From the Desk
of Martha Grahame

President of the
Friends of the Calvert Library

Hello All!

The Calvert Library Prince Frederick has been selected to host the Smithsonian traveling exhibit, Key Ingredients: America by Food in January and February of 2008. Because of Southern Maryland’s heritage of farmers and watermen, food has played and still plays an important role in our lives. Church meals are particularly prevalent in Southern Maryland and as such, I would like to highlight this tradition while we are hosting the exhibit. For this I need your assistance.

1. Church or Local Cookbook: We will be developing a companion exhibit to present during the time we host Key Ingredients. Many of the host sites for this exhibit are museums, rarely libraries. So in keeping with our own tradition of books, we thought our companion exhibit should be local or church cookbooks. If you would be willing to put something in your newsletter or bulletin about this exhibit and that the Calvert Library is looking for donations of local and church cookbooks, that would be of great assistance. If the cookbook is available for sale, the donor would be welcome to put information in the book about how a customer could go about purchasing it. The donated cookbooks will be browse-able by attendees of the exhibit so please, no antiques or anything you want returned! Cookbooks can be dropped off at any of the Calvert, Charles or St. Mary’s County Libraries with a note attached that it should be sent to Calvert Library Prince Frederick, attention: Martha Grahame.

2. Church Meals: In addition to our exhibit, we would like to have something for our exhibit visitors to take home with them. We would like to create a publication of the local church meals. If your church hosts a meal, please send me the 2008 dates, location, times, and details such as menu, history, whether it is a fundraiser, cost. If you have an interesting story about the event…whether it is the event’s history or something that happened at the event one year, include that as well.

We would also like pictures of your event, possibly to include in the publication or even as a separate display.

The information about your meals and the pictures would need to be emailed to rtruslow@somd.lib.md.us in order to be included in the publication.

3. Get the Word Out! For Calvert County to be selected as a location for this national exhibit is very exciting and we hope that every resident in Southern Maryland will take advantage of it while it is here.

Thank you and I look forward to seeing you at the Exhibit!

Martha