2012-01-12 The County Times

Thursday, January 12, 2012 www.somd.com

The Real Life

‘Storage Wars’Head to Head Match for Judge

Local Primary Ballot Set

Story Page 3 Story 2 Photo by Frank Marquart

Story Page 14

Thursday, January 12, 2012 2The County TimesW

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Kim Myers of Mechanicsville and her family appeared on the Rachael Ray Show this week to talk about her raising two sets of twin daughters – and to receive a makeover.

Community members gathered to break ground on a project to help injured U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Caleb Getscher, of Chaptico. The Habitat for Humanity project will make the 20-year-old’s home more accessible.

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Ron Kastronis, of Brandywine, has been a vendor at the Charlotte Hall farmers Market for seven years, and makes a living out of buy storage units at auction and reselling the contents.

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Thursday, January 12, 20123 The County Times

Head to Head Battle for Circuit Court Judge

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By Guy LeonardStaff Writer

In a unanimous vote Tuesday, the Board of County Commissioners decided to move ahead with a five-mile section of the Three Notch Trail project in Mechanicsville after years of delay.

After hearing from residents in showing overwhelming support of completing the trail at a recent public forum, commissioners decid-ed to proceed with a proposal to seek federal funds to help complete that portion of the trail.

Commissioner Dan Morris (R-Mechanic-sville) raised concerns over the construction of the trail last month, especially regarding how the trail would impact structures built by prop-erty owners in the right of way owned by the county.

He was also concerned over complaints from residents that trees that had long provided privacy for their homes would be removed.

He said the county should plant trees in-stead of shrubs when desired, even with the added expense.

“I want the greatest effort to make the property owners happy,” Morris said. “The cost isn’t that much.”

Phil Rollins, director of the county’s Rec-reation and Parks Department, said the county would continue to reach out to residents to en-sure they were not adversely affected by the trail’s construction. But, property owners who encroached on the right of way by building a structure like a shed would likely have to re-move it.

[email protected]

Trail Project Green Lighted


Assistant State’s Attorney Joseph Stanalo-nis says the difference is clear between he and trial attorney David Densford, who was recent-ly appointed by the governor to fill the vacant Circuit Court seat in St. Mary’s – he claims he represents the values of local residents who want a judiciary tough on serious crimes, while Densford is the pick of Gov. Martin O’Malley (D).

“He’s a very liberal defense attorney and I’m a pretty conservative prosecutor,” Stanalo-nis said Tuesday. “We’re polar opposites.”

Densford said he is willing to pit his legal experience against that of Stanalonis, and re-buffed Stanalonis’s claims that he was simply the governor’s pick.

“Well, he wanted to be Governor O’Malley’s candidate, too,” Densford said, ref-erencing Stanalonis’s own bid for the appoint-ment last year. “But the [nominating] commis-sion decided he should not.”

“He has to make the case as to why I should be denied the judgeship and he should be elevated,” Densford said. “I’m looking for-ward to him throughout the campaign trying to make that case.”

Stanalonis touted his 15-year record as a state prosecutor and as a strong litigator as the main reasons voters should pick him over Densford for a 15-year term on the bench.

Densford will be running for the office while sitting on the bench, filling out the term left by retired judge C. Clark Raley.

Stanalonis said defendants convicted of serious or violent crimes in his courtroom would likely receive stiff penalties.

“If you commit serious crimes in St. Mary’s County you can expect you won’t be out on the street,” Stanalonis said.

When asked if he would be tougher on crime than Densford, Stanalonis responded: “On serious crime, absolutely.”

The prosecutor said he will treat Densford with due respect in the courtroom, however, outside the courtroom Densford’s decisions are fair game in the political arena.

Densford, a 27-year veteran trial attorney, said he has no problem with that, though he is bound by rules of the judiciary against debating his decisions in public.

“I cannot debate them publicly, but the people have the right to pass judgment on rul-ings,” Densford said. “I went into this eyes wide open. If his criticisms are fair I have no concerns.”

Densford said that as a sitting judge he has every intention of ruling appropriately in criminal cases, especially in cases involving violence.

“I’ll protect the public very well,” Dens-ford said. “If [the prosecution] proves their case beyond a reasonable doubt, I will protect the public, particularly on violent crime.”

The final day to file for candidacy in 2012 presidential election was Wednesday at 9p.m. There were no other candidates for the race as of press time Wednesday afternoon.

[email protected]

David DensfordJoseph Stanalonis

Thursday, January 12, 2012 4The County Times

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ewsElection Judges

NeededBy Guy LeonardStaff Writer

Shortly after finding two pieces of ordnance washed up near the shore of Newtowne Neck State Park last week, state fire marshals and Army Corps of Engineer personnel found more munitions around the same area, prompting them to warn citizens in the community to be on the lookout for more.

The latest find was eight 57 mm shells located under-water by the fire marshal’s bomb squad Tuesday.

Before that, more ordnance found there was identified as World War II vintage, according to fire marshals. The 55th Explosive Ordnance Disposal Detachment out of Fort Bel-voir, Va. continues to detonate the munitions in place.

Caryn McMahon, deputy state fire marshal, said their teams working in conjunction with the Army found the mu-nitions Jan. 6 after they conducted a sweep of the shoreline.

McMahon said the teams found a variety of different munitions from the last century, but still do not know exactly how it got there or where it is coming from.

“There is the potential for this to be dangerous no mat-ter what era it came from,” McMahon said. “We’re still try-ing to assess where they could’ve even come from to begin with.”

A recent fire marshal’s press re-lease stated the ord-nance found matched that used by the U.S. Navy more than 70 years ago, but Army Corps of Engineers

staff said they were unsure as to the actual branch of service.Since the second batch of ordnance was found late last

week the state park has remained closed and will remain so until officials are sure it is free of hazards, state officials said.

They are advising residents who find the munitions to stay away from them, avoid any contact and report it to fire marshals or local police immediately.

Gary Younger, spokesman for Patuxent River Naval Air Station, said Navy officials are unsure if the ordinance has any relation to the base’s operations over the years, but the Navy is assisting with the investigation.

“We are reviewing our records but as of now there is no known connection,” Younger told The County Times. “We don’t know enough.”

[email protected]

Search Continues for Washed Up Ammo

By Sarah MillerStaff Writer

Should children of illegal immigrants be given the same access to higher education as legal Maryland residents?

That was the question posed during a forum held in Lusby this weekend on the Maryland Dream Act.

Statewide voters will decide the fate of the Dream Act on Election Day after successful petitioning took the issue to the ballot.

During the first of five “The Big Conversation” meet-ings at Middleham and St. Peter’s Parish Hall in Lusby, a panel convened to inform voters of the pros and cons of the Maryland Dream Act.

The panel included three individuals for and three against the Dream Act. In support of the act were Delegate Sheila Hixson (D-20), Maryland Senator Victor Ramirez (D-47) and educator Elias Vlanton. Against the act were Delegate Anthony O’Donnell (R-29C), St. Mary’s County repeal effort leader Matt Morgan and general council with the Immigration Reform Law Institute Mike Hethmon. The mediator for the afternoon was St. Mary’s County Professor of Philosophy Charles Stein.

“Can I ask a favor? Take your point of view and put it in your pocket,” Stein said to begin the forum.

The law gives children of illegal immigrants the chance to go to community college then a four-year college for in-state tuition, on the condition that their parents have filed taxes for the past three years, they attended an in-state school for three years and they apply for citizenship.

Panel members’ opinions of the act ranged from see-ing a need to educate these students to seeing it as unfair that they pay in-state tuition when out of-state students pay outrageous fees.

After each panel members’ presentation, there was a question and answer session, with the community members’ questions written on index cards. Questions ranged from asking if education is a right or a privilege, whether there had been attempts made to compromise on the bill to what the cost will be to help get the students in question through school.

O’Donnell said opponents tried introducing amend-ments to the bill to make it more palatable all around, but the changes weren’t accepted. There is no changing the law now unless the citizens vote it down and it goes back to the drawing board, he said.

Joan Holmes, a Calvert County resident who attended the forum, said she signed a petition to bring the law to a statewide vote, but was not educated on the issue when pe-titioners came to her residence at Asbury Solomons to get signatures.

Regardless if their parents are here illegally or not, Holmes believes all students are entitled to an education.

The four follow-up sessions on the Dream Actwill be Jan. 11, 18, 25 and Feb. 1. There will be potluck dinners be-ginning at 6:15 p.m. with discussion and worship beginning at 7 p.m.

[email protected]

Controversial Maryland Dream Act Under Fire

Morgan Road Realignment Raises

Questions


While some say this year’s presidential election will be one of the most important in a lifetime, local board of elections officials say they have a serious shortage of election judges on hand to ensure that it runs smoothly.

Susan Julian, deputy director of the St. Mary’s County elections board, said while the election would still go on, a shortage of judges would only complicate matters.

“We’re expecting a large turnout,” Julian said. “The lines would be longer and it would take longer to vote.”

Right now the county needs about 40 judges to ensure that each precinct is fully staffed, she said.

Prospective judges can apply at the Board of Elections office in Leonardtown and will get paid $125 for their efforts on Election Day. The required one-day training class fee before the election will be picked up by the board, Julian said.

Despite their importance to the process, it can be difficult to keep trained election judges on hand, Julian said.

“A lot of people leave, they get tired of it and for the general elec-tion we always try to hire more,” Julian said. “I need them throughout the county but I really need them in the northern portion the most.”

Polling centers at White Marsh and Lettie Marshal Dent elemen-tary schools as well as schools in Leonardtown are just a few places that need judges, Julian said.

Prospective judges must be registered voters and should be pre-pared to stay at the polling place virtually all of Election Day; the day for an election judge begins at 6 a.m. and ends at 8 p.m. when polls close but they often stay until after 9 p.m. to transmit their results.

Judges are encouraged to bring their own food as they will not be allowed to leave the polling place for meals.

For more information on becoming an election judge call the St. Mary’s County Board of Elections at 301-475-7844.


Of more than 100 households on Morgan Road in Hollywood, more than 30 were represented in a letter sent to the county outlining concerns about the realignment of Morgan Road.

A realignment of Morgan Road to accommodate a new 22-home development is causing concern in the community, bringing a group of residents out to a December forum before the Board of County Commissioners.

The realignment application from Mehaffey and Associates seeks to modify the existing 90-degree turn on Morgan Road to make it safer.

Currently, according to Director of the Department of Public Works and Transportation George Erichsen, many of the concerns sur-rounding the issue are not about the road realignment but the potential new neighborhood.

Malinda Frerichs, a co-signer on the Morgan Road letter and resi-dent near the current turn, said she would be one of the people most affected by the construction. She and other homeowners hope to block the new development.

“Our primary concern is to keep the private woodsiness of the neighborhood,” Frerichs said.

Erichsen said the additional cars should not have too much of an impact, especially because there already are more than 100 homes in the neighborhood.

The letter cosigned by Frerichs also points out concerns about the impact on the local water table from new wells and the potential dam-age to the road from the construction equipment.

Erichsen said the some of the comments were useful because, instead of simply complaining about what they don’t want, they also made suggestions about what they want if the changes are made – such as making the road safer for school busses.

“It’s legitimate to get worked up in the beginning,” Erichsen said of the community concerns, but he hopes getting information out will ease some of the worry.

Newtowne Neck State Park remains closed to the public after fire marshals and U.S. Army personnel found 24 pieces of ordnance on the beach.


ews

By Carrie MunnStaff Writer

A group gathered to break ground on a project that will al-low Chaptico native and combat-disabled U.S. Marine veteran Caleb Getscher to get around his home a little easier.

Lance Cpl. Getscher was wounded when he stepped on an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan last summer.

While the 20-year-old veteran continues rehabilitation at Bethesda Naval Hospital, his family’s home on Chaptico Road is undergoing a renovation to include a handicapped accessible garage with direct access to a bedroom, bathroom, laundry room and exercise area. This will enable Getscher to spend more time

with his family, including his 15-month-old daughter, Camily.This Patuxent Habitat for Humanity’s Veterans Repair

Corps project is one of 10 supported by a $100,000 grant and partnership with Home Depot geared to help remodel and reno-vate the homes of U.S. military veterans. The project at the Getscher’s family home exceeded the $10,000 budget, yet was supplemented by community sponsorships from companies like Wyle, Cullison Excavating and Great Mills Trading Post.

The initiative has been named the Gary Sinise Memorial Veterans Repair Corps after an ex-Marine from Compton who volunteered with Habitat for Humanity before passing last year.

St. Mary’s County Commissioner Dan Morris, also an ex-Marine, joined Getscher and his family, as well as Habitat and

community volunteers in the ground-breaking ceremony on Friday. A little golden shovel was provided for Camily.

“It’s pretty awesome and very kind of everyone,” Getscher said of the event and the project. “There are a lot of great people in this crowd and I’m grateful to be able to see their faces.”

He said he looks forward to easier mobility once the expansion is completed.

Patuxent Habitat for Humanity Ex-ecutive Director Pamela Shubert said the septic had just been approved and the next step would be acquiring per-mits for the foundation to be poured and the framing, which will be done by Mennonite friends and neighbors of the Getschers.

She said the county has been great

about fast-track-ing permits for their projects and she was grateful for the volunteers that give their time and services.

Shubert said a second Repair Corps project in the works will provide a veteran and ex-Habitat volunteer with a ramp and repairs to his roof.

Private donors have recently given $75,000 to the organiza-tion, which can be used if a veteran’s needs exceed the $10,000 per-project budget.

Getscher said he feels the appreciation his community has shown him for his service and looks forward to further recovery and more time at home.

Patuxent Habitat for Humanity is currently accepting ap-plications from low to moderate income qualifying veterans for remodeling and renovation projects that will alleviate critical health, life and safety issues or code violations.

Veterans who have received an honorable or general dis-charge are eligible to participate. Veterans that are residents of Calvert or St. Mary’s counties that would like to participate in this program are encouraged to call 301-863-6227 or 410-326-9050 for more information. Applications will be accepted until Jan. 23.

[email protected]

Community Gathers to Support Local Wounded Warrior

Caleb Getscher


To The Editor

P.O. Box 250 • Hollywood, Maryland 20636News, Advertising, Circulation, Classifieds: 301-373-4125

James Manning McKay - FounderEric McKay - Associate Publisher..................................ericmckay@countytimes.netTobie Pulliam - Office Manager..............................tobiepulliam@countytimes.netSean Rice - Editor....................................................................seanrice@countytimes.netAngie Stalcup - Graphic Artist.......................................angiestalcup@countytimes.netSarah Miller- Reporter - Community..............................sarahmiller @countytimes.netGuy Leonard - Reporter - Government, [email protected] Munn - Reporter - Education, [email protected] Representatives......................................................................sales@countytimes.net

As we round the corner of the first week completed of the New Year, a discovery is made while cleaning a child’s backpack. It’s a letter addressed to Santa. A little girl’s Christ-mas Wish not discovered.

This is just a little something for you par-ents who think you can spend an afternoon here or there, at your convenience, with your child which may occur every week or maybe only once a month or so.

That child may not be saying a word to you, but chances are they are looking for you every single day – watching for your car on the highway, looking for it if they happen to pass where you live. It’s a hurt and loneliness only felt by the child.

Being a grandparent of one of these children, I will tell you it is evident. Watch-ing that child’s face when the parent’s car is spotted and the little tremble in their voice as they say, ‘I guess my daddy’s go-ing to work’ because it’s obvious they are not headed to ‘our house’. You see, I am one of those grandparents who are now raising the second generation.

Time.Time is what these children are

wanting and needing.Self worth is greatly impacted by this void,

no matter what the explanation – for words can-not fill their little hearts. There may be valid rea-sons for some children to live elsewhere, but the time and companionship is still needed.

These children are being loved and providing for to best of our ability. They are resilient and will

survive but with an unnecessary loss.

