Saturday, December 15, 2012

Cupcakes!!


TODAY IS NATIONAL CUPCAKE DAY !!!

Find your favorite cupcake and enjoy the day.......

TIME MACHINE Preview ... Memories of Accomac, 1890.



In 1937 John S. Wise Jr. wrote about his 1890 visit to Drummondtown (later Accomac) to spend the summer with his cousin Dr. John J. Wise. "I was then a lad of fourteen and full of youthful vitality and activity and interest and curiosity about all things of the Eastern Shore new to a boy who had spent most of his time in the inland country mountains."
Read about it this Sunday, and some TIME MACHINE Christmas items also, on The Pocomoke Public Eye!

  Do you have a local memory to share with PPE readers.. such as a big snow storm, a favorite school teacher, a local happening, something of interest your parents or grandparents told you about, a Holiday memory? It can be just a line or two, or more if you wish. Send to tkforppe@yahoo.com and watch for it on a future TIME MACHINE posting!

Riverside Grill Pocomoke

SATURDAY SPECIALS
DECEMBER 15, 2012

-Cream of Crab Soup w/ ½ chicken salad sand. or side salad 6.99
-Soft Shell Crab Platter w/ mac n cheese and green beans 10.99
-NC Pulled Pork BBQ Sandwich w/ cole slaw and hush puppies 6.99
-Mahi-Mahi Caesar Salad 9.99
-Ale Batter Fried Shrimp Basket w/ fries 8.99*


*Take another $1 off shrimp baskets all day!
$2.50 Bloody Marys & Mimosas all day
Happy Hour 4-7 w/ $1 off apps
@5 pm
: $4 burgers



Don't forget:   Gift certificates make great Christmas gifts!

Early Morning Fire In Accomack County

911 reports a four alarm structure fire on Matthews Road near Parksley. The fire was reported at 3:57 this morning. Units began leaving the scene at approximately 5:30.

It is not known at this time if the structure was abandoned or whether this particular fire is part of the string of arsons.

Parksley, Bloxom, Tasley and Onley responded.

The State Police and Sheriff's Department are investigating and are requesting anyone with any information on this or any other of the fires to contact them.

A $5000 dollar reward is being offered for information that leads to the capture and conviction of those responsible for the string of fires.

WESR

HO HO HO !!!! Santa Is IN Today!

It's been many years since Santa Claus has been able to visit the children of Pocomoke City before Christmas to actually take their orders himself.  Don't miss him....

He's in every Saturday until Christmas ~
11 a.m. until 1 p.m.
Downtown Pocomoke
Mini-park at Market and Second St

To chat with him is FREE
Or
Have your picture taken with him for a fee of
$5.00 courtesy of the Pocomoke Jr. Women's Club

While Santa is on duty stop by the Second Time Around (directly across the street) for a special treat and do some Christmas shopping. 

And don't forget there are other wonderful stores in the downtown area that just might have that special Christmas gift you are looking forward.  Remember: gift certificates are always nice and makes shopping so much easier.  Besides, you're already downtown...no reason to shop anywhere else.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS SHOPPING

Watch Christmas Ornaments Being Painted.....

Artist Jenny Somers will be at the Delmarva Discovery Center  painting her famous Christmas tree ornaments.

Saturday
December 15, 2012
2:30 p.m.  until  4:00 p.m.

Stop by and say hello and take a look at the beautiful ornaments she paints.


Ask her about special orders.

Afterwards don't forget to shop the other stores in downtown Pocomoke City. 



Gov. McDonnell Says NO To State Health Exchanges

Governor McDonnell Informs HHS that Virginia Will Not Pursue a State-Based Health Benefits Exchange for 2014

RICHMOND - Governor Bob McDonnell today submitted a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary, Kathleen Sebelius, declaring that Virginia will not be pursuing a state-based health benefits exchange for 2014. States were required to submit no later than today, a blueprint application requesting conditional approval for a state-based exchange. States have until Feb. 15, 2013 to signal their intent to participate in a hybrid model or default to a federally facilitated exchange.

"For months, Virginia has asked the Obama administration to provide clear guidance and comprehensive answers to important questions that would determine major components and financial impacts to the Commonwealth should we decide to run our own exchange," Governor McDonnell said. "Originally, I asked that we begin the planning process to potentially operate a state-based exchange for Virginia, primarily so we would be in control of this process. However, despite repeated requests for information, we have not had any clear direction or answers from Washington until recent days, and we cannot conclude, as we review those materials, that we would have the control and flexibility needed to efficiently and effectively run our own state exchange. If Virginians are faced with running a costly, heavily regulated bureaucratic exchange without clear direction from Washington, then it is in the best interest of our taxpayers to let Washington manage an exchange at this time. We would like the ability to control our health insurance marketplace, and will continue dialogue with the federal government to clearly understand the logistics of this option before making a decision."

Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, by Jan. 1, 2014, states are required to establish an insurance marketplace primarily for individuals and small businesses. The law details that if a state does not establish (or decides not to establish) its own exchange, the federal government will run an exchange for the state. In addition to the two models described in statute, the federal government has also created a hybrid model where states are able to control portions of an exchange while relying on the federal government to provide the remaining functions.

The McDonnell administration will continue to analyze long- awaited and recently released proposed rules and guidance from the federal government. Additionally, the administration is seeking information regarding what, if any, established links will be made between the federal hub and state systems. The focus over these next weeks through the leadership of Secretary of Health and Human Resources Dr. Bill Hazel, will be to continue to analyze information made recently available by the federal government to help facilitate future decisions that are in the best interest of all Virginians and affiliated industries and partners.

http://www.governor.virginia.gov/

OPEN HOUSE ~ Pocomoke Chamber of Commerce

Pocomoke Area Chamber of Commerce Open House
 FESTIVE OPEN HOUSE
Saturday  December 15, 2012
10 a.m. to  4 p.m.
6 Market Street  /  Chamber Office

Stop by for cider and snacks and meet artists Jan Coulbourne and Leslie Brett. 

 Artists Jan Coulbourne and Leslie Brett
Photo/Pocomoke Chamber of Commerce
Original Watercolors, prints,cards and more! Delight those on your Christmas list with a reflection of our beautiful Eastern Shore.

A portion of the sales will be donated to the Smaritan Shelter.

Also, a perfect time to pick up your tickets to the Annual Dinner before the prices go up! 

Ask about the Pocomokeopoly game.....

Friday, December 14, 2012

In Our Thoughts and Prayers....

School Lockdown In Queen Anne's County/ No Incidents Reported

STUDENTS SAFE AND NO INCIDENTS REPORTED DURING SCHOOL LOCKDOWN IN QUEEN ANNE'S CO.

(CENTREVILLE, MD) – All students are safe and police report no incidents during a lockdown of schools this afternoon in Queen Anne’s County.

State troopers, Queen Anne’s County Sheriff’s Office deputies and officers from the Centreville Police Department responded to a call for assistance this afternoon from the Queen Anne’s County Board of Education. School officials reported that shortly before 1:00 p.m. today, the Board of Education received a call in which the caller repeatedly said “lock it down.” Based on what had occurred just hours earlier in Connecticut, school officials locked down all Queen Anne County schools and requested police respond to each school.

A combined law enforcement response occurred and police were assigned to each county school. They worked in coordination with school security staff and according to emergency response procedures already in place.

Other than the call, no additional incidents were reported during the afternoon. School officials told police they would lift the lockdown as students ended the school day. Police remained on the scene as students left each school.

Police are taking this call very seriously. Criminal investigators from the State Police Centreville Barrack are conducting an investigation in an attempt to identify the caller. Anyone with information about who made this call is urged to contact State Police at the Centreville Barrack at 410-758-1101. Callers may remain anonymous.


MD. State Police Press Release

Christmas Cruise TONIGHT!!

Take a CRUISE TONIGHT on the Bay Queen
(Make this a Christmas tradition)

And sing along to the Christmas carols so the residents in the homes can hear you!

Riverside Grill ~ Friday Specials

Friday
December 14, 2012

-Cream of Crab Soup w/ ½ ham sandwich or side salad 6.99
-Mahi-Mahi Fish Tacos (grilled, blackened or fried) w/ fries 9.99
-Wedge Salad w/ blackened shrimp 8.99
-Open-Face Turkey w/ mashed potatoes & green beans 6.99



Happy Hour
4-7 w/ $ 1 off appetizers

@ 8 pm
 $3.50 Captain Morgan and Sailor Jerry drinks
$1.50 domestic drafts


Pet Pictures With Santa !! Last Day!

POCOMOKE ANIMAL HOSPITAL
PRESENTS
PET PICTURES WITH SANTA

LAST CHANCE IS TODAY!

Zeke/Great Dane
Photo/Erica Paul
FRIDAY
DECEMBER 14TH
3:00 until 5:00

Bring your pet and your camera- any camera- and take your own photo of your pet with Santa.

