The County Times -- June 11, 2009

Thursday, June 11, 2009

‘Tacking a New Course’ New Regional Sailing Center Opens

PAGE 18

Hopes High for St. George Lodge Story Page 4

Local H.S. Students in Unmanned Aircraft Contest

Story Page 11

Sheriff Honors Citizens Who Stopped Crime in Progress Story Page 16

Photo by Stovy Brown

The County Times

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Thursday, June 11, 2009

The County Times

RESULTS Do you think St. Mary’s County needs more sailing centers?

8%

No

32%

Not Sure Yes

60%

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Do you think the county needs more arts and entertainment events?

No

6%

10%

Not Sure Yes

84%

0

20

40

60

80

100

Could St. Mary’s County use more tennis courts?

20% 36% 44% 0

10

No Yes Not Sure 20

30

40

50

Join Our Polling Pool The County Times is seeking readers who are interested in joining our polling pool. If you would like to be contacted to respond to future polls, please send us your town and telephone number in an email to news@countytimes.net or phone in the information at 301-373-4125.

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The County Times

Thursday, June 11, 2009

On T he Covers

ON THE FRONT

Students competed in an end-of-season regatta for high school sailors off Solomons on May 17. In the boat from the left are Leonardtown High students Grant Walters and Ryan Beem.

I just hope that somewhere in their little hearts and minds, they can take home some of the passion and affection that I have for this river.”

Fowler Wade-In Page 14

Weather

Watch

Former state Senator Bernie Fowler said of the children who participated in his annual “wade-in”

ON THE BACK A Racer prepares for Upcoming Professional Motocross Championships

Also Inside

Sports

Soap Box Derby SEE PAGE 35

Page 14

Schools Cash in on Stimulus Page 15

Stock Market

FOR WEEKLY STOCK MARKET CLOSING RESULTS, CHECK PAGE 10 IN MONEY

Military

Unmanned Aircraft Competition SEE PAGE 11

4 County News 6 Town News 7 State News 8 Editorial/Opinion 10 Money 11 Defense and Military 13 Obituaries 15 Education 17 Crime and Punishment 18 On The Cover 23 History 24 Entertainment 25 Going On 26 Food 27 Wandering Minds 28 Games 31 Newsmakers 32 Community 33 Parks & Rec 35 Sports News 36 Potomac Speedway 39 Motocross

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

You’ll Be Glad You Did.

An Independent Agent Representing: ERIE INSURANCE GROUP Sitting left to right: Lisa Squires, Susan Ennis, Katie Facchina.

Standing left to right; Gary Simpson, Dan Burris, Jake Kuntz.

April Hancock PO Box 407 Bryans Road, MD 20616 301-743-9000

Burris’ Olde Towne Insurance Auto - Home - Business - Life Leonardtown & LaPlata Bus: (301) 475-3151 • (800) 872-8010 (301) 934-8437 Charles County www.danburris.com

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James Manning McKay - Founder Eric McKay -Associate Publisher..................................ericmckay@countytimes.net Tobie Pulliam - Office Manager..............................tobiepulliam@countytimes.net Sean Rice - Associate Editor.....................................................seanrice@countytimes.net Angie Stalcup - Graphic Artist.......................................angiestalcup@countytimes.net Andrea Shiell - Community Correspondent...........andreashiell@countytimes.net Chris Stevens - Sports Correspondent............................chrisstevens@countytimes.net Guy Leonard - Government Correspondent...................guyleonard@countytimes.net Matt Suite - Sales Representative..........................................mattsuite@countytimes.net Helen Uhler - Sales Representative....................................helenuhler@countytimes.net

The County Times

ews

Thursday, June 11, 2009 There are 336 dimples on a regulation golf ball.

4

un Fact

Mayor: Hayden Farm Annexation Developer, County Officials Have Issues Need To Be Addressed High Hopes for St. George Lodge

By Guy Leonard Staff Writer

Leonardtown Mayor J. Harry Norris says the Board of County Commissioners and the town government must come together soon to resolve concerns over the impending annexation of the Hayden Farm property into the town’s limits, specifically to ensure that commercial sprawl does not come to Route 245.

Norris said the annexation of the property, which would be required to bring water and sewer service to the site, could also open up the possibility of having to annex additional property along Route 245.

“The town does not want to see commercial development sprawl out to outside downtown,” Norris said. “We already have that issue on Route 5.”

Norris told The County Times on Tuesday that he had no objections for the county’s plans to use the Hayden Farm property, which it agreed to purchase in December last year, for a new school and for an expanded local library. Norris is worried that traffic generated by the new uses set back from Hollywood-Leonardtown Road would become a problem.

“The major concern is access and the traffic flow,” he said. “I don’t think they’ve done a traffic study.”

Residents complained at a recent pub-

lic hearing on the project that traffic along Route 245 was already troublesome and that the library, new school and possible athletic fields on the site would only make things worse, especially since there was currently only one way in and out of the site via the adjacent Leonard’s Grant subdivision entrance.

Norris said he had had hopes that the library could have been located much closer to the downtown area of Leonardtown, so that it could benefit from increased traffic for businesses, but the town was never able to find a site that could accommodate the new library, which is expected to reach more than 40,000 square feet over two stories.

Commissioner Thomas A. Mattingly (D-Leonardtown) said the traffic concerns could be mitigated by plans to feed the traffic from the site via the Leonard’s Grant entrance route out to Route 5 and not directly back onto Route 245.

He said the county would engage in traffic studies and models that would be required of any other project in St. Mary’s.

He said that he was reasonably sure that land owners along the road would likely lobby the town to allow them to develop the parcels if town government did annex in those sites.

“But that’s really an issue for the town,” Mattingly said. “They’ll certainly be the ones to make that decision.”

Located in St. Mary’s Square on Great Mills Rd in Lexington Park

By Guy Leonard Staff Writer Chuck Kimball, a Tall Timbers-based developer, looks at his newly finished 28-room lodge on St. George Island as a success story just waiting to happen.

Even in tough economic times, Kimball said he expects that he’ll make back every penny of the $6.5 million he invested in it, plus profits; county economic development officials hope so, too.

“It’s all going to come back,” Kimball said of the cost of the hotel. “We haven’t had one negative comment or complaint about the restaurant or the hotel.”

Kimball was the one who tore down the old deteriorating Evan’s Seafood restaurant on the island and had a new one built in its place.

With minimal advertising, the reputation of the place has continued to bring steady crowds to the island for top-notch seafood.

“On the weekends we’re jammed,” Kimball said.

He believes that tourists, boaters and corporate parties will be just as eager to take their rest at the River Creek Lodge.

Each of the 28 rooms has a waterfront view of the Potomac River and comes equipped with coffee service, a microwave, refrigerator and freezer, wall-mounted flat screen television and a balcony. There is also a 275-foot pier and boat slips.

Rates for rooms range from $160 to $200 a night, Kimball said.

After being open for a month, the lodge has had the occasional visitor and been booked

solid for a wedding party.

The lodge is already booking heavily for the Fourth of July weekend, he said.

Kimball added that he received no tax incentives or aid from the county in building the resort.

The county’s master plan calls for more hotel and resort space to attract tourists and bolster and diversify the local economy.

Bob Schaller, director of the county’s Department of Economic and Community Development, said that hotel space in the county has been going up and while some has been geared towards capturing weekday dollars of business travelers, the resort-style amenities should grab the weekenders as well.

But, he said, the county may have to wait a year or so to see the benefits.

More than a year ago the county had a dearth of hotel and resort spaces, Schaller said.

Now because of economic conditions due to the recession, he said, there are more spaces and fewer occupants.

The key, he said, will be for hoteliers to come up with the best deals and packages to attract the tourist dollar.

“We want the tourists,” Schaller said. “That’s why [Kimball’s] project is so important.”

And just as importantly for the island, Schaller said, the restaurant and resort life has made a comeback.

“It’s a big boom for St. Georges’s Island,” Schaller said. “It’s a great setup.”

For more information, go to www.rivercreeklodge.com or call 301-994-1234.

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Photo by Guy Leonard The new River Creek Lodge on St. George Island could bring back a resort-style feel to the island that has long been absent, its owners and county officials believe

State Issues Consumption Warning On Coastal Fish

The Maryland Department of the Environment warns recreational anglers to be cautious about how many striped bass and bluefish they catch in Atlantic Ocean coastal waters because the fish tend to have higher levels of a neurotoxin and possible carcinogen known as PCBs. According to MDE information, bluefish more than 20 inches in length and striped bass, known also as rockfish, tend to contain

these higher levels of the toxins.

The agency advises that pregnant women, women of childbearing age, nursing mothers and children six years old or younger should not eat these kinds of fish.

Anyone else consuming the fish should eat no more than an eight-ounce portion for adults or three ounces per child per month for striped bass and just one meal every other month for bluefish.

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Thursday, June 11, 2009

The County Times

ews Today’s Newsmakers In Brief

Is the Job Access and Reverse Commute Grant working to get people to work via public transit?

This equates to 80 to 100 people getting to work choosing public transportation.

Will the new lodge on St. George Island bring back resort-style vacationing there?

George Erichsen, director of the Department of Public Works and Transportation

It’s big boom for St. George Island. I think they’ve done a great job marketing.

Bob Schaller, director of the Department of Economic and Community Development

Drop In Inmates Gives Hope For County Health Officials Issue Tick Warning

By Guy Leonard Preliminary numbers from last year show Offender Reentry Programs Staff Writer that there were about 148 suspected cases of

By Guy Leonard Staff Writer

Sheriff Timothy K. Cameron says that the average daily population at the already overcrowded county detention center has decreased somewhat, which may be an indication that programs designed to keep former inmates from going back to prison may be working.

Last year the average number of inmates at the jail on a daily basis came out to be 335; that number so far this year comes out to 309, or about 30 fewer inmates.

“I believe they’re beginning to work,” Cameron said of programs such as substance abuse treatment among inmates, adult drug court and job training in fields such as the culinary arts.

“But we’re limited on conducting these programs because were limited on space,” Cameron said.

But even with the recent reduction in inmates, , the facility is still well above its intended 230-inmate capacity, Cameron said.

The county has just resubmitted its request to the state via the sheriff’s office for funding of the first part of a project to build a 280-bed addition for minimum security offenders, Cameron said.

The county should award the construction

contract for that portion of the three-phase project

by September of 2010 and be finished by Feb 2011, he said.

With the prior delays in the funding for the jail, for which the state has agreed to provide 50 percent of the cost, that puts the expansion nine months behind the originally planned schedule.

“So all in all, not bad,” Cameron said, who added that some jurisdictions that haves put in requests for jail expansions have done so for years with no results.

With greater space, Cameron said, the antirecidivism programs could become even more effective. And that could result in the final expansion of the jail to last beyond the year 2025 with a maximum of about 520 inmates.

“Will this take us out to 2025?,” Cameron said. “We hope we can extend the time.”

“The bigger picture [of having offender reentry programs] is good.”

The remaining phases of the jail expansion, including a security system renovation and an additional 64 beds, could be completed by 2015.

“It’s great we’ve got programs to ease the [jail] population,” said Commissioner Lawrence D. Jarboe (R-Golden Beach) “I think they [the sheriff’s office] are trying to find a balance as we go into tough times.”

County Approves Digital Signs

By Guy Leonard Staff Writer Businesses are now free to use digital signs for advertising, or to display any message they choose, now that the Board of County Commissioners voted to approve them.

The vote came down to four commissioners in favor with Lawrence D. Jarboe (R-Golden Beach) the lone opposition vote.

The final regulation allows digital signs in virtually every area of the county except the rural preservation district, and differing from a county planning commission recommendation to allow only non-profit or business names on the sign, the new text amendment does not restrict messages on the digital signs.

“We recommend that the signs be allowed to say whatever the owner wants them to say,” said Derrick Berlage, director of the Department of Land Use and Growth Management.

Commissioner Daniel H. Raley (D-Great Mills) said that the new text amendment was “better legally and constitutionally from what we had before.”

County legal staff had warned commissioners that any attempts to restrict

the messages placed on the digital signs would amount to violation of free speech guarantees in the U.S. Constitution.

But Jarboe’s opposition was based on how he believed the signs appearance and proliferation would effect the look of the county, he noted that both Calvert and Charles counties had declined to make the digital signs legal for businesses.

“We are the mother county… we should respect the way we are,” Jarboe told The County Times. “A sign ordinance like this makes us like ‘Anywhere U.S.A.’” Jarboe argued that the county was well known as a “quiet, rural and historic place,” and that a proliferation of digital signs would undermine that.

“We don’t need to go there,” he said.

Commissioner Thomas A. Mattingly (D-Leonardtown) said that the text amendment, which only allows gently fading messages as opposed to f lashing and blinking ones and requires signs be no more than 32 square feet in size, is far from permissive.

“What we’re proposing today is much more restrictive than what they [Anne Arundel County] have,” Mattingly said. “It’s not the bright and glitzy type of messages.”

There are about 92 suspected cases of Lyme Disease currently in St. Mary’s County, according to a county health department official, but only two have been confirmed so far; still the county is cautioning residents to beware of ticks carrying the disease.

“Statistically we don’t have a Lyme Disease epidemic,” said Diane McKinney of the county health department. “It’s [the level of suspected cases] on a par with last year.”

McKinney said the severe effects that Lyme Disease can bring could be prevented if residents check often to ensure they are free of ticks.

“Most people know about Lyme Disease; they should do a tick check everyday,” McKinney said. “If you don’t look for them, you may not know they’re there.”

Lyme Disease reported here but only about 17 of them turned out to be confirmed, according to county figures.

Statewide, McKinney said, there appears to be an increase in suspected Lyme Disease cases since the 2006.

County health officials warn that deer ticks are the prime carriers of the disease and are most active in the late spring and early summer.

Symptoms include rash, flu-like pain, nervous system disruption and arthritic pain.

Officials advise avoiding wooded and grassy areas altogether where ticks are found, or wearing long pants and shirts for protection as well as close-toed shoes.

Tick repellent with a 30 percent concentration of DEET is also advisable, they state.

A

round

Town

The County Times

Thursday, June 11, 2009

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Town Looks to Hold Property Town Council Wants More Bids for Boiler Taxation Rate Replacement at Treatment Plant

By Guy Leonard Staff Writer

The Leonardtown Town Council may decide to keep the real estate property tax rate at .137 percent per $100 of assessed value, effectively instituting a constant yield on property taxes in town.

Mayor J. Harry Norris said that the town would likely hold this rate instead of the proposed .15 percent tax rate that council members previously rejected.

The difference between the rates, Norris said, was $35,000 in tax revenue, which he said was “minimal.”

The town council will take a final vote after Monday’s public budget hearing next Tuesday.

Property tax revenues are the largest source of funds in the town budget, at 38 percent of operating revenue, according to budget documents for fiscal year 2010.

Despite the reduction, the property tax rate has still grown by 3 percent over fiscal 2009 as a result of residential and commercial expansion in town since the summer of 2008, budget documents assert.

The total general fund expenses come to $1,262,175 with $232,373 of that going towards capital projects.

The total general fund number repre-

sents an increase of about 2.5 percent over fiscal 2009.

But the fiscal operating budget is actually about $92,000 less than the adjusted approved budget from fiscal 2009, which was about $1.35 million.

Other revenue sources for the town were also up for fiscal year 2010 estimates.

Income taxes increased to $375,000 from $320,000 from fiscal 2009 and licenses and permits revenues jumped to $69,000 from 56,500.

The state however did not pay as much for the fiscal 2010 budget as they did for the current year, as highway user fees dropped from $117,000 to $105,000.

Town government expenses increased over last year as well, however, with the cost of doing business now at $391,369 for fiscal 2010 as opposed to $340,799 from the current fiscal year, while public safety and public works expenses decreased in the new budget.

Law enforcement, fire and rescue disbursements dropped in the proposed budget to $52,707 from $54,809.

Public works expenses also dropped from about $293,600 to $271,450 in the recommended budget.

By Guy Leonard Staff Writer

facility for state-mandated enhanced nutrient removal requirements when several large housing developments stopped work or went bankrupt.

That resulted in a loss of impact fees, which were to be used to make the facility upgrades.

Now, Miller said, the town is still hoping for

The Leonardtown Town Council directed staff Monday to seek more bids on the contract to replace the boiler at the town’s water treatment facility on Van Wert Lane.

According to town staff the first bidding process took several months, with only one contractor responding; a second bidding process turned up just three.

“The council just feels it’s a little bit high,” Town Administrator Laschelle Miller said of the current pricing for the replacement. “They’d like to see it go back out for bid.”

The bids currently in place are from Burch Oil Company to do the job for about $7,800, Southern Maryland Oil’s price is $7,245 and Ridgell Oil’s cost would be $9,800, Miller said.

The council had originally planned to make an emergency purchase for the replacement, Miller said, after the system failed to produce heat for the facility over the winter.

“It hasn’t been on since January,” Miller told The County Times. “It isn’t much of an issue now that it’s summer but we want to do this Photo by Guy Leonard in plenty of time for next winter.”

Town council members want more bids for a boiler replacement project for the The boiler at the Van Wert Lane facility Van Wert Lane water treatment plant. has been working for the past 29 years, she said.

Miller said the town hopes to have the contract in projects to get back on line to fund the much-needed place by mid-summer. improvements.

The boiler replacement is just part of the replace“We’re just holding, waiting for the market to open ment of equipment at the aging facility; last year the back up,” Miller said. town had to delay the expansion and improvement of the

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Thursday, June 11, 2009

The County Times

Army Corps Releases Final Plan For Oyster Restoration

A final oyster restoration strategy released by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Wednesday advises that the native oyster be the only animal used to restore the population in the Chesapeake Bay. The proposition in the report, which is open for public comment for the next 30 days, is actually a combination of enhancing efforts to restore the native Eastern oyster, in lieu of the Asian

oyster, and imposing a temporary moratorium on harvesting the animal, with compensation for the oyster industry workers. The final document is available on-line at www.nao.usace.army.mil/ OysterEIS/homepage.asp.

The hard copy is available at the Leonardtown public library.

Laurel Racing Argues For Slots Reconsideration ANNAPOLIS (AP) - Lawyers for Laurel Racing went to Maryland’s highest court on Tuesday to argue that its rejected bid for a slot machine license should be put back into consideration by a state commission.

But attorneys for the state contended that Laurel Racing’s failure to put up a $28.5 million licensing fee simply disqualifies the company from consideration because it failed to play by the rules defined in law.

Michael Berman, an attorney for Laurel Racing, argued before the Court of Appeals that Laurel Racing did not submit the license fee, because the law did not adequately guarantee a refund if a state commission did not grant the license. He said the lack of clarity was a big concern, considering the amount of the fee.

“One of the problems with this statute is the uncertainty that

it created for companies trying to operate in the marketplace,” Berman told the court.

But Austin Schlick, an assistant attorney general, emphasized that the money is refundable and that Laurel Racing failed to raise its concern about whether the fee was refundable before a February deadline. Schlick said Laurel Racing mentioned ``market reasons’’ for why it wasn’t submitting the fee.

“It never suggested that the fees were unconstitutional and never suggested that they were nonrefundable,” Schlick said.

Laurel Racing, which is a subsidiary of bankrupt Magna Entertainment Corp., has expressed interest in putting 4,750 slot machines at Laurel Park, a horse racing track in Anne Arundel County.

Staff Blamed for Escape of 14 Juvenile Offenders SABILLASVILLE (AP) - The escape of 14 youths last month from the Victor Cullen Center near Sabillasville reflected a failure by staff and not the reform school’s security measures, a Maryland Department of Juvenile Services spokeswoman said.

