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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Good Neighbors Group S(o)UPER BOWL a Winner

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rehearsal in full swing for Rock ‘N Roll Revival XXXIII

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

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

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

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

AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler

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

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

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

Valentine’s Day cards remain a hot selling article.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler

An image of the picturesque blue cottage at 8 Evergreen Road as part of a photo essay by Severna Park native Lauren Garber shot following a recent snowstorm and shared on Facebook evoked a touch of nostalgia for those of us who saw it. She kindly allowed us to use it as our opening photo. We recalled that its exterior and interior appearance changed several times over the past decade and a half. But it actually has a much longer history as part of a family home.

According to local historian Scott Jay, the little cottage across from Severna Park Elementary School was built in the early 1950’s by businessman Howard Wheeler as an annex to his home. It was first used as Wheeler’s office and later as a combination laundry room and playroom for his children Howard, Janice and Judy.

The first alteration to the cottage, which had fallen into disuse, came in 2007 when owners Lauren and Kevin Russell and Larry Strasser chose to use it as a showroom for Russell & Mackenna’s coastal style furniture.

Starting with a tall, skinny bookcase, designer Lauren Russell, the company’s founder and creative director, began building furniture for her Round Bay home in a one-car garage with help from husband Kevin in 2002. Her pieces were admired by friends and neighbors who quickly became clients, one of whom ordered half a dozen of Russel’s vanities along with an $18,000 deposit check which the couple used for seed money to start their company. Lauren’s father Larry Strasser, a former CEO, joined the firm as president and created a business plan.

The company quickly progressed from the garage to a warehouse space and, subsequently to a plant and storage facility in Jessup. On reaching sales of a quarter of a million dollars a year, they partnered with a wood furniture building plant in Dover, Delaware.

Meantime, Lauren Russell found the perfect place for a showroom – what she described as “a shed in Olde Severna Park opposite the elementary school”. It was owned by Quayle & Company Designs by that time. Lauren Russel and Hal Quayle transformed it into the quaint cottage space seen below. In the same year, Sarah Wright joined the team to manage the flagship store and they moved in.

Russell’s beautiful little gem of a showroom, with its brilliantly colored glass balls and vases, an array of chic accessories and colorful coastal styled furniture, drew customers from far and near. Both Russell and Wright remembered that a number of visitors to the location said they had visited the cottage as children when it was a playroom, crossing the street after school to visit the Wheeler children.

Already doing a robust online sales business and having partnered with a design center called Urban County, the company continued growing by leaps and bounds. The “coastal look” they helped popularize, with its sea-meets-land-toned furnishings, drew the attention of national publications including the Wall Street Journal. The team even painted the exterior of their cottage showroom the company’s signature periwinkle blue.

But more changes were on the way. By April of 2011, Russell & MacKenna had acquired the intellectual property of Maine Cottage, taking on its prestigious name. As Maine Cottage, their business continued to expand.

As 2011 came to a close, the team realized they needed even more space and moved their flagship store from the cottage to a larger location in Annapolis. D. Wayne Speight of Speight Studio Architects briefly considered moving in at that point but found it was just too small and, instead, relocated to 540 Baltimore Annapolis Boulevard.

On New Years Eve of 2011, the Paper Trousseau moved from their storefront location at 554 Baltimore Annapolis Boulevard to the little blue cottage. A few months earlier, Paper Trousseau’s owner Tammi Molavi initiated a collaboration with fellow artists Christie Sappington, who owned Christie Sappington Designs, and Cink Deveas, who owned Cink Art, to operate together under the banner “The Studios at Paper Trousseau” in the new location.
  

Molavi’s decision to move from her original B&A Boulevard storefront grew out of a need to eliminate her shop’s retail sales operation and focus on event and wedding invitations and fine stationary. Eliminating retail meant less space was needed. So, when Maine Cottage relocated to Annapolis, the three women jumped at the chance to acquire the cottage.

