Southern Calvert Gazette -- October 14, 2010

Our Lady School in Danger of Closing

Nuclear Plant Expansion in Jeopardy

Where the Candidates Stand on Issues

Story Page 4 Story Page 5 Story Page 4

GazetteEverything Solomons, Lusby, Dowell, and St. Leonard

Southern Calvert

Photo by Sean Rice

October, 2010

Priceless

Page 12

Patuxent River Appreciation DaysSummit Focuses on Serious Side of PRAD

Thursday, October-20102

Thursday, October-2010 3

Bob Fleming, right, a volunteer with Calvert Marine Museum, sells raffle tickets to Kelly and Sergio Perez of Lusby during the Patuxent River Appreciation Days festival last weekend.

Solomons Island

Tide ReportSolomons Island

Tide ReportSolomons Island

Tide Report

Day High Tide Height Sunrise Moon Time % Moon /Low Time Feet Sunset Visibl

F 15 Low 3:50 AM 0.8 7:15 AM Set 12:12 AM 50 15 High 8:36 AM 1.3 6:28 PM Rise 2:43 PM 15 Low 2:39 PM 0.5 15 High 9:37 PM 1.7

Sa16 Low 4:39 AM 0.8 7:16 AM Set 1:12 AM 59 16 High 9:40 AM 1.3 6:27 PM Rise 3:13 PM 16 Low 3:49 PM 0.5 16 High 10:31 PM 1.7

Su 17 Low 5:21 AM 0.6 7:17 AM Set 2:10 AM 68 17 High 10:42 AM 1.4 6:25 PM Rise 3:40 PM 17 Low 4:54 PM 0.5 17 High 11:18 PM 1.6

Day High Tide Height Sunrise Moon Time % Moon /Low Time Feet Sunset Visibl

F 22 High 1:45 AM 1.4 7:22 AM Set 6:58 AM 98 22 Low 7:52 AM 0.3 6:19 PM Rise 5:48 PM 22 High 2:34 PM 1.8 22 Low 9:14 PM 0.6

Sa 23 High 2:21 AM 1.4 7:23 AM Set 7:59 AM 99 23 Low 8:20 AM 0.2 6:17 PM Rise 6:21 PM 23 High 3:09 PM 1.9 23 Low 10:01 PM 0.6

Su 24 High 2:59 AM 1.3 7:24 AM Set 9:01 AM 99 24 Low 8:51 AM 0.2 6:16 PM Rise 6:59 PM 24 High 3:43 PM 1.9 24 Low 10:48 PM 0.6

October 15 - 17 2010

October 22 - 24 2010

Also Inside

On The Cover

4 Local News

4-9 Candidate Interviews

10 Community

11 Letters

12 Cover Story

14 Locals

16 Sports

17 Obituaries

18 Business Directory

19 History

20 Out & About

21 On Water

23 Entertainmentsports

out & aboutFOR EVENTS HAPPENING IN YOUR AREA, CHECK PAGE 20 IN OUT AND ABOUT

local news

After losing in the primary election, incumbent Calvert County Commissioner Linda Kelley has launched a write-in campaign for the November General Election. SEE PAGE 9

This Mohawk sporting pooch was one of dozens of dogs that attended the second annual “That Doggone Tiki Bar Family Pet Day” on Sunday, an event benefiting the Patuxent Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) of Calvert County. SEE PAGE 10

A poker run this weekend will benefit Hunter, a 6-year-old Calvert County boy who has been struggling with brain cancer for more than two years. The event begins and ends at CJ’s Backroom Saloon. SEE PAGE 15

Single?

Backyard-Buddies.comCall 410-231-2668 or write [email protected] for more infoSign up for our Speed Dating Event Oct-23 Early registration discounts SIGN UP NOW


LOCALNEWS The Southern Calvert Gazette is continuing its coverage of candidates on the ballot in November’s General

Election in Southern Calvert County.This issue we are profiling the candidates seeking seats on the Calvert County Board of Commissioners, as well as the Calvert County Sheriff candidates, based with one-on-one interviews with each candidate.Readers can visit www.somd.com/election2010 to listen to the full 10-15 minute interview with each candidate.

Southern Calvert Gazette Election Coverage – Listen to Full Interviews

Facing declining enrollments and lagging finances at Our Lady Star of the Sea School in Solomons and St. John’s School in Hollywood, a merger consideration is on the

table that would join the two Catholic schools, according to meet-ing documents from both schools.

Susan Gibbs, spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Washing-ton, D.C., said that the decision to merge would be left up to the individual parishes.

“They need to figure out how to move forward,” Gibbs said, adding that other schools in the diocese have had similar discus-sions in recent years since the recession hit.

“Sometimes it works [to increase enrollment] and sometimes they choose not to go that route [to merge.]”

Documents from an Oct. 7 meeting at Our Lady Star of the Sea school state that enrollment at the school has dropped in the past five years from 200 students to 137 students for the 2010-2011 school year.

Education costs per pupil are $7,847, the documents state, while the tuition assistance available from the Catholic Archdio-cese is just $4,680, the documents show.

At Our Lady, documents show that last year the school ended with a $181,745 deficit and the administration expects a deficit of about $120,000 in spite of a teacher salary freeze and tuition increase.

“The deficit is greater than our parish reserves,” the docu-ments from Our Lady Star of the Sea state. “We will not be able to pay our bills without special fundraising or taking on additional loans.”

Volunteers, parents of students and alumni from Our Lady school immediately began rallying to organize fundraisers to en-sure the school stays open in Solomons Island.

Parishioners were told a total of $330,000 is needed to keep the school open, with half of that amount needed by Jan. 1 to en-sure the school can confidently reach the fundraising goal.

There was an announcement and flyers were handed out dur-ing Mass this part weekend to alert parishioners to the cause, and teachers stood by the road with signs to alert community mem-bers. A fundraising committee has already formed and is planning meetings.

With 77 years of history in Solomons Island, parents and alumni are confident that goal can be reached.

“Right now nothing’s really organized yet, but they were talk-ing about holding an auction, and my family will help with that,” said Mary Collins, owner of the Lusby Town Square shopping cen-ter. “We have a house in Key West that we are going to put up for a week if we’re allowed to have an auction.”

“It’s the oldest Catholic school around and it’s such a fixture on Solomons Island,” said Collins. “Of course me being an alumni, it means a whole lot to me.”

Collins has two children at the school now. All of her siblings attended the school also, and when they heard the news they were devastated.

“They can’t believe this, because it’s such a part of everyone,” she said.

Terri Yates has been involved with the school for 24 years, and had her five children go through there, with her youngest in eighth grade now. She also taught there for seven years.

“I think its such a service to the community and the parish,” she said. “I’ve seen how my kids have been education, and how great it’s been for the community … it’s a family, and I feel its part of my family.”

Yates said she will be helping out any way she can with fun-draising, an her daughter, Mary Yates is working on creating a Facebook page to bring in the social networking side of the effort.

“A school that’s been open for 77 years has quite an alumni base, and really $300,000 is not a daunting figure in this day and age of social networking,” she said.

Another parish meeting is scheduled on the issue for Oct. 27. By Sean Rice and Guy Leonard (SCG) [email protected]

Our Lady School in Danger of Closing

Owner of Kel-ly’s Nursery in Dunkirk,

Calvert County Com-missioner Candidate Kelly D. McConkey (D-District 3) is not com-fortable with the local economy.

He would like to see the local government en-courage small businesses by awarding county busi-nesses county contracts.

“There should be a preference so that they are creating jobs within our coun-ty and keeping money right here,” he said.

Furthermore, he would like to see the local farmers get together and provide produce to the local schools and for the county to get together and support one another by buying local.

“As a member of the Maryland farm bureau, I’ve been in agricultural business my whole life. I want to pro-tect the farmers. “

He agrees with the current plan to direct commercial growth into the town centers and industrial growth into

industrial areas. However, he would like to see the zon-ing more flexible. For example, he talked about how an indoor soccer complex is allowed in the town centers, but not in the light industrial.

“If we can allow the zoning to help the businesses out it’s going to make a huge difference. The soccer com-plex can’t afford to go into the town centers but they can afford to make it in the light industrial. It’s something that’s not costing the county anything.”

Such flexibility in zoning may also help fill up empty spaces in the light industrial complexes throughout the county, according to McConkey.

He agrees most county residents are not pleased with the current property tax structure, which he’s open to re-viewing. His main concern is less money coming from the state at the same time property values are going down.

“The problem we face is, if we change the tax struc-ture are we still going to have the same quality of life in Calvert County? I don’t mind paying what I’m paying because of the quality of life here.”

That being said, he would like to give senior citizens a tax relief after paying taxes their whole life.

The Thomas Johnson Bridge is a concern, but he points out construction of the bridge is a function of state government. He’s more interested in finding land for Park and Rides to help reduce commuter traffic. By Corrin M. Howe (SCG) [email protected]

McConkey: Zoning Needs to Help BusinessesProfile of Kelly D. McConkey (D) Candidate for Calvert County Commissioner

Phalen: Government is Supposed to Serve the PeopleProfile of William J. Phalen (D) Candidate for Calvert County Commissioner

Young, single, a new face, full of energy and

fresh ideas are the reasons Calvert County Commis-sioner candidate Kimberly Mackall (D-District 1) be-lieves voters should elect her this November.

“I’m committed to this county. I am a per-son who believes bringing people to the table to help solve problems. We are go-ing to solve these problems

together.”Mackall said it’s not going to be just county com-

missioners it’s going to be the community, and the stake-holders in the community, those people who are a part of the churches, the businesses the non-profits and civic organizations coming together to solve the problems.

The major issue facing the county over the next four years is the recent announcement that a third nuclear re-actor may not be built. She would like to see the county mount up an effort to diversify the county’s tax base and not rely on one large taxpayer or on property taxes.

“I think we need to look at how we are spending our money to ensure that we are looking at not only being fiscally responsible but looking at opportunities. I think tourism is something we really need to look at. Are we

focusing on that for every dollar we spend are we making $36 back?”

Besides tourism, she wants to talk to our senators about bringing some Department of Defense offices down to the county, putting component manufacturers into the Patuxent Business Park. The county should be marketing the business park to bio-sciences and green technology.

In order to make the county attractive to business, the Thomas Johnson Bridge needs to be improved. Right now, Mackall believes the backups are a deterrent to po-tential business worried about employees and parts not arriving on time.

Improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the bus routes within the county is also a need she’s hearing from local citizens. They are saying if they have to be at work by 10 a.m., they have to catch a bus by 7 a.m.

As far as property taxes, Mackall would like to look into incentives for entry-level professionals wanting to move into the county. She thinks the Town Centers are one way to attract nurses and schoolteachers currently commuting in from St. Mary’s, Waldorf and Anne Arun-del. She’d like to consider waiving impact fees for these young professionals as well.

“I just want us to follow it (the comprehensive plan) and get it implemented. When we do we will be able to retain the entry-level professionals. That’s a tax base for us. They will support the businesses.” By Corrin M. Howe (SCG) [email protected]

Mackall: We Will Solve These Problems TogetherProfile of Kimberly Mackall (D) Candidate for Calvert County Commissioner


LOCALNEWSThe Southern Calvert Gazette is continuing its coverage of candidates on the ballot in November’s General

Election in Southern Calvert County.This issue we are profiling the candidates seeking seats on the Calvert County Board of Commissioners, as well as the Calvert County Sheriff candidates, based with one-on-one interviews with each candidate.Readers can visit www.somd.com/election2010 to listen to the full 10-15 minute interview with each candidate.

Southern Calvert Gazette Election Coverage – Listen to Full Interviews

Constellation Energy, one of the two partners in a multi-billion dollar deal that would bring a third nuclear reactor to the region as well as much need-

ed jobs has pulled out of the application process for federal loan guarantees critical to the project.

The project, which is estimated to be nearly $10 billion in potential costs, has hinged on federal Department of Energy (DOE) loan guarantees to get financing in a down economy, but with Constellation Energy’s withdrawal from the loan pro-cess, the project appears to be in danger of falling through.

In a press release regarding its decision, Constellation En-ergy stated that the loan guarantee process was “unworkable.”

“The cost of the loan guarantee that is calculated by the Office of Management (OMB) and Budget is unreasonable burdensome and would create unacceptable risks and costs for our company,” the statement read. “There is a significant prob-lem in the way OMB calculates the credit cost.

“After repeated unsuccessful attempts to resolve this issue with DOE and OMB, we no longer see a timely path to reach-ing a workable set of terms and conditions.”

Electricite de France, (EDF) the world’s largest operator of nuclear power plants and partner with Constellation Energy in the UniStar venture, has not withdrawn from the process, which requires the partnership to pay for federal loan backing.

In a letter to the DOE, Constellation Energy stated it feared that the cost of the loan guarantees would be as high as $880 million.

“Such a sum would destroy the projects economics… and was dramatically out of line with both our own and indepen-dent assessments of what the figure should reasonably be,” wrote Michael J. Wallace, vice chairman and chief operating officer.

