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November 28, 2022

The Talbot Spy

The nonprofit e-newspaper for the Talbot County Community

News News Notes

St. Michaels Library’s Lunch & Learn to Discuss History of Claiborne Ferries

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Marty Bollinger

Marty Bollinger, retired management consultant and historian, will be discussing the history of Claiborne Ferries at the Lunch & Learn event taking place on Monday, December 5, 2022 at noon at St. Michaels Library.

The lecture will describe the history of the Claiborne ferries: how they were generated initially by a political tug-of-war between Baltimore and Philadelphia; how Eastern Shore politicians used their statewide leadership positions to solidify Claiborne’s role; and how the ferry lines were shaped, and ultimately made obsolete by technical revolutions in ground transport.

It will also illustrate how the evidence of Claiborne’s days as a major ferry and rail hub can still be found all around us — if you know where to look.

While it has been 70 years since the last Claiborne ferry connected Talbot County with the far side of the Chesapeake, the legacy of those days is still with us. Claiborne’s multiple ferry lines literally put the town on the map.

Bollinger resides in Claiborne. He has always had an interest in naval and maritime history and has published three books and several articles on the subject. His publishers have included the Naval Institute Press and the World Ship Society.

He currently serves as the Vice President and a Director of the Naval Historical Foundation, works as an Adjunct Executive Lecturer at the University of Virginia, and participates as an active volunteer with the ShoreRivers organization.

In his spare time, he plays with boats and takes pictures of distant galaxies and nebulae with his telescopes.

The Lunch & Learn Speakers series is sponsored by the Friends of the Library, coffee and dessert are provided. For more information, visit www.tcfl.org  or call 410-745-5877.

About Talbot County Free Library

It is the mission of the Talbot County Free Library to enrich and renew the lives of the people it serves. There are two locations: The main library in Easton is located at 100 W. Dover St.; and the St. Michael branch is at 106 Fremont St. The Maryland Room in the Easton branch holds a voluminous collection of genealogical resources and historical documents. Services at both locations include the circulation of books, DVDs, and digital devices, as well as free Wi-Fi, public computers, exhibits, and programs for both children and adults. For more information, please visit www.tcfl.org. Be sure to like the library on Facebook and follow us on Instagram @Talbotcountyfreelibrary.

Life Cube Project Creator will Speak at the St. Michaels Branch in November

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Scott Cohen

Scott Cohen, artist, activist and “chef,” will be speaking at the St. Michaels Branch on Tuesday, November 15 at 11:00 am.

Cohen is the creator of the Life Cube Project, an interactive public art installation that found its inception at Burning Man, and has grown to include multiple large scale installations around the world. (http:www.LifeCubeProject.com). He will be discussing how the Life Cube Project relates to that experience; and reflect on his level of engagement with trying to serve the public in ways that are creative and impactful.

Cohen will also share his experience from his recent trip to Ukraine in August of 2022 where he worked as chief cook and bottle washer. He was seeking to feed the refugees from the war zones in that region.

He found his way to a church sanctuary in Western Ukraine outside Lviv. He served fifty to seventy-five family members, mostly women and children, who had escaped the east with little but what they could carry on their backs.

Provisioning at local markets, Cohen prepared and served from 75 to 200+ meals at a time. This included fully plated breakfasts and dinners, seven days a week for a month.

In a nearby village, Cohen cooked and manned a food truck, offering a plate of roast lamb and accoutrements for hundreds of festival attendees celebrating Ukrainian Independence Day; funds raised were dedicated toward purchasing protective gear for their soldiers at the front lines.

Featured on Ukrainian national TV newscasts, his experience provided nourishment and hope for those who needed it most, and the resultant social media exposure helped others better understand their plight.

The newsclip can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bVspNhKY2U&feature=youtu.bem/s. He has been cooking and serving meals in kitchens for over fifty years.

All TCFL programs are free and open to the public. For more information, call 410 745-5877.

