Talbot Special Riders will host its second show of the Jaime Lee Hutchison Memorial Horse Show series on Saturday, November 17, 2018 starting at 9 a.m. at Timber Grove Farm, 6292 Statum Road in Preston, Maryland.

The series is held in loving memory of Jaime Hutchison who tragically lost her battle with cancer in 2017. “She was truly one of our special riders,” said Kim Hopkins, Executive Director of Talbot Special Riders. “She taught everyone how to live and love in the moment.”

Talbot Special Riders has been serving Shore area children and adults with physical, cognitive and emotional needs since 1981. Over thirty of its program riders are expected to compete in a trail class and a barrel race. A rider recognition ceremony will be held at noon.

The public is invited to attend free of charge. Donations are welcomed and appreciated. Food will be available for purchase on site.

About Talbot Special Riders
Talbot Special Riders is a registered nonprofit organization and a member of PATH. Its mission is to build confidence, self-esteem and a sense of accomplishment for individuals with physical, cognitive, and emotional needs by utilizing equine assisted activities and therapies. Talbot Special Riders has been providing this service to residents of Caroline, Dorchester, Queen Anne and Talbot counties for more than 37 years. Learn more at www.talbotspecialriders.org.

Beat the crowds and avoid Black Friday shoppers! The Friends of the Kent County Public Library will hold their semi-annual book sale November 15-18. Find great deals and opportunities to stock up on holiday gifts, many in new condition and under $2.

Items donated for this sale include a special collection of music (including sheet music) and Civil War books in addition to the expected books, DVDs, games, audiobooks and puzzles!

The sale will be held at Chestertown Branch of the Kent County Public Library (408 High Street) on:

– Thursday, November 15, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. – Members’ Night
Non-members may join the FOL at the door for $10 per person / $20 per family.
Snacks and beverages will be served.
– Friday, November 16, 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
– Saturday, November 17, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
– Sunday, November 18, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. – $5 Box Day!
You bring the box and fill it up with books so we don’t have to pack them all away. Special items are half price.

Cash or check only. All proceeds benefit the Kent County Public Library by subsidizing the purchase of new items and supporting community outreach programs.

If you’d like more information about the sale, visit www.friendsofthekcpl.org, e-mail friendsoftheKCPL@gmail.com or find us on Facebook!  If you’d like to volunteer or join our board, we’d love to hear from you.

Chester Valley Ministers’ Association (CVMA) will host a Community Thanksgiving Service of worship, praise and music at the Unitarian Universalists of the Chester River (UUCR) on Wednesday, November 14, at 5:00 p.m. All are welcome. Tea and cookies will be served in the hall as people begin to gather at 4:30 p.m.

This year’s event is being coordinated by Rev. Mae Etta Moore, Dr. Gary Schiff and JoAnn Fairchild Wood, with musical direction by Philip Dutton. It is free and open to the public. The Rev. Dr. Helen Lockwood will deliver the Thanksgiving homily. Any donations will benefit the Good Neighbor Fund.

The UUCR sanctuary is located at 914 Gateway Drive in Chestertown.  Contact 410-758 1088 or jfairchild2@washcoll.edu for more information about the event, or CVMA president Rev. James Van de Wal (revjames@juno.com) to make a tax-deductible donation to the Good Neighbor Fund. This fund provides emergency assistance to local families to help pay rent, utilities, or other one-time expenses.

With contributions from 14 local restaurants, “Just Desserts” – the fourth annual fundraiser gala for Rock Hall-based Eastern Shore Rabbit Rescue and Education Center, Inc. (ESRREC) – promises to hit your sweet spot.

The event will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 3 at Emmanuel Church Parish Hall in Chestertown, MD.

For a ticket price of $20 in advance ($25 on the day of the event, $10 for children aged 12 and under), Just Desserts will provide attendees with an unlimited sampling of a wide range of desserts. Tickets for Just Desserts are being sold at the ESRREC gift shop “Usagi’s Place” (open Saturdays 12-5pm) and online via the ESRREC website at http://esrrec.org/justdesserts.

The family-friendly event includes live music from acoustic duo Buntopia, as well as a silent auction with bunny-themed items and eastern shore treasures. Wine donated by local favorite Crow Vineyard will be sold by the glass.

Debbie Murray of Worton enjoys the buffet at Just Desserts in 2017. Photo credit: Cathy Griffith

“Just Desserts is a year-end celebration and a tradition for ESRREC’s volunteers and supporters,” said ESRREC President Cora Dickson. Proceeds for the event will cover ESRREC operating costs such as its veterinary bills, which have already exceeded $12,000 this year.

