Easton Employee Newsletter - April 2024

APRIL SHOWERS . . .

April is here, and yet I feel like we’ve already had our share of April showers. Hopefully in this new month we can avoid some of the rain and enjoy seeing things blooming in the warm sun!

This past month we had quite a lot going on! Our Public Works team saw chainsaw training directly from Stihl, as well as CPR and Stop the Bleed training from Talbot County DES. Easton Police Department saw their first Community Police Academy class graduate, with 15 people receiving certificates. We saw Senator Chris Van Hollen stop by our Town for a visit to For All Seasons, and last but not least, we enjoyed a fantastic St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Unfortunately, our team did not take home the trophy this year, but be sure to read all about the surprise winners who stormed the races in the pages below.

There’s lots to look forward to this month including Arbor Day, a first ever Talbot Day, and of course April Fools’ Day to kick things off. You can enjoy some April Fool-ery in this month’s employee Spotlight video.

Thank you all for everything you do. I am so proud of what we have accomplished so far in 2024, and can’t wait to see us launch into the warmer months!

Megan

Employee Spotlight

GREG MUELLER | PR/COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST

Meet Greg Mueller! Greg serves as the PR/Communications Specialiast for the Town of Easton.

Greg works closely with all Town departments, taking photos and video to help share their accomplishments with the public. Greg also handles our social media accounts, press releases/PSA’s, public addresses, marketing/recruitment campaigns, and internal communications such as this newsletter!

Greg lives in Stevensville with his wife Laura, and daughters Josephine and Beatrice. In his free time, Greg likes to play guitar, watch horror movies, eat good food, and ride motorcycles.

SCENES

FROM

Patrick’s Day

Potato Race

2024 St Patrick’s Day Potato Races won by surprise out-of-town entrants

This year’s St. Patrick’s Day Potato Race took a surprise turn that nobody saw coming. The Town of Easton’s reigning champs Tater’s Gonna Tate we’re dethroned, not by their arch-rivals the Easton utilities Utili-tators, but by a new competitor that took out both teams in nail biting fashion.

Courson’s Clovers, a team made up of a Mother (Margaret Courson), Daughter (Becah Courson), Son (Joe Courson), and family friend (Claire Miller), were visiting Easton and

in Town for the weekend to attend a wedding. They had traveled all the way from Buffalo, New York, and heard about the St Patrick’s Day Festivities and decided to attend.

While around for the parade, they heard about the Potato Race event and signed up just minutes before it started. Their lack of preparation was no barrier; this team looked as if they had been carrying potatoes on a spoon their entire lives.

Click here to see the Taters

Gonna Tate

Hype Video!

After a brief explanation of the rules, including a new addition where spotters mark where potatoes have been dropped from, teams lined up to begin the races. 8 teams competed in total over 2 heats, with the winner of each 4-team heat progressing to the finals. Taters Gonna Tate was up in the first heat, and little did they know that the Courson’s Clovers meant business.

At the start Taters Gonna Tate had a rough go — dropping the potato early and playing catch up, but they are no strangers to coming from behind for the win. They regrouped, and as always, worked towards narrowing the gap.

The final leg saw “Quick” Nick Johnson racing towards the finish. He ran for the finish line quickly closing the Gap on Joe Courson of Courson’s Clovers. Unfortunately, another miracle wasn’t in the cards. Courson’s Clovers did not fumble at the finish (not yet, at least) and they cruised through to the next round while Taters Gonna Tate had to watch from the sidelines in defeat.

All seemed lost, and the Easton Utilities Utilitators looked primed to bring the title back to their organization after missing out last year. The Utilitators lined up, along with 3 other local teams, and then were off to the races. Each leg saw them

carry further into the lead, and they did not miss a beat — cruising to a comfortable win and earning a spot in the finals

Without the reigning Town of Easton champs left to face them, the odds looked pretty good that the Utilitators would be taking home the trophy. Courson’s Clovers had other plans.

The two remaining teams lined up along Washington Street, spectators packed tightly along the street making for a neat rectangle around the playing field.

The race started and Courson’s Clovers took a quick, but commanding lead. Becah moved quickly and passed to Maragret, who effortlessly switched to Claire, who safely traveled along to Joe for the final pass.

Along the second and third pass, the Utilitators were able to stop the bleed, but they were not making up any ground on the Clovers. It finally came down to the last stretch, with Joe Courson carrying the potato to the promised land.

