Cecil County Life Spring/Summer 2017

Spring/Summer 2017

Cecil County Life

Magazine

The new brew Roger and Dawn Davis launch Firetower Farm Brewery Page 72

Complimentary Copy

Inside • A history of summer fun at Crystal Beach Manor • A tale of two trails

July 21–29, 2017

Rt. 213 & 273, Fair Hill, MD 410-392-3440 www.cecilcountyfair.org

I CECIL

Spring/Summer 2017

Cecil County Life Table of Contents 8 20 26 28 38 48 53 60 72 80

Crystal Beach Manor : A summer place Ellie Luther: Rider, trainer, and all-around horse enthusiast Fair Hill’s volunteers make a big difference

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Generations of light and color The pillars for recovery A need for speed Photo essay: Where in Chesapeake City?

A tale of two trails All along the Firetower

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48

American Home & Hardware Cover design by Tricia Hoadley Cover photograph by Jie Deng

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Cecil County Life | Spring/Summer 2017 | www.cecilcountylife.com

Cecil County and its people

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72

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For this issue of Cecil County Life, writer Lisa Fieldman profiles Todd Reid, the CEO and president of ReidSpeed Enterprises. An Ivy League-educated mechanical engineer, Reid runs his own successful IT support business. But on weekends, he indulges his inner daredevil in motorsport racing, as well as race coaching, driving instruction and race crewing. Reid is just one of the people that you will meet on the pages that follow.

You’ll also meet Abigail McBride, who continues the family tradition of being an artist. Her grandmother was an illustrator and watercolorist, and her mother runs a successful gallery, so Abigail has spent her entire life surrounded by art.

We profile Ellie Luther, who is a rider, trainer, and all-around horse enthusiast who grew up in Cecil County.

We look at how volunteers play an important role and make a big contribution in maintaining the 80 miles of trails stretching over 5,656 acres that are used by cyclists, walkers, fishermen, hunters and equestrians at the Fair Hill Natural Resources Management Area.

We take readers on a tour of the community of Crystal Beach Manor, which is today a quiet, but thriving, pocket of recreation with a spectacular water view of the Elk River.

In this issue, we explore the important work of the Alcohol & Drug Recovery Center at the Cecil County Health Department, which is helping show the light again to those who wish to see it.

You’ll also read about American Home and Hardware, one of the county’s quintessential businesses, and how it has continually evolved through the decades.

The photo essay explores Chesapeake City and challenges readers to identify as many locations as possible.

The staff of Cecil County Life always enjoys the opportunity to meet and talk with the people who help make Cecil County such a wonderful place to live and work. We are already hard at work on the next issue of the magazine, which will arrive in the fall. As always, we welcome comments and suggestions for future stories.

Sincerely, Randy Lieberman, Publisher randyl@chestercounty.com, 610-869-5553 Steve Hoffman, Editor editor@chestercounty.com, 610-869-5553, ext. 13

Cover design: Tricia Hoadley - Cover photo: Jie Deng

www.cecilcountylife.com | Spring/Summer 2017 | Cecil County Life

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——————|Cecil County History|——————

A ace l p r e m m u s s to

ntinue o c r o Man h c a e B l Crysta

s

milie a f n o k bec

By John Chambless Staff Writer

C

ountless summer memories have been made at Crystal Beach Manor, and the families who live in the small community on the Elk River have deep roots there.

The resort began in the 1920s, with its neighbor a few

A postcard from the 1930s-1940s shows a crowd at the beach, with Reybold’s Wharf behind them.

Photo by John Chambless

A group enjoys the beach on a recent spring day, with the remnants of the wharf behind them.

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Cecil County Life | Spring/Summer 2017 | www.cecilcountylife.com

The comm private Whi unity of Beac te Crysta h, ad l to th jacent e comm Man or u to ha nity, used ve ca r nival attra boar ctions, a d w al sever al pa k and vilion s.

d stcar ul po anor, f i c n a ch M her f A rat ystal Bea the kind r d a C h for ver ere. h ne whic shown h f r of su

ce e on l rid ry ride a v i n ar sca all c htly A sm very slig a gave ngsters. u to yo

A vintage postcard for the resort.

A 1960s postcard of the beach at Crystal Beach Manor.

feet to the north, the private White Crystal Beach community, having at one time a dance hall, beer garden, bowling alley, carnival rides and even a tattoo parlor. The larger community of Crystal Beach Manor, however, has more homes and today is a quiet, but thriving, pocket of recreation with a spectacular water view. The same things that drew visitors to the spot in the 1930s and 1940s still hold true today – the cool breeze, placid water and pocket beach, the walkable small streets, a marina and just enough amenities to make a summer there a comfortable getaway.

When resorts began springing up along the river at the turn of the century, traveling to distant beaches was impractical, if not impossible. Local families looking for relief from the summer swelter of inland Maryland could come to the river shore for a day or a week, often packing the two-lane road to Crystal Beach Manor, bumper-to-bumper. The area thrived through the 1950s and early 1960s, but with the coming of better, wider roads, the proliferation of cars and the lure of nearby shore towns, places like this faded from popularity.

There’s a small online community and a Facebook page for those who love the resort, along with snapshots and postcards of the old days. The beach at Crystal Beach Manor still has the remnants of a pier that was grander in years gone by, when it was known as Reybold’s Wharf. The carnival attractions at the Continued on Page 10

Photo by John Chambless

Swimming and a boat launch are available today. www.cecilcountylife.com | Spring/Summer 2017 | Cecil County Life

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Crystal Beach Continued from Page 9

private White Crystal Beach are long gone, but the community still has its longtime fans as well. Jim Privito has been “going there since I was 4 years old. I am now 56,” he wrote in an email. “My favorite memories are spending my summers down there with my mom, and my dad would come on weekends and vacation time. A lot of boating and water skiing and volleyball. Had a great time growing up down there, and even though I only live 45 minutes from the Jersey Shore, I prefer White Crystal Beach. I raised my daughter Lauren and son Jimmy down there, and next year I will be bringing my first grandchild down, since my daughter is pregnant and due Oct. 22.”

At the heart of the Crystal Beach Manor community is the Manor Inn, once the original farmhouse for a sprawling plantation dating back to the late 1700s. It has gone through many changes – once a hotel for visitors, as well as a bar and restaurant – but its placement on the highest spot shows how important it remains.

Owners Reggie and Cheryl DuBree have lived in the community since 1997, and they have run the Manor Inn for Continued on Page 12

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Cecil County Life | Spring/Summer 2017 | www.cecilcountylife.com

Cabins at White Crystal Beach, the private community adjacent to Crystal Beach Manor.

www.cecilcountylife.com | Spring/Summer 2017 | Cecil County Life

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Crystal Beach

The spectacular archway that used to greet visitors to the community.

Continued from Page 10

Photo by John Chambless

Below: The entrance sign for the community today.

11 years. There’s a small grocery store in the front room, and a large bar and restaurant area where visitors and residents are welcome.

“When we first came here, it was down to maybe 300 residents year-round,” Cheryl said during a recent interview. “It’s a lot more now.”

There are snapshots and postcards on the walls showing the history of the business, including former owner Dolly, who is seen grinning with customers in many of the 1950s photos. The 1939 debut issue of a newsletter for the community has tidbits about the success of the resort.

The Manor Inn building itself has some intriguing features, including pits in the basement that used to hold ice cut from the river to provide refrigeration into the spring and summer, two original stone fireplaces at either end of the first floor, and little architectural details Continued on Page 15

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The entrance to the building is now on the other side, but the structure remains much the same.

Photo by John Chambless

The new owners have renovated the building, and now operate a small grocery store, bar and restaurant.

A vintage postcard of the Manor Inn, when it was a bar and hotel.

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Crystal Beach Manor has a mix of old and newer homes, all well maintained.

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Crystal Beach Continued from Page 12

that are constantly coming to light as the couple renovates the property.

There are also ghosts wandering the upper floors, which used to be hotel rooms. “We have a man and a woman, two kids, and another man that we’ve seen,” Cheryl said.

When her mother lived upstairs at the inn, the ghostly man and woman and children used to stand at the foot of her mother’s bed and watch her, she said.

The couple is calmly accepting of the building’s quirks, though, and they have started researching its history online, but little information has come to light about the original plantation property that belonged at one time to the Pierce family. The DuBrees are proud of the business and the resort, and they gladly tell visitors about the little carnival ride that used to give children a slightly bumpy ride in the 1960s, as well as the arcade building and bath house that burned down long ago.

On the community’s Facebook page, one former resident summed up the appeal of the place: “For the next Continued on Page 16

The 1939 first issue of a newsletter for the Crystal Beach Manor community.

Photo by John Chambless

Cheryl DuBree points out one of the original fireplaces in the Manor Inn building. www.cecilcountylife.com | Spring/Summer 2017 | Cecil County Life

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Crystal Beach Continued from Page 15

three months: No phone, bottom of your feet turning black and staying that way until September, Hazel behind the change table at the game room, everyone getting their mail in a small shared box at the stand, all the parents sitting on the benches keeping an eye on the kids on the dance floor at night, going into the bingo room at nine to get a chance on winning the one hundred dollar jackpot, playing football on the beach at sunset, waiting for the big ship to pass so you can jump the big wave, taking a bath with your Ivory soap at the beach, and being sad on Labor Day knowing you won’t see your summer friends until next June.�

Today, while driving around Crystal Beach Manor, there are signs of proud Continued on Page 18

Photo by John Chambless

An overlook takes advantage of the river view today.

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Cecil County Life | Spring/Summer 2017 | www.cecilcountylife.com

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Crystal Beach Continued from Page 16

ownership everywhere. One man was renovating the front of a 1929 cottage so that it provided an expansive view of the Elk River. Today, just as in the 1920s, the lure of open water, a cool breeze and a gathering of friendly families continue to draw people to Crystal Beach Manor.

