Month: August 2021

AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler

The collaboration of Wayman Good Hope AME Church’s Chozen Music Ministry with Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church for a concert featuring four well-known gospel groups made for a musically spiritual occasion on Saturday, August 21.

Organized by Chozen members Larry Coates, Gerard Coates, Dana Anderson, and Lewis “Moone” Day, the concert was meaningful on many levels. It was simultaneously a celebration of the gospel group’s 10th Anniversary, the release of its new CD “A Family That Prays”, and an opportunity to highlight the talents of other gospel performers.

The concert was also a tribute to original Chozen member and drummer Christoper “Jay” Johnson, Larry Coates’ grandson, who died in 2019.

Gerard Coates also wanted the occasion to be a salute by he and brother Dana Anderson to their father Larry who envisioned and was the inspiration for Chozen. He wanted his father to know how much he is loved and appreciated for the legacy of family and prayer that he passed on.

The atmosphere was festive as concertgoers began arriving well before the performances began in the spacious sanctuary at Woods Church. A line of colorful vendors’ tents dotted the lawn in front of the church along with a food truck.

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The tents were colorful and offered shade for several independent retailers including The Oil Mill, Dee Dee’s Pop Up Boutique and Jewelry Designs By Helen. Many concert attendees were from Baltimore, some of whom had ties to Wayman Good Hope AME and others who were gospel fans. Most arrived early with plenty of time to check out the tents.

Inside there was a buzz of activity as ticket tables were set up and manned, a charity was set up in the vestibule, and guest performers – The Mighty Christianairs, The Faithful Boyz, and The New Ebony Gospel Singers – arrived and were welcomed by Chozen Music Ministry volunteers.

Things were jumping as the doors to the sanctuary opened and audience members began to claim their seats. Luckily, there was just enough time for an impromptu meeting between Chozen group members, Woods’ Associate Pastor Rev. Nancy Lincoln Reynolds, who would offer the tribute to Christopher Johnson, and her son Andrew Lincoln who would perform an opening song and another following the tribute.

Gerard Coates explained that Rev. Reynolds, who’d conducted the celebration of life when Christopher Johnson passed away, would deliver the tribute to him before Chozen began their performance.

Reynolds added that Wayman Good Hope AME and Woods Presbyterian have a long-standing relationship , occasionally sharing or supporting each other’s programs. Woods, in fact, provides the room in which Chozen holds its weekly practices. She said Wayman Good Hope’s new minister, Pastor Joseph Brown, hopes to partner with Woods even more in the future. Chozen will be performing at Woods’ annual Kick-Off picnic on September 12 – an event to which the entire community is invited.

At 4:30 pm, the concert began with a strong opening song by Andrew Lincoln. He was followed by The Faithful Boyz from Salisbury, Maryland whose rhythmic harmonies soon had part of the audience on their feet swaying to the music.

Next to perform were The New Ebony Singers of Baltimore. The production was running a bit behind schedule but by the time the Baltimore-based Mighty Christianairs stepped into the spotlight, Chozen members and back-up musicians – James Crowne (guitar), Horace Martin (bass) Ryan Johnson (guitar), Brian Terrell (keyboards) and Michael Wallace (drums) – were getting changed and warming up.

Two very young family members were getting dressed for the performance as well. Geanni Coates and little brother D’marhi emerged looking spiffy in their tuxedos and were fondly embraced by their proud grandfather Larry. He knew both boys were eagerly looking forward to taking their place with the group. 

The magic moment for Chozen’s appearance was rapidly approaching and emotions were already running high.

Gerard Coates took a moment to reflect on the history of the group.

“We came together officially ten years ago,” he said. “We’d all sung with Wayman Good Hope AME. We happened to be together at a program in South County and we ended up singing together. We decided that day that, since we always sang with each other for different groups we belonged to, that we’d come together permanently. We sang for years without musicians behind us, practicing our vocals right here at a rehearsal space provided by Woods. They’ve always had our backs.”

Larry added that, since Chozen was formed, they’ve done lots of community outreach and participated in charity projects for their church including school back-pack drives food baskets for needy families and Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Finally, the moment arrived. They were called forward from the back of the sanctuary one-by-one and took their places front and center. They were joined by Rev. Nancy Lincoln Reynolds who delivered her touching tribute to the late Christopher Jay Johnson. Her words were followed by an equally touching and powerful hymn, “Give Me Jesus”, that was beautifully sung by Andrew Lincoln.

