The Chestertown Lions Club will hold its 2nd Annual Comedy Night Fundraiser at the Chester River Yacht & Country Club on March 28, 2020. The funds raised from this event support Lions Club programs particularly in Kent County, including the Leader Dog program for the blind, preschool eye screening, the purchase of eyeglasses for individuals who cannot afford them, collection and distribution of eyeglasses for the needy, and many other activities such as scholarships for Kent and Queen Anne’s County high school students and the “One School, One Book” program at H.H. Garnet Elementary school.

Ticket Cost $20. Ballroom doors open at 6:30 pm. Show starts at 7:30 pm. Cash bar available all afternoon and during show the show. 50/50 drawing and snacks at the show.

Email Dave Dunham at [email protected] how many tickets you would like for you, family and your friends. Make checks payable to the “Chestertown Lions Club”and send to Dave Dunham, 10165 John Carvill Rd., Chestertown.

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As part of the Black History Month, there will be a Prayer Service for Racial Reconciliation at Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 101 N. Cross Street, Chestertown, on February 28, 2020 at 7:00 PM. This event is co-sponsored by Emmanuel Episcopal Church and Janes United Methodist Church. At this service we will Renew our Commitment to eradicating the racial inequities that continue to haunt and plague our society, through paths of reconciliation and love.

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The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is offering free tree seedlings to help improve water quality in targeted Eastern Shore communities.

Landowners in Kent and Queen Anne’s counties who have a creek, drainage ditch, stream, or other waterway on or near their property are eligible for free tree seedlings through the department’s Backyard Buffer program.

Trees planted along waterways help improve water quality by absorbing excess nutrients, reducing sediment, lowering water temperatures, and stabilizing stream banks.

Each “buffer in a bag” contains bare-root, native tree or shrub seedlings suited for planting in moist soil conditions. Homeowners can choose from a small bag of 10 with two of each species and a large bag of 25 with five of each species. The bundle will include eastern redbud, silky dogwood, persimmon, swamp white oak, and hackberry. Loblolly pine will be bagged separately in quantities of 10 per bag. All seedlings are 1 year old and about 8 to 10 inches tall.

Tree protection tubes will again be available for purchase on orders in both counties through the Queen Anne’s County Forestry Board. The tree shelters will include a 4-foot tube, bird net, and 5-foot wooden stake. Tree tubes provide a number of beneficial purposes including blocking deer rubbing, discouraging animals from chewing on the seedlings, protecting the seedlings from frost damage, providing markers to identify the trees when mowing, and functioning as small “greenhouses” promoting increased height growth.

All requests must be received by March 20, and pickup will be scheduled in early April. Quantities are limited so reservations will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

Additionally, a free workshop on tree buffers will take place March 26 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Price Community Center, 121 Rabbit Hill Road, Church Hill. Landowners will have the opportunity to learn about the the Backyard Buffer program and its benefits, tree spacing, species selection, tree planting, deer protection, maintenance, cost-share opportunities, where to purchase bare-root tree seedlings, and more. The workshop is limited to 30 people.

To reserve seedlings or participate in the workshop, interested homeowners should call the Maryland Forest Service Centreville office at 410-819-4120 or email Brittany Haas at [email protected].

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On February 19, Charlotte Zang was inducted into the Soroptimist International of Kent and Queen Anne’s Counties during the organizations February meeting. Meetings are held the third Monday of each month, September through June. The meetings are held at the Amy Lynn Ferris Adult Activities Center in Chestertown at 6 pm. Visit the Soroptimist International of Kent and Queen Anne’s Counties Facebook page for more information and events.

L-R: Soroptimist members Wendy Bramble, Debbie Conner, Charlotte Zang (new member), Connie Jones, and Louise Skinner.

A global volunteer network of women working to improve the lives of women and girls. Our club gives a grant to a female, high school student based on volunteerism at each of the 3 local high schools. Also, our “Live Your Dream” award is given to a female head of household, enrolled in college or a certificate program, and has financial need. Our club sponsors a Kent County family at Christmas, and a Queen Anne’s County from Mid-Shore Council on Family Violence. Carnations are delivered to the local nursing homes on Mother’s Day.

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Maryland Insurance Commissioner Al Redmer, Jr.

