Page 6 - May 2021 Issue.indd

Photo above: Smith Island

Cake. Photo left: 1978 Caroline
County fl ag.

“Official” Caroline County Symbols

wrong has been righted, in the meantime
by Chad Dean I should proffer county residents move

in a different direction. Let’s have some

fun with the idea and Cloward-Piven
eing the devoted residents on the letterhead of government statio- the system with a litany of legislative
you are, I am sure all of nery today. For whatever reason, and requests. To wit:
you can without thinking there are myriad persistent rumors, the

instantly name the official flag accompanying this article was never The last time I checked, Maryland has
Bbird, flower, and tree of adopted. Instead, the Caroline County designated a total of 25 offi cial symbols.
Caroline County. For the rest of the Commissioners, during the Maryland Some of them are immediately recogniz-
reading audience, we acknowledge the 350th anniversary celebration year of able as celebrating what makes us special

Eastern bluebird, the field daisy, and 1984, opted to hoist a far less creative or at least different: the Baltimore Oriole
the sweet gum as iconically local and version: they simply slapped the county as the state bird, the blue crab as the state
representative of what is naturally abun- seal on a green background and called it crustacean, and the Chesapeake Bay

dant here. a day. That pedestrian banner has been retriever as the state dog make ubiqui-
regretfully used as our flag ever since. tous sense to be so codifi ed. Th e same

Additionally, there is an offi cial county Boring. goes for the rockfish as the state fish,
seal that adorns our current fl ag. Th is, the Black-eyed Susan as the state fl ower,
however, is where the story gets murky. While I would love to see the 1978 and the skipjack as the state boat. Others,
In 1978, a contest was held to design the design take its rightful place among the such as the state dinosaur (astrodon),

fi rst-ever offi cial flag of Caroline County. other official symbols of Caroline, and I are the result of overzealous legislators

Yet the winning entry is not what is seen may have to seek elected offi ce to make acting on behalf of school children put
flying atop county buildings, on the sides that happen or at least stage a one-man up to “lobbying” the General Assembly

of public works vehicles, and displayed protest on the courthouse green until the for the designation as a civics lesson and
are largely a waste of taxpayer dollars.

There is a middle ground and that’s where
RTC GENERATOR SERVICES LLC my continued emphasis on promot-
ing and marketing Caroline County
as a tourism destination comes to call
410-829-5100 this month. Smith Island in Somerset
service@rtcgenerator.com County understands how the game is
rtcgenerator.com played. While their eponymous cake
has been a waterman’s delight there for
over a century at least according to local
Generator Service & Repair lore, the staple sweet only became offi cial
Maintenance Contracts as the state dessert in 2008. Suddenly
everyone had to take a boat out to Smith
Generator Cleaning
Island to try the cake or at least sample
Loadbank Service some when available in regional super-
markets and bakeries. One could argue
Residential • Commercial • Industrial that such a demand was artificially
Licensed & Insured generated, or astroturfed, if you will,

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