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February 4, 2023

The Chestertown Spy

An Educational News Source for Chestertown Maryland

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Ecosystem Eco Notes

Registration Open for the 2023 Upper Shore Youth Environmental Action Summit

February 3, 2023 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

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Registration is open for middle and high school students to attend the Upper Shore Youth Environmental Action Summit on Saturday, March 18, 2023, from 9am–3:30pm. Hosted at Washington College in Chestertown, the Summit is a free event created to inspire and empower youth in taking local environmental action.

The day’s agenda includes a networking breakfast where students can mingle with their peers and local agencies offering volunteer and internship opportunities. Students will then follow their own self-created schedule to attend workshops led by fellow students and professionals in green careers. Sessions will dive into environmental photography, fisheries, sustainable food systems, how to engage in advocacy, engineering, and more. After lunch, students will get outside and into the community on curated excursions to experience the ways that they can make a positive impact in nature. Excursions include bird banding, a how-to workshop on hosting an invasive fishing tournament, and tours of wetlands and restoration sites among others.

Attendees celebrate youth empowerment and environmental action at the 2022 Upper Shore Youth Environmental Action Summit. This year’s event is scheduled for Saturday, March 18, 2023.

The Summit is hosted by ShoreRivers as part of its work to protect and restore Eastern Shore waterways through science-based advocacy, restoration, and education, and Washington College’s Center for the Environment and Society. Seven incredible high school student leaders from across the Eastern Shore have been vital to ensuring that the Summit is by students, for students, with art, food, action, fun, and the environment in mind.

The Summit is free and open to the public, but youth must register to attend the event with a mentor. Mentors are adults who are responsible for up to 10 students at the Summit and can be parents, teachers, or community leaders. Groups larger than 10require a co-mentor. Mentors will receive a packet with information and a permission packet that their students’ guardians must complete. Registration is on a first come, first serve basis and closes at 4pm on March 3.  To register for the Summit, or to learn more, visit uppershoresummit.weebly.com.

The Upper Shore Youth Environmental Action Summit is supported by The Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment, The Curtis & Edith Munson Foundation, IKEA, and La Motte.

ShoreRivers protects and restores Eastern Shore waterways through science-based advocacy, restoration, and education.

shorerivers.org

Filed Under: Eco Notes Tagged With: Ecosystem, local news, Shore Rivers

Authors & Oysters: Dr. Richard Gillin

February 2, 2023 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

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A Guide to Hiking the Liberal Arts: The Washington College Kiplin Hall Program

The Bookplate is happily continuing their popular Authors & Oysters event series at The Retriever Bar in 2023. Academy Award-Winning author Ernest Thompson featured in the most recent Authors & Oysters event on January 18th. Next up on Wednesday, February 8th at 6pm, all are invited to The Retriever to hear local author Rich Gillin present “A Guide to Hiking the Liberal Arts”.

A Guide to Hiking the Liberal Arts is the highly engaging story of an annual travel abroad experience for students at Washington College, the twelfth oldest college in the United States, and the oldest in Maryland. Fittingly, students visit Kiplin Hall, the ancestral English home of the Calvert family, who founded Maryland. From there, they explore the surrounding countryside of North Yorkshire and that of West Cork, Ireland.

Tracking the evolution of the program over twenty years, Gillin vividly details the ways in which daily hiking excursions enable students to deeply connect the experience of landscape to the study of English literature. As students push themselves physically, they are asked to consider how the specific environment informs and textures the poetry and prose they read. Moreover, the visceral struggle of climbing a mountain in cold, wet, windy weather enriches each student’s self-awareness and heightens their connection to the world at large. Students also gain a sense of personal achievement and learn first-hand how to get along with others in often difficult and uncomfortable circumstances. Ultimately, these hikes serve as touchstones that enable students to journey within and without to source tangible insight into the relationship between literature, landscape, and place.

“Professor Richard Gillin was my senior advisor and taught my English Lit-Romanticism class at Washington College, and it was such an eye-opening and interesting course. His lectures were famously popular and incredibly articulate, thought-provoking, curious, and insightful… This wonderful book on hiking is escapism for 2021.”

– Laura McIntyre, Washington College class of 1989

For more event details contact The Bookplate at 410-778-4167 or contact@thebookplate.net. This event is free and open to the public. Reservations are not required. The next Authors & Oysters event is scheduled for 3/8 with Allyson Rice. All events are held in the back room of The Retriever, located at 337 ½ High Street in Chestertown, Maryland.

