Val Cavalheri

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.

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.

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

July 9, 2020 by Val Cavalheri 4 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.”

Keeping Fit During COVID-19

April 23, 2020 by Val Cavalheri Leave a Comment

There is no argument that we are living in challenging times. Nothing is like it was. We’re missing family gatherings, hugging grandkids, school days, going out to restaurants, sports, and concerts. We stay in touch, virtually, through apps such as Zoom, FaceTime, or Houseparty. We’ve learned the meaning of social distancing and how to make masks out of socks. Our stress levels during these difficult times are higher than ever, and we are reminded of the benefits of exercise to help both physical and mental well-being. Yet, at a time we need it the most, gyms are one of the places closed to us.

So, the question we wanted to know was: What’s changed in the way you are trying to stay fit? In a survey of the almost 100 respondents, we were surprised to learn that 63%, are working out now more than before.

Elyse Camozzo, who was a frequent gym user, says, “I now am working daily in the yard or garden, walking the dog twice as frequently, and sometimes kayaking. I’m not doing a prescribed fitness workout, but I’m exhausted from the physical stuff I’m doing nearly every day. So, I think that while I’m not “working out” per se, at a prescribed time, I’m certainly doing enough activity to stay healthy.”

Another responder, Heather Hall, had been taking a formal exercise class twice a week before the shutdown and intending to walk on the days when not in class. Hall admitted she didn’t always live up to the goal. Now, however, “I’m averaging five days per week, and my walks are longer & further than previously. I’m exercising more than usual because this whole situation has promoted me to be more intentional about it.”

Comments, such as these are consistent with the survey results showing that people have taken up new ways to stay active through either walking or biking (22%), or working out on their own (22%). However, 29% have joined virtual classes, usually with an instructor or through a place familiar to them.

Helping that effort is the area’s largest recreational facility, the YMCA. They continue to train their members (and anyone else who is interested) through various sources such as Facebook, Zoom, and the YMCA website. Wendy Palmer, Easton Y’s Associate Executive Director, said: “We want our whole community to be healthy at home, not just Y members.” Their 30-45-minute live stream (and recorded) classes offer a variety of exercises from senior fitness, to yoga, to cardio fusion. And most require no equipment.

Of course, not all of the area gyms have the type of resources that the Y does. The strain of the closures is acutely felt by the local owners who are surviving by extending current contracts while continuing to collect on them. “Without it, we wouldn’t have any funding,” says Kiersten Mueller, owner of Another Level Fitness in Easton. “We wouldn’t be able to pay rent; we wouldn’t be able to pay any of the bills. There’s quite a lot of overhead with a fitness facility.”

With two gyms to sustain, Mark Cuviello, owner of Fitness Rx in Easton and Stevensville, understands. Both Cuviello and Mueller applied for SBA, Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, and grants. But before they got any funding, they watched these programs run out of money. “I don’t really have a way to survive other than through these loans,” says Cuviello. “If the loans and grants come through, I’ll have to decide: Do I want to bring employees back? Because there’s really nothing to bring employees back for. We’re closed.” At this time, he has no choice but to freeze all memberships.

Amanda Parks, owner of Fit Flock in Chestertown, did not go after loans or grants, hoping instead that she could collect unemployment. Unfortunately, that hasn’t happened and she’s trying to ‘just hang in there.’ Her gym sells class pass bundles instead of memberships and she too, has had to freeze them. “Whatever they had when things got shut down, they’ll have it just as if nothing happened.”

Unlike the rest of the fitness center we spoke to, Physically FITch owners, Eric Fitch and Jen Koch of Chestertown were able to secure a loan through PPP. For assistance with the loan, they credit their bank, but for being able to stay afloat they are grateful to some of their clients. When given the option to pause their account some of the members chose not to. “They said they want us to still be here when we resume, probably the new normal. They want to make sure that they can continue their routine with us on the other side of this,” said Koch. The community’s been very good so far,” says Fitch. “A lot of that is the aspect of our small business. I think a lot of our clients view us as family members.”