House Minority Leader Anthony O’Donnell (R-Dist. 29C) said that it was too soon to tell if the deal would fall through, but the outlook was not good.

“It’s absolutely devastating news,” O’Donnell said, casti-gating federal and regional elected officials for failing to help the deal through and asking high prices of Constellation.

“They were strong-arming them and it made it prohibi-tive,” O’Donnell said.

Officials with Gov. Martin O’Malley’s administration said that recent events were a major setback, but there is still hope that EDF would move ahead with the loan process.

Federal and state elected officials had been working on the deal for nearly two years, said O’Malley spokesman Shaun Adamec.

“That’s what made this so surprising and depressing,” Ad-amec said. “The governor personally lobbied the White House on this.”

The third nuclear reactor project has been touted to have helped solve some of Maryland’s energy problems and would have provided as many as 3,000 to 4,000 construction jobs in Southern Maryland.

Gerald Clark (R-Lusby), president of the Calvert County Board of Commissioners, said that there was still hope the re-gion could see the benefits of a third reactor but that was depen-dent on EDF’s next move.

“You never say never,” Clark said. “Calvert Cliffs is a prime place for additional nuclear power.”

But the current low prices in other fuel sources, includ-ing natural gas, probably factored into Constellation’s decision, Clark said.

“The numbers are just not right right now,” Clark said. “If the cost of your product is too high, who’s going to buy it?” By Guy Leonard (CT) [email protected]

Calvert Cliffs Expansion in Jeopardy

Born and raised in the county, incum-bent Commissioner

Wilson H. Parran (D-District 3) first ran for election because he wanted to manage growth. He believes the rural character is why so many people move to Calvert.

Since he began serving on the board, the government has preserved 26,000 acres of their goal of 40,000 acres, or 31 per-cent, of the county lands.

“So preserving the land-scape, preserving land in Calvert County is a major, major commitment for me. We are directing a lot of resi-dential growth into the town centers. We want that rural landscape look and not have those congested areas like in surrounding counties.”

Although the commissioners looked to reduce prop-erty taxes in 2008, Parran is glad they didn’t since the “bottom fell out of the economy” just a few months later. Alluding to the three-year assessment cycle decrease in property values, Parran said “Any adjustment now would be premature.”

Also on his mind when planning the budget is the state’s significant reduction in revenues given to the county. He explains the state gave Calvert County $6

million dollars in 2009 but only $250,000 for the current budget cycle.

“We’ve been hit twice. First in state revenue and then income taxes (declines).”

He feels the formula used for funding education for the last four to five years has been key to the Cal-vert County Public Schools success. He plans to continue with the formula, which puts the county in the top rank in terms of dollar amounts spent per child. “We are going above what the law requires.”

Besides education, local government funds infra-structure, defined by Parran as public safety, traffic, sew-ers and town centers. He is pleased during his tenure the Southern Connector was completed and significant prog-ress made on the Prince Frederick loop.

He chairs the Regional Infrastructure Advisory Committee with the Tri-County Council, which has placed the Thomas Johnson Bridge and bringing light rail to Waldorf at the top of Southern Maryland’s trans-portation priorities. He believes three counties going to the state brings more clout to the regional issues.

Like many of the other candidates, Parran agrees the county could be more business friendly. Currently, the county does have a small business development center to support small businesses, but he’d like to see incentives based upon certain criteria for businesses to fund expan-sions. He would also like to see the county attract “clean and green” businesses such as consultants and contrac-tors who support Patuxent River Naval Air Station. By Corrin M. Howe (SCG) [email protected]

Parran: Calvert Succeeding Despite Poor EconomyProfile of Wilson H. Parran (D) Candidate for Calvert County Commissioner

“The purpose of gov-ernment is to serve the people. When

government tries to close down a food pantry because of zoning, that’s not serv-ing the people,” said Calvert County Commissioner candi-date William J. “Bill” Phalen (D-District2).

This philosophical change has to come from the Board of Commissioners and be passed down from depart-

ment head to the employees working with the citizens of Calvert, according to Phalen, who said this attitude made him successful the 16 years he served on the Calvert Coun-ty Public School Board.

Phalen had many examples of how he believes the cur-rent board doesn’t serve the people well including not being business friendly to small businesses.

“I’m not satisfied with how business is treated. In to-day’s vernacular, we aren’t business friendly and haven’t been for a long time.”

As commissioner, he would like to dedicate some of the current staff in planning and zoning to facilitating the process of starting a new business. Ideally the way this would look, according to Phalen, is that a dressmaker who doesn’t know anything about opening a business can walk in and someone would explain the process from beginning

to end. The explanation would included a list of all the other government departments involved and a list of their expectations.

Just like the county gives tax incentives to big busi-ness like BGE, Phalen would like to see the county give tax incentives to small independent farmers who are will-ing to take the risk to grow something new and different in Calvert.

“There are very few independent small farmers, it’s not profitable. I believe there is another tobacco out there, it’s not called tobacco.”

A second concern for Phalen is transportation.“We are headed for grid lock sooner rather than later.

I’m concerned and I don’t believe the current commission-ers drive up the road between six and eight in the morning.”

The answer to traffic congestion on Route 4 is bus transportation. While the county doesn’t put the buses on the roads, the county can provide parking for commuters. Phalen suggested these things haven’t been a priority for the current board.

Crediting the school system’s success with looking ahead and planning accordingly, Phalen would like to see county government look ahead and plan for traffic, which includes helping the state get moving on the Thomas John-son Bridge.

As far as taxes are concern, he feels the current tax structure has served the county well. He doesn’t expect to see property taxes change in the next one to two years. Since “county government is dipping into its rainy day fund, now is not the time to change it (property taxes).” By Corrin M. Howe (SCG) [email protected]

Phalen: Government is Supposed to Serve the PeopleProfile of William J. Phalen (D) Candidate for Calvert County Commissioner


Incumbent Calvert County Commis-sioner Gerald “Jerry” Clark, (R-Dis-trict 1) is optimistic and pleased with

the overall condition of the county.“Calvert County is financially very strong,

we have not laid off, not furloughed, not cut any services and we have not raised any tax rates in Calvert County at any point in this whole fi-nancial crisis. So we’ve navigated very well and will continue to use the same formula and same methods used on a yearly basis going into the next term.”

The local government has not raised the property tax rate since the late 1980s “and has served us well” especially considering the val-ues of homes have kept themselves over the years even through the down turn in economy and housing crises, according to Clark.

While stating “anything is possible” as far as lowering the current property tax rate, Clark said the commissioners must determine if they can still bring in enough revenue to fund schools, public safety, roads and snow removal.

Stating the county’s property tax rate is in the bottom 20 percent of the other counties in the state, Clark believes the pinch of the tax bur-den is really coming from the state and federal government.

Even though he’s pleased with the strength of Calvert’s financial position, he recognizes the biggest challenge facing the Board of Commis-sioners is approaching the budget conservative-ly but finding efficiencies, cutting departments and without raising revenue.

He points out while he’s been commis-

sioner the county has i n c r e a s e d funding to public edu-cation, pub-lic safety and local road projects.

As far as the lo-cal econo-my, Clark said deficit spending by state and na-tional government does more to hurt local busi-nesses. He believes the county has a good track record working with local businesses.

“Business owners find ways to make it work. We just need to know what the rules are, what to expect, what the fixed costs are going to be. Let us loose and go out there and do our thing.”

Clark thinks the county government has done a good job over the years of preserving the rural character of the county. The percentage of growth has dropped to a manageable one to one and a half percent. The commissioners cut the density of residential lots as well as put over $1 million this past year into preserving land.

“We’re preserving more property than de-veloping and on our way to goal of 40,000 acres (preserved).” By Corrin M. Howe (SCG) [email protected]

Clark: Calvert County is Financially Very Strong

Profile of Gerald Clark, (R) Candidate for Calvert County Commissioner

He doesn’t claim to have all the an-swers, in fact, he’s more interested in listening to what the citizens of

Calvert County have to say about the challenges facing the Board of Commissioners over the next four years.

Pat Nutter (R-District 1) believes one of his greatest assets is the ability to listen to people and respect their opinions. If elected, he plans to be a fulltime commissioner and spend his time speak-ing to “concerned groups, gathering their input, suggestions and opinions.”

One concern raised to him a number of times by the same lady is the inflexibility in the assess-ment of impact fees. For example, how much does a parent who has lived in the county all her life impact the county infrastructure by moving in her adult child? Why should she pay $7,500 just to ex-pand the house by 900 square feet for a little bit of extra space in the home?

Another concern is the need for transporta-tion for after school programs. Nutter believes there is enough interest in attending programs and even enough volunteers to run the programs, but not enough buses to facilitate the children taking advantage of the activities. He’d like to hear some proposed solutions.

Nutter encourages people to buy local as much as possible, which keeps money and jobs

in the county. He’d like to see the county pro-vide tax breaks or incentives for the small lo-cal businesses to expand and employ some of the 67 percent of those cur-rently commut-ing out of the county.

Maintain-ing the rural heritage is im-portant to Nut-ter, he doesn’t want to see the county turn into a suburb. He likes the fact that he can travel anywhere in the county and still run into people he knows. But that doesn’t mean he’s opposed to growth.

He’d rather see slow and managed growth. He would also like to see the county maintain tourism and small local businesses as opposed to bringing in big box stores. By Corrin M. Howe (SCG) [email protected]

Nutter: I Want to Hear What The People SayProfile of Pat Nutter (R) Candidate for Calvert County Commissioner

Shaw: We Can Hold The Line Without New TaxesProfile of Susan Shaw (R) Candidate for Calvert County Commissioner

LOCAL NEWS

SAPHRON RESTAURANT at OLD FIELD HOUSE

One of Southern Maryland’s Favorite restaurants is back! Now called Saphron at the Old Field House, your hosts John and Charleen have moved to a fabulous new loca-tion in Old Prince Frederick, previously occupied by the Old Field Inn. Cozier than ever, Saphron will set a new standard for excellence in Southern Maryland fine dining. Come and see for yourself what the “buzz” is all about at the new and improved Saphron at the Old Field House!

For Reservations Please Call (443) 975-7560 or E-mail [email protected]

To view our menu and hours visit us on the web at www.SaphronRestaurant.com

ExCEllEnCE & SimPlE ElEganCE

“I’d like to see an old fashion processing plant. We used to have them here. So people who have cattle, goats, and sheep have a place to take them to be processed,” said incumbent Calvert County Commis-sioner Barbara Stinnett (D-Dis-trict 3).

These pro-cessing plants could lead to creating markets within the county for new types of agricultural business. Unless farmers and watermen are able to make money from their businesses they will be forced to sell their lands, Stinnett said.

Helping these kinds of businesses is in line with Stinnett’s desire to become less depend upon Constellation Energy Nuclear Group as the county’s largest taxpayer. Providing tax in-centives to smaller businesses and encouraging tourism are areas she’s thinking about during the next four years.

“Small businesses are the mortar for the foundation for the taxes and keeping a viable county. I don’t want to see huge businesses come in to wipe out our businesses just hanging on.”

The Thomas Johnson Bridge is critical not only to the economic health of the region but also to the safety of residents living in the southern end of the county. Noting how traffic is bottle-necked over a simple auto accident, Stinnett is concerned about the possible need to evacuate the county. She believes it is going to take federal money to see the bridge become a reality.

Expanding the Park and Rides is another key to improving the traffic and quality of life in the county.

“We will always have people going back and forth to other areas where the jobs are. I think that’s been since the 60s, 70s, and 80s. We don’t have the businesses.”

Stinnett has found her time as commission-er rewarding. She believes when she was elected she was “elected to a job of service.” As an “at large” commissioner she gets involved and helps anyone who calls her.

“It is mind blogging the way government seems to interfere with its own regulation and its own destiny. Sometimes people just need a little boost. That’s the greatest reward you can get.”

Should the state follow through on its threats to hand off funding teacher pensions to the county, this will be the number one chal-lenge facing the next Board of Commissioners because it will become a “tremendous burden” on local government and tax payers, according to Stinnett. By Corrin M. Howe (SCG) [email protected]

Stinnett: State Might Lay Huge Burden On CountyProfile of Barbara Stinnett (D) Candidate for Calvert County

Commissioner


sioner the county has i n c r e a s e d funding to public edu-cation, pub-lic safety and local road projects.

As far as the lo-cal econo-my, Clark said deficit spending by state and na-tional government does more to hurt local busi-nesses. He believes the county has a good track record working with local businesses.

“Business owners find ways to make it work. We just need to know what the rules are, what to expect, what the fixed costs are going to be. Let us loose and go out there and do our thing.”

Clark thinks the county government has done a good job over the years of preserving the rural character of the county. The percentage of growth has dropped to a manageable one to one and a half percent. The commissioners cut the density of residential lots as well as put over $1 million this past year into preserving land.

