Val Cavalheri

Chesapeake Arts: Maryland Federation of Art Coming Back Strong

October 5, 2020 by Val Cavalheri Leave a Comment

“Art doesn’t do anybody any good in the artist’s basement.”

With those words, Executive Director Joann Vaughan explained the reason for the existence of the Maryland Federation of Art (MFA) and her commitment to a community that extends beyond her local Annapolis, to a nationwide audience. MFA currently exhibits, on an annual basis, works by around 600 different artists from 40-50 states.

Under Vaughan’s guidance since 2008, MFA has not only grown in membership, but its annual Paint Annapolis competition has become a signature event drawing ever-increasing numbers of artists and the public. Despite being one of Annapolis’s art scene drivers, Vaughan is not an artist herself; her background is in non-profit management. Before coming to MFA, Vaughan founded and ran the successful Annapolis Book Festival.

Located at Circle Gallery in Annapolis, MFA has been in existence since 1968 and is considered the oldest continuously operating non-profit gallery in the state. That’s important to Vaughan. “As a non-profit gallery,” she says, “we don’t have to show commercial art, and we can expand the community’s idea of what art is and what art can do. Yes, art is decorative, but it also tells a message. It’s an expression of the artist that’s been interpreted by the viewer. And anything that adds to the conversation in the community strengthens the community. What MFA does it bring a different type of conversation to the table.”

Typically, an art gallery’s function is to incubate and support artists through exhibitions, shows, etc. It would make sense, and you might even think that COVID19 has put a stop to that role at the MFA. But you’d be wrong. As it turns out, this is not Vaughan’s first catastrophe. “I started my job on July 1st of 2008, and then the stock market crashed, and it took us two years to see ourselves out of the problem. And I thought, ‘wow, it will never be this bad again.’ Obviously, I suffered from a tremendous lack of imagination.”

On the contrary, Vaughan’s imagination is what’s turning the potential disaster of COVID19 into an opportunity. She began by identifying the challenges facing MFA. “First, if we are not open as a gallery, how do we connect with our constituents. And as a non-profit, how do we keep that commitment to the community? The second and simultaneous challenge, obviously, was money. Like everybody else, I needed to know how I was going to keep things doing, pay rent, pay my staff.”

The second part was the easiest. Vaughan learned all she could about grants, such as the PPP (Paycheck Protection Program), that helped answer the needed cash flow. The first challenge? Well, that was a bit more complicated, and for that, they needed social media.

MFA relied on various approaches. They requested their artists to do a video tour of their studio and put those online. They asked Wil Scott, an art historian who recently retired from the National Gallery, to interview MFA members about their works. Those were put on Zoom and YouTube. They held virtual receptions and posted juror talks about MFA exhibitions. “We threw a lot of stuff up there, and then evaluated: were we accomplishing the outcomes we wanted? And what we wanted was engagement, not just content.”

So, were they successful?

“We had a brief dip in our finances,” says Vaughan. “And then everything has come roaring back. We just finished Paint Annapolis, which is our biggest event of the year, and we’re going to have a 50% increase in net return off that event from last year.”

The reason, she says, is that because of the pandemic, people needed something to do. This plein air event, which had been rescheduled from June to September, featured over 80 artists worldwide, an MFA record. With artists painting outdoors, the slogan: “art looks better from six feet away,” became appropriate on many levels.

“After hospitality,” says Vaughan, “the art industry has been the second hardest hit with this pandemic, and people’s opportunities to experience something outside of themselves is limited; you can only watch so much Netflix on TV. People need to get back to something that approaches a normal interaction with their community. That’s what Paint Annapolis was able to provide.”

Executive Director Joann Vaughan

The interaction between art, artists, and the public is an essential component at the heart of everything the MFA does as it promotes its members and helps them get their work known. Vaughan came up with another way to accomplish that. “A lot of artists use art as a way to communicate with themselves as well as the public. So, we set up an online topical gallery where the public can vote for their favorite art piece. Our first exhibit was called Six Feet of Separation, followed by Art in Protest, and Black Art Matters. We’ve just launched one called Money, Money, Money, which is about our country’s income divide. All this lets people use visual art as a means of expression and as a means of interpretation.”

These ideas are ways that the gallery has had to change in response to the pandemic. Sure, says Vaughan, they could have had a robust online presence with virtual tours and interviews in 2019. But they didn’t have to consider all that then. “COVID forced us to re-think about new ways.”

What about after COVID?

Vaughan sees the value of keeping the online gallery, as it gives the person who is unable to attend physically a way to engage with both the art and the artist. “It doesn’t matter if you paint or if you do aerial photography,” says Vaughan, “you’re trying to tell the world something. Being able to use the online presence to expand that conversation with the community has been important. I think it’s as much a part of our mission as is an exhibition.”

For now, MFA has three exhibitions coming up that will take them to the end of the year. The first, a Member Show that allows any MFA member to exhibit their work. Typically, these will be local artists. A National Painting Show will follow that, and then a National Small Work Show, featuring artwork under 11 inches by 11 inches.

It’s a lot of work and a lot of commitment for an organization that makes it all happen with an extremely small staff of one part-time and three full-time employees. But Vaughan is used to working hard. She does, however, take time to enjoy her family, which includes four kids, seven grandchildren, and a husband. She also likes to dance, in particular belly dancing.

“The neat thing about belly dance,” says Vaughan, “is that it’s unlike being a Radio City Rockette where everybody does exactly the same thing and interprets that as exactly the same way. In belly dance, it’s the sense that every woman is built differently. Every woman has different experiences, and every woman will interpret the music differently. So even in a group activity where you have the same choreography, you don’t have the precision that you would in ballet or other kinds of dance.”

Kind of like her life and commitment to the artists and her community, Joann Vaughan has chosen to interpret the music of her surroundings differently. And it works.

For more information about the art and artists of MFA please go here. Photography by Mark Cassino

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.

At the Cade Gallery by Val Cavalheri

September 17, 2020 by Val Cavalheri Leave a Comment

Ask people who have seen an exhibit there, and you’ll be told: Cade Gallery, at the Anne Arundel Community College (AACC), is a special place. Speak to gallery director Teddy Johnson, and you’ll easily get caught up in the excitement he feels about selecting the new and unique artwork that will be part of the museum. Lucky for him and Cade Gallery fans, he gets to do that seven times a year. The key to the success, says Johnson, is the gallery’s mission to making sure the exhibits are a part of a broader dialogue. “It is really satisfying to bring great art from the region and all over the country into the gallery and then to host a class there or to allow it to be the catalyst for new conversations.”

