Category: AROUND THE PARK AGAIN

AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler

Brought to you by Fishpaws Marketplace

The sultry sounds of the Brazilian Jazz Quartet echoed across the appealing setting of the courtyard at Cafe Mezzanotte as musicians and artists worked their magic beneath sunny skies.

Presented by Jazz Beyond Borders, the event was an enjoyable showcase for musical groups from far and near and for local artists whose work is represented in several Severna Park galleries.

On arriving, most Art In The Park attendees sauntered by various artists at work along the sidewalks before gathering at white linen-draped tables beyond the restaurant’s bountiful gardens.

Three jazz groups performed throughout the afternoon on an improvised stage at one end of the courtyard. The Alex Laquement Trio kicked things off with music that was a crossover between bluegrass and jazz. In addition to Baltimorean Laquement on bass, the trio featured Luke Chohany on electric guitar and E.J. Shaull-Thompson on drums.

They were followed in mid-afternoon by The Brazilian Jazz Ensemble Quartet featuring Rose Moraes from Sao Paulo, Brazil on vocals, leader Leo Lucini from Rio De Janeiro on bass, Jose Luis Martin on keyboards and Lucas Ashby on drums. Their mix of sambas, bossa novas and Baiao music transported the audience south to Brazil.

Along the sidewalks art lovers found a veritable feast for the eyes beginning with the tables of Side Street Framers and Gift Gallery’s wide array of handcrafted jewelry and paintings by local artists. For more than three decades, the family-owned Park Plaza shop has been known for carrying the work of our area’s most talented creators.

Owner/manager Dawn Wilson brought artist Paul DeRemegis with her and displayed a number of his paintings at one end of the shop’s display. DeRemegis’ works are among those most sought after by local art collectors.

An easel set up at the far end of Side Street Framer’s exhibit contained two still-in-progress works of artist Jane Ferguson who’d gone off to view other artists’ work.

Finding their own shady spot close to the musicians, friends John Anderson, Ann Bangert and Lindy Anderkin were thoroughly enjoying themselves sipping tea, cocktails and quaffing snacks, grooving to the Latin rhythms and trading neighborhood news. All three had been to Jazz at the Mezz events, in coordination with Jazz Without Borders, at Cafe Mezzanotte before.

“Jazz at the Mezz” takes place at Cafe Mezzanotte every third Sunday of the month and the next one is inside on October 1st, Anderkin said. “But this time being outdoors, it’s just so lovely.”

There was much more to see. A large indoor gallery opened to the courtyard was filled with art from Gallery 564 and Benfield Gallery.

The space was divided between the two, with one half featuring a wide range of art from Gallery 564. Located in the heart of Olde Severna Park, Gallery 564 showcases paintings, photography, and fine art objects from Severna Park, Annapolis and Baltimore artists.

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Among the artists represented was Sandy Travis Bildahl who had two abstract acrylic works on canvas on display. Bildahl’s work has also been exhibited at the Mitchell Gallery and MFA Circle galleries in Annapolis among other places. Sandy’s husband, well-known photographer John Bildahl – a partner in Gallery 564 with Michael Brown – had several images on display as well.

Moving on to the opposite half of the gallery we discovered an incredible array of paintings and fine art objects from Benfield Gallery on Jumper’s Hole Road. According to gallery representative Cheryl Farquhart, the works exhibited included several giclee prints from the McBride Gallery in Annapolis with which they are affiliated. However, most pieces were created by artists unique to Benfield Gallery.

Farquhar added that several of the artists represented at Art In The Park also have pieces in Benfield Gallery’s current show “Rythm in Blue”. In fact, popular artist Kathy Dawalt’s acrylic collages, seen here, are also part of that show. Dawalt will be having a solo show at the gallery starting October 1st.

We caught up with Cafe Mezzanote owner and Art In The Park host Tommie Koukoulis and wife Pohai who brought their whole family to the event to absorb and enjoy the music and atmosphere. According to Koukoulis, Cafe Mezzanote began Jazz at the Mezz as a kind of supper club with jazz at the suggestion of customer Theresa Sise. A budding jazz vocalist who also works for Jazz Without Borders, Sise had stopped to dine at the restaurant with her mother and was taken with the cordial atmosphere and Mediterranean cuisine.

“We’ve been doing Jazz at the Mezz for two years now very successfully even when we went virtual for a couple months during the pandemic. We’ve worked with Jazz Without Borders to bring in local, regional and international jazz groups. This is the second annual Art In The Park we’ve held with the help of our sponsor, The Severna Park Voice.

Toward the end of the afternoon, we met Jazz Beyond Borders Executive Director Paula Phillips who’d been busy keeping everything running smoothly and was happy to take a break. Phillips, a well-known educator and promoter of the arts, has worked hand-in-glove with Koukoulis on all Cafe Mezzanotte’s jazz events. Phillips was pleased with the mix of music presented and still looking forward to the final performance by Bethesda-based bassist Phil Rivita’s Ravita Jazz with renderings of tunes from Miles Davis, Chick Corea and other artists.

A reminder: Baldwin Hall’s 2nd Annual Craft Fair & Flea Market October 2

Historic Baldwin Hall’s 2nd Annual Craft Show & Flea Market Fundraiser will be held Sunday, October 2 from 11 am to 3 pm. There will be booths and tables of handmade crafts, jewelry and flea market treasures across the grounds and also inside the Hall. There will be food available as well from Hotdog Hideout. Baldwin Hall is located at 1368 Millersville Road in Millersville.

Shoptoberfest with a Trick or Treat Twist on October 22nd

The Greater Severna Park and Arnold Chamber of Commerce announced that this year’s autumn SHOP LOCAL extravaganza at Park Plaza will be held Saturday, October 22 from 11 am to 3 pm. In addition to shopping, there will be trick or treating, a costume contest, games, and entertainment. More details to come.

Around The Park Again is brought to you this week by Fishpaws Marketplace, 954 Ritchie Hwy. – a family-owned business that carries fine wines, spirits and beers plus gourmet foods and specialty items perfect for football game tailgates.

AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler

Brought to you by Fishpaws Marketplace

Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu and Tai Chi’s long-postponed Anniversary Open House took place Saturday afternoon. Originally planned as a 20th anniversary celebration but postponed for two years due to COVID restrictions, the event finally took place on September 10th, Jing Ying’s 22nd anniversary.

A substantial crowd turned out for the festivities which included a dragon dance following the opening, a celebratory ribbon-cutting by the Greater Severna Park & Arnold Chamber of Commerce, martial arts demonstrations by students, and a buffet featuring Asian-influenced dishes, fruits and sweets.

Jing Ying Institute’s always entertaining dragon dance did not disappoint. Then came the excitement of the Greater Severna Park & Arnold Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting – one of the biggest we’ve ever seen conducted. Following the snip, several citations were presented to the school’s owners Nancy and Billy Greer for their many contributions to the community. Among the presenters was Maryland State Delegate Heather Bagnall who commended the Greer’s for not only contributing their time but for raising and donating more than $100,000 to local charities.

Next came some well-coordinated Kung Fu and Tai Chi demonstrations that were a delight to observe.

Watching son Jackson Parrish perform a series of Tai Chi movements at the front of large group of Jing Ying students was a proud moment for his mother Nicole Parrish and grandfather Joe DiMarino . Following the demonstration, Jackson rejoined his family to watch other demonstrations and enjoy the buffet.

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According to students Debbie Zoerkler and Melissa Wittke, it was fun showing off their skills in the demonstrations. In fact, Wittke teamed with teacher Billy Greer for a self-defense demonstration, portraying both victim and attacker. They illustrated defensive moves like stepping backward so one is beyond an attacker’s reach or turning an attacker’s own energy against him or her.

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Jing Ying’s anniversary event was also a celebration of The Mid-Autumn Festival held throughout the Far East and also known as the Moon Festival. In accordance with tradition, the Greers featured Moon Cakes in their buffet along with other sweets, fruits from the autumn harvest, and dishes with an oriental flair like fried rice and eggrolls.

Cascades of Wellness owner Danielle Ortiz contributed to the menu, serving cups of healthy pink and green beverages referred to as bubble water.

It was surprising to see children like Avery and Elise Glendaniel suddenly turn up in the buffet line with bat, dragon or tiger designs painted on their faces. We’d discover how that happened later.

In addition to the familiar family feel Jing Ying students and their families are accustomed to, the anniversary celebration had a neighborhood feel. As part of a Charity Challenge launched by Nancy Greer, several community organizations were invited to participate. Nancy personally welcomed each starting with April Stup, the volunteer coordinator for Partners In Care Maryland .

Stup told attendees about PIC’s “neighbors helping neighbors” services and about the Partners In Care Upscale Resale Boutique in Pasadena.