About Talbot County Free Library

It is the mission of the Talbot County Free Library to enrich and renew the lives of the people it serves. There are two locations: The main library in Easton is located at 100 W. Dover St., and the St. Michael branch is at 106 Fremont St. The Maryland Room in the Easton branch holds a voluminous collection of genealogical resources and historical documents. Services at both locations include the circulation of books, DVDs, digital devices, free Wi-Fi, public computers, exhibits, and programs for both children and adults. Many of the Talbot County Free Library’s programs are made possible by the generous support of the local community. For more information, please visit www.tcfl.org. Be sure to like the library on Facebook and follow us on Instagram @Talbotcountyfreelibrary.

Christopher Tilghman, On Writing the Mason Family Series, Nov. 14

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Christopher Tilghman, On writing the Mason Family Series, 6:00 Monday, November 14 @ Talbot County Free Library, Easton Branch.Free and open to the public. www.tcfl.org

Nationally-acclaimed author, Christopher Tilghman, will be discussing the sources and writing of his three novels in the Mason Family series.  The central location of these stories is a fictionalized version of his ancestral family farm in Queen Anne’s County.  He writes:  “The Retreat is based on my own family’s farm on the Eastern Shore. Much of the material in these three novels is based on family history and family stories.”  The novels follow the lives of several families, both White and Black, from the years just before the Civil War to the outbreak of World War II: a new novel, On the Tobacco Coast, which is due to be published in Spring, 2023, brings the story to its conclusion in the present day.

“Tilghman’s vision of the American past—and particularly of individuals caught in the tidal sweep of history—is dazzling in its precision and clarity,” writes Charles Frazier, author of Cold Mountain.

Tilghman is a retired professor of English and Creative Writing at the University of Virginia. He will be discussing his writing with Kerry Folan, a professor of writing and literature at George Mason University, and the founder of Shore Lit, an organization that offers free community author events on the Eastern Shore.

This program is Talbot Library’s contribution to Crossroads: Change in Rural America, a series of public programs supporting the traveling exhibit which will be on view At St. Paul’s Church in Oxford from October 29 through December 16. Crossroads is a Maryland Humanities Museum on Main Street program.

St. Michaels Library’s November Lunch & Learn Presents Guest Speaker Imani Black

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Imani Black

Join us for a conversation with the Founder of Minorities in Aquaculture, Imani Black, on Monday, November 7 at noon at the St. Michaels Library.

Black will cover topics including life in the commercial fishing industry, the aquaculture industry (local and global); and her role as the founder of the nonprofit Minorities in Aquaculture. Black was born and raised on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in Chestertown and went on to graduate as a Marine Biologist from Old Dominion University in Norfolk in 2016.

She has always had a passion for restoration and conservation since she was a young girl and found great interest in the rapidly growing shellfish aquaculture industry. She completed an aquaculture training program at Virginia Institute of Marine Science in 2016.

Since then, Black has worked on oyster farms, nurseries and hatcheries along the Eastern Shore of Virginia and Maryland. From 2018 to 2020, she was the Assistant Hatchery Manager for Hoopers Island Oyster Company, having the opportunity to work in all aspects of shellfish grow out.

Through her love for her career, Black founded Minorities in Aquaculture, a nonprofit organization that strives to empower and support women of color in the aquaculture industry. Its mission is to educate women about the traditional watermen legacy and heritage in coastal communities while providing opportunities such as paid internship, technical skills training, and career development resources in the new wave of commercial fisheries.

In addition to developing the nonprofit, Black is also pursuing a Master’s degree at the University of Maryland’s Center for Environmental Science researching the historical minority engagement in commercial fisheries in the Chesapeake Bay. The Lunch & Learn Speakers series is sponsored by the Friends of the Library, coffee and dessert are provided.

For more information, visit www.tcfl.org  or call 410-745-5877.

