FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 28, 2012
Contact: Carol Benson, Executive Director
Four Rivers: The Heritage Area of Annapolis, London Town & South County
410.222.1805
Heritage_Area@aacounty.org

Annapolis, MD – Four Rivers: The Heritage Area of Annapolis, London Town & South County announces nine new mini-grant awards to local heritage-related nonprofit organizations totaling $19,450 for FY2013. This matching mini-grants program, made possible for the tenth year through financial support from the City of Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, and the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority, leverages other funding to assist local heritage related non-profit organizations to create new programs, activities, and events that build upon heritage-based interpretive themes, foster collaborative partnerships, and enhance local cultural historic resources and heritage tourism.

This year, three of the organizations receiving mini-grants are first-time applicants. Two projects have a strong focus on on environmental sustainability. Several projects will result in updated brochures for the public, which will also be offered online. Two of the organizations will develop new exhibits, one featuring the 200-year history of an African American congregation and another highlighting the history of one of Annapolis’s historic neighborhoods. A trail that interprets the Underground Railroad is a timely addition to the area’s heritage offerings this spring, as the nation commemorates the centennial of the death of Maryland-born Harriet Tubman.

Organizations and projects approved for FY2013 mini-grant awards include:

• Annapolis Community Foundation (in partnership with the Annapolis Continental Congress Society), for the shipping of original historical documents and other primary sources exhibited at the three-day, Continental Congress Festival in Annapolis in November 2012, the Society’s inaugural event.
• Annapolis Maritime Museum (in partnership with Anne Arundel County Public Schools), for support of the organization’s Environmental Literacy Initiative, raising environmental awareness of the Chesapeake Bay’s maritime culture by providing hands-on experience and classroom outreach to 6th grade students.
• Asbury U.M. Church, also in Annapolis, for the research, development, and installation of a public exhibit interpreting the 200-year history of the Asbury U.M. Church’s African American congregation.
• Captain Avery Museum in Shady Side, for the updating of the museum’s brochures reflecting changes made to the museum’s name, mission, vision statement, and its environmentally-friendly “Heritage Eco-Tour.
• Chase Home, Inc. (in partnership with Annapolis Green), in Annapolis, to conduct an energy audit to determine the energy consumption produced by the current operations of the Chase Home as it plans renovations and equipment upgrades for its historic structure.
• Chesapeake Children’s Museum, to create, design, print, and install rail markers and an accompanying brochure for the museum’s “Underground Railroad Trail,” interpreting the experiences of runaway slaves during their flights for freedom.
• Historic Annapolis, to develop and print an interpretation and outreach brochure that will feature information about the organization’s history, mission, programs, and preservation work at various locations around Annapolis.
• Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, for support for the program, “Paint Annapolis 2013,” which brings juried, non-juried and student artists to the streets of Annapolis to paint historic buildings, cityscapes and landscapes en plein air (outdoors) over a 3-day period.
• West Annapolis Business Affiliation, Inc. (WABA) and the West Annapolis Heritage Partnership (WAHP), for the research, design, and construction of a tabletop exhibit that will feature the history of Annapolis Street in West Annapolis as the focus for understanding the history and heritage of this vibrant Annapolis neighborhood.

This year, Four Rivers’ mini-grant program funds of $19,450 are fully matched by the grantee organizations, with additional leverage from other sources, for total project funds of $175,512.

Four Rivers’ Executive Director, Carol Benson, has also announced that limited funds are available for a Spring 2013 mini-grant round in the current fiscal year. Matching mini-grant awards of up to $2,500 are available to qualified non-profit organizations and municipalities within the boundaries of the heritage area, for projects that incorporate regional historic, cultural, and natural resources, collaborative partnerships, and the heritage area's regional interpretive themes. The deadline for spring applications is February 15. Download the PDF version of the application here. “We have the unusual opportunity to grant additional funds this year to qualified applicant organizations, so I urge our partners to look at their upcoming program and project needs and to call the heritage area office to discuss your plans,” said Benson.

Four Rivers: The Heritage Area of Annapolis, London Town & South County, one of Maryland’s 12 certified heritage areas, is a partnership among the State of Maryland, Anne Arundel County, the City of Annapolis, the town of Highland Beach, and local historic sites, heritage organizations, and heritage-related businesses, to encourage economic vitality through historic preservation and heritage tourism. For more information, please contact Executive Director Carol Benson at the Four Rivers office at 410-222-1805, or cell: 410-627-6018; or visit our website at www.fourriversheritage.org.

You're Invited! Four Rivers Heritage Area will hold our Ninth Annual Heritage Awards ceremony on Thursday, November 8th, at 4:30 p.m at the Wiley H. Bates Legacy Center, 1101 Smithville Street, Annapolis, MD. There is plenty of free parking behind the building complex.

Join us for an evening of fun, food, and celebration as we honor individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to our historical legacy through interpretation, education, preservation, conservation, promotion, research, and support.

The event is $15.00 per person. For more information on how to register, please contact the Four Rivers Heritage Area at Heritage_Area@accounty.org or call us at 410-222-1805. Please RSVP by November 5, 2012 (we are extending this deadline due to the recent storm). Thank you!

Annapolis, MD — On October 25th, 2012 the Four Rivers Heritage Area will host the inaugural Heritage Showcase event, to be held from 1:00 - 7:00 p.m. at the Maryland Hall for Creative Arts, 801 Chase Street, Annapolis. This dynamic, interactive event will feature eighteen-plus premier Four Rivers heritage museums, sites and attractions under one roof, to allow educators, tour planners, and others to preview the unique experiences that each one has to offer. Attendees can ask questions and book activities for Spring 2013 at participating heritage sites. Special discounts and exclusive educational materials will be available only at this event.

School groups, group tours, and families alike enjoy visiting Four Rivers Heritage Area for interactive activities, hands-on experiences, informative exhibits, and guided tours as well as delicious local food, a friendly atmosphere, and breathtaking scenery. Four Rivers heritage sites are the perfect destination for fun and educational field trips, tours for all audiences, family outings, and special events.

Participating sites include:
§ Annapolis Community Boating, Annapolis
§ Annapolis Maritime Museum, Annapolis
§ Annapolis Tours by Watermark®, Annapolis
§ Banneker-Douglass Museum, Annapolis
§ Bates Legacy Center, Annapolis
§ Captain Avery Museum, Shady Side
§ Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Annapolis
§ Chesapeake Children's Museum, Annapolis
§ Discover Annapolis Tours, Annapolis
§ Four Rivers: The Heritage Area of Annapolis, London Town and South County
§ Galesville Heritage Museum, Galesville
§ Hammond-Harwood House, Annapolis
§ Historic Annapolis, Annapolis
§ Historic London Town and Gardens, Edgewater
§ Maryland State Archives, Annapolis
§ National Park Service - Star Spangled Banner Trail (Annapolis)
§ National Sailing Center & Hall of Fame, Annapolis
§ Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater
§ U.S. Naval Academy, Armel-Leftwich Visitor Center, Annapolis

Whether you are a teacher, tour planner, group member, or parent we invite you to come out to discover the many attractions that the Four Rivers Heritage Area has to offer. This event is free and open to the public, with refreshments, live entertainment by local talent, prize drawings, giveaways, and appearances by local community leaders. Be sure to join in on the fun at the Four Rivers Heritage Showcase, October 25, 2012 from 1:00 - 7:00 p.m. in the Lower Level (Gymnasium) of the Maryland Hall for Creative Arts. You won’t want to miss it!!!

Four Rivers, one of Maryland’s 12 certified state heritage areas, is a nonprofit organization operating in partnership with the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority, Anne Arundel County, the City of Annapolis, the Town of Highland Beach, and heritage-related organizations and businesses. Its mission is to stimulate preservation and economic development of the region by supporting and promoting its natural, historic and cultural resources. Our website URL is www.fourriversheritage.org. For more information about the Four Rivers Heritage Showcase, please visit the Four Rivers website, www.fouriversheritage.org, or call the office at 410-222-1805. E-mail contact: Heritage_Area@aacounty.org
 

Four Rivers invites you to attend a FREE seminar to help our sites develop strategies to save energy, money, and the environment, on Thursday, September 13th, 2012, from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m., in the Severn Room (4th floor), 2664 Riva Road, Annapolis

The workshop will take into consideration the important issues of energy efficiency and adherence to historic preservation principles. Both are part of our region’s sustainability with stewardship responsibilities for our heritage and environment.

Speakers:

Tom Boyer, President and Conservationist, Infrared Tools Energy Services
Lisa Craig, Chief of Historic Preservation, City of Annapolis

Learn How To:
• Plan to make your site’s buildings become more energy-efficient and sustainable – hear about audit costs and potential funding sources
• Apply approaches to energy efficiency improvements that will respect and    retain the historic character-defining features of our older buildings

Energy efficiency and sustainability are important: What are your next steps?

To reserve your space, please contact the Four Rivers Heritage Area office at 410-222-1805.

Annapolis, MD – Four Rivers: The Heritage Area of Annapolis, London Town & South County seeks nominations for its ninth annual heritage awards. These awards recognize individuals, organizations, partnerships, programs and products that contribute significantly to the community by interpreting, promoting, preserving, researching and/or supporting our historical legacy.

Awards are made in eight different categories, including Best Heritage Tourism Product, Best New Initiative, Best Heritage Partnership, Heritage Professional of the Year, Heritage Interpreter of the Year, and the Public/Private Initiative Award. Nominations are also requested for the Legacy Award, which recognizes an individual or group who continues or preserves a traditional craft or livelihood, and the Heritage Leadership Award, which goes to an individual or organization for significant and long-lasting contributions to local history and heritage. Self-nominations are accepted.

Nomination forms are available on our website or by calling the Four Rivers Heritage Area office. Completed nominations must include a brief written statement on why you feel your nominee should be recognized in a particular category. Supplemental materials are required in some categories. A complete listing of previous award winners is also available on our website, see our  Heritage Awards webpages.

The nominations deadline is September 28, 2012. A heritage area awards committee will review and evaluate nominations; awards will be presented at the Four Rivers annual awards ceremony in November.

Four Rivers, one of Maryland’s twelve state-certified heritage areas, is part of the Maryland Heritage Areas Program. For more information, please call the heritage area office at 410-222-1805.
 

Annapolis, MD – Four Rivers: The Heritage Area of Annapolis, London Town & South County announces guidelines and criteria for the FY2013 Mini-grant program. Made possible for the tenth year through financial support from Anne Arundel County, the City of Annapolis and the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority, Four Rivers’ mini-grants assist local heritage-related non-profit organizations in developing new heritage and preservation-related programs, activities, products, and events.

Examples of eligible projects include new heritage tours, maps, interpretive brochures, podcasts, and other heritage-related publications; educational public programs, exhibits, and/or events; and heritage tourism-related website development. Heritage tourism-related programs for K-12 students, home-schooled students, and/or after-school educational programs, and educational seminars, workshops, and conferences that encourage or enhance preservation, revitalization, and interpretation of the area’s natural, cultural and historic resources are also eligible. Some marketing expenses are eligible to be funded through mini-grants. Mini-grants shall not be used for administrative expenses or capital projects. Salaries or staff time are eligible as match only, for that portion of a staff person’s time dedicated solely to a funded project (not to exceed 35% of total required project match).

Past mini-grant supported projects within the heritage area include: “Paddle Through History” kayak tours of the Rhode River and Back and Spa Creeks; brochure development for numerous heritage organizations, including the Annapolis Maritime Museum, Galesville Heritage Museum, Charles Carroll House, Captain Salem Avery Museum, and the West/Rhode Riverkeeper; website development for the Galesville Community Center Organization, and website upgrades for Historic London Town and Gardens and the Charles Carroll House; archeological research by the Lost Towns Project; a National Register nomination of Batchelor’s Choice Plantation and Servant’s Quarters, an 18th-century historic resource in southern Anne Arundel County; a regional Civil War cultural resources guide and a Parole oral history project by the Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Foundation; an orientation video about the Annapolis Maritime Museum to be shown in the Museum’s Bay Room and on their website; museum exhibits at Historic Annapolis Foundation’s William Paca House and the Historic Annapolis Museum; the revised Eastport Walking Tour; a visitors’ kiosk at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center; conservation of Francis Scott Key’s will at St. John’s College; and many more. A complete list of past mini-grant awards is available on the Four Rivers website.

Applicants are encouraged to discuss their proposal with heritage area staff prior to application submission. Mini-grant applications are available online (see our "Mini-Grants page) or by calling the Four Rivers Heritage Area office. The deadline for submission of mini-grant applications (original and 7 copies) is Friday, October 5, 2012. Mini-grant proposals will be evaluated by a Four Rivers Grants Committee, and awards will be announced by November.

For more information, please visit the "Mini-Grants" page on our website, www.fourriversheritage.org, or contact Executive Director Carol Benson at 410-222-1805 or by e-mail at heritage_area@aacounty.org.

ANNAPOLIS, MD (July 18, 2012) – The Maryland Department of Planning has announced that six  matching grants totaling $247,000 were awarded to heritage organizations within Four Rivers: The Heritage Area of Annapolis, London Town & South County, one of Maryland’s twelve certified heritage areas, by the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority (MHAA) at its annual grants meeting last Thursday. These grant funds support heritage tourism projects and activities that expand economic development and tourism-related job creation throughout the state.