SPAN, Inc. development director Michelle Sabean described her organization’s food pantry, financial assistance and other services. Good Neighborhoods Group executive director Julie Shay explained her members’ environmental projects, food drives and other initiatives. During breaks, the two had a great time catching up with each other.

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Paula Borinsky Hendry from the Annapolis Area Dolly Parton Imagination Library spoke about her organization’s dedication to promoting early literacy – getting kids to love books early so that, by the time they get to kindergarten, they’re ready to learn how to read. Imagination Library sends free, new, high-quality books to over 600 children in the Annapolis area each month.

Anne Arundel County Watershed Stewards Academy representative Lynn Rockenbauch not only touted the environmental projects undertaken by the organization’s well-trained stewards, but she is a Jing Ying Institute student as well and was happy to share her experiences.

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“I’ve been a Tai Chi student for five years and this is a fun group,” she said. “I’m not a self-motivated exerciser so having regularly scheduled classes is perfect for me.”

Rockenbauch added that it’s been interesting to see how practicing Tai Chi has positively affected her body and her health, changed her dimensions and improved her posture and balance.

Each organization had been invited to set up an exhibit or talk about their services during a recent Jing Ying class or event. Anniversary open house gift bags handed out included ballots so students and guests could vote for their favorite exhibit. The winning organization will receive a $500 donation to be awarded during the chamber’s SHOPTOBERFEST in October.

For kids or adventurous adults, a final bit of fun awaited upstairs where Lucky Ducky Art face painter Lexi Cucina was working her magic on a couple Jing Ying students. Cucina was not only great at face painting but proved to be expert at creating temporary tattoos.

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A BROADWAY BONANZA BENEFIT for SPAN, INC.

Back for a return engagement at Boone Station Hall following a two-year gap because of the pandemic, Laurette Hankins-O’Connell waited backstage with her accompanist Anita O’Connor. The stage at the Hall last came alive with the sound of music on June 6 of 2019 when Hankins-O’Connell performed her one-woman show “Broadway Goes to the Movies” and donated the proceeds to SPAN, Inc.

Once again, the Severna Park resident performed a cabaret-style concert as a benefit for SPAN on September 10 at 7 pm – her way of giving back to the community where she grew up. After graduating from Severna Park High School she attended Duke University where she performed in musicals prior to starting her “first career” in the professional theater as an actress and singer.

Her new show, “Broadway Bonanza”, was designed to include songs from three shows currently doing revivals on Broadway: “Funny Girl”, “Music Man” and Stephen Sondheim’s “Company”.

As showtime approached, the scene at Boone Station Hall was lively as concert attendees Silent Auction items or stopped by the concessions counter.

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Gradually, the lights dimmed the audience took their seats, waiting expectantly for the show to begin. SPAN’s Director of Development Michele Sabean, who we’d seen earlier at Jing Ying’s open house, stepped into the lights for opening remarks.

Greeting the audience, she revealed that shortly after she started working at SPAN a year-and-a-half ago, Hankins-O’Connell contacted her and offered to do another benefit concert. She would again donate all the proceeds to SPAN. Since more donations were needed as the economy weakened and more families sought help, Sabean gratefully accepted.

Hankins-O’Connell opened with a spirited rendering of “A Comedy Tonight” from “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum”, followed by “You Can’t Get a Man with a Gun” from “Annie Get Your Gun” – numbers that showed off her fine voice, expressive delivery and sense of humor.

O’Connor, an accomplished pianist and vocalist, not only provided accompaniment but sang harmony on a few numbers.

The show was peppered with interesting, amusing anecdotes and, occasionally, Hankins-O’Connell adopted other personas like that of a child. There were also romantic songs like “Till There Was You”.

The show’s finale – a special version of “OKLAHOMA”, with Hankins-O’Connell’s own lyrics about the State of Maryland was a huge hit with the audience.

For both performers, the best thing about Broadway Bonanza was that it raised more than $3,500.00…all of which was donated to SPAN.

Having recently retired after 14 years as Associate Dean of Development and Alumni Relations for the University of Maryland School of Nursing, Laurette Hankins-O’Connell will be performing much more often. As for Anita O’Connor, she’s happy being a music teacher at Indian Creek School where she also teaches drama.

Around The Park Again is brought to you by Fishpaws Marketplace, 954 Ritchie Hwy. – a family-owned business that carries fine wines, spirits and beers plus gourmet foods and specialty items perfect for entertaining.

AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler

Brought to you by Fishpaws Marketplace

The early fall of leaves just after Labor Day suggests that summer is on the wane. But if you are reluctant to give up eating fresh from the field fruits and vegetables, you’ll be happy to see the list below of local farms, markets and stands where they’re still available:

Severna Park Farmer’s Market, at Ritchie Highway and Jones Station Road, will continue to be open Saturday mornings from 8 am till noon through October 29th.

Diehl’s Produce, on B&A Boulevard at McKinsey Road in Olde Severna Park will be open through October 31.

Diehl’s Produce of Annapolis, at 921 Chesapeake Avenue, will also be open through October 31.

Pumphrey’s Produce at 8220 Veteran’s Highway in Millersville, is open through Thanksgiving.

Wildberry Farm’s Saturday Field Markets, at 1047 St. Stephen’s Church Road in Crownsville will be open through November.

Chase’s Produce, on Rt. 424 in Davidsonville, will be open only on weekends through September.

Marco Ridge Farm Produce stand officially closed on Labor Day but will have their garden cart of vegetables available daily on a serve yourself basis through the growing season.

Most stands will have autumn offerings like apples, cider, pumpkins, gourds and winter squash.

It’s orchard time. If you’re in the mood for a trip, you can visit one of 17 well-known Maryland orchards from the Eastern Shore to the mountains of the Blue Ridge and Western Maryland.

We’ve frequented several but it’s particularly fun to visit Pryor’s Orchard in breathtakingly scenic Catoctin Mountain Park near Thurmont, Maryland. The three-generation family farm’s vast fields and orchards overflow with produce through the first frosts. For an after- shopping treat, several vineyards are nearby.

Close to home, we’re edging toward the promise that Fall offers with three events kicking off this weekend. Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu and Tai Chi’s Anniversary Open House is being held from 12:30 to 3 pm on Saturday, September 10 followed by the Broadway Bonanza concert to benefit SPAN, Inc. at Boone Station Hall that evening beginning at 7 pm. On Sunday, September 11, Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church’s annual Kick-Off Sunday Picnic will be held on the church lawn from 12 noon till 2 pm.

Anne Arundel County Fair an annual delight

The 70th Anniversary Anne Arundel County Fair will open its gates on Wednesday, September 14 and run through the 18th with its traditional carnival midway, rides and foods. A full slate of activities includes daily livestock shows, a livestock auction for animals raised by 4H and FFA members, indoor exhibits, quilting, wool spinning and other demonstrations, antique tractor pulls, draft-horse pulling contests, jousting, Friday and Saturday night concerts, and much more.

As the Fair celebrates its 70th anniversary with parties featuring bands Oracle and The NoWhere Men, there’s quite a history to look back on. The idea for the event was conceived and initiated by a woman known only as Mrs. Lee of Annapolis. Mrs. Lee grew up in Frederick, Maryland where there was a huge annual fair and felt Anne Arundel County should have one. With approval by the Maryland State Fair Board and help from local families, the first fair was held in the fall of 1952 at the Labrot Racetrack near Sandy Point.

There were cattle, poultry, farm produce, home goods, food and clothes, pigs, sheep, a horse pulling contest, rides, games, a queen contest and educational exhibits. Over 20,000 people attended from all over the county.

Needing more space, the fair moved to Sandy Point State Park in 1953 where it remained for 25 years. As revenues increased and the Fair changed from a stockholders’ corporation to a non-profit membership organization, a permanent fair site was sought. The Anne Arundel County Fair officially moved to Crownsville in 1984.

Fair hours are Wednesday: 5 pm – 10 pm, Thursday: 5 pm – 10 pm, Friday: 5 pm – 11 pm, Saturday: 9 am -11 pm, Sunday: 9 am – 8 pm.

Admission to the fair is $10 for individuals aged 10 and over and free for children 9 and under. Admission includes entrance to the fair but does not include carnival rides or games. For information or tickets, visit Anne Arundel County Fair | A Tradition Passed Down Thru the Generations (aacountyfair.org)

Kinder Farm Park Fall Fun Day

Get ready for a fun time during Kinder Farm Park’s Fall Fun Day on Saturday, October 8th from 10 am to 3 pm. Though scaled down compared to previous Kinder Farm Park Harvest Fests, the event still has much to offer including hayrides around the farm.

There will also be scarecrow stuffing, one of the park’s most popular activities ever that is loved equally by children and adults. The finished scarecrows make great imaginary playmates for kids and fabulous Halloween porch decorations for the adults.

Activities for younger children will include games and crafts and a pumpkin patch from which they can select a pumpkin.

