Author: cscia

The June Caper is out and summer is officially approaching us. The beaches are getting busy, the boats are back in the water, and the calendar is packed — which is exactly how we like it.

The big news, of course, is that the Strawberry Festival is this Saturday, June 6th. The parade kicks off at the firehouse at 10am and the festivities run through the day at the Clubhouse and Main Beach. It’s one of the Cape’s signature traditions and a tremendous amount of work goes into it every year — a huge thanks to Mary Lamb and the entire festival team for pulling it together. Come out, enjoy the day, and support the organizations participating. The full details are at cscstrawberryfestival.com. (And a reminder from Town Manager Frank Tewey: additional parking restrictions will be in place during the festival — don’t make him tow your car!)

President Thor Harris covers several other important items. He gives a shoutout to the collaborative effort that restored the Swim Club path — CSCSC, CSCIA, Anne Arundel County, and the Cape Conservation Corps all had a hand in it, with Philippe Ourisson deserving particular credit for keeping that project moving. This month’s Volunteer Spotlight features Stacey Wildberger of the CCC, and the Association is also recognizing Leslie Coble from the CSCIA front office — one of those indispensable behind-the-scenes people who keeps the whole operation running. If you know someone who deserves recognition, send a nomination to [email protected].

Town Manager Frank Tewey has a few reminders as we head into peak season. Those SAND colored parking stickers are now in effect and must be affixed to the outside of your vehicle — and guest passes are not valid for trailering at Deep Creek on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays without a Cape resident present. Beach Attendants are trained and on duty for the summer, so please be courteous and cooperative with them. On the infrastructure side, the groundbreaking for the new fire station officially happened April 29th, the Deep Creek pier replacement is nearly complete, and the Association voted to purchase a mower and trailer so the maintenance crew can handle the 20+ acres of CSCIA property in-house. Finally, a reminder to leave the fireworks to the professionals — ground-based sparklers and snappers are the only things legal under Maryland law, and our veterans and pets will thank you for it. The next Quarterly Membership Meeting is Tuesday, July 28th at 7:30pm at the Clubhouse.

In Community News, Cape St. Claire Garden club wants to thank everyone for supporting their Annual Plant Sale in May. Their April and May Yard of The Month winners have been thrilled to receive their $25 gift cards from Cape ACE. Their meetings take a pause in July and August but will resume in September. More details can be found on page 6.

Looking to add a float to the July 4th parade? See the sign up sheet on page 7. All are welcome.

Cape Conservation Corps will be at the Strawberry Festival giving away free milkweed plants. They’re also running a Mosquito Bucket Challenge — free buckets and supplies will be available at the festival and at Cape Vibes. It’s a simple, pollinator-friendly alternative to pesticide spraying, and the CCC article in the Caper lays out exactly why the county’s mosquito fogging program has real limitations against the Asian tiger mosquito. Worth a read. Speaking of Cape Conservation Corps, Stacey Wildberger is June’s Cape St. Claire Volunteer Spotlight recipient. As someone who knows her well, she could win this award every month. Her steady commitment to conservation continues to strengthen the community. Please see page 8 and read all about it.

Goshen Farm has a full summer lined up. Their free Friday Night Concert Series kicks off June 26th, and there’s a Pollinators at the Apiary class on June 27th. Check their website or Facebook for details and registration.

Cape Vibes returns to Main Beach on June 27th from 4-7pm. Thanks as always to Charlie Corliss for keeping the music going.
Mark your calendar: the Maryland Primary Election is June 23rd — and yes, the Clubhouse is a polling place. The next Quarterly Membership Meeting is Tuesday, July 28th at 7:30pm.

See you around the Cape! (And at the festival!)

If there’s one thing that is predictable this time of year, it’s that the weather will be highly unpredictable. Those thinking we were going to slide into summer after a warm spring were mistaken. The 80’s from a few weeks ago were merely a tease for what has amounted to jacket weather again. Frustrating. All we can do it prepare for the warmer temperatures – this new Caper gets us doing that.

Thor has a lot to say this month in his Presidential and all of it is important. He talks about the recent clearing activity at the Cape St. Claire fire station. This station has been a staple of the community since 1955. It’s long overdue and we’re all so glad that it’s finally happening. Thor also thanks the Anne Arundel County Department of Public Works, County Executive Steuart Pittman and District 5 County Council member Amanda Fielder and the many other stakeholders for moving that project along.