 Still owned by Quayle & Company Designs, which also owned the building behind it, the cottage had lots of windows, the interior was well lit and it provided needed workspace. Event invitations were Paper Trousseau’s primary thrust with Molavi an expert wedding consultant, Deveas a popular sketch artist and graphic designer and artist Sappington a store design/merchandising specialist who also developed a line of decorative wedding accessories.

Paper Trousseau occupied the location for a little over nine months before the trio was ready to move on. Molavi believes that, for a brief period, the cottage was used by interior design firm Barefoot Dwelling which Mary Quayle was a partner in. The company is currently located in Annapolis.

In 2013, Sew Beautiful owner Margaret Blunt moved her design firm into the quaint blue cottage that is currently owned by David Orso who uses the building behind it (formerly owned by Quayle & Company Designs) as headquarters for the David Orso Team.

Sew Beautiful has been there ever since. Blunt made the cottage truly her own by painting it Tiffany blue and adding a bright orange door as seen in the opening photograph. She also gave the interior of the cottage an initial facelift and subsequent updates.

Blunt has actually been designing rooms for Severna Park residents for 21 years, providing beautifully made custom window treatments, cushions, pillows and bedding, upholstery, slip covers, area rugs and more. She began Sew Beautiful in a workroom in her home and expanded it to a leading design firm in the greater Annapolis area.

Her staff – designers Ronnie Harmon and Sarah Kraus, project manager Amy Publicover, and installer Greg Brinsley – are expert at what they do and excel in giving customers what they are looking for be it rescuing a beloved couch or chair or designing a new room. They all like the way the cottage’s light and bright interior looks today.

“We just celebrated our 20th anniversary last year,” Blunt said. “Today we are a full interior design firm. Our main focus remains fabricating custom window treatments, bedding, cushions and other soft furnishings for homeowners in the greater Annapolis area. However, we’re able to provide so much more.”

While Blunt is staying put for the forseeable future, we can report that Tammi Molavi moved on to create j.lolly, a table setting design business, with partner Michelle Hickman.

Lauren Russell and partner Sarah Wright briefly sold part of Maine Cottage’s equity to Balsam Brands. But they bought the business back in 2019. Russell has moved to Vero Beach, Florida and runs the creative end of the business from there while Sarah runs operations from Maine Cottage’s offices in West Annapolis. Luckily, the partners shifted primarily to online sales for consumers and the trade in 2019 which turned out to be fortunate when COVID-19 hit. Maine Cottage fans can currently see its full array of products by visiting Maine Cottage® Official Site | Where Color Lives!

AROUND THE PARK AGAIN By Sharon Lee Tegler

Consumers have been shocked by empty shelves in local supermarkets recently but imagine the impact local retailers and restaurateurs are feeling as the products they depend on for their customers are in short supply while prices soar.

Challenges that began two years ago with Maryland’s first COVID-19 cases resulted in shipping delays at ports, trucking and air transportation problems and labor shortages across all businesses. Particularly hard hit are food service businesses, from restaurants to coffee shops, fast food establishments, bakeries and caterers.

April’s Table owner, April Cunningham, described the difficulties most small independent business owners are having when asked if supply chain problems are affecting her catering business.

“Yes, we are experiencing supply problems – whether it be specific to certain brands or items, distribution, or quality. It’s all coming into play right now,” Cunningham said. “Even paper products are difficult and hard to come by.  The price hikes make it even worse because what we can get our hands on is exponentially more expensive than either what we’ve quoted, or what our clientele have grown accustomed to.  I’m certain any food business is having similar trouble.”

We sampled other food related businesses, checking in with Greg Keating, managing partner for the 206 Restaurant Group that owns Park Tavern and JB’s at Park Plaza.

