A Colorful Past On The Lower Shore

Back in 1899 a newspaper article recounted the contributions of previous generations to a colorful lower Eastern Shore history.  Read about it here this Sunday on The Pocomoke Public Eye's TIME MACHINE feature. 

Time For Our Fair!

Get complete info here: 

http://www.thegreatpocomokefair.org/

The Peninsula Enterprise

TIME MACHINE: 1957, 1893, 1984.

(Reader-friendly viewing of news archives/historical archives material)

July, 1957

The Salisbury Times

August, 1893

Peninsula Enterprise

1984

(Courtesy Vintage Ad Browser)

Do you have a local memory to share with PPE readers or something of interest your parents or grandparents told you about? Please send to tkforppe@yahoo.com .

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Blessing Of The Combines

Please join us!
 

Saturday, August 6th, 2016 for Snow Hill’s 18th Annual Blessing of the Combines celebration in the downtown area on Green Street.  

Festivities begin on Green Street at 11:00 am with live music and street activities. The Parade of Combines sets off down RT 12 to Green Street at 11:15.  A “throttle thrust” will signal our master of ceremonies to begin the program with the presentation of colors by the award-winning Snow Hill High School Junior Marine Corps ROTC.  After recognitions, a keynote speaker and  the Blessing the afternoon’s lineup of selections featuring area musicians will begin.  

Children can visit a variety of animals at the Petting Barnyard; then hop aboard a wagon for the hay ride.  There will be a Children’s Barnyard of activities, and the popular Children’s Tractor Pull as well as  a Scales and Tales presentation from the Pocomoke River State Park and lots of olf fashioned children's activities and games.

There are opportunities for Craft Vendors along Bank Street, and Information Booths along Green Street.  Craft Vendors and area non-profits are encouraged to contact Diana Nolte at 443-944-4402 for space reservations or click here to download an application.

For additional details contact Becky Payne at 443-783-1715 or call or email Diana at 443-944-4402 or blesscombines@aol.com .

TIME MACHINE: 1961, 1962, 1883, 1919.

 (Reader-friendly viewing of news archives/historical archives material)


March, 1961

The Salisbury Times

July, 1962

The Evening Sun (Hanover, Pa.)

March, 1883

The Morning News (Wilmington, De.)

May, 1919

The Denton Journal

Do you have a local memory to share with PPE readers or something of interest your parents or grandparents told you about? Please send to tkforppe@yahoo.com .

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FORMER CHIEF SEWELL INDICTED

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Check local news media, such as wboc.com, for latest updates.
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(Reported in The Baltimore Sun, Wednesday, July 20, 2016)

Former Pocomoke police chief, current Baltimore state's attorney contractor, indicted

A former Eastern Shore police chief who alleged racism after he was fired without explanation has been indicted on misconduct in office charges by the state prosecutors' office.

Kelvin Sewell, 53, a retired Baltimore Police homicide detective who now works for the Baltimore State's Attorney's Office, was indicted by a Worcester County grand jury Tuesday, court records show. The allegations stem from a November 2014 incident, the records show.

The Pocomoke City Council fired Sewell in 2015 and gave no justification for the move, saying it was a personnel matter. The dismissal divided the town of 4,000: Sewell, who was Pocomoke City's first black police chief, alleged it was retribution for him standing up for two black officers who complained about racism.

Sewell and the officers are currently suing city and county officials in federal court, alleging racial discrimination.

Sewell could not immediately be reached for comment, and details of the indictment also were not immediately available.

Pocomoke City Mayor Bruce Morrison did not respond to a request for comment about whether the investigation by the Office of the State Prosecutor was related to Sewell's firing.

Sewell's arraignment is set for next month.

The lawsuit against the city brought by Sewell and the officers remains pending, and alleges broad racial harassment in the town. The state attorney general's office, which is representing the city and county in the suit, has called the lawsuit an "absurd, meritless" complaint and an "attempt to extract some sort of undeserved windfall payout."

