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WRUS Brings Remote Learning Home

May 24, 2020 by Wye River Upper School Leave a Comment

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Wye River Upper School has opted for the modern approach to continue their program through remote learning.

On Thursday, March 12, Gov. Larry Hogan, in consultation with Dr. Karen Salmon, State Superintendent of Maryland Schools, announced that schools were to temporarily shut down.

Although the school had a half-day scheduled for Friday, March 13, students were instructed to stay home and sign in to the Blackbaud Learning Management System at 9:30 a.m. that day.

From that point on, WRUS knew they had to move quickly to pivot from physical presence to remote learning. As the weeks passed, this new form of teaching augmented the students’ agenda. Although there were some initial glitches, WRUS continued providing the required lesson plans.

Adapting to such measures fit perfectly into the tools the curriculum had already been using for a number of years.

“As I look back I realize that the design of our program had positioned us for success in this unique challenge,” said Chrissy Aull, Wye River Upper School Head of School. “We have implemented (a system where) every student has a Mac and the school had invested in a powerful central digital platform the summer before. We are tech savvy and everyone had existing expertise using these collaborative digital tools.”

Wye River Upper School students gather in their online classrooms.

Programs like Google Meet and Google Documents were essential to moving forward. Google Meet is the main platform the school has been using for their synchronous classes as it has a user-friendly interface.

Blackbaud LMS has been the main hub for everyone to use as it offers the curricular content, assignments, assessments and grades. This tool is also the main hub used for teachers, students and parents to communicate.

“As a school we had already been using both of those resources, so it made the transition to remote teaching and learning so much smoother,” said Matthew Cowan, assistant Head of School. “We are fortunate because we have managed to sustain the continuity of learning in all our core and elective academic classes. Students engage in four, 60-minute, synchronous classes per day and we have not had to miss a single class.”

While some facets of the lesson plan have stayed consistent, others have stalled or fallen by the wayside during the extended quarantine period.

“There are still areas of the curriculum that we cannot cover as robustly due to this disruption,” said Cowan. “For instance, logistically and in consideration of safety, students are unable to conduct the labs in science classes, and our theater production also had to be canceled because there’s just no way to produce such a thing remotely.”

Other programs on hold, Cowan noted, included spring physical fitness.

While such changes could discourage students from the groove of an academic year, the reception from the WRUS community has been positive.

According to Aull, she could not be “prouder of what their students are made of.”

“We know our students (are) hard working and resilient and that is a trait that students with learning differences often develop through the years,” said Aull. “I hope they and their families have a new appreciation for all that is really important in their young lives such as relationships, family, and mentors who stick with them.”

Aull continued to say that decades from now, it will not be the grades they earned that will be remembered, but the extraordinary way in which their school community made this work.

Joshua Hansen, an 18 year-old senior from Centreville said the transition was initially slightly difficult and got easier with time. As he prepares for a virtual graduation Wednesday, May 20, he regards this experience as nothing short of memorable.

“I have always appreciated my time in school, maybe now more so than ever because I won’t be able to see my fellow seniors and teachers for quite a while,” said Hansen. “WRUS has helped me overcome obstacles and made me into the person I am today. I have many accomplishments that I probably wouldn’t have in a (traditional) public school.”

Wye River Upper School is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit whose mission is focused on students who learn differently discovering through innovation, developing with rigor, and celebrating their strengths while preparing for success in college, career, and life. Students who attend Wye River come from eleven Maryland and Delaware counties including Queen Anne’s, Anne Arundel, Howard, Prince George’s and Caroline, and accepts students on a rolling basis. For more information visit www.wyeriverupperschool.org or call 410.758.2922.

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Starke Evans Receives Garden Club of the Eastern Shore Scholarship

May 23, 2020 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

Starke ‘Wilder’ Evans, a 2020 graduate of St. Michaels High School, is the recipient of the 20^th Annual Garden Club of the Eastern Shore (GCES) Scholarship. The $5,000.00 merit scholarship was awarded to Evans in recognition of his outstanding academic record, strong work ethic, and commitment to environmental preservation and conservation.

Evans will attend Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, La. this fall, where he will major in Agribusiness and Plant Science. After earning his undergraduate degree, he plans to return to the Eastern Shore and work in the ornamental and native plant industry.

