On Wednesday, April 23, the Kent County Chamber of Commerce welcomed legislators from Maryland’s 36th District for a Post-Legislative Session Discussion at Heron Point in Chestertown. The event provided local residents, business owners, and community leaders an opportunity to engage directly with elected officials about the outcomes of the 2025 Maryland General Assembly session.

The Kent County Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the appointment of Kelly Cuff Reed as its new Deputy Executive Director. A longtime resident of Kent County, Kelly brings a deep-rooted commitment to community engagement and a strong background in nonprofit leadership to her new role.

The Kent County Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce the recipients of the 2025 Community Excellence Awards held on January 29th at the Chester River Yacht and Country Club in Chestertown. These awards honor outstanding contributions to our community, through commitment, innovation, and leadership in three distinct categories. Harborview Farms was named the 2025 Business of the Year, Shore Community Outreach Team was awarded the 2025 Organization of the Year, and Kristen Owen was recognized as the 2025 Individual of the Year.

The role of this position is to ensure the effective operation of the Kent County Chamber of Commerce office. This individual must be both detail-oriented and customer service focused in order to ensure the effective internal operations of the Kent Chamber. As the first contact for members and the community, the Deputy Executive Director will work to maintain a welcoming environment both in person and through electronic communication. 

The Kent County Chamber of Commerce welcomes nominations for the annual Community Excellence Awards, a program dedicated to honoring the individuals, businesses, and organizations that make an exceptional impact on the community. The awards ceremony celebrates the spirit of collaboration and commitment that defines Kent County, highlighting outstanding contributions in leadership, innovation, community engagement, and positive influence on the region.

The Kent County Chamber of Commerce is proud to highlight the success of its recent community engagement efforts, reinforcing its commitment to "Connecting Kent County" through a series of impactful events.

The Kent County Chamber of Commerce is excited to announce its Inaugural Golf Tournament, proudly sponsored by Cross Street Realtors. This highly anticipated event will take place on Monday, June 17th, at the Chester River Yacht and Country Club and is open to all golf enthusiasts in the community. The tournament will feature a scramble format, with registration beginning at 11:00 AM and a shotgun start at noon. Participants will enjoy a day of friendly competition, networking, and fun, with prizes awarded to the top teams and winners of various on-course contests.

The Kent County Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce that it will be hosting a Post-Legislative Session Breakfast Discussion at Heron Point on April 18th, 2024. The event will provide an invaluable opportunity for community members to engage directly with their elected representatives and gain insights into the recent 2024 Maryland legislative session. 

March News Flash from the Kent Chamber with exciting News & Events!

The Kent County Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce the recipients of the 2024 Community Excellence Awards held on January 17, 2024 at the Chester River Yacht and Country Club in Chestertown. These awards honor outstanding contributions to our community, through commitment, innovation, and leadership in three distinct categories. Eastern Shore Urgent Care was named the 2024 Business of the Year, Horizons of Kent and Queen Anne’s was awarded the 2024 Organization of the Year, and Deeann Jones was recognized as the 2024 Individual of the Year.

At a volunteer appreciation event held at the Garfield Center for the Arts on Wednesday, July 16th, the GCA’s Executive Director, Steven Arnold, unveiled the 2026 Season. The evening was designed to provide first access to the Season title announcement to the most actively involved part of our community, and the GCA treated attendees to food and refreshments prior to the presentation. 

Three nurse managers at University of Maryland Shore Regional Health (UM SRH), a member organization of University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), recently graduated from the Nurse Leadership Institute (NLI), a year-long professional development program hosted by the University of Maryland School of Nursing and funded by a state grant. The NLI was designed to build leadership capacity of Maryland nursing faculty and clinicians, facilitate partnerships for developing strategies that shape effective health care and prepare a nursing workforce to assume roles within systems.

On Friday, August 1 Joe Holt, the Mainstay’s resident impresario and piano accompanist welcomes vocalist Sharon Sable and guitarist E. Shawn Qaissaunee for a concert evening of The Great Songwriters of The Twentieth Century. Selections from their playlist will include familiar favorites from Gershwin and Hoagy Carmichael, to Carole King and Bob Dylan, The Beatles and Stevie Wonder. This “First Friday” show will have something for everyone.

Camper spots and volunteer opportunities are still available for our 31st annual Camp New Dawn, a grief retreat summer camp.  Camp New Dawn is a four-day, three-night retreat held each summer at Camp Pecometh in Centreville.  Camp New Dawn is a grief retreat hosted by Compass for children, teens and families who are struggling with the loss of a loved one. Campers learn healthy coping skills that will benefit them throughout their lives. They engage in group discussions and activities with other kids who have experienced loss and interact with professional grief counselors.

 The Peoples Bank is happy to announce the success of its recent Paella Party fundraiser, which raised $4,290 in support of Open Doors Partners in Education, Inc., a local nonprofit dedicated to increasing literacy and educational opportunities for students in our community. The event also brought in $1,600 in direct donations to the organization in addition to establishing a connection to a local family that is now receiving services. 

Nancy Mugele, Head of Kent School announced the appointment of three new employees who joined Kent School on July 1, 2025.

RiverArts is thrilled to announce we will be holding our annual Reimagined Runway fashion show and fundraising gala on Saturday, August 2nd, 2025, at the Garfield Center for the Arts. Come and marvel at the beautiful and unique designs of our talented participants. Each design is crafted from recycled or repurposed materials to showcase the connection between artistic expression and sustainability. This year’s theme is Dress to Impress, Roaring Twenties Style. A panel of judges will award a trophy for best design, and the audience can vote for a “best in show” audience favorite. 

Summer is supposed to be a happy time for children, but sometimes it requires special attention to children’s mental health. Although prioritizing children’s mental health is important every day, the summer months bring several changes that make it one of the most crucial times of the year to monitor how children are adjusting.

Wednesday, June 4, marked the Graduation ceremony for Kent School’s Class of 2025. Students, parents, employees, Trustees and community gathered in the M. V. “Mike” Williams Gymnasium to celebrate the graduating class. The twelve member class was recognized for their embodiment of academic, artistic, athletic and moral excellence.

The Garfield Center for the Arts is excited to continue its popular yearly presentation, Short Attention Span Theatre opening July 11th. The GCA’s annual short play program had its earliest roots in 2005, when it was called 8x10 - The 10-Minute Play Project. The name was changed to Short Attention Span Theatre in 2008. Over the years, it has seen both the premiere of many original plays by local playwrights as well as featured the performances of hundreds of local actors.