Month: July 2021

AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler

With cool breezes stirring on a beautiful July day, friends Diane Evans and Dianne Rey strolled through the gardens at Jonas and Anne Catharine Green Park – a park they both have a strong connection to.

Winding past park benches where visitors took in views of sailboats cruising past the Naval Academy, the pair gravitated to a plaque they’d had made detailing the history of Jonas and Anne Catharine Green for whom the park is named.

Diane Rey, who portrays Colonial Annapolis newspaper publisher Anne Catharine Green for historic reenactments, is a fount of knowledge about the couple.

While weeding flowerbeds, she and Evans were recently approached by a park visitor asking who Jonas and Anne Catharine Green were. Both realized there was no information telling visitors about either of them. They decided to do something about it.

Evans oversees the park as Vice-President of the Friends of Anne Arundel County Trails which manages the 3-1/2 acre property for the county.

She pointed out that the only thing acknowledging the Greens was a sign near the entrance installed in 2018 when Anne Catharine’s name was added to that of her husband.

“Diane was there in costume representing Mrs. Green who’d have been delighted,” Evans said.

As Printer to the Province of Maryland and publisher of The Maryland Gazette, Jonas, and then Anne Catharine, who carried on both roles after her husband’s death, were major influences in Annapolis’ 18th century history.

Evans noted that the property near the base of the Route 450 Bridge (also referred to as the Naval Academy Bridge) was acquired by the Maryland State Roads Commission from the Severn Land Company in 1938 for use as a roadside park. Management was transferred from one state agency to another until absorbed into the Maryland Department of Natural Resources when it was created in 1969. In 2004, much of the park was transferred to the Anne Arundel County Department of Recreation and Parks but is largely cared for by the Friends of Anne Arundel County Trails.

The park gained the name Jonas Green Park in 1953 to honor the 225th anniversary edition of the Maryland Gazette, one of the oldest newspapers in the country. Started in 1727 by William Parks, the Gazette suspended operations for a time until Jonas Green revived it in 1745. It survived largely due to her efforts.

Rey noted that between 1738, when the newly wed Greens moved to Annapolis, and 1760, they had 14 children, only six of whom survived to adulthood. Anne Catharine helped support the family by selling chocolate and coffee and was likely involved with the business.

“When Jonas died in 1767, she took over the printing press, not missing a single issue of the Maryland Gazette,” Rey said. “Awarded her late husband’s post as Printer to the Province, she printed the laws and proceedings of the Maryland General Assembly and the paper currency. She paid off her husband’s considerable business debts, purchased the family home and established her sons in the business while remaining the master printer. She was a major influence in the Annapolis community, the county and the state in the years leading up to the American Revolution.”

Evans’ interest the park began in 2008 when she joined the board of directors of the Friends of Anne Arundel County Trails at the urging of the late Elizabeth Wyble who was president at the time.

“Elizabeth asked me, ‘Would you like to do the park?’ I’d always had a dream of redoing this park because there wasn’t much here so I said I’d love to,” Evans said.

It’s what she’s been doing for the past 13 years, gradually getting citizens to purchase benches (there are now six), putting in all the Crepe Myrtles, a variety grasses, and different kinds of trees.

Some of the trees “didn’t make it” as they were planted over the old 450 roadbed that leads to a remnant of the old Route 450 Bridge at the end of the park that was made into a free-to-the-public fishing pier.

The fishing pier runs parallel to the new U.S. Naval Academy Bridge that replaced it and has magnificent views of the Severn River.

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There’s an even more splendid view of the U.S. Naval Academy Bridge beyond the plaque honoring Stanley R. Davis who was part the team that replaced the deteriorating Bascule drawbridge. Both Evans and Rey remember crossing the old drawbridge which they found charming but a trifle annoying when it was drawn up to let boats through while automobile traffic backed up. On the other hand, they love the graceful curves of the new bridge.

A walkway winding past the bridge runs slightly uphill and overlooks more parkland and the rock-lined shore below.

Evans noted that one of her first projects was the installation of three rain gardens in the parking lot with the help of midshipmen from the Naval Academy. Now mature, the gardens absorb stormwater runoff and help cool the heatwave producing parking lot.

Evans later conceived, designed and created the Friends of Anne Arundel County Trails’ Legacy Garden where families can purchase a brick to honor a loved one. Anne Catharine Green would approve of the brick purchased by the family of reporter and editor Wendi Winters who perished while protecting Capital Gazette staff members during a newsroom shooting in 2018.

