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News of Enterprise, Conservation & Culture On Delmarva
| PRINCESS ANNE, MD. - (Nov. 27, 2011) - A fire of unknown origin heavily damaged a commercial greenhouse Sunday on the University of Maryland Eastern Shore campus that is leased by a private company to grow orchids. |  |
| This past year, Gov. O'Malley and the General Assembly pushed forward the Invest Maryland program, which plans to pump $70+ million into early and seed stage startup companies in the state over the next five years or so, to drive innovation and job creation. | |
| The University of Maryland Eastern Shore announced September 14th, 2011, the formation of renewable energy development company, Eastern Shore Energy,LLC. The new company will focus on creating renewable energy projects at multiple sites on the lower Eastern Shore of Maryland. The company's goal is to develop systems capable of generating 100 to 150 megawatts from wind, solar and biomass projects. The regional initiative is the result of a partnership between the Maryland Hawk Corporation, (a non-profit affiliate of the university) and National Renewable Solutions, LLC of Minneapolis, MN, an affiliate of National Wind, LLC. |  |
| PRINCESS ANNE, MD - The 8th Annual Small Farm Conference, themed Sustaining Small Farms . . . 360 Degrees, has something in store for everyone. The two-day conference is scheduled for Friday, November 4, and Saturday, November 5, in the Richard A. Henson Center on the UMES campus. |  |
| A new regional tourism website is being palnned which will be supported with billboards on Linkwood US 50 this July, and in Revells Neck in September. Watch this space for a link to the new site when it is ready. |  |
Through the work of the Lower Eastern Shore Heritage Council and its members including the Rural Development Center which is a founding member the passing of the legislation designating the Smith Island Cake as the official Maryland Cake has produced the following: How about it - National Geographic says Smith Island Cake is in the top 5 desserts in America.
We're so proud!!! All that hard work to pass Maryland Bill 315 is still paying off.
Click here to read the article on National Geographic's website. |  |
| Delmarva Peninsula – Following three months of competition, the award-winning travel journalism contest known as Host Our Coast™ has chosen a winner for the 2011 summer season. The contest was created to select a summer travel journalist who will spend the summer exploring Delmarva’s beaches, bays, and beyond, and report back daily with online videos, photos, and blog posts. The lucky winner will be paid $15,000 to play on Delmarva’s Coast all summer and will be provided with free living accommodations along the Delaware and Maryland beaches for the entire three month assignment. |  |
CRISFIELD, MD - Produced for the Crisfield Chamber of Commerce, this short promotional video captures the Pride of the Chesapeake Bay. What has long been considered the Crab Capital of the World, Crisfield is more than just pretty parades, crab derbies and clam bakes--it is the heart of the Chesapeake.
Check it out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5AAtNAoRK8 |  |
| PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - Community business leaders had an opportunity to access the knowledge and experience of 11 internationally-acclaimed leaders by attending the Chick-fil-A Leadercast in the Richard A. Henson Center on the UMES campus on Friday, May 6. The Chick-fil-A Leadercast is a one-day leadership training event broadcast LIVE from Atlanta, Ga., to hundreds of sites throughout the nation, including UMES. | |
| Bank of America Salisbury Market president Monty Saylor is shown above (l) presenting the check for $81,250 to Maryland Capital Enterprises Executive Director Hayley Gallagher at the MCE Salisbury office. The award was the result of a successful application to the bank’s Small Business Grant Reserve Program for SBA and USDA intermediary micro-lenders. MCE is one of the few organizations in the Nation that has both certifications. The grant will leverage $875,000 to loan micro-business on the Shore and in the Annapolis & Baltimore areas. |  |
| PRINCESS ANNE, MD - Ted and Julia Wycall will showcase the history and goals of their 80-acre farm and the diverse products they grow and sell through their 300-member CSA and at farmers' markets, restaurants, and their on-farm retail store on Saturday, May 14, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event takes place on Green Branch Farm at 5075 Nutters Cross Road in Salisbury, Md. | |
| WESTOVER - Four years ago, working out of his house and taking money from his own pocket, Ken Feinblum started handing out food to people in need. Through his job as a mason and his son's involvement in Boy Scouts and Little League, he started noticing what he saw as a desperate need. Last week, Feinblum was able to move the pantry out of his house and into a new 2,500-square-foot pole building on his Mennonite Church Road property. |  |
Check out the latest newsletter from the University of Maryland Extension at UMES. In this issue:
- Maryland Partnership Expands Broadband to Lower Shore
- Small Farm Conference Sees Largest Turnout to Date
- Extension Officer Hosted Pregnant Ewe-Doe Roundtable
- Maryland Tradition Of Statewide Conference For Teens Continues
- A Note From Administrator Dr. Henry Brooks
- Click here to download the newsletter in PDF.