MHAA matching grant-funded projects in the Four Rivers Heritage Area in FY2013:

Project Title: Archaeological Examination: The Wilson Farmstead and Hot Sox Ball Field
Recipient: Anne Arundel County Trust for Preservation, Inc.
Grant Award: $30,000
Location: Galesville, MD

Project Title: Carpenter Shop: Final Phase of Reconstruction
Recipient: London Town Foundation, Inc.
Grant Award: $ 15,000 (Capital grant)
Location: Historic London Town and Gardens, Edgewater, MD

Project Title: Freedom Bound: Runaways of the Chesapeake Exhibition
Recipient: Historic Annapolis Foundation
Grant Award: $50,000
Location: Downtown Annapolis, MD

Project Title: Heritage Area Management Grant
Recipient: Annapolis, London Town and South County Heritage Area
Grant Award: $100,000
Location: Annapolis, MD

Project Title: Historic Waterfront Warehouse Repairs and Reopening
Recipient: Historic Annapolis Foundation
Grant Award: $22,000 (Capital grant)
Location: Downtown Annapolis, MD

Project Title: Phase II Technology Integration Project
Recipient: Annapolis Maritime Museum
Grant Award: $30,000
Location: Eastport, MD

Governor Martin O’Malley stated, “Tourism generates jobs and revenue in Maryland. One out of every 17 jobs in Maryland is in tourism, with tourism employment providing over $4 billion in wages and salaries. Visitors to our state spent over $13 billion, which generated over $531 million in direct tax revenue in all 23 Counties and Baltimore City. The Maryland Heritage Area Program’s targeted investments help preserve the best of Maryland’s historic sites and towns, unspoiled natural landscapes, and enduring traditions, and in doing so create more livable and economically sustainable communities. I congratulate Maryland’s twelve Certified Heritage Areas and their tourism partners on these awards that will develop and market visitor destinations, support businesses, non-profits, and local jurisdictions engaged in heritage tourism, and help keep Maryland Smart, Green and Growing.”

Heritage Areas are places to experience – see, hear and even taste – the authentic heritage of Maryland in a unique way that cannot be experienced anywhere else. Stories of the people, the land and the waters of Maryland are told in these unique places. Today, 21 Maryland counties and Baltimore City have a State-certified Heritage Area within their boundaries. Each of Maryland’s Certified Heritage Areas is defined by a discrete thematic focus that makes that place unique. These distinctive places exhibit tangible evidence of the area’s heritage in historic buildings and districts, archaeological sites, museums, parks, and natural landscapes, as well as traditional ways of life revealed in food, music, and art. These tangible links not only draw visitors, but also encourage residents to recognize they have a special piece of the American Story to treasure and share with others.

MHAA has invested over $15.5 million dollars into 334 projects throughout Maryland’s 12 certified Heritage Areas under the O’Malley-Brown Administration. Even in challenging fiscal times, Governor O’Malley has supported funding for this important program knowing that heritage tourism is a proven economic engine and a tool for preserving Maryland’s irreplaceable natural, historic and cultural legacy.

“We are grateful to MHAA for the significant funding awarded to our Four Rivers Heritage Area partners. This funding will enhance our ability to provide a quality visitor experience, provide new educational opportunities for our residents and schoolchildren and create more economic development opportunities throughout the heritage area,” said Four Rivers’ Board Chair, Patricia Barland. Four Rivers’ Executive Director, Carol Benson, agreed, saying, “These matching grants will help heritage museums and sites to upgrade services, restore crumbling infrastructure, add interpretive exhibits, and create exciting new programming for the visitor. In challenging economic times, the strengthening of heritage tourism is more important than ever to our local economies.”  The Four Rivers Heritage Area has received more than $2.8 million in MHAA matching grant funding since 2002, for total project costs of more than $9.9 million.

The Maryland Heritage Areas Authority is an independent unit in the Executive Branch of government administered by the Maryland Department of Planning. Since its inception in 1996, the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority has awarded approximately $26.7 million in financial assistance and leveraged over $84.4 million in non-state funds for heritage tourism projects and activities statewide.

Four Rivers Heritage Area welcomes our new Heritage Programs Coordinator, Victoria Villano, to the staff! Victoria recently completed her M.A. in Art History at the University of Connecticut and lives in Ellicott City. She has been an intern at the New Britain Museum of American Art, a curatorial assistant for the Architect of the Capitol in D.C., and a curatorial intern at the Hammond-Harwood House, as well as holding various teaching and committee roles at her university. She is experienced in project planning, blogging and social networking, database management, and more. I hope you will join me in welcoming Victoria to Four Rivers! Follow her posts on Facebook (if you don't already, "like" the Four Rivers Heritage Area at http://www.facebook.com/fourriversheritage) and her posts on the Four Rivers blog (http://fourriversha.wordpress.com/), as she explores the heritage area in the coming months!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 30, 2012

Maryland Day commemorates the formal founding of the colony of Maryland, when the newly-arrived colonists erected a cross on St. Clement’s Island, offered prayers (perhaps by saying Mass), and took “possession of this Countrey for our Saviour and for our soveraigne Lord the King of England.” In 1916, the Maryland General Assembly authorized Maryland Day as a legal holiday devoted to Maryland history.

For the fifth year in a row, Four Rivers Heritage Area is partnering with regional heritage organizations and businesses to showcase the area’s historical, cultural and natural heritage. Events and activities will take place throughout the Maryland Day Celebration weekend of March 23, 24, and 25. Participants include:

• Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Conference and Visitors Bureau: 26 West Street and Annapolis City Dock
• Annapolis Maritime Museum: 723 Second Street and Creek View Drive, Eastport
• Annapolis Tours by Watermark®
• Banneker-Douglass Museum: 84 Franklin Street, Annapolis
• Captain Avery Museum: 1418 East West Shady Side Road, Shady Side
• Charles Carroll House: 107 Duke of Gloucester Street, Annapolis
• Chase-Lloyd House: 22 Maryland Avenue, Annapolis
• Chesapeake Bay Foundation: Philip Merrill Environmental Center, 6 Herndon Avenue, Annapolis
• Chesapeake Children’s Museum: 25 Silopanna Road, Annapolis
• City of Annapolis
• Courthouse Museum in the Anne Arundel County Courthouse: Church Circle, Annapolis
• Deale Area Historical Society: Historic Village at Herrington Harbour North, 389 Deale Road, Tracey’s Landing
• Galesville Heritage Museum: 988 Main Street, Galesville
• Hammond-Harwood House: 19 Maryland Avenue, Annapolis
• Historic Annapolis Museum: 99 Main Street, Annapolis
• Historic London Town and Gardens: 839 Londontown Road, Edgewater
• Hogshead: 43 Pinkney Street, Annapolis
• MainStreets Annapolis Partnership
• Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts: 801 Chase Street, Annapolis
• Maryland State House: 100 State Circle, Annapolis
• Smithsonian Environmental Research Center: 647 Contees Wharf Road, Edgewater
• United States Naval Academy Armel-Leftwich Visitor Center: 52 King George Street, Annapolis
• West Annapolis Heritage Partnership
• Wiley H. Bates Legacy Center: 1101 Smithville Street, Annapolis
• William Paca House: 186 Prince George Street, Annapolis
• Wimsey Cove Framing & Art: 3141 Solomons Island Road, Edgewater

Additional Maryland Day Celebration participating partners include the Maryland Welcome Centers, South County Chamber of Commerce, and Reynolds Tavern in Annapolis. Continually updated information is available online at: www.marylandday.org.

Mark your calendars now and plan to bring the whole family to Annapolis and Southern Anne Arundel County for three days of fun, interactive and educational activities that celebrate the best of Maryland’s unique history, natural resources, and culture. New this year: Girl Scouts can complete activities for the “Maryland Heritage” badge at sites throughout the area.

Four Rivers, one of Maryland’s 12 certified state heritage areas, is a nonprofit organization operating in partnership with the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority, Anne Arundel County, the City of Annapolis, the Town of Highland Beach, and heritage-related organizations and businesses. Its mission is to stimulate preservation and economic development of the region by supporting and promoting its natural, historic and cultural resources. Our website URL is www.fourriversheritage.org. For more information about the Maryland Day Celebration event, please visit the event website, www.marylandday.org, or call the office at 410-222-1805. E-mail contact: Heritage_Area@aacounty.org

Annapolis, MD: Four Rivers: The Heritage Area of Annapolis, London Town & South County is pleased to announce eleven new mini-grant awards to local heritage-related nonprofit organizations and projects. This matching mini-grants program, made possible for the eighth year through financial support from the City of Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, and the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority, leverages other funding to assist local heritage related non-profit organizations create new programs, activities and events that build upon interpretive themes in the state, county and city-approved heritage area Management Plan, foster collaborative partnerships, and enhance local cultural historic resources and heritage tourism. The maximum grant award is $2,500, which must be fully matched.

Two notable commonalities are found among this year’s awards, a result of expanded networking among heritage sites in the planning stages. First, a record number of projects this year (five out of the eleven) involve K-12 education students at local schools working with local heritage sites to learn more about their history and heritage. The second is the large number of projects (five of the eleven) that involve different aspects of the art, craft and heritage of sewing, and three of these related projects will result in concurrent exhibitions in the Historic Annapolis Museum in the spring of 2012. Four of the projects will produce documentary story quilts as part of their interpretation, under the guidance of the notable story quilter, Dr. Joan Gaither. Additionally, two of the projects result from plans for the upcoming commemoration of the Bicentennial of the War of 1812.

Organizations and projects approved for mini-grant awards include:
• Annapolis Community Foundation, for the development, design, and installation of “Annapolis Tapestries Museum Exhibit 2012,” an exhibition illustrating 18th century Annapolis through hand-stitched tapestries depicting the people, places, and events of that time. The exhibition will be installed in the Historic Annapolis Museum.
• Anne Arundel County Economic Development Corporation and Anne Arundel County War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission, for a “Star-Spangled Banner Bicentennial Celebration Map” showcasing War of 1812 historical sites, as well as water and nature trails in Anne Arundel County.
• Anne Arundel County Trust for Preservation and Lost Towns Project, for “Sewing Through History: The Archaeology of Textiles and Sewing in Early America,” an exhibition and public lecture based on research of material culture related to the industry and pastime of sewing. The exhibition will be installed in the Historic Annapolis Museum.
• Banneker-Douglass Museum and Banneker-Douglass Foundation, for “Threads of Change: Rosenwald Schools in Anne Arundel County,” a collaborative project with local heritage organizations and public schools in southern and northern Anne Arundel County in which high school students will be trained to conduct oral history interviews and create an interpretive documentary story quilt based on their research.
• Chesapeake Bay Foundation, to produce and install updated interpretive signage at the Annapolis City Dock next to the historic skipjack, Stanley Norman, a widely-used resource by the CBF to engage and educate the public and local students.
• Downtown Annapolis Partnership, for the research, design, and printing of 1) a brochure promoting the local, state, and federal incentives available for businesses and structures within Annapolis’s Main Streets boundaries and 2) a directional and informational map (in hard-copy and online) promoting heritage sites and businesses within the Main Streets boundaries.
• Friends of the Maryland State Archives, for a brochure for its upcoming exhibit, “‘The enemy all round us’: Annapolis in the War of 1812,” at the Maryland State House, to open in February 2012.
• Galesville Heritage Society, for a new exhibit, “The Story of Stores: How Small Businesses Helped Build Community in Galesville, MD,” which will communicate the social and economic functions of community stores in the historic town; local students will participate in planning a satellite version of the exhibit for Southern High School.
• Historic Annapolis, for “Threads of Time: 45th Anniversary of the Desegregation of Bates High School,” a collaborative project with Anne Arundel County Public Schools to commemorate the desegregation of the school in 1966 through a documentary story quilt, a public exhibition in the Historic Annapolis Museum, and an in-school program for middle school students.
• London Town Foundation, Inc., for “Our Common Threads: Connecting the Heritage of Forgotten Voices at London Town,” a collaborative project with Anne Arundel County Public Schools. Students will examine the social welfare of Anne Arundel County during the 19th and early 20th centuries, using London Town’s Almshouse (1823-1965) as a case study in segregation during this time period, and will create a documentary story quilt out of their experiences.
• St. Anne's School of Annapolis, for a program of study in African American history and culture for the school’s 3rd grade students, including interviewing local residents, participating in a quilt workshop, and creating a resource book for the Wiley H. Bates Legacy Center for other students and the public.

This year, Four Rivers’ mini-grant program funds of $24,807 are fully matched by the grantees for total project funds of $80,390. Four Rivers Heritage Area, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, is one of Maryland’s 12 certified heritage areas. We create and support products and activities that leverage economic development through preservation and heritage tourism. Four Rivers is a partnership among the State of Maryland, Anne Arundel County, the City of Annapolis, the town of Highland Beach, and local historic sites, heritage organizations, and heritage-related businesses. For more information, please contact Executive Director Carol Benson at 410-222-1805.

Many thanks to those of you who were able to join us last Thursday, October 27, at our Tenth Anniversary Celebration and Eighth Annual Heritage Awards at Quiet Waters Park in the beautiful Blue Heron Room.

As a special part of our presentation, we were pleased to debut a video made especially for our commemoration by the dynamic team at "City-TV": Rhonda Wardlaw, Chuck Duncan, and Bruce Abercrombie. Our deepest appreciation to this creative threesome for an outstanding "portrait" of Four Rivers. It is now on the YouTube website at this link.

We were pleased to receive citations from Senator John Astle, Senator Ed Reilly, County Executive John Leopold (presented by Bea Poulin), Anne Arundel County Council (presented by Councilmembers Chris Trumbauer and Jerry Walker), and a Proclamation by Annapolis Mayor Joshua Cohen. Four Rivers has never been so celebrated! We will share photographs of the evening as they are collected from our contributors, most notably Mr. Ted Mack, who generously shared his skills as a photographer, as well as a presenter.

Finally, below is an excerpt of the presentation made by our Chair, Patricia Barland, at the end of the program. Her leadership and commitment in making a "challenge" contribution of $2,500 towards the Four Rivers Mini-Grant program are inspiring. Our Board Vice Chair, Matt Grubbs, also made a contribution of $2,500 for the Mini-Grant program. Our sincere thanks to both Pat and Matt for your significant support.