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Evans’ BayScape garden design combines native species along the beach and shoreline with formal planter beds surrounding the Visitor Center. Art is an important part of the design and she is particularly proud of the dramatic Heron carving that stands out from a spot known as the Orphan’s Garden overlooking the beach.

The Orphan’s Garden began as a bed where Evans placed donated plants or shrubs that wouldn’t work elsewhere. The plants grew to maturity and now constitute a grove. The Heron resulted from a bequest for the purchase of artwork from the estate of a gentleman who’d loved the park. While searching for an appropriate piece that would represent the park’s location near the confluence of the Severn and Magothy Rivers and Chesapeake Bay, Evans thought of a heron. She found a carving of one on the Internet by Thurmont, Maryland chainsaw artist Joseph Stepping, Jr. whom she engaged. Stebbing had hoped to carve the bird from a tree fronting the Orphan’s Garden but determined the tree was not stable enough. Instead he carved it in his studio and affixed it to the trunk of the tree.

Artistically rendered signage is also displayed throughout the park. Designed to educate and inform the 150,000 visitors who come from all over the world, some of the signs are bilingual.

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There is also a plaque honoring former Severna Park resident Elizabeth Wyble, a founding board member of the Friends of Anne Arundel County Trails and it’s president for 15 years.

Wyble was, in large part, responsible for the inclusion of the park Visitor Center which opened in 2009. On entering, visitors will immediately see the innovative information desk Anne Arundel County employees built on their own time in the shape of a ship named the Elizabeth W. as a tribute to Wyble.

Cared for by the Friends of Anne Arundel County Trails with help from the Severn River Association and the Anne Arundel County Watershed Stewards Academy, Jonas and Anne Catharine Green Park is more popular than ever with picnickers, crabbers and fishermen, plein air painters, photographers and people simply looking for a quiet space to relax.

It’s also one of the rare points of public access to the public waterways for county residents. Paddle boarding, kayaking and wading is allowed off the beach but swimming is not allowed as there is a precipitous drop off considered dangerous. And, of course, fishing is allowed.

A new sign has recently been posted noting that overnight access to the park will end. But the lovely recreation area will continue to welcome, inspire and inform visitors as a local treasure.

For information and directions to the park, visit Jonas and Anne Catharine Green Park – Anne Arundel County Trails | The Friends of AACo Trails (friendsofaatrails.org) .

AAUW resumes book collections

Dates and locations for the annual used book collection by the Anne Arundel Co. Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) were announced at the Severna Park Independence Day Parade.  Members of the branch participated in the parade and circulated among spectators to share dates and locations for the upcoming used book collections.  Donation sites will be St Martins-in-the Field, the Anne Arundel Community College parking lot, and St Phillips Episcopal Church from 9 am to 12 noon on August 14 and 28, September 11 and October 2 and 16.  The Book Sale will be held in November.  Proceeds will go to scholarships for AA County Women. For further information, visit http://annearundelcounty-md.aauw.net.

AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler

With the start of a new school year fast approaching, the Assistance League of the Chesapeake is stepping up its “Kids In Need” program to raise funds to purchase school uniforms like those above. Monies raised through donations and grants are used to buy and distribute uniforms to seven Title One schools through a partnership with Anne Arundel County Public Schools. They include MacArthur Middle School and Georgetown East, Germantown, Meade Heights, Mills-Parole, Tyler Heights, and Van Bokkelen elementary schools.

Following a pause in the program in 2020/2021 because of COVID-related school closures, the fundraising drive is back on. Assistance League president Elaine Atkinson and member Teresa Hales Tudor are out and about raising awareness about the need for donations.

The Kids In Need program is one of five AL initiatives, but a very important one,” Atkinson said. “So Teresa and I are spreading the word.”

Begun in 2003, the program has distributed 23,000 uniforms – a record the Assistance League is proud of.

Tudor explained how the program works.

“We’re required to work only with Title One schools (described as those where a majority of families are living in poverty). We provide each child a top, a bottom, a sweatshirt, socks, underwear and a set of toiletries twice a year – in the fall and again in the spring to allow for kids to grow,” she said. “Measuring children for uniforms is something many of our members have gotten quite good at.”

