Destination: Chesapeake Country ~ November 14-20, 2002, Issue #46
Autumn at the Arboretum
Nestled in a busy section of Northeast Washington D.C. lies a 446-acre sanctuary of silence, The National Arboretum.
Where Route 50 turns into New York Avenue, a sturdy steel fence guards a wealth of ponds, historical monuments, gardens and a variety of foreign trees from the high-speed traffic outside. Inside the fence life is slow and land is big.
Autumn paints the Arboretum in colors finer than the early morning artists who find inspiration here along 10 miles of twisting paths.
Established in 1937 as a research center, the Arboretum grounds are now home to The National Herb Garden, a Friendship Garden, holly gardens and daffodil gardens. Other major garden features are Asian Collections, Conifer Collections and National Grove of State Trees.
Though 100 staff members and more than 200 volunteers routinely garden throughout the grounds, scenic lookouts for moments of solitude are easy to find.
Each month, the Arboretum hosts several horticultural events. Try the Full Moon Hike 1pm-9 pm Nov. 20; or Holiday Flower Show Display 1pm-5 pm Nov. 22 and 23.
The Arboretum, which sees 500,000 visitors each year, is open daily from 8am-5pm year-round. Take Route 50 east, which turns into New York Avenue in Washington D.C. Gates for the National Arboretum are on the left near Bladensburg Road • www.usna.usda.gov.
— Rebecca McClay
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Destination: Chesapeake Country ~ November 7-13, 2002, Issue #45
Friday Night Football by Brent Seabrook
The autumn air has finally turned crisp, just in time for the final football games of the high school season. You can find a game in any corner of Chesapeake Country this weekend. Admission is a tenth of what a college ticket costs, and you know your dollars are going towards pads and helmets and balls, instead of lining the pockets of some university president. There’s no television revenue at stake, only bragging rights that evaporate in a week or at most a year. The band strikes up and the home team tears through a paper banner onto a field watered with the blood, sweat and tears of a thousand adolescent boys.
You huddle beneath a blanket, your breath billowing as the sun sinks beneath the bronze-leaved trees. More adventurous football fans might share a paper dish of neon nachos, but most of us are happy to sip a cup of coffee or cocoa, letting the hot liquid scald our bellies. We wait and watch while the players execute esoteric maneuvers, striving to move that sleek leather ball down the field. We savor each trick play, but mostly watch an endless relay race. We bite our nails as the clock winds down and leap to our feet when our players finally cross the finish line, our hollers harmonizing with the bellowing band.
For an instant, the lines that separate us from neighbors are erased and we become a true community, united against a common foe — some school from across the county.
See them finish their seasons Friday at 7:15pm in Anne Arundel and 7 in Calvert: Annapolis (8-0) at Severna Park (6-2) • Broadneck (7-1) at North County (0-8) • Old Mill (6-2) at Glen Burnie • Chesapeake (4-4) at Northeast (3-5) • Meade (3-5) at Arundel (4-4) • Southern (5-3) at South River (1-7) • Northern (7-2) at Calvert (6-2).
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Destination: Chesapeake Country ~ Oct. 31-Nov. 6, 2002, Issue #44
Your Polling Place
The biggest show in town is playing at 204 venues in Chesapeake Country — 21 in Calvert County and 183 in Anne Arundel. The one where you’ll want to catch it is hardly any farther from your home than the giant Barry Bonds homerun the San Francisco Giants could have used last week. It’s running all day long, from 7am to8pm. But it’s a real short subject: just minutes from beginning to end.
You’ve only one day to catch this show: Tuesday, November 5. Don’t miss it — because the way the story ends depends on you.
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Destination: Chesapeake Country ~ October 24-30, 2002, Issue #43
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Destination: Chesapeake Country ~ October 17-23, 2002, Issue #42
31st Annual United States Powerboat Show
October 17-20
Stroll over a mile of temporary docks awash in nautical horsepower at the 31st annual United States Powerboat Show, featuring nearly 500 shiny new boats.
Moored at the grid of floating docks are trailerable fishing boats, cruising trawlers, outboard sports boats, multihulls and motor yachts. Highlights include a 54-foot 
convertible motor yacht, a 44-foot houseboat and retro-style runabouts from manufacturers usually associated with sailing yachts. Landlub City Dock to find troves of smaller boats plus acres of tents full of enough nautical gear to commission a fleet of boats and crews.
Baby strollers discouraged; no pets. 10am-6pm Th & Su; 10am-7pm F & Sa; 10am-5pm M @ City Dock, Annapolis. Shuttle buses run from Navy Stadium 9am to 1 hour after close daily. $25 Th; $15 F-Su: 410/267-6711 • www.usboat.com.
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Destination: Chesapeake Country ~ October 10-16, 2002, Issue #41
33rd Annual US Sailboat Show
October 10-14–Get your sailing fix at the 33rd annual United States Sailboat Show, featuring the debuts of many 2003 yacht models — including models from Annapolis boatbuilders Farr Design and Performance Cruising.
