Remembering renown boatbuilder founding local VFD

By Richard Kendall

CAMBRIDGE – When renowned Dorchester County boat builder Bronza Parks was gunned down in the office of his boathouse on May 13, 1958, his untimely death abruptly ended an abundantly full life.
In addition to being a loving husband and father of five daughters, he and his crew of carpenters and helpers had 4 or 5 boats under construction inside the boat house and another 10 or so outside, in various stages of completion. Each boat was constructed under contract from various clients, including the crazed man who pulled a pistol and opened fire on him that sad day.
Mr. Parks had been actively campaigning for a position as Dorchester County Commissioner. A primary vote would occur a week or two after his death and many voted for him even though he was gone.
Still, Bronza Parks had another passion: the Lakes and Straits Volunteer Fire Company.
From her home in Cambridge, his daughter, Mary Parks Harding, recently provided details about the early development of the volunteer company her father worked hard to found and organize.
“I don’t know the exact year but I think it was around 1950, there was an electrician’s helper who was electrocuted under a house in Crapo,” she explained. “I remember Daddy saying that if we had an ambulance down here, we could have saved that man.”
Shortly thereafter, Mr. Parks began going door to door, asking local residents to lend money to buy an ambulance, according to Mrs. Harding.
“He told them they could give what ever they could,” she said. “Some gave as little as two dollars but just about everybody gave something. I don’t think he missed one house.”
“Daddy told them that if the breadwinner became disabled or died, what ever they lent would be returned. He kept books of records of all of it. When they had enough money, they bought a used ambulance.”
In his quest for information about how to go about organizing a volunteer fire company,
Bronza Parks contacted friends and associates throughout the county, including leaders of Rescue Fire Company in Cambridge, such as John Barth and Dr. Swing, a local dentist.
“They helped Daddy with details about who to contact, what to do,” Mrs. Harding explained.
“They started raising money by holding seafood dinners at crab houses – there were several around back then, and even at churches,” Mrs. Harding recalled.
“The men would generally do the cooking and the women would serve the food,” she stated. “The women would make cole slaw, candy and baked goods at home, and bring them in. The dinners cost about $2 back then.”
“And, they would auction off baked goods and candy too,” Mrs. Harding said. “One funny thing – It was a tradition that the boyfriend or husband of the woman who made the baked good be the one bought the baked good being auctioned. The other men would figure out who made what and then run up the auction price. Sometimes, a cake would go for $50.00!”
The events were known as “box socials.”
“They were real community events,” Mrs. Harding remembered. “It was everybody working together.”
“I don’t remember now which came first, the fire truck or the fire house, but eventually enough money was raised to have both.” Bronza Parks donated the land for the firehouse.
Malcolm “Mac” Wheatley donated a strip of land between his house next door and the firehouse.”
“Daddy would take men off the job, Clarence Jones was one of them, to help build the firehouse,” Mrs. Harding said. “I don’t know how much money Daddy donated to have it built.”
“Daddy went to a blacksmith in Cambridge, his name was Joe Brocato, and had him make real big skillets to cook the food in, for the box socials,” Mrs. Harding, originally from Wingate, stated. “He made two of them, each were about 2 feet across and covered all 4 burners of the stove at the fire house.
Bronza Parks became the newly organized fire company’s president and remained in that post until his death.
His wife and mother of his children, Katie, passed away in the mid-80’s.
Mary Parks Harding’s twin sister, Martha, is also deceased. Her other surviving siblings include Joyce Wiley, of Milford, DE; Lucille Sterling of Merritt Is. FL and Irene Anderson of Aiken, SC.
The man who killed Bronza Parks served many years in the State Penitentiary after narrowly missing the rage of a throng of angry community members who gathered at the
Wingate boathouse after news of the shooting quickly blanketed the vicinity. In the custody of the Sheriff, he was transported from the crime scene.
Skipjacks and pleasure cruisers built by Bronza Parks can be found at the Chesapeake Bay Marine Museum, in St. Michaels, Havre De Grace and still under sail in waterways across the country. Mr. Parks is laid to rest at Dorchester Memorial Park, east of Cambridge.
Although they are not widely known as “box socials” presently, the Lakes and Straits Volunteer Fire Company, along with their fellow volunteer companies throughout the county, continue the tradition of hosting community-based, fundraising dinners, with local seafood at the top of the menu.
Visitors to Lakes and Straits will find an enlarged photo of Bronza Parks prominently positioned at the entrance. “That picture was taken only a week before he died,” Mary Parks Harding revealed.
“One thing I want to stress is that Daddy did not get the fire company going by himself,” Mrs. Harding emphasized. “Lots of people helped; they worked together. It was a real community effort.”