Shirley SharrowCalifornia, MD

Christmas Wish Not Discovered

In response to the letter published in the Jan. 5 edition from Vincent DeMarco concerning raising taxes on cigars and smokeless tobacco products, I not only say no, but hell no.

This state is overtaxed in every area. There are currently nine states with no state income tax, but Maryland would tax the air we breathe if they could figure out how to do it.

I am sick and tired of you “do gooders” telling everyone else how to live, and forcing the issue with more taxes.

The “Free State” is anything but.

I don’t care what the product or the cause NO to any new taxes of any kind.

DeMarco, you might think you know best but I am tired of other people chipping away at our free-doms. No new taxes on anything, enough of this insanity, you sir are part of the problem. I only call you sir to keep from calling you what this paper wouldn’t print.

Paul LawrenceCalifornia, MD

Part of the Problem

My name is Brandon Lowe and I am a 7th grade student at Mother Catherine Spalding School. In October, our school community was given a deadline of Jan. 1, 2012 to raise $130,000. If this goal was not met, our school, Mother Cath-erine Spalding School, would be forced to close.

Instead, because of a tremendous effort of everyone in the school community and beyond, we were able to raise enough money to achieve our goal.

I would like to thank everyone that worked so hard to help us achieve this seemingly un-achievable goal. It was a very large undertaking,

but everyone pulled together, worked tirelessly, and made it happen.

My classmates and I will be able to finish our eighth grade year together and graduate in the spring of 2013.

I would like to thank the many individuals and corporations for their generous donations, as well. Without all of you, our goal could not have been met.

Brandon Lowe, studentMother Catherine Spalding School

Community Rallies to Save Mother Catherine School

This year’s General Assembly prom-ises to be an interesting one to say the least and very important one to the future of our state. As I informed Fox 45 viewers Mon-day, we all must be more vigilant, more responsive and more PROACTIVE than we ever have before. Once again we face a real financial challenge ahead: A $2 billion dollar shortfall to be more specific and you can guarantee that our current Governor has some tricks up his sleeve that will lean toward a short term fix but it will equate to long term disaster for Maryland.

In this weeks segment on Fox 45 News Baltimore, I was asked to provide the top three things that all Marylanders should look for in the upcoming session and what we all can do to make this Gen-eral Assembly a success for all of Mary-land. I want to share it with you, so we are all on the same page in our fight for a New Day in Maryland:

1 - Teachers Pensions – Be on the look out for legislation inspired by the Governor that will require counties to pick up the tab for Teacher pensions.

We face $11 billion in teacher unfund-ed mandates - we already owe this! Teach-ers have already been taxed an additional 2 percent of their paychecks in FY 12 in an effort to offset the deficit, and of the $185 million that has been collected by this ad-ditional tax two-thirds of it went to the General Fund NOT to pay down the pen-sion mandates.

2 – House Bill 23 – We need to work

hard to get HB 23 passed and support it with all your might! This bill sponsored by Delegate McMillan (R-Dist. 30) will ensure that the Governor cannot simply transfer funds from one pot to the General fund without a legislative vote.

3 – House Bill 43 – We need to help our legislators pass HB 43 and support it with all your might! This bill sponsored by Delegate Mike Smigiel (R - Dist. 36) will ensure that any bill that raises our taxes can be rejected or repealed by voters of Maryland!

In addition to the above three issues - we are going to be watching the Gover-nor’s attempt to raise the Gas Tax by 15 cents. This has been suggested by both the Governor and the House Speaker. In a state that is currently the 6th highest taxed state in the country and ranked 44th in the nation as one of the worst states to live in where cost of living is concerned, we need to be in close contact with our legislators, cheer them on as they support good legislation and encourage our repre-sentatives in both political parties to vote for Maryland Residents, not Party Control and Government Interests.

Let’s get ready to take back our state and hold the political process accountable!

Charles Lollar, Team MemberNew Day Maryland

What to Watch For This Session

Needing a new library has nothing to do with special interests, as was indicated by a recent letter to the editor. This is a public facility financed by the taxpayers. It serves the rich and the poor, home school-ers, college and high school students, people looking for jobs, the homeless---everyone!

It seems to me the project was held hostage until it died because a few“ special interests” weren’t getting their way. Many decision makers don’t use the library so they don’t care if their constituents have a library that will be healthy, quiet, and meet the needs of the community. The old say-ing, “they’ve cut off their nose to spite their face” seems appropriate in this case. There have even been ignorant statements by our “representatives” stating the library is obso-lete because of the Internet. They have NO idea what public services the library offers, including the Internet for those who can’t afford it.

There has been a lot of time and money

that has now been wasted by “shelving” this project. I don’t think of that as being fiscally responsible. There is land, already to be built on, in a community where there is a large housing development and where schools will soon be built on a main thor-oughfare leading into Leonardtown. What better place to have a community library?

It is a very sad thing for St. Mary’s County residents and for those in Leonar-dtown and its surrounding areas especially. Leonardtown library is so busy and on many occasions very crowded and noisy. The powers that be have thrown out a chance to add to this growing community a public fa-cility we can all be proud of and that would fit the needs of the people that are served.

I guess they need that surplus for more stop lights.

Susannah LynchHollywood, MD

Since When is a Library a Special interest?


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Teens Charged In StabbingOn Jan. 10, deputies responded to a stabbing report at Food Lion on Great Mills Road in

Lexington Park. Investigation revealed three females entered the store and began attacking the victim inside, and during the attack one of the females produced a knife and stabbed the victim multiple times. A second victim attempted to intervene on behalf of the victim and was also stabbed, police said. After viewing store video surveillance, the three were identified by an officer who recognized them from previous interaction. Keanna Marie Biscoe, 16, of Lexington Park was arrested by Deputy Scott Ruest and charged as an adult with two counts of first-degree assault and two counts of second-degree assault. The other two juveniles, ages 15 and 13, from Lexington Park were arrested and charged as juveniles with two counts of first- and second-degree assault. The first victim was flown to Prince George’s Shock Trauma and the second victim was transported to St. Mary’s Hospital. Both victims were treated and have been released from the hospitals, police reported.

Police: Peebles Clerk Bilked $12,000On Jan. 10, Deputy Beasley responded to Peebles Department Store in Lexington Park

for a theft report. Investigation revealed Tiara Lavaughn Wallace, 22, of Lexington Park, an employee of Peebles, was canceling sales after ringing merchandise for customers and al-legedly letting the customers leave the store without paying for the items. A loss prevention investigator for Peebles Corporation reviewed sales receipts and store surveillance and de-termined Wallace allegedly stole more than $12,000 of merchandise beginning in November 2011, police reported. Beasley arrested Wallace and charged her with theft and theft scheme.

Numerous Face PunchesOn Jan. 9, at approximately 6:45 p.m., deputies responded to a residence on Hollywood

Road in Leonardtown for an assault report. Investigation revealed Tabitha Marie Franzwa, 21, of Leonardtown, became involved in an argument with the victim which escalated into a physical assault when Franzwa allegedly punched the victim in the face several times. Deputy Jean Vezzosi arrested Franzwa and charged her with second-degree assault.


Detectives with the county’s Bureau of Criminal Investigations are looking for two wanted domestic violence suspects and are seeking the public’s help.

Anyone with information on the where-abouts of either Ivan Earl Nealy, 33, of Mechan-icsville, or Derrick Connolly, 25, of Lexington Park, is eligible for a $1,000 cash reward, police state.

Nealy stands 5-feet, 8-inches and weighs 175 pounds, police report, and is known to fre-quent areas in both Mechanicsville and Virgin-ia. He is wanted on multiple warrants including stalking, harassment, witness intimidation and

several protective order violations.Connolly stands 6-feet, 2-inches and

weighs 245 pounds, according to police, and is wanted on warrants for domestic related bur-glaries, assault, threats and other crimes.

Police say he is known to frequent areas in Lexington Park and Lusby.

Anyone with information on the two wanted subjects are asked to call Det. Elizabeth Croyle at 301-475-4200 ext. 1965 or contact the sheriff’s office at 301-475-8008.

Tipsters can also contact Crime Solv-ers at 301-475-3333 or text the information to CRIMES (274637) and enter TIP239 (847239) before giving the information.

Two Wanted on Violent Crimes


Two burglaries at Leonardtown’s waste-water treatment plant as well as numerous thefts from vehicles have been solved, the town’s deputy told The County Times, but the level of criminality is surprising for the county seat, he said.

Sgt. Mike Butler, who recently took over community policing for Leonardtown, said the two alleged burglars of the Van Wert Lane plant, Brandon Underwood and Kyle Fink, stole copper meters from inside the facility and tried to sell the pieces to the Super Salvage scrap metal dealer in Calvert County for cash.

The theft of precious metals, especially copper, continues to be a major reason behind continuing burglaries of homes and now even government buildings.

“Nine times out of ten they’re going to try to offload that at a scrap metal dealer,” Butler said. “It’s definitely a very expensive piece of equipment to replace.”

The burglaries were committed early last month, but Butler said he was able to track the sales of the copper back to the alleged per-petrators through surveillance footage at the Calvert-based salvage yard and a tip from the

Super Salvage site in California.Butler said the two defendants were alleg-

edly able to crawl beneath the fence surround-ing the treatment plant, providing them with easy access to the high-priced metal.

“It was easily manipulated,” Butler said.Butler has also arrested and charged one

suspect in several thefts from vehicles in the Cedar Lane Apartments community and in Academy Hills after the break-ins took place around the same time as the treatment plant theft.

Garrett Wilson Johnson was arrested on a warrant while incarcerated on other charges for his alleged part in the Leonardtown bur-glaries, but Butler said that one more arrest in the case is pending.

Butler is also investigating several bur-glaries to vehicles in the Able Street area but he has made no arrests in that case, he said.

Butler said that the burglaries were like-ly attributable, at least in part, to the lagging economy, even though they took place in rela-tively affluent Leonardtown.

“A lot of it is because of money, they think it’s an easy payday,” Butler said. “It’s some-what of a surprise … to have it right here in Leonardtown brings it to light.”

Deputies Arrest Suspects in Leonardtown Burglaries


Police arrested a 19-year-old man they say is responsible for multiple burglaries in the Callaway area after they questioned and detained him and another man regarding dam-age done to a car in Lexington Park.

But when state troopers and county deputies attempted to place Jonathan Mc-Clain Barnes in a police cruiser, he resisted so much that officers used a Taser to subdue him enough just to get his legs in the vehicle, police report.

According to charging documents filed in county District Court by Trooper First Class Evan Page, Barnes had initially given police a false name when asked about the property destruction case, but a deputy who knew the suspect uncovered his identity and his active arrest warrant for burglaries to businesses in Callaway that had occurred on Dec. 9.

When Barnes was located in Lexington Park Jan. 9 he was arrested on the open war-rant and charged with two counts of second-degree burglary, two counts of theft under

$1,000, two counts of malicious destruction of property over $500 and a malicious destruction scheme over $500, police reports stated.

Police say Barnes kicked at the door of the police cruiser while officers tried to put him in and also pulled away from officers and even spit in the face of one of them.

“Jonathan continued kicking and attempt-ing to pull away from us,” Page alleged in charging documents. “Jonathan yelled profani-ty and stated he would not go with us and stated we would have to kill him.”

When law officers returned him to the de-tention center they found Barnes in possession of 15 pills of prednisone as well as a plastic bag of marijuana found in the place where he had placed his clothes during processing, charging documents state.

Barnes, who is also facing prosecution for an alleged robbery in a separate case, was ad-ditionally charged with marijuana possession, possession of contraband in a place of confine-ment, second-degree assault, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace and removing a prescription label.

Stun Gun Needed to Subdue Suspect


Call 301-373-4125 to Place a Memorial!

Carl Carroll, Sr., 66

Carl “Cash” Alexander Carroll Sr., 66, of Ridge, MD was born to the late William Francis Carroll and Mary V. Butler-Carroll in Beach-ville, MD on August 25th 1945. God in loving and tender compassion called him home on Friday, January 6, 2012.

Cash received his education at St. Peter Claver Catholic School. As a young man Cash began work-ing with his father in the construc-tion field. He later began a career with the United Food and Commer-cial Workers Union - Local 400, as a Sanitation Engineer with Su-per Fresh (formerly A&P) and after 32 years of service he retired from Shoppers Food Warehouse. After retirement Cash was well known and loved with the students and staff of Father Andrew White and St. Mi-chaels Catholic Schools along with St. Andrews Episcopal School and Church for maintaining the facilities’ appearance. For over twenty years he served as a member of the Knights of St. Jerome Organization, where he served two tenures as President.

Cash was very caring and lov-ing. He took great pride in his heav-enly singing voice and was an avid Dallas Cowboys fan! Cash enjoyed social outings and just being in the presence of his family and friends which includes his work family.

In addition to his father, Cash was preceded in death by his broth-ers John Wayne, William Kenneth, and Joseph Allen Carroll, a sister Mary Veronica Carroll-Rothwell, a mother-in-law Bernice McClane, father-in-law Samuel A. McClane Sr., brother-in-law Horace “Redboy” McClane Sr. and a special life-long

friend Robert “Bobby” Gant.Cash leaves to cherish his mem-

ory, his beloved wife of 40 years Nola Carroll; two daughters, Leslie of Ridge, MD and Renee of Lexington Park, MD; two sons, Carl “Lil Cash” Jr. (Shaunta) of California, MD and William “Sam” of Ridge, MD; nine grandchildren, Joseph Jr. “Pooh”, Lakita, Ty’keem “King”, Jasmine, Noah, Kalieb “Tyler”, Tayvon, Teyo-na and Raekwon; four great-grand-children, Niamora, Ty’Keem Jr., Jaydin and Logan; three sisters, Lor-raine Carroll-Jackson (John), twin sister, Carolyn Wilson (James) and Angela Carroll; two brothers, Martin (Brenda) and James (Sharon) Carroll; two brother-in-laws, Samuel “Junior” McClane Jr., Larry (Audrey) Brown; two sister-in-laws, Linda McClane and Queenie (George) Fenwick; and a special nephew Horace “Lil Reds” McClane Jr. whom he cherished like his own.

Family will receive friends for Cash’s Life Celebration on Friday, January 13, 2012 from 10 a.m. until 11a.m. at St. Peter Claver Church, 16922 St. Peter Claver Road, St. Ini-goes, MD 20684. A Mass of Chris-tian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Interment will follow in the church cemetery.

Condolences to the family may be made at www.brinsfieldfuneral.com.

Arrangements by the Brinsfield Funeral Home, P.A., Leonardtown, MD.

Lewis Gordon, 91

Lewis Roland “Flash” Gordon, 91 of Hollywood, MD peacefully passed away at his home on De-cember 27, 2011. This was a home surrounded with love and built with

his own hands.Mr. Gordon was born on July

22, 1920 in Gaffney, South Carolina to the late Christopher Holmes Gor-don and Molly Frances (Blanton) Gordon. He has always been known as “Flash.” After graduating from high school at the age of 18, he en-listed in the United States Navy. On March 2, 1945 in Hollywood, Cali-fornia he married the love of his life, Nevada, affectionately called “Lar-ry.” Together they traveled world-wide and enjoyed many adventures together including Newfoundland, California, Ethiopia, and Rhode Is-land. After proudly serving for many years, he retired from the Navy in 1966. He then began a second career with the Civil Service at The Ground Electronics Maintenance Division of Patuxent River Naval Air Station in Lexington Park, MD. He retired from the Civil Service in 1986.

He was known for his unforget-table and colorful expressions, wit and charm. His mechanical abilities were astounding and he was well known to be able to build or repair virtually anything. He spent sev-eral years building and adding on to the family’s home in Hollywood, MD, planting many beautiful trees and shrubs. Surrounded by the tidal waves of the Patuxent River and a shady lane, he and his wife called their home, their “piece of heaven.” Many happy hours were shared in their home and lovely azalea garden with friends, family, and pets

Flash is survived by his wife Larry of 67 years, and three children, Christina Gordon of Hollywood, MD, Terrie Gordon Gamble (James) of Palo Alto, CA and Russell Gordon (Cynthia) of New York. He is also survived by 4 grandsons, Jamison Gamble, Justin Gamble, Shepard Gordon, and Sullivan Gordon.

