Leonardtown is setting for Loker’s new children’s book

Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2008

And it all happens in Leonardtown.

Aleck Loker’s latest book, ‘‘Emily’s Egg,” a children’s book featuring his granddaughter, Beatrice, and her cousin, Emily, both of Leonardtown, has just been released. It is the latest of 16 books that the former St. Mary’s County administrator has published.

Loker started writing stories featuring Beatrice as a character more than half a dozen years ago, when she was only 4.

‘‘I was really struggling to come up with something for a Christmas present,” Loker said Friday afternoon, during a phone interview from his home in Williamsburg, Va., about the first Beatrice story. He wrote a story for her present, which went over well. ‘‘I ended up doing about six or seven more,” he said.

‘‘Emily’s Egg,” however, is the first one of those stories that Loker has had published.

‘‘Emily’s Egg” is a story, touched with fantasy, about girls playing make-believe. Set in Leonardtown, aspects of St. Mary’s are included. The family’s old tobacco barn serves as a key setting. And the local volunteer fire department is headed up by a friendly Capt. Mattingly.

Loker said the story took only about a week to write initially, but it went through several revisions with the help of his writers group in Williamsburg.

A native of and longtime resident of St. Mary’s, Loker grew up in Leonardtown, worked at Patuxent River Naval Air Station for 33 years and then worked as the county administrator for one year in the mid-1990s.

‘‘Emily’s Egg,” which is illustrated by Tarra Prudhomme, can be ordered by local bookstores or ordered directly from http:⁄⁄members.cox.net⁄aleck.loker⁄.

Lighthouse Challenge set for Sept. 20 and 21

The Chesapeake Chapter of the U.S. Lighthouse Society and the Maryland Lighthouse Organizations will host the 2008 Maryland Lighthouse Challenge – Road to the Lighthouse the weekend of Sept. 20 and 21.

This driving tour takes participants along the Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac to visit places like Chesapeake Lightship, Concord Point, Cove Point, Drum Point, Fort Washington, Hooper Strait, Piney Point, Point Lookout, Seven-Foot Knoll and Turkey Point.

At the first lighthouse visited, participants will receive a promotional brochure, which includes driving instructions to all the lights.

At each lighthouse stop along the route, participants will receive a complimentary souvenir depicting that lighthouse.

Volunteer trainingsessions offered

The St. Mary’s Retired and Senior Volunteer Program will be sponsoring two training sessions at the Northern Senior Activity Center at 29655 Charlotte Hall Road in Charlotte Hall this month. These trainings are part of a local and national effort to organize volunteers and nonprofits in the county to be able to respond to disasters and to better prepare nonprofit organizations for dealing with spontaneous volunteers.

The first training session will be held today, Sept. 17, from 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. and will focus on managing spontaneous volunteers in times of disaster using the volunteer reception center model.

Geared toward nonprofits and community groups, the training is free to RSVP member stations and for a small fee to others, that will include all training materials and meals.

The second training will be held Wednesday, Sept. 24, between 9a.m. and noon and will focus on volunteer leaders in times of disaster. This training will be geared toward volunteers in the community as well as those wishing to learn more on how to identify potential volunteer leaders. The training is free for all RSVP member volunteers and a small fee will be charged for all others that will include course materials and refreshments.

For registration information call the RSVP office at 301-737-5670, ext. 1650.