Filed Under: Arts Notes Tagged With: Arts, Chestertown Spy, local news, The Bookplate

ShoreRivers Urges Queen Anne’s to Protect its Critical Area by Denying Variance Request

January 31, 2023 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

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On January 24, I had the opportunity to attend the Queen Anne’s County Commissioners meeting and provide comments on a petition to change current zoning ordinances to allow for the construction of a 156,000-square foot, four-story high storage facility within the Critical Area on Kent Island. My testimony was among 64 comments provided by community members and environmental organizations opposing this project, and we anxiously await the County Commissioners’ verdict at their upcoming meeting on February 14. Granting this variance request will compromise the County’s vision to “Remain a rural, agricultural, and maritime County that restores, enhances, protects, conserves, and stewards its valuable land, air, and water resources” as stated in its Comprehensive Plan.

This is, without question, the wrong location for a project of this scale and impact. The parcel in question is on the banks of the Chester River—in the sensitive Critical Area—and currently zoned for limited development. The developer purchased this land with full knowledge of the building limitations on this parcel, and now is requesting a variance in order to get around the current restrictions. Purchasing land with the intention of applying for a variance is an unfortunate trend in our Eastern Shore counties that puts unnecessary and irreparable strain on our natural resources—in this case, forest land, wetlands, and our Chester River.

Legal representation for the developers asserted at the hearing that this zoning change is allowed under Critical Area law, which is true. The developer has effectively worked within the system to pursue this business venture. However, the County Commissioners are also under no obligation to grant this variance. I wonder what the Critical Area of Kent Island would look like if every acre of growth allocation was approved? How much wetland habitat and woodland buffer would remain to beautify our shores, attract birds and fish, and protect our shorelines from sea level rise and erosion? A storage facility— four stories high on the banks of the river— is not the best use of our land or our Critical Area.

By the end of 2022 it became clear that nutrient reductions required under the Chesapeake Bay’sTotal Maximum Daily Load requirements would not be met by 2025—a huge disappointment for clean water advocates after a 30-year effort. To reverse this trend in Eastern Shore watersheds, it is not enough for counties to rely on the state’s minimum requirements; they must lean on their own comprehensive plans for guidance.

Last May, Queen Anne’s County adopted PlanQAC2022, an update to its Comprehensive Plan that, in its own words, “strengthens the County’s long-standing guiding principles, growth management, and supports creating sustainable communities consistent with the County’s vision.” Part of that support for sustainable communities included setting goals for infrastructure that will “protect our waterways (and) conserve our natural resources.” Now, less than a year later, the commissioners are facing a test of those very goals.

Statewide, ShoreRivers recommends new development in Critical Areas, such as this, be restricted to construction for government and emergency services only—not for private business like a storage facility. In fact, we recently made this exact recommendation as part of a letter to newly elected Maryland Governor Wes Moore.

ShoreRivers supports planned, thoughtful growth that fits with our rural landscape, small communities, and abundant water resources in our Eastern Shore counties. In this case we ask that the developer be held accountable to the limits of the current zoning of this land, and urge the commissioners to deny this request at their upcoming vote on February 14. I urge you to make your voice heard too: comments can be submitted ahead of the meeting to qaccommissionersandadministrator@qac.org. We hope you’ll join us in standing up for responsible development and healthy waterways in Queen Anne’s County.

Annie Richards
Chester Riverkeeper, ShoreRivers

ShoreRivers protects and restores Eastern Shore waterways through science-based advocacy, restoration, and education.

shorerivers.org

Filed Under: Eco Notes Tagged With: Ecosystem, local news, Shore Rivers

The Artists’ Gallery Celebrates First Friday with Stephen Walker

January 30, 2023 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

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“Ice Boats,” oil on canvas, 16″x12″ by Stephen Walker

The Artists’ Gallery is happy to announce that it is celebrating twenty years of operation in Chestertown! On top of that, on First Friday, February 3rd, The Artists’ Gallery will continue to celebrate by featuring original compositions by their newest exhibiting artist, Stephen Walker. Stephen is a national award-winning artist who has exhibited his work in oil, pastel, serigraphs and bronze sculptures for over 37 years. Stephen has a BA in education from Florida Atlantic University and a Masters in sculpture and drawing from the University of Memphis. Over the years, he has taught art and photography at both high school and college levels. Walker is currently an active member of the Working Artists Forum in Easton, St. Michaels Art League, Ocean City Art League, Rehoboth Art League, and the American Society of Marine Artists. He offers sculpture workshops at the Academy Art Museum in Easton, MD. When asked about the opportunity to join The Artists’ Gallery in Chestertown as an exhibitor, Walker said, “I moved to the Eastern Shore nearly five years ago with the intent to pursue oil painting… I enjoy searching for imagery and challenging myself to interpret the people and places that are all around. I am flattered to be invited to join The Artists’ Gallery and thrilled that I can hang my art alongside these exceptional artists.”

