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The newsletter of the Beach to Bay Heritage Area features something new each month. Get anecdotes, read stories, tour heritage sites and win prizes! We will bring you all the ways of the residents and visitors to the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland.

April 2021 OurWays:

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Plans Begin to Restore Green Hill Church

The Green Hill Church Committee seeks to restore the historic 1733 brick Green Hill Church in order to make it accessible and available to the public as a heritage tourism destination. The Green Hill Church Preservation Plan will look at both the interior and exterior of the church. The committee's long-term goal is to offer public programming and regular use of the site. But this can't happen until some of the structural and capital improvements can be identified and corrected. A historic preservation architect has been engaged to draft a preservation plan that will guide and prioritize phases of restoration work, including looking at ADA compliance, conducting in-depth research on the structure and its history, presenting recommendations on future use and drafting a plan for long-term maintenance. The preservation plan will also address the development of interpretive programs and public uses of the church, which would broaden public participation at the site. The completion of the plan will position the site to regularly host public events, tours, liturgical ceremonies and special events such as concerts or recitals. Learn more about Green Hill Church.

Beach to Bay Heritage Area Adds Two New Heritage Sites

The Beach to Bay Heritage Area has added two new heritageresources to our existing state-certified boundary. Included in the boundary amendment is the Mt. Zion United Methodist Church on Polks Road in Somerset County. Built in 1887, the church is on the National Register of Historic Places. The second boundary amendment includes the West Ocean City Commercial Harbor,which supports the seafood industry in the region and serves as an important venue for events such as Harbor Day at the Docks. Both of these sites will now be eligible for Maryland Heritage Area Authority grants.

March 2021 OurWays:

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Berlin Heritage Foundation receives mini-grant for oral histories

The Berlin Heritage Foundation / Calvin B Taylor House Museum is creating an archive of local oral histories through audio and video recording of people's stories related to their life and experiences living in Berlin. From these oral histories the museum curator will identify areas for future exhibits. The curator will also look for connections between existing artifacts in the collection and experiences shared in these oral histories. The second phase of the project will consist of creating interactive exhibits allowing visitors to interact with the oral history recordings at various displays throughout the museum.

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We are proud to say Chesapeake Country Scenic Byway has been elevated to All-American Road status!

Federal Highway Administration announced on February 16, 49 new designations to the America's Byways collection, including 15 All-American Roads (AAR) and 34 National Scenic Byways (NSB) in 28 states.

We are celebrating the designation of the Chesapeake Country All-American Road, a more than 400-mile route from Chesapeake City to Smith Island (pictured above), with side routes continuing onto many key places of interest throughout the shore.

The inclusion of the Chesapeake Country All-American Road in the National Scenic Byways network will open new doors for federal funding that can help our communities preserve, showcase and monetize our historic, cultural, natural, recreational and tourism resources.

February 2021 OurWays:

Beach to Bay Receives Grant from the Humphreys Foundation

We are so excited to join forces with the Humphreys Foundation to further build our library of virtual tours for our museums, historic sites, and our beautiful heritage area. Humphreys Foundation has awarded us $10,000 in funding to advance these efforts.

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Grants available for properties important to African American history and culture in Maryland

The Maryland Commission on African American Heritage and Culture and the Maryland Historical Trust are hosting webinars for prospective applicants for the African American Heritage Preservation Program (AAHPP). Grants are competitively awarded for construction projects on properties important to African American history and culture in Maryland. Learn more about the program at their website.

Applications will be available April 1, 2021 on MHT's website and will be due July 1, 2021.

They will host three workshops – two general program overview sessions and one proposal-writing 101 session. Webinars are free and open to the public.

- Thursday, April 1, 2021 from 10-11:30am: General Overview
- Wednesday, April 7, 2021 from 1:30-3pm: General Overview
- Wednesday, April 14, 2021 from 1:30-3pm: Proposal-Writing 101

Visit the AAHPP website to register for a webinar. Access links will be emailed to registrants the day before each session.

January 2021 OurWays:

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Mini-grant Spotlight:
Purnell Museum's new exhibit takes a local look at past medical epidemics

Each month we hope to bring you a feature on one of our successful mini-grant applicants. This month meet the Julia A. Purnell Museum and their new exhibit they will be introducing this spring: Epidemic: A Local History of Medical Crisis.