Roadside produce stand dot the highways, but even better are the farmers’ markets. Produce picked that morning; bread and pastries sometimes still warm; plants and cut flowers; honey and jams; local cheeses – who needs supermarkets when food’s this fresh? Each market has its regular customers and the weekly market is as much a community gathering as shopping experience. You catch up on the gossip, talk about the weather, give advice about cooking something unfamiliar. There’s something deeply satisfying about knowing the people who grow your food and taking home their harvest.

Here are all of the farmers’ markets in Delmarva. Grab a tote bag and wander. Even odds you will end up buying enough for a feast. So pick up a bottle of wine on the way home and invite your friends over.

DELAWARE:
Bethany Beach: Garfield Highway & Pennsylvania Ave. Sunday 8-12.
Delaware State University: State College Road (Near DSU Campus & DE Ag Museum) Sat 10-2
Fenwick Island: Coastal Highway & East Essex St. Monday/Friday 8-12
Georgetown: Town Park (North Bedford & Edward Streets) Friday 3-6
Harrington: Byler’s Supermarket Parking Lot (Rt. 13S) Thursday 1-6
Lewes: Historical Society Complex (110 Shipcarpenter St.) Sat. 8-12 (At Shields Elementary School 6/25,7/9,8/6,10/1)
Milford: Riverwalk Park (N. Walnut St.) Saturday 9-1
Milton: 624 Mulberry St. Friday 3-7
Rehoboth: Grove Park. Tues. 12-4
Seaford: W. Sussex Boys & Girls Club (310 Virginia Ave.) Sat. 8:30-12

MARYLAND
Berlin: Atlantic General Hospital (9733 Healthway Dr.) Thurs. 12-4
North Main St. Wed. 10-3; Fri. 10-3
Cambridge: Main Street (Academy & Muir St.) Tues. 8-7; Thurs. 3-6
Centreville: Lawyer’s Row. Wed. 9-1; Sat 9-1
Chestertown: Park Row at Fountain Park. Wed. 12-5; Sat. 9-12
Denton: St. Luke’s United Methodist Church (Franklin & 5th St.) Tuesday 8-12
Main Street Market (4th & Gray) Wednesday 3-6
Easton: Parking lot on Harrison St. Wed 8-1; Sat. 8-1
Ocean City: Phillips Parking Lot (142nd & Coastal Highway)
Tues. 8-1; Thurs. 8-1; Sat. 8-1; Sun. 8-1
Pocomoke: 3 Market St. Fri. 7-1
Princess Anne: Manokin River Park. Thurs. 3-6
St. Michaels: Muskrat Park. Sat. 8:30-11
Salisbury: Asbury Methodist Church, Camden Ave. Tues. 3-6 (open year round)
Parking lot on E. Market by the river. Sat. 8-1
Snow Hill: Municipal Parking Lot. Tues. 2-6
VIRGINIA
Cape Charles: 110 Blue Heaven Rd. Sat. 1-5
Cheriton: Main. St. Sat. 9-1
Chincoteague: 4113 Main St. Wed/Sat 9-12

They are gone now. The Diamond State Drive-in in Felton went dark a couple of years ago, and the deteriorating sign for a drive-in near Ocean City is rusting in the brush on Rt. 50. But the lure of watching films in the fresh air instead of in a metroplex has led to a revival of outdoor viewing. A lot of Delmarva communities are using portable screens to show movies outside on summer nights.  All the films are family-friendly. Bring your own lawn chair and snacks. (And bug spray.)