“It’s been challenging for us to get certain items, especially proteins, for quite some time,” Keating said. “But now, the problems we’re facing have more to do with operating supplies – for example carryout containers. The demand for to-go items has been high because of COVID carryout ordering and third-party ordering. That demand dealt a hard hit to the supply chain, meaning we’ve had to adapt to changing materials over time. We’ve been able to weather the problem fairly well but it’s been an on-again, off again challenge for us.”

Asked if inflationary prices for certain items are an issue, he agreed that they are.

“We’ve definitely seen an increase in prices when it comes to proteins, particularly for things like crabmeat and beef,” he said. “We refresh our menus accordingly. We’ve had to take crab off the Park Tavern menu because of the dramatic price rise for crabmeat. It went from $18 per pound two years ago for jumbo lump crabmeat to $49 a pound thirty days ago.”

Keating notes that, all up and down the supply chain, the labor shortages he’s seeing for restaurants are just as challenging for the growers and food manufacturers. Shortages of materials required to grow or produce products are slowing progress. However, he does feel things have eased slightly in the last two months.

For Shipley’s Choice couple Clint and Elizabeth Jones, who own Sizzle Shack and Beach Tables, the going has not been easy.

“Supply chain and inflationary prices have been a major disruption to both our businesses,” Clint Jones said. “For Beach Tables, materials that we need can’t be sourced and limit our production. When we can get our supplies, prices are up at least 20%.”

He added that, for Sizzle Shack, there is no consistency in what he can find in stock for food or packaging.

“Our business relies heavily on crab meat which was out of stock for some time,” he said. “Now that we can get crabmeat, it has more than doubled in price. We try to stay close to our original price but this situation has required us to raise our prices across the board.

While Sizzle Shack has an array of great menu items from pulled pork, Italian meatballs and Chicken Parm to sliders, Clint’s signature crab cakes are a customer favorite. They’re an item he feels he can’t do without.

Sizzle Shack takes online orders only with meal delivery service at www.thesizzleshack.com. You check out both businesses on Facebook and Instagram.

Non-food retailers have had to adjust and adapt to their own set of challenges. Heather Summers, owner of Park Home with husband Scott, said supply chain issues for stores like theirs have been happening for two years now.

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“You won’t find any businesses who haven’t faced delays getting merchandise. Everything takes longer,” Summers said. “Likewise, price increases have been seen across every industry depending on the product and how it’s being transported.”

Thanks to the Summers’ practice of ordering beyond what they need for any given season, Park Home is fully stocked with furnishings and accessories geared to the coastal look.

Switching gears, we spoke with Mike McNealy, the owner of Severna Park Automotive which has had its own share of supply chain headaches.

“There have been off-and-on disruptions, some of which were strange,” McNealy said. “At one time we couldn’t get a particular aerosol chemical called Brake Clean that’s used to clean bake parts because there was a can shortage. We also had to switch oil filter suppliers because the company we normally used was totally out of the line of filters we needed. Now we’re having trouble getting synthetic oils from some vendors. It’s especially hard to find 0W20. For quite a while it was hard to find window washer solvent.”

“The pricing for everything, across the board, has gone through the roof,” he added. ” The price of gas is high and the cost of most products has doubled. It’s definitely impacted us and we’ve had to adjust our prices. We can’t just absorb the costs without passing some of it along to the consumer.”

AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler

Ever expanding its community outreach, the Good Neighbors Group founded by executive director Julie Shay in 2006 accomplished a total of 14 projects during 2021 in spite of many challenges.

Among other things, GNG volunteers collected hundreds of coats for families, collected and mailed Halloween candy to deployed soldiers, donated over 150 units of blood to Luminis/Anne Arundel Medical Center, provided Thanksgiving dinners for 200 families, and collected over 20,500 items for food pantries during their 2021 S(o)UPER BOWL FOOD DRIVE.

Deeply dedicated to environmental projects the group also cleared invasive vines from Beachwood Park and the Baltimore Annapolis Trail, planted native gardens in public spaces (including one behind Park Salon as seen in the opening photo), and picked up litter from local roadways and waterways.

