To the Point
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Summer 2009 To The PoinT Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum Chesapeake Folk Festival–July 25 The July 25 Chesapeake Folk Festival at CBMM is the one place to be to experience the essence, culture and traditions of the Bay. And it’s an opportunity that comes only once a year! This celebration of the Bay’s people, traditions, work, food and music offers a unique chance to enjoy hands-on demonstrations by regional craftspeople and live musical crab prepared a number of ways, as well as barbeque chicken prepared by St. Luke Church of Bellevue, Md., 10-layer Smith Island cakes, homemade ice cream, organic granola and organic coffee. A number of documentary films about living and working on the Bay will be introduced and screened throughout the day. “Eatin’ Crabcakes, Chesapeake Style” follows crab expert Whitey Schmidt as he lays down his commandments for eating crabcakes. “Chesapeake Bugeye” features Sidney Dickson and Dr. John Hawkinson and the log bugeye vessel they performances by the Zionaires, the New Gospelites, Chester constructed. Other films include: River Runoff, and the Raging Unstoppables. There will also “Charlie Obert’s Barn,” “Band be skipjack and buyboat rides on the Miles River along with Together” (a 7-minute preview), plenty of crab cakes, beer and barbeque chicken. “Island Out of Time,” “Hands of “The festival is a way to celebrate the Bay’s traditions and Harvest” (screening), “Muskrat the people and work being done here on the Bay right now,” Lovely,” “Watermen,” and “The says Dr. Melissa McLoud, director of the Museum’s Breene M. New American Farmer.” Kerr Center for Chesapeake Studies. Demonstrations, food, stories, The Chesapeake Folk Festival boasts more traditional films, boat rides, kids activities, demonstrations than any other festival the Museum has held. and more will be offered Visitors will be treated to live demonstrations of trotlining throughout the day. In short, the for crabs, boat building, pound net weaving, decoy carving, Chesapeake Folk Festival is “the” guitar making and more. summer festival at the Museum. Visual arts displays and exhibitions will include artists It drew more than 2,000 people in its first year and will be bigger and folks artists “Mama Girl” Mary Onley, Jimmy and better this year. The festival is funded by Maryland Reynolds, Frank Bittner, Charles and Linda Traditions, Maryland Humanities Council and Hutson, Dragon Wings, Steve Fisher, Eric Talbot County Free Library, and is sponsored by Harvey and Marc Barto. What’s Up? Publishing, Pepsi Bottling Ventures New this year is a Bay arts and crafts tent and Paul Reed Smith Guitars. featuring local artists and artisans. For more information about the festival Traditional food will be at the center of the or upcoming events at the Museum, visit our festival, with the seasonal Chesapeake blue website at www.cbmm.org or call 410-745-2916. Chesapeake Futures Five New Members Join CBMM Board of Governors President’s Message At CBMM we try to lead by example. This spring our ef- The Museum’s Board of Governors welcomed five new elect; Pickering Creek Audubon Society; and the Mary- Last month, I was invited to testify before the U.S. forts were shared with a broad constituency of government members to its ranks during its annual meeting on June 14. land Historical Society. An attorney, he retired from Piper House Committee on Natural Resources at hear- agencies, private foundations, and like-minded organiza- Newly elected to three-year terms on the CBMM & Marbury’s Corporate and Securities Practice Group, ings exploring the impacts of climate change on the tions. The Chesapeake Bay Trust selected the Museum Board of Governors were: Paul Berry of Washington, D.C., where he served as partner. Chesapeake Bay. and our living shoreline project as the place to announce its and Easton; E. Brooke Harwood, Jr. of Chestertown; Henry Dr. Barbara Viniar was named the fifth and first woman I admitted to the members of the committee 2009 living shoreline grant recipients. CBMM was a recipi- H. Stansbury of Oxford; Richard C. Tilghman, Jr. of Easton; president of Chesapeake College in July 2008. She is a mem- that of the 3,600 species of plants and animals that ent of a grant from CBT last year and became the poster or- and Barbara Viniar, Ed.D. of Easton. ber of the Leadership Maryland class of 2009, and serves live together in and around the Bay, I am concerned ganization for similar projects this year. Re-elected officers of the board were: Chair Robert A. on the Talbot County Economic Development Council and about just one—the Bay’s people. Senator Ben Cardin and Congressman Frank Kratovil Perkins of St. Michaels; Vice-Chair Alan R. Griffith of Cen- the Mid-Shore Community Foundation. Prior to moving to I