Kent County commissioner Ron Fithian, left, and Sherbert Sisco shuck oysters during the 2019 Rock Hall FallFest. The event returns Saturday after a year’s hiatus due to Covid.

The challenges and hardships of earning a living on the water is a reality that stretches back generations for Kent County watermen in general, and particularly those from the Rock Hall area, where the Bay and its tributaries have been a traditional lifeblood for the small, working town.

No part of the industry has endured as many recent trials as the harvesting of oysters, but there is reason for optimism as the new season begins, and as the annual “return” of the oyster is celebrated this Saturday, Oct. 9, at Rock Hall FallFest.

The annual free street festival, celebrated from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Main Street, features day-long music, crafts, and a Kids Kourt, but the bivalve is king as both wild-harvested and farm-raised oysters share the stage just as their harvesters share the waters.

Oystering on wild beds opened Oct. 1 and Chris Lingerman, co-owner of Chester River Seafood, which buys from local commercial oystermen, is anticipating a good season.

“I think there’s a good chance this will be a much better season, just because of how bad last season was with COVID,” Lingerman said. “There weren’t any restaurants open and we weren’t able to wholesale like we did in the past. Without restaurants, the product demand went down, the prices went down, and nobody made any money on oysters last winter.”

The dockside price per bushel went from approximately $40 in the 2019-20 season to $30 in the 2020-21 season, making it difficult for commercial oystermen to break even after fuel, labor, licensing, and equipment expenses.

Early indications are that oysters will be plentiful and in demand this season. Restaurants are open, boosting the demand, and the wild beds are replenished to a certain extent.

“The beds should be more full because fewer oysters were taken from them last season,” Lingerman said.

Additionally, looking to a brighter future, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources issued a report earlier this year that showed an encouraging amount of healthy oyster spat being set in areas where oyster restoration has been made a priority.

The challenges are still very real, however. Compared to the oyster population in the Bay and tributaries that was present in the late 19th century, only about 1 percent of that number is present today.

The effect of that decline is not just on the oystering economy, but on the overall health of the waters. An adult oyster is a filtration device that neutralizes pollutants, especially nitrogen and sediment, from 50 gallons of water every day. At one time, there were enough oysters to filter the entire Bay every week. At current population levels, it would take a year.

The state has, over the years, instituted various programs to help restore the oyster population, particularly after the disastrous 2006 crisis during which the MSX and Dermo diseases decimated the population. Vast stretches of the Bay and tributaries were closed to commercial oystering. In 2009, the sanctuary network was increased from 9 percent to 25 percent of existing oyster bar habitat, and the state’s commitment to increasing aquaculture (farmed) harvesting methods was increased.

The state’s efforts have been well-intentioned in terms of the oyster’s future in the Bay, but were often as odds with the present livelihood of the commercial oystermen. Debating the science, the politics, and the economics of the issues is a tail-chasing game with no beginning and no end.

What is certain, however, as will be on display at this Saturday’s Rock Hall FallFest is that commercial and aquaculture oystermen can bring their harvest to market side-by-side, and it all goes down very nicely.

Chester River Seafood will source approximately 6,000 oysters from commercial harvesters to be shucked on-site near Main and Sharp Streets, and fried oyster platters will be available as well. A little bit farther down Main Street, closer to Rt. 20, Scott Budden, who operates Orchard Point Oyster Company, a local farm-raised operation, will be serving grilled and raw oysters.

“We’ve sold out every year we’ve done it. It’s good to be there and show up for the locals who have supported us. If people are at FallFest, they’re going to eat oysters,” Budden said. “You have to shuck all day long like crazy, and you’re hurting the next day, but that’s a cool thing.”

Budden’s nursery is located in the Chester River near Eastern Neck Island, where the oysters grow for approximately 18 months before finishing their development for a month or two at another nursery in Eastern Bay. His first crop went to market in 2016.

Currently, the Chester River nursery, just off the island’s Boxes Point, has approximately 700 floating cages, each containing six bags of oysters weighing 80 pounds each. Depending on the size of the oysters, there are between 400-1,000 oysters per bag. During an ordinary work week, the bags must be pulled out, the oysters sorted by size and shape, tumbled and washed, and then replaced in the floats. It is arduous, day-long work.

“Our business is healthy in terms of demand and there’s a lot of seed (spat) available, which is good,” Budden said. “Our biggest challenge is finding help. The manual labor we have to do every day is like crop farming at the turn of the 20^th century. There’s no way around it at the moment. We have to find young people willing to do it.”

The commercial oystermen and the aquaculture oystermen have divergent means of bringing the oyster to market, but the health of the entire industry is vital to both.