Encouraging dialogue was clearly planned when this past February Cade presented, “Grey Matter: A Response to Blackness,” curated by Thomas James from the Creative Alliance in Baltimore. The exhibit studied how blackness is perceived by America’s society throughout history, including the educational and law enforcement systems, as well as public policies. The artworks explored how these responses have affected those who identify or are classified as black.

Art Rosenbaum Rakestraw’s Dream Oil on Linen, 78 X 106 in, 1993

Johnson hopes to continue having conversations with this month’s showcase, which centers around music, “Call Back: Artists Inspired by American Musical Traditions.” Each of the award-winning featured artist in this exhibit has been motivated by a variety of musical muses, including popular music, ballads, blues, jazz, and gospel. They were chosen because they offer a unique interpretation of converting music into their medium, and as their press release says: “Through their own particular vision, each artist pulls us into a conversation with American song.”

The artists:

Art and Margo Rosenbaum live and work in Athens, Georgia. Art is a painter, muralist, and illustrator, as well as a collector and performer of traditional American folk music. Margo has collaborated with her husband in documenting American traditional music through her painting and photography. Says Johnson, “The couple has been working in a similar field for a long time, but they’re capturing very different elements. One is translating music into the Southern kind of grand vision, and the other portrays intimate photographs of actual people in the moment of music creation.”

Margo Rosenbaum, Doc and Lucy Barnes with Kids Singing, Photograph, 1977

Michael Ananian is a portraiture artist and self-identified old-time music enthusiast and banjo player from North Carolina. “He’s been doing these large-scale paintings of people in a communal activity of playing music,” says Johnson. “We’ve got one very large painting of his, and then several small drawings of people just jamming to traditional music.”

Larry Winston Collins from Ohio will be showcasing his memorable woodcuts of jazz musicians from the immortal Duke Ellington and Billie Holiday to the more contemporary John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, and Miles Davis.

Florida artist, Dean Mitchell, is known for his figurative watercolors. “Mitchell is a very successful and high selling artist. We’re lucky to have gotten his work here into the gallery because they’re exquisite as far as the craftsmanship,” says Johnson.

Baltimorean Katherine Fahey uses ‘storytelling machines,’ known as crankies. Being displayed almost as a sculpture element, her work features a large paper scroll on which there are shadow paper cutouts. As the scroll is unwound, Fahey either sings or tells you the story.

David Driskell, the legendary artist and distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland, recently passed away from COVID. “He’s got a really beautiful painting in the show of a bass player that’s colorful and vibrant,” says Johnson. “We felt very fortunate to have the Driskell center lend us one of his pieces for the exhibit.”

Besides the accomplished artists, this show is also somewhat unique. It has been a curated and gallery collaboration between Johnson and Matt Klos, both of whom teach at AACC. Klos also owns Exeter Gallery in Baltimore and, until last week, featured the same artist with different works. “The idea,” says Johnson, “was to give more play to the artists by having them represented in two places and also to build some buzz around the exhibit by having it in two locations.”

According to Johnson, it ended up being a great partnership, with each bringing in artists they admired. “I had studied with Art Rosenbaum as a grad student and found his connection to music memorable,” says Johnson. “And Margo is a great painter as well, but the for this particular exhibit, I was super excited to have photographs that have been published in so many different, great books and also represented in different collections around the country.”

Klos brought in Michael Ananian and Larry Winston Collins with whom he had worked with for a short time. “From there,” says Johnson, “we started saying ‘how about this artist or that one?’ We were trying to represent a variety of different musical and visual mediums. So, we’ve got paintings, photography, the crankies (which have this tremendous three-dimensional form to it), printmaking, drawings, etc. And then also we were trying to think about how some of the artists might represent folk musicians or blues musicians, while others are representing jazz musicians and gospel musicians. We wanted to pay homage to the musical traditions out there.”

Crankies by Katherine Fahey

“Call Back: Artists Inspired by American Musical Traditions” is open by appointment. Masks are required, and thorough cleaning of all exposed areas that could become contaminated will be done between visits. Contact: tjjohnson9@aacc.edu to make an appointment.

If you miss this exhibit (and we hope you don’t), Cade features seven exhibits a year, with each exhibit focused by theme or medium. Recent shows included:

“AACC Sabbatical Exhibit: Dawn Bond and Lindsay McCulloch”
“Newsprint: The Medium that Launched Comics” – Curated by Warren Bernard
“New Works: A Showcase of AACC Visual Arts Faculty”
National Juried Show – ” Visualizing the Word” – Juried by Jon West-Bey
“Summer Online Showcase: Works by AACC Adjunct Faculty”
Regional Curated Show – “Grey Matter: A Response to Blackness” – Curated by Thomas James

Upcoming exhibits:

October 2020: “A Showcase of AACC Visual Arts Faculty”

November 2020: “National Juried Art Exhibition”

The Cade Center for Fine Arts Gallery is on the western side of AACC’s Arnold campus, 101 College Parkway. Follow them on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aaccvisualarts/ and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/cadegalleryaacc/ to receive up-to-date information.

Chesapeake Film Festival: Director Claudia Myers on “Fort Bliss”

September 10, 2020 by Val Cavalheri Leave a Comment

Claudia Myers is a screenwriter, director, and producer (Fort Bliss, Kettle of Fish, Above the Shadows) and an associate professor in Film & Media Arts at American University’s School of Communication.

Fort Bliss (Official Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWLtr0xYI7E), released in 2014, is a film about Staff Sergeant Maggie Swann (Michelle Monaghan), a decorated U.S. Army medic who returns from Afghanistan and struggles to adjust to civilian life and to rebuild a relationship with her young son.

In her interview with Spy, Myers discusses the film, the personal story behind how the movie evolved, and her approach to writing and directing.

Val Cavalheri (Spy): Why did you have to write this story?

Claudia Myers

Claudia Myers (CM): I was working on a training film project for the U.S. Army about junior officers and decisions they have to make in difficult situations. In the process of interviewing a group of infantry sergeants, I spoke to a single dad who had been deployed twice to Iraq for 15 months each tour. At the time, I had a little boy that was roughly the age of the sergeant’s son, and I remember being really compelled by his situation. I asked him what he did with his son while he was away, and he said the mom was not in the picture, so he left him with his neighbors. That floored me, and it made me realize how little I understood and knew about the complexity of the military experience and what we’re asking our soldiers and their families to do when a country goes to war.