“In a field of outstanding candidates, Wilder stood out because of his strong academic record, commitment to a career in ornamental plant nursery management, and focus,” Dr. Virginia Blatchley, scholarship committee co-chair says. “We were particularly impressed with his goal of increasing the use of native plants in Eastern Shore gardens.”

The GCES offers a scholarship annually to graduating seniors from Talbot County public and independent high schools. Students being home schooled are also eligible. The scholarship is available to students with outstanding academic records, who are also considering careers in botany, horticulture, agriculture, landscape architecture or design, environmental science, or related fields.

The GCES is committed to promoting environmentally sound landscape practices and to providing programs for the community that explore conservation practices and environmental issues. It spearheaded the extensive restoration of Easton’s Thompson Park and also maintains several gardens in the community including those at Thompson Park and the Academy Art Museum in Easton.

“Kathy Gilson, GCES President says: “Although the Covid-19 pandemic has prevented us from holding our fund raiser this year, the GCES did not consider cancelling our scholarship. We feel that supporting students, such as Wilder, who will work to increase the knowledge of native plants and conservation practices, is crucial to our mission.”

For additional information about GCES programs or to make a contribution to the scholarship fund, please call Dorothy Whitcomb at 410-385-0486.

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2020 Chestertown HP Festival Weekend Announcement

May 23, 2020 by Spy Desk 1 Comment

Terrible news friends! We have just received a proclamation from the minister’s office that all festivities scheduled for the 2020 Chestertown HP Festival Weekend have been hereby canceled! It reads –

LET IT BE KNOWN
The Magical Weekend
known as the
CHESTERTOWN HP FEST
originally scheduled for the
1st weekend of
OCTOBER 2020
is hereby
canceled.

NO MAGIC
shall be permitted
ALL BROOMSTICKS
shall be locked away
Festivities are expected
to return in 2021.

Stay Safe & Stay Tuned

All wizards and wizarding friends are encouraged to subscribe to the Chestertown HP Festival mailing list to receive any notices as they become available. Fear not! The Chestertown HP Fest committee is determined to reconvene and bring the festival back in 2021!

Go to the official festival website, chestertownhpfest.org, and join our mailing list to be notified of updates.

The Chestertown HP Festival Weekend is organized by the Garfield Center for the Arts and community volunteers as a celebration of the spirit of Harry Potter and an opportunity to promote our local community and its arts. Warner Bros. Entertainment and JK Rowling are not associated with or responsible for the festival in any way.

Located in the historic district in Chestertown, The Garfield Center for the Arts (www.garfieldcenter.org) is a cultural organization whose mission is to invigorate the cultural life of our community by nurturing, celebrating and supporting arts and artists through performance and education.

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Bah Humbug! Main Street Chestertown Cancels 2020 “Dickens of a Christmas”

May 23, 2020 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

The board of Main Street Historic Chestertown has announced the cancellation of the nonprofit organization’s signature winter event, Dickens of a Christmas, for 2020 because of COVID-19 concerns.

The holiday event was scheduled to take place Dec. 4 and 5.

In an email to key volunteers, the nonprofit’s executive director, Kay MacIntosh, stated, “We do not see large gatherings in our future until some combination of a vaccine, testing, and reliable treatment options is widely available. … Main Street Chestertown will instead focus on brightening downtown for the winter season and supporting downtown shops and restaurants as they adjust to the new ways of doing business in this period of masks, sanitizing and social distancing. The Dickens planning committee will regroup for a best-ever event in 2021.”

Main Street Historic Chestertown is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to fostering an inviting, diverse and prosperous downtown commercial district.

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For All Seasons Offers Free Webinar on Strategies to Support the Mental Health

May 22, 2020 by For All Seasons, Inc. Leave a Comment

On Friday, May 29 at noon, For All Seasons CEO, Beth Anne Langrell, and Chief Clinical Officer, Lesa Lee, present a Facebook Live business webinar titled “Leading and Living Through Uncertainty: Strategies to Support the Mental Health of You and Your Employees.” The presentation will be moderated by Cassandra Vanhooser, Director of Talbot County Department of Tourism and Economic Development.