Sewell said he stood up for employees who had reported a racially hostile work environment, including officers watching "racially charged" videos in their presence and regularly using racial epithets.

Sewell filed his own complaint with the EEOC alleging that he was paid less than his white predecessor. The racial strife in the small town caused the case to be featured in the New York Times, and the officers filed suit with the help of the ACLU of Maryland.

Sewell is seeking reinstatement and back pay, along with damages.

In March, Sewell was hired by the Baltimore State's Attorney's Office as a contract employee investigating felony, homicide and violent crime cases, as well as helping to locate and interview witnesses.

Sewell spent more than 20 years with the Baltimore Police Department, retiring as a sergeant in 2010. His departure followed racially-charged allegations that a supervisor had ordered him to view a Ku Klux Klan web site after insisting the hate group was active in Sewell's home county.

Trimper's Unique Reputation

(Picture and article courtesy of The Dispatch, Ocean City) 

                                                                                   Photo by Chris Parypa

Trimpers Rides Confirmed As Country’s Oldest Family-Owned Amusement Park

(Likely Even The World’s)

Jul 19,2016 by Shawn Soper

OCEAN CITY — It should come as no surprise to the generations of visitors to Ocean City, but Trimpers Rides and Amusements at the foot of the Boardwalk is the oldest “family owned and operated” park in the U.S. and technically the world, a noted amusement park historian confirmed this week.

Two years ago, Trimpers was featured on a Fox Business News channel show entitled “Strange Inheritance” and it came to light the iconic park on the foot of the Boardwalk near the Inlet was likely the oldest family-owned amusement park in the U.S.

National Amusement Park Historical Association historian Jim Futrell was interviewed during the show and commented on the family’s ownership longevity. The Trimper family reached out to Futrell following the show’s taping and asked him to research the oldest amusement parks in the nation and across the globe and determine if his statements made during the “Strange Inheritance” show were verifiable.

“It came about when they were filming ‘Strange Inheritance’ and they interviewed Jim Futrell, who is an amusement park historian and has written several books and done extensive research on the subject,” said Trimper family spokesperson Brooks Trimper this week. “We followed up with him after the show and he did some research and confirmed we are the oldest ‘family-operated’ park in the nation and technically in the world.”

Futrell compiled the list and determined Trimpers was certainly the oldest family-owned park in the U.S. and made a strong case for the oldest in the world.

“As you see, Trimper’s ranks as the 24th oldest operating amusement park in the world, but in terms of family ownership, it ranks second to Blackgang Chine in England,” said Futrell. “So, you could safely say that no family in the U.S. has owned an amusement park longer than the Trimpers and still make the argument that it is worldwide because Blackgang Chine was not really an amusement park until well after Trimpers was.”

Trimpers currently ranks 24th on the list of the oldest amusement parks in the world, but first in the U.S. in terms of owned and operated by the same family and technically in the world. The Blackgang Chine Park opened by the Dabell family on the Isle of Wight in the U.K. is the oldest family-owned amusement park in the world on the list, but it began with Victorian gardens for visitors to the island and later a complete whale skeleton that founder Alexander Dabell purchased and bleached and reconstructed in the park as an attraction.

For decades, Blackgang Chine operated with the whale skeleton and other oddities. It wasn’t until after a family trip to the U.S. in the 1960s that the Dabells began adding amusement park rides in the traditional sense, according to Fentrell. Today, Blackgang Chine has evolved into a themed-part with different areas such as Dinosaurland, Frontier Land and Nursery Land, for example.

Again, there are older parks in the U.S. and around the world, but none has had the same family ownership and operation as the Trimpers. For example, the Lake Compounce Park in Connecticut was opened in 1846, but the current ownership group has only operated it since 2008. Iconic Cedar Point opened in Ohio in 1870, but its current owners have operated the park only since 1957. Coney Island opened in 1886, but its current owners have only operated the park since 1996.