It was also was memorable to me that I was the only one who was really surprised in the room because all the other soldiers were like, ‘yeah, it happens all the time.’ I looked into it, and 40% of women in the military are mothers, and that was both humbling and compelling to me because on some visceral level, I had been wrestling with my own kind of work/life balance. I had a two-year-old son and had been away from my family for three months, filming an interactive training project. I found that I was viewed differently for leaving my kid to go to work, than, for example, my husband was when he left on extended business trips.

Spy: How long did it take you to write Fort Bliss?

CM: While I kind of stumbled on this story that I wanted to develop, it quickly went from being about a single father to being about a single mom. However, I felt I didn’t have the knowledge or the experience to write the script that I felt deserved to be written. So, I actually spent about four years seeking out additional work with the military.

I worked on a documentary about the experience of the evolution of women’s roles in the military since World War II, and I had the opportunity to profile a female army medic. I also did a documentary about severely wounded soldiers coming back from Iraq and their paths to recovery from wounds both visible and not. That was added to the film.

I also went to Walter Reed and did a big project for the army medical department about posttraumatic stress and combat stress and a survivor’s guilt and many other things that I also then incorporated into the film. So that was kind of how the script developed.

Spy: In the movie, there are several scenes in Afghanistan. Did you film there?

CM: It was actually all filmed in California and Texas. The military supported the film and allowed us to shoot at the actual Fort Bliss. The topography of Fort Bliss, if you don’t know it, has vast amounts of desert. It’s also the size of Rhode Island and the largest or second largest military post in the U.S. We filmed in Afghan training villages at Fort Bliss that replicated the geography of Afghanistan. Sometimes we outfitted actual buildings to make them look like we were overseas.

Spy: How long did it take you to shoot the film?

We shot in 21 days. As I said, you’re filming in a location, that’s the size of Rhode Island in some cases. There was a lot of the civilian part of the story that was more straightforward, but something on a military post was more challenging to shoot. We got lost a few times looking for specific locations.

There’s one scene in the movie where the soldiers come home from deployment. It was really important to me that we do justice to how emotionally powerful these events are. I also wanted to show how the community rallies in support of the soldiers who are coming home. We went to the person who was our point of contact, and I asked him if we could put the word out into the Fort Bliss general community to have them come out and act as unpaid extras.

We ended up with more than a hundred people who showed up and made ‘Welcome Home’ signs. We even had some extras who were off-duty soldiers that came in their uniforms. So, we were able to create a wonderful thing. And I think it was one of the more powerful experiences for Michelle, as well.

Spy: Speaking of Michelle, Michelle Monaghan was a fantastic choice to play Maggie. How did that come about?

Her agent thought Michelle would respond to the script, and she did. I flew out to LA, and Michelle and I had quite a substantive discussion about my vision for the script and the character. We went through the script page by page, and I made certain adjustments based on her input. So, it became a collaborative and thoughtful process from the get-go. We also organized a special training for her at Fort Bliss, where she spent a week learning basic medical techniques and got to spend time with soldiers learning from them.

Spy: I think the movie is a very unusual accounting of a very strong woman because she’s not a superhero, but a real woman with real choices. You’re asking us to experience, through Maggie, many different types of emotions. What did you want your audience to take away from this movie?

CM: It’s such an interesting comment because that’s exactly right. I didn’t want people to take away just one thing. I wanted people to question certain assumptions, but what I wanted more than anything was for people to root for her and understand her, even though they may not always approve of her choices. As a writer, I wrestled with the ending. As a writer, that’s when I knew that I had a really good script because I didn’t think there was an obvious way to end this story. And I tried a lot of different things and settled on the one that felt the most truthful, because, like very often in life, there are no good choices.

I feel the film does that. I think it shows how she’s evolved. I hope people come away with different views on whether or not she made the right choice, whether or not she changed, and whether or not she and her son will have a different kind of relationship in the future.

Spy: You’re a writer, producer, and director. Is there one role that you look forward to over the other?

CM: I think writing and directing are my two favorite things and where I’m most comfortable. I think producing, as an independent filmmaker, just comes with the territory because it’s really hard to find people that are as passionate about it as you are.

Spy: What’s next for you?

I have another project that I’m passionate about that I’ve been working on for about five years. It’s based on a true story about a death penalty case in Virginia, which is considered by some people, one of the most surprising cases in Virginia’s criminal history. I’ll just leave it at that for now.

Maryland Women’s Museum Redux

August 20, 2020 by Val Cavalheri Leave a Comment

It was all very hush, hush. “Meet in the center parking lot in Centreville,” the email said, “and we will lead you to the destination.”

The email came from Mary Margaret Revell Goodwin. Her efforts to fulfill a dream and create the Maryland Museum of Women’s History at the Bloomfield Manor at the County Park was documented in a story the Spy wrote last month.

Even as we published Revell Goodwin’s amazing chronicle, there were hints of problems between those in favor of the Museum and some on the town council who were opposed. It soon became evident that it wasn’t going to work out, and Revell Goodwin made the painful decision to move on. Within hours she began receiving comments on social media, phone calls, and emails from people across the county angry with the Commissioners. Besides explaining what had occurred, there was a lot to take care of, including moving everything out of the house that was not to be. It was past 10 PM that evening when Revell Goodwin fired up her computer and found one concise message: “Mary Margaret if you think the house would work and you would be interested, call me.” THE house turned out to be Locust Hill, and the message was signed by Jack Ashley, who, together with his brother Phil, owns the property.

Which brings us back to the email, and the people gathered at the parking lot who learned that this was to be a dual celebration, as it also was Revell Goodwin’s 83rd birthday. They had been invited because they were the first believers in the mission that Revell Goodwin had set out to accomplish in opening her Museum. “In December of last year, I decided to sell the first memberships to the Museum,” she said. “I did not push it but sold quite a few even though I explained how there would be limited events for the time being. But so many wanted to show their support, including almost all of the League of Women Voters (LWV) of Queen Anne’s County who purchased memberships.

So, these supporters, caravanned to the new building which would house the Maryland Women’s History Museum. As they looked around, one of the attendees, Mary Ann Jackson, said, “My family has been farming in Queen Anne’s County for over 100 years. To turn this into a museum is just beyond words.” Her sentiment echoed the feeling held by others in the group. However, no one was surprised that Revell Goodwin was able to make it happen. After all, as we learned in doing her story, she is quite a powerhouse with a remarkable history of her own.