“We welcome both volunteers and donations,” Atkinson added. “Those interested in contributing may visit Home – Assistance League of the ChesapeakeAssistance League of the Chesapeake and click the donate button. A donation of $25 will provide a student with a new top and pants or skirt, $35 will provide the uniform plus a sweatshirt, and $40 will provide the uniform, sweatshirt and socks, underwear and toiletries.”

In addition to promoting the uniform donation drive, Atkinson and Tudor are highlighting the 15th Anniversary of the Assistance League of the Chesapeake chapter’s founding by member Dee Campbell. They’re also striving to educate the public about the organization’s many programs by appearing at community events and creating new marketing materials.

The Assistance League currently has 70 members from across Anne Arundel County. Atkinson, for example, is from Annapolis while Tudor is a Severna Park resident and there are members from Glen Burnie, Severn, Millersville and Pasadena among other communities. As a strictly volunteer-based organization, AL hopes to grow its membership and attract some younger women with the energy and enthusiasm to carry on its mission of community service

Tudor, who worked for Anne Arundel County Public Schools, became aware of AL in the early 2000’s when she witnessed the good work done by their fledgling Kids In Need program and saw it grow from two schools to seven. Thus, when she retired and was looking for a volunteer opportunity, she immediately thought of joining the Assistance League to become a participant in the program.

There are other great programs to be involved in. Atkinson volunteers as a puppeteer with AL’s “Kids On the Block” program visiting second-graders in schools across the county.

“We use life-sized puppets to teach children valuable social skills,” she said. “The puppets act out scripts we’ve developed to discuss and help kids understand such sensitive topics as cultural differences or bullying.”

Among Atkinson’s other favorites is the Stork’s Nest Baby Shower program. Once a year, chapter members gather for a “baby shower” and everyone brings baby gifts to support Baltimore Washington Medical Center’s Stork’s Nest program for young mothers in need. The young women earn points for attending prenatal classes – points they can then use to shop for free at the hospital’s Stork’s Nest Baby Shower redemption center. Last year the chapter provided $6,000 worth of gifts.

While more musically inclined members gravitate to the “Sing-Alongs for Seniors” program for assisted living and nursing home residents, others volunteer with Project Literacy. Through monthly Guest Reader programs, the volunteers work in classrooms tutoring children in reading. They donate books directly to the students and organize activities that promote positive behaviors for effective learning.

“Some members also lend a hand outside of our chapter for schools that don’t have any parent volunteers,” Tudor said. “For instance, they’ll volunteer with the Black Eyed Susan Book Award program (for which students read a pre-selected list of books and choose a winning author). The volunteers come in before school starts, hand out copies of a book on the list, help the students with reading the book and then form a discussion circle. The students earn a certificate for completing the reading list. Our volunteers are so dedicated to encouraging the children to continue reading that they raise money to buy them new books they can take home as their own.”

There are Pen Pal programs and projects to send cards to seniors who have no family members to receive mail from – so many activities to be involved in it’s impossible to list them all. For information, visit www.ALChesapeake.org where there is also an excellent video about Kids In Need.

Things are popping for the Greater Severna Park & Arnold Chamber

With the community’s Independence Day Parade a success, the Greater Severna Park and Arnold Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors has a multitude of live events planned through November and beyond. According to Chamber CEO Liz League, they range from member events like Friday, July 30th’s “Fly-By Friday Cookout” featuring burgers, dogs and side dishes from Effortless Bistro Chef Laureen Vance to large-scale events free to the public.

“As a community sponsor, we’re currently making preparations for the Anne Arundel Co. Eastern District Police’s “National Night Out” at Earleigh Heights Volunteer Fire Company on August 3 from 6 to 8 pm,” League said. “The event, which attracts thousands of people, is free to the public and features entertainment, games for kids. community booths, snacks, K-9 and Bomb Squad robot demonstrations and displays of police and fire vehicles. It’s a way for the public to come out and express their appreciation to our first responders.”

Fast approaching is the Chamber’s Driving Force Golf Tournament on September 27 at Chartwell Golf and Country Club, a major fundraising event. League just received the go-ahead to bring back the popular Shoptoberfest to be held at Park Plaza in October. Plans are also in the works to hold the annual Taste & Sip of Severna Park event in November at Chartwell Golf & Country Club.

