Selkie is covering 20% off the fine works of our amazing Local Authors and Artists! No Exclusions (except the large metal Sculptures of ROBERT D LASUS, of Fairmount Park fame, displayed in the Secret Garden, but including Bob’s Art Photography). Pick from the Collections of our more than 70 (!) Local Authors and Local Artists, whose creations Selkie offers you every day store commission-free.

Next, Selkie is providing a $50 Gift Certificate Door Prize – free entry for our browsers and shoppers on 4/26 ~ No Expiration, No Exclusions. Why this $50 amount for this Special Day? (If you’ve been noticing, it’s the Door Prize value amount Selkie is offering at all our 2025 Special Events!) Because Selkie and the Captain are celebrating the bookstore’s 5 happy, wonderful years in Rock Hall as of August 2025 ~ Selkie thinks of it as 50 for 5 in 25!

Selkie is launching on 4/26 our Rare Books Buying Bonanza Period that will run thru the Graduation Months of May and June! Selkie is covering 15% off Selkie’s own and our Local Consignors’ simply marvelous Collections of Rare & Collectible Books! The perfect gift that shows you care for your giftees and that you understand the essential importance of not only rare but all Real Books ~ inscribable, annotatable, meaningful keepsakes ~ to the education of our progeny and to the preservation of our civilization. With that thought, Selkie also is giving to the first ten Rare Book purchasers a free copy of Walter M Miller, Jr’s “A Canticle for Leibowitz.”

Join us:

• on Sunday, April 27, for a beautiful presentation, “Painting Provence,” by great Artist and Author PATTY MOWELL about her art studies in France last year ~ and catch excellent WCTR Jeff Ferguson’s ‘Shore Perspectives” radio interview of Patty that morning, 106.9 FM (1530 AM) at 9:00 a.m.!

• on Saturday, May 3, for fun with terrific Horticulturist & Author RUTH ROGERS CLAUSEN, presenting, “How Sweet It Is ~ Fragrance In The Garden” ~ signing her superb Collection, and answering your ‘Chelsea Chop’ and ‘pesky deer in the garden’ questions!

• on Sunday, May 18, for signing “Drew’s Grand Adventures,” by delightful Children’s Author & Artist NATASHA NASH DIXON, whose charming tale of the ‘coyote’ protecting Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse, with stunning photographs by David Sites, benefits this historic, still active, 1875 Maryland Lighthouse!

• on Saturday, June 7, an exciting Mystery Scavenger Hunt and New Book Launch of awesome Authors MAGGIE and KEN SCHECK’s latest Hippolyte ‘Hip’ Maxwell Mystery Fiction, “A Killing at Carnaval,” an entrancing thriller set in the exotic French Caribbean Island of Martinique!

• on Sunday, June 22, a Show & Reception for talented Griot-Visual Storyteller for the People, and Art Photographer DOMINIC TIMOTHY MOULDEN, whose outstanding works have graced Galleries in DC and Baltimore including being short-listed for the BMA’s Interactive Exhibition Gallery!

On Saturday, May 10, The Mainstay welcomes nationally celebrated singer/songwriter Vance Gilbert. Vance Gilbert is one of the principal players on the national folk scene, and one of the originators of the R&B/Folk/Jazz crossover genre.

Starting out, he hoped to be an R&B and jazz singer but soon discovered his affinity for the storytelling sensibilities of the acoustic singer-songwriter genre. Word spread quickly about Gilbert’s stage-owning singing and playing, and national recording artist Shawn Colvin invited him to be the opening act on her 1992 Fat City tour. In his 30-year career he has also shared the stage with artists as varied as Arlo Guthrie, Anita Baker, The Milk Carton Kids, and Southside Johnny. The mid 2000’s found Gilbert opening 150+ shows for comedian George Carlin.

Gilbert is known for his humorous, comfortable, improvisational stage manner. His repertoire has a wide range, covering Joni Mitchell one moment and doing what sounds like a jazz classic (but is actually his own) the next. Many songs tell profound stories and touch on important topics.