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Maryland Capital Enterprises, Inc. has added Rosa Rodriguez, Ronald Molock, and Ira Wolfe to its 14-member board of directors.
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First Shore Federal Savings Bank recently donated $13,500 to help support Maryland Capital Enterprises Inc. (MCE) . The donation will support the organization's efforts to assist the smallest of the Shore's businesses with business training, technical assistance, and small business loans. Above, First Shore Federal Compliance Officer Oliver Waters (l) joins First Shore Federal President Marty Neat (r) as he presents the bank check to MCE Executive Director Hayley Gallagher (c). MCE serves the Eastern Shore of Maryland and is certified by SBA, USDA, and the US Department of Treasury.
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| Edward T. McMahon of The Urban Land Institute will be guest speaker on October 26th (6pm) at the Roland E. Powell Convention Center - 4001 Coastal Highway; Ocean City, Maryland. McMahon is an attorney, community planner, lecturer, author and expert on the topics of sustainable development, land conservation, urban design and historic preservation. This event is sponsored by Ocean City Development Corp., Maryland Coastal Bays Program, Main Street Berlin, and the Rural Development Center of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. |  |
| LocalHarvest maintains a definitive and reliable "living" public nationwide directory of small farms, farmers markets, and other local food sources. | |
| The Kathryn, a Chesapeake Bay skipjack built at Crisfield, Maryland in 1901, was launched back in the waters on August 18, 2010 after two weeks of maintenance work at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum (CBMM) in St. Michaels, Maryland. Noted as one of the fastest skipjacks on the Bay, Kathryn is designated a Maritime National Historic Landmark and is currently owned by Capt. Harold "Stoney" Whitelock of Dames Quarter, Maryland. | |
| Valerie J. Mann, a Grant Consultant based in Fruitland, has a book scheduled for publication with Praeger Publishers(a subsidiary of Greenwood Publishers) of Santa Barbara, California, entitled “Getting Your Share of the Pie: The Complete Guide to Finding Grants”. | |
| Now anyone can track the HawkSat-I satellite. This was the first satellite designed, integrated, tested and flown entirely from the Eastern Shore. In addition to accomplishing our own scientific and engineering objectives, HawkSat-I is also providing a platform for experimental research funded by a major aerospace firm. To watch real time tracking visit this link: http://www.n2yo.com/?s=35004 | |
Following four months of competition, the online contest known as Host Our Coast™ has chosen a winner for the 2010 summer season. The contest was created to select a summer travel journalist to Host Our Coast, who will explore Delmarva's beaches and bays this summer, and report back daily with online videos, photos, and blog posts. The lucky winner will be paid $15,000 to play on Delmarva's Coast all summer and will be provided with living accommodations at local hotels, B&B's, and campgrounds where the Host will live free for the entire three month assignment.
