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Hello, good people! Happy New Year to all of you! As I write this edition of the Greater Crisfield Action Coalition’s ‘Good News’ Newsletter, I am finding it difficult to figure out how to organize the information because there is SO MUCH going on in and around Crisfield. In fact, I have a list of ‘good news’ topics 33 items long! It’s a great problem to have – if you’re not me. Here goes: People Are Shopping and Buying Crisfield Real Estate: In talking with realtor Tim Carson of Laird Associates, I learned that people have been looking and buying Crisfield real estate over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. That surprised me because I was expecting that during the winter and holiday season, the real estate market would typically be slow. However, according to Tim, “We’ve been busy. We are blessed.” He noted that homes have sold on Country Club Road, Heron Way, Lauren Court, Tawes Drive, Green Road, Franklin Lane, Sackertown Road, and Stanford Road during the holidays. The Gathering Place went to settlement two weeks ago as well as 30 acres near Cullen Parkway. We’re attracting buyers both local and out of town. Other realtors have been busy too. That’s a good sign for Crisfield. Wonder what it’s going to be like this Spring when things really take off! New Restaurant to Open Later This Month: New owners, Adrienne Stanley and her husband Adam, are preparing to open their new restaurant at 4012 Crisfield Highway, formerly known as The Gathering Place. They have named their restaurant From Scratch and, as the name implies, everything will be made from scratch. Doesn’t that sound so appealing? Adrienne’s family is from Tangier Island, and her great, great grandmother, Hilda Crockett, opened the Chesapeake House on Tangier Island 90 years ago. Today, many of the family are watermen, so the owners will use these connections to obtain fresh seafood for their dishes.
New Shop to Feature Smoked Salsa and Local Foods: Stevie Ritchey moved here from Georgia with her husband and three kids four years ago and is opening Mason Dixon’s Pantry at 1001 West Main Street near the City Dock this Spring. Her shop will feature her own slow smoked salsa along with other foods by local artisans. She plans to meet with local artisans and sample any items they are interested in selling in her store. Artisans would need to be compliant either with the Maryland cottage law or FDA and all shelf stable. She said she hopes to support as many local artisans as she can! In addition to smoked salsa and other food items, she will also offer her photography work for sale. Currently she has been repainting the space and making changes inside the building to accommodate her needs. She plans to hold a Grand Opening in the Spring. This new shop will offer something unique in Crisfield. Sounds like a good fit for tourism and for local buyers and sellers. New Bike Rack Design Competition Sponsored by A&E: According to A&E Coordinator Jen Merritt, the Crisfield Arts & Entertainment District Project, working with the City of Crisfield through a grant received from the Maryland State Arts Council, is soliciting designs for art bike racks to be placed in various locations in the City of Crisfield. This artistic competition for bike rack designs will award $500 to each of the top three applicants as determined by the Crisfield Arts & Entertainment District Project board. All applicants must be Maryland residents. Two-dimensional or three-dimensional drawings will be accepted and may indicate a design to be fabricated or modified to a pre-existing bike rack. Design proposals will be accepted from January 2020 to April 2. Selection of award winners will take place by April 15. This planning grant is designed to lead to an application for an implementation grant in May. Applicants do not need to have experience with three-dimensional design but should be ready to work with a fabricator to modify their design if needed upon selection. Applications can be found at crisfieldarts.org/bike-rack-design. This is a great complement to the new Bike Trail that is being built here. What Else Is New…?