Had workers acted more quickly and used restraint techniques more effectively, “that entire incident could have been avoided,” agency spokeswoman Tammy M. Brown said in a telephone interview.

However, department secretary Donald W. DeVore said later Monday after a community meeting at the center that the workers acted properly and were simply overpowered by the boy who started the disturbance.

“He’s a big, strong kid,” DeVore said.

“This incident started with one young man that was out of control and a lot of the kids who were near him became very hyper as a result of this incident,” DeVore told about three dozen area residents.

DeVore said six staff members had minor injuries, the worst, a cut across the bridge of the nose.

Two juveniles attacked staff members, but no weapons were involved, DeVore said.

He said the youths who escaped on the night of May 27 were recaptured within an hour and immediately moved to other detention centers.

He said he would remain at the center Tuesday to oversee a daylong training session.

Brown said the training would be on

proper restraint techniques.

Brown has said the juveniles escaped after leaving their unlocked cottages, breaking into a locked maintenance building and using tools they found to cut the 14-foot fence surrounding the 48-bed facility in northern Frederick County, about 60 miles northwest of Baltimore.

DeVore said capacity has been reduced from 48 beds to 36 beds because of the escape and will remain at that level “for a while.” He said perimeter security has been increased.

Brown said the episode began when a youth refused to give the telephone back to staff members after a routine call home.

“They ended up taking the phone from him and that was kind of the cause for him to get angry and really start getting aggressive toward the staff,” Brown said.

She said staff members acted too slowly and ineffectively in trying to restrain him.

“They used the correct technique, but not effectively,” Brown said.

Detainee Jackson J. Blaire, who turned 18 about two weeks before the uprising, has been charged as an adult with second-degree escape. Authorities will seek to charge eight or nine juvenile detainees as adults, Frederick County State’s Attorney J. Charles Smith III said.

The Victor Cullen Center is a staterun detention center for boys convicted of crimes ranging from minor offenses to armed assaults, but not with firearms.

Philip Merson, the state attorney general’s Juvenile Justice Monitoring unit ad-

ministrator, said his investigation should be finished within a week.

“We have many concerns about the way this was handled as well as it how it could have been prevented,” Merson said.

Md. Looks To Plant 1 Million New Trees By 2011 ANNAPOLIS (AP) Maryland officials are making progress toward their goal of planting 1 million new trees across the state by 2011.

As of May 30, agencies including the State Highway Administration and the Department of Natural Resources had completed the plantings of about 152,000 trees. The trees, which were planted by inmates, comprise nearly 250 acres at eight state parks across Maryland.

Funds for the trees’ purchase come from the Federal Highway Administration’s Transportation Enhancement Program.

Officials say the trees are being planted during the spring and fall so they can survive hot, dry summers and harsh winters.

Former Volunteer Firefighter Charged with Arson UPPER MARLBORO - (AP) A Silver Spring man has been charged with arson for a fire set at a vacant Landover Hills home last year.

Fire officials say Anthony J. Sellers was arrested last week. The 26-year-old is charged with second-degree arson for a June 2008 fire. The felony charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in jail and a $30,000 fine.

Firefighters were called to the two-story home for heavy fire coming from the second floor and roof. One firefighter suffered burns to his leg while battling the blaze.

Prince George’s County fire officials say additional charges are pending against Sellers for fires set in two other vacant structures in Laurel and Riverdale last summer.

Sellers used to be a volunteer firefighter in the county but left before the fires were set.

Philip H. Dorsey III Attorney at Law

-Serious Personal Injury CasesLEONARDTOWN: 301-475-5000 TOLL FREE: 1-800-660-3493 EMAIL: phild@dorseylaw.net

Ocean City Considers Stun Gun Ban OCEAN CITY (AP) - Ocean City’s Town Council is considering a ban on stun guns.

The council is expected to review the proposed ban at Tuesday’s meeting.

Ocean City Police Chief Bernadette DiPino recommended outlawing electronic weapons at a police commission meeting last month, citing concerns that they could be used against police officers.

DiPino says police officers receive extensive training on the use of stun guns, but little training is required before a person can purchase one.

The proposed law would ban the sale, possession, discharge or activation of any instrument capable of temporarily incapacitating another by the discharge of electrical current, through a projectile or direct contact.

Violators could be subject to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

www.dorseylaw.net

The County Times

To The Editor:

Juvenile Drug Court Fundraiser a Success On March 7 a spirited community of St. Mary’s citizens assembled at the Paul Hall Center in Piney Point to support and celebrate the Juvenile Drug Court of St. Mary’s County. This dinner/ silent auction was a fundraiser to support the program.

Judge Kaminetz introduced the program and offered some brief celebratory remarks.

In operation since 2004, the program has assisted more than 100 adolescents from our community.

On behalf of the Juvenile Drug Court, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Advisory Board members that supported the evening by purchasing tickets (Sue Armitage, Phil Riehl, Todd Morgan, G. Thomas Daugherty, Sonny Burch, Gwen Bankins, Mike Colina and Charlie Hayden).

We would also like to thank organizations such as Encounter Christian Center, SMECO and Walden-Sierra, Inc. that contributed to the event. Special thanks go to attorney Sam Baldwin for his support and to Commissioner President Russell and Vicki Volk for their attendance.

A heartfelt nod goes out to all the businesses and individuals that donated items for the auction. They are Lenny’s Restaurant, Neibauer Dental Care, Maximum Health Club, Applebee’s, Holiday Inn, Kenny’s Flowers, Tidewater Dental, SKAPE Salon, Sen. Roy Dy-

“Enough is Enough”; Not Really!!

Commissioner Raley, I did not call you a “Cold Hearted” person. You called yourself one, and thinking about it, I agree with you.

Do not blame the State of Maryland for the $4 million in cuts you knew were coming. Knowing that, you should not have asked county department heads to raise their budgets by 5 percent.

Where do you think the money was coming from? You took the easy way out and picked the pockets of the county taxpayers.

About the water increases, I know that you as a commissioner do not set the water rates, but three of your fellow Commissioners did vote to

son, Wal-Mart, Bear Creek BBQ, Blair’s Jewelry, Solomon’s Pier Restaurant, One-Stop Family Fun Center, Smokey Joe’s BBQ, Wicomico Shores Golf Course, Wine Bar Café’, Daugherty Conference Center, Loops and Lariats, Party Lite Candles, Fanstasia Kennels, Mary Kay Cosmetics, Jackson Hewitt Tax, Pizza Hut, Kit’s Hair, and a Plane Ride over St. Mary’s County.

In addition this event could not have happened had it not been for the generosity of Don Nolan and his staff at the Paul Hall Center. The dinner was stupendous. They are truly a gift to our community. The advisor board also thanks Kathy Steele for all her hard work in collecting and organizing the auction.

The Juvenile Drug Court Program continues to be a positive force within the often-time negative criminal justice system. Under the auspices of Circuit Court Judge Mike Stamm and his Drug Court Team, which is comprised of representatives from Walden-Sierra, Dept. of Juvenile Services, St. Mary’s Public Schools, Sheriff’s Dept., States Attorney and Public Defender, the program appears to be in good hands. The Juvenile Drug Court looks forward to continued success in combating substance abuse and criminal behavior.

Carl Franzen, advisory board member St. Mary’s County Juvenile Drug Court

allow MetCom to increase their staff which is the reason for the raise in water costs. The result is the same; we need to pay more for water.

I hope your facts in other parts of your letters are more accurate than those you stated about me.

I am Commissioner Jarboe’s Campaign Chairman, not the Treasurer, and I am proud of it.

So Commissioner Raley you say “Enough is Enough”; Not Really!!

Jacqueline Miller Lexington Park

Thursday, June 11, 2009

8

Editorial:

Raley Makes Case For Term Limits

The current structure of St. Mary’s County board of commissioners dates back to 1974 when state delegate James Manning McKay sponsored legislation to expand the board of county commissioners from three commissioners to five commissioners. One commissioner would be elected from each of the four commissioner districts and the president would be elected from the county at large.

Even though St. Mary’s County has doubled in population since 1974, that same governance that was designed to serve our county then has remained unchanged for the past 35 years.

Included in that 1974 legislation establishing our current board makeup was a restriction on the number of consecutive terms any one commissioner could serve.

A 12 year term limit was imposed, meaning that no commissioner could serve more than three terms in a row. Commissioner Dan Raley and Commissioner Tommy Mattingly will both reach that 12 year limit in 2010 and therefore are not eligible to seek reelection to a commissioner seat.

Last week Raley sent a letter to The County Times editor that was published in our June 4th edition. The letter clearly ref lected a harsh tone and even at times seemed more spitefully directed at individual citizens rather than the public policy to which they aspire. Even Raley himself admitted to the harsh tone and at one point apologized for it saying, “to the average taxpayer who does not like negative political rhetoric, I apologize for the tone of this letter”. What Raley publicly displayed was a distaste for naysayers that builds up inside every elected official who is doing the public’s business. After 11 years, all politicians suffer from “Raley outrage” inside, but those who know another election is just around the corner avoid a public display, they hold it inside themselves.

Politics is all about public perception, and politicians (at least good politicians)

craft the art of always managing a positive public perception, which more often than not includes such things as telling people what they want to hear, offering lip service to their cause even when they do not agree with it, and publically thanking people, even if they ridicule them behind closed doors.

Raley has always been a good politician. That is how he gets re-elected. But Raley is also a good man. He maintains an honest respect for his fellow citizen. We often disagree with his left leaning voting record which conf licts with his centrist rhetoric, but it is fair to say that Raley is an honest man who cares deeply about his community and especially the people of St. Mary’s County.

There are many who contend that it should be the voters choice when elected officials should have to leave office. Others give strong arguments for having term limits. Raley’s display of pent up frustration is not typical of elected officials, but the pent up frustration is. It is a clear and final verdict on why term limits should apply to all elected offices, people who are doing the business of all the people, not just the people they are in good standing with.

Last week the governor of Minnesota, Tim Pawlenty announced he would not seek re-election because “when it comes to how long someone should stay a in particular public office 8 years is enough... a little less is better than too much”. He said that although Minnesota does not impose term limits “we do have common sense and good judgment, we are also good at taking turns, these jobs are about ideas, principals, and leadership, not about hanging on. Government and governors should not be a permanent position”.

Pawlenty intentionally and Raley unintentionally provide clear evidence that elected officials should spend 8 to 12 years providing leadership, energy, and fresh ideas and then move on. It is time to pass the baton.

Do you have something to say?

Would like your voice to be heard?

Send us a letter telling us what’s on your mind!

Send to:

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

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

E-mail letters to: opinion@countytimes.net

LOOKING FOR INTERNS Southern Maryland Publishing is looking for summer interns to cover news, write features and take photos for The County Times, a weekly covering St. Mary’s County, and the new Southern Calvert Gazette, covering southern Calvert County and published twice monthly.

In an era of rapidly shrinking newsrooms, we offer an opportunity for aspiring journalists to develop their skills with help from experienced reporters and editors.

Although we cannot pay full-time sala-

ries, we offer a degree of compensation depending on the length and depth of stories.

Applicants may work from home and must have their own computers and digital cameras. Some evening and weekend hours also may be required.

For more information, call Office Manager Tobie Pulliam at 301- 373-4125 or e-mail her at tobiepulliam@countytimes.net.

Find the County Times and Gazette online at http://countytimes.somd.com.

9

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Estate Planning for Farmers The Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission will host an estate-planning workshop on Mon., June 15, specifically designed to benefit the region’s agricultural community.

The workshop starting at 6 p.m. is free to the public, and registration is required by June 12. It will be held in the SMECO Auditorium at 15035 Burnt Store Road in Hughesville.

The workshop will stress the importance of estate planning to protect the family farm and financial assets from excessive taxation.

“As we approach the final phase of the Tobacco Buyout Program, it is more important than ever to preserve and continue to grow our farming communities in this region,” said Christine Bergmark, executive director of the commission, in a press release. “This workshop offers an opportunity to prepare for the future and be empowered to make far reaching and fruitful decisions for farm owners and their families.”

The workshop will feature case studies to illustrate hypothetical “real life” situations in hopes of helping farmers avoid the common pit falls that can cost farmers’ money in the long term.

Participating are Joyce Cool, chartered financial consultant, and Robert Ramos, certified financial planner, both with Wealth Management Partners in Waldorf, and Robert Burke, a Waldorf lawyer who specializes in estate planning.

The workshop is co-sponsored by Colonial Farm Credit and Country Mortgages.

To RSVP, call commission staff at 301-274-1922; for more information, go to www.somarylandsogood.com.

Corrections The cover photo of the June 4 edition incorrectly identified four volunteers who played a part in reconstructing the Blackistone lighthouse on St. Clements Island. Standing from left to right are Samuel “Bo” Bailey, Dick Gass, Frank Roys and James “Jim” Banagan. A photo on page 18 also incorrectly identified one of the volunteers as Bo Bailey when it should have said Frank Roys.

The headline on Shelby Oppermann’s “Wanderings of an Aimless Mind Column” in the June 4 edition was incorrect. It should have said “A Blue Sport Coat … .”

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The County Times

Thursday, June 11, 2009 The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket.

10

un Fact

Cedar Point to Open Branch in Charlotte Hall

By Virginia Terhune Staff Writer

Now under construction, the sixth branch of the Cedar Point Federal Credit Union is expected to open just north of the Wawa store on Route 5 in Charlotte Hall by Thanksgiving.

The frame of the building is up, and the

Credit Union expects to open it around Thanksgiving, assuming rain doesn’t further delay the project, said Barbara Horn, president and CEO. “We’ve had requests to go to the northern part of the county for so long,” said Barbara Horn, president and CEO, from her headquarters in Lexington Park. “We were thrilled at the opportunity to find a piece of land to do this.”

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Cedar Point Federal, which serves mainly small business, hospitals and nursing homes in Southern Maryland, employs about 120 people in five branches, including three in Lexington Park, one in Leonardtown and one in Prince Frederick in Calvert County.

Horn said she expects to hire about nine people to staff the new branch, including a manager, tellers, loan officers and member service reps.

“We’re putting feelers out there right

now,” said Horn, explaining that final hiring decisions may not be made until closer to the opening.

She said the 5,000-square-foot building will look just like the branch on Three Notch Road near the Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Lexington Park.

Horn also said that the credit union plans to relocate within Prince Frederick in 2010 and build a larger building on land it plans to buy.

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Cedar Point Federal Credit Union’s new branch now under construction in Charlotte Hall will look just like this one in Lexington Park.

Slater, Shire, Lemke Win Chamber Awards

Each year the St. Mary’s County Chamber of Commerce recognizes an outstanding business leader in the community as its Business Person of The Year.

The criteria for the selection of the recipient of this award includes success in this or her profession, involvement in the community, personal attributes, and equally important, support for the chamber.

The 2009 Business Person of the Year Award was presented to A. Joseph Slater, president and CEO of Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative, at the chamber’s annual meeting on June 8 at St. Several people were recognized during the St. Mary’s County ChamMary’s College. of Commerce annual awards dinner Monday. From left to right, In his profession Slater is not ber Tom Jarboe of Technology Security Associates, retiring chairman of only respected in Southern Mary- the board; Phillip Shire, deputy director of the St. Mary’s County Deland, but nationally. His leadership partment of Land Use and Growth Management, who won the Public has managed to meet the industry’s Servant Award; and Joe Slater, president and CEO of Southern MaryElectric Cooperative, who won the Business Person of The Year economic challenges and work to land award. Not pictured is Lisa Lemke, a representative of Pathways, who upgrade the quality and reliability won the Ambassador of The Year Award. of service for customers. dwith the business community and display a clear In the community he has an outstanding re- understanding of the important role business cord of participation and commitment, whether plays in St. Mary’s County. Shire has displayed through personal or corporate support. He has a commitment to upholding the regulations and set a high standard for involvement in the com- ordinances of the county while working with citmunity in areas of nonprofit organizations, work- izens and businesses to overcome obstacles. He force development, education and of course the has taken the time to work with people to serve business community through the chamber. the best interest of the community.

This standard of excellence is not only limThe meeting also included presentation of ited to Southern Maryland. He is recognized the chamber’s annual Ambassador of The Year throughout the state as the first Southern Mary- Award to Lisa Lemke who is a representative of lander to serve as chair of the Maryland Cham- Pathways. Lisa was honored for her active parber of Commerce Board. ticipation as a Chamber Ambassador during the The chamber also recognized Phillip Shire, past year. deputy director of the St. Mary’s County DeThe 2009 annual meeting concluded with partment of Land Use and Growth Management remarks from the 2009-2010 Chairman of the with the 2009 Public Servant Award.

Board, Frank E. Taylor, who presented a plaque This honor is for people serving in the pub- to the retiring Chairman Tom Jarboe of Technollic sector that have distinguished themselves for ogy Security Associates. their professionalism and willingness to work

11

Thursday, June 11, 2009

The County Times Open Mon - Saturday Walk - Ins Welcome!

Great Mills High Competes With Unmanned Aircraft At Webster Field

By Virginia Terhune Staff Writer

Great Mills High School will be the only high school set to compete with nearly 20 colleges and universities in the seventh annual Student Unmanned Systems competition that starts June 17 at the Webster Field Annex in St. Inigoes.

“This is the first time there is a high school entry; it’s really a pleasure to have a high school in the competition,” said Jim Curry, a past president and current board member of the Seafarer Chapter of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, one of the sponsors of the event.

Students in the Great Mills High engineering club had volunteered their time in the past at unmanned aircraft contests at Webster Field and this year decided to submit their own entry, said their adviser, Allen Skinner, who teaches physics at Great Mills and works with the club on robotics projects.

“It’s all extracurricular, they’re giving up time after school which makes it even more impressive,” said Skinner, who is also volunteering his time.

The students – Joe Hodkiewicz, Greg Lynn, Jenn Lyons, Ashley Poole, Garrett Smith and Molly Tracy – also got some help from volunteers Kevin Loyer and Guy Smalt, two engineers with ASEC (Aviation Systems Engineering Co.) in Lexington Park.

The engineers advised students on what to buy for the competition and helped them learn about the programming, software and components involved with the project, which for the students involved modifying the inside of a radiocontrolled airplane, Skinner said.

Students also had to write a paper and will be presenting their project to the judges at the competition. “We try to teach engineering, but you can’t really do that unless it’s authentic, and this is chal-

lenging and difficult to do,” Skinner said about the project.

The assignment for the competition was to design an unmanned system that would support a company of Marines on patrol with intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

Not only will competitors benefit from learning about how others approached the challenge, they will also benefit from contact with working engineers who help teach them about real-world engineering and also potentially help them get jobs.

“The college kids bring their resumes, and our kids have the opportunity to learn about summer jobs on base,” Skinner said.

The competition, which runs through June 21, is sponsored by the Seafarer Chapter of Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, a group of more than 1,400 member companies and organizations based in Arlington, Va. Other sponsors of the event include defense contractors and universities, which are expected to collectively generate close to $80,000 in prize money, Curry said.

In addition to the Patuxent Partnership, AUVSI, PEO (U&W) and ONR, other sponsors include Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, The MathWorks, John Hopkins University (APL), Boeing, DCS Corporation, Raytheon, L3 Communications, EG&G, System Planning Corporation, SAIC/EMA, Wyle Laboratories, Coherent Technical Services, Inc., INCOSE, Compass Systems, IBM, Cloud Cap, Bowhead Science and Technology, Booz Allen Hamilton and Sabre Systems.

