Photos from 2011
Pocomoke Fairgrounds
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The three acre site was donated to the county by the Girdletree Fire Department to develop a neighborhood park. The future park will include a playground comprised of two adjoining sections, one for young children ages 2-5 and another for youth ages 6-12, a pavilion with grills and picnic tables, and a parking lot.
Earthwork at the park got underway recently and will continue through early summer in preparation for construction of the new park equipment, which will begin this fall.
Photo/Girdletree Vol. Fire Co,Inc.
For more information about the Girdletree Park, contact Parks Superintendent Bill Rodriguez at 410-632-3173 or wrodriguez@co.worcester.md.us
(Reader-friendly viewing of newspaper archives material)
January, 1914
(The Denton Journal)
A Notable Banquet In Prospect
From The Baltimore Sun
The board of governors of the Eastern Shore Society have perfected plans for the first annual dinner, which will be given at the hotel Rennet on January 21. The menu has been arranged with a view of selecting those dishes for which the Eastern Shore counties are famous and nearly every dish served will carry the name of the county it represents. Here it is:
Selected Somerset Oysters.
Tomato bisque, Caroline County Style.
Wicomico Celery.
Salted Nuts, Terrapin, Dorchester County Style.
Queen Anne Filet of Beef.
Mushroom Sauce, Cecil County Peas.
Broiled Young Chicken, Kent County.
Worcester Sweet Potatoes Grilled.
Old Talbot Ham, Hearts of Lettuce.
Old Fashioned Ice Cream, Cakes, Coffee. Cigars, Cigarettes.
Eastern Shore Beaten Biscuit.
Beaten Biscuit will be imported direct from the Shore. The oysters will come from the waters of Somerset, while down in Kent they broil chicken as on one else can. Then there is the genuine diamond-back terrapin. It is said that in the board meeting there was considerable competition among the county vice-presidents as to which county the claiming of the terrapin should go. No one disputed the claim of Caroline to the tomato, for she grows more than any two counties put together; nor was there much dispute about the sweet potatoes, for the southern counties on the "Shore" produce the best that reach the city markets. Cecil took the petit peas, but Somerset, Dorchester, Kent, and Talbot all thought their terrapin the best.
A committee has been appointed to look after speakers and they will all be Eastern Shoremen. Lyn R. Meekins, of Dorchester, will be the toastmaster.
August, 1887
(The Denton Journal)
Maryland Cooking
(Excerpts)
(Quoting a New York Times correspondent.)
In Maryland one of the roads to Paradise begins in the kitchen and ends in the dining-room. Nowhere in the world do people as a class live better. They are born to good eating, and the cultivation of the appetite becomes a second nature.
The choicest things of life flourish here with a luxuriance that few, if any sections of the country can match.
... Cantaloupe, oysters, soft crabs, trout, rail birds, luscious peaches just plucked, and an indescribable watermelon fresh from the vine!
Good eating is so infectious in the State that it pervades politics. In one of the counties, Wicomico, the campaign is invariably opened in the spring by a great turtle dinner. All the candidates and politicians and district leaders come together in a love feast of turtle and politics. They sit around on stools and fences eating and talking and laughing booms and courting friendships. The affair lasts an entire day, and after it is over the candidates proceed to slaughter one another instead of turtle. Oyster roasts are features of all large campaigns. Several dozen bushels of oysters are roasted in one great fire and every man, equipped with an oyster knife, helps himself. Good dinners are also numerously used in a political way, and many a boom had its fruitful origin in well cooked food, flavored with rare old wines.
A year or so ago the best restaurant here, and all in all the best in the south, imported a staff of high-salaried New York cooks. The arrangement lasted less than a week. By that time the guests had asked for a return to Maryland dishes, for to a Marylander the subtle charm of home cooking is the greatest glory of the ages.
March, 1957
With the dualization of the nine mile stretch of U.S. 13 from just north of Princess Anne to Salisbury completed, plans were in the works to dualize the stretch from Pocomoke City to Princess Anne. By-passes for Pocomoke and Princess Anne were also being planned. 1956 saw the completion of a new railway overpass near Pocomoke that replaced a dangerous Route 13 grade crossing.
Footnote: Digging out tons of gravel for the overpass created a quite sizable man-made body of water, perhaps about a quarter of a mile across, just to the east of the overpass. This became known as Merrill's Beach and with the help of one of Pocomoke City's civic organizations it was maintained for a number of years as a popular local swimming and bathing area. Merrill's Beach eventually had to close because Health Department water standards could not be maintained.