To contact Staff Writer John Chambless, email jchambless@chestercounty.com.

Photo by John Chambless

An old sign for the resort was found in the basement of the Manor Inn and installed in the dining room.

Photo by John Chambless

A 1929 cottage facing the Elk River is being renovated to improve the water view.

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——————|Cecil County People|——————

By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer

W

hen Ellie Luther was six years old, she went to the Fair Hill International competition and watched the world-class riders and horses turn in dazzling performances on the show jumping course, the cross-country course, and in dressage. As she watched the horses and riders, she knew that, one day, she wanted to be one of the people competing in the Fair Hill International.

There aren’t many 6-year-olds who would set such a lofty goal for themselves, but Ellie has always been goal-oriented.

In 2016, she made her debut at Fair Hill International, just the latest goal that she has accomplished. Many of the goals that Ellie has set for herself and then accomplished through hard work and dedication have been connected, one way or another, to horses.

“I’ve been riding since before I could walk,” Ellie explained in an interview at the Rolling Hills Ranch in Port Deposit. “I was born into it.”

Continued on Page 22

All photos by Steven Hoffman

Ellie Luther with her horse, Fair Fiona, at the Rolling Hills Ranch in Port Deposit.

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Ellie Luther:: Luther

Rider, trainer, and all-around horse enthusiast

www.cecilcountylife.com | Spring/Summer 2017 | Cecil County Life

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Ellie Luther Continued from Page 20

Ellie’s mother, Renee Dixon, runs the Rolling Hills Ranch in Port Deposit.

Rolling Hills is a full-service equestrian center that specializes in riding lessons, boarding, and summer camps. Rolling Hills is also home to Dixon’s Freedom Hills Therapeutic Riding Program. It was Renee who was instrumental in getting her daughter involved with horses in the first place.

“I started riding right here,” Ellie explained.

Today, Ellie is a small business owner and young professional who spends long days on the farm surrounded by horses. She helps up-and-coming riders learn how to handle their horses. She trains horses that will eventually be sold to riders. She re-trains thoroughbred horses so that they can become event horses. She helps exercise race horses. And she rides horses—a lot. On a typical day, she will spend between nine and twelve hours riding.

Although this life is a bit more complicated than what her six-year-old self could have imagined, Ellie is quite content with where she finds herself at the age of twenty-six. She’s following the mantra that if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.

She certainly loves horses. Ellie spent years—between the ages of 7 and 19—honing her talents to earn the H-A Pony Club rating.

According to Ellie, it takes people who are patient, but determined, to get the most out of horses.

“You have to be understanding of their quirks,” she explained.

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Ellie said that she has been riding horses since before she could even walk.

Ellie holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology, which might help her be something of a horse whisperer to the horses that she works with. Ellie

employed as a work rider in Surrey, said that her mother really encourEngland for nearly six months. She aged her to get a college degree just in rode sale horses, and was trained on case she ever wants to do something how to show and prepare the horses that doesn’t involve horses. When Ellie for sale. She also learned how to run a started her freshman year in college, sale barn. These are all skills that she she thought that she could go a whole is utilizing in her own business today. semester without her horses, but it “I really liked that experience,” Ellie turned out that she could only make it a explained. few weeks before she started regularly As a rider, Ellie has now advanced returning home so that she could see to become a CCIC** event rider. In them. addition to Fair Hill International, she Ellie has worked to broaden her expehas competed at the Maryland Horse riences in the equestrian world. As a small business owner and a profes- Rolling Hills is a full-service equestrian Trials at Loch Moy Farm and also at sional, there are benefits to living and center that specializes in riding lessons, Plantation Field Horse Trials, which are boarding, and summer camps. both known to attract top competitors. working in Cecil County, Maryland, She has really enjoyed the experience which is in such close proximity to the many horse farms in rural Pennsylvania. There are three of competing in events with Fair Fiona, a 17-year-old Olympians and leaders in the equestrian industry—Boyd horse that was bred by Boyd Martin. Ellie has owned Fair Martin, Phillip Dutton, and Bruce Davidson—within 30 Fiona for about five years.

“She’s been great to learn on, and to grow with,” she miles of Ellie’s home base.

She has also ventured far from home for equestrian expe- said. “I learned skills that I can now use on other horses.” riences. In 2015, Ellie had a rare opportunity: She was Continued on Page 24

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Ellie Luther Continued from Page 23

Looking ahead, Ellie wants to take part in the retired race horse project. Participants are given a six-month window to acquire a retired horse. They can then train the horse over a limited period of time before competing in an event. This ensures that everyone is competing on a level playing field with horses that have been trained for a comparable period of time. Competing in an event like this showcases how versatile and trainable a horse is, and also how good of a job the trainer does with the horse.

While Ellie attained the goal she set for herself when she was six years old by riding at Fair Hill International in 2016, she still wants to return to the event. On the cross country course, there are 23 challenges for the horse and rider to accomplish. On their first try, Ellie and Fair Fiona completed 22 of the challenges. One of Ellie’s goals this year is to return to the Fair Hill International in October and complete the full course.

She is also currently re-training four thoroughbreds to be event horses. Three of these horses are for sale.

She maintains a busy schedule on the Rolling Hills Ranch, but Ellie is fine with that.

“This is really all I ever wanted to do,” she said.

The Rolling Hills Ranch is located at 33 Rolling Hills Ranch Lane in Port Deposit, Maryland. Call 410-378-3817 or visit www.rollinghillsranch.org for more information.

To contact Staff Writer Steven Hoffman, email editor@ chestercounty.com.

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——————|Around Cecil County|——————

Fair Hill’s volunteers make a big difference

By Carla Lucas Correspondent

W

ith 80 miles of trails stretching over 5,656 acres, used by cyclists, walkers, fishermen, hunters and equestrians, Fair Hill Natural Resources Management Area is one busy place, with more than half a million individual visits per year.

Daily visitors on the trails are on foot, on bikes and on horses. Special events, especially on weekends, bring an influx of people to some areas. Fair Hill has a permanent full-time staff of nine plus an additional 12 seasonal employees to protect all that makes this area of Cecil County special. It Ranger volunteers are also relies on volunteers to make it uniforms. great.

“We are thankful and value our volunteers,” said Chris Grieco, Fair Hill’s assistant park manager. “Without their involvement, our operation would not be what it is.”

On average, volunteers at Fair Hill contribute more than 4,000 hours of service to the park each year.

With enough planning and coordination, volunteers are welcome to come out and assist any day of the week, Grieco said. They can work on trail maintenance, help at special events, conduct an interpretive program, or assist with a nature camp, to name just a few of the tasks where volunteers are making a difference. Fair Hill’s volunteer coordinator – ranger Diana Marsteller -- maintains an email list and sends notices to those registered when help is needed, or can connect you with Fair Hill staff to work on specific projects.

Volunteer rangers are an essential part of Fair Hill’s volunteer corps. These volunteers receive special training and give at least 60 hours as mounted patrol, or 100 hours of service on foot or bikes, each year as they support Fair Hill’s permanent staff in a variety of

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ways. Volunteer bike rangers conduct trail assessments as they ride the trails, reporting issues or conducting maintenance as problems are found.

Volunteer mounted rangers help at the many equestrian events held each year, as well as helping visitors while riding throughout Fair Hill’s equestrian-friendly trails. Volunteer rangers on foot are especially useful in helping visitors at the events. They also help with programs at the park and assist visitors on the trails.

Fair Hill has a permanent trail crew of three, who are consistently busy maintaining and improving sections of the park’s 80 miles of trails. On the second Saturday of each month, identified by special the trail crew hosts a volunteer work day that is usually attended by a small army of volunteers who complete a larger project. For example, one month, an eroded section of trail was effectively rerouted in a single morning.

Grieco said they save these larger projects for volunteer days, as it is a more efficient way to work. It would have taken Fair Hill’s trail crew a couple days to complete what the volunteers did in one morning.

After-storm events are another time when a large corps of volunteers is important. Many volunteers on bikes can quickly assess the entire trail system and report where trails are blocked by fallen trees.

“By riding the trails and reporting the problems, the volunteers help us quickly focus our resources,” Grieco said. Some volunteers have chain saw safety training and can help to quickly remove trees from trails, too.

Another way volunteers are making a difference is when companies and organizations come to Fair Hill for community service days. In the past, employees at W. L. Gore spent a day building and installing elements, such as the Music Post, at Fair Hill’s new Nature Play Space.

“When groups come in, they come with ambition,”

Grieco said. “It is a day out of the office; a day socializing with friends and coworkers. It’s a highenergy day and a lot of good work gets done.”

Fair Hill is working with the Delaware Astronomical Society to become a certified “Dark Skies” location. The program promotes locations around the world that are dedicated to limiting light pollution and providing opportunities to view the night sky. The process began with a conversation after the Delaware Astronomical Society volunteered to do a night sky program at Fair Hill.

“Our volunteers are part of something bigger,” Grieco said.

Interested in volunteering at Fair Hill? Contact Diana Marsteller, Fair Hill’s Volunteer Coordinator, at Diana.Marsteller@maryland.gov, or she can be reached at the Park Office (410-398-1246).

Trained volunteers use chainsaws to clear debris from a trail after a storm.

www.cecilcountylife.com | Spring/Summer 2017 | Cecil County Life

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——————|Cecil County Arts|——————

Generations of light and color Abigail McBride, inspired by her grandmother’s art and her mother’s gallery, carries on a family tradition

By John Chambless Staff Writer

A

bigail McBride could hardly have escaped becoming an artist. Her grandmother was an illustrator and watercolorist, and her mother runs a successful gallery, so Abigail has spent her entire life surrounded by art.

Speaking at her home in Chesapeake City, McBride traced the course of her life and career, during which art has been a constant companion.

