Although most of these found objects are on display at the University of Delaware, a selected few are in the inn’s tavern room, now dedicated as a museum. Behind a glass wall are pieces of stemware, North Devon sgraffito glazed bowls, various pipes, and even chamber pots. Most significant is a ‘charger’ with a bird on it and a 1730 date. From this piece, the White Swan earned its current name.

We asked Crump about her favorite item in the house, thinking she would point to a specific relic or an antique furniture piece. Instead, she took us to the bottom of one of the stairwells and pointed upward to where an oversized American flag hung on the wall. She explained, “This flag is not colonial at all, but it belonged to Louisine Havemeyer. And Louisine was many things. She was a patron of many great artists. She was a good friend of Mary Cassatt and Mary guided her purchases. And in that way, she ended up patronizing Edgar Degas and Monet and Manet, and lots of French impressionists. But she was also a suffragette and one of the founding members of the National Women’s Party fighting to get women the right to vote.

That was the flag they used for marching and displays. She was actually jailed for five days in 1919 for burning an effigy of Woodrow Wilson. Yeah, she’s a little firecracker. She’s written a few memoirs of that time. She was a very admirable woman, and it is her great-grandson who now owns the Swan, which is how we were lucky enough to get that.”That fact was just one of the many morsels of the past we got. There are so many more stories to tell, so many more opportunities to understand life as it was lived so many years ago. Sarah Crump hopes you want to hear them. Stop by, she tells us. We’ll take you on a tour. Come and have tea with us. Come and stay at the inn.

Before we left, ready to walk through the door that would lead us back to our cars and the politics of the day, we realized what White Swan lacked in each of their bedrooms. There was no TV. We looked to Sarah Crump for the answer. “We’ll give you a mini-fridge,” she told us. “You can snack, but we won’t let you stress.” Not a bad compromise.

For more information about The White Swan Tavern go here.

Four Sisters and a Food Truck

September 12, 2019 by Val Cavalheri

A couple of months ago, someone on Facebook conducted a survey, asking: What is lacking in Easton? A significant number of people responded that a wider variety of ethnic foods would be a welcome addition to the mid-shore area. That wish is about to come true. On Saturday, September 14, 4 Sisters Halal Meat and Groceries on 600 Dover Road will be having a ribbon-cutting ceremony for their new food trailer. To be known as 4 Sisters Kabob and Curry, the trailer is attached to the store and will be selling Indian and Pakistani food.

Was this event years in the making? Are there a lot of investors? Not quite. Shortly after opening the specialty grocery store in October 2018, the family-owned business began catering their traditional food. This led to take-out platters and meals served on Tuesdays and Fridays to a growing and appreciative lunch crowd. Customers who signed up were alerted via text on that day’s selection. As demand began to increase, the family decided the time was right to expand their business. They considered and rejected physical restaurant space due to lack of funding. Eventually, their search led them to Ryan Groll from Sprouts who had put his food trailer up for sale.

But to what some may see as luck and things falling into place, to Shahida Perveen, the mother of the 4 sisters named in the restaurant, this opening will be the fulfillment of a life’s longing—the old-fashioned achieving-the-American-dream-kind.

It begins with Perveen, a single mom. A woman who came to the United States from Pakistan, looking for a better and safer future for her family. Perveen was fortunate. Her parents were already living in the U.S., on the Eastern Shore, and were able to sponsor the family. With no knowledge of the English language, Perveen began working at a KFC on Kent Island. She would get a ride to work at 9 am and return at 11 pm, while her children were taken care of by their grandparents. Eventually, the family found housing on Kent Island and Perveen switched jobs, working at 7-11, and running a flea-market stand in Delaware on weekends.

Until she had a stroke.

During the three months in rehabilitation the eldest daughter, Andleeb, at the time 16 years old and on summer vacation, took over her mother’s shift until Perveen was able to return. The twelve years at 7-11, were followed by seven years at Easton Shell gas station. These were not easy years for Perveen who suffered two additional strokes and was also diagnosed with diabetes. Throughout it all, she kept on working, doing catering on the side, providing for her family, and saving whatever she could.

Areej, Bushra, Andaleeb, Shahida, and Shanza

Which brings us to an idea she had about starting her own business, preferably a restaurant, where she could put her talent and passion for cooking to use. With help from Andleeb, now married with children of her own, they started looking for a place in Easton. One problem: no one would finance Parveen’s dream. “We tried all of the banks,” said Khan. “Nobody wanted to give us a dollar, nobody.” So, they took a risk. They couldn’t afford to start a restaurant, but they did the next best thing. They opened a Middle Eastern Grocery store that sold the foods Perveen and her family grew up with. Exotic spices, like methi and cardamom, naan and paratha breads, basmati rice, halal meats including goat, beef, and chicken.