As we celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Four Rivers Heritage Area, I look back on our accomplishments and the progress that has been made. We’ve come a long way from "Sotweed, Sailors, and Seaports," and we’ve made many friends along the way. We’ve followed our Management Plan, accomplishing many of our goals. We’ve been innovators, creating the Heritage Awards program to recognize the outstanding accomplishments of our partners, our signature Mini-Grants program that provides up to $2,500 in matching funds for qualifying heritage projects, special events such as South County Sundays, Maryland Days, workshops, and FAM tours. We’ve published brochures, maps, and boaters’ guides. Through our partnership with the State, Four Rivers Heritage Area has brought more than $2.7 million dollars in Maryland Heritage Areas Authority funds to the area, leveraging investments of over $9 million. Our partnerships with local government and non-profit groups have grown stronger. The quality of the visitor experience at our heritage sites has reached new levels.

I know that our Heritage Area will face new opportunities and challenges in the years to come. There will be new partnerships and programs that will enhance our rich heritage and the stories we have to tell. It is important that our Heritage Area continue to provide new experiences and opportunities for our community and visitors. We can help do that through our Mini-Grants program.

Our tenth anniversary celebration is an excellent opportunity to meet the challenge of creating those new experiences and opportunities. I am personally committed to ensuring the future of our outstanding Mini-Grants program and am proud to contribute $2,500 to this program, so that our heritage partners can continue to share their stories.

I challenge those of you who believe in the Heritage Area and our rich heritage to join me by making your own contribution in whatever amount you can to sustain this program. Thank you. -- Patricia Barland

Four Rivers Heritage Area is pleased to announce its 10th Anniversary Celebration and Annual Heritage Awards! The grand event will take place on Thursday, October 27, 2011, from 4:30 - 6:30pm in the Blue Heron Room at Quiet Waters Park (600 Quiet Waters Park Rd., Annapolis). Hors d'oeuvres and wine will be served.

To RSVP, please download an invitation and RSVP card, and mail payment (check or M.O.) to Four Rivers Heritage Area, 44 Calvert Street, MS 1106, Annapolis, MD 21401.

We hope to see you there to help us celebrate Four Rivers' 10 years and to honor our Heritage Awardees!

Questions? Give us a call at 410-222-1805 or email heritage_area@aacounty.org.

Historic and maritime partners with Four Rivers Heritage Area & Partners are volunteering at the Community Corner in the Market House September 19th, 2011 – October 3, 2011. Partners include Annapolis Maritime Museum, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Annapolis Tours® by Watermark®, Historic Annapolis Foundation, Discover Annapolis Tours and Annapolis Community Boating.

The Community Corner in the Market House will help explain the heritage and cultural landscape of the Four Rivers Heritage Area to locals and visitors to the Market House.  “Support Local Heritage!” is the message, to entice local residents and visitors alike to visit Four Rivers Heritage Area locales, sites and tours.

Susan Steckman of the AAACCVB shares this press relase:

The Annapolis & Anne Arundel County Conference and Visitors Bureau (AAACCVB) and the Annapolis, London Town & South County Heritage Area (Four Rivers) are teaming up once again to promote the destination's unique heritage.

With the help of a $30,000 marketing grant that the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority (MHAA) awarded to the co-applicants in June, the AAACCVB and Four Rivers are collaborating on a marketing campaign designed to improve visibility for heritage area attractions and events by enhancing the heritage content of the AAACCVB's website.

Among the criteria the MHAA considers in awarding marketing grants is the caliber of working relationship that exists between the heritage area and its destination marketing organization. AAACCVB President and CEO Connie Del Signore believes the two 501c3 organizations passed the eligibility requirement with flying colors. "Carol Benson (Four Rivers Executive Director) serves on our board and she has excelled as chairman of our marketing committee. Together, we sell heritage. Whether we invite visitors to get on the water, explore our unique seaport villages, or tour the U.S. Naval Academy, our destination is steeped in history. The additional marketing dollars will help the CVB to bring these and other unique experiences to the foreground on our website. In the long term, greater awareness of the unique and authentic cultural experience our area has to offer should help Four Rivers to better compete with Baltimore, D.C., and Philadelphia for the heritage traveler."

The AAACCVB is providing a $30,000 match to the MHAA grant. Combined with in-kind services from both organizations, the total cost of the project is projected at $82,650.

The AAACCVB will utilize web-based tools including banner ads on TripAdvisor and Facebook and pay-per-click marketing on Google, Bing, and Yahoo to drive home the message that Annapolis and the Chesapeake Bay offers a genuine heritage experience. The two organizations will augment these efforts with public relations support, social media cross promotion, and a six-part seminar for Four Rivers' stakeholders on the effective use of social marketing.

Four Rivers Executive Director Carol Benson says the heritage area will benefit from the campaign in several ways. "Heritage area content will be front and center on the CVB website. Visitors to the homepage will be introduced to the vast cultural heritage of the destination and linked to the Four Rivers site for more detailed information. The increased exposure should help boost visitation to Four Rivers' attractions and events, including our popular Maryland Day celebration."

To further drive home the message, next month the AAACCVB will be launching a yearlong advertising campaign that invites individuals to celebrate the significant events in their lives by experiencing the destination's heritage area attractions and events.

This marks the second time that the AAACCVB and Four Rivers have been joint recipients of an MHAA marketing grant. A year after Four Rivers received its certified heritage area status in 2001, the two organizations received $50,000 to develop the initial marketing plan for the new heritage area. Since 2002, the Four Rivers Heritage Area has received 50 MHAA grants and has awarded 71 mini-grants, totaling more than $2.8 million in fully-matched funds for projects that have stimulated preservation and economic development in the region by supporting and promoting its natural, historic, and cultural resources.

The AAACCVB is a nonprofit, membership-based, destination marketing organization that generates revenues for the local economy by promoting Annapolis and the Chesapeake Bay to leisure and business travelers across the country and around the world.

Annapolis, MD – Four Rivers: The Heritage Area of Annapolis, London Town & South County seeks nominations for its eighth annual heritage awards. These awards recognize individuals, organizations, partnerships, programs and products that contribute significantly to the community by interpreting, promoting, preserving, researching and/or supporting our historical legacy.

Awards are made in eight different categories, including Best Heritage Tourism Product, Best New Initiative, Best Heritage Partnership, Heritage Professional of the Year, Heritage Interpreter of the Year, and the Public/Private Initiative Award. Nominations are also requested for the Legacy Award, which recognizes an individual or group who continues or preserves a traditional craft or livelihood, and the Heritage Leadership Award, which goes to an individual or organization for significant and long-lasting contributions to local history and heritage. Self-nominations are accepted.

Nomination forms are available on our website or by calling the Four Rivers Heritage Area office. Completed nominations must include a brief written statement on why you feel your nominee should be recognized in a particular category. Supplemental materials are required in some categories. A complete listing of previous awards winners is available on the Four Rivers website.

The nominations deadline is September 23, 2011. A heritage area awards committee will review and evaluate nominations; awards will be presented at the Four Rivers annual awards ceremony in late October, where we will also celebrate ten years of achievement since certification.

Four Rivers, one of Maryland's twelve state-certified heritage areas, is part of the Maryland Heritage Areas Program. For more information, please call the heritage area office at 410-222-1805.

Four Rivers: The Heritage Area of Annapolis, London Town & South County announces guidelines and criteria for the FY2012 Mini-grant program. Made possible for the ninth year through financial support from Anne Arundel County, the City of Annapolis and the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority, Four Rivers' mini-grants assist local heritage-related non-profit organizations in developing new heritage and preservation-related programs, activities, products, and events. Mini-grant awards of up to $2,500 are available for projects within the heritage area that incorporate regional historic, cultural, and natural resources, collaborative partnerships, and the heritage area's regional interpretive themes. More information about themes and suggested activities can be found in our state, county and city-approved Management Plan, available on our website, and those that include new technology, foster environmentally-friendly heritage activities and/or create new heritage-related programming in the arts. Educational programs and activities related to statewide tourism initiatives such as the Bicentennial of the War of 1812 are encouraged.

Past mini-grant supported projects within the heritage area include: "Paddle Through History" kayak tours of the Rhode River and Back and Spa Creeks; brochure development for numerous heritage organizations, including the Annapolis Maritime Museum, Galesville Heritage Museum, Charles Carroll House, Captain Salem Avery Museum, and the West/Rhode Riverkeeper; website development for the Galesville Community Center Organization, and website upgrades for Historic London Town and Gardens and the Charles Carroll House; archeological research by the Lost Towns Project; a National Register nomination of Batchelor's Choice Plantation and Servant's Quarters, an 18th-century historic resource in southern Anne Arundel County; a regional Civil War cultural resources guide and a Parole oral history project by the Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Foundation; an orientation video about the Annapolis Maritime Museum to be shown in the Museum's Bay Room and on their website; museum exhibits at Historic Annapolis Foundation's William Paca House and the Historic Annapolis Museum; the revised Eastport Walking Tour; a visitors' kiosk at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center; conservation of Francis Scott Key's will at St. John's College; and many more. The grant criteria and application form, as well as a complete list of past mini-grant awards, are available on the Four Rivers website.

Applicants are encouraged to discuss their proposal with heritage area staff prior to application submission. Mini-grant applications are available online or by calling the Four Rivers Heritage Area office. The deadline for submission of mini-grant applications (original and 7 copies) is Friday, October 7, 2011. Mini-grant proposals will be evaluated by a Four Rivers Grants Committee, and awards will be announced in December.

For more information, please contact Executive Director Carol Benson at 410-222-1805 or by e-mail at heritage_area@aacounty.org.

The West/Rhode RIVERKEEPER invites you and your family to join them for free kayaking on the rivers each 1st and 3rd Thursday evening from now until September 1, from 5 p.m. until 1/2 hour before sunset. Kayaks, paddles, and life vests will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis. Both single and tandem kayaks are available. Children are welcome, but must be accompanied by an adult. Kayaks leave from Discovery Village, 4800 Atwell Rd, Shady Side, MD.

In the event of inclement weather, kayaking will be canceled and notification posted on the Riverkeeper website immediately (www.westrhoderiverkeeper.org). Contact amy@westrhoderiverkeeper.org for more info.

During Maryland Day Celebration 2011, many participating sites distributed unique, traditional, or just plain delicious recipes that spoke to the heritage area's local flavor. We have collected these recipes in one PDF file for you to download and enjoy! Find the cookbook on the Maryland Day Celebration Partner Page on Four Rivers' website. Each recipe page is 4.25 x 8.5", and can be printed 2-to-a-page, or scaled to fit a standard 8.5 x 11".

Let us know what you think by sending the Heritage Area staff an email!

You are cordially invited to join us at our second annual Networking Picnic, offering a chance to eat, network and chat WITHOUT a meeting getting in our way! On Thursday, June 23rd, from Noon to 4:00 p.m., on the beautiful waterfront grounds of the historic Charles Carroll House, located at 107 Duke of Gloucester Street in Annapolis, come out to seeing old friends and meet new ones!

Spread the word to a friend, and plan to join us in picnicking the afternoon away! Tickets are $25.00 per person and include lunch and beverages. Vegetarian options will be available. Proceeds benefit the Four Rivers Mini-Grant Fund. (We have a rain-or-excessive heat backup date: June 28th, same time and place! Let's hope the heat stays away!)

Many thanks to our host site, the Charles Carroll House of Annapolis. Questions? Call the Four Rivers Heritage Area office at410-222-1805 or email us: heritage_area@aacounty.org. To register, download the flyer here. Please RSVP by June 17, thanks!

Dear Four Rivers Stakeholder,

Four Rivers is in great need of your support! On Saturday, April 9th at 11 a.m., Four Rivers will be presenting our funding request for FY2012 support to the Annapolis City Council, in the City Council Chambers at Annapolis City Hall, 160 Duke of Gloucester Street in Annapolis. I am asking you today to please put this date and time on your calendar: Four Rivers needs your support now more than ever before. We ask each of you who has ever received a mini-grant, an MHAA grant, heritage award recognition, a benefit from participating in our Maryland day collaborative event, and/or invaluable opportunities to network with your colleagues at our events, to appear with us in support of our request. Please bring your Board members, your staff, your volunteers, please come out to demonstrate to City Council that our ten years of support has done more than list project dollars on a grid!! If our support has made a difference to you and your organization, we ask you to support us now in our time of need. Please come early in case our testimony is moved up due to no-shows. We know it is not a convenient time - but this is so important.

Here are our talking points:

• In July 2001, the City Council adopted the Four Rivers Management Plan as part of the Annapolis Comprehensive Plan. As required by the authorizing legislation (H.B. 1), the Four Rivers Heritage Area program was also endorsed and authorized by the County government and the Town of Highland Beach. The State calls for local jurisdictions to commit to co-fund the program in order to receive State grants in our area. Without this matching funding, our ten years of ever-expanding programs and ever-increasing grants to local tourism initiatives would cease and the State funds would go to other heritage areas.
   
• Between 2003 and 2009, the Council's support of Four Rivers stood at $35,000 each year. In 2010, the support was cut back to $33,250. This year, Four Rivers' funding was cut to $0. The decision NOT TO FUND the Four Rivers Heritage Area has threatened the organization's ability to continue, and we ask the City Council to restore City of Annapolis funding to Four Rivers at a sustainable level.
   
• While the budget grows exceedingly tight, funding the programs that help to support and grow our economy becomes more and more critical. Maryland's Heritage Areas Program has been building tourism and small businesses and is currently the most successful program of its kind in the country. In fact, it is the model for other state programs seeking to build a strong economic base in heritage tourism. Heritage tourism is a "green" industry that will never be outsourced overseas or even outside of our Heritage Area!
   
• MHAA leverages funds through grantees' matching grants and/or funds. And the track record demonstrates a ROI that averages $4.61 statewide (and much more in some regions.) These state and local revenues go directly to our communities. Almost all tourism businesses (96%) are mostly small businesses. These businesses are among the largest private sector employers in the state. "Heritage tourists" skew to the very top of the tourism demographic: they travel in groups, stay longer and spend more than other visitors. And they do all this while enjoying the very things our residents also treasure most about Maryland. This program pays for itself and then some.
   