A $3.00 donation is all it costs and you will have a treasured photo of Santa with your beloved pet - I promise!



Donations go to a very worthy cause -
MAGDRL
(Mid-Atlantic Great Dane Rescue League)
and
D.A.S.H. Rescue
(feel free to donate a little more)

Doc Johnson - now  happily retired and missed by his patience and their owners- will be making an appearance dressed in his holiday finest!


Rudy with Santa- Photo BW

I spoke with Santa last night and he could tell me he's been doing just fine for the past few months but he misses seeing the many people he was once in contact with. 

So...... how about it people!  If you know Santa (hint-hint) make it a point to stop by the Pocomoke Animal Hospital TODAY even if you don't have a pet!  Leave a  donation for this worthy cause and make Santa's day!  I'm sure he would love to see many of you!!

And your donations will go a long way !

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Thank you to all of those at the Pocomoke Animal Hospital

Accomack County Public School Winter Vacation Dismissal

Accomack County Public Schools will have a two-hour early dismissal on Friday, December 21st.

Schools will remain closed from Monday, December 24, through Tuesday, January 1, 2013 in observance of the Winter Vacation.

Classes will resume on Wednesday, January 2, 2013.
                                          

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Riverside Grill Specials

THURSDAY
DECEMBER 13, 2012

-White Bean and Kielbasa Soup or Chicken and Wild Rice
- Soup w/ 1/2 shrimp salad sandwich or side salad 6.99
-Wedge Salad w/ blackened shrimp 8.99
-Open Face Turkey w/ mashed potatoes and green beans 6.99
-Ale Batter Fried Shrimp Platter 9.99



Happy Hour 4-7 w/ $1 off appetizers
@4 pm : $4 burgers
@8 pm: $3.50 Bacardi drinks


TIME MACHINE Preview ... Memories of Accomac, 1890.



In 1937 John S. Wise Jr. wrote about his 1890 visit to Drummondtown (later Accomac) to spend the summer with his cousin Dr. John J. Wise. "I was then a lad of fourteen and full of youthful vitality and activity and interest and curiosity about all things of the Eastern Shore new to a boy who had spent most of his time in the inland country mountains."
Read about it this Sunday, and some TIME MACHINE Christmas items also, on The Pocomoke Public Eye!

  Do you have a local memory to share with PPE readers.. such as a big snow storm, a favorite school teacher, a local happening, something of interest your parents or grandparents told you about, a Holiday memory? It can be just a line or two, or more if you wish. Send to tkforppe@yahoo.com and watch for it on a future TIME MACHINE posting!

Don't Miss Santa Saturdays ~ Downtown Pocomoke

National Guard Birthday

The oldest component of the Armed Forces
 of the United States of America !


HAPPY 376th BIRTHDAY
UNITED STATES  NATIONAL GUARD

Structure Fire In Accomack County

At 9:12 PM Wednesday Accomack County fire companies were called to the scene of  a structure fire on  Ticktown Lane in Accomac, Va.  The fire companies responding were Tasley, Onley, Onancock, Parksley, Bloxom, and Melfa.  Virginia Forestry also responded to the scene.

Ticktown Road is just off Wharton Road.  Passengers in a vehicle on Route 13 headed South saw the fire glow in the sky and reported it to 911.

It is not known  at this time if this fire is related to the string of arsons that have occured in Accomack County since November 12.

Reminder:

The Virginia State Police and the Accomack County Sheriff's Department are again asking anyone who sees something out of the ordinary no mater how insignificant it may seem, to contact them.

To report a tip, call: 1-800-582-8350 or (757) 424-6820; or call the Accomack County Sheriff's Office at (757) 787-1131.

A $5000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the party responsible for setting the fires.

The Virginia State Police along with its Bureau of Criminal Intelligence and the Accomack County Sheriff's Office have been investigating the fires.

~Bay Queen Christmas Cruises~


View the decorated homes along the Pocomoke River

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Information Sought On Pocomoke Theft Suspect

WMDT
POCOMOKE, Md. - Police are looking for information about a man suspected of stealing money from a business.

Pocomoke City Police and Worcester County Bureau of Investigation are looking for this man, pictured here in connection with a theft from Eastern Shore Lanes in Pocomoke.

 Police say that he was seen on surveillance cameras through out the building. He was reportedly driving a gold Ford Explorer with Maryland license plates.

Any one with information is asked to contact Crime Solvers of the Lower Eastern Shore at 410-548-1776. Tips leading to an arrest, could be rewarded with cash.