Continued on Page 30

‘Passing Through (On the C&D Canal)’ 28

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Photo by John Chambless

Abigail McBride in her home studio.

www.cecilcountylife.com | Spring/Summer 2017 | Cecil County Life

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Abigail McBride Continued from Page 28

“My grandmother was a very early influence,” she said. “We used to fly out to visit her on the farm in Minnesota. She lived on a dairy farm. When she was young, her parents couldn’t afford to send her to college, so she went and got herself a full scholarship to an art school, I believe it was in Chicago.

She supported herself as an illustrator in the city, which was unheard of. She met my grandfather through correspondence when he was in the Army. So that meant she had to move to a dairy farm,where they had six kids. My mom was the oldest of those kids. My grandmother just carved out an art career for herself.”

She also offered art lessons to all of her children and grandchildren. “I was the only one who took her up on it,” McBride said.

“I was 6 or 8 years old when she started to teach me. I always loved drawing people,

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‘Grandpa on the Farm’

so on the airplane flight to the farm, I would pull out the in-flight magazines and draw people from them. I would show her the drawings when I got there. She’d critique them, and on the flight home, I would pull out the same magazine and adjust the drawings.

“I remember that she told me I needed to put shading on the faces, and I said, ‘Won’t they look dirty?’ She said, ‘It’s going to make them look better.’ I remember doing it and having this ‘A-ha’ moment. Magic! I couldn’t believe it!”

McBride’s mother owns the McBride Gallery in Annapolis, Md., “so I grew up in a gallery. I always knew I wanted to be an artist. One of the biggest benefits of the gallery was that when I was coming up, I saw becoming an artist as a plausible career. Most parents would tell you to have a back-up plan, but my mom didn’t talk about that. I didn’t find out until later how extraordinarily rare it is to make your living at it.”

Continued on Page 32

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Abigail McBride Continued from Page 31

McBride grew up in Arnold, Md., went to Westmont College in California, and with the help of her mother, set up her own studio. “She told me to register as a small business, to be sure to collect sales tax, she explained invoices. When I was in college, they refused to talk about the business side of being an artist,” McBride said. “I was living the dream – living like a missionary because I never knew how much money I was going to have. As an artist, you might sell three paintings and you feel like you have all this money, and then for three months you sell nothing.”

So McBride did some website design work after college, but she was determined to keep her main focus on being a full-time artist. Her early gift for portraiture paid off, “but I found that I couldn’t draw anything else,” she said, so she moved toward landscape. A workshop at the Cape Cod School of Art was transformative – an immersion in living at the school and painting daily with other artists and accomplished teachers. She worked as a studio assistant for the art classes, helped around the studio and painted all day, every day, for several summers.

“That was my grad school,” McBride said. “It was fantastic. You have to leave acres of canvas behind you to maintain that mindset of being willing to take big risks and fail, and learn from your mistakes.”

By the time she emerged from this period of her career, McBride’s gift for capturing the luminous essence of a scene was firmly in place.

Continued on Page 34

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Abigail McBride Continued from Page 32

Along the path of her career, there have been some highlights, starting with a writer including her in an article about palette knife painting in American Artist magazine.

The story got her exhibitions and representation, effectively launching her career. While McBride was still in her 20s, she founded the Mid-Atlantic Plein Air Painter’s Association, and the “Paint Annapolis” event. She also turns up in reruns of a Maryland Public Television segment about a winter painting trip she used to take part in, and she is featured in the Schiffer Publishing book, “100 Plein Air Painters of the Mid-Atlantic,” by Gary Pendelton.

McBride had early gallery representation and several eager buyers, including her future husband. “He was collecting my paintings out of the Philadelphia gallery that represents me. He bought several of my things but he never came to openings,” McBride explained. Captivated by one painting of a young woman at a piano, he couldn’t stop thinking about it. A year later, “I had a solo show and he comes the day after the opening and asked about the painting,” McBride said. “He asked if the gallery owner could contact me. I was living in Annapolis at the time, and I brought the painting up. That’s how we met. It was very romantic. He was surprised when he met me because he assumed that Abigail was an oldfashioned name and that I was much older.”

Today, the painting hangs near the family’s front door.

After that meet-cute introduction, the two would meet in Chesapeake City as a midpoint between his home in Philadelphia and her home in Annapolis. Today, their home sits on a quiet side street, almost in the shadow of the town’s signature bridge. Initially, the young couple tried living in Philadelphia, but McBride felt stifled by the pace of city life and the constant surroundings of asphalt and brick.

With the eventual addition of two sons, now 5 and 7, McBride kept busy with portrait commissions.

“After I had my kids, it helped me reorient my understanding of how important my work was,” she said. “Up to that point, so much of my life was about whether or not my work was good, and if people were appreciating it. But when I had my kids, it was like, ‘I’m responsible for this human life.’ That has so much more weight than whether or not somebody likes something that I painted.

It felt ridiculous that I had been so anxious about it. The next time somebody wanted a commission, I didn’t freak out, and it was easy. It gave me perspective and it made me a healthier person.”

McBride approaches portraits – whether dazzlingly 34

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detailed charcoal or fully painted images – as “a true collaboration.

Very different from when you’re painting only for yourself,” she said.

“I try to get a sense of who the person is, or the reason for the portrait.

A portrait commission is a time when you are bearing witness to this person. Whoever commissions you is doing it to honor something about this person. My role is to be a witness to that. And it’s more important that it feels like the person, rather than be absolutely accurate. The spirit is more important than precision.”

For her plein-air paintings, McBride said she works mostly on site, all in one sitting, to capture the essence of a scene. At this point, she has painted landscapes so often that she could paint an imaginary place, she said.

Her love of art has extended to teaching others, and she is a regular private instructor at the Chesapeake Fine Art Studio, based in Stevensville, Md. She also teachers two portrait classes at the Anne Arundel Community College. She teaches teens and adults, including a boy of 13 whose youthful enthusiasm reminds her of herself at that age.

“I love teaching, because you learn so much,” she said. “Teaching is giving back, because I had such amazing teachers. I’m so grateful for my education. When someone really teaches you, it’s priceless. I feel I’m Continued on Page 36

‘Summer Sun’

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Abigail McBride Continued from Page 35

passing on the knowledge that I’ve learned.

“With teaching, you get to see the beginnings. You can say, ‘You need to do XYZ.’ Then if they do it, and it works, I can go, ‘I need to start doing more of that!’”

McBride credits The Palette & The Page in Elkton as being a hub for the local art scene, pulling artists together. “When I first moved here about 10 years ago, I came from such a tight-knit art community. But there was no consolidated community of people here doing a similar thing,” she said. “At first, I was really trying to re-create my experience in Annapolis, so I started the Paint the Town event here in Chesapeake City, and we did that for maybe five years. Then we did the Town Hall Ten, where we had art exhibits going on in the Town Hall.”

McBride’s studio is in the front living room of her home. There aren’t any doors to close, even when her children are home. “They are growing up with me running my business in that room, so they don’t come into the studio,” McBride said. “Just like I used to go with my mom and do errands and stick labels onto show

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cards, and help with the framing. My sister and I would go to every opening at the gallery and stand by the punch bowl, and we would pour punch for people. We were always a part of it.

“I want my kids to grow up with that. When people come in for a portrait, I have my kids play with the siblings of a child I’m painting. They know their job is to be gracious hosts. I want them to be a part of all this endeavor. I want them to grow up seeing the work of it, and not think it was just magic.”

-From Oct. 5 to 28, McBride will be part of “The Study of Light: A Visual Diary” at the Gibby exhibition space in Middletown. There will be a reception for the six exhibiting artists – McBride, Melissa Gryder, Nancy McCarra, Michele Del Pilar, Andrée Tullier and Sarah Wardell – on Oct. 6 from 6 to 8 p.m. Visit www.thegibby.com/ exhibitions.

For more information, visit www.abigailmcbride.com.

To contact Staff Writer John Chambless, email jchambless@chestercounty.com.

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|Cecil County Health| The Alcohol & Drug Recovery Center at the Cecil County Health Department is showing the light to those who wish to see it

The pillars for recovery

Photo by Richard L. Gaw

The Alcohol & Drug Recovery Center team at the Cecil County Health Department.

By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer

F

or 52 consecutive weeks in 2015, the Cecil Whig published the stories of mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, and husbands and wives.

Now posted on the front lobby walls of the Alcohol & Drug Recovery Center at the Cecil County Health Department in Elkton, each story is like opening up 52 autobiographies. The stories are real. They are painful, and yet they are each filled with tales of revelation and resiliency, and every one of them -- from the story of the biker dude to the story of the mother of three -- points in a direction that feels like hope.

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Working with Jake Owens, the editor of the Cecil Whig the patient where he or she is in terms of their addiction, and a member of the Cecil County Drug Free Community and adjusts its treatment processes based on what stage the Coalition, the series of essays “was our deliberate inten- patient is in his or her life, and their readiness to accept tion to celebrate those who help. Deputy director Mike have successfully achieved Massuli said that some may recovery, in order to inspire need immediate treatment, hope for others and reduce some need medication, the stigma of substance while many others simply abuse disorders,” said center need to be educated. director Ken Collins, who “Everyone’s story is differhas served in his position for ent, and one of the things the past 11 years. “Stigma that has become more can negatively impact the successful is spreading willingness of individuals to awareness -- not just about seek treatment. Eventually, a the illness but also about few of those individuals who resources for recovery -were profiled came to work which helps shed the stigma for us as peer recovery speand shame and guilt that cialists, in order to continue Photo by Richard L. Gaw has in previous years kept to model their recovery life- The center is staffed with trained recovery support peers, who work side people from reaching out style and offer hope to others by side with patients seeking recovery. for help,” said Massuli, who who are still suffering. has been with the depart“The people in these stories are proof positive that addiction ment since 1998. “Originally, people only came to us when is not a dead end, and their stories showing others that their they had to -- through probation or court order mandates own healing is attainable.”

