Five Eastern Shore counties have joined in an effort to form a re-enactor militia unit to participate in and promote regional activities associated with the bicentennial of the War of 1812.

The tourism departments of Kent, Queen Anne’s, Talbot, Caroline and Dorchester counties committed a share of the matching funds for the state’s Star-Spangled 200 grant. The grant application was sent out last week.

The proposal is to provide enough equipment and uniforms to outfit 15-members of a recreated Eastern Shore militia unit based on research of the 21st Maryland Militia company that won the Battle of Caulk’s Field on Aug. 30-31, 1814. The unit would be used in parades, encampments, exhibits, promotional efforts and other activities in the five-county region during and after the bicentennial years 2012 to 2015.

The estimated cost of the program is $94,570, which would be funded by the grant, cash and in-kind contributions and dona- tions. The costs include material for the uniforms, muskets, planning, maintenance and storage and promotion.

The concept was developed by Friends of Kent County Maryland War of 1812 committee and the Kent County Office of Tour- ism & Economic Development. The committee’s membership includes re-enactors, historians and members of the business community. The committee meets weekly at the county offices at 400 High St. “We are delighted to be working on such an important regional project, said Bernadette Van Pelt, Director of the Kent County Office of Tourism & Economic Development, the tourism economic impact will be significant throughout and after the Bicentennial period.”

Partnering with the Eastern Shore War of 1812 Consortium, events within the five-county region will be identified to include the first of its kind militia unit. In Kent County, numerous bicentennial activities are planned, including an annual dedication at the site of the Caulk’s Field battle memorial; a re-enactment of the Battle of Caulk’s Field in 2014; re-enactments of the at- tack on Georgetown and Kitty Knight’s confrontation with the British, to name a few. The effort will include educational and promotional activities to offer area residents and visitors a more complete picture of the impacts and results of the war that some have labeled as the national “second war of independence,” fought over maritime rights and border disputes. During the war the “Star-Spangled Banner” was written and the public buildings in Washington burned.

The Friends of Kent County Maryland War of 1812 committee will participate in the Dogwood Festival, Saturday, May 12, at Galena, with a parade entry. The parade kicks off at 10 a.m. There will be a booth where committee members will be available to provide information on the history of the war and activities planned around the bicentennial. Commemorative hats, satchels and T-shirts will be available for sale.
And remember to ring your bells at noon on June 18, the anniversary of the war’s start and the kickoff of the bicentennial. Any- one can participate in this event, with a bell, large or small! For more information, see the website http://kentcounty1812.org.

There's no better time than the Spring to get out and enjoy all of the amazing benefits of living in and around Annapolis and the Eastern Shore. Here are our top pics for living in the Land of Pleasant Living.

Attention, enviro-advocates—the town of Berlin in Worcester County has become the first in the state to earn a Certificate of Sustainability from Sustainable Maryland Certified.

Sustainable Maryland Certified (SMC) is an initiative by the Environmental Finance Center (EFC) at the University of Maryland. It’s designed to support the state’s cities, towns, and villages, as they try to protect their natural assets and revitalize their communities.  The program is free and voluntary, and awards points towards certification. Points are earned through use of best practices in resource areas like health, water, planning, food, energy, and economy.

Berlin racked up its points by completing “actions” in several categories. SMC defines actions as concrete steps municipalities can take to become more green and sustainable. Categories include food, community action, health and wellness, natural resources, and local economies.

“What happened that really got things going into high gear was that three years ago the town of Berlin helped to support the development of Grow Berlin Green, which is a partnership with the Assateague Coastal Trust, the Lower Shore Land Trust, and the Maryland Coastal Bays Program,” says Berlin mayor Wm. Gee Williams, III. “We jointly applied to the Town Creek Foundation for a substantial grant, and used that to make educating the general community our first priority. We figured if people understood the problems and the promise of environmental stewardship, they would respond.”

Through Grow Berlin Green, the town started taking physical steps toward greening their community. What started out as a few group rain barrel builds, for example, has now turned into the selling of more than 200 barrels. And a former perpetual puddle is now a thriving rain garden.

“This is a classic case where citizens in the community can lead by example,” says Williams.

After an intense application and review process, the SMC staff and external industry experts awarded Berlin certification.