As businesses face the challenges of reopening, waiting to reopen, and/or reconfiguring during COVID-19, there are several concerns employers and employees may be facing. Everyone is experiencing varying degrees of adjustment to a changing work landscape. Businesses may be finding a wide range of anxiety levels among staff. Beth Anne Langrell explains, “It’s more important now than ever to lead with mental health in mind.”

Topics will include self-care while caring for others, supportive/active listening, navigating conversations and opinions with employees and customers, dealing with uncertainty and isolation, managing emotional fatigue, and connecting with mental health resources.

From left, Beth Anne Langrell, CEO, For All Seasons and Lesa Lee, Chief Clinical Officer, For All Seasons.

Beth Anne Langrell and Lesa Lee, are both certified as Brené Brown’s Dare to Lead™ facilitators. According to Brown, “Leadership is about the willingness to step up, put yourself out there, and lean into courage.” Business owners, at this moment in time, are required to exhibit strength in the face of adversity. Langrell and Lee promote digging deep, taking a seat as we listen to others, all while providing the space for ourselves and others to have courageous conversations.

This presentation is dedicated to our local businesses who are there for our community in so many ways. Our for-profit and non-profit businesses are a steady source of support to one another throughout the year. It is through the generosity of local businesses that For All Seasons has increased mental health crisis appointments as well as awareness campaigns for suicide and sexual assault.

Register at http://living-leading.eventbrite.com. For more information contact dspiering@forallseasonsinc.org or call 410.822.1018. This is virtual presentation is free and open to the public and presented in partnership with the Talbot County Department of Emergency Services.

For All Seasons provides therapy, advocacy, psychiatry, and education to Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne, and Talbot counties. The agency accepts all private insurances, medical assistance, and supports English and Spanish speaking individuals regardless of one’s ability to pay. For All Seasons 24-Hour, confidential crisis hotlines are 410.820.5600 for English Hotline and 410.829.6143 for Spanish Hotline. Text available in English or Spanish at 410.829.6143.

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Island Life Opens as a Virtual Exhibition

May 21, 2020 by Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum Leave a Comment

Originally planned for display in the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum’s Van Lennep Auditorium, a new exhibition featuring the works of Chesapeake Bay photographer Jay Fleming will be presented to the public virtually starting Monday, May 18. Island Life: Changing Culture, Changing Shorelines can be found online at cbmmislandlife.org.

“We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to bring CBMM into your homes through this virtual exhibition,” said CBMM President Kristen Greenaway. “We’re in the process of shifting to more and more virtual offerings at this time and look forward to finding additional ways to deliver Chesapeake Bay content to our guests in the months to come.”

Photo by Jay Fleming

Fleming’s photographs reveal how the changing environment is affecting the cultures and shorelines of inhabited and formerly inhabited offshore islands in the Chesapeake Bay. He discovered his passion for photography upon inheriting a hand-me-down Nikon film camera at age 13 from his father, Kevin, a former National Geographic photographer. Fleming immediately developed an affinity to looking at life through the lens of his camera, and what ensued was an exciting photographic journey that would eventually lead him to his career as a professional photographer. His first book, Working the Water—a photographic narrative of the Chesapeake Bay seafood industry—is in its third printing and his next book, Island Life—around which this exhibition is based—is expected to be released in the fall of 2021.

“Jay Fleming is a consummate visual storyteller,” said Jenifer Dolde, CBMM’s Associate Curator of Collections. “His frequent visits to the islands and shorelines along the Bay have resulted in an intimate knowledge of the land and people, allowing him to capture moments in time that encapsulate our distinctive Chesapeake landscape and culture.”

Photo by Jay Fleming

Island Life: Changing Culture, Changing Shorelines can be viewed online admission-free for your comfort and convenience. The exhibition is possible by generous contributions to CBMM’s Annual Fund, which supports everything from education and boatbuilding programs to interactive exhibitions and more than 75,000 irreplaceable objects in CBMM’s collection. If you wish to give to the Annual Fund, please visit cbmm.org/donate.

The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to preserving and exploring the history, environment, and culture of the entire Chesapeake Bay region, and making this resource available 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 or call 410-745-2916.

