Stories of Renewal, Remembrance, Rebirth

By Kathy Knotts, CBM Bay Weekly managing editor, [email protected]

Spring is a time of change and renewal. The temperatures are shifting, the sun is staying up longer and animals are emerging from winter hibernation (and some of us homebodies, too). 

The warm weather this week brought with it a flurry of activity along the waterfront, here on Spa Creek. I’ve been watching the Annapolis Dragon Boat Club painting one of their iconic boats, a few liveaboards emerge from below deck to greet the sun, and a few hardy sailors testing the winds. With the Annapolis Spring Sailboat Show coming at the end of the month, I think it’s safe to say we are ready to get back on the water.

And we are ready to see Ever Forward make some progress. Our multimedia journalist Cheryl Costello has been braving the wind and cold days on the water to continue to report on the stuck ship. Her latest report states that things are happening out in the Craighill Channel but it could be a week before the boat is light enough to refloat it. Read the story here, but also check out her video on social media to see the cranes in action.

Back on land, we travel into the past for several stories this week. Susan Nolan brings us the story of a Calvert County veteran who finally received a long-overdue medal for his service in Ethiopia in 1965. She digs back even further on a story about a Quaker burial site in South County. Quakers can be traced back to 1672 in West River, where they built a meeting house and eventually established the burial ground—some say it’s one of the oldest in the state without religious affiliation. 

Molly Crumbley went digging for artifacts recently at Jefferson Patterson Park in St. Leonard. She brings us a story about the site’s annual celebration of archaeology. Over 65 archaeological sites and 9,000 years of human occupation have been documented at the park, which is also the home of the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Lab, housing over 8 million artifacts. That’s a lot of history to sift through!

My family has been enjoying a very quiet spring break this week but will be heading to Camden Yards this weekend to finally enjoy some baseball. I hope you will get out and enjoy some springtime pursuits and have a joyous Passover, Easter, or however you mark this time of rebirth and growth. Plant some seeds, paint eggs, buy some flowers, do some spring cleaning, take a nature walk, or rip the ears off a chocolate bunny. I plan to indulge in my personal favorite spring ritual—diving into a Cadbury Crème Egg.