Everything's turning up strawberries in Chaptico

THIS ‘N' THAT

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

When the church hosts its annual Strawberry Festival this weekend, which can draw more than 500 visitors, there will be two notable changes. The event will be held on Saturday, May 16, from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. instead of Sunday, as it has been in the past. In addition, the event will feature a recipe contest, pitting cooks of main dishes, appetizers, salads and desserts or breads featuring strawberries against one another.

The contest is "just to make it new and interesting," said Jane Cooper, a Christ Church parishioner.

The festival was begun between 10 and 15 years ago by LaRue Redmond, according to Betsy Franklin, Redmond's daughter. The idea was to hold an event that served as a community outreach program. Any money raised beyond the expenses required to put on the event goes to local charities, Franklin said.

"It is not a fundraiser for the church," she said. It is designed to be a handout to the community.

The recipe contest, which will be judged at 2:30 p.m., will be added to a festival that already features a menu of strawberry shortcake with the works, fresh strawberry ice cream and pies and Mike's barbecue as well as a kids carnival, live music including performances by Country Gold and arts and crafts.

"People love to go," Cooper said.

Participants in the recipe contest do not have to be members of the church to participate. "It's a good-time, social, sharing competition," Franklin said, encouraging the community to enter. "It's just a way to be part of the festival."

Recipes to be entered must feature strawberries and not just use strawberries as a garnish. All ingredients and pan sizes must be included in a recipe attached to each entry and contestants are invited to bring multiple copies of their recipe if they'd like to share. Hot dishes must be brought to the parish hall by 2 p.m. the day of the festival, while cold foods may be brought between noon and 2 p.m. Winning entries will be published on the church's Web site, if the winners give permission.

For complete instructions on how to participate in the contest and for more about the festival, visit www.christepiscopalchaptico.org.

Church to sponsor Praise in the Park event May 30

First Missionary Baptist Church will sponsor "Praise in the Park" on Saturday, May 30, from noon to 4 p.m. at Freedom Park in Lexington Park. There will be inspirational messages, gospel singing, praise dances and health awareness/screenings by St. Mary's Hospital and the St. Mary's County Health Department.

In addition, free clothing and food will be distributed while it lasts. Many community churches are involved in this event, and the community is invited to participate.

For more information contact the church at 301-863-8388.

Eat well, benefit a good cause

Patuxent Habitat for Humanity is bringing together award-winning' restaurants, caterers and wineries to offer a sampling of dishes prepared with ingredients from area farms and waterways for "Local Flavor, Local Fare," to be held Tuesday, June 23, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on the square in Leonardtown. Proceeds from the event will support Patuxent Habitat for Humanity.

Ticket price is $30 and allows samplings of dishes prepared by some of St. Mary's best local chefs. Tickets are available from the Patuxent Habitat office and ReStore at 21768 South Coral Drive in Lexington Park.

This event was sold out in 2008, so participants are encouraged to buy their tickets soon.

Patuxent Habitat for Humanity's goal is to bring people, from all walks of life, together to build decent, affordable homes for working families in Calvert and St. Mary's counties. For more information on the group, visit www.patuxenthabitat.org.

Blue Crabs to host St. John's benefit

St. John's Spirit Night will be celebrated at the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs game on May 29 at 7:05 p.m. against the Bridgeport Bluefish at Regency Furniture Stadium in Waldorf.

Cost is $13 and tickets to the game on sale now at http://somdbluecrabs.com. Click on "FUN-RAISER." The promo code is "stjohns." With every ticket purchased, 50 percent goes back to St. John Francis Regis Catholic Church. For more information call Mary Ann Thompson at 301-475-3143.

Learn about making hay at workshop

Area residents can learn about hay production and marketing at the Hay Quality and Marketing Workshop on Wednesday, May 20, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Cheltenham Warehouse in Cheltenham, located on Route 301 South just beyond the veterans cemetery.

Featured speaker will be Les Vough, forage crops extension specialist emeritus, with the University of Maryland. Registration is free, but seating is limited. To register, call the extension office at 301-934-5403 to reserve your seat. This program is sponsored by University of Maryland Extension in Southern Maryland.

Children's museum group achieves nonprofit status

Discover U Children's Museum organizers have announced that the museum group has achieved nonprofit status.

"The museum is busy growing and moving forward," said Linda Bazemore, one of the museum's organizers, in a statement. "We are focusing our efforts in three areas — community outreach and volunteer growth [and] fundraising."

Bazemore and another volunteer, Dana Van Abbema, just returned from the Association of Children's Museums national conference in Philadelphia, where they attended the Emerging Museums seminar.