Of course, being closed means that, as with the Y, the gyms have had to get creative with how to keep the customers with whom they have built a relationship.

Says Mueller, “What we have done is switch over to online, doing all virtual classes. We have our regular class schedule. Our members can log into our meeting link, and continue to do regular training in their garages or their living rooms. And in that way, we’re seeing each other face to face. We’re interacting; we’re just not getting the fist pumps and high fives. Whatever they’re doing, it seems to be working. When they offered a free six-week program for anyone interested, they saw an increase of approximately 50 to 75 new members.

Using Zoom to continue with personal training her clients, Parks feels that it’s working well considering they’re not together physically. “I create their workout based on what they have in their home setting. Thankfully they all have at least a couple sets of dumbbells, a couple of them have steps, a couple of them have kettlebells even. I just have to be mindful every time I write up a workout of who has what.”

Cuviello is also doing online training now, although he doesn’t feel it’s sustainable for the future, for everyone. “The 40-year olds and up are not going to watch someone on TV do a workout. Millennials, on the other hand, like the concept of ‘I can take your class anytime I want and do it and move on.’ He thinks that this thinking will hurt the gym environment. “So, the way the industry is going to change is two-fold. You still have to provide the standard types of training, where I train you and make you laugh, and you have a good time. That’s because that generation grew up developing relationships. The younger generation doesn’t develop relationships, they’ve developed applications. So, you’re going to have to have a hybrid model, and that’s what I have to go to, and that’s really hard for me. I’m going to have to do everything I did before and provide online classes as well.” Right now, Cuviello is offering a four-week workout and nutrition program or a weekly workout program.

All of the fitness trainers are, however, aware of the limits of online training. “How I coach them has to be different,” says Mueller. “I can’t give them tactile cues. I have my personal training clients that I’m still training. They haven’t changed, but I have to set the camera up just right. We have to get a full-body view, and I have to change how I verbalize what I want. I have to give demos with my body. It’s very different.”

Cuviello also believes that besides proper training, his role is to motivate his clients, and he’s not sure that’s possible online. “Unless I’m there physically with somebody to help them work out, they’re going to get hurt, or they’re going to get tired of it and bored.”

Says Palmer, “Even though this is one-sided and we can’t see them, we’re still giving them safety tips and repeating the modifications and encouraging them to keep moving at their comfort level.

At the request of some of her ‘hardcore regular class participants,’ Program Director and HITT instructor for the Kent YMCA, Erica Osterhout, is hosting Zoom classes where she and her workout group can see each other. “I started with Facebook live and the group voted to go to Zoom so they can see the same faces they’re used to seeing in the regular classes. One of my participants, who has been with me for three to four years, said ‘I’m accustomed to your energy and that’s what I want.’ Sure, they can see the other workouts online, but they don’t have a connection to that instructor or even to that music. It’s important.’

Owner of Bay Pilates, Lorri Wilson-Clarke, has had to rely on a less digital footprint in her business. Wilson-Clarke uses Pilates equipment, which is not typically found in the home. Her training is also limited to small classes or one-on-one. Currently, she’s calling emailing, texting, or using FaceTime to stay in touch. Not something she will continue doing when her business is allowed to open again.

So, what happens when gyms do re-open? Our survey found the majority of responders, 41%, plan on returning to the gym and continuing as before, although an additional 24% would consider a combination of gym and virtual home workouts.

This doesn’t surprise Palmer. “I don’t care how many virtual classes people put out there. I think they’re always going to come back to friends that they can engage with. They also miss those instructors that they know personally, not somebody that is on a computer screen that they’ve never met.”

Mueller agrees, “I like to say we don’t sell memberships. We sell coaching, so we sell relationships.”