The Seafarer Chapter, AUVSI has been active since 1998 and serves as a regional focal point and clearinghouse for UAV and unmanned systems matters of interest. For more information, visit www.auvsi-seafarer.org or call 301-8666750.

The University of Texas at Arlington was one of the competitors in last year’s Student Unmanned Systems competition at the Webster Field Annex in St. Inigoes.

Money For New Childcare Facility The U.S. House of Representatives recently approved $17 million to build a new child development center and expand the existing one at the Naval Air Station Patuxent River.

More than 170 children are on a waiting list to use the program currently housed in two buildings on the base, according to a recent press release from Congressman Steny Hoyer.

The House approved $13.5 million for a new building and $3.85 million to expand one of the existing onees to accommodate infants and children up to five years old. The second building, built in 1943, will be torn down.

The request was included in the FY 2009 Supplemental Appropriations Act, which must also be approved by the U.S. Senate.

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Thursday, June 11, 2009

Dennis Anthony Allio, 79

Dennis Anthony Allio, 79 of Charlotte Hall, MD died on June 8, 2009 at Charlotte Hall Veterans Home.

Born on December 13, 1929, in Akron, OH, he was the son of the late Joseph and Angelina Ingolia Aiello. Dennis worked for 34 years for Army Navy Exchange Service as an Operations Manager and retired in 1985.

His commitment to the country included overseas tours of duty in Germany, Vietnam and South Korea. He also served in the U.S. Airforce from 1948 until 1951 as Staff Sgt. His final commitment to his country was as a member of Coast Guard Auxillary Flottila 23-7 in Solomon’s, MD and was a FEMA and Homeland Security volunteer. If he wasn’t serving the country Dennis had a passion for his family, sailing and woodworking.

Survived by his wife, Emma Louise Doyle Allio, children & their spouses, Dennis A., Jr. and Gail Allio, Chris and Jan Allio, and Lisa Elizabeth and Frank Wathen., siblings, Mary Halleck, Rose Struharik, and Thomas Allio, 8 grandchildren, and one great grandchild.

Predeceased by siblings, Ann Smith, Florence Goshorn, Francis Thatcher, Joseph, James, and Phillip Allio.

Family will receive friends to Celebrate Dennis’s Life on Monday, June 15, 2009 from 9-10:30 a.m. at Brinsfield-Echols Funeral Home, P.A., 30195 Three Notch Rd., Charlotte Hall, MD. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated following at 11 a.m. at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, 29119 Point Lookout Rd., Morganza, MD with Reverend Keith Woods officiating. Inurnment will follow at Maryland Veterans Cemetery, Cheltenham, MD. Arrangements provided

by Brinsfield-Echols Funeral Home, P.A., Charlotte Hall, MD. Condolences to the family may be made at www.brinsfieldfuneral.com.

Joseph G. McClully, 55

Joseph G. McCully, 55, of Waldorf, Maryland passed away at his Home on June 8, 2009. Joseph is predeceased by his Parents; Joseph A. McCully and Marie E. McCully. He is survived by his Wife; Cathy M. McCully.

Daughters; Heather C. McCully, and Shannon M. McCully. Son; Joseph J. McCully. He is also survived by his Brother; Charles “Buck” McCully. Joseph enjoyed spending time with his Family and taking frequent trips to the Beach. He also loved to work in the Yard, Baseball, and listening to Jimmy Buffett. He had lived in this area for 22 years and had attended St. Mary’s-Piscataway Catholic Church. There will be a Life Celebration gathering for Joseph on Friday, June 12, 2009 from 12 noon until 2 pm at AREHART-ECHOLS FUNERAL HOME, P.A. in La Plata, Maryland. Following the gathering at the Funeral Home, a Memorial Mass will be held at 2 pm at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in La Plata, Maryland. Interment will be Private. In lieu of Flowers, please make a donation to the American Cancer Society.

The County Times

Thompson.

A Funeral service was held on Saturday, June 6, 2009 at the Mattingley-Gardiner Funeral Home in Leonardtown, Maryland at 12:00 PM where the family received friends from 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM for a viewing.

Interment followed at Charles Memorial Gardens. Pall Bearers were Logan Thompson, Jack Hare Jr., Specialist John Therres, James Owens, Mike Norfolk, and Richard Starr.

Honorary pallbearers will be Joe Able, Steven Henry and Manna Ford.

A reception followed at Good Samaritan Lutheran Church.

Flowers may be sent to the Mattingley-Gardiner Funeral Home. Donations may be made to the James D. Forest Technology Center, care of Leonardtown High School.

Izola “Dodie” Orleta White, 86 Izola “Dodie” Orleta White, 86, of Hollywood, MD passed away peacefully at home on June 7, 2009.

Dodie was born in Adrian,

Michigan on April 2, 1923 to the late Thomas and Lelah Hilyard.

In 1958 she and her husband Richard moved from Michigan to Florida where she kept herself busy raising her two children and being an active member of the Community United Methodist Church. She enjoyed spending time doing crafts and needlework, but more than anything, she enjoyed spending time with the family that meant everything to her. Dodie moved into the home of her daughter and son in law in Maryland in

2003 after the passing of her husband of forty six years.

Dodie is survived by her son, Jeff White of Florida, her daughter, Vickie Frederick and her husband Ron of Maryland, grandchildren; Eric Frederick, Ryan Frederick, Kevin Frederick, Jennifer Nienhouse, Jackie Killoran, and Jeff White II, and great grandchildren; Kassidy Frederick, BJ Frederick, Austin Frederick, Michael Frederick, Michael Watson, Matthew Watson, Joshua Gilman, Joseph Killoran and Jordan Killoran.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Richard H. White, three brothers, and five sisters.

Arrangements will be made in Florida for her burial.

Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of St. Mary’s, P.O. Box 625, Leonardtown, MD 20650. Condolences to the family may be made at www.brinsfieldfuneral.com.

Drew MacDonald Thompson, 23 Drew MacDonald Thompson, 23, of Mooresville, North Carolina and formerly Lexington Park, Maryland, died June 1, 2009 in Charlotte North Carolina. Drew was born in Leonardtown, Maryland, February 17, 1986 to Ken Thompson and Patricia Hobgood Rivenbark. After attending Leonardtown High School, Drew applied to and was accepted by the prestigious NASCAR Training Institute to become an automotive technician.

He was to have graduated this fall. He was also continuing his studies at Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, NC. Drew‘s humor and gift for storytelling, his kindness and innate goodness, brought joy to the lives of those who knew and loved him. He had a smile that lit up a room, and he dearly loved his family, though his friends were always an important part of his life. His family is mourning the early death of a son with great promise.

Drew is survived by his mother, Patricia Rivenbark and her fiancée, Karl Wagner; his father and stepmother, Kenneth and Nancy Thompson; his loving brother, Logan Thompson; his closest friend, Cherrikka Ford; his maternal grandmother, Hazel Ulrich; his maternal grandfather, William Hobgood and wife, Marian and his aunt Skye Hobgood and Uncle Jim Butler, his aunt Charlotte Jydstrup and cousin, Rael Ammon; his aunt and uncle, Robert and Ursula Thompson, and cousins, Cody and Austin; his aunt Anne

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The County Times

Chesapeake Public Charter School Joins Fowler for Wade-In

By Andrea Shiell Staff Writer

On June 4 students from the Chesapeake Public Charter School joined their teachers and dignitaries for what has become a tradition, the annual Bernie Fowler wade-in at Myrtle Point Park.

Though the students themselves had spent the previous weeks making Secchi disks and learning about the history and health of the Chesapeake, the students focused on a simpler way of determining the health of the bay and its tributaries by wading into the water and noting how deep they could go before their feet disappeared.

Deeper, of course, is better, according to Fowler, who teamed with retired Hollywood Elementary School teacher Betty Brady and Tom Wisner to perform a simple sight test to determine water clarity.

“They were three-pronged in this activity when they started it,” said Mary Piotrowski, who organized this year’s event.

She explained that combining with the scientific element, which included both sight tests and tests done with homemade Secchi disks to determine water clarity, there was a political element as espoused

by Fowler and other local politicians including state Sen. Roy Dyson and County Commissioner President Francis Jack Russell, who both arrived donning beach

towels at Thursday’s event.

The third piece of the puzzle was local folk hero Tom Wisner, who has written hundreds of songs about the Chesapeake Bay, some of which he performed for the children that morning.

“I’ve always wanted to see this whole event grow,” said Wisner, waving to the children as they arrived. “In fact, I’ve always thought the best thing would be to have NBC news helicopters take aerial shots of the wade-in.”

Fowler, a former state senator, said the event had certainly grown since he joined a crowd of only 20 to 25 people for the first wade-in at Broome’s Island in 1988, and he was only able to wade into the water 8 to 10 inches deep before seeing his toes disappear.

Now more than 20 years later, people all around the bay are doing wade-ins in June, including folks who will meet Fowler at Brooms Island on Sun., June 14 at 1 p.m.

Fowler says the water clarity has improved, but not enough. He acknowledged on Thursday that he was not that optimistic about this year’s findings, particularly in light of the Patuxent River report card, which this year gave the river a D- for water quality and an F for the stretch of the river in St. Mary’s County.

“It’s very disheartening to me … it is very hurtful, and this is in no way to be cynical of our leadership, but it’s very distressing that after 39 years the river’s in worse shape than it was when we started in the 1970s,” said Fowler, referring to his work with environmental organizations dating back to when he was running for county commissioner nearly four decades ago.

Fowler added that he will be joining the Chesapeake Bay Foundation to bring lawsuits against the federal Environmental Protection Agency for its failure to improve conditions in the Chesapeake and its tributaries. Until then he said he wanted to continue to instill a sense of urgency and responsibility in the children assembled there that day.

“I just hope that somewhere in their little hearts and minds, they can take home some of the passion and affection that I have for this river,” he said.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

14

Forrest Center Receives Truck Donation

By Andrea Shiell Staff Writer School officials met with Superintendent Michael Martirano at the James A. Forrest Career and Technology Center on Monday for the presentation of a refurbished fire truck that was donated to the school by the Bay District Fire Department in Lexington Park.

“This is a partnership between the County Commissioners, the Bay District Fire Department and the school system along with our business partners, and we received a fire truck that had engine problems, cracked heads and so forth, so we were finally able to procure the heads through a donation and a company donated the gaskets. Then Mr. Wolf and his students rebuilt the engine,” said principal

Robert Taylor at Monday’s gathering.

“So the diesel kids got to experience rebuilding it, our fire and rescue students will have the ability to train on it, and the partnerships between the business community, the school system and the fire company are all kind of culminating in this event to celebrate all of it,” said Taylor.

John Wolf, a Diesel Technology teacher at the Forrest Career and Technology Center said his students had put in many hours working on the project, particularly over Easter break, but the real treat for his junior class that day was seeing Martirano drive the truck around the school that afternoon.

“I made a challenge to the superintendent during senior graduation, and he took us up on it, so here we are,” he said.

Photo by Andrea Shiell Superintendent Michael Martirano, County Commissioner Tom Mattingly and teacher John Wolf.

The County Times

Thursday, June 11, 2009

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15

Moving Up: Fairlead Academy Graduates First Batch of Students

By Andrea Shiell Staff Writer

It was a somewhat emotional scene at St. Mary’s College on Friday, where parents, teachers, Board of Education members and students gathered to celebrate the very first batch of Fairlead Academy students completing their ninth grade year.

The Fairlead program was created in 2008 to help ninth graders in the county’s public school system who are at risk of possibly not graduating from high school.

All 60 students enrolled in the program will move on to 10th grade, which resonated with many parents who had been worried that their children were at risk of dropping out of school.

“What I loved best about Fairlead this year was that it brought out my son,” said Toni Dyson, who was there celebrating her son Joseph’s completion of the program.

“Last year when he was at Spring Ridge he had fallen grades, he didn’t want to go to school … he thought the school was going to be dumb, and he told me, ‘I don’t want to go there, Mom, because I don’t think I’m going to fit in,’” she said, tearfully adding that he had quickly changed his mind after the first day, and his grades and participation in school programs had blossomed in the past year.

School superintendent Michael Martirano and college President Maggie O’Brien were also there to sign a memorandum of understanding es-

Photo by Andrea Shiell David Anderson was one of 60 students to receive awards at the promotion ceremony for Fairlead Academy’s first graduating class.

tablishing a partnership with St. Mary’s College for the continued mentorship and support of Fairlead students after they move back to their home schools next year.

The promotion ceremony was held after Fairlead students were invited to spend two days and one night at the college campus to sample university life and pique their interest in higher education, a field trip that will be repeated with other

Photo courtesy of St. Mary’s College Superintendent, Dr. Michael J. Martirano, signs a memorandum of understanding between SMCPS and St. Mary’s College of Maryland at a ceremony with Dr. Jane Margaret O’Brien (left), president of SMCM, and two Fairlead Academy students, Shawn Briscoe of Lexington Park (far left), and Larissa Briscoe (far right) of Park Hall.

Fairlead students in future years.

Many of those present seemed hopeful that the gains the students had made in the last year would go a long way to helping them get to college, a prospect that for some had been doubtful before they attended the academy.

Besides promotion to 10th grade, students raised their grade point averages from 1.82 to 2.43 by the end of their ninth grade year.

Attendance increased from 85 percent to 95 percent, a point of pride for Principal Wendy Zimmerman, who said that getting students to attend classes had been one of the most challenging tasks for her in the school’s opening year.

“If all children had a safe harbor, none would be at risk,” said Martirano at the ceremony. “Fairlead has become a safe harbor

Stimulus Funds To Go For Technology

By Andrea Shiell Staff Writer The Board of Education voted Monday to approve the latest updates for the Fiscal Year 2010 budget, this time accounting for federal stimulus funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Board of Education Vice Chair Cathy Allen joined many others in her description of the stimulus funds as “not so much coming with strings attached, but chains” while Superintendent Michael Martirano explained how the school system would be spending the $3.1 million dollars of stimulus money that have been accounted for and incorporated into the operating budget for the upcoming school year.

“We’re buying things, not people,” said Martirano, explaining that in light of the restrictions on the availability of stimulus money,

for every student that is enrolled in this program ... and I will be there shaking your hands as you walk across the stage to receive your diplomas.”

Martirano added later that the school system would be sending 72 students to the Fairlead Academy next year, an increase of 12 students over this year’s enrollment.

the funds would be used for Title 1 programs in the county, and only for nonrecurring costs.

• $1.3 million will be used to upgrade all K-5 classrooms with SMART technology in each of the county’s four Title 1 schools, which will allow access to Fast Math and the addition of audio systems to help students work on areas of language development.

• $1.9 million will be used to create 92 SMART technology classrooms in grades six through nine, including middle school mathematics and special education classrooms. English and Algebra classrooms will be upgraded with new equipment.

The funds will be distributed in two phases, the first of which will target higher need schools across the state. Phase two will be a general distribution from the Maryland State Department of Education, and will likely be allocated in August 2009.

Education

Graduates Earn Military Academy Appointments

Four Class of 2009 graduates of Leonardtown High School received appointments to military academies: Michael Oeschel (United States Military Academy, West Point), Sean Crain and Austin Toombs (United States Naval Academy, Annapolis), and Stephen Gast (United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs).

Army ROTC Scholarships were received by Rae Pona, (Villanova University), John Healy (Norwich University and Tyler Beckman and Benjamin Lynch (Loyola University of Maryland).

Stephanie Ligon will attend Penn State on an Air Force ROTC scholarship, as will Nicholas Corey, thanks to a Navy ROTC scholarship.

Class members received $11 million in college scholarships and included 93 members of the National Honor Society. The class of 467 seniors was the largest graduating class in the history of Leonardtown High School.

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The County Times

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Crime&

16

Punishment

Three Indicted in Cold Case Home Invasion

By Guy Leonard Staff Writer

St. Mary’s county criminal investigators say they have found three men responsible for a violent home invasion that took place in Mechanicsville nearly five years ago.

Hung Tam Lam, 34, of Montgomery County, Tuan Minh Nguyen, 30, of Howard County, and Van Son Thai, 37 of Bridgeport, Conn., the suspects indicted in the cold case late last month, remain incarcerated in the St. Mary’s County detention center after their arrests.

Circuit Court indictments accuse the suspects of robbing Thuan Hu Nguyen and Hoa Trung Duong at gunpoint of several thousand dollars during a violent October 2004 home invasion.

Capt. Rick Burris, commander of the criminal investigative section, told The County Times that the three suspects allegedly bound and tied the victims during the robbery.

Burris declined to divulge many details of the alleged crimes because of its potentially sensitive nature.

“It’s a sensitive case and I don’t want to comment any further because the men may be looked at in other areas for similar crimes,” Burris said.

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Burris said the cold case was reactivated when new information from “outside the jurisdiction” helped link the three suspects to the Mechanicsville home invasion.

That information had been received in the past two months.

The three suspects likely had knowledge, Burris said, regarding their victims.

“I think they did their homework and that’s why they went to that particular home.”

Burris said.

Sheriff Timothy K. Cameron said that the case was brought to a close by law enforcement agencies working together effectively.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Montgomery County law enforcement officials are involved in the investigation.

“It was a very violent crime and I’m glad to see we were able to bring this people to justice,” Cameron said. “This is a group that uses violence and intimidation” against their victims.

Each of the three suspects face 12 felony counts including two counts of armed robbery, one count of first-degree burglary, two counts of first-degree assault and second-degree assault, two counts of theft over $500, two counts of conspiracy to commit armed robbery and the use of a handgun in the commission of a felony.

Sheriff Honors Citizens Who Stopped Crime in Progress

By Guy Leonard Staff Writer Two men who cornered a theft suspect last month in the parking lot of BJ’s Wholesale Club in California received an award Wednesday for their heroism from Sheriff Timothy K. Cameron.

Jason Brown and Jeramiah Cooper each received a Sheriff’s Commendation for their actions on May 8.

According to information from the sheriff’s office, a suspect, Joseph D. Thomas, was allegedly attempting to steal a television from the store and citizens were trying to stop him from leaving.

Brown was in the parking lot, a sheriff’s release stated, when Thomas exited the store with an employee following after yelling that Thomas had just stolen a television set.

Brown then ran after Thomas, police said, and Cooper, who also witnessed the incident, got in his vehicle and attempted to corner the suspect at the end of the parking lot.

Brown caught up with Thomas and tackled him, police said. Deputy Thomas Seyfried arrived to find both Brown and Cooper detaining Thomas on the ground.

As for his actions that day, Brown said he didn’t think about what he should do.

“We were pulling out as he ran out with the TV,” Brown said. “I just went off of reaction. It wasn’t right; I didn’t want him to get away with the TV.” Seyfried arrested the suspect

and charged him with theft as well as possession of a controlled dangerous substance and paraphernalia.

Thomas also had a warrant out for his arrest, police information stated. He remains incarcerated at the county detention center.

Brown said that Thomas struggled mightily to get away once he had been tackled.

“He definitely didn’t just lay down,” Brown told The County Times. “He was trying to bite and claw, anything to get away.”

Brown didn’t expect the recognition for foiling the alleged theft that day.

“It was very nice,” Brown said. “I felt honored.”

Attempts to contact Cooper for this article were not successful.

Tackle Box Burgled For Guns Investigators are looking for suspects in the Tuesday burglary of the Tackle Box sporting goods store in Lexington Park in which several rifles were stolen, according to the Bureau of Criminal Investigations.

Sheriff’s deputies and Maryland State Police responded to the store at about 11:55 p.m.

