Month: March 2025

AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler

Brought to you by Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu & Tai Chi

and Lean On Dee Senior Home Care Services

Signs of Spring are evident throughout the county as March draws to a close. From its picturesque wagon of tulips and daffodils and gardens filled with spring flowers and vegetables to the baby peeps inside, Anne Arundel Farm, Lawn & Garden has all the hallmarks of the season.

Pansies are in full bloom at the Pasadena-based center just in time to welcome shoppers to this Saturday’s Spring Kickoff from 7:30 am to 6 pm. Farm and garden products and plants will be on sale for 10% off all day (or 15% for early birds the first hour-and-a-half).

Venturing further into the garden area, there are shelves and shelves of transplants that allow enable cool weather gardeners to get a head start including multiple varieties of lettuces, kale, spinach and other greens.

For those who love tulips like me, but didn’t have time to plant bulbs in the fall, the garden center is selling large pots of ready-to-bloom tulips and daffodils.

In one part of the garden, we discovered a section whimsically labeled Strawberry fields forever! featuring a healthy collection of plants meant to go into the ground now to produce juicy red berries in May.

For homeowners or gardeners interested in growing their own peaches, nectarines or cherries, a miniature orchard of fruit trees occupies another part of the garden.

Next comes a trip indoors where more fun begins. Walking past the seed potatoes and onion sets (all of which I’ve grown) and rows of garden seed packets, I began to hear chirps.

Following the sounds, I happened upon the limited number of baby chicks that remain for sale. (AA Farm, Lawn & Garden sold out quickly this year.)

While admiring them, along with other shoppers, a clerk appeared to select five yellow peeps and three darker hued peeps for an excited pair of children who adored them. The kids (and their mother) also seemed to take the job of raising them seriously.

Before leaving, we made sure we knew all the details for the Saturday, March 29 Spring Kickoff Sale. In addition to $1,000 worth of raffles and giveaways, free hot dogs and soda will be served between 10 am and 3 pm. To find more information on Anne Arundel Farm, Lawn & Garden, visit them at Facebook or on their website at A.A. Co. Farm Lawn & Garden | Pasadena, Maryland (aalawnandgarden.com).

Shortly, thereafter, our spring adventure took us to the Bohemian Black boutique at 45 W. Earleigh Heights Road in Severna Park where we found that owner Rose Walker’s prêt-à-porter collection of Spring fashions was not the only thing new. An upper floor was recently added to the storefront.

Opened less than a year ago, the brick -and-mortar version of Walker’s Bohemian Black by Walking Roses began life in an unexpected way. It was formerly a garage attached to the first floor of the historic Listman Building opposite the Ranger Station on the B&A Trail that was restored and remodeled by the property’s owners. The addition of the upper floor completes its transformation providing additional display room, a pair of changing rooms, a children’s section and a small men’s section.

Rose Walker wasn’t on hand to show us around as she was in a meeting. However, employee Lena Slade was happy to lead us up the stairs to the new spaces which are light and bright with just enough space.

The addition of a waiting area and changing rooms has been a great help.

Back downstairs, which remains much the same, Lena showed us a few of her favorite spring fashions. She loves the short but surprisingly flattering purple dress she is holding.

“I’m not usually a fan of dresses with short skirts but this one is so flattering,” she said. “I love the shirred waist which is fitted and the dress is flowing and comfortable to wear.

The floor-length dress, which is one of Rose Walker’s favorites, is quite interesting and will be perfect to wear from spring through summer. According to Lena, the material is much like a silk scarf and the dress is open on the sides so you can simply slip your arms through.

Another fashion that caught my eye, as well as Lena’s, is a floor-length culotte or “romper” in summertime green. She noted that you can dress the garment up.

In fact, the dress was a hit with one woman who came in looking for a dress for a casual wedding she was planning to attend.

One reason we stopped by Bohemian Black is that we heard Rose Walker is planning an elegant “Let’s Be Friends” Brunch on Sunday, May 25th at 11:00 am. We’ll have more details later. Meantime, you can follow the activities of the boutique at Facebook or by visiting the website Bohemian Black by Walking Roses (bohemianblackbywr.com).

A new parking lot for Fishpaw’s Marketplace

Spring is a time for rebirth and renewal but the last thing we expected to see as we drove down B&A Boulevard is Fishpaw’s Marketplace owner Kim Lawson standing on a corner sidewalk directing traffic Thursday afternoon as her parking lot was being repaved. She did a marvelous job and told her customers their cars would be fine while they went inside.

