A Morning of Birding!

Birding the Fields & Trails

of Sotterley

 

Sunday, September 28th

8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

 

Leaders:

David Moulton and Michael Patterson
 

Join us for a fall excursion of birding at Sotterley! David Moulton and Michael Patterson will lead you through our extensive new trail system, which is home to Bald Eagles, migrant songbirds, and lingering meadowlarks and sparrows. Beginners welcome!

The Southern Maryland Audubon Society, David Moulton, Michael Patterson, and Sotterley are teaming up once again to offer this fascinating birding walk.

 

Please RSVP to David at:
moulton.davidh@gmail.com or 240-278-4473

Interested in other birding efforts?
Please click this link to read about Bringing Back the Barn Owls!

See you at Sotterley!
 

Call for Volunteers for WineFest!

Calling All Volunteers!

The 12th Annual Riverside WineFest will be held 
on October 4 & 5, 2014!

If you are able to volunteer, please respond by email and let me know which day and shift you would like to work. All volunteers will be sent their shift information, parking pass, and event details the week of WineFest. Our shifts are approximately as follows: (times will vary depending on location):

Saturday, October 4th
10:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
2:00 - 6:00 p.m.

Sunday, October 5th 
10:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
2:00 - 6:00 p.m.
 
Anyone who works a complete shift will be given:  a free admission ticket and a Sotterley tasting glass for unlimited tasting! 

The ticket may be used any time on either day, but NOT during or immediately prior to their shift. (Must be 21 or older with a valid ID). 

Please help us by spreading the word to your family, friends and coworkers who would also enjoy volunteering at this event! 

Thank you in advance and please let me know if you have any questions.  
Stacey Svendgard 
coordinator@sotterley.org

Making History in August!

Making History in August! Sotterley Barn Bash! Friday, August 22, 2014 5:00 p.m. gates open 6:00 p.m. music begins  Need a fun family-friendly night out with live music and dancing? "The Country Memories Band" will be at Sotterley on Friday, August 22, 2014 with the goal of delighting you and yours with traditional country favorites and golden oldies ... and getting you all out on the dance floor! This Southern Maryland band has earned a strong following over the past 14 years; once you hear them, you will become part of the following. Did you know? Sotterley's very own Joe Goldsmith is one of the band members! So come on down Sotterley Lane and let your hair down with family and friends, as you enjoy songs made famous by Merle Haggard, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Conway Twitty, Patsy Cline, Tammy Wynette, Loretta Lynne and many other country legends.    Admission: $5.00 per person at the gate. Food by Lenny's Restaurant; beer and wine for purchase. Seeking Riverside WineFest at Sotterley Sponsors & Advertisers October 4 & 5 Noon until 6pm both days  The 12th Annual Riverside WineFest at Sotterley is coming up on Saturday and Sunday, October 4 and 5, 2014 and we have many exciting opportunities for companies and individuals to join us as sponsors and advertisers for the event. Sponsors and advertisers will benefit from this excellent exposure to a large and diverse audience of thousands; Sotterley benefits by being able to continue our important mission of preserving, researching and interpreting the Plantation's diverse cultures and environments, and to serve the world as a public education and cultural resource.  Your Support Matters! Support the Riverside WineFest at Sotterley through sponsorship, advertising in our 2014 full-color program, or both! To become a WineFest Sponsor, please contact Nate Ryon, Development Manager: development@sotterley.org. And don't forget ~ WineFest Sponsors receive a discount on advertising! To advertise in the WineFest program, please contact Eileen Miller, Marketing Manager: marketing@sotterley.org. For more information, we welcome your phone call: 301-373-2280.     Speaker Series #5 Admiral Stephen Rochon "Called to Serve: Over 40 Years Journey   from The Customs House  to The White House & Beyond" Wednesday, August 27 7:00 p.m. in the Barn Admiral Rochon has had a long, impressive career; from being a highly decorated military officer, to his work as Head Usher of The White House, and recently, The White House consultant and advisor for the #1 box office hit movie, Lee Daniels' "The Butler." In his presentation at Sotterley, ADM Rochon will speak about his personal journey as both Head Usher during the Bush and Obama administrations and his consultation on this well-known film.He is now a private consultant, speaker, and writer.    This event is FREE to the public. Advance reservations are required due to limited seating. Call 301-373-2280 to make your reservation. Because of the generous grant and continued support from The Boeing Company, Sotterley Plantation is able to offer this important community outreach, fulfilling its mission to preserve, research, and interpret Sotterley Plantation's diverse cultures and environments and to serve the world as an educational, cultural, and community resource. ~ The Sotterley Farmer's Market ~ Sotterley has always had strong ties to our Southern Maryland farming community, having been a working farm during all of its 300 year existence. This year we will further strengthen these ties as we proudly announce the unveiling of the Sotterley Farmer's Market - a producer only farmer's market! Every Saturday between 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. running from May 24 through September 27, 2014, the public is invited to the Sotterley Plantation grounds to shop local. After buying wonderful local produce we have, we hope our guests will also stay in order to take advantage of our site's beauty, nature trails, and history. Visitors need only to check in at the Visitor Center, then they can enjoy themselves hiking and touring the site - and remember that Sotterley members get in free! And also new for 2014, your furry friends are welcome on our nature trails (on a leash, please)! Coming up in September Speaker Series #6 Michael J. Kurtz Monuments Men Wednesday, September 17 7:00 p.m. in the Barn Nazis sought to obliterate the cultural heritage of the Jewish people and others who were considered "inferior races."Mr. Kurtz's presentation is based on his book, "America and the Return of Nazi Contraband: The Recovery of Europe's Cultural Treasures." Books will be available for purchase. This event is FREE to the public. Advance reservations are required due to limited seating. Call 301-373-2280 to make your reservation.