“We’re preserving more property than de-veloping and on our way to goal of 40,000 acres (preserved).” By Corrin M. Howe (SCG) [email protected]

Clark: Calvert County is Financially Very Strong

Profile of Gerald Clark, (R) Candidate for Calvert County Commissioner

in the county. He’d like to see the county pro-vide tax breaks or incentives for the small lo-cal businesses to expand and employ some of the 67 percent of those cur-rently commut-ing out of the county.

Maintain-ing the rural heritage is im-portant to Nut-ter, he doesn’t want to see the county turn into a suburb. He likes the fact that he can travel anywhere in the county and still run into people he knows. But that doesn’t mean he’s opposed to growth.

He’d rather see slow and managed growth. He would also like to see the county maintain tourism and small local businesses as opposed to bringing in big box stores. By Corrin M. Howe (SCG) [email protected]

Nutter: I Want to Hear What The People SayProfile of Pat Nutter (R) Candidate for Calvert County Commissioner

“A steady hand is n e e d e d

in these budgetary times. You really need someone who understands the budget inside and out. There is a steep learning curve. I did not think so at first, but I was wrong,” said incumbent Cal-vert County Com-missioner Susan Shaw (R-District 2)

Citing declin-ing property assessments and reductions in state funding coming to the counties, Shaw believes the county budget is the biggest challenge facing incoming commissioners over the next four years.

“It’s extremely important that we watch our spending and in fact we cut the budget 4.5 percent in this current year and will probably have to do something similar again. Anybody promising something that costs additional money is not being fiscally responsible.”

Shaw is concerned about the state govern-ment’s threat to pass the responsibility for fund-ing teacher pensions down to the counties. Such a move will increase local taxes by twelve cents on the dollar and bankrupt most of the Maryland counties.

“We have to hold the line. And we can. We can maintain the quality of life that we’ve become

accustomed to without raising taxes if the state does not pass the teacher pensions on to us.”

Watching the budget has meant deferring approximately $100 - $160 million in capital im-provement projects. When money is available again, Shaw has three priorities. First is the Solo-mons fire house, she states is a fire trap, next the Prince Frederick fire house because of mold and structural issues and finally the Lusby library which is inadequate for the current demand.

In the current economy, Shaw feels education is sufficiently funded using the same formula for the last four to five years which has ranked Calvert County among the top funded schools in the state. She is also pleased there are funds available to pur-chase recreational fields in Solomons. The obstacle has been finding land, which has proper soils and accessibility.

The economy has slowed down the Prince Frederick loop project, but hasn’t stopped it com-pletely. Residents should start seeing work begin soon on Armory Road. Other road projects sched-uled to begin include upgrading Boyd’s Turn and Dowell roads.

Shaw said there is no question about the county’s need to become more business friendly. One way she believes will help is to help local businesses get the word out about where they are located and what kind of product and service they provide.

“Signage is an issue. Everybody used to know where everybody was. That’s not the case anymore.” By Corrin M. Howe (SCG) [email protected]

Shaw: We Can Hold The Line Without New TaxesProfile of Susan Shaw (R) Candidate for Calvert County Commissioner

A lifelong resident of the county, Calvert County Commissioner candidate Steve Weems (R-Dis-

trict 2) is an advocate for residential growth.“The smart growth initiatives to place

development in the town centers is a great concept and I commend the former commis-sioners for that. What needs to be conveyed is the difference between the major and minor town centers.”

Stating growth is going to happen, Weems stands for common sense and being realistic in the county’s approach to growth.

“I would advocate for the residential growth. To encourage it. Maybe become a little lax with the transfer of development rights and facilitate the growth there in a bal-anced manner. They come here for the rural character and they would like for it to remain that way.”

Facing a flat tax base over the next four years will make setting the county budget the major challenge facing the new Board of Commissioners, according to Weems.

“Therefore we will have to cut spend-ing or raise taxes. I’m in the camp of cutting spending – two to five percent cumulative. We have to stay the course and combat the financial shortcomings on the horizon.”

This is the case especially since the state is facing a $2 billion deficit. The county can’t rely on state money to help balance the budget.

Weems is one of several small business owners running for a commissioner’s seat. As a local business owner he “is not comfortable

with the environ-ment in which small business owners have to deal with lo-cal government.”

He was encour-aged to hear from the Calvert County Chamber of Com-merce that there is a new facilitator as-signed to help busi-nesses move from point A to point B.

“From a development perspective it shouldn’t become an ordeal. The regulations need to be backed off and sped up frankly. A lot of people get frustrated and basically give up and that shouldn’t be the case. This is a capitalist society at the end of the day and these people should be encouraged.”

Weems would like to avoid future con-troversies with the local teachers over con-tracted salaries and cost of living allowances.

“I would like to emulate St. Mary’s County who did not have this contract dis-pute. I would like to see contingencies for the next fiscal year – a compromise since morale is low among the teachers.”

While the improvement to the Thomas Johnson Bridge is really a matter for the state and federal governments, Weems would like the county to take advantage of the informa-tion age by sending alerts to phones and email regarding traffic issues and alternative routes. By Corrin M. Howe (SCG) [email protected]

Weems: Cut Spending Instead of Raising TaxesProfile of Steve Weems (R) Candidate for Calvert County Commissioner

LOCAL NEWS


ASSISTED LIVING located in St. Mary’s County

We Offer A New Approach to Alzheimer’s & Dementia

Taylor Farm provides a beautiful place for our residents to live.

FINALLY!A one of a kind full care Assisted Living Facility. Come see why The Village at Taylor Farm is the fastest growing Assisted Living in Southern Maryland.

All Private Rooms. Best Caregiver To Resident ratio. Visiting Doctor. Non-Institutional. Freedom in a peaceful country setting...

of aNursing Home Alternative

A nicer place for less money.

Call today and enjoy the peace of mind The Village o�ers.301-769-3702 or visit us on the web at [email protected]

“This incoming group of commission-ers may be the first ones run out of town in four years on rails with tar

and chicken feathers. Because it is going to be hard and it’s going to be tough. That’s just the economic reality,” said Calvert County Com-missioner Candidate V. Charles Donnelly (I-District 1).

Reducing the size of government without sacrificing public education or public safety is the four year challenge for the next Board of Com-missioners. Donnelly says it means taking a hard look at government to reduce costs, cut waste and maybe even transfer some functions of govern-ment to the private sector.

For example, St. Mary’s and Anne Arundel counties have turned permitting and inspections over to a private business. This eliminates ap-proximately $300,000 from the county budget. The service is better and it creates jobs in the com-munity, which generate real property and income taxes.

Diversifying the government and creating an aggressive economic development department to attract clean businesses to the area will also re-duce the county’s dependence upon real property taxes, about 65 percent of the revenue making up the 2011 budget.

Donnelly finds it troublesome from his ob-servation that people are voting with their feet and leaving the county. He feels a disproportionate number of lower income and African American groups are adversely affected by the current real property tax structure.

There is something philosophically wrong

when a person works hard, raises kids, pays taxes and is suddenly in position where they have lesser income but rising real property and is forced to sell off wa-terfront or farm prop-erty, according to Don-nelly. Even more dis-concerting is they are moving to St. Mary’s County because they don’t want to leave the area.

He’d like to see a tax exemption made for citizens reaching a certain age and having lived in the county 20 or more years.

Commissioners ought to set the tone for painful budget cuts by rolling back their salaries 20 percent. The $50,000 isn’t much but at least they would be leading by example says Donnelly.

“This may sound funny coming from a law-yer, but this is the most litigious group of politi-cians I’ve ever encountered. They’ll fight you over anything. It doesn’t seem to bother them that they have to hire a Baltimore law firm to do it and spend $1.25 million dollars in legal fees, rather than resolve the issues they want to battle with the Tiki Bar.”

He wonders how the commissioners can sit down to a meal paid for by taxpayers every Tues-day after they effectively closed down Chesapeake Church’s food pantry over road access which the state highway department has no problem with. By Corrin M. Howe (SCG) [email protected]

Donnelly: Commissioners Should Take Pay CutProfile of V. Charles Donnelly (I) Candidate for Calvert County Commissioner

Ca l v e r t C o u n t y C o m -

missioner candidate Evan Sloughenhoupt (R-District 3) has four ideas to improve the business climate by getting government out of the way.

First, he would like to implement an ethics code.

“If you improve transparency people will get a fair deal when working with the government. You hear com-plaining about the good ole’ boy network or some-one got a job or a contract. These are symptoms.”

Next he would like a top down review of all the planning and zoning ordinances looking for “unintended consequences. There have been people hurt actually losing homes because of en-forcement of some of the zoning activities and that’s unconscionable. We need to review that and fix that.”

Most critical, he would like to introduce some management tools, which allow for efficien-cies in government.

“When you have greater efficiencies you can afford to have a smaller government, a less expensive government and also you have deci-sions based on metrics and you can hold people

implementing activities more accountable.”His final idea is to reduce taxes. He believes

they are too high in relation to “Anne Arundel, Montgomery and five other counties. Lower the tax rate and you actually encourage people to spend more.”

As commissioner he will strive to strike the right balance between preserving the way of life for agriculture and watermen and residential growth. It also means protecting natural resources such as the Chesapeake Bay and rivers.

He would like to see the government create a set of blue prints of what the county will look like at build out, which is only about 6,000 homes away. Projecting how many deputies are neces-sary at build out and knowing how many the Sher-iff’s department employees there are now will help the county plan and budget appropriately.

The county should hold the state account-able for improving the traffic safety and flow within the county. Slaughenhoupt believes the state needs to close down more dangerous high-way crossovers and create more right turn only onto Route 4, along with creating sufficient accel-eration and deceleration lanes and legal U-turns.

By voting for him, Slaughenhoupt believes citizens will receive a new face, new ideas and a different approach for managing government. He plans to hold county employees accountable to a metric based formula and insist they come to the board with relevant data to justify decisions. By Corrin M. Howe (SCG) [email protected]

Sloughenhoupt: Improve Business by Getting Government Out of the Way

Profile of Evan Sloughenhoupt (R) Candidate for Calvert County Commissioner

LOCAL NEWS

Evans: Police Work is in My BloodProfile of Mike Evans (R) Candidate for Calvert County Sheriff


Calvert County Sher-iff candidate Don Brenneman (D)

would like to bring the sheriff’s department into the 21st century.

“Right now the crime rate is one of the highest I’ve seen in the past eight years. Crime has been on the decline nation-wide over 5.3 (percent). Property crimes (down) 4.6 percent. And this county here reported an 18 percent increase in crime last year. Charles County reported a decline. Prince George’s re-

ported a decline.”The way he plans to reduce crime is to put additional

deputies on the road and create an intelligence division to listen to the community and understand their needs.

Brenneman said Calvert County is unique in its law

enforcement needs because of the wide range of socio-eco-nomic cultures living within it. The north and south ends of the county are transient residents moving into the county for a few years at a time because of their jobs in Washing-ton, D.C. or Patuxent River Naval Air Station. Watermen live in Solomons, North Beach and Chesapeake Beach. And teachers and other professional live throughout.

Officers who understand their areas know how to patrol them, he said. For example, the northern end of the county is made up mostly of commuters who are gone for long periods during the day, making their residents more at-tractive for break-ins. Another part of the part of the county with restaurants and bars generates more calls during the weekend nights. Areas heavy with shopping outlets report an increase in vehicle break-ins during the holiday season.

Gathering intelligence is something Brenneman has done for 38 years. Even as he’s been campaigning he’s gath-ering intelligence.

“Knowing a problem before it becomes a problem. Don’t ignore it. Document it and understand it. Sit down

and listen to them. Even as I’m door knocking I’m listening. I was in the southern end of the county and hear about drag racing, people working on their cars all night long. They’ll tell you a lot. Then react on those situations.”

One neighborhood he visited he learned of break-ins. Since the community was off the beaten path, he quickly surmised there was a “walker,” meaning it was someone in the area committing the crimes. By the time he visited the last house, he was confident he knew where the suspect lived.

Brenneman feels the county funds the sheriff’s office very well. He believes the budget could be managed better, possibly even reduced. At the minimum he doesn’t believe he’ll come in over budget as he suggests the current sheriff has done.

Citing this year’s email scandal, high-speed calls which resulted in the death of a teenager and fighting over uniforms, Brenneman said he’d like to restore profession-alism back to the department. By Corrin M. Howe (SCG) [email protected]

Brenneman: Let’s Bring the Sheriff’s Office Into the 21st CenturyProfile of Don Brenneman (D) Candidate for Calvert County Sheriff

Donnelly: Commissioners Should Take Pay CutProfile of V. Charles Donnelly (I) Candidate for Calvert County Commissioner

LOCAL NEWS

“The chal-lenge is the deployment

of resources when you don’t get additional re-sources,” said incum-bent Calvert County Sheriff Mike Evans.

Although he did receive funding for three additional depu-ties last fiscal year, those officers are cur-rently in the police academy. The year

before last he did not receive additional fund-ing from the county and his request for federal stimulus money was denied.

