A little slice of heaven: Chestertown, Maryland

Over the Bay Bridge from Annapolis, up highway 213, nestled on the bank of the Chester River sits a little slice of heaven on the Eastern Shore known as Chestertown, Maryland. At least that’s how the locals describe it. After a half-dozen visits to the picturesque community of about 4,500 people, I’m beginning to see their point.

Chestertown was founded during early colonial America and still retains the feel and look of a quaint Mid-Atlantic hamlet. The Chester River is not only the town’s name-sake, it’s also the town’s identity. Chestertown’s most famous resident, the Schooner Sultana, is a reproduction of a colonial British sailing ship and spends its days cruising up and down the Chester River. The Sultana is prominently featured in Chestertown’s biggest event of the year, the Chestertown Tea Party. The Tea Party, held every Memorial Day, attracts thousands of visitors to Chestertown for colonial music and dance, food, crafts, and the joyous overboard heaving of several colonial tax collectors during a re-enactment of the original “tea party.”

Chestertown also has a rich history of community. It’s a close-knit town of life-long residents and new arrivals coexisting to create peaceful, prosperous lives for themselves and their families. The town famously fought against Walmart—and won—to keep their unique businesses and small-town feel. It’s also home to Washington College and its 1,200+ students from all over the world. It’s a destination town that draws visitors and émigrés in, and makes it difficult for them to want to leave.

And it’s also the perfect setting for the first program in MPT's “Our Town” series and our exploration into what makes a community.

Please stay tuned to The Buzz in upcoming weeks to meet some of the proud Chestertown residents that have decided to grab a camcorder and help MPT create “Our Town: Chestertown.”


Peter Shea
Associate Producer for On-Air Fundraising

Exclusive extras! 'Senator Barb'

Did you catch MPT's revealing, one-on-one interview with Sen. Barbara Mikulski last night?

Impressions of Barbara Mikulski with Rhea Feikin introduced viewers to the “Senator Barb” that longtime friend Rhea Feikin has come to know and love: the lifetime Baltimorean who still commutes to Washington every day, (“Though I work in Washington, I’m not of the culture of Washington,” she says) and keeps in touch with her childhood friends from Highlandtown.

If you're itching for some extra footage that didn't make it in, check out the clips below!

Humor in 9/11?

There’s a time and a place for everything. This is a phrase that we all are familiar with. But what determines that time and place? Is there a little fairy that tells you, “Don’t say that!” In a society that’s becoming more and more receptive to freedom of speech, where do we draw the line?

The White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner was held on Saturday and one of the featured speakers was comedian Wanda Sykes. Some of Sykes’ comments sparked controversy, especially one concerning 9/11, “I think Rush Limbaugh was the 20th hijacker but he was just so strung out on Oxycontin he missed his flight,” joked Sykes.

There are arguments that Sykes was insensitive to the terrorist attacks of 9/11. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs stated, “I don't know how guests get booked…but my guess is there are a lot of topics that are better left for serious reflection, rather than comedy—I think there's no doubt that 9/11 is part of that.”

Many argue that Sykes’ comment, “I hope his [Limbaugh’s] kidneys fail,” was plain cruel. “This woman comes up and says, 'I hope Rush Limbaugh dies,' and everybody giggles,” said Tim Graham, director of media analysis with the Media Research Center. Some complain that liberals get away with more than conservatives and that if a conservative made such comments, there would be a public outcry.

Was Sykes out of line? Are there certain things we just cannot joke about? Does Rush Limbaugh’s typical harsh commentary make it easier to accept Sykes’ lashing out against him?


Renèe N. Gibson
Institutional Advancement Intern

Live for Today

We've received our first Global Love "Thoughts on Love" blog entry from Sheri Lynn Gleason of Beverly, Massachusetts. She's titled it "Live for Today." Thank you, Sheri!

Live for Today

My best friend is fighting colon cancer. If I have learned anything from helping her in her fight, it is that love is about living in the moment. I have always treasured our friendship. I am closer to her than I am to my own sisters. However, since she got sick, every moment has become even more precious. We are planning a trip to Ireland in December, but we are not thinking much further than that right now. We have faith that she will beat this, but until then we are celebrating each day as it comes.

It sounds cliche, but the saying is true: "Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That is why it is called 'the present.' "

Sheri Lynn Gleason
Beverly, Massachusetts

(Send us your thoughts on love: outreach@mpt.org)