There are others on the list in the U.S. that are older than Trimpers and have been operated by the same owner longer, but in each case they are owned and operated by the cities in which they are located. For example, just ahead of Trimpers on the list is the Columbian Park in Lafayette, Ind., which opened in 1892, but it has been owned and operated by the city of Lafayette from the beginning.

Trimper said he was pleased Futrell’s research confirmed Trimper’s as the oldest family-owned park in the U.S. and technically the world.

“We’re very excited to hear it,” he said. “Our family has a long history here and we like to believe our family is part of the reason Ocean City was established, not the only reason obviously, but we’ve been a big part of it for well over a century.”

Brooks and his brother, Chris, are now the fifth generation of Trimpers to operate the iconic Boardwalk park and at least that many generations of visitors have enjoyed the amusement park over the last 120 years or so.

In 2008, the park’s future was threatened when a highest and best use property assessment of the substantial waterfront site threatened to raise the property taxes substantially to the point the family had to consider a different use, but state and local officials worked with the Trimpers to resolve the issue. Brooks Trimper said this week there is no reason to believe the park will not continue to operate just as it has for the last century or so well into the future.

“There is nothing in the plans to change anything anytime soon,” he said. “We’re going to continue this as long as there are generations coming to enjoy the park. We’ve had generations of our family operating it, but more importantly, we’ve had generation after generation coming to enjoy the park.”

Daniel Trimper and his wife, Margaret, opened the park in 1893 with a pair of hotels and a handful of amusements. In 1900, after a severe storm, Daniel Trimper rebuilt the Sea Bright Hotel and modeled it after the Windsor Castle in Great Britain and the two hotels coupled with the growing amusement park became known as the Windsor Resort.

In 1912, Trimper’s purchased the massive carousel that still operates today from the Herschell-Spillman Company in New York. The massive carousel is 50 feet in diameter and was driven by a steam engine in the early days. The unique carousel features 45 animals including, of course, a variety of horses, but also includes a menagerie of other animals such as a cat, dog, frog, rooster, deer, goat, lion, tiger, ostrich, pig and dragon, for example.

Over the years, the Trimpers added numerous rides in the historic indoor portion of the park and several have historical significance, including the smaller carousel and the kiddie Ferris wheel, which date to the 1920s. In the 1950s, the Trimper family began adding outdoor rides and the pace of expansion increased through the 1960s with new rides being added nearly every year. One of the most popular rides in the park, the double-loop Tidal Wave roller coaster, was added in 1985 and has become a fixture on the downtown skyline.

Friday Street Festival!

TIME MACHINE: 1908, 1940, 1969.

(Reader-friendly viewing of news archives/historical archives material)


September, 1908

The Daily News (Frederick, Md.)

January, 1940

The Daily Mail (Hagerstown, Md.)

June, 1969

The Daily Times (Salisbury)

Do you have a local memory to share with PPE readers or something of interest your parents or grandparents told you about? Please send to tkforppe@yahoo.com .

When you're clicking around the Internet remember to check in with The Pocomoke Public Eye.  We strive to be a worthwhile supplement to your choices.

Former Bay Ferry Still In Service

(Picture and article courtesy shoredailynews.com)

Ever get nostalgic about riding the Chesapeake Bay Ferries?

One of the ferries that formerly plied the waters between Kiptopeke and Cape Charles is still in service. The ferry Virginia Beach was put in service by the Virginia Ferry Commission in 1959. The Virginia Beach was a converted World War II LST that was used originally in the invasion of Normandy. Along with the Pocohontas, Delmarva, Old Point Comfort and the Princess Anne, the Virginia Beach was sold to the Cape May Lewis Ferry Company in 1964 after the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel opened.

The Virginia Beach was renamed the Cape Henlopen and served on that route until the mid seventies according to Captain Richard Belote, a former captain of the Princess Anne and a long time employee of both the Virginia and Delaware ferries. At that time the ferry was sold to the Cross Sound Ferry Company to run between New London Connecticut and Oient Point on the northern tip of Long Island New York where she continues to serve today.