30 years into his career, the songwriter’s influence can be felt all over the contemporary national Folk and Americana scene as he has helped pave the way for many of the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color musicians artists who have followed.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram described him as having “the voice of an angel, the wit of a devil, and the guitar playing of a god.”  Richmond Magazine commented that “If Joni Mitchell and Richie Havens had a love child, with Rodney Dangerfield as the midwife, the results might be something close to the great Vance Gilbert”.

Gilbert has also been a prominent presence at some of the world’s most prestigious gatherings and halls, among them the Newport, Winnipeg, Rocky Mountain, Calgary, Ottawa, and Falcon Ridge Folk festivals, the Kate Wolf Music Festival, Mountain Stage, Boston’s Symphony Hall, Nashville’s Lyman Auditorium, and The Barns at Wolftrap.

Showtime for the Mainstay concert event is 8 pm. Tickets are $20 in advance of the show and can be purchased online at mainstayrockhall.org. Phone reservations are accepted by calling (410) 639-9133 (tickets reserved by phone are $25 when paid at the door). The Mainstay is located at 5753 N Main Street in Rock Hall,

Lotus Number Seventy-Five, Frank DePietro, Oil on canvas

The Zebra Gallery will open two shows in May, with an opening on Friday, May 2 from 5 to 7 p.m. with artist talks. The two artists in the Main Gallery, Frank DePietro and Richard Fritz, MD, feature color palettes and subject matter represent springtime and growth.

Frank DePietro lives in Landenberg, PA, teaching classes at Longwood Gardens and The Delaware Art Museum. He describes his work as contemporary realist paintings. His work is derived from experiences making traditional landscape and plein air paintings. Conceptually similar, his art attempts to capture time through the changes of light and color displayed in the natural world.

“I prefer to work in the controlled environment of a studio, where I can spend long periods of unlimited time with my subject matter, contemplating the relationship of nature to the formal elements of painting. I begin my process with a photographic search for visually impactful compositions that reveal and document a specific time and place.  The images I collect are transformed and simplified with considerations of shape, line, form, texture, space, tone, and color,” DePietro states.

Richard Fritz, MD, a retired physician living in Easton, describes himself as an oil painter in the colorist tradition, focusing primarily on landscapes. The academics of painting requires discipline in mastery of medium, draftsmanship, and composition. But the real joy of painting lies in the creative journey it provides.

‘My artistic vision has spiritual roots relating to the belief that consciousness follows light, and light manifests in color. Painting landscapes opens a dialogue with creation, exploring the interplay of light and dark, form and color, object and awareness. The act of painting is, in itself, meditative and joyful. My artistic aspiration is to animate natural scenes with a sense of innate mindfulness and quiet compassion, and to communicate that feeling to the viewer,” he shares.

Additional artists, Shelton Hawkins and April Claggett will have work on display in June with an opening on Friday, June 6 from 5 to 7 p.m. Shelton Hawkins, of Easton, MD, will have his second annual basketball-themed event at the gallery. This show called “For Love of the Game” will feature his basketball courts painted all over the world. April Claggett, an Easton MD native, will display a group of paintings she calls “Entanglements.” This work from Africa does not depict suffering but premises a symbolic realm where the longing for wholeness, even perhaps with things antithetical or past, can be real and present. Simple fictions of accompaniment in daywork and daydreams—playful, mysterious, absurd, violent—inhabit indeterminate spaces.

Susan Schauer John comments, “The upcoming artists featured in the gallery bring an amazing range of interpretations in their work and I think the community will really enjoy these inspiring works of art.”

The Zebra Gallery address is 5 N. Harrison Street, Easton, MD (across the street from the Historic Tidewater Inn). For further information, visit https://www.thezebragallery.com.

Get ready, Eastern Shore—on Saturday, May 3, the Academy Art Museum is shaking things up with what promises to be the boldest gala of the year. This year’s celebration trades the traditional gala for an unexpected twist: a massive industrial warehouse just north of Easton. For one night only, the raw space will be transformed into a sleek, city-loft-style venue that’s all about modern edge and creative flair.

