Month: February 2022

A tour through the shelves at Goska’s Liquors with Kevin Sosnoski, who with brother Michael took over the landmark business from their father Walter in 1996, is fascinating. The face of Goska’s today, Sosnoski grew up in and around the store. He ably relates his family’s experience with the oldest continuously operating business in Severna Park.

Though currently celebrating its 92nd anniversary, the business is actually older having opened in the 1920’s as a general store operated by the Kleiss family. Brothers Walter and Alex Goska purchased the building in 1930 and established it as Goska Brothers Store selling fresh cut meats, groceries, kerosene, gasoline and feed for farm animals. There was also an icehouse. When Prohibition ended in 1933, the brothers added beer and liquor to their inventory. With help from Walter’s wife Helen, the enterprise flourished and the blue shingled store with the gas pumps in front became a familiar destination for local families.

Situated off Baltimore Annapolis Boulevard, Goska’s maintained a steady flow of customers through the Great Depression and World War II. In 1939, the construction of Ritchie Highway was completed. Goska’s remained popular but increased traffic from the highway onto Rt. 648, which ran directly in front of the store, was so close to the entrance that it posed a danger to customers. Consequently, the entrance was relocated to the side of the building bordered by Leelyn Drive where it remains today.

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Helen Goska’s hard work alongside her husband and brother-in-law through the years contributed greatly to the store’s success. Following husband Walter’s death in 1957, Helen continued to operate the business aided by her sister Eva Schwartz and nephew Walter Sosnoski.

Walter moved his young family to Severna Park and assumed a major role in the business, eventually taking over while simultaneously working in Baltimore as a pharmacist for 25 years.

As mentioned, the store had been carrying a modest amount of beer and liquor along with groceries since 1933. However, in the early and mid 1960’s, modern supermarkets like Pantry Pride, the A&P and Safeway came to Severna Park. That’s when Walter Sosnoski made the decision to switch from carrying deli and food items to strictly carrying beer, wines and spirits.

Walter was also responsible for altering the way the store looked in the mid 1980’s hiring Chisholm Contractors to add siding and trim. Painted red, it assumed the barnlike character that has made it a community icon.

After graduating from college in 1991, Kevin Sosnoski was working at Goska’s full-time, and Mike was there when his job as a firefighter allowed. When Walter stepped down in 1995 and passed away the following year, his sons were already there to take over.

Kevin Sosnoski’s earliest memories of Goska’s are as the bus stop where he, brother Mike and sister Carol waited for the school bus to St. John the Evangelist School each morning.

“It was the three of us and the Barranco children waiting outside the store’s front door each morning which was rather dangerous,” Sosnoski said. “After school, we’d come into the store and say hi to my great aunts. There was a deli case then and sometimes an aunt would be cleaning the slicer.”

“My dad was working with Helen and Eva by that time, splitting his day between being a pharmacist in Baltimore and coming here to the store. Seven days a week he’d come home around 3 pm and we’d have dinner. Then he’d take a nap before heading to the store to check on his aunts, do whatever was needed and close up at 8 pm.”

Sosnoski considers Goska Liquors stability and longevity amazing but says it’s no accident. He credits the good customer service provided by Goska’s staff from the moment Alex and Walter Goska opened their doors 92 years ago.

“Our staff members are great, and most have been with us a long time,” he said. “We’ve had very little turnover.”

In addition, his entire family has been involved with the business in one way or another. Along with his father Walter, his mother Emilie worked in the store. His sister Carol worked there for a period, and his brother Mike, a full-time firefighter, worked there too putting in more or less the same hours as their dad. Even Mike’s wife Debbie, who is also a firefighter, worked in the store when needed.

Walking through Goska’s, Kevin Sosnoski takes pride in pointing out framed family photographs from the early days of the business (many of which can be seen on the store’s website at Goska’s Liquors – History (goskas.com). He loves it when older customers come in and tell him stories about the store or his dad.

Sosnoski really likes the layout of what he describes as the store’s shabby chic interior but has fond memories of what was where during earlier times. Moving into an alcove now deemed the Liquor Room where spirits are displayed, he notes that it is the former kitchen where the deli counter was located. An interesting touch in the Liquor Room is the Jack Daniels display which features a miniature figure of the brewery’s founder.