Finally, it was time to step into the limelight which Chozen did with style, singing numbers from their newly released CD “A Family That Prays”. They started on a serious note with the gospel song “Make Everything Alright, slid into “Don’t Pass Me By” and changed pace for up-tempo numbers “Magnified Praise” and “Give God The Glory”. They finished with “Stand By Me” and a final tribute honoring Christopher Johnson. The concert embodied the group’s dedication to family with much love, a few tears, and lots of comforting hugs.

The entire concert was recorded live and Larry Coates reports that they’re already listening back and are pleased. He believes they have the makings of another CD and will keep us posted.

A SHOUT-OUT TO GOOD NEIGHBORS GROUP AND PARK BOOKS AND LITERACY LAB

Always interested in helping those most vulnerable in our community, Severna Park’s Good Neighbors Group and Park Books And Literacy Lab partnered with Maryland Reentry Resource Center to provide school supplies for 200 children. GNG thanked each of the 70 families who made the drive a success and, judging from their music video heralding their success, Park Books was also very pleased that the community came through.

Another quick reminder that Good Neighbors Group is promoting a blood drive in memory of Dr. Ken Hoffman on Wednesday, September 1 from 8 am till 2 pm in front of Garry’s Grill at Severna Park Village.

AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler

It takes a lot of picking by farmer Bob Chase and his helpers to fill the baskets of sweet corn, tomatoes, peppers, green beans, potatoes, yellow squash, eggplants. melons and tomatoes he and wife Marge sell at Chase’s Produce at 2857 Davidsonville Road (Rt. 424).

The Chases are used to hard work. The family has been selling produce along Route 424 every summer for 60 years. Their farm fields stretch along both sides of the roadway.

“We used to sell from around the corner on the opposite side of 424. When the state made the road four lanes coming off Route 50, it got dangerous to sell from there. But we’d bought the farm behind me in 1989 so we relocated the stand to this spot,” Bob Chase said. “It’s near the back of the farm and was the only place that didn’t have a guardrail or ditch around it so it seemed a good location.”

Drivers can easily spot the stand as there are signs that can be seen from both the northbound and southbound lanes. A lot of the acreage is planted in corn – a combination of sweet corn and field corn that’s used as feed for livestock and to make products ranging from corn flakes and corn syrup to corn meal among other things.

The farm’s last planting of sweet corn is currently knee high and will be ready for picking in October. Plantings of broccoli will be ready then too. (Chase said customer demand drops off after Labor Day so the hours the stand is open will be scaled back from daily to Friday, Saturday and Sunday). Overlapping plantings are, admittedly, tricky to schedule. In fact, the stand is temporarily out of cucumbers because the new crop isn’t quite ready.

In years past, Chase’s Produce sold products from local farmers but no longer do as many of those farms are gone. However, they do bring in large, juicy peaches from Delaware that their customers love as well as apples from the same source.

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The Chases have several teenagers helping them run the stand. All wear T-shirts with the cute Chase’s Produce logo on the back. The T-shirts are popular with customers, some of whom buy extras to give as Christmas gifts, so the farm stand stocks plenty.

“We never had any children so we mostly hire the children of our clients,” Chase said. “We’ve probably had over 100 kids work for us over the years. Most stay with us long term, starting out while in high school and carrying on through college. Several have become lawyers, a couple are commercial airline pilots, others are pharmacists or a variety of other occupations. Even those who’ve moved away sometimes come by to see us.”

The Chases also encourage young entrepreneurs like Jennilyn Grimes from Davidsonville by including jams she makes from locally grown fruits and berries in the non-produce items they stock.

Chase commented that he’s seen business drop off in the last decade “because people just don’t cook” though sales picked up considerably last summer during the COVID pandemic. In fact, cars would be lined up early in the morning before opening time and keep coming.

The farm stand’s most devoted customers are those who believe nothing tastes better than a fresh tomato (unlike those raised commercially, transported long distances and gassed to ripeness) or just picked corn. The Chases are always amazed by the distances some clients travel to visit the stand including some from Washington, D.C. For information on Chase’s Produce including hours of operation and special events like spring’s “Pick Your Own Strawberries” days, visit Chase’s Produce – Fruits and Vegetables, Fresh Produce (chasesproduce.com).

About a mile away at 3208 Davidsonville Road, the scene was much the same at Marco Ridge Farm Produce with customers arriving every few minutes.