In the meantime, he’s moved three deputies off road patrol into narcotics, school and domes-tic violence units. In order to maintain proper coverage throughout the county, the sheriff’s department has gone to 12-hour shifts and di-vided up the county so there is some overlap-ping coverage. For example, if an officer in the north is taking a suspect to jail, the officer in the neighboring precinct knows to cover that area.

Evans is disappointed that the Calvert County Board of Commissioners didn’t keep up with their commitment to provide funding for additional deputies each year. Currently the sheriff’s department has 1.6 deputies for every 1,000 citizen, which is among the lowest ratios in the state, which averages 2.7 throughout the

counties. However, installing computers in all the

patrol vehicles by the end of the calendar year will help keep deputies out on the road instead of coming into the office to complete paper-work. Providing digital cameras to officers in the field will help document domestic violence without having to call additional resources to the scene.

“Is it (the Sheriff’s department) funded ap-propriately? I guess. I would like to have more. I think anybody in command – anybody in the country would say ‘I can do better with more staff.’ And I think we can. Are the commission-ers doing their part? Yes. Do I think they can do more in the future? Yes. And I hoping they will regardless of who is commissioner next year.

His philosophy on law enforcement is to treat everyone they way you want to be treated.

“Call someone back whether you solved their case or not. ‘I worked on your case, we found this ___ but we were unable to find ____, your case will be suspended.’ Keep in touch with the people. They don’t expect you to solve every crime but they want to be notified and that’s important.”

Evans has served in Calvert County for over 30 years. His children are here and serving in law enforcement. His grandchildren are here. He’s visible and accessible. Anyone who wants to talk to him just has to call, email or text him. If he’s in the office and a citizen drops by, he wants to be available to hear their concerns. By Corrin M. Howe (SCG) [email protected]

Evans: Police Work is in My BloodProfile of Mike Evans (R) Candidate for Calvert County Sheriff

Four-term Calvert County Commissioner Linda Kelley has launched a write-in campaign in the Nov. 2 election in an effort to keep her position.

“The idea was brought to me by supporters, who printed out the direc-tions on how it works and even brought it to my home,” Kelley says. “After giving it some consideration, I figured – why not?”

“I only lost the primary by 119 votes – less than one half of one percent,” Kelley says.

Kelley said state laws covering write-in candidates say that the name does not have to be spelled correctly but that there must be “intent” for write-in candidates. For instance, if someone simply writes in, “Linda” or “Kelly”, she should get credit for the votes, although final determination of vote validity will be made by the Board of Elections.

A second write-in candidate for Calvert County Commissioner is Libertarian Rich Falcone of Chesapeake Beach.

Kelley says there will be instructions on at polling places on Nov. 2 on how voters should write in a candidate.

“These votes are processed through voting machines, so all you have to do is touch the screen where it says ‘write-in’ and a keypad will pop up and you simply type in the name,” she said.

Linda Kelley, 67, of Owings, said she has been the target of nu-merous politically-motivated attacks on her character, and she believes this was a factor in her loss in the primary.

Commissioner candidate Cur-tis Litten, who also did not make it through the primary, is currently on probation on charges related to in-cidents against Kelley and Gerald Clark (R) which included mailing parts of a dead buzzard and putting trash and roofing nails in Kelley’s driveway. By Diane Burr (CC) [email protected]

After Losing Primary, Kelley Launches Write-In Campaign

Readers can visit www.somd.com/election2010/ to listen to the full 10-20 minute interviews with each candidate.

Southern Md Publishng Election Coverage Listen to Full Interviews


What others promise, we deliver.

St. Mary’s Hospital

EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT

Annmarie Garden in Solomons will host the SPOOKtackular Hal-loween in the Garden on Saturday, Oct. 23, from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m.

More than 65 community organizations and local businesses will don their costumes; decorate their space and hand out goodies, candy and treats down the wooded pathway - free of any vehicles - at Annmarie Garden, to children of all ages. Free ooky, spooky family fun and art activities, as well as devilishly delicious treats will be available.

The event benefits the Holiday Food Basket Program, with a $1 donation from each visitor contributing directly to the Holiday Food Basket Program.

Annmarie Garden and their staff contribute to this wonderful commu-nity day, giving of their time and talents.

Parking is FREE and will be located in the field adjacent to the garden—follow signs. No pets are allowed at this event and for your convenience the trick-or-treating path is hand-icap accessible.

Halloween in the Garden is proudly spon-sored by these area businesses: Personal-ized Therapy, Solo-mons Daycare Center, Dominion Cove Point LNG, The Campaign to Re-Elect Sheriff Mike Evans, The JumpYard, and Jan Kleponis/O’Brien Realty.

Halloween in The Garden

The Calvert County Chamber of Com-merce will hold its Annual Meeting and Awards Dinner on Wednesday, Oc-

tober 20, at the Holiday Inn Solomons Conference Center & Marina.

One of the Chamber’s most important func-tions, the Annual Meeting & Awards Dinner is an occasion when the Chamber can give public trib-ute to an individual for his or her contributions toward improving the quality of life in Calvert. It is also a venue where the Chamber can recog-

nize businesses for their excellence with awards such as Small Business of the Year, New Business of the Year, Home-Based Business of the Year, Chamber Member of the Year and Chamber Am-bassador of the Year. Sponsors for this year’s An-nual Meeting & Awards Dinner are: College of Southern Maryland, Constellation Energy Group; Dominion; Fantasy World Entertainment; Holiday Inn Solomons Conference Center & Marina ; PNC Bank; Show Place Arena and SMECO.

The Chamber will honor Gerald Donovan of the Rod ‘N’ Reel Restaurant with the distin-guished John C. Smith Public Service Award for the countless contributions Donovan has made to Calvert County.

Comedian Taylor Mason will provide the en-tertainment for the evening. A Second City The-ater alumni as a writer and performer, Taylor has headlined at every major comedy club in the coun-try. With the ability and experience to customize his performance while writing topical and client-centered comedy material, his performance can cross over into any given situation.

The Annual Meeting and Awards Dinner will begin at 6 p.m. Cost for the event is $48 for Cham-ber members and $65 for non-members.

For more information on the Calvert County Chamber of Commerce, call (410) 535-2577 or e-mail [email protected].

Business Awards to Be Handed Out at Annual Chamber Dinner

David Nickey, of Lusby, with Skipper the dog dressed as Elvis, and his granddaughter, Jackie Wakefield, who enjoyed “That Dog-gone Tiki Bar Family Pet Day” on Sunday. The event benefited the Patuxent Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) of Calvert County. The Tiki Bar was decked out in pet friendly décor for the event, which featured free food, music, raffles and pet competitions.

Photo by Sean Rice


Publisher Thomas McKayAssociate Publisher Eric McKayEditor Sean RiceOffice Manager Tobie PulliamGraphic Artist Angie StalcupAdvertising [email protected] [email protected] 301-373-4125Staff WritersGuy Leonard Government CorrespondentSarah Miller Community CorrespondentChris Stevens Sports Correspondent

Contributing WritersJoyce BakiCorrin HoweKeith McGuire

Southern Calvert Gazette is a bi-weekly newspaper providing news and information for the residents of Southern Calvert County. The Southern Calvert Gazette will be available on newsstands every other Thursday of the month. The paper is published by Southern Maryland Publishing Company, which is responsible for the form, content, and policies of the newspaper. Southern Calvert Gazette does not espouse any political belief or endorse any product or service in its news coverage. Articles and letters submitted for publication must be signed and may be edited for length or content. South-ern Calvert Gazette is not responsible for any claims made by its advertisers.

Southern Calvert GazetteP. O. Box 250 . Hollywood, MD 20636

Send to: P.O. Box 250 • Hollywood, MD 20636Make sure you include your name, phone # and the city you live in.

We will not publish your phone #, only your name and city

Send us a letter telling us what’s on your mind!E-mail letters to: [email protected]

Annmarie Garden in Solomons will host the SPOOKtackular Hal-loween in the Garden on Saturday, Oct. 23, from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m.

More than 65 community organizations and local businesses will don their costumes; decorate their space and hand out goodies, candy and treats down the wooded pathway - free of any vehicles - at Annmarie Garden, to children of all ages. Free ooky, spooky family fun and art activities, as well as devilishly delicious treats will be available.

The event benefits the Holiday Food Basket Program, with a $1 donation from each visitor contributing directly to the Holiday Food Basket Program.

Annmarie Garden and their staff contribute to this wonderful commu-nity day, giving of their time and talents.

Parking is FREE and will be located in the field adjacent to the garden—follow signs. No pets are allowed at this event and for your convenience the trick-or-treating path is hand-icap accessible.

Halloween in the Garden is proudly spon-sored by these area businesses: Personal-ized Therapy, Solo-mons Daycare Center, Dominion Cove Point LNG, The Campaign to Re-Elect Sheriff Mike Evans, The JumpYard, and Jan Kleponis/O’Brien Realty.

Halloween in The Garden

L

ETTERSto the Editor

The day to cast our ballots and choose those who will serve is almost upon us.

Of all the candidates for Board of Coun-ty Commissioners (BOCC) I firmly believe the best choice is Susan Shaw.

Over the past three years, through her work on behalf of military families and veterans in Southern Maryland, I’ve come to know and respect Susan as a genuine, very smart, hard working woman who has a sincere interest in all Calvert County resi-dents. Susan Shaw has an admirable record of achievements as a County Commissioner including insisting upon and achieving a bal-anced budget, reining in residential growth and working as a clear communicating, ef-fective member of our BOCC.

She also possesses personal qualities that we look for in both a leader and a team player. Susan is resilient. She has experi-enced tragic loss and bounced back. She is compassionate. Many a child has found love, support and a strong advocate in Susan Shaw. She is a parent who has raised two very fine children.

With a master’s degree in social work, Susan is very well trained to deal effectively with the wide range of people and personali-ties making up our county government. She is deeply involved in our community in wide

range of activities from high school Junior ROTC, Friends of the Calvert Public Library, the local NAACP, the Calvert Farm Bureau, Calvert Hospice, the Calvert Animal Welfare League, the American Legion Auxiliary, the American Chestnut Land Trust, the Calvert Marine Museum, the Chesapeake Railway Museum, Calvert Alliance against Sub-stance Abuse, and the Traffic Safety Council to Ann Marie Gardens and Sculpture Park, Jefferson Patterson Park and the new aquatic center.

Susan is industrious and does her homework. She can, and has, explained the intricacies of Calvert Counties coveted AAA bond rating and how we maintain it; she knows which of our county departments are effective, which need improvement and why. Susan is a great listener and a very fair minded person who genuinely cares about others far more than herself. She is humble.

We are all fortunate to have Susan Shaw as a public servant but she will need each of our votes to stay in office. Please join me in voting for Susan. You will be very glad you did.

Dr. Al Brewster, Lt. Col. USAF (ret)St. Leonard

I’m Choosing Susan Shaw

The Board, staff, and volunteers of the Care Net Pregnancy Center of Southern Maryland would like to thank everyone who made our 2nd Annual Jail & Bail “fun-raiser” a success!

St. Mary’s Sheriff Tim Cameron, the event’s co-host, asked Billy and Joyce Cusic and Carl and Patty Morrison to round up the following 25 “criminals” who were charged with “lack of bail”:

John AlbersRev Timothy Baer (Our Lady of the Wayside Church)Trish Billings (O’Brien Realty, Solomons)John Bohanan (Maryland State Delegate)Jerry Bohle (Heritage Printing and Graphics)Karen Brooks (Century 21 New Millennium)Rev Edd Cathey (Grace and Peace Presbyterian Church)Jim Curry (CNPCSM Board of Directors)Rev John Dakes (St. Aloysius Church)Ed DePiazzaKevin Fry (Kings Christian Academy)Rev Doug Hays (Lexington Park United Methodist Church)Rev Dave Kelly (Calvary Bible Church)Geri L’Heureux (Bowhead Support)Tommy McKay (McKay’s Fine Foods)Sherry Newcomber (Market America)Tony O’Donnell (Maryland State Delegate)Kim Oliver (Amelex)Dawn Rich (Amelex)Bob SchallerArt ShepherdCurtis Shreve (Bear Creek BBQ)Dane Swanson (CNPCSM Advisory Board)John Winters (Winters Heating and Cooling)Stephanie Witte (Chick-fil-A)Special thanks also to Sunshines Catering (thanks Patrick and Cindy!), every-

one who posted bail, the St. Mary’s County Historical Society, Skip Jones, John Papier, Rick Tancreto, and all of the volunteers who made the event possible!

Cheryl Keen, Executive DirectorCare Net Pregnancy Center of Southern Maryland

Thanks For Making Second ‘Jail and Bail’ a Success

The following letter to the editor is strictly my own opinion and in no way re-flects that of any other individuals.