Goska’s also carries bottles of Uncle Nearest 1856 Premium Whiskey. Nathan “Nearest” Green was the nation’s first African American master distiller. A former slave, Uncle Nearest taught a poverty-stricken but eager-to-learn young white boy everything he knew about distilling. That young boy was Jack Daniels.

A popular product found on the shelves of the Liquor Room is “Moonshine” which is now legal but is reminiscent of the 1920’s and early ’30’s when the business operated as a general store and Prohibition was in full flower. It is not known whether the Kleiss family or Goska brothers would have considered carrying such a product but it’s fun to have it on the shelves.

Entering the wine section of the store (formerly a dining area) Sosnowski pointed out two openings along the wall that held the store’s entrance and display window.

Wines and domestic and craft beers (of which there is an ever-changing variety) are a mainstay of the business. Sosnoski carries a broad range of varietals but he’s particularly strong on promoting wines from Maryland vineyards which he finds sell quite well.

He notes that the most profitable time for sales of wines and spirits is in the fall and winter, particularly during the holidays.

Cigar smoking may not be quite as popular as it was a few years ago but Goska’s still maintains its glass-enclosed humidor. It’s another product that distinguishes the store.

Customers come by almost any time of the day. A recent sunny afternoon found regular customer Alex Craddock wandering in to buy some brews and a package of Slim Jims.

” I can’t make up my mind whether to go fishing or ride my motorcycle,” Craddock said.

According to staffer Ryan Yesner who was working the counter, being located near the Magothy River means it’s not unusual for a customer to come in mid-afternoon, buy a few items and chat for a few minutes before heading for their boat.

Nor is it unusual for a customer to dash in, pick something up, and dash back out as people are running on such tight schedules these days.

“Things have changed drastically as growth has mushroomed all around us with new businesses everywhere,” Sosnoski said. “Between Starbucks, Chick-fil-A, and people driving by here to get off Ritchie Highway, the volume of traffic is unbelievable. Hearing horns honking and people upset is an everyday occurrence 24-7.”

He noted that, like other retail establishments, Goska’s experienced highs and lows as COVID cases and restrictions ebbed and flowed. During the first year of the pandemic, sales increased substantially since all the restaurants that sold spirits were closed. The store gained some new customers during that period, but the volume of business declined once restaurants reopened.

“We’ve seen a number of shifts in the retail scene lately, especially at the supermarkets,” Sosnoski said. “Who knows, we may reopen the deli counter at some point. Meantime, we’ll maintain our high level of customer service and continue to reach out to the community.”

Goska’s has always been active in the community supporting various charities or appearing at occasions like the Greater Severna Park & Arnold Chamber’s annual Holiday Taste & Sip Events. They hope to remain a source of stability for local customers for years to come.

Good Neighbors Group S(o)UPER BOWL a Winner

Julie Shay, Executive Director of Good Neighbors Group announced that the organization’s fifth annual S(o)UPER BOWL was a success. Neighborhood captains and volunteers collected 15,907 items from 51 neighborhoods for four now overflowing food pantries including the Annapolis Food Bank, SPAN, Inc., ACAN, and My Brother’s Pantry.

This year’s Per House Winner is Erin Garth, a 15 House winner with 10.67 items collected per house. The Neighborhood By Volume winner was West Severna Park with 935 items collected.

Shay and GNG’s board of directors wish to thank all of the neighborhoods that came together as well as the captains who pulled the drive off. For more information on Good Neighbors Group’s good works visit Home – Good Neighbors Group.

To his surprise, guitarist and DJ Michael Kocher found himself busier than ever throughout the COVID pandemic. For the majority of his fellow musicians, however, the COVID lockdowns spelled disaster, bringing their careers to an abrupt halt. Finally, there is light at the end of the tunnel as local restaurants, clubs and other venues are bringing in enough revenue to afford to hire entertainers.

Kocher, CEO of Michael K. Music Productions, Inc., credits his ability to keep working to his flexibility as an artist and deep ties to the community.

“I’ve kind of been an exception to the rule and managed to remain extremely busy.” he said.