Md. State Troopers' Safety Tips....

TROOPERS' TRAFFIC SAFETY TIPS FOR TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

(PIKESVILLE, MD) – In the spirit of the holidays and as part of our ongoing efforts to remind motorists of driving dangers, especially during this time of year, the Maryland State Police music department has prepared this public safety message with the deepest respect for and apologies to the popular song of the season, “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” Motorists having trouble keeping the need for traffic safety on their mind at this time of the year are urged to use this handy musical reminder.

And, in an effort to save cyberspace and increase the chance of you reading to the end, only the first and last verses of the song are included…..

On the first day of Christmas
The trooper said to me
Make traffic safety your priority

On the twelfth day of Christmas
The trooper said to me
Don’t drive drowsy
Don’t follow cars too closely
Don’t change lanes unsafely
Don’t drive drugged
Drive the speed limit
Don’t drive aggressively
Yield the right of way
Don’t drink and drive
No handheld cell calls
Don’t text and drive
Always buckle up
And make traffic safety your priority

While many activities are prohibited when driving, singing is not one of them……
Have a happy and safe holiday season.
MD. State Police Press Release

National Review: An Embarrassing Metric Disappears


An Embarrassing Metric Disappears
Why are government statistics on taxpayer migration being discontinued?
By Jim Pettit
December 11, 2012

As the din of America’s falling headfirst over the fiscal cliff reverberates across the nation, the Obama administration is quietly killing a key economic metric that tells how, and how many, people are voting with their feet. Since 1991 the Internal Revenue Service has been compiling statistics on filers’ addresses, which the agency’s Statistics of Income division uses to show who is moving into and out of every county and state in the nation. As you’d expect, the IRS also knows the aggregate income levels of those who move. So the movements of the most fundamental productive components of the economy — taxpayers — can be analyzed by journalists and economists, or could until now.

The IRS and the U.S. Census Bureau (which provides technical support in reporting tax migration data) have not made an official announcement as to why the program is being discontinued. So we are left to speculate why such vital economic statistics suddenly got canceled.

Some would be glad if the IRS data simply went away. Blue states with high state and local tax burdens have come out looking bad in recent years. California and New York have been embarrassed publicly, as a steady exodus is underway from both.

Regarding California, the free-market Manhattan Institute for Policy Research concluded in September that “this exodus represents a huge reversal to established patterns of domestic migration, and suggests that the Golden State is no longer perceived by most Americans as the land where dreams come true.”

The think tank, which analyzed ten years of IRS data to show that California’s population is fleeing to Texas, characterizes the agency’s data as the “most useful tool” among sources identifying migration patterns. The public-policy ramifications of a declining tax base are clear, according to the Institute: Economic damage ensues when companies, fearing inevitable tax increases, get cold feet in jurisdictions with declining revenues.

Speaking of companies: The state of New York is running a high-profile ad campaign suggesting that businesses are coming back to the Empire State.  Maybe some untold numbers are, but more telling is that taxpayers are leaving.  In May, the New York Post published “Outgoing Income, Millions Flee New York’s Tax Burden,” whose lead was “New York state tops the nation in one key export — people fleeing high taxes.” The article cited the IRS tax-migration numbers, which the conservative Tax Foundation makes available in a web-based application that allows anyone to see easily how many taxpayers there are in each state.

The Post article, which found Florida to be the most popular destination for fleeing New Yorkers, spawned coverage on Fox Business News, where economist Arthur Laffer said: “You have two locations, A and B. If you raise taxes in B and you lower them in A, producers and manufacturers and people are going to move from B to A.” Media Matters, a liberal organization, responded with hostility, calling Laffer a “serial misinformer” who makes dubious claims supporting lower tax rates.

Change Maryland, an organization that has clashed with Governor Martin O’Malley, reported IRS tax-migration findings in July, determining that Maryland accounted for the largest taxpayer-migration exodus of any state in the region between 2007 and 2010, with nearly 31,000 residents having left. The report also identified Maryland’s key competitor in attracting taxpayers: Lower-taxed Virginia is now home to 11,455 former Marylanders, taking $390 million in taxable incomes during this three-year period.

After receiving widespread attention from prominent media, including National Review, the report’s findings prompted a personal, partisan political attack on Change Maryland and its founder, Larry Hogan, by the O’Malley administration.

While it remains to be seen what the official position of the IRS is, unofficially it is suggesting that the problem lies in coordinating with the Census Bureau. It is asking for comments on how people use the data and how important it is, presumably so that higher-ups at the agencies can reverse their decision if necessary.

