Dorchester News | Dec 2024
WHAT'S INSIDE: Eastern Shore Holiday Fun! | Harriet Tubman Named General | Heritage Area Honors Award Winners | Local Merchant News | Take Time For Nature | Ice & Oyster Fest | MD 250 Planning Meetings | Arts & Music
Eastern Shore holiday fun!
Dorchester County is home to the original Crab Basket Tree, multiple Christmas parades, one of the country's oldest train garden traditions, holiday performances, visits with Santa, indie shops, a luminary celebration, and new this year – a Winter Wonderland and ice skating! All with that friendly Eastern Shore vibe. Our elves have gathered all the holiday happenings in one place to make it easy to plan your festive fun. Check out our 2024 Holiday Guide!
Photos here and on the cover by Jill Jasuta.
Make some new holiday traditions!
There's something about spending time in Dorchester County during the holiday season. The pace is a little slower and friendlier. Our small, independent shops make browsing for interesting and unique gifts a pleasure. And there's serenity to be found in our beautiful landscapes and waterscapes. Come and be merry!
The latest from our shops & restaurants
Dorchester merchants in the news
- Simmons Center Market is in Coastal Style magazine (page 30) and on Delmarva Life.
- Blackwater Bakery has completed its expansion, now with the double the beautiful seating space!
- Lil Bitta Bull BBQ has big plans: They're reinventing the restaurant in Downtown Cambridge to become a higher-end dining experience (opening in January). They're bringing back axe throwing and multipart simulator games on the second floor with Bullseye's Loft. They plan to open a takeout location on Route 50 in Cambridge. And they have longer range plans to open a new concept in Hurlock. Wow!
- Market at Church Creek's owner Morgan Schafer was featured on Delmarva Life making hot cocoa bombs.
- Christopher's Corner is getting closer to opening! They've been sharing delightful glimpses at their newly created dining space at 543 Poplar St., Cambridge on Facebook and Instagram. Follow them for the latest updates.
- Owners of Snapper's Waterfront Cafe & Tiki Bar John and Laura Sydnor are retiring after 31 years! Last day for Snapper's is Dec. 14. Thanks for three decades of good food and good fun!
Shop small this holiday season
Join us in celebrating small business this holiday season and all year long! Whether you're shopping for holiday gifts or treating yourself, remember that every purchase at a small business makes a difference. Let's support our local shops, restaurants, and other businesses and keep Dorchester County vibrant and thriving! Browse Dorchester's shops and galleries.
Harriet Tubman posthumously named brigadier general
On Veterans Day, Harriet Tubman – who was born into slavery in Dorchester County in 1822 – was posthumously commissioned as a brigadier general by the Maryland National Guard. During the Civil War, Tubman was a spy, scout, nurse and cook – and the first woman in the U.S. to lead an armed military operation during a war. But she never had official status within the military, and she battled for decades to receive a military pension. Now, more than a century after her death, she was named a one-star general. A private commissioning ceremony took place at the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park & Visitor Center in Church Creek with Maryland Governor Wes Moore, Tubman’s descendants, military members, community members, and local leaders. The ceremony made headlines around the country. Photos below are courtesy of the Executive Office of the Governor.
>> Find out more about her remarkable life by taking the road trip known as the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway.
Congrats to Dorchester's Heritage Award winners!
Congratulations to our Heritage Awardees who were honored on Nov. 13 for their achievements in helping to preserve and promote Dorchester County’s local culture. In addition, the honorees received citations on behalf of State Sen. Johnny Mautz and Del. Tom Hutchinson.
The honorees are:
Volunteer of the Year: Peter Barclay
Individual Achievement: Renna McKinney
Organizational Excellence: Groove City Black Heritage & Culture Group
Organizational Program: Heralding Heroes: Juneteenth Celebration
More than 60 people attended the reception at the Dorchester Center for the Arts. Heritage Board Chair Tom Bradshaw provided a recap of the Heritage Area’s accomplishments over the past year, and he noted that this is the 20th year that awards have been presented.