Tuesday night for a burglar alarm and found that the perpetrators had broken though a wall to gain access to the interior.

Anyone with information on the burglary is asked to call investigators at 301-475-4200 ext. 8955 or Crime Solvers at 301-4753333.

17

Thursday, June 11, 2009

The County Times

Fire Marshals Arrest Suspect In Multiple Arsons

By Guy Leonard Staff Writer

Investigators with the State Fire Marshal’s Office say that that they have arrested the man responsible for three separate arsons spread out over nearly a year and a half in the Mechanicsville area.

Investigators charged Kevin Vincent Moreland, 43, with first-degree arson June 5 and also charged him with trying to set his own Flora Corner Road residence on fire on other occasions.

Investigators allege in charging documents that Moreland first set fire to his home in August of 2007 by using a candle under curtains to initiate the blaze.

That fire was at first thought to be accidental, charging documents state, but investigators state that new information from an associate of Moreland’s led them to believe that it was arson.

According to charging documents, Moreland had called his friend, Abram Harris, of Bowie, to his home as he was leaving and asked him to go inside to check on a pot of water he left boiling.

When his friend entered the house, he saw the fire and called Moreland to inform him. Charging documents allege that Moreland told his friend, “If it looks like an accident, they will pay me for it.”

Moreland allegedly went on to say, “If you don’t say it was an accident, I will tell them you did it,” charging documents state.

The 1850s structure was destroyed in the blaze, and Moreland paid a contractor, Ronnie Mackel, to begin work on

a new house, court papers state.

But investigators allege that Moreland attempted to burn that structure down twice as well, once in December of 2008 and again in January of this year.

In the December blaze investigators found the front of the under-construction home in f lames and the 1997 Chevrolet Suburban belonging to Moreland’s mother, Juanita Edmonds, also engulfed.

In the January incident, investigators determined that a mobile home Moreland was living in at the address had been intentionally set ablaze as well, investigators state.

The defendant claimed, according to charging documents, that he and others were in Las Vegas, Nev., during the December blaze and returned three days later Dec. 10.

The defendant also claimed that he was in Washington, D.C., during the January fire celebrating a birthday with his wife Kia Moreland and that his daughter was the one who called in the emergency to firefighters.

But investigators again interviewed Harris who told them, according to charging documents, that Moreland had admitted to him that “he got rid of it,” referring to the home under construction, and that he had returned from Las Vegas early Dec. 6 and called him using a prepaid cell phone.

Investigators also state that airline records show Moreland had returned Dec. 6 and not Dec. 10 as he had claimed; also there were no records that he and his wife and other friends had stayed at an MGM Hotel as he had claimed.

Lexington Park Man Held for Murder

By Guy Leonard Staff Writer Maryland State Police say there may be another suspect in the killing of Serika Dunkley Holness other than her husband, Ryan Holness, whom investigators have arrested and charged with first- and second-degree murder.

Investigators are currently looking into how Holness’ vehicle made it from the Eastern Shore of Maryland to Washington, D.C., where it was found abandoned June 6, one day after his wife’s murder.

“This investigation is still very active and continuing,” said Greg Shipley, spokesman for the Maryland State Police. “How that car turned up in D.C. is a question at the top of the list for investigators.”

Shipley said that Holness is being held without bond after a bail hearing Tuesday, but no additional arrests have been made.

The bizarre chain of events started June 5 when state troopers and Kent County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a 911 call on Route 290 in Kent County on the Eastern Shore at about 6 a.m., after Ryan Holness had made his way to a residence on Crumpton Road and asked them to contact 911 for him.

He told police, according to law enforcement press releases, that he and his wife were carjacked between exits 8A and 8 on the New Jersey Turnpike after stop-

ping at a rest station.

Holness said he and his wife were traveling back to their Lexington Park home from visiting relatives in Brooklyn, New York. Holness, 28, is an air traffic controller Petty Officer 2 nd Class stationed at Patuxent River Naval Air Station. He has served there since November of 2007, according to base spokesman John Romer.

Ryan Holness went on to claim that the man who carjacked them, armed with a gun and a knife, bound his hands and feet with duct tape after he had been forced to drive them to Crumpton Road.

Holness claimed the attacker attacked and killed his wife as she tried to escape, but police, who interviewed witnesses and investigated physical evidence where his wife’s body was found in a field on the side of the road near Crumpton Road, say they found many inconsistencies in his story.

Shipley declined to comment on the nature of those inconsistencies and said there was as yet no motive in Serika Holness’ slaying.

Investigators also found text messages between Holness and a woman he told police was his girlfriend, charging documents state. At one point Holness sent a text saying he planned to divorce his wife.

Ryan Holness is currently being held without bond at the Kent County Detention Center.

Crime&

Punishment Briefs

Police Seek Robbery Suspect On June 8, 2009 at approximately 2:30 a.m., a white male, with a thin build, wearing a dark shirt over his face, a black t-shirt over a white t-shirt, blue jean shorts and black shoes, entered the 7-11 on southbound Three Notch Road in Charlotte Hall. The suspect placed his hand under his shirt and demanded money from the clerk. The clerk complied and the suspect f led on foot. Searches by Maryland State Police helicopter Trooper 2 and Sheriff’s Office K-9, were unable to locate the suspect. St. Mary’s County BCI detectives are asking anyone with information on this crime to call them at (301) 475-4200 ext. 9049 or Crime Solvers at (301) 475-3333.

Woman Charged On Vehicle Theft Notice From Texas On June 6, 2009, while investigating a trespassing complaint in Piney Point, Dfc. Anthony Whipkey ran a Texas registration plate to a 1994 green, Pontiac Bonneville.

The St. Mary’s County Emergency Communications Center advised Whipkey the registration and 1994 Pontiac were reported stolen to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office in Texas. Angel Misael Ayala Blanco, 20, of no fixed address, was the operator of the vehicle. Blanco was arrested and charged with two counts of theft.

Man Charged With Biting Victim On June 7, 2009, deputies responded to a report of a domestic on Army Navy Drive in Mechanicsville where investigation revealed Grant Adkins Williams, 50, of Mechanicsville was engaged in a verbal dispute with the victim, which escalated into a physical assault when Williams allegedly grabbed the victim and bit her on the cheek. Williams was arrested and charge with second-degree assault.

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Sailing Programs Advanced Teen Racing Dates: 6/22-8/13 Cost: $400 Location: Milburn Creek Marina Info: www.smsailingfound.org Fall High School Dates: 8/26-11/13 Cost: $100 Location: Milburn Creek Marina, St. Mary’s College Info: www.smsailingfound.org St. Mary’s River Yacht Club Dates, juniors: weeks of 7/13 (basic); 7/20 (intermediate); 7/27 (advanced to racing) Dates, women: 7/13-23 Cost: $125 to $175 per week Location: Milburn Creek Marina Info: www.smryc.org Southern Maryland Sailing Association For: ages 6-16 Dates: 6/15-8/14 (one-week sessions) Cost: $230-$245; $290-$305.

Location: Solomons Info: http://smsa.com

The County Times

Thursday, June 11, 2009

18

New Sailing Center Opens Near College

By Virginia Terhune Staff Writer High school sailors who want to sharpen their racing skills will now have new waters to tackle thanks to the creation of a new community sailing center on St. Inigoes Creek south of St. Mary’s College.

The first of its kind in Southern Maryland, the center’s mission is to “ramp up junior sailing program to higher levels,” said Stovy Brown, president of the nonprofit Southern Maryland Sailing Foundation that established the center, called Sailing Center Chesapeake.

For its kickoff summer and fall programs, Brown and a host of other volunteers are working with the Milburn Creek Marina, owned by the Cole family, at the end of Bauer Road to host high school programs that had been based in Solomons for a few years.

The marina is charging the foundation a slip fee for one or two safety boats but no fee to store its fleet of a dozen, twoperson FJ (Flying Junior) boats.

“It’s very kind of them to allow us to be here,” Brown said. “They’ve allowed the sailing center to try it out for 2009, then we’ll make a decision next winter.”

A lifelong sailor, Brown worked for IBM for 30 years before moving to Calvert County in the mid-1990s and starting the Patuxent High sailing club, which he still coaches.

The shift in the location of high school programs will not only affect students at Patuxent High but also Leonardtown, where Brown also coaches with help from Guy Barbato. (St. Mary’s Ryken has its own coach and facilities.)

The center has already moved its boats from the Southern Maryland Sailing Association facilities in Solomons and will start its Advanced Teen Racing program on June 22.

“It’s the first time any club has done a multi-week program,” said Brown, who has been working with the association in Solomons and other local sailing groups for several years to establish a community sailing program in Southern Maryland.

Private clubs offer classes, but they often fill up with children and grandchildren of members, and they can be expensive, he said.

“We try to keep our prices way down,” Brown said, noting the $400 cost for the Advanced Teen Racing

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Brent Thorward, members of the Leonardtown High sailing club, say other students sometimes don’t see sailing as a real sport and Barbato agrees.

“Most kids don’t know how competitive, exciting and fast-paced it can be,” said Barbato, a sailor since his college days at Penn State who also teaches biology at Leonardtown.

“They have to work together to make the boat move,” he said. “When they’re doing things in sequence, they have to talk to each other and know what the other is doing.”

Besides the Advanced Teen Racing program, Sailing Center Chesapake will also offer high school students an 11week program from Aug. 26 to Nov. 13 that will meet two afternoons a week at Milburn Creek marina and one afternoon at St. Mary’s College for a cost of $100.

During July, the center will also partner with the St. Mary’s Yacht Club to host the club’s classes for beginning and intermediate sailors and a class for women. (Last year the club, which does not have its own facilities, used the Milburn Creek marina with boats borrowed from St. Mary’s College.)

“This allows them to expand their offerings,” Brown said about the club’s program.

Also in July, the center will send its boats up the road to St. Mary’s College, which is hosting a Special Olympics sailing event on July 25-26.

Organizers said the decision to shift the junior sailing programs to Milburn Creek came about for a number of reasons.

Costs had started to rise in Solomons, and St. Mary’s College was not an option because of its state charter.

Meanwhile, Milburn Creek looked promising because of its easy access to St. Inigoes Creek, the St. Mary’s River and the Potomac River, which offer a mix of challenges and levels of protection for beginning and intermediate sailors.

“It’s ideal for that,” Brown said.

The site also has more room to expand than larger established sailing centers in Annapolis, West River and Solomons, where marinas are already dealing with a crowded sailing conditions and shortages of places to park.

Over time, the mix of Sailing Center Chesapeake organizers envision the Milburn Creek sites as not only a place to teach and train aspiring junior sailors but also as a venue to host higher level competition, including major small-boat championships, Junior Olympic regattas and other events.

“There are very few motorboats, good wind, and relatively open water,” said Brown, who has already brought the Chesapake Bay Yacht Racing Association in Annapolis into the loop of organizations he is working with to promote Southern Maryland as a great place to sail.

The goal is not to detract from existing programs around

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Photo by Virginia Terhune Working to rig an FJ boat at Milburn Creek Marina on June 5 are, from left, Ryan Beem, Eddie Sierra and Brent Thorward from Leonardtown High School. In the foreground is Kristin Horn from Patuxent High School.

program is low compared to others, which can run $800 to $1,000.

“For a modest fee, they can learn about the sport of sailing and advance their skills,” said Brown.

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the Bay but to complement and build interest in the sport generally.

“The more people that are interested, the more demand there is,” said Brown. “A rising tide raises all boats.”

For more information, go to the link at www.smsailingfound.org or e-mail Barbato at gjb172@gmail.com.

19

The County Times

Thursday, June 11, 2009

BluHaven Piers: ‘Jewel of the Potomac’

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Tucked back on Smith Drive in Ridge, BluHaven Piers serves as a great place to access the bounty of activities synonymous with the Chesapeake Bay. For more than half a century, its location on the quiet waters of Jutland Creek has provided St. Mary’s County residents with an excellent harbor and launching point for boating excursions.

Sheltered from the wind on all four sides, it is an ideal place to get away from the storm.

Whether your interest is sailing, fishing, kayaking or kayak-fishing, BluHaven Piers is there to help. Its offers Hobie kayak demos, sales and rentals on site.

MirageDrive kayaks leave your hands free for fishing, photography or holding a drink. This paddle/pedal kayak is a great way to exercise both your upper and lower body.

About 50 deep-water covered and un-covered boat slips are available with metered power. Slip holders receive a discount in the ships store and use of the grill and picnic area.

Marina services include mechanic service, parts, winterization, shrink-wrapping, detailing and bottom painting. WiFi is also available for your convenience, as well as showers and restrooms.

Check out the ship’s store, offering basic marine supplies in stock for purchase. The store carries a basic supply of fishing tackle, bait, ice and a variety of

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Heading out on a fishing excursion but not sure where to go? Ask the staff and they will be happy to tell you where the fish are biting.

BluHaven Piers is located just 4.5 miles south of St. Mary’s College and offers a clean, family-friendly environment. If you’re interested in trying a Hobie MirageDrive kayak or are looking for a protected place to keep your boat, give them a call at 301-872-5838.

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A House is a Home

The County Times

Thursday, June 11, 2009

20

How to Choose Outdoor Furniture The trend toward outdoor living continues strong, and many homeowners are interested in outfitting their outdoor spaces with new patio furniture and accessories. How to shop depends upon needs and use of the space.

1. First assess the space you have. What do you do in the areas of your yard, and how do you want them to be divided? For example, many homeowners like to set up different zones depending upon space. One area can be a conversation place with a few intimate seats and perhaps a small bistro table. Another area can be the main dining and entertaining spot with large patio table and chairs.

A secluded area can be established for resting, with a lounge chair or hammock.

2. Look through catalogs from outdoor furniture retailers or from your favorite home center or department stores. Get to know the sizes of furniture and the styles of the season. There are a few major materials from which outdoor furniture is made: plastic, wrought

iron, wicker, and wood. Know the price points of these items so you can comparison shop and get the best deals for your budget.

3. Before buying, visit area stores to get a feel for the furniture and test out cushions, etc. Because sizes of furniture pieces can seem abstract when you’re simply reading measurements out of a catalog, it helps to see the items you’re considering buying in person. Go over warranties, care questions and potential sales/markdowns with a salesperson to be doubly sure about your potential purchase.

4. Pay special attention to the cushions and the materials used to construct the furniture. They should be durable and treated properly to withstand different weather conditions. Today’s outdoor fabrics are more durable and attractive than in the past. So you may be able to create a look in the yard that rivals a living room setup indoors.

5. In today’s economy you may be able to negotiate a good deal on price. If budget restraints

are a problem, don’t overlook the opportunity to buy floor models or discontinued styles. Just remember that warranties or return policies may be different or nonexistant on these discounted items.

Deep discounts also are typical at the end of the season. So you may want to get as many necessities as possible now, but wait until the end

of the summer before splurging on that one big piece you’ve had your sights set on.

6. Plot out the areas of your yard you’d like to fill on paper first, this way you can move around your paper furniture and decide on placement and size. There are also virtual computer programs that can be used to visualize what

your yard can look like with the right furniture and accessories.

7. Once you get your furniture home, finish off the look with decorative items that really set the stage for an outdoor room.

Candles, small potted plants, an outdoor area rug - all of these accessories can really complete the look of the space.

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21

Thursday, June 11, 2009

The County Times

On Deck: Summer Celebrations The outdoor entertaining season has officially begun. Is your yard ready to face the scrutiny of friends and family gathering for summertime backyard barbecues? If not, you still have time to make your yard the envy of all your guests!

Brad Staggs, HGTVPro.com and DIY show producer and host, and a licensed contractor, offers some great advice for getting your yard in top party shape. “The options for adding beauty and functionality to your outdoor living area are limitless,” says Staggs. “A deck that doubles as a gathering place for guests and an outdoor kitchen for the host is one of the most popular outdoor additions.”

Adding a deck to your home essentially increases your living area by giving guests a great outdoor gathering space while giving you a place to prepare a delicious meal on the grill without leaving your guests unattended. And imparting your family’s personalized style into the deck couldn’t be easier.

“Incorporating a few planter boxes into your deck design allows you to add splashes of color to your deck with your family’s favorite flowering plants,” explains Staggs. “Add some interesting end caps to the deck posts, string up some festive lighting and scatter coordinating cushions and throw pillows around the seating areas, and you are ready to host a great summer party.”

When choosing the building material for your deck, several considerations should be made. Choose

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a material that is sturdy enough to hold your family and guests, durable enough to last for years, within a comfortable price range, and natural and beautiful so that it blends in with your house and your yard. For Staggs, the choice is simple.

“Pressure-treated wood is the real deal -- it’s everything I look for when selecting an outdoor building material,” says Staggs. “It is extremely strong, it lasts for years with surprisingly little upkeep required, it is one of the most economical decking choices on the market, and its natural beauty makes it blend effortlessly into your yard. Add to that wood’s inherent ‘green’ qualities and you simply can’t go wrong.”

A House is a Home Is Your Deck Safe?

Inspection Can Prevent Injuries

An outdoor deck is an ideal recreational gathering spot, particularly during the warm weather months. However, a deck that hasn’t been maintained or is unsafe can cause injuries.

Deck failures and collapses can occur. When a deck surpasses its recommended life span of 10 to 15 years, weakening, rotting and collapse may be the side effects of aging.

In the last five years, there have been over 300 injuries and at least 30 deaths attributed to deck failures in the United States according to statistics. Considering decks are such a common component of home renovation and landscaping - and many are 20 years old already - the potential for injury is great.

Dr. Don Bender, a deck safety researcher and director of the Wood Materials and Engineering Laboratory at Washington State University, warns that a deck can be one of the most dangerous parts of a house.

“However, through proper design, construction and maintenance, most deck failures are completely avoidable,” she says.

Many homeowners are able to pinpoint deck failings through the novice eye. But to ensure that your deck is truly safe, it is beneficial to hire a licensed inspector. Many decks built on homes were done so before certain codes were in place to protect the safety of occupants. Also, through the years, certain building codes change -- your deck may no longer be safe in the eyes of the law. For your own personal safety and to sell your home down the line, it pays to have an inspector offer a report on the deck and what changes, if any, need to be made.

Wobbly railings and the deck’s connection to the house are the primary culprits behind deck collapses. In the past, decks needed only to be connected to the dwelling with nails. Times have changed.

Properly built decks display a number of features, one of which is continuous load path. A continuous load path is a method of construction that creates a series of solid connections within the structure of the deck.

The weight load of the deck is transferred from its frame to the ground and an adjacent structure, such as your house. There are also a number of vital connections needed to create a safe and secure deck. Experts will know what to look for regarding these critical connections.

While it may take trained eyes to spot some of the safety features of decks, as a homeowner there are steps you can take to ensure safety before using your deck this season. * Look for warning signs that the structure may be failing, such as missing or loose connections, corrosion, rot, and cracks. * Maintain and protect the deck each and every season. Over time, metal connectors, screws and nails in your deck can corrode and weaken the structure, especially if the right product is not used. If you live in an area prone to moisture, such as along the coast or near bodies of water, the risk of corrosion is much higher. While many wood decks are built of treated wood, that does not make them invincible. It’s important to seal your deck against weather to avoid rotting beams and railings. * Don’t overlook insects. There are a number of insects that see your deck and other wood structures as a free meal. They may lay nests, burrow or feed upon the structure, compromising its integrity. * Take action quickly if you suspect a problem. A fall from a deck can be fatal. If you see a problem area or are advised by an inspector to make a change, do so promptly to ensure the safety of your family and guests.