Throughout his career, Walker has had a variety of works in the public eye- “Pollack-tician,” a “Party Animal” for the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities and “Henny Penny,” for the Ocean City Art League. He fabricated Gail Rothschild’s “Muted Belles,” a permanent sculpture installation in front of the University of Memphis Art Museum. In addition, he completed his Warhol-style “Four Wheel Drive” series, a four panel, 16 ft. wide serigraph installation showcased at the Memphis Convention Center. In addition, he has built movie sets for “Great Balls of Fire,” “The People vs. Larry Flint,” and “The Client.” Most recently, two of Walker’s paintings were chosen to be part of “Changing Chesapeake,” a year-long exhibit (2023-24) at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels. One of his paintings was selected by Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum to be used for marketing the show and was reported to have garnered a comment from Jerry Saltz, a well known art critic from New York City.

The public is invited to visit The Artists’ Gallery on First Friday, February 3rd from 5-8 p.m. for light refreshments and to meet the artist. Stephen Walker’s paintings will be featured in The Artists’ Gallery throughout the month of February. Located at 239 High Street in Chestertown, The Artists’ Gallery is open Tuesday-Saturday from 10-5 and Sunday from 12:30-4:30. For more information, please visit www.theartistsgalleryctown.com, www.facebook.com/6goodpainters or call the gallery at 410-778-2425.

Filed Under: Arts Notes Tagged With: Arts, Chestertown Spy, local news

ShoreRivers Calls for Summer Internship Applicants

January 28, 2023 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

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Adam Brown and Maegan White, 2022 summer interns, work to process submerged aquatic vegetation using ShoreRivers’ turbulator.

ShoreRivers is currently accepting applications for its Easton-based Elizabeth Brown Memorial Summer Internship.

The selected intern will gain experience in a variety of activities including restoration, water quality monitoring, outreach, enforcement, and education. They will also be trained in scientific water quality monitoring equipment and protocols, complete a Maryland boater safety certification, become familiar with handling a boat, and gain many other skills and professional experiences. The internship runs for a minimum of 10 weeks between May and August, and provides a $5,000 stipend.

Programmatic work for this internship, supported by the Elizabeth Brown Memorial Fund at ShoreRivers, will be conducted primarily in the Choptank, Miles, and Wye river watersheds, with some travel throughout the entire ShoreRivers region.

“As an intern at ShoreRivers, I got to do a little bit of everything. I helped with tree plantings, spoke with and worked alongside community volunteers, assisted with bacteria and water quality monitoring, hosted education programs, and even testified at a county commissioners meeting. There are very few other internships out there that would allow so many different experiences in one summer,” said 2022 intern Maegan White. “Interning at ShoreRivers has given me clarity and excitement to start my environmental career after graduation. I feel prepared and confident in the field, have hands-on experience, and found a new love for the area and community I have lived in for the past four years. Thanks to the incredible experiences I had with this internship, I now view Chesapeake as my home.”

Applicants should be a rising college junior or senior, or recent college graduate. Degrees in biology, environmental science, or related fields are encouraged. To apply, please send a resume and cover letter to Ann Frock, Office Manager, at afrock@shorerivers.org by February 17. Interviews will be conducted by Zoom in February and March and an intern will be selected and notified no later than March 15.

Applicants are encouraged to visit shorerivers.org prior to applying to learn more about the organization’s programs.

ShoreRivers protects and restores Eastern Shore waterways through science-based advocacy, restoration, and education.

shorerivers.org

Filed Under: Eco Notes Tagged With: Ecosystem, local news, Shore Rivers

Benedictine Awarded Maryland Capital Grant

January 26, 2023 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

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Benedictine has been awarded a Maryland Capital Grant of $1.5 million from Governor Hogan’s FY’23 Budget. These monies will be used to fund construction and engineering costs associated with building a new student residential facility on Benedictine’s school campus located in Ridgely, Maryland.

Governor Hogan poses with an adult that Benedictine serves along with his niece during an earlier visit to Benedictine.

“Receiving this Maryland Capital Grant for Benedictine’s new student residential facility is crucial in our efforts to provide a homelike setting for a student population with significant sensory sensitivities that the current building, nearing the end of its useful life, does not accommodate,” stated Scott Evans, Benedictine Executive Director. “Securing the funds needed for this project will have a huge impact on the population we support.”

Benedictine’s student demographic has significantly changed since the existing residential space was built in the 1960s. Now, over 80% of the students supported are moderately to severely autistic. Each suite will be equipped with multiple recreational and sensory areas for the students to access along with an updated dining area and a state-of-the-art infirmary that will accommodate these students.