• We are creating an economy rooted in the very things that Maryland is so proud of--our history, cultural heritage and natural resources. Four Rivers works at building this economy with the help of the State, the County, and the City. When you look at the economic benefit/financial return that the Four Rivers Heritage Area has achieved in its first nine-plus years, the City's return on investment is remarkable. It represents funds that would not otherwise come to the City.

Some of you have let us know that you cannot attend this Saturday - but there is still something you can do. Click here for a sample letter of support, write your own letter and send it to the City Aldermen and Alderwomen, especially any whom you know personally.

Four Rivers thanks you for your support. Please come early! The session for all applicants begins at 9:30 a.m.

With very best wishes,
Carol Benson

Here is breaking news about an all-new workshop offered by the City of Annapolis during Maryland Day Weekend! The City of Annapolis is an exciting and beautiful place to live and work. One of its biggest attractions to residents, tourists, and businesses is its interesting history of buildings representing more than three hundred years of American architecture. Join historian Jean Russo in an introduction to the techniques and sources for researching the history of your older or historic property. Whether your property is located in the Colonial Annapolis Historic District or is a nineteenth- or early twentieth-century building in Eastport, West Annapolis, Murray Hill, or Parole, you will learn what records can be used to research properties in Anne Arundel County. Also, learn more about the benefits and responsibilities associated with historic designation from Lisa Craig, Chief of Historic Preservation with the City of Annapolis.

All participants will receive a copy of the Building History Manual, produced by the Historic Annapolis Foundation and Building in the Fourth Century: the Annapolis Historic District Design Manual published by the Annapolis Historic Preservation Commission. The workshop is scheduled for Saturday, March 26 from 10 am to noon in the City Council Chambers at Annapolis City Hall, 160 Duke of Gloucester St., Annapolis, MD. Parking is available on-street as well as at the adjacent Hillman Parking Garage. Sponsored by the Annapolis Historic Preservation Commission and the Historic Annapolis Foundation, the event is free to the public, but reservations are requested. Please confirm your attendance by calling Shari Pippen at 410/263-7961 or email histpres@annapolis.gov with your name and number of attendees.

To our Stakeholders:

As we weigh the outlook for funding in the coming year, one of the simplest things to demonstrate to government is the NEED for grant money. For this reason, we are making a special and urgent request that anyone who might even consider applying for a Heritage Area grant for FY12 (application round this winter) please fill in and return the simple one-page Intent to Apply form posted here.

NOTE: There is no obligation to follow through with a full application, this is just a very preliminary heads-up notice for planning purposes. A site may send in more than one Intent if you are considering multiple projects or are unsure which will need funding. Note also that while submitting an Intent form does not obligate you to follow through with a full application, if you do NOT submit an Intent form by the due date of February 11, your application will not be able to be considered. If your project changes between now and February 11, please contact our office with your revisions.

The next steps are as follows:

(1) Read the application: There are two separate files to download, the Instructions and the Application Form.

(2) Attend a Workshop: Workshops offered by the Maryland Heritage Areas Program are an opportunity to learn more about the FY 2012 grant program and the revised grant application forms, and will also provide the chance to ask any questions you may have about the program. All are welcome to attend. Please register as soon as possible with the host of the session you select, as space is limited at some locations. Times, locations and contact information for the four sessions are:

• Monday, January 10, 2011, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m., Poolesville Town Hall, 19721 Beall Street, Poolesville. Call Peggy Erickson at 301-515-0753 to register. Co-sponsored by Heritage Montgomery.
   
• Friday, January 14, 2011, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., Chesapeake Exploration Center, 425 Piney Narrows Road, Chester (Kent Island). Call Deborah Divins Davis at 410-763-8967 to register. Co-sponsored by Stories of the Chesapeake Heritage Area.
   
• Wednesday, January 19, 2011, 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., Montpelier Mansion, 9650 Muirkirk Road, Laurel. Call Aaron Marcovitch at 301-887-0777 to register. Co-sponsored by Anacostia Trails Heritage Area, Montpelier Mansion and the Maryland-National Capital Parks and Planning Commission.
   
• Wednesday, January 26, 2011, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., Calvert Library, 850 Costley Way, Prince Frederick. Call Roz Racanello at 301-274-4083 to register. Co-sponsored by the Southern Maryland Heritage Area, St. Mary's County Historic Preservation and the Calvert Library.

Please call our office at 410-222-1805 with any questions, and good luck!

Four Rivers will host a Grant-Writing Skills workshop on Monday, February 7th at 3 p.m. in Room 205 at the Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, 801 Chase Street in Annapolis. Four Rivers Board Treasurer Melanie Teems (pictured, below) will be leading the workshop, and will focus on basic skills and best practices for successful grant writing. The workshop will allow time for a question-and-answer session, and Four Rivers Executive Director Carol Benson will be on hand to answer any questions related to the FY2012 MHAA grant application process.

For the past 18 years, Melanie Teems has reviewed applications and made grant funding decisions for environmental, educational, arts, social service, and heritage organizations locally, statewide, and regionally. She has written criteria and RFPs for new programs, initiated funding partnerships, provided analyses of program results, and guided nonprofits in creating effective programs. She has conducted grant writing seminars with local, state-wide, and regional organizations. Melanie has grant review experience as a staff member, board member, and volunteer with organizations as varied as the Chesapeake Bay Trust, the National Park Service Bay Gateways Network, the Arts Council of Anne Arundel County, the Four Rivers Heritage Area, the Anne Arundel Women Giving Together, the National Fish and Wildlife Federation, Maryland Environmental Trust, the FishAmerica Foundation, and the Carl M. Freeman Foundation FACES program. She has had the opportunity to collaborate with numerous national foundations, government agencies, and corporate funders in program partnerships. Through these organizations, she has had experience with federal, state, county, and city funding as well as individual, family, and private foundations. Melanie has represented the Chesapeake Bay Trust to the Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers and the Anne Arundel Funders Group, and has served as a judge for the Tawes Awards, the Ellen Fraites Wagner Award, and the Senator Dorman Scholarship Award. In addition to grantmaking, Melanie has many years of nonprofit administration oversight and accounting and audit procedures.

Advance registration is required. To register, please contact the heritage area office by phone, 410-222-1805, or by e-mail at heritage_area@aacounty.org.

In FY2012, the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority (MHAA is) encouraging applications for Natural Resources and Archeology projects. Nonprofit organizations, local jurisdictions, and federal and state agencies within the heritage area are eligible to apply. NOTE: Capital grants are available for projects within Target Investment Zones ONLY, with very limited exceptions. In the Four Rivers Heritage Area, our "Intent to Apply" deadline is AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, BUT NO LATER THAN February 11. The completed full application is due to the Four Rivers office by the end of business on Monday, February 28.

Natural Resources Projects:

Applicants are encouraged to develop projects that:

• Utilize Maryland GreenPrint to preserve and protect environmentally critical lands, or local Land Preservation, Park & Recreation Plans, annual Program Open Space plans, or state and nationally designated scenic byways and trail management/development plans to develop projects relating to Maryland's natural resources;
   
• Support development of sustainable and appropriate public access to Maryland's natural resources, rural landscapes, open spaces, and waterways;
   
• Increase the protection and enhancement of sites or landscapes which are deemed to be of natural or ecological significance;
   
• Increase public knowledge of and support for the value of rural areas, open spaces, natural resources, and the environment;
   
• Contribute to solving an environmental issue or problem that detracts from a community's ability to attract visitors.

Archeology Projects:

Projects must address one or more of the following:

• Provide increased protection of sites, objects, or collections which are of archeological significance, and contribute to meeting Certified Heritage Area (CHA) heritage tourism goals and objectives;
   
• Enhance public interpretation and education about significant archeological sites, objects, or collections;
   
• Provide archeological information necessary for the development, reconstruction, or rehabilitation of significant historic structures within a CHA;
   
• Support the acquisition of land, the significance of which derives wholly or substantially from its archeological value, and the acquisition of which will support the preservation, education, and heritage tourism goals of the CHA;
   
• Implement programming activities such as archeological seminars, conferences, workshops, site tours/open houses, and field schools which encourage preservation of and investment in CHA resources, and increased CHA visitation.

Non-Capital projects may receive up to $50,000. Capital projects may receive up to $100,000. All grants must be matched in an amount at least equal to the grant (dollar-for-dollar match). At least 75 percent of the match must be cash. State of Maryland funds may not be used as match. Applicants must submit proof of matching funds. For more information, please call the heritage area office at 410-222-1805.

Annapolis, MD – Four Rivers: The Heritage Area of Annapolis, London Town & South County is pleased to announce nine new mini-grant awards to local heritage-related nonprofit organizations and projects. This matching mini-grants program, made possible for the seventh year through financial support from the City of Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, and the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority, leverages other funding to assist local heritage related non-profit organizations create new programs, activities and events that build upon interpretive themes in the state, county and city-approved heritage area Management Plan, foster collaborative partnerships, and enhance local cultural historic resources and heritage tourism. The maximum grant award is $2,500, which must be fully matched.

Organizations and projects approved for mini-grant awards include:

• Annapolis Maritime Museum, for an orientation video for the museum to welcome visitors and provide information about the permanent exhibit, "Oysters on the Half Shell," and the museum's many educational programs and offerings.
   
• Anne Arundel County Trust for Preservation, for research and investigative work resulting in a National Register Nomination for the historic site in Lothian known as Batchelor's Choice Plantation, including its servants' quarters, one of less than a dozen surviving examples of this element of postbellum African American heritage in Anne Arundel County.
   
• Banneker-Douglass Museum with the Banneker-Douglass Museum Foundation, in cooperation with Anne Arundel County Schools and the Blacks of the Chesapeake Foundation, for an educational oral history project with Southern High School History classes on the heritage of Carr's and Sparrow's Beaches.
   
• The Charles Carroll House of Annapolis, Inc., for the redesign of the historic site's website, to better communicate the organization's mission and initiatives and inform the public about its legacy, resources, and programs.
   
• The City of Annapolis and the Annapolis and Anne Arundel Conference and Visitors Bureau, for two interpretive display cases with restored archaeological artifacts excavated from the site of the Gott's Court Parking Garden, to be exhibited at the AAACCVB's Visitors Center on West Street.
   
• The Friends of the Maryland State House, for the development and printing of a 36-page booklet entitled, "Maryland's Art Collection: A Treasure of Paintings, Sculpture and Decorative Arts," describing and illustrating the art collection of the Maryland State House.
   
• Historic Annapolis Foundation, for a new exhibition about Annapolis master craftsmen and decorative arts entitled, "The Genteelest Town in North America: Craftsmen of Annapolis's Golden Age," to be displayed at the new Historic Annapolis Museum beginning in March 2011.
   
• Historic London Town and Gardens, in collaboration with Anne Arundel County Schools, for an educational outreach program for local fourth grade students from two Title I schools to visit the site and develop exhibit posters about the historic site's role in the Chesapeake's 18th century transatlantic trade.
   
• Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, for support for the program "Paint Annapolis 2011," which brings juried, non-juried, and student artists to the streets of Annapolis to paint historic buildings, cityscapes and landscapes en plein air (outdoors) over a 3-day period.

This year, Four Rivers' mini-grant program funds of $22,500 are fully matched by the grantees for total project funds of $84,997. Four Rivers: The Heritage Area of Annapolis, London Town & South County, one of Maryland's 11 certified heritage areas, is a partnership among the State of Maryland, Anne Arundel County, the City of Annapolis, the town of Highland Beach, and local historic sites, heritage organizations, and heritage-related businesses, to encourage economic vitality through historic preservation and heritage tourism. For more information, please contact Executive Director Carol Benson at 410-222-1805 or visit our website at www.fourriversheritage.org.

Four Rivers: The Heritage Area of Annapolis, London Town & South County is pleased to announce this year's annual heritage award winners. Four Rivers Heritage Awards recognize individuals, organizations, programs and products that contribute significantly to the community by interpreting, promoting, preserving, researching and/or supporting our historical legacy.

Please join us in congratulating this year's heritage award winners in the following categories:

The Heritage Tourism Product Award recognizes outstanding heritage tourism products such as exhibits, self-guided or guided tours, brochures, videos, publications, or websites. The Oysters on the Half Shell Exhibition at the Annapolis Maritime Museum is this year's recipient of this award. This engaging and interactive exhibit, called "truly magnificent," by Governor Martin O'Malley, is the museum's first permanent exhibition.

The New Initiative Award recognizes initiatives for "green" or environmentally-friendly products, programs, and/or tours, or for the use of new technology in heritage area projects. This year's recipient is the Captain Salem Avery Museum's Heritage Eco-Tour for their tour of a bio-retention project and a variety of outdoor exhibits, including rain gardens, rain barrels, and a brand new native plant garden. Special recognition goes to Gail Schneider, who was the project manager for this multi-faceted project.

Our Heritage Interpreter of the Year is Meg Govan, whose outstanding tour presentations breathe life into the history of Annapolis for many, many visitors. This award recognizes heritage interpreters, whether docent, educator, tour guide or volunteer, who play a vital role at heritage sites and on tours by sharing their expertise with the public and inspiring stewardship of our collective heritage resources.

The Legacy Award this year is awarded to an original "Frontiersman," Clarence "Speedy" Hogarth, who inspires and engages visitors - and especially the younger generation - with first-hand, "up close and personal" experiences of the long-forgotten skills frontier life. Speedy Hogarth is honored for preserving the art and craft of colonial leatherwork. The Legacy Award recognizes an individual or group that continues or preserves a traditional form of the arts, a craft or a livelihood.

The Public/Private Partnership Award recognizes an outstanding initiative undertaken by heritage tourism-related businesses to promote local heritage in the past year. The City of Annapolis Gott's Court Parking Garden is this year's awardee. The public/private team that designed and implemented this new structure is honored for their environmental and heritage-oriented sensitivity to the historic district of Annapolis.