The inspiration? The razor-sharp realism of photorealist legend Richard Estes, whose exhibition Urban Landscapes, opens at the Academy on May 1. His intricate urban scenes spark a sense of connection and astonishing detail—setting the tone for a night that blurs the line between art and experience.

Setting the sonic mood is none other than local music legend Kentavius Jones, debuting an original soundscape composed exclusively for the event. Expect grooves that echo with the energy of city streets, crafted to perfectly complement Estes’ visual world.

It wouldn’t be a true Academy Art Museum night without incredible food. Gourmet by the Bay returns with a menu as bold and creative as the art on display—yes, you’ll want to Instagram it before you take a bite.

“We wanted this year’s gala to feel like a turning point—a moment that reflects the scale of our ambition and the energy of our community,” said Charlotte Potter Kasic, Director of the Academy Art Museum. “It’s not just a celebration of what we’ve done, but of everything we’re about to do. This is a party with purpose.”

More than a night of music, art, and conversation, this gala fuels the museum’s mission: supporting dynamic exhibitions, hands-on classes for all ages, and year-round programming—while keeping admission free for everyone.

So mark your calendar, put on something fabulous, and prepare for an evening that’s as visionary as the art that inspired it.

For information and to purchase tickets, visit here.

CBMM’s Chief Historian Pete Lesher (far left) presented environmental filmmakers (from left) Sandy Cannon-Brown, Dave Harp, and Tom Horton with the Bay Heritage Award on Wednesday evening. (Photo by George Sass)

 The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum has honored environmental filmmakers Tom Horton, Dave Harp, and Sandy Cannon-Brown with its Bay Heritage Award for their contributions to the preservation of regional culture in line with CBMM’s mission.

Chief Historian Pete Lesher presented Horton, Harp, and Cannon-Brown with the award on Wednesday evening following a screening of the trio’s latest film, “Chesapeake Rhythms,” as part of the Chesapeake Bay Week Film Festival in CBMM’s Van Lennep Auditorium.

Horton, Harp, and Cannon-Brown join a distinguished list of Bay Heritage Award honorees, including broadcast journalist Walter Cronkite, naval architect Thomas C. Gilmer, historian and museum curator Robert H. Burgess, authors William Warner and James Michener, and log canoe preservationist Judge John C. North II. This is the first time the award has been presented since North was honored in 2015.

“We’re delighted to honor our friends Tom, Dave, and Sandy for their tremendous work over the years,” CBMM’s President & CEO Kristen Greenaway said. “Their repeated collaboration—Tom as the writer and narrative voice, Dave as the photographer and videographer, and Sandy as the filmmaker artfully weaving the content together—has deepened our understanding and appreciation of a fragile and changing Chesapeake Bay and the impact of those changes on communities and individuals who have called this region home.”

Horton, Harp, and Cannon-Brown have been working together since 2015, when they produced “Beautiful Swimmers Revisited,” an hour-long documentary inspired by Warner’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book “Beautiful Swimmers: Watermen, Crabs and the Chesapeake Bay.” 

They have collaborated on eight more films since then, covering an array of Bay-related topics and issues. Making its Maryland Public Television debut next Tuesday, April 22, as part of Chesapeake Bay Week, “Chesapeake Rhythms” conveys the beauty and mystery of the Bay by chronicling its essential rhythm, including the migrations of tundra swans, monarch butterflies, shorebirds, and eels. Last year, their film “A Passion for Oysters,” an exploration of the enduring legacy of oysters in the Bay, was featured during MPT’s Chesapeake Bay Week, as well.

“It’s quite an honor,” Harp said. “We’ve just had an interesting, fun 10 years working together to do documentaries. I think this award is a validation of Sandy teaching Tom and me how to make a film, taking a couple guys that have been covering the Bay in words and pictures for a long time and turning us into this filmmaking team.”

“To be honored for the work, which is my joy and my passion, is amazing,” Cannon-Brown added. “To think that they think that we’re in the same league as Walter Cronkite or James Michener or William Warner is so overwhelming that I get emotional even thinking about it.” 

A long-time environmental reporter at The Baltimore Sun, Horton has authored eight books about the Bay and been honored along the way by the Sierra Club, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and National Audubon Society.

