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April 10, 2021

The Chestertown Spy

An Educational News Source for Chestertown Maryland

Arts Arts Notes

Academy Art Museum Announces April Exhibition Openings

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Miró, Joan, L’Antitete pair D-J, 1947, Etching and Engraving, Courtesy of Dolan/Maxwell.

The Academy Art Museum is opening two new exhibitions on April 16. Miró in New York, 1947: Miró, Hayter and Atelier 17 will be on display through July 8, 2021 in the galleries and August 1, 2021 online. Norma Morgan: Enchanted World will be on display in the galleries and online through August 1st, 2021.

Miró in New York, 1947: Miró, Hayter and Atelier 17 explores a group of little-known etchings Joan Miró made with influential British printmaker Stanley William Hayter at Atelier 17, the New York outpost of his seminal printmaking studio in Paris. Both Miró and Hayter were key participants in the community of artists in Paris who ultimately formed the core of international movements in contemporary art from the 1930s to 1945.

In the 1940s many of these artists, including Hayter, moved to New York to escape the horrors of the Nazi occupation of Paris. There, the confluence of these émigrés and the ingenious and energetic American artists who created Abstract Expressionism fueled the relocation of the center of the art world to New York. Works will be drawn from the Museum’s Permanent Collection and loans from Dolan/Maxwell Gallery, Philadelphia, and private collections. The exhibition catalogue includes the wide breadth of experimental and collaborative work done at Atelier 17, with pieces by Fred Becker, Terry Haass, Gabor Peterdi, Anne Ryan, Yves Tanguy, Helen Phillips, Alice Trumbull-Mason, and others, all of whom worked in Atelier 17 alongside Hayter and Miró.

Norma Morgan image credit: Norma Morgan, David in the Wilderness.

A lecture “Joan Miró, Stanley William Hayter and Atelier 17,” presented by Carla Esposito Hayter, will be held on Saturday, May 8 at 10 a.m. on Zoom. Esposito-Hayter is an art historian and the author of the Monotype: The History of a Pictorial Art, and Hayter et l’Atelier 17 (Hayter and Atelier 17, published in French and Italian), as well as the catalog essay for the exhibition at the Academy Art Museum. She is also the daughter-in-law of Atelier 17’s founder, Stanley William Hayter. In dialogue with Academy Art Museum’s Curator Mehves Lelic, Esposito-Hayter will talk about the rich history of the Atelier’s decades-long influence in printmaking, as well as share anecdotes, insights and family history, told through her close relationship with Hayter and Miró.

In July, the Museum presents a double bill of Miró Makes a Color Print and On and Around Miró by avant-garde filmmaker Tom Bouchard. Miró Makes a Color Print pictures Joan Miró as he works at Atelier 17 in New York on a print – the subject of Academy Art Museum’s Spring 2021 exhibition, Miró in New York, 1947. On and Around Miró is a more expansive record of the artist’s work and studio. The film screenings, which will be held on July 1 at 11 a.m. and July 2 at 7 p.m. are free.

Also opening on April 16 will be the exhibition, Norma Morgan: Enchanted World. This is an exhibition of the late artist’s prints, watercolors, paintings and drawings, and spans over 30 years of her prolific yet under-studied career. The exhibition highlights Morgan’s ability to convey a spiritual experience through her landscape and portraiture work and to effortlessly transition from formal observation to magical wonder. While her prints are a testimony to her mastery as a printmaker, her mid-career paintings, which include experimental materials such as Day-Glo acrylic, shine a light on the artist’s inquisitive mind and inventive inner world.

Morgan’s unique visual language invites the viewer to step back to take in the entirety of her layered compositions and to look closer and notice the figures hiding in them. One of the two African-American women artists to study with Stanley William Hayter’s Atelier 17, Morgan was a trailblazer as an artist and printmaker. Her works are in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Library of Congress; the National Gallery of Art, and others. The Academy Art Museum is proud to present this exhibition with loans from the Kerry and C. Betty Davis Collection of African American Art, Mr. Donnell and Mrs. Dorothea Walker Collection of African American Art, Mr. Freddie Styles, Mr. Darryl Love, and Dolan/Maxwell. The exhibition catalog will feature essays by art historians Dr. Amalia Amaki and Dr. Christina Weyl.

