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Islander’s War: A Chat with Author Don Parks

March 30, 2020 by Dave Wheelan Leave a Comment

Perhaps one of the most iconic photographs of the Eastern Shore in recent times in the frightening image of the last remaining house on Holland Island. It depicts the devastating impact of sea levels rising on the Chesapeake Bay islands but also a reminder that Holland Island once was home to three hundred residents.

The later is what Eastern Shore writer Don Parks seeks to bring to light with his new novel, entitled Islander’s War, which was the home of his father at the beginning of the 2oth century. Drawn to an island culture made up of small families, Parks tells of young men leaving the small hamlet to serve in World War I, following in love, and the hard choices they need to make of when and if they will return to their community after the conflict ends.

The Spy talked to Don before the coronavirus shutdown to learn more about Islander’s War and the life and times of Holland Island.

This video is approximately five minutes in length. To purchase Islander’s War, published by Secant, please go here

Mid-Shore Food: Checking in with Sprout’s Ryan Groll

March 28, 2020 by Dave Wheelan Leave a Comment

In 2017, the Spy started a unique partnership with Emily and Ryan Groll to not only put a spotlight on their innovative Sprout food service but also the dozens of producers that make up the ingredients of their locally sourced products. Since that time, Sprout has grown into a significant player in the Mid-Shore food scene, with a dozen or so “Sproutlet” self-service kiosks and retail stores in Easton and St. Michaels.

Much has changed for Ryan and Emily in the last few weeks, and we thought it would be a good time to check in with Sprout as they continue to provide the Delmarva with their fresh and unique menu selections, even during the midst of the coronavirus health crisis.

This video is approximately three minutes in length. For more information about Sprout please go here.

Covid-19: The View from Cross Street with Jennifer Baker

March 27, 2020 by Dave Wheelan 1 Comment

While Jennifer Baker appears hatless in her interview with the Spy this morning, she wears two hats in real life. The first is being the co-owner of Chester River Wine and Cheese in Cross Street with her husband, John, and the second being the former president of the Downtown Chestertown Association.

We talked to Jennifer about both subjects to get her perspective on what this means for her businesses and her fellow merchants in the community. She also highlights the importance of supporting local businesses with such innovative programs like Historic Chestertown Main Street’s gift card program.

This video is approximately four minutes in length. Due to a weak internet signal, the first part of our conversation will contain momentary video image freezing. For more information about Chester River Wine and Cheese, go here. For the Downtown Chestertown Association go here, and for more information about Main Street’s gift card program, please go here.

Mid-Shore Arts: @ the Academy with Ben Simons

March 27, 2020 by Dave Wheelan Leave a Comment

Perhaps it was just pure chance that the Academy Art Museum had already scheduled a significant shutdown of programs and exhibitions this spring. With a major renovation of its galleries and new visitor entry underway, the ability of the AAM to cope with the impact of COVID-19 has been far easier than many of its peer institutions as a result.

But that’s not to say that the Academy doesn’t face certain challenges going forward. Nonetheless, as AAM’s director Ben Simons notes in his interview with the Spy, the current crisis has opened up some new thinking about how an art museum and education center can operate.

From his home in the countryside just outside of town limits (hence the sub-par video quality), Ben highlights what his institution is doing with his creative staff and devoted board of trustees, to continue its mission. Harnessing the power of the web, the AAM is offering several new programs aimed at children, art students, and lovers of the visual arts, which is now making the Academy’s website an entirely new experience for learning and enjoying art.

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

The State of Chestertown Commerce during COVID-19 with Kay MacIntosh

March 26, 2020 by Dave Wheelan 2 Comments

While the emphasis on health is critical as we protect ourselves and our communities from the devastating effects of the coronavirus crisis, the impact of local businesses now, and in the future, is equally disconcerting as we pass by closed stores in downtown Chestertown. Not only do they indicate the state of our regional economy, they tell of the real hardship of their owners and employees, many of which are our friends and neighbors.