A House is a Home

The County Times

Thursday, June 11, 2009

22

Elements Epoxy Countertops: The Hot New Trend

For the past few years, quartz has been the fastest growing category of premium countertops because it provides the best balance of beauty, durability and style.

Designers, builders and architects are working with and specifying quartz more and more because of its unique appeal in combining depth and color consistency -- assuring the desired look is always achieved.

“Quartz countertops have the deep beautiful colors of granite without the problems and high-maintenance of porous stone,” explained Mark Hanna, President of Montreal-based Leeza Distribution Inc., one of North America’s leading distributors of HanStone Fine Quartz Surfaces and Durcon’s Elements epoxy surfaces.

Quartz countertops, such as the industry’s top rated HanStone surfaces, offer a sophisticated elegance and timeless beauty. They are stronger than granite and because they’re nonporous, they require no resealing, are highly resistant to scratches, stains, and bacteria growth and come in 36 dramatic colors and patterns.

While popular brands of premium quartz surfaces, such as HanStone, are here to stay, this lasting quartz appeal has not escaped the radar of the industry leaders. As a result, there is now a new ultra-durable, sleek, stone-like surface available with an aesthetic quality and durability that rivals quartz and natural stone called Elements by Durcon Inc. Elements countertops were originally created to withstand the harshest industrial and laboratory environments with a proprietary blend of epoxy resin and

fine quartz formed through a unique manufacturing process, which creates an incredibly smooth and durable countertop surface.

“Elements is a truly unique surface unlike any other option available today,” said Hanna. “Quartz is one of the hardest minerals found in nature and epoxy resin is inherently heat- and chemical-resistant. Elements provides the best of both materials in an entirely new surface option.”

Ideal for kitchens, bathrooms, backsplashes, fireplace surrounds and commercial applications the countertops are monolithic in nature, homogenous in consistency and solid through and through. There are no laminates to bubble and crack and no porosity to allow liquid penetration. As a result, the countertops never require sealing, are anti-bacterial and anti-fugal, have earned NSF 51 certification for food preparation, are low VOC emitting, and offer the highest heat resistance of any material on the market.

Made in the U.S., elements features a contemporary look that is silky smooth, timeless and clean, making it the countertop surface of choice for any design style be it traditional elegance or contemporary minimalist. Available in seven basic colors or in customized colors of your choice its versatility is its strongest attribute. More information on epoxy and quartz surfaces is available at leezadistribution.com.

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23

Thursday, June 11, 2009

The County Times

A Journey Through Time The

Chronicle Now Arriving

Columnist Linda Reno is a historian and genealogist recognized as the site of the first battle of the Revolutionary War in the state of specializing in Southern Maryland. The British finally left our Maryland history. Mrs. Reno is a shores on August 9 whereupon Thommember of the St. Mary’s County as and his men began their march Historical Society, St. Mary’s County again. They arrived in Philadelphia Genealogical Society, Charles County on August 13 and then went on to Genealogical Society, Maryland Historical New York.

Society and the Maryland Genealogical The Battle of Long Island began on August 27, 1776. It was the Society. She has authored many books first major battle of the Revolutionand articles on local history. We ary War. Through a combination of hope you will enjoy these articles mishaps, poor leadership, and just plain and welcome your comments bad luck, the British soon surrounded the and suggestions for Americans. General Washington ordered a future subjects. retreat to save the remnants of his army. Approximately 400 young Marylanders were essentially asked to sacrifice themselves to allow

By Linda Reno their fellow soldiers from all over the colonies to escape. With only a few of the 400 still Contributing Writer standing and after the repeated pleas of ColoJohn Blackistone III was born in 1755 at nel Smallwood, two companies were sent in to Longworth Point in the 7th District and was the rescue them.

“Colonel Smallwood, upon his dismission youngest child of John Blackistone, Jr. and his wife, Eleanor Dent. In early 1776 he enlisted from the Court Martial arrived on the field as a private in the St. Mary’s County Militia of action about noon and applied to General but was shortly promoted to the rank of Ser- Washington for some regiments to support and geant and served under the command of Cap- cover the retreat. At first, Washington refused, tain John Allen Thomas of the 5th Independent but a little later gave him a New England regiCompany. The men would remain near home ment and Capt. John Allen Thomas’s 5th Independent Company, which had just come over and were kept busy guarding our own shores.

On July 6, 1776 Colonel William Small- from New York. Between the place of action wood was ordered to march his troops to and the American line lay a large marsh and a Philadelphia. This included the 5th Indepen- deep creek about 80 yards wide at the mouth. dent Company. Captain Rezin Beall was or- The bridge had been burnt the day before; dered to furnish out of his company “as many therefore it was necessary to either cross the muskets with bayonets as will completely arm creek or surrender. Smallwood [Thomas] took Capt. John Allen Thomas’ Company. He will up a position at the mouth of the creek oppoleave you with what of his guns have not got site Stirling’s Brigade. He had two field pieces bayonets.” (The Marylanders were sometimes which silenced the six pieces of the enemy, known as the “Bayonets of the Army” because which were firing upon the fugitives, all but 12 of their ability in its use and because they were of whom waded or swam to safety, helped especially by Thomas’s men.” the first to use them in battle).

John Blackistone and his fellow soldiers With the appearance of the British fleet just off our shores, however, Thomas and his subsequently participated in a number of batmen were recalled to St. Mary’s County. On tles and then went on to the Battle of Trenton July 12 it was reported that “forty Sail of Square on December 26, 1776. Shortly after this battle, Rig’d Vessells as far up the [Chesapeake] Bay the American army went into winter quarters as Point Lookout” had been seen. The next day and John requested leave. In an article written another account was given but now there were in 1893 by John F. Dent “He had to pass thru 58 ships. “We have had two small vessels drove enemy lines--he was espied and pursued. He on shore from the Fleet, on board of one of broke a spur switch off a nearby pear tree, by them was three whites and two Negroes, three aid of which with a fleeter horse, he escaped of which now have the Small Pox on them…it capture. At home he planted the pear switch. [is] surmised that they intended to take posses- It lived, bore fruit. He requested to be buried under the pear tree. He said, it saved me from sion of St. George’s Island.”

The Marylanders successfully drove the a prison ship.”

When I read this story I thought “here we British off St. George’s Island in what is now go….another legend.”

That was, however, until just recently when I was reading an article from the August 16, 1813 edition of the Alexandria Gazette regarding the British invasions along Maryland’s shores. “At Blackistone’s Island, it is stated; that when in their possession, a pear tree having unripe fruit, was guarded by sentinels in order to prevent its destruction by their men.”

John Blackistone served throughout the war and would ultimately achieve the rank of Lieutenant in 1779. He died in 1801. Is he buried bePhoto Courtesy of St. Clement’s Island Museum neath the pear tree? I’d like to think so.

The old lighthouse at Blackistone’s Island

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The County Times

‘4 Friends’ Playing for Friends

By Andrea Shiell Staff Writer It makes sense. They are friends, and there are four of them, so when Michael Briscoe (guitar), Keith Smith (drums, vocals), Roy Johnson (keyboard) and Roy Miles decided to form a jazz band, their name seemed self-evident.

Miles pointed out though that their name had very little to do with their relationship with each other, but rather their relationship with the audience.

“The number is not about the band,” he announced before they began their set at Chef’s American Bistro on Saturday night. “It’s about playing FOR friends, and FOR you all,” and nothing could Photo By Andrea Shiell have proven the point betFrom left to right; Michael Briscoe, Keith Smith, Roy Miles and Roy Johnson are “4 ter than when a bar patron jumped up and grabbed a Friends.” son 5 all the time,” he said, adding that he started playmicrophone, joining them for one of her own requests, “Every Day I Have the ing keyboard off and on when he was 14, and had also dabbled in trumpet when he was younger, but through Blues.”

Smooth jazz may not be the best word to describe it all he had listened to soul and gospel music at home these four friends, as they blend a fair amount of jazz with his parents.

“I’m a very big fan of Earth Wind and Fire,” said classics and pop favorites into their mix, but there were a lot of “real books” (the undisputed jazz bible popular drummer Keith Smith, explaining that the challenge of with students and professional musicians) making the learning to play by ear to a band with four percussionists rounds at the bar that night, adding to the band’s already had toughened him up as he was discovering his love of eclectic set list, and when they launched into a quick jazz, and though he sacrificed hours of school work to and confident version of Cannonball Adderley’s “Mercy play, he said “the music just came naturally,” much like Mercy Mercy,” there seemed to be little doubt that they his demeanor onstage.

Guitarist Michael Briscoe said he had grown up in had been honing their swinging skills for quite some a family of musicians. time.

“They all played music when I was just a little pug Miles, who works in Lexington Park as a Naval contractor and started playing saxophone at the tender … but I just picked it up because I liked it. I started out age of 12, said that the band had originally come togeth- playing trumpet … but I always thought trumpet was er at a gospel concert at Zion United Methodist Church hard to play,” he said, adding that he had started going to in Lexington Park, and from there they began playing clubs at the age of 17 to watch guitar players, after which together, pooling their collective influences ranging he fell in love with the instrument.

Though this band has only been together since Nofrom John Coltrane to Earth Wind and Fire.

“You name it, if they play saxophone I’m into it,” vember, and they do not yet have a website, they do have a regular gig at Chef’s American Bistro on Fridays and said Miles, laughing.

Roy Johnson, who works as a music teacher at Es- Saturdays, and a true desire to share their musical phiperanza Middle School, said his first influence came losophy with the rest of St. Mary’s County.

“Jazz music doesn’t send any message, and that’s long before he ever sat down at what I love about it,” said Johnson. “It just puts you a keyboard.

“I used to listen to Jack- somewhere where you can just free yourself,” he added, as his friends nodded in agreement.

ary’s M

St.

Show Time

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Movie Review: ‘Land of the Lost’

By Christie Lemire AP Movie Critic There is exactly one funny bit in “Land of the Lost,” and it stands out because it comes at the very beginning and the very end.

Will Ferrell, as arrogant scientist Dr. Rick Marshall, appears on the “Today” show to discuss his time-travel theories and promote his latest book. Matt Lauer, thinking he’s a crackpot, interviews him with unmistakable disdain and chafes at Marshall’s attempts to hijack the segment. (Lauer’s deadpan comic timing is great, by the way. Maybe he should think about a career in acting if this TV thing doesn’t work out.)

In between these two scenes, though, is an awkward combination of kitschy comedy (which is never amusing) and earnest action (which is never thrilling). And it’s not as if the source material was worthy of a big-budget summer blockbuster starring an A-lister like Ferrell.

The Sid & Marty Krofft TV series “Land of the Lost,” about a family that gets sucked into a prehistoric age when an earthquake hits while they’re rafting – “the greatest earthquake ever known,” as the theme song goes – aired for just three seasons in the mid-1970s. It was laughable with its stiff dialogue and low-tech effects.

At least the series knew what it was. Working from a script by Chris Henchy and Dennis McNicholas (though Ferrell and co-star Danny McBride clearly did a healthy amount of improv), director Brad Silberling can’t seem to decide whether he’s making fun of the show’s cheesy visuals or seizing on its sense of roughhewn adventure. And so in hopes of pleasing the lowest common denominator nonetheless, all these people offer an overload of jokes about dinosaur poop and urine.

Holly (Anna Friel) is no longer Marshall’s fresh-faced daughter but a brainy British research assistant who happens to look sexy in a wife-beater tank top and short shorts. Will, who was Marshall’s son, is a redneck who runs the tourist trap that becomes the inadvertent portal to the past. (McBride attacks the role with his patented brand of Southern, mulleted brashness.)

And Chaka (“Saturday Night Live” writer Jorma Taccone), who was merely a mischievous primate before, is now a shameless horndog who repeatedly fondles Holly’s breasts and even finds himself attracted to Marshall’s manhood. The joke doesn’t work even once.

The plot consists of our trio running from dinosaurs and trying to find a way back home. Chaka sort of tries to help. Sometimes they run into the menacing Sleestaks, in their obviously rubbery reptilian costumes, stomping around like zombies and hissing a lot (they were scary when we were kids, though).

Also hammered into the unexplored ground is a running gag about “A Chorus Line” – a song from the musical keeps blaring from Marshall’s time-traveling contraption – which ultimately allows Marshall to unleash his inner Broadway star. Although the character has his origins elsewhere, this is basically the same guy Ferrell keeps playing over and over. He’s Ron Burgundy in khakis instead of a polyester leisure suit, Ricky Bobby traveling to the past instead of driving in circles.

Talk about your time warps.

(A Universal Pictures Release; Rated PG-13 for sexual content; Running Time: 96 minutes; One star out of four.)

Get Out & Have Fu n Right Here in St. Mary’s County!

Now Playing AMC Loews, Lexington Park 6, • The Hangover (301) 862-5010 R, 96 min • Imagine That PG, 107 min

• Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian PG, 105 min

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 R, 121 min

• Land of the Lost PG-13, 93 min

• Star Trek PG-13, 126 min

• Terminator Salvation PG-13, 114 min

Shows and Rating Provided By Yahoo Entertainment.

Check Local Listings For Show Times.

• Up; PG, 96 min

24

The County Times is always looking for more local talent to feature! To submit art or entertainment announcements, or band information for our entertainment section, e-mail andreashiell@countytimes.net.

25

The County Times

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Thursday, June 11 • Village Day Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum – 10 a.m.

• Upstroke Chef’s American Bistro (San Souci Plaza) – 6 p.m.

• Ladies Night Fat Boys Country Store (Leonardtown) – 7 p.m.

• Ladies Night at Spicers 1232 Mount Harmony Rd (Owings) – 7 p.m.

• Karaoke Cadillac Jack’s (Lexington Park) – 9 p.m.

Friday, June 12 • Special Olympics No Limit Tournament Center For Life Enrichment (25089 Three Notch Road) – 7 p.m.

• Auditions for “Harvey” Three Notch Theater (Lexington Park) – 7 p.m.

1 p.m., rain or shine. Tables available to rent for $10. Donations accepted (please no large appliances). To rent a table or more information, call Susan Fox at 301-472-0250 ext.

110.

• Yard Sale/ Car Wash/ Bake Sale Benefit for the Center for Life Enrichment.

Event will be held at the center 25089 Three Notch Road in Hollywood from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. Tables are available for rent for $15.

The center is a nonprofit and United Way organization that meets the needs of people with disabilities. Call 301-373-8100 to reserve a table or for more information.

• Sam Grow Summer Bash Sails Restaurant and Lounge – 12 noon • Wine In the Gardens At Summerseat Farm, from 3 -7 p.m., an afternoon of fine wine, music and food.

Cost is $10 per person and includes a commemorative wine glass and wine tasting by Guenther’s Fine Wine and Spirits. Food will be available for purchase from the Seventh District Optimist Club. Summerset Farm is located at 26655 Three Notch Road, Mechanicsville. Call 301-373-6607 or go to www.summerseat.org.

• Smith-Tucker Band Mechanicsville Moose Lodge – 8 p.m.

• Dance Showcase by House of Dance students Margaret Brent Middle School – 6 p.m.

• DJ Harry Big Dogs Paradise (Mechanicsville) – 8 p.m.

• Contra Dance St. Andrews Church Parish Hall – 7 p.m.

• 4 Friends Chef’ American Bistro (San Souci Plaza) – 8:30 p.m.

• Nuttin’ Fancy Band CJ’s Back Room (Lusby) – 8 p.m.

• Karaoke Cadillac Jack’s (Lexington Park) – 9 p.m.

• Francis Bridge Chef’s American Bistro (San Souci Plaza) – 8:30 p.m.

• J Red Dog Karaoke Cryer’s Back Road Inn (Leonardtown) – 9 p.m.

• Idle Americans Cryer’s Back Road Inn (Leonardtown) – 9 p.m.

• Karaoke 911 Bar (Mechanicsville) – 9 p.m.

• Latin Night Cadillac Jack’s (Lexington Park) – 9 p.m.

• DJ Mango Heavy Hitters (Charlotte Hall) – 9 p.m.

• DJ Mango Heavy Hitters (Charlotte Hall) – 9 p.m.

Saturday, June 13 • Free Airplane Ride – The Experimental Aircraft Association is hosting a Young Eagles Rally at the St. Mary’s County Regional Airport on Sat., June 13. The event, scheduled from 8 a.m. to noon, invites youth between the ages of 8 and 17 to take a free airplane ride. (Rides subject to weather conditions and pilot availability).

Designed to inspire the next generation of aviation enthusiasts, rallies are held throughout the U.S. by EAA chapters. For more information, contact the local chapter at www. eaachapter478.org or call the County’s Public Works and Transportation Department at 301-863-8400.

• Yard Sale Leonardtown Elementary School, 8 a.m. to

Monday, June 15 • Democratic Club The monthly meeting of the Democratic Club of St. Mary’s will be held Monday June 15 at Lenny’s Restaurant at 7 p.m. Guest speaker will be Lise Van Susteren, a psychiatrist and former candidate for the U.S. Senate. Her topic is “How Women/We Can Save the Planet.”

Happy Hour from 6-7 p.m. Meeting will begin at 7 p.m. Call Cindy at 301-737-7978.

Citizens Urged to “Dump the Pump” The Board of County Commissioners for St. Mary’s County authorized Ride-All-Day for a Dollar promotional rates from June 17 to June 19 to commemorate the National Dump the Pump event.

After marking the Fourth Annual National Dump the Pump Day, the County Commissioners noted that citizens are encouraged to choose public transportation in St. Mary’s County.

“STS transit ridership has been steadily increasing,” noted Commissioner President Francis Jack Russell. “Our residents are realizing the financial and environmental benefits of mass transit.”

To encourage transit ridership, a special rate of $1will entitle a rider to use STS services all day from Wednesday, June 17 through Friday, June 19. For more information on the STS service, call 301-475-5100 or log on to www.stmarysmd.com and click on STS Transit Services under the Services box.

Time Travel at Sotterly Plantation The past comes alive in an exciting weeklong exploration of Sotterley Plantation from July 20-24. Children ages 8 to 12 will have the opportunity to investigate Sotterley Plantation throughout its 300-year history. The week’s activities include investigating history, life as a Colonial child, African American history, archaeology, hiking and more. For those who enjoy the challenge of sleuthing, there will be a scavenger hunt. Through hands-on activities and daily crafts, this summer camp is the ultimate experience in learning while having fun.

The deadline to register is July 1. Fees are $150 per child, $125 for Sotterley members, and a $25 registration fee is required. To reserve your child’s space, contact Carolyn Hoey, education director, at 301-373-2280 or education@sotterley.org.

Car Show Patuxent Baptist Church is sponsoring an open house and car show on Sun., June 21 from 1 to 4 p.m. to benefit the church’s youth group and precede their vacation Bible school starting June 22.

Cars will be on hand from local car clubs.

Admission and raffles are free. Live Gospel music will be on hand as well. Visitors are encouraged to meet with church members and fellowship.

The church is located at 22614 Chancellors Run Road in Great Mills next to the Bay District Volunteer Fire Department and the Elk’s Lodge. For more information call the church office at 301-863-0001.

ST. MARY’S COUNTY

• Karaoke with DJ Tommy T & DJ T Applebee’s (California) – 9 p.m.

• Silvertung Memories Bar – 9:30 p.m.

Sunday, June 14 • St. Mary’s Crab Festival St. Mary’s County Fairgrounds (Leonardtown) – 11 a.m.

• Karaoke St. Mary’s Landing – 5:30 p.m.

• Flag Day Festivities Governmental Center Lawn (Leonardtown) – 6 p.m.