Family received friends for Flash’s Memorial Life Celebration on Saturday, December 31, 2011 at the Brinsfield Funeral Home, 22955 Hollywood Road, Leonardtown, MD 20650. Interment was private.

In memory of “Flash”, memorial contributions may be made to The Hollywood Rescue Squad P.O. Box 7, Hollywood, MD 20636

Condolences to the family may be made at www.brinsfieldfuneral.com


Patrick Hovatter, 60

Captain Patrick James Hovatter, U.S. Navy (Ret), age 60, of Have-lock, NC formerly of Leonardtown, MD and Fairfax, VA died January 2, 2012 after a sudden and brief illness. Pat was born June 7, 1951 in Falls Church, VA to James and Shirley Ho-vatter. A native of Forest Lake, MN, he graduated from Forest Lake High School in 1969 and from the Univer-sity of Mississippi in 1974 with a BS in Mechanical Engineering. Upon graduation he was commissioned as an Ensign in the U.S. Navy and completed Naval Aviation Training at Pensacola, FL in 1975. After re-turning to Pensacola as a Flight In-structor, he met the love of his life, Sherrie Jean Bridgeman of Jackson-ville, FL, in 1980. After a story-book romance, ignited by countless cross country flights across Florida, they were married less than a year later and embarked on an exciting life together as a Navy family that took them all across the world, spanning over 30 years, and sharing countless adventures.

In 1990 Pat completed a MS in Telecommunications Systems Man-agement at the Naval Post Gradu-ate School in Monterey, CA. Dur-ing his Navy career, Pat primarily piloted P-3C and EP-3E Patrol and Reconnaissance aircraft. Assign-ments included Patrol Squadron Ten, Training Squadron Two, Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron Two, Chief of Naval Operations, Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron One, Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, and Vice Commander at Naval Air Warfare Center, Aircraft Division. Pat commanded Fleet

Air Reconnaissance Squadron One at Naval Air Station Agana, Guam from 1992 to 1993, and Naval Air Station Patuxent River, MD from 2000 to 2002. He completed a very distinguished Naval career as the Di-rector of International Programs for Naval Air Systems Command (NA-VAIR) at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, MD, and upon his retirement in 2004, Pat began a second career of service as a DOD Civil Servant. He supported NAVAIR at Patuxent Riv-er in numerous senior positions and most recently as Branch Head, Navi-gation and Flight Safety Systems, AIR 4.5.3, and subsequently at Naval Aviation Depot at Cherry Point, NC as the Mission Avionics Director, AIR 4.5.4.

Pat, most of all was the proud and devoted father of First Lieuten-ant Ryan Patrick Hovatter, Florida National Guard, Captain Kyle Steven Hovatter, U.S. Army, and Ms. Kelly Ann Hovatter, University of Flori-da. He also loved building things; whether constructing a barn, shed, garage, or helping friends with their projects; he was always armed with a hammer and a tool belt. Pat was always intrigued about different con-struction techniques, and constantly strived to learn as much as he could about them. Nothing excited him more than buying a piece of land and turning it into an amazing home for his family and friends; so much so that he pursued his realtor license and became an award winning Re-alty Agent for O’Brien Realty. Pat was the quintessential Naval Officer and bold Naval Aviator, but above all, Pat was the consummate leader and teacher. His legacy will live on in the many Sailors, Marines, Civil Servants, colleagues and friends who were inspired by his selfless example, his tireless service to those in need, his love of adventure, his unabashed and sincere way of living his life to the fullest. Whether it was flying, work, or projects around the house, he would not hesitate for a second to take somebody under his wing or take charge. Pat was active in The Navy League and Christmas in April while in Maryland, and Leadership Craven while in North Carolina.

Pat is survived by his beautiful family, his wife Sherrie; son, Ryan and his fiancé Alexandra Rodriguez of Fort Benning, GA, son Kyle and his wife Alison of Fort Benning, GA, and daughter Kelly of Gainesville, FL; his treasured granddaughter,


ContinuedBrenna; parents Jim and Shirley of Forest Lake, MN; brother Mike and his wife Diana of Georgetown, TX; brother Tom and his wife Kathy of Wyoming, MN.

A Funeral Mass will be Fri-day January 13, 2012 at 11 a.m. at the MCAS Cherry Point Chapel. A Memorial Service is scheduled for Friday January 20, 2012 at 2 p.m. at St. Nicholas Chapel, NAS Patuxent River, MD. The burial at Arlington National Cemetery will be scheduled at a future date. Those wishing to offer the family words of hope and encouragements may visit www.pol-lockbest.com. In lieu of flowers, the Hovatter family requests donations be made to the Wounded Warriors Project 1120 G Street NW, Suite 700 Washington, DC 20005, or www.woundedwarriorproject.org.

Julius Owens, 79

Julius Freeman Owens of Leonardtown, MD, former Tech-nical Director of the Strike Air-craft Test Directorate and the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, died January 6, 2011. He was 79. Born December 10, 1932, in Leonar-dtown, he was the son of the late Wil-liam Freeman Owens and Mary Lil-lian Owens. He graduated from Mar-garet Brent High School in 1948. In 1956, he earned acceptance into the Pax-10 program as a student trainee

and began a 31-year career in Gov-ernment service. He earned a bach-elor’s degree in mechanical engineer-ing from the University of Maryland in 1961 and continued his work at the Patuxent River Naval Air Test Center as an aerospace engineer.

Primarily involved in flying qualities and performance testing, Mr. Owens became a senior project engineer on the F-8E test program in 1964. He progressed to positions of section head and assistant chief engineer in the Flying Qualities and Performance Flight Test Division, chief engineer for Ground Support Equipment Test and Evaluation in the Service Test Division, and chief engi-neer of the Strike Aircraft Test Direc-torate. In 1980, he became Technical Director of Strike. He finished his

Government career as the Technical Director of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School. Following his Government career, he continued to provide en-gineering and management expertise to testing efforts at Pax River through employment at Veda Incorporated (now called Wyle).

During his Government career, Mr. Owens earned a master’s de-gree in administration from George Washington University. He also graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School’s engineering course and completed the Post Command Course at the U.S. Naval War College. A lifelong resident of St. Mary’s County, Mr. Owens was active in many civic organizations. He was a member of the Leonardtown Lions Club, where he served as King Lion and secretary. He was also a mem-ber of St. Mary’s Council 1470 of the Knights of Columbus and served as the Council Grand Knight. He was an active member of the Democratic Club of St. Mary’s County, for which he organized annual Democrat of the Year celebrations. He was also a volunteer for Meals on Wheels. A 40-year parishioner at St. George’s Catholic Church in Valley Lee, Mr. Owens was both a lector and a mem-ber of the choir.

Mr. Owens is survived by his wife of 53 years, Katherine Hodg-es Owens, and their five children: Katherine H. O’Rourke and her hus-band John of Solomons, MD; Mary

R. Owens of Port Republic, MD; Susan O. Coyne and her husband Gary of Bryant Pond, ME; Jacque-line Owens Lancaster and her hus-band Lanny of Leonardtown, MD; and Margaret Anne Owens and her husband, Roy Altizer, of Solomons, MD. Mr. Owens has two grandchil-dren, Katherine Suzanne Lawrence and Douglas Owens Lawrence. He is also survived by his sister, Julia Bodine of Lexington Park, MD, and his brother, William F. “Freddy” Owens, of Clinton, MD. In addition to his parents, Mr. Owens was pre-deceased by 14 brothers and sisters, including his sister, Janice Coo-per, who died in November of 2011. The family received friends for Ju-lius’s Life Celebration on Monday, January 9, 2011 with Prayers recited., at the Brinsfield Funeral Home, 22955 Hollywood Road, Leonardtown, MD 20650. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at St. George’s Catholic Church, 19199 St. George’s Church Road, Valley Lee, MD on Tuesday, January 10, 2011. Monsi-gnor Karl A. Chimiak pastor of the church was the celebrant. Pallbearers were Roy Altizer, Kurt Bodine, Gary Coyne, John M. Hodges, Jr., Lanny Lancaster, Douglas Lawrence, Scott Lawrence, and John O’Rourke. Honorary pallbearers were mem-bers of the Leonardtown Lions Club and the Knights of Columbus. Donations in memory of Julius F. Owens may be made to St. George’s Catholic Church, P.O. Box 9, Valley Lee, MD 20692, or to Three Oaks Center, P.O. Box 775, Lexington Park, MD 20653.

Condolences to the family may be made at: www.brinsfieldfuneral.com.


Dennis Todd, 51

Dennis Mark Todd, 51, of Cali-fornia, MD, died on January 6, 2012 in California, MD. Born on Septem-ber 29, 1960 he was the son of Ed-win Daniel Todd, Sr., and Elise Lee Wilson Todd. Mr. Todd is survived by his daughter Cassady Todd of California, MD, siblings; Doug and Dicky Todd of Stumpner, FL, and 1 grandchild Payge Williams. Dennis is preceded in death by his son Lance Todd and a brother Danny Todd. Mr. Todd served in the United States

Army for 2 years. A Memorial Service will be

held on Saturday, January 14, 2012 at 1 p.m. in Life Stream Church of the Nazarene, 5105 Leonardtown Road, Waldorf, MD 20601. Interment will be private.

To leave a condolence for the family please visit www.mgfh.com.

Arrangements provided by the Mattingley-Gardiner Funeral Home, P.A, Leonardtown, MD.

Charles Wheeler, Sr., 55

Charles Michael “Mike” Wheeler, Sr., 55, of Lexington Park, MD, died on January 9, 2012 at his residence. Born on July 16, 1956 he was the son of Martha Elaine Wood Wheeler and the late George Ber-nard Wheeler. He was the loving companion of Esther Adalbjorns. Mr. Wheeler is survived by his son Jonathan Wheeler of Lusby, MD and siblings; Joseph B. Wheeler, Sr. of St. Inigoes, MD, Robert M. Wheeler, James W. Wheeler, and Patricia E. Thomas all of Lexington Park, MD. Charles is preceded in death by his son Charles M. Wheeler, Jr. Mike graduated from Great Mills High School, Great Mills, MD, and was a lifelong resident of St. Mary’s Coun-ty, MD. He was a Radar Systems En-gineer for BAE Systems for 12 years retiring in 2011. Charles enjoyed fishing, NASCAR Racing, and hunt-ing. The family will receive friends on Friday, January 13, 2012 in Holy Face Catholic Church, Great Mill, MD, from 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM fol-lowed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 AM with Fr. Joseph Calis officiating. Interment will follow in the church cemetery. Pallbearers will be; Joseph B. Wheeler, Jr., James B. Sheehan, Chris Wheeler, Jake Wheeler, Carlos Thomas, and Tim-my Wheeler. To leave a condolence for the family please visit www.mgfh.com. Arrangements provided by the Mattingley-Gardiner Funeral Home, P.A, Leonardtown, MD.

To place a memorial please call

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New and familiar faces can be found at the Planning Commission and Appeals Board meetings.

In the planning commission, Howard Thompson was elected to the position of chairman, coming back to the commission from the Appeals Board. Former chairman Brandon Hayden resigned the position after taking a job with the county.

Thompson said he has been on boards and commis-sions for 20 years, and is happy to serve where called

upon to do so.“I go where I’m needed,” he said.Another new face in the planning commission is

Patricia Robrecht, who Thompson is looking forward to working with, he said.

The Board of Appeals also has some new faces. For-mer alternate member Ronald Payne has moved up to be-ing a full member, with Mike Mummaugh stepping into his old position. George Allen Hayden has also returned to the board to help fill the gap left by Thompson.

[email protected]


After having outgrown their current location years ago, Taylor Gas Company got approval to move ahead with its new location in Great Mills.

The 3.93 acre site is on two plots of land – 21434 and 21448 Great Mills Road. The planning commission reviewed and approved a con-cept site plan for a new facility including offices, a maintenance build-ing and vehicle storage, in addition to fuel and retail sales.

Frank Taylor, owner of Taylor Gas Company, said the company outgrew their current location 15 years ago, but the process of finding a new location and getting the money and approval to build was a long process. All in all, Taylor said the new location is a “project that’s been a long time coming,”

The St. Mary’s company is celebrating its 62nd year in business, Taylor said, and he is the second generation of his family running the business. His son, who also works there, is the third generation of Tay-lors to be in the business.

For more information about Taylor Gas Company, call 301-862-1000 or visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/taylorgascompany.

In addition to Taylor Gas Company getting approval for their new location, Gary Whipple and David Berry were in front of the Planing Comision for concept site plan review and approval for a 10,800 square-foot STS bus shed at the central location on St. Andrews Church Road. The shed will accommodate two busses, with outlets to plug in the en-gine heating blocks.

Whipple said this is the first step in the eventual plan to have a dedicated space for every bus in the fleet.

[email protected]

Taylor Gas to Build New Location

Planning, Appeals Boards See Member Shake Ups

Photo by Sarah Miller

Thursday, January 12, 2012 12The County TimesKnowIn T

he Education

Two Board of Ed Races Set for PrimaryMore Candidates on November Ballot


Maryland was announced as one of nine states to earn the Early Learning Challenge grant, which will enable access to roughly $50 million over four years to be distributed with the goal of narrowing the school readiness gap.

The state’s winning grant application includes multiple projects intended to ensure more children are school-ready upon entering kindergarten and enhancing childcare programs to place more emphasis on learning.

In St. Mary’s County, 90 percent of kids are ready, but ear-ly learning advocates suggest the targeted projects will reach even more children, especially those living in poverty, with dis-abilities and English language learners.

Kathlen Reif, St. Mary’s County Library director, repre-sents the public libraries on the governor’s Early Childhood Advisory Council, which advised the state education officials

as they wrote the Early Learning Challenge grant application. She said the award is good news and explained how St. Mary’s is already ahead of the curve, with a longstanding Early Child-hood Team that has long been collaborating and advocating for the needs of children from birth to age 5.

The current early childhood team meets monthly and con-sists of representatives from all branches of the community that work with young children, and this backing will enable an even stronger network to be established between such agencies and institutions throughout the county.

Siobhan Ponder, executive director of Southern Mary-land’s Promise Resource Center, joined Reif in explaining how projects like establishing a locally-appointed council, similar to the state’s, strengthening the Maryland EXCELS child care rating system and refining early childhood assessments would benefit children in those developmentally formative years.

The first steps will include building an infrastructure to support a community-wide collaborative effort to increase

programs to further educate caregivers and incorporate more learning into early childhood.

“There are many that have been working on [early child-hood education] for years, often as volunteers and on a shoe-string budget, because our hearts are in it, it’s our calling,” Ponder said.

Reif said the local libraries will support the collaboration, offering additional training and information for parents and caregivers of young children, in addition to the early learning programs and take-home activities already offered. She said there is a need for more parent involvement as discussions take place on how to implement these projects at the local level and how to best meet the needs of young children.

Maryland State Department of Education research shows children that participate in formal early learning environments prior to beginning kindergarten are significantly more pre-pared, according to assessments.

Early Learning Grant Ramps Up School Readiness

James Tomasic

Trisha Post

Marilyn Crosby


While the 2012 presidential race is gar-nering most of the attention, local voters also have the opportunity to choose three board of education (BOE) members this year.

Voters will decide who fills three BOE seats this year – one at-large seat and the seats representing commissioner districts 2 and 4.

During the Primary on April 3, two BOE races will appear on the ballot, because more than two candidates are vying for the at-large seat and the district 2 seat. The top two vote getters in the primary for each of those seats, and candidates in the district 4 seat race, will face off on Election Day, Nov. 6.

Voters not affiliated with any party can also cast a vote in this non-partisan primary election.