Shay said GNG is grateful for the volunteers and donors who made so many projects possible during 2021 in spite of problems associated with the COVID pandemic. She adds that the group remains inspired and the game is already on for 2022’s most significant event.

“I’m about to send out the flyer for our fifth annual S(o)UPER BOWL FOOD DRIVE which will take place from February 10 through 13 with food delivered on the 13th, ” she said. “Last year’s drive broke all previous records with a total of 44 neighborhoods participating and tripled the amount of food collected.”

She added that GNG will, hopefully, duplicate last year’s donations to four primary organization’s including the Anne Arundel County Food Bank, SPAN, Inc. on Benfield Road, ACAN (Asbury Church Assistance Network) on Asbury Drive and My Brother’s Pantry in Arnold. The group would also like to expand the number of neighborhoods participating on the Broadneck Peninsula which currently stands at nine. Mezzanotte will again be participating in the drive as a sponsor.

Over the course of four days, neighborhood captains will volunteer their homes as collection points for donations of food and household items. The items tend to spill across every unoccupied space – from back porches and garages to kitchen counters, dining room tables, living room or bedroom floors. Entire families get involved in the process, with children happy to help out.

Delivery days are quite an endeavor as neighborhood captains load the items into their cars and head for their designated drop off organizations. Last year, Mackenzie Grossman and her younger brother Emerson helped carry packages as their father Jeremiah, neighborhood captain for Olde Severna Park, packed donations into the family SUV, then sat in the middle of it all.

It was quite an accomplishment to deliver almost 21,000 food pantry donations but the neighborhood captains persisted to the delight of the recipient organizations.

Volunteers truly enjoy being involved in all the GNG initiatives.

Kathie Hamlett began volunteering with GNG a few years ago.  She started as a “project” volunteer meaning she would help out when someone was needed for an hour or two for an event or when GNG was looking for donations.  Eventually, her involvement evolved into helping out with the bimonthly Blood Drive during 2021.  Currently, she’s looking forward to helping out with the S(o)UPER BOWL drive as it kicks off.  

“I love supporting GNG because everyone can help in some capacity,” Hamlett said.   “There is a place for everyone, the person who is able to give an hour and the person who is able to give more. I enjoy being a part of a group that is filling existing needs of the community.  GNG offers the opportunity to get involved with my community and give back and meet new friends. One time I was volunteering collecting coats and discovered one of my dear friends was volunteering on the other end delivering the coats that I had helped to collect. It makes me feel good that I am able to help others.”

Hamlett’s and the other volunteers’ help will be needed more than ever this year. According to Shay, several community food drives like Harvest For The Hungry, an annual mail carrier’s drive and a Boy Scouts’ drive that have been instrumental in filling food pantries shelves during the winter months did not happen because of the pandemic.

In addition to continuing with ongoing programs, Shay and GNG board members including Chris Myers are hoping to relaunch their annual Earth Day Festival.

“We’re waiting to see what happens with the schools as we’ve held the festival in the past at Severna Park Middle School or Severna Park High School,” Shay said. “We reserved the date of the last Saturday in April and we’re hoping to hear by the end of the month if we will be able to hold it at one of the schools. If not, we’ll do something different but we are definitely doing some sort of outdoor Earthday celebration.”

GNG is also working on a new effort called “Donations Before Dumpsters” which is aimed at making it easy for people to find homes for items they no longer need instead of sending them to the landfill.

“We need to make it quick and convenient for people to find information and sources. We’re getting the word out to residents in hyper-local circles.” said Shay. “However, we also want to reach realtors and contractors who know of people who are renovating, moving or downsizing.”

Shay’s original idea in forming the Good Neighbors Group was to bring people together. She’d noticed that the more technology we have, the more people feel isolated; the more our neighborhoods are developed and overcrowded, the more people fence themselves off. She foresaw GNG as a perfect antidote through making the effort to unite people in good causes. In doing so, the group has recreated a sense of community.