More is on the way. For details on upcoming events, visit Greater Severna Park and Arnold Chamber of Commerce (gspacc.com) and click the calendar button or visit Greater Severna Park & Arnold Chamber of Commerce | Facebook.

AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler

Contrary to what you might expect, the sun never set on the Rising Sun Inn Tavern and Museum during the COVID pandemic. Volunteers from the Friends of Rising Sun Inn made the historic public house a beehive of activity, carrying on restoration projects they’d begun in early 2020. The Friends even managed to host a few events like the Inn’s autumn ghost walk and holiday candlelight tour by limiting visitors to small family groups and following COVID precautions.

A welcome back garden party that was held on June 19th for members of the Ann Arundel Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution was also the occasion for the unveiling of two new markers. The first – a National Park Service marker for the Washington Rochambeau National Historic Trail is located along the southbound lane of General’s Highway.

French Major General Comte Jean de Rochambeau’s troops traveled past the Inn in 1781 (following General George Washington) to Annapolis and sailed from there to Jamestown to assist in defeating the British at Yorktown.  

The second marker – a gift from the Chapter – is a Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Garden Marker to commemorate the centennial of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  Set amidst a grove of ancient box woods, the marker is tended by garden volunteers including Friends members Kris Jenkins and Amy Espinoza,

A third marker, erected at an earlier date by the Maryland State Roads Commission but recently refurbished by volunteer Frank Rawlings, sits directly in front of the Crownsville property.

Much of the interior work accomplished by the Friends of Rising Sun Inn involved opening the upper level of the house and restoring it to what it would have been like when built in 1753 by tobacco grower Edward Baldwin for his wife and four children. According to Friends’ Board of Directors President Susan Giddings, renovations included redoing the railings for the steep wooden staircase, cleaning and painting the upstairs, and restoring a bedroom used for storage to its original purpose.

Once years worth of clutter was removed to convert the former storage room to an 18th century bedroom, there was ample space to bring things out of the Inn’s collections like the lady’s hat, gloves and fan seen on the table below.

Part of a second bedroom that is roped off (but can be viewed from the hall) was cleared to stage a charming vignette of a second story family room where afternoon tea is being served. The remaining half of the room had to be kept as a storage area.

The Friends group used the time they were officially closed very productively. After receiving permission from The Maryland Historical Trust for the ongoing repainting and renovation work, they decided to refresh all the rooms, including the second story open space pictured below, with a soft white paint with Governor’s gold trim and black baseboards. (Baseboards were painted black in Colonial times to hide boot scuffs).

Presented as a family dining area, as opposed to the first floor tavern where tradesmen and travelers would have dined, the vignette seen here represents a holiday meal. By portraying the meal as a special occasion, the Friends were able to display Creamware (that might have been used) from the museum collection.

Different parts of Rising Sun Inn and Tavern are staged to represent different periods of its history through several changes of ownership until 1916 when its last owner, Richard “Bo” Williams, gifted the Inn to 12 local women who formed the Ann Arundel DAR Chapter for the express purpose of preserving and maintaining it as a historical site or museum.

According to Susan Giddings, much of the first floor was given over to public spaces from the late 1700s through the early 1800s. Even after becoming a private residence, the house continued to be used as a community meeting place. Thus, a current work in progress is the restoration of the kitchen space believed to have been built in the early 1800s though cooking would still have been done in the basement fireplaces. The story of the project is fascinating.

“We chose to restore the kitchen to the early 1920’s. That’s when the women who formed the DAR Chapter incorporated (so they could own the property) and took out a loan for $5,000 to stabilize and restore the building and kitchen. That would be equivalent to $120,000 today,” Giddings said.. “The building subsequently became their chapter house. To pay off their loan, the women set up and operated a tea house from the 1920’s through the 1940’s as a means of fundraising. We want the kitchen to represent that time period.”

They began the restoration by stripping away the 1980’s era cabinets, stainless steel sinks and laminated counter tops. Taking the kitchen back in time proved more of a challenge.

“We were looking for a 1920’s styled sink and were initially expecting to have to by a reproduction. But Craigslist is wonderful. Listed there, we spotted a sink that was what we were looking for,” said Giddings. “We drove out to Hartford County where a young man had it for sale. He brought it in from out in a field and it was an authentic Standard Sanitary Baltimore Works sink. We know from the markings that it was manufactured between 1921 and 1929 which would have been when the women were doing their original kitchen restoration.