Word got around about Parveen’s talents as a cook which led to the food trailer idea. “We’re not trying to copy anyone,” says Andleeb, “We’re not trying to be another pizza place or another burger or barbecue joint. We’re bringing a specialty that comes from our heart and our homes.”

As with the store, the trailer will be named after Parveen’s family—the daughters for whom she had sacrificed and who now were helping to ensure the success of the business. Says Andleeb, “You know, it’s not just a name–4 Sisters. There are actually four sisters, and they’re alive, and they’re existing, and they all have a story to tell.” Not surprising is that the sisters’ stories show how much they learned from their mom. Andleeb, who when not at the store with mom, is studying for her nursing degree and raising two children. Shanza on full scholarship and in her 4th year at the University of Maryland will be pursuing a medical degree. Areej, also on full scholarship, attends Washington College with a dual degree in political science and business. Bushra, the youngest, helps out at the store and just started 9th grade.

Something else besides the name will appear on the trailer. The words: The American Dream. Perhaps, in the end, this is a tribute to a woman who came to the United States from Pakistan, looking for a better and safer future for her family. A woman, who through hard work, insurmountable odds, unrelenting determination, and yes, a little luck, found that she was able to give her daughters, a new home, a family business, and a lifelong lesson on perseverance.

A typical menu for the food trailer will feature a platter with two sides. Items such as Butter Chicken or Lamb Masala, Vegetable Samosas, curries, etc. The family promises to have something to please both meat-eaters and vegetarians. Hours: Tuesday-Thursday 10 am-9 pm; Friday & Saturday 10 am-10 pm, and Sun 10 am-8 pm.

Val Cavalheri is a recent transplant to the Eastern Shore, having lived in Northern Virginia for the past 20 years. She’s been a writer, editor and professional photographer for various publications, including the Washington Post.

Cultural Crossing Comes Together in Easton

August 15, 2019 by Val Cavalheri

For over 20 years, Easton’s East End resident and artist, Josepha Price, has watched her neighborhood grow. As it evolved, Price fully integrated into the area. She raised her children, bought a home, opened an art studio, and taught art there. For years she envisioned an art, music, and food fair that would celebrate the diversity and the culture of the community. A chance conversation this past January with community organizer and East End resident, Carolyn Jaffe, set into motion, six months later, the unveiling of the Easton Arts District Culture Crossing along the Easton rails-to-trails.

Josepha Price

It started with an invitation to attend a Town Council meeting. She was there to support the efforts of Discover Easton’s Executive Director Ross Benincasa and Jeff Lankford, to have Easton designated as one of two new Arts and Entertainment districts in MD. “I find out,” says Price, “that the area they’re proposing to be the A&E district is actually the heart of it, the east end and in particular the Dover Street corridor. And you know, that’s where my kids have lived their whole lives.”

Price next met with Benincasa and Lankford. “We had this discussion about there’s this whole space right here, the rails-to-trails. It’s got space, parking, grass, asphalt, and shade. It’s visible. And there’s a lot of cultures down in that area that haven’t been explored or represented.” She spoke about wanting to reach these unrepresented artists. But more importantly, she told them, she wanted a place that celebrated the diversity and ethnicity of Easton’s neighborhoods. When Easton received the A&E designation, it was only natural that Price was asked to spearhead the first event.

After navigating through the unknown territory of advisory boards and town councils, and with the help of Director of Parks and Recreation, Lorraine Gould, and Ward 1 Council Rep, Megan Cook, Cultural Crossing made its debut on Saturday, July 13, 2019. With assistance from the Talbot County Arts Council, who helped with planning support as well as a mini-grant to help pay for the monthly entertainment, the open-air style market featured a variety of local artisans in a location typically not used for public events. The artists were able to show off their work, the neighborhood was featured or introduced to new visitors, and everyone was exposed to original art. “Art isn’t accessible to the everyday person, and you can either purchase something from a gallery, or you go to Target and buy whatever everybody else has. And so, I was one of those people that would love to have an original, but can’t afford $1,600.” That’s where Cultural Crossing can help. “If you wanted to see a sailboat, or a duck, or a landscape, it’s available in area galleries,” says Price. ‘But if you wanted to see graffiti, or something abstract and sculptural, you can’t easily find it.” Events such as this, Price believes, changes all of that and creates support for new art forms.

Yet even as this market was packing to leave, it was time to start planning for the next one. Fortunately, word got around, and on August 17, guests will have many new vendors to get to know and enjoy; double the number that was part of the inaugural, in fact. Support of local groups such as Chesapeake Multicultural Resource Center and the Chesapeake Center (whose focus is to assist adults with disabilities), makes this event even more valuable. “It’s not just about different ethnicities in the area,” says Price, “it’s also about people with different abilities, as well.”

