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The following message just came in from a new reader of the Blog. If only Mayor Barrie Tilghman could answer these questions? My response will be at the end.
Hi,
While looking for events in the Wicomico county area, I stumbled across your blog. As it seems as if you would probably be familiar with this area and much of what it has to offer, I thought that I would ask you a question that has been nagging me about Salisbury.
You see, I'm 19, and a student at the university. It seems that the independent community lacks much for people of my age bracket. There are a few bars, yes, but I'm not quite old enough to use them legally, and getting drunk on a weekly basis seems to be a poor substitute for cultural fare. Heck, I would even appreciate some more shopping, and I say this as a guy! Anyway, I'm always on the lookout for interesting things in this area.
Could you suggest any venues that have interesting music, perhaps small little shops that might be overlooked, anything at all that might be an interesting place to visit within about 20 minutes of Salisbury? Really, I'd appreciate even the wildest suggestion, I'm just looking for something new.
The City of Salisbury is NOT interested in YOUTH. You see, we used to have what was called the YOUTH & Civic Center but now it's really a Civic Center. Many of us have been asking the City/County to create a Skate Board Park but that's been passed/pissed over by a Dog Park instead, so far.
They give out tickets to the YOUTH riding bicycles with no bells on it and you can't even go into the Local Pool Hall if you're under 21 because they have a bar license instead of a restaurant license.
So although my answer leaves you clueless, I'm sorry. There's CoCo's but that's for children. There's the Library, Yahoo! You could hang out at the Mall and perhaps see if movie. You could join the Salisbury Kennel Club, Yahoo!
The only thing good about the City of Salisbury is the amount of money they bring in tax wise but you get nothing in return. We wonder why our young pack up and get the hell out of here? You wonder why there's so much crime in Salisbury? You wonder why there are Gangs and such a high rate of drugs in Salisbury? It's because we have a House Wife as a Mayor who had her children raised in a Boarding Home. WTF would she know about what the youth of today would want and need? Heck, even K.C. found herself in a boat load of trouble criminally because she had nothing better to do with her time.
Perhaps all the readers here could shed a little more light. There's the Zoo, Yahoo! I give up. Would anyone else like to help this young man?
12 comments:
Last night Main Lake - the bistro in the Chesapeake East building had live music. I couldn't go, but heard that it was very nice and seems to be right along the lines of what you're looking for. You should get in touch with Main Lake and see what the schedule is and how people your age could help to promote such events so that they can continue.
Smallsbury, sadly, is not a college town. It could not even play one on TV. It's more in the order of a minature Baltimore City-- without the Inner Harbor.
It would need to reinvent itself for that to happen. Unfortunately, much like the Family Resort and Royal Hill to the East, the only template that seems to be played (over, and over, and over again) is "build it, and they will come."
Perhaps after the real estate crash as followed it's course there will be more open mindedness. Maybe around 2012 or so.
I can tell you something to do you may find boring. Anywhere in this area, Native American artifacts can be found.
You're outside, walking the tidewater shorelines at low tide looking for Indian arrowheads on the sandy surface, if you're good you may see one that maybe only the pointy tip is sticking out of the sand. The tides wash them up, and they also wash them away and break them up, so you are preserving history.
Even when it's cold, I have a cheap pair of rubber boots that make me look like a chicken catcher, I don't care. I'm also getting a nice long walk for exercise and out in bung hole nowhere man, and a lot of times take my dogs for a swim, they're Labs they will break the ice to go swimming.
You can see Eagles, Ospreys, Fox, Deer and other critters of the wild, they are scared of you and you won't see them long, not to fear.
You may not find any the first few times you go out, then again you might and it's like catching your first fish, you're hooked. Doesn't cost a cent except for gas to get you there and back.
I won't tell you where I go, that would be like giving away my favorite fishing holes. But I will tell you if you look at the banks during a low tide and see layers of oyster and clam shells buried in the banks, that is an ancient garbage pit of the Indians and you are very near a old camp site. Or a lot of shells and stones on the beach. Look good.
I've been doing this about 15 years, I don't dig, I'm not a grave robber I should say, however I just look for arrowheads that have surfaced do to tides and weather. I have found several hundred arrowheads, a couple of tomahawks. One arrowhead is dated around 14,000 years old that I found on Elliott's Island, and there is a cast of it at the Smithsonian in DC.
Between a few friends and relatives I can tell you the number of finds are in the thousands belonging to just a handful of us. If you like nature walks it's killer, you're out in nature getting some exercise and may go home with a nice treasure that can be thousands of years old. I have some ugly ones too, not all were expert craftsmen but I have some beauties.
You can also find them in freshly plowed up farm fields after a good rain washes the dirt off of them. I warn you ahead of time to do that you are best to ask for permission. I have encroached when there are no signs up but farmers are still protective of their land and I have been run off a few.
I have also been caught and asked for permission and have been granted, however some farmers are not so nice to strangers on their property. Good Luck~!
I don't find your suggestion boring in the least! I've never thought of searching for indian artifacts, but it would certainly be novel, and it could very well be fun. I've always liked the drive out to Elliott island-it's beautiful and the closest thing we have to wilderness on this peninsula. Thanks for the idea.