The 210 acre Marco Ridge farm is owned by the Covington family and located along both sides of Davidsonville Road with some fields directly behind the stand. Both Alan Covington, who arrived on one of the tractors, and his father Max were at the stand last weekend. Max, who is the family patriarch, revealed some of the history behind the farm and its produce operation.

“The land has been a working farm since 1937,” Max Covington said. “Our family bought the farm in 1957. However, it wasn’t until about 20 years ago that my son Max III decided we should sell produce to the public and opened the stand. He’s since moved to Iowa and farms there so we’ve carried on here. I credit our success entirely to our wonderful staff.”

Tractors pulling carts of just-picked corn, beans, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, eggplants, cantaloupes and other crops were arriving at the stand hourly and unloading their bounty into colorful bins.

The outside of the farm stand is as colorful as the inside, with home-crafted outdoor furniture, birdhouses and clever “dungaree planters” made by Fred Klinken whose wife Diane helps manage the business.

Unlike other produce stands, Marco Ridge carries its own brand of made-from-the-farm products including salsas, barbecue sauces and salad dressings.

Fresh eggs are offered daily and people are always asking for them. But, above all, Marco Ridge Farms’ corn is the biggest draw for locals and customers from surrounding counties, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

For more information on Marco Ridge Farms Produce visit Marco Ridge Farm | Facebook.

A favorite of people who love to cook is the Pumphrey’s Farm stand at 8220 Veterans Highway in Millersville – a stand Around The Park Again has covered several times previously. At the height of summer, tomatoes, corn, beans and a variety of other crops from the family’s fields are hard to beat. The Pumphreys sometimes grow things you can’t find fresh elsewhere like tiny “husk ground tomatoes”, Cubanelle peppers, flat Italian green beans, okra, tomatillos, or mid-season kale and collard greens.

Pumphrey’s Farm stand is a favorite haunt in the autumn as it stays open until Thanksgiving. It’s a wonderful place to buy late season vegetables and apples, pumpkins for pies or decorations and oodles of chrysanthemums.

For information, visit Pumphrey’s Farm at Pumphrey’s Farm | Facebook.

A brand new discovery for us is Wildberry Farm and Market at 1047 St. Stephens Church Road in Crownsville. The fourth generation family farm is owned by Matt and Bridget Jones. After years of raising their family and maintaining the farm, the Jones decided to open the acreage to the community.

 In addition to growing produce, and flowers, they offer farm fresh eggs. The Jones’ flock of chickens of various breeds are Bridget’s pride and joy.

 Wildberry Farm is an outdoor photography and workshop venue and hosts various events throughout the season. The farm also hosts Field Markets on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month from June through November. The markets feature their own products and those of 30 rotating vendors. For more information, visit Farmers Market Stand | Wildberry Farm Market | United States.

Chozen’s 10th Anniversary CD Release and Live Recording at Woods on Saturday

Wayman Good Hope AME Chuch’s gospel group “Chozen” will be performing during a live 10th Anniversary recording session and CD release in the sanctuary at Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church on Sunday, August 21 at 4 pm. Other gospel performers will join them for the auspicious occasion including The Mighty Christianairs, The Faithful Boyz, The New Ebony Gospel Singers and Andrew Lincoln.

Chozen includes singers Gerard Coates, Lewis Day, Dana Anderson and Larry Coates with accompanists James Crowner on guitar, Horace Martin on bass, Ryan Johnson on guitar and Mike Wallace on drums. The CD Chozen is releasing is called “The Family That Prays”.

Admission is $15 at the door. For information, contact Larry Coates at 443-286-0856.

AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler

The Anne Arundel County Eastern District Police, Earleigh Heghts Volunteer Fire Company and community group organizers of the 2021 National Night Out breathed a sigh of relief as cars flowed into the fire station parking lot ahead of the event’s 6 pm opening. A year had gone by since the cancellation of last year’s National Night Out due to the COVID pandemic and there was doubt about whether the event would draw a crowd.

The organizers needn’t have worried. Families came out in droves to demonstrate their appreciation and support for our area’s first-response teams while enjoying a diverse array of educational and recreational activities.

Multiple Anne Arundel County Police tents could be seen. Numerous Eastern District police men and women, firefighters and emergency management personnel were participating in the event which was aimed at familiarizing the community with the services they provide.