As for the Museum, the plan is to present their first exhibit around January/February in the Slave House on the property. Thanks to a donation from the previous owners, it will feature 1900 pictures of Locust Hill and the young girl who lived there with her family. “We will also be honoring the former slaves and servants who kept all the major houses here working,” says Revell Goodwin. “We know most of the names of those who worked at all those houses and even have photos of some of them. Some of their descendants are still here in the area!”

The Museum will also have responsibility for the graves and cemetery and the garden, which are both extensive and historic. Before the house itself can fully open to the public, there is much to be done. Fire suppression will need to be added, and an ADA (American Disability Act) wheelchair accessible bathroom will need to be built. But, unlike Bloomfield Manor, the house does already have water, sewer, electricity, and solar power. “All in all, we have a whole lot of wonderful work ahead of us,” says Revell Goodwin. “Give us time to get our breath and watch what will emerge! We have more surprises in store for everyone.”

Believe her.

Shore Food: A Master of Cakes Opens Up in Easton

July 16, 2020 by Val Cavalheri Leave a Comment

Six years ago, Ruby Vanags knew nothing about making cakes. This month, she opened Ruby’s Cake Shoppe & Pastries at 415 B, East Dover Road, in Easton. If the long lines at her business are any indication, she not only succeeded in learning, she’s mastered the art of baking.

To get to today, you have to go back to six years ago, when Vanags received a special birthday cake her husband bought from Desserts by Rita in Ocean City. It was a mixture of mangos and strawberries, flavors that reminded her of her Philippines heritage. She became obsessed with it, hoping that a bakery closer to the Eastern Shore could replicate it (and preferably make it cheaper as well). Her search was unsuccessful, and Vanags decided to learn how to make it herself. When store-bought cake mixes didn’t give her the results she wanted, she went online and tried variations. Each attempt was a failure.

Fortunately, at the time, Vanags was working for the Hyatt Regency in Cambridge and asked for help from her pastry chef friend. “I want to master chiffon cakes,” she told him. “But my cakes keep overflowing. So, he said to me, ‘honey, you have to find a deeper pan.'” That was the beginning. “I failed nine times,” she said, “but I got it right on the 10th try.”

Vanags suddenly found herself a new hobby. Friends and family began to ask her to bake for special occasions, birthdays, anniversaries, and even weddings. And she got really good at it. “Every time I wanted to create something, it just clicked. Every time I wanted to learn something different, I wouldn’t stop until I got it right. Baking is very time consuming, and you need to be patient, and I was patient.”

Even though Vanags was willing to remain patient as she learned all she could about baking, some of her friends urged her to open up a store. One, in particular, asked her to explore how much it would take to start a business. “I can’t afford it,” she told him, and he said, ‘You know what? Get your s— together and come back to me. I will help you out.'” And that’s how Ruby’s Cake Shoppe & Pastries came to be.

In January, Vanags left her job at the Hyatt and began construction on her shop. And then COVID-19 hit, and everything was put on hold. Everything except the rent she had to pay. That was difficult, she admitted. Recently, after she got final approval from the health department, she was able to fulfill a promise she made. “I’m going to bake a lot of cupcakes and bring it to the hospital and the frontline workers. So that’s what I did.”

On July 11th, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held, and as Vanags admits, she’s been slammed ever since. She thinks she knows why. “You cannot find around here, what I’m selling. People haven’t tried the kinds of flavors that I make. Some of them are Asian based flavors, like fruits that you would find in an Asian market.” There is the Purple Yam cake, the Mango Cake, the popular Strawberry Pretzel, the Mocha pie, and a version of the Tiramisu. She says she also makes a great carrot cake. Sure, you can find your yellow cake with buttercream or chocolate frosting, but don’t expect it to be just average.

What she enjoys are the custom orders for items not on her regular menu. “I ask the customer to name me the flavor they want,” Vanags said, “and then I look for ways to make it. It has helped me improve my skills.

One cake she learned to make is the classic Tres Leches, a cake popular in the Mexican community. Vanags first made it for a birthday party. She recalls how a few days later, a new customer came in talking about a cake she had tasted, hoping that Vanags could replicate it. When Vanags realized what she was describing, she showed her a picture of the Tres Leches cake on her cell phone. “Is this the cake that you’re talking about? The customer jumped up, spun around, slapped her forehead. and said, ‘Oh my God, you made that cake!’ I now get slammed with orders for Tres Leches.”

Since all of her cakes are made from scratch, and since she’s had requests, Vanags is working on a dairy-free and gluten-free version of her desserts. “It’s not a big deal for me, and it’s going to happen. I want it to be fair for everyone.”

For now, you will have to stop by the shop to buy a slice or a pie from her display cabinet. There is no written menu. You can also call ((443) 205-3979) and place an order. Ruby’s Cake Shoppe and Pastries has a Facebook page, but no website yet. They’re open Tuesday – Sunday from 10 AM to 6 PM.

Year of the Woman: Mary Margaret Revell Goodwin’s Museum

July 9, 2020 by Val Cavalheri 5 Comments

This is a story about a resilient woman and an equally resilient house.

First, the House. It is known as Bloomfield Manor, located in Centreville, built around 1760, and owned by Mary Edwardine Bourke, who inherited it from her grandfather just before the Civil War. When Bourke married, the house was deeded to her husband, who sold it during a rough financial time. In an attempt to get it back, Bourke, a historian, wrote a detailed account of the Eastern Shore–Queen Anne’s County: Colonial Families and Their Descendants based on interviews with plantation owners, their families, and former slaves. In the book, she also spoke her beloved former home and how she would stand at the window, looking down on the back lawn where her great-grandfather, grandfather, son, his wife, their two children, and three of her own babies were buried. She spoke about her longing to return to this home, which held so much history, pain, and love. Selling the book at 2.50 per copy, Bourke made enough money to regain ownership of her house.

Bloomfield Manor

After Bourke’s death, Bloomfield Manor was sold and altered several times, eventually coming under the control of the Queen Anne’s County government becoming part of the County Park called White Marsh. The County tried to find a use for it, but after years of deterioration, they started to talk about tearing it down.’

This is the part where the resilient woman comes in. No, not Mary Edwardine Bourke, but like her, a historian with a vision. “I went to the County and said: ‘I’ve wanted to do a woman’s museum for a long time. Let me have a lease.'” And that’s how Mary Margaret Revell Goodwin, Queen Anne’s County historian formed the Mary Edwardine Bourke Emory (MEBE) Foundation and got herself a 25-year lease to develop the Maryland Museum of Women’s History.

