December 2018 GCAC ‘GOOD NEWS’ Newsletter

​Hello and Merry Christmas!

As I write the December 2018 Greater Crisfield Action Coalition Newsletter, I am reflecting on the season, a time of year when we gather together to celebrate with family and friends. This year Crisfield has expanded its Christmas parade and accompanying activities, andmerchants and other organizations have gotten into the spirit with bright and appealing Christmas decorations (see attached pictures), gift ideas, and special treats and activities for kids. I believe this will be an especially fun Christmas season in Crisfield this year.

Here are some of the Christmas highlights as well as other news that leads us into 2019 and beyond:

CHRISTMAS IN CRISFIELD

• Erik Emely has been diligently working for months to put together this year’s Christmas celebration in Crisfield, which promises to be an outstanding event. Don’t miss it! It starts tonight and tomorrow night!
• December 7 Christmas Parade in Crisfield

6:30 pm.  The new parade route will be from City Hall (319 W Main Street) to the Depot at the City Dock.  Bands, floats, and more totaling 60 entries.  No one does Christmas like a small town! After the parade, stop by Santa’s House next to City Hall for FREE photos with Santa by the Somerset County Library.  For more information, please call the Crisfield Area Chamber of Commerce at 410-968-2500 or email [email protected].

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• December 8 Christmas in Crisfield – Miracle on 10th Street

4:30 pm.  1000 West Main Street, Crisfield.   Experience a small-town Christmas miracle.   Christmas shopping with locally made arts & crafts. Entertainment and food vendors all day.  FREE.  Sponsored by the Crisfield Chamber of Commerce. 
Schedule:
4:00 pm Grounds open
4:30 pm Kids Ornament Decorating
5:00 pm Santa Arrives for Pictures
5:30 pm All About Dance
6:00 pm Emmanuel Wesleyan Church Band
6:00 pm Christmas Tree Decorating Contest 6th, 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th Grades
6:30 pm Feet of Fire
7:00 pm Judging of Trees
BREAKFAST WITH SANTA DECEMBER 8TH AND 15TH

• Two local restaurants are planning Breakfast with Santa activities this month. Water’s Edge Café at 1108 West Main Street will have Breakfast with Santa on December 8th from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM. Santa, Mrs. Claus, and the elves will arrive by Coast Guard boat at the City Dock and will leave by means of a Crisfield fire truck. The kids just love it! While at the restaurant, children will enjoy a coloring contest of Santa, and prizes will be awarded to the winners. The breakfast is an all-you-can-eat buffet that includes pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, hash browns, biscuits and gravy, and drinks. The price is $5 for children and $10 for adults.

• Also, on December 15th from 9:00 AM to Noon, the Gathering Place at 4012 Crisfield Highway will have a Buffet Breakfast with Santa that will include pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage links, sausage gravy and biscuits. Not only that but every child will get a gift from Santa! The price is $5.95 for children ages 5-12 and $12.95 for adults. Both events will be fun for children and their parents, so bring the little ones and enjoy!

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NEW GIFT SHOP AT VISITOR CENTER

• The Crisfield Visitor Center, under the direction of former Mayor Kim Lawson, is rearranging the interior to allow space for a Gift Shop that tourists will enjoy. The shop will offer Crab Derby and Boat Docking t-shirts and hats among other items not available at any other shops. This is a “welcome” addition to shops in Crisfield where tourists can pick up souvenirs and memorabilia of their experience in Crisfield, something every tourist destination needs. They expect to have the shop open in time for the 2019 season.

CRAB & CRUISE DATES EXPANDED AGAIN

• The Crab Place has expanded its dates for Crab & Cruise events in Crisfield for 2019. Due to demand, they have added 4 more dates for a total of 24 Crab & Cruises next year. Most events have been selling out, so next year’s events could potentially bring 6,000 visitors to Crisfield. That’s a 20% increase in events and another 1,000 tourists in town. Here are a few of the testimonies they receive afterward, which explain the demand for another expansion:

• Hi, Greg! just want to reach out to you and say YES ! YES !  YES !  I had a wonderful time.  The crabs and food were delicious, the people were kind, and the servers were excellent.  The weather was beautiful, and the sunset was gorgeous, I will be back next year.
• I had a great time eating delicious food, spending time with friends, family and making new friends.  The price of the event was right on point, worth every penny and the timing of the event was right on time as well. The staff had excellent customer service skills, very personable and attentive.  The DJ was on point and the BYOB was a good touch as well. I would not change a thing. The residents were fun to chat with and very friendly.  Carmen was great in responding to the e-mails in a timely manner too. I actually purchased 3 dozen crabs to take home, and I was impressed with that service as well (thanks Matt for helping me).  My kids enjoyed them as well. This was our first time and we plan on making this a yearly event.  We came from Ohio and North Carolina, and we enjoyed every minute.  I have been telling all my friends and family what a great time we had.
• It was simply AWESOME!! We had a fabulous time!! From the beginning to the end the customer service, food, time schedule, crabs were perfect. It was our first time attending the jumbo crab feast. We have recommended it to everyone!!