Local youth to attend inauguration

Local youth to attend Presidential Inauguration

By Richard Kendall


LAKESVILLE – When Barrack Obama is inaugurated as the President of the United States, 16 year old Cody Paul of Lakesville will witness the event in person.
“I really wanted to attend this event because I knew it was history in the making,” he said at his home this week.
Beginning on January 17, Cody will take part in a 4 day trip to Washington, D.C. through the Presidential Inaugural Youth Conference. Approximately 200 youth from across the nation will take part in the conference.
Through his scholastic achievement, Cody has attended 2 previous National Youth Leadership Conferences, starting in 8th grade and a several day event in Washington, D.C. The following year, he attended a 6 day conference in Boston. Last year, he attended the conference in Vienna, Va.
Cody Paul’s scholastic achievements are not a new development. He has maintained very close to a 4.0 average throughout high school and became interested in math early on.
In 7th grade, he took Algebra I, in 8th grade, Algebra II. In 9th grade, Geometry led him to take Trigonometry/Pre-Calculus in 10th grade. This year, he is one of only a few juniors taking Calculus.
Following college, Cody Paul hopes to become a Certified Public Accountant.
“I also want to work the water, with my brother” he added, referring to his older brother, Aaron.
During the trip to Washington, D.C. for the Inaugural events, the youth group will stay at a Northern Virginia hotel, close to the Nation’s Capital.
Cody’s mother, Cindy, and his father, Dwayne, are excited for Cody and proud of his accomplishments.
“One way or the other, this inauguration was going to make history,” Cindy Paul said. “Either Cody was going to see the first female become Vice President or else see the first African American become President.”
“He will be on the Capital steps to see the inauguration, and the see the parade, and then Cody will attend a Black Tie Gala,” Mrs. Paul added. For the gala event, a tuxedo is required.
None of this is free. In previous years, Cody has paid to attend the conferences from money he has earned working his turtle pots, according to his mother.
This year, the trip will cost approximately $2,000. Fortunately, Cody has secured several local sponsors who have helped with some of the expense. They are: Mulaney Insurance,
Bank of the Eastern Shore, Gootees Marina, P. L. Jones Boatyard, Russell Hall Seafood, King’s Island Pride, and Alternative Outfitters who are helping offset the cost of renting the tuxedo. Amy Nicholson, the New York filmmaker who produced “Muskrat Lovely” several years ago, helped Cody Paul too. (Cindy Paul was featured in the film along with a gathering of other local residents).
“Twenty or thirty years from now, I will be able to tell my grandchildren that I saw Barrack Obama become President,” Cody Paul predicted.