-- but this increased awareness has broken down barriers.”

The Alcohol & Drug Recovery Center works with as many as Four pillars 1,200 patients every year, providing substance use disorderIf there was a year when the community, individuals related prevention, assessment, intervention, treatment and and organizations and county and state government came recovery support services to adult and adolescent patients and together to address the rise in substance abuse disorders in their family members throughout Cecil County. Services are Cecil County, it was 2013. delivered from community and detention center-based proA report delivered that year by the Cecil County Health grams. Program services include crisis intervention; DWI/DUI Department entitled, “Cecil County Plans for Overdose assessments, referral, and treatment; family education, therapy Prevention,” stated that in Cecil County, illicit drug use and resources connections; group and individual counsel- ranked among the highest of any county in Maryland. ing for adults and adolescents; drug and alcohol prevention The average number of people reporting illicit drug use or services, both at the center and in schools; substance abuse dependence in the county -- nearly 5 percent -- exceeded diagnostic assessments; and therapeutic case management. the state average of 2.88 percent, and nearly 30 percent Family support and counseling sessions are offered to of young adults aged 18 to 24 reported a history of drug patients and their families to help increase understanding of abuse. the dynamics of addiction. Patients are also encouraged to Equally as alarming, the rate of drug-related public school attend recovery oriented support groups, including Narcotics suspensions in the county was reported to be among the Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, several of highest in the state. Between 2007 and 2011, Cecil County which are hosted by the Health Department. had the second-highest drug-induced death rate in the state, The center recognizes that addiction is a disease that causes resulting from ingestion of excessive amounts of alcohol or changes in the brain, and that substance use disorders are heroin, cocaine, prescription opioids and other prescribed influenced by environmental conditions and behavior; recov- and unprescribed medication. The only other county in ery from addiction is possible with appropriate treatment and Maryland with a high number of per-capita deaths attriblong-term lifestyle changes. uted to illicit drug use in Maryland was Baltimore City.

Continued on Page 40 Through the Stages of Change model, the department meets www.cecilcountylife.com | Spring/Summer 2017 | Cecil County Life

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Recovery Continued from Page 39

Stemming from the shocking findings of the report, and from conversations with then Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, then Cecil County Executive Tari Moore, Cecil County government, the Cecil County Drug and Alcohol Abuse Council, other stakeholder groups and the public, the county embraced the idea of addressing substance use disorders through recognition of a four-pillar approach: Prevention, establishing connection with individuals before substance use begins or escalates; Treatment, working with those with substance use disorders; Recovery Support, providing patients with resources to help them maintain their recovery; and Public Safety, engaging emergency services, law enforcement and the criminal justice system in partnership with communities, to reduce drug-related crime, injury and death, and to promote healthy and secure neighborhoods.

In 2013, the Alcohol & Drug Recovery Center also introduced peer recovery specialists into its workforce -- individuals who have successfully maintained recovery from substance abuse and provide one-on-one and group support. Almost immediately, peer recovery specialists changed the entire matrix of how the department works, because it provided patients with someone who understood how their addiction began, how it

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progressed, and the many roadblocks to navigate from addiction to recovery.

“Introducing peer recovery specialists into our mission gave us a new tool in our toolbox,” Massuli said. “These are individuals in recovery, who are trained to become recovery specialists and are able to speak to those suffering from addiction on a different level, because they have been there themselves. They engage, communicate, and inspire these people to believe that they can change.”

“Peers in our program help bring individuals and families into the system of care, help them stay engaged in services and treatment, and provide continuing support when treatments are completed,” Collins said.

“We Peers have a saying here,” said Amy Baumgardner, the department’s Recovery Support Supervisor. “We call it, ‘We do it until,’ which means that our opportunities and our patience and our do-overs and our attempts are limitless. We do it until the person seeking recovery gets it. We’re all in recovery ourselves, so we’ve been there, and we know the struggle, and we can have empathy for them.

“When we see a person come here for the first time, they’re here because he or she was court ordered or their family had pressed them to seek recovery. Too often, they’re at our doors, reluctantly. We still plant our seeds of hope, and tell them there’s a better, softer way toward recovery.”

Baumgardner’s sense of hope came from her children.

Seven years ago, Baumgardner, a mother of three, was in a car accident while driving intoxicated. Her youngest daughter suffered a level four lacerated liver. She didn’t know if her daughter would live or not. While recuperating in the hospital, Baumgardner kept thinking that if her daughter didn’t survive, “I was going to kill myself,” she said. “How could a mother do this? How could one drink mean so much that I would be willing to give up everything else? When I was told she was going to survive, that was my moment. That’s when I told myself that something good will come out of this tragedy.”

In supporting others who are attempting to overcome addiction, Baumgardner recommends that the addict establish a support network.

“You need a good support system and establish a good life line to hope,” Baumgardner added. “My hope came in knowing that what I did, I didn’t have to repeat. I made my priorities as a mother as the most important thing in my life. Once you find your recovery, it’s your call to action. There is someone else out there that’s going to want to know what you did, to attempt to find sustained stability.”

Rewrite Your Script In an effort to increase the amount of overdose prevention

Photo by Richard L. Gaw

The department launched the ‘Rewrite Your Script’ campaign that focused on opioid misuse prevention in Cecil County. From left to right: Deputy director Mike Massuli, health officer Stephanie Garrity, recovery support supervisor Amy Baumgardner and director Ken Collins.

Continued on Page 42

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Recovery Continued from Page 41

planning throughout Cecil County, the Cecil County Local Overdose Fatality Review Team (LOFRT) was established in 2014, in collaboration with the following partners: Cecil County Adult Drug Court, Cecil College, Cecil County Drug Free Community Coalition, Cecil County Drug Task Force, Elkton Police Department, Elkton Treatment Center, Department of Emergency Services, Haven House, Cecil County Health Department, Department of Juvenile Services, Cecil County Public Schools, Serenity Health, Cecil County Sheriff’s Office, Department of Social Services, Union Hospital, Upper Bay Counseling and Support Services, and other local organizations.

LOFRT’s mission was complex but intended to find solutions: By investigating intoxication deaths within Cecil County, it determined methods for preventing future deaths.

“Team members attended LOFRT meetings with information they had compiled on the individuals who had passed away, including autopsy reports from the state medical examiner’s office, and we began to ask, ‘Where did the system fail this person? What could we as a community have done differently, to prevent this overdose?’” Collins

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said. “From those discussions, we identified root causes and trends, and began to target resources to decrease overdose deaths in the future. One of several gaps identified by the team was the need to better educate the community about overdose prevention and resources for help.”

In 2015, LOFRT launched the Opioid Misuse Prevention Project (OMPP) Coalition that kicked off the Rewrite Your Script campaign and website, an effort to increase public awareness focused on opioid misuse prevention in the county. Supported by a strong graphic identity and a positive-looking message, the campaign increased community perception of risk/harm for non-medical use of opioids, increased community knowledge for, and utilization of, appropriate disposal methods for unused prescription medications, and increased public awareness of resources for treatment and overdose prevention.

When a patient arrives at the Alcohol & Drug Recovery Center for the first time, their look and their emotions are very often taken from the same playbook. Too many view the center as merely an extension of the system, just the latest obligatory and temporary stop along their long journey of cover-ups, deceit, guilt and self abuse. Their defenses have built not only a wall around them, but an impenetrable fortress. They have fashioned their dysfunction into an art

form. Some blame everyone else and yet hate themselves for what they have done. Over and over again, they attempt to confront and solve their addiction on their own but give up.

Then one day they begin to start talking to a counselor.

They begin to speak up in groups, and through time and education and expressing their vulnerability with others who have the same life experiences, they begin to understand that they are not the only wounded people in the world.

“We don’t give up on them,” Massuli said. “We respect and value the dignity of the individual as a human being.

We have seen that our program, and similar programs in the county, have been the place where people come when there’s nothing else available to them.”

“Some days, this department receives more ‘F-Yous’ than ‘Thank Yous,’” Collins said. “Conducting those initial assessments is challenging, but there really is a miracle in the connection to recovery. Our program is about planting seeds of hope and opportunity for change, and it’s about inviting recovery and offering help, not once, not twice, but maybe many times.

“Meeting the individual where he or she is motivationally, we keep offering help until he or she is ready to accept and build a commitment for change,” Collins added. “When you plant a seed, it may not grow until many years later, when a

long-term recovery is sustained. Maybe the light at the end of the tunnel is at the end of a distant tunnel, and maybe the light at the end of it isn’t so easily seen. And yet, there’s a real reward when we begin to see that person finally reach his or her goals, and begin to see that light for themselves.”

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email rgaw@chestercounty.com.

The Division of Addiction Services -Alcohol and Drug Recovery Center Cecil County Health Department John M. Byers Health Center 401 Bow Street Elkton MD 21921 Telephone: (410) 996-5106 Email: info@cecilcountyhealth.org www.cecilcountyhealth.org To learn more about the Cecil County Opioid Misuse Prevention Project, visit www.rewriteyourscript.org

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——————|Cecil County Events|—————— Annual Secret Garden Tour

Date: June 10, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Location: Town Of North East The Women’s Civic League of North East announces its Tenth Annual Secret Garden Tour. This event takes place rain or shine, and features eight gardens in and around North East, Md. The self-driving tour, which features eight gardens, includes a charming town garden, a golf course community, and waterfront properties with views of the Northeast and Elk rivers. Highlights include meticulous landscaping, water gardens, whimsical statuary, mature wooded areas, and late-spring floral containers. Tickets are $15 in advance and may be purchased at North East Town Hall, Kathy’s Corner Shop, and The Silver Buckle on Main Street. Tickets are also available for $20 on the day of the tour only at St Mary Anne’s Parish House (315 South Main Street, North East). Tickets include a map and driving directions. For more information, contact: 410-287-9078 or visit www.wclnortheast.org/upcoming-events.