Mary Margaret Revell Goodwin

But that’s not the entire story. There is the matter of having to raise 3-4 million dollars to renovate the house and meet modern safety standards and codes. And to be honest, there is the matter of not being taken seriously. To prove her point, when the foundation decided to go for a bond bill last year and asked permission from the commissioners, Revell Goodwin was told, “You go do that, Mary Margaret,” and then they forgot all about it. So, for three days, she knocked on doors, visiting all of the women and all potential voters in the legislature, handing out information of what the foundation was and what they were proposing to do. She got her bond bill, much to the amazement of the commissioners.

She also hit red tape when one County Administrator felt they could tell her what they were willing to do with grant money she had secured. It surprised her. As Revell Goodwin explained, “This is not my first rodeo in terms of raising money, but it’s always been for my projects. I have had a few highly successful ones. You can start with me being the first woman to live underwater. And I did the project with the help of the US Navy and Jacques Cousteau, who built all my special equipment. We also beat the Russians by three weeks.”

That comment, casually and unpretentiously stated during our conversation, doesn’t even begin to cover what this extraordinary woman has done in her life. Oh, and did I mention she’s about to turn 83 in August? Not that life has been easy for her. But as she’s proven with her dealings with bureaucracy, she’s not about to let anything stop her.

“It got to the point where this County Administrator was giving me such a bad time,” said Revell Goodwin, ‘that I wrote him an email and said, ‘You were born in 1962, weren’t you? I said that’s the year I set five world records, including swimming the Strait of Gibraltar. You weren’t even out of diapers when I did that. You don’t be talking to me the way you have been.'”

Her reputation as one of the greatest open water long-distance swimmers came about after contracting polio as a child and using swimming as physical therapy. Despite her parent’s objections about becoming an athlete, Revell Goodwin continued for years to secretly pursue her obsession. Once her parents found out, they gave her an ultimatum to quit the sport. They would not speak to her again for a decade.

Revell Goodwin knew she had made the right choice when she began to set records in the United States. However, she wanted more and set her sights on competing in Europe. She raised money to help finance this new dream and again set records, including a double swim of the Straits of Messina, from Sicily to Italy and back, making her the first woman and the first American to do so.

She nostalgically remembers this as her most favorite swim, and it came about with a phone call to the home of the wealthiest Sicilian mobster on the island. He had been showing off his latest project of a special airborne boat for use in the Mediterranean. “I asked him for a plane ticket and room and board in his gorgeous hotel on the shores of the Messina Straits, and he said yes. When I got there, I was sent to the harbor where the Admiral’s ship of the 6th fleet was docked. The Admiral held a staff meeting for all aboard to help me, including his gorgeous Italian Navy assistant, who was assigned to make it all easy for me in Messina. On the day of the swim, I had four US Navy Seals, (first ever assigned outside the US) stationed at a new base in Catania. They brought the small boat to go with me, and they also brought a whole bag of American flags. As each flag on the boat got wet, another one came out of the black bag and was placed on the stern so that with every breath I took, I could see it. There were thousands to greet me when I arrived back in Sicily after crossing to Italy and back.”

After returning to the States, she was recruited for a job at the Pentagon, helping to direct the Navy’s first Environmental and Conservation office. In a picture she shared with us, Revell Goodwin sits at a table with the highest admirals from 57 nations at a 3-day meeting. On her right side is Joseph Grimes, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, and on her left is Jacques Cousteau, who she had brought in from Paris to headline the meeting that day.

Revell Goodwin sits at a table with the highest admirals from 57 nations at a 3-day meeting.

For 13 years, she turned her attention away from her athletic career, and then her polio returned, and she needed surgery.

Six months after the operation, she began running 10ks, and at the age of 40, retired from the Pentagon to once again pursue competition, but this time in long-distance running. Deciding to focus on the Far East, Revell Goodwin made a phone call to Lee Iacocca, the CEO of Chrysler Corporation, who agreed to sponsor her 2,000-mile run across Japan. Kodak sponsored her run through the Himalayans, again, arranged through a phone call.

Another photo shared by Revell Goodwin shows her with her German Shorthair Pointer, Velia, at the top of one of the most challenging passes in the Himalayas, the Thorong La. “It was the worst place to ever be caught in bad weather,” she said. “We started at 4:30 in the morning for our climb through that pass. The temperature was five below. It took us five and a half hours to climb through that pass. Both of us so tired and in such air that we were very sleepy. We could not, however, stay to rest because it was too dangerous to be caught in any bad weather up there–17,769 was the altitude, one of the highest for any known dog. Velia thought she was in heaven!”

Revell Goodwin with her German Shorthair Pointer, Velia, in the Himalayas

Before settling down in Centreville, she also made BBC documentaries, wrote a children’s book, and raised sea otters. Not surprising, Disney (yes that Disney) recently expressed interested in making a movie based on her life.

So, when Revell Goodwin says she’s committed to raising money for a museum that will give the women of Maryland the recognition they deserve, believe that she will do all within her power to make it happen. “I never had an agent or a representative,” she says. I have had major sponsors, and yet the people I deal with in Queen Anne’s County cannot imagine that what I am now undertaking is possible.”

She is not about to give up without a fight. “I try to have a plan B, along with extra arrows in my quiver. I will be using some of those,” she says. One of the arrows might be a ‘really major’ Maryland corporation who is interested in speaking to her about the museum. “If one or more of those people get on board, this place will go forward.”

For now, she’s envisioning how the rooms will be set up, where the permanent collections will reside, and what to do with the offers of papers and pictures, videos, etc. she’s getting from all over the state. “We would have exhibits specifically about individual women, but we also would be doing research, putting on conferences. This museum would become a cultural women’s resource center as well,” she said.

The original plan had been to open by this August to commemorate the anniversary of the 19th amendment, during the very month it was ratified. However, like for the rest of the world, COVID-19 stopped any ongoing progress in the house. But that’s not going to prevent the celebration from going forward.

“The exhibit is called You Are the Vote,” she said “we’re doing what will be the major 19th amendment history. Even though we can’t open to the public, we’re going to live stream it on the internet.”

Revell Goodwin looks forward to highlighting a couple of trailblazing women in the future. One is Hannah Till, George Washington’s personal cook. Her story will be told as a ‘live’ scene of how she would have been set up in a tent with cooking utensils in the middle of the harshest snowstorms, after giving birth to her first son.

