Calvert County Agricultural Commission Celebrates Farming at the Calvert Country Market

PRINCE FREDERICK, Md., -- July 8, 2005 -- Calvert County’s agrarian roots go back 350 years to the region’s original inhabitants and settlers. From tobacco and oysters to cattle and corn, the farming community has been an important contributor to Calvert’s growth and heritage. One of the goals of the Calvert County Agricultural Commission (CCAC) is to educate and remind the public about the importance and relevance of traditional farming.

For this year’s annual event, the CCAC is bringing the farm to you! On July 16, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., the CCAC will sponsor “Celebrate Farming” day at the Calvert Country Market in the Prince Frederick Shopping Center.

The day will be filled with free activities, prizes and fun for the whole family. From 12:00 to 1:00 the Mill Creek Trio, will perform their repertoire of blues, country and bluegrass music and from 1:00 to 2:00, Bob and Terri Augustine of Fortune’s Turn will perform. The kids will enjoy a number of activities including free balloons, miniature horse demonstrations and pony rides. For true animal lovers, there will also be appearances by a llama, an alpaca, a few goats and one of the County’s famous pot-bellied pigs.

Volunteers from the Calvert County Library, Calvert Historical Society and the Calvert County Humane Society will be at the Market with information about their programs. A nutrition educator from the Maryland Cooperative Extension Office will provide a demonstration on BBQ, picnic and summer food safety called, “Serve it Safe.” And a number of vendors will be on hand to sell vegetable plants, herbs and flowers – ready for planting in your own home gardens.

Christopher Donley, chair of the CCAC, said, “Farming is still a vibrant part of Southern Maryland’s economy and we hope this event will give people a better taste and feel for the various aspects of farming that exist right here in Calvert County. It’s also a lot of fun to meet the growers and farmers who provide some of the fresh-from-the-farm products that are sold every day at the Calvert Country Market.”

The Calvert Country Market, located in the Prince Frederick Shopping Center, 98 S. Solomons Island Road, in Prince Frederick, Maryland, offers locally grown fresh produce, baked goods, honey, pies and local crafts. Additionally, the Market features a bakery, seafood, green grocer, yarn, ceramics, wood crafts, polymer clay supplies, antiques shop, fine jewelry, candies, essential oils and shea butter and a gourd shop.

For more information on this event, please contact the Calvert County Agricultural Commission at www.calvertag.com or by calling the Calvert County, Maryland Department of Economic Development at 410.535.4583 or 800.331.9771. For information on the Calvert Country Market, visit the Web site at 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