Chesapeake City Canal 5k Run/Walk

Date: June 24, noon to 3 p.m.

Location: Ben Cardin Trail, North Side of Chesapeake City, Chesapeake City, Md. Come and watch, or run, the Canal Day

County Fair begins

Date: July 21, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Location: Fair Grounds (4640 Telegraph Rd., Elkton, Md.) Carnival midway, demolition derby, tractor and truck pulls, professionally-sanctioned rodeo, shows, 4-H competitions, contests, 5K run/walk, and food. Visit www. cecilcountyfair.org.

Blackberry Bash Harvest Party Date: July 22, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Location: Milburn Orchards (1495 Appleton Rd., Elkton, Md.)

Lotus Blossom Art & Nature Festival

Date: Aug,. 5, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Location: Mount Harmon Plantation (600 Mount Harmon Rd., Earlville, Md.) The Art & Nature Festival showcases the American Lotus in peak bloom and features an array of nature-inspired fine arts, crafts and exhibitors, a classic car show, guided nature walks, children’s activities, food vendors and more.

Admission: $5, FOMH members and children 12 and younger, free. Tickets available upon entry. Visit www. mountharmon.org.

Peach Party

12th Annual Cruise In

Date: Aug. 5, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Location: Milburn Orchards (1495 Appleton Rd., Elkton, Md.) Each Harvest Party includes homemade and hand-cranked ice cream making demonstrations for the flavor of the weekend theme (11 a.m. and 2 p.m.); pie-eating contest for kids (12:30 each day); pedal tractor pull competition for kids (1 p.m.); family activities such as sack races and bean bag toss. Free samples of the weekend theme fruit in the market. Visit www.milburnorchards.com.

Blastin’ Blueberry Festival

Date: Aug. 5, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Location: McDaniel Yacht Basin (15 Grandview Ave., North East, Md.) Free admission. Chesapeake Bay and boating inspired arts and crafts, food trucks, beer and wine, music by DJ Bob Cross, face painting and children’s activities, Sailfish and South Wind Boats. Visit www.galahadmarine.com.

Date: June 30, 4 to 8 p.m.

Location: Foster’s Auto Service (152 North East Rd., North East, Md.) Come join us for an eveninig filed with good food, door prizes, goodie bags (for pre-registered cars), old friends, new friends and some of the area’s coolest cars! Please bring a non-perishable food item to help sponsor the Union Hospital Cancer Program.

Call 410-287-5821 for further details, or visit www.fostersautoservice.net.

Date: July 8, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Location: Milburn Orchards (1495 Appleton Rd., Elkton, Md.)

Cecil County Food & Wine Festival

Date: July 15, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Location: North East Community Park (200 Walnut St., North East, Md.) Enjoy wine tastings featuring Cecil County and Maryland wines, food, live music, craft vendors, demonstrations and more! Visit www.cecilwinefest.com.

Upper Bay Art Festival

Rockin’ Raspberry Harvest Party Date: Aug. 19, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Location: Milburn Orchards (1495 Appleton Rd., Elkton, Md.)

Continued on Page 46

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Cecil events Continued from Page 44

Lions Club Car Show

Date: Aug. 26, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Location: Town Of Chesapeake City The show features collectible vehicles, street rods, trucks and woodies. Local shops and restaurants will be open all day and evening. Spectator parking is at the Jack Ritter Little League Ball Field, with shuttle service from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. DJ Terry will play the hits of the ‘50s and ‘60s on the stage at Pell Gardens. The Food Court is on Third Street between George Street and Bohemia Avenue. There will be judging of show cars by select members of the Delaware Street Rods Car Club. Prize drawings for participants to start at 11:30 a.m. at Pell Gardens. Winners’ names will be posted on white boards at Pell Gardens and the Food Court.

Participants must be present at the car show to win/collect for prize awards. Car Show Awards presentation to start at 2:30 p.m. in Pell Gardens. A 50/50 drawing will follow. The 50/50 winner does not need to be present to win.

North East Triathlon & Duathlon

Date: Aug. 27, 7:30 a.m.

Location: North East Community Park (200 Walnut St., North East, Md.) Sprint Distance Tri or Du: 750 Meter Swim or 1.5 Mile Run ~ 13 Mile Bike ~ 3.1 Mile Run. Visit www.piranha-sports.com.

Bull & Oyster Roast

Date: Oct. 14, 5 to 9 p.m.

Location: Mount Harmon Plantation (600 Mount Harmon Rd., Earleville, Md.) The Bull & Oyster Roast is a favorite fall event and great time to visit Mount Harmon and enjoy one of the Eastern Shore’s finest delicacies – freshly shucked oysters. The event is an important fundraiser for Mount Harmon. Tickets include oysters on the half shell and roasted oysters, a barbeque buffet, dessert, beer and wine, silent and live auctions, manor house tours, and live music. Advance tickets are $65 per person ($500 for a reserved table for eight). Reservations Required.

Email info@mountharmon.org or call 410-275-8819.

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——————|Cecil County People|——————

A need for speed Local motorsport enthusiast Todd Reid puts the pedal to the metal Lisa Fieldman Staff Writer

A

s a child, Todd Reid wanted to be Evel Knievel when he grew up.

When he wasn’t attempting death-defying stunts on the family farm, Todd was riding horses. Throughout his childhood, he competed in events and races involving horsepower of the four-legged kind. As an adult, Todd prefers his horsepower to be under the hood of a highperformance vehicle.

Reid is the CEO and president of ReidSpeed Enterprises.

An Ivy League-educated mechanical engineer, Reid runs his own successful IT support business. On weekends, he indulges his inner daredevil in motorsport racing, as well as race coaching, driving instruction and race crewing.

“I rode horses every day of my life until I was 18,” Reid said. But that stopped when he went off to the University of Pennsylvania and his parents sold the farm. He did some

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All photos courtesy of Todd Reid

All systems go for Todd Reid in his Lotus Super Seven.

Todd Reid was a participant in the reality show ‘Are You Faster Than a Redneck?’ His Honda Civic gave an entertaining performance when the engine blew up as he crossed the finish line.

bike racing during college, but it was not until he graduated and was working that he became aware something was missing from his life – competition.

“I had always liked cars, so I thought maybe I’d race,” he said. So he started doing autocross, which is a short course of cones set up in an empty parking lot. The focus is speed and accuracy. “I did that for a few years, and by the third year I was consistently winning,” he said.

At one of the events, someone said, “You’re pretty fast.

Have you ever considered trying this on a real race track?”

He learned that Porsche offered driver education programs on race tracks across the country, and that one Porsche group was allowing other cars to enter their events. He found a program at Summit Point race track, bought a helmet, and drove his Mazda Miata to West Virginia.

During a driver education course, a professional instructor takes a driver out onto the racetrack to teach him highspeed safety techniques. “I went out with an instructor and I was a natural,” Reid said. Normally, a driver starts out as

Reid’s 1967 Lotus Super Seven is ready for its laps.

a beginner and then progresses through different levels to advanced driver. “After my first session, they immediately moved me up to intermediate,” Reid said.

Over time, he was recognized for his superior driving skills, and became a certified coach. “I’m a driving instructor for the Porsche, BMW, Ferrari, and Lotus car clubs -- all the big ones,” he explained. “In the past, sports cars were fast, but now they are ridiculously fast. People are driving around in cars that can go 200 miles per hour. Just to have me in the car is big leg up over a standard instructor. They are not at the same level as I am. Most don’t race cars.”

Reid also coaches other race drivers to help them sharpen their skills. “With them, the only goal is to win,” he said.

Enthused by his experience at Summit Point, Reid sold his Miata and bought a faster car. He quickly moved up to the advanced driver level.

“I spent two more years getting good, then in 1997 I built my first race car and started racing,” he said. He remembers his first race as the most exciting thing imaginable.

“You show up and the purpose is to win. You also want to have fun, but it is really important to do well,” he said.

Racing, however, puts a lot of wear and tear on the car and there is a lot more risk. “I tell people, if it’s a really close race, it’s almost like combat – there’s a life and death thing going on. Sometimes only one car can fit on a certain part of the track, and if you’re side by side, someone has to give in. There is a lot of skill and preparation involved.”

Reid likes to drive clean, meaning he doesn’t like to bump other cars to gain the lead. “You can rattle their cage just by showing them you’re there, by moving around all over the place. Eventually they will make a mistake -- drive off the track, or spin out. Then I go around them. It’s not quite physical combat, but it’s close.”

Sometimes the lead driver will get so far out front there is

no competition. Reid doesn’t like to win that way. “I feel bad for the other drivers, so I’ll cut back,” he said. “At least they’ll have a chance, and will have some fun.”

In his early racing days, Reid routinely finished in the middle of the pack. After a few years of putting in time on the track, he started winning. “The only way to learn is through experience,” he said. He was driving a Ford Probe GT. “No one raced them; they all thought they were terrible,” he said. But Reid figured out a way to make his Probe fast.

“One year I won ten out of 11 races. No one was even close,” he said. The next year, the officials added 100 pounds to his car. “That was to slow me down, but I still won all the races.”

Stewards try to even out the field, so they handicap a car that is consistently faster than the rest by adding weight.

The following year they added an additional 50 pounds.

With the added weight, Reid had to really fight to finish in the top three.

“The Probe was the only car I ever talked to,” he said. “I would ask it, ‘Are you going to show up, are you going to be there?’ and I could always tell if it would.”