The very first tent encountered on entering the event from the main parking lot was that of the Anne Arundel County Police – Eastern Disctrict tent that was manned by Corporal Scott McAdoo. In addition to community related informational materials, McAdoo had plenty of “swag” to hand out like coloring books for kids and magnetized clips for adults.

One tent over, at the Anne Arundel County Police Human Relations Department tent, Corporals Simmons and Ziebell were being besieged by families with young children. The kids had spotted bright blue pairs of child-sized sunglasses, coloring books and games on the officers’ table and were drawn to them like bees to honey (as can be seen in the opening photo). For adults there were bag clips, brochures with safety tips and the opportunity to ask Simmons and Ziebell questions.

Barks were heard occasionally from the K-9 Unit trucks parked behind the tents. The dogs and their handlers would later be doing demonstrations. There was even a bark or two from puppy Ace who stood patiently with volunteers Jennifer and Joshua Stibers from Anne Arundel County Animal Care and Control. Easily recognizable by their bright purple shirts emblazoned with paw prints, the Stibers were at National Night Out to spread the word about the important work of the organization.

“As volunteers, Joshua and I sometimes transport animals in the animal care and control van or otherwise help with them,” Jessica said. “We also help to socialize animals like Ace who is so young he’s still learning.”

Momentarily on the lam from her own tent, Nancy Greer, co-owner with husband Billy of the Jing Ying Institute of Tai Chi and Kung Fu, visited with friends at other tents – in this case with Kerry Topovski and Tristin Ziegenheim of the Anne Arundel County Office of Emergency Management. In addition to a spinning wheel game featuring suggestions like “Make A Plan”, the pair offered typical emergency supplies as giveaways including glow sticks to light the way and dog dishes designed as scoops for emergency pet foods,

There were “Prepare With Pedro” activity books for children. Both women enjoyed answering attendees’ questions.

After noting that Arnold-based Jing Ying Institute will be holding its 20th Anniversary celebration in September, Greer headed back to her own tent which was manned by several of the school’s students who’d later perform a Tai Chi demonstration. Hiding in one corner of the tent, behind games and giveaways, was a beautifully carved dragon’s head attached to a costume for Jing Ying’s much anticipated Dragon Dance.

Scouts of all types could be spotted everywhere including three young ladies who operated their own Wheel of Fortune game for kids and adults. Perseus Smith and Amy Elder of Boy Scouts of America Troop 346 were joined by Girl Scouts USA Central Maryland Troop 2289 member Karleigh English in operating the game which offered different prizes for different spaces on the wheel.

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Community organizations of many kinds were participants with several involved in planning the event. Many National Night Out attendees stopped by the Pasadena Business Association booth where President Sandi Parrish and board member Melissa Gurney Hosse were touting the organization’s many activities and events.

The two were also doing some advance recruiting for Dragon Boat team competitors in the “Dragons In The Dena Fesitval” being planned for May 21, 2022. The exciting event will be a fundraiser to raise money for a new flagpole at the Route 100 Veteran’s Memorial. Admission will not be charged but the PBA will ask for $5 donation toward the flagpole. There will be a cash bar, food available for sale and a vendor village. Those interested in being on a team or being a sponsor can call Lisa at 443-928-7195.

Fishing Challenges were taking place at two separate locations. At The Greater Severna Park and Arnold Chamber of Commerce booth, CEO Liz League hosted children of all sizes as they fished for a prize. She simultaneously urged their parents to “Shop Local” this summer and to come out to Park Plaza in October for “Shoptoberfest” featuring products from Severna Park area retailers.

Fishing was equally popular with the tot-to-teen set at the SPAN, Inc. (Serving People Across Neighborhoods) booth overseen by Director of Development Michele Sabean with an assist from Elizabeth Grabau who spent the evening in a bathtub with a rubber duck.

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Even from her make-believe bathtub, Elizabeth was effective in telling people about SPAN’s food pantry and financial assistance services for families in need. She also advised them they can find information about making donations or applyimg for assistance by visiting SPAN Serving People Across Neighborhoods (spanhelps.org) .

As was the case with previous National Nights Out, attendees gravitated to the variety of fire and emergency equipment spread out across the grounds. From mobile command and communications units to community medical services equipment or motorcycle units, people were curious and enjoyed getting up close and personnel.

The Anne Arundel County Police Mobile Command Center seen below was a crowd favorite since visitors were invited inside where Officer Erica Magnuson explained how the surveillance and communications equipment worked.

