The 3rd Annual Ball and Chain Century is scheduled for Sunday, July 20th, in Salisbury, MD. The event offers both metric and full century courses starting from the Mid Delmarva YMCA and taking riders on a tour of the flat roads of Wicomico, Worcester and Somerset Counties. The Ball and Chain Century benefits the Erin Drew Foundation and is supported by the Ocean Velo Club.

The First Annual Soft Shell Half Century hosted by the Salisbury Jaycees will take place on Saturday, May 24th, starting in Crisfield, MD. Cyclists will have a choice of 20 and 50 mile courses starting from Crisfield High School and traveling through various scenic and historic areas of lower Somerset County. A registration fee of $35 includes a t-shirt and rider packet. Event registration is available at Active.com or with a printable form.

Also on May 24th, the Shorebird Metric Century will take riders on 15, 35 or 65 routes starting from Arthur W. Perdue Stadium on Hobbs Road in Salisbury. The event benefits the American Cancer Society, and the $45 registration fee includes a t-shirt, two fully stocked rest stops, and a free lunch at Perdue Stadium following the ride. Registration is available on Active.com or with a printable form.

On Saturday, May 31st, Pedal Delmarva will host their latest event starting from Berlin, MD. A registration fee of $35 includes the rider’s choice of a dozen different routes along with energy drinks, healthy snacks and a cookout following the ride.

The Lower Shore Family YMCA will host the 6th Annual Pocomoke Triathlon on Saturday, May 31st. The triathlon will include a 1/2 mile swim, 14.3 mile bike ride, and 3.5 mile run.

The Bike MS: Tour de Shore is scheduled for June 7th and 8th starting from Salisbury University. Participants have the option of staying in SU dorms with all meals provided. Routes from 30 to 150 miles offer riders of all abilities the opportunity to tour the flat roads of the Eastern Shore.

The Autism Chapter of the Eastern Shore will be hosting the 3rd Annual Bowling for Autism on Sunday, May 18th, from 1:00 to 3:30 PM at Cherokee Lanes. Participants will bowl a Scotch Doubles format with an entry fee of $25 for adults and $7 for children 17 and under. For more information, call 443-614-0344. Space is limited.

The Salisbury Lions Club is hosting the Pets 4 Vets Dog Walk on Saturday, May 17th. The event will start at the east entrance of the Salisbury Zoo with two walks going off at 9:00 AM and 11:30 AM. The entry fee is $15 in advance or $18 on the day of the walk. Funds are being raised to help Veterans returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan with emotional problems. The funds will help obtain a dog from the animal shelter, train the dog and then donate the dog to a Veteran. For more information, call 410-546-5585 (ext. 102).

The Lower Shore Land Trust is holding their 1st Annual Native Plant Sale at the Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art in Salisbury on Saturday, May 10th from 9:00-12:00. According to the LSLT:

Gardening with native plants provides food for wildlife, benefits the environment and looks great!

The native plants included in the sale offer garden options for areas of dry shade and butterfly gardens as well as plants that grow well in the full sun of a Delmarva summer. Native plants create a habitat for wildlife, are adapted to the local climate, and require less water than non-native species.

In conjunction with the plant sale, the Ward Museum will be offering a Paint-a-Pot activity for children from 10:00 AM to noon. Pots can be decorated for a fee of $2 to $5 which includes soil and seeds. The Ward Museum is also offering free admission to the museum with the purchase of a native plant from the LSLT sale.

The Art Institute & Gallery in Salisbury has a special event scheduled for May 3-10 called Book as Art. The AIG flyer gives this description of the exhibition:

Artists’ books, unlike mass produced books, are objects d’art in the form of books. These books are more than containers for design and information. The creative book is a personal expression of the artist’s desire to involve the viewer in the concept of the book with words, pictures and physical form. These creatively designed books assume many forms, every artistic medium and method of bookmaking. They are truly an interdisciplinary art form.

Several local schools will be making a special trip to the AIG on field trips to see the exhibit this week. The AIG will offer extended hours on Thursday, May 8th, from 11 AM to 8 PM to allow the public an extra opportunity to see the one of a kind books that are on display. Several speakers will offer their perspective on the artform, and hungry patrons can take part in a Let Them Eat Books buffet on Wednesday. The week’s events will conclude with a class called Kids Create Books on Saturday. Check out the AIG site for all of the details.