The deadline for filing for a race this year was 9 p.m. Wednesday. Shortly before The County Times’ press time, St. Mary’s County Board of Election officials confirmed that another candidate, Jim Davis, of Leon-ardtown, had also filed for the district 2 seat against incumbent Cathy Allen. His candi-dacy filing, coming the day of the deadline, will force this race to also appear on the pri-mary ballot.

The County Times was unable to reach Davis as of press time Wednesday.

Currently incumbent board member Marilyn Crosby faces two opponents this year.

Crosby has served for four years, and was recently re-elected by fellow board members as the vice chair.

“This is what I do, I’m all about educa-tion,” Crosby said.

At 65 years old, Crosby said she stays engaged, attends lots of school and commu-nity events and stays connected because her grandchildren are still attending St. Mary’s County Public Schools.

Crosby is a retired teacher of 24 years with a master’s degree in Special Education. She said among her goals, fighting for man-ageable class sizes is a high priority.

“I fought like heck for para-educators,” she said.

Crosby said she is the right choice for the board because she gets along well with everyone, has developed great relationships with many commissioners and looks at the task as a genuine team effort.

“When you put the child first, you just can’t go wrong,” she said.

Also running for the at large seat is Tri-

sha Post, who currently serves as president of the St. Mary’s County Council of PTAs. A mother of three school-aged children who has been active in PTAs for 10 years, Post de-scribes herself as a self-employed business-woman working for multiple contractors that support NAS Patuxent River.

“I know what it takes to run a sound business,” Post said.

A military spouse, whose husband recently retired, Post said she has had the unique opportunity to experience different school systems and gain a broad perspective in education. She has served on committees tackling policy and redistricting, advising school administration and providing a parent perspective on many important issues.

“Education is key to the growth of any community,” she said.

Post said the most challenging issues facing the BOE are maintaining a top notch education for our children, while dealing with changing state and federal mandates on funding, and meeting the needs of all stu-dents, from those requiring additional sup-port to those excelling in academically chal-lenging programs.

“I will use a balanced, common sense approach to address these challenges and en-sure that our children get the best education possible,” Post said.

James Tomasic, of Dameron, is a fa-ther of five children in public schools and is employed as a civilian engineer for the U.S. Navy aboard NAS Patuxent River.

“I decided to run because [my children] are the most important thing in my life,” he said.

Tomasic said he sees a lack of real, open discussion about education in St. Mary’s and hopes to open up channels for more parent involvement.

Tomasic has served as an adult leader for the Boy and Girl Scouts; as president of the Budget Advisory Committee for county schools; coached youth sports teams through recreation and parks; and has mentored high school and college students for the last 15 years on base.

Tomasic said he considers the Board of Education vitally important to the commu-nity, “responsible for ensuring that the local educational system provides all of the oppor-tunities, the resources, the rigor and the con-tinuous advancement of the most important part of a child’s life – their education.”

“I will bring my passion, talent, knowl-edge and experience to continuously im-prove the system and move St. Mary’s Coun-ty Public Schools forward,” he said.


The top two front-runners in the races for the at-large seat and the district 2 seat on the St. Mary’s Board of Education will face off on Election Day in November.

In all, three incumbent school board members are being challenged for their seats, including Cathy Allen and Mary Washington.

School board member Cathy Allen, representing district 2, was running for reelection unopposed until David Kelsey filed to run for the seat on Tuesday, and Jim Davis filed to run on Wednesday.

Allen, in her time on the board, has testified before the House Congressional Committee on Education and Labor and committees of the General Assembly, and said she has stayed active with current issues at the state level, advocating on be-half of St. Mary’s County Public Schools.

“Weighing the training I’ve received, the knowledge I’ve gained and the need to understand complex issues and ask questions as a board member, I felt that I continue to have much to contribute,” Allen said, when asked why she was run-ning for re-election.

Kelsey, of Hollywood, said he has spent 40 years thinking about public education, how it works and how it doesn’t. He spent 36 years in the classroom, “on the front line,” and taught science to St. Mary’s County elementary school teachers in conjunction with St. Mary’s College for 10 summers.

Kelsey said his reason for running is to bring a different voice to the discussion, citing, “Once we have the right ques-tions, we can move toward more adequate answers.”

The County Times was unable to reach Davis for com-ment as of press time Wednesday.

Mary Washington, currently holding the seat for district 4, said, “I have been a board of education member since 1996 and I love it.”

She described her work as a public servant as her passion, purpose and calling and said, “Now is not the time for on-the-job training, now is the time to vote for proven experience, commitment and dedication.”

Opposing Washington for the seat is Joel Rose, a father of three students at George Washington Carver Elementary and Special Missions Flight Attendant with the U.S. Air Force supporting the Vice President, First Lady and members of the Cabinet and Congress.

“Politics need to be removed from these positions and replaced with honest communication with the people of our community,” Rose said.

He called himself a “100 percent people person” and stat-ed, “Superintendent Martirano has his hands ful l… and needs a more diverse spectrum of people on the board to assist him and I feel I’m the individual to help tackle these issues.”

Many of the candidates have already launched websites or plan to do so soon as well as conduct meet and greets to speak directly to citizens and help voters better understand where they stand on the many significant issues facing public education in St. Mary’s County.



The teacher unions representing St. Mary’s and Calvert counties hosted the eighth annual legislative breakfast Saturday, to let local state delegates know where educators stand on the issues. Delegates John Bohanan, John Wood, Mark Fisher and Anthony O’Donnell shared their thoughts on upcoming issues and answered questions.

Topics offered up for discussion included the Building Opportunities For All Students And Teachers in Maryland (B.O.A.S.T) concept; the threat of pension costs shifting onto local governments; and overall public education funding.

O’Donnell (R-29C) said the B.O.A.S.T tax credit bill, which would allow businesses to claim a 75 percent state tax credit for donations made to public and non-public K-12 students and teachers, has been around for some time and has gained bi-par-tisan support. He called it “a way to leverage private dollars and put them into the schools.”

While Bohanan (D- 29B) has sponsored the bill in the past, he said its chances of passing this year are unlikely.

Melissa Kiernan, Education Association of St. Mary’s County (EASMC) Legislative Co-Chair, asked the legislators if they would support the effort to ensure that pensions are not shifted to local governments, an action, she said, that would have “far-reaching and devastating effects.”

Wood (D-29A) said the situation is a tough one, as the state employees have endured furloughs and gone without pay raises. He said shifting the funding obligation down to the counties is “just passing the buck” and while he doesn’t support doing so, “I think it’s going to happen sooner or later.”

Fisher (R-27B) also stated he didn’t support the shift, add-ing, “It’s an issue of holding Annapolis accountable and I hope we do that.”

Delegates Bohanan and O’Donnell concurred that such a

unilateral shift of this burden does not have their support.Bohanan said Maryland is one of only three states that fully

funds teacher pensions and the cost of that obligation continues to increase at a time when the state’s revenues are decreasing.

O’Donnell said there have been several burden shifts put onto the counties recently, as highway user funds have dimin-ished and the watershed implementation plan looms as a finan-cial threat. A shift, he said, “won’t solve the problem, it’ll only make it worse.”

Calvert Education Association (CEA) President Deborah Russ asked the panel about funding, stating, “public educators these days are doing more and more with less and less.”

Wood, who has 43 grandchildren, replied that the counties

are going to have to pick up some of the slack.Bohanan agreed and said he’s not happy about the dead-

last ranking of St. Mary’s County in per-pupil spending nor the decreasing level of local public education funding. “We’ve got a great school system, headed by a great superintendent, but they can’t keep pulling rabbits out of the hat year after year.”

Anna Laughlin, EASMC vice president, told the delegates, “The begging is demoralizing, especially when it gets you no-where … it’s even more concerning when you know your local government is sitting on tens of millions of dollars.”

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Teachers’ Question State Reps on Funding

From left are Maryland Delegates John Bohanan (D-29B), John Wood (D-29A), Mark Fisher (R-27B) and Tony O’Donnell (R-29C).

Thursday, January 12, 2012 Thursday, January 12, 201214 15The County Times The County Times

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The Farmers Market in Charlotte Hall first opened in the 1950’s. Back then, it was primarily a place you could shop for produce, antiques and livestock.

“Back in my youth, you could buy anything you wanted for a quarter,” said a 72-year-old St. Mary’s County resident, who declined to identify himself by name. “I remember on Wednes-days, when the truck from Baltimore would come down. My mom would be there to meet the trucks when they unloaded. My mother would be able to get $500 worth of stuff for $20. They had nice things there, back in the day.”

Gradually through the years, as tastes and fads changed, the farmers market started selling things such as counterfeit purses, tennis shoes, clothes, samurai swords, DVDs and Mary Kay products.

While the tastes of the typical farmer’s market shopper were evolving, other changes were going on in the county. Starting about 10 years ago, storage units began popping up everywhere. Storage units are a profitable business, always in demand due to the increased mobility of the American public, the soaring divorce rates and the homes that are being lost in the mortgage crisis.

Soon after storage units became popular, vendors started showing up at the farmers market. These new vendors were sell-

ing the items from the storage units that had been obtained at auction after the renters defaulted on payments for their units.

Ron Kastronis, of Brandywine, has been a vendor at the Charlotte Hall farmers market for seven years now, selling un-der the name of RK Auctions.

“I fell into this by going to auctions and selling the stuff on E-Bay,” Kastronis said. “A lot of things I sell are useful to other people. It isn’t an easy job, I work seven days a week and all 10 hour days, but I enjoy it.”

“I am the real life Storage Wars,” Kastronis said, referring to the popular cable TV show.

Kastronis splits his week into buying days and selling days. He spends four days a week selling at various local area flea and farmers markets and attends storage auctions three days a week.

“I travel as far south as Richmond and as far north as Bal-timore to get what I need at different auctions,” Kastronis said.

If you check the merchandise displayed on the long wooden tables that Kastronis sells off of, you might wonder who would have a need for some of the objects for sale.

Hopelessly tangled cords attached to out-of-date electron-ics, books on orthopedic surgeries in a box with a stethoscope, a foot-high leprechaun mixed in with a wide selection of Christ-mas items, old clothes (including used underwear), large piles of sheets, towels, furniture, kids toys and clothes, all kind of arranged in some kind of order probably only Kastronis under-stands. Larger items like stoves, leaf blowers, furniture and lad-

ders are prominently displayed by the road.Looking through boxes of used drinking glasses, kitchen-

ware, silverware and gadgets, Jeri Thompson of Mechanicsville was happy to find a butter crock and a cobalt glass vase.

“I just love, love, love to go shopping for antiques,” Thomp-son said. “I come here every Wednesday and Saturday with my sister. We also like eating at the restaurant.”

Belinda Burkman of Charlotte Hall is a mixed media artist who uses things she finds at the farmers market for her creations.

“I come here every day that it is open,” Burkman said. “I make my drawings and paintings using clothes, metals and ma-terials that I find here. Then I cover them with paint.”

“I also find stuff for my church and I buy books for chil-dren,” Burkman said. “I tutor one of my grandchildren and I find wonderful stuff here for her. I come in the mornings and I never leave until I am broke.”

That day, Burkman was able to find a large box of fabric remnants, all for only $5.

“I try never to miss a day coming here, because there is just so much good stuff for me here,” Burkman said. “People are crazy if they don’t come here to get stuff. You save so much money here. I am able to save so much that I can afford to buy things for other people that can’t afford them. I am blessed, so I want to share the blessings I have with others. Ron is a great guy; he always gives me a good deal.”

Burkman’s favorite purchase was a kiln, which she uses to fire the pottery she makes.

“I got a kiln here for only $150,” Burkman said. “Usu-ally they go for $800.”

Burkman always comes shopping at Kastronis’ tables bearing small gifts, usually food.

“Next week I will bring cookies,” Burkman said as she was leaving with her loot for the week.

Burkman is not the only person who brings gifts. An elderly couple stopped by Kastronis table, bringing a box of books for him. After they dropped those off, they went to check out Kastronis’s newest selling scheme, bread from a distributor.

This week Kastronis was able to offer Pepperidge Farm products for $2 an item. Bagels, bread and rolls were flying off the shelf. After you purchased $10 worth of bread, every subsequent item was just a dollar, so people ended up buying more than they originally planned. Ten items would run you $15, about a third of what it would cost in a local grocery store.

Ted Foster and his grandson Noah Bates, of Waldorf, weren’t interested in any baked goods. They come every week looking for records and games.

Foster was able to buy a few records and Bates found a game for his PlayStation 2, but they stopped by Kastro-nis’ tables to see if he had put anything aside for them.

“Ron usually puts records aside for me when he finds them,” Foster said. “I have a few thousand records, mostly from the 60s.”

“My best find so far has been an entire collection of Elvis records that I found here,” Foster said. “I just find so many records here.”

Some people attend the farmers market, not really searching for anything in particular, but will buy things on impulse. Keith and Alesia Javins, of Hughesville, came to see what was for sale on Saturday. Keith found a lad-der that he decided he couldn’t do without. His wife Alesia didn’t look as excited about the ladder find.

“I have a ladder,” Keith said, “but it is kept outside. This way I can have a nice, clean ladder to keep inside. This one is perfect for that, it isn’t too big. You never know what you can find here.”

Storage units aren’t the only source of items for sale at the farmers market.

Linda and Cindy Cooper are sisters and they spend the week going to yard sales, then selling what they find at the farmers market on Saturday.

“This is our hobby, and it is fun,” Cindy said. “If I really needed money, I wouldn’t be out here in the cold trying to make it this way. I just enjoy being here, meeting the different people.”

Taylor Smith had a table and she was selling surplus items from her family’s pawnshop. This was her first week attempting to sell things at the farmers market. Her tables featured snowboards, bicycles, exercise equipment, a paint ball machine and lots of DVDs.

“We sell five DVDs for $20,” Smith said. “That is a good deal.”

Smith said the most popular item that she sees in her pawn-shop is stereo equipment. Tools are also a popular item.

Smith said she is a kind-hearted person, which can be a problem in the pawn shop business.

“Sometimes I will see people down on their luck and I see them trying to pawn stuff they really don’t want to part with,” Smith said. “I usually try to talk my dad into giving them a bit more money, but he has a set price for everything and he doesn’t budge.”

The human aspect of broken lives and broken dreams can get to the sellers after a while. Along with materials goods, stor-age bins are full of personal stuff. You can find checkbooks, birth certificates, wedding albums and diaries along with all the usual items for sale.

This particular Saturday, along with books and dishes and bridesmaid/prom queen dresses, a diary was on sale for a quarter. It told the story of a girl who just got out of school and became a flower buyer. In the beginning, she filled her diary with recollections of dances and dinners with friends and her impressions of the man who would later become her husband. After a while, her entries became less frequent and less happy as her marriage became troubled. Her husband was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and he started medication.

After a brief time, her husband quit the meds and problems resurfaced. The girl was offered a flower buyer’s job in China. There was nothing but blank pages after that.

Kastronis will sometimes find things in storage lockers that he will return to the owners.

“I always return ashes when I find them,” Kastronis said. “It is a lot of work to find the owners, but I always make an ef-fort to get them back to them.”

[email protected]

The Real Life ‘Storage Wars’

Photo by Andy PhillipsRon Kastronis, of Brandywine, makes a living out of buying defaulted storage untis and reselling the contents.

Photo by Frank Marquart


NewsmakersMechanicsville Mom Gets Makeover, Meets Celebrities


A Mechanicsville mother of one son and two sets of twin girls, recently appeared on the Rachael Ray Show, receiving a makeover and talking multiples motherhood with celebrities.

Kim Myers said she was looking online for a recipe she’d recently seen bubbly chef Rachael Ray prepare on the show one day when she noticed a tab that read ‘are you a mom of multi-ples?’ offering a chance to be a guest on the daytime show. She clicked, figuring she had nothing to lose, and was contacted six months later to appear on the episode featuring “Desperate Housewives” star Marcia Cross, which aired Friday, Jan. 6.

Cross is also a mother of twin girls.