It doesn’t end there. Right now, the group has been approved through September and hope to add an October date. If they continue to be successful, the vision is to have it take place monthly April through October. They see the fair expanding to both sides of the trail, and feature much more folk art, jewelry, demonstrations, poetry, free things for kids to do, and live music. The immediate goal is to raise money to purchase a hand-washing station that will allow food vendors to be an integral part of the market.

Price sees a time when informal musical jam sessions, slam poetry and stand up performances will be the norm. “I want it to be entertaining, not just enriching,” she says. “I would like for people to feel like they learned something new or they saw something different. I want them to look forward to the next one because we want to continue to, not only evolve but also change so that it’s not the same every time.”

As for Price’s beloved East End, “I believe we’re going to experience a little bit of a renaissance.”

Culture Crossing is a free family event and will be open August 17 and September 14, 11:00am to 3:00pm.

For more information or to apply to become a vendor: www.eastonculturecrossing.com.
For up-to-date information on the artisans and vendors attending each event, follow @EastonCultureCrossing on Facebook and Instagram

Ecosystem: WATER/WAYS: Smithsonian Exhibit Opens in Oxford

August 6, 2019 by Val Cavalheri

Water: Seventy-one percent of earth’s surface is covered with it. It influences what we eat, where we live, and how we work. It impacts climate, inspires art, music, and religion. It is an environmental necessity. It affects our life on the Eastern Shore. Which is why the current traveling Smithsonian Museum on Main Street (MoMS) exhibit, Water/Ways, at the St. Paul’s Church in Oxford is such a significant exhibition.

Sponsored by the Oxford Museum & Maryland Humanities, the program is designed to explore and raises awareness of water and how it influences economy, history, migration, culture, and spirituality. It also looks at the environmental impact and ways to protect dwindling supplies of this critical resource.

The concept behind MoMS is to send high-quality exhibits to small museums in towns with small populations. Places that usually wouldn’t have the opportunity to participate in a national exhibition program. The selected towns are provided with ready-to-install exhibitions containing a variety of high-quality, informative units with photographs, text panels, and touchscreen interactive kiosks featuring video and audio content. Much of the work done to coordinate, install, and present the exhibition is done by volunteers. After six weeks, the exhibit is taken down and sent to the next scheduled location. Organizations all across Maryland competed for the chance to host this traveling exhibition, and the Oxford Museum was one of only six communities awarded the unique opportunity.

“The way it’s laid out, it’s meant to be of interest to a lot of different levels of curiosity,” says Stuart Parnes, president of the Oxford Museum. “So, there are things here that if you just want to look at the big picture, you can just do that. If you want to read a lot of detail, you can do that. The whole idea of these shows is to get people to think about issues and traditions that have affected our lives forever and we just kind of overlooked them or don’t think they’re important to us.”

But the exhibit is meant to do more than just be an educational experience. With support from state humanities councils, towns have the opportunity to create their own educational programs. “The idea is that each community that takes one of these shows amplifies it with what makes sense in the local community with their local culture or their local history, and their local arts,” says Parnes.

Since the Oxford Museum was too small to contain the 650 square foot exhibit along with the local programming, the main presentation is at the St. Paul’s Church, who cleared their calendar for the 6-week show. Two ancillary Water/Ways exhibits are on display at the Museum: “Carrying On – Four Centuries on the Oxford Bellevue Ferry,” which details one of the area’s most popular tourist attractions and “A Rising Tide in the Heart of the Chesapeake Bay,” which tells the story of Smith and Holland Islands and their struggle with erosion and rising waters. We have a split venue.” says Parnes, “We decided to have them open on the same days and the same schedule so that people could walk back and forth between both locations.”

Expanding on the experience of the informative, inspiring, and eye-opening exhibitions are a series of free and open to the public programs that feature experts in their field. “We’re trying to use people who are local that maybe folks haven’t really connected to yet,” says Parnes. “So, we’re not bringing people in from Baltimore and not bringing people in from Washington. This is about our own little area.” Oxford Community Center, Oxford Town Hall, Eastern Shore Land Conservancy, and the Easton Library provided space for the educational series which began in mid-July. The remaining lineup includes:

August 7, 5:30pm: Water, Water Everywhere: Sea Level Rise on the Eastern Shore of Virginia and Maryland by the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy staff.
August 8, 6:00pm: Chesapeake Requiem: A Year with the Watermen of Vanishing Tangier with the book’s author, Earl Swift.
August 14, 5:30pm: Vibrio bacteria: Everything You Didn’t Want to Know, But Probably Should with Ava Ellett (Cooperative Oxford Lab/NOAA).
August 21, 5:30pm: Flushed with Pride (a discussion on Oxford’s new state of the art water treatment facility) by Oxford Town Manager, Cheryl Lewis
Additional information and location of programs may be found by visiting: https://www.oxfordmuseummd.org/events/

Water/Ways is open Friday-Monday 10:00am-4:00pm
St. Paul’s Church 225 S Morris St. and the Oxford Museum 101 S Morris St.
The exhibit runs through August 24, 2019

Bay Hundred Senior Center’s New Leader: Ann DeMart

July 15, 2019 by Val Cavalheri

Ann DeMart wasn’t looking for a job. For the past few years, she had been freelancing while taking care of her mom, who had Alzheimer’s. Before that, in the corporate world, she specialized in healthcare marketing, writing, and program development both on the east and west coast. So, when a friend suggested she apply for the position of Manager of the Bay Hundred Senior Center, she thought why not?