• Flag Disposal American Legion Post (Avenue) – 7:30 p.m.

n O g Goin

“CRABS AT THEIR BEST”

ST. MARY’S COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS 2 miles South of Leonardtown, MD, on MD Rte. 5

Sunday, June 14, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Rain or Shine. Covered Seating Available

• LIVE MUSIC • ARTS & CRAFTS • CRAB RACES

• MOON BOUNCE • KARATE EXHIBITION • COUNTRY DANCING DEMONSTRATIONS

• NON-SEAFOOD DISHES • CLASSIC CAR SHOW

Gate Admission:

What’s

$5 per person, Children Under 12 FREE. For all there is to see and do and for great places to stay, call 800-327-9023 or visit

www.stmarysmd.com/tourism

FOOD ADDITIONAL

Sponsored by Leonardtown Lions Club Inc.

Info at www.StMarysCrabFestival.com

Cuisine

& More

On The Menu

The County Times Today in St. Mary’s County we have many wonderful options for dining out. Each week we will feature a local restaurant and give our readers an overview of what they can enjoy on the menu at each location.

Bon Appétit!

Thursday, June 11, 2009

On The Vine

26

Joe Six-pack, meet Charles Chardonnay

By Michelle Locke Associated Press Writer

BERKELEY, Calif.

(AP) _ Cal Dennison likes a nice cold glass of chardonnay. And he’s man enough to admit it.

That’s hardly surprising since Dennison is winemaker at the Modesto-based Redwood Creek winery, but is he an exception?

Judging by some marketing campaigns, you might think so. Take the Super Bowl ad that ran a couple years back in which men invited to a wine and cheese party sneaked into the kitchen to unpack beer hidden in a fake wheel of cheese.

It was a stereotype played for laughs _ in real life lots of men like wine _ but maybe one with a crumb of cultural truth. The designator for ``average dude’’ in political campaigning last fall was Joe Six-pack, not Peter Pinot Noir.

It’s hard to say for sure exactly who’s drinking what, but a Gallup Poll from last July found that among women who drink, 43 percent say wine The Kokopelli image first appeared over 1,000 is what they drink most often and 28 percent say beer. Among men who years ago etched into walls of canyons by Native drink, 58 percent say beer is what they drink most often and 17 percent say Americans in a place now known as Arizona. This wine. fun loving symbol of the American Southwest is also ``As a general rule, guys get together, they don’t want to be seen with the good luck charm for Arizona Pizza. This restaua glass of wine,’’ says Nelson Barber, an associate professor of hospitality rant serves up fun for all the moment you walk thru management at Texas Tech University who has studied gender differences the door. Owner Matt Kulp offers a full menu from in marketing wine. appetizers to wood-fired brick oven pizza made from Wine companies would like to change that. During the past few years the freshest ingredients and a hand- made crust. some have adopted guy-friendly marketing with tie-ins to such red-blooded Other menu items include calzones, strombolis, pastimes as camping and racing. pasta dishes, gourmet salads, burgers and wraps. A thru Tuesday, 10 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday and Take Maximus, a blend of cabernet sauvignon, syrah and merlot intronew Lunch Express Menu is available from 11 a.m. till 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. A full bar is available on duced by the Bennett Lane Winery in Calistoga a few years back. Bennett site and don’t forget party platters can be ordered for 3 p.m. and includes all you can eat salad, soup and garLane, which owns a NASCAR team, is sponsoring a NASCAR West event lic bread for $4.99 all served in a hurry. Arizona Pizza special occasions. Stop by today to see why Arizona at Infineon Raceway this Father’s Day weekend.

Pizza has become a family dining favorite. opens daily at 11 a.m. and is open till 9 p.m., Sunday Then there’s ``The Slammer,’’ a syrah from Big House wines (their Soledad winery is near a California state prison), that features a back label showing a tough-looking guy with pants slung at plumber level.

Redwood Creek doesn’t define itself by gender _ the outdoors isn’t solely a male preserve _ but it is sold under a campaign strong on muscular pursuits; corks are emblazoned with GPS coordinates leading to various hiking spots. ``Without a doubt we start with the great outdoors,’’ says Dennison, a horseman and fisherman. ``If you decide to bring a little wine on an outdoor adventure, by golly, Redwood Creek is the wine of choice.’’

Natalie MacLean, editor of _ www.nataliemaclean.com _ a wine Warm-weather dining should be full of light, delicious and Web site, tends to be skeptical of marketing campaigns, but she undereasy-to-prepare meals that can be whipped up in a snap. After all, stands a winery’s need to stand out on crowded shelves. when entertaining poolside or heading home for a bite after a day at Wines aimed at women, with labels such as ``Mad Housewife,’’ the beach, meal preparation should be as simple as possible. came out some years ago and MacLean isn’t surprised You also want to prepare and serve foods that fit with a healthy to see guy wines follow. ``We all shop based on the label lifestyle, which will provide plenty of energy and keep the entire _ fluffy squirrel, castle in the middle distance _ it’s whatfamily looking and feeling its best during a season full of fun and Serves 4 ever works,’’ she says. recreation.

It’s up to consumers to decide ``whether the wine In addition to fresh vegetables, fruits, and plenty of hydrating 4 Quorn Naked Chik’n Cutlets delivers _ for a man’s man or a woman’s woman,’’ she beverages, foods high in protein but low in fat are important compo1 small eggplant, diced into -inch squares says. nents of a healthy diet, say many dietary experts. Those that can be 2 tomatoes, seeded and diced When selling wine, one thing you don’t want to do tossed on the grill or conveniently made into sandwiches and wraps 2 Tbsp. olive oil is walk up to a guy in a wine shop and ask ``Can I help to take on the go are ideal to have on hand.

1 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped you?’’ says Barber. He theorizes this may have someScience suggests a diet rich in mycoprotein, the unique ingredi1 tsp. fresh parsley, chopped thing to do with that elusive asking-for-directions gene. ent found in Quorn Naked Chik’n cutlets, may help reduce choles1 garlic clove, minced An opener like ``What kind of occasion are you terol and manage risk of obesity and type-2 diabetes. Completely 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice thinking of buying a wine for’’ is a better bet, Barber meat- and soy-free, mycoprotein is a powerhouse ingredient with Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste says. less fat, fewer calories and more fiber than meat, and also has great Dennison has started some conversations of his texture and delicious taste. Ounce for ounce, mycoprotein has nearly Line the grill rack of gas or charcoal grill with foil, or use own with fellow members of his riding club, men and as much protein as an egg, more fiber than a baked potato and onea foil-lined baking sheet and pre-heat the grill to medium. Place women. third less fat than skinless chicken breast, making it a smart option the cutlets, eggplant and tomatoes on foil. Brush with 1 tableIt’s ``quite the rodeo cowboy culture and the folks for families whether they eat meat or enjoy a vegetarian lifestyle. spoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill 10 minthere, of course, are enjoying the odd beer or two,’’ he All 11 prepackaged varieties found in your grocer’s freezer can be utes then turn over the cutlets and vegetables. Grill an additional says. ``But as I spend time with them, I’m just getting stowed in your own freezer and cooked on demand, making fast 10 minutes, or until the cutlets are golden brown. pummeled with questions on wine and which wine we work of meal preparation.

Combine the eggplant and tomatoes in large bowl with reshould have and what wine is good.’’

Many mycoprotein fans have also commented on its delicious maining olive oil, basil, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, and more He’s got Father’s Day all planned out. Up early, get taste and how they’ve been “fooled” into thinking they’re eating real salt and pepper to taste. Spoon this salad over cutlets and serve. the boat, off to his favorite Sierra lake for some fishing meat or poultry.

To learn more about mycoprotein, visit www.mycoprotein. with his son and then back to the ranch to fire up the grill To try mycoprotein for yourself, here’s an easy meal that should org or www.quorn.us. and cook their catch. become part of any warm-weather entertaining recipe collection.

One guess what he’ll be washing it down with.

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Healthy Bites

Enjoy Quick, Tasty, Healthy Meals

27

The County Times

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Wanderings of an Aimless

d

Min

Not so Hidden History

By Shelby Oppermann Contributing Writer Many readers have asked that I continue to write about “hidden treasures” in the county. Well, some are fairly large hidden treasures that we pass by or keep saying, “we need to stop there some day”. These places are all through our county. It must be the same for any area, you have all sorts of neat museums or historic areas right in your back yard, but don’t take the time to visit.

Yes, Colonial Williamsburg is a great vacation spot, but we have Historic St. Mary’s City, which continues to grow with state of the art museums, in historic areas and walking tours. There are at least four distinct areas to explore. Starting with the reconstructed State House and then walking around Farthing’s Ordinary, other buildings, and the gardens, you can really experience what the first settlers saw in this beautiful land. The militia reenactors always give a breathtaking show.

You can walk right by archaeologists at work, or better yet sign up for the Tidewater Archaeology Weekend in late July or St. Mary’s College Archaeological Field School and dig in the dirt yourself. Nothing is more fun for an archaeologist than finding the privy (outhouse site). Those were also the receptacles of most of the colonists’ trash which is a gold mine of artifacts. Wouldn’t that be the highlight of anyone’s day to dig around in 300+-year-old outhouse remains. It was for me. When I had my own kid’s archaeology club at Hollywood Elementary, my son Ryan and I made up all sorts of funny sayings for the group: “archaeologists dig old bones” and the like. I used all of my experiences to teach the kids from my own time in the 10-week Field School. You never know when what you have learned can come in handy.

Traveling down the path from Farthing’s & Smith’s Ordinaries, you can take a meandering trail down to the beautifully reconstructed chapel or take the route to the mu-

Correction The headline on the “Wanderings of an Aimless Mind” column in the June 4 edition was incorrect.

It should have said “A Blue Sport Coat … .”

seum buildings. I walked into the Chapel not that long ago, and could truly feel a Godly presence, even though it is not the original.

There is a feeling on that field of wooden and brick structures that others from the past are standing with you. I really felt that most in the chapel.

You can also drive down Rosecroft Road to the museum and take the time to look at the artifacts or “artichokes” as we called them that are beautifully displayed. The pottery shards are fascinating; everything from salt glazed stoneware to delicate pieces of china can be seen. Artifacts of many weapons are on display along with remnants of the colonial settler’s daily lives. To hold them is amazing, but even to see the pieces in a case is nice.

And for those who like to shop, the St. Mary’s City Visitor’s area has a magnificent gift shop, as well as Farthing’s ordinary.

As you drive out of the museum parking lot, take a right down to the first turn, and that is the Godiah Spray tobacco plantation, which is a lot larger than it looks at first glance. The costumed interpreters can answer any question while working on their 17th century task.

While writing this, I had a question on whether the old park with the Indian village was still further down Rosecroft Rd. So I made a call and was referred to Sue Wilkinson, Director of Marketing for Historic St. Mary’s City. She said that park was closed many years ago and the entire Woodland Indian village was transferred to the visitor center. Ms. Wilkinson also told me that on June 20th, the historic area and St. Mary’s College will be having a huge celebration for Maryland’s 375th. Tall ships will be coming to the waterfront, along with free Skipjack rides.

There will be live music all day, including David Norris who is such a beautiful weaver of history into song. Lots of activities for kids, including working with the militia. The militia will teach the children how to muster with wooden muskets. Magicians, food, fine arts, crafts, colonial games and dance, so much to see. American Indian dancers will give a demonstration too. Ms. Wilkinson mentioned lots more events and demonstrations. The day culminates with a special River Concert Series program at the college and a fireworks display.

What a fun and inexpensive way to have a good time locally. Free music, boat rides, and history – sounds great for families. I looked up the website: www.stmaryscity.org The 375th year is a perfect time to visit the counties historic sites. Events are happening throughout the year in our own back yard.

Save gas, and enjoy what’s around you.

To each new day’s historic adventure, Shelby Please send comments or ideas to: shelbys.wanderings@yahoo.com.

Book Review

“Eve: A Novel of the First Woman”

by Elissa Elliott

c.2009, Brilliance Audio

$38.99

By Terri Schlichenmeyer Contributing Writer Imagine that an anonymous benefactor just bestowed upon you an unexpected gift: a new home with everything you could ever want in it.

The temperature in this home is always just right; the furniture, comfortable. You’re never hungry when meals magically appear at your table.

Exploring this magnificent home becomes more entertaining than anything you’ve ever seen on TV, and the landscaping astounds you.

The cost?

Not a penny.

But then, one little mistake – one very human error – and you’re booted from this home and out on the streets. How would you live with the memories of time spent in Paradise? In the new audiobook “Eve” by Elissa Elliott, you’ll hear a woman’s epic story of loss and love.

Once upon a time, there was Eden and it was beautiful. Animals roamed, flowers bloomed, and Elohim was there. But that was then, and now, pregnant with her latest child, Eve struggles with memories of a happier time.

She recalls innocent days when she could spend hours in the Garden, just listening to Elohim. Now, when she speaks to Him, He never answers. She wonders if He still loves her. She wonders if He will ever forgive her.

Eve remembers learning to know Adam, and the delight they had in naming the animals. She remembers the joy of newness. She also remembers how the serpent tricked her, and how Elohim was hurt by her betrayal.

It had been a struggle since their ban-

13 CDs / approx. 16 hours

ishment, but Eve’s family is surviving: Cain, headstrong and angry over nothing. Sensitive Abel, now a shepherd. Naava, on the verge of womanhood and reaching for independence.

Aya, smart and resourceful despite her handicap. And the twins - double gifts - Dara and Jaken.

But everything changed when the People from the City came to visit. Taken aback by the sight of the women, Eve reluctantly gave them what they wanted. Though it hurt her heart, she let them take something precious to her, never knowing that it would set her family down a path of destruction, loss of faith, violence, and death.

Do you have a patient boss? You’d better hope so, because listening to “Eve” on your commute is going to make you late.

You’ll want to hear “just one more minute” of this positively beautiful novel.

Spinning a tale that’s both lush and lyrical, author Elissa Elliott gives Eve a complex humanity as a mother worried about her children and as a wife who sees her husband slipping away. She feels bereft and abandoned, powerless to stop the changes she sees. Elliott’s story sticks pretty close to the Biblical version, though still making Eve seem familiarly, comfortingly contemporary.

What I liked best about this audiobook is that it’s read by three different performers. Sandra Burr, Tanya Eby Sirois, and Ellen Grafton bring their characters to life, which gives “Eve” even more listenability.

Take this audiobook to work with you.

Take it home, take it on vacation, but don’t miss it. If you crave a novel experience, “Eve” will be Paradise to you.

Now Through July 4th 1 YEAR SUBSCRIPTION

www.countytimes.net

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The County Times

1. Basics 4. ___amite: Nobel invention 7. Failed bomb 10. SW Scottish river 12. Cow sounded 14. Dried corn dough 15. Singing with florid ornamentation 17. Got older 18. Extreme in degree 19. Enzyme 21. Am. black cuckoo 22. Gaborone airport code 23. Donkeys 25. Weasel genus 27. Gidget’s Sandra 28. Holiday candy deliverer 34. Sea eagle 35. Snakelike fish 36. Informal debt instrument 37. Owned apartment 43. Institute legal proceedings 44. Lofty nest 45. Microwaves (slang) 47. Golf score 48. No seats available 49. Hearable

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Thursday, June 11, 2009

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28

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29

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Business

DIRECTORY Call to Place Your Ad: 301-373-4125

The County Times

Law Offices of

Deadlines for Classifieds are Tuesday at 12 pm.

Since 1987

To Place a Classified Ad, please email your ad to: classifieds@countytimes.net or Call: 301-373-4125 or Fax: 301-373-4128 for a price quote. Office hours are: Monday thru Friday 8am - 4pm. The County Times is published each Thursday.

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ATTENTION Local Delivery Branch Driver R.E. MICHEL COMPANY, INC., a leading wholesale distributor of heating, air conditioning and refrigeration equipment & parts with over 250 branch locations in 24 states, has a potential career opportunity in our Prince Frederick branch for an individual with experience in delivery, who possesses good customer service and communication skills. Knowledge of the HVACR industry helpful. This is an entry level full time position suited for a self motivated individual who wants to learn the HVACR wholesale business. Satisfactory pre-employment screenings, inclusive of ability to pass necessary DOT requirements/medical exam to safely operate a commercial motor vehicle and current copy of driving record required.

R.E. Michel Company offers a full benefit package and opportunities for advancement, visit our web site at REMICHEL.COM. If you are looking for more than just a job, please mail confidential resume, or stop by to complete an application on site.

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Seeking a in-home interventionist to work with at-risk families. Must have knowledge of child development, family dynamics and excellent writing skills. Prior experience working with families with young children is required. Must have Masters degree in psychology, social work, or counseling. BA with more than 2 years experience will be considered. If interested, please call 301 290 0040 for more information.

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Vehicles

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Important The County Times will not be held responsible for any ads omitted for any reason. The County Times reserves the right to edit or reject any classified ad not meeting the standards of The County Times. It is your responsiblity to check the ad on its first publication and call us if a mistake is found. We will correct your ad only if notified after the first day of the first publication ran.

The County Times

30

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Hartness & Hewitt

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Doctor and Mrs. William Owen Hartness of Brentwood, Tennessee announce the marriage of their daughter Jessica Neill Hartness to Matthew Michael Hewitt of Hollywood, Maryland son of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Lee Hewitt also of Hollywood.

They couple was married on May 2, 2009 at Wightman Chapel at Scarritt- Bennett.

The reception was held at Hermitage Hotel.

They will honeymoon in Montego Bay Jamaica. The couple will reside in Baltimore, Maryland.

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31

The County Times

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Question Interview

Charitable Vending Raises Money for Rescue Squad

Interviewing: Wanda Paduamo

Wanda is the owner and manager of Blades School of Hair Design at San Souci Plaza in California, where she took some time out of her teaching schedule to talk about her business.

CT: How long have you had your business, and how does being the only beauty school in town position you in the community?

WP: We’ve been here 23 years. We started out on Great Mills Road, and we were there for nine years, and then we moved here … but it takes time to build a business and a reputation, and it’s like any other business. You hate it when it’s quiet, you’re afraid people won’t come in there, but after 23 years it’s really started to blossom.

CT: Where were you educated?

WP: In Calvert County, and I took my cosmetology course in Annapolis, at a school that isn’t there anymore. I am a master educator, and it took me 10 years to become that … and I just got my certificate this year.

CT: What was the hardest thing for you to learn when you got your certification?

WP: Finger waves … it’s pushing the hair in an S-formation back and forth, and when I was in cosmetology school you had to pass that part of the board to be a hairdresser. Nowadays it’s not a skills test, it’s more of a safety test, so they don’t have finger waves in it, but then it was really sad because you had some students who couldn’t become hairdressers because they couldn’t do finger waves, but I think the test is a little more fair now.

ewsmakers

Submitted Photo

Donna Levay and her son Mike from the Lexington Park Volunteer Rescue Squad help each other stock one of their 14 vending machines, which have been set up to raise money for the department and other charities across the county.

By Andrea Shiell Staff Writer It may seem like a novel idea, but with the wealth generated by vending machines dispensing snacks across the country, Don Patterson, founder of Charitable Vending Inc., thought he might take advantage of a great source of revenue for his own donation pool, setting up a company that manages vending machines and then forwards the profits to various charities.

One group reaping the benefits of Patterson’s idea is the Lexington Park Volunteer Rescue Squad, which operates 14 machines in office buildings in the area and which received a donation of nearly $3,000 for the purchase of new equipment on Monday.

