Mid-Shore Life

Taste of Cambridge celebrates everything crab July 10

CAMBRIDGE, MD—With hundreds of pounds of crabmeat and a whole lot of culinary expertise, local chefs will show off their best crab dishes during the sixth annual Taste of Cambridge and Crab Cook-Off starting at 5 p.m. on Saturday, July 10.
 
The highlight of this annual street festival on the streets of historic downtown Cambridge, Maryland, is the Crab Cook-Off. Ticket holders enjoy samples of crab dishes from some of the best restaurants in Dorchester County—including Jimmie & Sook’s Raw Bar and Grill (named one of the top 10 cream of crab soups in Maryland by the Baltimore Sun) and Bistro Poplar (the only Eastern Shore finalist for “best restaurant” in the Restaurant Association of Maryland’s annual competition). The chefs compete in categories including crab cake, crab soup, crab dip, and crab specialty. Those who buy a $25 ticket get tastes of more than 15 crab dishes and then cast their vote for the best. The dishes will also be rated by a panel of celebrity judges.

Competing restaurants in the Crab Cook-Off include Blue Point Provision Company (at the Hyatt), Bistro Poplar, Cambridge Yacht Club, GiGi's Trattoria, Jimmie & Sook's Raw Bar and Grill, Kay's at the Airport, Ocean Odyssey Seafood Restaurant, and Water's Edge Grill (at the Hyatt).

Postcards from Mr. Pish Adventure Begins in Cambridge

Cambridge Books has just released Postcards from Mr. Pish, a new children’s book by K. S. Brooks.  It is currently available on Amazon.com and will become available through bookstores and other online venues soon.

Postcards from Mr. Pish is a unique children’s book about an adorable Jack Russell Terrier, Mr. Pish, as he travels cross-country.  The book features full-color photographs, documenting Mr. Pish’s grand adventure in postcards written to entertain and teach children about the United States and Canada.  Mr. Pish’s trip begins on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, which is highlighted in photographs as well as text. 

“As we drove across the country, we discovered so many amazing things; it was like being a kid again, ” K. S. Brooks said.  “The Eastern Shore is home to so many truly extraordinary places I wanted to share.”

Teachers across the country are hailing Postcards from Mr. Pish as a valuable educational tool.  Elementary School Teacher Lynn Drayzen comments “Kids...and adults...will learn important details about each state as they join Mr. Pish on his cross country travels.”

Just as the days get a little longer this time of year, so it goes with the fun downtown events put on by community volunteers working with the nonprofit Cambridge Main Street. This weekend’s Second Saturday festivities between 5 and 9 pm will of course feature a fun array of art gallery receptions, special shopping promotions, live music indoors and out, dining specials—and even a free raffle for great prizes.

But there’s even more in store for Second Saturday this month, and some of it starts a little earlier in the day than usual.

John Barth Homecoming: At 4 pm on Saturday, the Dorchester County Public Library will honor one of Cambridge’s most famous native sons—the novelist John Barth. The winner of the National Book Award and many other prizes, Barth will be on hand for ceremonies surrounding the unveiling on an interpretive marker devoted to his life and work.

The event will be held on the lawn of the Library. Jazz saxophonist Carl Grubbs will perform. Then the celebration continues at Race and Gay Streets as part of the Second Saturday event, as bags of candy will be given away at the former site of Whitey’s Candyland, which was operated by Barth’s father. Copies of autographed Barth novels and Carl Grubbs’s new CD will be raffled off at the event.

Special Pet Project Brings Fortune Teller to Sunnyside in Cambridge

This coming Saturday, Sunnyside Shop in downtown Cambridge welcomes the glamorous Madame Canina, a reclusive, rarely seen clairvoyant whose unique specialty is paw readings that predict what the future holds for our four-legged companions—dogs.

Everyone is invited to bring a canine friend or friends downtown to 500 Poplar Street for a special “Paw Reading” event between 4 and 6 pm on Saturday, May 15. Sunnyside will be donating a portion of their sales for that day to the Dorchester Humane Society. A donation jar for the Society will also be set up for those seeking the services of the clairvoyant.