I have known State Senator Roy Dy-son in several capacities. I first met him when he was a United States Congress-man and I was a social studies teacher at Leonard Hall Junior Naval Academy. I took my eighth graders to visit his capitol office each year.

My students were overjoyed as they huddled around his desk and had their pictures taken with him on the capitol steps. Roy loved the students.

When Roy became a state sena-tor, my students visited his office in Annapolis.

Significantly, he cosponsored the bill that established the Maryland Pub-lic Charter School Program. St. Mary’s County’s Chesapeake Public Charter School (CPCS), the first in Southern Maryland, resulted from this law.

This public school currently serves grades kindergarten through eighth grade in a unique program of study. It has a long waiting list and students are chosen by lottery. For more information go to http://schools.smcps.org/cpcs/.

Senator Dyson has excellent con-stituent services. I have sent my family, friends, and the public in general to him when they have concerns. He is every-thing a person’s representative should be.

When my mother in law was in a long-term care facility, an issue arose that could have affected her safety. Senator Dyson was able to obtain a ruling from the state Attorney General that clarified the level of care to which she was entitled.

Thank you Roy for the efforts you put forth for all of us!

Marilyn CrosbyLexington Park

Dyson is the Best Choice


On The

CoverThe fifth annual State of the River Summit was held this weekend to remind people that

there is a serious side to the Patuxent River Appreciation Days (PRAD). “We have lost our way with PRAD,” said Sherrod Sturrock, the deputy director of

the Calvert Marine Museum. The aim of the summit is to bring the community up to speed on the state of the Patuxent River and other bodies of water in the area. While much of the PRAD celebra-tions involve entertaining events, like live music and a parade, the celebration began with the sum-mit on Friday and the serious side of PRAD.

To know why it is necessary to take action to fix the Patuxent River and the Chesapeake Bay area, it is important to understand some of the history behind the pollution of the river. The speakers at the summit covered topics ranging from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s (CBF) lawsuit against the EPA and the state of the river in general to the history of the river and the roles of the citizens in keeping the river clean.

The summit included guest speakers Senator Bernie Fowler, William Baker, the president of the Chesapeke Bay Foundation, Carin Bisland, the associate director for ecosystem management, Ann Pesiri Swanson, the executive director of the Chesapeake Bay Commission policy for the bay, Robert Summers, the deputy secretary of the for the Maryland Department of the Environment, and Greg Bowen, the director for Calvert County Planning and Zoning.

The CBF lawsuit against the EPA stems from the EPA’s failure to uphold the terms of the Chesapeake 2000 Agreement. According to Baker, the EPA set specific reduction goals which they didn’t meet by any stretch of the imagination.

“They missed that goal, not by an inch but by a mile,” Baker said.

The EPA admitted that they had not drafted a plan and would not meet the agreement by the deadline. In May, the EPA agreed to settle the lawsuit out of court. The result of the settlement, Baker said, was the EPA now has a list of goals they are bound by law to meet.

The new goals involve reducing nitrogen emissions in the atmosphere, conducting permit re-views to bring places that are not already in compliance with EPA regulations up to code and exam-ining the toxins in the river and coming up with and implementing action plans to take care of them. The EPA has already begun realizing come of those goals.

“This is truly a moment in time,” Baker said. One of the things the EPA has done it to determine the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL)

for the river and bay. The TMDL is the maximum amount of elements like sediment and nitrogen the river can handle before getting knocked out of balance.

“The bay is starting to show systemic signs of improvement,” Baker said. Signs of the improve-ment the Patuxent River is making include an increased number of Blue Crabs, oysters that have a stronger resistance to parasites, more under-water grasses and the dead zones are not as bad as they should have been according to projections before the effort to clean up the river.

Though there are signs of improvement, Baker said the Patuxent River and the Chesapeake Bay area remain systems that are dangerously out of balance and the progress could easily go back-wards if people are not careful.

Swanson touched on elements of Baker’s presentation, saying that nature could accommodate an incredible amount of pollution, but it could not absorb everything.

Swanson’s presentation was what she called a “reality check,” and she gave some history be-

hind the effort to improve the quality of the Patuxent River and the Chesapeake Bay area.She said the first agreement to study the river and clean it up dates back to the 1970s and Sena-

tor Charles “Mac” Mathias who saw that the watermen were getting less catch and decided some-thing should be done. He triggered the first Chesapeake Watershed study, Swanson said.

Before that study, there had never been a one to that scale and there had never been recom-mendations for action, she said.

“There was a galvanizing force happening,” Swanson said. It was at this time that the first Chesapeake Bay Agreement was signed, which would become the groundwork for later pacts and actions on behalf of the Patuxent River than the Chesapeake Bay.

“We couldn’t be where we are if we hadn’t laid down all those things,” Swanson said. Bowen said the real problems for the water system came in the 1950s, when the economy in the

St. Mary’s area became more industrialized and urban. Because of the residential sprawl, much of the forested areas were cleared and the nutrients and chemicals were allowed to wash into the river.

The “tipping point” came in the 1960s, when there were sewage treatment plants “popping up” everywhere because of government funding, Bowen said.

He said there were three additional things that contributed to the current state of the watershed – septic systems, low-density housing and cropland. The septic systems are an issue because the nitrogen can leach out and into the ground. The low-density housing makes for larger lawns and, as a result, more fertilizers that can be spread.

After the speakers’ individual presentations, the floor was opened to the audience for a question and answer session.

Annual State of the River Summit is PRAD’s Serious Side

Former Maryland State Senator Bernie Fowler, left, marched with the American Legion during the annual PRAD parade.

Photo by Sean Rice


On The Cover

The EPA admitted that they had not drafted a plan and would not meet the agreement by the deadline. In May, the EPA agreed to settle the lawsuit out of court. The result of the settlement, Baker said, was the EPA now has a list of goals they are bound by law to meet.

The new goals involve reducing nitrogen emissions in the atmosphere, conducting permit re-views to bring places that are not already in compliance with EPA regulations up to code and exam-ining the toxins in the river and coming up with and implementing action plans to take care of them. The EPA has already begun realizing come of those goals.

“This is truly a moment in time,” Baker said. One of the things the EPA has done it to determine the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL)

for the river and bay. The TMDL is the maximum amount of elements like sediment and nitrogen the river can handle before getting knocked out of balance.

“The bay is starting to show systemic signs of improvement,” Baker said. Signs of the improve-ment the Patuxent River is making include an increased number of Blue Crabs, oysters that have a stronger resistance to parasites, more under-water grasses and the dead zones are not as bad as they should have been according to projections before the effort to clean up the river.

Though there are signs of improvement, Baker said the Patuxent River and the Chesapeake Bay area remain systems that are dangerously out of balance and the progress could easily go back-wards if people are not careful.

Swanson touched on elements of Baker’s presentation, saying that nature could accommodate an incredible amount of pollution, but it could not absorb everything.

Swanson’s presentation was what she called a “reality check,” and she gave some history be-

hind the effort to improve the quality of the Patuxent River and the Chesapeake Bay area.She said the first agreement to study the river and clean it up dates back to the 1970s and Sena-

tor Charles “Mac” Mathias who saw that the watermen were getting less catch and decided some-thing should be done. He triggered the first Chesapeake Watershed study, Swanson said.

Before that study, there had never been a one to that scale and there had never been recom-mendations for action, she said.

“There was a galvanizing force happening,” Swanson said. It was at this time that the first Chesapeake Bay Agreement was signed, which would become the groundwork for later pacts and actions on behalf of the Patuxent River than the Chesapeake Bay.

“We couldn’t be where we are if we hadn’t laid down all those things,” Swanson said. Bowen said the real problems for the water system came in the 1950s, when the economy in the

St. Mary’s area became more industrialized and urban. Because of the residential sprawl, much of the forested areas were cleared and the nutrients and chemicals were allowed to wash into the river.

The “tipping point” came in the 1960s, when there were sewage treatment plants “popping up” everywhere because of government funding, Bowen said.

He said there were three additional things that contributed to the current state of the watershed – septic systems, low-density housing and cropland. The septic systems are an issue because the nitrogen can leach out and into the ground. The low-density housing makes for larger lawns and, as a result, more fertilizers that can be spread.

After the speakers’ individual presentations, the floor was opened to the audience for a question and answer session.

One topic that came up during the community discussion was people’s lawns and the impact fertilizer has on the water when it washes away with the rain. The panel suggested people use fertil-izers without the additives like nitrogen and phosphates as they are only needed when plants are being seeded and to keep them green. They also suggested the people who live in housing develop-ments band together with their neighbors to stop using fertilizers that contain potentially harmful additives for the sake of keeping their lawns green. They said larger numbers of people acting to-gether can make more of an impact than individuals.

The panel said individuals also can make a difference. One member of the audience expressed concern about boat yards and docks expanding in smaller waterways and tributaries.

The panel suggested that the people concerned about these things talk to the owners of the docks, as they might not be aware of the damage they could do to the river. If that doesn’t work, the panel suggested getting the DNR Clean Marina’s Program involved, or other government programs.

No matter who is doing it, or what effort they are making, the panel emphasized that it is imperative that people make a conscious effort to change their lifestyles to help the environment.

“We tend to accept the way we live currently as the acceptable way to live,” Bowen said. Even though there are several challenges on the road to cleaning up the Patuxent River, the

speakers at the summit agreed that the last thing people should do is stop trying.“Don’t let discouragement overshadow the need,” Fowler said. By Sarah Miller (CT) sarahmiller@

countytimes.net

Annual State of the River Summit is PRAD’s Serious Side

Photo by Sean Rice

The panel at the State of the River summit included William Baker, the president of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Carin Bisland, the associate director for ecosystem management, Ann Pesiri Swanson, the executive director of the Chesapeake Bay Commission policy for the bay, Robert Summers, the deputy secretary of the for the Maryland Department of the Environment, and Greg Bowen, the director for Calvert County Planning and Zoning. The picture above is the panel on stage during the question and answer session.

Photo by Sarah Miller


L

Tri-Mellon Constructionis Taking on new Clients in 2010

Licensed & Insured

&gutter cleaning.

Power washing

Fall leaf clean up. Bush hogging.

Avalon Nails & Day Spa

Quality Products and Friendly Service

11779 HG Trueman Road • Lusby MD 410-394-3871

Monday – Saturday 9am – 8 pm • SUNDAY Closed

Professional Nail Care for Ladies and Gentlemen

A

All Your Landscaping Needs

GRASS CUTTING • DUMP TRAILERS

443-532-6371

Lawn Ranger

Snow, Leaf & Tree Removal, Trash Hauling & Stump Grinding

11230 Little Cove Point RdLusby, MD 20657

410-326-0001

Call Us Today to Talk About Your Sign

Making Needs!

C

B

D

4

4

4

765

765Middleham Cemetery

Calvert Cliffs State Park

H. G.Trueman Rd.

H. G.Trueman Rd.

H. G.Trueman

Rd

.

Rousby Hall Rd

Old

Mill

Rd

Camp Conoy Rd

Solomons Island Rd S

Solomons Island Rd S

Solomons Island Rd SC

497

497

Cove Point Rd

Hickok Trail

Cove Point Rd

Little Cove Point Rd

BigSandy

RunRd

CatalinaW

ay

Catalina WayGolden

WW

ay

Gunsmoke Trail

To mah

awk

Trail

Cove Point Park

Chesapeake Country Club

Raw

hid

e Rd

Lake Lariat

Thunderbird Dr

Stirrup

Ln

LongbowC

t

76

5

D

B

A

Shop Local, Shop Lusby

To Advertise On The Shop Local, Shop Lusby Page, Contact Suzanne Pucciarella at 410-231-2485

A group of 25 business owners and phil-anthropic individuals in Calvert and St. Mary’s counties participated in the

second annual “Jail and Bail” fundraising event for the Care Net Pregnancy Center of Southern Maryland.

Participants agreed to be “arrested” on the morning of Sept. 20 and taken to the Old Jail in Leonardtown by 1950s-style black and white po-lice cars. Once at the Old Jail, they faced a judge and later a bailiff to pay a minimum of $1,500 “bail.”

A $1,500 donation is equal to the funds needed by the agency to provide services to one pregnant mother, said Rick Tancreto, development director for the local Care Net group.

Care Net, based out of Lexington Park, helps

local women explore all their options when facing an unexpected pregnancy. The agency assists cli-ents in Calvert and St. Mary’s counties.

Billy and Joyce Cusic donated the use of their two classic 1950s police cars to round up partici-pants, even though it was pouring rain Monday and the cars almost never see inclement weather. Tancreto said that is an example of the Cusic’s dedication to the cause.

Tancreto said the event this year may raise more than $40,000 after all the donations are counted.