December, 1967
Pocomoke City residents were remembering retired long time Market Street merchant L. Griffin Callahan who passed away at age 71. He had owned and operated Callahan's Ladies Shop; he was a charter member and past president of the Pocomoke Lions Club and had served several times as Commander of American Legion Worcester Post 93.
August, 1892
(The Daily News- Frederick, Md)
A stranger who attempted to introduce politics into a Farmer's Alliance meeting in Worcester County was surrounded by the Snow Hill Brass Band and blown off the stump.
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A G E N D A
POCOMOKE CITY MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEETING
7:30 p.m., Monday, June 18, 2012
City Hall
2. Review and approval of minutes from meeting of June 5, 2012.
3. Review and approval of bills to be paid.
4. Second Reading of Res. 461 to adopt the City budget for fiscal year 2012-2013.
5. Second Reading of Res. 462 to adopt the tax rates for various categories of real and personal property for fiscal year 2012-2013.
6. Second Reading of Res. 463 to adopt the schedule of fees and charges for fiscal year 2012-2013.
7. Presentation by representatives of Opto Traffic regarding speed cameras.
8. Representatives of Save the Youth Program to discuss future plans.
9. Review report from consultant Ron Hamblin concerning condition of building at 124 Willow Street. (Lawson’s Bar)
10. Second Reading of Ord. 409 to regulate the types of furniture that may be placed on open porches and other outside areas.
12. Authorize bids for purchase of radio read water meters. (MDE Grant project)
13. Review bids for demolition of fire damaged house at 621 Young Street (Allen Blount, owner).
11. Review letter from Delmarva Discovery Center requesting loan funds.
14. Discuss vacancies on list of Boards and Commissions.
15. Review proposed mailer and application for ambulance department memberships.
Comments from the Audience.
Mayor and Council Items.
Adjourn.
AGENDAS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE UNTIL THE TIME OF CONVENING.
CAPE CHARLES -- A Northampton County woman has been charged with falsely reporting she was raped on the Cape Charles beachfront, an allegation that triggered a lengthy investigation and manhunt.
Suzanna Bowen, 20, of Exmore, was charged with making a false report, a Class 1 misdemeanor, said Cape Charles Police Chief Charles Brown. She was arrested Monday and released on bond.
Bowen apparently alleged she was sexually assaulted March 23 at about 6:30 p.m. on the north end of the town's public Chesapeake Bay beach. It was reported to police at about 11 p.m. that day.
Laboratory tests were ordered and the police department received the help of a sketch artist who made a drawing of the suspect based on details from the victim.
At one time, the entire town police force was involved in the ensuing investigation. Two officers coordinated the inquiry and a Sheriff's Office investigator assisted.
By May, Brown's investigation determined that no sexual assault had happened.
"It was a false report," he said this week.
Lorain Municipal Court Judge Mark Mihok held Durrell Brooks in contempt of court Thursday because Brooks’ pants were riding so low, his underwear was showing. He then ordered him jailed for three days.
“I think he was a little shocked and upset,” Mihok said by phone.
Brooks was attending a hearing with a woman who was facing a traffic violation for a May car crash, when he approached the bench to tell Judge Mihok that he had insurance on the car Jackson was driving.
Mihok said when Brooks turned around, he could clearly see the exposed underwear and ordered him arrested.
Mihok said the incident with Brooks was the third time in the past month he has sent someone to jail for problems with the way they were dressed. Those two people had been warned by court security to pull their pants up before entering the courtroom and when their underwear was still showing when they came in, Mihok sent them to jail.
Mihok said every day, court security has to deal with men wearing their pants too low.
“Some even come in in their jail outfits and put their jail pants low trying to show their friends and relatives that they’re a tough guy,” Mihok said.
He said the issue is not just a matter of decorum, but he wants all those who come into his courtroom, including the elderly and teenagers, to feel safe.
(Whaleyville, MD) – Investigators from the Maryland State Police Homicide Unit are investigating the murder of a woman found in an embankment off of a dirt road in Worcester County.
The victim is identified as Nicole Bennett, 35, of the 33,000 block of Windswept Drive in Millsboro, Delaware. Bennett was found deceased and lying in an embankment off of a dirt road in Worcester County, in an area where there are no homes in the immediate vicinity. Bennett’s body has been transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore for an autopsy. The cause of death has not yet been determined.