I proceeded to do just that and went indoors to look for two of my favorite things – a bottle of wine and one of the fine cheeses for which Fishpaws Marketplace is noted. I found the same familiar faces behind the counters and the store is looking great.

You can check out Fishpaws Marketplace by visiting the website at Fishpaws Marketplace Severna Park MD, Severna Park, MD. at Instagram or at Facebook.

Green Expo at Homestead Gardens Davidsonville this Saturday

Homestead Gardens at Davidsonville is hosting the annual Green Expo this Saturday, March 29th, from 10:30 am till 2 pm. Area businesses and community and environmental organizations will be on hand to inform attendees about their services. And, of course, Homestead Gardens will be at its best with gorgeous spring plants.

The Around The Park Again column is brought to you this week by Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu and Tai Chi at 1195 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd. – For over two decades providing martial arts training that improves cardio-vascular health, strength and flexibility while reducing stress. Jing Ying is again bringing Tai Chi to the Severna Park Community Center. From health-defense to self-defense, Jing Ying provides fitness with a purpose for the whole family!

and by Lean On Dee Senior Home Care Services at 815 Ritchie Hwy., Suite 206 – When you need someone to lean on, Lean On Dee. Their experienced team of personal care management specialists and friendly companions provide high quality consistent care.

AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler

Brought to you by Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu & Tai Chi

and Lean On Dee Senior Home Care Services

Historic Baldwin Hall was looking festive even before the doors opened for Severn Cross Roads Foundation’s St. Patrick’s Day-themed Wine, Cheese & Chocolate fundraiser last Saturday. The candles were lit in each window and the white lights on the shamrock tree shone through as well. Shamrock-bearing elves on each door welcomed guests to step inside.

Severn Cross Roads Foundation, Inc. was formed in the 1970’s as a non-profit 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt organization for the purpose of restoring and preserving Baldwin Hall for use as a community center. Its trustees are tasked with seeking grants and raising funds to pay for maintenance, restoration work and needed improvements. This year’s Wine, Cheese & Chocolate affair, one of the foundation’s best fundraisers, was particularly important since money is needed for a new roof.

The organization’s president Pamela Aulton and treasurer Gail Campbell had been busy inside making sure the hall was decorated to the hilt. In the entrance corridor, there were decorations in multiple shades of green. A small tree at one end sparkled with white lights, shamrocks, miniature elves and upside-down horseshoes for good luck.

On one side of the hall, a festive “grazing buffet” was being set up on white linen-draped tables by local caterer The Jive Chive. The main table held charcuterie of meats, cheeses, fruits and veggies while a second table held an abundance of chocolates that ranged from high-end miniature chocolate bars to chocolate truffles and chocolate brownies.

On the opposite side, Silent Auction donations from local businesses had been arranged and ran the length of the wall

On a stage at the far end of Baldwin Hall, entertainer Richard Walton was getting set up behind an impressive line of spirits meant to be raffled off later in the evening.

Beneath the balcony at the back of the room, a selection of wines donated by Gina of General’s Wine & Spirits was being served. The Crownsville-based shop’s donation also included the spirits displayed on the stage that were part of a raffle with winners declared at the end of the evening.

No sooner had the doors opened at 7 pm, than guests streamed through the doors looking for friendly faces. As the annual fundraiser is a well-known social occasion for Baldwin Hall supporters and people from the community, the event drew many people who knew each other. Among them were Spencer and Jana Leech who were drawn to the fundraiser because they live nearby.

We next spotted Sally Burton and husband Steve. Sally is a Severn Cross Roads Foundation Trustee but she is best-known as the former director of Chesapeake Harmony Chorus which uses Historic Baldwin Hall as a rehearsal space and concert venue. She still sings with the chorus and is part of the award-winning Second Star Quartet. She told us about an upcoming performance at Baldwin Hall.

“As preparation for our regional Sweet Adeline’s competition, Chesapeake Harmony Chorus members and quartets will be performing for their first Friends and Family Night under new director Mary Beth Whisman on March 26th at 7:30 pm,” Sally said.

She then introduced us to four of Severn Cross Roads Foundation’s trustees who were overseeing the fundraiser and persuaded them to pose for a photograph with her. They included the organization’s new president Pamela Aulton, secretary Gail Campbell, Carolyn Woody and Marge McGugan.

One had only to look about to find more acquaintances. Long-time Severn Cross Roads Foundation member Janice Crowe was having a fine time talking to her pal Linda and greeting everyone who walked by. With music and conversation with friends to enjoy, the evening was moving along nicely.