The Heritage Partnership Award recognizes outstanding regional partnerships in heritage interpretation, preservation, and/or education. There are two recipients of this award this year. Historic London Town and Gardens and Anne Arundel County Public Schools are recognized for their remarkable long-term collaboration resulting in many successful school projects, programs, tours, and workshops. Also receiving the heritage partnership award this year is "Music To our Ears: The Sounds of the African American Experience at Carr's and Sparrow's Beaches," an oral history project that became an 8-minute documentary film that has both educated and inspired. The Banneker-Douglass Museum, Anne Arundel County Public Schools and Annapolis High School, in particular, and the Blacks of the Chesapeake Foundation partnered to achieve this remarkable program.

The Heritage Professional award goes to an individual among our professional colleagues who has made significant contributions to the enhancement of local history and/or heritage tourism. Genevieve Kaplan, the Education and Public Program Manager of the Banneker-Douglass Museum in Annapolis, is this year's awardee. In her tenure at the museum, she has successfully doubled the number of programs offered by and significantly increased visitation to the museum.

The Heritage Leadership Award recognizes an individual for significant and long lasting contributions to the community by interpreting, preserving, promoting, researching, and/or supporting local history and heritage. We are pleased to announce that two deserving individuals received this award this year. Vincent Leggett, founder and former president of the Blacks of the Chesapeake Foundation, has dedicated more than 30 years to collecting, preserving and disseminating stories of the African American men and women that played critical roles in the history of the Chesapeake Bay. Mr. Leggett receives this award for his serving the greater community by recording and sharing a history long ignored.

Gertrude Makell, the visionary leader and driving force behind the restoration of the Galesville Rosenwald School on West Benning Road in Galesville, also received a Heritage Leadership Award this year. Thanks to her energy, commitment, and creativity, the Galesville Rosenwald School has been restored and converted into a vibrant space that will serve as a permanent home for the activities of the Galesville Community Center Organization. For her tenacity and vision for a new purpose for the old school, and raising more than $500,000 from community, county and state funding sources to make the renovation possible, Ms. Makell is awarded the Heritage Leadership Award.

Just because the weather is getting cooler (finally!) doesn't mean fresh vegetables and other fine, local goods are not still available. Be sure to check out these local farmers' markets before they close up for the season:

• Annapolis FreshFarm Market; Compromise Street; 8:30am-2pm, Sundays through Nov. 21
   
• Anne Arundel County Farmer's Market; Riva Road and Harry S. Truman Parkway, Annapolis; 7am-noon, Saturdays through Dec. 18

Some other regional markets are still open including: the Piney Orchard Farmer's Market at the Piney Orchard Community and Visitors Center Parking Lot; 2-6:30pm, Wednesdays through Nov. 24; Chestertown Farmer's Market at Fountain Park, 9am-noon, Saturdays through Dec. 19; and the Easton Farmer's Market in the town parking lot off Harrison Street,8am-1pm, Saturdays through Dec. 18.

Stay tuned for information about winter markets!

Please join the Shady Side Rural Heritage Society at the Captain Salem Avery Museum for their annual West River Heritage Day Oyster Festival. Boy, that's a mouthful! Speaking of which - get ready to enjoy shucked oysters, fried oysters, oyster stew and grilled oysters, as well as other traditional Chesapeake Bay foods, live music, pirate-themed activities for the kids, homemade desserts, a $5000 raffle, crafts, museum tours, and special demonstrations. Admission is $6, kids 12 and under are free! Parking will be available at the nearby Shady Side ball fields with free shuttle service. There will be handicapped parking at the Museum. For more information or to pre-purchase Raffle tickets, call the Museum at 410-867-4486.

Four Rivers Heritage Area is pleased to be able to share a printable copy of our popular Roots & Tides - A Journey Through Southern Anne Arundel County brochure. This version, 8.5" by 14" (legal-sized) has been scaled down from the original 11" x 14" printed glossy original, so there is some text and photo size variation. Enjoy this fun and educational driving tour through South County, and pass on the word to friends and family! Click here to download the printable brochure.

Here in the Four Rivers Heritage Area office, we are pleased to announce our newest website feature! Months of work have finally paid off, as today we announce the debut of the new "Resources" area on our website, www.fourriversheritage.org! Visit the new Resources Area for a full menu of links and downloads. This menu includes Interpretation, Blogs, Bibliographies, Primary Sources, Programs and Lectures, and "Other." Special thanks to our consulting historian, Dr. Jean Russo, for many hours of work tracking down and posting these informative links and files, and to our Heritage Programs Coordinator Aleithea Williams, for designing the icons, fixing the glitches, and coordinating this important project. These pages are already chock-full of interesting information, but they are a work in progress: if you have a suggestion for additional information to include, please e-mail the Four Rivers office at heritage_area@aacounty.org.

Governor Martin O'Malley recently unveiled the Visit Maryland Interactive Map (www.visitmaryland.org/map), which features Maryland's eleven certified heritage area, including Four Rivers. The first of its kind, the map portrays Maryland's uniquely rich collection of natural, cultural, heritage and recreational resources in a user-friendly searchable format.

Developed by the Division of Tourism, Film and the Arts, Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED) in collaboration with the Department of Planning (MDP) , the map highlights Maryland Scenic Byways, Heritage Areas, Main Streets, Arts and Entertainment Districts, Civil War Trails, agritourism businesses, state and national parks, historical and cultural museums, art venues, master artists in the Maryland Traditions program, national register historic districts, and other visitor-friendly places.

"Maryland has wisely invested in its arts, cultural, heritage, natural and recreational infrastructure through state-funded programs like Maryland Heritage Areas, Maryland Byways, Main Streets and Arts and Entertainment Districts, which significantly enhance our quality of life and attract visitors who support our booming tourism economy," said Governor O'Malley. "Promoting these assets to the consumer, both Maryland residents and visitors, is a priority."

Inspired by interactive maps using ARC GIS software to present Maryland information, such as Greenprint and Agprint, the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development partnered with the Maryland Department of Planning to develop a consumer-directed interactive map that promotes and markets these assets. The platform provides one place to see the various systems of assets layer and inter-relate, and provides a virtual touring map of Maryland. "Recent research shows that byways and the unique cultural and history found in Heritage Areas are positively perceived by Maryland residents and visitors, yet they need to be promoted in a way that emphasizes fun and excitement," said DBED's Secretary, Christian S. Johansson.

Later phases will add lodging, attractions, restaurants, wine trails, fishing spots, antique shops, water trails, Chesapeake Bay boating access points, beaches, sporting venues, regionally-recognized trails, interpretive signs along the Civil War Trails and Historic National Road, and other Maryland assets. During future phases, DBED and MDP will add features to provide interactive point-to-point drive or biking times, program logos, a save feature with printable pdf files, videos that preview travel experiences, sound clips, trip itinerary planner capability, street view, a walking radius measurement tool, search for nearby attractions within a mileage radius with the ability to highlight, zoom in and list search results, complex-queries that are interest and location based, visitor input/comment capability and analytic software.

It Takes a Village... Working Collaboratively with the Public Schools is a free workshop for heritage professionals that work, or would like to work, with Anne Arundel County public schools. Heritage site educators and history professionals who work with students from the public schools, and site directors planning for school group visits are encouraged to attend. This is your opportunity to hear from those at the top!

Speakers will include Terry Poisson, Coordinator of Social Studies, Anne Arundel County Public Schools, Dr. Maureen McMahon, Assistant Superintendant of Advanced Studies and Programs, Carlesa Finney, Director of Equity Assurance & Human Relations, and Kim Callison, Coordinator of Elementary Reading.

The workshop will be held Monday, October 4, 2010 from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. at Historic London Town and Gardens Visitor's Center, 839 Londontown Road, Edgewater, Md.

Pre-registration is required by emailing the Four Rivers Heritage Area at heritage_area@aacounty.org or calling 410-222-1805. To download an informational flyer to print or distribute, please click here.

Four Rivers: The Heritage Area of Annapolis, London Town & South County announces guidelines, criteria, and deadlines for the FY2011 Mini-Grant program. Made possible for the eighth year through financial support from Anne Arundel County and the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority, Four Rivers' Mini-Grants assist local heritage-related non-profit organizations in developing new heritage and preservation-related programs, activities, products, and events. Mini-Grant awards of up to $2,500 are available for projects within the heritage area that incorporate regional historic, cultural, and natural resources, collaborative partnerships, and the heritage area's regional interpretive themes. More information about themes and suggested activities can be found in our state, county and city-approved Management Plan. Educational programs and activities related to statewide tourism initiatives such as the Bicentennial of the War of 1812 are encouraged, as well as proposals that incorporate innovative uses of technology and/or promote environmentally-friendly activities.

Past mini-grant supported projects within the heritage area include: "Paddle Through History" kayak tours of the Rhode River and Back and Spa Creeks; brochure development for the Annapolis Maritime Museum, Galesville Heritage Museum, Charles Carroll House, and Captain Salem Avery Museum; website development for the Galesville Community Center Organization's Rosenwald School and website upgrades for Historic London Town and Gardens; archeological research by the Lost Towns Project; a regional Civil War cultural resources guide and a Parole oral history project by the Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Foundation; a museum exhibit on health and hygiene at Historic Annapolis Foundation's William Paca House; the revised Eastport Walking Tour; exhibit development at the Annapolis Maritime Museum; a visitors' kiosk at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center; a walking tour brochure of the St. John's College campus; an informational brochure for the West/Rhode Riverkeeper program; conservation of Francis Scott Key's will at St. John's College; and many more. The grant criteria and application form, as well as a complete list of past mini-grant awards, are available by clicking here.

Applicants must discuss their proposal with heritage area staff prior to application submission. Mini-grant applications are available online or by calling the Four Rivers Heritage Area office. The deadline for submission of mini-grant applications (original and 6 copies) is Friday, October 15, 2010. Mini-grant proposals will be evaluated by a Four Rivers Grants Committee, and awards will be announced approximately one month after application deadline.

For more information, please visit the "Mini-Grants" page on our website, and contact Executive Director Carol Benson at 410-222-1805 or by e-mail at heritage_area@aacounty.org.

Four Rivers: The Heritage Area of Annapolis, London Town & South County seeks nominations for its seventh annual heritage awards. These awards recognize individuals, organizations, partnerships, programs and products that contribute significantly to the community by interpreting, promoting, preserving, researching and/or supporting our historical legacy.

Awards are made in several different categories, including Best Heritage Tourism Product, Best New Initiative, Best Heritage Partnership, Heritage Professional of the Year, Heritage Interpreter of the Year, and the Public/Private Initiative Award. Nominations are also requested for the Legacy Award, which recognizes an individual or group who continues or preserves a traditional craft or livelihood, and the Heritage Leadership Award, which goes to an individual or organization for significant and long-lasting contributions to local history and heritage. Self-nominations are accepted.

Nomination forms are available by clicking here, or by calling the Four Rivers Heritage Area office. Completed nominations must include a written statement of 500 words or less on why your nominee should be recognized in a particular category. Supplemental materials are required in some categories. A complete listing of previous awards winners is available on our website.

The nominations deadline is September 24, 2010. A heritage area awards committee will review and evaluate nominations; awards will be presented at the Four Rivers annual meeting and awards ceremony on November 10, 2010.

Four Rivers, one of Maryland's eleven state certified heritage areas, is part of the Maryland Heritage Areas Program. For more information, please call the heritage area office at 410-222-1805. Contact: Carol Benson, Executive Director.

The public is invited to a presentation by Dr. Robert Selig on the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route (W3R) National Historic Trail in Maryland. Download a brochure to print!

Date: Monday, August 30, 10am to Noon

Place: Chesapeake Room, 2nd floor, 2664 Riva Road in Annapolis

Who Should Attend: Anyone interested in learning more about this important Revolutionary War-Era National Historic Trail

FREE and open to the public.

In the spring of 1781, the focus of the American War of Independence shifted to the southward. In early spring, Crown forces under Benedict Arnold raided the Virginia coast and Washington responded in May by sending the marquis de Lafayette to counter these incursions and to protect his home state. A few months later, in September 1781, the war came to Maryland when thousands of continental and French forces used the roads and waterways of the state as they hurried to Yorktown in Virginia. Some 225 years later, Congress designated these routes and waterways taken by Franco-American forces part of the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route (W3R) National Historic Trail from New England to Yorktown.

Dr. Robert Selig is a consultant historian who will be carrying out a research study for the Maryland component of the W3R National Historic Trail; he has been the consultant to the National Park Service and to seven other states along the Route. His presentation will consist of three parts: (1) background information on the efforts that resulted in the W3R-NHT designation; (2) an outline of the routes and water lanes through Maryland and the important role the state played in the campaign of 1781, the siege and victory at Yorktown, and the return marches of 1781 and 1782; (3) an outline of Dr. Selig';s plan for his research study, including where and what the primary resources are for this resource inventory for Maryland, the organizations with which he plans to work, and the final product that the funding partners in this project will receive.

Please e-mail the Four Rivers Heritage Area Office or call 410-222-1805 to reserve your seat. Thank you!

Annapolis, MD - Four Rivers: The Heritage Area of Annapolis, London Town & South County is pleased to announce grant awards from the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority (MHAA) for four major heritage projects in Annapolis and southern Anne Arundel County. Project grant funds of $188,000 will support development of regional heritage-related projects totaling more than $434,000. All grants are fully matched at the local level, leveraging non-state funding to develop new projects, products, and activities consistent with the city-, county- and state-approved heritage area Management Plan. In addition to the four project grants, Four Rivers received $100,000 for management assistance, for a total of $288,000 in MHAA funding in the heritage area for the current fiscal year.

