GOOD NEWS in Crisfield – September 2017 Newsletter

Hello, good people!
It’s hard to believe Labor Day has come and gone, and I’m overdue for another newsletter. Nevertheless, it is my pleasure to report to you over a dozen positive signs of movement, momentum, and growth for our beloved Crisfield. Here are the details:
JOHNNY’S SWEETS:

• Johnny’s Sweets will be opening probably before the end of the year at the location previously held by Blue Crab Cafe. Johnny’s Sweets will offer a variety of baked goods including apple fritters and doughnuts as well as candies and ice cream. It will be a nice addition to Crisfield that locals and visitors will enjoy.

TIM AND DORIS’S:

• Tim Howlett and his wife Doris are relocating their gift shop north of town to the location previously known as Nachyo Taco not far from the City Dock. The shop will be filled with glassware, gift items, and Amish furniture. There are two things tourists like to do: shop and eat. So Tim and Doris’s shop will provide another retail outlet for our visitors to downtown as well as City residents.

THE CRAB PLACE:

• After scheduling 16 Crab & Cruise events for 2017 and selling out most events, Crab Place has scheduled 22 events for 2018. People are coming from Baltimore, Washington, DC, Newport News, New York, and Philadelphia. They learn about the Crab & Cruise through the Crab Place email newsletter and Facebook, plus word of mouth. People who came this year are already ordering tickets for 2018 and bringing their family and friends. These events bring up to 250 visitors to town almost every weekend during the season. Although they come for the crab feast and cruise, some stay for 2-3 days and explore the town, stay in our motels or nearby, eat, shop, and buy gas, which benefits other businesses in town as well. See crabandcruise.com/ for details.

TANGIER SOUND PROPERTY AT PUPPY HOLE:

• The owners from Georgia who bought the Tangier Sound property are continuing to explore their options. Originally, they considered dividing the property into 32 residential lots to sell, but now they are exploring other options as well. Meanwhile, they are doing site work on the property to repair the bulkhead, etc. The property consists of almost 8 acres of waterfront property, 37 boat slips, a swimming pool, and pool house. It will be interesting to see what they develop there.

TAWESMORE INN:

• Crisfield has a new B&B named Tawesmore Inn on Asbury Avenue, which offers 3 bedrooms to guests. Beautifully restored with rooms of “mammoth proportions” according to the Crisfield Times in 1911, the name Tawesmore  was given to it when it was built in 1910. The owners, John and Lisa McCadams, opened a couple of months ago and are doing really well. With the shortage of rooms in Crisfield, adding 3 more is not a small thing, especially considering they are as lovely as they are. You can see pictures of the Tawesmore Inn at: https://tawesmoreinn.com/

JAVA JAY’S:

• Java Jay’s is coming soon after experiencing a slight delay. Located next to the Laundromat uptown, the new shop will offer sodas, coffee, pastries, and candy and will provide a lounge area and a new handicapped accessible bathroom as well. Although there has been a delay, it will be worth the wait!

WALL ART:

• Richard Crumbacher of the County Times wrote an outstanding front page article with pictures about the new wall art uptown, part of which was sponsored by the Greater Crisfield Action Coalition. It really brightens the street and hopefully will provide momentum for revitalization there. I have attached the County Times’

TOURIST TRAFFIC:

• Regarding activity in town, people have noted that there is more fishing and crabbing off the City Dock. One condo owner said when she was here recently, there was a lot of activity on the City Dock, with pleasure boats moored to the dock, people enjoying the sunset, and people standing in line for ice cream at the Ice Cream Gallery. She ate at Waters Edge where all the dining rooms were full. She noticed that people were enjoying the crab pretzel in particular. She said the food was good, and the prices are reasonable. She also remarked that the City Dock “looks beautiful.” Darlene Taylor told me that she was giving a ninth grader a ride, and the girl said, “I see a lot of people in Crisfield I’ve never seen before.” Darlene replied, “Yes, Crisfield is changing.” To that the girl replied, “Yes, it’s getting better.” It’s good when people young and older are all seeing the change taking place.