“It’s gratifying and exhilarating, but I’m not thoroughly surprised,” says Williams. “Sometimes you have to believe in something, and I wanted to believe our community could do this.”

Now, 22 other Maryland towns are following in Berlin’s footsteps.

“Berlin is a role model for what can be accomplished when communities and local governments team up to adopt sensible, sustainable practices,” Joanne Throwe, director of the University of Maryland's Environmental Finance Center, said in a press release. “We want communities to embrace actions important to them, and then help them achieve these actions in an efficient, goal-oriented way.”

Williams agrees.

“If little old Berlin with 4,500 residents can do it, anyone can do it.”

Find out more about the program, including how to register, at SMC’s website: sustainablemaryland.com.

There’s a lot going on this weekend during Main Street’s Second Saturday event. On tap is a lively mix of gallery hopping, great shopping, fine dining, and live music in downtown Cambridge. Shops will be open late, showcasing bright, new Spring merchandise. Art lovers can enjoy gallery receptions and fine art and the warm weather will invite you to stroll the streets and explore Cambridge’s historic downtown.

The St. Michaels harbor will transform to an image of days gone by with several tall ships and visiting vessels docking at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum (CBMM) beginning this May and continuing throughout the month of June.

From May 5-12, the schooner Sultana will be dockside at the museum, and open for boarding to all CBMM visitors from 2:30 to 4:30 pm on Tuesday, May 8. The schooner Sultana is a replica of a Boston-built merchant vessel that served for four years as the smallest schooner ever in the British Royal Navy. Using the British Admiralty’s documentation of the original Sultana, she has been recreated to offer a glimpse of 18th-century seafaring life. Launched in 2001 at her base port of Chestertown, MD, Sultana provides educational programs for more than 5,000 students each year.

From June 4-7, the schooner Wolf comes to the CBMM, with free dockside tours offered from 1 to 3pm each day. The Wolf is a classic 74' topsail schooner built in the early 1980s in Panama City, FL and now home ported in Key West, FL. The Wolf sails the seven seas representing Key West and the Conch Republic, and is available for charters in Florida, Bahamas, Jamaica and other ports in the Caribbean and US.

From June 15-17, the replica tall ship HMS Bounty will be harbor side at CBMM, offering tours to CBMM and Antique & Classic Boat Festival visitors at $10 for adults, $5 for children, and free for children five and under. A replica of the tall ship known for the infamous 1789 mutiny in Tahiti, the current HMS Bounty was built in 1960 for the movie, “Mutiny on the Bounty,” and was later featured in “Treasure Island” and “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.” Now touring the U.S. East Coast after a European tour, the tall ship offers dockside tours, sail training and youth educational programs.

On June 21 and 22, the Pride of Baltimore II will be dockside at CBMM, with tours available to museum visitors. An 1812-era topsail schooner privateer reproduction, Pride of Baltimore II is Maryland’s working symbol of the great natural resources and spectacular beauty of the Chesapeake Bay region. Pride of Baltimore II was commissioned in 1988 as a sailing memorial to her immediate predecessor, the original Pride of Baltimore, which was sunk by a white squall off Puerto Rico in 1986. Both ships were built in the Inner Harbor as reproductions of 1812-era topsail schooners, the type of vessels, called Baltimore Clippers, which helped America win the War of 1812 and finally secure its freedom.

From June 22-24, the Viking ship Norseman will be at the museum offering a real-life look at a Viking ship and the type of people who sailed them more than 1,000 years ago. Norseman is a 40-foot half-scale replica of the famous Gokstad ship that represents one of the many types of sailing vessels built and designed by Vikings. The Norseman's crew will wear authentic Viking attire at a small encampment, which will be complete with iron and woodworking tools, and period music. The ship is based in Wilmington, DE at the Kalmar Nyckel Shipyard.
 
For more information about other upcoming events at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, visit www.cbmm.org, or call 410-745-2916.

To have goose bumps on a beautiful 75-degree morning must be a sign of something good. And in the middle of the Severn River, as fog and ship horns sounded, boats gathered and followed, and people waved and cheered to welcome the homecoming of Matt Rutherford, the first-ever person to solo circumnavigate the Americas non-stop, excitement brewed. For the nostalgic hearts, hairs raised as an airplane flew overhead pulling a sign that said what everyone in the crowd was thinking: “Welcome home Matt.”