Fitch and Koch are trying to be realistic, but are worried about their immediate future. “We have two big concerns.” says Fitch. “The first is about the first month that we’re allowed to open. Who’s going to actually feel safe? I don’t think that just being open means that we’re going to be profitable. I mean, honestly, I’m hoping that my January of 2021 that we’re going to be back where we should be. But you know, the problem with fitness and exercise is once you fall out of your routine, it’s very hard to get back. Koch added that their second concern was over the stock market behavior and how that will affect their business in general. “Since we are more of a luxury service, being primarily personal training, I think that that will greatly affect our revenue. So, we worry: can we pick up new clients and how many of our current clients will stick with us.”

Cuviello had an additional perspective. “Over the bridge, they’re going to be banging the door down to get into the gym. They’re going to be frantic lunatics to get back into the gym. On the Eastern Shore, the older population is who I’m worried about. They’re going to say. ‘Well, I went three, four months without it. I don’t think I need it.’ Until they go to the doctor, and the doctor tells them they are pre-diabetic or have cholesterol issues. Then they’ll hit the gym again.”

Palmer hopes to prevent that possibly unnecessary trip to the doctor, stressing that the Y’s reach extends beyond fitness. Via Zoom meetings and regular phone check-ins, instructors have continued their work with the Chronic Disease Prevention group, the Rock Steady Boxing for those with Parkinson, the LiveSTRONG cancer survivor groups, and the Enhance Fitness fall prevention program.

Until the world learns how to navigate through life after COVID, we can only speculate on how the shutdown will change the fundamental way we live, from attending meetings to working out. Still, the one consistent message being passed on from both the larger organizations and the smaller fitness businesses was this: Move more. Sit less.

Wilson-Clarke says she calls her clients and tells them, “You can walk, you can breathe, you can lift your arms up and down while you’re walking and get your circulation going. Don’t worry about missing your workout. Just get out and move. Get out in the sunshine for a little bit when you can, if for no other reason than to boost your mood.”

Love in the Time of COVID by Val Cavalheri

April 7, 2020 by Val Cavalheri 2 Comments

Preparations for a wedding, at any time, is a stressful and time-consuming task. There is the finding of the perfect dress, the ideal venue. There is the guest list, the ‘save the date’ card, the bridal shower, and the invitations. There is the assembling of the all-important ‘dream team:’ florist, photographer, baker, DJ or band, videographer, limo service, hair & makeup artists, etc. But what if something goes wrong somewhere between the ‘I will’ and the ‘I do?’ Sure, there are precedents of what others have done when a disaster, such as an earthquake or a hurricane, strikes. But nothing has prepared the industry (and the world) for a pandemic. And as we found out, the number of people and the amount of money that is affected by just one wedding being canceled or postponed is staggering.

Hannah Masaracchia, baker and owner of Nosh in Trappe, first alerted us through a posting on Facebook. I am worried that we have forgotten entirely about a whole group of people that are in grave need of our support. The self-employed. Your hometown entrepreneurs. We may not have storefronts, but our small businesses are still just that — businesses. My concentration for the past couple of years has been in the wedding industry, and, as a whole, we have already taken a devastating blow from COVID-19. One that many of us will not recover from. We’re just coming out of our off-season and depend on the income wedding season brings to carry us through the next off-season.

“More than half of us,” she told us, “don’t qualify for unemployment.”

Masaracchia struggles with the question of what to do with the non-refundable deposits that were paid to her a year or more in advance. She sympathizes with the bride, who’s been looking forward to the wedding for over a year and a half. “It’s completely out of her control, and it’s not just like they’re canceling because they wanted a different date.” She’s refunded some but worries that if she refunds more, it could bankrupt her businesses.

The same worry and disappointment were expressed by Ashley Sherwood, who owns Sherwood Florist in Tilghman Islands. All of her spring weddings have been canceled or postponed, and no, she has not refunded the ‘very small deposit’ she collects. It’s not just affecting florists, she told us, it’s also affecting the growers and wholesalers, who’ve had to destroy the flowers that won’t be used. “It’s really, really sad,” Sherwood says, “just piles and piles of flowers, gone.”