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The New Crisis for COVID-19 – Mental Health and Substance Use Reoccurrence

May 21, 2020 by For All Seasons, Inc. Leave a Comment

While we might be planning to resume some aspects of our lives this coming week as the Governor’s stay-at-home order is lifted, there is an insidious crisis brewing in our communities. The isolation created by COVID-19 has created the perfect storm in mental health – growing desperation has increased suicide rates and the recurrence of substance use disorders in our communities. While the reasons are complex, each of us can play a part in the solutions.

For the last five years, For All Seasons counselors have been seeing clients at the Tilghman United Methodist Church through a program called “Healthy Tilghman.” The program provides healthy mind, body, and spirit outreach in the Tilghman community focusing on a peer support network in the community, as well as counseling and community education. Michael Flaherty, Ph.D., a psychologist who practices in Pennsylvania and has national expertise in addiction and mental health issues, helped found “Healthy Tilghman” and knows his community and the difficulties it is facing. He comments, “Under the stress of confinement, the world becomes smaller and small things become big things, and sensitivity becomes higher. This can mean that small environments can make people act out in greater ways.”

Flaherty adds, “Nationally, there has been a 7 to 10 percent increase in recurrences of substance use disorders since COVID-19. While there have not been any overdose deaths yet in Talbot County, there have been overdoses. Statistics show that 20 percent of overdose deaths are suicide-related. With fragile people, it is going to happen. We need a higher degree of patience and understanding during this time.”

To date, Healthy Tilghman has had great success reaching the Bay Hundred community to provide support for mental health issues and addiction. Community volunteers have been the eyes and ears of the community, connecting people to necessary resources, and people are using telehealth services more and more to receive therapy and support.

“Although we are making strides, people are still experiencing anxiety and depression during this crisis and using substances for coping. Some of the reoccurrences of the illness are because of confinement and not having support. People are finding it hard to cope,” Flaherty comments, adding, “A lot of people didn’t realize they had such a dependency on substances and are finding that their dependency is greater during this time.”

Flaherty says that some signs and symptoms of someone contemplating suicide, may include making plans to commit suicide by giving things away or finalizing a will; becoming increasingly withdrawn; experiencing increasing despair and a sense of hopelessness; sleep disorders and mood swings; and a recurrence of substance abuse with drinking and drugging. Family members are often the first-line responders in these situations. Connecting people to family peer support specialists or peer support specialists can make the real difference in someone getting the help they need.

Valerie Albee, founder of Mariah’s Mission, and a family peer support specialist in Easton has been on the frontline helping families cope with the challenges of substance use disorder both virtually and in-person while social distancing. She comments, “These are trying times for many. I offer as much hope as I can for people, but it is a complicated issue and there is difficulty right now getting people timely treatment.”

She explains that while there is now a proliferation of online 12-Step meetings through virtual technology, the isolation created by COVID-19 has affected families with addictions and mental health challenges. Stress, fear, joblessness, and other factors have contributed to increases in relapses both fatal and non-fatal. She states, “These individuals and their families are not strong enough to deal with this crisis by themselves, and they have immediate needs. Managing household resources and maintaining the quality of life for a loved one suffering from a substance use or mental health disorder is very challenging.”

Both Flaherty and Albee agree that individual and Family Peer Support Specialists can be vital in assisting people in crisis. Family Support Specialists like Albee have had training and lived through personal experience dealing with a loved one in crisis. Peer Support Specialists have personally lived with substance use challenges and found recovery.

Flaherty says that the question to pose to the person in crisis is, “What will it take to get you to connect to services?” He states that people should keep encouraging a family member/friend to make the call to receive help, and if the person is unable to care for themselves, they should call one of the crisis hotlines on behalf of the person. Their personal experience, along with extensive training can provide vital help.

Beth Anne Langrell, CEO of For All Seasons Behavioral Health and Rape Crisis Center, adds, “We want family members and friends to know that they don’t have to solve the problem, but they can help connect people to community resources. For All Seasons is expanding its messaging around suicide during Mental Health Awareness Month. By following the steps: Ask how a friend is doing, Listen to what they have to say, and Share that you care about them and you know where to find help, family members and friends can be the crucial first step to getting help.”