Shortly before 9:00 a.m. today, Worcester Central received a 9-1-1 call reporting the body of an unidentified woman found deceased on Swamp Road, a dirt road east of Nelson Road. The caller told police he was in the area walking when he noticed the woman’s body lying in an embankment which slopes downward from the roadway.
During the course of the initial investigation, police learned Bennett was the subject of a missing person’s case being investigated by the Delaware State Police. Bennett’s husband had called 9-1-1 at about 8:00 a.m. this morning reporting his wife missing after not coming home from work the night before.
According to the missing person report and family members, Bennett had a rose tattoo on the inside of her right ankle. The woman found in the embankment had the same rose tattoo as verified by Delaware State Police and Bennett’s family.
A family member told police they had last heard from Bennett on the night of June 14, 2012. At this time, a monetary reward is being offered to anyone with information leading to the arrest of the individual(s) responsible for Bennett’s murder. Calls are being taken by the Worcester County Lower Eastern Shore Crime Solvers at 410-548-1776. Calls will remain confidential.
Deputies from the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office, investigators from the Worcester County Bureau of Investigation, Delaware State Police and the Maryland State Police Homicide Unit responded to the scene. Crime scene technicians from the Maryland State Police Forensic Sciences Division responded to gather evidence. The Worcester County State’s Attorney’s Office, the Wicomico County Bureau of Investigation, and the Worcester County Bureau of Investigation have also been assisting with the investigation.
As of this update, Maryland law enforcement is taking the lead on this case. Delaware State Police are assisting in the investigation. Police are interviewing suspects while the investigation continues...
Superintendent Bill East of the Dept. of Public Works for Pocomoke City along with his crew are responsible for the large flag in Cypress Park and the flags displayed along the sidewalk in downtown Pocomoke City.
Bill tries to keep two flags on hand at all times in case one becomes damaged. He tries to make sure the flag has been taken down when high winds are predicted so there will be no damage to the flag or the pole. But Eastern Shore weather is not always pretictable and it's not always convenient to lower a 20' x 30' American flag under any circumstances. Flags of this size are pricey Bill and his crew, because of their special care for the flag, are helping to save the city tax dollars and always making sure that we are able to enjoy the greatest symbol of our country.
Thanks Bill! And thank you to your crew of great workers who make sure the American flag is protected. It is always the first thing I look for when I am downtown...before the red light!
Thursday June 14
Gates & Rides Open 6 – 10pm
7:00pm Pocomoke Karate & Judo Demo
8:00pm Pocomoke Idol Contest W/ MC John Phoebus
Friday June 15
Gates & Rides Open 6 – 10pm
6:00pm Midnight Country Express Band
Saturday June 16
Gates & Rides Open 12 – 10pm
8:00am YMCA Triathlon
**50/50 Duck Derby Race $1.OO a Duck or 6 for $5.00
4:00pm Dance Loft Demo
6:00pm Front Page News Band
10:00pm Fireworks
Before you head out on the water, take a boating safety course! Virginia's Boating Safety Education Compliance Requirement states boaters must take a boating safety education course approved by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) and accepted by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF). The requirement has been phased-in by age group and category since 2009 and will continue to be phased-in over the next several years.
Currently, PWC (jet ski) operators age 50 and younger and motorboat operators 20 and younger who operate boats with motors of 10 horsepower and greater must complete a boating safety education course and have such proof in their possession while operating a boat or PWC.
On July 1, 2012, the law requires all PWC operators, and motorboat operators age 30 and younger who operate boats with motors of 10 horsepower and greater to have completed a boating safety education course and carry such proof in their possession while operating the vessel.
Boaters can take a classroom course, an internet course, or a challenge exam to meet the requirement. Classroom courses are taught by volunteer instructors throughout the state. There are several internet courses that are accepted by the VDGIF. Once you take a course, carry your course completion certificate or wallet card with you while operating a PWC or motorboat.
For boaters who have taken a boating safety course in the past, our optional Lifetime Virginia Boating Safety Education Card is available. This durable, drivers-license-styled card is available for a fee of $10.00. You can get an application by visiting our website: www.dgif.virginia.gov/boating/lifetime-boater-card/
To learn more about boating laws in Virginia, and about boating safety education courses, visit the Department's website at www.dgif.virginia.gov/boating.
The Annual Cypress Festival continues tonight through Saturday night.
Schedule of events: http://thepocomokepubliceye.blogspot.com/2012/06/37th-annual-cypress-festival.html