MHAA funding will support the following organizations with heritage-oriented projects: Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts (MHCA) received a capital grant in the amount of $90,000 for the modernization of restrooms. Maryland Hall, housed in the former Annapolis High School, is one of the primary hubs for arts and culture in Annapolis and Anne Arundel County, and hosts 100,000 visitors and students from Maryland and the surrounding region each year. This modernization project is designed improve the visitor experience at Maryland Hall while preserving and protecting the historic structure in its adaptive reuse as a cultural and educational institution.

The Londontown Foundation received a grant in the amount of $50,000 for preliminary research and planning (Phase 1) of the reconstruction of the 18th-century Rumney-West Ordinary within the historic area of Historic London Town and Gardens in Edgewater. This reconstruction follows two earlier reconstruction projects at the site, the Lord Mayor's Tenement and the Carpenter's Shop, and is a critical next step in the Foundation's Master Plan. Phase 1 will involve archaeological excavations and related historical and interpretative research.

The Historic Annapolis Foundation (HAF) received a grant in the amount of $36,000 for "Project Run-A-Way", a series of provocative and unique programs that will involve the public in exploring the history of slave and servant labor in the Chesapeake region. The content of the program will derive from primary source runaway advertisements from the Maryland Gazette and the Maryland Republican from the colonial period to emancipation (1727-1864). The program will include an online database, blog and webpage, as well as a future traveling exhibition and multimedia presentation including 10 dynamic, living history characters.

The United States Lighthouse Society received a grant in the amount of $12,000 for the implementation of the recently-completed "Interpretation & Furnishings Plan" for the Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse, which was funded in part by a Four Rivers Heritage Area mini-grant. The project includes development and presentation of interpretive exhibits throughout the lighthouse. Most areas of the lighthouse will be interpreted for the period of 1900-1910, but one room will be interpreted to represent the U.S. Coast Guard era of the 1960s through 1980s.

The management grant to the Four Rivers Heritage Area supports activities such as the annual mini-grants program, the annual heritage awards, regional interpreter training, networking meetings for site directors and managers, educational workshops, online resources, and economic development and capacity-building initiatives. For more information, please call Four Rivers Executive Director Carol Benson at 410-222-1805.

Four Rivers is pleased to offer a self-guided copy of our Independence Day Heritage Stride, the Signers' Stroll. If you missed this fun and family-friendly stroll last weekend, fear not. Download a copy of the map and guide here, and enjoy this short, 1.25-mile trek to houses belonging to some of the most interesting characters in historic Annapolis, including four signers of the Declaration of Independence. Begin at the Charles Carroll House, making your way to the Thurgood Marshall Memorial and Lawyers' Mall, and the Peggy Stewart House whose one-time owner was forced to burn his own tea cargo during the American Revolution. Learn about the fight for liberty in colonial Annapolis through the mid-twentieth century. Ten stops in all! Download and print your copy today or send one to a friend.

In celebration of the signing of the American Declaration of Independence, the Four Rivers Heritage Area invites you to participate in the July 4th edition of the Four Rivers Heritage Stride, the Signers' Stroll! Our all-new Stride is scheduled for Sunday, July 4, 2010, at 8:30 am. We will meet at the Charles Carroll House in downtown Annapolis and take a short family-friendly trek (1.25 miles) through the City's historic district, finishing at the William Paca House and Garden, which will be opening at 10 a.m. for fun and educational Independence Day festivities. For a downloadable flyer, click here.

Our theme will be "Liberty" and ten stops along the way include all four Maryland-based Signers' homes, as well as sites related to African American history, women's history, and the principles of freedom represented in the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The Signers' Stroll is an interactive guided tour for adults, families, and especially kids participating in leading roles. Play our "History Hop" game, and win a prize. Please join us in celebrating American Independence with this very special, family-friendly activity. Wear your patriotic red, white, and blue to join in the spirit!

This event is free, but RSVPs are requested by calling the Four Rivers office at 410-222-1805 or by email at heritage_area@aacounty.org.

Parking: Meter parking is available at City Dock, Market Square, or along Main Street. The Hillman Garage, a paid city lot located on Duke of Gloucester Street, is also available nearby. Free parking is available at the State employee garage (Saturday and Sunday only), located at the corner of Calvert Street and St. John Street, which is a 0.7 mile walk to the Charles Carroll House. Parking is not permitted in the lot at the Charles Carroll House on this day.

If you haven't sent in your RSVP for Four River's picnic, do it today! We'll have chicken and vegetarian wraps, fruit salads, green salads, brownies and cookies, sodas, lemonade, water, and more. Lunch is $10 per person, and beer and wine will be available for a nominal fee. Network with Four Rivers friends, board and staff, partners, stakeholders, consultants, and others. And there will no meeting to get in the way of the FUN!

Download your invitation by clicking here. RSVPs with payment should be received by this office by June 18, 2010. The picnic will be held at the Charles Carroll House, 107 Duke of Gloucester Street, Annapolis from noon until 4 pm. Questions? Call Four Rivers staff at 410-22-1805. We are looking forward to seeing you there!

The Hammond-Harwood House, 19 Maryland Avenue in Annapolis, was featured this week as the "Home of the Week" in The Capital online. You can view the short video, featuring local docent Marcos Salaverria, of many of the fine features of this historic home by clicking here. This weekend, the Hammond-Harwood House invites you to join its annual Secret Garden Tour. On Saturday, June 5, and Sunday, June 6, you can visit more than a dozen secret gardens in the City of Annapolis. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 the day of. For more information, visit www.hammondharwoodhouse.org.

We have received some very bad news: I have learned today that our funding for next year is in serious jeopardy. The County auditor has recommended that our support from Anne Arundel County be zeroed out. I urge you to please contact your County Council member today to voice your support for the heritage area, and to request that the County continue its funding for Four Rivers.

Here are some key points to share:

The Annapolis, London Town and South County Heritage Area (known as the Four Rivers Heritage Area) bases all operations and initiatives on our Management Plan, which was adopted by County Council Resolution No. 35-00. The County's support comes in the form of a $20,000.00 grant, which in 2010 leveraged over a million dollars in project funding, as outlined in page four of our 2009 Annual Report. The Heritage Area is also included in the recently adopted General Development Plan (GDP), the County's comprehensive land use management plan.

Without the County's funding as a base to build from, our entire operating budget is in jeopardy, because the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority state funds that we receive are required to be fully matched.

Four Rivers is the only entity through which heritage-related nonprofit organizations and municipalities here are eligible for matching MHAA grants and low interest business loans. Since certification in 2001, Four Rivers has brought more than $2.2 million in matched program and project grants, including one low interest loan to a heritage tourism business, leveraging $7.5 million in programs and projects.

To see how many important projects over the years throughout the heritage area have received vital support through our organization, please take a moment to review our Public Impact Grid - grants and loans are listed by fiscal year and by the primary organization receiving the funding.

Please take a stand for us! Contact your County Council member today.

Thank you for your support,
Carol Benson, Executive Director

On Wednesday, May 5th, Governor Martin O'Malley signed into law a bill that establishes the African-American Heritage Preservation Program to identify and preserve buildings, communities and sites of historical and cultural importance to the African-American experience in Maryland. The program will be administered as a joint partnership of the Maryland Historical Trust (MHT) and the Maryland Commission on African-American History and Culture (MCAAHC).

"The heritage preservation program will help restore a multi-cultural landscape while capturing the uniqueness of Maryland's rich and diverse history and stimulating increased dialogue among individuals, groups, and sites," said Commission Chair, Theodore Mack.

Governor O'Malley was joined at the bill signing ceremony by Lt. Governor Anthony Brown, Speaker of the House Michael Busch and sponsor of the bill, Senate President Thomas V. "Mike" Miller.

"This program provides us with a new opportunity to celebrate the diversity of the State's communities and to tell the story of the African-American experience in Maryland for the benefit of residents and visitors alike," said Maryland Department of Planning Secretary Richard E. Hall.

The African-American Heritage Preservation Program also provides support for the acquisition, construction, and capital improvement of buildings and communities of importance to the history of African-Americans in Maryland. This competitive program, offered once per year, is supported through an annual appropriation from the Maryland General Assembly. The legislation requires the Governor to include $1,000,000 in the annual capital budget submission for the program for specified fiscal years. Grant awards generally range from a minimum of $10,000 to a maximum of $100,000. For assistance in the development of project scope and purpose, contact Dr. Joni Jones, (MCAAHC) at (410) 216-6190. For assistance with capital project and technical preservation issues, contact Michael Day (MHT) at (410) 514-7629. Application materials for the upcoming grant round will be available in the coming weeks, pending the approval of the final program regulations.

The Maryland Commission on African-American History and Culture serves as the statewide clearinghouse for preserving evidence of and documenting the African-American experience in Maryland. It specializes in the collection and preservation of historical materials: art objects, memorabilia, manuscripts, photographs, and other articles of significance to African-American history and culture. For the community at large and Maryland educational systems and institutions, the Commission provides exhibits, programs, and resource materials.

The Maryland Historical Trust is a state agency dedicated to preserving and interpreting the legacy of Maryland's past. Through research, conservation and education, the Trust assists the people of Maryland in understanding their historical and cultural heritage. The Trust is an agency of the Maryland Department of Planning and serves as Maryland's State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) pursuant to the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966.

Join us for a special "Brown Bag" lunchtime session to learn about the Star-Spangled Banner Geotrail led by Eleanor Mahoney, Director of the Friends of Chesapeake Gateways, on Monday, May 10th, at Noon at the Banneker-Douglass Museum, 84 Franklin Street in Annapolis. Bring your brown bag lunch, and Four Rivers will supply the cookies!

The new Star-Spangled Banner Geotrail is a unique journey through American history and across the landscapes of the Chesapeake Bay. Participants explore more than 30 forts, museums, battlefields, ships, parks and preserves, each with its own unique story about the War of 1812. This first-of-its-kind, multi-state initiative is supported by Friends of Chesapeake Gateways, the Maryland Geocaching Society, and the National Park Service. Geocaching, pronounced "geo-cashing," is a worldwide phenomenon in which participants use a hand-held GPS (Global Positioning System) to locate a hidden "cache." Searching for a cache is akin to going on a treasure hunt and can involve clues, riddles and visits to multiple locations. A "geotrail" is a series of caches tied together by a common topic or theme. This Brown Bag lecture is sponsored by Four Rivers' Technology Working Group. FREE, all are invited! For more information, call the Heritage Area office at 410-222-1805 or email heritage_area@aacounty.org.

Although time and water damage has eroded much of the time capsule's contents, this remarkable discovery was made during a demolition project in Annapolis' Clay Street neighborhood. The contents that have survived tell of a segregated community and the mid-century efforts of the Annapolis Housing Authority to provide affordable housing to city residents. Read the entire story in The Capital here. If this story inspires you to assemble your own time capsule, tell us about it!

An Annapolis tradition, the Wednesday night sailboat races will begin April 28, 2010 and continue each week until September 8. Bring a chair and a snack to the Annapolis Harbor (City Dock) on Wednesday evenings for the 6:05 start. After the races, enjoy a great dinner at any one of the dozens of local restaurants! About 150 yachts race around several marks in the Bay then back into Spa Creek for the finish in front of the Annapolis Yacht Club. For more information about the races, call 410-263-9279 or visit www.annapolisyc.com.

Anne Arundel County's Office of Emergency Management (OEM) will host a snowstorm recovery meeting for Anne Arundel County non-profit organizations on Saturday, April 1, 2010 at 10:00 am at the Auditorium of the Henry L. Hein Public Service Building, 7480 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd, Glen Burnie, MD 21061. Private-Non-Profits (PNP's) that sustained damages or incurred costs related to the December 2009 Winter Storm may be eligible to seek reimbursement through the Federal Emergency Management Admininstration (FEMA). PNP's that are recognized by Internal Revenue Service designated Section 501(c), (d), or (e) or by State certification that the organization is a non-revenue producing nonprofit entity organized or doing business under State law, may be eligible. Eligible nonprofits will be able to meet one-on-one with FEMA project officers to discuss expenses related to the December 2009 Winter Storm and gather information on the reimbursement process.

Although the focus is on the December storm, there will be someone present who can answer questions about the February 2010 snowstorms. For further information, please contact Teresa Chapman, Anne Arundel County Office of Emergency Management at tchapman@aacounty.org or 410-222-0602.

The Captain Salem Avery Museum invites you to join them for an exciting talk about native ospreys. Melanie Lynch, expert on ospreys, will take her audience up close and personal on Friday, April 9 at the Museum. Coffee and delicious homemade desserts will be served from 7 to 7:30pm, followed by the program.

Reservations are required and admission is limited, so act quickly. The fee is $7 for members and $10 for non-members. To reserve your spot, please call Peggy Tucker at 410-266-8846 or email her at ppts2@verizon.net.

Ospreys have been on a prodigious rebound since the banning of DDT, and much is being learned about both their resident and "out of Bay" lives through the use of banding, satellite tracking, and webcams. Ms. Lynch also organizes an osprey banding trip at Patuxent River on Jug Bay each year. More information about the June 19 trip will be available at the April 9 seminar.

We are grateful for the support of Governor O'Malley and his administration for Maryland Day Celebration 2010. Check out this link to the March 17 edition of One Maryland, the Governor's e-newsletter, featuring Four Rivers' Maryland Day. Today is the first day of the celebration; visit www.marylandday.org to see what's going on this weekend!

Four Rivers Heritage Area has created a Youtube channel and we are currently featuring a Maryland Day video courtesy of the City of Annapolis. Check out this short film on Four Rivers' Youtube channel featuing Annapolis Mayor Josh Cohen. Thank you Rhonda and Josh of the City of Annapolis for your support! After you watch the video, check out www.marylandday.org for event details and schedules.

As we come closer to the Maryland Day Celebration weekend, our work is falling into place! We are pleased to share the small poster (8 1/2 x 11" format) for the event!