Reid had been running the Ford Probe since 2003 and winning, even with the extra weight. But it was showing its age, and Todd retired the car. A friend and fellow driver, Xavier, had been trying, unsuccessfully, to best Todd in a race. He persistently asked Todd to bring the Probe out of retirement for one last race. Xavier wanted one more chance to beat him. Finally, Todd relented and showed up at the Summit Point track for a race during HyperFest.

From the moment the green flag dropped, the race became a contest between Todd and Xavier. The rest of the field was left in their dust.

“My plan was to hold him off, but that’s not how it went,” Reid explained. “We would pass each other back and forth on almost every lap. By now we’ve gone all the way around the track and were passing cars finishing a previous lap.”

They headed down into the chute, which is a long downhill section, and came up on a slower lap car in front. It is common courtesy for a back-marker (someone getting lapped) to move out of the way of the lead cars.

“When you are a back-marker and you see the leaders, you get over, especially if they are fighting,” he explained.

Reid headed down the chute at 110 miles per hour with the back marker on his left and Xavier’s Honda CRX on his tail.

“The lap car looked like he was going to stay on the left, which is what he probably should have done; but he panicked and went to the right,” Reid said. Todd slammed on his brakes to avoid a collision, giving Xavier an opening to pull in front. With only three turns left before the straightaway to the finish, Reid was sure he’d lost the race. Then Continued on Page 50

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Todd Reid Continued from Page 49

Xavier tried to shift into fourth gear, but missed the gear.

“I zoomed to the inside to pass him. He didn’t want me to pass, so he tried to cover up,” Reid said. “That only works if you are completely in front. I was next to him, but he didn’t realize I was there.”

Traveling at 100 miles per hour through the turn, the Honda’s door hit the Probe’s wheel. “Xavier immediately went sideways and rolled eight times. The last thing he sees as he rolls is my car going into the woods,” Reid said.

Reid’s car slammed, passenger side first, into a big tree.

“The tree cut all the way through my car, right through the roll cage. It got my finger, which was on the steering wheel. You could hear my engine screaming. I never let off the accelerator; it was still floored while I was in the tree,” Reid said. The car fell out of the tree, then the tee fell down on top of the Probe. Reid was trapped in the only intact part of the car; the rest had been torn away. He was extricated from the cockpit and airlifted to a medical center. He remained hospitalized for a few days recuperating from a severe concussion, torn ligaments in his ankle, and a partial amputation of his finger. A few weeks after the

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crash, he went to the wrecking yard and saw what was left of the Probe.

“I looked in the cockpit and realized I was really lucky to be alive,” he said.

Amazingly, when he looked up the race results online, Reid discovered that he had won the race.

“I was told there is an obscure rule. When there is a red flag on the last lap and they can’t finish the race, they revert to the previous laps’ finishing position. That was me by three feet,” Reid said. “He didn’t beat me, and the car went out like a gladiator. It went out on a victory.”

Reid was scheduled to drive in a race just four weeks after the crash. “They asked if I’d be able to drive, and I said I could do it, I’d just need help getting in and out of the car,” he said.

The race team was concerned Todd might experience some PTSD. “I told them if I have a problem, I’ll come in.

I did one slow lap, then I dropped the hammer and I won the race. I had no anxiety. So, I either had brain damage for real, or it’s just the way I’m wired,” he said with a laugh.

“Most of the racing I do now is vintage racing,” Reid said.

“I have an antique car, a 1967 Lotus Super Seven.”

Vintage sports car racing has a camaraderie that is not often found in other motorsports. “It’s much friendlier,”

Invitational Vintage Grand Prix. The Reid said. “People hang out and share downtown roads were closed off, and stories.” about 60 antique sports cars competed Competition is so fierce in modern on a course that zig-zagged throughracing that competitors won’t lift their out the city. Winners posted the fastest hoods around other drivers. “But in course time. Reid enjoyed the commuvintage racing, we share advice and nity event, and especially liked talking sometimes even parts. Everyone is a with young race fans about cars. He friend,” he said. even encouraged them to sit in his Reid also enjoys seeing the variety Lotus. “There were a lot selfies taken,” of antique cars that show up to race.

“Today, all cars look the same. Back Reid figured out how to make his Ford Probe GT he said with a smile. run much faster than the competition.

Reid plans to race his Lotus in the then, cars were different, flashier.”

Coatesville Vintage Grand Prix again It is, however, serious racing, and because a lot of the cars are irreplaceable, there are strict this September. He continues to race-coach and instruct ‘no contact’ rules. “My Lotus is old, so it’s not as safe. I drivers at auto club events. He is also involved with a project to develop electric race cars. Currently, his IT busidon’t want to be in an accident in that car,” Reid said.

In modern racing, you have to be a good driver, but there ness keeps him busy. However, he hopes in the future he is a lot of electronic assistance, such as anti-lock brakes, will be able to dedicate more time to his primary passion, and stability control. With vintage, the driver is totally in motorsports.

After his wreck, Reid’s daughter asked if was going to give control of the car, and there are few helpful features. This up racing. “I thought about it, and realized that this is the era of racing was more dependent on driver skills.

“Vintage is my favorite out of all the racing I do. It’s the thing I am best at,” he said. “If I was mediocre, maybe I’d give it up, but I can’t give up what I do best.” most fun,” Reid said.

Visit www.reidspeedinc.com or email D15b7@aol.com.

Last September, Reid won the inaugural Coatesville, Pa.,

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————|Cecil County Photo Essay|————

Where in Chesapeake City A photo game by Carla Lucas

In the final installment of a two-year series, Cecil County Life visits Chesapeake City. This quaint and historic town that is divided by the C&D Canal is filled with interesting details. How well do you know this part of Cecil County?

Can you identify the exact locations from the photos?

Get all 19 right and you are a Cecil County Genius. Get 15 to 18 correct and you are a Cecil County Fanatic.

Get 10 to 14 correct and you are a Cecil County Expert. Get 5 to 9 correct and you are a Cecil County Novice.

There’s no way you should get fewer than five correct answers. If you do, you need to get out and explore Chesapeake City a little!

Continued on Page 54

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Photo Essay Continued from Page 53

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The answers revealed on page 56

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Photo Essay Continued from Page 55 Garage door at the Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 of Chesapeake City, Station 2, located in North Chesapeake City.

Built as the National Bank of Chesapeake City in 1903, now it’s the retail shop The Jewelry Place, on Bohemia Street, South Chesapeake City.

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Railings and porch from a private residence on George Street, South Chesapeake City.

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3 Steeple at Chesapeake City United Methodist Church, on Third Street, South Chesapeake City.

4 Canal Pilot’s boats docked in North Chesapeake City.

6 Sign outside the C&D Museum marks the midpoint of the C&D Canal, South Chesapeake City.

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Private residence, George Street, South Chesapeake City.

Flower boxes at the Old Gray Mare store on Bohemia Street, South Chesapeake City.

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10 Monument to John Francis Schaefer, near docks at entrance to Shaefer’s Canal House, North Chesapeake City.

Entrance to Pell Gardens, on Bohemia Street, South Chesapeake City.

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Sections from the tablet on the outside of the C&D Museum, South Chesapeake City.

It commemorates and explains the history of the C&D Canal.

11 Light in front of Chick’s, on Bohemia Street, South Chesapeake City.

Continued on Page 58

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Photo Essay Continued from Page 57

13 The Bayard House, at the water’s edge, Bohemia Street, South Chesapeake City.

14 Crossing the Chesapeake City Bridge, Route 213, heading north.

15 Replica of the Bethel Bridge Lighthouse, on the grounds of the Army Corps of Engineers, Bethel Road, South Chesapeake City.

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Roof tiles from the Good Shepherd Church, George Street, South Chesapeake City.

The bell located next to the Good Shepherd Church, George Street, South Chesapeake City.

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Part of the bronze plaque at the World War I memorial, Bohemia Street, South Chesapeake City.

Decoration on the porch of the KarsnerWilsey House and Office, now a private residence on Bohemia Street, South Chesapeake City.

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A tale of two trails Delaware and Maryland join up to benefit hikers, bikers and walkers

By Pam George Staff Writer

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t was a rare 60-degree day in February, and Peggy Smith Eppig decided to take a walk. But this was no quick jaunt around the block. Eppig started in Chesapeake City and trekked all the way to Delaware City – a five-hour journey that did not involve roads or highways. Eppig was among the first to hike the joined Ben Cardin Recreational Trail in Maryland and the Michael N. Castle Trail in Delaware.

The celebration of the final link was on Jan. 13. “For years, people had been saying, ‘Why don’t they create this end-to-end trail?’” said Eppig, a seasoned hiker. “Finally, here it is!”

Stacey Schiller and friends, who are competitive cyclists, were also enthusiastic about the trails’ marriage. “We have been chomping at the bit for the extension to Chesapeake City to be finished,” she said. She and three friends made the trip from Delaware City to Chesapeake City in March.

“It’s a great warm-up for a longer ride or a cool-down from one,” she said. “Since I’ve traditionally done most of my riding at the beach, it’s lovely to have waterfront path [up north] to ride, without the traffic concerns.”

Hiker and cyclist Carol Dandolos would agree. “The best part for a cyclist is no car traffic,” she said. “You can just cycle and enjoy the scenery.”

The smooth paved path is ideal for children, said Amy White, who, with her husband, is a “road bike fanatic.”

The couple had to reconsider their routes when baby Zora was born. “Taking her on the road where we ride isn’t the safest idea, but the trail is perfect,” she said. “Her first bike ride ever was on the trail – 33 miles at 12 weeks old. Slept through the whole thing.”

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Two Trails Continued from Page 60

The Ben Cardin Recreational Trail The trail is named for U.S. Sen. Benjamin Louis “Ben” Cardin, a third-generation Marylander, who also served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1987 to 2006 and in the Maryland House of Delegates from 1967 to 1987.