About Talbot County Free Library

It is the mission of the Talbot County Free Library to enrich and renew the lives of the people it serves. There are two locations: The main library in Easton is located at 100 W. Dover St., and the St. Michael branch is at 106 Fremont St. The Maryland Room in the Easton branch holds a voluminous collection of genealogical resources and historical documents. Services at both locations include the circulation of books, DVDs, digital devices, free Wi-Fi, public computers, exhibits, and programs for both children and adults. Many of the Talbot County Free Library’s programs are made possible by the generous support of the local community. For more information, please visit www.tcfl.org. Be sure to like the library on Facebook and follow us on Instagram @Talbotcountyfreelibrary.

Talbot County Free Library Invites You to Celebrate Day of the Dead

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Talbot County Free Library will be hosting a Día De Los Muertos (Day of The Dead) event to celebrate the life of loved ones who have passed away.

The event will be taking place on Wednesday, November 2 at 6:00 p.m. at the Easton Library meeting room. During the event, guests will have the opportunity to look at altars created by Talbot County Free Library staff.

There will also be a showing of the movie “Coco” in Spanish, but with English subtitles. Talbot County Free Library Communications Manager Christina Acosta wanted to highlight an important event that is celebrated in Latin American countries.

“From a young age, I recall honoring those in my life who have passed on November 1 and 2, through a celebration where their grave site is located or creating an altar that caters to the life they carried here on Earth,” said Acosta. “For me it is very important to carry on this tradition, and showcase the meaning behind the holiday. It does not have to be a sad occasion, but one where all the memories of that person bring them back to life, even if it is just for one day.”

Day of the Dead is a two-day celebration that takes place on November 1 (honoring children who have passed away) and November 2 (honoring adults) where it is believed that deceased loved ones visit us. In advance, family members prepare their loved one’s favorite meals and beverages, decorate burial sites or a space in their home, listen to their favorite music, and discuss memories of their deceased loved ones. Different cultures grieve differently and these traditions have been in existence for centuries, mainly in Mexico.

Many other Latin American countries including El Salvador, Honduras, Columbia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Peru all have their traditional ways of welcoming back their loved ones that have passed away. All Souls Day is also celebrated in parts of Europe.

For more information, visit www.tcfl.org today!

About Talbot County Free Library

It is the mission of the Talbot County Free Library to enrich and renew the lives of the people it serves. There are two locations: The main library in Easton is located at 100 W. Dover St., and the St. Michael branch is at 106 Fremont St. The Maryland Room in the Easton branch holds a voluminous collection of genealogical resources and historical documents. Services at both locations include the circulation of books, DVDs, digital devices, free Wi-Fi, public computers, exhibits, and programs for both children and adults. Many of the Talbot County Free Library’s programs are made possible by the generous support of the local community. For more information, please visit www.tcfl.org. Be sure to like the library on Facebook and follow us on Instagram @Talbotcountyfreelibrary.

TCFL will be Celebrating Maryland STEM Festival 2022

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Festivities and partner programs are underway to celebrate the upcoming Maryland STEM Festival at the Talbot County Free Library including story time, a blood drive, and more from October 14-November 14!

STEM covers all areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, and is in every aspect of life. Cybersecurity and Information Technology is the 2022 theme, which is also considered a large and diverse segment of the Maryland economy.  Join us as we explore many of these fields and careers during this year’s Festival.

The mission of the Maryland STEM Festival is to encourage all students regardless of background and experience to take a greater interest in STEM that will eventually lead to a related/focused career. That means it may include robotics, agriculture, architecture, manufacturing, biotechnology, zoology, construction, or cybersecurity.

“We are excited to take part in such an important and educational event for the community,” said Scotti Oliver, Talbot County Free Library Assistant Director. “These great partnerships are an opportunity to showcase how multifaceted STEM education and careers can be all around Maryland.”

Here are six upcoming STEM events:

Alzheimer’s, Dementia and the Latest Research

Thursday, October 18, 6:00 p.m.-7:30 p.m.