What Myers didn’t realize, was that her daughters had written a letter asking Rachael to do something spe-cial for their mom, “the most giving person we know,” as the host shared on the air. “And wow did they!’ said Myers.

“There are no words that could adequately begin to describe the ex-perience,” Myers told The County Times. She, her husband and four teenage daughters were “treated like royalty”, she explained, adding the show paid for the entire trip, put them up in a luxury hotel and made sure they didn’t want anything during their visit to New York City.

Myers’ husband Mike said, “It was very nice to see Kim treated so well and pampered…she so de-serves it.” He said that while they feel blessed to have five wonderful kids, they often don’t have a lot of “just

us” time and Kim gets very little “me time”. He shared that when they look back on the younger years, they’re a bit of a blur and he sometimes won-ders, “how did we survive?”

Myers said her oldest son, Mi-chael, was reporting to his Coast Guard recruiter in Virginia the same day, but wishes he could have shared the experience. However, her hus-band and daughters Tiffany and Cas-sidy, the first set of twins, and Toni and Erika, the second set of twins, were all smiles as they joined their mom in the studio audience at the show. All of them said the experi-ence was a wonderful one that they won’t soon forget.

The Myers family’s smiles grew even bigger when they saw their mom come out following her pro-fessional makeover, courtesy of Ra-chael’s style buddy Gretta Monohan

and Ted Gibson’s design team. The mom, originally from

Massachusetts, said her day-to-day style was rather simple, consisting of jeans, a t-shirt, a ponytail and no make-up. The makeover and all the advice she received from the profes-sionals made her more mindful of her appearance and let her realize that it’s not only okay, but also healthy to put some time into taking care of herself.

Myers stepped out after being swept off backstage by a beauty team and returned toward the end of the show to reveal her make-over, com-plete with a new hair style and color, professionally applied make-up and high-fashion duds. She said when the team was done with her and she saw the results in the mirror, she ex-claimed, “I don’t even know who this is!”

“I will never forget this once-in-a-lifetime experience they gifted my family and me,” Myers said.

Her daughter Tiffany told The County Times, “This was a super cool miracle my family and I got to be a part of.”

Cassidy said, “It was really nice seeing my mom get a makeover and

seeing my dad’s reaction.” All the Myers girls described appearing on the show, meeting Rachael Ray and the trip to New York as a memorable and “awesome” experience.

Myers said the experience en-couraged her to tell her daughters that after they get married and have children that it is good to take time for themselves, because, she said, “in the long run, everyone wins.” She said that little bit of extra time they spend on themselves will help them feel better and be more productive thanks to a more positive outlook.

She learned that for herself and thanks the Rachael Ray Show, all those in the studio and the make-over experts for deeming her a deserving mom and making her dreams come true.

The busy mother works full-time and stays on-the-go often with her active daughters. Myers said both before and after her new look, one of her favorite things to do is spend time with her family, especially Sunday suppers after church.

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or e-mail us [email protected] Submitted photos

Kim Myers, before and after her makeover. Above, Myers and her family in the audience of the Rachael Ray Show.


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The County Times is always looking for more local talent to feature! To submit art or band information for our entertainment section,

e-mail [email protected].

Community Theater Festival Comes to St. Mary’s This Weekend


Last year, when Three Notch Theater hosted the state com-munity theater festival, opening night sold out and the weekend-long event showcasing productions from theater groups throughout Maryland was well-attended.

Festival Chair Cindy Johnson said last year was a big success and the board was very pleased to return to St. Mary’s this year. Many, she said, had never visited the area and were impressed by the hospitality they found here. The 2012 festival will be the 27th competition held.

Johnson and her husband Zeke, of LaPlata, have worked in the-atre for decades as board members, producers, directors and actors. She said she is thankful that people still come out to see and support live theater even in these rough economic times. She said the festival is great for the local economy and is really all about the arts and entertainment.

This year, 10 theater groups will perform 11 one-act plays. Among them are a variety of genres, some original works and some published. Four winners will be selected by a panel of judges, from out of town, that have received intensive training on adjudicating the productions. Those will continue on to represent the state at the East-ern States Theatre Association (ESTA) in Pennsylvania in April.

That judging, Johnson explained, is done right in front of the participants and the audience, providing an added element to the the-ater-going experience, reminiscent of prime time talent shows. Some in the audience may completely agree with the judges, while others may not, she said, but either way hearing their professional critiques adds a new element and likely, added pressure on the playwrights, actors, directors and all those involved in the productions.

Bill Scarafia, who will direct Headquarters, an original one-act penned by local author Peter E. Abresch, said the theater has been busy making improvements and getting ready to host the festival for a second year, carefully planning their production schedule around the prestigious event.

Headquarters stars Larry and Tessa Silvestro in a tale of an elderly gentleman coming to terms with the end of his life.

Last year Scarafia won the best director award with Trish Cole’s original one-act, Woman: revised, and The Newtowne Players went on to represent Maryland at regionals for the first time.

This year another Cole original titled Witch Hunt will be per-formed by the Performing Arts Club of College of Southern Mary-land, Leonardtown Campus, rookies to the festival competition. She said, “It’s a dark piece which invokes the real stories of the real women accused of witchcraft in America.” Lisa Gregory will direct.

Cole also said it’s exciting to perform the same night as The Newtowne Players and that she hopes they get a lot of shared home-town support.

Scarafia said The Newtowne Players have participated for years and added, “It is a really nice feeling to bring the festival into our community theater.” Members of the group not involved in the show will volunteer as ushers and help with running the box office and concession stand.

While the event is something community theatre groups look forward to each year, it’s also a lot of work and a rather stringent competition, requiring timed set-ups and an extreme level of organi-zation to meet all of the rules and qualifications.

Joining our local community theater groups are troupes from Calvert, Charles, Montgomery, Prince George’s and Frederick counties.

Groups were in and out of the playhouse this past weekend working out their technical details, marking the stage with color-coded tape and running through lines in an 80-minute session al-lowed prior to the festival.

Showtimes are to the right, and tickets to individual sessions, for $15, or a Super Pass to all shows, for $45, are available for ad-vanced purchase online by visiting www.newtowneplayers.org or with cash or check only at the box office prior to each session.

The event will culminate in an awards ceremony and brunch on Sunday afternoon.

[email protected]

The 2012 Maryland

Community Theatre Festival

Friday, Jan. 13 @ 8 p.m.Headquarters by Peter E. Abresch

(The Newtowne Players)King of the Pekinese Yellowtail

by Sarah Brown (Hard Bargain Players)

Witch Hunt by Trish Cole (College of Southern Maryland)

Saturday, Jan. 14 @ 9:30 a.m.

Lovers: Winners by Brian Friel (Silver Spring Stage)

Good Business Sense by Emmett Loverde (Port Tobacco Players)

Saturday, Jan. 14 @ 2 p.m.

Stuck by Audrey Cefaly (Silver Spring Stage)

Pillow Talk by Peter Tolan (Montgomery Playhouse)

Surf and Turf by Rosemary Frisino Toohey

and Rolin Jones (Thurmont Thespians)

Saturday, Jan. 14 @ 8 p.m.

Waiting for Dingleman’s Comet by Albi Gorn

(Laurel Mill Playhouse)Community of Two by Terry Kenney

(Thunderous Productions)Get Stuffed by Mark Scharf

(New Directions)

Photo By Carrie MunnThe Hard Bargain Players of Accokeek,work out their lighting and timing Sunday afternoon in preparation for their upcoming Friday night production of King of the Pekinese Yellowtail.

Photo By Emily FunderburkLarry and Tesa Silvestro rehearse the original one-act, Headquarters, which will represent The Newtowne Players on opening night of the 2012 Maryland Community Theater Festival, Jan. 13.

Thursday, January 12, 201219 The County TimesW

hat’s Going On

In EntertainmentThursday, Jan. 12

Live Music: “Half Naked Trio”The Blue Dog Saloon (7940 Port Tobacco Road, Port Tobacco) – 8 p.m.

Live Music: “The Sam Grow Band”Loveville Tavern (28275 Point Lookout Road, Leonardtown) – 7 p.m.

Live Music: “Gretchen Richie- Broadway’s Golden Era”Cafe Des Artistes (41655 Fenwick Street, Leonardtown) – 6 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 13Live Music: “Seldom Scene”The Westlawn Inn (9200 Chesapeake Avenue, North Beach) – 7:30 p.m.

Live Music: “The Piranhas”Toot’s Bar (23971 Mervell Dean Road, Hollywood) – 8:30 p.m.

Live Music: “The Justin Crenshaw Band”The Blue Dog Saloon (7940 Port Tobacco Road, Port Tobacco) – 9 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 14Live Music: “The Sam Grow Band”Dew Drop Inn (3966 Mervell Dean Road, Hollywood) - 7 p.m.

Live Music: “Miles From Clever”Olde Town Pub (22785 Washington Street, Leonardtown) – 8 p.m.

Live Music: “HydraFX”Fat Boy’s Country Store (41566 Medleys Neck Road, Leonardtown) – 8 p.m.

Live Music: “Radio Red Line”Memories Nightclub and Bar (2360 Old Washington Road, Waldorf) – 8 p.m.

Live Music: “Craze”Big Dogs Paradise (28765 Three Notch Road, Mechanicsville) – 9:3- p.m.

Live Music: “Stephanie Williams Country Band”Ruddy Duck Brewery (13200 Dowell Road, Dowell) – 8 p.m.

Live Music: “Hy Jinx w/ Hate the Toy”Hotel Charles (15110 Burnt Store Road, Hughesville) – 9 p.m.

Live Music: “Rum Runners”Island Bar and Crab House (16810 Piney Point Rd., Piney Point) – 7:30 p.m.

Live Music: “ A Day Off Earth”Rustic River Bar and Grill (40874 Merchants Lane, Leonardtown) – 8 p.m.

Live Music: “Synergy”Apehangers Bar and Grill (9100 Crain Highway, Bel Alton) – 9:30 p.m.

Live Music: “The Justin Crenshaw Band”Cryer’s Back Road Inn (22094 Newtowne Neck Road, Leonardtown) – 9 p.m.

Live Music: “The Not So Modern Jazz Quartet”The Westlawn Inn (9200 Chesapeake Avenue, North Beach) – 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 15Turkey Shoot and Oyster Scald7th District Optimist Club Ball Park (21804 Colton Point Rd.) - Noon

Monday, Jan. 16Open Mic NightRustic River Bar and Grill (40874 Merchants Lane, Leonardtown) – 5 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 17Trivia NightRustic River Bar and Grill (40874 Merchants Lane, Leonardtown) – 6:30 p.m.

Open Mic NightRuddy Duck Brewery (13200 Dowell Road, Dowell) – 6:30 p.m.

Live Music: “Fair Warning”DB McMillan’s (23415 Three Notch Road, California) – 5 p.m.

All Night KaraokeMartini’s Lounge (10553 Theodore Green Boulevard, White Plains)- 8 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 18

Live Music: “Bob and Eric”La Tabella (23154 Wetstone Lane, California) – 6 p.m.

Kaleidescope Comedy NightRustic River Bar and Grill (40874 Merchants Lane, Leonardtown) – 8 p.m.

Learning Leadership LocallyBy Karen HolcombExecutive Director, Leadership Southern Maryland

As the Executive Director of Leadership Southern Mary-land (LSM), I am often asked, “What does LSM do? Do LSM graduates make a difference in our region and communities?”

LSM is currently recruiting Class 2013, our 5th class! It is an exciting moment in the progression from Inaugural Class 2009 with 28 members, to the milestone of 103 graduates with the graduations of Class 2010 and Class 2011. Class 2012's 35 members will graduate in May, bringing the total to 138 LSM graduates in Southern Maryland.

LSM is an LSM is a non profit 501 (c) 3 organization pro-viding adult experiential programs including travel and learn-ing across our region. Program topics and venues change each month. LSM graduates are leaders and colleagues working to-gether across the region. Class 2013 will continue the journey and add to the rich bank of experiences and commitment to our region.

How has LSM made a difference?LSM's inaugural class raised funding to enable scholarships

for the LSM program, broadening our capacity to include small and non profit business candidates as well as candidates who do not have access to employer development funds.

In 2010, LSM's Board of Directors and Alumni worked with the Maryland Leadership Workshop organization and a grant from Comcast Leadership Series to create LSM LEAD. LEAD is a residential program at St. Mary's College of Mary-land for Calvert, Charles and St. Mary's high school students en-tering 10, 11 and 12th grade. The three-night, four-day program is held in June.

Recruiting for LSM LEAD 2012 Delegates begins March 1. The program also sponsors a follow-up "reunion" event held at the College of Southern Maryland La Plata Campus later in the year.

Each class has worked on projects to make a difference in the community.

LSM Class 2010 discovered the need for an endowment fund to ensure that future LSM projects that benefit the region can be accomplished. The class raised sufficient funding to es-tablish the first regional endowment in the Charles County Com-munity Foundation. These growing funds will be available for future projects within our regional community.

LSM Class 2011 sponsored a shoreline and fresh water res-toration in association with Dominion Cove Point and the Na-tional Aquarium that resulted in a planting project during Feb-ruary 2011 that drew LSM class, alumni, sponsors, family and friends for a full day of planting.

LSM Class 2012 has formed a project working with Habitat for Humanity to build accessible housing for our wounded war-riors. We are keenly watching the evolution of this project and will proudly list the outcome as a part of the growing awareness of what can be accomplished working together.

We also must recognize the contributions of the founders and sponsors of LSM. Across Southern Maryland, Leadership Maryland (LMD) graduates envisioned and created LSM. Many individuals, local businesses and organizations have contributed their time and resources to originate and sustain our programs. Our alumni regularly volunteer in mentoring programs, seek and create new environment preservation initiatives, care for our wounded warriors, in short volunteering across the spectrum of their individual and shared interests.

The Leadership Southern Maryland (LSM) Board of Di-rectors will host three informal breakfast meetings in Charles, St. Mary’s, and Calvert County. Board members, Alumni and Class 2012 members will be available to share information about the LSM Program and Application Process with interested LSM candidates.

The St. Mary’s County meeting will be from 8-9 a.m. Jan. 25 at Technology Security Associates in California.

To RSVP, please contact Karen Holcomb, Executive Direc-tor Leadership Southern Maryland via email [email protected] or call 240-725-5469. To learn more about LSM, please visit www.leadsomd.org.

Dr. E. Faye Williams, national chair of the National Congress of Black Women, will be the keynote speaker of the eighth annual Southern Maryland Martin Luther King, Jr., Prayer Breakfast Jan. 16 at St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

The event starts with breakfast at 6 a.m. in the J. Frank Raley Great room and the program begins at 8 a.m. The morn-ing includes performances by the choirs of First Missionary Baptist Church, Spring Ridge Middle School and the college’s Black Student Union. Breakfast tickets are $8.50 and are available at the door. Early arrival is recommended, as space is lim-ited; advanced registration is not required.

Williams is president and CEO of Natural Health Options, one of the busi-

nesses inspired by the 1995 Million Man March. She is chair of the board of the Black Leadership Forum and former counsel to the U.S. Congress’s District of Columbia Sub-committee on the Judiciary and Education, and was recognized as one Ebony magazine’s “100 Most Influential Black Americans.”

Williams holds a master’s degree of public administration from the University of Southern California, a juris doctorate from Howard University School of Law, and a doctorate of ministry from Wesley Theological Seminary.

For further information on the prayer breakfast, contact William Howard at 240-895-4388 or [email protected].

Chair of National Congress of Black Women Will Speak at MLK Breakfast

MLK Memorial Bus Trip PlannedThe Elijah International Foundation is hosting a countywide community bus trip to the new Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. memo-

rial in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 16, following and departing from the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. prayer breakfast hosted by St. Mary’s College of Maryland in St. Mary’s City. The bus will depart from the prayer breakfast at 1 p.m. and return by 6 p.m.