Fronting a band called Pretty Big Deal with musicians Joe Glumsic, Todd Kreuzburg and Ken Crawn, Kocher also works as a solo artist and backs vocalists. During the pandemic, the Pretty Big Deal Band appeared in different configurations – for instance when teaming with another musician as the Pretty Big Duo (seen in the opening photo). In addition, Kocher is well-known as a DJ for various local events.

Among other venues, he appears in Severna Park at Brian Boru, Garry’s Grill and Sullivan’s Cove and in Annapolis at Dark Horse and at Ram’s Head Tavern. He feels very lucky.

“Many full-time musicians were hit very hard,” he said. “I’m not full-time and kept my regular job. I was furloughed temporarily at the beginning of the pandemic but my company continued to pay me so I was never in dire straits. I’m very involved in the local music scene, however, with many friends in the entertainment industry. My friend P. J. Thomas, who works with Neal Bumgarner in a duo called P.J. & Neal, is vice-president of a great organization called the Annapolis Musicians Fund for Musicians. “

Thomas, who has devoted both her time and talents to raising money for the organization, described AMFM as a nonprofit created in 2006 to provide temporary financial relief to professional Annapolis musicians who can’t work due to sickness, injury, or any other circumstance leaving them unable to perform.

The fund acts as an emergency relief fund for lost income. Since its founding, AMFM has grown to provide additional benefits to the local music community, including catastrophic relief and funding youth music programs through scholarships and private lessons.

“AMFM has given out well over $200,000 to musicians as a result of COVID,” Thomas said. “Many solo/duos were able to perform a lot during COVID but it hit our bands so hard. Drummers, bass players, and others.”

Kocher, recalling what it was like for musicians at the beginning of the pandemic, described an evening where Pretty Big Deal played a reduced capacity engagement at the Rams Head Tavern behind a plexiglass screen which the group jokingly referred to as playing in an aquarium. Nevertheless, they managed to draw about 100 fans.

He remembers that times were terrible for restaurants and he did his best to help them even appearing gratis a few times playing guitar solo outside an eatery while people picked up meals curbside.

Things were equally tough for musicians who usually supplement their income by teaching music lessons because in-person instruction all but stopped. Teaching remotely simply didn’t work.

“Things seem to be coming back now though,” Kocher says. “Venues like Rams Head On Stage are continuing to bring in local talent and lining up lots of bookings while venues like Garry’s Grill that had never booked local talent are continuing to do so.”

Like musicians, actors were also hard hit by the pandemic. Some theaters actually closed their doors and, after 39 years, the famed Capitol Steps political satire group dimmed their stage lights for the last time in January of 2021.

There is a new sense of hope, however, as many theaters, like The Children’s Theater of Annapolis, managed to survive the pandemic. There is more good news for young actors as Severna Park High’s long running Rock ‘N Roll Revival is returning to the stage for a live show.

Rehearsal in full swing for Rock ‘N Roll Revival XXXIII

It’s hard to tell who is happier, Severna Park High School Drama’s young actors or their parents. Absent from the stage for a live performance for two years, the 135 students involved in Rock ‘N Roll Revival XXXIII as cast, band and crew are thrilled at the prospect of once again performing before an audience.

The show’s theme, “Time After Time”, has been kept under wraps but, if past shows are any indication, audiences will be treated to the great music and dance numbers SPHS’ Rock ‘N Roll Revivals are known for.

The show debuts on March 10th. Tickets may be ordered at HOME | Falcon Drama. Show dates are March 10, 11, 12 and 13 and March 17, 18 and 19. All shows are at 7 pm except March 13 for a matinee at 3 pm. All shows require wearing a mask.

According to producer/director Angela Germanos, there will be a Student Rush on March 9 for SPHS students only at $10 per ticket. Tickets will be on sale at lunches that day and at the door (cash only).

AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler

Over the last few years, all the change in a tumultuous world has led many to question whether Valentine’s Day still pulls at heart strings the way it once did. According to surveys carried out by the National Retail Foundation (NRF), American consumers spent approximately $21.8 billion on Valentine’s Day in 2021 – a figure that was a reduction from Valentine’s Day spending in 2020, most likely due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

There doesn’t seem to be a baseline estimate for how much might be spent this year, but Severna Park retailers are hoping for the best. I surveyed several local shop owners and restaurateurs and found that, for the most part, that lovin’ feelin’ hasn’t been lost.