For information or to volunteer follow Good Neighbors Group on Facebook or at Home – Good Neighbors Group.

Greater Severna Park Council passes motion opposing development of Mt. Misery

We received a tip from Magothy River Association member Karen Royer that the organization’s president Paul Spadaro built the model pictured below to show how steep the slopes are on the hill in Round Bay called Mt. Misery where a developer wants to build two houses.  (Mt. Misery is historically significant in that it was the sight of a Union fortification during the Civil War. The fort was later used as a camp for local Boy Scout Troops.)

The developer was granted a variance to the County code that says nothing can be built in the Critical Area on anything greater than a 15 degree slope.  The slopes on Mt. Misery are 51% on the Severn River side and 33% on the Magothy side, so the variance never should have been granted.  The Greater Severna Park Council just passed a motion that unanimously opposes the plans to build on the Mt Misery hill.  The Magothy River Facebook page has some pictures and Spadaro is going to post a drone video showing the narrow top of the hill and the steep slopes.

For more information on the Magothy River Association, follow them on Facebook or visit Home – Magothy River Association.

AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler

Imagine our surprise when, following a New Year weekend with temperatures in the mid 60’s, we woke Monday morning to 10 inches of snow and temperatures dropping into the teens.

Glances out the window confirmed that, for the moment, we were snowed in. Though beautiful, the heavy, wet snow bent tree branches nearly to the ground and the winds were creating drifts. Snowplows were absent from many Severna Park communities and there were scattered power failures. However, neighbors soon popped out of their houses to dig out their cars and clear driveways while their children found the nearest hill to sled down or snowdrift to make snow angels in.

Outdoors, there was damage to deal with in the aftermath of the storm. Everywhere one looked, there were broken branches and fallen trees.

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According to Lou Meyer at The Davey Tree Expert Company, after a snowstorm, cleaning up downed branches can help you evaluate the damage to your trees and help the landscape recover. Branches can be resting on valuable landscape plants and shrubs and putting pressure on them as the snow melts, potentially causing damage.  They are also tripping hazards.  Meyer warns those cleaning up to make sure there are no downed power lines or trees leaning on power lines.

He adds that, when limbs break in snowstorms and leave a splintered stub, it’s an invitation for decay to develop in the tree.

“Trees have a ridge called a ‘branch bark collar’ where a subordinate stem meets a parent stem, for instance where a branch meets the trunk of the tree. Within this ridge there is a group of cells known as the branch defense zone, which activate healing when exposed.  Leaving the splintered stub after the storm prevents these cells from allowing the wound to heal. ”

Branches can easily be pruned but larger limbs would be best removed by a professional from a local garden center or tree service.

Cleanup from the storm remains a work in progress but, most of the time, we’ve remained cozy inside, our thoughts turning to what lies ahead. For gardeners, that means thinking about what we want to plant in our spring flower and vegetable beds. We inventory seeds we have on hand that are still viable and scan paper and virtual seed catalogs for what’s new. We’ll also phone our local garden centers to see when the new seeds will be available.

Anne Arundel County Farm, Lawn & Garden owner Cory Stephens and staff began working on their displays of flower and vegetable seeds on Monday. According to staff member Karen, the new seeds just came in and it’s taking a while to assemble them in the displays according to manufacturer and in alphabetical order. She noted that certain varieties of seeds for things like tomatoes, peppers and carrots that are favored by customers for their hardiness and reliability sell out quickly. Lettuces and cold weather greens sell especially well – particularly kale which AA Farm, Lawn and Garden sells a lot of.

“You can start cold weather crops in the ground in March. However, we sell everything people need to start their plants indoors eight weeks before the last frost,” she said. “We sell seed staring trays and inserts, grow lights and heat mats on which to set the plant trays. It’s wise to start the seeds in an organic growing medium like Espoma.”

