The nonprofit e-newspaper for the Talbot County Community
The Liberty Bank was on the North East corner of Aurora and Dover Streets in Easton, Maryland when professional photographer H. Robins Hollyday took this picture in the 1930’s! Note the street sign that points the way to Ocean City and Salisbury! By 1983 it was the Union Trust Bank. What is in this building now?
Contact: Cathy Hill cvhill@atlanticbb.net to share your old photos and purchase our collections photos. Comment, Like our page and join the Talbot Historical Society!
Friends of Hospice is extremely proud to present a donation in the amount of $97,000 to Talbot Hospice. Funds were raised through the annual Festival of Trees events held in November. Because of the generous support of the community, this fabulous tradition has thrived for 36 years. Talbot Hospice offers compassionate care to those struggling with end-of-life issues. Volunteers excited to present the large check include Midge Menzies, FOT Chairman and FOH Board Member, (left); Brenda Forbes-Butler, FOH Board President; Leslie Ware, FOT Chairman and FOH Board Member; and Dana McGrath, FOH Treasurer.
Jupiter approaches conjunction with the Sun this month, but before it does, we can still spot it low in the western sky for an hour after sunset during the first week of February. As of February 4th, Saturn is in conjunction with the Sun, so it is already our of sight. But it will re-appear in the morning eastern sky by the end of February.
All other planet action takes place in the pre-dawn eastern sky.
Venus will be unusually bright during the first half of February making it impossible to miss. Its extra brightness is due to its elliptical orbit bringing it closer to Earth than usual. (38 million miles compared to 43 million miles). It will be up two hours before the Sun.
Mars, though much fainter, joins Venus beginning on February 9th just below and to the right of it. On February 27th the waning crescent Moon may be seen below and right of Mars.
Mercury is also visible an hour before sunrise to the east (left) of Mars from February 15th to February 28th. Saturn joins the planet group at the end of February appearing very low and to the left of Mercury.
Binoculars will help us to see all 4 planets and the crescent Moon before sunrise on the last 3 days of the month. Looking ahead to March will find Jupiter joining the 4 planets, so that during the first week of March there will be 5 planets spanning some 50 degrees of our sky along the path of the zodiac (ecliptic)!
February Full Moon is on the 16th. Meanwhile, continue to look south all month and enjoy the bright winter constellations encircling Orion. Included in those 6 constellations are 8 of the top 20 brightest stars in the sky!
What an interesting Talbot County, Maryland winter oystering scene! The Talbot Historical Society’s Past Perfect database information identifies this as being part of the Tilghman Island Packing Company operation in 1955! Photo from the Talbot Historical Society’s H. Robins Hollyday Collection.
Contact: Cathy Hill cvhill@atlanticbb.net to share your old photos and purchase our collections photos. Comment, Like our page and join the Talbot Historical Society!
Enjoy the snow in Talbot County, Maryland today! This Talbot Historical Society H. Robins Hollyday photo was taken c. 1940’s looking north near the Washington and Goldsborough Street intersect in Easton! The 1830’s Calvary Methodist Church see in the distance was torn down to make way for Safeway sometime in the late 1960’s or early 1970’s.
Contact: Cathy Hill cvhill@atlanticbb.net to share your old photos and purchase our collections photos. Comment, Like our page and join the Talbot Historical Society!
A social media user shared heart-stopping footage of a near miss involving two semi trucks that occurred during winter weather conditions on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in Maryland.
The video was shared by Reddit user who noted:
My dad works on the bridge and sent me this video that he and his team captured this morning.
They were monitoring radio traffic and picked up comms on a semi that had jackknifed during a crosswind at a downhill section on the bridge.
While waiting for emergency services, the radio blew up and they rushed to watch the camera. The cameras are available on the web, and they were able to record and save this gem soon after it happened.
No one was hurt, according to the Reddit user.
Easton, Maryland’s Talbottown, designed by Easton native James Rouse, had its grand opening in 1957! There is Rudolph on the roof proving that this photo was taken at Christmas time! Do you recognize any of the people in this picture? Photo from the Talbot Historical Society’s H. Robins Hollyday Collection.
Contact: Cathy Hill cvhill@atlanticbb.net to share your old photos and purchase our collections photos. Comment, Like our page and join the Talbot Historical Society!
This Talbot Historical Society Laird Wise Collection photo was taken of a group of men with Christmas presents at the Elks Club on Dutchman’s Lane Easton, Maryland! The automobile may offer a date estimate clue? Do you recognize any of these men who were celebrating Christmas?
Contact: Cathy Hill cvhill@atlanticbb.net to share your old photos and purchase our collections photos. Comment, Like our page and join the Talbot Historical Society!
“I just like helping people,” says Naomi Diane Thomas, who was named Talbot County’s Most Beautiful Person in a ceremony held Dec. 6 at the Easton Elementary School. The award is presented annually by the Talbot County Council to a volunteer who goes to extraordinary lengths to help others.
Known to friends and family as “Lady D,” Thomas has been the chairman of the Scotts United Methodist ChurchOutreach Committee since 2006. She organizes monthly food distribution events that serve between 125 and 150 families in Trappe and the surrounding areas.