The group will hold its first fundraiser, a yard sale and raffle, on May 16 at 8 a.m. at the Chesapeake Public Charter School. Donations for the sale and raffle are welcome.

Discover U Children's Museum organizers meet the second Monday of every month from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Leonardtown Elementary School in the science lab. Call Elisabeth at 301-997-8790 or visit discoverucm.org. The meetings are open to anyone interested in learning more about the museum.

Piano player wanted

Patuxent Playhouse is looking for a piano player for its upcoming production of "School House Rock Live!"

Rehearsals are scheduled on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Southern Community Center in Lusby and on Sundays at Gracie's Guys and Gals Dance Studio in Hollywood from 2 to 4 p.m. Performances are scheduled for August. Anyone interested is asked to contact Geri Reynolds as soon as possible at 443-532-1404 or at geri@paxplays.com.

Local magician returns from training

Reggie Rice recently participated in a master session by Jeff McBride of McBride's Magic and Mystery School in Washington, D.C.

Rice went to Magi-Whirl 2009 IBM (International Brotherhood of Magician) ring 50's (IBM Washington D.C. Chapter) yearly convention and had the chance to study with Jeff McBride, one of the founders of the McBride Magic and Mystery School in Las Vegas.

Rice also got to work with Paul Green, who was awarded Close Up Magician of the year in 2008 and Lecturer of the Year in 2002, as well as Bruce Kalver SAM president (Society Of American Magicians) and Joan Ceasar, president of the International Brotherhood of Magicians.

Johnson wins arts council award

Her edgy, whimsical ceramic creations have won St. Mary's College of Maryland art professor Sue Johnson a Maryland State Arts Council 2009 Individual Artist Award in Visual Arts in the crafts category. This is Johnson's fourth Individual Artist Award in 14 years. This most recent award is for "The Incredible Edibles," the body of work she created at the arts/industry residency program of the John Michael Kohler Art Center in Wisconsin. The high-gloss cast ceramic sculptures are of dinnerware and popular foodstuffs depicted with humor and a focus on the themes of consumption, marketing and mass production.

Many of the ceramics are on exhibit at the Maier Museum at Randolph College in Lynchburg, Va., as part of the 98th Annual Exhibition of Contemporary Art. The show is titled "Evolutionary Drift: The Art of Sue Johnson and Pam Longobardi" and is on view through early August.

Johnson has taught painting, drawing, printmaking and book arts at St. Mary's College since 1993. She has served as the college's Steven Muller Distinguished Professor of Arts from 2003 to 2007 and was awarded the Norton Dodge Award for Outstanding Creative and Scholarly Achievement in 2006.

To view pictures of Johnson's work, visit www.suejohnson1.com.

Erickson wins child care teacher award

The Terri Lynne Lokoff Child Care Foundation has announced that Celestia Erickson, a preschool teacher and owner of Celestia Beginnings Child Care in Hollywood, was selected to receive the Terri Lynne Lokoff/Children's Tylenol National Child Care Teacher Award.  

Erickson was one of 50 exemplary early care and education teachers nationwide chosen for her commitment to maintaining high quality child care practices and dedication to the children she teaches. She received a $1,000 award last month at a ceremony in King of Prussia, Pa.

Each year, child care teachers from across the nation participate in the program. As part of the application process, applicants design an enhancement project that illustrates the educational, social and emotional benefits for the children in their care.

With her award-winning project "Sensational Snacking Garden," Erickson will create a vegetable and fruit garden with her class. The children will learn where food comes from, how to take care of a garden and the life cycle of plants.

A committee of 45 early childhood educators and experts from the United States reviewed and scored each application.

For additional information about the foundation or the awards, visit www.childcareabc.org or www.tllccf.org.

Foster parents sought

Alternatives for Youth and Families in Charlotte Hall is looking for prospective foster parents and landlords. Call 301-884-0312 or e-mail jcoulby@alternatives4youth.org for more information.

Vessel checks offered free of charge

As the weather gets warmer, more and more recreational boaters are getting out on the water. Before taking out your boat, the Coast Guard Auxiliary urges boaters to make sure they have the required safety equipment and that their boat is in working order by taking advantage of a free vessel safety check.

The checks are conducted by qualified members of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and are a way of learning about problems that might be a violation of state or federal laws and provide the boating public with additional safety tips that could possibly mitigate or eliminate preventable danger on the water.

To find a vessel examiner go to www.safetyseal.org. Vessel safety checks can be conducted on any type of watercraft from boats and personal watercraft to kayaks. For more information about boating safety visit www.uscgboating.org/.

scraton@somdnews.com