The foundation is particularly interested in having the county’s youth and seniors participate.Sponsorships are sought to cover the $25 cost per seat. The $25 will cover the prayer breakfast, bus seat and lunch on the trip.

Pledges and sponsors are needed as soon as possible. To reserve a seat and for sponsorship information, call 240-431-2112.In addition, a community oyster scald will be held at Thompson’s Corner Kafe in Leonardtown on Jan. 15 from 2 to 6 p.m. to

raise funds for the bus trip. For more information, call 301-997-1260 or 240-431-2112.



Members of the Leonardtown Lion’s Club are changing their annual Crab Festival date from their traditional Sunday date to Saturday, June 9 for 2012, in the hopes that they can expand the event from a simple club fundraiser to something bigger.

Bob Schaller, the county’s economic development director and now head of the Leonardtown Lions, said the seemingly mi-nor change signals a long-term effort to make the Crab Festival more of a destination for tourists as well as long-time county residents in the hopes that it will also help jog the local economy.

By moving the festival to a Saturday the club hopes to give visitors the opportunity to stay later — the club is expanding the festival hours to 9 p.m. at night from the usual 5 p.m. — and spend the night at a local hotel and get up the next morning for

breakfast at a local restaurant.“Saturday is a better day because the next day’s not a work

day,” Schaller said. “We want to take it to a new level because that’s where we do most of our fundraising.

“The more money we raise the more we can give to hospice, fire and rescue and to scholarships.”

The Lion’s Club had held the festival for two days many years ago, he said, but there were not enough volunteers to keep that level of activity up year after year.

There was some initial reluctance among members this time to change the date because of worries that volunteers would come up short, but they agreed to the change.

“The volunteers were just exhausted,” he said. “We’re mindful of what we have the capacity to do … but we want to make this an overnight thing.”

Volunteers have already experienced an increase in work at the festival since they moved to the county fairgrounds three

years ago.“Right away our attendance went up,” Schaller said.Other ways the club has tried successfully to boost atten-

dance included opening the event up to families with pets; the first time they did that 30 families with pets showed up, Schaller said.

This year the club will include a few theme rides for chil-dren and they plan to have water spraying for children to play and keep cool, Schaller said.

It’s all a part of making the most out of a 27-year-old St. Mary’s County tradition that is starting to draw visitors from Charles and Calvert counties as well as from out of state and even from other countries, Schaller said.

“We’re trying to make this more than just eating hard crabs in the hot sun,” Schaller said. “Little by little we’ll get there.”

[email protected]

The Leonardtown Volunteer Fire

Department held its 84th Annual

Installation of Officers on Saturday evening.

Along with the installation, Joseph Andrew Bell and

Joseph H. Goddard were both recognized for putting in 30 years of active service with the fire department.

There was also a special memorial for J. Michael Scully, a

member who passed away in 2011. Six

Gun South provided live entertainment

and Rita B. Catering provided dinner.

Photo by Sarah Miller

Solving problems involving permutations of integers and quadratic polynomials, two St. Mary’s Ryken students earned high scores and finished in the top 10% of the 33rd Annual Uni-versity of Maryland High School Mathematics Competition.

Senior Steve Kim of Great Mills took first place in St. Mary’s County, placing 129 out of the 2,584 students who participated. Sophomore Jane Kwon of Lexington Park placed 215. The com-petition is open to all students enrolled in high school in Maryland and the District of Columbia.

The High School Mathematics Competition is meant to provide students with stimulation, feedback and the opportunity for achievement. The test is divided into two parts. For Part I, students had 75 minutes to complete 25 multiple choice questions similar to this one: “The num-ber ‘7abcdefg77’ is a 10-digit number (written in base 10) that is equal to the cube of an integer. What is the digit g?”

Students needed high scores on Part I to move on to participate in Part II of the competi-tion. The two SMR students were among only 279 test-takers to qualify for Part II. They had two hours to complete five problems.

According to the competition’s website, while both exams require a sound knowledge of high school mathematics, Part II is a “consid-erably more challenging exam.” All problems needed not only ability, but also a fair amount of insight and ingenuity to solve the questions.

The American Legion Family, Post, Unit and Sons of the American Legion (SAL) Squadron #255 of Ridge presented checks totaling $4,500 to SAL Maryland Detachment Commander Edward “Buddy” Martin for his commander’s proj-ect to purchase a handicapped accessible bus for the Charlotte Hall Veterans Home, at a cost of $65,000. From left is SAL Squadron Commander Danny George, Unit President Ethel McKay (Martin) and Post Commander Skip Dis-haroon, Ridge #255.

Crab Festival Date Changes

Leonardtown Fire Installs Officers

Members of the Rope N Wranglers 4-H Club delivered coats collected during their Annual Coat Drive to the to Three Oaks Center in Lexington Park on Dec. 31. Pictured are club members Cady Bryan, Jason Fore, Chris Windsor, Mary Trossbach, Shelby Sasscer, John Fore, and Charlie Sasscer.

Rope N Wranglers Donate Coats

Ryken Students Earn High Scores in Math Competition

St. Mary’s Ryken senior Steve Kim, left, of Great Mills won first place in St. Mary’s County for the University of Maryland High School Math Competition. SMR sopho-more Jane Kwon of Lexington Park finished in the top 10% of all test takers.

Donations Received for Vet’s Home Bus


Thursday, Jan. 12• Bridges Grief Support for Kids and TeensTrinity United Methodist Church (90 Church Street, Prince Frederick) – 6:30 p.m.

Calvert Hospice is offering Bridges, a grief support pro-gram for children and teens, ages 3 to 18, grieving the death of someone close. The program will take place Thursdays, Jan. 12 through March 1 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Call 410-535-0892 to register. All bereavement programs are available to Calvert County Residents at no charge. Visit www.calverthospice.org for more program information.

• Tai Chi ClassEvolve Yoga and Wellness Studio (23415 Three Notch Road, California) – 7:30 p.m.

Yang style Tai Chi Class. The most widely practiced Tai Chi form in the world. Beginners are welcome. For more information, visit www.EvolveYogaWellness.com or call 301-862-1236.

• 2012 Dinner MeetingMixing Bowl Restaurant (Lexington Park) 5 p.m.

The Patuxent River Sail and Power Squadron will hold its first 2012 dinner meeting. Dinner begins at 5 p.m., and the meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. The speaker is Gary Smith from the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary. Members of the Coast Guard Auxiliary are especially welcome to attend.

Friday, Jan. 13• Clue: An Interactive Mystery Dinner PartyGarvey Senior Activity Center (41780 Baldridge Street, Leon-ardtown) – 4:30 p.m.

The classic whodunit detective game that’s been a family favorite for over 60 years will come to life at the Garvey Senior Activity Center! This interactive mystery dinner party will put your deductive reasoning to the test. Poor Mr. Boddy has been shockingly murdered in his own mansion. To win this murder mystery game, players must become roving detectives, sniffing out the answers to the classic mystery questions: Who among Mr. Boddy’s guests committed the murder? What was the mur-der weapon? (Lead pipe? Wrench? Candlestick?) Where did the murder happen? (Library? Conservatory?) Players will move from room to room, gathering clues to figure out which sus-pect, weapon, and location are in the secret file – the file that holds the answers to Mr. Boddy’s murder. Advance tickets are required and are available at the Garvey Senior Activity Center. Suggested ticket donation is $7 and includes a staff prepared meal. Ticket quantity is limited and tickets are available on a first come, first served basis. For more information, call 301-475-4200, ext. 1050.

• Kids Yoga with CraftsEvolve Yoga and Wellness Studio (23415 Three Notch Road, California) – 5 p.m.

Come join us for a fun filled class that brings yoga and crafts together in one place. Parents have the option of partici-pating in the class with their child, participating in their own adult yoga class in the adjacent studio, or dropping off their child for their class. The classes are Fridays from 5 to 6 p.m. for children between the ages of 4 and 10. For more information, visit www.EvolveYogaWellness.com or call 301-862-1236.

• 3rd Annual SOMD Jeopardy TournamentGreat Mills High School Auditorium (21130 Great Mills Road, Great Mills) – 6 p.m.

The Third Annual Southern Maryland Jeopardy Tourna-ment will be held at 6 p.m. in the GMHS Auditorium. Admis-sion is $5. All proceeds benefit the GMHS Engineering Club. Proceeds allow students to compete in national and internation-al engineering competitions. For information on registering as a contestant visit http://schools.smcps.org/gmhs/engineering-club or contact Allen Skinner at [email protected].

• Owl Prowl at Myrtle Point Park Myrtle Point Park (24050 Patuxent Boulevard California) – 8 p.m.

Always popular with the people and sometimes the owls join us as well. An owl prowl is an evening hike through the woods attempting to call in any of our resident nocturnal birds of prey. In past years we have heard barred, screech, and great horned owls respond. Come out and see what this year offers. For information call Bob at 410-394-1300 or Dudley at 301-475-1858; email: [email protected].

Saturday, Jan. 14• 2nd Saturday Series at SotterleySotterley Plantation (44300 Sotterley Lane, Hollywood) - 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Sotterley Plantation is pleased to announce the beginning of something new in 2012 - the 2nd Saturday Series. The first four months of the year, the public will have the opportunity to experience four distinct aspects of this plantation’s past, pres-ent, and plans for the future. Go behind the scenes at Sotterley. Become an insider and enter places you won’t see on a regular tour. Enter the kitchen, upstairs in the Plantation House, view collections. Advanced reservations only. $15 per person. Lim-ited to 16 people per tour. Indoor and outdoor walking required. Call for reservations.

• Children’s Book Reading Lexington Park Library (21677 FDR Boulevard, Lexington Park) – 3 p.m.

“We’re Going to Heaven!,” an illustrated children’s book will be read by the author, Rick Tancreto, at the Lexington Park Library. A free, signed copy of the book will be presented to each child, ages 5-10, in attendance. Snacks will also be pro-vided. Seating is limited. Call 410-456-0572 to reserve a space.

• Contra Dance Christ Episcopal Church Parish Hall (37497 Zach Fowler Road, Chaptico) – 7 p.m.

A Contra Dance sponsored by Southern MD Traditional Music and Dance, featuring caller Ann Fallon, will be held on Saturday, Jan. 14. The doors open at 7 p.m. and the dancing be-gins at 7:30 p.m. Contra is a traditional American style of social dance and is a huge amount of fun and exercise. If you’ve ever danced a Virginia Reel or been to a Square Dance, you have a good idea how much fun it can be. If you haven’t, it’s about time you tried it! Beginners are encouraged to arrive at 7 p.m. to get some instruction in the various dances. Admission is $8 for non-SMTMD members, $6 for members and band mem-bers are free. No Fancy Or Outlandish Clothing is required! You need to be comfortable, to move freely. There will be an ice cream social following the dance. For more information and directions go to www.smtmd.org.

Sunday, Jan. 15• Seekers After Justice, Then and NowChesapeake Charter School (20945 Great Mills Road, Lexing-ton Park) – 10:30 a.m.

On Martin Luther King’s birthday, come hear James Gib-bons Walker examine the central role of religion in the civil rights movement, and religion’s place in this year of protests and the emphases on social justice, interdependence and human dignity among Evangelicals as well as Unitarian Universalists – for hints of a probable future.

All are welcome! Childcare and Sunday school available. For more information, visit www.uufsm.org.

• Pure Sea Glass Returns!Calvert Marine Museum (14200 Solomons Island Road, Solo-mons) – 2 p.m.

Back by popular demand! Richard LaMotte returns to Sun-day Conversations with Chesapeake Authors with his Pure Sea Glass presentation. Richard LaMotte has spent hours carefully studying close to 30,000 shards of sea glass to produce this in-depth study. Come and immerse yourself as he focuses on sea glass identification. Bring your favorite shards for help determin-ing their age and origin. Buy his book and have it autographed on the spot. Shop our exquisite selection of sea glass jewelry.

• Chesapeake Community Chorus - Singers WantedNorth Beach Union Church (8912 Chesapeake Avenue, North Beach) – 4 p.m.

The Chesapeake Community Chorus is a volunteer group of over thirty active singers starting its ninth season giving concerts for the benefit of charities in mostly Calvert County. Our concerts have raised over $50,000 for charities in Calvert County. We are always interested in adding new singers to the chorus. There are no auditions required, just the love and enjoy-ment of singing 4-part (or more) music. The chorus meets about every two weeks, holidays excluded, to learn the music for our concerts, and our concerts usually are scheduled to replace a practice time. Practices move from location to location in Cal-vert County as we have members in all parts of this long county. Practice time is on Sunday afternoon from 4-6 p.m. Members are from various church choirs but we have a large number of singers from various communities, even a number from outside

Calvert County. We do all types of music but since we are usu-ally invited to churches to raise money for a charity of their choice, we do a lot of sacred music. If you are interested in sing-ing with us, please contact us.

Monday, Jan. 16• Mommy and Me Monday Sixty-Six Beans (29948 Three Notch Road, Charlotte Hall) – 10 a.m.

Come out for our monthly Mommy-N-Me gathering. Let the kids be entertained with a fun craft or book reading while you sit back and enjoy a cup of our fantastic brew!

To see all of our events, visit www.facebook.com/66beans?sk=events.

• Martin Luther King, Jr. Prayer BreakfastSt. Mary’s College of Maryland (18952 East Fishers Road, St. Mary’s City) – 6 a.m.

Dr. E. Faye Williams, national chair of the National Con-gress of Black Women, will be the keynote speaker of the eighth annual Southern Maryland Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast. The breakfast starts in the J. Frank Raley Great Room at the Campus Center with breakfast. The event itself begins at 8 a.m. and includes performances by the choirs of First Missionary Baptist Church, Spring Ridge Middle School and the college’s Black Student Union. Breakfast tickets are $8.50 and are avail-able at the door. Early arrival is recommended as space is limit-ed; advanced registration is not required. For more information on the prayer breakfast, contact William Howard at 240-895-4388 or [email protected].

• Intro to Chess SeriesLeonardtown Middle School (24015 Point Lookout Road, Leonardtown) – 6:30 p.m.

MECA will be providing free chess classes beginning in January! Make a New Year’s resolution you’ll really enjoy, learn chess in 2012! Whether you know some chess and want to improve your game or you are new to the game, come to either of our two chess classes and our instructors will teach you ev-erything you need to know about chess.

Tuesday, Jan. 17• Resume and Cover Letter WorkshopCalvert Library Prince Frederick (850 Costley Way, Prince Fredrick) – 10 a.m.

Need help with your resume? Join job counselor Sandra Holler in a small group to learn what makes a strong resume and cover letter. If you have one started, bring it with you so editing can happen on the spot. For more information, call 410-535-0291 or 301-855-1862.

• Intro to Chess SeriesLexington Park Library Room B (21677 FDR Boulevard, Lex-ington Park) – 6 p.m.

MECA will be providing free chess classes beginning in January! Make a New Year’s resolution you’ll really enjoy, learn chess in 2012! Whether you know some chess and want to improve your game or you are new to the game, come to either of our two chess classes and our instructors will teach you ev-erything you need to know about chess.

• YogaJoy Lane Healing Center (43288 Joy Lane, Hollywood) – 6:30 p.m.

Gentle Yoga on Tuesday evenings. Start the New Year out right with a Yoga Class! Class will focus on gentle yoga move-ments, breathing and meditation creating balance between body and mind helping to create a healthier you! Class will practice various relaxing techniques, postures and a gentle flow-work-out. Please bring your mat and water. To register for classes contact Debra at Joy Lane Healing Center at 301-373-2522

Wednesday, Jan. 18• Audition Notice - On Golden PondSouthern Community Center (20 Appeal Lane, Lusby) – 7:30 p.m.

New Direction Community Theater announces auditions for “On Golden Pond” on Wednesday, Jan. 18 and Monday, Jan. 23 at the Southern Community Center. Cast will be three males, three females and one teenage boy between the ages of 12-15. Performances will be held in April. For more informa-tion on auditions or how to become a part of New Direction Community Theater, please visit www.ndctheater.net84.net or call 443-624-4484.