Four days later, the job she hadn’t been looking for was hers’. “I hadn’t really expected to get a job, particularly one that I liked so much at this point in my life. But it was just the timing and kind of a combination of what I can do and what they were looking for,” says DeMart.

The Center, open on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays, is located in the new Perkins Family YMCA in St. Michaels. It offers active seniors, age 60 and over, opportunities for socializing, learning, exercising, recreation, and community engagement. Giving seniors in the community more choices is high on the list of priorities for DeMart. “We’ve got a really diverse group of seniors in the Bay Hundred area. You know, we’ve got people who are born here, and watermen, and farmers, and we have retiring CEOs.” Her goal, she says, is to bring this diverse group together through programs ranging from basketball games to needlework and everything in between. The Center also serves lunches at noon on the days they are open, giving seniors another opportunity to interact with others.

DeMart did emphasize that they’re not taking away from the programs already locally established. Instead, their mission is to emulate the successful Brookletts Senior Center in Easton while enhancing the benefits and services currently offered through the community center and church groups in the Bay Hundred area.

It is the unique differences, however, that make the Senior Center a paradigm to the community, town, and possibly even the state. It started when two organizations joined forces to open one building instead of competing for funding dollars. The collaboration of Upper Shore Aging and the YMCA of the Chesapeake was innovative but took on a new character when the facility was built behind the St Michaels Middle High and Elementary Schools

Since they opened in early June 2019, the Y and the Senior Center have been working with the school system to arrange for projects that involve the students. This alliance is the first example of a multi-generational program in the state of Maryland, and a model for future programs.

“Starting in the fall we’re going to have interns who will come in and work with the seniors,” says DeMart. “One student has already offered to teach Spanish.” The school will also be able to reap the benefits of the partnership. “Take their theater performances: we can go on and watch the shows or dress rehearsals. We can help their history projects and science projects. Seniors can give them oral histories of their lives. I love that this is intergenerational, which I think benefits everybody.”

Undeniably, the school is a great asset, but another advantage of the alliance is that the ultra-modern and spacious Y facility has plenty of equipment and room for classes and programs. Already, the Center has attracted talented members of the community who volunteer to teach activity and courses in art and dancing. Then there are the musicians who come to entertain, drawing large and appreciative crowds.

Some of the volunteer interest from the community is thanks to DeMart herself. She’s a member of the Art League, on the Talbot County Arts Council, on the board and marketing chair of the Chesapeake Forum (formerly Academy for Lifelong Learning at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum). The welcome news that some Chesapeake Forum courses will be held at the Y is one DeMart helped to make happen. “There are a lot of people who aren’t able to exercise, she says, “but they’re still exercising their minds. I saw classes attended by people in their nineties, and they were sharp as can be. Intellectual curiosity doesn’t have to die.”

For now, DeMart’s emphasis is on growing the number of seniors enrolling in the Center. Membership is free to eligible individuals, and membership to the YMCA is not required to participate in the Bay Hundred Senior Center programs and activities. Members’ spouses who are under the age of 60 are also eligible. Since opening, over 200 people have already signed up, which seems to be an indication that the community is excited about all that the Center is offering.

Ann DeMart wasn’t looking for a job, but sometimes what you’re looking for comes when you’re not looking at all.

Mid-Shore Food: Jordan Lloyd Takes Over Eagle’s Cafe

June 4, 2019 by Val Cavalheri

It’s not often that you hear of people going out of their way to have lunch at a golf course. But then again not many golf courses have chef Jordan Lloyd taking over the Eagle’s Café at the Hog Neck Golf Course. Featuring a new and tempting menu which ranges from pulled pork BBQ sandwiches to pasture-raised beef burger, there are two things hungry clients can count on: they’re going to get an affordable, delicious meal and, as much as possible, the produce will be locally grown and raised. That’s because Lloyd is passionate about both quality and the farm-to-table model, and he has a plan to show others in the food and hospitality companies how it can benefit both the community and local economy.