Benedictine is a nonprofit service provider, not a private school and no students’ families pay tuition. Most of the students come from school systems throughout Maryland, and it is only one of five organizations in the state offering residential and special education facilities for students with developmental disabilities and autism. Operating on a year-round basis, the Benedictine School offers highly individualized special education programs which meet the specific needs of each student.

Governor Hogan reviews Benedictine’s site map for new student residential facility during an earlier visit to Benedictine.

The Maryland Eastern Shore Delegation was instrumental in helping Benedictine secure the Maryland Capital Grant. This included Senators Hershey and Eckardt, and Delegates Arentz, Jacobs, Ghrist and Western Shore Senators Guzzone and Zucker.

About Benedictine:

Benedictine is a non-sectarian nonprofit organization supporting more than 200 children and adults with developmental disabilities and autism achieve their greatest potential and highest level of independence. Benedictine’s year-round educational program is one of only 26 nationwide to earn a two-year accreditation from the National Commission for Accreditation of Special Education Services (NCASES). This program includes home-like living and learning options on the Ridgely, Maryland campus, for children ages 5 to 21 who come from Maryland and surrounding states. Benedictine’s Adult Services program offers employment and vocational services for transitional youth and adults, ages 22 to 70+, in the community and those who live in Benedictine’s group homes in Caroline, Talbot, and Anne Arundel Counties. Benedictine’s Easton Community Services & Training Center prepares the adults it serves to enter the workforce and collaborates with the Talbot County Public Schools to provide services to their students through the Department of Rehabilitation Services (DORS) Program. Benedictine is one of the Eastern Shore’s largest employers with over 350 employees. For more information, visit www.benschool.org.

Filed Under: Ed Notes Tagged With: Benedictine, Education, local news

Allegro Academy’s Singing Programs for Youth and Adults

January 25, 2023 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

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Allegro Academy, now in its new location in the heart of downtown Easton, will be offering two singing programs for musicians of all ages in 2023.

The Allegro Children’s Chorus will be reinstated with the first session beginning February 8.  Singers will take part in six weekly rehearsals on Wednesday evenings, 5:15- 6:30pm, in which they will explore vocal production, rhythm skills, and musicianship through songs and activities.  Choristers will also participate in performances in community events and with local artists.  Allegro Children’s Chorus is available to singers age 8 and up.  The cost for the per session is $50 and need-based scholarships are offered to all participants. All voices are welcome.

Adults singers are invited to register in the 4-week course, Singing 101, where participants will discover what it takes to be a singer.  Classes will be held Fridays February 10, 17, 24, and March 3 from 10:00-11:30am. Singers will learn or perhaps re-visit techniques used in vocal music through the study of proper breathing, pronunciation, voice types, and basic note reading. This course is perfect for those who wish to more intentionally use their voice or brush-up on technique. No experience is necessary to participate.

Singing programs will take place at Allegro Academy, 114 N. Washington St, Easton and will be led by Artistic Director, Amy Morgan.  Morgan is an accomplished musician whose education includes a Bachelors degree in Piano Performance from Salisbury University and Masters Degree in Choral Conducting from Messiah University. Amy has extensive experience as a choral, operetta, and musical theatre director, is a member of the American Choral Directors Association, and is an active musician the Easton community.

The mission of Allegro Academy is to offer exceptional music education and performance experiences to the greater Talbot County Area and to make these offerings affordable to all. Its programs are partially funded by generous contributions from the community, Talbot Arts, and the Maryland State Arts Council.  For more information please visit www.allegroacademyeaston.com or call 410-603-8361.

Filed Under: Arts Notes Tagged With: Allegro Academy, Arts, local news

Tidewater Singers Auditions

January 25, 2023 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

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Tidewater Singers is holding auditions for the upcoming season and BEYOND!

We are looking for singers for ALL parts.  Rehearsals are Monday evenings at 7:00 pm at Church of the Brethren, located on South Harrison Street, Easton.  Auditions are by set appointment with our Artistic Director, Ellen Wile.

We begin group rehearsal in February in preparation for the Spring concerts, May 12 & 13 2023.  If you Love singing and Sharing music with others, please Join Us!

To schedule an audition please Contact us at:  tidewatersingers@gmail.com.

To learn more about the group Visit:  tidewatersingers.org.

Filed Under: Arts Notes Tagged With: Arts, local news, Tidewater Singers

Chuck Redd’s Tribute to Charlie Byrd and Bossa Nova

January 25, 2023 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

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On Friday, February 10, The Mainstay in Rock Hall, Maryland welcomes jazz drummer/ vibraphonist Chuck Redd and his guests in a program titled “A Tribute to Charlie Byrd and Bossa Nova”.