Patterson, a Navy Academy graduate who has been involved for years with Christian ministries in Northern Virginia, explained that he had come up with the idea for vending machines after brainstorming for new and more creative ways of fundraising.

Patterson said he drew on his own experiences running his own training and service support company, D.P. Associates, which he sold in 2004 to L3 Communications before deciding to devote his time to charitable work, adapting his former policy of allowing office managers who maintained their own vending machines to keep their profits for Christmas parties.

“I quickly found out that vending is a nickel-and-dime business, but it’s a highly profitable business,” he said, “so I thought I could form a company that was staffed with nothing but volunteers – no employees – and I could put the machines in various locations.”

The result for Patterson has been a company staffed with volunteers who stock and maintain machines in Northern Virginia and Southern Maryland, designating 50 percent of their profits to the charity of their choice, while sponsors can similarly designate 25 percent of the proceeds, leaving a scant 25 percent to cover the cost of the machines themselves, not a penny of which Patterson says he receives for himself.

Volunteers Donna Levay and her son Mike from the Lexington Park Volunteer Rescue Squad were there on Monday at Wyle Laboratories, where both were presented with a check from Patterson for their earnings over the last several months.

Donna Levay explained that the rescue

squad had started working with Patterson after rescue squad member Dale Ford had agreed to take over machine maintenance duties while Patterson was away.

“Mr. Patterson was looking for someone to take over the vending while he was away, and was primarily looking for some sort of nonprofit organization that could really use the help,” she said, “so the rescue squad associates were recommended, and we got in touch with Mr. Patterson and it all kind of fell into order, and we started doing vending back in December,” she said, adding that the group has averaged about $500 per month from the machines they maintain.

Mike Levay said he had been helping his mother Donna with the machines, and described it as a great source of revenue for the rescue squad.

“The rescue squad recently purchased an Auto Pulse, which is nicknamed a ‘thumper,’ and it automatically resuscitates someone instead of manually doing CPR,” he said, explaining that the money would be used to pay for the rescue squad’s portion of the cost.

Patterson smiled as he confirmed that his fundraising idea had been a great success so far. When asked if he had any expansion plans for his philanthropic endeavors, he said, “I’ll expand as long as there are volunteers who are willing to help out, and who need the help.”

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Community

The County Times

• C-SPAN Civics bus – The public can tour CSPAN’s 45-foot Civics bus on June 16 from 10 a.m. to noon at Leonardtown or from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Lexington Park to learn about its mission, funding and programs. Some visitors might be taped discussing what they are reading this summer.

• Soldiers’ care packages – St. Mary’s County Farm Bureau Women’s Committee is collecting items until June 27 tofillcarepackagesforsoldiersoversees.Itemssuchasgum, snacks and magazines can be dropped off at any branch.

• Free book – Children from babies through teens can earn a free book by completing their reading log (or activity sheets for babies) in the Summer Reading Clubs which run June 8 through Aug. 8. All participants will receive a complimentary lawn ticket to the Blue Crabs Aug. 21 game and 120 participants will receive two Orioles tickets in a random drawing. To participate, once registered, they read or are read to and return every three weeks with their reading logs to earn prizes or chances for prizes. More information can be found at www.stmalib.org or at the libraries.

Sanford Concert Series presents the Sounds of Tomorrow Submitted Photo

Cintas Delivers

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32

L ibrary Items

Crab Festival The 24th annual St. Mary’s Crab festival will be held at the St. Mary’s County Fairgrounds.

Gates open at 11 a.m. and the festivities end at 5 p.m.

Admission is $5 per person, with children under 12 getting in free. Food costs are additional.

The Crab Festival will feature a lot of things in addition to crabs.

There will be live music, a classic car show, arts and crafts vendors and crab races (weather permitting). Miss Maryland will visit again this year and there will be country dancing demonstrations.

Non-seafood dishes are available, in addition to steamed crabs, crab cakes and soft shell crab sandwiches. And don’t forget to leave room for desserts, such as snow cones and ice cream.

The Crab Festival is a project of the Leonardtown Lions Club and is their major fundraising event of the year. All money raised by the Lions Club is donated to local charities and needy individuals.

For additional information visit the web site at www.StMarysCrabFestival.com

Thursday, June 11, 2009

UÊ i> }Ê i V> Ã

The Sanford Concert Series will be presenting its annual “Sounds of Tomorrow” concert on Sun., June 14, at 7:30 p.m. at St. Andrew’s Church in California, featuring outstanding young musical talent from St. Mary’s County selected by audition.

Auditions were held in March, when the following solo artists were selected: Andrew Callahan, pianist; Gabrielle Crofford, pianist; Elizabeth Davis, violinist; Christopher Lange, baritone; Melissa Lucas, piano; Elijah Smoot, pianist; Molly Tracy, pianist; and Brandi Wightman, soprano. In addition, a quartet of the following cellists was selected: Maura Coughlin, Christina Gancayco, Patricia Rose and Abigail Crosby. Each of these artists will be demonstrating his or her talent in formal recitals during this evening presentation.

This annual concert provides a chance to showcase some very talented musicians from our area.

All of these musicians bring a lively, energetic force to their well executed performances. Our audience always comes away uplifted by these recitals.

The audience will have the opportunity to meet the performers during the reception immediately following the concert in the Parish Hall. During this formal reception, honorariums will be presented to the recitalists.

Tickets for this event cost $5 per person. For information regarding seating availability, please call Lyn Schramm at 301-862-9541.

For information regarding future concerts, visit www.sanfordconccertseries.com.

• Free ice cream – Children ages 5-12 can pick up an Adventure Passport at any branch and have fun exploring 10 sites in the county and learn about 375 years of history. After visiting five sites, they are eligible for free ice cream from Bruster’s and a chance for the drawing of Sally Walker’s book, “Written in Bone.” Each additional site visited earns them an extra chance in the drawing. The passport admits the child free to those sites with admission fees. The program runs through Aug. 31 and is made possible in part by the Southern Maryland Heritage Area Consortium.

Starting next week, Flat Sneaks, the library’s summer reading mascot, is exploring eight sites in the county. Each week a photo and clues about a site he visited will be posted in this paper. Children 5-12 guess where he visited and drop off their entry at the library before noon on the following Monday to be eligible for a drawing. The first correct entry drawn will receive a book. Watch for Flat Sneaks next week.

• Computer game workshops – Discover U Children’s Museum is sponsoring free workshops conducted by Deb Daniel. A workshop for kids ages 7-11 on how to create their own computer game using RPG is set for June 15 at 6 p.m. and June 30 at 6 p.m. at Charlotte Hall.

Daniel is also conducting several workshops for teens. Lexington Park will offer a workshop on using Scratch software to create a computer game on June 11 at 2 p.m. A digital art workshop on creating simple animation for eemail messages will be offered on June 17 and 24 at 2:30 p.m. at Charlotte Hall and on June 24 at 10 a.m. at Lexington Park.

Registration is required for all workshops. The same workshops are being offered at various times throughout the summer at each branch.

• Free movies – On June 11 a PG rated movie about the adventures of the Central Zoo animals stranded in Africa will be shown at 5 p.m. at Charlotte Hall. Lexington Park will show a G rated film about a mouse and his rat friend who rescue a princess and save an entire kingdom on June 17 at 2 p.m. A PG movie about a group of kids who begin caring for stray dogs in an abandoned hotel will be shown at Leonardtown on June 18 at 2 p.m. Snacks will be provided.

Teens can watch a movie about a couple’s chance meeting which turns into a crusade to find a legendary rock band’s show at Lexington Park on June 16 at 2 p.m. At Leonardtown on June 17 at 2 p.m. they can watch the film about two teenagers who find themselves in the middle of a battle in a war between the Autobots and Decepticons. Both of these movies are PG-13 rated. Snacks are provided.

• Wii game fun – Gamers of all ages can challenge each other at the Wii Play Family Game Fun scheduled on June 18 at Charlotte Hall from 5:30 -7:30 p.m., Lexington Park on June 24 from 6-7:30 p.m. and Leonardtown on June 25 from 5:30 -7:30 p.m.

Teens can challenge other teens at Teen Gaming Fun on June 18 from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Lexington Park and on June 26 at 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Leonardtown. Registration is requested for these free TAG sponsored events.

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Thursday, June 11, 2009

Tennis: Social Doubles Play is held twice weekly and consists of informal doubles matches put together by the site coordinator based on that day’s attendance. All who show up play.

• 5 p.m. Tuesdays at Great Mills High School, May 26-Sept. 29. Tuesday’s coordinator is Bob Stratton.

• 5 p.m. Sundays at Leonardtown High School, May 31-Aug 30. Sunday’s coordinator is Cris Sigler.

The league fee is $30 for the Great Mills site and $25 for the Leonardtown site. All fees include court costs and balls. No official registration is required.

Just show up at the courts and enjoy the evening.

&

Recreation Parks The County Times

New Horizons Camp Kicks Off June 22

The New Horizons Summer Camp Program will be offered again this year, a collaboration between the county’s Department of Recreation and Parks and the public school system.

The camp begins Mon. June 22 and ends Fri. July 31 and will operate on weekdays from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Hollywood Elementary School.

Registration is now open; the fee is $750. Help with finding financial assistance is available.

Children in this program will receive a free nutritional breakfast and lunch each day through the department’s participation in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Summer Food Service Program.

The program will not discriminate in the course of the meal service and will not promote physical segregation or other discrimination against any child because of race, color, age, national origin, sex or disability.

For more information, call Christi Bishop at 301-475-4200 ext.

1802.

Gretton Goalkeeping Verbic Memorial Golf Tournament Summer Camps Gretton Goalkeeping will offer its 7th Annual Summer Goalkeeper Soccer Camp Series beginning the week of June 22 through the week of Aug. 17 at various locations in Southern Maryland. Camps run Monday through Thursday each week at various hours of the day. All ages and skill levels welcome.

Field player training offered as well by separate field player instructor. For questions or to reserve your spot, call 301-643-8992 or e-mail grettongoalkeeping@gmail.com.

Tees Off Friday Morning

The Board of County Commissioners will once again host the annual Scott Verbic Memorial Golf Tournament Fri. June 12 at the Wicomico Shores Municipal Golf Course, 35794 Aviation Yacht Club Road in Mechanicsville (near Chaptico).

The tournament will begin with 8:30 a.m. registration followed by a shotgun start at 9 a.m. A buffet lunch will be served at the

conclusion of the tournament. There will be hole-in-one, closest-to-the-pin and longestdrive contests, as well as several raffles and door prizes.

The Recreation and Parks Department coordinates the tournament each year as a memorial to Scott Verbic, a Rec and Parks Citizen Advisory Board member and youth advocated who passed away while serv-

ing on the board. All proceeds benefit the department’s scholarship program for summer youth camps and other recreational activities.

For additional information on forming a team or sponsorship, call Christina Bishop at 301-475-4200, ext. 1802, or visit www. co.saint-marys.md.us/recreate/specialevents.asp.

The County Times

Thursday, June 11, 2009

The average life span of a major league baseball is 7 pitches.

Skate Series Returns in August The Mid-Atlantic Skating Series, now in its seventh season, will return for its yearly meet in St. Mary’s County on Sat., Aug. 22, when MASS takes over Nicolet Park in Lexington Park. All ages and skill levels are welcome.

For more information, go to http:// www.curtkimbel.com.

Ryken Seeks Head Coaches For Three Sports St. Mary’s Ryken High School seeks qualified applicants for the positions of Head Varsity Girls Soccer Coach, Head Girls Tennis Coach and Head Baseball Coach for the 2009-10 school year. These are part-time positions but teaching positions are also available. If interested, contact Mike Vosburgh, athletic director, at 301-373-4199 or Michael.vosburgh@smrhs.org.

Northern St. Mary’s Soccer Club Seeks Players Do you love playing soccer? Want to play soccer at a more competitive level? If you’re a U-9 to U-19 player, then Northern St. Mary’s Select Soccer Club has an opportunity for you – tryouts for Northern Lightning.

New boys and girls teams are being formed and existing teams are filling openings. Players age 7- 3 (U-9 to U-14) are especially encouraged to attend so that younger teams can be formed. The club is the se-

lect/travel soccer arm of St. Mary’s Northern Soccer League.

The tryout sessions will take place June 16 and 17 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Fifth District Park (behind Lettie Dent Elementary). You should plan to attend both days if possible. The rain date is Fri., June 19.

For more information, contact Northern Lightning Select Soccer at 301-884-2010 or Leagueoffice@smnsl.org.

St. George Island Site of Kayak and Canoe Races The Chesapeake Bay Field Lab will hold kayak and canoe races June 28 from noon until 4 p.m. to support environmental education programming on St. George Island.

Attendance is free. Food and beverage purchases are available at the lab on the island.

A $25 race participation fee will cover a variety of races including a Cash Race. All races will be held in Island Creek in the heart of St. George Island to begin at the

Chesapeake Bay Field Lab at the end of Piney Point Road (Route 249).

Corporate sponsors include Booz Allen Hamilton and Coombs Creek Marina.

In addition to the races and onsite, kid-friendly activities, the recently refurbished yawl boat of the skipjack the Dee of St. Mary’s will also be dedicated on June 28. The yawl boat, also called a “push boat,” served as the only motorization of the Dee during the decade the ves-

sel oystered in the Chesapeake Bay. The yawl boat was refurbished by Piney Point Boatwright Ben Goddard and underwritten by generous grants from Preservation Maryland and National Trust for Historic Preservation and by members of the Chesapeake Bay Field Lab. To register for or to sponsor the kayak/canoe races, call Chesapeake Bay Field Lab at 301-994-2245 or email skipjack@skipjacktours.com.

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un Fact

Walden/ Sierra 5K Fun Walk Set for Saturday Walden/Sierra will hold a timed, cross-country, 5K run and fun walk on Sat., June 13, at 9 a.m., rain or shine, at Greenwell State Park in Hollywood. Dogs on a leash and strollers are welcome as community members gather together to “Take a Step” for Walden. A short program with poetry and art will follow the race.

Proceeds will benefit programs of Walden/Sierra that help individuals of all ages to recover from abuse, trauma or addiction.

Walden/Sierra is a nonprofit organization that provides counseling, a 24-hour hotline and treatment services.

Pre-registration entry fee is $20, and race-day registration is $25. Pre-registration discounts are available for military, groups of 10 or more and children 13 and under. For more information, contact Laura Webb at 301-997-1300 ext. 804 or lauraw@waldensierra. org, or visit www.waldensierra. org. Online registration is available at www.active.com.

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Thursday, June 11, 2009

Sirin, Sonmez Off To College

By Chris Stevens Staff Writer As far as their introduction to American basketball goes, St. Mary’s Ryken graduates and Turkish natives Gokhan Sirin and Gorkem Sonmez learned a lot.

They plan to take those lessons to college next fall, with Sirin signing with the University of Charlotte and Sonmez heading to Radford University, becoming the fourth and fifth Ryken boys’ basketball players to sign NCAA Division I college scholarships.

“Radford’s a good place for me because they really needed a 2 or a 3,” the 6-foot-5 Sonmez said. “And I get a chance to play right away.”

Sonmez was forced to play out of position at Ryken because the team needed a post presence.

“He’s got the strength to play at the next level, and he’ll get to play his natural position of shooting guard,” Knights head coach Dave Tallman said.

“Radford has a coach, Ali Ton, that recruited him the hardest and helped get him to the States. I think it’s a great opportunity.”

While Sonmez had a good idea of where he wanted to go and what position he wanted to play, 6-foot-9 Gokhan Photo By Chris Stevens Sirin drew interest St. Mary’s Ryken graduate Gokhan Sirin will from Georgetown take his unique basketball talents and his 6-footUniversity and the 9 frame to the University of Charlotte.

University of South Florida before deciding on Charlotte, an Atlantic-10 conference member school.

“When I went there for my visit, I felt comfortable, just hanging around on campus, the coaches and their staff were very helpful to me,” Sirin said of his trip to the campus that clinched his decision. “I’m going to improve my game by playing inside and maybe play 20-25 minutes a game. That was my biggest thing.”

Sirin earned second-team all-Washington Catholic Athletic Conference honors for the Knights, as the team rebounded from last season’s disappointing play-in exit to challenge eventual conference champion DeMatha down to the final minutes of their tournament quarterfinal game in February.

“He is one of the most skilled big men you will ever see,” Tallman said of Sirin. “He’s ready for the next level.”

Both players are impressed with the level of American basketball, but look forward to going back home to play ball in the Turkish Basketball Federation.

“Coach Tallman helped us get together and get used to basketball here; it’s a more physical and faster game,” Sonmez said.

Ta l l m a n adds that he believes that both players can play Photo By Chris Stevens at the next level.

“I think Gorkem Sonmez will go from playing in the paint at Ryken to his natural position in the backcourt at they’ll play professionally,” he Radford University. says.

The County Times

Sp rts

New Soapbox Derby Chairman Hopes To Spark Event Growth

By Chris Stevens Staff Writer CALIFORNIA – Jim Warnick thinks the annual Southern Maryland Soapbox Derby has a chance to grow into a larger event, including more soapbox races in the area.

“Almost half the field are first-time racers, and this is the only time they get to race,” Warnick said Saturday afternoon as the Derby was taking place. “Our future plans including having more races and hopefully a Masters division.”

The Masters’ division is reserved for the best of the best, and Jim’s son Jay, along with Casey Raiter and Courtney Rail, two Chopticon graduates, have gone to Washington, D.C., to compete in the Masters’ division races.

Warnick hopes that the Southern Maryland Derby will grow to the point where they can send a Masters’ division champion to the national derby in Akron, Ohio.

“When we have our champions racing in the national meet, with 41 states and seven countries represented, we want the world to know they belong to St. Mary’s County, instead of having Washington on their cars,” said Warnick, who took over as Derby chairman in February. “That’s my big push, for us to have a Masters’ division.”

As is, the Southern Maryland Derby currently runs a Stock and Super Stock Di-

vision, and the races took place this year on Patxuent Boulevard in California, a change from the usual hill on Fenwick Street in Leonardtown. Fears that the Patuxent Boulevard hill would be too slow for racers were unfounded.

“So far, we’ve had to shorten the track twice and ask the drivers to hit their brakes as soon as they cross the finish line,” Warnick said.

The short and speedy track took a strategic turn for most racers, including 8-yearold Kyle Wedding, a first-time racer who competed in the consolation bracket of the Stock Division.

“I think I have a better chance in the first lane because it’s faster,” said Kyle, a student at Dynard Elementary School in Chaptico. True to Warnick’s mission of having new racers and participants, this was Kyle’s first time in competing in the Derby.

“I just heard of it this year, but I’m having a lot of fun,” he said.

Maintaining an annual derby consists of a lot of work, including keeping cars maintained and up to National Derby standards (the winners of both division races get to travel to Akron to compete in the national Derby), but Warnick credited advertising and the Third District Optimist Club for their great support.

“I couldn’t ask for better sponsors to help us today,” he said.

2009 Derby Stock Division Champion Elizabeth Beaton

Photo By Frank Marquart

2009 Derby Super Stock Champion Mathew Baumann

Sp rts

The County Times

Thursday, June 11, 2009

36

Potomac Speedway: News and Events Autograph Night June 12 For Street Stocks, Crate Late Models and Hobbystocks

Street Stock Makeup Race Rescheduled for June 12

The Silver Hill Lions Club will host the Demolition Derby on Sat. June 13 and Sat. June 20.

General admission gates will open at 5:30 p.m. and crashing begins at 7 p.m. Adult general admission, $18; children 10 and under, $9, with Pit admission, $25. For additional information on rules, directions or car entry, call the Silver Hill Lions Club at 1-888-44-DERBY or visit www.shlcdemolitionderby.com.

