July 2018 ‘GOOD NEWS’ Newsletter

Hello, good people!

Happy 4th of July week! Crisfield is having its celebrations this weekend, sponsored by various community groups.  Whatever you’re doing or whenever you celebrate it, I know you took time or will take time to remember how precious our freedoms are and what they cost.

One freedom and privilege I have is writing this newsletter and sharing all the ‘Good News’ I know about happening here in Crisfield. Here are the details:

TOUR BUSES ARE STOPPING FOR THE SHOPPING!

• Owner Linda Singh at the Bay Gift Vault reports that tour buses are arriving earlier than usual and that tourists have been able to do a bit of shopping prior to a visit to Tangier island. This is good for her shop and other shops near the cruise boat launch as tour lines now realize the shopping opportunities in Crisfield in addition to the cruise.

TOURIST TRAFFIC IS UP AT WATERMEN’S INN

• Watermen’s Inn has had a reputation for fine dining for 30 years and endured the ups and downs of the economy here. Still, they have maintained a faithful customer base from the Crisfield area and the region. Now, in addition to that, they are seeing a rise in the number of tourists who are dining there. When I was there recently, I looked around and saw only two couples I knew, yet the place was packed. It’s a good sign for Watermen’s Inn, and a good sign for Crisfield. See www.watermensinn.com

TOURISTS ARE SHOPPING AT TIM AND DORIS’ COUNTRY STORE

• Doris Howlett reported that sales are up on the weekends, especially when there are many tourists in town for various events. She told me a story about one tourist and her husband who came in a mini-SUV with another couple and bought a wine barrel. Then the challenge began as to how to seat everyone and still take home her purchase! Another tourist told Doris she saw so many things she liked, she is coming back with a U-Haul! As the economy comes back to life, tourism businesses like Tim and Doris’ stand to benefit from increased business activity and consumer spending. People like to travel, AND they like to shop!

CAPTAIN’S CARRY OUT SALES RISE

• Sam Davis, owner of Captain’s Carry Out, told me that on the Saturdays of the Crab & Cruises, their sales go up after the cruise boat comes back in. People are ready to eat again, and many pre-order at the Carry Out, which lets the staff have the food hot and ready to go when the patrons arrive. In fact, Fridays used to be their biggest day, but now with the Crab & Cruises on Saturdays, Saturday is their biggest day of the week. Furthermore, Sam extended their hours on Saturdays and added extra staff to accommodate the demand. Sam said he is continuing to see a rise in sales each year since 2012 due not only the Crab & Cruises, but also the car show, the 4th Saturdays, and other events near the City Dock.  The bottom line is Sam is “excited that Captain’s Carry Out is doing very well.” More sales equals more profits and more employees as tourism grows in Crisfield.

TEA ROOMS IN CRISFIELD ARE ON THE WAY TO APPROVAL

• A California couple is looking to purchase the My Fair Lady Bed & Breakfast in Crisfield and operate a Tea Room as well as a B&B there. A new ordinance would allow the Tea Room to include a retail shop where the owners could sell tea-related giftware and specialty teas as well. The Planning Commission and the City Council endorsed the concept last month, and the opportunity is a step closer to reality. A few more steps in the process remain, and if all goes well, the ordinance process would be completed by Labor Day, and the new owners could be in operation by the end of this year. The buyers are currently operating a Tea Room in California. In April, their Tea Room offered a “Titanic Tea” at Tea Lane with live music from the playlist that was played on the Titanic as well as foods that were served on the voyage. Edwardian Costume for the event was encouraged “and admired.” This is an example of the type of tea event that would be offered at My Fair Lady once the final approval is obtained and the purchase is made. My Fair Lady is in the newly approved Arts & Entertainment District, and thus tea room events with live music fit well into the intent for the district and will draw locals and tourists as well. Another step forward in making Crisfield the #1 Unique Tourist Destination on the Eastern Shore!

CRISFIELD BROCHURES RUNNING OUT FAST

• n May, the Greater Crisfield Action Coalition (GCAC) revised the 2013 Crisfield brochure and map and distributed copies to local businesses and to tourist stops in the region. These have been going so fast that we made two additions to the map and printed another 10,000 copies in June. The map displays 20 Eateries and 25 Attractions and helps visitors find their way to everything that’s here. (See attached map). So, the next time someone says, “What is there to do in Crisfield?” – give them a brochure!
• Crisfield brochure – map revised June 2018

GCAC GALA TO BE HELD AT KINGSBAY MANSION

• Plans are well underway for the first annual GCAC Gala to be held at Kingsbay Mansion in Marion on September 15. Called “Celebrate Greater Crisfield, Dining under the Stars,” the Gala will be a major fundraiser that will enable GCAC to continue to implement the Five-Year Action Plan and help build up tourism in Crisfield. (See attached picture). The event will run from 5:45 to 9:00 PM and will include tours of the mansion property and grounds, a dining experience put on by local chefs, live music, as well as silent, live, and online auctions.  In all, there are expected to be 200+ items in the auctions. The ticket price for the gala is $100 per person, and tickets can be purchased at the Bay Gift Vault or online at www.celebrategreatercrisfield.com.