Then there is Barbara Hillary, a nurse from New York who was the first black woman to reach the North Pole at the age of 75 and the South Pole at the age of 79.

Says Revell Goodwin: “I want each little black and brown and white girl to have people that they can relate to, who did neat things and know that they can do those things too. It just takes that kind of work and dedication to get it done.”

That same work and dedication is the reason that the story of Mary Margaret Revell Goodwin deserves to be part of the museum’s exhibit, not only for the life she led but for the question that she keeps asking: “Who will tell these women’s stories?”

She hopes that the answer is the Maryland Museum of Women’s History.

Hospitality: Tidewater Inn Adjusts to Post-COVID World

June 25, 2020 by Val Cavalheri Leave a Comment

Hospitality. It’s at the core of most businesses that deal with the public. At its most basic level, it is conveyed by a warm handshake and a sincere smile. Books are written, and courses are given on reading expressions to interpret a customer’s level of comfort or happiness. So, what happens when faces are partially covered, touching is discouraged, and distance is mandated?

Living through a pandemic has uprooted all business. Many have been able to turn to video conferencing as a way to continue the personal touch. Other, have had to come up with innovative ways to manage inventory and sell product. But what if the product is a luxury hotel? How do you show hospitality, ensure comfort, feed, and entertain your guests even as new rules are being written? If you’re like Lauren Catterton, who rose up the ranks of the hotel business to become the current General Manager of the Tidewater Inn in Easton, you’re up to the challenge.

Noticeably, the hotel/restaurant/bar industry took a significant hit when COVID struck. “As soon as it happened,” said Catterton, “we just started researching as much as possible and rewriting hospitality, because they don’t hand you a book. No one said, ‘this is what you guys are going to do when you reopen.’ We had to make it up on our own. We had also been in the midst of some renovations when it all hit.”

Historically, the hotel does a major renovation every winter, their slow season. However, this past winter was even more special. Besides completing the elevation of the third-floor guest rooms, they were building the carriage house behind the Tidewater House (previously Inn at 202 Dover) and adding the Terrasse Spa to their long list of amenities.

The renovations are now completed, but nothing is now as was expected then. Catterton: “We had to make the properties’ COVID-Friendly’ following all the CDC guidelines. Hunter’s Tavern, the ballrooms, and the Terrace are all on a socially distant floor plan now.” Not only that, if visiting the restaurant, expect to be asked for both your name and your phone number as part of their contact tracing efforts, should they need to get in touch with you.

Weddings will have a different look, as well. Besides the tables being six feet apart, there can be no more than six people per table, unless they’re a family of eight. Cocktail reception and dancing will be done outside.

Remember turn down service? How about having your room cleaned while you were exploring the town? Not anymore. “Guests can call the front desk and let us know anything they may need,” says Catterton. “Housekeeping will put a little bag together for them and leave it on their door. When guests depart, the hotel rooms are left dormant for 24 hours, then we go in, and we fog it with like a, basically Lysol Ghostbuster. Of course, it’s more complicated than that, and we let that sit for another 24 hours. Then we strip it using CDC certified cleaning products. So, the room has to remain vacant for 72 hours before another guest can use it.”

Obviously, the safety of the guests has been a top priority, but there is that ‘hospitality’ factor that can’t be mandated or controlled but needs to be demonstrated in their line of work. Catterton has spent time thinking about how to deal with all of that. “It was the first thing that we discussed when we knew our guests were coming back: how do you let them know that you’re smiling under your mask? How do you project a specific tone of voice because you’re muffled? I think our staff is instinctually warm and hospitable, and I think that’s reflected, whether with a mask on or not. We’re a very small team, and we’ve been through a lot, but we are genuinely happy to do what we do, which is to take care of our guests.”

But it’s not just letting guests know how you’re feeling about them; it’s also learning to read their guests. “We already know when people tell us, ‘hey, I’m smiling behind my mask,’ because we hear it in their voice. But we’ve also had to learn to read people that are cautious and adjust our behavior accordingly, to focus on just making them feel very comfortable.”

Comfort, safety, and new ideas are something the Tidewater is committed to adding to their catalog. They are currently also partnering with the Avalon Foundations on Wednesday evenings through July 8 for a Sunlit Summer Song Series, which features al fresco style dinner and concert.

Then there is Terrasse, which opened just last week. Billed as a full-service spa destination, it offers massages, facials, body treatments, Reiki, etc. It occupies the space originally held by the John Moll Board Room and Dover Club. As promised, everything about it is both luxurious and relaxing. Best yet, you don’t have to be a Tidewater Inn guest to enjoy the services. Keep an eye out for their Locals for Locals special for Talbot County residents and their First Responder discount.

To Lauren Catterton, all these changes are inevitable and not always as planned. But she’s got new ideas and a new mission: “We have to have a different focus. Our efforts are now on recreational tourism and how we can be a more walkable/bikeable community that will bring people in. We are giving a lot of emphasis and energy to the outdoor dining experience and other things that we can do. We’re no longer just Easton focused. It’s what you can do in St. Michaels; what you can do in Oxford. After doing all the wonderful things you can do in the area, you can just stay here with us at the Tidewater.”

The Arts: Multi-County Weaving Project Celebrates Juneteenth

June 19, 2020 by Val Cavalheri Leave a Comment

Typically, a movement associated with a highly emotional event will often give birth to motivating and creative campaigns for change. The intent, of course, is to transform the perception of an individual or a community. This certainly is the goal of one project that involves the entire Eastern Shore.

Unlike other projects of this magnitude, the planning and execution have come together within a relatively short time. It happened right after the racial injustice rally in Easton on May 30th. Like other calls for action, it started with a broad and general idea. Town of Denton Councilwoman and founder of Minary’s Dream Alliance, Inc., Doncella Wilson knew it was essential to keep the momentum going on and wanted a visible reminder that every community and every individual can be part of the solution for change. She envisioned a social action art exhibit of sorts, community assembled, something that would last well after the protest signs were put away.

Wilson asked for suggestions from Josepha Price, artist, activist, and owner of Half Moon Studio in Easton. The request reminded Price of something she had seen elsewhere: a multi-county tapestry weaving project. She recommended setting up a large loom. People would be encouraged to come and, using either provided fabric or ones they bought from home, write their thought, hopes, wishes, and worries and weave them into the tapestry. It would represent the healing that could start to happen if people could see their similarities.

Wilson contacted John Schratwieser, the Director of the Kent Cultural Alliance and Jennifer Hodge, with the Caroline County Arts Council (of which Wilson is also a Board Member). Both agreed to reach out to the Arts Councils on the Eastern Shore and invite them to take part in the “A Tapestry for Change” Art Project. All nine counties agreed.