Now installed, the sink works well. The final bit of work on the kitchen cabinetry will soon be complete. Just around the corner from the kitchen, in the Inn’s meeting room, is a handsome built-in cabinet where the original china used in the tea house is on display.

An original yellow-bordered menu card propped in one corner notes that

luncheons, teas and dinners were offered and catering was available. Special family dinners were served on Thursdays, Sea Food Dinners on Fridays and Fried Chicken Dinners on Saturdays.

A quote at the top of the card advises “Stop Where Washington Did”.

Redoing the Inn’s first floor rooms will involve painting the foyer the same soft white with gold trim as the upstairs. However, changes to the tavern, with its fireplace and period tavern table and cabinetry, are still under discussion. An idea has been floated to add some more masculine touches since guests to the Inn would have largely been salesmen or tradesmen.

Renovations to the exterior of Rising Sun Inn were ongoing throughout 2020 and into 2021. The building received a long-awaited repainting. Fortunately, the Friends received a Preservation Grant from the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution to assist with the exterior restoration, specifically the early 19th century windows. The shutters were restored and repainted and the basement windows were repainted from white to green which is more appropriate to the era in which the Inn was built.

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Works still in progress include garden projects, the most ambitious of which is creating a sand and burlap berm to channel water away from one of two 300-year-old boxwood hedges.. Another project undertaken by community volunteer Sharon Zolder involved improving the front garden by erecting a tee pee of branches for soil enriching vines of peas and beans to climb. A Colonial pollinator garden designed by Master Gardener Margaret Perry grew like wildfire this season and is now in its third blooming. Its combination of medicinal, kitchen and pollinator plants includes asters, fennel, butterfly weed and native crimson honeysuckle that will shortly be cut back.

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With so much restoration work completed, the officers and members of Rising Sun Inn Tavern and Museum are proud to be showing off the house during upcoming events. Their newest “Make-your-Own” series event, “It’s Christmas in July at the Rising Sun Inn!”os being held July 24th. Two sessions are planned to make/take a beautiful beaded Christmas ornament. The first session is at 10 am and the second at noon. The cost (which includes instructions and material for one ornament) is $25.00. Advance registration is required at events@gmail.com. For information about Rising Sun Inn’s public tours, Tea & Tours visits, or upcoming events visit The Rising Sun Inn Crownsville, Maryland – Home .

The Talent Machine debuts Disney’s “Beauty & The Beast” this Friday

The Talent Machine Company‘s Youth Summer Production of Disney’s “Beauty And The Beast, the Broadway Musical” will take place at the Classic Theatre of Maryland at 1804 West Street on July 16th-18th and July 22nd – 25th Evening and matinee showtimes are schedule. For information and to purchase tickets online, visit www.talentmachine.com. More shows are to follow. We’ll keep you posted.

Operation Welcome Back….Pack in full swing

Walk the Walk Foundation is excited to announce that 200 back-to-school backpacks have already been sponsored by generous donors in response to their drive. The organization is partnering this year with Tyler Heights Elementary School to supply their students with the new backpacks containing school supplies, More sponsors are needed, however. Those interested in contributing to this important cause may do so by visiting Walk the Walk Foundation, Child Development, Outreach (wtwf.org).

AROUND THE PARK AGAIN BY Sharon Lee Tegler

Excitement surged among parade participants at the St. Martins-in-the-Field and Our Shepherd Lutheran Church staging areas on opposite sides of Benfield Road. With step-off time for the 2021 Severna Park Community Center Independence Day Parade moments away, confusion reigned too, Many entrants, including the children and adults who’d be riding on Olde Severna Park’s patriotically decorated sailing ship, didn’t know where to go.

Liz League, CEO of the Greater Severna Park and Arnold Chamber of Commerce which organized the event, said there were communications difficulties stemming from holding the parade Monday, July 5th instead of Sunday, July 4th (because church services would have limited access).

“Missed emails and texts over the holiday weekend meant participants didn’t know which staging area to go to, but it all worked out and we had smooth sailing after that,” League said.

The motorcycle escort heading the parade hove into view of Benfield Road spectators shortly after 10 am. However, viewers at town center in Olde Severna Park had about 20 minutes to wait. They patiently listened to commentary from announcer Earl Shaffer though frequently cast glances up the hill past the Riggs Avenue judging stand for a first sighting of the parade.