Delegate Tony O’Donnell, pictured with St. Mary’s Sheriff Tim Cameron, the event’s co-host, is one of the “criminals” picked up in Calvert County. By Sean Rice (SCG) [email protected]

Community Members “Jailed” for Fundraiser

Registration for the Hope For Hunter Poker Run runs from 10:30 to 11:59 a.m. Oct. 16 at CJ’s Backroom Saloon in Lusby.The cost is $20 per driver, and $10 per passenger. This cost includes admission to an after party at CJ’s, featuring food, door prizes, raffles and music by DJ Rick. Those wishing to attend only the party can pay $10. There is also an option to receive two extra poker cards at $5 a piece. Cars and motorcycles are welcome.The cards for the poker hand will be drawn at: 1- Brass Rail, 2- Brewski’s Tavern, 3- Seabreeze, 4- Toot’s Bar, and 5- CJ’s Backroom Saloon.For more information, contact Dawn Barrett at 301-481-0324, or Heather Scott at 410-610-8363.


L

We gratefully acknowledge the support of everyone who participated in our 2nd Annual Jail & Bail Fun-raiser that turned the Old Jail Museum and Tudor Hall into a fun-filled afternoon for those in attendance. A very special thank you is extended to the following “criminals” and patrons whose contributions directly support Care Net Pregnancy Center.

2nd Annual Jail & Bail Fun-raiser Benefiting Care Net Pregnancy Center of Southern Maryland

“CRIMINALS” Dane Swanson Rev. John Dakes – St. Aloysius Karen Alford Brooks – Century 21 New Millenium Jerry Bohle – Heritage Printing Ed DePiazza Pastor Edd Cathey – Grace & Peace Geraldine L’Heureux – Bowhead Stephanie Witte – Chick-fil-A John Albers Dawn Deiter Rich – Amelex John J. Winters – Winters Heating & Cooling Pastor Doug Hays – Lexington Park United Methodist Curtis Shreve – Bear Creek Open Pit BBQ

Rev. Timothy K. Baer – Our Lady of the Wayside Arthur Shepherd Bob Schaller Trish Billings – O’Brien Realty-Solomons Tony O’Donnell – Maryland Delegate Pastor Dave R. Kelly – Calvary Bible Kevin Fry – The Kings Christian Academy Tommy McKay – Woodburns Gourmet MarketJohn Bohanan – Maryland Delegate James Curry Sherry Newcomer – Market America Kimberly L. Oliver – Amelex

CO-HOST Sheriff Timothy K. Cameron

PATRONS Sunshines Catering SMC Historical Society Printing Press, Inc. Billy & Joyce Cusic Carl & Patty Morrison Carla Norris – Century 21 New Millenium Tom Hodges – Tom Hodges Auto Sales Students at The Kings Christian Academy Students at Mother Catherine Spalding Students at Father Andrew White

By Dawn BarrettHunter is a 6 year old boy from Calvert County who

has a type of Brain Tumor called Supretentorial PNET. He was diagnosed in 2008 at the early age of 4, requiring im-mediate surgery to remove the tumor. He has endured Ra-diation Therapy and countless cycles of Chemotherapy only to learn that after these treatments, he has had several reoc-currences of the tumor and required more surgery.

He started Metronomic Chemotherapy for weeks, but sadly on February 22, 2010, the relentless tumor returned yet again. This brave child faced his 4th brain surgery in two years to remove the tumor, devastating the family – again. The family was faced with two options: To stop

all medical treatment or have surgery again. Hunter is continuing his fight, and was back in the OR at Children’s National Medical Center on March 2. The Doctors are pursuing other alternative medicines and therapies – anything that gives Hunter a chance.

On June 14, Hunter received another MRI of his brain, spine and abdomen. There are now three tumors, all in the same original tumor bed. Children’s Hospital offered them two options; the first, do nothing; the second, try IV meds that have never been used on his type of tumor before. Hunter’s surgeon does not wish to operate for a fifth time because the tumors will continue to come back.

Hunter has started a new chemotherapy trial where he takes five medicines at home by mouth and every other Thursday he will go to clinic to receive medicine through his port in his chest and the ommaya in his brain. Every 3 weeks Hunter will have to go to clinic 5 days in a row to have meds delivered through the ommaya. He will do this process for 2 months and then he will have a MRI to check and see if the meds are working.

It is times like these that we find ourselves coming to-gether as family members and as a community. Eric, Sandy, Hunter and Hayden not only need our prayers and emotion-al support to get them through this very difficult time, but they also need our financial support. Both Eric and Sandy work full time jobs and one of them will have to be with

Hunter throughout all of the medical treatments he will need in the coming months, thus causing them to endure a major financial hardship.

On October 16, 2010 will we be having a Poker Run for Hunter and as family members and friends we invite

you to give whatever you can for this family during their

time of need. We have been humbled by the self-lessness and compassion that has been shown to our family members already and continue to be inspired to fight for this little boy.

Hunter’s Hope – Poker Run Will Benefit Sick 6-Year-Old

Registration for the Hope For Hunter Poker Run runs from 10:30 to 11:59 a.m. Oct. 16 at CJ’s Backroom Saloon in Lusby.The cost is $20 per driver, and $10 per passenger. This cost includes admission to an after party at CJ’s, featuring food, door prizes, raffles and music by DJ Rick. Those wishing to attend only the party can pay $10. There is also an option to receive two extra poker cards at $5 a piece. Cars and motorcycles are welcome.The cards for the poker hand will be drawn at: 1- Brass Rail, 2- Brewski’s Tavern, 3- Seabreeze, 4- Toot’s Bar, and 5- CJ’s Backroom Saloon.For more information, contact Dawn Barrett at 301-481-0324, or Heather Scott at 410-610-8363.


Sp rts

Do You Feel Crabby When You Get Your Insurance Bill in the Mail? Give Us A Call.

You’ll Be Glad You Did.

April HancockPO Box 407Bryans Road, MD 20616301-743-9000

An Independent Agent Representing: ERIE INSURANCE GROUP Standing: Dan Burris, Jake Kuntz, Seated: Lisa Squires, Susan Ennis, Donna Burris

Auto - Home - Business - LifeLeonardtown & LaPlata • Bus: (301) 475-3151

www.danburris.com

Burris’ Olde Towne Insurance

Gary SimpsonKatie Facchina7480 Crain HighwayLa Plata, MD 20646301-934-8437

After two weeks worth of bad losses, the Patuxent football team got back on the winning

side of things with a clutch 34-21 win over host Great Mills Friday night, improving to 4-2 on the season and 2-2 in Southern Maryland Athletic Confer-ence games.

“This win was pretty big, we had to show up and show some heart,” junior running back Dakota Ed-wards said. Edwards led a dynamite Panther rushing offense with 205 yards on 26 carries. As a team, Patuxent ran for 384 yards, no accident according head coach Steve Crounse.

“After you lose two games like that, you do some soul searching,” Crounse said after matching 41-7 loss-es to McDonough and North-ern the previous two games. “We made a commitment to running the ball this week.”

Great Mills jumped out to a 7-0 lead on a 53-yard catch and run from Jordan Hurt to Aaron Wilkerson. Patuxent re-

sponded with a 66-yard drive ending with quarterback Eddie Massengil sneaking in from two yards out to tie the game. Great Mills looked to attack again, but after a rushing touchdown was called back via penalty, sophomore Travez Lee made a

great play to intercept a pass from Hurt and the subsequent 61-yard return took the ball well into Hornet ter-ritory. Five plays later, junior full-back Chicago Garner scored the first of his three touchdowns on the evening on a seven-yard run and Patuxent was ahead to stay.

“We had to find heart and leadership this week in practice,” Lee said. “We worked it out and came out strong tonight.”

Garner opened holes for Ed-wards and Lee (who ran for 99 yards and a touchdown to go along with two interceptions on defense) and was able to run for two touch-downs and convert a short pass from Massengil for a third.

“It’s just working hard and blocking for my backs. When I’m running, I’m just keeping my legs moving,” Garner explained.

The Panthers are now 4-2 and still in the thick of the 2A South regional playoff race, but with four games remaining, including a battle with Huntingtown tonight at 7 p.m., Crounse prefers to take it one game at a time. However, he is still proud of team’s resiliency.

“A lot of guys could’ve packed it in, but we had guys step up and it was exciting to see their resolve,” he said. “They got off the mat and they got a huge win.” By Chris Stevens (CT) [email protected]

Panthers Get Back on Winning Track, Silence Great Mills

Panthers quarterback Eddie Massengil looks to run by Great Mills’ Dalonta Mackall.

Photo by Chris Stevens


Affordable Funerals, Caskets, Vaults, Cremation Services and Pre-Need Planning

Family Owned and Operated by Barbara Rausch and Bill Gross

Where Life and Heritage are Celebrated

During a difficult time… still your best choice.

Owings8325 Mt. Harmony Lane

410-257-6181

Port Republic4405 Broomes Island Rd.

410-586-0520

Lusby20 American Lane410-326-9400

www.RauschFuneralHomes.com

Betty Banz, 85

Betty “Jean” Banz, 85, of Lusby, MD passed away on September 26, 2010 at Solomons Nursing Center, Solomons, MD. She was born on May 5, 1925 in Ashe County, NC to the late Mattie Lee Harris Combs

and Mason L. Perkins.She was the loving wife of John Henry

Banz, Sr. whom she married on April 16, 1977. He preceded her in death on February 21, 1999.

Jean was a School Bus Driver for Bal-timore County Schools and in 1977 moved from Baltimore County to the Chesapeake Ranch Estates where she worked at the se-curity gate until 1988. She was a member of the Red Hat Ladies Club, loved cooking, working her flower gardens and most of all spending time with her family.

Jean was preceded in death by her par-ents, husband, and siblings Pauline Martin, Josephine Darce, and Bill Perkins.

She is survived by her children, Clara Jewel Beatty and her husband Chester of Lusby, MD, Janice Lee Wiley and her hus-band Robert of Middle River, MD, John Francis Humphrey of San Antonio, TX, Ju-dith Marie Siwinski and her husband Arthur of Reisterstown, MD, Jennifer Gail Matey-cik and her husband Joseph of New Orleans, LA, and Jeffrey Wayne Humphrey of Balti-more, MD; siblings, Clay Perkins of Palm Bay, FL and Edna Latham of Honey Brook, PA; 15 grandchildren, 23 great grandchil-dren, and two great-great grandsons.

The family received friends on Thurs-day, September 30, 2010 from 2 ~ 4 PM at the Rausch Funeral Home, Lusby, MD where a funeral service was held at 4PM with Fr. Richard Gardiner officiating. Inter-ment will be private.

Wade McCoy, 73

Wade Arlan “Mac” McCoy, 73, of Lusby, MD passed away on September 25, 2010 at his resi-dence. He was born on October 13, 1936 in De-Ruyter, NY to the late Paul and Pauline Wright McCoy.

He was the beloved husband of Joanne Mary McCoy whom he married on April 23, 1960 in Ot-tawa, Canada.

Mac graduated from Cortland High School in 1952 and went on to attend Cor-tland State Teachers College for two years. He joined the United States Air Force in

1955 and retired after 26 years of honorable service in 1981. During his time in the Air Force he was stationed in San Antonio, TX, Biloxi, MS, Westover, MA, Denver, CO, The Pentagon and overseas in Japan, Korea, Turkey, and Canada. The day after retire-ment from the Air Force, Mac went back to work as a civilian for the Air Force, De-partment of Defense as a Communications Electronic Systems Manager and retired in 1992. He was a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

He was preceded in death by his par-ents and siblings Graydon McCoy and Olan McCoy.

Mac is survived by his wife of 50 years Joanne M. McCoy of Lusby, MD; children, Laureen McCoy of Honolulu, HI, Lisa Mc-Coy of San Francisco, CA, Lindy Lee and her husband Marty of Portsmouth, VA, and Louise Casamento and her husband Philip of Odenton, MD; siblings, Marion Foster of Norwich, NY, and Mahlon McCoy of Spring Lake, NC; five grandchildren and an “adopted” son Kevin Rock.

Pallbearers will be Martin Lee, Noel Nicholas, Jason Lee, Philip Casamento, and Kevin Rock.

The family received friends on Satur-day, October 2, 2010 from 2 ~ 4 and 6 ~ 8 PM in the Rausch Funeral Home, Lusby, MD. Funeral Services were held on Mon-day, October 4, 2010 at 11 AM in the funeral home chapel with Fr. Richard Gardiner of-ficiating. Interment followed in the MD Vet-erans Cemetery, Cheltenham, MD.

Nellie Smith, 83

Nellie Ma-rie Smith, 83, of Prince Frederick, MD was called to eternal rest on Sept. 27, 2010 at Calvert Memo-rial Hospital, Prince Frederick, MD. She was born to the late Joseph H. White and Irene Henson

White on July 18, 1927 in Adelina, MD.Marie, as everyone called her, received

her basic education in the public schools of Calvert County. She furthered her educa-tion by enrolling in the Princess Ann Col-lege on the Eastern Shore. After college, she worked as a secretary and department sales associate in Washington, DC. She re-sided in Washington, DC until her parents’ health began to decline. Because of her love and dedication to her parents, Marie moved back to Calvert County to be their caregiver.