CRISFIELD: Movies on the Dock. June 25, July 9, 23 August 6, 20. 9 pm at the dock. http://www.crisfieldevents.com

DEWEY BEACH: Monday Movies on the Beach.  June 20-August 29. 8:30 at Dagsworthy Street and the Beach. http://www.beach-fun.com

EASTON: Cinema by Starlight. Fridays, July 1- August 26.  8:30 at Brewers Lane by N. Harrison St. (Across from the parking lot used for the Farmers’ Market) http://www.theavalonfoundation.com

LEWES: Cinema by the Canal. Thursday June 16, July 21, August 18 8:30 at Canalfront Park

OCEAN CITY: Monday & Friday, 8:30 at 27thy St. and the Beach; 8:30 Thursdays at Princess Royale Hotel on 91st St.; Wednesdays at the Carousel Hotel on 117th St. and the beach. http://www.ococean.com

REHOBOTH BEACH: Cinema by the Surf. Thursday July 7, August 11. 8:30 at the Bandstand. http://www.rehobothfilm.com

June 3: First Friday, Chestertown/Easton. Shops, galleries open late. Artist receptions. Specials at shops and restaurants.  5-9 pm.
Art League of Ocean City. Monthly reception and show at the gallery, 94th Street, OC. 410-524-9433.

June 4-5
Ocean to Bay Bike Ride for MS. Begins and ends in Cape Charles. Over 600 riders through the back roads and towns of the Virginia Shore.  Free shuttle from host hotels. 757-490-9627. http://www.bikevax.nationalmssociety.org

June 4
Music in the Park. EVERY SATURDAY THROUGH THE SUMMER. Fountain Park, Chestertown. 7-8:30 pm. Bring something to sit on and enjoy the concert. Rain location: Emmanuel Episcopal Chuch.

Patuxent Partners. High lonesome Bluegrass from a popular duo. Prince Theater. 8pm. $10. http://www.princetheatre.org

Fishing Derby, Martinak State Park. 9-12. Fishing, arts & crafts, lunch, refreshements. $5 registration. 410-479-8120

Grape Blossom Festival, Layton’s Chance Winery, Vienna. MD. Enjoy wines from 4 of the Eastern Shore’s wineries: Layton’s Chance, Bordeleau, Costa Ventosa, Fenwick Wine Cellar. Live music, food by the Rescue Fire Company of Cambridge. $20. http://www.laytonschance.com

14th Annual Wings and Wheels for Sight, Bay Bridge Airport, Stevensville. 10-4. Antique and classic cars, motorcycles, airplanes, and helicopters. Model rocket display, remote control airplanes. Airplane and helicopter rides. $10 per carload admission.  Proceeds benefit sight-related charities. 410-604-1141

22nd Annual Strawberry Festival and Craft Show, St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, Easton. 10-5. 410-745-2534.

Clean the Bay, various locations throughout the Virginia Eastern Shore. Clean the beaches and trails of trash, cigarette butts, plastic bags, soda cans, and other debris. 9-12. Bags and gloves provided at some locations. Kiptopeke State Park contact 757-331-2267. Other locations: http://www.cdf.org

Old West Festival, Chincoteague. Robert Reed Waterfront Park. 10-5. Live music, best dressed cowboy/cowgirl contest. Western reenactments. 757-336-6271,

June 5-11
Rehoboth Restaurant Week. Twenty restaurants on Delaware’s Culinary Coast offering $25 7 $30 prix-fixe meals. List of restaurants at http://www.downtownrehoboth.com. 302-227-2772

June 5-19
26th Annual Chesapeake Chamber Music Festival. 13 events, 17 artists, 6 concerts, 5 artist recitals, 2 rehearsals open to the public. In Easton and other mid-Shore locations. 410-819-0380. http://www.chesapeakechambermusic.org

Ocean City Restaurant Week. Participating restaurants offer fixed price meals. For a list of restaurants, http://www.oceancityrestaurantweek.com. 410-289-6733.

June 6-7
Creepy Crawlers Program, Chesapeake Environmental Center, Grasonville. Program for kids 1-5 years old held the first Monday and Tuesday of the month.  10-11:15am. Activities include story time, walk, craft, live animals, scavenger hunt, snack. Kid must be accompanied by an adult. $5 registration per child. 410-827-6694. http://www.bayrestoration.org

June 9
Thursdays at the Park, Millstream Park, Centreville. 7-9pm. Enjoy a variety of music each week. Bring a lawn chair. 410-758-2520.