By Linda RenoContributing Writer

(Pt. II from last week)

Dr. James D. Sutton swore that he only knew Mr. Thomas slightly until 1841 when Mr. Thomas was living with his son, Captain Joseph Thomas. He de-

scribed the relations in the Thomas household as ami-cable except when Roger Thomas would become ex-cited. “At those times, Mr. Thomas was very violent in his language and would denounce in strong terms.” He believed that Mr. Thomas’ memory and judgment was impaired by disease and age.

Dr. Sutton stated further that early in 1842 he saw Mr. Thomas at Mr. Gilmore’s and heard him complain bitterly of his son’s treatment of him, saying his son “had defrauded him of everything he owned and left him at the mercy of the world.”

Henry G. S. Key testified that he frequently saw Roger Thomas from the time Thomas first came to Leonardtown until about a week to 10 days before his death and they often discussed politics and sailing. He recalled that his first conversation with Mr. Thomas was about Mr. Thomas’ early life as a sailor on the Wicomico River. The last time he spoke with him, Mr. Thomas told him that Mr. and Mrs. Gilmore were very kind to him and were making him very comfortable. Mr. Thomas told him that everything he had left he

wanted Mrs. Becky Gilmore to have. He believes that Mr. Thomas was of sound mind and capable of making a will.

Benjamin G. Harris testified that Mr. Thomas came to Leonardtown early in January, 1842 to see Mr. Har-ris and Mr. Key was there. There was a great deal of conversation, particularly between Mr. Thomas and Mr. Key on a variety of subjects. From this meeting he was of the impression that Mr. Thomas was of sound mind. The same evening Mr. Thomas requested his advice on the best way to secure to Mr. Gilmore the remainder of his property, of which he had very little left, alluding to what had been taken from him by his son and his fam-ily. He stated that Mr. Gilmore was willing to support him during the remainder of his life.

This deponent and the deceased consulted together and agreed that Mr. Thomas would take Mr. Gilmore’s bond for a comfortable support for the remainder of his life for the transfer of all of Mr. Thomas’ property to Mr. Gilmore. Mr. Gilmore executed the bond to Mr. Thomas and Mr. Thomas executed a bill of sale to Mr. Gilmore for all of his property. At this time both Mr. and Mrs. Gilmore were present. Mrs. Gilmore told him that Mr. Thomas had been mistreated by his son and his family and that she had seen him in a room without a fire when a fire should have been there to make him comfortable. Mr. Thomas would become excited when-ever he discussed Mrs. Thomas and said that she did not treat him properly.

The will of Roger Thomas was probated as written. He is buried at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church.

A Journey Through TimeA Journey Through TimeThe Chronicleof an Aimless

MindWanderings

The Best Laid…Lists

By Shelby OppermannContributing Writer

What a fun morning. This was one of those days when I got up and felt great! My mind was alert, I had a page and a half list written just for morning chores, and actually felt like I could get them all done before I left for work. All joints were working smoothly and pain free. What could go wrong? “What? Me worry?” Always in the back of my mind though on these mornings where I am ecstatically, and without a known reason happy, is the smallest thought that some-thing could go wrong, but that just couldn’t happen.

I was happily skipping (alright mentally skipping) down the steps to the laundry room to put laundry in the dryer and start a new load when I noticed a strong, yet really clean smell. I hadn’t scooped the kitty litter yet, how could it smell so fresh? I got my answer when I walked through the door. One of our extra large, economy bulk siz-es of liquid laundry detergent was covering the laundry room floor. You know which ones I mean – the bottles that are guaranteed to wash your next 700 loads of clothes. And it was blue. And slippery. Luckily Tidbit’s blanket was on the floor waiting to be washed and soaked up quite a bit off the detergent. No, actually that is not a good thing. There is so much detergent in that blanket that, if washed, the entire lower half of our house would be filled with suds. It’s a good thing my husband’s Mother is still in Florida. I didn’t even know where to start. It looked like one large pool of the stuff you put in a camper holding tank. I just kept saying “Oh my God” over and over. Then my husband came down, looked, and said “Oh my God.” God didn’t have anything to do with this I’m sure. But I will be thinking about this very question at Bible study.

Luckily my oldest son bought my husband a huge Shop-Vac for Christmas. We figured that would work. All it did was effectively spread the blue, slippery slime even further around the laundry room. I wiped up as much excess as I could with paper towels. Kitty was looking a little nervous, so we think she was trying to rub against it while it sat on top of the toolbox. She is now back outside. We will just have to work on it later, we both had things to do. What I re-ally was writing about was “pemmican” and it’s origins. But the best laid…lists…

Okay Keith, I’ve looked up “pemmican”. You probably did too. Pemmican is a beef and fat jerky. I believe the pemmican conversa-tion started at our last wines and bibles gathering. We have a potluck supper beforehand and then discuss something specific or veer off on very interesting tangents. Normally we end up with quite a lot of food and maybe a little wine, but last week all we had was desserts and wine. Not that that is a bad thing in any way. But when you haven’t eaten lunch it is sure to give you a quick crash afterwards. Two of our cooks were absent, one of which was my husband who had men-tioned he might bring soup.

This caused a great scavenger hunt for food in our parish hall kitchen. I was excited when I found a box of sweet potatoes in one of the commercial refrigerators, until I saw some mold and realized these must have been leftovers from Fall Festival. Our Reverend found frozen pizzas, and I found an unopened tub of olive tapenade, and some crackers. Sounded healthy to me. But the tapenade did have a petrified look to it, and some comments were made as to it looking like a pemmican like substance. But, we ate it and it was good…a perfect appetizer before tackling Genesis. Oh and this is for you Jack; we all wish you continued progress and good spirits, plus I know you can just picture Keith analyzing pemmican for a few minutes.

To each new day’s progress and adventure, Shelby

Please send your comments or ideas to: [email protected]

• Workshop provides eReader demonstrationsAn eBook Workshop is scheduled at 2 p.m. on Jan.

13 at Charlotte Hall library and on Jan. 30 at the Leon-ardtown branch. Demonstrations of various eRead-ers and how to browse, checkout and download from the library’s collection will be given. Registration is required.

Library staff at any branch can assist those who need help downloading to their eReaders or who would like more information about the various devices.

• Christina Allen will speak at Friends’ annual brunch

Local author and farmer Christina Allen will be the featured speaker at the Friends of the Library annual brunch on Jan. 21 at 11 a.m. at St. George Episcopal Church in Valley Lee. She will discuss her children’s book and heritage turkeys, the subject of her book. Reservations are due by Jan. 16 to Annette Madel at 301-769-4633.

• Chess Workshops being offered

Steve Ortiz, President of Maryland Educational Chess Association, will conduct chess workshops at 6 p.m. on four consecutive Tuesdays starting Jan. 17 at Lexington Park library for beginners and those who wish to improve their game. Participants can come to one or to all as each workshop will focus on a different aspect of chess.

• Saving with coupons to be discussed

Kimberley Pepper-Hoctor, a 30-year coupon user, will discuss the basics of coupon use and how to use coupons most effectively to save money on Jan. 24 at 6:30 p.m. at the Charlotte Hall branch. Registration is required for this free program.

• Adults invited to “Books, Coffee and Conversation”

The library is introducing a new monthly program for adults to get together and share a book or two that they have read or listened to and enjoy light refresh-ments and conservation. “Books, Coffee and Conver-sation” will be offered at Charlotte Library on the last Thursday of the month at 10:30 a.m. starting Jan. 26. Leonardtown branch will hold its first one on Feb. 13 at 1 p.m., then monthly on the second Monday. Lexing-ton Park branch will offer it on the third Tuesday of the month at 10:30 a.m. starting Feb. 21. Registration is not required.

Library Items

Cat of the Week

Cat of the WeekHello, My name is Snowflake and my sister is Cinder. We were trapped at a feral colony in St Mary's County behind a restaurant. We were eating out of the dumpster and people have also been feeding us. Our foster mom realized that we were sweet and that we were not born in the wild because we are not feral. She vets and returns the wild ones but decided to give us a chance at a real inside home with a guaranteed supply of food and medical attention. We are so lucky. We have been fully vetted and really need a permanent home. This going every week to Petco is for the birds! I am a relaxed girl as you can see by my pose in my foster mom's arms. I am so grateful to her for taking me in. If you would like to adopt me, please fill out an ap-plication at www.feralcatrescuemd.org and email it to [email protected]. If you have any questions, you can call Diane at 301-481-0171. I am a purr girl looking for a home. Will you be mine?


By Debra MeszarosMXSportsNutrition.com

It is an important fact that most physicians do not realize that hidden food sensitivities may be the leading cause of most bodily symptoms. Often foods portrayed as “healthy” for the general population, may indeed be poison to someone. Our biochemical uniqueness may make one individual sensitive to any particular food, good or bad.

Undiagnosed food sensitivities affect more than half the population and almost everyone has at least one. Many people do not even realize they have a food sensitivity, or that their symptoms are being caused by one. Unless you are looking for one, you may not find it. Food sensitivities do a great job of masking themselves as other aliments, conditions and diseases, leaving plen-ty of room for misdiagnosis.

There are two basic types of food sensitivities:Food allergy is an unnatural immune reaction to a

specific protein in that food.The body’s reaction is to build antibodies against

the specific protein it sees as an invader. Unfortunately this reaction can go as far as creating damage to nearby tissue as well as many other side effects.

Food intolerance is the body’s inability to digest or metabolize a particular food which makes it a metabo-lism issue not immunity. This is usually linked to the body’s lack of a particular enzyme.

If you are allergic to a food you have zero tolerance and any amount will trigger a reaction but not neces-sarily an obvious one.

The most telltale sign of food sensitivity is chronic fatigue as well as other signs like: muscle spasms, ex-cess mucus, low resistance to infection, poor absorption of nutrients and “problems” in “target” organs. “Tar-get” organs would be that person’s genetic weaknesses or biochemical individuality. Psychological and behav-ioral symptoms are often a result when the “target” or-gan is the brain.

How can you tell?Standard allergy testing (skin pricks) often do not

reveal the sensitivity (said to be only 20% reliable). This procedure also only works with food allergy but not food intolerance.

Seeking the help of a professional focusing on food sensitivities and intolerances may be a better op-tion. Some of the tools often used by these practitioners are: a daily food journal, pulse testing, blood pressure readings or the use of biofeedback to identify stressors.

Here are some common possible symptoms:Chronic fatigue, awaken not feeling rested, fatigue

not helped by rest, food addictions/cravings, swollen lymph glands, chronic infections……

Chronic diarrhea, spastic colon, irritable bowel, colitis, ulcerative colitis, catch colds easily, bed-wet-ting, hives or welts, eczema, psoriasis, migraines, hy-peractivity, recurring ear infections…..

Visual signs can be dark circles under the eyes, puffiness under the eyes and horizontal creases in lower eyelids.

Sensitivities are often linked to: asthma, hay fever, high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, inflammation, hot flashes, swelling of the ankles, gas, constipation, heartburn, bloating and arthritis. Additionally; ringing in the ears, excessive ear wax, sore throat or tongue, canker sores, itchy eyes, sneezing, nervousness…get the picture?

Want to take charge of your own health? In most cas-es here’s where one would start:

Top triggers are: MSG, BHT, BHA, food colorings and sulfites. Read the labels of the foods you consume and eliminate them.

Then there’s the actual foods…………diary and cereal grains the top two.

Here’s the most reactive general list:Cow’s milk, lactose, wheat, gluten, eggs, choco-

late, caffeine, peanuts, nuts, corn, oranges, strawber-ries, shellfish, pork, fish, soy/tofu, sucrose (table sugar), the nightshades: tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, paprika, cayenne, chili, eggplant & tobacco.

Tyramine (found in aged cheeses), red wine….other substances: nitrates, nitrites, aspartame (artificial sweeteners), all benzonates and sulphites (a preserva-tive which can be found in salad bars!).

Guess what usually happens when you eat the same foods day after day?

You guessed it! That’s where you’d start to track down your personal sensitivity culprits and remember food sensitivities tend to occur in clusters; a person rarely has just one. Sometimes a person can have a food sensitivity to a food in raw state but not in a cooked state. Some reactions are immediate and some take hours or days to surface.

Why those foods?Food like all other materials in our world, have

their own unique energy. The body has the amazing ability to identify what is present in your body by an energy signature. Therefore when you eat an apple, the body knows it’s an apple. When a food is consumed it takes about 4 days before all materials and energies of that food are no longer present within the body. If you are constantly eating the same food day after day or, within that 4 day span, the properties and energy of that food seem to never leave the body. The body often begins to react by identifying that food as an “invader” and may build antibodies against it. This action creates a food allergy reaction which affects the surrounding tissues of the body and inflammation, irritation and de-generative properties seem to increase.

Food allergies and intolerances play a major role in many conditions and are entwined with many different functions of the body. Keep an eye open for next weeks article when I will provide additional information on how these foods may be tied to many dysfunctions and conditions.

Disclaimer: When you read through the diet and lifestyle infor-mation, you must know that everything within it is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from your physician or other health care professional. I am making no attempt to prescribe any medical treatment. You should not use the informa-tion here for diagnosis or treatment of any health problem or for pre-scription of any medication or other treatment. The products and the claims made about specific products have not been evaluated by the United States Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease. You should consult with a healthcare professional before starting any diet, exercise or supple-mentation program, before taking any medication, or if you have or suspect you might have a health problem. Confirm the safety of any supplements with your M.D., N.D. or pharmacist (healthcare profes-sional). Some information given is solely an opinion, thought and or conclusion based on experiences, trials, tests, assessments or other available sources of information. I do not make any guarantees or promises with regard to results. I may discuss substances that have not been subject to double blind clinical studies or FDA approval or regulation. You assume the responsibility for the decision to take any natural remedy.

You and only you are responsible if you choose to do anything with the information you have read. You do so at your own risk. Use your intelligence to make the decisions that are right for you. Con-sulting a naturopathic doctor is strongly advised especially if you have any existing disease or condition.

Debra Meszarosis a Certified Sports Nutritionist and Bio-feedback practitioner with further educational studies in Naturopathy, Ho-meopathy, Orthomolecular Nutrition and additionally holds fourteen U.S. patents. Through her extensive health education, and experience of 20-plus years in cellular biology, she has developed an all-encom-passing Holistic health service that allows individuals to discover their biochemical uniqueness, allowing them to fine tune their health. The basis of her service is to facilitate access to information that will help your understanding of health processes and elements that are within your area of control. Her services are available in Mary-land, Virginia and South Carolina. She can be reached at (540) 622 – 4989 Monday through Friday.

Autoimmunity & Why the Body

Attacks Itself

www.somd.com

Your Online Community For Charles, Calvert,

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Last Week’s Puzzle Solutions

CLUES ACROSS 1. Winter capital of Kashmir 6. So. African Music Awards11. The Bay State14. A disorderly crowd15. Actress Greta16. Expression of surprise18. Storybook elephant21. John Jacob __, capitalist23. Mulled wine25. Membrane around the lungs26. Shows how something works28. Cannonized29. Layers bonded together31. A vessel or duct34. The fire had been ___35. Female sibling36. Israeli capital39. Blocked in fencing40. 98942 WA44. Gasoline hydrocarbon rating45. Light snacks with drinks47. Supplementing with difficulty48. Am. composer & diarist Ned50. A waterproof raincoat

51. Accumulate a large quantity56 Am. Newspaper Assoc.57. Butterfly collector62. __ and Venzetti63. Female servants

CLUES DOWN 1. Poked at 2. Equally 3. Manuscript (abbr.) 4. Periodical (slang) 5. Fiddler crabs 6. Hero sandwich 7. Volcanic mountain in Japan 8. Of I 9. Indicates position10. Legislative acts11. Low sustained cry12. 60 minutes (abbr.)13. Supported by a prop14. Megabyte17. 9/11 Memorial designer Michael19. The years someone has existed20. Distilled from fermented molasses21. a.k.a.22. Estonian kroon = 100

24. The sun25. Wide metal cooking vessel27. Caesar or cobb28. Building lots30. 1/1000 inch31. Apexes32. Firth of Clyde’s largest island33. Bringing suit36. Forsyth novel “The Day of the ___”37. Perceive with the eyes38. Was introduced to39. Lines of verse41. Household god (Roman)42. Military mailbox43. Challenge aggressively46. Posted49. One thousandth of an ampere51. General’s assistant, abbr.52. Bovine sound53. Associated press54. Opposite of LTM55. A very large body of water58. Ma’s partner59. Integrated circuit60. Rhode Island61. Potato state

erKiddieKor n


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Classifieds

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 clas-sified 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 noti-fied after the first day the first publication ran.