The weather forecast looks promising for the 5th Annual Pork in the Park BBQ Festival with various attractions filling the schedule for April 18th-20th. And even with its relatively short history, Pork in the Park can now claim to be one of the nation’s top ten bar-b-que festivals. The fantastic food alone makes the festival worth a visit, but with live music, performers and carnival rides, the event is must see entertainment for all local residents. You can’t beat the price of $2 for admission with kids under 12 getting a free pass through the gates. Check out the schedule on the Pork’s web site and plan your visit to Winterplace Park this weekend.

The month of April brings more athletic events to the Delmarva calendar. The 2008 Eastern Shore Senior Games will kick off the month beginning on April 3rd with the golf competition followed by opening ceremonies and various events on April 4th. Senior Games events include swimming, tennis, track and field as well as many others. The games are organized by Salisbury University, and competition is open to participants age 50 and above.

St. Paul A.M.E. Zion Church wants you to “Catch the Spirit” at a 5K Run/Walk on April 12th. The event will be held at The Billy Gene Jackson Park on Jersey Road in Salisbury. In addition to the 5K, the event will offer a one mile walk, DJ music, a post race party, and prize drawings. Registration will start at 8:00 AM with the 5K race beginning at 9:00 AM. The Catch the Spirit 5K benefits the Jessie L. Parker Scholarship Fund. The cost of entry is $12 in advance or $15 on race day. The first 100 registrants will receive a free t-shirt. Entry forms are available at Vernon Powell.

April 12th is also the date for the Ocean City Half Marathon and 5K. The Half Marathon will begin at the inlet in Ocean City. The 5K will start from the park and ride in West Ocean City. Registration information is available online along with race details. The event will be followed by an after party at the Francis Scott Key resort.

The Pemberton Panda 5K will also take place on April 12th which proves to be a busy day for running events this year. This is a 1st Annual event for the Pemberton Elementary School PTA. The 5K and 1 Mile Fun Run will take place at Pemberton Elementary School with check in from 7:30-8:45 AM followed by the 5K start at 9:00 AM. All participants that pre-register for the event will receive a free t-shirt. The 5K race will be timed by the Eastern Shore Running Club. Registration forms are available online.

The Zoo Stampede 5K Run/Walk will take place on Saturday, April 19th. The event supports the Salisbury Zoo. Race day registration will take place from 7:30-8:30 AM at the East Gate of the Salisbury Zoo. The 5K race will start at 9:00 AM, rain or shine. The entry fee is $18 in advance or $20 on race day which includes a free long sleeve tech shirt to the first 125 applicants. Entry forms are available at Vernon Powell or online. The Zoo Stampede will be followed by Earth Day activities from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the Salisbury Zoo.

The 3rd Annual Ben Layton Memorial 5K Run/Walk will take place on Saturday, April 26th, at the east entrance of the Salisbury Zoo. The event benefits The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Participants may also follow a 2 mile fun walk course. Event registration will begin at 5:30 PM followed by the 5K Run at 6:30 PM and the 2 mile fun walk at 6:40 PM. The 5K also includes a free buffet dinner provided by the Local Owner Restaurant Association for all registered participants along with shirts for the first 200 entries. The early registration fee will be $25 until April 11th and $30 after that date. Registration forms are available on benlayton5k.com or you can register online at active.com.

Another event that will take place on April 26th is the Wee Race at Wicomico Stadium in Salisbury. The event benefits the Beautification Committee of the Salisbury Chamber of Commerce and it is sponsored by VP Shoes in Salisbury where you can pick up an entry form. The race fee of $8.00 allows youth ages 2-9 years old to compete in four race divisions from 100 yards to 440 yards.

The Seashore Striders of Delaware list several events taking place in April including The Race for Jill Sunshine 5K in Milton, DE, on April 5th, the Arbor Day 5K Run in Ridgely, MD, on April 12th, the Oxford Day 10K Run in Oxford, MD, on April 26th, and the LDAF Race For Autism 1/2 Marathon/Team Relay/5k/Kids Fun Run in Lewes, DE, on April 27th.