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT LOGO CONTEST

• The Crisfield A&E Committee is sponsoring a competition for a new logo for the Crisfield Arts & Entertainment District.  This logo will be included in the new billboards to be placed on Route 13. Entries must include the name, phone number, address, and email address of the artist and should reflect the heritage of Crisfield. The artist of the winning logo will be awarded a prize of $500. Email Jen Merritt at [email protected] if you are interested, and she will send you an application.

NEW GAME ROOM FOR YOUTH OPENS THIS MONTH

• Water’s Edge Café is converting its 50s Diner into a Game Room for youth 13 years old and up. The Game Room, which will be open by the end of this month, will contain a ping pong table, electronic sports arcade games, and an old- fashioned pinball machine. Owners Dan and Mary Nelson are excited to offer kids a place to come and hang out that is socially interactive and fun. Thank you, Dan and Mary, for providing a safe, fun place for our youth to gather.

CITY NEWS

• City Manager Rick Pollitt reported that the City’s grant writer Jen Merritt is working feverishly to complete a grant application to FEMA for more than $1,000,000 in tide gate replacement and pumping station construction to address our most serious flooding issues.  It is due by December 14th. This would be a huge step forward to reduce flooding on Crisfield streets.
• In addition, Mayor Dize has directed the Public Works Department to spend quality time each week performing ditch maintenance all around town.  The goal is to improve what drainage capability we do have by simply cutting overgrowth and cleaning trash from those areas we can reach. This has not been done for many years and will go a long way to resolve some of the flooding issues by allowing the ditches to drain properly. Hats off to Mayor Dize for making this a weekly priority!
• The City is also proceeding to repair the roof at the former Stratton-Corbin Library while they talk with the Arts & Entertainment District board about making use of a portion of the building for a prospective artist co-op and related activities.
• Last, “The Feasibility Study examining the potential restoration of the Tawes Armory continues and is about to enter its second phase, identifying potential stakeholders who would bring life back to this important community legacy,” according to City Manager Rick Pollitt.

By the way, yesterday I talked with two investors who were in town looking at property. They were from New Jersey and said their research shows this will be “the next happening place for development”. I said, “That’s funny, we believe that too!” I told them about our Vision and Mission and the Action Plan for Crisfield that GCAC* developed. They particularly liked that we have a “Plan” for Crisfield. I gave them my card with the website – www.GreaterCrisfieldMD.org, and they said they will definitely read it. But just having a Plan made a big impression and further cemented their interest. There are others looking to develop property in Crisfield, and it’s at the coldest time of year. Seems to me things are starting to heat up…! 

As Providence would have it, earlier this week Pastor Phil Huber gave me a signed copy ofthe classic book on everything crab called Beautiful Swimmers: Watermen, Crabs and the Chesapeake Bay published in 1976. It is a Pulitzer prize non-fiction book that takes its name from the generic name of the blue crab, Callinectes, which is Greek for “beautiful swimmer.” In reading the chapter on Crisfield, the author, William Warner, notes that Crisfield is a nice place to live because “there are a lot of good people here”. He goes on to say, “Their outstanding attribute is their resilience that permits them to laugh in the face of economic or natural disasters, of which Crisfield has had more than its share.” He sums it up this way: “The spirit of Crisfield. Inextinguishable, whether by fire, flood, empty crab pots or a miserable lick of oysters.”

That was 1976. We’ve been through even more since then… But my experience has been that when you’ve been through a lot, there’s a point at which you come out on the other side, if only you don’t quit. That’s the Crisfield I see today: Coming out on the other side — like a bright rainbow after a storm or a butterfly emerging from its cocoon. When we see all that will begin to manifest itself in 2019 and beyond, we can look back and remember the goodness of the people and their resilience that helped get us there. It has taken a long time, but it will be well worth the wait.

May each of you know and experience *the true meaning of Christmas* in your heart, and in 2019, “May you [and Crisfield] prosper and be in good health, even as your soul prospers.” (3 John 1:2)
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Charlotte
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*The Greater Crisfield Action Coalition, Inc. (GCAC) is a 501(c)3 not for profit economic development corporation run by an all-volunteer, non-paid Board of Directors

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