The Academy Art Museum exhibitions are sponsored by the Talbot County Arts Council, the Maryland State Arts Council, and the Star Democrat. The Museum is open daily, Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and Sunday, 12 noon to 4 p.m. For additional information, visit academyartmuseum.org or call the Museum at 410-822-2787.

News from League of Women Voters

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The League of Women Voters of Kent County Maryland has recently published a revised brochure “Run for Office in Kent County 2021.” The information contained in this guide includes most offices for which legal residents of Kent County may run, the duties of the office, how the elections are conducted, the office term, and the base salary for the position. The League encourages all who are qualified to consider running for office.

The brochures have been distributed to Kent CountyBoard of Elections, political clubs and central committees, local municipal offices, and the Kent County Commissioner’s office.  It is available online at the League of Women Voters of Kent County Website at kent-lwvmaryland.nationbuilder.com.

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization dedicated to promoting informed and active citizen participation in government; it does not support or oppose any political parties or candidates for office.

Choptank Health Receives Todd Fund Grant for HVAC Upgrades

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Choptank Community Health System has recently received a $50,000 grant from the Mid-Shore Community Foundation’s George B. Todd Fund to invest in the safety and health of patients and staff by helping to upgrade the community-based healthcare provider’s HVAC system to new COVID-19 requirements. The George B. Todd Fund awards grants to Dorchester County organizations and causes since its founding in 1988.

“The George B. Todd Fund has been a consistent supporter of our mission, and we remain grateful for their support of this critically important project,” said Choptank Community Health CEO Sara Rich.

The grant will help fund the installation of state-of-the-art HVAC systems at Choptank’s Fassett Magee and Cambridge Dental Center in Cambridge, capable of neutralizing COVID-19 and other contaminants. Choptank is upgrading HVAC systems at all of its locations in Easton, Cambridge, Denton, Federalsburg, Goldsboro, and St. Michaels, with a total project cost estimated to be over $1.2M.

Photo: L-R: George B. Todd Fund Advisor David DeLuca, Mid-Shore Community Foundation President Buck Duncan, Choptank Community Health System CEO Sara Rich, and Todd Fund Advisor Charles Capute.

“How we provide medical & dental care has changed since last March when this pandemic began,” said Rich. “We have always maintained high standards for safety and infection control, but COVID-19 has forced many organizations to evaluate air quality and environmental standards.

“Instead of relying on air purifiers in every exam room or dental operatory, CCHS will focus on improving whole building air purification and outdoor air exchanges to improve air quality in our health centers. This upgrade is critical with COVID-19, and will continue to be as other viruses and infections develop in the future.”

“This is a great example of how our foundation connects private resources with public needs to enhance the quality of life for people of the Mid-Shore,” said Mid-Shore Community Foundation’s Chief Program Officer Robbin Hill. “Supporting Choptank Community Health is an investment in providing access to high-quality health care for everyone in our communities.”

The Mid-Shore Community Foundation’s donor-supported funds make the Foundation one of the region’s largest grantmakers. Grants are annually distributed to registered nonprofits and government-related entities in Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, and Talbot Counties through an open application process, and at the recommendation of fund advisors. More is at mscf.org.

Choptank Community Health System is a private, non-profit network of health centers serving the Mid-Shore for nearly 40 years. Choptank Health provides access to quality health care through the delivery of comprehensive medical, dental, pediatric, and behavioral health services to more than 28,000 patients in multiple school and community locations and 6 health centers in Caroline, Dorchester, and Talbot Counties.

Choptank Health also serves as one of more than 1,300 community-based health care providers that receive funds from the U. S. Health Resources & Services Administration’s Health Center Program to provide primary care services in underserved areas as a Federally Qualified Health Center. Choptank Health’s uninsured patients are provided flat rates for medical services and percentage discounts for dental services.