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For children M.J. and Liam Slack, a highlight of summer vacation was having an opportunity to climb aboard and be photographed on Cpl. Robert Rosso’s police escort motorcycle. Rosso is with the county’s police traffic and safety section.

There was entertainment to be enjoyed from musical group More Cowbell, the first to perform. Ellie Hermann, the 74th Queen of the Chesapeake, came out to help Maryland Yacht Club’s First Lady Tobbi Justice and Fleet Surgeon Tania Marcic draw attention to the club and to our area’s importance as a recreational boating center.

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Set up in a spot near the firehouse, longtime Severna Park businesswoman Betty Winkelmeyer Wells handed out flyers and informed people about the proposed Severna Park Museum being established as a 501 C non-profit. She’s looking for volunteers and funding. Those interested can contact Wells at 443-416-5865.

Keeping a careful eye on things, Earleigh Heights VFC Fire Chief Dave Crawford chatted with fire and police personnel and folks in the crowd. Crawford had good news to share about the fire company’s plans for construction of a new firehouse..

“We finally got the zoning approved by the county council but still need to get our designation,” Crawford said. “A hearing for the property designation will be held September 21. After that we can, hopefully, move forward.”

Crawford also commented on Earleigh Heights Volunteer Fire Company’s recent carnival. The firefighters had hoped for a good turnout because the event is the company’s biggest fundraiser. (The event’s cancellation last July due to COVID was a blow financially.) Fortunately, the carnival was a huge success with great crowds every night.

He added that EHVFC has a number of events coming up including an Open House in October and the annual Bull Roast in November. Of course, Bingo is held every Wednesday night at 7 pm. For information on any and all events, visit Earleigh Heights VFC (ehvfc.org).

Who could possibly forget meeting the “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”, Saving Grace Animal Rescue of Maryland’s mascot. The foster pet accompanied Diane Casanova to National Night Out. The pair’s goal was to spread the word about rescued animals’ need for foster or adoptive homes.

“We are a foster-based organization without an actual location,” Casanova said. “However, we operate throughout the southern states, rescuing animals, getting them healthy and then placing them with foster families. For information on the program, visit www.SavingGraceAnimalRescueMD.com .

Like Mrs. Maisel, the gathering at Earleigh Heights VFC was delighted to take it all in again on another National Night Out.

Work was scattered about his desk, but Charlie Sachs, St. Martin’s-in-the-Field’s new Head of School, appeared calm, cool, collected and content last week. With summer classes ended and summer camp over for the day, he was the only person left on campus and happy to greet a visitor.

Sachs arrived at St. Martin’s on July 1st to take over the position held for seven years by Jamey Hein. An experienced educator who has headed schools across the country and the world, he’ll serve as Interim Head for a period of two years, keeping the school strong and well-grounded while the Board of Directors searches for the next permanent head.

Interestingly, he and his wife Kim arrived while a renovation is taking place in the original school building now used for the elementary school. St. Martin’s ability to safely open in September of 2020 and remain open through this June while public schools were closed due to COVID-19 led to increased enrollment – from 230 to 280 students (and possibly a few more). The renovation of the elementary school, when combined with the 2019-built Learning Center that houses the middle school, should accommodate the additional students.

“We were maxed out as far as space is concerned so we’re converting some of the large open rooms in the elementary school into classrooms sized more appropriately for our smaller teacher/student ratio,” Sachs said.

Moving to Severna Park has been a great experience. The community and school campus remind him of New England where he’s held several positions as an educator.

Himself a graduate of the independent Hawken School outside of Cleveland, Ohio, Sachs followed a similarly independent career path. Following college, he joined the Peace Corps teaching English in North Africa and subsequently taught in East Africa. Arriving back in the United States, he held positions as a coach and teacher at boarding schools in California and New England and moved on to become assistant headmaster of an independent day school in Boston. He next accepted his first seven-year headmaster position at a school in Kansas City.

Upon the completion of his tenure there, he agreed to a one-year contract as interim head of a school in Little Rock, Arkansas. But, as is often the case when hired to “fix” a problem, one year was extended to four years. Afterward, he headed a school in Park City, Utah for a number of years. Eventually, he took an interim position in South Korea “creating a remarkable school in a remarkable country with a commitment to education that was truly awe inspiring.”