“We are especially fortunate here in Dorchester County to have so many people – like those honored here tonight – who lend their passion, their time and their talents to preserving and promoting our heritage and culture,” Bradshaw said. “All of you truly make a difference in showcasing and demonstrating what makes Dorchester County unique.”
Arts & Music in December
Dorchester Center for the Arts has “Red Sand Project" Dec. 1-31 plus "A Sense of Place/Plein Air Painters of the Chesapeake Bay" Dec. 10-21. Free reception Dec. 14, 5-7pm with music by Mike Elzey & Friends. Plus Merry Market Pop-Up Dec. 7, Open Mic Dec. 10, Anna Burgess Concert Dec. 12, and Chorus of Dorchester Dec. 17. All free!
Main Street Gallery has "All That Glitters 2024: A Metalsmith Collective" through Dec. 29 with a free Second Saturday reception Dec. 14, 5-8pm.
3ten Creative Design & Gift Gallery has "Rock & Roll Art Show" with a free reception Dec. 14, 6-10pm with live music and conversation.
Take time for nature this month
Amid the busyness of the holiday season, it's good to take a little time to get out and appreciate nature. Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge is a great place for that. Head there for winter birding – join a free Guided Birding Tour Dec. 14 or 28. Take a walk on one of their trails. Or join in one of their Night Sky Tours, where you can see views of the night sky with their astronomical telescope.
SAVE THE DATE! Cambridge Ice & Oyster Fest is Jan. 17-18
Liven up your January with the Cambridge Ice & Oyster Festival, which features dozens of ice sculptures, master ice carver demonstrations, interactive ice games, oyster roast and raw bar, live music, ice bars with craft beer and artisan cocktails, and fire pits and s’mores stations! New this year, on Friday, Jan. 17 from 5 to 8pm, the fun happens in three spots, with a shuttle that can bring you to and fro: The Packing House hosts lots of the fun (music, demos, food, fire pits), while Downtown Cambridge has ice sculptures on display, and the Hyatt Chesapeake has ice skating and a Winter Wonderland Village. Saturday's fun goes from 11am to 7pm in Downtown Cambridge and at the Hyatt. Watch the highlights video from the last Ice Fest.
Planning meetings for MD 250 events Dec. 4, 11
Dorchester County is gearing up to plan local ways to mark the nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026. If your organization or business is thinking about how to take part, join in one of the meetings in December with the MD 250 team in Dorchester County, which includes Mary Presutto, Zoe Phillips from Dorchester County Historical Society, and Holly Gilpin of Dorchester Tourism. Together, they hope to be a resource and help you with planning events, celebrations and communications.
They have scheduled two meetings in December to provide help. Meet with them in person Dec. 4 between 11am and 2pm at the Dorchester Visitor Center, or virtually Dec. 11 between 1 and 4pm. Register at dorchester250@gmail.com.
>> For the most up to date information, go to mdtwofifty.maryland.gov.
>> There are still grants available. Find out more.
Dorchester Visitor Center News
Dorchester Tourism hosts pet supply drive through Jan. 30
In memory of one of the Dorchester Visitor Center's most frequent guests, Millie (2006-2023), we're holding a drive for pet supplies until Jan. 30. Bring pet food, bedding, blankets, towels, toys, or treats to the visitor center during our regular hours (Monday-Friday 8:30am-4:30pm; Saturday-Sunday 10am-2pm). Benefits Baywater Animal Rescue and Dorchester County Dog Control. Questions? Call 410-228-1000. Thank you!
Holiday closures
The Dorchester Visitor Center will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day. Our regular hours are Monday-Friday, 8:30am-4:30pm and Saturday-Sunday 10am-2pm. We wish you and your family a wonderful holiday season!
Follow us on social media
Facebook: @I Love Dorchester Heritage & Tourism
Instagram: @Visit Dorchester
See free brochures
Dorchester County Tourism offers a wide selection of free digital brochures on our website, including a Dining Guide, Events Guide, Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway Map & Guide, Cycling Guide, Paddling Guide, Birding Guide, and Heritage Guide. View and download them as PDF files.
Dorchester County Tourism | 2 Rose Hill Place, Cambridge, MD 21613
2 rose hill place, Cambridge, MD 21613