June 10-12
MD Watermen’s Association Rockfish Tournament. Head out with the fleet or just watch the daily weigh-in at 4 pm. (Probably lots of rockfish specials at the local restaurants, too.) Top prize: $10K. Rock Hall. http://www.marylandwatermen.com

Paddle Clash 2011 – Games on the Eastern Shore. Martinak State Park, Denton. Weekend of wet fun, starting with games on Friday night (bring glow-sticks). Saturday is paddle races, ball games on the water, skill games for paddlers. $15 registration includes a community dinner, but not camping fees. 410-820-1668. Camping info: 1-888-432-2267.

June 10
Cruise In and Outdoor Movie, Denton. Classic cars on Market Street, DJ spinning classic oldies, then an outdoor movie. Fittingly, it’s The Gumball Rally. Bring your own lawn chair or blanket and munchies. 6-10pm. 410-479-1545.

2nd Saturday art stroll, Onancock. 5-9 pm. Galleries, stores, open late. Special events.

June 11-12
“Gardens by the Sea” Tour, Stevensville. 10-4. Self-guided tour of waterfront gardens on Kent Island and surrounding area. Docents are at each garden, plein air artists and live music at some locations. $20 for both days. Tickets at Kent Island Federation of Arts or on-line. 410-643-7424. http://www.kifa.us

June 11
Second Saturday, Cambridge, Rehoboth Beach, Chincoteague.  5-9pm. Stores and galleries open late. Special events, artist receptions.

30th Annual Bay Music Festival, Centreville, Queen Anne’s 4-H Park. 2-10pm. Blues, rock & roll, Bluegrass, rockabilly. $25 at the gate, $19 in advance. Ticket locations and performer list at http://www.baymusicfestival.com

Sundaes at Sunset, Layton’s Chance Winery, Vienna. Enjoy a scoop with a dollop of Joes Cool Red (chocolate for the kids). http://www.laytonschance.com

Wicomico County Geocaches Dash, Pemberton Park, Salisbury, 8-5. Hi-tech scavenger hunt using hand-held GPS. Find 22 ‘caches.’ Prizes, awards. Free. Intro ‘course’ at 8 am at Pemberton Park. 410-548-4914. Crab feast party afterward. Charge for that.

Quilt & Art Festival. Cadbury at Lewes. 10-4. Handcraft works: photography, watercolors, wood working, pottery, jewelry, fabric art, and many beautiful quilts. 302-644-7998. http://www.cadbury.org/foundation

Even the most ardent non-believer enjoys a good ghost story, and there will be plenty of those. Andy Nunez, author of three books about ghosts on the Eastern Shore, will be there, as will Russ Noratel whose book is about haunted places in Ellicott City.

Jonathan Williams, the Executive Director of the International Museum of Spiritual Investigations in Gettysburg is also coming. I met him a few weeks ago while in Gettysburg (reportedly one of the most haunted places on earth). The display at his museum traces spirituality and ghost beliefs around the world and throughout history, which makes the field of study more credible. (Did you know that Thomas Edison was working on a machine to make contact with those who’ve ‘passed?’  Or that King Charles II had an official ghost hunter/spiritualist?) There’s also an exhibit about paranormal photograph – how they are faked and how his group verifies them.

The setting at the Riverside Inn is perfect for the conference, since there are many stories about strange goings-on. Might be that the otherworldly residents will be attending the conference themselves (and getting away with not paying the registration fee.) Both Friday and Saturday nights, there will be a ghost hunt in the hotel with the investigators breaking out all of their devices which detect electromagnetic energy, take photos, and record sounds at unusual frequencies. (I went on a hunt in Gettysburg – not with Jonathan but another investigating group. I’m not saying this place was haunted, but there were some things that had no logical explanation…)

Doors open at 9 AM on Saturday. Admission is $20 for one day. The only activity listed for Friday is the ghost hunt. There’s a breakfast with the speakers on Sunday. More details are at the conference website: http://delmarvaparacon.webs.com/

It didn’t happen. Although he dined at legendary restaurant on food prepared by culinary masters, spending more on a single dinner than a family of four spends on a month’s groceries, he had only one meal which met his criteria, but it did not leave him feeling superbly and sublimely satisfied.