Having no income is forcing small businesses to come up with other ways to stay afloat. Masaracchia is planning on a cake-a-month idea, “We’re all trying to scramble to come up with a new way to keep our head above water,” she said.

Sherwood has started a flower club with the flowers she was able to get before her last wholesaler closed. “Right now, I’m just kind of holding my breath until, hopefully, a wedding comes, she said. “My next wedding is supposed to be May 30th, and they’re not postponed yet, so we’re hoping that it can happen.”

Cancel, postpone, or forge ahead is the question being asked of all weddings planned for the next few months. For Kimberly Hargrove from St. Michaels, who was scheduled to be married at the Great Oak Manor in Chestertown on April 25, the question was decided for her when her venue canceled. “We were ready. We had 150 guests. We have just moved back from Florida, now we’ve got to wait all the way until November.”

With the change comes different sets of problems. “A major disappointment for brides having to reschedule is that they may not be able to use all their original vendors because of availability,” said Masaracchia. “We book a year or so out and can only do so many weddings per day–many of us are limited to just one wedding per day–and we are all nearly booked for this Fall when many brides are now looking to reschedule.”

For Hargrove and her husband-to-be, Brandon Hause, this means their photographer won’t be available. “You work so hard to find people that you like and get everybody on board, and then you start from scratch all over again.”

It also means that the wedding dress, Hargrove carefully chose for Spring, will be used in late fall instead and will need some adjustments for the weather. It’s more than just the dress, explains Masaracchia. The spring flowers they picked out won’t work, their decorations, color schemes, and décor will probably need to change as well to reflect the season.

What about eloping now and having a party later, we asked? Says Hargrove, “Your wedding day is all about being surrounded by your friends and family, and if they’re not going to be there, I’d rather reschedule and have a day when they can be there.” To other brides who may be experiencing the same dilemma, she advises, “I know that it’s such a letdown and it’s such a disappointment, but when it happens, it will make the day that much more special.”

Bride-to-be Haley Baumgartner, from Cambridge, agrees, to a point. She’s hoping not to change her May 17 wedding at Delmar, MD’s Kylan Barn. “Me and my fiancé (Andrew Cooper), we’re just going to act like it’s still happening until they tell us we can’t do it. So, we’re just pushing on and hoping that things are going to happen.” She admits to being disappointed and upset when it was becoming obvious there may be a problem. “Hopefully, I’m only going to have one wedding in my life. I want it to be what I’ve always dreamed of since I was little.”

But unlike Hargrove, Baumgartner is open to other possibilities. “Andrew and I are both very confident, and we’re at peace with whatever happens. Whether that means we have to get married at the courthouse in May and then have a wedding celebration in the summer or the fall, or if our (current) wedding date ends up being able to be our wedding date… We’re just kind of waiting and just trying to be patient.” Her message to other brides is: “Try not to stress out and panic over all of this because I truly believe that everything happens for a reason and no matter what happens at the end of the day you and your significant other still love each other, and you’re going to get married at some point or another. So just keep pushing forward and holding onto that hope.”

An Anne Arundel couple, who preferred not to be identified, plan on continuing with their early May wedding but have adapted to the new COVID-19 reality of using technology in innovative ways. Since they no longer can use their chosen venue in Chestertown (and won’t be receiving their non-refundable deposit back), they’ve booked a B&B with outdoor space. On their selected day, the bride and groom, their parents, and an officiant will witness the marriage (following social distancing guidelines and the prohibition on gatherings of more than ten people). All the rest of the guests received their invitation to live-stream the ceremony from the safety of their homes. The couple plans on having a celebratory party in November.

Of course, things are subject to change as this crisis forces all of us to remain fluid in our expectations and plans. Sooner or later, however, these and other couples like them will get married and continue with their life. That might not be the case for their florists, photographers, bakers, DJs or bands, videographers, limo service, or hair & makeup artists, who depend on the steady stream of weddings to keep their businesses open.