The very idea of people voting with their feet is uncomfortable to some politicians. Fortunately, others realize the damage that a declining tax base causes and prefer transparency over attempting to delete statistics that reveal the problem.

— Jim Pettit, a communications and public-policy consultant, provides research services for various clients, including Change Maryland.

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/335317/embarrassing-metric-disappears-jim-pettit

Story Time at the Pocomoke Brance Worcester County Library


STORY TIME TODAY

Stabbing Suspect Arrested

According to Sheriff Todd Godwin, on Thursday, December 6 at approximately 12:03 a.m., the Accomack County Sheriffs Office received a report regarding a subject who had been stabbed and was at the Nelsonia Corner Mart.

Further investigation revealed that the 27 year old victim had been traveling with another subject when an altercation ensued between the two and the victim was stabbed multiple times.

The victim was transported to Peninsula Regional Medical Center in Salisbury, Maryland by Parksley Rescue where he was treated for his injuries and is listed in critical but stable condition.

Through the investigation into this incident, a suspect was identified and arrested. Darren Tyler West, age 18 of Bloxom, has been charged with Aggravated Malicious Wounding and is incarcerated in the Accomack County Jail with bond denied.

Source:

At the Mar-Va Theater This Weekend

LIVE: Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol

 December 14th & 15thTime: 7 PM
December 16thTime: 2 PM
Tickets: $15/adult; $7 for children 12 and under

Enjoy the annual Mar-Va Christmas Production in the beautiful historic theater!

 Local actors and actresses take the stage to present the famous Christmas classic by Charles Dickens. This is guaranteed to be a great show.

Tickets can be purchased at Market Street Deli, the Box Office, the Mar-Va's website, or at the door.

Click here
to purchase tickets online!

"The Thinker" Statue Stolen From Salisbury University

SALISBURY — Salisbury University police officials seek information about the recent campus theft of a bronze sculpture of The Thinker. It is the second known statue theft in recent years on the campus, following the 2010 disappearance of a sculpture of Henry David Thoreau.

The Thinker, a reproduction of the 1902 Auguste Rodin sculpture, was taken from the lawn of the Student Art Center on College Avenue the weekend of December 8. The sculpture is approximately 2 feet tall and weighs about 100 pounds, according to university police.

Anyone with information regarding the disappearance should call 410-543-6222.
STORY HERE...

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Rocket Launch From Wallops - December 14th

WALLOPS ISLAND, VA – A Terrier-Lynx suborbital rocket is scheduled between 9 and 9:30 p.m. EST December 14 for the Department of Defense from NASA’s launch range at the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

The backup launch day is December 18 between 8 and 8:30 p.m. The rocket may be visible to residents in the mid-Atlantic region.

Launch updates and a map showing the area in which the rocket launch may be visible are available at: http://www.nasa.gov/wallops
NASA Photo

The launch will not be shown live on the Internet nor will launch status updates be provided on social media once the countdown begins.


The NASA Visitor Center at Wallops will not be open for viewing the launch.

Tuesday Specials ~ Riverside Grill Pocomoke

**Don't forget to purchase your gift certificates  - They make  great Christmas gifts! **

Photo BW

-Seafood Gumbo w/ 1/2 tuna salad sandwich 6.99
-Meatloaf w/ mashed potatoes and green beans 6.99
-Apple Cranberry Salad 7.99
-Buffalo Shrimp Platter w/ cole slaw, carrots, and celery 8.99


4PM ~ 99 cent kids meals

HAPPY HOUR
4  to  7 ~ $1 OFF appetizers

@8PM
.50 cent wings

Navy To Conduct Aircraft Sound Tests At Wallops Beginning Dec. 17th

C-2 Greyhound
Photo/Wikipedia
In response to a request from the Accomack County Board of Supervisors, the Navy will conduct a Field Carrier Landing Practice (FCLP) demonstration using E-2 Hawkeye and C-2 Greyhound aircraft at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility (WFF) during the week of December 17-21.

The demonstration will begin sometime between 3-4 p.m., and conclude about three hours later. The Navy will determine the specific date to conduct the flight demonstration during this window based on operational and training requirements, aircraft availability and forecasted and observed weather conditions.

In September, the Navy released a Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) to evaluate the potential environmental effects that could result from the Navy's proposal to conduct regular, scheduled E-2 and C-2 FCLP operations at either Emporia-Greensville Regional Airport or WFF. Under the proposal, these aircraft would conduct up to 20,000 FCLP passes annually at the selected field. These twin-engine, turboprop aircraft are considerably quieter than jet aircraft.