Maryland Insurance Commissioner Al Redmer, Jr. will be the speaker at the February 20 meeting of the Dems Club – he will speak on: “Overview of MIA (Maryland Insurance Administration) and current Hot Topics” Do you have questions about how the insurance industry is regulated in Maryland — how children and families living in poverty are covered — how flood insurance works on our flood-prone Eastern Shore — how mental illness is covered by health insurance, and what “parity” means? Anyone with any kind of insurance (and that’s all of us!) will find answers to their questions at this informative presentation.

Alfred W. Redmer, Jr. was reappointed Maryland Insurance Commissioner by Governor Lawrence J. Hogan, Jr. in January 2019. Commissioner Redmer most recently managed Redmer Insurance Group, LLC, and owned Redmer Financial Group. His business experience includes time as partner and president of Landmark Insurance & Financial Group and as chief executive officer of Coventry Health Care of Delaware, Inc. During his 13-year tenure in the General Assembly representing Baltimore County, Commissioner Redmer served two years as the House Minority Leader. At the Maryland Insurance Administration, Commissioner Redmer oversees the independent agency’s approximately 250 employees and an annual budget of $32 million. Commissioner Redmer is a member of the Governor’s Sub-Cabinet on International Affairs and sits on the Board of Directors of the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange. A native Marylander, the Commissioner lives in Baltimore County. Together, he and his wife have five grown children and eight grandchildren.

The meeting will take place on the evening of February 20 at The Kitchen at the Imperial, 208 High St., Chestertown. Doors open at 5:30 pm, with a brief business meeting around 6:45 and then the main program at 7:00 pm. See you then!

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L-R Brian Moore, President Chestertown Rotary and Rick Coffman, King Lion

On Wednesday Night, February 12^th the Chestertown Rotary and Lion’s Clubs held their annual Valentines dinner and joint meeting at the Chester River Yacht and County Club in Chestertown.  With a total of 78 Rotarians and Lions in attendance, the two area service organizations were entertained by the Kent County High School Woodwind Ensemble, under the direction of Keith Wharton. This was followed by a dinner with Valentines themed desserts.  This annual event presents an opportunity for members of the two clubs to network as well as share with each other the various community service projects each club provides to the local community every year.  Each club’s leader takes a few moments to speak to the assembly and short presentations follow.   “I look forward to this annual event” said Brian Moore, President of the Chestertown Rotary, “it shows how fortunate we are to have so many great service organizations that care deeply about the community. Each club has particular areas of focus, yet, we conduct a wide range of projects that impact the community in both common and divergent ways.  This meeting gives us a chance to learn more from and about each other and helps to make our respective clubs even more effective in our community.”  Rick Coffman, President of the Chestertown Lions Club said the joint meeting is a “…great opportunity to share the ways each Club works to improve the quality of life for many in the community.  The Lions Club motto is “We Serve” and we strive to meet that expectation daily.”

The Chestertown Rotary Club meets Tuesdays at Noon at The Kitchen in Downtown Chestertown and the Lions meet Wednesday evening at 6:30pm at the Chester River Yacht and County Club.  Both clubs actively welcome new members.  For more information, reach out to Brian Moore at [email protected] or Rick Coffman at [email protected].

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The Seventh Annual Chester Gras will take place this Saturday, February 22. The day kicks off at 11:30 a.m. with a parade featuring famed drag artist (and Kent County native) Marti Gould Cummings. There will also be a costume contest, live music by Philip Dutton and the Alligators, gumbo from 11 local restaurants, a silent auction, children’s activities and more.

For those interested in participating in the parade, click here for more info and registration details. While pets are welcome at the parade, they are not permitted in the tent due to Health Department regulations. The costume contest will be held at 12:15 in the tent on Spring Street. Categories are as follows: Best Adult; Best Child (ages 3+); Best Group/Couple; Best Baby (ages 2 and under). Sign up upon arrival.  Prizes for winners!

All proceeds from Chester Gras, hosted by The Peoples Bank and the Kent County Community Food Pantry, directly benefit local area Backpack Programs. These Backpack Programs provide nutritious food for children in need to take home every weekend, feeding over 485 children in Kent County and Sudlersville.

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