Easton Library

Learn ways to possibly reduce cognitive decline. Event is sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Association: Greater Maryland Chapter and the Talbot County Free Library. Light fare provided. To register, call 24/7 Helpline at 800-272-3900 or online at: bit.ly/ALZ101822

STEM Blood Donation

Friday, October 21, 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

Easton Library

Make a difference in someone’s life by giving the gift of life. The first 40 people to make an appointment will receive a Talbot County Free Library Tote Bag. Schedule an appointment here: https://bit.ly/3qzcD7X

A Brief Introduction to Suicide Prevention

Monday, October 24, 6:30 p.m.

Easton Library

In partnership with the Talbot County Free Library and For All Seasons, this presentation will cover what we know about this leading cause of death, the most up-to-date research on prevention, and what we can all do to fight suicide. RSVP at https://tsl-talbot.attendease.com.

STEM Story Time at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum

Wednesday, October 26th, 10:30 AM

Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum

Play in the lighthouse, enjoy stories about lighthouses and create your own 3-D lighthouse. This program is for children birth-5 years with an adult. Please call the St. Michaels branch at 410-745-5877 to pre-register and for free admission to the museum.

Young Gardeners

Thursday, November 3, 3:45

Easton Library

This program is for children in grades 1-4. Make ornaments for the Festival of Trees. This event is sponsored by the Talbot County Garden Club.

Community STEM Festival

Saturday, November 5, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Easton Library

Fun for all ages. Organizations including Pickering Creek, Easton Utilities, Oxford Museum/Crossroads, MY Tech, Easton Robotics, and University of Maryland Extension Service will be in attendance with activities in hand. Andrew Thaler, Blackbeard Biologic CEO, will also be on hand to do an Aquatic robots demo. There will also be arts, and crafts, music, a Lego build, and more!

“The Talbot County Free Library is a place where you could not only learn through hands-on activities but also assist our neighbors through events like a blood drive,” said Dana Newman, Talbot County Free Library Director. “We hope to see you at these enriching events that will be leaving you wanting to learn more!”

About Talbot County Free Library

It is the mission of the Talbot County Free Library to enrich and renew the lives of the people it serves. There are two locations: The main library in Easton is located at 100 W. Dover St., and the St. Michael branch is at 106 Fremont St. The Maryland Room in the Easton branch holds a voluminous collection of genealogical resources and historical documents. Services at both locations include the circulation of books, DVDs, digital devices, free Wi-Fi, public computers, exhibits, and programs for both children and adults. Many of the Talbot County Free Library’s programs are made possible by the generous support of the local community. For more information, please visit www.tcfl.org. Be sure to like the library on Facebook and follow us on Instagram @Talbotcountyfreelibrary.

St. Michaels Library to Host Timothy Mooney’s ‘Breakneck Romeo & Juliet’

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Famous Chicago actor Timothy Mooney is coming to the St. Michaels Library to present “Breakneck Romeo & Juliet” on Tuesday, October 18 at 4:00 p.m.

In his latest piece, “Breakneck Romeo & Juliet,” he portrays both Romeo and Juliet, in their first ever encounter. It is the scene where they trade couplets as they magically weave their dialogue into a sonnet.

Tim Mooney will also be playing everybody else in the full show. Mooney is the author/adaptor of such classics as “Breakneck Hamlet,” “Breakneck Julius Caesar,” “Lot O’Shakespeare” and “Ten Epic Plays at Breakneck Pace.”

Mooney’s acting textbook “Acting at the Speed of Life” breathes life into stylistic performance at high schools and colleges. His other book, “Big Book of Molière Monologues,” has given actors everywhere a new resource for comic and classical auditions.

For over twenty years, Tim’s very first one-man play, “Molière than Thou,” was drawn from his seventeen new adaptations of the plays of Molière (featuring Mooney’s impish sense of rhyme). It has been presented over 500 times, giving some hundred thousand students their first introduction to Molière.