The idea probably began when he and wife Alice opened Bartlett Pear Inn Restaurant in 2009. “We never intended on being a farm-to-table restaurant,” he says. “We never thought of this as a concept. This was just our way of life. We wanted to open up a really great restaurant, and I was always taught that the way to do that is through providing the highest quality available. We do that by making sure we know where our products are coming from, and we make sure that they’re at the freshest peak value that they can be.”

But running a successful fine-dining eatery that only had 30 seats, was not making financial sense and in 2016 they decided to close the restaurant while continuing to operate the Inn. The lessons learned, however, were invaluable and ones he felt he could teach others to do. They included: how to create superior food, how to hire quality management, how to incorporate fresh local produce, and how to create the right atmosphere to attract clients who appreciated quality service. He turned his focus to Hambleton House, LLC, the contracting and consulting company he and Alice formed when they first went into business. Through Hambleton House, Jordan Lloyd would use his vision to transform the hospitality and food business, all while supporting the local economy.

After taking on a couple of DC-based restaurants. Lloyd invigorated their recipes, changed their menus, and trained new staff. The reshaped businesses picked up new customers and rave reviews. With those accomplishments under his belt, he began looking for something local that fit the scope of his dreams. It appeared when Nauti’s, the new seafood restaurant project at the Ferry Point Marina, asked him to oversee and design their kitchen operations. Despite that project being currently on hold due to permit issues, other opportunities arose as his successes became known.

The next venture was the retirement community, Londonderry on the Tred Avon. Lloyd redesigned their menus, hired a chef, and brought in Chesapeake Harvest to provide some locally sourced foods to the restaurants. Chesapeake Harvest, part of the Easton Economic Development Corporation, connects farmers to the consumers (both wholesale and retail) through an online farmer’s market that Lloyd helped create. “The carbon footprint impact with Londonderry buying local is huge, he said. “That’s thousands of dollars a year in the pockets of local farmers.” But his excitement didn’t end there. “The residents were coming to me saying, ‘Jordan, ever since you started cooking here my feet don’t swell. Ever since you started cooking here, I don’t have headaches like I used to.’ I mean, we are making real nutritional impacts with food. In the past, if their feet were swelling, they may have taken medicine. Now, it’s being helped with good nutritious food.”

Which brings us back to the Eagle’s Café at the golf course. Right now, Lloyd says, they’re able to tap into the best of what is available locally. “The café is serving Hummingbird Farm tomatoes. It has Bramble Blossoms Farm lettuces. It has Shi-Mar Farms pork shoulder. All available like good local products at a concession stand.” Affordable, locally sourced, flavorful food, served in a beautiful setting excellent has led to some fantastic feedback from clients. “It was just a matter of resetting the facility with products and a nice menu,” he says. He’s equally proud that the ‘amazing foundation of employees,’ despite all the changes, are enthusiastic and want to remain with the café.

And that’s the whole point Lloyd feels. “If you’re bringing in Hambleton House you are bringing in a company that has a constant pursuit for higher quality. We will be relentless for that pursuit because we believe that’s what makes great businesses great. The quality that they execute and that quality is not just food and beverage, but it’s also in its people and its atmosphere, and it’s in its presentation. So, it’s quality across the board is really our pursuit.

Next on their client list is Pope’s Tavern in Oxford. “I’m there to set them up with a business plan,” Lloyd says. “Really good food for sure, but on a consistent level that the staff on-site can execute consistently with quality and with understanding. For example, if they’re ever having trouble with a particular soup, I’m either going to work extra hard to train them on making it correctly, or we’re just going to change it to something easier for them to execute.”

Lloyd also sees Hambleton House’s mission as being an incubator for other businesses. Starting June 1st, Amanda Cook, a world-class pastry chef and baker will be moving into the area and starting a wholesale baking company at the Bartlett Pear Inn kitchen. Lloyd, looking at the future, doesn’t discount a storefront retail situation, but for now, the focus will be to support her on the wholesale side.

Not surprising, Hambleton House’s reach has extended beyond the restaurants and cafés. As part of a task force, Lloyd has been meeting and working with Maryland Delegates and Senators to create a state level bill called Maryland Food for Maryland Institutions. The goal of this proposal is to mandate that a percentage of all food procured by state institutions be bought from in-state farms. “Imagine how this impacts the farmers in our area,” Lloyd says. The bill is expected to become law within the year.

Stay tuned. There is much to be done and much that Jordan and Alice Lloyd would like to accomplish. “I would say our mission as a couple and as community participants is that we really do care. We care a tremendous amount about the success of the community and anything that we can do to support the efforts of our community business leaders or community aspects, we’re 100% there.”

Mid-Shore Commerce: Ten Years of Crow Farms

May 29, 2019 by Val Cavalheri

Judy Crow, from Crow Vineyard and Winery, remembers 10 years ago when The Spy came for lunch on the patio of the newly renovated Farmstay B&B. She remembers mentioning during the interview that the questions on the minds of the locals were, how were they going to get people there and why would they come? “For us,” says Judy, “it felt like people are going to want to come to be a part of the farm and stay at the farm. It just seemed like that wasn’t a challenge. And with the Internet the way it was back then, you’ve put yourself up on a few platforms, and people find you. We had no problems filling rooms.”