Marie was united in marriage to the late Julian Stevenson Smith (Bubby). After this marriage, she started her career in the Calvert County school system as secretary to the Guidance Counselor at Calvert Se-nior High School. She retired in 1989 after 20 years of service.

She leaves to cherish her memory

her devoted sister, Oreese W. Stanback of Washington, DC; Regina Artis who she called her daughter; goddaughter, Shellie Henson Beeman; godson, Fred D. Stanback, Jr.; and a host of nieces, nephews, family and friends. In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by her sister, Gladys Henson; brothers, Wilson, Charles, Monroe, Oliver, Cederick, and Benjamin White.

Funeral service was held on Tuesday, October 5, 2010 at 10:00 AM at Carroll Western UM Church, Prince Frederick, MD with Pastor Roland Barnes, officiating. The interment was at Harmony Memorial Park, Landover, MD.

The pallbearers were Marcus Henson, Fred Stanback, Antoine White, Conrad White, Russell White, and Wilson White. The honorary pallbearers were Kevin Henson, Thomas Henson, Keith Stanback, and George White. Funeral arrangements provided by Sewell Funeral Home, Prince Frederick, MD.

Manya Stoetzel, 70

M a n y a Brooke Stoetzel, 70, of St. Leon-ard, MD, and Summerf ield, FL, died Sep-tember 13, 2010, at her residence in Summerfield.

She was born April 11, 1940, in Hous-ton, TX, to

Royce Lynn and Helen Eiker Brooke. Af-ter graduation from Hillcrest High School in Dallas, Texas, she attended Rice Univer-sity. However, it was at Iowa State Univer-sity where her formal study of entomology, the study of insects, began. She transferred to Wisconsin State University, River Falls, where she met her husband of 48 years, Far-an Eugene Stoetzel. Faran accepted a job with Dowell Schlumberger Corp. in 1961 and the newlywed couple moved to Venezu-ela. Their first son Frank Eiker Stoetzel was

born in October 1962 in Venezuela.Returning to the United States, Faran

accepted a job in 1964 for the Bureau of the Census, Commerce Department, Jef-fersonville, IN. Their second son Kevin Lynn Stoetzel was born in August 1964 in Indiana. They moved to Maryland where Manya continued her studies in entomology receiving her Bachelors (1966), Masters (1970), and Doctorate (1972) degrees from the University of Maryland. Dr. Manya Stoetzel’s professional career spanned more than 30 years at the Systematic Entomol-ogy Laboratory, USDA, ARS, where she provided systematic research and expertise on a variety of insect groups, including spe-cializing in the biosystematics of aphids. She served as President of the Entomologi-cal Society of America in 1996. She was proud to be an entomologist and she met wonderful people during her career, includ-ing her mentor Louise Russell.

Since her retirement in 2002, Manya and Faran split their time between the fam-ily beach house they owned since 1976 in Long Beach, MD and their retirement home in Summerfield, FL. She loved being Grandmother to her grandsons, Jack and Nick Stoetzel, and spending holidays with her family. She will be remembered as a very loving and giving person who had a great sense of humor.

She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, and son Frank Eiker Stoetzel. She is survived by her son Kevin Lynn, daughter-in-law Felicia Marie and grandsons Jack Thomas and Nick Joseph (all of Huntingtown, MD). She is also sur-vived by two brothers, James Brooke, Ai-ken, SC, and Ronald Brooke, Orlando, FL and several nieces and nephews and their families.

A memorial service was held on Fri-day, September 24, 2010, at 1:00 pm, at Christ Church, 3100 Broomes Island Road, Port Republic, MD 20676. Burial was be private. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in Manya’s name to Christ Church at the above address.

Panthers quarterback Eddie Massengil looks to run by Great Mills’ Dalonta Mackall.

Photo by Chris Stevens


CLASSIFIEDS

The Southern Calvert Gazette will not be held responsible for any ads omitted for any

reason. The Southern Calvert Gazette reserves the right to edit or reject any classified ad not

meeting the standards of The Southern Calvert Gazette. It is your responsiblity to check the ad on its first publication and call us if a mistake is found. We will correct your ad only if notified after the first day of the first publication ran. To Place a Classified Ad, please email your ad to: [email protected] or Call:

301-373-4125 or Fax: 301-373-4128 for a price quote. Office hours are: Monday thru Friday 8am - 4pm. The Southern County Gazette is

published every other Thursday.

Estate sale in White Sands Subdivision. 2bed 2 bath log cabin. 1+ acres. Property sold as is. Tax Assessed Value for this year 2010 is

$160,862. Best buy investment property or first time homebuyer. Call Karen @ 240.538.7499 or email us at [email protected]

This Estate home sits on a peaceful cul-de-sac. It has 3 spacious Bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms.

Our ìDifferent by Designî home includes granite kitchen countertops, 9î ceiling, and luxury master

bathroom with large walk-in closets. Many op-tions to chose from. Call today for an appoint-

ment to tour this community. Home Builders, Inc. 240-725-0540

Employment

Real Estate Rentals

Real Estate

PagesPast

Advertising Works!Get Your Business Out There!

Place an Ad in Either our Business Directory or Restaurant

Guide for as Low as Just

Call now to make the next step on publicizing your business!

301-373-4125GazetteSouthern Calvert

$48

Shop: (410) 326-2662Fax: (410) 326-2370

“We protect your investment”

Auto Body Repair

12860 H.G. Trueman Road • Lusby, MD 206572 miles N. of Thomas Johnson Bridge

Spacious 5 Bedroom/3 Full Bath Split Foyer with Open Floor Plan. 3 Bedrooms/2 Full Baths

on the main level and 2 Bedrooms with 1 full bath on the lower level. Upper Deck with steps to access the back yard. No showings on Saturdays. Owners in the Process of packing. Can be avail-able as soon as needed. May use SMAR/MAR

Lease Documentation. Listing Brokers office to run credit. 240-925-6390

Must be a graduate from an accredited and ap-proved professional nursing program with a min-

imum of 3 years experience in long-term care. Must be currently licensed and registered as an

RN in the State of Maryland with previous expe-rience in Quality Assurance, JCAHO, Utilizaiton Review, and related areas.Computer experience

in Microsoft Word and Excel preferred Must pos-sess ability to work well with others. A complete job description is available for review. To apply, please email resume to [email protected].

Busy marina in Solomons looking for week-end help. Desired candidate must be trustwor-

thy and reliable, able to work well with cus-tomers, and multi-task Position may involve a wide variety of duties; grass cutting, mainte-

nance, fuel dock, etc Applicant's must apply in person at Calvert Marina 14485 Dowell Road

Dowell, MD 20629.

TREE FROG, LLC

Eric Rutherford

(240) 925-4325

MD Tree Expert Lic # 1260Insured

Business Services• Bookkeeping• Office Administration• Resume Writing

Outsource! It’s cost Effective.

Contact Deborah Ursiny • 410-326-0131


PagesPast

Food and beer

Pumpkins and fun for kids

$40 per person, kids 12 and under free!

Route 4, to Lower Marlboro Rd, to Scaggs Rd

Kelly McConkeyFor Calvert County Commissioner Political Rally and Fundraiser

October 30th 2pm-Dark

At Mellomar Golf Park 6215 Scaggs Rd. Owings, MD

Hosted by:Doc and Peggy Grace

By the Authority of Milton G. McConkey, Jr., Treasurer

Make checks or money orders payable to:Friends of Kelly McConkey P.O. Box 403 Dunkirk, MD 20754

To pay with PayPal, visit our website at: www.KellyMcConkey.com

For additional information, please call 301-399-5609

U.S. Pat. No. 7,007,507 • © • All rights reserved • PANDORA.NET

RECEIVE A CERAMIC CUPCAKE JEWELRY BOX WITH YOUR PANDORA PURCHASE OF $150, OR

A CERAMIC CUPCAKE JEWELRY BOX AND APRON WITH YOUR PANDORA PURCHASE OF $250.*

GIFT WITH PURCHASE FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER:

*GOOD WHILE SUPPLIES LAST. LIMIT ONE PER CUSTOMER.

GIFT WITH PURCHASE FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER:

DUNKIRK MARKET PLACE(NEXT TO SAFEWAY)

301.855.8770

PRINCE FREDERICK MARKET SQUARE(NEXT TO THE LIBRARY)

410.535.4338

MKTG05585_DICJEW.indd 1 9/23/2010 10:21:15 AM

By Joyce Baki

Maryland did not have the same hysteria about witch-craft as Salem, Massachu-

setts, but there are 12 documented cases of people accused of witchcraft from the late 1600s to the early 1700s. Only one execu-tion for witchcraft was recorded in Mary-land and it occurred in Calvert County on October 9, 1685. Rebecca Fowler was hung after being found guilty for “certain evil and diabolical arts called witchcrafts, enchantments, charms (and) sorceries.” Re-becca, the wife of John Fowler, had been charged with bewitch-ing several people and leaving their bodies “very much the worse, consumed, pined and lamed.” A year later another Calvert County woman, Han-nah Edwards, would be acquit-ted of similar charges. The last witchcraft trial in Maryland was held in Annapolis. Virtue Violl of Talbot County, accused of trying to harm the health of a neighbor, was found not guilty.

In 1652, a tract of 600 acres was ac-quired by William Berry. His son sold the property to Michael Taney, the High Sher-iff of Calvert County. Chief Justice Roger Brooke Taney was born here. In the early part of the 1800s, Young Dorsey Hance ac-quired the house. A tree stump on the front lawn marks the site of a celebrated duel be-tween Miles Taney V and John Magruder. The men apparently both loved a woman named Barbara Dorsey. Taney killed John Magruder and escaped from the house by a secret passage which led to the river. It is purported that on the anniversary of the murder blood stains appear at the site where the body was found. Other strange events have been witnessed by ghost-hunt-ing experts.

While there is no historical record of Moll Dyer’s story, it is legend in St. Mary’s County. Moll Dyer’s neighbors believed her to be a witch. When the authorities did nothing, the townspeople drove her from her house on the coldest night of the year and burned her cabin to the ground. Moll died of exposure and, as the legend goes, was later found with her hand frozen to a rock. Today, the rock sits in front of the Old Jail Museum in Leonardtown and suppos-edly still bears the print of her hand.

Perhaps the most legendary haunted house in Maryland is Maidstone, a beauti-ful house in northern Calvert County. Built

on a 2,000-acre parcel in the late 1600s by Samuel Chew, it was a well-known desti-nation used as a Quaker meeting house by the Chew family. The first house was re-placed by a stone house in the early 1700s. The “ghost” is believed to be Ann Chew, who married Phillip Chew at Maidstone in 1724. A beautiful young woman, Ann died not long after she married Phillip.

Sighted on moonlit nights, she walks in the gardens wearing a long gray veil and dress which many believe is her wedding gown. Dubbed “The Gray Lady,” she has been known to be mischievous, knocking a man off the couch where he was sleeping and switching pictures that hang in the house to different walls.

Bowen’s Inn in Solomons, partially destroyed in a fire several years ago, is said to be haunted. Strange experiences have occurred to several employees. While car-rying boxes to the third floor one Christ-mas an employee saw the ghost of a tall, well-dressed woman in an old-fashioned outfit. After seeing the vision, he imme-diately came back down the steps never to return to the third floor. The woman is be-lieved to have been jilted by her lover and remains in the house waiting for him to re-turn. Others have heard odd noises or have seen doors open mysteriously.

The Grey Fox Inn, now the location of Harmon House Shoppes, was the home of Dr. Coster, a physician for whom Coster Road in Calvert County was named. The building is said to be haunted by a small dog. Built in 1913, the owners had a poo-dle that they buried on the property after it passed away. The dog loves to play and makes appearances flitting across the floor with his tail wagging.

Happy Halloween!

Southern Maryland’s Witches and Ghosts

This lithograph from 1892 is a fanciful representation of the Salem witch trials.

U.S. Library of Congress photo.


&Out AboutBy Joyce Baki

It is hard to believe that Hal-loween is now upon us. A family tradition of ours is to visit

a local farm for pumpkins to decorate our front porch. Several farms in the area offer pumpkin patches and other fall ac-tivities. Start your own tradition with a visit to a farm. To find one near you visit www.calvertag.com

Celebrate centuries of agriculture in Calvert County on Sunday, October 17, with the Calvert County Farm Tour. Spider Hall Farm, Fridays Creek Winery and Fresh Meadows will open their doors to allow visitors to get a closer look at farming. The Calvert County Farm Tour is designed for family fun and learning. Visit with farm animals, enjoy hay rides, corn maze, exhibits, demonstrations, re-freshments and much more. The event will run from 1 to 4 p.m. at each farm. For more information and directions to the farms, visit www.calvertag.com.