Sachs said he found each school interesting in its own way and learned a lot at every one of them. He added that his educational and personal perspectives were broadened through working nationally and internationally. Living in wonderful places like Tunisia or Kenya near Nairobi or Santa Barbara overlooking the ocean or Park City where his four sons could ski to their heart’s content was a definite perk. Yet, he feels his most interesting teacher/head of school position was his most recent at The Stanwich School in Greenwich, Connecticut that began as an interim commitment but lasted much longer.

An independent school created during the late 1990’s when a great deal of money flowed into the area, The Stanwich School was a PK-12 school with a $45,000 yearly tuition. It was located on a beautiful property and had an International Baccalaureate accreditation and an excellent faculty. However, like other private schools, it experienced financial difficulties during the economic downturn that began in 2007 and needed to find a way to survive.

“We ended up combining our program with that of the Greenwich Country Day School which was founded in 1927 and attended by the Bush family,” Sachs said. “They had the money and the reputation so, by putting the young, dynamic Stanwich School together with Greenwich Country Day School, we developed assets neither of us could have replicated individually. It was a fascinating process.”

Though headmaster at two schools for quite a long tenure, this is his fourth time being an interim head. Very often, schools look to bring in an interim when there’s been a problem as a kind of trouble-shooter to fix what’s wrong.

“That’s not the case at St. Martin’s,” said Sachs.

Initially attracted by the eagerness of the board and the thoroughness of their search, he traveled from his home in Savannah, Georgia twice to visit the school. He was very impressed with the school’s documentation, administration, faculty, curriculum and strategic plan.

“It was refreshing to see a school that has done things thoughtfully and correctly,” he said.

He finds interim positions attractive because schools already know what they want to accomplish and what their priorities are. Therefore, the interim head can move efficiently through those priorities to prepare the school, faculty and community for the longer term head.

“In my case, we have an AIMS (Association of Independent Maryland Schools) accreditation process to complete and I’ll be working with our relatively young board on being an effective independent preschool though eighth-grade school – one that is strong educationally and financially,” he said.

Sachs very much enjoyed meeting with parents for the first time at a Coffee and Conversation breakfast on July 29 where he and other staff members shared plans for the upcoming year. It’s been decided that, for the present time, school will open with the same successful protocols they employed last year – with masks for students indoors with plenty of outdoor mask breaks and recreation. He’s really looking forward to students’ arrival on the first day of school.

For information on St. Martin’s-in-the-Field Episcopal School, visit St. Martins Episcopal Preschool, Elementary, Middle School in Maryland (stmartinsmd.org)

Talent Machine Company’s “Urinetown”, The Musical debuts August 6

The hallway of The Classic Theatre of Maryland at 1804 West Street was strewn with backpacks as most of the teen actors they belonged to were rehearsing in the theater just beyond the wall of photographs.

On a break between scenes, actors Andrew Limansky and Daniel Jones talked about how happy they were to be in the production. Daniel, as the character Hot Blades Harry, likes playing a rebel with a hint of danger about him. Andrew, who plays major character Caldwell B. Cladwell is equally enthusiastic playing a money grubbing robber baron. Both actors, who spent the past school year doing remote learning, are delighted to be able to act and interact with people their own age in a musical comedy.

“It’s so much fun being in this company and I’m learning so much,” Daniel said. “I can’t wait till opening night.”

Andrew, who has appeared in other Talent Machine shows, said loves being a member of this cast and having the opportunity to act, sing and dance again.

It seemed the hallway was quite a busy place.

Make-up artist Bella Bergen was seated on the hall floor applying pancake to actor Reid Murphy who has appeared in several Talent Machine productions.

At the far end of the hall, Whitney Green sat on a chair sewing a costume.

Whitney has appeared in a number of Talent Machine Company shows as an actor and dancer and also was a student choreographer. This year she’s gaining experience on the production team.

“I’m doing costumes, working with the microphones and am also working the spotlights for the first weekend of the show,” she said. “You learn a lot with Talent Machine.”

According to the show’s director Sarah Johansen, “Urinetown”, The Musical premiered on Broadway in 2001 and is considered a very funny show. She said there are 17 teens in the cast ages 14 through 18 who are having a ball.

The show will run August 6th through 8th and August 12th through 15th and will be held at Talent Machine’s new venue, The Classic Theatre of Maryland (formerly known as The Shakespeare Theatre of Annapolis). Evening and matinee showtimes available. Tickets are $20.00 and are available for purchase online at www.talentmachine.com or at the door.