We next discovered a convivial Leprechaun by the name of Mark Campbell who was wearing a tall green top hat, bow tie and vest. He was seen here, there, and everywhere, frequently appearing at the grazing buffet. We ran into him while he was carrying on a lively conversation with Susan Ingram and Jim Woody.

We moseyed on and eventually caught up with Baldwin Hall building manager Annie Medford who was chatting with friends Joanie and Rich Clough about Baldwin Hall’s need for a new roof.

“We have a cedar shake roof like the one original to the building that was last replaced about 20 years ago,” Medford told us. “It has reached the end of its life with some damage to the cedar shakes. They’ve started to curl and break off and the roof has started to leak. We’ve made repairs to prevent any damage, but we have to go ahead with a roof replacement. It’s a big project that is rarely done anymore so it will be a challenge.”

As the evening wore on, the buffet line tended to swell and then ease off a bit as people filled their plates and then returned for seconds or thirds.

The food was delicious and the sweets divine. It’s no wonder the buffet remained the most popular place to gather.

However, there were Silent Auction items still to bid on. People could be seen up and down the long row of tables writing out their bids. The auction donations included baskets of goodies from businesses like Be My Guest Caterers, baskets from a local nursery containing plants, and myriad gift certificates to area restaurants among other things.

Unable to stay to the end of the event when auction and raffle winners would be announced, I couldn’t resist one last look.

We hope to have an update on the progress of the roof replacement project soon. Meantime, you can keep up with Historic Baldwin Hall’s future activities by visiting Facebook or Home | baldwinhall.

Cheers to 35 Years for SPAN, Inc. in Severna Park the first week of April

It’s hard to believe but SPAN, Inc. is celebrating its 35th Anniversary with two events at the beginning of April. On Tuesday, April 1 at 4 pm, SPAN’s Anniversary Milestone Recognition Service and Open House will be celebrated at Our Shepherd Lutheran Church at 400 Benfield Road with speeches, a ribbon cutting and light refreshments.

On Saturday, April 5 from 12 noon to 4 pm, SPAN’s 35th Birthday Fest will be held at Severna Park United Methodist Church on Benfield Road in the parking lot. The public is invited to enjoy a free community celebration with live music, carnival games hosted by SPAN’s member churches and community groups, and food trucks with food available for purchase. (In case of rain, the celebration will move indoors to the Fellowship Hall.)

The Around The Park Again column is brought to you this week by Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu and Tai Chi at 1195 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd. – For over two decades providing martial arts training that improves cardio-vascular health, strength and flexibility while reducing stress. Jing Ying is again bringing Tai Chi to the Severna Park Community Center. From health-defense to self-defense, Jing Ying provides fitness with a purpose for the whole family!

and by Lean On Dee Senior Home Care Services at 815 Ritchie Hwy., Suite 206 – When you need someone to lean on, Lean On Dee. Their experienced team of personal care management specialists and friendly companions provide high quality consistent care.

AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler

Brought to you by Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu & Tai Chi

and Lean On Dee Senior Home Care Services

Known today as the owner of The Reynolds Tavern, along with husband Dave, Diane Rey has reenacted the role of Annapolis’ favorite founding mother, Anne Catharine Green since 2011. Acclaimed for her portrayal of Green, she’s devoting considerable time to helping Historic Annapolis commemorate the dynamic 18th century woman with tours on March 29th.

Following the death of her husband, printer Jonas Green in 1767, Anne Catharine was named Printer to the Province of Maryland and became the publisher of The Maryland Gazette, the only newspaper in colonial Maryland.

Two-hundred and fifty years have come and gone since Green passed away, an anniversary Rey and her colleagues are keen to highlight.

“We couldn’t let this milestone event go by without a proper sendoff for Mrs. Green,” Rey said. “So, the idea for a celebration began with some of the Historic Annapolis staff and reenactors wondering ‘How could we mark this occasion?’ Their combined ideas grew into the Life and Legacy of Anne Catharine Hoof Green Tour.”

Sharing tea and scones in the south dining room of the Reynolds Tavern, Rey showed us a copy of a flyer for the event, adding that there will actually be two tour outings – one at 11 am and one at 2 pm on Saturday, March 29th – a week after Anne’s death on March 23, 1775.

The tour starts on Statehouse Hill where reenactor Marcos Salaverria from will talk about Anne’s work printing the laws coming out of the General Assembly and her public role as Printer to the Province. It was a position of particular importance, designating Green as printer of the province’s paper currency. Salaverria will point out the Treasury Building where the money she printed was stored. Built in 1730, it is Maryland’s oldest public building. (It’s currently shrouded for renovations.)