“It’s the first ever fortune-telling event at the shop, so the only thing I’m sure of is that I have no idea what’s going to happen,” Heidi Griebel, Sunnyside’s owner, says with a laugh. “Seriously, all of us at Sunnyside are really looking forward to having a whole lot of fun while doing right by a great community cause.”

Flowers, street musicians, late shopping, dining, art openings, music and more on tap!

With this month’s Second Saturday festivities in downtown Cambridge falling on the eve of Mother’s Day, the shops, restaurants, and galleries of downtown Cambridge are joining forces to create a fun Mothers’ Night Out from 5-9 pm on May 8.

“This Saturday, childcare and household responsibilities are on dads or granddads or somebody else in the family, because moms need to be free to spend the evening downtown,” said Chad Malkus, the attorney with Hodes, Pessin & Katz who serves as president of the Cambridge Main Street. The nonprofit Main Street group coordinates Second Saturday events, which feature late shopping hours, gallery openings with free receptions, dining specials in restaurants, live music and more.

This month, there’s even more on tap:

• Build a bouquet: Beginning at 5 pm, participating retail shops will have a limited supply of carnations. Pick up a flower in each stop and head home with a free Mother’s Day bouquet courtesy of downtown Cambridge! While supplies last, flowers will be at Sugar Magnolia, Sunnyside Shop, Dragonfly Boutique, Joie de Vivre, Pear Tree South, A Few of My Favorite Things, LunaChick, and Trumpeter Swan Antiques.

• Win $100 in retail therapy: The same stores will be collecting entries for a drawing for a $100 shopping spree. You can enter once in every store you visit, so the more stores you stop in, the better your chances. The winner of the gift certificate (which will be good for one month in all participating shops) will be drawn next week, so be sure to include your e-mail and/or phone.

• Mother’s Day serenades: Violinist Kevin Diaz and guitarist Pete Doyle of the wonderful Slow Boat Captains for Truth & Justice—you might have them at last year’s Schooner Rendezvous—will be performing on the sidewalks of downtown. Please tip these talented volunteers generously if you’re so inclined!

Free events honoring artists are part of Second Saturday festivities

Three downtown art galleries will be holding free receptions honoring artists opening new exhibits in conjunction with the Second Saturday festivities in downtown Cambridge the evening of May 8. A fourth gallery will be holding its exhibit opening next Saturday, May 15^th.

At the Main Street Gallery, 413 Muir Street, the brand new “Figure: Motion/Emotion” features works by top contemporary regional artists about sports, athleticism, exertion and the human figure in actions. The exhibit will run through June and is designed to coincide with next month's big Eagleman Triathlon in Cambridge.

At Joie de Vivre Gallery, 410 Race Street, the work of direct metal artist Paul Lockhart is featured—lots of new work has been added to this exhibit since last month. Don’t forget to stop in the Danny Doughty Gallery in back of Joie.

Dorchester Center for the Arts Promoting the Arts and the Community

             When the artists, community leaders, volunteers and staff of the Dorchester Center for the Arts come together at the Guest Artist Event on Saturday, April 17, the evening will be so much more than a night on the town.

“The Guest Artist Event is a true example of our organization’s slogan, “Creating Community Through the Arts,” stated Mickey Love, Executive Director. “This event is bringing people together from all backgrounds in support of the arts, which provide quality of life and economic benefits to this entire community.”

The importance of the arts is well documented. Arts can drive the local economy as it brings in visitors, tourists and locals to an art event, and these same consumers provide vital revenue for restaurants, stores and other businesses. Each ticket purchased for an art program, generates an additional $22-40 locally. According to Americans for the Arts, the nonprofit arts industry generates $29.6 billion in federal, state, and local tax revenues annually.      

Downtown shops, galleries, restaurants gear up for April’s Second Saturday

This weekend’s Second Saturday festivities downtown will cap off a big day in Cambridge, with both the YMCA’s Crab Run Half Marathon and MTS Broadcasting’s Maryland Boatbuilders & Dealers Expo unfolding during the day. The Friends of the Library will be hosting their monthly book sale that afternoon as well.

Afterwards, Second Saturday will offer the perfect opportunity to relax, shop, dine, and unwind from a busy day. Most shops will have a full complement of their new spring merchandise in stock and on display. Chefs at downtown restaurants are breaking out tempting new menu items for their spring menus, and live music will be on tap at the restaurants later in the evening.