These iambic pentameter variations (most published by Playscripts and Stage Rights) have been produced well over 150 times around the world, winning competitions at high school, regional and national festivals. Mooney continues to present his (now) TEN one-man shows across North America under the umbrella of the “Timothy Mooney Repertory Theatre.” To learn more about Timothy Mooney’s work visit his website at www.timmooneyrep.com.

All TCFL programs are free and open to the public. For more information, call 410 745-5877.

About Talbot County Free Library

It is the mission of the Talbot County Free Library to enrich and renew the lives of the people it serves. There are two locations: The main library in Easton is located at 100 W. Dover St., and the St. Michael branch is at 106 Fremont St. The Maryland Room in the Easton branch holds a voluminous collection of genealogical resources and historical documents. Services at both locations include the circulation of books, DVDs, digital devices, free Wi-Fi, public computers, exhibits, and programs for both children and adults. Many of the Talbot County Free Library’s programs are made possible by the generous support of the local community. For more information, please visit www.tcfl.org. Be sure to like the library on Facebook and follow us on Instagram @Talbotcountyfreelibrary.

Read with Tiger is Back at the Library

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Tiger, a Pets on Wheels certified therapy dog, has made her return to the Easton Branch on Monday, September 26, reading along with young children.

Over 10 kids showed up and caressed the Maltese while her owner, Janet Dickey, read to them. They had an option of listening to Dickey or picking out their own books to read aloud to Tiger.

The next time Tiger will be back at the library will be Monday, October 24 and Monday, November 28, both at 4 p.m.  For Dickey, it is crucial for families to come in and to encourage their children to read using a unique and successful approach.

“Reading is fun and when you read to the dog, you lose your fears about reading,” said Dickey. “You just keep reading because the dog can’t criticize you. Tiger gets frequent readers at the library from time to time and it has been so successful that parents also joined our circle and on all the fun in reading!”

Dickey has had Tiger for 12 years, and hopes she continues to be a part of Pets on Wheels for a long time. The nonprofit organization shares the love of friendly therapy pets to connecting pets with people to make a difference every day.

“Reading to a dog, especially Tiger, a cute Maltese and trained therapy dog, has a way of calming the child,” said Talbot County Free Library Youth Services Librarian Laura Powell. “The activity’s focus naturally shifts from the child to the dog, making the dog the focus of attention, which features acceptance and calm.  This element of calming acceptance, when first learning to read, has the power to transform the experience and make it so the child experiences new reading skills with ease. And it’s a happy time for Tiger too!”

No registration is required. For more information, visit www.tcfl.org or call (410) 822-1626.

About Talbot County Free Library

It is the mission of the Talbot County Free Library to enrich and renew the lives of the people it serves. There are two locations: The main library in Easton is located at 100 W. Dover St., and the St. Michael branch is at 106 Fremont St. The Maryland Room in the Easton branch holds a voluminous collection of genealogical resources and historical documents. Services at both locations include the circulation of books, DVDs, digital devices, free Wi-Fi, public computers, exhibits, and program for both children and adults. Many of the Talbot County Free Library’s programs are made possible by the generous support of the local community. For more information, please visit www.tcfl.org. Be sure to like the library on Facebook and follow us on Instagram @Talbotcountyfreelibrary.

Commissioners of St. Michaels Proclaim October 6 St. Michaels Library Day

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The commissioners of St. Michaels presented a proclamation to the Friends of the Talbot County Free Library on Wednesday, September 14, making St. Michaels Library Day official.

The proclamation states that October 6, 2022 is officially St. Michaels Library Day, and encourages the public to attend the upcoming fundraiser event benefitting the St. Michaels Library. All aboard for the Friends of the Library Sunset Cruise Patriot on Thursday, October 6 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, 213 N. Talbot Street. The cost is $100 per person, and includes one alcoholic beverage. Tickets are on sale at www.tcfl.org.