CRAB DERBY:

• Chamber of Commerce President Bill Buttrill posted this on Facebook about the 2017 Crab Derby: “Crisfield is filled with amazing people. The 70th Annual National Hard Crab Derbygot off to a really soggy start. So soggy in fact that the Parade had to be cancelled as well as the actual Crab Derby itself. But, you were here, you saw the amount of rain, you know we had no choice. But what I am so proud of is the resilience of the Crisfield Area Chamber of Commerce Paul Emely rescheduled the swim meet for Sunday and made some little kids really happy, Willis Dryden rescheduled the Crab Picking Contest to Sunday, John Tawes pulled together the resources to have the Governor’s Cup race on Sunday, Jenny Curry Tawes provided the energy, leadership and manpower to keep the beverages flowing, Susan Sterling spent all day Saturday (in the rain) shepherding the crew from the Travel Channel around the Somers Cove Marina and the City of Crisfield. They were here specifically to film the Crab Derby races. Susan pulled together the resources from the Crisfield American Legion #16 and others to actually run as mini-race in the Crab Bowl on Saturday. Thanks also to Mike Shannon for providing the sound, not only for that event but all of the Miss, Little Miss, and Little Mr. Crustacean events. And what can I say about National Hard Crab Derby Annual Crisfield Boat Docking Contest? OH MY!! Buddy Ward, Gary Kitching, and Kenny Walston put on one of the greatest Boat Docking’s ever. It was a sold-out, standing-room only event that was TOTALLY AWESOME. This is not a complete list of all of the amazing Committee Chairmen who made this weekend possible but, it is a start. Kathy R. Crockett and the wonderful Crab Cooking Contest comes quickly to mind. John Phoebus chaired the most successful Mike Sterling 10K Run / 5K Walk we have ever had. This weekend would not have happened without YOU. Thank you so very much. Special Thanks to Pat Hanley and Bruce Wooster for keeping everything straight. YAY CRISFIELD.”

To that I say “Amen!”
GCAC MEETING WITH CITY:

• Representatives from the Greater Crisfield Action Coalition will be meeting with representatives of the City on Monday, September 11. The meetings are facilitated by City Manager Rick Pollitt in an  effort to find a way forward to work together. In the interim, GCAC has been implementing small steps within the Five Year Action Plan such as the webcam and the wall art uptown. A cooperative relationship with the City will enable much more to be accomplished.

NEW KAYAK LAUNCH:

• According to City Manager Rick Pollitt, the new kayak launch will be on city-owned land directly off the wind turbine site. He said there is a nice channel of flat water that comes right in off the river and can support a quality launch deck with ample room for parking, storage racks, etc. The City plans to incorporate the launch facility into the extended Municipal Park/Walking Path Plan that starts across from the library and extends to the turbine site where it will loop around and complete the Path. It will take some clearing and we would build a wooden walkway across the marsh, however, the ground is remarkably solid there, he said. The next step is to access the funds from the Department of Natural Resources. With kayaking being so popular among outdoor enthusiasts, having a new kayak launch to access Crisfield’s water is another step forward in supporting recreational opportunities here.

NEW CRISFIELD NATURE PRESERVE:

• City Manager Rick Pollitt also reported that the City is working with Dr. John Gaddis, Superintendent of Schools, and Somerset County Recreation & Parks Director Clint Sterling on getting students in the Board of Education’s STEM Program to design the park adjacent to Carvel Hall in preparation for creation and use.  The City erected a nice sign on the property this week indicating the future home of the Crisfield Nature Preserve, and we look forward to seeing it put to good use.  This represents another step of progress in expanding outdoor opportunities. (See attached sign at site.)

WIND TURBINE:

• Clerk-Treasurer Joyce Morgan will make a presentation at a City Council meeting in the near future concerning the electricity savings from the wind turbine. The savings will offset costs at the wastewater treatment plant where electricity typically runs $10,000 – $14,000 per month. We anticipate a large portion of that to be reduced.

Some of these items may seem small…, but truly each step forward is BIG in terms of Crisfield’s future. It takes a lot of small steps to add up to real change, and that’s what we’re seeing in Crisfield right now. In addition to all this, I know of at least two more businesses coming to Crisfield by the end of the year and some other major news is on the horizon. I believe God has great things in store for Crisfield, and the time is NOW. I’m excited to see what else happens in the next month and year ahead.
Best regards to all,
Charlotte