Tickets for activities will be sold throughout the locations and beverage vendors will be on hand. For more information, visit Friends of Kinder Farm Park.

Friends of Anne Arundel County Trails Fall Concert Series underway

The Friends of Anne Arundel County Trails Fall Concert Series got off to quick start at Hatton-Regester Green on September 4th with a concert featuring bagpiper/guitarist Jeff Herbert. The second of the four-concert series takes place this Sunday, September 11th and features 2021 Wammy Award finalists, King Street Bluegrass.

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The third concert of the series taking place Sunday, September 18th will have a Motown vibe from the Crownsville-based band Supreme Temptation. For the final concert of the series on September 25th, the Friends of Anne Arundel County Trails welcome back the group Guava Jelly following the immensely successful Spring Concert Series appearance.

All concerts are free and open to the public and begin at 6 pm. For more information, visit Anne Arundel County Trails | The Friends of AACo Trails (friendsofaatrails.org).

Historic Baldwin Hall in full swing with Fall events

Following two difficult years, Historic Baldwin Hall is back in full swing with several fall events scheduled according to board member Janice Crowe. The Friends of Historic Baldwin Hall are hosting the first – a Crab Feast Fundraiser at the hall on Sunday, September 25th from 2 pm to 5 pm. A wonderful afternoon of delicious food and fellowship is planned. For information or tickets email janice.a.crowe@gmail.com.

Following the success of last year’s event, Baldwin Hall’s 2nd Annual Craft Show & Flea Market Fundraiser will be held Sunday, October 2 from 11 am to 3 pm.

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Lunch will be available from the food truck, Hotdog Hideout. The friends of Baldwin Hall invite the public to come out and enjoy a fun day. Please save the date and let them know if you would like to rent a space at the event by contacting janice.a.crowe@gmail.com.

In addition to Severn Crossroads Foundation meetings, Crowe reminded us that Balwin Hall is the rehearsal venue for the Chesapeake Harmony Chorus. The latest news from chorus director Sally Burton is that the singers are learning new songs and preparing for a show to be held at the Hall on Sunday, November 13, 2022. The theme will be “It’s the Music…” .

You can follow the activities of the chorus at Chesapeake Harmony Chorus.

Around The Park Again is brought to you this week by Fishpaws Marketplace, 954 Ritchie Hwy. – a family-owned business that carries fine wines, spirits and beers plus gourmet foods and specialty items perfect for entertaining.

AROUND THE PARK AGAIN By Sharon Lee Tegler

Brought to you by Fishpaws Marketplace

Bustling doesn’t begin to describe the Severna Park Farmer’s Market on a late August Saturday morning. Customers were scattered throughout the market, many carrying canvas totes filled with their purchases.

Having gone from one end of the market to the other, Gina Huth stopped to buy a melon from Pat Hochsmuth of Pat’s Produce and Gourds. She was holding a beautiful bouquet from Joyce’s Flowers. It was the very last of grower Joyce Martinek’s bouquets from a table that been overflowing with flowers and herbs.

Huth and her daughter Hannah were curious about a new crop Hochsmuth added to the produce he grows and sells. The Eastern Shore farmer explained that the green and wine-colored pods were okra – an ingredient traditionally used in Southern recipes like seafood gumbos. It can also be dredged in flour or cornmeal and fried.

Located at the opposite end of the farmer’s market but easily identifiable by its green and white checked tablecloths, Zahradka’s Farm Stand was completely sold out of several fruits and vegetables, creating empty spaces on the tables with an hour still to go.

As usual, sweet corn went fast as did some of the greens and only half the watermelons and blueberries remained. Still, the stand was constantly busy as customers kept on coming.

Several stands down from Zahradka’s, Martinek had now sold every plant, bunch of herbs and bouquets she’d brought with her leaving Joyce’s Flowers with an empty table.

Nevertheless, Martinek, a vendor at the market for more than twenty years, lingered to chat with fellow vendors and several of her regular customers. Having raised flowers and herbs for decades on her acreage in Elmhurst off Quarterfield Road, she noted that 2022 has been a challenging growing season. Fortunately, she managed to outsmart the weather.

Nearby, another popular vendor, Vera’s Original Bakery was nearly out of the biscotti, scones, pastries, breads and empanadas they are renowned for. Nowadays, baker Nicholas Port runs the family business started as Grandma Vera’s restaurant in Severna Park in the 1990’s. Though relocated to Rockville, many of the recipes the bakery uses for its tastiest breads and pastries are one’s created by Nicholas’ grandma Vera years ago.

Next to Vera’s, local beekeepers Frank Sullivan and Susan Giraldi had a small but impressive selection of pure honey from two primary sources. Valentine Creek Honey comes from hives along Valentine Creek in Crownsville and is harvested in the spring.

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Chester River Honey comes from a property along the Chester River in Kent County and is harvested in both the spring and fall. The couple belongs to the Maryland State Beekeepers Association.

As crowds ebbed and flowed through the marketplace, they occasionally found the path cleared ahead of them by St. Barnard’s Bella and Riley who, more often than not, led their owners in whatever direction they wished to go at quite a clip.

Bella, who is five, and Riley, who is seven, are both Certified Therapy Dogs with a group called Fidos for Freedom that visits children’s hospitals among other places. According to owner Heather Schimpf, they love people and like being petted and fussed over.

Interestingly, Saturday morning’s Severna Park Farmer’s Market shoppers were treated to an impromptu performance gratis by a group called The Overtones with Jane Storey on banjo, Jan Scopel on guitar and Joanne Murphy on hammer dulcimer.

Opposite the musicians, shoppers could browse an extensive selection of candles from Evie & Park at one end of a double tent or stop for some cotton candy or a cool lemonade at the other end. Evie & Park owner Chris Gibbs said the lemonade concession was entirely the idea of his entrepreneurial 12-year-old son Logan.

“We’d started making candles and selling them at the market a year ago,” Gibbs said. “Meantime, Logan’s grandmother gave him a cotton candy machine for Christmas. He suggested we do cotton candy at the farmer’s market because he thought it would sell well. Then he decided to add lemonade and started a business of his own called Astral Sugar. We’ve done pretty well with it.

Moving back through the market, we happened upon the Chesapeake Fiber Crafters tent where crafters Marseille Bunk and Lori Beard were serenely spinning wool next to tables where colorful skeins of yarn shared space with handcrafted sweaters, socks and throws made from it.

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Sheila Carroll from Lyon Rum in St. Michaels, Maryland had smiles for everyone as her products always sell well at the Severna Park Farmer’s Market. Carroll explained that Lyon Rum is the flagship spirit of Windon Distillery founded in 2012 by Jamie Windon. The product is made from Louisiana sugar cane in small pot stills with no additives or or preservatives.

“We’ve won Best Craft Rum Distillery for the past two years,” she said. “You can visit our bottle shop in St. Michaels and sample the products.”

Set up in his usual spot at the far end of the market David Haberkorn of Morris Hill Farm saw a lot of traffic for farm-raised bacons, sausages, ham, varied cuts of pork and fresh eggs. Actually, he sold out of eggs early as could be seen by the sign he’d leaned against one of Martinek’s bouquets.

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“We do sell to the public year-round from the farm in Tracey’s Landing and we also sell at the Riva Road Farmers Market,” Haberkorn said.

There was more to see. A wide range of wines from regular vendor Whistlestop Winery, a vineyard in Dunkirk, Maryland were available. Mike Smith of Mike’s Knives kept his grinding/sharpening wheel turning non-stop. Anne Arundel County Master Gardners Karen and Marilyn were packing up after spending several hours answering questions about plants and flowers.

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Located at the corner of Ritchie Highway and Jones Station Road, the Severna Park Farmer’s Market is open Saturday mornings from 8 am till noon through October 29th. The vendors will be back on December 10th for the annual Christmas Market which is festive and fun. Follow the market’s schedule at Severna Park Farmer’s Market | Facebook.

“Broadway Bonanza to benefit SPAN” opens at Boone Station Hall September 10th

A reminder that “Broadway Bonanza, A Cabaret Performance To Benefit SPAN” created by and starring Severna Park native Laurette Hankins-O’Connel will be held on September 10th at Boone Station Hall at 7 pm.

The show will be similar in format to Hankins-O-Connell’s 2019 “Broadway Goes to the Movies” performance at the same venue which proved quite popular and raised a sizeable financial donation for SPAN. Once again, Hankins-O’Connell will donate 100% of funds raised to SPAN as a way of giving back to the community she grew up in.

20th Anniversary Open House for Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu & Tai Chi Sept. 10th

Originally set to hold a 20th anniversary celebration in the fall of 2020, Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu and Tai Chi paused the event due to the pandemic. Now, two years later, they are celebrating the event (actually their 22nd anniversary) on September 10 with an open house that will incorporate a ribbon cutting, Chinese Lion Dance, kung fu & tai chi demos, and a “Charity Challenge.” The event will take place from 12:30-3:00pm and includes giveaways, door prizes, face painting and refreshments.