Funds sought for Public Safety Fitness Room

By Richard Kendall


CAMBRIDGE – Within the confines of the Cambridge Public Safety Complex, a space designated as a physical fitness workout area is completely empty except for mirrors covering one wall, extending from floor to ceiling. There have been no workouts here, no elevated heart rates, calories burned or muscle development. There is no equipment to workout with, only mirrors reflecting the emptiness.
Last summer, when the Cambridge Police, Fire and EMS moved to their new, spacious, hi-tech facility, exercise equipment for the fitness room was not in the budget. Several months later, a committee of police, fire and EMS personnel was formed to identify suitable equipment for the room and raise money to pay for it.
Tom Hurley, a Cambridge police officer and President of the local FOP Lodge #27 chairs the group. Other members include Bob Phillips, Martin Pepper and Gary Hickman of Cambridge Rescue Fire Company, Bill Watkins from EMS, Jesse Guessford and Mark Lewis of Cambridge Police. Guessford, a personal fitness trainer, also serves as a technical advisor.
After extensive investigation, the committee has chosen equipment made by Life Fitness, a highly rated manufacturer of commercial and home fitness products.
Tailored for both cardio and strength development, the list includes two treadmills, a Smith Machine designed for bench press and squat training, a cable/pulley device, a full rack of free weight dumbbells totaling more than 500 pounds, two benches, two stair climbers, a bike machine and an elliptical device.
“This equipment will improve and enhance the health of the first responders of our community,” Hurley pointed out. “In doing so, it will improve our service and response to aid our citizens.”
Beyond an economic downturn which the media and government are currently emphasizing, Tom Hurley believes there are people and organizations ready, willing and able to help fund this project.
“We are going to need a total of $35,000 to equip our workout room,” Cpl. Hurley stated. “I know we could go a cheaper route and get equipment costing half that much but in 5 years we would be replacing it because it wore out. Over a period of 20 years, it will be much more cost effective to purchase equipment built to last.”
Donors/Sponsors of the effort will be recognized on a plaque in the room, as follows: Bronze Sponsor, donations of $100 or more; Silver Sponsor, $500 or more; Gold Sponsor, $1,000 or more and Platinum Sponsor, donations of $3,000 or more.
“If a person or group would like to donate a larger amount of money to purchase one of these machines, we will dedicate that machine in their name on a plaque we will mount in the room,” Cpl. Hurley said. “Of course, we will be very happy with every contribution, large or small.”
After the equipment is installed, the workout room will be available 24/7 to active duty police, fire and EMS employees.
According to Cpl. Hurley, approximately 150 personnel from the three public safety departments will have access to the fitness room although the number of them who will use the facility is unknown. Hurley said he was not aware of a physical fitness policy observed by the Cambridge Police Department.
Donations can be made to the Fitness Room Fund at the Bank of the Eastern Shore, 301 Crusader Road, Cambridge, MD. 21613 (Contact Tina White at BOES, 410-228-5800) or by mailing a check made payable to the Fitness Room Fund to P.O. Box 401, Cambridge, MD. 21613.
“All donations will be appreciated and are tax deductible,” Cpl. Hurley advised.
In the meantime, the workout room makes a suitable place for quiet reflection.

Brooks Spicer finishes 11th at World competition

By Richard Kendall

GOLDEN HILL - When Brooks Spicer was 4 years old, her Aunt Janet (Lewis) lifted the youngster onto the back of an old Appollusa mare. That was the beginning of a journey no one could have predicted.
In August, 2008, at age 15, Brooks, a 10th grader at Cambridge South Dorchester High School, competed among 189 riders and horses at the American Quarter Horse Association World Show, at Oklahoma City, OK. Top competitors from across the U.S., Canada and South America. Riders showed in categories of Horsemanship, Showmanship and Halter.
In World competition, Brooks finished 11th in the Youth Performance Halter Gelding class. (The top 15 were Finalists).
“As far as I know, nobody from Dorchester County has ever done that,” her father, Tom Spicer said this week.”
In order to compete there, riders must have first earned high scores in other competition through the year.
“It’s been my dream for the last few years to compete at World,” Miss Spicer said this week. In 2007, she won scored in 8 separate events with the highest points in her age group. At the All American Quarter Horse Congress, in Columbus OH., Brooks Spicer was a finalist, finishing in the top 20 out of 89 riders and horses.
For Tom Spicer and his family, showing horses has become a way of life.
“This involves a whole lot of work, a lot time and money,” he said. “Each of us has our own area of responsibilities to make this work.”
Brooks’ mother, Debbi, explained, “Its something we do together, as a family,” she said.
“Deb takes care of the fashion,” Tom Spicer said. “She gets the cloths together, the outfits, boots, the trailer (a piece used to accent the horse’s long, course tail).”
“Brooks and I take care of bathing the horse, clipping, brushing the tail, shaving whisker,” he explained, “there is a whole lot to it and a lot of sacrifice.”
As for the sacrifice of time, effort and the expense, Mr. Spicer explained his view:
“If I know my child is focused on this, and is working hard at something she enjoys and not using drugs, or alcohol or whatever, then it’s worth it to me,” he said.
“I bought her the first Quarter Horse in 1998,” Mr. Spicer recalled, “a gelding named Bear.”
At Christmas, 2000, Brooks was surprised with a 1st Grade American Quarter Horse.
“Mister is his barn name,” Mr. Spicer explained. “But, his registered name is Gotta Be Awesome.”
In 2005, a stunning, white gelding with black socks and mane joined the Spicer’s show lineup.
“Uptown Goods is his name,” Mr. Spicer advised regarding the horse Brooks rode in Oklahoma.
“It’s not all the horse or all the rider,” Debbi Spicer explained. “It’s the combination, how well the rider and horse show together.”
The show season begins in February.
“Brooks goes to school all day, then travels 2 ½ hours each way to her trainer’s arena in Davidsonville,” Mr. Spicer said. “Then, after riding and training for 2 hours, she comes home. She does that 2 or 3 times a week until she starts showing in March.”
Her trainer, Kerry Winter, made the 1450 mile road trip to Oklahoma City with the Spicers in August.
“Pulling that trailer, my truck got 9 miles to the gallon,” Mr. Spicer said. “But, Brooks did what she had to in order to compete there so I held up my end of the deal by making sure she got there.”
Brooks Spicer was asked what she aspires to be when she gets out of college.
“I want to be an Equine Dentist,” she said without hesitation, “and a horse trainer.”
How about a goal closer to the horizon, she was asked.
“I want to compete at World again next year,” she said with certainty. “And I want to finish in the top 10.”