NRF statistics show that candy tops the list for Valentine’s Day sales year after year at 54 percent followed by cards at 44 percent. One glance at the number of customers checking out the candy shelves at the Severna Park Safeway and Giant Food stores confirmed the popularity of heart shaped boxes filled with chocolate buttercreams. (A pure test of wills for the chocoholics among us not to sample one.)

Valentine’s Day cards remain a hot selling article.

“We were just talking about that. We think Valentine cards are as popular as ever,” said Banner’s Hallmark Shop employee Peggy Marino. “We’re discussing bringing more help in here on Sunday because we’ll be so busy.”

Marino added that not only will the Park Plaza shop be doing a brisk business from Friday through Monday, but the company’s other stores will see heavy traffic too.

While sweet and simple cards remain a big part of the inventory, pop-up Valentine cards are extremely popular. Marino notes that Valentine’s Day is no longer a holiday for sweethearts only but is now a family affair with pets often included. Thus, many gifts are purchased along with Valentine-themed giftwrap or giftbags, so the holiday remains quite a boost for the store.

There are many local businesses providing gifts or special treats ranging the gamut from Valentine cakes and cookies or flowers to special menus from our favorite eateries. Sticking with the idea of sweets for one’s sweetie from local bakeries, we discovered that Kirsten’s Cakery has teamed with Moondance Cookies this year to supply heart-trimmed cakes and cookies aplenty.

Talented chef, baker and Cakes & Confections owner Michael Brown is pretty upbeat about the holiday this year.

Brown believes that Valentine’s Day has generally been good for sales and feels it has the same impact it’s had in the past.

“The COVID epidemic caused orders to fluctuate a little over the past year or so. But this year’s Valentine’s Day sales are fairly robust,” he said.

Brown added that Cakes & Confections’ timeframe for accepting custom Valentine cake orders for 2022 was compressed due to the Super Bowl which happens the day before. With orders for back-to-back occasions rolling in, he found it necessary to cut off orders for custom cakes on Tuesday, February 8th. However, he still has elaborately decorated pre-made Valentine cakes like the one above in his showcase for customers to pick from.

Considered the most romantic holiday of the year, Valentine’s Day customarily brings couples to local restaurants, most of which offer special menus for the day. Wondering if that would be the case this year, we first spoke with Cafe Mezzanotte manager Krista Corvin.

“I haven’t been on staff long enough to gauge how well we’re doing compared to other years, but I’m pleased to report we already have reservations for Valentine’s Day for a number of two-tops (tables for two). That’s great since the holiday occurs on a Monday,” Corvin said. “We’re offering a special five-course Valentine’s Weekend tasting menu Friday through Monday.”

Approached with the same question, Park Tavern manager Rich Weddle said “It’s a question we’ve been wondering ourselves since Valentine’s Day is on Monday right after the Superbowl on Sunday. We already know JB’s, Severna Park, our sister 206 Restaurant Group venue, will be packed for the Superbowl. We’re expect our more upscale date-night favorite Park Tavern to draw Valentine’s Day celebrants.

To set the mood, Weddle personally created a selection of “Cupids & Cocktails” drinks pictured below that are being featured throughout February.

“Our chef’s been busy, as well, creating Valentine inspired menus,” Weddle said. “For Saturday and Sunday brunch he’s offering the same Red Velvet Pancakes that were a hit last year. He’s preparing a special menu for Valentine’s Day and, to top it off, he’s created a Triple-A Red Velvet Cheesecake for dessert.”

We checked in with Zachary’s Jewelers to see if Valentine’s Day remains a potent time of the year with its customers. According to employee Evangeline Ross, the holiday still has quite an impact.

“For us, the biggest holiday is Christmas. However, we always get an uptick of business at this time of year,” Ross said. “People buy Valentine’s gifts and, since February’s birthstone is amethyst, a bracelet or ring with that gem is popular among others.