“The St. Michaels library not only opens the doorway to a world of knowledge, it also serves as part of the glue that holds our community together,” said St. Michaels Town President David H. Breimhurst. “I witnessed one small example of this during the height of the pandemic. Everything had been shut down, schools and libraries included. As I passed the library one day, I noticed a group of children assembled outside. They had come because they had no access to the internet at home, but the library link was still active and it provided them a vital connection to the outside world at a time when everyone was isolated at home. Our library is clearly much more than just a collection of books. Its services are multi-faceted and essential to a healthy community.”

Talbot County Free Library St. Michaels Branch Manager Shauna Beulah with the Proclamation.

A ticket purchase helps the Talbot County Free Library launch the capital campaign to fund the renovation and expansion of the St. Michaels branch. The event will be held rain or shine. Many restaurants will be offering post-cruise dinner discounts. For more information, contact the Friends at tcflfriends@gmail.com.

“The Friends Council has voted to dedicate the proceeds from all of our fundraisers to the campaign to expand and renovate the St. Michaels Library,” said Emilie Knud-Hansen, Friends of the Talbot County Free Library president. “We have done a pretty good job so far this year raising about $20,000 in membership dues and donations, the June Thrill-Seekers Book Sale and our recent ‘Laughs for the Library” night with the local Improv group Breakfast Conundrum.“

You can also contribute to the Friends of the Library’s cause by taking a trip around the world at the Easton Library Book Sale. It will be taking place on Friday, September 30 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Easton Library.

“The theme ‘World of Adventure’ really opens the door to all sorts of books and DVD’s that will be on sale,” said Knud-Hansen. “Just about anything can be interpreted as an adventure, so we have books about world history, exploration on earth and beyond, terrific novels with an international flair and non-fiction about historical figures since time began. There are fantastic art books from around the world, not to mention cookbooks representing every nation, and as always, we will have a section dedicated to children of all ages. Prices for everything range from 25-cents to $2.00.”

Friends of the Library

Established in 1974, the Friends of the Talbot County Free Library is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote a greater understanding of the importance of the Library for the enrichment and growth of our community. The Friends of the Library is dedicated to developing resources, assisting library staff and funding special programs that cannot be provided for in the annual budget. If you would like to become a Friend of the Talbot County Free Library, you may signup online or pick up a membership form at any Talbot County Free Library location.

Lunch & Learn Speakers Series at St. Michaels Library

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The Fall 2022 season of the popular Lunch & Learn Speakers series at the St. Michaels Library begins on Monday Oct 3rd at noon. The speaker will be Pam O’Brien along with Trish Payne, partners in the newly created Bayside Friends Group. Trish and Pam both retired from careers they loved only to discover their need to continue to be a part of their community. The two women have known each other for about 30 years and have occasionally worked on various projects from time to time. Together they organized Bayside Friends whose mission is to encourage individuals, families and friends to come together with the goal of having FUN through games, activities and events.

Trish Payne and Pam O’Brien

Every second Saturday since May Trish has organized a successful event, Makers Market, which is a wonderful venue for local vendors of handmade arts and crafts.  The event has been operating all summer and will continue to do so on the lawn of the St. Michaels Inn and will move indoors at that location in November with a Holiday themed craft event, also at the St. Michaels Inn.

They hope to harvest some of the talents of retirees who find themselves wanting to participate in Bayside Friends efforts. Pam says, “We are reaching out to our neighbors in hope of finding individuals who might enjoy being a group leader on a regular basis or just occasionally.” She also added Trish Payne has wonderful ideas and has coordinated many events in the past. Her enthusiasm and instinct for making people happy is remarkable. She lights up a room with her happy smile. Bayside Friends operates as a component fund under the Foundation for Community Development, Inc. a registered 501c3 charitable organization.

To learn more about Bayside Friends visit their website www.baysidefriends.org or join them on Facebook. The Lunch & Learn Speakers series is sponsored by the Friends of the Library, coffee and dessert are provided. For more information, visit www.tcfl.org or call 410-745-5877.