Local singer takes hiatus to join Army

THIS ‘N' THAT

Friday, Aug. 14, 2009

The first shows in his native Charles County were followed by performances at many more venues, including St. Mary's firehouses and as the opening act at summer concerts in Solomons. But even recording sessions, videos and showcase events in Nashville haven't brought the level of success he sought, his father said this week.

"The timing wasn't right, I guess," Bill Rick said Tuesday from the family's Waldorf home. "He just got tired of getting close … [and] it just not happening."

The 22-year-old, who once served as a cadet with the Charles County sheriff's office, found work as an armed security officer in Music City, including assisting some of its performers, his father said. His son's four-year enlistment to become a cavalry scout was followed by a farewell cookout held two weeks ago at a Pomfret residence, the day before the new recruit left for Fort Knox, Ky.

"He decided to give that a go, and put the music on hold for a while. He decided he wanted to do something for his country," his father said. "Music will always be in his heart. He adores all his fans and wrote them all a nice going-away letter. It's not over with. It's just on hold."

Shop with a Cop softball set Saturday

A charity softball game between the St. Mary's sheriff's office and the WSMD-FM Star 98.3 radio station will begin at 7 p.m. tomorrow, Saturday, at Chancellor's Run Regional Park in California.

The softball game will benefit St. Mary's "Shop with a Cop" program, and festivities will begin at 4:30 p.m. with a "Home Run Derby" where participants can try to hit their way to winning a Harley Davidson motorcycle.  Numerous door prizes, trophies and a 50/50 raffle will be offered. The Optimists of St. Mary's County will be on hand to sell food and beverages.

"Shop with a Cop" is a charitable organization sponsored by the St. Mary's Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7 and the Optimist Clubs of St. Mary's County, and it's funded strictly through charitable donations to allow local law enforcement officers take children with economic needs shopping to purchase school supplies and clothing for the coming school year.

American Legion to host bull roast

American Legion Post 221 will host a bull roast from noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 23, at 21690 Colton Point Road in Avenue.

The menu will include all-you-can-eat servings of sliced and minced barbecue, baked beans, green beans, potato salad and cole slaw. Sandwiches also will be available.

Adult tickets and carry-out dinners will cost $18, or $15 for advanced tickets. Children 7-12 can eat for $5, and younger children can eat for free. For discount tickets, call 301-769-2220. All proceeds will benefit Legion programs.

Tickets on sale for mystery dinner

The Friends of the St. Clement's Island and Piney Point museums are selling tickets for their annual interactive murder mystery dinner to be held on Saturday, Sept. 12, at Olde Breton Inn in Leonardtown.

Tickets are $60 per person for association members and $65 per person for the general public, with proceeds benefiting the St. Mary's County Museum Division. Only 140 tickets will be sold.

The murder mystery is titled "Murder in Miami," and audience members are encouraged to attend in their favorite and flamboyant south Miami attire. Pink flamingos will be welcomed.

The event begins at 6 p.m. with a cash bar and social hour, and includes a live auction at 7 p.m. conducted by local auctioneer A.J. Bussler. Many silent auction items will also be available for bidding throughout the evening. A buffet dinner will be served by Bailey's Catering at 7:30 p.m., with the murder mystery performance to follow.

Parts will be offered to amenable dinner guests, who will then read from a provided script. All participants are encouraged to ham it up for a hilarious and unrehearsed "whodunit."

The evening will conclude with coffee, dessert, crime solving and the announcement of the silent auction winners.

Tickets can be purchased by calling the St. Clement's Island Museum at 301-769-2222. Ticket reservations must be made in advance. No tickets will be sold at the door.

Jail's high school program completes its first year

The St. Mary's Detention Center's collaboration with the public schools' adult education program to offer a high school education for jail inmates recently completed a first year, with two graduates and plans for continuing the mission.

Classes are held five hours a week for 10 months, and the course of study includes math, social studies, science, literature and writing. Inmates are required to pass five major exams and write an essay prior to graduating. Inmates who successfully complete the program receive a Maryland state high school diploma.

The program is funded through an inmate welfare fund and grant funding, and the county schools' adult education program provides volunteer staff instructors.

The high school education program is part of the detention center's offender re-entry program, which promotes the effective reintegration of offenders back to communities upon their release from jail.

The program addresses issues to ensure offenders successfully transition and maintain a crime-free existence after their release, and to help inmates acquire the life skills needed to succeed in the community and become law-abiding citizens.

USDA stewardship applications accepted

Enrollment began this week for farmers to apply to take part in a new conservation stewardship program offered by The U.S. Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources Conservation Service.

The continuous sign-up period beginning last Monday will run until the first application period cutoff scheduled for Sept. 30.

The stewardship program is a voluntary one that encourages agricultural and forestry producers to maintain existing conservation activities and adopt additional ones on their operations, and agency officials report that it will help the nation's agricultural and forestry producers reach greater levels of conservation performance to help protect land and water.

The conservation benefits derived from maintaining and enhancing natural resources will improve the quality of soil and water, the department reports, and will assist in addressing global climate change by encouraging environmentally responsible energy production.

The conservation service's Maryland division has encouraged farmers and forest land owners who are interested in the program to visit their local field office as soon as possible to determine if their agricultural operation and conservation plans could make them eligible to participate.

Unlike an earlier conservation security program, the new program focuses on farmers installing additional new conservation practices on their land.

Participants who enrolled land under the prior conservation security program cannot enroll the same land into the new conservation stewardship program.

Eligible applicants may include individual landowners, operators, legal entities and Indian tribes. Agricultural and forestry producers must submit applications by Sept. 30 to be considered for funding in the first ranking period.

Potential participants will be encouraged to use a self-screening checklist first to determine whether the new program is suitable for them or their operation.

The checklist is available at www.nrcs.usda.gov, and at conservation service field offices.

For more information about the program, including eligibility requirements, farmers can go online to www.nrcs.usda.gov/new_csp, or visit their local conservation service field office.

jwharton@somdnews.com