It seems that this area's greatest shortcoming lies in its social activities. Fishing, hiking, horseback riding, and other outdoor activities are easily come by, but it's difficult to do them socially without prior connections. Elliott is beautiful, but the trip is largely a solitary one, especially if you're new to the area and don't know many people.
Thanks for the imput. I'll be quite interested in anything else that comes up, as well.
In the past few decades Sprawlsbury has come to epitomize Gertrude Stein's notorious comment about her hometown -- "There's no there there."
Of course if you like big box stores and chain restaurants, it's a perfect fool's paradise.
it would be nice to have a theater like the recher theater in towson or the venue's in dewey beach de...salisbury u does, except for one particuar year, have concerts...2-3 times a year which is awesome, but for the rest of the year, there isnt much that comes through, especially for the younger crowd...
tim, fishin is great, but the price of md licenses just went up to over 35 dollars for both tidal and non-tidal...just an outraged fisherman
and lets go down the list of "constructive" things to do in salisbury
bowling, movie theater, hang out in the dorm/fireside, oaks driving range closed down, the roller rink closed down years ago...sparce isn't it?
my advice join some clubs at SU...many of them travel on weekends periodically and they're great for developing yourself and meeting new people...
the activity fair will be comming up soon in the wicomico room in guererri... check that out
but as for those times, which is a majority, of having nothing to do, especially in the cold/windy winter...it sucks
just another thing to let you know, a bunch of youths around here are always trying to find venues and when we do, we host local shows with all types of music, main lake cafe being one of these venues. also cc22 in seaford delaware has a local concert every saturday night starting at 9pm. the next one there will be feb 2nd at 9 pm with a small cover of 5 dollars and many great bands. we could turn salisbury into something great, just need the drive to do it<3
Young man,
There's not much here for the older folks either.
Joe, your columns sometimes are really thought provoking, and this one is especially good. Especially the constructive comments by Mr. Chaney are great.
I am a senior citizen, and I thought, what did I,what did my kids do? The word bored in my house meant "I want to do chores" so when my kids were looking for something to do, I said here is the list of chores, please do one and I am sure when you have completed the chore, you will think of something productive to do. They did, and I got the bathroom cleaned, or the vacuuming done in the process.
So my first suggestion is help your parents do a chore for them,
then do something for yourself.
When my kids hung out in the boring winter, they went to an arcade and played video games, they went to a batting cage and hit base balls, did indoor miniature golf. They got together with friends and
played musical instruments (much to my dismay, but hey it was winter)
They had people over and played board games and video games. A couple of them did art work, one made model cars. These were boy things I guess, never had girl children.
When I was a kid the world was so much different, that I think what we did was not even close to a teenager today, but I will tell you a couple of things anyway. We did things in the winter that we mostly did not do in the summer. We were mostly at home, or in other kids homes. We played ping pong, and board games, we listened to records, we played music, we went to the skating rink, we went to the movies, we went for walks, we took photographs, we collected stuff, like stamps, and baseball cards, and pictures of movie stars, and did craft things, and read. I did art work, and made crafts stuff, like scarves and hats for my young sisters. My mother taught me to knit, and sew on the sewing machine.My uncle sent me stamps from all over the world, which I collected, money too. My father spent time with my brother in the garage with the car, let my brother learn to work on the car and change the oil and taught him how to work around the house fixing the plumbing, electrical and small projects.(sometimes I got to do it too)
We did chores, so did my kids, but we also volunteered (I worked with kids doing art projects at a local "camp" strangely today it would be an "after school center"
I did that when I was 13, at 17 I was a girl scout leader
And at 35 I did both of those things again.
No one is responsible for kids entertainment, I seems to me there are far more things to do now then there used to be. A metal detector at a thrift store is $2.00 the beach and the woods in rural areas are wealthy with "finds"
Since Joe has opened up this discussion, I would like him to invite comments as to what other generations did in their spare time. (I said spare, I studied, worked around the house, and baby sat as a job.)And perhaps this generation will get some good ideas.
My favorites from 50 years ago. I still do some all of them.
Collecting glass from the beach. Sometimes I found "treasures"
Being outdoors riding bikes, we went to some really great places, miles and miles from home.
Drawing, painting, making stuff from kits. Playing and making music.
Reading.
I really don't fish that much anymore. The searching for artifacts has sort of filled the void.
Chesapeake bay has few crabs left. The only fish that I like to eat is rockfish, the rest were all catch and release. Well I would keep flounder also and maybe a few spot to use as bait, however there aren't many "Keepers" out there when it comes to flounder.
I never buy a license. My nieces hubby has a boat and his sticker covers everyone fishing on his boat. If the fish ain't bittin' we pick and island and walk the beach hunting stone tools.
Happy Hunting!
Really Joe, you give housewives a terrible name. Can you stop using that term when referring to the mayor? I am a house wife, and quite frankly, I KKNOW I could do a much better job than she is.....
Birdwatching is a great activity for young adults. It is fun...like hunting treasure.
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