Tough times on the water

By Richard Kendall

TODDVILLE – By late September, the Hayden family usually have saved enough money saved from the summer months to help them through the leaner times of winter.
“This year, we haven’t been able to save anything, not a dime,” Michele Hayden lamented this past weekend. Her husband, Jimmy, 37, works a waterman, crabbing a trotline during the summer. Michele works with him during the winter, hand tonging and dredging oysters.
“I love oystering,” Mrs. Hayden admitted.
The Haydens were married 4 years ago, in Easton. Each of them brought 2 sons to the marriage. Buddy, 15 and Dylan, 10, are Jimmy’s sons; Brian, 12 and Shane, 8, is Michele’s.
On Sunday afternoon, Mr. Hayden sat aboard his wooden workboat baiting a trotline for Monday morning. The vessel’s name is the Buddy Dylan, after his sons.
There is urgency in their voices when Jimmy and Michele Hayden speak of their situation.
“Everything we use to operate has gone up – it seems some things have doubled in cost since last year,” Mr. Hayden said. “Diesel fuel, bate, upkeep of the boat it’s all up this year. It seems the only thing that hasn’t gone up is what we get for our catch. That hasn’t gone up any.”
“Retail stores are selling a bushel of crabs for $120 to $180,” Mr. Hayden said. “We are getting $40 for a bushel of males and $22 for females. And, this time of the year, about all we are catching is females.”
Michele Hayden believes the economy, crab populations and State regulations are simultaneously bringing an end to the seafood business in Maryland.
“With prices so high for fuel and bate, lower numbers of crabs to begin with and tighter catch limits for watermen, it’s almost impossible to make a living on the water,” she said. “And with watermen getting out of the business because they can’t make a living, sooner or later, there isn’t going to be any crabs, crab dip or any of that.”
Jimmy and Michele Hayden are unsure how they are going to make ends meet this winter.
“We have a mortgage, two truck payments, heat, electric and food to pay for,” Mrs. Hayden figured. “I don’t know how we are going to do it.”
Jimmy Hayden and his brothers Gary and Eddie have been watermen most of their lives.
As children growing up in Crapo, they made extra money helping out aboard the workboat owned by the late Maurice Adams, of Wingate.
“I started going out on the water with him when I was 8,” Mr. Hayden remembered.
“It got in his blood, the water did,” his wife added, “like a poison.”
Other than working for a few years at the Wire Belt Company in Cambridge, Mr. Hayden has remained a waterman.
“I know how to do other work but who is going to hire me,” he asked. “No body wants to hire a waterman because they know that in the spring, we’re going back out on the water.”
Although their children have health insurance, neither of their parents have full health coverage. “That’s the case for most watermen,” Mrs. Hayden explained.
Jimmy and Michele Hayden believe the factor having the worst effect on their livelihood is the catch limit set by the State of Maryland.
“They used our crab reports from the last few years and averaged out what we have been catching,” Mr. Hayden said.
“And then, they limited the daily catch to two-thirds of what had been caught each day,” Mrs. Hayden added. “But, lots of factors play into it that they don’t take into consideration.”
“For instance, 3 years ago, the engine in Jimmy’s boat blew up and he wasn’t catching crabs,” she said. “That affected his average.”
When the limits were first announced, Mr. Hayden was restricted to 5 bushels of crabs a day.
“It takes 3 bushels a day just to pay for expenses: $50 a day for bait, $50 to $80 a day for fuel,” she said. “We appealed and they said they lost Jimmy’s crab reports. Fortunately, we kept copies.”
Their appeal was won and the Mr. Hayden’s daily catch limit was elevated to 15 bushels per day.
“That sounds great but I haven’t been able to catch anywhere near that,” he said.
“Plus, starting this week (Oct. 1), I can only catch 5 bushels of females, that’s it.”
The crab season end Oct. 22.
There are rumors of relief coming but so far, the Haydens have seen nothing tangible.
“We heard that the DNR is going to offer watermen jobs during the winter,” Mrs. Hayden said.
Jobs supposedly include cleaning oyster bars by dragging dredge rigs over the oyster beds and working in state parks by cleaning up or planting trees.
“But, all we have heard is rumors about these jobs; I haven’t seen anything posted on the internet about it.”
Another ray of hope concerns a declaration of assistance for watermen supported by Md. Senator Barbara Mikulski (D)
“But, again, we’ve only heard rumors,” Mrs. Hayden said. “We can’t support our family on rumors.”