Favorite herbs like parsley and basil and vegetable plants like Amaranth started indoors early, will grow like wildfire when transplanted and set outdoors on sunny spring days. Customers can find more information at AA Co. Farm Lawn & Garden (aalawnandgarden.com).

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Popping in at Homestead Gardens Severna Park, we found some seeds already displayed (as seen in the opening photo) but the store was still waiting for the bulk of them to arrive and be put out.

Homestead Perennial Supervisor Alice Milchling said it’s early yet. However, she expects the trend for sustainable gardening that’s been dominant for the past two years to continue. Supply chain issues and inflationary prices for produce of all kinds at the grocery store may create even more new gardeners. Spring garden products and events will shortly be posted on the store’s website at Severna Park Store – Homestead Gardens, Inc.

At Homestead Gardens Davidsonville, the staff was in catch-up mode with a great deal of inventory work and clearing out to do from their extensive exterior and interior holiday displays.

“We have a lot of work still to do and won’t be putting out our garden seed displays until February when it’s time to start the cold crops,” said Homestead gardening expert Dave Kemon.

He noted that the gardening department is happy to advise customers who want to start their seed indoors ahead of time. There is also a lot of information on the Homestead Gardens website about what customers will need, when to start which plants, etc.

Like last year, Kemon expects seeds for some plants to sell out quickly.

“It’s been that way for the last two years. With everything that’s going on in the world, people want to grow their own stuff.” he said. “Taking into consideration inflation and supply chain problems, we think we’ll sell even more seeds and supplies.”

Kemon added that both branches of Homestead Gardens carry a full spectrum of organic and regular seeds including well-known brands like Lake Valley and Renee’s Garden Seeds. Cold crop seeds for lettuces, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, and rhubarb, to name a few, can be started inside with a grow light or heat mat and seed-starting soil (a light-weight mixture that plant roots can penetrate through). Homestead also carries plant trays and peat pots.

For information on seeds, plants and spring events visit Homestead Gardens – Garden Supplies, Nursery, and Landscaping.

Starting a few favorite herbs, vegetables or flowers now (like the garlic chives pictured below) will delight gardeners come summer when they will see their efforts amply rewarded.

Throughout the world, many people begin the New Year with a walk, preferably in a natural setting. A stepson living in Kyoto, Japan hikes up a nearby mountain at sunrise on the first day of the year – a tradition that’s considered a way to leave the old year behind and begin anew.

Closer to home, Anne Arundel County residents can start the New Year off on the right foot with a “First Day Hike” on January 1st at one of 47 parks located in Anne Arundel County. Among the best known are 236-acre Downs Park off the Chesapeake Bay in Pasadena, 90-acre Ft. Smallwood Park at the confluence of the Patapsco River and Rock Creek, 288-acre Kinder Farm Park in Millersville and 340-acre Quiet Waters Park in Annapolis.

One of our favorite parks, from both a historic and natural resources conservation perspective, is Greenbury Point at the mouth of the Severn River in Annapolis which is managed by the U.S. Navy. Situated on a scenic 231-acre peninsula, the park has multiple points of interest with equal appeal for historians, hikers, nature lovers, birders, or dog walkers – so many things to see that a visitor hardly knows where to start.

Greenbury Point trails are currently open from 6 am to 6 pm but, if like me, New Year’s Day brunch precludes an early start, keep in mind that darkness falls early these days.

A fan of water views, I like to start off across a field opposite the Nature Center parking lot to Hooper’s High Road which leads to a marina that is closed to the public. However, an area of shoreline to the right of the marina provides an amazing view across the Upper Chesapeake Bay to the Bay Bridge.

Heading back up Hooper High Road, one comes to the building formerly known as Hooper High School. An outgrowth of the Naval Academy Primary School in the late 1940’s, Hooper High educated the teenaged children of Naval Academy faculty and staff. As Greenbury Point is an official training hub for the Naval Academy, older facilities no longer in operation, like Hooper High, were converted for use by military and DOD civilian personnel.

