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All facets of fascinating Charles on display
Government day draws big crowd to learn, see, eat
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
 Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photos by NANCY BROMLEY McCONATY
Mechanicsville resident Kevin Hall donates blood to the Southern Maryland chapter of the American Red Cross on Saturday during the second annual Charles County Government Day inside the county government building in La Plata.
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Local environmental activists Linda Redding and Kevin Grimes sat under a leafy shade tree Saturday with several pieces of unusual artwork displayed to teach folks how their actions can contribute to the pollution of the region's waterways.
Redding, a member of the Mattawoman Watershed Society said the second annual Charles County Government Day, held Saturday inside and outside the county government building in La Plata, was the perfect venue to grab people's attention about the fragile state of the Potomac River watershed. The event was dubbed "Greening of Our Future."
"People who are dropping by are very interested in learning about the area's aquatic resources," Redding said.
Grimes, a local artist, displayed two of his works — "Don't Flip Flop on the Bay" created out of the popular rubber beach shoes and "Trashman" made from trash collected from the Potomac River — during the event that was held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
"The message is don't flip-flop on the bay; we've been saving the bay for decades and it's still in really bad shape," he said. "The time for talk is over. It's time to take action."
Several local restaurants were set up in the parking lot of the government building. The aroma of different foods, especially the mouthwatering scent of Lefty's Bar-B-Que Unlimited's ribs and hamburgers cooked over an open flame by the owner Walter Nash drew a lot of hungry visitors.
"I love it," said Waldorf resident Diana Camann as she piled fixings on her grilled burger. "This event is amazing. The turnout is wonderful."
By the end of the day 1,836 folks, which includes the vendors who set up displays in the hallways of the government building, showed up for the free event, said Jason Lang, the county's spokesman. It was difficult to navigate the halls of the building because of all of the visitors and vendor displays that were set up.
Heather Burk, an environmental educator assistant for the Nanjemoy Environmental Center, and her volunteer helper Natasha Miller turned up with a screech owl and barred owl in tow. The women set up a display in the auditorium and spoke to adults and children about owls and how they were sickened many years ago by the misuse of the now-banned insecticide DDT.
Burk said she does regular presentations at the county's public schools.
"Once we inform the public about owls they have a better understanding of what owls are and how they were affected by DDT after World War II," she said while gently lifting a tiny screech owl out of its carrying case. "They learn what they can do to help the owls and how to preserve their habitat. The kids absolutely love the demonstrations."
The sound of a guitar and someone singing could be heard in the auditorium. The folk music was being played by Greg Floberg of Lions Camp Merrick in Nanjemoy.
"This event is great exposure for nonprofits," he said while strumming his guitar. "It's a great opportunity for nonprofit organizations to get together and receive some financial support."
There were 65 community, civic and government agencies on hand during the event to inform residents about the variety of services that are offered in the community by nonprofits.
"The event is expanding," said Charles County commissioners' Vice President Edith J. Patterson (D), who attended the event with the other four county commissioners. "It demonstrates the partnership we have with different agencies and community groups. We all work together. This is very timely, too, because of the current economic condition of the country. People need to be aware of the kinds of services that are offered to the community."
The Agricopia Home Owners Association set up yard sale tables filled with gently used items from woven baskets to books to raise money for the Southern Maryland Food Bank. The association donated $80 to the food bank from the sale of yard sale items and also contributed some nonperishable food to the nonprofit organization that has been struggling to keep the pantry full since the start of the recession.
"It's just nice to be out in the nice weather, and we wanted to raise funds for the food bank," said Agricopia resident Cynthia Tyree-Edwards. "It was a great day. It's a great way to pull the community together."
Other events held during government day included a classic car show, a blood drive by the Southern Maryland chapter of the American Red Cross, the La Plata farmers market, works by local artists and performances by the Southern Maryland Concert Bank and gospel music acts.
The event also featured lacrosse exhibition games, soccer scrimmages, cheerleading and martial arts demonstrations and displays of emergency service vehicles.
Dorothea Smith sat in the atrium of the government building at the African American Heritage Society display that featured county native North Pole explorer Matthew Henson.
"This is fantastic," she said.
"There's so much knowledge in this building today. It's a good way to network. It's a little bit of ‘unity in the community.'"