The tour then moves on for a second stop – Anne Catharine Green’s home on Charles Street which she moved into in 1738 after her marriage to Jonas. It is now a private residence. The owners have generously opened the home for the tour so it can highlight her life. But because it marks her death as well, reenactors including Ben Bartgis, Phil Hosea and Vicki Embrey will be sharing 18th Century mourning rituals and funerary customs which took place in the home. Reenactor Pat Turlington, who portrays midwife Charlotte Small, will talk about those customs. (In the 18th Century, midwives not only brought life into the world but also cared for the bodies of those who passed away.)

Tour visitors will get a sense of how the family would have responded to the death and what the house would have looked like. The mirrors will be draped with black cloth. In the parlor the visitors will see reenactors wearing mourning gowns and other attire appropriate for an 18th century wake. The tour will next exit into the dining room where guests will see the kinds of food and drink the family was expected to provide for mourners.

It was so expensive to provide the alcohol and fancy foods customary for such an occasion Rey noted, that 18th Century wake attendees were often given tickets in order to limit the number of people attending.

In the dining room, visitors will also see examples of little remembrances for guests called “memento moir” – a mourning fan for example, a pair of gloves or mourning jewelry – an example of which Rey showed us from her own collection.

Though not appearing in costume because Mrs. Green is “recently deceased”, Diane Rey will be on hand as herself to explain what life was like for Anne Catharine during the 22-year-long period between her marriage to Jonas and taking over the business after he died. She gave birth to and raised 14 children, maintained her home and printing office therein and helped her husband run the enterprise. Rey will show off some original pieces Anne printed.

The third spot on the tour is St. Anne’s Church on Church Circle where Anne and all of the Greens were interred. Reenactors will explain some of the burial customs of the times and, likely, a discussion will follow as to whether Anne’s body still lies there. The churchyard was much larger in the 18th Century but, as time moved on, some of the graves became buried beneath the Annapolis streets while others were moved to a cemetery on College Creek.

The final part of the tour will take place in Reynold’s Tavern’s 1747 Pub where participants will raise a glass of Printer’s Punch toasting Anne Catharine Green’s influential and accomplished life.

For Rey, the commemoration and tour mark the end of her 13-year stint reenacting Green’s powerful contribution to Maryland history. In fact, she is currently searching for a slightly younger reenactor to replace her as Anne Catharine Green 3.0. Diane started portraying Mrs. Green when she was 49, the same age Green was when she sat for a portrait by Charles Wilson Peale. She feels it would be nice to find someone that could cover a slightly earlier time in Green’s life.

Rey has a passion for history. She not only owns historic Reynolds Tavern but owns a 100-year-old home in Rehoboth and a 150-year-old townhouse in Annapolis as well, all of which she has spent many hours researching.

Reenacting historic figures since moving to Annapolis while in her early twenties, she has appeared routinely as Mrs. Green in town and at 164 events outside the city. Rey was so devoted to learning everything she could about Green, that she has traveled twice a year to Williamsburg to work with the master printers.

She even created a small replica printers’ tray with plastic letters representing type when explaining the printing process to children. Each square is marked with a letter and the kids must place the proper plastic letters in the proper tray.

She carries a handbasket holding props she’s collected and uses when doing a reenactment, some of which are authentic pieces. They include some wooden toys, some type, a spoon made from a cow’s horn, one of the animal skins used to pay for printing and some tobacco which was also used as payment.

The basket also holds the mob cap, fan, portable pockets that tie around the waist and the ink-stained printers’ apron Rey is wearing in the opening photo as well as the photo from Williamsburg.

Rey’s last appearance as Anne Catherine Green will be prior to the commemorative anniversary tours and will take place on Maryland Day (March 22nd) from 11 am to 3 pm at Hogshead at 43 Pinkney Street in Annapolis. This will probably not be the last time she will appear in 18th Century costume.

“After 13 years, I felt it was time to hang up Mrs. Green’s straw hat up in the ‘reenacting year of 1775’,” she said. “But there are countless possibilities for other historic characters.”

The Around The Park Again column is brought to you this week by Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu and Tai Chi at 1195 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd. – For over two decades providing martial arts training that improves cardio-vascular health, strength and flexibility while reducing stress. Jing Ying is again bringing Tai Chi to the Severna Park Community Center.)

and by Lean On Dee Senior Home Care Services at 815 Ritchie Hwy., Suite 206 – When you need someone to lean on, Lean On Dee. Their experienced team of personal care management specialists and friendly companions provide high quality consistent care.