“This is a great honor, but mostly I am proud of the legacy we are leaving to Marylanders and to the region,” said Sen. Cardin at the trail’s grand opening in 2015. “We want people to enjoy their community, and feel connected to the outdoors and to others. This great project will allow people to gain a greater appreciation of the history and future of this region, while also staying healthy.”

The 1.8-mile trail starts in Chesapeake City, which was originally known as Bohemia Village. The town’s rise is closely linked to the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal, which opened in 1829 to provide a waterway between the Delaware River and the Chesapeake Bay. Bohemia Village became Chesapeake City in 1839. Today, the Chesapeake Historic District gives visitors a glimpse of what the town looked like in the 19th century.

Continued on Page 64

Courtesy photo

Marty White, with baby Zora, on the trail.

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Two Trails Continued from Page 62

The Michael N. Castle Trail Mike Castle, as he’s known to Delawareans, has been the state’s Governor and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. The trail that honors him opened in October 2013 as part of then-Gov. Jack Markell’s First State Trails & Pathways Initiative.

The 12.4-mile trail starts at the Delaware City Branch Canal Trail, an extension into Delaware City for those coming the other direction.

Like Chesapeake City, Delaware City – which dates back to 1801 – experienced a boost when the C&D Canal opened. Peach orchards were another source of income; the fruit was shipped from the port town. Delaware City took an economic hit when trains, trucks and later planes became shipping options, and the orchards suffered blight.

Both towns now promote tourism, which in Delaware City includes Fort Delaware, located on Pea Patch Island. The formidable structure was once a prison for Confederate soldiers.

Those walking and cycling from the Castle Trail into Delaware City will spot historical elements that cyclist

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Sean McNeice called “super cool.”

The half-mile-long stretch passes an African-American cemetery, the burial site of Delaware City residents who served the Union during the Civil War. A marker details information about Polktown, an African-American community.

Sites to See The trails between these two towns are paved, which Continued on Page 66

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Two Trails Continued from Page 64

makes them ideal for cyclists. The surface, however, can be a little hard on walkers’ joints, Eppig said. By the time she reached Delaware City, she felt a few aches and pains.

Most of the terrain, which hugs the canal, is flat. There are a few undulating hills near Lums Pond State Park.

Some of the most photographed subjects are the bridges.

Currently, there are no interpretive signs, so here’s a little bit about them: • The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built the Chesapeake City Bridge (Route 213) in 1949 to replace a vertical-lift drawbridge that was destroyed in 1942 when a tanker struck it.

• The Summit Bridge for Routes 301, 71 and 896 opened in 1961 to replace a swing-span structure. The U.S. Army Corps demolished the old bridge when it rerouted the canal to a new sea level channel south of Lums Pond State Park.

• Built as part of a canal expansion project, the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal Lift Bridge is a railroad bridge that opened in 1966. The single-track bridge’s lift stays open until a train engineer contacts the bridge opera-

tor in advance.

• The eye-catching Senator William V. Roth Jr., a cablestayed bridge, opened in 1995. Initially, it was built to replace the St. Georges Bridge, which is right next to it.

The canal’s first high-level bridge, the St. Georges opened in 1942. The bridge had experienced so much heavy traffic over the years that it was deteriorating, forcing the U.S. Army Corps to institute weight restrictions. Area residents protested the bridge’s demolition. It was repaired and reopened to local traffic.

• The cantilevered Reedy Point Bridge, which opened in 1968, carries Route 9 traffic across the canal. It crosses marshes and Fort DuPont.

If you’re in luck, you’ll see tankers and tugs glide underneath one of these bridges for the perfect photo opportunity.

Birds, wetlands and the C&D Canal Conservation Area will provide other picturesque subjects. On the half-mile Delaware City Branch Canal Trail alone, more than 1,000 trees were planted to provide habitat for wildlife.

Dandolos, who has biked from Delaware City to Chesapeake City several times since the link between the two trails opened, has seen cranes and herons near the water. Eppig spotted hawks.

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break and enjoy the scenery. “My favorite sight was the panoramic view of the water when I stopped to take it all in,” said cyclist Rose Giroso. “I was not expecting to find such a gem in my backyard.”

If there’s a drawback, it’s the lack of shade on a hot summer day. “It is a bummer,” she agreed. “But I can handle that knowing I am heading to Chesapeake City for a drink, post ride.”

White would concur. “I think my favorite sight this summer, though, will be any signs pointing to the new Grain H20 at the old Aqua Sol [at Summit North Marina]. If you’re a biker, and an eater, it’s perfect – go from Grain to Schaffer’s and back again.”

If you’re heading the other way, you can also cool off in one of the establishments in Delaware City.

Wear sunscreen. You might encounter headwinds.

“Being so close to the water, with nothing to block the wind, it feels like every time I ride down there I get headwind,” White said. “Not so fun on a bike; probably worse for the runners.”

The trails are multi-use, which means you’ll share the paved path with walkers, cyclists, runners and, in some spots, a horseback rider or two. “The trail is really only wide enough for two riders or two runners at a time,”

From left: Stacy Gawronski, Darlise DiMatteo, Denise Matheny and Stacey Schiller.

Schiller said. “Folks on their feet and on wheels need to be aware and drop into a single file so others can safely pass.

In other words, practice your trail etiquette. For information on these trails and others, visit traillink.com. To read Eppig’s blog on the canal trail, end to end, visit naturalmidatlantic.blogspot.com/2017/02/.

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Chesapeake City Events

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Chesapeake City Canal 5K Run/Walk June 24, 2017 6:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

Independence Day Fireworks Sunday, July 2nd rain date: Monday July 3rd 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Music in the Park

Sunday, July 9th - Aug. 27, 2017 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Chesapeake City Lions Club Car Show August 26, 2017 7:00 a.m. - 3:00 a.m.

Shakespeare in the Park September 16, 2017 7:00 p.m.

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—————|Cecil County Business|—————

All along the Firetower

When Roger and Dawn Davis decided to open their own brewery earlier this year, they did so with the idea of tapping into the agriculture and history of Cecil County. With stouts and ales with cool names now popping up at local farmer’s markets, the taste of the region is in every bottle

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All photos by Jie Deng

Roger and Dawn Davis officially began their brewery in 2014.

By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer

G

o ahead. Examine your life. Pick it apart at the seams. Twist it around like a giant Rubik’s Cube and explore it for opportunities, for slim doors that remain slightly ajar, for you to disappear into and live out your crazy, crazy dreams.

The latest U.S. Census reports that 325 million people live in this country, and of them, there is a fair likelihood that nearly half of them keep their wild aspirations for a fulfilled life in a desk drawer or a closet, or in a quiet place in their minds that’s grown mostly bittersweet. Many of them read the stories in the magazines about these Everyman pioneers whose lives have been enriched by the Continued on Page 74 www.cecilcountylife.com | Spring/Summer 2017 | Cecil County Life

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Firetower Continued from Page 73

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riskiness of their choices, by their decision to just Go For It, and at the end of every magazine story, they sit and ask themselves, Why can’t I do that?

What’s to stop me but my own fear that I will fail in my attempt?

Have you ever read these magazine articles?

If not, then this is that magazine article.

The story that began the life Roger also cultivates a garden on the farm. of the Firetower Farm Brewery in Colora had its beginning in the complex world known as Defying Logic. Roger Davis is a plant manager at an adhesive tapes manufacturing facility in Philadelphia. His wife Dawn is a teacher at the Ursuline Academy and the University of Delaware.

They currently live in Newark, but have roots deep in Cecil County, having once lived in Elkton, where Dawn taught at North East High School.

The roots of the brewery could be found in the pairing of two traits that Roger said make up who he is: He is a chemist at heart, and he is also the proud owner of an obsessive personality. A dedicated runner, Roger has run 100 miles across the Grand Canyon in temperatures that fluctuated between freezing and intense heat.

Riding the wave of home brewing popularity, he began experimenting in his kitchen by brewing beer for his friends, beginning four years ago.

So when Roger approached Dawn with the idea of expanding his love for brewing outside of the home and developing it on a larger scale, Dawn was originally skeptical of her husband’s concept.

“In terms of time and money, I thought, ‘He has a fulltime job and I had a full-time teaching job, so how are we going to swing this?’ Dawn said. “And yet, Roger wanted to do it and in the end, how can you say ‘no’ to someone who wants to do something?”

“What tied itself into everything was that I was attempting pursue what the French call Terroir - the desire to create the taste of a particular region,” Roger said. “I wanted to see what malt, barley and grains from this area would taste like in beer.”

Three years ago, Roger spoke with fellow runner Megan Kilby, and began telling her about his brewing aspirations.

She connected him with her father Bill, the owner of the farm, who offered Roger a few acres to create his brewery. After obtaining all the proper licenses, what became Firetower Farm Brewery was launched on Sept. 30, 2014.

The brewery, housed in a 1,600-square-foot facility on the farm, was almost entirely built by Roger and Dawn mostly from salvaged and re-purposed materials, which include the cabinetry, walls, doors, foundation and the beer-making equipment. Every available weekend or stolen group of days were spent at the farm; Dawn mixed the mortar and Roger laid the bricks, while the foundation was constructed by outside contractors.

To learn more about the craft of brewing, Roger attended an intensive week-long course at the University of California at Davis. It was a fantasy camp for him, but it taught Roger the essential of brewing – the chemicals,

The Firetower Farm Brewery is housed on the Kilby Farm in Colora.

the percentages, the painstakingly slow process of turning grains into beer.

From their first Cecil County tasting at Flying Plow Farm in Rising Sun on March 9 – where they introduced their Continued on Page 76

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Firetower Continued from Page 75

products to visitors who braved 15-degree weather – Roger and Dawn have begun to showcase Firetower Farm beer at several farmers markets throughout Cecil County and Harford County, including Havre de Grace Farmers Market and the Bel Air Farmers Market, Wilson’s Farm Market, as well as a repeat visit to Flying Plow Farm.