Jing Ying is also offering a variety of free classes in September to celebrate their anniversary. For more information about Jing Ying’s Anniversary event and free classes, visit www.JingYing.org or call 410-431-5200.

A reminder – Woods Church’s Kick-Off Sunday Picnic is Sunday, September 11th

A reminder that Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church’s annual Kick-Off Sunday Picnic will be held following worship services on Sunday, September 11th from 12 noon till 2 pm. As in previous years, the picnic will be held across the church lawn where tables for various ministries will be set up.

There will be entertainment, games and activities for children, an opportunity to explore Wood’s lovely gardens, and boxed lunches for one and all. She added that, as always, congregation members and their friends and neighbors are welcome to attend. For information on the event, visit Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church (woodschurch.org).

Around The Park Again is brought to you this week by Fishpaws Marketplace, 954 Ritchie Hwy. which carries fine wines, spirits and beers plus gourmet foods. Tastings for wines, beers and liquors are held almost daily and listed at Event Calendar in Arnold, MD 21012 – Fishpaws Marketplace.

AROUND THE PARK AGAIN By Sharon Lee Tegler

Brought to you by Fishpaw’s Marketplace

Arriving at St. Martin’s-in-the-Field Episcopal School in July to take over from Charlie Sachs as Head of School, Tony Shaffer likes what he’s seen of the spacious campus and the Severna Park community surrounding it. Now settled in, he can’t wait to welcome students back for the fall semester on August 31.

An amicable chat with the California native in his comfortable office, revealed that he has an extensive background as an educator that took him from coast to coast and to the deep South.

“I was born in Oroville, a very small town in northern California,” Shaffer said. “I kind of started my path toward being an educator in the deep South…as in living in South America while I was a high school exchange student. I returned home to get my undergraduate university degree at California State University, however, I got a taste of the other deep south while studying for my graduate degree at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee (which included a year studying in Spain).”

After graduating from Vanderbilt, it was back to California for Shaffer where he began his teaching career as Modern Languages Chair at the Pilgrim School in Los Angeles – a private congregational school with a long history in the city. Soon opportunity beckoned, and he found himself below the Mason-Dixon line once more at Augusta Preparatory Day School in Augusta, Georgia where he served for 13 years as Director of Technology while simultaneously teaching and coaching.

On leaving that position, he headed west and became Middle Division Director at Westminster School in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It was his next posting that is most surprising.

“Believe it or not, I moved on from the Westminster School to St. Martin’s Episcopal School in Atlanta, Georgia where I spent the past six years, Shaffer said. “Like St. Martin’s-in-the-Field here in Severna Park, it’s an Episcopal school – one of four St. Martin’s in the country,” In an interesting play on words, the Atlanta St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church founded St. Martin’s Episcopal School while, here, we have St. Martin’s-in-the Field Episcopal Church founding St. Martin’s-in-the-Field Episcopal School.

The new headmaster is impressed that the significant expansion of St. Martin’s student body due to the fact that the school stayed open during the COVID epidemic through 2020 and 2021 has continued this year.

“The trend has continued,” he said. “Those families are finding something here that they weren’t finding before.”

He noted that public schools have a different mission (his wife works for a public school) which is to serve every student who lives within the footprint of that school. It is very challenging and the opposite of finding a school that matches a student’s aptitudes and his family’s values.

“That’s why I’m an independent school person. I like a mission-driven school,” said Shaffer. “What drew me to St. Martin’s-in-the-Field was its mission, as an Episcopal school, to build a student’s compassion, confidence and character. I also like the school’s Pre-K to 8th grade model where we keep things smaller. We get to know all of our students and see them as individuals. We also have great academics for all our kids that enable them to thrive in incredibly competitive high schools and colleges.

Shaffer was somewhat surprised to learn that he’ll not only be welcoming students when school opens, he’ll also be welcoming a bevy of new teachers. St. Martin’s is known as a school for teachers who love to teach, so the school has suffered none of the staffing shortages being experienced in the public-school sector.

A welcome change is that students will not be required to wear masks this year and COVID protocols have pretty much ended. Another possible change has to do with transportation. Since most students come from the greater Severna Park area, they are driven to school by their parents. However, more students are coming from greater distances these days, (as much as 45-minutes away). For the first time, the school is exploring contracting a bus service for a few areas.

Aside from emphasizing the importance of St. Martin’s middle school students and celebrating them when they are sometimes overlooked, Shaffer said he’ll primarily use his first year to observe and learn more about the school before considering any changes. He looks forward to visiting with students in their classrooms or art and science labs and enjoying the beautiful campus that surrounds it.

Liquor Board decision greeted with relief by local spirits sellers

As we announced last week, we found out on Wednesday, August 19 that the Anne Arundel County Board of License Commissioners denied the application for a liquor license for a proposed liquor superstore called Robinson Liquors to have been located along Ritchie Highway at Robinson Road.

The liquor board’s decision followed two hearings to consider arguments by Robinson Liquors, LLC owner Andrey Nikolaev and a lawyer representing 24 liquor stores within a 5-mile radius of Severna Park that opposed the application. They included Dawson’s Liquors, Harbour Wine & Spirits, Severna Park Wine & Spirits, Goska’s Liquors, Corwell & Son Liquors, Magothy Wine & Spirits and Fishpaws Market Place. (Five are pictured below.)

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Determined to fight the effort together, a core group of seven retailers displayed petitions on their counters collecting many hundreds of signatures in opposition. The petition was also opposed by the Greater Severna Park Council.

We’ve since gotten reaction from three of the small, independent, family businesses that would have been adversely affected by approval of the license. We began with Fishpaws Marketplace owner Kim Lawson who spoke on behalf of all the shops.

“The owners are extremely happy,” Lawson said. “They all felt that we put on a good case. We believe the board made a good decision for the community and our local store owners.”

Nick Cipriano, who owns Dawson’s Liquors along with his Aunt Jo Ann Polk and his brother Danny, expressed the sense of relief his family felt on hearing the board’s decision.

“We were nervous because of the effect such a store so close to us would have,” Cipriano said. “We didn’t feel it would cause us to close our doors because we’re such a staple in the neighborhood. But a retailer with such a large footprint would have had tremendous buying power and could undercut our costs. That would definitely affect our business. We’d basically have had to alter some of the benefits we have for our employees like health insurance and other perks.”

Cipriano added that he was glad to see that, even though the local spirit shop owners were competitors, everyone teamed up and split the bill for a lawyer who represented their concerns very well. He was further pleased that so many people signed the petitions and about 60 Severna Park residents showed up at the hearings to support them.

“What kept us on edge was the fact that it took 3-1/2 months for the decision,” he said. “It should have taken a few weeks had the county gone over the case before the hearing. However, they didn’t go over it until after the hearing causing us concern that they might be prepared to grant the license.”

“You could say we were pessimistic. But, in the end, the result was unanimous – a three to zero verdict based on pretty much everything our lawyer explained – from the number of liquor stores already existing to a heavier traffic flow and the location’s proximity to schools. When we heard the decision, there was a unanimous sight of relief.”

At Goska’s, owner Kevin Sosnowski also breathed a sigh of relief on learning of the decision. The family-owned business founded 61 years ago is closest to the proposed location of the superstore being directly across Ritchie Hiway from it and would have definitely been impacted.

“I didn’t see the hearing which was on Zoom last Tuesday because I was working so I didn’t learn about the decision till that night. Word of it was spreading fast,” Sosnoski said. “That was such good news. We’ve all seen what happens to our community pharmacies, grocery stores and stationery and hardware stores when massive stores come in that can’t be competed with. We knew our futures were at stake.”

In view of the fact that his business is being affected by inflation and recessionary pressures, he said he’s pleased there is now one less thing to worry about.

Woods Church prepares to celebrate Kick-Off Sunday on September 11

Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church’s annual Kick-Off Sunday Picnic will be held this year following worship services on Sunday, September 11th from 12 noon till 2 pm. According to Woods’ Associate Pastor Nancy Lincoln Reynolds, the picnic will be held across the church lawn where tables for various ministries will be set up.

Church volunteer Karen Lerario added that there will be entertainment, games and activities for children, an opportunity to explore Wood’s lovely gardens, and boxed lunches for one and all. She added that, as always, congregation members and their friends and neighbors are welcome to attend. For information on the event, visit Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church (woodschurch.org).

Around The Park Again is brought to you this week by Fishpaws Marketplace, 954 Ritchie Hwy. which carries fine wines, spirits and beers plus gourmet foods. Tastings for various wines, beers and liquors are held almost daily and listed at Event Calendar in Arnold, MD 21012 – Fishpaws Marketplace

AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler

Brought to you by Fishpaws Marketplace

By the second week of August, hairstylists at the Hair Cuttery in Park Plaza were experiencing a round-the-clock boom in business.