She adds, “The mental health community has strengthened the delivery of services and is improving access to information, which is having a positive impact through this crisis. The list we have compiled of resources can be a lifesaver when faced with any of these crises.”

List of Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Resources

Mid Shore Behavioral Health

midshorebehavioralhealth.org

Eastern Shore Crisis Response Services

1-888-407-8018

Life Crisis Hotline 410-749-4357

Corsica River Mental Health Services

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services

410-745-8028 or 410-758-2211

crmhsinc.com/index.html

Eastern Shore Psychological Services

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services

410-822-5007

espsmd.com

Shore Behavioral Health at UMM Shore Regional Health

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services

410-822-1000 x5452

umshoreregional.org/programs/behavioral/services/shore-behavioral-health-outpatient-services

Maryland Coalition of Families

mdcoalition.org

Mid Shore Intergroup (For Zoom meetings)

www.midshoreintergroup.org/meetings

East of the Bay NA

eastofthebayna.org

Al-Anon Eastern Shore

al-anon.org.

SAMHSA’s National Helpline

1-800-662-HELP (4357)

24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service

English / Spanish

Chesapeake Treatment Services

410.822.7150

www.chesapeaketreatmentservices.com

National Institute on Drug Abuse

www.drugabuse.gov/patients-families

Mid Shore Opioid Misuse Prevention Program (OMPP)

www.iwishiknewmidshore.org

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Chat online 24/7

www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org

Maryland Crisis Hotline (211)

Dial 2-1-1, option 1

Text to 898211

Chat online 24/7

www.211md.org

The Trevor Project (LGBTQ crisis services)

1-866-488-7386

Text START to 678678

Chat online 24/7

www.thetrevorproject.org

National Crisis Textline

Text HOME to 741741

www.crisistextline.org

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention – Maryland Chapter

https://afsp.org/chapter/maryland

Suicide Prevention Resource Center

www.sprc.org

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Deadline to Register to Vote in Maryland Primary Fast Approaching

May 20, 2020 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

Maryland residents who are eligible to vote in the state’s June 2 Primary have until May 27 to pre-register for the vote-by-mail election. Residents can use Maryland’s Online Voter Registration System or submit a voter registration application to their local board of elections or the State Board of Elections.

Registration applications must be postmarked by the May 27 deadline in order to vote in the June 2 Primary election. Those using the Online Voter Registration System must submit their application by May 27 at 11:59 p.m.

Due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, voting for the June 2 election will be conducted primarily by mail, with limited locations to submit completed ballots at designated drop-off locations or to vote in-person on election day.

“Registering to vote in advance of the election makes the voting process itself faster and safer,” said Maryland Administrator of Elections Linda Lamone. “Those who are registered early may submit their ballots by mail and avoid bringing their completed ballots to a designated ballot drop-off location or voting in-person on election day.”

Those who don’t have Internet access can call the State Board of Elections at 1-800-222-8683 on or before May 20 to request a registration application by mail. After May 20, residents without Internet access should contact their local election board for registration application pickup options.

Same-day registration will be available to eligible voters who choose to vote in-person on June 2; however, the State Board of Elections strongly encourages all voters to register by May 27 and cast their ballots by mail.

The novel coronavirus pandemic resulted in the date of the Primary being postponed from April 28. While mail-in ballots display the original Primary date of April 28, the ballots are in fact valid for the June 2 election. Voters should be aware these are official ballots that will record actual votes. They are not sample ballots.

Voting by mail is safe, secure and free. There is no postage required to submit a ballot. Voters simply need to fill out their ballot, sign the oath on the envelope and place it back in the mail.

The return ballot must be postmarked no later than June 2 but can be mailed at any time before election day. Voters should sign only the oath on the outside of the envelope but not the ballot itself.

Votes cast by mail remain anonymous. The same technology and equipment used for in-person voting is utilized to count mail-in ballots. The equipment is never connected to the Internet or any other database.

The Maryland State Board of Elections is committed to educating voters on the changes made to the election procedures due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. These changes have been made to ensure voters can exercise their fundamental right to vote while also safeguarding the public’s health during this pandemic.

For more information about this election, please visit www.elections.maryland.gov or contact the State Board at 1-800-222-8683.

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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.”

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.

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