Young runners and walkers will be lacing up their sneakers — or Velcroing them — later this month for the 32nd annual Sneaker Creeper. The series of fun children's races will help kick off the Chestertown Tea Party Festival weekend starting at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, May 27.

Last year, in the midst of the pandemic, ShoreRivers pivoted its annual Summer Solstice Celebration to instead feature small-group outdoor expeditions led by experts presenting particular aspects of our local ecosystem. Back by popular demand, ShoreRivers will again host a slate of exciting and experiential outings, as well as the beloved big-tent party on the banks of the Chester River! Register online now for your choice of a dozen expeditions and get your tickets for the Solstice Celebration at shorerivers.org/events. Expeditions will be held throughout the region from June 14-24 and the Celebration will be held at the Washington College boathouse on June 25.

Three Galena Elementary School students were honored for their essays earlier this spring by a local American Legion Post Auxiliary, with one student moving on to the national contest. The C. Henry Price II American Legion Post 246 Auxiliary of Betterton sponsored the Americanism Essay Contest this spring.

University of Maryland Shore Regional Health celebrated April as National Donate Life Month, honoring organ donors and bringing awareness to saving or enhancing lives through organ, eye and tissue donation. On April 22, UM SRH team members wore blue and green in honor of National Donate Life Blue and Green Day, which encourages the sharing of the Donate Life message and promotes the importance of registering as an organ, eye and tissue donor.

ShoreRivers and Washington College recently celebrated the completion of the North Commons Bioretention project, which installed numerous bioretention practices in the North Commons parking lot to better manage and treat stormwater runoff. Urban stormwater runoff is one of the most damaging threats to our waterways because it contains nutrients and other harmful pollutants, and can contribute to localized flooding. The project culminated in a ribbon cutting ceremony hosted by the Kent County Chamber of Commerce on May 6, 2022.

The gym at H.H. Garnet Elementary School was turned into a hub for community resources Friday evening, May 6. The occasion was a Community School Fair that saw nearly 30 organizations on hand to provide attendees with information about services available for them. This was the inaugural run of what is planned to become an annual event at the elementary school in Chestertown.

Seniors Conner Dean, left, and Kendall Langenfelder have been named Bayside Scholar Athletes for Kent County High School. Dean has played on the soccer and baseball teams. Langenfelder has played soccer and softball and run on the indoor track team. To be eligible for the Bayside Scholar Athlete honor, a student must be a senior with a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher and have no failing grade on their transcript. They also must have played two or more sports their senior year.

The Board of Directors at Chestertown RiverArts is proud to announce the appointment of its new Executive Director, Chris Sade. Sade will assume the organization’s leadership in May 2022.

Whether they are in pre-school, high school or any grade in between, Kent County Public Schools has summer programs for students of all ages.

The University of Maryland Chester River Health Foundation (CRHF) was awarded an allocation of state tax credits to support its efforts to raise nearly $150,000 to fund a replacement hematology analyzer for the laboratory at UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown. CRHF is one of just two health-related organizations awarded tax credits this year from the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development.