DENTON, MD – In 1987, when Pat Bernstein, press secretary for Maryland Governor William Donald Schaefer, pitched an idea for a cycling event that would have bicyclists traverse the state in a multi-day tour she had no idea that the momentum created would ripple across the Chesapeake Bay to Denton, Caroline County. Unbeknownst to her a much-beloved event called Caroline Summerfest would emerge and continue to effect generations to come.
In 1989, after two years of development, Governor Schaefer’s initiative called Cycle Across Maryland (CAM) launched its inaugural tour, under Bernstein’s leadership. Not being a cyclist herself, she turned to Baltimore triathlete Lyn Brooks for technical assistance. CAM’s purpose was to promote the state as well as cycling as a family activity.
The work to plan such a complex endeavor was immense, but it didn’t deter Bernstein and her team. Although mapping out the event was a huge undertaking, the community coordination required for traffic control, lodging and hospitality was another massive part of the puzzle, where Bernstein and the event planning team turned to communities like Denton.
“You had to mark a route that you felt would be the safest for the cyclists, and then especially in that first year, you had to sell the whole concept to each community we would land in. We relied on community leaders like those we found in Caroline County and Denton to make the event possible,” says Bernstein.
In addition to traffic control from Maryland State police and the local jurisdictions, each town where the cyclists stopped for the night needed to provide hospitality. “Host towns were encouraged to plan for 1,000 cyclists in the inaugural year. Other commitments were an evening meal and breakfast and some sort of entertainment at the destination,” Bernstein adds.
Dr. Allan Gorsuch was assistant superintendent of schools for Caroline County when he learned about CAM’s inaugural tour. “I was serving on a statewide wellness committee out of the Maryland State Department of Education and heard that Cycle Across Maryland was looking for lodging hosts. We offered two options at North Caroline High School – bivouac camping outside on the grounds as well as indoors in the gym,” Gorsuch says. Those cyclists looking for additional amenities like air conditioning were invited into the homes of members of the Denton Woman’s Club for a nominal fee.
Norma Jean Bradley, then branch manager and assistant vice president at the Denton Branch of First National Bank of Maryland, got involved from the beginning when the bank came on as a corporate sponsor. “First National Bank sponsored the event that first year and for several years afterwards. The way it worked was that if there were bank branches in destination towns along the route, then the local branches would get involved,” says Bradley.
Bradley got the ball rolling by going to the county commissioners to solicit help from Sue Simmons, head of Caroline County Recreation and Parks, and from other county and town departments to work on the logistics and to get the word out to locals who may want to check out the entertainment, and welcome the cyclists.
So on Wednesday August 16, 1989, the cyclists arrived in Denton after a rough couple of days of rainy weather. They settled into their lodging accommodations, enjoyed an evening meal, and were even treated to fresh peaches that were picked from a local orchard between Denton and Harmony.
The entertainment portion of the evening was a block party style event that took place on first block of Market Street in front of courthouse and the courthouse green. Cyclists were driven downtown by their host families or by school bus drivers who volunteered their time. Just like at today’s Caroline Summerfest, nonprofit organizations sold festival foods at the event. Locals joined the cyclists to enjoy music provided by Swing Central, a popular Baltimore five-piece ensemble who performed throughout the region for two decades.
When everything was over, the event organizers seemed to share a collective sigh of relief and a realization that something very special had just happened. “I remember that Sue Simmons and I were literally standing on the courthouse lawn at the end of the evening,” says George Weeks, human resources corporate manager at Maryland Plastics, Federalsburg. “I turned to her and said ‘you do know that you have no choice, but we have to continue this?’ ” That moment marked the birth of Caroline Summerfest.
Cycle Across Maryland would trek across Maryland for another 19 years completing its swan song in 2008 in its 20th year. The “accidental” signature event Caroline Summerfest continues to grow and evolve. Over the next 29 years, its event footprint would ultimately expand to the entire courthouse lawn and four blocks in the downtown and would flow over the course of two days.
“Over the years we added themes starting in 1996, fireworks in 1998 and a pedestrian parade in 2008,” says Sue Simmons, who continues to serve as event coordinator for Summerfest in partnership with Denton Town Administrator Donald H. Mulrine Jr. The event typically draws between 12,000 and 14,000 festivalgoers.
“Caroline Summerfest is a huge undertaking that relies heavily on the strong partnership between the town and county, the financial support from our corporate sponsors and the more than 200 volunteers who help execute the event. It is a labor of love,” adds Simmons.
This year’s Caroline Summerfest will be held Friday, August 17 from 5 to 10 p.m. and Saturday, August 18 from 2 to 9 p.m. The theme this year is 30 Years of Magic. So what’s the secret sauce to the longevity of this accidental signature event?
“To me it’s the diversity. Over the years we’ve seen other events fall to the wayside, but Summerfest has grown and evolved to become the heart and soul of Caroline County. There’s so many things for kids and adults to do,” says Weeks, who also commented about the success nonprofits and businesses have had in doing outreach at Summerfest.
“Over the years I’ve worn different hats at Summerfest, as a Rotarian, a corporate sponsor, vice president of Habitat for Humanity and with the Chamber of Commerce. The event provides a great way for businesses and nonprofits to successfully market directly to families. It always amazes me to observe the sleepiness of the Thursday before Summerfest and then in contrast how the whole place seems to fill up on Friday,” Weeks adds.
For Debbie Bowden, director of Economic Development for Caroline County, the impact that events like Caroline Summerfest have on the perception of a town can’t be understated in the context of economic development. “A jurisdiction needs to put themselves out there. It’s all about marketing and branding. Summerfest, and events like it, inform festivalgoers of a location’s culture and the attitude of the area in a very organic way,” says Bowden.
Although Caroline Summerfest was created through pure happenstance, its impact to the hundreds of thousands of people touched by the event is undeniable.
“A lot of what we did accidentally to provide entertainment for our visitors turned out pretty good,” says Dr. Gorsuch. “If you have a really good idea, you’ll find a way to make it happen. Summerfest is one of those success stories that’s a part of our history and that we are all proud to be part of,” he adds.
To learn more about this year’s Caroline Summerfest, visit carolinesummerfest.com.
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~ Mainstreet Denton