Choptank Health’s mission to provide access to exceptional, comprehensive, and integrated health care for all, with more at choptankhealth.org.

UMMS Appoints System’s First Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer

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Roderick K. King, MD, MPH

The University of Maryland Medical System has recruited a physician with deep roots in addressing healthcare inequities over a career spanning nearly three decades, and lived experiences in inner-city America, to serve as the System’s first-ever Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer (CDEIO).

Roderick K. King, MD, MPH will join UMMS this summer and will be tasked with working collaboratively across the System to develop a long-term roadmap for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) that aligns with the System’s strategic plan.

“One of the things that excites me most about this position is the kind of far-reaching impact my role could have on the health of people in the state of Maryland,” said Dr. King.“In addition, because this role is one of the first of its kind in a large health care system, UMMS is at the forefront of leading a movement.  I believe that increasingly, health care systems are recognizing the importance of a role like mine in their C-suite.  We have an opportunity here to demonstrate measurable results in health improvements in diverse populations that can lead to the adoption of best practices nationwide. I have done a lot of work with hospitals, health plans and community-based organizations during my career and am encouraged that UMMS is making great strides to integrate strategies for diversity, equity and inclusion into hospital planning at the highest levels.”

Dr. King currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of the Florida Institute for Health Innovation and in multiple roles at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, where he is Senior Associate Dean of Diversity, Inclusion and Community Engagement; Director of the MD/MPH Program; and an associate professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences and the Department of Pediatrics.  He also serves as an associate professor at the University of Miami Business School in the Department of Healthcare Management and Policy. Dr. King will join UMMS this summer.

“With his breadth of experiences as a practicing clinician, a professor and an administrator at an academic medical institution, and in health policy with the federal government addressing underserved communities, Dr. King stood out among the candidates,” said Mohan Suntha, MD, MBA, President and CEO of UMMS.  “His personal experiences with diverse and underserved communities will be invaluable in leading our efforts at building individual, institutional and community excellence in health equity across the communities we serve.”

Among Dr. King’s responsibilities will be building organizational goals and fostering institutional change; integrating DEI work into the operations of the System and providing executive level guidance and direction to incorporating DEI best practices. He will also be charged with developing and executing a training and education strategy focused on increasing awareness, knowledge and skills of UMMS staff for diversity, equity and inclusion.

“My passion for this work stems from my lived experiences,” said Dr. King, a native of Brooklyn, NY. “I grew up in the inner-city, at a time when youth violence and health issues, particularly in communities of color, were a huge challenge.”Dr. King’s father was a primary care physician in Brooklyn for more than four decades, caring for the underserved and addressing issues of health inequalities his patients experienced when treated at larger health systems.

“The issues around access to care and having providers as a trusted messenger have been around for decades,” Dr. King added, noting the COVID-19 pandemic has “lifted up the rock so we can see all of the inequalities that exist and that we as a health system need to tackle if we are going to truly be committed to improving the health of the people and communities we serve.”

Dr. King said among his biggest challenges will be tackling issues of health inequality in communities and counties across the UMMS footprint that are very different. “The key will be assessing what the equity and diversity issues are in each of the System’s service areas and identifying strategies unique to each in order to move the needle on addressing these health inequalities and optimizing health and wellness.”

“My experience is that if you’ve seen one community, you’ve seen one community,” Dr. King added. “If you are truly going to tackle equity and diversity and effect long-standing change, you have to address the challenges and problems that are unique to each geographic area.”

Among his previous roles, Dr. King served as chairman for seven years of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Advisory Committee on Minority Health; in multiple instructor and director positions at the Harvard Medical School; as Director of the Boston regional office for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and as a Commander with the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corp.Dr. King also co-founded the Massachusetts General Disparities Solutions Center, where he focused on the development and implementation of strategies to eliminate health disparities, working with health systems, health insurance plans, and community-based and governmental organizations from around the world.