Looking for something SPOOKtac-ular to do for Halloween? Bring the fam-ily to Annmarie Garden Sculpture Park and Arts Center for a safe and spook-free daytime trick-or-treating event on Satur-day, October 23, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dress the whole family and enjoy trick-or-treating in the garden and unique

photo opportunities with boo-tiful deco-rations! Children can meander through the woods along the paved pathway, free of vehicles, to receive candy from non-profit organizations, local businesses and entrepreneurs. Free ooky, spooky art ac-tivities provided. One dollar admission benefits the Holiday Food Basket Pro-gram. Visit online for more information: www.annmariegarden.org.

The Patuxent Wine Trail goes local with a weekend of festivities October 23 and 24. Each winery along the trail will feature local products from South-ern Maryland vendors. Visit the winer-ies from noon to 4 p.m. to sample their wines and buy local products. Perigeaux Winery, St. Leonard, will feature local craftsmen Ch’Naca Fiberworks, Bag-O-Beads and Wild Willow Soaps. Solo-mons Island Winery will feature the art of Joan Humphreys. For more informa-tion on the Patuxent Wine Trail, visit www.patuxentwinetrail.com.

Join the Calvert Marine Museum as they celebrate their 40th birthday party on Saturday, October 23. There will be entertainment, special tours, food and fun including a special dramatic reading of “Solomons, Our History” in the audi-

torium at 2 p.m. A gargantuan birthday cake will be cut at 4 p.m. and the event is free to the public!

The Sunday Conversations with Chesapeake Authors Series at Calvert Marine Museum will feature Jennifer Keats Curtis and her new book Saving Squeak on Sunday, October 24, at 2 p.m. in the member’s lounge. Saving Squeak celebrates the museum’s own otter, Squeak, and teaches children about ot-ters and the importance of rescuing and rehabilitating wildlife that lives among humans. Books will be available in the museum store. Book signings and spe-cial appearances by the CMM Otter and Linda Hanna, the aquarist who appears in the book, will follow the presentation.

On Sunday, October 31, the Cal-vert Marine Museum offers a Monster Mash Cruise and Costume Contest. This cruise is for little goblins and their fami-lies from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Adults $7, Children 5-12 $5, children 4 and under $4. Preregistration is required. Call 410-326-2042 ext. 41 or visit online www.calvertmarinemuseum.com

Annmarie Garden has a spec-tacular exhibit of “art on wheels” fea-turing photographs of hot rods taken by race car driv- e r and photographer Pe-ter Harholdt. Using a specially construct-ed mobile studio, Harholdt developed equipment and techniques for photographing large for-mat objects, including race

cars. His skill and talent reveal the breathtaking beauty of each object. The Art of the Hot Rod exhibit at Annmarie Garden features Harholdt’s photographs from the book, The Art of the Hot Rod, written by Ken Gross. In addition to the photographs, you will see a 1931 Ford Model A left front fender, antique fit-tings and other hot rod souvenirs on loan by Jon Edwards of Town Creek Shop; a 1970 Triumph TR-6 on loan from J.W. Langley and a restored 1934 Ford pick-up owned by Howard Pouncey, both of Calvert County. Ray Bracey has loaned memorabilia including a Richard Petty stand up/cut-out and parts. The ex-hibit will run through January 9, 2011. www.annmariegarden.org

Join the American Chestnut Land Trust for a fall colors hike at Double Oak Farm on Sunday, October 31, from 1 to 3 p.m. Be sure to wear comfortable walking shoes and dress for the weather. Registration is required, www.acltweb.org.

Tricks and Treat For All This Fall

� theWater

The Greenwell Foundation presents the 1st Annual Monster Rockfish Festival on Sunday, Oct. 31, from 11am to 5pm at Greenwell State Park in Hollywood. The Festival is being held in conjunction with the first annual Monster Rockfish

Tournament, taking place in the Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries on Saturday, Oct. 30. The tournament is a production of BAMM Enterprises in Lexington Park.

Festival Highlights include the 1st Annual Rockfish Cook-off featuring restaurants from the greater Maryland area; Rockfish tastings and other seasonal culinary delights; Beer and local wine; Live music; Local crafters and artists will display and sell their work; Pony rides, and horseback, fishing and kayaking demonstrations (weather permitting); Awards ceremony for Monster Rockfish Tournament participants.

The Festival is a designated SAFE TRICK OR TREATING ZONE. Vendors will of-fer candy and other treats to children who come in costume. Other Halloween events will include pumpkin painting, costume contests, hay rides, and a pre-carved pumpkin contest (bring your carved pumpkin to the Festival for judging).

The Festival is free to the general public ($3.00 parking fee applies). More informa-tion about the Festival, see www.greenwellfoundation.org. For more information about the Tournament, see www.monsterrockfishtournament.

1st Annual Monster Rockfish Festival


410-FYI-DUCK (410-394-3825)Check our Live Music Schedule at our website!!www.RuddyDuckBrewery.com

SOLOMONS, MARYLAND • Dowell Rd and Route 4Steaks • Seafood • Pasta • Gourmet Pizza

Fresh scratch made Food, Family Friendly atmosphere!

Bring in this ad and you will get FREE Chip

Nachos or FREE dessert with the pur-chase of two Dinners.

now on tap...Rudd Light: Our first Low Carb Ale, smooth, light wonderfull!!!

IPA: Our favorite Hop Head Ale

Oktoberfest: Gold Medal Amber Lager a German Classic!

Belgium Trippel: Light Color Strong Ale w/ hint of Spring Flowers

Belgiun Dubbel: Amber & Smooth traditional Belgium Ale

Porter: Full bodied dark Ale w/clean coffee finish

Scottish Ale: Smooth refreshing amber Ale

AWARD WINNING

BEERS

Winner of the 2010 Governor’s Cup

“Best Beer in the State

of Maryland”

Come and Celebrate Halloween with us,

10/30/10 Great Costume Party

with prizes for the best 3 costumes!

� theWater

By Keith McGuire

Experience is a wonderful thing. As time goes by, dif-ferent conditions produce dif-

ferent results and trends become easier to track. Dry summers like the one we’ve just had produce catches that seem un-usual for the area.

Everyone knows about the bull sharks caught this summer, and anyone who has ventured onto the bay more than a few times have seen bottle-nosed dol-phin; spectacles that are usually reserved for coastal regions of the mid-Atlantic. A closer look reveals cutlass fish, puffer fish, sea robins, and other species that seem unfamiliar to anglers who have fished the Bay for just a few years. This is not the first summer that these unusual species of fish have been seen in our area of the Bay. If you catch one and take it to some of the old-timers, you’ll discover more unusual names from days gone by. A cutlass fish is referred to as a ribbon fish, and a puffer is a sand toad; examples of a more colorful – or perhaps tougher – times.

The last month has been a tough time for boat anglers. Light breezes have more frequently turned to small craft warnings in recent weeks. A full moon has brightened night time skies and high tides have failed to match typical boating schedules. When outings are possible, though, fishing has been good in spite of less than ideal conditions. Stripers have been found in shallow waters, especially where creeks empty into the Bay or larger rivers. Light tackle jigging and top water lures are producing fine catches. Shal-low water trolling is also producing many

keeper stripers.For those who venture onto the Bay,

bait is everywhere. Small bay ancho-vies – or rain fish – are gathered in large schools in most areas of the Bay. Trolling through these schools of bait fish, or stop-ping to jig in the schools of fish will cer-tainly produce bluefish most of the time. When the feeding really starts, breaking fish will begin turning surface waters to foam. Stripers and bluefish are possible from these schools.

Mike Henderson at Buzz’s Marina reports that big blues up to 8lbs are be-ing caught at the Target Ship by those who troll small spoons and surgical eels. Croakers are beginning to slow, but bot-tom fishing is producing a few, along with spot and a good number of small red “puppy” drum of less than legal (18 inch-es) size. Some of the croakers are bigger than the red drum, so be sure to look for the spot on the tail – a dead giveaway that your fish is a drum and not a croaker.

Some folks are still reporting really good catches of white perch in the local rivers and creeks. Roger Chen checked in two citations this past week of 14 ¼ inches and 14 ½ inches that he said he caught at the mouth of St. Leonard Creek on peeler crab. I have never seen white perch so big!

Do you have a current fish picture or story of a great catch? If so, send an email to [email protected].

Keith has been a recreational angler on the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries for over 50 years; he fishes weekly from his small boat during the season, and spends his free time supporting local con-servation organizations.

Trends and Traditions

Richard Everson holds a pair of rock-fish caught at Cedar Point last Thursday evening at sunset.



What is a cover band? Simply put, a cover band is one that plays songs by other artists.

The 24/7 band’s sound is pure country. Tim Unkle, the lead singer, has the kind of husky voice that would sound good at a campfire and completely comfortable in a honky tonk.

The band started as a jam session in Unkle’s basement.“It’s just something I started doing,” Unkle said. He’s been in other bands over the years, but 24/7 is the

first one he started himself.“Things have moved very quickly the last couple of

years,” Unkle said. The band consists of Unkle on lead vocals and rhythm

guitar, Joe Huffman on lead guitar and vocals, Tony Erdo-lino on bass and Eddie Finch on drums.

The lineup has undergone recent changes, with Huff-man being added within the last couple of months and Finch having his debut in the band last Friday.

Huffman said he was glad to get the opportunity to play with 24/7.

“They guys needed a hand and I was available at the time,” Huffman said. “Plus, I like the songs.”

The band covers mostly classic rock and classic coun-try songs, though they are working their way into plying top 40 country songs.

“We’re a pretty versatile band,” Unkle said. The band plays at a lot of weddings, so they have to be able to play a little bit of something for all age groups. He attributes their popularity to that versatility. 24/7 tries to suit its playlist to-ward the age group at the venue they’ll be playing at rather than having a set-in-stone playlist that they play no matter where they are.

“We try to gear our music to make a wedding party happy,” Unkle said. A wedding party con-sists of age groups from children to seniors and everyone in between.

“We try to please the crowd,” Unkle said. They play everything from Creed to Conway

Twitty. The band’s standard playlist consists of between 40 and 50 songs, which they play in four sets with breaks in between each set.

Finch said he likes the fact that 24/7 plays more than classic country music as well.

“I enjoy playing all styles of music,” he said.Huffman they’re not in it to get famous.“We just like to have fun,” Huffman said. “It’s not a

band with egos.” One of the things Huffman said he likes about playing

with 24/7 is the fact that they play songs that he hasn’t gotten the chance to play in years.

“They’re songs I grew up on,” Huffman said. He’s been playing instruments for 35 years, but never tried to make the jump into the big times.

“You have to know somebody,’ Huffman said. “I used to think it’s about your talent, but it’s not.”

“We’ve been playing forever, but we’re all old-school people,” Unkle said. All the people in the band are around age 50, but Unkle said they have all been playing instru-ments since their late teens and early 20s. Unkle himself has been playing since he was 12.

The next event 24/7 will be performing at is a private party, but they will be back at a public venue Oct. 16 at 8:30 p.m. They will be performing at Anderson’s bar in Clements.

“It’s a small, little place but we have a lot of fun,” Unkle said.

24/7 can also be found at three or four regular venues on a regular basis, Unkle said. One of these venues is CJ’s in Lusby.

For more information or to book 24/7 for an event, con-tact Unkle at 301-904-3310. By Sarah Miller (CT) [email protected]

24/7 Band Is A Local Hit

October Entertainment at The Ruddy

Duck, SolomonsAll Acts Start at 7:30pm.

Oct. 12 - The Dave & Kevin Trio, acoustic guitars

Oct. 14 - Anthony Ryan Country Music Group

Oct. 15 - Just Us acoustic and electric guitars

Oct. 19 - 4 (For) Friends Jazz Band

Oct. 22 - Hydra FX Acoustic

Oct. 23 - Adrian & The Fine Print and The Young Republic

Oct. 26 - Upstroke Patty Carl & Rose

Oct. 30 - The Dave & Kevin Trio, acoustic gui tars. Halloween Costume Party

October Entertainment at the Back Creek

Bistro, DowellAll Shows start at 6:30, Reservations are recommended. (410) 326-9900 www.backcreekbistro.com

Oct. 14 – Smoke Creek Rounder (Brian Deere, Billy Thompson, and Gary Rue)

Oct. 21 – Diane Daly with Benjie Porecki

Oct. 23 – Tom Lagana Trio

Tim Unkle

Photos by Sarah Miller

Thursday, October-201024 "Come be a part of Calvert County's Heritage"

410-610-0094 www.spiderhallfarm.com

Open until the first week of NovemberWeekends 10:00 - 6:00

During the week, by appointment only

Corn maze: $5.00Hay rides: $5.00Combo: $8.00

Hay Rides. Pumpkin Patch, Corn Maze

We Sell:Decorative Corn Stalks, Pumpkins, Deer Corn, Hay Bales, And Much More

Great for birthday parties and school field trips.

Hosting the Farm Tour October 17th 1:00- 4:00. Join Spider Hall for local crafts, refreshments, live band The Unclouded Day, and much more!

Every Sunday in October Petting Zoo by Pony Express, from 1:00 - 4:00

Spider HallFarm