Which got me thinking about “what makes the perfect meal?” Does it depend on expensive ingredients and exotic techniques? Elegant surroundings? And if you do have a ‘perfect’ meal, do you never eat again because all else will be a disappointment?

Or is there something else that makes a meal memorable? As a travel writer, I’ve enjoyed meals at some fabulous places, but I honestly can’t remember many of them. What I do remember are some of the occasions and the people. Like one of my first press trips. It was in Florida. It was one of those rare occasions when you met a group of total strangers but before you’ve left the airport parking lot, you decided that you’d known and liked each other in a past life. Our last night was at a restaurant overlooking a lake. It was prom night and the kids were all there in tuxes and gowns, glowing with the excitement of the evening. When the wait staff handed us the dessert menu, we laughed and asked for one of each. Within minutes, a lazy Susan appeared on the table with one of every dessert and a spoon for each of us. I don’t even recall the desserts, although I’m sure that much chocolate was involved. But that was close to a perfect meal.

Living on the Chesapeake, we have lots of those meals. The first time my father met my soon-to-be husband – a Long Islander by birth. Hey, it’s not his fault! – there was some sizing up to be done. Ron is an engineer (“You’ll never starve”) and he drank his Jack Daniels straight (ice in good whiskey is an abomination). We were going to my sister’s for crabs that night. “Do you know how to pick crabs?” “Once you show me, I will.” Over a bushel of crabs and beer, they bonded. Or the time we took our British friend Nigel to The Red Roost on the 4th of July. Nigel used to captain supertankers. He’s eaten at every port in the world, but he’d never seen a steamed crab, much less eaten one. So we picked crabs as we watched the fireworks. Or my habit of taking a box or three of Berger cookies to every horseback riding clinic I attend and sharing them with new (and old) riding friends. Introducing a visiting farrier from Tennessee to stuffed rockfish at Boonies. The annual pot-luck for the CSA held at Westside Community Center in Tyaskin where everyone brings something made from veggies and chickens grown by local farmers.

When the kayak trails opened on Smith Island, a ferry full of media types and dignitaries cruised out to the island for a day’s paddling. When we arrived, the islanders greeted us with lunch: crab cakes made from crustaceans who’d been swimming in the Chesapeake that morning, homemade slaw, corn-on-the-cob, iced tea, and – of course – many varieties of Smith Island cake. We ate on picnic tables overlooking the Bay, enjoying each other’s company and the day’s adventure. The breeze was cool; the clouds were scuttling across the sky, the seagulls loudly reminding us that they were available for leftovers. If that wasn’t perfect, it was as close as I need to come. Who needs Michelin stars when the Bay is shining in the sunlight?

Trails are anywhere from three to 17 miles long. (That’s 1 to 6 hours in the saddle for the equestrian-speed-conversion challenged.) All of the trails are on private land, and a lot has to be said for folks who are willing to have a cavalry riding across their property, no matter how good the cause. Their largess makes the ride a pure delight as the trails go along the edges of wheat fields, through glades lined with sweet-scented honeysuckle, into dense woods on narrow bushwhacked passages, and around ponds where turtles watch from half-submerged logs.

The work crews donate many hot, hard, tick-and-bug infested hours laying out, troubleshooting, clearing, and marking the trails so that no one gets lost or hurt. The office staff makes sure there’s a campsite or corral for everyone, and the kitchen crew makes sure there’s enough BBQ chicken to feed the mob of hungry riders on Saturday night. All of this for the modest registration fee of $35. All proceeds going to the fire & rescue company.

The next ride is the weekend of September 24. Registration opens in mid-June. Check out details at http://www.easternshoretrailride.com. I’ll be there. Look for the red Durango with the red bumper-pull (one sharp looking rig if I say so myself) and the big Dutch Warmblood with the Tobiano Tail. Happy trails!