In a new set of features (with this old board member LOVES!) Thor takes a minute to highlight those in the community who work hard behind the scenes. This month, he thanks Becky Benner and the team at Goshen Farm who played an important role in supporting the mitigation efforts tied to the new fire station. See page 8 to learn about the huge efforts that Becky has given in service to the community. Also, in another new feature, he announces the first Cape Cornerstone, featuring Cape Ace Hardware and its owner, Melissa Wade Ward. (See page 15)

Frank Tewey, in this Town Manager message, mentions the new SAND colored parking stickers that went out this year. Make sure they are affixed to your vehicles so you can continue to enjoy the Cape amenities. Also, he reminds everyone that Beach Attendants will be out soon – please mind your manners. The next Quarterly Membership Meeting will be held on July 28th at 7:30pm at the clubhouse.

In community group news, the Cape St. Claire Garden Club wants to give a shoutout to their first Yard of the Month winners (see page 6) Also, set your calendar for Saturday May 2nd at the Clubhouse field from 8am to 2pm where they will be hosting their annual plant sale. See you there!

Goshen Farm will be hosting their Family Day on Saturday May 2nd from 10am to 2pm. Feel free to grab some plans at the Plant sale and then head over to Goshen to enjoy their hands on learning and family fun. Goshen has a very busy summer season coming up – check out the list of events on page 10.

Cape Conservation Corps is giving trees away again! Up to 25 lucky homeowners can apply for FREE trees, to be available for planting this fall. See their application on page 12 and get your tree!!

And – of course – the Mack Daddy of all events is right around the corner – the Strawberry Festival. All of the various sign up forms are available in this Caper as well as on the website for the festival. Details for the festival can also be found in this month’s Caper on page 7. Hope to see you there!

See you around the Cape!

Well… March did what March always does—gave us just enough nice days to make us believe spring is here, followed immediately by weather that says, “absolutely not.” Between the snow, sleet, and the annual Cape-wide debate of “Do I put the snow shovel away or not?”, it’s safe to say March kept things interesting. Despite Mother Nature’s identity crisis, the community didn’t slow down much (we never really do). Behind the scenes—and sometimes very much in front of them—the gears of community kept turning.

In Thor’s Presidential message, he reminds everyone about the upcoming CSCIA Quarterly Meeting being held on April 28th at 7:30pm at the clubhouse. At the meeting, the board will be discussing the Restoration Project concepts first introduced at the March 5th presentation. The restoration work being discussed is part of a long term effort to improve shoreline stability, environmental resilience, and stormwater management across several important locations in the Cape. He also begins his new segment in his message called Volunteer Spotlight. Volunteers are the backbone of the community and Thor plans on celebrating monthly those who contribute the quietest. This month he talks about Jimmy Lamb and highlights everything he does for the community on page 11.

The Town Manager’s message also reminds us about the upcoming meeting in April and also mentions those 2026 Maintenance fees that were due in March. Expect those passes to be mailed soon so keep an eye on those mailboxes.

In community news, the Garden Club is in the process of driving around and picking this year’s first winner of YARD OF THE MONTH. Also, starting on April 1st, you can start to pre-order trees, shrubs, and hanging baskets online at their store. They will also have blueberries, hydrangeas, gardenias …. whew… the list goes on and on. In addition they have t-shirt and sticker designs for you to purchase as well. Mark your calendar for their Annual Plant Sale coming on Saturday May 2nd from 8am to 2pm at the clubhouse field. More information on the Garden’s Club’s very busy April and May can be found on page 6 & 7.

Cape Conservation Corps has a jam packed schedule coming up. On April 1st they have an open house from 6-7pm and a raptor speaker event from 7-8pm at the clubhouse. April 22nd from 5-9pm is their Broadneck Grill fundraiser where 10% will go to CCC. On May 2nd from 9am – 12pm is their Free Native Shrub swap pickup… see details on page 8 for more details. On page 9, CCC has their Application for College Scholarship where they are offering one $1,000 scholarship for the school year

Not to be outdone, Goshen Farm is hosting monthly classes – in April, they are doing Hoop House & Hydroponics on Saturday April 11th, from 10am – 11:30am. In addition, on May 2nd from 10am to 2pm, they are hosting BHS Family day at Goshen Farm. See page 10 for more details.

BOOM – it’s that time of year!!! The Cape St. Claire Strawberry Festival will be held on June 6th 2026. If you’ve never experienced this great event, now is your chance. Check out page 12 or their website for all of the details on this annual community tradition. Page 15 has the signup form you will need to enter yourself in the parade so be sure to grab that if you’re interested.