“This is our busiest season of the year when the college age kids come in for haircuts before starting the fall semester,” said stylist Holly Mollick. “It’ll stay just as busy for the next couple weeks as parents bring their younger kids in for their back-to-school haircuts.”

Elsewhere, back-to-school fundraising events were taking place and, considering the inflationary prices for school supplies, were needed more than ever. The scene was busy at Spring Arbor Senior Living’s “Food for Thought” event on August 16th. As can be seen from the opening photo, the mood was festive with mellow music from the Good Measure Band playing in the background as attendees filled bins on tables and several wagons with donations of schools supplies and food pantry items. There were fun games for kids too.

Executive Director Maressa Henry said Spring Arbor residents came up with the concept for the occasion based on smaller food drives they’d done in the past

Community Program director Leah Abendschoen revealed how the idea was born and evolved.

“What started as two separate, resident driven ideas, merged into one event,” she said. “During a resident council meeting, one resident suggested we keep school supplies in our community’s General Store. She also mentioned she’d like to buy some folders to donate to a ‘fill the backpack’ style fundraiser at her church. Another resident (who is a little hard of hearing) said, ‘Folgers? Like the coffee? I don’t think school aged students need coffee…'”

“Though unintentionally funny, the comment snowballed into recognizing the need for both a food drive and a school supply drive for our county. Both BAYADA, our in-house therapy provider, and Hospice of the Chesapeake were on hand to help make this a really great event. Dr. Abigail Ritinski of Hearing & Balance Solutions also jumped on board and was there to set up some fun giveaways. The Sweet Satisfaction ice cream truck provided the soft serve and Good Measure Band provided the tunes.”

Informally referred to as their “Food for Thought” event (to which the general public was invited) the residents turned out with their families and grandchildren for what turned out to be quite a fun occasion.

With the help of Spring Arbor’s residents, their families, and the community, the Food for Though event collected five full totes full of school supplies, as well as two wagons of non-perishable food items. There were also several monetary donations which totaled to over $200 dollars and will go toward more supplies and canned goods!

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“We had a fantastic turnout and I know we will continue to do this at the end of each summer season for students and teachers in Anne Arundel County,” Abendschoen said. 

In mid-July Walk the Walk Foundation’s director Nicole Dolan launched the organization’s first Back-to-School Backpack Donation/Packing event of the year and the initiative is ongoing.

Walk the Walk Foundation partners with the Department of Social Services and others to figure out where the need is. Then, using financial donations from supporters, they purchase backpack items in bulk at a discount. They next bring the items to a specific location, like a church, where supporters can donate $30 and pack a backpack for a child.

In filling the backpacks, WTWF follows guidelines on the standard list of school supplies provided by Anne Arundel County Public Schools.  There are generally 24 items – things like composition notebooks, crayons, pens, dry erase markers, dry erase sleeves, water bottles, Ziplock bags, and more. The effort is ongoing as WTWF partners with Tyler Heights Elementary School in Operation Welcome Back…Pack. Here is the direct giving link:  https://ddock.co/e1d18c3a or, for information, you can email nicole@wtwf.org.

Dolan noted that, ordinarily, parents spend quite a bit more than $30 for a backpack and school supplies. Spring Abor’s Maressa Henry agreed. She said she just spent between $60 and $70 dollars for her daughter’s back-to-school materials.

Parent Atalie Justice Payne already shopped online for a few things for her daughter Elise, who attends Rockbridge Academy, including a mouse pad and mouse for the school Chrome books. To keep costs down, she’ll shop for other items during Maryland’s Sales Tax Free Week at Walmart or Target. Luckily, her 17-year-old son Ezra, who attends Severna Park High School, does most work online and already had most of what he needs.

School opening schedules and other information

Opening day for private schools Severn School and St. Martin’s-in-the-Field Episcopal School is August 31. For St. John the Evangelist School, opening day is August 29 and for Rockbridge Academy, it’s August 30.

The schedule is a bit different for Anne Arundel County Public Schools. August 29 is the start date for grades 1-5, and 6 and 9. All students (grades 1 through 12) return August 30.

Like public schools across the nation, AACPS is dealing with a teacher shortage this year. As of August 17, the county has 311 classroom teacher vacancies that impact all school levels.

In addition, there are 67 bus driver vacancies, 57 crossing guard vacancies, 227 food service worker vacancies and 87 custodial staff vacancies. Staff in the Division of Human Resources are continuing around-the-clock work to aggressively recruit and hire high-quality classroom teachers and other workers to fill vacancies across the system.

Those interested can apply online at Anne Arundel County Public Schools / Homepage (aacps.org) and click the Join Our Team button at the top of the page, then scroll down and click Apply Now for lists of openings.

American Association of University Women book donation drop-offs August 27th

American Association of University Women‘s Anne Arundel Co. branch book donation drop-off locations will be in operation on Saturday, August 27 and include:

St Martin’s-in-the-Field Episcopal Church at 325 Benfield Rd, Severna Park (parking lot)

The Y of Central Maryland, at 1209 Ritchie Hwy, Arnold (AACC parking lot opposite the Y)

St. Phillip’s Episcopal Church at 730 Bestgate Rd, Annapolis (parking lot)

All sites will be open from 9 am to 12 noon and AAUW volunteers will be on hand to help. For more information, visit AAUW Book Collections and Sales | Anne Arundel County (MD) Branch.

Severn River Lions and Cub Scout Pack 688 celebrate with Pack Trailer Ribbon Cutting

On Saturday, August 27 from 10 to 10:30 am, a ribbon cutting will be held to celebrate Cub Schout Pack 688’s acquisition of a Pack Trailer. The ribbon cutting will be held in the parking lot at the Shipley’s Choice Swim & Tennis Club at 947 Rustling Oaks Drive in Millersville. For information call Severn River Lions Club at 410-439-5770.

NEWS FLASH! License for liquor superstore denied

Local liquor store owners found out in February that a proposed liquor superstore to be called Robinson Liquors and located off Robinson Road near Aldi’s Supermarket had applied to the Anne Arundel County Board of License Commissioners for a liquor license. The local owners opposed the issuing of a license at a hearing before that board initially scheduled for March 8 at the County Council Chambers in Annapolis on the basis that there were already 24 liquor stores in the area (seven in Severna Park). All were small independent businesses.

No decision was made. A second hearing followed with local owners in attendance again. Since then, they’ve waited to hear the result. We received news today that the license was denied. We’ll report back on the reaction from the owners next week.

Around The Park Again is brought to you this week by Fishpaws Marketplace, 954 Ritchie Hwy. – a family-owned business that carries fine wines, spirits and beers plus gourmet foods and specialty items perfect for a summer party.

AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler

Brought to you by Fishpaws Marketplace

If there’s one good thing about the Dog Days of August, when temperatures soar into the nineties, it’s that locally grown produce is at its peak. Due to a cool spring and rainy weather, this year’s crops got off to a slow start meaning some of our favorite farm stands opened later than usual. Once open, however, they boomed with business.

Driving in a wide circle, we visited several of our area’s outstanding farm stands starting out at Pumphrey’s Produce at 8220 Veterans Highway in Millersville. Wearing a smile as always, Nat Pumphrey was minding the family business from his stool at the counter.

A member of the well-known Pumphrey farming family, Nat is proud of his heritage. He began working on the farm at an early age and feels agriculture is in the Pumphrey DNA.

Behind and above him, in the produce stand’s rafters, was a sign welcoming customers and noting that the farm has served the public for 61 years. The sign also listed the prices of some items.

As with all the produce stands, Pumphrey’s prices are slightly higher than usual this year. The higher prices reflect inflationary costs for fertilizer, fuel and other supplies vital to growing and transporting crops.

For longtime customers like JoAnne Zoller and her husband who’ve shopped at the stand year after year, spending a few cents extra is worth it. They love the quality and taste of the fruit and vegetables they buy.

It’s obvious that maintaining the quality of their produce is of utmost importance to the Pumphreys.

“Everything you see is picked fresh from the fields right here in downtown Millersville at 6:30 each morning,” Nat Pumphrey said as he spread his arms in a wide arc. “We have 4-1/2 acres behind the stand and a larger acreage across I-97.”

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In addition to a bounty of corn, slicing tomatoes, peppers, squash, zucchini and green beans, Pumphrey’s grows blackberries, cantaloupes and a variety of melons along with heirloom tomatoes, flat Italian beans, okra and other specialty crops.

“Where else can you get okra?” asked JoAnne Zoller. “This stand is the best.”