tried to explain that museums like ours can help each spoke at the ceremony and applauded the efforts and treville; Secretary D. Ted Lewers, M.D. of Easton, and Trea- the Eastern Shore she served as president of Berkshire and by putting a human face on the problem that has vision of the Museum and the other organizations who are surer Joseph E. Peters of Easton. Rockland Community Colleges in New York state. been defined thus far by mountains of scientific data. integrating living shorelines into their campuses. “We are particularly pleased with the excellent class of As climate changes cause the waters to rise more On June 13 our governors joining the CBMM Board this year. They repre- quickly, we are at real risk of sudden loss of not only shoreline was again sent a broad spectrum of talents and interests in the histo- Interns Bring Special marshlands and meadows, but also low-lying build- cited and studied as ry and culture of the Chesapeake Bay and I know that their ings and roads, and peninsulas and islands. Along an example of a way enthusiasm will have an immediate impact on the pro- Talents to CBMM the very edges and on the islands that are directly homeowners living grams and services we offer visitors and members of the Each summer, CBMM benefits from the talents and energy threatened with inundation are many of the Bay’s on the water’s edge Museum,” commented CBMM Board Chair Bob Perkins. of undergraduate and graduate students who work as in- most important maritime communities. If these peo- can rethink the im- With more than 32 years of media experience, Paul terns at the Museum. This year’s interns come to us from ple and their traditions disappear, our sense of place pact their proper- Berry is one of Washington’s most respected journalists. Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Maryland, and are helping staff may disappear with them. As the tide rises, both ties have on the Bay. Berry recently returned to the airwaves as host of his own and volunteers develop educational programs for children, Maryland and America will also be diminished by the The organization weekly syndicated radio talk show on Radio America organize the annual Chesapeake Folk Festival, and work loss of the knowledge, folkways and traditions that First Stop for the Bay where he discusses local and national issues with news- on various special events throughout the summer. have been rooted in the people who have lived and Senator Ben Cardin speaks at held a day-long sym- makers, journalists and Washingtonians. worked along these waters for generations. CBMM for the Chesapeake Bay posium at the Mu- E. Brooke Harwood, Jr., is a retired commercial airline Trust 2009 grant announcement. As eloquent as I tried to be, the most memorable seum to introduce executive with extensive international experience, par- part of my testimony was, I am sure, the large col- The Green Book for ticularly in Asia. Following a 25-year assignment with Fly- or photographs that Dave Harp brought along for the Bay: An Illustrated Guide for Chesapeake Bay Critical ing Tigers and Federal Express, he returned home to renew me. They demonstrated in stunning and undeniable Area Property Owners Living on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. his involvement with a dramatically different Chesapeake clarity the very fragile state of Holland, Tangier and The book is an innovative approach to engage residents in Bay and its wooden boat heritage. Hoopers Islands. These images are the first glimpses making landscaping and land management choices for a Henry H. Stansbury is chief executive office of Agency into a project that CBMM is now developing with healthier Bay. Insurance Company of Maryland, Inc., a privately owned Dave and his frequent partner Tom Horton. These And the next day, June 14, all hands were in the marsh property/casualty insurance company. He is the chair- two champions of the Chesapeake have produced as family and friends of the late Kennedy Fitzgerald came man of the Board of Trustees and past chair of the mu- numerous books together and are now working with out to honor his memory by planting grasses along the Mu- seum committee of the Maryland Historical Society and a us on an exhibition project called “A Rising Tide in the seum’s living shoreline, where a memorial for this young trustee and past development chair of the Ward Museum conservationist will stand. of Waterfowl Art. Heart of the Chesapeake.” This project is designed to CBMM’s summer interns are (from left) Marian Robbins, provoke conversation about the endangered cultures The Museum’s living shoreline is a visible part of the Richard A. Tilghman, Jr., serves on the boards of the Lexy McPeek, and Mollie Keane-Peck. and environments of the Bay’s island communities. Chesapeake Futures initiative. But it’s only one part.