Collecting cans of Dorchester history

By Richard Kendall

LAKESVILLE – Carpenter, muskrat skinner and trapper Ted Abbott, 68, has for the last 15 or 20 years collected tin cans, labels, tokens, boxes, sporting apparel, anything branded with the name of Phillips Packing Company.
“They were the largest food canners in the world,” he stated of the long-defunct Cambridge based conglomerate.
The late Arthur Abbott, Ted’s father, worked for Phillips Packing Company in the 1930’s, during the Great Depression, according to Ted Abbott.
“He stirred soup in big, huge containers,” Mr. Abbott explained.
“With a wooden oar, that’s what he used to stir. They paid him twelve and a half cents an hour.”
Arthur Abbott continued on until the late Saul Smith stopped to speak to him one day.
“Mr. Smith offered my father fifteen cents an hour to build him a house,” Mr. Abbott said. “So, he left Phillips to build the house for Mr. Smith. That house is still standing over in Andrews.”
“Dad never went back to working at Phillips and went on working as a carpenter,” Mr. Abbott said. “Dad trapped in the winter, like me, he loved to trap, had to do it.” Arthur Abbott passed away in 1972.
To begin to explain why he would go well out of his way to secure yet one more can, label or other Phillips memorabilia, Mr. Abbott recalled picking tomatoes as a boy.
“I used to get eight cents for every 5-8 basket I picked,” he recalled. “They were wooden baskets that held five eighths of a bushel.”
“You didn’t get too many the first picking of the year but after that I could pick 50 or 75 baskets in a day,” Mr. Abbott said.
“The tomatoes were called Old Ruckers and they were about the size of tennis balls,” he explained. “They were perfect size for canning.”
“Canning was big, big business in Dorchester County,” Mr. Abbott said. “Phillips had factories A, B, C, D, E and F in Cambridge. One factory canned tomatoes, another canned peas, another potatoes, and so on.”
In addition to the Cambridge facilities, Phillips cooperated with independently owned canning house operations throughout Dorchester County. Mr. Abbott shared several of the names of owners of canning houses, along with their respective locations:
“There were Baker Robbins and Sewell Simmons around here,” he recalled. “There was a canning house owned by Mr. Slacum directly across from Shorter’s Wharf, one at Meekins Neck owned by Willy Mills and another one at Wingate owned by another Willy Mills.” Others mentioned: a canning house at Charles Creek owned by Bill Carroll Insley and another in Church Creek at a location which later functioned as the Wire Belt Company.
“There was a time when just about everybody in Dorchester either worked on the water or for Phillips Packing Company,” Mr. Abbott estimated.
However, according to Mr. Abbott, things began to change for the company when the United States battled simultaneously the fearsome Nazi Germany and Japan and their allies, during World War II.
According to Mr. Abbott, Phillips shifted their primary attention to packaging the staple food of wartime U.S. troops: C Rations.
Stepping up to the plate to fill the void left by Phillips in providing the public with canned foods was the Campbell Soup Company, according to Mr. Abbott.
“People started eating Campbell’s Soup and never went back to Phillips,” he explained.
The following details were copied from the website at www.tourchesapeakecountry.com:
“In 1902 the Phillips Packing Company was started, and by 1929 was marketing more than 60 kinds of canned goods. However, the phenomenal reign of the company ended in 1957 when the company, facing competition and slumping sales, was sold.”
A longtime friendship with the late R. Lee Burton helped keep Mr. Abbott’s interest in Phillips memorabilia going.
“Mr. Lee collected all that,” Mr. Abbott said. “He and I used to trade our stuff back and forth.” Mr. Burton authored a book entitled Canneries of the Eastern Shore, published by Tidewater Publishing.
Over time, availability of Phillips memorabilia has evaporated. Currently, very few items are offered for sale, according to Mr. Abbott. Throughout Dorchester, the old canning house operations are long gone.
Still, in Cambridge, several of the sprawling, red brick and metal shells of buildings that were once Phillips factories have survived. Others have been torn down; several have been destroyed by fire.
“The Phillips company was a big part of Dorchester’s history,” Mr. Abbott said. “It’s gone now but we shouldn’t forget that it was part of who we were. That’s why I collect it.”
“I have friends who own some of those buildings in Cambridge,” Mr. Abbott said. “Sometimes, I like to go in and just stand there and listen. If you imagine, you can still hear those cans rattling.”