“I have been a member of Scotts all my life,” Thomas says. “When I say I’m going to do something, I work hard at it. I may not be able to solve every problem they have, but I can help people get the food they need.”
Though her volunteer service has benefitted the community for more than 15 years, Thomas’s work was especially impactful during the worst of the pandemic. From March 2020 through March 2021, Scotts Church served 4,966 individuals and distributed more than 130,000 lbs. of food.
Jan Willis, local care team coordinator for Talbot Family Network who manages the food group for the Talbot County Emergency Operations Center, nominated Thomas. “Before COVID-19, organizing an event of this size was a huge undertaking,” Willis says.“But during the pandemic it became significantly more difficult. Lady D did not shy away from the challenge or the threat of COVID.”
Though many of her regular volunteers were in the high-risk category for COVID-19, Thomas refused to be stopped. She contacted the Maryland Food Bank and asked for help. They connected her with the Talbot County Emergency Operations Food and Volunteer Group for support.
Naomi Diane Thomas of Trappe received Talbot’s County’s 2021 Most Beautiful Person Award. Pictured, from left: Corey Pack, Talbot County Council; Maryland Sen. Addie Eckardt; Thomas; Talbot County Council President Chuck Callahan; and Frank Divilio, Talbot County Council.
Working from a conceptual outline from Maryland Food Bank about COVID-safe food distributions and working with helpers from the Emergency Operations volunteer list, Thomas organized and directed Talbot County’s first drive-thru food distribution on March 26, 2020. At this event, she instructed many of the people who would replicate the model throughout Talbot County.
“When many in the community were pulling back because of concerns about Covid-19 and concern for their own safety, Lady D stepped forward,” Willis says. “She found a way to overcome barriers because she knew that the neighbors and families she had served for more than 15 years would need food resources more than ever.”
Thomas says older members of the Scotts congregation now help in other ways, but the volunteers who emerged during the pandemic still show up every month to help distribute food. “I call them my dedicated volunteers,” she says. “They are all residents of Talbot County. They’ve been wonderful. Simply wonderful.”
Though Thomas’s experience and leadership were invaluable, her kindness and compassion are what truly set her apart. “I know most of the people who come here by name,” she explains. “I try to keep a personal relationship with them and share information about things they need to know. Some of them even call to let me know if they can’t attend so I won’t worry.”
“Lady Dtreats the volunteers and food distribution recipients with the same respect,” Willis notes. “She has been a key partner in sharing information about Covid-19 testing and vaccination to food distribution participants.”
In addition to her work distributing food, Thomas leads five devotionals at Scotts and now distributes an email she calls Tuesday Morning Encouragement. Her mailing list has grown to more than 100 people. “I just pull out key sentences that speak to me,” she says.
This was the second time Thomas has been nominated for the award. “I was very excited, but I was surprised,” the retired school teacher says. “At first, I didn’t believe it.”
Thomas received a standing ovation from a crowd that included elected and appointed officials, as well as six other nominees and their supporters. Talbot County’s list of Most Beautiful People nominees included Dianna Donovan, Lesley Fields, Brian Griffiths, Christine Kijowski, Chris Myles-Tochko, and Debbie Urry.
2022 will prove to be another great year for Sky-Watchers with plenty of events to watch including a total lunar eclipse in May. Three outer planets will be at opposition (their best and brightest) in the second half of the year. Saturn on August 14th; Jupiter on September 26th; and Mars on December 8th.
January opens the year with a great lineup of 4 planets in the southwestern sky soon after sunset. The crescent Moon will slide underneath all 4 planets for several nights early in the month. And Mars will be found in the morning sky before dawn moving through the rich Milky Way star fields of Sagittarius.
Start looking near the southwest on January 1st for brilliant Venus. By January 8th it will have pulled in front of the Sun and be lost to view until late January when it will come up before the Sun rises in the southeastern sky. Venus will set 1 hour after sunset from January 1st to January 7th. Just to its upper left is Mercury. A very thin crescent Moon is also upper left of Venus slightly past Mercury. Saturn will be found nearby about 12 degrees above the Moon, and even further to the left look for Jupiter, noticeably brighter than Mercury or Saturn.
As Venus appears to sink toward the Sun (January 1st to the 7th), Mercury will appear to rise toward Saturn. By January 12th and 13th these two planets will appear very close (just 3 degrees apart). Mercury will still set an hour after sunset through January 17, but by January 23 it too will disappear in front of the Sun.
Saturn will drop in altitude all month and will be lost in the glare of the Sun by January 20th. Check out Saturn close to the Moon on January 5th.
Jupiter will remain visible all month, but by January 31st it will start to disappear into the glare of the Sun, so look for it earlier in the month.
The Quadrantid meteor shower, usually one of the better ones each year, peaks around January 3rd. It is centered in the northeastern sky in the direction of Bootes, Hercules, and Lyra. As with most meteor showers the early morning hours are the best viewing time, so look for the Quadrantids around 4 am. But dress warmly; remember it is winter! Expect anywhere from 30 to 60 meteors per hour from this shower. Active dates are from December 29th through January 12th, with the January 3rd peak.
Full Moon will be on January 17th.