Walk over a mile of temporary floating docks to admire ocean-faring cruising yachts, the nation’s biggest collection of multihulls, racing boats, performance cruisers and motorsailers. Ashore you’ll find dinghies, trailerable cruisers, one-design racers, yacht tenders and inflatables.
Acres of tents house nautical gear sufficient to commission a fleet of boats and crews. This year’s show is the biggest yet, with hundreds of exhibitors.
The Sailing Company repeats its popular seminars, featuring Michael Carr on low-pressure weather systems, Larry Berlin on diesel engines and an America’s Cup preview from Gary Jobson.
Strollers discouraged; no pets. 10am-6pm Th-Su; 10am-5pm M @ City Dock, Annapolis. Shuttle buses run from Navy Stadium 9am to 1 hour after closing, daily. $25 Th; $15 F-M: 410/267-6711 • www.usboat.com.
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Destination: Chesapeake Country ~ October 3-9, 2002, Issue #40
Galesville
Galesville turns 350 this year, and that’s about as old as you can get without giving Chesapeake Country 
back to the Indians. The village is not letting the anniversary pass unnoticed. On the weekend of October 5-6, the festivities begin with a parade (11am Sa) and end with a fireworks display (dusk Su).
In between, stroll through what most of Chesapeake Country is missing: a place to be that’s somewhere. Galesville boasts not only a post office and fire department but also a town hall; three restaurants plus the casual, mostly carry-out West River Market; an art gallery, antique store; and its own new historical museum.
Today as for all those years, the village’s economy rides the water, with yacht yards and marinas at every turn, plus the West River Yacht Club.
On its long main street and the T-crossing that fronts the West River and a pair of creeks, you’ll find tours of historical sites, including local churches, the Tulip Hill Mansion and the Quaker burial ground. Enjoy a variety of activities in between, including historical and cultural exhibits, crafts, re-enactments, old-time music, dancing and skipjack excursions. Home-style food and beverages available. 11am–5pm Sa; 1–5pm Su @ Place. Parking $5: 410/867-9499.
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Destination: Chesapeake Country ~ Sept. 26 - Oct. 2, 2002, Issue #39
Crysanthemums
All over Chesapeake Country, that most winsome of field crops is about to burst into bloom. Now until mid October, it’s time for you to come get your crysanthemums. If you wait a week or two, until buds open, you’ll be able to pick your color on the stem.
But to get them where they grow, you’ve got to come to the country. Plan a country drive in rural Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, Prince Georges or St. Marys counties. Wander. They’ll be there, and maybe you’ll chance on an apple orchard as you hunt.
It’s been a dry year, so dress for dust. You’ll be walking through recycled tobacco fields among rows of mums to pick — and sometimes dig — your own at bargain prices of as little as $2 a plant.
Empty out the back of the wagon, but don’t clean it yet. There’ll be plenty of time for that after you’ve lifted your cardboard beer-flats heavy with the aromatic green plants, their roots and dirt balls — and your yard is ablaze with bright color.
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Destination: Chesapeake Country ~ September 19-25, 2002, Issue #38
Don’t Get Lost in the Maize Maze
Children can race along, kicking up dust, laughing and shouting when they run into a tall green dead end. Mature visitors can take time to chat, while enjoying the flat easy walk. Both will be looking for Happy the cow or a barn and several other sculptures cut into the corn at Horizon Organic Dairy Farm, outside of Annapolis.
This beautiful and historic setting, once operated as the U.S. Naval Academy Dairy Farm, has become an organic farm with intricately designed paths. Paths never cross over each other as they meander seven acres over three miles of winding trails.
Open noon until dark on Saturdays and from noon until 5pm Sundays thru October 27 @ 100 Dairy Lane, Gambrills. $8 w/age discounts: 410/923-7600 • www.horizonorganicfarm.com.
— Diane Dorsey
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Destination: Chesapeake Country ~ September 11-18, 2002, Issue #37
Dr. Samuel A. Mudd’s Home
A visit to the unassuming home of Dr. Samuel A. Mudd in Waldorf makes a seasonal reminder that even tragedy has its redemptions.
A hundred thirty-seven years ago, John Wilkes Booth broke his leg when he leapt to the stage of The Ford Theater after assassinating President Lincoln. Remembering Dr. Samuel A. Mudd, Booth made his way south — and sealed the doctor’s fate.
Dr. Mudd was convicted of conspiracy and harboring John Wilkes Booth and his companion during their escape. The military tribunal sentenced him to life imprisonment.
When yellow fever broke out at Fort Jefferson, where Mudd was imprisoned, he ministered to the sick. A petition to the government in support of Dr. Mudd was signed by all noncommissioned officers and soldiers. He was later pardoned by President Andrew Jackson.
After his pardon, Dr. Mudd returned home to the practice of medicine.
From US Route 301 at Waldorf, take Route 5 south to Route 205 to Poplar Hill Road to Dr. Samuel Mudd Road.
House museum, gift shop, kitchen, exhibit building and some outbuildings on 10 acres. 11am-4pm SaSuW to November. $3 w/age discounts: 301/645-6870.
— Diane Dorsey
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