Dr. King earned a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering from The Johns Hopkins University, an M.D. degree from Cornell University Medical College, and a Master of Public Health degree from the Harvard School of Public Health’s Commonwealth Fund Fellowship in Minority Health Policy program.

About the University of Maryland Medical System

The University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) is a university-based regional health care system focused on serving the health care needs of Maryland, bringing innovation, discovery and research to the care we provide and educating the state’s future physician and health care professionals through our partnership with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the UM Schools of Nursing, Pharmacy, Social Work and Dentistry in Baltimore. As one of the largest private employers in the State, the health system’s 28,000 employees and 4,000 affiliated physicians provide primary and specialty care in more than 150 locations and at 13 hospitals. UMMS’ flagship academic campus, the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore is partnered with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and is recognized regionally and nationally for excellence and innovation in specialized care.  Our acute care and specialty rehabilitation hospitals serve urban, suburban and rural communities and are located in 13 counties across the State. For more information, visit www.umms.org.

Laura Heikes Recognized for 35 Years of Service with Shore United Bank

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Laura Heikes

Shore United Bank is honored to recognize Laura Heikes for 35 years of service to the Company. Laura started her career with the Bank in April of 1986 as an assistant comptroller at our Dover Street, Easton, MD branch. Over her 35 years, she has held many positions with the Bank such as, manager of loan services, officer of compliance and security, branch administration, operations and conversion coordinator.  Mrs. Heikes currently serves as a Senior Vice President of Shore United Bank, and our Government and Community Relations Officer and will be retiring from the Company on April 28, 2021.

Laura lives her commitment to the community by currently serving with the following organizations: Chairperson and Founding Member for the Talbot County Public Schools Education Foundation, Talbot County Fair Board,  Member of Talbot County Soroptimist Club,  Talbot County Chamber Ambassador, Vice Chair of the Talbot County Extension Board, Member of the Talbot County Hunger Coalition,  Member of the Talbot County Chamber Partners in Education Committee, Founding Board member of Junior Achievement in Talbot County.  She also volunteers for the following organizations: Talbot Goes Purple, Talbot County and Queen Ann County Fairs, Mid-Shore Community Foundation, Character Counts, 4-H, FFA, Talbot County Farm Bureau, His Hope Haven, Neighborhood Service Center and many more.

In addition to her work as a community partner, Laura is a 2015 graduate of Shore Leadership and was honored with the Maryland You Are Beautiful Award in 2015 and 2014 Business Woman of the Year by the Talbot County Chamber of Commerce.

“Being a community banker is by no means a nine to five job.  To be a true community banker you need to be active in the community and connect with your customers to help improve the communities we live in,” says Laura Heikes, Senior Vice President of Shore United Bank, and our Government and Community Relations Officer.

“We wish Laura well as she enters this new chapter in her life.  Laura has been dedicated to supporting the needs of her customers and our communities for over 35 years and she will be greatly missed. However, knowing her fondness and dedication to this community I have no doubt that she will continue to be a positive force in many local activities,” says Lloyd L. “Scott” Beatty, Jr.  President and CEO at Shore United Bank.

Laura resides in St. Michaels, MD with her husband, Ed. She has two children, Kate and Jed and two grandchildren Peyton Skye and Bailey Claire. When not volunteering in the community, Laura loves spending time entertaining family and friends and enjoys being a “Mimi” to many, especially her two grandchildren.

For more information about Shore United Bank, visit ShoreUnitedBank.com.

Wye River Upper School’s Ron Vener Appointed to YMCA Advisory Board

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Ron Vener

Ron Vener, the Athletic Director at Wye River Upper School, has been chosen to join the advisory board of the Queen Anne’s County YMCA.

As part of the advisory group, Vener will provide leadership by working with local staff in the community to help support the branch’s strategic direction and identify and address community needs.

Vener says that he was honored to be recommended to the advisory board and is excited to expand on the existing relationship he and the school have built with the YMCA. “Wye River Upper School has had a long-standing relationship with Victoria Velton and Robbie Gill of the Queen Anne’s YMCA for many years,” says Vener. “We are excited to continue our relationship with the YMCA to help our students to achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle,” says Vener.