Pumphrey says he’s always experimenting with new vegetables, most of which are successful. They’ve included husk ground tomatoes, tomatillos, and Cubanelle peppers. Now, thanks to a birthday gift from friend Ed Cohen who grows crops on his allotment at Kinder Farm Park, Nat now has some Chinese long beans (also known as Alligator beans) to try, sell a few and save some of the seeds to grow next year. Cohen said he grows the beans, (which are sold in the Asian market) on a trellis and harvests pounds of them each day.

Heading back down Veterans Highway to Benfield Road, our next stop was Diehl’s Produce in Olde Severna Park at B&A Boulevard and McKinsey Road. Undeterred by the slow growing season locally, Diehl’s opened in April and managed to source some early season produce from North and South Carolina along with Eastern Shore asparagus. By late June, the shelves were overflowing with colorful fruits and vegetables. As always, there is Eastern Shore sweet corn. Thanks to contacts established by founder Doug Diehl who recently retired, the stand carries Adams County, Pennsylvania peaches – a major draw.

A variety of other vegetables draw customer’s eyes including grape, cherry and slicing tomatoes, squash, eggplants, green beans, new potatoes, spring onions and mushrooms plus an abundance of melons and jams, jellies and fresh flowers.

Manager Jennifer Diehl said she’s currently seeing many first-time customers who love being able to get “same day produce”. She said the sweet corn, garden veggies, melons and peaches are at their peak now and will remain so through August.

Like elsewhere, prices for some items were higher than in 2021 due to inflationary pressures for growers and transporters. The peach prices, for example, had to be raised 40 cents.

As usual, a sign at the counter where Calvin Winship was checking shoppers out had a sign noting that Diehl’s rounds out customers’ tabs and uses the extra change for gift certificates to donate to needy families through the SPAN, Inc. food pantry.

Leaving Diehl’s Produce in Severna Park, we moved on to Diehl’s Produce of Annapolis in Eastport where Jennifer Diehl’s sister Abby Diehl is proprietor. Having carved out a nice little niche in what is basically a cityscape, Abby’s farm stand gives Annapolis and Eastport residents a much-appreciated chance to buy fresh fruits and vegetables.

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We spoke with Ryan Manusan who was helping customers from behind a sea of blueberries and pears.

Manusan said the lateness of spring planting created a need to source some produce from farther afield.

“We had to bring in strawberries and early broccoli from out west,” he said. “We sold so many strawberries and blackberries, and, as you can see, we had a lot more blueberries on this table. At least half have been sold.”

He added that peaches are plentiful since Abby Diehl was also able to source them from Adams County, Pennsylvania.

Who doesn’t love the sunflowers that add such a cheerful touch to the main tent at Diehl’s Produce of Annapolis?

Diehl’s Produce of Annapolis has been quite busy with customers coming in rushes like the one we noticed at the counter in the check-out tent. The stand will be open seven days a week from now through October.

Leaving Eastport we circled back through town to Route 50 and headed for Davidsonville where two of our favorite farm stands are located.

Chase’s Produce at 2857 Davidsonville Road (Rt.424) is owned by farmer Bob Chase and wife Marge. Like Pumphrey’s, it has operated as a family farm stand for more than 60 years and has always been renowned for its sweet corn. Every fruit and vegetable the Chases sell is grown in the fields surrounding the stand on both sides of Route 424.

Though managing to hold a shortened version of their annual “pick your own strawberries” season, the Chases experienced planting delays due to weather and were unable to open the produce stand for its regular season before the last week of June. Luckily, the stand has been busy ever since and sales have been good.

By the time we arrived Tuesday afternoon, there was little corn left, they’d run out of a few other vegetables, and melons of all kinds had sold like hotcakes.

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According to Marge Chase, Bob and the students he hires are out in the fields picking corn, fruit and vegetables early each morning. She said the stand is open till 5 pm on Saturdays and Sundays and their aim is to sell all the corn by closing time and as much of the other produce as possible.

Marge added that the farm is still struggling with the rains which interfere with the ripening of zucchini and yellow squash and the second crop of cucumbers.

In addition, the Chase’s farm has experienced problems with deer. There is electric fencing around the corn fields which keep them out. But there’s no fencing elsewhere. They chose not to plant tomatoes this year because the deer destroy them. Instead, they’re getting tomatoes from Charles County. (Other farmers have trouble with deer as well. The Pumphreys solve the problem by fencing their entire farm.)

The only other item Chase’s Produce doesn’t grow is peaches which they get from an orchard in Bridgeville, Delaware and have found to be delicious.

The last stand on our circuit was Marco Ridge Farm Produce at 3208 Davidsonville Road. The 210-acre Marco Ridge farm is owned by the Covington family and located along both sides of the road with some fields directly behind the stand. These days Diane and Fred Klinken manage the stand for Alan Covington while he runs the farm.

We arrived at Marco Ridge Farm just as Covington was leaving after off-loading one of many carts filled with produce being picked throughout the day.

Customers visiting the stand generally help themselves while Alan works behind the scenes and Diane tends the till. The couple also has students helping them at their busiest times.

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Peppers were huge, the pickling cucumbers crisp and the squash a perfect size.

The Klinkens said Marco Ridge Farm has also struggled with the rains. Like others who grow everything they sell, they were late planting and couldn’t open the stand until their crops ripened a week after the 4th of July.

Fortunately, Marco Ridge Farm has so many fields full of field corn and soybeans and cover crops that deer leave the vegetables alone so they’re able to reap everything they plant. More vine-ripened produce is coming in each day and the stand also carries a great selection of made-from-the-farm products like Marco Ridge salsas, barbeque sauces and salad dressings.

Around The Park Again is brought to you this week by Fishpaws Marketplace, 954 Ritchie Hwy. – a family-owned business that carries fine wines, spirits and beers plus gourmet foods and specialty items perfect for a summer party.

AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler

Brought to you by Fishpaws Marketplace

The National Night Out events hosted by the Anne Arundel County Eastern District Police at Earleigh Heights Volunteer Fire Company always draw a good crowd. Still, it was astonishing to see the parking lots nearly full 45 minutes prior to the official opening time of 6 pm. By 6:15, the lots were overflowing, and cars were park on both sides of Magothy Bridge Road as far as the eye could see as well as at Magothy Gateway Shopping Center opposite the firehouse.

Entering the open-air event, one observed the crowds (mostly families) moving slowly between the rows of tents. They’d come out to show their support for Anne Arundel County’s first responders and the community service organizations that support them but also to be educated and entertained.

National Night Out was organized by an Eastern District Steering Committee chaired by Sarah Gannon from Anne Arundel County Councilman Nathan Volke’s office. She had help from representatives from the Eastern District Police Department, Earleigh Heights Volunteer Fire Department, the Cape St. Claire Improvement Association the Broadneck Council of Communities, the Greater Severna Park & Arnold Chamber of Commerce (GSPACC) and the Pasadena Business Association (PBA) among others. The event was staged so the Eastern District Police booth and displays of Anne Arundel County’s recreation, police, fire and emergency vehicles formed a ring around the midsection booths and tents while a portion of field behind them was reserved for the always popular demonstrations by police and sheriff’s department K-9 Units.

Major sponsorships from the Eastern District Police, GSPACC, PBA and Mission Barbeque made National Night Out possible along with community sponsorships from The Bonk Team-Keller Williams , Fence & Deck Connection, Oscars Ale House, Passantes Home Food Services , and Fishpaws Marketplace among others. There were 44 community organizations and vendors on site for National Night Out. many of which participated in the event previously though some were new. We caught up with a few.

First-timers included Danny Forbes, Samuel Crossman and Preston Elliott from Boy Scouts of America Troop 346 from Pasadena. Stationed just beyond the entrance, they shyly greeted their first visitors.

According to Samuel Crossman, the threesome hadn’t done anything like this before but knew their main objectives were to familiarize the public with their troop and recruit some new members.

Opposite the Scouts was the tent of the Greater Severna Park Council where vice-president Amy Leahy and board members Doug Nichols and Craig Myers were stood ready to hand out water and provide information about the event and offer assistance to the general public.

On the way to check out the Oscar’s Ale House tent, we ran into Barbara Dean who was wearing a bright purple T-shirt heralding the annual Walk to End Alzheimers which takes place this year on October 16th. Dean arrived back at the booth she and Anne Arundel Co. Team member Trisha Herold were manning just in time to meet an equally strong advocate for the Alzheimer’s Walk – Nancy Greer, co-owner of Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu and Tai Chi. (Jing Ying Institute students would later perform a martial arts demonstration.)

Dean revealed that the Anne Arundel County team topped area organizations for their first and second years participating in the walk raising more than $20,000. Greer, as leader of the Jing Ying team reported that they’d been the winning team during their first year which followed the loss of her mother to the disease.

You may have guessed from the column’s opening photo featuring Diane Casanova with one of Saving Grace Animal Rescue of Maryland’s four adorable foster pets that her booth with the puppies was among the event’s most popular stops.