Harp’s stunning Bay photography has accompanied five of Horton’s books, and his work has been featured in a slew of national publications, including the New York Times Magazine, Smithsonian, and Audubon. A selection of his work was featured at CBMM in a 2020 special exhibition, Where Land and Water Meet, and a 2010 special exhibition, A Rising Tide in the Heart of the Chesapeake Bay. 

Harp has transferred the entire body of his Chesapeake Bay-related work, from black-and-white film photography of oyster dredging among the skipjack fleet in the 1970s to his digital work in recent years, to CBMM, where it will be accessible to the public for generations to come.

A CBMM volunteer and St. Michaels resident before relocating to Martha’s Vineyard in 2020, Cannon-Brown is an award-winning environmental filmmaker whose work has often featured the Bay and taken her across the United States and beyond. The Founder and President of VideoTakes, Inc., she has been honored as a Woman of Vision by Women in Film & Video DC and Adjunct Professor of the Year by American University.

The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is a non-profit educational organization that preserves and explores the history, environment, and culture of the entire Chesapeake Bay region, and makes this resource accessible to all.

Every aspect of fulfilling this mission is driven by CBMM’s values of relevance, authenticity, and stewardship, along with a commitment to providing engaging guest experiences and transformative educational programming, all while serving as a vital community partner. For more information, visit cbmm.org.

Kat Melton, who directed last year’s smash hit Ride the Cyclone, invites local actors to audition for Agatha Christie’s classic mystery, Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express. We may all know “who done it,” but Ken Ludwig’s new adaptation is fast, fresh and hilarious. So, actors, get aboard the famous train as it travels from Istanbul to Western Europe in 1934.

Auditions will be held on the CHT stage (103 Walnut Street in Church Hill, Md) from 6-8 pm on Wednesday, May 21 and Friday, May 23, and from 10 am – noon on Saturday, May 24.  The show will run for three weekends, from September 12-28.

The play has great parts for actors of all ages, from older teens to senior citizens, with scope for some age/gender flexibility. The director will ask for cold readings from the script—and may include some group activities or other exercises as well. Nothing has been pre-cast, so Kat encourages a big turn-out. Here are the roles:

MEN

Hercule Poirot, Belgian, 40-65

Constantine Bouc, Belgian, 40-65

Michael, French, 40-60

Samuel Ratchett, American, 35-50

Hector McQueen, American, 25-35

Colonel James Arbuthnot, Scottish, 30-50

Head waiter, 20-70

Doctor, mid 20s-70

Other passengers on the Athens Coach mid-teens-80s

WOMEN

Mary Debenham, English mid 20s-40

Princess Natalya Dragomiroff, Russian, 60-80

Greta Ohlsson, Swedish, mid 20s-40

Countess Elena Andrenyi, Hungarian, 20-30

Mrs. Helen Hubbard, American, 45-60.

Other passengers on the Athens Coach mid-teens-80s

Check the website, www.churchhilltheatre.org, or call the office 410-556-6003 for more information.

This will be the 41^st year for the Oxford Fine Arts Show to be held May 16 – 18 at the Oxford Community Center. The event consistently attracts art enthusiasts due to the quality of the exhibitors. The show is always fresh based on the fact that there is a new juror every year. This year famed Plein Air Easton artist, Sara Linda Poly was the juror. Sara Linda Poly was the featured artist of the International Artist Magazine, and is frequently selected to participate in the world class Easton Plein Air Festival. Sara Linda Polly selected a roster of fine artists in different mediums for the show this year. Join us in welcoming the following artists:

Sandy Alanko, Eric Asche, Irene Aspell, Joel Boches, Carole Böggemann-Peirson, Thomas Burden, Naomi Clark-Turner, Sharon Dennis, Lois Engberg, Nancy Fine, Donna Finley, Mary Ford, Rhonda Ford, Debra Howard, Susan Schauer John, Kathy Kopec, Pat Lang, Kate Leibrand, Linda Luke, Mary Ellen Mabe, Jeanne  Mays, Carol McClees, Laura McGowan, Kimberly Nesci, Betty Papson, David Pellegrini, Steve Rogers, Kenneth Rose, Sharon Stockley, Stephen Walker, Heidi Wetzel, Keith Whitelock, Barbara    Zuehlke with Karen Merkin from Rockville, Maryland as the featured artist this year featuring her painting entitled “Yellow Mooring”.

