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Community
There’s so much to find at the country market
Friday, Feb. 9, 2007
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I confess I’m a little old lady who loves to knit. A big day for me is a trip to Prince Frederick, a stop at the World Gym and Mom’s in the Kitchen and a leisurely stroll through the wool shop in the Calvert County Market. I often linger for some ‘‘fiber conversation” with the spinners and knitters assembled there. We answer questions, offer encouragement and give demonstrations to each other and to the interested shoppers who stop by.
There is now a real possibility that the lease on the country market may not be renewed and it will have to be closed. This causes me much distress. The building will be dark, empty and lifeless.
Over time I have seen so much community involvement and so many worthwhile activities there: fall festivals; fundraisers for cancer and hospice; scouts learning a new craft; a child’s birthday celebration hosted by one of the shops; a field trip of school children; an exhibition of quilts made by a local guild; parks and recreation classes; concerts by local musical groups; tourists being shown antiques, crafts and produce by their local hosts; mothers with little ones agonizing over which penny candy to select; party hostesses picking up custom cakes; busy professionals buying fresh fish or gourmet pasta for dinner; and Walls’ Bakery’s special eclairs from the bakery.
I have seen young people learning wood crafts from a master, discerning cooks selecting locally grown produce and, in season, going home with a fresh bouquet of flowers.
On Saturday, Feb. 17, there will be the fourth annual knit-in, an all-day affair for knitters to make items for the Calvert Memorial Hospital infusion center; the raffle and silent auction will benefit Calvert Hospice and include gifts donated by many local businesses. Everyone is invited.
The country market is more than a venue for locally grown produce. It is larger than the sum of its individual parts. It is also a center for community life; a meeting place, a destination, an exhibition hall and a learning place; it serves each spectrum of society, including the children and the elderly. The farmers and businesses people already have, and well deserve, representation in the halls of power. But who advocates for the craftspeople, the children and the elderly?
It is my hope that the Calvert County Board of County Commissioners and the landlord of the country market building, who is known to have a generous nature, can come to some equitable financial arrangements so that the country market can continue to flourish. A phone call, an e-mail or a letter to any and all of the county commissioners would let them know how many people feel as I do, and time is of the essence.
Charlene Cumberland, Lusby