They were rewarded with sirens blaring as a motorcycle escort roared down Riggs at 10:21 with a color guard from Marine Corps League Detachment 1049 marching smartly behind them.

A succession of color guards and A.A. County first responder vehicles was followed by the appearance of the parade’s Grand Marshall Eddie Conway waving from the back of a blue convertible that perfectly matched his star-studded jacket.

An entrepreneur, philanthropist and owner of Garry’s Grill, Conway was followed by the Garry’s Grill float he and his employees put together – the only float with live music aboard.

Considering that the parade was coming back after being canceled last year due to the COVID pandemic and held Monday, July 5th – a workday for some but a federal holiday for others – the crowd was good. It also seemed different. Unlike the most recent years, spectators came largely unencumbered with tents or even chairs. They just brought themselves and seemed so happy to see everyone else.

League, when asked for her impressions of the return of the Severna Park 4th of July Parade, said she loved it.

“The weather was great and, in spite of our occasional glitches, it was a happy day,” she added.

The most solemn and patriotic moment of the parade occurred fairly early with the appearance of the immense Nathan McDavitt Memorial Flag honoring Airman 1st Class Nathan McDavitt who died while serving his country on April 15, 2016. Carried by no less than 30 volunteers including cub scouts and boy scouts, the flag was presented at the judge’s stand to the accompaniment of a recording of the Star Spangled Banner performed by the late Whitney Houston.

No Severna Park Independence Day Parade would be complete without the appearance of antique automobiles. In this case, they included a 1931 Model A and a 1929 Ford convertible followed by a 1957 Chevrolet convertible bearing Maryland Yacht Club’s 2021 Queen of the Chesapeake Ellie Hermann.

Multiple fire trucks from active companies, far and near, were joined by retired privately owned firetrucks including a restored Earleigh Heights VFC firetruck owned by Rod Reed, and a Rostraver VFC Truck 31 owned by the Gustafson family. There was also an unexpected entrant – a “pink” firetruck named “For Three Sisters” that was restored by retired firefighter Marshall Moneymaker to raise money to fight breast cancer which took the lives of all three of his sisters.

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A great deal happened between firetrucks including efforts by small businesses and community organizations like SPAN, Inc. whose directors and volunteers pulled red and blue wagons collecting donations for its food pantry, the floral decorated van of the Asbury Church Assistance Network, Chesapeake Harmony Chorus, Pets on Wheels, and the SPCA van among others.

The Chamber’s Decorated Bike Contest riders (from ages 2 through 11) pedaled through town looking as patriotic as ever.

First, second and third place winners for Most Beautiful were: Avery Jackson, Sophia Zimmerman and Emma Gramel – for Most Original were Piper Allee, Lily Lewis, and Natalie and Amelia Mastanik and – for Most Patriotic were Gemma Dornblaser, Everleigh Dornblaser and Justin Wilkins.

With the parade continuing apace, many entries were still making their way down Benfield Road including the colorful truck- bed float of the Millersville-based charity Orphan Grain Train which featured a replica of its headquarters building at 621 East West Boulevard. Volunteers riding on each side included director Elfie Eberle.

There’s no denying that floats are always parade viewers’ favorite things and this year’s variety, echoing the parade’s theme, “Celebrating the Community”, contained some gems. Here are a few.

Other imaginative floats receiving spectator plaudits included Park Books and Literacy Lab’s clever “Charlotte’s Web” float which was third best Community Entry, Donut Shack’s float featuring employees waving giant donuts, Emilio Escape Salon & Spa, the second best Commercial entry, and Cub Scout Pack 994’s float which captured Best Theme.

Judging from the general mood of the crowd, everyone enjoyed it – from spectators to participants. Toward the end of his parade adventure, Uncle Sam, who’d walked the entire way took time to pose for photographs with Miss Montgomery County and Miss Montgomery County Princess.

The return of the Severna Park Independence Day Parade paid off in ways yet to be counted. As always, it drew both locals and out-of-town visitors and meant increased business for the shops lining B&A Boulevard.

Parade-goers drawn to early corn and veggies at Diehl’s Produce

Diehl’s Produce would have been busy Monday anyway but there is no doubt that being located on the corner of B&A Boulevard and McKinsey Road, i.e. Parade Central, brought in additional customers. One glance at the huge supply of early Eastern Shore corn was enough to make anyone’s mouth water.