Registration is already closed for the April 26th Pedal Delmarva event, but you can check out their web site for future cycling tours.

Another source for shore events is the Talbot County Multi-Sport Calendar.

With all of these events taking place in our region, there are plenty of opportunities for residents to support local organizations and improve health and fitness through participation in these great activities.

A group of local citizens has organized an effort to raise seed money for a skatepark in Wicomico County. They have established a presence online to promote their cause at SalisburySK8Park.com. The initial goal of Salisbury Skatepark supporters is to raise $30,000 in order to qualify for a grant from Maryland’s Program Open Space.

A Salisbury Skatepark Fundraiser has been scheduled for Sunday, March 30th, at the Wicomico Civic Center. The event will include live music and skateboarding for an admission fee of $10. Details about the fundraiser are available on the Salisbury Skatepark web site. Friends of the Salisbury Skatepark can also pay a visit to MySpace.

The issue of a skatepark in Wicomico County has been discussed at various times over the past several years. One of the first actions of the current Wicomico County Council was to remove funding for a skatepark from their inaugural budget. That action leads me to question a statement made on the Salisbury Skatepark web site.

“Both the City of Salisbury and Wicomico County are in favor of this project, and are willing to donate the land for the skatepark. If the matching funds can be raised, either the City or the County will submit the grant application to the state and work together with us on the construction of the park.”

If the current County Council did not support funding of the skatepark, then I would say that it is stretching it to say that Wicomico County supports a public skatepark. I also wonder why a staff member of the Wicomico County Parks & Recreations Department is listed as a contributor/contact on the Salisbury Skatepark site.

Salisbury Skatepark also claims that “the act of skateboarding is illegal within city limits.” I think the act of skateboarding is probably illegal on private property that prohibits skateboarding and in public areas that are not meant for skateboarding like stairways and railings, but skateboarding as a means of transportation is not illegal.

Salisbury Skatepark needs to stick to the facts, or they will only undermine their effort before it gets off the ground. The biggest obstacle to a public skatepark is the risk of liability that must be taken on by the government entity that owns the park. This same risk of liability is what keeps local governments out of the swimming pool business. Both the City of Salisbury and Wicomico County need to publicly clarify their stand on the issue of a public skatepark to avoid any misconception about their involvement in the Salisbury Skatepark project.

The March calendar is full of opportunities to support local organizations while you follow the 5K courses laid out for upcoming events. Four weekends in March will be occupied by 5K events in the Salisbury area including the 5th Annual Tim Kennard 10 Mile River Run and 5K Run/Walk which will kickoff the month on Sunday, March 2nd. The race is named for a man who lost a courageous battle with cancer, and loyal friends have carried on the cause which benefits Coastal Hospice programs for pediatric cancer care as well as programs for grieving children who have lost a sibling or parent to cancer. The River Run starts at the Maggs Gym on the campus of Salisbury University with 10 mile runners leading the way at 8:30 AM. The event is preceded on Saturday with a Family Sports and Fitness Expo along with registration at the Maggs gym and a pasta dinner at the SU Commons. Registration forms are available online, or you can register at Charmcityrun.com or Active.com.

The Mid-Shore Family YMCA will host the Funny Bunny 5K Run/Walk on March 8th with a starting time of 9:00 AM. The morning will also include a 100yd Bunny Dash, 1/2 Mile Kids Run and an Easter Egg Hunt. Your $15 registration includes a Funny Bunny t-shirt. The registration form can be printed online or you can register on the YMCA web site.

The 9th Annual St. Paddy’s Day 5K Run and 2 Mile Walk will take place on Saturday, March 15th, at the Salisbury Elks Club. The St. Paddy’s Day Run supports the Alzheimer’s Programs & Services of MAC, Inc. The first 200 entries will receive a race t-shirt, and the event will be concluded with a post race awards party. Registration is available on Active.com, or you can sign up on race day. Registration begins at 2:00 PM followed by the start of the run at 3:00 PM.