“What is good for one is good for the other,” said Ron Fithian, a Kent County Commissioner, and the county’s representative on the DNR’s Oyster Advisory Commission. “I can assure you that you would find very few commercial oystermen who have a problem with aquaculture. We just don’t want to see the wild industry put out of business. I think I speak for the vast majority of people in the seafood industry that there is plenty of room for everybody as long as we do it right.”

Doing it right is a question of perspective and politics, and managing harvest rates versus restoration goals is a debate that might be nearer the start than the finish. In any case, it won’t be settled by Saturday. That day is reserved for enjoying the oyster rather than debating it.

“This is always a great event,” Lingerman said. “I hope people come out and support our commercial oystermen. That’s our focus.”

Admission and parking are free at Rock Hall FallFest, which is a non-profit event benefitting local civic programs supported by Main Street Rock Hall. In addition to oysters, there will be a variety of food vendors on site, along with artisan craft vendor booths, the popular Kids Kourt, and two stages hosting five musical acts, highlighted by the annual appearance of the Catonsville High School Steel Band. Festivities will take place rain or shine, and there are plenty of tents to deal with either.

After a hard year away, both FallFest and the oyster are back for 2021. That is definitely a reason to come out and celebrate.

By Bob Ford

Without Tom McHugh, there would be no Rock Hall FallFest, the annual street fair that celebrates its 24th  anniversary on Sat., Oct. 9. Without McHugh, there would be no Mainstay in Rock Hall, the casual but celebrated music venue on Main Street. Without McHugh, there would be no thriving liaison between the local arts community and Kent County’s public schools. Without him, there would be no catalogue of his songs celebrating the history and culture of local waterways, from the Chester River to the Chesapeake Bay.

As FallFest approaches, however, being without Tom McHugh for the first time is a sad reality. McHugh passed away in May at the age of 83 due to complications from a stroke, and the chasm left behind is huge for those who knew him and those who knew of his work and enjoyed his contributions to the community.

“He was one of a kind,” said Tom Anthony, longtime bass accompanist to McHugh’s banjo and harmonica in a variety of musical groups. “I don’t know anyone quite like Tom. He was a teacher, and not just in the classroom.”

As long as there is a FallFest, and a Mainstay, and an emphasis on music education in local schools, and a wealth of his music to enjoy, and a long list of friends and co-workers to carry on the vision, Kent County will actually never be without Tom McHugh. His legacy will be renewed and celebrated on Oct. 9 as Main Street once again comes alive with FallFest after a year’s absence.

“He loved his town and his music and his art,” said Tom’s wife, Peg McHugh. “He had the ability to tell wonderful stories and get everyone excited. He believed in giving everyone an equal share and he gave so much to the town of Rock Hall.”

McHugh modeled FallFest, which began in 1998, after the Clifden Arts Festival in Galway Ireland, which he first visited as part of a Fulbright program designed to share educational and cultural traditions among nations.

“It was all about community and family and bringing people together using music and the arts,” Peg McHugh said. “He wanted to create a festival like that in his own town.”

McHugh was a lifelong educator as well as a musician. He grew up in modest circumstances in Philadelphia, working his way through Temple University and then a doctoral program at the University of Pennsylvania. His first professorship was at Washington College in Chestertown in the 1960’s and early 1970’s and he fell in love with the area.

He was hired by Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. in 1974 as a professor and chair of the school’s Education and American Culture departments. While at Vassar, he became involved with the Clearwater project, the environmental effort focused on the Hudson River that was founded by folk musician Pete Seeger. McHugh had dabbled in playing the banjo up until that time – his first instruments were trumpet and harmonica – but getting to know and work with Seeger inspired him to take it up more seriously.

“I met Tom when I was a student at Washington College. He would play around with the banjo on the back of his boat and it was fun,” said Sue Matthews, a vocalist in several of McHugh’s later musical endeavors. “He was led to the banjo because the quality of that sound was something he loved. It’s an instrument you can use to tell stories and that’s who he was, an educator.”

McHugh retired from Vassar in 1993 and moved to Rock Hall, although there was no retiring from the things that moved him throughout his career.

“I vowed to my students that I would take the things I learned there and convert them for use in some other setting,” McHugh said in an interview, reflecting on his goals after retirement. “Those things that Vassar taught me were a love of community service, that every act is a teaching act that the best learning takes place in settings that are artistic and creative, and that the arts are critical to any learning atmosphere.”

He established The Mainstay not just as a musical venue, but as an opportunity for patrons to experience music and cultures from around the world, and for the musicians to share the stories of their varied musical influences.

FallFest was a natural outgrowth of that philosophy, although the event has morphed into so much more than a music festival. A dominant theme in the last decade has been a celebration of the annual “return” of the oyster as a means of kicking off the season for commercial oystermen. More than 4,000 oysters were consumed in the previous edition in 2019 and the organizers are hoping to as much as double that this year.