Influenced by the modern-day IPA brewing craze that’s swept over the United States like a blizzard of creativity, Firetower Farm Brewery has attached some peculiar names to their products: Bucky Brown Dunkelweizen Wheat Ale. Winter Stores Corn Ale. Full House Mocha Stout. Fox Snare Abbey Ale. Farm Stand Blonde Corn Ale. Each label includes a story that pulls in the history of Cecil County, as well as the farm-raised products used in Firetower farm beer. For instance, Bucky Brown Dunkelweizen Wheat Ale is named after a groundhog that was a presence in the Davis backyard.

“Walk proudly, Bucky,” the label reads. “Your home is the Fair Hill Nature Preserve. Take in the natural beauty and aromas. Just a little further and you’d pick up the scent of our Cecil County grown wheat for this delicious Dunkelweisen.”

The Full House Mocha Stout celebrates the historic Blue Ball Tavern, and the Winter Stores Corn Ale label predicts that Revolutionary War generals Washington, Rochambeau and Lafayette “surely would have

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Each bottle is labeled by hand.

enjoyed the winter version of Firetower’s corn ale” during their travels through Cecil County during the war.

Roger and Dawn Davis know that in the future, they have the choice to convert their Firetower Farm Brewery into a fully-automated facility.

In fact, there is an entire industry that is being built around the homebrewing craze in America, one that the brewery plans to stay clear of.

“Right now, it’s a four-to-five week supply chain between our brew date and our sale date, and this is our fifth month and we have been to five market tastings,” Roger said. “One of the many things I learned at UC-Davis was that many small breweries fail because it is so tempting to buy the latest equipment out there.

“If we were going to buy a ten bottle-per minute beer labeling machine you’re at least talking $20,000 to $30,000. If I have $80,000, I would be able to buy a canning line that could can 60 bottles a minute.

I can get a ten-barrel brewing system for $1.2 million, but if we did that, we would constantly be chasing our payments.”

Roger pointed to the blocks in the foundation and the wood in the double wall construction of the 40-foot by 40-foot facility he and his wife built with their own hands.

“I am a believer in human will,” he said. “Once you decide to do something, you can do it. You just have to continue to believe. If you decide inside yourself that you can’t do it anymore, you’re not going to do it.”

Bread made from the yeast produced in the making of Firetower Farm beer.

He then looked at Dawn, and then all around the cozy confines of his dream.

“It is one stick of wood at a time, and one block at a time, one bottle at a time,” he said.

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email rgaw@chestercounty.com.

www.cecilcountylife.com | Spring/Summer 2017 | Cecil County Life

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Calvert Manor Healthcare Center named among ‘Best Nursing Homes’ for 2016-2017

C

alvert Manor Healthcare Center, a 144-bed skilled nursing, rehabilitation and long-term care community in Rising Sun, was included on the list when U.S. News & World Report published its “Best Nursing Home” listing for 2016- 2017.

Thirty-six nursing homes in Maryland were among the best in the nation. More than 15,000 nursing homes in the United States were evaluated to establish the “Best Nursing Home” designation. Only 16 percent of Maryland’s 228 nursing homes achieved this coveted status.

U.S. News and World Report utilizes the data provided by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for overall performance ratings, as well as ratings for key services for the past 12 month period.

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Only facilities with an “overall” star rating by CMS were considered. This rating is based on state health inspections, nurse staffing and medical quality measures. U.S. News & World Report publishes an on-line rating tool, “Nursing Home Finder,” a decision tool to support the consumers search for skilled nursing and long-term care facilities.

Calvert Manor Healthcare Center is proud to continue its tradition of excellence in this community.

Offering skilled nursing, rehabilitation care and therapy services to those recovering from an accident, major illness or surgery.

For more information on the methodology used

by U.S News & World Report for this “Best Nursing Home” listing, visit http://health.usnews.com/ bestnursing-homes.

www.cecilcountylife.com | Spring/Summer 2017 | Cecil County Life

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By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer In 1979, Harry Brown and Harry Hammond purchased American Home and Hardware, which has also long been known by some as the Elkton Supply Company. It was already one of the quintessential businesses in the county by then, occupying a prime spot in Elkton’s commercial district on West Main Street.

All photos by Steven Hoffman unless otherwise noted

American Home and Hardware has always occupied an important spot in Elkton’s commercial district.

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Courtesy photo

Ice, coal, and lumber were offered at the Elkton Supply store.

The Elkton Supply Company traces its roots to 1924, when it was an ice and coal business operating under the name Diamond Ice and Coal Company.

Ice was frequently used for refrigeration at the time. Later, the Elkton Supply Company supplied coal, oil, and ice to residents in Elkton and the surrounding areas.

At various times throughout its history, the business sold feed, lumber, construction materials, even furniture.

Since Harry Brown and Harry Hammond took over Elkton Supply Company 38 years ago, the core of the business has been general goods and supplies for the home and hardware. According to Joshua Brown, Harry Brown’s son and the vice president of American Home and Hardware, the business offers everything from lumber and building materials to kitchen, bath, and flooring supplies. The business is continually evolving, based on what the

community needs at a given time.

“Over the years, we’ve adapted to whatever the customers had a need for,” Brown explained, noting that they offered home heating services for a time, and during another period in the 1980s rented movies and VHS tapes until Blockbuster started taking over the movie rental industry. “Dad and Harry Hammond both have a had a knack for knowing when to get in and out of a business,” Brown said.

Today, in the 30,000-squarefoot building, the store carries a little bit of just about everything that homeowners, do-it-yourselfers or building contractors could be looking for. Brown estimates that they carry twice as many individual items as a larger, big box store because they strive to carry such a wide variety of items.

“Our customers often say, ‘I knew you guys would have it,’” Brown explained. “We’ve always had a mix of homeowners and

contractors. We’ve been Cecil County’s hardware store for quite some time.”

Situated on what is now, following an expansion, a sevenacre site, American Home and Hardware has a growing lumber and building materials business.

Brown explained that the company works closely with vendors in the lumber industry to get the best prices possible for customers.

This can be tricky because the lumber markets fluctuate based on a variety of factors.

“The lumber industry, over the last 20 years, has really changed and become much more technical,” Brown said.

American Home and Hardware also has a membership with the Do It Best Corporation cooperative, which is a member-owned hardware, lumber, and building materials cooperative based in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Again, it’s the customers who benefit because the store is able to offer more products at a lower price.

Each year, Brown explained, they organize an event that brings contractors together with vendors so that information about industry trends can be shared.

“We’ve learned a lot through the years,” he explained. “We try to work with vendors that are really going to be fair with customers.”

In addition to competitive prices and having more items that other places won’t have, American Home and Hardware also prides itself on providing superior customer service. Brown said that the experienced staff can help people make sure they are getting exactly what they need for a project. Harry Brown and Harry Hammond both worked for the company before they purchased Continued on Page 82

www.cecilcountylife.com | Spring/Summer 2017 | Cecil County Life

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American Home & Hardware Continued from Page 81

Courtesy photo

The store has a long history in Elkton.

the business in 1979, so they have nearly 100 years of business experience between them. They are still involved in the business today—as the CEO and president, respectively.

American Home and Hardware is very much a family busi-

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ness. Two of Harry Brown’s siblings, Tom Brown and Rob Brown, have key roles with the store, and other family members have worked there as well. Many of the store’s 50 employees have been there for a long time as well, with some staying for 20 years or longer.

“People have come to expect a knowledgeable staff and good customer service,” Brown said.

“What we try to do is sell you what you need, and only what you need. We want to make sure that you have the right things. We have a lot of repeat customers, and that’s exactly why.”

Brown explained that it’s important for customers to be able to trust what they are being sold.

That’s where an experienced staff can be very helpful to assist customers so that they don’t leave the store with the wrong item.

As an illustration, Brown recalled a time, years ago, when a customer came in and was about to purchase ten GFCI outlets that are used to

provide protection from electrical shocks. The GFCI outlets are considerably more expensive than regular outlets, and the customer only really needed one GFCI outlet to accomplish what he wanted. A staff member was able to inform the customer that there was no need to purchase ten of the GFCI outlets, and he was able to save money on the purchase as a result. American Home and Hardware earned the loyalty of a customer that day.

Brown said that some of the customers have been relying on the store for their hardware needs since the times when he would come into the store as a kid.

“Growing up in the business, I’ve known some of these people my whole life,” he explained. “We have customers that we’ve had for decades. It’s nice to see these people for all these years.”

The store, and by extension the Brown family, has very close ties to the community.

Continued on Page 84 You can find a little bit of everything for your home at the store.

Birthday Parties • Corporate Events School Trips • Zoo Camps Educational Programs

610.658.6850 • www.plumptonparkzoo.org • 1416 Telegraph Rd., Rising Sun, MD 21911 www.cecilcountylife.com | Spring/Summer 2017 | Cecil County Life

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American Home & Hardware Continued from Page 83

Brown said that it has always been a point of pride that so many local people have had their first work experience at American Home and Hardware and then gone on to do good things in the community.

“We’ve had a lot of people who worked here in high school and they’ve gone on to serve as police officers or to start their own businesses,” Brown said. “A lot of our employees have gone on to bigger and better things.”

They also take very seriously the loyalty of customers, who are considered to be a part of the extended family.

“Family is important to us, and I think that shows in our business,” Brown said. “We’re local and we know our customers. If they are not happy, we are not happy.”

To contact Staff Writer Steven Hoffman, email editor@chestercounty. com.

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Above: Today, American Home and Hardware is always adjusting its offerings to meet customers’ needs.

Left: American Home and Hardware offers a wide variety of building materials and goods for the home.

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