In the three and a half years since the shelter started operations, ESRREC (which has 501(c)(3) status) has taken in 162 abandoned pet rabbits, out of which 96 have been adopted. Through its own funds, ESRREC has spayed or neutered 105 rabbits in order to prepare them for adoption. Typically the rabbits are transferred from the region’s
animal shelters, picked up as strays, or surrendered directly by the owners.

This year, because of an extraordinary rescue in Denton, ESRREC took in 31 baby rabbits from Caroline County Humane Society. Those rabbits will be adoptable in November after their spay/neuter surgeries. ESRREC also covered the medical costs for 18 rabbits from the same situation, and assisted Caroline County with outreach and
education to potential adopters.

Each ticket for Just Desserts will also be entered in a raffle for a $100 gift certificate donated by Concord Pet Foods & Supplies. Extra raffle chances will be sold for $3 each or in exchange for a rabbit toy for the bunnies at the ESRREC shelter, located on Main Street in Rock Hall.

Business contributing desserts include: from Chestertown, Luisa’s Cucina Italiana, and The Kitchen at Hotel Imperial; from Rock Hall, Bayside Foods, Get the Scoop, Harbor Shack, Java Rock, Osprey Point Inn, Pearl on Main, Sweet Cheeks Delightful Treats, and The Wheelhouse; from Centreville, Happy Chicken Bakery; and from Kent Island, Bridges, Hemingway’s and Peace of Cake Bakery.

More information about ESRREC can be found at www.esrrec.org.

Main Street Chestertown, with funding from the Keep Maryland Beautiful program, has added six professional-grade fiberglass planters filled with fall flowers and grasses to the 200 block of High Street.

The Maryland Environmental Trust administers the Keep Maryland Beautiful Program, an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, in partnership with the State Department of Housing and Community Development and the State Highway Administration.

Photo: Curb Appeal chair Carolyn Grotsky (left) filled the planters with Ellen Hurst (second from left) and Barbara Slocum (far right), co-chairs the Main Street Streetscape Committee. Also pictured is Susan Cratfel (holding plant), from Kingstown Home and Garden.

A 2017 grant to Main Street Chestertown in the amount of $3,386 funded the purchase of the new commercial-grade planters — four large rectangles and two 24-inch squares — along with plastic watering cans that will be given to downtown businesses and volunteers who help keep the flower boxes watered. Main Street Chestertown contributed an additional $580 to purchase potting materials and plants to prep and fill the planters. Main Street volunteers Ellen Hurst and Barbara Slocum collaborated with the Curb Appeal Committee, chaired by Carolyne Grotsky, to fill the planters with fall flowers and grasses.

Main Street Chestertown, a 501 (c) 3 dedicated to creating a lively, diverse and prosperous downtown, has selected a design by creative duo Robbi Behr and Matthew Swanson as the winner of its logo competition.  Nearly 40 entries, some from as far away as Idaho and Colorado, were reviewed in a blind judging (no designer names revealed) by both the Main Street board and a review panel of three design professionals: Ellen Hurst, Kathleen King and Greg Waddell.

Behr and Swanson’s design references history with the year of Chestertown’s founding, 1706, and borrows the crest shape from the Calvert family arms featured on the Maryland State Seal.  The Chester River is represented by a blue stripe that traverses the crest on the diagonal. The “river” is bordered by a green space, and the Town is represented by a star on this left “bank.”

The wordmark combines two contrasting typefaces to reflect Chestertown’s past and future. According to a statement from the designers, Halis Black, used for “Main Street” is a bold and dynamic sans-serif font that suggests the forward-looking energy of Chestertown’s economic development initiatives. And Fournier, the elegant serif font used for “CHESTERTOWN,” conveys the town’s timeless character and historical importance. A final design element, a blue star in the upper left corner of the wordmark, adds visual sophistication and relates to the star on the crest.  As part of their entry, Behr and Swanson included examples of how the logo could be applied to everything from business cards to baseball caps and banners.

The logo contest was announced in late August with a single prize of $1,000 to the winner. “Main Street Chestertown is deeply grateful to all the designers, professional and amateur, who devoted time and talent to entering the logo competition,” said the organization’s manager, Kay MacIntosh.  “We saw a lot of creativity and a lot of affection for Chestertown in the submissions.”