It’s not that the artwork wasn’t good or that the show was not well-planned. It’s just that there are way too many of these little, local shows. Every town with an artists’ group has its own show which features maybe a dozen artists, some crafts, a few souvenir-type things, and a hamburger stand. The budget for publicity is small, so there are a few flyers put up at local shops, posts on the community website, and some word of mouth. The local residents turn ou, but they are generally not buying anything. They are there to visit with their friends and provide visible support.

It’s sad, because the artists set up hoping to make a few sales and maybe start a following or get invited to bigger shows. But there is simply too much competition and too little publicity. Even if tourists want to find and support the small shows, they don’t know where or when they are. And if the shows which are geographically near each other are not scheduled at the same time, it’s another obstacle to success. People aren’t going to drive from Onancock to Denton to Lewes on one afternoon. So a lot of hard work by organizers and participants goes for nothing.

I have an idea that might help. Take a cue from Kent County and Southern Delaware. They have ‘studio tours’ – weekends which are dedicated to self-guided driving tours to the studios of artists throughout their areas. They are well-publicized and draw over a thousand people each weekend who enjoy viewing art and are happy to trek through the area to visit the studios.

Why not do something similar for the small art shows and festivals? If the organizers of the little events get together and choose a common weekend, they can pool their resources, get a little more coverage, and maybe draw in other businesses who might participate (special deals at local restaurants; packages at a B&B). It might be smart to set it up geographically: this weekend Talbot and Dorchester Counties; next weekend, Kent and Caroline. It could evolve into planning a month of ‘Arts Weekends’ on the Shore. 

It’s disappointing to see a lot of good art go unnoticed. Maybe re-thinking the way the art shows are scheduled and run may bring in more visitors and help the artists and their communities.

“Go Wild, Go Birding” is the theme at the Refuge. The migratory birds are still passing through on their way north, and this is a chance to see the last of them. There is an early morning bid walk planned, as well as wildlife crafts including soap carving sponsored by the Ward Museum, wildlife artists displaying their works, and live animals from the Salisbury Zoo, Pocomoke Discovery Center, and Pocomoke State Park. Bus tours of the island and tours of the lighthouse are scheduled, too. It runs from 9-4. Info at 757-336-6122.

Over at the park, the focus is on living ecologically, with the stage for live music using solar panels for power, environmental energy displays, and bicycle-powered spin art. There’s a sale of artwork made from recycled materials and information and sale of organic food at the farmers’ market. There’s even a pre-schooler play area run by the local pre-school mom support group. The event runs from 10-4. It’s all put on by http://www.Chincoteagueculturalalliance.org.

The buds are the blooming flowers that are brightening the landscape. The bugs are ladybugs – Delaware’s state insect and a vital part of the ecology as they cheerfully nibble their weight in aphids that strike at the buds. So the Festival is a celebration of a perfect symbiotic relationship.

‘Lest you think this is an afternoon of scientific treatises and informational displays, far from it! There are gardening experts and flower vendors and tree seedlings will be given away, but mostly, this is fun. Like the costume parade with participants judged on their best ‘bug’ and ‘tree’ outfits; an art show, over 100 vendors, bug-decorated paddle boats, and stand-up paddling.

The Bud & Big Fest runs from 9-4 on Saturday. For more information, http://www.downtownmilford.org

Naturalists say over 400 species of warblers, shorebirds, waterfowl, and raptors either live here or stop by on their way to other nesting and feeding areas. Last year, 204 species of birds were definitely sighted during the weekend. The organizers have set up boat trips, paddling trips, and walking treks through marshlands, waterways, woods, and grasslands – all the Shore habitats – for an ornithological overload.

On Friday and Saturday, there are Tally Rallies, as birders compare their personal checklists against the master list of all birds ever sighted on the Shore. Friday’s is at Dogfish Head Brewing in Rehoboth from 5-7; Saturday’s at Angler Restaurant in Ocean City at the same time. In addition, this is the weekend of the Ward World Championship Wildfowl Carving Competition at the O.C. Convention Center. Birders may well see species there that they missed in the wild, but they can’t count them on their checklist.

For a full schedule and other information, http://www.delmarvabirding.org