Let’s get out there and enjoy the weather – enjoy the community and each other. Happy Spring time everyone. See you around the Cape.

I am all for a great snowstorm – ask anyone around the Cape who knows me but I can’t get behind this icy sleet bomb on top of that great snow that we’ve been dealing with. Then, factor in temperatures that are almost absurdly low for these parts and it’s been quite a week. While the roads were tricky, a big thank you to the plows for getting us dug out—at least as best as I think we can expect – that ice is like concrete. As our new President Adam “Thor” Harris notes, the storm certainly created some challenges, but it also gave us a chance to see the Cape’s resilience in action.

Speaking of our new President, a big welcome to Adam “Thor” Harris! In his first message, he shares his vision of stewardship—preserving what makes the Cape special while planning for the future. He also gives a well-deserved thank you to Jerome Zadera for his steady leadership over the last two years and to Cheri Fairchild for her nine years of service on the Board. You can read his full message on page 1. Note that the next Quarterly Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 28th at 7:30 PM.

Before we move on, we have to give a huge thanks to Jerome Zedara who has spent the last 2 years dedicating his time and energy as President of CSCIA. We owe him great thanks – “Thank you, Jerome.” – it’s a hard job and can often times (ok, mostly) be thankless.

Town Manager Frank Tewey has an important alert for everyone: Keep an eye out for the YELLOW maintenance fee postcards in your mail. These fees are due by March 1st, so please don’t lose that card!. If you need parking stickers or guest passes, you must fill out the vehicle info on the postcard. Frank also shares some great news about the Deep Creek pier project, which is nearing completion. Check out all the office details on page 3.

In Community News, our local organizations are hitting the ground running for 2026:

• Garden Club: They are hosting a talk on Pest Management on Feb. 3rd and celebrating their 51st Anniversary Dinner on March 3rd. See page 6 for more.
• Goshen Farm: Join them for a Genealogy Class on Feb. 28th and a special Black History Month event at the Severna Park Library on Feb. 7th. Full details are on page 7.
• Cape Conservation Corps: They are offering a “First Flowers in a Box” sale, featuring hard-to-find spring ephemerals to support early pollinators. Order info is on pages 8 & 9.

We also have a “Year in Review” photo spread on pages 12–14 that captures some great memories from the past year. Finally, mark your calendars for the 1st Annual Lillian Wilkinson-Mali Memorial Bingo on March 8th—proceeds go to a great cause!. You can find the flyer on page 19.

Happy reading, and stay warm!

December has come roaring in with cold temps and even a little bit of snow. I love it. It’s rare around here to get the white flakes this early, never take ’em for granted. The other good thing about December is the usual holiday madness. I for one am a Christmas nut – decorations galore, the smell of pine throughout my home and car, and the good times with friends and family. Sure it’s hectic at times but I truly wouldn’t have it any other way.

It’s time to get reflexive. In his final Presidential message, Jerome waxes poetic about the time he has spent as our fearless leader over the last 2 years. Cape rules dictate that he cannot serve more than 2 years in a row and so he must relinquish the spot to someone else. We thank him for his service to this great community. YOU should thank him too, he’s earned it, as someone who knows, it’s not an easy gig. Thank you, Jerome.

Frank reminds everyone that the annual maintenance fee renewal postcards will be mailed out in late December. Keep an eye on your mailbox for the yellow postcard. The maintenance fees are due March 1st. The next Annual Membership Meeting is set for January 13, 2026 at 7:30pm. Don’t miss it! Ballots for voting are available in this Caper. See page 14.

In Community News, the Garden Club’s first meeting will be Tuesday, January 27th. More information on their events for 2026 can be found on page 6.

Goshen Farm wishes everyone a Happy Holidays and wants to remind everyone that their 2026 Membership meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 21st 2026 at 7:30 at the Cape St. Claire Clubhouse and online. Voting will be help online from January 1st through the 20th. More details can be found on page 7.

Cape Conservation Corps gives a great 2025 in review which is loaded with great information. There are too many things to list here – it wouldn’t do it justice anyway. Make sure you visit page 8 & 9 to get up to speed.

Page 14-17 contain the budget and biographies of those running to continue to serve on the board in 2026 and onward. Make sure you read about the financial direction of CSCIA and the biographies of those who will serve again.

This issue is always packed with goodies and this one is no different. We announced the winner of the Calendar Photo contest, there’s a history of the candy cane and a great word search and a great announcement of our newest Eagle Scout. Don’t miss it!

See you around the Cape and Happy Holidays to all of you.