The Cape Henlopen is the only original ferry from the fleet to survive. The Pocohontas, Delmarva, Northampton and Old Point Comfort were scrapped, the Princess Anne is now a fishing reef off of Palm Beach Florida and the Accomac was being refurbished to send to the Amazon River when she caught fire in a Norfolk shipyard and was declared a total loss. All of the older ferries were of mid 1930s or 1940s vintage with the Accomack being rebuilt from the old Virginia Lee to accommodate automobiles only.

The Cross Sound Ferry Company apparently intends to continue to use the Cape Henlopen for a while longer. A photo on their web site shows the boat in dry dock in 2009 where she received new engines.

Summer Series At Wallops

Astronomy & Night Sky Summer Series

Save the Dates: July 14, July 21, and August 12

 Astronomy Summer Series

The NASA Wallops Flight Facility Visitor Center and its 

partner the Delmarva Space Sciences Foundation, will 

kick-off the Astronomy and Night Sky Summer Series at 

Assateague Island, Virginia starting Thursday, July 14.

Each event will begin with an Astronomy 101 

presentation at the Chincoteague National Wildlife 

Refuge Herbert H. Bateman Education Center Auditorium

 at 7:30 p.m. followed by night sky observations through 

telescopes and binoculars located at the north end of 

beach parking lot #1.

Discover the night sky through observations of Saturn, 

Jupiter, Mars, Earth’s Moon, clusters and galaxies. The 

series will continue on Thursday, July 21 and Friday,

 August 12. The Perseid meteor shower will be the focus 

of the event on August 12 when it is at its peak.

This series is a collaboration between Assateague Island

 National Seashore, Chincoteague National Wildlife

 Refuge, Delmarva Space Sciences Foundation, and the

 NASA Wallops Flight Facility Visitor Center.

The event is free and open to the public. The Astronomy 

101 presentation will occur regardless of weather,

 however, the telescope viewing is subject to 

cancellation due to inclement weather. Park entrance 

fees apply.

TIME MACHINE: 1931, 1975, 1834, 1885.

(Reader-friendly viewing of news archives/historical archives material)

January, 1931

          The Denton Journal, (Denton, Md.)               

September, 1975

          The Morning Herald (Hagerstown, Md).               

September, 1834

          Boston Post.               

September, 1885

          Peninsula Enterprise               

Do you have a local memory to share with PPE readers or something of interest your parents or grandparents told you about? Please send to tkforppe@yahoo.com .

When you're clicking around the Internet remember to check in with The Pocomoke Public Eye.  We strive to be a worthwhile supplement to your choices.

Tickets For Summer Fun!

Amusement Park Tickets

Discounted Amusement park tickets are on sale at the Worcester County Recreation Center for the 2016 Season.  You can purchase your tickets before heading out of town to save your family some money and time waiting in ticket lines.  Tickets are available for Busch Gardens, Diggerland USA, Dorney Park, Dutch Wonderland, Hershey Park, Kings Dominion, Sahara Sam's, Sesame Place, Six Flags America, Six Flags Great Adventure & Water Country.

Contact: Lisa Gebhardt for more information at 410-632-2144 x2500 or lgebhardt@co.worcester.md.us.

TIME MACHINE: Celebrating The 4th!

(Reader-friendly viewing of news archives/historical archives material)

 Independence Day Celebrations

 July 4th, 1902

(Peninsula Enterprise)

Do you have a local memory to share with PPE readers or something of interest your parents or grandparents told you about? Please send to tkforppe@yahoo.com .

When you're clicking around the Internet remember to check in with The Pocomoke Public Eye.  We strive to be a worthwhile supplement to your choices.

Friday Afternoon Storms

Friday afternoon flooding in Accomack County.