Rounding out the 5K events for March is the Bennett Middle PTA Viking 5K Run/Walk on Saturday, March 29th, at Pemberton Historical Park. The Viking 5K is a departure from the normal road races in the area. The Viking 5K will take place on the woodland trails of Pemberton Park with scenic views of the Wicomico River and Pemberton Hall. The first 100 entries for the Viking 5K will receive a free t-shirt. Registration forms for the Viking 5K can be printed online, or you can sign up on race day. The Viking 5K is part of an effort to promote exercise and fitness at Bennett Middle School. Race day registration will start at 9:00 AM followed by the 5K start at 10:00 AM.

The Eastern Shore Running Club is an active supporter of all of these local events, and the ESRC web site is an excellent source for information on local and regional running events.

The Optimist Club of Salisbury is known in the community as a “friend of youth”. The Optimist Club supports many local programs including an oratorical contest for middle and high school students as well as junior golf and girls softball. This weekend the Optimist Club will be raising funds to continue these efforts with the 2008 Home, Garden and Family Show. The show will begins today from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM. The show continues on Saturday, February 23rd, from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM and again on Sunday the 24th from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The Wicomico Civic Center will be filled with over 100 vendors along with dozens of booths displaying the work of local crafters. Admission for the show is $4 and children 12 and under are free. Support the Salisbury Optimist Club and our local youth with a visit to the 2008 Home, Garden and Family Show.

The Salisbury Wicomico Arts Council has unveiled its new web site at www.543arts.com. Local residents might recognize the similarity between this address and the easily remembered phone number of SWAC at 410-543-ARTS. SWAC had been lacking an internet presence for an extended period of time before the new site was unveiled. According to an article in the Spring 2008 edition of Accent on the Arts, the new site was funded in part by a grant from the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore.

The home page of the SWAC site highlights the focus areas of the organization which include an artists’ registry, membership and event calendar. The site also provides information on scholarships and grants that are awarded each year to qualifying students and organizations. This new web presence will be a great tool in helping the organization fulfill its mission of promoting the art and artists of the lower shore region and connecting our local arts community to the surrounding audience of the entire Delmarva Peninsula. SWAC is an integral part of the local arts community and provides support for other organizations including the Art Institute and Gallery in downtown Salisbury and the Salisbury Film Society which presents a Fall and Spring film series on the campus of Wor Wic Community College. Check out SWAC on the web to find out what’s happening in the local arts community.

The publisher of the blog PostSecret and author of books compiled from thousands of posted secrets will be in Salisbury, MD, on January 31, 2008. Frank Warren will give a lecture at 7:00 PM in the Holloway Hall Auditorium on the campus of Salisbury University. Warren updates his blog on a weekly basis with a post containing a couple of dozen secrets on handmade postcards that people from all over the world mail to his Germantown, MD, address. PostSecret won an award for the Best Weblog of the Year in 2007.

The Art Institute and Gallery in Salisbury, MD, has put out a call for artists age 18 or younger. Entries for the Blooming Artists Youth Show are due on January 25th or 26th. A prospectus and entry form are available in Word Document format from the AIG web site. All 2D and 3D mediums are eligible for entry, and the AIG has waived the normal entry fees for this show. All area students are encouraged to apply.

As I drove past the latest car accident near the intersection of Snow Hill Rd. and Robins Ave. recently, I was reminded of a discussion regarding nearby Johnson Rd. and the annexation of the property now being developed as SummersGate. At the time of the preliminary site plans in October, 2005, the Daily Times reported that, “The move would allow Vantage Pointe developers to realign Johnson Road to Snow Hill Road and Robins Avenue and build new streets throughout the development.”

The added development on Johnson Rd. will obviously create more traffic at the intersection with Snow Hill Rd. By realigning Johnson Rd. to create an intersection with Robins Ave., a safer situation will result, and the additional traffic will probably bring another traffic light to town, along with left turn lanes that will reduce the likelihood of a vehicle travelling 50 MPH plowing into the rear of another stopped car.

And it appears that the SummersGate developers do intend to follow through on this plan according to a site map of the development. The map clearly shows the last portion of Johnson Rd. turning to meet Robins Ave. at Snow Hill Rd. This discussion is all a roundabout way of saying that I can see a time in the near future when we will all be safer as we travel along this portion of Snow Hill Rd., which is almost a daily occurrence for me.