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Ocean City Today
Workshop held about ‘Tuck Everlasting’ filming in Berlin By Ally Lanasa Staff Writer (March 5, 2021) As part of the fifth annual Ocean City Film Festival, prop masters on Disney’s 2002 romantic fantasy and coming-of-age film, “Tuck Everlasting,” will live stream a free workshop about their Berlin experiences and their work in the film industry in and around Baltimore for more than 30 years. Steve and Lorrie Lorrie Walker Walker, of Lewes, Delaware, will host the workshop called “Props: The Little Things That Make a Movie Work” next Tuesday from 4-5 p.m. Beginning in the Steve Walker early 1980s, the Walkers designed, constructed and dressed sets for hundreds of television commercials and small films. In the 1990s, they moved on to work predominantly as property masters on feature films and television series including “Homicide,” the D.C. location filming of “The West Wing” and movies by John Waters, Barry Levinson and Bruce Beresford. Four of the movies — “Clara’s Heart,” “Silent Fall,” “Swimmers” and “Tuck Everlasting” — were shot mainly on the Eastern Shore. Steve Walker was also an extra in “Tuck Everlasting,” portraying the
card dealer. “Tuck Everlasting,” which stars Alexis Bledel, Sissy Spacek, Ben Kingsley and William Hurt, takes place in the fictional village of “Treegap.” For the movie, downtown Berlin was transformed back to the turn of the 20th Century, complete with dirt roads, horses and carriages. This year marks the 20th anniversary of filming the movie in Berlin, said Ivy Wells, the town’s economic and community development director. Wells said the movie plays repeatedly at the Berlin Welcome Center on South Main Street along with “Runaway Bride.” In addition, the Calvin B. Taylor House Museum, 208 N. Main St. in Berlin, features pictures from filming, the movie poster and Assistant Director John Rusk’s jacket from “Tuck Everlasting” alongside the “Runaway Bride” exhibit in the Harrison Room. The museum is closed for the season, but virtual tours are available on Facebook and YouTube. With the plan to reopen the museum in midMay, the operating hours will be Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, visit www.taylorhousemuseum.org or call 410-641-1019. According to board member Donna Main, the Berlin Heritage Foundation is planning a weekend celebration of the movies filmed in Berlin at the museum scheduled for June 11-13.
HOROSCOPE ARIES – Mar 21/Apr 20 Expect to be in high demand this week, Aries. You have the time and energy to give to others, so make the most of each chance to lend someone a helping hand.
TAURUS – Apr 21/May 21 Now is a good time to focus on your relationships, Taurus. There may be a close friend who can use a little more attention from a confidante and you can fill that role.
GEMINI – May 22/Jun 21
A ticketed event open to the public and free for museum members will be held on Friday, June 11, followed by a showing of “Tuck Everlasting” on Saturday, June 12, and “Runaway Bride” on Sunday, June 13. More details will be confirmed shortly. The Ocean City Film Festival will stream props workshop and live question-and-answer sessions at no charge to the public from this Thursday to next Thursday. To see a full schedule of workshops and to access them live, go to watch.eventive.org/ocmdfilmfestival2021/live. Festival tickets and passes can be purchased online at OCMDFilmFestival.com or by calling 410-524-9433. Tickets start at $10 per feature film or film block. Multi-film passes are also available: six features and/or film blocks costs $49; 13 features and/or film blocks cost $99. All-access passes cost $149.
‘The Friendliest Town’ to be featured (March 5, 2021) In 2011, the town of Pocomoke City, hired Kelvin Sewell, a former Baltimore City police detective and the town’s first Black police chief, to address its crime problem. Five years later, the town fired Sewell over racial discrimination disputes. The film, “The Friendliest Town,” documents the story and will stream as part of the fifth annual Ocean City Film Festival, March 4-11. Pocomoke City, Maryland’s southernmost town on the lower Eastern Shore, has a population of 4,000 people, equally split along racial lines. The title of the movie comes from the motto posted on the town’s sign: “Welcome to Pocomoke City, The Friendliest Town on the Eastern Shore.” In 2011 when the town hired Sewell, it was experiencing escalating crime including drug dealing and violent activities. Sewell, a former Baltimore city homicide investigator and narcotics
officer, had grown tired of the tactics used by the Baltimore Police Department, particularly those targeting Black communities. In Pocomoke, Sewell deployed a different approach to law enforcement and implemented a community policing plan, parking squad cars and walking the Kelvin Sewell streets. The officers got to know residents and built relationships with the citizens. The town celebrated a full year without a murder after Sewell implemented his new system. An ongoing dispute over racial discrimination soon engulfed Sewell and his officers, cost them their jobs and professional reputations, and thrust them into a legal battle that would touch the Worcester County community. In 2015, the town fired Sewell and
MARCH 5, 2021
another Black officer, and subsequently filed “misconduct in office” charges against the former police chief. Sewell is currently the chief senior investigator at the Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City, where he supervises 12 investigators. Directed by The Real News Network reporter Stephen Janis and produced by Taya Graham, “The Friendliest Town” documents the ongoing legal story as well as the aftermath for the town’s Black community. “The debate over policing has never been more fraught, or lacking in context,” Janis said. “We think the story of how one small town grappled with the issues of race and law enforcement will reveal broader truths about both. “As a veteran investigative reporter who has covered a deeply troubled and corrupt police department in Baltimore for 15 years, documentSee MOVIE Page 35
There is work to be done, Gemini. If your work space is a tad chaotic, then hunker down somewhere less hectic. This can provide the right environment for focus.
CANCER – Jun 22/Jul 22 Cancer, make a habit of finding the silver lining to any situation. This shift in attitude can bring more positivity and sunshine into your life, particularly when you need it most.
LEO – Jul 23/Aug 23 Shift your focus to your home life, Leo. Find various ways to make things more pleasant at home so it can be the respite that it should be.
VIRGO – Aug 24/Sept 22 You are usually better at focusing on the tasks at hand than most other astrological signs, Virgo. Don’t be hard on yourself if you get a tad distracted in the next few days.
LIBRA – Sept 23/Oct 23 Get a firm grasp on your finances this week, Libra. Start browsing your bank accounts so you have a better idea of your spending. This way you can better plan for the future.
SCORPIO – Oct 24/Nov 22 Normally you are very good at keeping your emotions in check, Scorpio. However, letting others see what’s beneath the surface can be beneficial to you in the weeks to come.
SAGITTARIUS – Nov 23/Dec 21 Take your foot off of the accelerator, Sagittarius. You don’t have to race to the finish line; enjoy the scenery for a change. Stop as many times as you can along the way.
CAPRICORN – Dec 22/Jan 20 Capricorn, no matter how much time you want to devote to your personal goals, you just may find that other activities require much more attention than you anticipated.
AQUARIUS – Jan 21/Feb 18 Aquarius, don’t be surprised if you have your patience tested a bit this week, especially at the workplace. You’ll find a way to come out shining, however.
PISCES – Feb 19/Mar 20 Take a big, deep breath and focus on all the good things in your life, Pisces. This will help you ride out any rough spots that crop up.