Important

To Place a Classified Ad, please email your ad to: [email protected] 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.

Deadlines for Classifieds are Tuesday at 12 pm.

Real Estate

Beautiful 3BR/2BA single family Cape Cod home nestled in Hickory Nut neighborhood of highly sought after Wildewood community. Dining room, office/den, attached 2-car garage, covered front porch, screened porch w/patio in rear; large attic provides plenty of

additional storage space. Hardwoods in living room, entryway and hallway. Large master has walk in closet

w/built-in shelving; double closets in 2nd and 3rd bedrooms. Jogging trails, playground, optional pool membership. Move in ready! Call 850-830-2877 to

schedule a showing. Price: $279,000.

285 feet of breath taking views!! Breton Bay has nev-er looked so good from the front window, or the end of your 120’ pier. A recently remodeled home awaits

your friends and family, a close commute to Pax. River, and firmly situated in the Leonardtown school

district. Too many extras to mention, this owner is highly motivated and ready to sell, NOW!!!!! Please

call 240-925-2169 for more info. Price: $425k.

Real Estate Rentals

RENOVATED four bedroom, two 1/2 bath split level. Brand new carpet and paint. dishwasher, washer and dryer. Full use of 2 car garage. Two decks. Good credit required.

Desirable location, convenient to DC, Patuxent River Naval Air, CCNPP. Plum Point and Huntingtown school

districts. Pets upon approval. Great place for family! Rent: $2200. Call 240-508-2403 for more info.

Apartment Rentals

Seeking a Young Professional roommate for 3 bedroom, 1 bath Leonardtown home. Must be okay with two (very friendly) cats. Room

available March 2011. House is a small rambler with a full kitchen, dining room, living room,

screened-in back porch, large yard, and unfinished basement (used for storage, litter boxes, and

second fridge). $600/month, includes utilities (electric/heating oil/cable/internet). Background

check. Please email if interested - [email protected]. Serious inquiries only please.

Employment

Seeking experienced body men for a busy auto collision repair facility. Also seeking an

experienced painters helper. If interested please contact Laura by cell at 301-399-8675 or by email

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AMP is seeking a part-time mortgage loan processor in the Southern Maryland area. Must

be detail oriented, organized and have knowledge of mortgage loan programs. Experience with Encompass software is a plus. This is a work

from home position and compensation would be paid on a per loan basis. Please email resume to [email protected] or fax to 410-286-1359.

Class A CDL Driver needed. Clean driving record. Drug testing required. Call for Billy for details

(240) 298-2014.


By Ronald N. Guy Jr.Contributing Writer

“I don’t love tennis…I’ve actually never liked sports…I don’t like work-ing out, I don’t like any-thing that has to do with working physically.”

We’ve heard these expressions before. Usually they’re delivered, in a similar form, courtesy of the attractive woman seated across the table. The words land with the subtlety of a left hook to the jaw because, for a foolish but fleeting moment, we had hoped that beyond her beauty and intelli-gence was a fellow sports fanatic. We had designs on Sunday’s at the stadium, not the mall and hours of fixed sports viewing without irritated urgings for more produc-tive behaviors. This time the words came under entirely different circumstances and from an unbelievable source: tennis great Serena Williams.

Huh? Serena Williams, 13-time Grand Slam winner, doesn’t love tennis and never liked sports? Wow, that was unexpected. I think. The Williams sisters, Serena and

Venus, have never been conventional. They hail from Compton, CA, which isn’t exactly a rich mine of tennis players. While profes-sional tennis is diverse, the Williams’ are two of the few and by far the most dominant – currently and of all time - African Ameri-can players. The sisters dress flamboyantly – using the tennis court as their own per-sonal fashion runway – and, to their critics displeasure, take time away from the game to indulge their other considerable interests.

Another uncommon trademark of the Williams’ is their penchant for brutal hon-esty. The sisters, and especially Serena, rarely leave you questioning their true feel-ings. That has been mostly an admirable trait, especially in a sports world now lit-tered with demi-heroes, but this time the lightly filtered connection between Serena’s thoughts and her spoken words delivered a message that sounded spoiled, arrogant and unappreciative. In an economic period marked by debilitating debt, recession and high unemployment, Serena sounded dis-connected from and ignorant of the “real world.” With honesty as her guide, she sim-ply went too far this time.

On second thought, maybe she didn’t.

There is much lost in translation between fans - those with an external view of the sports world - and professional athletes – those with an inability to understand or, at times, even be sensitive to just how differ-ent life is for those on “the outside.” I ad-mit, I lost Serena’s point…initially…but it’s clearer now. Serena plays tennis because she can and always has. It’s just what she does. She doesn’t love it, though. Maybe she did at some point, but not now, not any-more. This may seem remarkable, but it’s not; she’s neither the first athlete nor the first tennis player to lose that loving feeling. Mi-chael Jordan, John Riggins and John McEn-roe all temporarily broke up with (stepped away from) the sports that were once their heartthrobs.

During the same exchange when Ser-ena disavowed her love of tennis and ex-pressed her dislike of physical activity, she also offered this about the game that sup-plied her fortune and fame: “I can’t live without it.” For Serena, playing tennis now is about what it affords her, not the game itself. That take on whatever it is that but-ters your bread should sound very familiar. Few people are fortunate enough to wake up

daily and pursue their true passion. Fewer still maintain their affection for said pursuit after it becomes their source of sustenance. A job, by its very nature, is something we have to do – to maintain the things we need (a residence, food, health insurance) and acquire the things we want (the occasional indulgences) – and anything done out of ob-ligation is bound to be less pleasurable than undertakings born from personal choice. That’s a basic tenet of human nature and one that holds true whether you’re a civil servant, small business owner or profes-sional tennis player.

Serena’s remarks initially seemed like more elitist dribble from another million-aire athlete that couldn’t possibly be more detached from those occupying much low-er tax brackets. After further review, and rather ironically, she may have never said anything that more closely connects with everyday life and the countless jobs per-formed not out of love but because we can’t live without them.

Send comments to [email protected]

By Keith McGuireContributing Writer

In between waterfowl trips for the rest of the hunting season, we have to contemplate the remaining winter. Cleaning up and storing the hunting gear is only part of the game as we get fishing and boat-ing equipment ready for the first launch.

One of my favorite things to do this time of year is attend some of the outdoor hunting and fish-ing sports shows in the region. It provides a respite from cabin fever

that usually sets in at the end of the hunting season. More importantly, it provides an opportunity to find some real deals on fishing, hunting and boating equipment, and gives us an opportunity to examine some of the new products that are hitting the marketplace.

One of my absolute favorite shows to attend is the East-

ern Sports and Outdoor Show in Harrisburg, PA, by far the biggest show that I have ever attended. If you go to this show, order your tickets on-line (www.easternsportshow.com) and plan to stay for at least two days. There’s no way you can see everything at the show in a day trip! Some of the most popular national hunting and fishing celebri-ties will be at the show.

We’ve all been so busy with hunting and fishing as of late that we may not have noticed the opening of a cou-ple of new local shops/stores that cater to our sport. Dick’s Sporting Goods opened in Lexington Park last fall, and Sportsman’s Liquidators opened in December just north of Hughesville. Wintertime is a great time to check out these new shops and to reacquaint ourselves with some of the more notable shops that have existed in the region for de-cades – like The Tackle Box. Each of these shops offers unique deals and certain hard to find items with surprising prices.

I like to take a trip toward Richmond during the winter lull to visit Green Top, located on Route 1 in Glen Allen, VA. If you’ve never been there before, this is the smallest big shop that you are ever likely to visit. There are more hunting and fishing items crammed into this small space than you could ever imagine.

The customary initial January event – the Fishing Expo at the Cow Palace at Timonium Fair Grounds – has been canceled this year. So the fishing and boating side of our sport will kick off with the one day Fisherman’s Flea Market at Tri-State Marine in Deale, Md. The event is scheduled on Feb. 4 from 7:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. and provides an opportu-nity to get some fishing deals while ogling new Parker and

Grady White boats. Of course there’s always the big boat shows in D.C.

and Baltimore if you really want trouble. Nearly every chapter of the Maryland Saltwater Sportfisherman’s As-sociation will have a fishing show or flea market on one of several weekends between Jan. 21 and March 25. The lo-cal chapters of the Coastal Conservation Association will be hosting a different event, like the “Tie Fest” at the Kent Narrows Yacht Club in Chester, MD on Feb. 25. Fly fish-ing and light tackle anglers will enjoy the unique format of this affair.

Speaking of CCA, the Patuxent River Chapter will be hosting their second “Anglers Night Out” at The Ruddy Duck Brewery and Grill on Monday, Jan. 23 from 6 until 8:30 p.m.. A very interesting film about Striped Bass (rock-fish) called “Stripers Gone Wild” will be shown to really make you long for spring!

If you have a particularly interesting hunting or fish-ing story and a picture, please drop me a line at [email protected].

Show Time

Sp rts

Fur andFeathersFur and

Feathers

BLEACHERSA View From The

on Second Thought


Sadly, many seniors and “vulnerable adults” are targets of scams ranging from sweep-stake offers to scams involving home medical equipment. Fast-talking telemarketers, phony charities, fly-by-night home repair contractors, and shady investment “advisors” prey on the trustworthiness that make many older citizens a target in the eyes of unscrupulous criminals. The guest speaker will instruct you on ways to spot the common warning signs of scams and fraud in order to protect yourself and your loved ones. The Triad/SALT (Seniors and Lawmen Together) organization invites you to attend this presentation on Thursday, Jan. 19 at the Cedar Lane Apartments in Leonardtown. Light refreshments will be served.

Attention worthy entertainers: Have you got talent? Would you like to audition for one of the performer’s slots in our upcoming Cabaret Night? Open auditions will be held at Northern Senior Activity Center on Friday, March 9 from 2-5 p.m. A panel of 4 judges will watch your act and make a decision as to whether or not you make the cut. Auditions are open to any person or group of entertainers over the age of 21. Twelve acts will be selected. Be prepared to complete your audition in 2-5 minutes. If you need music for accompaniment we will have a cd player available. A keyboard (but not a piano) will be available for your use at the audition and on Cabaret night but you will need to provide (or be) your own accompanist. Sign up for the auditions by calling any of the senior activity centers. Walk-in acts will be fitted in at the audition if time or space is available. For questions or to sign up call any of the following: Garvey Senior Activity Center 301-475-4200, ext. 1050; Northern Senior Activity Center 301-475-4002, ext. 1001; or Loffler Senior Activity Center 301-737-5670, ext. 1658.

Loffler Senior Activity Center (SAYSF), 240.725.0290; Garvey Senior Activity Center, 301.475.4200, ext. 1050; Northern Senior Activity Center, 301.475.4002, ext. 1001; Ridge Nutrition Site, 301.475.4200, ext. 1050.

Visit the Department of Aging’s website at www.stmarysmd.com/aging for the most up-to date information.

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Animal Relief Fund Adoption Days

• Trip to Harrington Raceway and SlotsThe St. Mary’s County Department of Aging and

Human Services is offering a trip to Harrington Race-way and Slots on Wednesday, Feb. 15. The cost is $40 per person and includes motor coach bus transporta-tion, buffet, and $15 of free slot play. A valid photo ID is required by the casino. Payment reserves your spot and may be made at any St. Mary’s County Senior Activ-ity Center. The bus departs the Garvey Senior Activity Center at 8:00 a.m. and returns at 6:00 p.m. To make reservations, call 301-475-4200, ext. 1072.

• Art Journaling with Tammy VitaleDuring this 4-week session held at the Garvey

Senior Activity Center on Wednesdays, Jan. 18 – Feb. 1 from 9-11 a.m., students will learn how to create an Art Journal and how to use this Journal to plan, organize and experiment with ideas that can then be translated into a painting or other artistic creations. This class in-cludes an overview of materials needed for art journal-ing, and different ideas for the art journal itself. Learn extended pages, pockets and hidden in plain view. For the first class, bring one picture in various sizes and a favorite quote. Space is limited; advance registration and payment is required. Cost: $60 payable to Tammy Vitale. Supplies and materials will be provided. For more information, call 301-475-4200, ext. 1050.

• “Fantasy Island” FunOn Wednesday, Jan. 18, from noon - 2:30 p.m.,

this “Fantasy Island” event at the Northern Senior Ac-tivity Center will be perfect to beat the winter blues. Dress up as a tourist or vacationer heading for the Islands. (No bathing suits please.) Enjoy a delicious lunch of spiral baked ham and sweet potatoes. Join in some dancing, games and refreshments. A prize will be awarded to the best dressed ‘Island’ guy or gal! Make your lunch reservations before noon on Tuesday, Jan. 17 by calling 301-475-4002, ext. 1001. The cost for lunch is by donation for seniors 60 and older; $5 for individuals under 60.

• Jan. Date for Scripture Study at Loffler In Jan., there will be one date for the scripture study

program at Loffler Senior Activity Center. It will be held Friday, Jan. 27 at 10 a.m. We do have bibles on hand but the print is pretty small so if you have a favorite bible, you might enjoy bringing it with you. Drop ins are welcome! For more information call 301-737-5670, ext. 1658.

• Looking for donations of Greenware The Northern Senior Activity Center’s “Dynam-

ic Ceramics” program is looking for greenware and/or bisque pieces. If you have any of these items or any other ceramic supplies that you would like to donate, please contact the center at 301-475-4002, ext. 1003.

• Project Linus to meet on Jan. 20 at 10 a.m.Project Linus, an organization that makes quilts,

afghans and blankets for children who are hospitalized or in distress, then donates them to local hospitals and children’s agencies, meets in St. Mary’s County on the third Friday of the month at Loffler Senior Activity Center. Come to Loffler on Friday, Jan. 20 to meet other people who like to make and donate items. Learn new techniques and exchange patterns and ideas. For more information call 301-737-5670, ext. 1658.

• Volunteer Instructors NeededThe Northern Senior Activity Center is look-

ing for volunteer instructors for teaching decorative/one-stroke painting and Macramé projects. Supplies are available at the center. If interested, please call 301-475-4002, ext. 1003.

• A Beginner’s Guide to Writing a MemoirWriting a memoir is a journey—through your

memories, journals, photo albums, and family lore. As the memoir progresses, things become muddled with confusion. In this series at the Garvey Senior Activity Center on Tuesdays, Jan. 24 – Feb. 7 from 1:30-3 p.m., participants will learn and discuss: • How to begin your memoir• What questions to ask and answer to help your mem-oir have a focus• How to find the all-important themes necessary for your memoir• How to claim your truths, and ways to conquer the inner critic• About creativity and writing process• Ways to create a plot and good story structure out of true events• Not to worry about the legal and ethical issues until later• How to edit, revise, and finish your memoir

The majority of the course content comes from the National Association of Memoir Writers. Advance registration required; call 301.475.4200, ext. 1050.

Auditions for Cabaret NightNorthern Senior Activity Center

Friday, March 9 from 2-5 p.m.

A View From The

Thursday, January 12, 2012 28The County TimesFAMILY OWNED • FAMILY OPERATED • FAMILY TRADITIONS

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2012-01-12 The County Times

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Transcript of 2012-01-12 The County Times