World-renowned guitarist Charlie Byrd filled international concert halls and played before royalty for decades. He was persuaded to perform at The Mainstay’s modest 120 seat venue in Rock Hall during its early years. Following that first concert, he frequently returned with his famous musician friends (and his young drummer and vibes player named Chuck Redd).

In 1962 Byrd released the album “Jazz Samba” with saxophone great Stan Getz that launched bossa nova in the United States. The album reached Number One and remained on the charts for 70 weeks. The recording predated the Getz/Gilberto recording of The Girl from Ipanema by two years (one of the best-selling and most recorded songs of all time).

Charlie Byrd and Chuck Redd

Chuck Redd is a well-known performer at the Mainstay. He joined the Charlie Byrd Trio at the age of 21. To his credit are 25 European tours and six tours of Japan. Redd was also the featured vibraphonist with the Mel Tormé All-Star Jazz Quintet from 1991 until 1996.

Chuck will share the stage with fingerstyle guitarist Nate Najar, another familiar name to Mainstay audiences. Nate has been cited by music critic A. D. Amorosi as “the heir apparent to Charlie Byrd.” Years later, Najar would get the stamp of approval from no less than Byrd’s widow, the Mainstay’s very own Becky Byrd, who said, “There is no doubt that there is a piece of Charlie’s soul in Nate’s mind, heart and fingers.” Stand-up bass player Herman Burney will round out the trio.

Their Mainstay program will revisit Byrd’s landmark bossa nova works, as well as songs that Charlie loved by Gershwin, Ellington and Rodgers and Hart. Chuck will also offer a few anecdotes from his 19-year stint with The Charlie Byrd Trio. As a footnote, Chuck Redd and Herman Burney are both featured on Nate Najar’s July 2022 release, “Jazz Samba Pra Sempre” that reached the Top Ten of the jazz charts.

Showtime for the live concert event is 8 pm. Tickets are $25 in advance of the show and can be purchased online at mainstayrockhall.org. Phone reservations are accepted by calling (410) 639-9133 (tickets reserved by phone are $30 when paid at the door). The Mainstay is located at 5753 N Main Street in Rock Hall, Maryland. Its regular calendar of local, regional, and nationally touring artists features a live performance every week of the year (February through December) in a variety of music genres.

The programs of the Mainstay are supported with funds from the Maryland State Arts Council and the Kent Cultural Alliance.

Filed Under: Arts Notes Tagged With: Arts, local news, The Mainstay

Choptank Health Announces New Medical Providers in Chestertown

January 25, 2023 by Spy Desk 2 Comments

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Choptank Community Health System’s Chestertown Health Center recently welcomed Family Medicine Physician Caleb Madden Consenstein, MD, MPH, and Family Nurse Practitioner Ebony Hollins, MSN, CRNP, AAHIVS to the medical practice.

Dr. Consenstein’s experience includes treating patients in rural clinical care settings and working in a comprehensive psychiatric emergency program. He has served on the Latino Medical Student Association’s (LMSA) Northeast Regional Executive Board and as co-president of LMSA’s SUNY Upstate Chapter.

Dr. Consenstein has a doctor of medicine and a master of public health degree from the State University of New York-Upstate School of Medicine. He holds a master of arts in medical sciences from the Division of Graduate Medical Sciences of the Boston University School of Medicine, and a bachelor of arts in neuroscience from Middlebury College.

Caleb Madden Consenstein, MD, MPH and Ebony Hollins, MSN, CRNP, AAHIVS

Family Nurse Practitioner Ebony Hollins specializes in chronic illness prevention and management and providing care to HIV and HCV patients. Hollins holds a master of science in nursing from Frontier Nursing University, with experience in primary care, infectious disease, medication-assisted treatment services, and outpatient substance abuse care.

She is a member of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, the American Nurses Association – New York, the American Academy of HIV Medicine, and Sigma Theta Tau – Pi Chi Chapter.

Choptank Community Health System provides medical and dental services in Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, and Talbot counties to more than 30,000 adults and children, with a mission to provide access to exceptional, comprehensive, and integrated healthcare for all.

Choptank Community Health’s medical services include primary health care, women’s health, pediatrics, behavioral health, chronic health management, and care navigation, with new medical patients now being welcomed at all locations. To schedule a new patient appointment, at the Chestertown Health Center call 443-215-5353 with more information at www.choptankhealth.org.

Filed Under: Health Notes Tagged With: Chestertown Spy, choptank community health, Health, local news

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