The Navy expects to complete the EA in January and announce a decision shortly thereafter.
-USN-

Source:

ESO School of Dance Presents "Nutcracker"

Low-Interest Disaster Recovery Loans For Lower Eastern Shore

REPOSTED
OFFICE OPENS TODAY IN MELFA

Governor McDonnell Announces Low-Interest Disaster Recovery Loans for Eastern Shore
– Available to Help Residents Rebuild from Hurricane Sandy 

RICHMOND-In response to a request from Governor Bob McDonnell, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has made low-interest disaster loans available to individuals, renters and businesses on Virginia's Eastern Shore to help them recover from Hurricane Sandy.

The governor asked for a federal SBA disaster declaration following the denial by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) of his request for the Individual Assistance Program. "Unfortunately, the damage we had in Virginia was not of the severity or widespread enough for us to qualify for Individual Assistance," said Governor McDonnell. "Although we considered an appeal of the FEMA decision, it is very unlikely it would be successful, and waiting for another decision would only delay assistance that can be provided through disaster recovery loans."

SBA loans are available to individuals, renters and businesses in Accomack and Northampton counties. An SBA office will open Tuesday, Dec. 11, and be open through Thursday, Dec. 20, except for Sunday, Dec. 16, when it will be closed. Office hours are 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. daily. The SBA office will be located at the Eastern Shore Fire Training Center, 28598 Beacon Road, Melfa, Va., 23410. SBA customer service representatives will be on hand at the center to answer questions about the disaster loan program, explain the process and help individuals complete their applications.

Loans up to $200,000 are available to homeowners to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate. Both homeowners and renters are eligible for loans up to $40,000 to repair or replace damaged or destroyed personal property. Businesses and nonprofit organizations of any size may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory and other business assets.

"We appreciate the SBA low-interest disaster recovery loan program very much, yet there is a need for additional assistance to help people rebuild," said Governor McDonnell. "I encourage all Virginians, especially on this holiday season, to make a tax-deductible donation to the Virginia Disaster Relief Fund to help our fellow citizens get back on their feet."

The Virginia Disaster Relief Fund is a state-managed fund to financially aid Virginia residents impacted by disasters. Proceeds of the fund are distributed as grants to Local Disaster Recovery Groups. Grants also can be made to charities and faith-based organizations associated with the Virginia Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters. To donate to the fund, visit https://payments.vi.virginia.gov/donatenow.

Pet Pictures With Santa !


Last Meteor Shower of 2012

Photo Science.NASA.gov
The last meteor shower of 2012 will be the Geminids, peaking late night December 13 until dawn December 14.

Geminids
The final major meteor shower of every year (unless one surprises us!) is always the December Geminid shower, often producing 50 or more meteors per hour. It is a beloved shower, because, as a general rule, it’s either the August Perseids or the December Geminids that give us the most prolific display of the year. Best of all, the new moon guarantees a dark sky on the peak night of the Geminid shower (mid-evening December 13 until dawn December 14). But the nights on either side of the peak date should be good as well.

Unlike many meteor showers, you can start watching the Geminids by 9 or 10 p.m. local time. The peak might be around 2 a.m. local time on these nights, because that’s when the shower’s radiant point is highest in the sky as seen around the world.

With no moon to ruin the show, 2012 presents a most favorable year for watching the grand finale of the meteor showers. Best viewing of the Geminids will probably be from about 1 a.m. to 3 a.m. on December 14.

Source:

Monday, December 10, 2012

Riverside Grill = Monday Specials

MONDAY SPECIALS
DECEMBER 10, 2012

-Meatball Veggie Soup w/ 1/2 turkey sandwich or side salad 5.99
-Open-Face Roast Beef w/ mashed potatoes and green beans 6.99
-Apple-Cranberry Salad 7.99
-Ale Batter Fried Shrimp Basket w/ fries 8.99

HAPPY HOUR
4  TO  7
$1 OFF appetizers


@8 pm
 $1 tacos and quesadillas
 $3 margaritas
 1/2 price appetizers and import bottles

Santa Claus Downtown Pocomoke on Saturdays

If you missed seeing Santa Clause this Saturday like I did he will be back on Saturday, Dec.15th from
 11:00 AM until 1:00 PM

The Pocomoke Junior Women's Club will take your picture with Santa Claus for $5.00 that day

But you can tell him what's on your Christmas list for FREE!