In addition, Main Street is lined with craft vendors of all artistic bents, and there is traditional street fair food available, and a dedicated Kids Kourt with a wide variety of games, prizes and activities for the younger set. Admission and parking is free and proceeds help fund non-profit programs to benefit the Rock Hall community.

Music is still a centerpiece, of course, with two stages hosting five different acts almost continuously during the 10 a.m – 4 p.m. hours of operation. As always, it is a diverse mix of musical genres and styles, including the always-popular Catonsville High School Steel Band.

Also playing this year are the Louisiana and Cajun-tinged Philip Dutton and The Alligators; the eclectic, wide-ranging music of the Ian Trusheim Group; Rosewood, an all-acoustic cover band; and Dave Robinson and His Jazz Pals, who play everything from swing and bop to avant-garde jazz.

McHugh would approve of the mix, as he did during his time as musical director at The Mainstay and chairman of the FallFest committee. He stepped away from those day-to-day duties in 2015, but immediately took on the role of facilitator for fine arts for Kent County Public Schools.

Among his more whimsical accomplishments in that role was establishing the Rock Hall Elementary School Kazoo Band, which he delighted in leading. The current edition of that band will perform on Main Street during a brief FallFest tribute that will dedicate this year’s event in his memory.

“He always said that music is not just music,” Peg McHugh said. “You use music to help people think and find peace in their lives.”

That was one of McHugh’s gifts. He could find a way to help people think and find peace even while a kazoo band was playing.

“That was a highlight for him,” Anthony, the bass player, said. “That was the thing about Tom. He had a great sense of humor, and it came through in a lot of his songs. He liked to introduce his songs with humor, and quite a bit of it was impromptu. Being a storyteller was a big part of his personality.”

The story of FallFest continues on Oct. 9. It is one that was started by Tom McHugh, but which will be carried on by others, hopefully for years and years to come.

“Being at FallFest with Tom, I remember how happy and proud and excited he was that Rock Hall accepted and picked up on it, and made it their own,” Sue Matthews, the vocalist, said. “It was his adopted town, but they adopted him as well.”

By Bob Ford

The greater Kent County Volunteer Fair, held on Saturday, Sep. 11, in conjunction with the Chestertown Farmers Market, exceeded goals, according to the organizers. A total of 37 non-profit organizations displayed opportunities to volunteer, hundreds took advantage of the information, and many signed up.

“Thank you and your volunteers for organizing this event. It was a big success for us, and I expect the other organizations feel the same way. I can’t think of a better way to commemorate the 20th anniversary of 9/11,” said Barbara Ellis, representative of Pets on Wheels.

“We had so much fun at the volunteer fair on Saturday, thank you so much for hosting!!” said Jessica Carey of Kent County Family YMCA.

Sponsors included the United Way of Kent County, the Rotary Club, Kent County Chamber of Commerce, the Kent County Commission on Aging, the Chestertown Lions Club, Washington College, WC-ALL, and the Town of Chestertown.

In response to requests, a second Fair is being planned for the Fall of 2022, under the auspices of the Kent County Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber will maintain a listing on its web site of organizations using volunteers. Changes or additions may be emailed to kentcountyvolunteers@gmail.com.

Executive Director Richard Keaveney, Jane Welsh, President Prakesh Shajwani, Town Council member Meghan Efland,  Kenny Gray. County Commissioner Bob Jacobs, City Administrator Sally Clark, and Kevin Shearon

The Animal Care Shelter for Kent County staff, donors and community leaders enthusiastically placed shovels in the ground to launch the year-long construction project for the anticipated Michael Lawrence Animal Care Shelter on Wednesday.

The new facility will be situated on five acres, at 10168 Worton Road in Chestertown. The shelter will be two-and-a-half times larger than ACSKC’s current building. Beyond increased housing for more animals, the shelter will offer a full range of services, including adoptions, admissions, animal control, Trap-Neuter-Return for feral cats, on-site veterinary care and educational programs.

ACSKC is a private 501(c)3 nonprofit that has served Kent County’s homeless animals and its community since 1962. It is the only animal shelter and animal control organization within the county, providing for a population of over 20,000, although many adopters come from all over.

As an open-admission shelter, ACSKC housed over 600 animals in 2020. The organization has expanded beyond its spot on the Eastern Shore, however, partnering with other shelters across the country in areas prone to natural disasters and with high euthanasia rates.

“We help pull animals from high-intake shelters, those that serve areas with more surrendered animals coming in faster than they can adopt out. As a result, many animals are euthanized due to running out of space,” said Eric Reynolds, Director of Animal Care and Control. “Pulling animals also helps local residents find a companion that fits their lifestyle, as we have a variety of breeds and sizes to choose from. We do this under the motto of ‘an empty kennel is a chance to save a life’.”