Vener’s experience with youth and his ties to the community made him a natural choice for a position on the advisory board. According to Derek White, Executive Director of the YMCA of the Chesapeake, one of the goals of the group is to continue to be impactful in the realm of serving youth by creating a partnership with local schools to include water safety as a part of their physical education programs. “Vener was identified by the community as a prominent figure who can further these goals with his significant experience as an athletic director and coach,” says they White. Vener will also play a part in the YMCA’s annual campaign by identifying individuals who can help provide financial support for the organization’s programs and operations.

With more than 26 years of experience in education, Vener, who joined Wye River Upper School in 2012, holds a B.S. in Health and Physical Education, and an M.S in Instruction and Curriculum. Aside from his duties as Athletic Director, Vener also serves as Director of Transportation and Director of Buildings and Grounds, and teaches a course in personal finance. Vener also coaches with the BSP Blacksox travel ball organization based in Centreville.

About Wye River Upper School

Wye River Upper School is an independent high school serving the strengths and needs of bright students with learning differences. Located in Centreville, MD, approximately 20 minutes from the Bay Bridge. For more information, contact Tracie Spence at 443-262-8294.

Kent Ag Center’s Annual Auction

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Come support the Kent Ag Center at their annual auction, happening this Saturday, April 10th at 10 am.  The Silent Auction begins at 10 am and the Live Auction will begin at 11 am, at the Kent County Fairgrounds, 21349 Tolchester Beach Rd. Chestertown. The auction will be held in the Dairy Barn and Auction Ring, rain or shine.  All local and state rules regarding COVID-19 will be followed, including social distancing and mask wearing.

Many exciting items have generously been donated by local businesses!  Some of the items include; farm to table meals kits, a variety of local foods; beef, cheese, wine, and seafood. Also plants, shrubs, bushes, mushroom compost, stone, mulch, a sunset cruise, a half day fishing charter, a goose hunt, use of a dumpster, a pet memorial stone, a truck bed Rhino liner, stainless steel sink, stainless table, commercial meat tenderizer, a photography session, a tablet,a tooth whitening kit and a great variety of gift items and certificates for business and restaurants.  Visit the Kent Ag Center Facebook page for photos of items.

There will also be home and farm hardware for sale including eye bolts, braces for corners, handles, gate latches, hinges, and turnbuckles, etc. Sales of the hardware and Auction benefit the Kent Ag Center, which directly supports the Kent County Fair and 4-H in Kent County. Coffee and lunch will be available for purchase. If you have any questions, you may contact the Ag Center at (410) 778-1661 or kentagcenter@gmail.com.

Dennis Welsh, Lara Wilson Named to Head Rural Health Transformation Team at UM SRH

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Dennis Welsh

Dennis Welsh has been named vice president, Rural Health Transformation and executive director, Shore Medical Center at Chestertown, and joined the UM Shore Regional Health (UM SRH) leadership team in early April 2021. Supporting Welsh in leading rural health transformation initiatives for UM SRH is Lara Wilson, who has been named director, Rural Health Care Transformation, UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown, will begin in her new role in May 2021.

Welsh brings two decades of senior leadership experience in rural health care settings, including strategic planning, operations management, organizational transformation, change management, technology implementation, lean management, corporate compliance, data security/privacy, grant/capital funding and healthcare consulting.

Welsh served three years as president and chief executive officer of Down East Community Hospital, a full-service, independent rural hospital located in Machias, Maine. During his tenure, the hospital enjoyed significant growth in several areas, including family practice and laboratory services. He also planned and led a multimillion-dollar upgrade of the Emergency Department and implemented effective, long-term strategic plans for the hospital.

Previously, Welsh spent 13 years at Eastern Maine Health Care Systems’ Charles A. Dean Memorial Hospital, a full-service critical access hospital with off-site rural health clinics in Greenville, Maine, including nine years as executive vice president and chief operating officer.

