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Beverly Brown Honored by Industry
Congratulations to colleague Beverly Brown who was awarded the Audrey Davenport Hospitality Person of the Year Award at the November 2012 Maryland Tourism & Travel Summit. The award honors an individual, who has demonstrated outstanding customer service to Maryland visitors. Beverly Brown is chairperson of the St. Mary’s County Chamber of Commerce Tourism Advisory Council and works as director of sales and marketing for the Hilton Garden Inn at Solomons. Beverly is also former Tourism Coordinator for SMCT.
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Home2 Suites by Hilton Honored with Maryland Green Travel Award
Joan Rosati, director of sales for the Home2 Suites by Hilton in Lexington Park, accepted a Green/Sustainable Tourism Award on behalf of her hotel from the Maryland Office of Tourism and the Maryland Tourism Development Board, at the Tourism and Travel Summit held in November. The Hilton property is the first Silver-rated LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) property in St. Mary's County and is projected to save 32 percent in annual energy costs due to its many innovative green measures.
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Dennis Point Marina: New Owner, New Look, New Restaurant
Jim Godey of Baltimore took over ownership of Dennis Point Marina last summer and has since implemented many enhancements with more to come. In February, the property’s restaurant will re-open as Rick’s Riverside under the direction of Chef Rick Toth formerly of Chiefs in Tall Timbers. The full service marina and campground serves as an anchor property for the St. George-Piney Point area.
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Historic St. Mary's City Moves People
Historic St. Mary’s City (HSMC) has been awarded funds from the Maryland Department of Transportation Recreational Trails Program to purchase two “people movers”. The solar/electric, 14-seat, street-legal vehicles go into service in March. Because most of HSMC’s exhibits are located on actual historic sites, the museum covers 40 non-contiguous acres. HSMC executive director Regina Faden, Ph.D. comments, “All members of a group will be able to safely and easily travel together to the living history exhibits and the St. John’s Site Museum.” The trams will run during summer weekends, special events, and for scheduled tours.
 People mover similar to those soon to run at HSMC.
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PRNAM Ground-Breaking
Ground-breaking for the new Patuxent River Naval Air Museum took place in October with completion of the new, 20,860 square foot, building set for mid-2014. The museum has been housed in a storage facility near the Patuxent River Naval Air Station’s main gate since 2001. The St. Mary’s County commissioners awarded a $4.6 million construction contract in June to Broughton Construction. Exhibit planning is now underway.
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Port of Leonardtown Expands Facility and Team
Port of Leonardtown Winery had exceeded its storage capacity due to great growing conditions and increased local wine production. A grant from the Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission enabled the winery to recently renovate an adjacent storage facility freeing-up floor space in the winery. This will allow the winery to offer better tours of the production space, continue to expand operations. Expansion also means help for master winemaker Pat Isles, who is joined by new assistant John Fox.
 Port of Leonardtown Winery’s master winemaker Pat Isles.
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Group Marketplace Time
SMC tourism staff and hospitality industry members will be participating in upcoming group travel marketplaces. SMCT’s Rebecca Lira will be joined by Amy Griffin, Group & Educational Tour Coordinator, and Susan Wilkinson, Cummunications and Marketing Director, from Historic St. Mary’s City, along with Beverly Brown (see above), at the American Bus Association Marketplace in Charlotte, NC in early January. In March, Rebecca will join forces with reps from Calvert and Charles counties to jointly market the region at the Pennsylvania Bus Association and the Maryland Motorcoach Association Marketplaces.
  
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Sister Sites Celebrate Founding of Mother County
Maryland history begins in 1634 with the landing of the Ark and the Dove at St. Clement’s Island and subsequent establishment of the first colony and capital at St. Mary’s City. St. Clement’s Island Museum and Historic St. Mary’s City commemorate Maryland's 378th anniversary with pomp and pageantry. St. Clement’s Island: Monday, March 25. Program starts at 2 PM. Historic St. Mary’s City: Saturday, March 23. Ceremony at 1 PM with music in the Chapel at noon and 2:30 PM.
Fourth-graders from all Maryland counties participate in HSMC’s Maryland Day festivities.
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Not Your Usual Historic House Tour
Sotterley Plantation continues to expand its visitor programs with five unique tour experiences offered this spring as part of its Second Saturdays Series. Tours delve into architecture, food-ways and social history. Tours include: “Backstairs/Upstairs”, January 12; “Slavery, Resistance and Freedom,” February 9; “From the Ground Up," March 9; “A Taste of History: How African American Foods Influenced Our Modern Cuisine," April 13; and “Women of Sotterley,” May 11. Visit the Sotterley website for more information.
 Sotterley Slave Cabin interior.
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Geocache Trail Includes Leonardtown
Leonardtown is one of 49 Maryland sites participating in Maryland Municipal League’s newest geocache trail which launches January 5. The free interactive treasure hunt boosts tourism while providing a great way to explore the state’s history via smart phone or GPS. Geocachers will be able to access the coordinates needed at www.geocaching.com. The official passport can be downloaded at www.mdmunicipal.org/gocache.
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