Robbi Behr and Matthew Swanson are the married illustrator/writer duo behind Idiots’Books, Bobbledy Books and “The Real McCoys,” a series of illustrated books for elementary school students published by Macmillan. They live and work in Chestertown’s Historic District.  Behr is an illustrator and designer who has developed logos and identity systems for a wide variety of businesses and organizations, including RiverArts’ KidSpot, Evergrain Bread Company, and the Chestertown Arts & Entertainment District. Swanson has spent 15 years developing identities and marketing platforms for dozens of colleges and universities.

Three winter waterfowl walks and two Refuge walks at Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge – all in sanctuary areas – are again being sponsored this year by Friends of Eastern Neck, Inc. The walks provide a great opportunity to be guided through areas of the Refuge not usually open to the public, with a good chance of spotting waterfowl and wildlife.

Depending on the month and location, participants can expect to observe Canada geese, tundra swans, scaup, ruddy ducks, mallards, buffleheads, black ducks and canvasbacks, as well as bald eagles and other wildlife, such as fox, deer, groundhogs, and wild turkeys.

Guided walks start promptly at 8:00 a.m. on five Saturdays:

November 3- Refuge Walk
December 1 – Waterfowl Walk
January 5 – Waterfowl Walk
February 2 – Waterfowl Walk
March 2- Refuge Walk

These two mile walks take place on flat terrain and typically last for about two hours.A local birding expert or naturalist will guide each walk. Participants are encouraged to bring binoculars and a camera, and remember to wear boots and dress warmly. There are no rain dates.

Registration for each walk is limited to 20 participants, first-come, first-served. Children over 12 are permitted, but no dogs. Walks are free, but tax-deductible donations payable to Friends of Eastern Neck are greatly appreciated to keep the program self-sustaining. To register at Eventbrite, go to: http://bit.ly/ENwinterwalks. If you have any questions, please contact Melissa Baile at 410-639-7160.

It is remarkable for a small community event to be popular for fifty-five consecutive years.  That is how long Wye Parish has held its Annual Christmas Bazaar, known by many over the years as the best place to begin holiday preparations.  From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, November 3, on the grounds and in the Parish Hall and Vestry Cottage of Old Wye Church, the Women of Wye Parish once again welcome the public to this harbinger of the holiday season.  Old Wye is located at 14114 Old Wye Mills Road (Rt 662) in Wye Mills, MD.

Handmade gifts are always appealing, and the women of the Church have been working throughout the summer and into the fall, creating knitted and crocheted infinity scarves, afghans, and other items. New this year in the Creative Crafts Shop are festive centerpieces for your Thanksgiving and Christmas tables.  And there are always delightful original decorations for your tree.

The Gently-Used Jewelry Table is a popular place to find unique, bargain-priced earrings, bracelets, pins and necklaces for someone special or for yourself.  Nearby is the Unique Boutique, which features a variety of collectibles, and silver, crystal and china items – again at bargain prices.

Creating handmade holiday decorations for sale at the Wye Parish Christmas Bazaar. L-R: Sue Kirchner, Sharon Butler, Carol Bilek, Linda Allen, and Liguori Tewes.

This year’s Silent Auction offers antique decoys, white wicker chairs, settees, and tables, as well as a host of gift items, from baskets of food, wine, and beer to handmade coats for some lucky dogs.  Bazaar-goers need to watch the clock as bidding on Silent Auction items will close at 2 p.m.

Outside in the Vestry Cottage is a wide variety of books that are in good enough condition to give as presents.  Featured are special editions, beloved children’s stories, and beautiful coffee table books as well as books about Christmas cooking and crafts.  Outside, too, under the big tent is Attic Treasures with its great array of household items from utensils to lamps and tables.

Food is an important part of a special event, and the Bazaar has food for gifts, food to take home, and food to enjoy as you take a break from shopping by visiting the Holiday Cafe. The Cafe will serve ham biscuits starting at opening time and, for lunch, Shore Chicken Salad, a hot entree, and a choice of soups.  While parents shop or enjoy lunch, there will be supervised holiday crafts available for their children.

The Sweet and Savory Shoppe has plentiful home-baked goods including pies, cookies and cakes.  Shoppers always seem to head for the jellies, jams, pickles and other special treats made and preserved by the ladies of the Church.  They make great gifts!

Outside, all day, coffee (free starting at 8:30) is available.  Also outside, and always an attention- getter, is fresh cider pressed during the Bazaar by the Boy Scouts on a locally hand-crafted cherry wood cider press.

Wye Parish’s ECW (Episcopal Church Women) are the people responsible for making the Christmas Bazaar a popular and worthwhile event with a long history and loyal following. The proceeds from the Bazaar support the Parish’s outreach programs and selected capital projects of the Parish.   For more information, call the Parish Office at 410.827.8484.