Just as we are supporting restaurants by ordering take-out or delivery, there are ways we can also help the local small businesses. Purchase gift certificates, consider ordering cupcakes from a baker instead of a supermarket, book a family session with a photographer, buy Easter and Mother’s Day flowers from a florist.

Masaracchia sums it up this way: “It’s all about thinking outside of the box. Look at our services not as an extravagance and not just for weddings. We can do birthday parties and other events as well. Let’s continue to spread the love, and, hopefully, we’ll all survive this together.”

Photos courtesy of: Artistic Photography by Tami

TACL: Area Virtual Service Update

April 5, 2020 by Val Cavalheri Leave a Comment

This list, compiled by Talbot Association of Clergy Laity (TACL), is a work in progress.

It provides links for the “virtual” services, during COVID-19, which are known to us as of 4/4/2020.

Please email updates to TACL: taclexcom@gmail.com.

Organization	Information on Religious Services during COVID	Link for virtual service	Denomination
All Faith Chapel	Virtual services held by Zoom. Link sent via email.	https://zoom.us/j/4649541475 Meeting ID: 464 954 1475 Or dial into: 301 715 8592	Episcopal
Bay Area Community Church	Virtual service Sunday at 9:20 am streamed live via website and Facebook	https://www.bayareacc.org/easton or https://www.facebook.com/bayareacc/	Non-denominational
Bethel AME	Combined virtual service Sunday at 10:30 am and Noonday Prayer (weekdays) for the three AME churches in Talbot Co.	Sunday at 10:30 am – Dial: 1-312-626-6799, Code: 8680217534# or https://zoom.us/j/8680217534 Meeting Code: 8680217534# Noonday Prayer – Dial: 712-770-4010, Code: 471-936#.	Methodist-Episcopal
Christ Church Easton	Virtual service Saturdays at 5 pm via FaceBook Live. Virtual prayer Saturdays at 6 pm and Sundays at 10 am via Zoom. Sunday	https://www.facebook.com/christchurcheastonmd/ Zoom services https://zoom.us/j/4467767453	Episcopal
Christ Church St. Michaels	Services cancelled through May 10th	NA	Episcopal
Church of Christ In Easton	Virtual services held via conference call (link emailed) and Facebook Live	https://www.facebook.com/Eastoncocfamily/	Church of Christ
Church of the King	Services cancelled at this time.	NA	Church of the King
Easton Baptist Church	Services via Facebook Live	Thttps://www.facebook.com/Eastonbc/	Baptist
Easton Church of God	Services broadcast via Facebook Live and YouTube	https://www.facebook.com/eastoncog/ or https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnti1KQ5bOkR_tlPKo-jM9A	Church of God
Easton Church of the Brethren	Services cancelled, but worship resources are being emailed weekly.	NA	Church of Brethren
Emmanuel Deliverance Center, Inc.	Services via teleconference.	Please dial 515-604-9000 and enter the access code: 165706	Non-denominational
First Baptist Church	Check website for details on virtual services.	https://www.fbceaston.org/	Baptist
First Wesleyan Church	Virtual services broadcast live via website	http://eastonfirst.org/	Wesleyan
Fountain of Life Church	Virtual services via Facebook Live	https://www.facebook.com/flceaston/	Pentecostal
Grace Lutheran Church	All services and gatherings cancelled	NA	Lutheran
Immanuel Lutheran Church	Services cancelled through April 4th.	NA	Lutheran
Islamic Society of Easton	Working on making virtual services available.	TBD	Islam
Mid Shore Community Church	Weekly radio program (WCEI 96.7 FM) and Sunday services broadcast live via Zoom	http://www.midshorecommunitychurch.com/	Non-denominational