According to manager Jennifer Diehl, most of the vegetables the stand is noted for carrying have come in early and are in good supply.

“The corn is not only early but sweeter than ever. It’s very good,” she said.

The tomatoes are ripe, plump and plentiful.

Vegetables ranging from peppers, squash, eggplants, mushrooms, cucumbers and onions and various fruits and melons were available and the stand’s stock will only increase from now on.

As was the case last year, Diehl’s Produce is rounding up sales totals with the extra amounts of change combined to supply gift cards to SPAN, Inc. for its clients so they can purchase fresh produce to supplement canned and packaged goods from the food pantry shelves. To inquire about the program visit Diehl’s Produce | Facebook.

AROUND THE PARK AGAIN By Sharon Lee Tegler

Whether greeting customers by the entrance to her shop or showing them around, MaryAnn Neal is a treasure trove of knowledge about the treasures within. It’s been one-and-a-half months since she opened Red Apron Estate Sales & Shoppe with her husband Cam at 4A Riggs Avenue.

The Neal’s shop features old, new and local treasures and is notable for its history and because it carries items we loved in the past and can love once more. Every item – from penny candy and vinyl records to fine china and wooden furniture – stirs memories and kindles our imagination to envision what it might become.

Seated on her favorite piece of furniture, a high-end Baker sofa, Neal related what she knew of her building’s past. Built in the 1920’s, 4 Riggs Avenue was briefly a grocery store but was known, for more than a decade, as Doc Codd’s pharmacy. In 1944, following the death of Dr. Francis Codd, it became Cliff Dawson’s variety store featuring liquor sales, a soda fountain and a slot machine. In 1952, Dawson relocated to the corner of B&A Boulevard and McKinsey Road and the former store eventually became home to the Antique Marketplace.

“When Antique Marketplace’s owner decided to retire, the location sort of fell into my lap,” she said.

Neal created and introduced her Red Apron brand in 2012 after she left her job as Program Director for the Severna Park Community Center. In order to sell pieces of furniture she’d been collecting and refinishing from estate sales, she organized a series of Red Apron Second Sunday Markets at Holy Grounds Youth Center.

Aware that most of what doesn’t sell at estate sales ends up in landfills, Neal hated the idea of “one more thing going into a landfill that didn’t need to when it still had a great life left”. Consequently, she began collecting good quality pieces that didn’t sell – pieces that became her Second Sunday inventory.

At that point, she hadn’t really contemplated starting an estate sale business of her own.

“It was kind of thrown at me,” she said. “I found redoing estate sale pieces for Second Sunday Markets a lot of fun. However, I wasn’t getting the turnouts I needed. Then my neighbor across the street lost his wife. He was a great neighbor and by himself since his children were in Seattle. So I started helping him get cleared out. I quickly saw he was overwhelmed by the enormity of the job.”

Neal too was overwhelmed. In addition to the furnishings her neighbor’s house contained on its main level, furniture inherited from his wife’s parents was stored downstairs. She finally asked, ‘”Why don’t we have an estate sale and I’ll run it for you?” to which he replied, “Here are the keys, I’m moving to Seattle.”

Everything was left for her to deal with. The complicated undertaking became her first estate sale and it went well. She proved “a natural ” and just kept going.

Estate sales no longer take place only when people pass away. They’re most often held because folks are downsizing to a smaller house or condo. They have too much stuff and no idea how to dispose of what they don’t need. That’s where Red Apron Estate Sales comes in.

“We tell clients to get everything they want out of the house. Then our team comes in, goes through the entire house, gathers and sorts things, makes sure everything is clean and sparkling, and stages it all for in-person selling,” Neal said.

She noted that the Red Apron team is very visual. They’re determined that, when customers come through the door, “everything just pops”, even going so far as to drape their signature red tablecloths to the floor on each table for impact. Objects are moved about to dress up an empty corner or a wall. The personal touch is equally important so Cam Neal, who is very personable, greets prospective customers at the door.

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Red Apron Estate Sales are known for everything being organized, clean and easy to locate. The company has just two days to sell everything over a weekend. Items are marked at a price the market will bear on a Saturday and everything is marked half-off on Sunday. The goal is to clear everything out of the house but they are not giving it away either.