Ed Chrystal, of the design firm Chrystal Creative, has designed our rack card and poster again this year. Ten thousand rack cards have been printed and most have been distributed throughout the area and also at Maryland's four Welcome Centers around the state. We still have some available, so please call the Four Rivers office at 410-222-1805 if you would like some to distribute to your members/stakeholders.

The artwork is beautiful! Download the poster here (scroll down to "downloads" and select the poster). We will be printing the poster and distributing it to our partners, or you can download and print your own!

This announcement applies only to those organizations considering applying for a multi-heritage area grant from the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority: the deadline for applying for this grant has been extended from February 12 to February 19th due to the recent heavy snowfall. For more information, contact Administrator Richard Hughes at rhughes@mdp.state.md.us or Assistant Administrator Jen Ruffner at jruffner@mdp.state.md.us. For Heritage Area program grants, applicants must submit an Intent to Apply form to the Four Rivers Heritage Area by February 19 at 5:00 pm. Call Four Rivers staff at 410-222-1805 or email heritage_area@aacounty.org with questions.

Four Rivers has the support of a growing list of Heritage Area businesses for the Maryland Day Celebration 2010, which this year will stretch to cover an entire weekend: March 19 - 21! Participating businesses so far include the Inn at Herrington Harbour, the Westin Annapolis, Holiday Inn Express Hotel and Suites Annapolis, The Inn at Horn Point, The Taylor House, the William Page Inn, Rams Head Tavern, Reynolds Tavern, Watermark Tours, and Wimsey Cove Framing & Art. Please visit www.marylandday.org to see their specials with links to their sites, and to get the latest updates on planning for the event; we also thank the Downtown Annapolis Partnership and the South County Chamber of Commerce for their support!

Applications for FY2011 Maryland Heritage Area (MHAA) Project Grants are now being accepted.

Project Grant applications should be submitted directly to individual Managment entities. Applicants within the Four Rivers Heritage Area must submit an Intention to Apply form by Friday, February 19th at 5 p.m. The final application will be due to the Four Rivers office by COB on March 5.

• MHAA FY2011 Grants Workshop, Monday, February 1, 10 a.m., in the Heritage Center Complex, 2664 Riva Road, in the Chesapeake Room on the 2nd floor. Light refreshments will be provided. Led by Richard Hughes and Jen Ruffner of the MHAA. Come learn about the details of the revised grant application, now available online at http://mht.maryland.gov/grants_heritagearea.html.

Other Funding for Historic Preservation and Museum Projects

The weekend-long Maryland Day celebration planning is coming along! We hope that you will be able to participate in any of the various events and activities that will take place March 19th through the 21st all over the Heritage Area. There will be fun, family-friendly events in Annapolis and South County throughout the weekend. To keep updated on new activities and participating sites, please visit the www.marylandday.org website. We will be adding new sites up until March, so check back often!

On Sunday, January 3, 2010, an article on Four Rivers Heritage Area mini-grant program, by Andrea F. Siegel, was published in the Baltimore Sun's Arundel Section. You can read the entire article by clicking here. The article highlights several of the projects funded in part by Four Rivers mini-grants, which are awarded in amounts up to $2,500 and are fully matched by other funds, including the most recent grant-round - which resulted in 11 awards! Last year was the sixth year that Four Rivers awarded grants in support of historic, cultural, and natural resources of the region.

Four Rivers: The Heritage Area of Annapolis, London Town & South County is pleased to announce eleven new mini-grant awards to local heritage-related nonprofit organizations. This matching mini-grants program, made possible for the sixth year through financial support from the City of Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, and the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority, leverages other funding to assist local heritage related non-profit organizations create new programs, activities and events that build upon interpretive themes in the state, county and city-approved heritage area Management Plan, foster collaborative partnerships, and enhance local cultural historic resources and heritage tourism.

Organizations and projects approved for mini-grant awards include:

• The Historic Annapolis Foundation, for a new exhibit and living history interpretation celebrating the life and legacy of Maryland's renowned eighteenth-century printer and publisher, Anne Catharine Green. The exhibit will be located in HistoryQuest at 99 Main Street in downtown Annapolis.
   
• The Anne Arundel County Bar Foundation, Inc., for a research project amplifying the Crossroads of the Community exhibit currently housed at the Anne Arundel County Courthouse. Reference materials resulting from this project will be available in the exhibit space and online.
   
• Banneker-Douglass Museum with the Banneker-Douglass Museum Foundation, in cooperation with Anne Arundel County Schools, for an educational oral history project with Annapolis High School African-American History classes about the musical heritage of Carr's Beach.
   
• The City of Annapolis, Annapolis and Anne Arundel Conference and Visitors Bureau, and Downtown Annapolis Partnership for the installation of a new sign marking the entrance to the Visitor's Center and West Street at the boundary of the Annapolis Historic District.
   
• Wiley H. Bates Legacy Center, in partnership with the Northern Arundel Cultural Preservation Society, for the development and operation of a docent program for the Legacy Center and its exhibits.
   
• Historic London Town and Gardens, in collaboration with Anne Arundel County Schools, for an educational outreach program for local fourth grade students to learn about transatlantic trade during the eighteenth century. Student work from this program will be displayed at London Town and available for viewing online.
   
• Anne Arundel County Trust for Preservation, in collaboration with the Sands House, for an archaeological investigation at the Sands House and a public program presenting their results.
   
• The Shady Side Rural Heritage Society for a color brochure offering an ecological tour, including features of the bio-retention project that will be completed on the grounds of the Captain Salem Avery Museum in Spring 2010.
   
• The Annapolis Chamber Players and the Charles Carroll House for a series of chamber music concerts with educational discussions featuring music from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
   
• The Annapolis Maritime Museum for its first brochure detailing the maritime experience offered by the expanded museum, including information on the "Oysters on the Half-Shell" exhibit opening March 2010.
   
• The City of Annapolis Historic Preservation Commission for a reprinting (and web-posting) of its informative booklet, Building in the Fourth Century, the Annapolis Historic District Design Manual.

Four Rivers: The Heritage Area of Annapolis, London Town & South County, one of Maryland's 11 certified heritage areas, is a partnership among the State of Maryland, Anne Arundel County, the City of Annapolis, the town of Highland Beach, and local historic sites, heritage organizations, and heritage-related businesses, to encourage economic vitality through historic preservation and heritage tourism. For more information, please contact Executive Director Carol Benson at 410-222-1805.

Please support Maryland's Heritage Areas! Write a letter of support today to Governor Martin O'Malley to ask for level support in FY2011 for the MHAA Program!

The Governor is in the process of creating his budget, and the DLS has recommended cutting the funding to the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority to $360,000. This would be a devastating cut that would severely impact the survival of the statewide heritage areas program, which has previously been funded at $3 million annually.

The Heritage Area program has been building tourism and small businesses across Maryland for more than ten years. Four Rivers: The Heritage Area of Annapolis, London Town and South County is in its ninth year of operation and has brought funding of over $7.4 million to programs and projects in our area. The Authority's recently completed strategic plan contemplates an environment of continued investment to sustain its success.

Funding for the program comes not from the general fund but from Program Open Space monies, since the goals of both are so closely aligned. The program is extremely effective in leveraging funds and forming strategic partnerships. It is visible and popular at the local level, and it is relatively inexpensive for what it gives back to the state in terms of jobs, tourism venues, preservation and recreation, and product development. Maryland's Heritage Area program is the most successful of its kind in the country and the model for other states seeking to build a strong economic base in heritage tourism. Heritage tourism is a "green" industry that will never be outsourced overseas or even outside of the state. Research shows that heritage tourists represent an attractive demographic: They are older, often travel in groups, and spend more time and money in a place than other visitors.

Across Maryland, heritage areas leverage the funds provided by the state through matching federal and private grants, with an average return on investment of $4.61 per $1. These state and local revenues go directly to our communities, most notably small businesses that support tourism, among the largest private sector employers in Maryland. Heritage Areas are creating an economy rooted in the very things that Maryland is so proud of: our history, culture, and natural resources, and we do this by creatively maximizing the investment of the State of Maryland.

Please help us in our appeal to the Governor to fund the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority at level funding for Fiscal Year 2011 so that we can continue this critical effort on behalf of Maryland's future. Thank you for your support!

You are cordially invited to the Deale Area Historical Society Victorian Christmas Open House, Saturday, December 19th, 4:00pm to 7:00pm, at the Deale Museum at Nutwell School, Herrington Harbour North, Deale Road, Tracys Landing, MD.

Toys and Christmas items from the Deale area on display. Free Admission!! Hot apple cider and fresh-baked goodies from Herrington on the Bay Catering!

Stay the night! The Inn at Herrington Harbour South is offering Hot Tub Rooms for only $99 (plus tax). Transportation to and from the Historic Village provided; for more information, contact tdipietri@herringtonharbour.com.

The public is invited to participate in this FREE Heritage Tax Credit Seminar for Residential and Commercial property owners. Learn about tax credits available to you for rehabilitating or renovating historic properties. Speakers will be Patricia Blick, Chief of Historic Preservation, City of Annapolis, Michael Day, Maryland Historical Trust, and Tristan O'Connell, Esq. This event sponsored by Four Rivers Heritage Area, Downtown Annapolis Partnership, the Annapolis Historic Preservation Commission, and the City of Annapolis. Reservations required; please RSVP by emailing heritage_area@aacounty.org or calling 410-222-1805. The seminar will be hald at the Annapolis City Hall, 160 Duke of Gloucester, Annapolis, MD, beginning at 6:30 pm.  

The Annapolis Maritime Museum presents performer Gordon Bok live at the renovated McNasby's Building tonight, October 8, 2009 at 8pm. Tickets are $20 at the door. AMM had this to say about Mr. Bok:

"Gordon Bok grew up around the boatyards of Camden, Maine, and spent time aboard fishing boats, passenger schooners, and as deckhand, mate, and captain of various yachts. He learned tunes, sea songs, stories, legends and ballads from the people he worked with, and began to write songs based on the experiences of those he knew -- songs like "Bay of Fundy," among others. His songs were based on the experiences of those he knew -- real people whose language was honest, whose feelings were credible. Over the years his rich voice and fluid guitar work attracted a following up and down the Atlantic seaboard and beyond.

A superb storyteller, Bok often introduces songs in concert with a bit of their origin and history. He toured for nearly thirty years with the trio, Bok, Muir and Trickett. He has also performed with his wife, harper Carol Rohl, and with Anne Dodson, Cindy Kallet, Bob Zentz, Margaret MacArthur and other well-known folk artists."

Don't miss this great fall event! Visit www.amaritime.org or call 410-295-0104 for more info.

Herrington on the Bay and Herrington Harbour welcome everyone to enjoy the second Herring Bay Eco Day on Sunday, October 11 from 1 pm to 5 pm, a green festival featuring fun and entertainment for the whole family! Located at Herrington Harbour South in Southern A.A. County, the beautiful waterfront Eco-Lifestyle Resort offers astounding Chesapeake views while you listen to local bay tunes provided by Coastal Flats.

Kid-friendly activities, eco-education and demonstrations, local food and drinks, local artisans and farmers, wellness activities like seated massage and aromatherapy will all be available! Admission to the festival is FREE; $5.00 per car parking fee. Proceeds benefit the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the Chesapeake Bay Trust. For more information and directions, visit www.herringtononthebay.com/eco/eco-day.php.

Four Rivers: The Heritage Area of Annapolis, London Town & South County seeks nominations for its sixth annual heritage awards. These awards recognize individuals, organizations, partnerships, programs and products that contribute significantly to the community by interpreting, promoting, preserving, researching and/or supporting our historical legacy.

Awards are made in several different categories, including Heritage Tourism Product, New Initiatives, Heritage Partnership, Heritage Professional, and Public/Private Initiatives. The heritage area encourages nominations for green or environmentally friendly heritage-related products and tours, as well as nominations that include the use of technology in heritage-related educational products and tours. Nominations are also requested for the Legacy Award, which recognizes an individual or group who continues or preserves a traditional craft or livelihood, and the Heritage Award, which goes to an individual or organization for significant and long-lasting contributions to local history and heritage. Self-nominations are accepted.

Nomination forms are available online or by calling the Four Rivers Heritage Area office. Completed nominations must include a written statement of 500 words or less on why your nominee should be recognized in a particular category. Supplemental materials are required in some categories. A complete listing of previous awards winners is available on our website, on the Heritage Awards page.

The nominations deadline is September 28, 2009. A heritage area awards committee will review and evaluate nominations; awards will be presented at the Four Rivers annual meeting and awards ceremony in early November 2009.

Four Rivers, one of Maryland's eleven state certified heritage areas, is part of the Maryland Heritage Areas Program. For more information, please call the heritage area office at 410-222-1805. Contact: Carol Benson, Executive Director.

Four Rivers Heritage Area is pleased to announce that we are now accepting applications for the FY2010 Mini-grant program. Awards of up to $2,500, which must be fully matched, are available to heritage-related sites and organizations, as well as municipalities to develop new and innovative programs, partnerships, exhibits, tours, events, and other initiatives that are consistent with the regional themes and activities suggested in our state, county and city approved Management Plan (available here). We encourage mini-grant proposals that include collaborative partnerships and enhance preservation and heritage tourism.

The full guidelines and application are available for download on Four Rivers' Partner Pages. Applications must be received by 5pm on Tuesday, October 13, 2009.

The staff of Four Rivers Heritage Area have started our own "Four Rivers" blog with notes about adventures in heritage tourism, and more! Visit us at http://fourriversha.wordpress.com/ for staff updates and "tweets". While you're surfing the net, please don't miss the brand-new Anne Arundel County Horse Heritage blog with short essays on our region's unique equine history and heritage. Become a "Follower" on the Horse Heritage blog to keep up-to-date on new stories and resources. Please give us your feedback, comments, etc.. by emailing heritage_area@aacounty.org or calling us at 410-222-1805. We would appreciate your input!

Ted Weihe, President of the Chesapeake 20 Association, recently wrote to us marking the association's many accomplishments since receiving a mini-grant from Four Rivers.

