Master gardeners to share some tips at county fair

THIS ‘N' THAT

Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2009

St. Mary's County Master Gardeners will be presenting several talks at the 63rd Annual St. Mary's County Fair.

The fair will be held from Sept. 24 to 27 at the county fairgrounds in Leonardtown. The 30-minute talks will be presented Saturday, Sept. 26, in the afternoon in the fair auditorium that adjoins the extension building, according to Jennifer Horton, the county’s master gardener coordinator. Scheduled talks include 'Bay-wise Landscape Practices for Clean Waterways,' 'Building and Using a Cold Frame' and 'Planting Trees and Shrubs.'

Horton said organizers are particularly enthusiastic about the cold frame presentation. "It's something we really haven't covered before,' she said last week. Cold frames are “a way to start summer vegetables early or extend the growing season.”

Another special feature at the fair this year will be original songs about Southern Maryland. Nearly a dozen singer-songwriters will perform songs about the region as part of the ongoing celebration of Maryland's 375th birthday.

The concert will be held Saturday, Sept. 26, after the fair parade ends. The singers will perform on the parade reviewing stand in front of the auditorium.

Preliminary list of artists includes Joe Norris, Krys Baker, Patty Dorsch, Scott Harsha, Catfish Joe, Ben Connelly, David Flood, Lissie Deere, David Norris, Robin Guyther and Carol Schachter.

A few more slots are open. Those with a song about St. Mary’s or Southern Maryland who would like to perform are asked to contact Robin Guyther at 301-904-4452 or e-mail to drguyther@cs.com.

For more information about the fair and other scheduled events, visit www.smcfair.somd.com or pick up a fair book from one of the library branches.

Tickets available for benefit event

Tickets are still available for the fifth annual Epicurean Experience: Wine Down at Blue Wind Gourmet in California on Sept. 25 from 6 to 9 p.m. Participants will have the chance to relax and unwind at a night of culinary tastings inspired by chef Rob Plant. There will be wine pairings from Napa Valley, Italy and Australia. The event also features silent and live auctions.

Proceeds support the St. Mary’s Hospital Foundation's scholarship fund, which has helped more than 90 talented Southern Maryland students pursue careers in health care, nursing and allied health. This program is designed to help the hospital recruit and retain highly qualified employees.

Tickets are $85 per person or $50 without wine. To purchase tickets, call 301-475-6455. For sponsorship opportunities, contact event chair Sharon Cox at 301-475-3634 or scox@md.metrocast.net.

Child ID program announced

The Maryland Freemasonry's Child Identification program will be introduced in St. Mary's County at the 63rd Annual St. Mary’s County Fair at the fairgrounds in Leonardtown on Sept. 24 to 27. For more information, visit www.mdchip.org, or call 410-527-0600.

Field lab plans its annual gala

The Chesapeake Bay Field Lab's board of directors named Ann Raley and Wayne M. Davis this year's Characters of the Chesapeake. The annual gala will be held Sept. 25 at the Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship at the Paul Hall Center in Piney Point.

Proceeds from the dinner and virtual voyage spoof go toward maintaining the field labs' skipjack and its associated environmental education program on St. George Island

. The event sponsored each year by CBFL's board of directors helps cover the cost for nearly 3,000 Southern Maryland elementary and middle school students who each year sail Southern Maryland’s only passenger-licensed skipjack, the Dee of St. Mary's, and learn about the history and ecology of the Chesapeake Bay.

The gala begins at 6 p.m., with cocktails aboard the Dee, docked at the Paul Hall Center for the event. After dinner, the virtual voyage spoof, 'The Eternal Search for the Perfect Berth,' will be followed by a drawing for a skipjack cruise for 30 people. Each dinner guest will receive a raffle ticket for the drawing.

CBFL members' reservations are $75. Tickets are $100 for non-members. Non-members may join CBFL and receive the discount at the time they make their reservations.

Call CBFL at 301-994-2245 for reservations or more information or contact Viki Volk at v2r@thebaylab.org. Additional information about the Chesapeake Bay Field Lab and the gala can be found at www.thebaylab.org.