The fundraising goal for the new shelter totaled $6.9 million, including a million-dollar endowment specifically appointed to cover operating expenses. While some are surprised by the amount, it illustrates the true cost of proper animal care when physical and mental health are prioritized—a standard that cannot be sufficiently met within the shelter’s current 59-year-old building.

ACSKC suffers from multiple outbreaks of preventable diseases each year due to an inadequate air quality control system. When an animal becomes sick, they are unable to be adopted until they recover. This forces the animal to prolong their stay at the shelter, which adds unnecessary stress on the animal while also putting other, healthy animals at risk. The new facility will feature a specially designed ten-zone quality air system, nullifying the transmission of illnesses that afflict the current shelter’s animals.

The new shelter will also house a medical center, creating space for Kent County’s community of dedicated veterinarians to care for animals in-house for routine medical attention. This works to reduce the stress put upon animals from frequent trips to the vet while providing a more cost-effective and time-efficient solution for staff—a major and much-needed upgrade from the shelter’s current, insubstantial space for conducting medical exams.

Melancholic metal and chain-link kennels will not be replicated in the new shelter. In their place will be plexiglass doors outlined in sound-proofing materials to subdue barking and other inherent shelter noises. These kennels will lead into individual play yards for the dogs to enjoy regular outdoor activity, and the cats will have ample room with spaces individually designated for sleeping, eating and taking care of business.

The shelter will also gain a fully furnished food prep area with dish sanitation equipment—something that nowadays would be considered standard that ACSKC has had to go without.

Executive Director Richard Keaveney, in brief remarks, recognized the nearly five years of planning achieved by the dozens of stakeholders and professionals who dedicated themselves to the project. “The new shelter, with its many new programs, would not have happened without the passion and hard work of my predecessor, Jane Welsh, who improved the standards of service and initiated our journey to become the no-kill shelter ACSKC is today,” he said.

The new facility was designed by experts in shelter architecture, Animal Arts of Boulder, Colorado. KRM Construction, based in Chestertown, is to lead construction. Civil engineering will be provided by DMS & Associates, LLC, of Centerville, Maryland.

ACSKC has their sights set on a ribbon cutting ceremony in the fall of 2022—just in time for the shelter’s 60-year anniversary.

The organization has raised over $5 million to date in gifts and pledges. Those wishing to contribute to the new shelter can donate at kenthumane.org/give or contact Executive Director Richard Keaveney for more information at rkeaveney@kenthumane.org.

New Shelter Blueprint. Architectural renderings will be published when made available.

822 people recently cast their votes for a new Wilmer Park playground. By a margin of 210, the Burke design won.The Playground Design Committee will present the results of the vote to the Town Council on Monday, September 20.

Of the 203 comments, these stood out to the Playground Design Committee:

“Although the first is very cute the other is the better choice with so many more options of things to do at the park.”
“Both playgrounds need handicap friendly swings.”
(13 had concerns that neither design is inclusive enough)
“Add benches for parent/or another adult to sit.” (6)
“A fence around the playground area would be a high priority since it is so close to the water and busy road.” (3)
“All around amazing! I wanna be little again so I can play on it. This is great, I’m so thankful this is happening for the kids.”
“Both are creative. Happy to see this addition to our town.”

For a 3-dimensional view of the voter’s choice, go here.

On Tuesday, the Chestertown Rotary Club’s Titsworth Service Award Ceremony for community service was held at the Chestertown Yacht Club.

This year’s recipient was the community’s beloved Tom McHugh, with the honor bestowed posthumously to Tom’s wife, Peg McHugh.

McHugh, a musician at heart, educator, raconteur, and founder of The Mainstay in Rock Hall passed away May 14, 2021. He was well known for his many roles as a public servant who believed that a thriving community requires strong engagement with the arts and education.

Rotary Club President Dr. Lisa Webb presided over the award ceremony with a brief history of Dr. Paul Titsworth by W.C. College Chief of Staff, Vic Sensenig, and remarks by Betsy Durham of the Mainstay, Larry Wilson of Sumner Hall, and Gina Jachimowicz of Kent County Public Schools.

The award’s namesake, Dr. Paul Titsworth, was the 18th President of Washington College and credited with helping to raise the College’s profile to a national level. He was one of the eight local businessmen who founded the Rotary Club of Chestertown in 1926 and became its first president in 1931.

The ceremony concluded with a violin tribute by Nevin Dawson.

The Mainstay will be hosting a celebration of Tom’s life on Thursday, October 7, from 6 – 9 pm, rain or shine. For more information, contact info@mainstayrockhall.org.