Santa is located at the corner of Market and Second Streets.  Be sure to browse through the stores and do some Christmas shopping while downtown and take a glance at the store windows painted with the Christmas themes.

An Excellant Reason To Eat At Ruby Tuesday !

If you are planning on eating at Ruby Tuesday's this week here's an excellant way to support the Pocomoke City Volunteer Fire Company!

On Tues Dec 11th and Thurs Dec 13th
If you print out the flyer and give it to your server at Ruby Tuesday's, 20% of your check will benefit the Pocomoke City Volunteer Fire Co.**


**you must have flyer.

Thanks for your support!

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Sunday Specials ~ Riverside Grill ~ Pocomoke

~HAPPY HOUR ALL DAY~

SUNDAY SPECIALS

-Tomato Soup or White Bean and Kielbasa Soup w/ 1/2 deli sandwich or side salad 5.99
-Open-Face Roast Beef w/ mashed potatoes and green beans
-Single Fried Oysters 10.99
-1 Chili Cheese Dog w/ fries 4.99 or 2 dogs 6.99

-Taco Salad  6.99

APPETIZERS
Crab pizza  9.99
Chili Nachos  5.99


$1 off appetizers
$2.50 Bloody Mary's and Mimosas
$1.50 domestic drafts
$5 bombs



TIME MACHINE ... He was a "local landmark" of Pocomoke City's Market Street.


 
(Reader-friendly viewing of newspaper archives material)
 
February, 1976
(The Salisbury Times)
 
Pocomoke Man At Soda Parlor For Four Decades

By Dick Fleming
Of The Times Staff

POCOMOKE CITY- George Reid sauntered down the length of the counter in the small soda parlor and newsstand to greet the customer coming in the front door. Leaning forward across the counter between the fountain and the candy displays, the ever-present unlit cigarette dangling from one corner of his mouth, he inquired, "Can I help ya?" 

"How much are them gloves up there?"

"Ninety cents . . . isn't that somethin' . . . I sold many' a pair of them at fifteen cents."

With the obvious exception of prices, few things have changed at the Marva Soda Parlor in the 41 years Mr. Reid has been there, including Mr. Reid himself, known in Pocomoke as something of a "local landmark."

And well he should be. For the first few years after he bought the soda parlor, which is located on Main St. (Market Street), next door to the Marva movie theater, he kept the place open 6a.m. until midnight daily. In the following years, he continued operating the business from 6a.m. to 11p.m. seven days a week. In 37 years of owning the parlor, he closed early only twice.

Mr. Reid sold out the business in 1972. It was "on account of my age," he insisted, "not the business. I hated to get out, but when a man gets to be 70, he don't feel like all that foolishness."

Mr. Reid is now 74.

When he sold the business four years ago, his announced plan for retirement was to "sit home evenings and enjoy myself like other folks."

But when you've been running a business for 37 years, as he had at the time, you apparently don't just sit home and enjoy yourself. It didn't take him long to realize that and he was soon back to work under the new management. He is putting in 28 hours a week now.

"I've been around people all my life," he said. "That's why I come in and work with these boys. You take everything away from a man and he'll just sit down and die."

Mr. Reid grew up in the small milling community of Welbourne, near Stockton, about a mile away from his wife of 55 years, Virgie. The couple has three children now, eight grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

Welbourne is little more now than a memory in the back of Mr. Reid's mind, although he said the milling operations once there put the community on the map, "no buts or maybe's about it."
"It's not what it was when I was a boy." he said. "There used to be quite a little town there. There was a steam mill and a lot of little huts and houses and even a post office."

There was also a little county store. Mr. Reid's father ran the now extinct business and it was there that he got his first taste of the business.

He worked in the store with his father until he got married, Mr. Reid recalled, then he took up farming for the next 15 years. After finding that "I wasn't a farmer," he sold the farm and bought into the soda parlor business. 

The Marva (soda parlor) had first been opened in 1927, and had seen "four or five or six" owners come and go before Mr. Reid. When he came to the business in April of 1935, it was at the height of the depression and it was generally assumed that "I wouldn't last 30 days."

Forty-one years later the memory brings a wide grin to the old man's face.

"It was a bad time to get into a business," he recalled. "At home we never bought nothing we didn't need. I've been lucky enough to have a wife who didn't nag you for things. She just saved her money and bought the things we had to have."

Meanwhile, in the store, she helped out during the heavy times, as she would continue to do over the years. When their children grew up, they too helped out in the soda parlor.