This is our first formal promotion of the event. However, it looks like it is going to be a sellout based on the fact that half of the 200 tickets have been committed to already just through word-of-mouth. So, if you want to attend, I suggest you get your tickets now.


Many thanks go to Linda Singh for serving as Chair of the event; Fran Campbell serving as Honorary Chair; and Linda Riggin, serving as Chair of Auctions. We also are thankful to mansion owners David King and Jerry Philpott for their generosity in allowing the use of the mansion, for donating ten room stays to be auctioned, and for helping with all the planning and details going into making this event an extraordinary occasion and a fruitful fundraiser for Crisfield through GCAC. If you would like to be one of the sponsors of the event or donate something to the auctions, please fill out the attached Sponsor Package form or Auction Donation form and send it to Linda Singh or Linda Riggin. GCAC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and all donations and sponsorships are tax deductible. Thank you in advance for helping us help Crisfield!
Celebrate Greater Crisfield Sponsor package

TOURISM’S IMPACT

• Governor Larry Hogan stated that, “In Fiscal Year 2017, visitors to Maryland spent nearly $17.3 billion on travel, an increase of more than 4 percent over the previous year. That increase in revenues is driven by the fact that Maryland welcomed 42.1 million domestic visitors, an increase of 4 percent from 40.5 million the previous year. And last year, employees in tourism-related jobs around the state earned $5.7 billion in wages.” These figures confirm the impact tourism has statewide, has in Crisfield, and will have even more as we grow as a tourist destination.

NEW MAYOR AND 3 NEW COUNCIL MEMBERS

• As a result of last month’s election, Crisfield has a new Mayor, Barry Dize, and three new City Council members, Nelson Sheppard, Gail Lankford, and James Ford. We wish the new leadership well and look forward to working together over the next four years.

CITY MAKING MORE PROGRESS ON INFRASTRUCTURE

• According to City Manager Rick Pollitt, “The first round project for $125,000 funded by Rural Maryland Council did exactly what we hoped it would do: Running a television camera through a major sewer collection line, we were able to identify two serious breaks in the line caused by general deterioration from age.  We were able to repair those two breaks, in full communication with the Maryland Department of the Environment, and our utilities superintendent has already noticed a drop in the flows reaching the wastewater treatment plant.  Rough numbers indicate a daily reduction in flows from near 1,000,000 gallons per day to something in the 700,000s.  Although this is just a one-month report during dry weather, this clearly indicates an impact of inflow and infiltration (I&I) of groundwater on our system and once corrected will save us money in energy and wear & tear on the plant itself.

We have applied for a second round of funding from the Rural Maryland Council, doubling our request to $250,000.  We were recently notified that we have passed muster for the initial review and are confident for another positive decision.  Our next area of focus will be the South Somerset Avenue and Cove Street sewer lines where we suspect we will find similar problems.” Not only does that have the potential to gain us major progress with some leaks in these areas, it brings our total in new funds for infrastructure to over $4.5 million in just the past couple of years. We have a lot to be thankful for. $4.5 million at least!

​COUNTY TIMES EXPANDING DISTRIBUTION

• Did you know the County Times, formerly Crisfield Times, is available in newsstands in Wicomico County? Interested visitors, retirees who are relocating, and developers can read the weekly news about Crisfield and Somerset County. Wawa, Walgreens, and Walmart in Salisbury are carrying the issues as well as Food Lion in Fruitland. This is another great opportunity to spread the word about Crisfield attractions and activities outside the boundaries of Somerset County! And guess what else? E-edition subscribers can read their articles in one of 11 different languages besides English. There’s a tab to translate it into everything from Spanish to Russian to Arabic and Japanese. Or, the sight-impaired can hear a mechanical reading of the story in English. To see how this works, hit the “demo” button at http://crisfieldtimes.md.newsmemory.com/ and click on a story. When it pops open in the right window, check the language translation tab or audio button. The demo lags behind the current edition by a week or two, but no one has an excuse for not knowing what’s going on in Crisfield!

​So there you have it! That’s some of the ‘Good News’ I have for you today. Plus, there are at least two MAJOR projects in the works that I hope to have the liberty to report on next month. These are the kind of happenings that are game-changers! With the momentum we have, we knew things would gain traction in time and push things forward faster. Stay tuned, folks! It’s going to start getting really interesting!  😊

 

Best,

Charlotte