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If there’s time, visitors can explore Timberdoodle Trail to the right which meanders through wet woodlands or the equally woodsy Pipsissewa Trail to the left.

Back at the Nature Center (open only on Thursdays) there are other foot trails including the Poets Nature Trail and several picturesque birdhouses.

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For canines and their human companions, Greenbury Point is one immense dog park though dogs are required to be leashed as can be seen by the photo below.

For dog owners with limited time, there is also a fenced-in Dog Park by the Nature Center.

Visitors looking for a relaxing, refreshing, and inspiring New Year’s Day walk, however, will want to take in the Bobwhite Trail and adjoining Tower Access Roads where both parkland and water views are spectacular. Signs on the gate warn that, at various times, the land behind the gates is a Live Firing Range for Naval Academy Training Exercises.

The mix of scrub and swamp vegetation along the winding Bobwhite Trail is home to more than 165 species of birds with additional waterfowl along the shorelines. To name just a few, they include year-round species like the Canada Goose, Mallard, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Great Black-backed Gull as well as the Downy Woodpecker, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Eastern Bluebird and American Goldfinch.

Looming up in the distance are Greenbury Point’s iconic 800-foot-high radio towers. The first towers were erected during World War I but most thereafter. There were eventually nearly 40 towers, only three of which still exist. The rest, including one nearly a quarter mile high, were torn down in 1999. The huge antennas were used for radio transmissions to U.S. Navy ships and submarines world-wide with very low frequency transmissions for the nuclear submarine force as the primary mission for the antenna farm up to 1994.

Close to the towers looms the shoreline.

Continuing past the towers, as many as six or eight ships can often be seen in a long line on the Chesapeake Bay as they wait to move into the Baltimore harbor……….including this Grimaldi Lines freighter.

Walking on, one will soon be able to look across the water at the Annapolis skyline with its distinctive Capital dome.

Hikers can choose to continue following the Tower Access Road back to Bobwhite Trail or can shortcut across a connecting trail that’s sort of a switchback getting you more quickly to the gate from which you entered.

Along the way, there’s an opportunity to rest on a bench and contemplate what lies ahead for us in 2022. Let’s hope our First Day Hikes, wherever they take us, lead to better times in the New Year.

For information on the Greenbury Point Hiking Trail visit Greenbury Point Trail – Maryland | AllTrails. For birders, there is a great deal of information at Greenbury Point – Birders Guide to Maryland and DC (birdersguidemddc.org) .

AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler

From snowflakes on the windows and gift-wrapped packages on the walls to the elf perched on the coffee maker, the allure of warm java and honey dipped donuts remains a strong draw for young and old at the fixture that is Severna Park’s Donut Shack.

All of it was a delight to two-year-old Ezra who was enjoying a donut with his grandfather Larry Altman last Saturday. The scene was reminiscent of one Larry has seen repeated often over the years. Having known Donut Shack founders Bill and Stacey Prevezanos during their three-decade operation of the shop, Altmann is pleased with today’s ownership group, headed by Ali Matthews and Ben Hilliard. He believes they’re every bit as dedicated as the Prevezanos to maintaining the shop as a neighborhood mainstay – a place for locals to gather with friends or family or buy a box of donuts to take home for Sunday morning brunch.

“I love that Donut Shack is still here,” Altmann said. “It’s a sign of continuity in an area that’s rapidly changing from its small-town environment to an urban one. Lately, I see parents who came here for donuts as kids coming back with their own children. I wanted my grandson to have the same experience.”

He added how happy he and his friends are that the new owners have not changed Donut Shack but have kept the original counter, booths and character of the place. They’ve also continued the Prevezanos’ tradition of providing job opportunities for teens like Owen Dinsmore and his sister Kim who were at the counter on Saturday.

According to Kim, Saturday was a very busy day.