To catch us up on current conditions on the ground, as well as state and federal programs designed to help these local businesses weather the storm, we turn to Kay MacIntosh, Executive Director of Main Street Historic Chestertown.

This video is approximately five minutes in length. To purchase gift cards for local businesses please go here.

WC Student Test Negative

March 25, 2020 by Dave Wheelan Leave a Comment

This morning, the Washington College campus community received some much-needed good news. The student who was hospitalized last week under suspicion of COVID-19 has tested negative for the highly contagious respiratory disease.

Following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the student’s traveling companions and suitemates have been in voluntary quarantine since Friday, March 13, while test results were pending.

“While the threat of COVID-19 to our community is real, this news comes as a relief to everyone who feared possible exposure on our College campus,” notes College President Kurt Landgraf. “I am so proud of this young man and his friends who did the right thing by taking responsibility for the community’s health.”

Washington College will continue to follow the measures put into place over the past two weeks to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. Students and faculty are engaged in remote learning, public events have been cancelled or postponed, many staff are working from home, and access to campus is restricted to those students, faculty, and staff who have permission to be on campus.

Covid-19: Mayor Cerino Gives an Update to the Spy

March 24, 2020 by Dave Wheelan 5 Comments

By the time we had caught up to Chestertown mayor Chris Cerino, he had just completed his third conference call of the day to talk about the municipal response to the coronavirus.

In his third conference call, which was with us, Mayor Cerino talks about how the town is preparing for Covid-19, information, limited as it is at this point, on testing, the Washington College student who was tested for the virus, and his contact with Regional Shore Health.

This video is approximately 7 minutes in length

Character Really Does Count During a Pandemic: A Chat with Lauren Kay Weber

March 24, 2020 by Dave Wheelan 1 Comment

It only takes a trip to the local grocery store these days to witness someone’s character or the lack thereof. Just a brief look at the empty paper products aisle in the ACME will show a telltale sign of unmanaged anxiety, causing more than a few of us to lose that moral compass. And as this crisis continues to develop every day, it is increasingly clear that character does indeed count during a pandemic.

That’s why the Spy reached out to Lauren Kay Weber, the new executive director of Character Counts Mid Shore the other day. While Character Counts in well known and respected for their work with public school students, this essential quality can be taught to anyone, regardless of their age.

In our Spy interview, Lauren addresses the role of character in the age of the coronavirus.

This video is approximately four minutes in length. For more information about Character Counts in Talbot County please go here. For Kent County, please go here.

Maryland 2.0: A Chat with Father-Son Wilson and the Preston Motors Success Story

March 23, 2020 by Dave Wheelan 1 Comment

Perhaps it is a coincidence that our conversation with David Wilson, and his son, David Jr, will be broadcasted during one of the most significant economic downturns in American history. But the story of Preston Motors, and its unprecedented rise to being one of the top 33 Ford dealerships in the country out of 3,400, it a tale of a father and son team that rose from the ashes of the last great recession we had in 2008.

While David Wilson had started selling cars right after high school, and within four years had purchased his first dealership several decades before, 2008 marked a landmark year when his son joined the family business. After completing Ford’s own four-year college, David Jr. returned full time, and the father-son built their very own internal marketing team. Within a few years, Preston had become so sophisticated in marketing their dealerships through the web that they climbed to the top 50 list using their beloved Frog branding and sticking by their community. They also created a national marketing firm to help other dealers using many of those same techniques under the ifrog banner.

In the Spy’s ongoing series of documenting some of the Eastern Shore’s most entrepreneur businesses and their founders, it was not hard to ignore the Wilson family and their committed associates for building an extraordinary success story from downtown Preston, Maryland with its population of 718 residents. Thus becoming a mouse, or frog if you will, that continues to roar from the middle of Caroline County.

This video is approximately seven minutes in length. For more information about Preston Motors and Ifrog marketing, please go here.

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About Dave Wheelan