“February 14th being the year’s most romantic holiday, it’s a day many young men choose to propose,” she added. “We sometimes see them before but, more often, they’ll come in just after with their fiancées for an engagement ring and/or wedding band.”

Of course, how can you say “I love you” better than with a bouquet of beautiful flowers. Formal Valentine arrangements or the forever popular bouquet of a dozen red roses may be ordered from florists like Severna Flowers and Gifts on McKinsey Road.

For more casual Valentine’s Day bouquets, Megan Taylor’s Peaceful Petals Flower Shop has lots to offer. Taylor believes the holiday has a great impact for her business.

“I was wondering what would happen with the Superbowl being the day before and Valentine’s Day falling on a Monday. However, I only put out one email and I’ve already surpassed last year’s orders for Valentine bouquets,” she said.

The nice thing about Peaceful Petals is that you can buy a single stem or two for your beloved from the Flower Bar, create your own Valentine bouquet using a cluster of flowers, or order a premade bouquet.

“We have a pre-order option with three separate prices, the first being a modest priced standard size bouquet or larger, more robust bouquets for those wishing to go all out,” Taylor said.

Known for sourcing its flowers from local or regional growers, Peaceful Petals’ bouquets are created from “florists’ choice blooms”. Instead of having a large quantity of red roses shipped in, the shop will have roses in reds and pinks and lavenders combined with other flowers like Ranunculus and pretty fillers. Taylor tries to keep the bouquets unique, special and exciting.

This quick survey suggests that Valentine’s Day is still special, exciting and a welcome business boost.

A Valentine’s Day Tai Chi class part of Jing Ying’s Lunar New Year celebration

Beginning February 1, the Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu and Tai Chi began its month-long celebration of the Lunar New Year (known more popularly as the Chinese New Year). Based on a traditional lunisolar calendar, the Lunar New Year festival has been celebrated for centuries in China, South Korea, Tibet, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and elsewhere. The year 2022 is known as “The Year of the Tiger”.

According to owners Billy and Nancy Greer, Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu & Tai Chi has made Lunar New Year activities an important part of giving back to the local community for the past 22 years. Among activities planned for this year’s celebration is a free Valentine’s Day Tai Chi and Qigong Class exercise class on February 14 from 10:30 to 11:30 am.

Other in-person activities include a free Family Kung Fu Class on February 15 from 6:30 to 7:15 pm and a Chinese Calligraphy Class on February 25 from 5:00 to 6:30 pm for a cost of $5 to cover the cost of supplies.

For information on these or other events, visit Best Martial Arts Program in Annapolis, Severna Park (jingying.org)

Reading a copy of the Friends of Anne Arundel County Trails‘ Trail Talk we noticed that B&A Trail users are a trifle frustrated that the project to reconstruct the bridge over Joyce Lane has not been completed. Curious to know how the project is coming along, we ventured to Joyce Lane last Friday.

An Anne Arundel County Department of Recreation and Parks website B&A Trail Closures and Detours notice says work to replace the Joyce Lane Bridge began October 20, 2021 and should be completed by late February or March depending on weather delays.

With snow flying, it was obvious that work would be delayed a bit longer.

Passing beneath the structure before turning around, the view opened to a pasture where horses were grazing by a hay bin and didn’t seem to mind the icy conditions.

The scene reminded us that the Baltimore Annapolis Trail affords many beautiful vistas for trail users no matter what time of year.

Mounting a hill to the trail, we approached the construction from the north and were greeted by gates on both the north and south sides of the bridge with signage warning “Construction Area, Keep Out”.

It’s understandable why trail users are disappointed to have to stop and turn back. Since its completion in 1990, the trail has been in continuous use by hikers, bikers, runners, walkers and those who use it simply to get from one place to another. According to Jack Keene, president of the Friends of Anne Arundel County Trails, the Joyce Lane Bridge is one of five built or rebuilt along the Baltimore Annapolis Trail when construction over the tracks of the original Annapolis & Baltimore Short Line Railroad began in 1985.

Running from Boulters Way in Annapolis to Dorsey Road in Glen Burnie, the route is both scenic and historic. The county spent $9 million on the project, which included paving 13.3 miles of trail and restoring two historic buildings. But before it became the B&A Trail, the artery was a railroad beloved by local residents.