Visit hostourcoast.com to meet Errol! |  |
| The Maryland Hawk Corporation is supporting Combined Technology Solutions (CTS) based in Ridgely, Maryland, for the 100 MPG $10 million Progressive XPrize. MD Hawk has given TA support and is currently developing a grant funding request to the MD & DE Rural Development USDA Office in support of its development. |  |
| The Greenhouse Technology Incubator project, aimed at putting mined out lands in St. Ann back into agriculturally productive and profitable use, was officially launched today (November 23), at a press briefing, held at the Jamaica Bauxite Institute (JBI), in Kingston. | 
Minister State in the Ministry of Energy and Mining, Hon. Laurence Broderick (standing left) and Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Dr. Christopher Tufton (standing right), look on as (from left): Chairman, Noranda Jamaica Bauxite Partners, Mr. Larry Holley; Director, Jamaica Bauxite Institute, Mr. Parris A. Lyew-Ayee; Mission Director, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Dr. Karen Hilliard and Project Manager, USAID Jamaica Farmers Access to Regional Markets project, Mr. Wes Moses sign an agreement for the Greenhouse Technology Incubator Project, in St. Ann, which was launched at the Jamaica Bauxite Institute, today (November 23). |
| OCEAN CITY, MD (November 5, 2009) - Governor Martin O'Malley addressed more than 300 tourism and hospitality professionals today at the 29th Annual Maryland Travel and Tourism Summit in Ocean City. During his remarks, Governor O'Malley presented several awards to industry stakeholders and launched the Maryland Green Travel Program, designed to attract so-called eco-tourists while creating a more sustainable future for all Marylanders. | 
Paul Justin Cox III and Melanie McLean
Click on picture for larger version. |
| Please enjoy these articles from the archive of our old website. You will find a treasury of information about Eastern Shore development by some of the Shore's finest writers. | |
by Marilyn Buerkle
"The road to market for an innovative product can be long and bumpy, but with the right combination of smarts and serendipity, potholes can be successfully navigated. A newly released audio tour of the Eastern Shore produced by the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation had some jolts and stalls, but it has arrived at a marvelous conclusion. The attractively packaged, two-CD set of oral histories and music is ready for distribution. (See audio samples, inset.) The package includes a 75-page companion booklet with essays, photographs, and a map. |  |
Adaptability, Reverence for Past, Key to Eastern Shore Survival - by Frank Van Riper
"Decades ago, when the weather was good and the fishing was better, young Ron Fithian could look up from his books at school, see out the window, and know he would be making money that evening. (Dozens of tourists listened as he told his story.) | 
The skipjack Joy Parks had its new mast carved and stepped (put in place) on site during the Folklife Festival. Photo © Chris Spielmann, Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network |
by Carol Kinsley
Susan Woods of Parsonsburg MD has relied on UMES expertise in raising her Boer-cross goats. "Agriculture plays a vital role in the economy of the Delmarva Peninsula, but with pressure from development and mergers among suppliers, some farmers, particularly those with small acreages, are having a difficult time making ends meet. In Maryland, a federally-supported program is aimed at preserving small farms and keeping their operators solidly "in the black." Officially entitled the "Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers Program," the effort recently was awarded a grant of $200,000 from USDA's Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service. | 
Outreach Program Assistant Erroll Mattox discusses packaging options with Perfecto Pyratta in his cabbage patch in Newark MD. Photo by Edwin Remsberg/MCE |
By Suzanne Street
LIGHTS . . .
In 1972, Gabe and Dianna Purnell began researching African American history in Berlin, MD, shortly after their move to the area. In the process, they met others who shared their interest, notably Louise Ashe, then a librarian at the Worcester County Library in Snow Hill, MD. Ashe produced a brochure, based on the Purnell's research, that chronicled information about historical individuals and groups connected to Worcester County, MD. Research, a friendship, and a brochure served as the humble beginnings of the African American Heritage Committee, which started in the early eighties. The committee's first organized event for the public was the first African American Heritage Festival at Shad Landing, Worcester County's state park. | 
Well-made brochures generate interest and drive traffic to their attractions. The upper- third face is key. |
| "A friend of mine told me recently that his son was taking his grandson on the boy's first fishing trip. It reminded my friend of the first fishing trip he'd taken with his son many years ago. While fishing for stripers on a charter boat, his son hooked into a big fish. Since the boy was only a little guy at the time, he'd had his son brace the rod against his (the father's) back. And with the patient father rising and stooping to support the rod, along with words of encouragement, his son was able to bring in a striped bass almost as long as he was. A photo of that boy with his fish hangs today on the wall of his father's den. |  |
By Charlie Petrocci
"And What sport doth yeeld a more pleasing comfort and less hurt and change than angling with a hooke?" Arguably with these words, 17th century explorer and fisherman Captain John Smith launched the earliest form of sport fishing in the Chesapeake Bay region. Today, saltwater sport fishing along the Eastern Shore is a multi-million dollar industry. At the forefront of this regional economic development is the recreational charter boat industry. | 
The Bay Bee is one of several head boats running half-day fishing trips out of Ocean City, MD. Charter season runs April through December, weather permitting. |
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