(WBOC photo)  

(story courtesy shoredailynews.com) 

Massive storms began at about 1:30 PM Friday afternoon dropping as much as 9 inches of rain between Parksley and Melfa. The storm then spread to cover the entire Eastern Shore of Virginia.

Route 13 in areas was completely shut down due to heavy rain and the heavy holiday weekend traffic. Standing water, downed power lines and limbs caused detours in several areas.

Both lanes of Rt. 13 were closed when power lines fell across the road near Johnsons Rd. south of Fisher's Corner. Northbound traffic was allowed to proceed but the southbound lane was closed for several hours due to flooding. Traffic was detoured to Rt. 316 causing a back up as heavy holiday weekend traffic was squeezed onto the 2 lane road. Many back roads were impassable due to the flooding.

Several minor accidents were reported and there were some vehicles that stalled in the flooded areas. 

There was some minor flooding reported at Shore Life Care in Parksley but the residents were never in any danger. 

The National Weather Service estimates 5-8 inches of rain in central Accomack County.  

WESR callers reported as much as 12 inches in localized areas.

Traffic was stopped completely on Rt. 13 for almost an hour Friday afternoon due to flooding near Johnson Rd. just South of Fisher's Corner. The northbound lane was opened after approximately an hour but the southbound lane remained closed and traffic was rerouted down 316 causing an extended backup as heavy fourth of July traffic was squeezed onto the two lane road. 

Back roads all over central Accomack County were flooded in spots and several minor accidents and car abandonments were reported . There were no injuries. 

Minor flooding was reported at Shore Life Care but residents were never in any danger. Also flooding was reported at the day care center on Rt. 13 north of Fisher's Corner but again none of the children were ever in any danger. 

The storms moved off at around 4:30. 

"General Winnie"

Our Pocomoke Public Eye friend "Slim" offered some informative comments on automobile dealership history in Pocomoke City, including mention of Midway's "General Winnie." Here's a March, 1967 ad for the General in the Salisbury Daily Times. -tk

TIME MACHINE: 1922, 1960, 1958, 1962, 1964.

(Reader-friendly viewing of news archives/historical archives material)

February, 1922

The Washington Herald (Washington, D.C.)

February, 1960

The Daily Mail (Hagerstown, Md.)

March, 1958

The Salisbury Times

February, 1962

The Salisbury Times 

September, 1964

The Salisbury Times

Do you have a local memory to share with PPE readers or something of interest your parents or grandparents told you about? Please send to tkforppe@yahoo.com .

When you're clicking around the Internet remember to check in with The Pocomoke Public Eye.  We strive to be a worthwhile supplement to your choices.

Comments..

Have a comment, news to share, or an opinion?

4th Friday Activities!

June 23 Meeting

The Citizens for a Better Pocomoke will meet Thursday,
June 23rd at 7 PM at New Macedonia Baptist Church

located on the corner of Sixth and Young Streets in

Pocomoke. 

Please come out to hear and/or express your concerns.

Even if you don't live in the Pocomoke City limits
the decisions made by the officials affect those
living near, shopping, or visiting Pocomoke City.

Spread the word, as this is short notice.  If you can't

make it and have concerns contact me via this email

or phone.

Thanks!

Monna Van Ess

410-726-0961

vmonna@comcast.net 

TIME MACHINE: 1942.

(Reader-friendly viewing of news archives/historical archives material)


March, 1942

(Salisbury Times)

Do you have a local memory to share with PPE readers or something of interest your parents or grandparents told you about? Please send to tkforppe@yahoo.com .


When you're clicking around the Internet remember to check in with The Pocomoke Public Eye.  We strive to be a worthwhile supplement to your choices.

Summer Event Reminder!

Summer Kick Off on the River Date: June 16, 2016 Time: 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM EDT This event will be held in Pocomoke City's Cypress Park to celebrate the beginning of Summer. There will be live entertainment, food and craft vendors, a duck derby, tug of war and BBQ competition, with inflatables and other fun obstacles for the kids.