“Saving Grace Animal Rescue is a completely foster pet-based organization that operates through Maryland, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. ,” Casanova said. “Our purpose is to unite pets with foster families until we can find forever families for them.”

She added that Saving Grace dogs come from shelters in Baltimore and through the Southern states like West Virginia.

“We have to line up a foster family before we take a pet in. That’s why being at an event like National Night Out is advantageous for us so we can find more foster families. In fact, our attendance here last year resulted in several adoptions by people who had already been approved.

National Night Out provided the perfect opportunity to familiarize the public with some of agencies created to help people in times of trouble. The Anne Arundel County Police Crisis Response System and Anne Arundel County Mental Health Agency booth that was manned by Director of Crisis Response Jennifer Corbin and Cpl. Jennifer Sieth was a perfect example. Both women handed out giveaways and fielded numerous questions about how their agencies work.

“Our agencies work hand-in-hand, operating a 24-hour warmline (which is like a hotline) for any type of crisis – a mental health crisis, homelessness, or any other ongoing emergency situation,” said Cpl. Sieth. “We have different teams that can respond to those problems including mobile crisis teams and CI teams where an officer and mental health officer work together to find solutions. You’ll see that we’ve put our phone number on all our giveaways to remind people that help is just a call away.”

They also informed attendees about services like the Safe Stations established at Anne Arundel County police and fire stations where anyone dealing with a substance abuse problem or emergency can come for help.

One booth over, Katie Wardo, who is coalition coordinator for Northern Lights Against Substance Abuse and the Western Anne Arundel County Prevention Coalition and outreach coordinator Denise Williams also handed out information and giveaways. Their table had several sign-up sheets, as well, for free programs, training, and memberships.

“We work with youth and young adults to break the stigma associated with addiction and to prevent drug and alcohol abuse,” said Wardo. She added that they also visit schools to acquaint students with facts about substance abuse.

Because of the tremendous number of dangerous drugs (like the powerful synthetic opioid Fentanyl) arriving in our neighborhoods from across the southern border, one important sign-up sheet offered free training for the use of Narcan – a nasal spray which is used for emergency treatment of opioid overdose.

Many community organizations participated in National Night Out and most had games for children. At the Greater Severna Park and Arnold Chamber booth, CEO Liz League and husband Jim were treating kids to a fishing game and pushing the organizations’ SHOP LOCAL initiative by promoting area businesses.

Nearby, SPAN, Inc. development director Michelle Sabean had created a brand new Shopping Cart game for this year’s National Night Out appearance with help from volunteers Josie Justice and Kayla Patel. Their display also had a good representation of SPAN’s services including food panty items and financial assistance to cover electricity bills, medical bills or prevent evictions. They were also accepting donations.

A team of volunteers from Woods Church were delighted to be at National Night Out for the first time. Retta Barkley, Katie Taylor and Carla Raubales were having a great time spreading the word about the church’s many services to the greater Severna Park community and beyond.

A visit to the Anne Arundel Community College booth revealed the diversity of programs now offered there. Instructional Specialist Peggy Walton from the engineering department had some very interesting displays and information.

“We have a lot of great programs at the college that people don’t realize – programs that are meant to be two years and right out to work,” Walton said. “For example, in our bio engineering department we have a separate technology path that’s not quite as difficult. I have more jobs, at the moment, than I have kids to fill them and the salaries are great starting at the low $60,000 and $70,000 range…for two years training and no prior experience. Four-year degrees are great but you don’t have to have one to make a good living and you come out with no debt.”

There were lots of impressive critical response police vehicles to see that kids, in particular, loved to climb aboard. We entered one just in time to hear Cpl. Moorhouse explain his mission as an Anne Arundel County Police Crisis Negotiation Team member and show off some of the equipment used.

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“We deal with people in crisis situations, people who are taken hostage and barricaded in a house. We are trained as hostage negotiators by the FBI,” Cpl. Moorhouse said. “Our job is to come in when the hostage takers threaten to kill themselves or the hostages. We need to talk them out of their crisis and get them out of the state they’re in, then get them away from the building and the residents.”

In addition to the screens along the counter, Moorhouse had a number of what he referred to as throw phones. Working with police SWAT Teams, the crisis negotiators often go right up by the door of a residence and try to get the hostage taker to accept a throw phone or throw a cell phone so they can communicate with them. He said negotiations can go on for 24 hours or as little as 30 minutes to an hour.

He added that the number of hostage situations has actually gone down since Anne Arundel County instituted crisis intervention teams which work with people that are having mental health crises.

There was much more including opening ceremonies, several speakers, the K-9 Unit demonstrations and martial arts demonstrations by Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu and Tai Chi. A most touching moment came when the National Anthem rang out over the loudspeaker and everyone across the grounds paused and put their hands over their hearts.

Around The Park Again is brought to you this week by Fishpaws Marketplace, 954 Ritchie Hwy. – a family-owned business that carries wines, spirits and beers plus gourmet foods and specialty items perfect for a summer party.

AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler

Brought to you by Fishpaws Marketplace

It’s been fascinating for drivers who travel Baltimore Annapolis Boulevard to follow the transformation of a three-decade-old restaurant property into a new restaurant to be called Garten.

In June, Preserve and Harmony Hospitality purchased the landmark, Cafe Breton at 849 B&A Boulevard. The property is being restored/reimagined by Annapolis-based Preserve restaurant proprietors Jeremy and Michelle Hoffman as a modern European-style beer garden. Bright, bold artwork by Jahru Studios has been a first step in altering the restaurant’s former French chateau-like exterior to something more modern.

The words “Wine – Beer Garden” emblazoned on the side of the building facing B&A Boulevard leave no doubt about what the restaurant’s main focus will be while the colorful murals hint at the natural environment behind.

According to the owners, ongoing interior construction is meant to open up and update the appearance of the restaurant, evoking a European biergarten sensibility while exterior construction behind and to the side of the building is intended to provide outdoor seating in a garden setting.

A conversation with Michelle Hoffman confirmed that, in keeping with the farm-to-table concept used at Preserve, the couple’s plans include restoring the once productive garden in the back by adding herbs, vegetables and additional fruit trees as well as indigenous plants and wildflowers. As a first step, Michelle has been anointed beekeeper and hives have already been installed in the garden to pollinate future crops and flowers while providing honey.

She affirms that construction is moving at a fast pace with well-designed spaces that flow easily into one another nearing completion. The restaurant is scheduled to open in September, though an exact date has not been set. It’s already been determined that Garten’s hours will be 11 am to 9 pm Wednesday through Sunday and later expanded, depending on the neighborhood’s response.

Obviously, the Hoffmans are excited to see everything coming together and can’t wait for the moment staffing is completed and they can open their doors to the public.

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“Taking into consideration the amount of parking available, our indoor and outdoor areas should provide room for us to seat 140 customers at a time,” Hoffman said.

She’s aware that locals are, understandably, curious to know what the food will be like. Some have actually dined at Preserve which serves a unique menu that combines foods fermented or preserved in-house with farm-raised meats, vegetables, fruits and baked goods from local or regional purveyors like Maidstone Harvest, Roseda Farm, or Seven Hills Food Company. Among Preserve’s most popular entrees are unexpected dishes like fried duck tongues or braised beef cheek fajitas.

“Our menu at Garten will be a little different,” Hoffman said. “Our Chef de Cuisine Greg Anderson, who has worked at Preserve since it opened, will implement a modern take on Northern French or Alsatian region beer garden food. He’s already experimenting with various dishes.”

But there will be no strict set of rules for the beer garden’s cuisine. “As with Preserve, we’ll carry some fermented products like sauerkraut, or the [Korean] fermented cabbage dish Kimchi. We’ll make them available as part of a meal or for takeout. We want to make sure everybody feels comfortable,” Hoffman added.

Locals have also wondered how prices for food, wines and local or imported European beers will compare with standard beer garden prices.

According to Hoffman, management did some local market research and concluded that Garten’s prices will be comparable to those of other Severna Park restaurants.

“We’re trying to appeal to everyone, so we’ll offer takeout to go and have a small retail area for beer and wine sales,” she said. “But, if folks want a full dining experience, we encourage them to come on in… or enjoy our revitalized outdoor dining.”

Until the Garten website at https://www.garten-eats.com is complete, you can follow the progress of Garten on the Preserve website at Preserve (preserve-eats.com) or on Facebook at Preserve | Facebook.

Langton Green Community Farm receives $100,000 grant

Millersville-based Langton Green Community Farm was just awarded a $100,000 grant through the Kubota Inc. Hometown Proud program. They were one of five awardees from hundreds of nonprofits around the country who applied.

The only nonprofit of its kind to own and operate a community farm, Langton Green’s mission is to provide vocational training and work opportunities to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities while serving as an educational resource for the wider community. 