Five looms, roughly 5’x8′, have been built. Each loom will either have a ‘permanent’ spot in the community or will be moved to various locations, including local non-profit’s, churches, and other events throughout the counties to allow the maximum number of people to participate.

Individual completed designs will be intertwined to create one large tapestry, which will be unveiled in a future ceremony. Says Price that it will feature pictures taken of those hearts and hands that contributed to the weaving. “Art,” she said, “has an important place in social justice and has an even greater impact when it isn’t just viewed, but created together.”

Wilson hopes the tapestry will be used as a teaching tool for schools. “It’s a starting point to build lessons around unity, interconnectedness, and cohesiveness in communities. It’s also a connection to our youth and our elders, no matter what race, to see what we can do when we come together.”

For Price, this project gives her the chance to fulfill a more profound yearning that neither her art nor her studio fully satisfied. “I have always felt that my talent is better served for a greater, common good. The art that I would love to do, which I never seem to find time for, is something that has a social or political statement, that makes you think about where you fit in within your community. It starts really small, but then, like this tapestry, fits into a giant blanket that we’re all part of.”

Additional information can be found on Facebook at the Eastern Shore Community Art Project

T0 participate in the Tapestry project and celebrate Juneteenth, come to:

Easton, 4:30 at the BAAM march.
Denton, 6-8 at the corner of Market and 3rd St. The event, will be held at the corner of Market and 3rd Street, will feature music and will be streamed live.
Cambridge, 2-4 Dorchester Center for the Arts.
Tomorrow, it will be available in Chestertown at 10 am in Fountain Park, where the Social Action Committee for Racial Justice and the Kent Cultural Alliance are sponsoring “It is Time for Change” rally. Elected officials, music and a spoken word performance are planned. A scheduled caravan rally to Annapolis has been postponed due to possible weather issues.

Attendees are asked to bring fabric for the tapestry and wear masks and maintain social distancing.

It’s a Family Affair (and Farm) by Val Cavalheri

May 30, 2020 by Val Cavalheri Leave a Comment

With limited opportunities to experience the ‘normal’ things in life, the Spy has been on the lookout for fun or interesting things to do, close by, that can be enjoyed outdoors. We heard about Family Affair Farm from someone who said they had encountered all three, while also picking a gallon of delicious strawberries, and learning about the Farm.

It seems that the name, Family Affair Farm, is very appropriate to how owners, Donna Saathoff and friend Nicole Barth, think of their business. First, there’s Saathoff’s husband, Bobby, and their son, who help prepare and plant 10,000 strawberries and other crops. Then there’s a daughter who lives in Pennsylvania, who comes down to help pick, as does Bobby’s aunt Sharon. There are Bobby’s 80-year-old father and 78-year-old mother who plant pumpkin seeds, along with Barth’s parents and… Well, you get the picture. The Farm is a family passion.

Family is how the whole idea started anyway. Saathoff recalls how she picked strawberries with her grandmother every year when she was a little girl. They would sell the berries, make a little money, and a lot of memories.

When the Saathoffs, who had a farm that grew corn, wheat, soybeans, sorghum, decided to change direction seven years ago, they considered at the possibility of a ‘pick-your-own’ opportunity. With Barth as a partner, they discovered they would be the only ones in Talbot County. This is how Saathoff sees it: “This millennial generation is very interested in where their food comes from. They’re also more interested in having experiences with their children, rather than spending money on them. So, I thought it was a great idea to have them come out and pick berries and learn about how they grow. Kids are more likely to eat something they know about and pick themselves. So that’s how this kind of started. And then that just bloomed into the next thing and then into the next thing…”

The blossoming into the next thing is how the Farm has expanded from strawberries to blackberries and blueberries, to pumpkins, interactive autumn corn mazes, fall festivals, nursery school tours, kids’ birthday parties, trolleybuses, etc. And in expanding, Saathoff has watched families make their own memories. “Our farm has always been a place where families come. We’ve had the same kids that were in their mom’s bellies that are still coming. They get their picture taken by the same sign every year that shows them how much they’ve grown. They pick their own, and we see these cute little red juicy faces running out of the field. The kids remember, and they ask, ‘Can we go pick strawberries at the strawberry farm?’ it’s something that’s become a tradition for them.”

Drive by anytime during the season, and you’d see 30-60 people picking fruit anytime they were open. Half of them were kids, of course, who were doing more eating than picking. Afterward, there were picnic tables, playgrounds to explore, and farm animals to pet. And these families became part of the Family Affair Farm, as well.

But those were different days, ones Saathoff and Barth hope to see again very soon. For now, like the rest of us, they deal with the realities of COVID-19 and all of the restrictions.

“I support Governor Hogan a hundred percent,” says Saathoff. “I totally understand the 10-person restriction. But if Nicole and I are there, we also count in the 10. So now I’m down to 56 people per day when we usually had 50 to 60 people per hour. But we’ve been doing it and doing it successfully because at week six, and we’re still doing it.”

Success does not necessarily mean they’re happy with the decisions they’ve had to make. Part of the decision was to close off the playgrounds and picnic areas. The bigger problem were the strawberries.

Having decided to expand their production last year, they were faced with thousands of pounds of crop possibly going to waste. Unlike the larger farms in the area, Family Affair didn’t have the staff to pick the berries and then sell them. “So, we had to come up with a plan, says Saathoff. “I lost a lot of sleep over it. I thought about it, prayed about it, thought about it some more. And the only thing I could come up with was to only allow adults to pick.”

Saathoff and Barth acknowledged that a few families were upset they couldn’t bring the kids, but most were grateful to be out in the sunshine, away from crowds, while also getting local and fresh produce. Once they announced their decision, the pair started booking eight appointments every half hour on the hours, all day.

And then, something unexpected happened. “By week three or four into this, parents became okay about coming by themselves,” says Saathoff. “Because at that point, they were working from home, they were homeschooling their kids. They were exhausted, and they needed to get out of the house. There were those who either had a job or didn’t have a job at all, and there was all this stress of worrying about it all the time.”

They began to see a lot of healthcare workers, doctors and nurses, that were coming out to the Farm as a release from what they were experiencing daily. When Saathoff and Barth realized that the fields were a comfort place for some, they started making sure that everyone who called and wanted an appointment was able to get in at some time. That has presented its own set of challenges, says Saathoff.