The Preview Party on Friday May 16^th is the best time to see the full gallery and have time to peruse the full exhibition prior to the public over the weekend. It provides attendees the chance to “Meet the Artists”, view the original artwork and buy art! This has always been a fun evening where attendees get to mingle with the artists and enjoy cocktails as well as partake of delicious hors d’oeuvres while getting first looks at the collection.

During the Preview Party awards are given out. Thank you to our art sponsors for providing award winning money for the artists. This year the Awards are:

Judge’s Choice sponsored by Anne Marie and Jay Borneman
Artists Choice sponsored by Elspeth and Dr. William “Bill” Ritchie
Oxford Business Association’s “Best representation of Village Life”
Oxford Library’s “Best use of Color”
Cutts and Case’s “Best Maritime”

The 2025 judge for the awards is Charlotte Potter Kasic. Charlotte is the current Director of the Academy Art Museum in Easton. She received her MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design and her BFA from Alfred University. She was the previous director of the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk Virginia, Barry Art Museum and Old Dominion University. She is an artist herself in glass. She performs moving art shows as well as glass art sculpture and installations. Her creativity and passion will add a dynamic touch to the award ceremony this year.

The schedule of events for the weekend begins with the Friday night Preview Party. On Saturday and Sunday, the exhibit is open to the public 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM. The raffle of beautiful artwork donated by the artists happens at the end of the show with a toast of bubbly for the occasion. Once again there are lunch items for purchase on both days with the famous strawberry shortcake too!

The juried exhibit and sale has supported the Oxford Community Center (a non-profit 501(C-3), since the 1980’s to support OCC’s mission to provide the region with a year-round schedule of free or reduced educational, cultural and recreational programs and events. For more information, and to secure your tickets, visit oxfordcc.org.

The Stories of the Chesapeake Heritage Area invites all to participate in “Two Lights for  Tomorrow,” a nationwide initiative to illuminate every household, business, house of  worship, public building, and municipal government office across Caroline, Kent, Queen  Anne’s, and Talbot countiies with two lights starting the evening of April 18, 2025 and  throughout the weekend.  

The lights not only commemorate the well-known ride of Paul Revere and other Sons of  Liberty as they signaled the approach of British troops with lanterns hung in Boston’s Old  North Church, and the start of the Revolutionary War, but the lights are also symbols of a  united future and a reminder of all Marylander’s aspirations for their rights to life, liberty,  and the pursuit of happiness. 

One Nation! Two Lights! Three Nights 

We encourage participation over three nights of April 18, 19, and 20, 2025, at as many  locations as possible — historical societies, community centers, municipal and county  administrative buildings, private residences, barns, and community entrances.  

Share pictures of YOUR lights on social media and tag them with #TwoLightsForTomorrow  

#MD250  

#StoriesoftheChesapeake 

Households can place two luminaries, candles, lanterns, camping lights or even  flashlights in your windows or on your porch beginning the evening of April 18th,  symbolizing the two lanterns hung in the church steeple.

Businesses displaying their two lights will help foster a sense of community, historical  pride and support for special events in the coming year and beyond; consider singing this  liitle light of mine, and 

Government Offices illuminate their edifices with symbolic lighting on public buildings to  show their support for educational and civic engagement. Join us as the Kent and Caroline  Commissioners and the Talbot County Council read a proclamation commerating Two  Lights For Tommorrow. 

Two Lights for Tomorrow” are symbolic of American vigilance, preparedness, and the spirit of community that defines our nation. It reminds us of the sacrifices made by those who  fought for our liberty and independence. By participating, you will join that national  tapestry of remembrance and patriotism. Citizens are encouraged to reflect on what  freedom means to each of us, consider their civic duty in today’s world, and learn more  about the sacrifices. Spread the word so we can illuminate our communities with the lights  of freedom which have endured for 250 years.