It was a struggle for the first five years or so of the business, but the Reids managed to stick it out. Years later, he said, "I took in as much on a Saturday as I did the first thirty days I was here."
"If you didn't see the depression," he concluded, "you can't imagine what it was like." 

"Do you ever watch the Waltons? That's typical . . . it's really typical."

Meeting people is one of the things Mr. Reid recalls most fondly about his many years at the soda parlor. And in Pocomoke City, the Marva (soda parlor) has always been as good a place as any to do that.

"I've met thousands and thousands of people here . . . can't remember their first names . . . I'm good on faces, not names."

After the first five years, he said, it was seldom that there wasn't somebody around in the store.

Over the years there were countless people who gathered daily at the little Main St. (Market St.) business. ". . . like old Grover Powell. He was retired and used to come to town every day and walk the streets. He'd stay in here a good part of his time."

The soda shop, he said, "was a place to come and find out what's going on around town. Sometimes it wasn't always told true, but there was always a lot told."

One of the people Mr. Reid best remembers is Melvin Merritt, who still lives in Pocomoke. Mr. Merritt worked with Mr. Reid for nearly 25 years. "If we ever had an argument or a cross word between us, I never knew it."

"I guess we've all got a few enemies," he added. "But I couldn't name either one." 

If there is one thing about Mr. Reid that could be considered his trademark, it is that unlit cigarette. He quit smoking back in 1946 following a doctor's warning about cancer. He said he was later told he could resume, but didn't want to. He had no taste for cigars, so he took up "chewing cigarettes."

He regularly pulls out a non-filter cigarette, pops it into his mouth and lets it dangle there as he slowly chews it down.

"Lord knows, I've chewed up many a pack. Why? I don't know," he said.

He figured he chews up about five packs a week.

Despite his being privy to the town's scuttlebutt and a firsthand witness to the coming and going of businesses in the community, he never took much interest in local politics, at least as far as becoming involved himself. 

" I never thought about politics because I didn't have the education," he explained. "I quit school in the eighth grade."

"My father told me he'd send me to any school in the country, and he was able to do it. I just didn't want to go."

However, he has never regretted discontinuing his education, he said.

"I can't see the sense in regretting or worrying about something you didn't do. It's my own fault, and nobody elses."

Running his soda fountain, he said, required some business savvy and a lot of common sense. He paid somebody else to maintain the books.

Despite quitting school when he did, however, Mr. Reid said he has been an avid reader all his life.

"I can remember when I was a little boy reading continued stories in the Saturday Evening Post. It would come on Thursday and I thought Thursday would never come."

Now, he said, he still reads up to seven books a week, mostly westerns. "I spect I've got 500 books at home."

"I've read about everything on Maryland and the Eastern Shore I could get," he added.

There have been very few changes in the soda parlor over the years, Mr. Reid said. The most notable one is prices, which have at least doubled, he said.

He also noted the great changes in the type of magazine materials distributors send down to the news stand now. "Like those nudes and stuff over by the door," he gestured. "It was against the law to sell all that stuff in those days."

The Reids have lived in Pocomoke now since 1937, having moved from Stockton after deciding the business was going to make it.

On the few occasions the Reids were ever away from their business (it) was to travel, the couples favorite pastime. They have visited "up and down the East Coast," into the midwest and to Florida for the first opening of Disney World. 

Mrs. Reid now has arthritis and the couple is unable to travel he said.

Except for reading, Mr. Reid said he has no hobbies. "If I did, he said, it wouldn't be so bad. But I don't." 

"It's like an old fellow told me once. 'I got time to play but I don't know how.' "

All in all, he said, meeting people has been the greatest part of his experience at the soda parlor.

"Yesser," he concluded, "I really do enjoy being here." 

 
FOOTNOTE: Recalling other soda counters in Pocomoke City (1950's): Pocomoke Pharmacy and Clarke's Drug Store..side by side on the east side of Market Street between Clarke Avenue and Second Street; the new J.J. Newberry's at the northeast corner of Market Street and Second Street; Flax's confectionary on the east side of Willow Street between Clarke Avenue and Front Street; Sam's (Roth) Market on the north side of Clarke Avenue, near Walnut Street. -tk
 
 
Do you have a local memory to share with PPE readers.. such as a big snow storm, a favorite school teacher, a local happening, something of interest your parents or grandparents told you about, a Holiday memory? It can be just a line or two, or more if you wish. Send to tkforppe@yahoo.com and watch for it on a future TIME MACHINE posting!