Welsh’s educational credentials include a Master of Health Care Administration from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia and a bachelor’s degree from Point Park College in Pittsburgh. He is a Fellow of the American College of Health Care Executives, and holds multiple health care specialty certifications.

Lara Wilson

Wilson also is a proven health leader, bringing experience in the non-profit, hospital and community health industries to her role. She comes to UM SRH after serving six years as executive director of the Maryland Rural Health Association, based in Centreville, Maryland. In that capacity, with the goal of improving the health of Maryland’s rural communities, Wilson provided leadership and advocacy, program and strategic planning, financial management and personnel management, communications and marketing, and membership development and services.

Since 2017, Wilson also has served as an independent consultant for Merchant McIntyre in Washington, D.C., providing grant support to rural hospitals and health care organizations across the country and strategizing with top rural health care organization leadership to brainstorm new ways to increase funding for the rural communities.

Wilson’s prior experience includes two years as senior director, Grant Development, and administrator for Hospital Owned Physician Practices at Garrett Regional Medical Center in Oakland, Maryland; three years as practice manager, Maryland Primary Care Physicians, based in Annapolis; and four years as project director for the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

Wilson holds a B.A. in psychology from the University of Maryland, an M.S. in Health Systems Administration from Georgetown University and multiple, specialized certifications, including Lean Six Sigma – Yellow Belt.

“Dennis Welsh and Lara Wilson are a fantastic team who will lead the development and implementation of a new model of rural health care for the region,” said Ken Kozel, president and CEO, UM SRH. “Dennis brings two decades of experience leading critical access hospitals and has a real passion for rural health care. His expertise will be complemented by Lara’s skills in working with community partners to build the programs in the Aging & Wellness Center of Excellence and her in-depth knowledge of the Maryland health care landscape, our key community partners and our legislators. I am so grateful to have them joining our team.”

April Gardening Tips

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“Spring will come and so will happiness. Hold on. Life will get warmer.” -Anita Krizzan. It is officially spring, and it is time to dig out of the wet winter weather and get outside. Here are some helpful tips to get your garden started this season.

Photo: Plant a butterfly garden – Butterflies add beauty and help pollinate flowering plants. A variety of nectar plants for adult butterflies and host plants (food) for the caterpillars will attract them. Milkweed species is a popular nectar and host plant for the Monarch butterfly. The Monarch Caterpillar goes through five instars or stages between molts, during which they can range in size from 1/12″ –13/4″. Their life cycle is dependent on the milkweed plant. (Photo of monarch caterpillar photo credit: Rachel Rhodes)

Outdoor Garden and Yard Tips

  • Cedar-apple rust disease forms its galls on Virginia cedar (Juniperus virginiana) in April. The odd-looking galls are at first bright orange gelatinous balls with long “horns” or projections; they later turn brown and become hard. They are the alternate host structure for a disease that does very little harm to the junipers but can be quite destructive to apple trees, hawthorns, and quince.
  • Continue planting and transplanting trees and shrubs.  Choose quality trees: shade trees should have a single, straight trunk. Planting and transplanting should be completed before the end of June.
  • Viburnum leaf beetle is a serious pest of native arrowhead viburnum, cranberry bush, and many others. Look for feeding damage on viburnum and yellow larvae. Control them promptly since they can defoliate plants. Repeated defoliation can result in the death of native viburnums.
  • Spotted lanternfly eggs will start hatching late April or early May depending on the weather.
  • Eastern box turtles and various species of snakes are coming out of hibernation and may visit your yard. Box turtles are becoming scarce through much of Maryland because of road mortality and habitat destruction. Observe it but leave it in the wild.
  • Many spring bulbs have fully emerged and are flowering. Remove spent flowers but leave the green bulb foliage alone until it yellows and dies back naturally.
  • Lawn mowing season begins in April. The height and how frequently you mow your lawn is very important. Cool season grasses such as tall fescue and bluegrass should be maintained between 3 – 4 inches for most of the growing season and no more than 1/3rd of the leaf blade should be removed at each mowing. Always make sure to sharpen your mower blades at the beginning of the season.