To quote a B&A Trail brochure written in 1992, “For eighty-one years the railroad along the north shore of the Severn River between Baltimore and Annapolis provided passenger and freight service to northern Anne Arundel County, connecting a relatively poor, isolated backwater to the most important urban center of Maryland. With a bewildering series of name changes and company reorganizations, and operating, in turn, under steam, electric, and diesel power, it substantially altered the long-held patterns of transportation and land use in the area.”

Chartered in 1880, the Annapolis & Baltimore Short Line was constructed in 1886 and 1887. As many as 1,100 Italians and blacks with over 50 teams of horses worked to grade the bed and lay the tracks earning between $1 and $1.50 per day. All the stations were three-sided shacks including the one in Boone, Maryland which later became Severna Park (on land sold to the railroad by Thomas Boone and wife Elizabeth Linstead Boone.)

Communities soon sprang up near the tracks. Within a few years, six post offices and a number of stations were established in already existing homes/stores or they were built for the purpose. The current day Park Ranger Station & Musem at Earleigh Heights was built as Frost’s General Store in 1889 and operated as a post office as well.

Built-for-the-purpose in 1919, the Severna Park Railroad Station replaced the earlier three-sided shack erected in 1906 and also contained a post office for a number of years. It still exists today as home to the Severna Park Model Railroad Club. Just above the station is the original rail crossing warning sign which today marks the point at which the B&A Trail crosses Riggs Avenue.

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Another landmark that still exists is the former substation for the railroad when it was electrified in 1908 which has been serving as the Anne Arrundell County Historical Society’s Store at Jones Station (that also houses exhibits including artifacts from Dawson’s Country Store). High tension feeders entered the building through the large holes on the top of the wall on the north side.

A company reorganization in 1894 changed the name to Baltimore & Annapolis Railroad. Merging with the Washington, Baltimore & Annapolis Electric Railroad in 1921, the company made improvements including rebuilding the trestle bridge across the Severn River. The railroad struggled through the Depression and went bankrupt in 1931. Reorganized, it became profitable again with the onset of World War II when troops were moved across the country by rail and gas rationing made it popular with the local populace.

After the war, with increased demand for automobiles and the development of Ritchie Highway, passenger service for the Baltimore & Annapolis Short Line was discontinued in 1950. Freight service to Annapolis continued to Annapolis until 1968.

Keene, who is very knowledgeable about the building of the B&A Trail, noted that it was built over the railroad tracks in five phases.

“The bridge being reconstructed at Joyce Lane wasn’t original to the railroad but was replaced when the trail was constructed in the late 1980’s,” he said. “I don’t recall whether there was any steelwork left from when it was a railroad bridge. However, the two concrete abutments that you see on either side of the road when approaching from beneath were part of the original railroad bridge.”

Keene added that the engineers were worried even then about how sound the abutment structures would be and decided to buy a premanufactured bridge that would be longer than the original railroad bridge. They spread-footed the bridge at each end with a concrete pad to go over top of those abutments (about six inches above them) eliminating the safety issue. Given the choice to have the abutments removed, the residents of Joyce Lane chose not to as they appreciate the added measure of privacy they afford the community.

The nearby Round Bay Bridge is the only remaining bridge completely built by the railroad. It was paved over during the late 80’s construction. For safety purposes, the Department of Recreation and Parks erected a wooden frame around it.

New to the trail, but not exactly new, was the Marley Creek bridge – originally a culvert that was washed entirely out during hurricane Agnes and required bridging. The Recreation and Parks Department found a historic single lane brush bridge in Missouri that was being offered for preservation. Their bid on it was accepted and they installed it across Marley Creek.

A culvert at Old County Road in Arnold also washed out in a storm by runoff required construction of a fourth bridge while the fifth bridge over East West Boulevard was built by the Department of Public Works as part of the construction of the road. One additional bridge was constructed over Route 100.

Scenes like the one above are part of the charm of the Baltimore Annapolis Trail. Viewable from the Joyce Lane Bridge, the fields populated by these horses are a reminder of the rural landscape that the B & A Railroad once traveled through. Here’s hoping that by springtime trail users will be able to cross the bridge along this historic path and gaze into the past.