Y’S COUN R A

TY

Demolition Derby: June 13, 20

ST. M

Potomac Speedway will host a regular show on Fri. June 12 with The Carruth & Son Late The Street Stock feature event that was rained out May 29 has been rescheduled for Fri. Models, Coors Light Street Stocks, Big Dog Paradise Hobbystocks, B & B Welding 4 Cylinders June 12. No cars will be added to the field as the field is locked. It will be run right after the and The Crate Late Models. The Coors Light Street Stocks and Big Dog Paradise Hobbystocks warm-up sessions have been completed, and Crate Late Models will have a special autograph session at intermission for all fans. Gates will leaving drivers enough time to compete in open at 5 p.m., warm-ups 7:30 p.m. and the green flag waves at 8 p.m. Pit entrance is $20, with their regularly scheduled events. grandstand admission $10 for adults, children 12 and under free, to the grandstand area.

EDULE 6/11-6/17/2009 H C S L L A B SOFT Thurs., June 11

Park, Field No. 2, 6 p.m.

Steel Block Bandits Race Rescheduled for July 10

Men’s Over-40 League

Sun., June 14

Potomac Speedway and Steel Block Bandits staff have agreed to run the remaining 25 laps of the Steel Block Bandits feature event that was stopped due to rain on May 29; the race has been rescheduled for Friday night, July 10. The field has been locked and no cars may be added for the remaining 25 laps. However, Potomac Speedway will have a regular 25-lap Late Model event and the Steel Block Bandits will have the opportunity to run a second show. See Potomac Speedway’s Late Model rules for the second race of the night. Anyone with questions can call the speedway at 301-884-4200 or the Steel Block Bandits at 540-336-4673.

Running order as of Lap 15: 1) Kyle Lear 2) Bruce Kane 3) Tommy Wagner 4) Walker Arthur 5) Mike Latham 6) Steve Long 7) Sommey Lacey 8) Ed Pope 9) Jarred Powell 10) Paul Cursey 11) Mark Jones 12) Kris Looney 13) Buddy Isles 14) PJ Hatcher 15) Chuck Cox 16) Bubby Tharp 17) Brandon Long-2 18) David Puckett -5 19) Gerald Davis -7 20) Dave Adams -8 21) Chris Cromer -14 22) Derick Quade -15.

Seabreeze vs. Captain Sam’s at Captain Sam’s Clements vs. Hobos at Back Road Inn Tri-County Aire vs. Hole-InThe-Wall at Tippets’ Field Nationwide vs. Mom & Pop’s at Fenwick Field Rita B’s vs. Anderson’s at Anderson’s Bar

Premier League (All games at Knight Life)

Slow-Pitch League Chaney’s vs. Bombers at Pax River, 6:30 p.m.

Bookkeeping By Blanche vs. Wentworth at The Brass Rail, 6:30 p.m.

Budweiser vs. VFW2632 at Chancellor’s Run, 6:30 p.m.

Back Road Inn vs. Eagles’ Nest at Chancellor’s Run, 8 p.m.

Fri., June 12 Young Men’s League

Featuring Special Sales for Juneteenth and Father’s Day! Ken & Helen Newell KHNewell@verizon.net

21779C Tulagi Place Lexington Park, MD 29653

Enjoy your Saturday in the Park at The Grapevine next to Linda’s Cafe

Raley’s Softball vs. Straight Cuts at Moose Lodge, 6:30 p.m.

Jeff Rocks vs. Big Dogs at Anderson’s Bar, 6:30 p.m.

AC Moose vs. Knott’s Construction at Captain Sam’s, 6:30 p.m.

Country Boyz vs.

Elks, noon True Players vs. Park Cougars, 1:15 p.m.

Raiders vs. Backstabbers, 2:30 p.m.

Ballers vs. Stars, 3:45 p.m.

G-Quest vs. Raiders, 5 p.m.

Boatman vs. Budweisers, 6 p.m.

Slow-Pitch/Young Men’s Inter-League Play Bombers vs. Knott’s Construction at Captain Sam’s, 4 p.m.

VFW2632 vs. Cryer’s at Back Road Inn, 4 p.m.

Jeff Rocks vs. AC Moose at Moose Lodge, 4 p.m..

Back Road Inn vs. Shockers at Captain Sam’s, 6 p.m.

Bookkeeping by Blanche vs. Big Dogs at Back Road Inn, 6 p.m.

Budweiser vs. Liberty OS at The Brass Rail, 6 p.m.

Straight Cuts vs. Dew Drop Inn at Chancellor’s Run, Field No. 3, 6 p.m.

Mon, June 15

Sat., June 13

Women’s League

Young Men’s League

Just Us vs. Coors Light at Back Road Inn, 6:30 p.m.

Chesapeake Custom Embroidery vs. Captain Sam’s at Captain Sam’s, 6:30 p.m.

Anderson’s Bar vs. Dew Drop Inn/Two Pt Construction /P.J’s Autobody/Bryan Jones Paint at Knight Life, 6:30 p.m.

Liberty OS vs. Raley’s Softball at Back Road Inn, 4 p.m.

Shockers vs. Eagles’ Nest at Chancellor’s Run Park, Field No. 3, 4 p.m.

Jeff Rocks vs. Cryer’s at Back Road Inn, 6 p.m.

Liberty OS vs. Dew Drop Inn at Chancellor’s Run

Back Road Inn vs. Knockouts at The Brass Rail, 6:30 p.m.

Knight Life vs. Xtreme at Chancellor’s Run, 6:30 p.m.

Moose Lodge vs. Simms at the Brass Rail, 8 p.m.

Women’s Over-30 League Captain Sam’s at Rosebuds at Tippett’s Field Hole-in-the-wall at Ryce Electric at Moose Lodge Moose Lodge at Hurricanes at Chancellor’s Run Raley’s at S&J Heating at Anderson’s Bar

Tues., June 16 Slow-Pitch League Bookkeeping By Blanche vs. Budweiser at Captain Sam’s, 6:30 p.m.

Eagles Nest vs. Wentworth at The Brass Rail, 6:30 p.m.

Bombers vs. Back Road Inn at Back Road Inn, 6:30 p.m.

VFW2632 vs. Chaney’s at The Brass Rail, 8 p.m.

Wed., June 17 Women’s League Bud Light vs. Back Road Inn at Back Road Inn, 6:30 p.m.

Southern vs. Simms at The Brass Rail, 6:30 p.m.

Moose Lodge vs. Anderson’s at Anderson’s Bar, 6:30 p.m.

Dew Drop Inn/Two Pt Construction /P.J’s Autobody/Bryan Jones Paint vs. Xtreme at Chancellor’s Run, 6:30 p.m.

Coors Light vs. Knight Life at Knight Life, 6:30 p.m.

Knockouts vs. Just Us at Chancellor’s Run, 8 p.m.

37

The County Times

Thursday, June 11, 2009

S

s ’ y P r i a g s M ki . t

2009 $50

Tackle Football & Cheerleading

REGISTRATION

MAY 9-16-23-30

9-2

JUNE 6-13-20-27

Lettie Dent McKays Rt 5 Leonardtown Checkers California

n

2009 $50

JULY 11-18

9-2

REGISTRATION INFORMATION 2009 As a result of the recent economic problems and in an effort to allow more kids to play football and cheer the executive board of pigskin football and cheer unanimously approved a registration reduction of over 60% from the 2009 rates.

We hope that this allows more kids to participate by lowering the burden of high registration rates. At $50 football $40 cheer, pigskin is clearly much lower by $100 or more than all other football organizations in St. Mary’s, Charles, and Calvert Counties WE ALSO ALLOW A FURTHER REDUCTION FOR THE UNDERPRIVILEGED

NO DRAFT WALK ON TO 20

WE WISH TO THANK OUR 07-08 SPONSORS AND CONTRIBUTORS: Classic Heating & Air 301-843-7550 A&B Trucking 301-899-1201 Atlas Concrete Services, Inc. 301-475-2477

Power Solutions Webmaster www.powersolutions-llc.com St. Mary’s Pigskin Football Lacey’s Concrete Service Absolute Masonry 301-475-3231 301-884-5370 The Bug American Company, Inc. Electronic Warfare 301-472-4847 Associates, Inc. (AMEWAS) TAPS Community Brotherhood MidAtlantic P.O. Box 905 Lube Lexington Park, 301-373-9224 MD 20653

Lowery Mechanical Contractors, Inc. 301-670-9188 Woodbridge Public Auto Auction 703-643-7789 Power Solutions 301-794-0330 National Technologies Association

Capital Auto Glass 301-449-8171

Quality Heating and Cooling 410-610-8811

G&G Welding & Fabrication, Inc. 301-292-0126

Your Aire, Inc. 301-392-1020

Blazer Enterprises, Ltd. General Contractor 301-994-0084 Eagle Systems

WALMART Lexington Park, MD 7th District Optimist Club Bushwood, MD 301-769-2763

PLEASE SUPPORT THESE SPONSORS, THEY SUPPORT YOUR KIDS.

REGISTRATION SPECIAL

$50

Fall Tackle

$40 Cheerleading Coupon Expires June 20, 2009

This coupon only applies if parent agrees to participate in two fundraisers during the Pigskin Football Season to help raise money for the St. Mary’s Pigskin Football and Cheerleading program.

P.O. Box 48 • Mechanicsville, MD 20659 • Phone: 240-222-2024 For more info check us out online at: www.stmaryspigskinfootball.com

The County Times

Thursday, June 11, 2009

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38

Blue Crabs’ Halama Earns Pitcher of the Month Award for April and May Southern Maryland left-handed starting pitcher John Halama has been named the Atlantic League’s Pitcher of the Month, for games played in April and May of this season. Opening Day was April 23. The award was somewhat of a foregone conclusion for Halama, who baffled Atlantic League batters while cruising to a 7-0 record in his first seven starts of the 2009 season. Halama was not defeated until a 2-1 loss to the York Revolution on June 2 in the first game of a doubleheader at Regency Furniture Stadium.

Halama was still impressive in defeat though, tossing a complete game (doubleheader games are seven innings), striking out a season high seven batters.

As of his most recent outing on June 2, Halama is 7-1 in eight starts with a 2.17 earned run average. His ERA is second in the Atlantic League, while his seven wins are top on the circuit, two ahead of the next closest players. His 58 innings pitched lead the Atlantic League, and his 36 strikeouts place him third. Halama has walked just 13 batters on the season.

On the ’09 campaign Halama has thrown four complete games total; three of the seven inning variety in doubleheaders, and one nine-inning complete game May 28 at Long Island, where he allowed just seven hits and a run. Halama’s last three starts have all been complete games.

At 37, Halama is still quietly confident that he can return to the Major Leagues, where he spent parts of five seasons.

“Whether I start or relieve, I know I can help somebody out on the big league level.

Thank God I haven’t been injured and that’s helped me to be able to come here, and be able to compete,” said Halama. “So maybe being healthy tells me all the hard work has paid off, and will pay off,” he continued.

With a career Major League record of 56-48, Halama made his MLB debut with the Houston Astros in 1998, going 1-1 in six starts. Halama was then sent to the Seattle Mariners in October of that year, as the player to be named later in the trade that sent hurler Randy Johnson from Seattle to Houston before the trade deadline earlier that season. Halama would spend the next four sea-

sons on the Mariners roster, amassing a 41-31 record in 130 appearances and 81 starts from 1999 through 2002.

Through free-agency, Halama would go on to suit up in the big leagues for the Oakland Athletics (2003), Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2004), and the Boston Red Sox and Washington Nationals in 2005. Halama’s most recent season in the Major Leagues came in 2006, when he went 3-1 in 17 appearances and a start for the Baltimore Orioles. Halama spent the 2007 season with the Long Island Ducks in the Atlantic League and made 26 starts, before transitioning to the expansion Blue Crabs for 2008. After sparkling in eight starts, going 4-1 with a microscopic 1.91 ERA, Halama was inked to a deal by the Cleveland Indians and assigned to the TripleA Buffalo Bisons of the International League.

He would prove to be just as dependable for Buffalo, notching 16 starts with an 8-6 record and two complete games.

Halama has put together an impressive 128-90 record at all levels in his career. He was originally drafted by Houston in 1994, and made his professional debut that summer in their organization at Class A Auburn in the New York-Penn League. Halama has accumulated well over 1,000 strikeouts in his career, and is likely to pass 1,200 strikeouts for his career this season. (He currently stands at 1,185) The lefty has 492 strikeouts at the Major League level.

Atlantic Baseball League Standings (For games through Tues., June 9) LIBERTY DIVISION Southern Maryland Long Island Camden Bridgeport

W 26 22 22 18

L 17 22 22 25

PCT .605 .500 .500 .419

GB

FREEDOM DIVISION Somerset Newark Lancaster York

W 28 23 20 14

L 15 20 23 29

PCT .651 .535 .465 .326

GB

4.5 4.5 8.0

5.0 8.0 14.0

STREAK W1 L1 W1 W1

LAST 10 5- 5 4- 6 5- 5 6- 4

STREAK W2 W1 L1 L1

LAST 10 8- 2 4- 6 3- 7 4- 6

39

The County Times

Thursday, June 11, 2009

LOCAL RACERS GO PRO

By Chris Stevens Staff Writer Photo By Frank Marquart

Kenny Day of Mechanicsville.

Robert Kraft of Charlotte Hall.

Sp rts St. Mary’s College Sailors Win Championship

Three St. Mary’s County residents recently became professional Motocross racers, after earning their American Motorcycling Association (AMA) Pro Racing Licenses.

The three racers, Robert Kraft of Charlotte Hall, Eric McKay of Hollywood and Kenny Day of Mechanicsville, each competed in Professional/Amateur (“Pro-Am”) events in order to earn the necessary points to be licensed AMA racers. Their first event as professionals takes place this weekend at High Point Raceway in Mt. Morris, Pa. at

By Virginia Terhune the annual Monster Energy National event, to be televised on NBC. 80 Staff Writer riders from all over the world will try to qualify in hopes to compete in the 40-rider Motocross Event.

Sailors from St. Mary’s College won the 2009 ICSA/ “There is no other level, this is it. Just like the Ravens or the OriGILL National Championship last week in San Francisco, oles, this is it.” McKay said. “This took 18 years of my life to get here, beating a field of more than 100 sailors from 18 competing and a ton sweat and tears.” schools.

The AMA Pro Motocross Championship features the world’s fastThe seven-member Seahawks team headed by Coach est outdoor motocross racers, racing on the best bikes, on the roughest, Adam Werblow won the three-day series of races defeattoughest tracks in the world. Motocross racing is survival of the fittest ing second-place Yale University. as well as the fastest every weekend.

“Our B-Division team had a rough start in the secThe 12-rounds series, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, began in ond-to-last race, but then won the start in the last race and California on Memorial Day weekend and ends in Pennsylvania on had a clear lane and were able to go fast,” said Werblow in Labor Day weekend. It includes stops at the premier motocross raca press release. ing facilities in America, with events in Colorado, “Yale battled really hard. We thought Texas, Massachusetts, Washington, New York, we could hang with them in A and Maryland and Michigan. The pro riders meet up on beat them in B. We were blessed, Saturday afternoon, with competition divided into ” he said. “We brought seven, all two classes: one for 250cc bikes, and one for 450cc seven sailed and they worked really machines. hard, prepared for this venue and did Each track presents its own unique blend of enough right to win.” jumps, hills, corners and whoops, but all the races The race was the last of three run under the same format: two thirty-minute-pluscompetitions held this spring in San two lap motos (races) per class, with the scores Francisco by the Inter-Collegiate from each race combined to determine the overall Sailing Association, which governs winner. The competition also tests fitness, as motocollege and university sailing comcross at this speed is arguably the most physically petition. The others were the team demanding sport in the world. race (won by Boston College) and the For Kraft, who has been racing for eight women’s race (won by Yale). years, this weekend’s Motocross event is the fulA replay of the race hosted by fillment of a dream.

Annapolis sailing commentator Gary “I used to have all of these guys’ posters on Jobson is scheduled to air on ESPNU my wall,” Kraft, 20, said. “Now I’m right on that on Sat. June 20 at 3 p.m. and Wed., level with them.”

July 1, at 3 a.m.

“It’s very exciting to line up next to these The Inter-Collegiate Sailing Assoguys, it’s a dream come true,” Day, 21 says while ciation has also named five St. Mary’s adding “It’s exciting that all three of us from this sailors to its All-America team: Megan county get to go up there and give it a go.”

Ph By Frank Marqu Magill (women); Jesse Kirkland and art Budd’s Creek Motocross Park owner John Eric McKay of Hollywooto od.

Michael Menninger (coed) and Jennifer Beasley, who has seen the three locals rise Chamberlain and Kelly Wilbur (crew). through the ranks, is very pleased to see their Two years ago, St. Mary’s College hard work pay off. sailors won the ICSA Women’s National “I’ve watched them come from mini bikes to amateur races Championship at Old Dominion University in Virginia to racing on NBC Sports,” Beasley said. “It’s been very cool and the ICSA Team Race National Championship at the watching them come through the ranks and I’m proud of them.”

U.S. Naval Academy.

The path from amateur races to the big stage is one full of work and sweat.

“There has been a lot of hard work, and sacrifices. Without my girlfriend, mom, dad, and closest friends, I might not have ever had the drive to make it this far… Anyone in this sport knows it’s a dream to be able to race these guys, and I finally have the chance. It’s going to be fun.” McKay said.

The three local racers have earned their licenses as “privateers,” racers who put their own money and time into their motorcycles, while “Factory Riders” are fortunate enough to have bikes sponsored and maintained by professional companies.

“It’s not a level playing field,” Beasley admits.

“No matter how good of a privateer you are, your bikes are not going to be as good as factory bikes,” Kraft says. He plans to race in the 450cc races, which gives him a better chance to win. Check out his web site at www.kraftmx.com.

“It’s a huge disadvantage,” Day says, “but that’s what makes it fun. It’s a new challenge.”

“To compete in the Nationals makes everything I have worked for Photo Courtesy of GTSphotos.com worth while.” said McKay, who will be racing the 250cc class in six out Left to right, team members are St. Mary’s Head Sailing of the twelve events as of right now. Some of McKay’s main sponsors Coach and Waterfront Director Adam Werblow, senior include: Hollywood Grafx (www.hollywoodgrafx.com), Giles Racing, Jennifer Chamberlin (Alexandria, Va.), junior skipper Jesse Moto Jockey, No-Toil, Motorex Lubricants, and Williams Motorwerx.

Kirkland (Warwick, Bermuda), sophomore Megan Magill No matter what happens, John Beasley will be watch the three (San Diego, Calif.) , sophomore Michael Menninger (Newyoung men that grew up at his track with pride. port Beach, Calif.), junior Mike Kuschner (San Francisco, “It will be very interesting to watch them race on National TV,” Calif.), and Bill Ward, director of sailing. he said.

Front row: rising sophomore Madeline Jackson (Bainbridge Eric McKay is also the associate Island, Wash.), junior crew Kelly Wilbur (Ipswich, Mass.) publisher of The County Times.

THURSDAY June 11, 2009

L OCAL R ACERS ON THE RISE

Page 39

JOE SLATER IS BUSINESSMAN OF THE YEAR Story Page 10

CHARTER SCHOOL STUDENTS WADE-IN WITH FOWLER Story Page 14

LEX PARK MAN HELD FOR MURDER Story Page 17

Photo By Frank Marquart