Vegetable Garden

  • Continue to sow lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard, beets and other favorite salad vegetables.
  • Thin seedlings of leafy greens, to a few inches apart and eat the ones you pull. Check planting chart for final spacing between mature plants.
  • Plant seeds of carrots, turnips and parsnips in deeply worked, well-draining soil.
  • Don’t jump the gun with warm season crops; plant outside only after all danger of frost is past. (Night temperatures below 45º F. can damage plants and later fruiting.) Optional: lay down black plastic mulch to warm the soil, two to three weeks before planting warm season crops, like tomato, pepper, eggplant, and melon. Plastic mulch also keeps down weeds. (Biodegradable non-plastic mulch, made out of corn, is now available; www.highmowingseeds.com is one source.)
  • Sow beans and corn outdoors late this month or early May, when soil temperatures are above 50º F. (Or pre-start them indoors to get them off to a faster start.)
  • Start squash, melon and cucumbers indoors to be transplanted in the garden, in two to three weeks. (These plants also benefit from black plastic or biodegradable mulch.) Or, plant them directly in the garden, in late May through mid-June.
  • Start seeds of herbs, including rosemary, thyme, lavender, sage, basil and tarragon. Make cuttings of fresh mint, tarragon and rosemary from potted plants or from stems purchased in food markets. Root the cuttings in soil-less mix, under lights.

Indoor Plants and Insect Tips

  • Groom houseplants by removing dead and diseased foliage or spent flowers; this reduces insect and disease problems and improves their appearance. Gently dust the leaves with a soft rag. If possible, periodically place your plants in the shower to remove dust and to give them a good drink of water. This can revive a tired houseplant and helps to leach soluble salts (from fertilizers) from the soil.
  • Fungus gnats are small, harmless black flies that hover around, breed in and feed on moist growing media. Be careful not to over-water houseplants. Growing media should be allowed to dry out before watering again.
  • Different types of foraging ants may appear in your home. Try using bait stations to control minor infestations. Liquid and gel formulations are usually quite effective.

Rachel J. Rhodes, rjrhodes@umd.edu is the Horticulture Educator and Master Gardener Coordinator for the University of Maryland Extension in Queen Anne’s County. She is one third of the Garden Thyme Podcast. The Garden Thyme Podcast is a monthly podcast where University of Maryland Extension Educators, help you get down and dirty in your garden, with timely gardening tips, information about native plants, and more!

For further information, please visit https://extension.umd.edu/queen-annes-county/master-gardener-home-gardening  or see us on Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/QueenAnnesCountyMasterGardeners or listen to The Garden Thyme Podcast at:  https://www.buzzsprout.com/687509

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Chestertown Rotary Club Community Food Drive

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The Chestertown Rotary Club has announced a Community Food Drive to benefit Minary’s Dream Alliance.  The drive will be held on Saturday, April 10, from 10 am to 2 pm at Trinity Lutheran Church on Greenwood Avenue in Chestertown.  Rotarians will be on hand to receive donations in the parking lot across from the church.

Rotarians follow the motto, “Service Above Self.”  Rotary Club President Alan Austen notes, “We are pleased to be partnering with Minary’s Dream Alliance on this project.  They are doing such important work delivering bags of groceries to over 200 seniors unable to get out to the grocery store.”

Paul Tue, with MInary’s Dream Alliance, recommends staples such as cereal, bread, peanut butter, and canned goods.  Those wishing to make a cash donation can drop off a check payable to Minary’s Dream Alliance, a 501 c 3 organization.

About the Chestertown Rotary Club

Members of the Chestertown Rotary Club are part of a diverse group of professional leaders working to address various community and international service needs and promote peace and understanding throughout the world. The Rotary Club of Chestertown is united with Rotarians worldwide in supporting the motto of “Service Above Self.”  To learn more about the Chestertown Rotary Club, chestertownmdrotary.wixsite.com or contact Larry Vetter at larryvetter@yahoo.com or 631-406-3155.