The Boating Trend in Crisfield Is Up: The number of boats in Somers Cove Marina is on the rise, with last year being the highest of the last three years. Building on new marketing efforts and events, Executive Director Tom Schisler is booking live music for 10-12 weekends this summer, six of which will be open to the public as well. This represents an increase over the five weekends of live music total last summer. Booked for three nights of entertainment is Dalton Elliot, a country singer songwriter who debuted in last year’s American Idol as a contestant chosen by judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Ritchie. Attracting boaters to Somers Cove Marina is a matter of marketing and exposure. According to Tom, of the 300 marinas he has visited, Somers Cove Marina is “the best”. Tom may sound biased, but I have heard this myself many times over the years. Others have pools, but not as big or as nice. None have a nicer floating dock, nor more amenities than Somers Cove. So, kudos to Tom for promoting the marina and adding entertainment. What’s good for the marina is good for the town, and vice versa! COZY CORNER COVE SET TO OPEN FEBRUARY 1ST: Mike Corbin, owner of Hoyt Harbor at 4459 Crisfield Highway, is expanding into the adjacent building to open Cozy Corner Cove, a cozy dining area where you can eat-in and enjoy a relaxing dining experience. The new space will seat 30-40 patrons, enlarging Mike’s current square footage by 50% and enabling him to better accommodate locals and tourists who want to sit down and enjoy their meal. Currently, one of his top sellers is his wife Della’s Crab Dip. Crab Pops made from softshell crab pieces is another favorite, and people from Delaware, Pocomoke, Salisbury, Ocean City, and Virginia come to enjoy his delectable crab cakes. Mike’s family is from Smith Island, and as a young wife, his mother learned to cook and bake from her mother-in-law, who “took joy in creating a meal.” His wife learned from his mother, but she has also developed her own “secret” recipes, including her Smith Island Cake recipe which stands out for its ability to remain moist longer. In addition to the seafood, chicken, and pizza choices, the menu for Cozy Corner Cove will contain a broader list of breakfast items, including waffles and pancakes. Along with eat-in dining, Mike will also increase his selection of gift items and souvenirs, sunglasses, cards, and magnets. The new Bike Trail runs in front of Mike’s property, and he plans to do more out near the trail when it is completed. “I’m for anything that comes that builds the economic structure of the Crisfield area,” he told me. “The new Bike Trail will benefit the park, it will bring more people here, and the town will feel the ripple. In my mind, it’s a gift.”  Cedar Island Marsh Chosen Best of the Bay: Chesapeake Bay Magazine has chosen Cedar Island Marsh in Tangier Sound as “Best of the Bay” for birding, hunting, and fishing. According to Captain Chris Dollar, “For the skinny water angler, it’s about as close to perfection as you can get – clean water, rich habitats, abundant forage, and, most importantly, plentiful gamefish.” I took a picture of the marsh from Norris Harbor Drive several years ago and used it on the GCAC website. It was an honor to have the magazine contact me for permission to use it with their announcement of the award. You can read the account at: https://chesapeakebaymagazine.com/wild-chesapeakes-best-place/ Congratulations, Crisfield, for being acknowledged as a favorite place on the Chesapeake Bay because of its wildlife and natural beauty. Many Improvements Coming in Crisfield’s Commercial District: Ten applicants to the State’s façade improvement program have been approved, according to the City’s Circuit Rider, Kristie Eberly, and most of the renovations are underway, although some are waiting until Spring. Applicants like Sam Davis plan to spend much more than the $10,000 grant award as they upgrade their properties and prepare for the 2020 Season in Crisfield. In fact, Sam and Mary Frances have already made improvements on their own to the interior of Captain’s Carry Out, adding dining tables and chairs and a bathroom for patrons. The following were awarded $10,000 grants each and are required to use 50% on exterior improvements and 50% on the interior on their buildings in the commercial district:
In addition to the above, Captain Tyler’s Motel is currently undergoing a complete renovation and upgrades of all twenty rooms. This includes new flooring and fresh paint along with new mattresses and furniture.  MeTompkin Bay owners recently completed Phase One of a major upgrade to their facility. They added a new cool storage building with a new ice machine on top and raised floors 18” over two thirds of the building using local contractors. This gives them a better supply of ice for their seafood operations and has made their work much simpler and less labor intensive. They will complete Phase Two next year. Over the years, MeTompkin Bay has been generous to allow Elder Hostel groups, students, and others to tour their operations and see the processing of seafood here. Also, Linton’s Seafood and The Crab Place are making improvements before the 2020 Season due to growth and expansion needs.  Somers Cove Marina Addressing Drainage Problems: Somers Cove Marina Executive Director Tom Schisler told me the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is committed to finding a way to fix the flooding caused by poor drainage during heavy rains in Crisfield. Most of the City’s rain water drains through the marina, and several drains have totally collapsed. DNR engineers have completed their work on assessing the problem, and next steps include accessing the funding and breaking ground on resolving the issues. This is another major step forward in improving the City’s infrastructure and complements the work the City is already doing to clean out the ditch system throughout the town, starting with the most commonly flooded areas. These two initiatives will go a long way to enabling rain water to drain properly and avoid flooding issues throughout Crisfield. Is that enough ‘good news’ for you? Actually, there is more major news on the horizon as we await official word on the merger between Peninsula Regional Health Services and McCready Health. This could result in a $25 million expansion and bring up to 200 jobs to a location just north of Crisfield. And, of course, I am remaining hopeful that along with that we will see Crisfield get the Hotel & Conference Center the business community has been longing for. I anticipate having a newsletter devoted entirely to that very soon. Meanwhile, be content with only 33 pieces of ‘good news’ today — with many, many more to come! All this promises to make 2020 a HAPPY NEW YEAR indeed!
Best regards, Charlotte Charlotte Scott, President *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 Note: You can see the upcoming Crisfield and Somerset County events on the Somerset County Tourism website at: https://www.somersetmd.us/departments/departments_-_n_-_z/tourism_offices/more_community_fun.php
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