Looking back to the shop’s Grand Re-Opening on February 29th of last year, Ali Matthews recalled that, as owner/operator, she had a lot to learn. Thirteen days later, the learning curve grew even steeper when it was announced that, because of COVID-19, social distancing was going to be the new norm.

Despite the pandemic mandated closure of their counter and table areas, the shop continued operations and remained busy. There was still quite a demand for Donut Shack’s beloved donuts so they began taking and filling orders for coffee and donuts at a table by the front door and initiated an online business that was steady.

According to manager Paul Schiro who oversees online deliveries, the shop has seen a tremendous expansion of those services in the months since.

“We do deliveries weekly through Severna Park and Arnold,” Schiro said. “In addition, every week we go to a different section of the county or to the Eastern Shore. We try to hit every destination every five weeks. One week we’ll do Glen Burnie, Pasadena and Millersville. The next week we’ll hit Linthicum, Odenton and Severn. The third week we’ll do Crownsville and Crofton. The fourth week we’ll do Edgewater and Annapolis. Then we’ve needed to split up the Eastern Shore, where’s there’s tremendous demand, so we head for Stevensville and Graysonville and Chester the fifth week ad Queenstown and Centerville the sixth week. We kind of work it counter -clockwise.”

He added that Donut Shack makes doorstep deliveries. Depending on the weekend, they may have four or five different deliveries using drivers who are locals. Schiro does all the mapping on the weekends at night.

He notes that the delivery business came about solely as a response of the pandemic but remains so popular it’s become a regular service.

“We began deliveries in Severna Park and Arnold with an incredible response and decided to just keep going and continued expanding and expanding,” said Schiro.

There is no doubt that the popularity of Donut Shack donuts has spread by word of mouth. But social media sites like Facebook and Instagram have helped too. The shop also maintains an email list.

It’s great fun to visit the shop which is open daily from 6 am to 8 pm. Its original decor seems almost retro by today’s standards. For little ones, it’s reassuring to know that Donut Shack believes in Santa.

Ali Matthews recalls that the staff learned to make donuts directly from master donut-maker Bill Prevezanos. It took a bit of time to perfect them and recapture the original Donut Shack donut taste. Customers like Larry Altmann can attest to the fact that they’ve accomplished that goal.

For pick-up at the shop or delivery, customers may visit Hand Cut Donut Shop With Ceremony Coffee – Donut Shack (theshackisback.com).

Christmas Eve Services in-person at some local churches

For those who are still thinking of attending an in-person Christmas Eve worship service, they are being offered by many, but not all, Severna Park churches. All are requesting that worshipers wear masks. We’ll list several here.

Severna Park Evangelical Presbyterian Church – 6 pm service w/childcare for 4 yrs. and younger – 8 pm Candlelight Service

Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church – 4 pm Childrens Pageant – 7 pm Contemporary Service – 8 pm Traditional Christmas Eve Service with Choir and Orchestra – 10 pm Traditional Service with Communion

Severna Park United Methodist Church – 4 pm Family Service featuring Children’s Christmas Pageant – 9 pm Traditional Christmas Eve Service with choir, bells and brass quintet – 11 pm Traditional Service with choir.

Trinity Bible Church – 7 pm Christmas Eve Service

St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church – Christmas Eve Mass Schedule – 4 pm at church – 4::15 pm in auditorium – 6 pm at church – 8 pm at church – Midnight at church

Our Shepherd Lutheran Church – 3 pm- Traditional Christmas Eve Service with candlelight and communion – 4 pm Children’s Service with candlelight and communion – 5 pm Traditional Service with candlelight and communion – 6 pm Traditional Service with candlelight and communion – 7 pm Traditional Service with candlelight and communion

Severna Park Baptist Church – 5:30 pm Christmas Eve Candlelight Service – 7:30 pm Christmas Eve Candlelight Service

St. Martin’s-in-the-Field – 4 pm Christmas Eve Family Service – 8 pm Holy Eucharist Rite II

NOTE: The churches listed will also have livestreaming.