Boeing’s Day of Service Brightens Up Sotterley

Sotterley exists due to the generosity of a community that cares, and gifts to Sotterley come in many packages: monetary donations, in-kind donations of goods and services, volunteer hours, etc. On Saturday, July 26th, we received a wonderful gift of time and talents from The Boeing Company when Sotterley was selected for Boeing's Global Month of Service project.

A team of Boeing employees came dressed to work first thing in the morning, and promptly began the task at hand: to prime and repaint two of Sotterley's historic buildings located just behind the Visitor Center. One building, the Creamery, is used by our Junior Docents as they greet visitors and share activities with them. The other building is located at the head of the Nature Trails, and Sotterley has plans to use this as a launching point for the trails with exhibits and information.  Both buildings were cleaned, primed, and most of a first coat finished before the end of Boeing’s day, and it has made such a striking difference!

Sotterley has a very lean operating budget and a small staff, and many maintenance and restoration projects can only take place when Sotterley is given the resources necessary complete important site and building preservation. Many companies and individuals have made projects come to fruition in the past several years, and The Boeing Company is the latest to put community first and has directly lent a helping hand. The Boeing Company also sponsors Sotterley's Speaker Series, and this continues to be a wonderful educational and cultural offering for Southern Maryland.

Our thanks to The Boeing Company and the many other organizations who believe that This Place Matters!

Effort to Bring Back Barn Owls

Southern Maryland Audubon, 

Sotterley Plantation

and SMECO 

Collaborate to Bring Back

Barn Owls to St. Mary's County

Are you a Barn Owl looking for a home? Thanks to an array of owl-friendly folks in Hollywood, MD, your housing options just increased.  A brand new Barn Owl Nest Box has been installed on private agricultural land adjacent to the Sotterley Plantation and it is ready for occupancy.

Barn Owls are nocturnal hunters and feed mainly on small mammals like voles and mice as well as small birds found in the fields and marshes. This medium sized owl has a heart-shaped face and screechy scream-like call and was once a common occurrence in St. Mary’s County.  But as farmland has been converted to development, or and fields turned over from fallow grassland to monoculture crops, this particular species of owl has become increasingly scarce in the Eastern United States. It is now listed as a Species of Concern in Maryland by the Department of Natural Resources due to the all time low numbers.

 photo courtesy of Mike Callahan

Now, thanks to the wildlife partnership collaboration of the Southern Maryland Audubon Society (SMAS), the Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative (SMECO), and Historic Sotterley, Inc., as well as Sotterley's  generous neighbor and landowner, the welcome mat has been laid out in St. Mary’s County for the next generation of Barn Owls.  SMAS has been working for several years to reverse the owl’s decline by placing Barn Owl nesting boxes on poles and barns in the bird’s historic breeding range here in Southern Maryland.  “We are currently unaware of any active breeding pairs in St. Mary’s County,” said Mike Callahan, Raptor Conservation Chairman for SMAS, who is directing the effort. “Several nesting boxes in Charles County have been active this year, and just three weeks ago a pair of Barn Owls successfully hatched young ones in a box on St. Leonard’s Creek in Calvert County. This all gives us hope that we will soon be able to confirm Barn Owl breeding success in St. Mary’s County too,” concluded Callahan.

The new box adjacent to Sotterley was donated by SMAS, and its siting was facilitated by SMAS and Sotterley member David Moulton. Moulton gained the necessary permissions and worked with Joe Goldsmith and staff of the Sotterley Plantation as to complete the installation.  One critical component was the willingness of Southern Maryland Electric (SMECO) to donate its time, equipment and expertise to setting up the pole to which the nesting box is bolted.

“This nesting box was made possible by the generosity of many folks,” noted Moulton. “Thanks are due particularly to the manager of the site, Richard Knott, to SMECO’s professional team, and to Joe Goldsmith and Historic Sotterley, Inc.  We will all be celebrating the day a pair of Barn Owls takes advantage of these new digs,” he said.

The stellar team from SMECO

The Sotterley maintenance crew with the new Barn Owl box

For more information, contact Mike Callahan at raptorsrulemc@gmail.com   

or David Moulton at moulton.davidh@gmail.com or 240-278-4473

A Photographer's Dream Package!

Open Auditions for Ghosts of Sotterley 2014!

 

It’s (Almost) Showtime!

Open Auditions for Actors

for

Ghosts of Sotterley

“Love, Life, Liberty & Loss”

Hollywood, MD - Announcing open auditions for our wildly popular annual signature event – The Ghosts of Sotterley! Whether you are a seasoned actor or have a new-found interest in acting, we invite all from age 12 and up to try out. You will be in great company with an enthusiastic group of talented wonders who enjoy performing and love Sotterley!

Auditions will be held at the Sotterley Warehouse on:

 

Tuesday, August 5th    6:30 pm – 8:30 pm

Saturday, August 9th    10 am - 12 pm

Tuesday, August 12th    6:30 pm – 8:30 pm

Saturday, August 16^th   10 am - 12 pm

This year’s Ghosts of Sotterley, “Love, Life, Liberty & Loss” will run on October 17, 18, 23, 24 & 25 from 7:00 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. If you are able to commit to rehearsal dates and to all of these show dates, then you just may be the perfect fit for one of the roles. Just bring yourself and your undeniable talent; we will provide the reading.

If interested in Tech Support, Costuming, or Hair & Make-up

please contact our Events Manager, Mellanie Teed
301-373-2280 or events@sotterley.org