He had a sizable lead on the Utilitators and only needed to walk to victory, but right at the finish line tragedy struck. Just as Joe was about to cross the line the potato came off of his spoon and rolled into the victory area. The Utilitators had their opening, and were moving in for the win.

It looked like the race had been lost, but you never can be too careful with a potato. Where one tragedy struck, another lied patiently in wait.

The Utilitators moved right up to the finish line — just like the Clovers — and just like their narrow defeat last year, they tragically lost their potato into the victory area. Both teams were now scrambling to retrieve their potatoes and cross the line, but with a significant head start Joe Courson proved the speedier of the two.

He crossed the line, potato in spoon, and after some initial confusion the judges awarded Courson’s Clovers the victory. The crowd rushed the area to celebrate and to meet the new champions.

Once their identities were confirmed, a good laugh was had by both teams and they were congratulated by the Mayor and Town on their unlikely attendance and victory.

On their defeat of the Utilitators, Claire Miller said, “We mashed those taters into dust!” When asked if he would be back to defend their title, Potato Race Champion Joe Courson replied, “Uhhh...I don’t know!”

Whether we see them or not, it’s safe to say the Town of Easton will be back and better than ever next year!

INTERNATIONAL

Participating women from our Town staff celebrated International Women’s Day (March 8) with a group photo. We are so

From left to right: Dawn Hutchison, Jill Sherwood, Stacy Slaughter, Sierra Crist, Joanne Drummer, Nancy Pinkney, Susan Filbird, Christy Spindler,

WOMEN’S DAY

so grateful for all of the wonderful women on our staff — you truly make our organization a stronger, better place to work.

Spindler, Carol Callahan, Kathy Ruf, Carolinne Kahane, Megan Cook, Lorraine Gould, Bev Williamson, Tracy Lednum, Renee Pierce, and Shelby Ruf.

FIRST CLASS

EPD sees first Community Police Academy graduation

Congratulations to the first graduating class of the EPD Community Police Academy!

Everyone who attended brought open and inquisitive minds to the classroom, where they were able to learn many facets of Police work including traffic stops, use of force, crisis intervention, drone flying, and K-9 service.

It was a fun and informative 11 weeks, and we hope that they left with a better understanding (and appreciation) of what our officers brings to the community every day.

If you’re interested in attending in the future, stay tuned for more info on a potential class in the Fall!

CLASS OF WINTER 2024

Erlin Barrios-Lopez

Marie Bradley

Rebecca Burrows

Hugo Galan

Brandy James*

Travis James*

Nicholas Johnson

Rashida Johnson

Logan Kerr

Janet Larson

Anne Sard

Tim Tarrant

Diana Velasquez

Wendy Velasquez-Vincente

Greg Wilson

* Not Present for Photo

Public Works

SAVING A LIFE

Public Works gets ‘Stop the Bleed’ training, CPR Certification

When you’re operating chainsaws, heavy machinery, power tools, and large vehicles on a daily basis, “safety first” becomes more than just a motto.

On March 21, our Public Works department came out to the Easton Volunteer Fire Dept. MD to receive CPR/Stop the Bleed training from Talbot County DES.

CPR and AED application techniques for adults and children, as well as blood-loss stoppage techniques

including tourniquets and wound packing were taught to our crew.

These techniques were first demonstrated by the DES professionals, but hands on training with dummies was completed by each attendee to become fully certified.

Thank you to Talbot County DES for the life-saving lessons you taught, and also to Easton Volunteer Fire Department for allowing us to use the space for this important instruction!

HELPING HANDS

Senator Chris Van Hollen visits For All Seasons center in Easton

On March 15, Senator Chris Van Hollen came by Easton as part of a larger visit across Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

Senator Van Hollen stopped by For All Seasons Behavioral Health and RCC to see the impact of their operation and to discuss means of supporting behavioral health care, rape/trauma counseling, and related therapies in our community and region.

Local dignitaries came out to meet and talk with the Senator, including our very own Ward 1 Coun-

cil Member Maureen Curry, Ward 4 Council Member Rev. Elmer Neal Davis Jr., and Council President Frank Gunsallus.

Follwing a tour and explanation of the facilities, Senator Van Hollen sat down with attendees as part of a question and answer session to address relevant questions and concerns related to behavioral health in our area.

It was a productive visit, and we are grateful to see national support working to make a difference in our Town!