Boat Docking competition at Slaughter Creek Marina

By Richard Kendall

TAYLOR’S ISLAND – The Volunteer Fire Companies of Taylor’s Island and Hooper’s Island held their annual Boat Docking Competition at Slaughter’s Marina on Sunday.
Hundreds of spectators turned out to watch dozens of captains and crew members compete. Here are the results:
A Class 40’ and over
1st Place: Bo Hughes, Madison; Boat: Hunter, Time: 31.51 sec. Prize: $1,000.00
2nd Place: Joel Hayden, Hoopersville; Boat: 6 Angels, Time: 32.46 sec. Prize: $600.00
3rd Place: Benny Horseman, Fishing Creek, Boat: Spirit, Time: 33.63 sec. Prize: $400.00

B Class 35’ – 39’11”
1st Place: Kevin Marshall, Smith Island, Boat: Fabricator, Time: 27.53 Sec. Prize: $1000.
2nd Place: Alvin Richardson, Boat: Delusional Time: 37.67 Sec. Prize. $600.00
3rd Place: Dusty Flowers, Hoopers Is. Boat: Island Fever, Time: 42.59 Sec. Prize:$400.00


C Class 28’ – 34’11”
1st Place: J. B. Teider, Taylors Is. Boat: Shikar Time: 38.04 Sec. Prize: $1,000.00
2nd Place: Joe Ruark, Hoopers Is. Boat: Next Jenn-Eration Time: 42.06 Sec. Prize: $600. 3rd. Place: Derrick Hoy, Boat: Full Throttle Time:45.46 Sec. Prize: $400.00


Team Competition
1st Place: Kevin Marshall, Smith Island, Boat: Fabricator, Time: 26.39 Sec. Prize:$1000.
2nd Place: Bo Hughes, Madison; Boat: Hunter, Time: 32.09 sec. Prize: $600.00
3rd Pace: Joe Ruark, Hoopers Is. Boat: Next Jenn-Eration Time: 42.06 Sec. Prize: $400.