This innovation, foresight, and daring is the reason why The Spy is here 10 years later, talking about the expansion of Crow Vineyards and their influence on local development. Judy perceives it this way: “I think when we see opportunities, we are fluid enough that we can change. And I think it’s also about the diversity of the management team: My husband Roy, myself and our son, Brandon. All three of us have a little different approach. But we have seen that each new idea can be proven to be successful. It doesn’t matter whose idea it is because we all work together at it.”

The B&B was just the beginning of their plans. Next, they learned how to grow grapes and used three and a half of their 365 acres to plant some vines. Then, Brandon thought they should be involved in wine-making. “So, we started to think about renovating an equipment shed and making some wine, says Judy.” While they were doing that, they also became intentional about growing their 10-15 Angus cattle herd and raising them as beef. Today, the 100-head herd, the 12½ acres of wine, the 5,000-case wine production, and a store at Queenstown Outlet are just some of the changes affecting the farm.

Clearly, Crow Vineyard’s success has also been an enormous boost for the entire area. Led by Judy, a collaborative and marketing relationship formed known as the Rivers to Canal wine trail. It encompasses three wineries located within 15 minutes of each other: Crow, Broken Spoke, and Chateau Bu-De and encourages visitors, tourists, and residents to tour all three locations during their trip. “When you have this Upper Eastern Shore region becoming a destination for people coming for the day or the weekend from areas such as New York, Philadelphia, New Jersey, or Baltimore, it just makes sense.”

The collaboration does not end there. Crow Vineyards is also committed to supporting the growth of the Eastern Shore wine industry by renting out their wine-making production to other new startup wineries. “Some people we make wine for would like to satisfy the sweeter pallets of a wine drinker,” says Judy. “So, there they have sweeter wine. Or they just want to make a few wines and have a good tasting room. Then we work with them to do that. As we’re growing, we’re bringing others along with us to really map this out as a tourist destination.” The effort to expand Maryland’s diverse wine growing regions is one Judy can speak about with authority. For the past two years, she’s served as the President of the Board of Directors of the Maryland Wineries Association.

When asked to reflect on how she measures their success, Judy responds: “I think it’s two things. One is we’ve been able to make really good wines, and I think that speaks to our commitment to, have something pleasing for everyone. The other thing is our focus on teamwork and good customer service.” The type of customer service that Judy talks about means that visitors who want to hear how the farm got started will get to hear it directly from the owners. It means visitors who express interest in helping to harvest the grapes get to do so by signing up and joining them in the fall. It means that anyone who wants to stomp grapes can do so at the Crow Fest on September 8th.

Speaking of the Crow Fest, Judy sees the annual event as an opportunity to expand their enthusiastic customer base and support those who have supported them throughout the years. The festival will feature live music, wine seminars, cooking demonstrations, exhibits from local vendors, and yes, grape stomping. “The grandchildren are the first to stomp the grapes, and then the public is welcome to join them. Monies raised are donated to the FFA (Future Farmers of America).”

As for what may be forthcoming, Judy knows they will continue to be open to new possibilities and will involve their other children if they are interested. “When I first met Roy (and even though he owns the farm), he said his philosophy has always been, that he’s the caretaker of the farm. There will be somebody else for the next round, whatever the next round is. When I married him, I bought into that concept that I’m a supporter and caretaker here. Everything I think we’ve done so far has invigorated, not only the farm but the local economy and it’s pretty exciting when you can do that.”

Whatever that future might bring, today a visitor can come to stay overnight, be part of a working farm, taste the wines, enjoy the breathtaking farm views, chat with the owners about how it all was different years ago, before the vineyards, before the festivals. Today they’ll leave with some great memories, some fresh beef and their favorite wines. Not bad for 10 years!

Two Decades of Watching Ospreys with Atlantic Security’s Cams by Val Cavalheri

May 20, 2019 by Val Cavalheri

A true harbinger of spring at the Eastern Shore is the return of the ospreys to their elevated nests, usually around St. Patrick’s Day. If you live or pass by any of the local waterways, just about now you may see the top of the head of one of the parents sitting on their eggs. But unmistakably, the best view can be found on your computer, tablet, or phone anytime day or night on the Ospreycam Live feed, set up and hosted by the Chestertown-based Atlantic Security Inc. (ASI).

