Come One, Come All to the Calvert Country Market Season Opener and Craft Fair

PRINCE FREDERICK, Md., -- April 7, 2005 -- Spring has finally arrived in Calvert County and with it, the start of the 2005 growing season. To celebrate, the Calvert Country Market (CCM) is hosting a grand Season Opener and Craft Fair on Saturday, April 16, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and everyone’s invited!

The day will be filled with activities, prizes and fun for the whole family. Come early to meet the on-air celebrities from local radio station, 98.3 Star FM. They will be on hand from 9:00 a.m. to noon to provide music, entertainment and giveaways. From 11:00 to noon, local musicians, the Mill Creek Trio, featuring Chris Tenney, will perform live. Their repertoire of blues, country and bluegrass music will provide a special ambiance to the morning. Pat Nutter, bass guitarist for the trio, said “We’re looking forward to playing at the Calvert Country Market again. It’s a fun, family-friendly place and we really enjoy interacting with the customers and vendors. Plus I’m also a weekly patron of the market!”

The craft show and sales will feature nearly ten specialty crafters with a variety of locally made goods including etched glassware and oil lamps, beautifully hand-carved wooden birds, boxes and art, embellished shirts and textile products, portrait renditions and landscapes on shirts, rubber stamped greeting cards, fleece blankets, quilts and floral arrangements, wreaths and swags.

The kids will enjoy a number of activities including face painting, free balloons and horse demonstrations and pony photographs with Freedom Hill Horse Rescue. Freedom Hill Horse Rescue is a non-profit organization formed to rescue abused, neglected and unwanted horses from hostile and unlivable conditions all around the country. The organization is committed to providing a safe haven for as many horses as possible and encouraging the community to learn more about horse care.

Volunteers from the Calvert and St. Mary’s Animal Welfare Leagues will be at the Market from 10:00 to 2:00 with information about their programs along with adoptable cats and dogs. The goal of these sister organizations is to provide healthy, caring environments for animals and promote the adoption of unwanted and homeless animals in Calvert and St. Mary’s Counties.

There will also be a number of vendors selling vegetable plants, herbs and flowers – ready for planting in your own home gardens.

The Calvert Country Market is the only year-round, indoor market in Southern Maryland and people come from miles around to shop for farm-fresh produce, grain-fed beef, Chesapeake Bay seafood, whole-grain breads and baked goods, jams, honey and beautiful floral bouquets.

Located in the Prince Frederick Shopping Center, at the corner of Rt. 4 and Duke Street, Calvert Country Market features a bakery, seafood, butcher, green grocer, delicatessen, yarn, ceramics, wood crafts, polymer clay supplies, antiques shop, fine jewelry, candies, essential oils and shea butter and a gourd shop. There’s even a seamstress and embroidery shop.

For more information, please contact the market manager at 410.414.9669. Web site: www.calvertcountrymarket.com.

For more information on the Calvert County, Maryland Department of Economic Development, our visitor sites and attractions and the services available to assist County businesses, call 410.535.4583, 800.331.9771 or 301.855.1880; or send an e-mail to info@ecalvert.com