Ted writes, "We have held two Nationals [at Annapolis Maritime Museum] and currently have a six-month exhibit on display there on the history of our class (opening timed with our arrival from West River). This would not have been possible without the Four Rivers grant... I have worked hard at our website, www.chesapeake20.org. At first, I just tried to get the materials on it, but we have now organized it by decades. This effort of identifying our most historical documents was critical to our exhibit where every document displayed is original. We have been fortunate to collect archival materials from John Kramer and Helen Orme, prior to their deaths. We also have materials from Neal Kramer, Will Keyworth, Helen Headler, Elsie Witman and many others - usually from their family albums. We have two exact models of Stormy that were built by John Kramer.

We have revived the class with strong turnouts - ten last Sunday. Currently, the yacht builders in Baltimore are making a new cold molded 20, plan to restore two classic 20s, and we have a [fiber]glass boat soon to be constructed by Hartge Yacht Yard. We have pulled old hands back into the class - and in fact, race more classic (wooden) than glass 20s. I race Stormy which was built in 1939 - and remains very fast and competitive."

Thanks for the update, Ted, and congratulations on a rich and informative website about this wonderful Galesville-based class of boats!

A brand new Hammond-Harwood tour looks at how closely the house follows the principles of classical architecture. Offered at 10:00 am on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month, the tour takes bout two hours. Cost is $10 for HHH members and $15 for non-members. Reservations are required. Please call 410-263-4683 x10 or buy tickets online at www.hammondharwoodhouse.org. Also, save the date: September 19, 2009 for the House's annual Garden Party. Details are available on their website!

Four Rivers is proud to announce that FY2010 Funding from the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority to our heritage area totals $314,450! For details, please visit our Press Room.

The Anne Arundel County Economic Development Corporation (AAEDC) has announced an updated list of County farmer's markets. To download the list (in PDF format), please click here. There is a county market open nearly every day of the week! For more information about Anne Arundel County and agriculture, visit the AAEDC online.

The Captain Salem Avey Museum is pleased to announce a call for submissions for a photography contest and show to open this September. Photographs should be taken this Summer 2009 and may focus on either the Chesapeake Bay or southern Anne Arundel County (three photos per entrant only, please). The deadline to submit your photographs is Sunday, August 2, 2009. For details and an entry form, visit www.shadysidemuseum.org. All ages are welcome!

A hands-on exploration of local history: the War of 1812 and the history of the Star Spangled Banner will be featured in the Shady Side Rural Heritage Society s Children s Summer Series at the Captain Salem Avery Museum, 1418 E.W. Shady Side Road, July 13 to 17.

Among the activities planned for the children are making a soldier s haversak, preparing and eating hardtack, learning the meaning of the Stars and Stripes, and making and designing a flag. There will be two session on the first four days of the Series. Morning sessions will be held from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., and afternoon sessions are from 12:30 to 3pm. Sessions are limited to 20 participants, ages 6 to 11.

On Wednesday, the two sessions will join for a field trip to Fort McHenry and the Flag House in Baltimore. Families of participants are welcome. Parents are needed to provide transportation and chaperone this all day trip from 9am to 3pm.

The cost of the Series is $60 for children of members of the Shady Side Rural Heritage Society, and $70 for children of non-members. An additional $7 fee for materials and admissions will be collected on the first day of the camp. For more information and to register, call the Museum at 410-867-4486 or visit the web site at www.shadysidemuseum.org.

The City of Annapolis recently received two prestigious awards from the National Arbor Day Foundation: being named a "Tree City USA Community" and receiving the Tree City USA Growth Award for demonstrating progress in its community forestry program. For the full press release, click here. Congratulations Annapolis!

Visitors to Maryland Prioritize Their Interests: An Online Survey

Prepared for the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority, Presented January 2009, and summarized by Roz Racanello, Executive Director, SMHAC. Note: This is a compilation of input from 269 visitors to Maryland in the Fall of 2008.

WHO?

• 71% married or in domestic partnership, average 2.85 people in household
• 38% have children 18 or younger in household
• 72% have other adults
• 94% have been to college
• 83% are Caucasian
• Average age is 43.8 and mean household income is $98,183
• 84% were visiting from Baltimore or DC
• They take an average of 6 overnight trips a year and 6 day trips.
• 50% often plan their trips according to their interests

WHAT DO THEY DO?

Selecting from a list of 28 activities they checked these sites as likely to interest them:

• 89% Historic sites
• 89% Natural scenery
• 87% Outdoor recreation
• 87% Cultural attractions
• 80% Towns and cities
• 73% Shopping
• 735 Dining on local cuisine

WHAT DO THEY WANT?

• Exhibits on history of the site
• Demonstrations of period activities
• Guided tours
• Living history
• Behind-the-scenes tours
• Driving tours
• Authentic music
• Re-enactments
• Guides in period costume
• Hands-on activities
• Hiking/biking/paddling trails
• Programs & lectures
• Audio tours

HOW DO THEY GET THEIR INFO?

• 87% used online sources and those were primarily (46%) begun with search engines
• 80% used off line especially
• 45% Heard through word of mouth
• Articles, tourism guides and brochures followed

WHERE DID THEY GO?

• 43% went to Four Rivers Heritage Area (we are TOPS in this survey!)
• 39% went to Baltimore Heritage Area
• 34% went to Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area
• 64% went to one of the three heritage areas on the Eastern Shore
• 18% went to Southern Maryland Heritage Area
• Montgomery County had 16%, Anacostia Trails Heritage Area had 5%, Canal Place had 10%

FAVORITE ACTIVITIES?

• 66% Enjoying the scenery
• 59% Shopping*
• 57% Historic sites
• 57% Cultural attractions
• 56% Outdoor recreation

*While a small number admitted to planning shopping as part of their trip a much larger number said they enjoyed shopping while at their destination.

HISTORY: (in order of preference)

1. Early architecture & building traditions
2. Founding & settlement
3. Native American history & culture
4. Religious Freedom
5. Immigration & western expansion

NATURAL RESOURCES that they enjoyed were primarily:

• Outdoor recreation hunting, fishing, beaches, boating
• Chesapeake Bay foodways & culture

WAR & CONFLICT: top 3 in this order: Civil War, Revolutionary War, 1812.

TRANSPORTATION & WORK: top 3: Working the Bay, Space, Roads & railroads

THEMES: by a huge margin the winner is Outdoor recreation & adventure, followed by early architecture, founding & settlement, Chesapeake Bay foodways, Native American history, National Conflicts, Transportation & Work.

Now that we know what visitors are looking for, let's work harder to help them get what they want!

On November 5th, at Historic London Town and Gardens, Four Rivers held its Fifth Annual Heritage Awards ceremony, and recognized the following individuals and organizations with Heritage Awards:

Heritage Tourism Product: "Paddle Through History" Kayak Tour of the Rhode River (partnership with Smithsonian Environmental Research Center) and "Paddle Through History" Kayak Tour of Back Creek and Spa Creek (partnership with Annapolis Maritime Museum)

Honorees: Lost Towns Archaeology Project; C. Jane Cox; Jessie Grow; Smithsonian Environmental Research Center; Annapolis Maritime Museum

Heritage Tourism Product: "Seeking Liberty: Annapolis, An Imagined Community" Exhibit at the Banneker-Douglass Museum, in partnership with the Historic Annapolis Foundation and the City of Annapolis

Honorees: Dr. Mark Leone, Guest Curator of the Exhibit and Director of Archaeology in Annapolis; Amelia Harris, Exhibit Designer; Banneker-Douglass Museum; Historic Annapolis Foundation; City of Annapolis Mayor Ellen O. Moyer

Heritage Partnership Award: Southgate Memorial Fountain Restoration Committee (with special recognition to Alderman Richard Israel, Chair; Mayor Ellen O. Moyer)

Heritage Professional Award: Matthew Grubbs, Discover Annapolis Tours

Legacy Award: The Spiritual Vibrations of Southern Anne Arundel County

Heritage Award: First Presbyterian Church of Annapolis (Reverend William Hathaway, Pastor)

Heritage Award: June Taft Hall, Shady Side Rural Heritage Society

Congratulations to all our deserving award recipients!

An important archaeological find from the "Archaeology in Annapolis" excavations on Fleet Street this summer, which has been featured in recent articles in the New York Times and the Capital, has been placed on display at the Banneker-Douglass Museum, 84 Franklin Street, Annapolis. This find is the remains of a "bundle" that contained objects with traditional African religious significance, dated to circa 1700, which appears to reflect African ritual practices from Annapolis slaves' West African heritage. Four Rivers is proud that our own Aleithea Williams, Heritage Programs Coordinator at Four Rivers and a contract archaeologist with last summer's excavations, was the first to uncover this spectacular find, under the supervision of Matthew Cochran and the program's director, Dr. Mark P. Leone of the University of Maryland. Congratulations all around and especially to Archaeology in Annapolis, for bringing to light this revealing and unexpected find, which lay just a few feet below Fleet Street for three centuries!

The Highland Beach Historical Commission, in partnership with the Annapolis Community Bank and Annapolis Rotary Club, is proud to announce the publication of Highland Beach on the Chesapeake Bay: Maryland's First African-American Incorporated Town. This volume will be a tribute to the 115th anniversary of the founding of Highland Beach.

This handsome 8.5" x 11" hardcover limited-edition volume will feature 160 pages of fascinating text and will be richly illustrated with over 200 captioned archival photographs, compliments of "friends of the beach" and the private collections of Highland Beach and Venice Beach residents. Many of these photographs are unpublished until now. Highland Beach on the Chesapeake Bay will be a permanent record of life in these historic communities from 1893 to 2008 that will be treasured for generations.

For more information, please contact Jean Langston, Executive Director of the Highland Beach Historical Commission, at 410-267-6960, or write to: Highland Beach Historical Commission, 3202 Wayman Ave., Highland Beach, MD 21403. With an initial printing of only 1,000 copies, don't miss your opportunity to capture history in this commemorative volume.

The Baltimore & Annapolis Rail Trail, a segment of the East Coast Greenway, is accessible from the Jonas Green Park (just after the Naval Academy Bridge coming from downtown Annapolis). As the weather turns cooler and the leaves start to change, take an afternoon to explore this historic former railroad route. The path is relatively flat, paved in good condition, and off-road (except where it crosses intersections). Visit the East Coast Greenway website then select "Maps" and scroll down for a good map of the B & A Trail, inlcuding where it connects to the BWI Trail that circumvents the airport. Contact Four Rivers at heritage_area@aacounty.org, or call us (410) 222-1805, to discuss your ideas for more biking initiatives in the Heritage Area.

The newly-opened Wiley Bates Legacy Center, located at 1101 Smithville St., Annapolis, invites you to explore African American history with an exciting new exhibit: "Trails, Tracks, Tarmac: Lives of African-Americans in the History and Culture of Northern Anne Arundel County, 1850 to the Present". Using documentary story quilts, photos, railroad collectibles, land documents, and personal recollections on DVD, the exhibition will tell stories of African-Americans' contributions to the development of northern Anne Arundel County. The Bates Legacy Center will be open to the public Tuesday through Saturday, 10am to 3pm, and Sundays by appointment. Call 410-266-5004 for more information.

In March of 2007, Anne Arundel County's Lost Towns Project discovered the location of the circa 1700 home of the Samuel Chew family of Herring Creek Hundred. A Four Rivers Heritage Area Mini-Grant awarded to the Anne Arundel County Trust for Preservation supported historical research and archaeological fieldwork related to the search. Members of the Deale Area Historical Society also assisted with this effort, providing volunteer help and historical background. Several generations of the Samuel Chew family resided in a substantial brick home situated on property originally owned by Samuel Chew, a close associate of Lord Baltimore and a founder of the circa 1660 town of Herrington.

In the course of excavating the Chew home site at present-day Fairhaven, the Lost Towns Project archaeologists uncovered a stone foundation that measures 66 x 66 feet or 4,356 square feet. Incredibly, a two-story brick structure with these dimensions is bigger than better-known historic mansions such as Tulip Hill or Mount Clare. Once one of the great mansions of the Chesapeake, the Chew home was virtually forgotten following its destruction in a 1772 fire. This large brick building also occupied one of the highest spots in South County, which made it plainly visible when approaching from the Chesapeake Bay. Ceramics such as Rhenish stoneware, Delftware, creamware, and pearlware suggest that the house probably dates to 1700 and was occupied until the late 18th century. Personal artifacts reflect the wealth of the Chew family, including a fragment of an English Borderware candlestick (only the second candlestick ever recovered by the project), a crystal wine glass stem with a swirled white pattern, and an olive-green glass wine bottle seal marked 'S. Chew'.

Excavations at the Samuel Chew family home represent one of the more ambitious research projects undertaken by the Lost Towns Project. Much more historical research, archaeological fieldwork, and laboratory processing and analysis needs to be carried out before this fascinating site can be fully understood. Students and the public can help with this project by volunteering in the field, archives and archaeology lab. To join, please call the Lost Towns Project offices at 410-222-7440 or the project's laboratory at 410-222-1318.

Maryland has designated 19 byways that encompass 2,487 miles of beautiful roads, which offer a taste of Maryland s scenic beauty, history and culture. Take the roads less traveled including four entirely new byways featuring nationally significant themes: the Star-Spangled Banner, Antietam Campaign, Booth s Escape and the Mason and Dixon byways. Anne Arundel and Calvert Counties are home to the newly-expanded "Roots and Tides" Byway, that runs 47 miles from Annapolis to Plum Point and features the scenic historic South County landmarks of the Four Rivers Heritage Area.

A 176-page guidebook featuring Maryland's Byways, developed by the Maryland SHA in partnership with Maryland's office of Tourism development and the National Scenic Byways program, has just been published, and will be available free of charge to the public at Welcome Centers and other centers for visitor information.

To link to the State Highway Administration's Maryland Byways map, click here.