Started in 1996 by ASI’s founder, John Wayne, the first camera was mounted on a tree, aimed at the nest, and displayed on a kitchen television monitor in black and white for his family. Today, the feed which has kept up with the growing camera system technology, delivers HD quality images, night vision, AND sound from a state-of-the-art camera, according to ASI’s marketing manager, Jennifer Wayne. It is mounted on a pole aiming down at the nest and available to anyone interested in the comings and goings of the pair and (within the next couple of weeks) their babies.

Although ospreys mate for life and return to the same nest year after year, Wayne says she’s not 100% sure this year’s couple is the same as from previous years. What she is sure of is that there is a lot to see starting from when they begin building the nest through when they migrate south for the winter. Until then, the live feed will allow visitors to see life not only inside the nest but also the surrounding area.

Expect to see and hear the unmistakable squawking of one or both parents as they take turns rotating and sitting on the eggs, keeping the nest clean, and warding off predators. Once the chicks hatch, the parents will fish and feed their new family. There may be glimpses of an osprey diving feet-first to capture a meal, repositioning the fish, so its head faces forward, making it easier for the osprey to fly.

Even after 23 years in the Osprey Cam business, the Wayne family can still be surprised by new observations. One of which has been the disappearing egg. An osprey usually lays two to three eggs, but many times only two eggs hatch and the third disappears. Perhaps it’s accidentally removed, maybe it speaks to the viability of the egg which the parent buries or discards. (Note that there are currently three eggs in the nest.)

Another event which Wayne described happened last year during the hottest summer days when adult ospreys were seen skimming the water, as if fishing, coming up empty and returning to the nest. They learned that this was how the parents brought water to the chicks.

As much as the video cam is a great educational tool, visitors are also warned that this is a live feed of a nature event and sometimes unexpected and upsetting things can happen. Predators such as great-horned owls and bald eagles may attempt a hostile takeover of the nest. A chick may get injured or killed. “These events are difficult to watch,” says Wayne, “even when we feel we need to notify the proper authorities, they usually tell us not to impede. It’s not our job to play God. Not only that it’s illegal to interfere with birds of prey.”

Thankfully, those types of incidents are rare. What can be expected is watching the quick cycle of the chick’s development after they hatch at the end of May. There will be practice lift-offs in the nest and, as one common saying goes, they will ‘learn to fly by the 4th of July.’ By the end of August/early September, once the fledglings become independent, the adults will fly south. Shortly afterward so will the chicks, “It’s always sad to see them leave,” Wayne says. “But we know they’ll be back.”

The bulk of the credit for the Osprey Cam goes to James Bowman and Dan Wagner, says Wayne. “They are our fearless technicians who provide not only technical expertise but also brave cold, windy conditions in the winter months to make any necessary camera changes and adjustments.” And it is all worth it.

Ospreys are not just fascinating birds. They are also a conservation success story. One of the largest birds of prey in North America, ospreys were formerly endangered. Now a significant proportion of their increasing numbers can be found here, on the Eastern Shore. Since 99% of their diet is comprised of fish, this rebound in their population is a positive indicator on the health of the Chesapeake Bay.

Talbot County’s Rachel Roman Rides with Pride in the Mongol Derby

April 9, 2019 by Val Cavalheri

It’s a little after dawn somewhere in a remote part of the Mongolian Steppe. The rider has just been helped onto a native and semi-wild Mongolian horse. The temperature is brisk—in the mid-30s and does not foretell the almost 80 it will be later in the afternoon. If all goes well, the rider will travel 75-100 miles today on a path which loosely follows the horse messenger system developed by Genghis Khan in 1224. But this is not a guided re-creation. The course is not marked, and the rider must rely on their skills and a GPS tracking system that will get them through the over 600 miles (1000km) adventure. They will stop every 25 miles at horse stations (uutuus) to swap horses.

Rachel Roman

By 8PM, they will have traveled 12-14 hours, and a nomadic host family will give them dinner and a place to rest for the night. With a lot of physical and mental stamina, this will be the routine for the next 7-10 days. With a lot more luck, they may be in the 35-40% who finish the race. This is the Mongolian Derby, also known as the longest and toughest horse race in the world.

To understand why someone would want to take part in this journey, talk to 27-year-old Rachel Roman. Roman, an Eastern Shore native applied on a whim after hearing about the race online from former participants. Her reasons were no different from others, who like her, list horses, adventure, and outdoors as life passions. Even though she was not experienced in endurance riding, there was something about her application that stood out to the interviewers. Whatever it was, she is one of only 40 riders worldwide who was accepted to compete this August.

Since then Roman has been relentlessly training and spreading the word about the race. “I am also using the race,” she says, “as an opportunity to raise funds and awareness for the work the Nature Conservancy is doing in Mongolia in their efforts to preserve one of the last wild places on earth and the nomadic communities that depend on that environment.”