“I tease people; I’m like, we’re not a nail salon, so you can’t just call and say I want to pick berries on Friday at 10 o’clock. Well, that’s great that you might want to, but that’ll depend on how many berries were picked on Thursday. It might take a whole day to ripen up that next set that’s on there. It’s getting people accustomed to appointments and helping them to understand that this isn’t like Giant or Acme where you go in the back, and you pull more out. When the red ones are done for the day, they’re done for the day.”

The whole strawberry season is almost done, they tell us. Meanwhile, they use social media to let people know when the next batch of strawberries has ripened. Within half an hour, they will have received 30-50 calls, and begin scheduling visits.

Next up are the blackberries and blueberries. The pair know they will continue making appointments but haven’t decided what their game plan will be. There is a lot that is still up in the air. Governor Hogan has not announced when or what or how the next phase will be. So, for now, they’re not putting too much planning into it. Of course, they can’t help but wonder what the fall season, their most successful time, will be like this year.

For now, Saathoff and Barth are grateful to all who make up the Family Affair Farm. Their own family, of course, who work the Farm and keep it operating, and the ones who have become like family returning year after year, making memories, even during a pandemic.

Family Affair Farm, 30091 Rabbit Hill Road, Easton, MD 21601, is open by appointment only. Check Facebook page for availability. Phone: 410-310-1331

Commerce: When an Alcohol Distillery Takes on COVID-19

May 19, 2020 by Val Cavalheri Leave a Comment

By now, you probably know about how St. Michaels’ Windon Distilling, home of Lyon Rum, temporarily ventured into making hand sanitizers. But did you know that they’re still at it?

If you don’t remember or weren’t paying close attention, here is a brief recap. In mid-March, as businesses closed around the nation, the call went out, and a temporary dispensation was given to beverage alcohol distilleries to help make much-needed sanitizers. Distilleries everywhere took on the challenge. As the founder and CEO of Windon Distilling and the President of the Maryland Distillers Guild, Jamie Windon was in a unique position to help guide and create a network and database to funnel the many requests they were getting. These requests came from all over Maryland on behalf of multiple state agencies, front line workers, and essential businesses.

Those first few weeks were a scramble to learn how to make the product, how to procure the ancillary supplies (glycerin, hydrogen peroxide, bottles), and how to get it to the people who needed it. But the decision to make a new product was something they knew they had to do, not something they were doing from a business perspective. “This was our saying, yes to a need that came down to us from the State and the County,” says Windon. “We were simply responding, and because we were responding to their requests, we had no idea when we made that first batch if that was the only batch we were going to make, if we were going to do that and be done with it, or how long this would continue.”

It went on longer than what anyone expected. For six weeks, they tried to keep up with the demand. At one point, Windon remembers, the guild had a backlog of requests for over 20,000 gallons that had to be filled. And with 90% of the Distilling’s staff laid off, it became the responsibility of Windon and her partners to roll up their sleeves and “work 24/7 just as if we were starting a new business.”

With such a tremendous need, there was, of course, no extras to go around, despite the many calls they were receiving from the public. But two weeks ago, it all changed. The Distilling company is still making hand sanitizers, but they now have enough to sell to the private consumer, whether it’s an individual or a business preparing to reopen.

“Now anybody that needs it can contact us,” says Windon. “A business owner said to me the other day, ‘Oh man, I can’t find hand sanitizer, and when I did, it was $60 a gallon.’ And I said, ‘you know I make it, and it’s $35 a gallon.’ That’s been a mission of ours since the very beginning when we started this. We, along with many of our fellow distillers in Maryland, have worked to help correct price gouging and to provide something that was needed at a fair price. That’s just hugely important to us as a company.”

But don’t expect to see the personal-sized bottles. The company only sells one-gallon containers. And don’t expect to just be able to run into the distillery and pick one up. All transactions are done through email, with pickup by appointment at the showroom or their booth at the farmer’s markets.

At this point, Windon plans on continuing to make hand sanitizers as long as it’s needed and is proud of her company’s role in this unexpected opportunity. They won’t, however, be branding it into the Windon family of products. “If you look at our bottles, they have the FDA label. It’s very simple and clean. It’s a functional refill of an essential item, and it would be awful to stop making it when people in our community need it. When that need ceases, and when the calls and emails stop coming in, we’ll stop making it.”

She was also quick to confirm her real passion. “I don’t want a hand sanitizer business. I like making rum. I mean, that’s what we do here. Out of necessity, this booze factory is temporarily a hand sanitizer factory.”

This is a relief to the many Lyon fans, who had worried that the company might run out of rum. “Luckily, she said, “this is our seventh year in business, and we had a pretty good stock of the rum inventory and other spirits going into this. We stopped spirit production for about seven weeks to concentrate on the hand sanitizers.”

This past week the distillery started doing fermentations and making rum again. Their partner, Grey Wolf Distilling, has also begun distilling their vodka line. “But of course, like any business right now,” says Windon, “we’re not jumping back into full manufacturing because we simply don’t know what’s to come and what the demand will be. We’re just beginning to see our normal business start to come back. We’re still about 75% down in sales, but just enough to start needing to refill the rum supply.”

Which is a surprising comment given that the liquor industry has been reported to be thriving right now. Says Windon that could not be further from the truth. “Craft distillers and craft breweries across the country, especially in Maryland, are suffering. They’re suffering because their tasting rooms are closed, and in-store liquor store tasting opportunities are gone. In Maryland, we’ve seen an average of about 75% reduction in sales and as much as 100% for some distilleries. My friends who have breweries tell terrible stories about having to dump beer that’s beginning to expire that wasn’t sold. Luckily spirits don’t expire, so we count our blessings where we can.”

With tasting rooms being a critical revenue source for craft breweries, will Windon expect a quick return to reopen? Not quite. “Out of safety and responsibility to my staff and my customers, I was one of the very first businesses to close my doors before the Governor mandated it. I anticipate that I’ll be one of the last businesses to fully open my doors once it’s legal as well, simply because I want to take things slow. Our distillery is about hospitality, about taking care of people, making people comfortable. And until the public feels a renewed sense of trust that it’s safe to be close to people, we are aren’t able to provide what we normally provide, which is seriously wonderful service with a smile. That’s the core of who we are, and until we can do that, there’s no reason for me to open the tasting room. And I’m not in a hurry to. I’m going to wait until it’s safe. I don’t know how long that’ll take, but we’ll be here. We’re not going anywhere. We’ll just be doing things differently.”

Sections

More