Rawlings chair for March of Dimes event

The March of Dimes Maryland-National Capital Area Chapter has announced that Shannon Rawlings of Waldorf will serve as chair for Bikers for Babies in Southern Maryland. Rawlings is the owner of A-1 Title Services and a long-time supporter of the March of Dimes In Southern Maryland, Bikers for Babies will take place Oct. 11 at Maryland International Raceway. Registration begins at 10 a.m. and the ride starts at 2 p.m. Individual riders as well as members of clubs can join.

Participants will ride the open road, covering 45 miles starting at Maryland International Raceway and ending at Apehangers Bar and Grill for an after-ride party. The party will include a free bull roast and music by the 360 Band and Big Daddy and the Riff Hounds.

Supporters who aren’t able to participate in the ride are invited to meet the riders at Apehangers to attend the party (a $20 donation to the March of Dimes will be taken at the door).

All motorcycles are welcome, rain or shine.

To participate, visit www.bikersforbabies.org, stop by Apehangers for a sponsor envelope or contact Jennifer Abell at the March of Dimes at 703-824-0111, ext. 17. Volunteer opportunities are available, too. In addition, Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s charitable organization, The Dale Jr. Foundation, has donated a custom-built Orange County Chopper to the March of Dimes. To learn more about the chopper, visit bikersforbabies.org.

For more information, visit marchofdimes.com or nacersano.org.

Applications for assistance available

Christmas in April-St. Mary's County is continuing to distribute its free 2010 applications for assistance. 

Low-income, elderly or disabled homeowners, living full-time in their home in St. Mary's County who are in need of home repairs can receive a free application for assistance by calling 301-863-2905. 

Christmas in April-St. Mary's County rehabilitates the homes of low-income homeowners, particularly the elderly and disabled, so that they may live in warmth, safety and independence. The group also provides help through work on community projects.

Celtic concert series announced

The Celtic Society of Southern Maryland, in cooperation with St. MaryCeltic concert series announceds Ryken High School Student Organization For the Interests in the Arts will present the Winter Celtic Concert Series.

The series will include two events with workshops and concerts. First, master Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser, a performer and tutor throughout the U.S and Scotland, and Natalie Haas, a cellist, recording artist and teacher, will return to Southern Maryland on Sunday, Oct. 4. Fraser will offer an afternoon workshop to fiddlers/violinists of all levels on Celtic music/Scottish fiddle, while Haas will offer a workshop to cellists and violists focusing on accompaniment styles and techniques.

Second, Montreal-based Quebecois group Genticorum returns to Leonardtown on Sunday, Jan. 10. Genticorum’s latest album, La Bibournoise, earned the group the Best Traditional Album award at the Canadian Folk Music Award ceremony in the fall of 2008.

Workshops will include Yann Falquet on guitar accompaniment and alternate tuning; Alexandre de Grosbois-Garand on flute/pennywhistle; and Pascal Gemme on fiddle and feet.

Online tickets available at www.cssm.org For more information call 443-975-0972. Workshops and concerts will be held at the St. Mary’s Ryken High School Romauld Hall Auditorium (lower campus) in Leonardtown. The workshops will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. and the concerts will begin at 7:30 p.m.

Sotterley prepares for Riverside WineFest

Sotterley Plantation in Hollywood will celebrate the best of Maryland in a breathtaking setting at the Riverside WineFest at Sotterley 2009 on Oct. 3 and 4, from noon to 6 p.m. both days.

For two days, guests will have the chance to taste the offerings of 17 Maryland wineries (with no tasting tickets). There will be informative demonstrations and exhibits as well as food vendors with crab cakes, fried oysters, pit-roasted meats, stuffed ham, wraps, freshly made ice cream and more. For children, there will be free face painting and colonial games. There will be dancing a spectrum of music – from jazz to1950s classics to rock and roll to international folk. Artists from The Color and Light Society will be painting, displaying, and selling their work in the Customs Warehouse. Down on the field, other Maryland artists will have work on display. For advance tickets or to find out more information, visit www.sotterley.org or call 301-373-2280 or 800-681-0850. scraton@somdnews.com