Raising funds is vital to her taking part in the race, as well. Her GoFundMe site will help offset the steep $15,000 entry fee and travel expenses and includes the $7,000 she wants to raise for the Conservancy. It helps that Roman is familiar with outreach and fundraising, being involved in the nonprofit environmental field. She previously worked for The Eastern Shore Land Conservancy and is currently employed by The Nature Conservancy in Washington (State). She chose Seattle, she said, because it most closely reminded her of home “I wanted to be near water and great outdoor spaces. The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary by size, and Puget Sound is the largest estuary by volume. I consider it the West Coast Chesapeake Bay!”

When not at her 9-5 job, Roman spends every available moment preparing for the race. Part of the challenge has been to spend as much time in the saddle and on as many horses as possible. She leases a horse and rides it daily. She has a trainer that is helping her with strength and endurance. She has a spin bike and gets on it every day. She walks to and from work. On weekends she rides 7-10 horses at a dressage farm. But dressage, with its synchronized and prescribed movements, differs from what she will encounter and ride during the competition.

The native horses used in the derby have changed little since the time of Genghis Khan. They are short and of stocky build, usually between 4-5 feet tall, with short, strong legs. They are also incredibly tough and well-adapted to the extreme temperatures, lack of food and water, typical of the Steppe environment.

Around 1,400 horses from local herders are chosen and trained for the Derby. Riders are given a start and an end point and 10 days in which to complete the adventure. Winners usually finish within seven days, but most do not. There are very few rules and most have to do with the horse’s welfare. It is the Derby’s primary concern and built into every aspect of the race. Because of the horse’s stature, riders can weigh a maximum of 188 lbs. and carry no more than 11 lbs.in their pack. This is also the reason why last year 70% of the competitors were women. Participants, who last year ranged from 19 to 70 years of age, will ride between 24-26 different horses since each horse is used for only one leg of the competition. Riders switch horses every 25 miles, and an international team of vets makes sure that all horses are ‘roadworthy’ when they leave the urtuus and not in distress when they are brought in. If a horse is dehydrated or stressed, a time penalty is issued (usually two hours). If a rider consistently brings in an overworked horse, they will be kicked out of the race.

Choosing your horse is part of the strategy and done on a first come, first served basis. “My goal,” says Roman, ‘is to look for a horse that is not completely wild. Some will be actual Mongolian race horses which, I heard, are unbelievable to ride. I’m hoping to get one where you basically sit there and hang on. I’m going to look for horses that show a little bit of age; look like they’ve done the race before. The worse thing, I’m told, is to have a horse that won’t go forward or bucks you off. The problem is you don’t know which ones have been handled more or who are used to the saddle. The only thing Mongolians can do is put the saddle on for you, help you get on, and then they let go. The rest is up to you.”

All riders must dismount by nighttime and may choose to stay with a local family. In fact, part of the entry fee is compensation to the approximate 250 Mongolian families who participate in the race and supply horses, shelter, and meals for the riders. Food raises concern for Roman. “We eat whatever the local families make us,” she says. “Items such as fermented mare’s milk, tripe, goat, sheep, and warm vodka is part of the diet. It’s heavy on meat and different from the meat we eat here. I’m not quite sure how to prepare for that aspect. I eat pretty healthily; lots of vegetables, it’s going to be difficult for me. It’s one piece of my training I have yet to figure out—how to prepare my gut for that.”

Roman admits that a large part of her training is mental preparation to be out alone and to remain calm should something go wrong. It is a concern. There has been a fair amount of race-ending injuries in prior years: falls, heat exhaustion, heat stroke, hyperthermia, intestinal issues, and even debilitating saddle sores. Should she or her horse get into trouble, there is an SOS button on the issued tracker that will activate the team of vets, ambulances, and medics on standby. “But if you hit the button you’re out of the race,” she says.

Roman is building in the time to go on some hikes before her trip to East Asia to refresh her comfort with the outdoors. A few years ago, she did a National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) course for 3 months in New Mexico. Says Roman, “I learned a lot about the wilderness in my training. Hopefully, that will give me a little bit of an advantage over the other riders. I spent 22 days without showering in the wilderness. Some of the people might be great riders, but they haven’t had to be in the wild. We have to purify or boil our water, there won’t be any bathrooms—it will be a whole wilderness experience, and I’ve done that.”

She mentions two goals she would like to meet: Incur no time penalties and finish the race within the allotted 10 days. As for what’s next, Roman replies: “There are other adventures like this, but I don’t want to keep doing the same thing. Like with this race that I randomly applied for, whatever my next adventure will be, it will be something that just comes up, that I won’t be able to put off. I hope this race inspires others to put time aside for whatever adventure they’ve been putting off.”

The 2019 Mongolian Derby will run August 7-August 17. Each rider has their own web page with a map linked to their satellite tracker allowing friends and followers to track them live throughout the race. To find out more about Rachel Roman’s journey and follow her progress go here

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