The estate sales are advertised in numerous ways. The best way to find out when they’re happening is through Red Apron’s website at www.redapronestatesales.com. The sales are also posted on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. About two weeks before a sale, pictures will start appearing. The Wednesday before a sale, the team will send an email to their nearly 3,000 subscribers noting key categories of items being offered. A newspaper ad will run as well.

As for the Red Apron Shoppe, it’s true to its motto selling treasures that are old, new and local. The front counter is something of a throwback influenced by Cam, a Severna Park native who fondly remembers visiting Dawson’s Store as a child and having owner Cliff Dawson help him pick out penny candy from large glass jars. MaryAnn also grew up in a small town and loved the idea and has incorporated similar glass jars and penny candy in her front counter.

In addition to products from local artists, the inventory includes vinyl record albums (both vintage and newly issued) which have regained popularity in recent years. There’s a special powder blue phonograph on which to test them out. Vintage radios and a 1960’s era record player complete the picture.

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The shop does not accept consignments but does straight sales. When an estate sale is over, Neal will buy a piece or two that’s left directly from the client. Those pieces make up the bulk of her inventory. However, she’ll occasionally accept something from the general public.

Neal finds that, after several years when young people shied away from buying what they considered antique furnishings, they are now coming in a lot. She believes she’s attracting more and more of them because they like the idea of recycling and re-purposing. They’re discovering that older furnishings are well crafted, made from real wood or authentic materials and often more practical.

“Even items like china cabinets that I couldn’t give away are being redone as indoor greenhouses to hold plants,” Neal said.

The blue/gray hutch seen here was painted and re-purposed by young mom, Lindsay Webster, who works the Red Apron estate sales and started her own company called Good Bones Restored. She is very skilled at redoing special pieces that MaryAnn Neal picks out for her. Alongside the hutch is an antique miniature salesman’s sample cabinet that she’s painted light gray.

The Neals prefer to keep most pieces of furniture in their original state. However, they find that repainted or repurposed pieces sell quickly.

Price ranges for different pieces are closely matched to estate sale prices and very reasonable. For instance, they are asking $800 for the Baker couch pictured above which is in excellent condition. New, it would sell for about $2,500. An outdoor glass-topped table and six chairs with the seats newly re-covered by Neal is priced at $350 while a two-tiered wooden Clover table is marked $100. Some quality furniture that came from Park Place apartments is similarly priced with attractive ladder-back chairs going for $30 apiece. An antique high chair at the back of the shop is marked $40.

The gorgeous set of high-end Royal Doulton china pictured below is marked $200 and would definitely cost more if purchased online.

The light blue glasses in the foreground of the picture below are selling for $15 for a set of six. Although the fine china dinnerware on the buffet and hutch beyond are from prestigious manufacturers, the sets are not quite complete. Thus, they start at $80 for the Johnson Brothers set and more for the Lotus set. The open drawers of the buffet are filled with hard-to-find vintage hardware, each piece priced at $1. Customers who are into DIY furniture refinishing projects love searching through them for just the right drawer pull or nob.

Because the Red Apron Shoppe will be right in the hub of things when the 4th of July Parade comes down Riggs Avenue to the judging stand, Neal has put together decorations for the occasion. Though she won’t be opening that day, she will have bottled water on hand and a display of penny candy on the sidewalk by the entrance. (The Greater Severna Park and Arnold Chamber is reminding everyone that the parade will actually take place on Monday, July 5, and will step off down Benfield Road at 10 am.)

Mentioning the parade was a reminder that one of MaryAnn’s aims in opening the shop is to “bring a touch of Severna Park back to Severna Park”. Both the Neals have observed that the local population has exploded to such an extent that the town is no longer suburban but urban and, despite the density, people seem to be more isolated.

As a child, Neal considered the downtown area of the small town she grew up in her “babysitter” and spent most afternoons there. She would like to see Severna Park regain that same kind of friendly atmosphere.

“We still have this beautiful downtown area of Olde Severna Park that’s very walkable,” she said. “It’s a great place to enjoy our local history and small businesses. The center of town is right off the B&A Trail and, within walking distance, there are several restaurants, Diehl’s Produce Stand, a bank, a barbershop, the old train station and Hatton-Regester Green. Sheltering during the COVID pandemic caused us to lose some of our town’s identity but it did encourage people to get out and walk and experience a sense of community. We’d like to encourage that to continue.”

“We have the perfect triangle here and it should look better,” Neal added. “We need a sign that says ‘Historic Severna Park’.”