SHARPENED STIHL

Public Works, Parks employees get chainsaw safety training from Stihl

Whether they’ve been here 20 weeks or 20 years, members of our Public Works Department and Park Maintenance came out to the Easton Volunteer Fire Department on Thursday, March 14 to get safety and technical training on chainsaw operations.

Doy Edwards, a Technical Sales Specialist from STIHL, came out to educate our crew on chainsaw safety, maintenance, and technique. The training was valuable all around, and helps promote safer operations and better preservation of our equipment.

The training is a free service provided to major customers by Stihl, and in addition to the classroom training, gives a little information on the history of the company, as well as some hands-on time with various Stihl products.

Edwards said, “We want to be reaching our end-users on a significant level to provide safety and support constantly. We value our customers, and to thank them for their support we provide safety and technical training for all Stihl products.”

WE HAVE A WINNER!

Congratulations to Accounts Receivable Specialist Tracy Lednum for winning the Employee Newsletter Cover Photo Contest!

Tracy now has a $25 gift card to Giuffrida’s Pizza for her submission (Of Nick Johnson) that landed on the March cover of the Town of Easton Employee Newsletter.

You could be the next winner by submitting your potential cover photos to gmueller@ eastonmd.gov. If your submission is chosen, you too will win a $25 gift card!

FEEDBACK WANTED

Easton EDC Market Opportunities Assessment continues

The Easton EDC, in partnership with the Town of Easton Department of Planning and Zoning, has launched a survey that is open to anyone that lives in Easton or Talbot County. The purpose of the survey is to provide input on a broader market assessment to identify opportunities and strategies for business retention and attraction. The assessment will also identify specific niches to create new business opportunities, especially in the areas of retail and entertainment.

The survey is completely anonymous and we encourage everyone to participate. Please share the survey with your friends, family, co-workers and neighbors. Anyone who lives in Easton or Talbot County and is willing to participate in the survey is welcome to do so as the more input received, the better and more likely the outcomes will represent the needs of our community. The online survey can be accessed via this link: https:// discovereaston.com/retail-market-survey/.

For more information or questions, please contact Holly DeKarske, 410.690.7348 or Holly@EastonEDC.com.

Employee Benefits

Human Resources

Birthdays

APRIL

Michael Thume

Kody Cario

Norman Sova

Gregory Hall

Marleni Baltazar-Aguilar

Kaylan Rinehimer

Timmy Belcher

Jill Sherwood

Michael Young

Jon Mcdougald

Trevor Newcomb

Matthew Cordrey

Anniversaries

APRIL

Clarence Gould - 50 years

Kay Spence - 37 years

Timothy Lyons - 26 years

Jennifer Kellner - 16 years

Brandon Miles - 4 years

William Murdoch - 1 year

Tyrone Pinder - 1 year

Andrew Griffith - 1 year

APPLE LATTICE TART

Servings: 8-10

2-3 sheets puff pastry dough

5 Apples

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 egg

1 tablespoon milk

1 tablespoon cinnamon sugar ice cream, custard or cream, for serving (optional)

Preheat oven to 365 F. Use two sheets semi-thawed pastry to line fluted tart pan approximately 10 inches, pressing and trimming neatly to fit; chill 15 minutes.

Peel, core and thinly slice apples into large bowl; sprinkle with sugar, lemon zest and cornstarch then toss well to evenly coat.

Arrange apple slices in pastry-lined tart pan, laying flat.

Beat egg with milk. Brush egg wash around pastry rim.

Cut 1/2-inch strips from remaining pastry sheet and make lattice pattern over apples, crimping edges once lattice is completed.

Brush tart with egg wash and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Bake 35-40 minutes, or until pastry is golden. Allow to cool at least 15 minutes before slicing. Serve with ice cream, custard or cream, if desired.

LATTICE BAKE PIE

A Refreshingly Sweet Springtime Favorite

(Family Features) Let your favorite springtime meals bring loved ones together with a recipe that is as easy to make asit is delicious resulting in refreshing taste without the hassle.

The uplifting aroma and flavor of apple pie offers an invitation to savor small moments around the table.

Celebrating spring can start with this ultimate

apple pie experience, allowing you to re-introduce loved ones to a springtime classic.

This recipe will have you doubling your enjoyment of the warming weather and time outdoors with a slice of Classic Apple Lattice Tart served with a scoop of ice cream or custard.