New Queen Esther AME	Combined virtual service Sunday at 10:30 am and Noonday Prayer (weekdays) for the three AME churches in Talbot Co.	Sunday at 10:30 am – Dial: 1-312-626-6799, Code: 8680217534# or https://zoom.us/j/8680217534 Meeting Code: 8680217534# Noonday Prayer – Dial: 712-770-4010, Code: 471-936#.	Methodist-Episcopal
Oasis Covenant Fellowship	Virtual service via Facebook Live	https://www.facebook.com/oasiseaston/	Non-denominational
Oxford United Methodist Church	Services cancelled through March. April TBD.	NA	Methodist
Presbyterian Church of Easton	Video of the Pastor’s sermon will be available on website	http://www.pceaston.com/	Presbyterian
Real Life Chapel / Church of Nazarene	Virtual services held via Facebook Live	https://www.facebook.com/reallifechapel/	Church of Nazarene
Rhema Apostolic Deliverance-Ministries	Services broadcast via Facebook Live and YouTube	https://www.facebook.com/PastorandLadyDickerson/	Apostolic Church
Royal Oak Community United Methodist Church	Virtual Service at: Facebook – Royal Oak Community UMC or YouTube – Royal Oak Community UMC at 10:00AM Sundays	https://www.facebook.com/rocumc/	Methodist
Saints Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church	Recorded services and messages shared on Facebook.	https://www.facebook.com/SSPPEaston/	Catholic
Shore Harvest Presbyterian Church	Virtual services will be live streamed. Check website for details.	https://www.shoreharvest.org/	Presbyterian
St Joseph Chapel c/o Sts Peter and Paul	Recorded service on Sts Peter & Paul Facebook page	https://www.facebook.com/SSPPEaston/	Catholic
St Luke’s United Methodist Church	Virtual services broadcast live via new website	https://www.antiviralchurch.org/	Methodist
St Mark’s United Methodist	Virtual services via Facebook Live	https://www.facebook.com/St-Marks-United-Methodist-Church-156903111057624/	Methodist
St Matthews (UMC)	Sunday services and weekly prayer meeting now held through conference call.	Conference call 978-990-5000, code 38067	Methodist
St Michael Chapel c/o Sts Peter and Paul	Recorded service on Sts Peter & Paul Facebook page	https://www.facebook.com/SSPPEaston/	Catholic
St Stephens AME Unionville	Combined virtual service Sunday at 10:30 am and Noonday Prayer (weekdays) for the three AME churches in Talbot Co.	Sunday at 10:30 am – Dial: 1-312-626-6799, Code: 8680217534# or https://zoom.us/j/8680217534 Meeting Code: 8680217534# Noonday Prayer – Dial: 712-770-4010, Code: 471-936#.	Methodist-Episcopal
Temple B’Nai Israel	Virtual services Friday night and Saturday broadcast live via Facebook. Check https://bnaiisraeleaston.org/ for dates and times.	https://www.facebook.com/bnaiisraeleaston/	Jewish
The Church of the Holy Trinity	Virtual services broadcast live via website: Sunday’s 9:30 am Holy Eucharist; Wednesday’s 8:30 am Morning Prayer	www.holytrinityoxfordmd.org	Episcopal
The Retreat House at Hillsboro	Wednesday night prayer service (5:45-6:15 pm) via Zoom.	Zoom online: https://zoom.us/j/212677840 or Call into +1 929 205 6099 US (Zoom meeting ID: 212 677 840)	Non-denominational
Third Haven Friends Meeting	Small group meetings via Zoom. Email 3rdhaven@gmail.com for instructions	http://thirdhaven.org/	Quaker
TriLife Christian Center	Virtual services on Facebook Live and on their Prayer Line	https://www.facebook.com/firstladytrilife/	Non-denominational
Trinity Episcopal Cathedral	All services cancelled through May 9th	NA	Episcopal
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship at Easton	Recorded service available via YouTube	https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyDd3eXTUcsvOkIAUNzj-Pg/featured	Unitarian Universalist

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