Langton Green director John Iaquinta and a group of the farm’s trainees and workers enthusiastically received the $100,000 check from Kubota, Inc., a well-known farm and construction equipment manufacturer.

The grant will be used to build, among other things, a community garden for seniors – especially those who are isolated or in assisted living. The funds will also be used for a tractor and construction projects at the farm.

Rotary Club of Annapolis Crab Feast tickets on sale

Following a two-year absence due to the pandemic, the 77th Annual Rotary Club Crab Feast will be held at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on Friday, August 5th, from 5 to 8 p.m. Attendees will be able to enjoy all-you-can-eat large crabs, corn-on-the-cob, BBQ, and other treats.

Tickets for general admission seating are $90 per person. For those who’d like to sit in the reserved President’s Tent with its private entrance, the price is $120 per person. For Preferred Dining in the private Class of ’53 Pavillion with full service, a table for ten is $1,800, a table for twelve is $2,160 and a limited number of individual tickets in that area are $180. Tickets for children ages 3 through 12 are $25.

Tickets can be purchased on-line at www.annapolisrotary.org/crabfeast and are also available at Admiral Cleaners on Taylor Avenue, Bay Ridge Wine and Spirits, J. Gordon and Company, Annapolis Waterfront Hotel, Long & Foster in Severna Park, McBride Gallery, and Fastsigns Annapolis.

Proceeds from the fundraiser will be donated by the Rotary to local charities and non-profit organizations.

Around The Park Again is brought to you by Fishpaws Marketplace, 954 Ritchie Hwy. known for its wide selection of wines, spirits and beers plus gourmet cheeses, European style charcuterie, pate, olives and other specialty items perfect for a summer party.

AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler

Brought to you by Fishpaws Marketplace

Stopping for a moment to enjoy a cool drink and conversation on the shady porch of the Bean Rush Cafe in Annapolis, Walk the Walk Foundation’s Nicole Dolan would shortly be on the move again, heading to a backpack packing event in the community of Davidsonville.

A year ago, Dolan and her husband Jeff began working with founders Kim and David Mitchell to take over the leadership of Walk the Walk Foundation. As military retirees, the couple had adequate time and resources to devote to the organization. Thus, Nicole would succeed Kim as its executive director.

Founded in 2005 by the Mitchells, the foundation partners with area businesses, organizations and non-profits to serve Anne Arundel County youngsters through three outreach programs – its original Gifts for Children program, its Backpacks for Kids program and its Diapers for Babies program.

Being director is a role Nicole says she’s still growing into. She’s forever introducing herself and the non-profit Walk the Walk Foundation to as many local residents and community groups as possible. Interestingly, the school backpack program was the first one she and Jeff ran after taking over from the Mitchells.

The foundation’s longest-running program, Gifts to Children, is still going strong having provided gits for the children of 300 families last Christmas. But, from its earliest years, WTWF has been active in July and August promoting donations of backpacks for school children and recruiting volunteers to pack them.

Severna Park residents may recall seeing the Walk the Walk van parked on the Park Plaza parking lot for the occasional day of on-the-spot backpack packing.

The foundation no longer has the large van. It was traded for a smaller, more practical one when the organization moved from Nogales Road in Millersville to a new Crownsville location with plenty space to receive and store supplies.

As can be seen (from the opening photo), Dolan had one of the bright blue backpacks with her for the Davidsonville packing event – the first one of 2022. She explained how the school backpack program works.

“We partner with the Department of Social Services and a few other partners to figure out where the need is.” Dolan said. “Then, using financial donations from our supporters, we purchase backpack items in bulk at a discount. We next bring the items to a specific location, like a church, where supporters can donate $30 and pack a backpack for a child. While we have some online donations, most come from these hands-on events”

In filling backpacks, WTWF follows guidelines on the standard list of school supplies provided by Anne Arundel County Public Schools. Not every backpack is exactly the same but there are generally 24 items – things like composition notebooks, crayons, pens, dry erase markers, dry erase sleeves, water bottles, Ziplock bags, and more.

School backpack events tend to be enjoyable, but the Dolans find every bit of their involvement with the foundation interesting. Nicole and Jeff moved to Annapolis after serving in the Army and were first attracted to Walk the Walk programs as volunteers through Bay Area Community Church. They became more and more involved with WTWF just as the Mitchell’s were deciding the time was right to retire. “Born to serve,” as Nicole says, the couple was perfectly suited to take over.

Their most complicated task was taking over the year-round Diapers for Babies program which supports “emergency baby pantries” operated by 10 assistance networks including Crofton Cares, ACAN and NCEON as well as the Judy Centers in Maryland public schools.

Functioning as a partner with the National Diaper Bank Network gives Walk the Walk Foundation access to their resources and the opportunity to buy diapers at a very discounted cost – 16 cents per diaper, any size.

“That’s a screaming bargain as the average cost, depending on where you buy them, is 40 cents per diaper,” Dolan said. “By having that purchasing power, we’re able to use donations from our supporters to buy those diapers in quantity and store them. We also have partners that periodically do diaper drives for us which also replenishes our supply.”

WTWF volunteers repackage the diapers into groups of 25, an example of which Dolan also had with her. Each package is marked clearly with the size and directions stating that the package cannot be resold.

ACAN, NCEON and the other networks have reported that diaper need is “huge” in the communities they serve with many families unable to afford them. Reusable cloth diapers are not an option for families on assistance that lack access to washers or dryers. Health department regulations require laundromats to prohibit the washing of diapers for hygienic reasons.

Currently, the Dolans are reviving a tradition – the Walk the Walk Foundation “Walk” – but in a sensational way. The walk was originally held in Waugh Chapel but discontinued during the pandemic. This year, WTWF is inviting volunteers of all ages to walk the walk with them during the 2022 Bay Bridge Walk on Sunday, November 13th. Because the organization is now a Bay Bridge Walk charity partner with an ability to fundraise, WTWF volunteers who sign up will have their registration fees waived. (More about this later.)

For information on any of the Walk the Walk Foundation programs or events visit Walk the Walk Foundation | Annapolis Maryland (wtwf.org).

A busy year for SPAN that’s getting even busier

Close on the heels of a having a booth at the Greater Severna Park & Arnold Chamber’s SHOP LOCAL FUN FIESTA in June, SPAN, Inc.’s staff and volunteers found themselves marching in the Severna Park 4th of July Parade. Working in conjunction with Chartwell Golf & Country Club’s Young Leaders, they marched down the parade route with a banner carried and giant-sized boxes of Cheerios, Fruity Pebbles, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese and a can of Campbell’s Soup fashioned by volunteers and transported to the event in Director of Development Michelle Sabean’s crowded car.

The faux food packages representing SPAN food pantry donations were pushed along in wagons pulled by other volunteers.

SPAN also erected a bright blue tent on one side of Baltimore Annapolis Boulevard in Olde Severna Park run by Director of Operations Maia Grabau that accepted donations of prepackaged foods and money.

The next event for SPAN is manning a booth at the Anne Arundel County Eastern District Police‘s National Night Out at Earleigh Heghts Volunteer Fire Company on August 2nd. As in previous years, they’ll have one or more games for children and will be accepting donations of money or prepackaged foods for the food pantry.

Further excitement follows with September 10th’s “Broadway Bonanza, A Cabaret Performance To Benefit SPAN” created by and starring Severna Park native Laurette Hankins-O’Connell. The concert will be held at Boone Station Hall at 7 pm.

The show will be similar in format to Hankins-O-Connell’s 2019 “Broadway Goes to the Movies” performance at the same venue which proved quite popular and raised a sizeable financial donation for SPAN. Once again, Hankins-O’Connell will donate 100% of funds raised to SPAN as a way of giving back to the community she grew up in.

Accompanied by pianist Anita O’Connor, Hankins-O’Connor will perform standards written by the likes of Irving Berlin, Richard Rogers and other composers who made Broadway musicals great. She’s blessed with a wonderful voice and great comedic timing.

Sabean said there will be a silent auction and refreshments as well. Tickets are $25. Space is limited so tickets must be purchased in advance using check or PayPal. You may mail a check to SPAN, 400 Benfield Rd., Severna Park, MD 21146 or pay via PayPal at spanhelps@yahoo.com. In the message section, state that your payment is for the show, and indicate how many seats you want.

Moving on, SPAN is deep into planning for the 10th Annual Turkey Trot Run/Walk fundraiser at Kinder Farm Park on November 5th. More information will be forthcoming. Meantime, you can follow all events at SPAN Serving People Across Neighborhoods (spanhelps.org) .

Around The Park Again is brought to you by Fishpaws Marketplace, 954 Ritchie Hwy. known for its selection of wines, spirits and beers plus hand cut gourmet cheese, European style charcuterie, pate, olives and other specialty items.