(Aug. 25, 2016) Mirroring a trip by Gov. Larry Hogan in April, U.S. Rep. Chris Van Hollen (Democrat, District 8) spent close to 90 minutes in Berlin on Friday, touring local businesses and meeting with Mayor Gee Williams.
He also got a sizable history lesson from both the mayor and several residents and workers in the town.
Van Hollen is running for the Senate seat vacated by retiring Sen. Barbara Mikulski, who served in the House from 1977 to 1987 before moving over to the Senate in 1987. She is the longest-serving woman in the history of the U.S. Congress.
The afternoon visit started at around noon at Town Hall, just outside of Williams’ office. The mayor was eager to educate Van Hollen, whom he has publically endorsed, about his hometown.
“We didn’t have any tourism to speak of at all, and then the hospital was built and that’s when architectural revitalization really got into high gear,” Williams said. “They [the hospital and tourism] are our two-biggest economic drivers by far.”
For the first 125 years of Ocean City’s existence, Williams said, “People didn’t know we were here.”
Williams said the building of Atlantic General Hospital and the revitalization of the Atlantic Hotel helped transform the town, which was further aided by the filming of several major motion pictures that used the town as a backdrop. Today, the Victorian brick buildings on Main Street and the charm of the local shops – and shopkeepers – have been recognized as “cool” by several local and national publications, helping Berlin gain some much-needed recognition.
“Although the hospitality industry is our major driver from April through New Year’s Eve, we don’t have one damned tourist – but we have a hell of a lot of guests,” Williams said. “When you invite someone to your home, how do you treat them? Do you treat them like they’re a stranger, or do you treat them like family? Really, we talk about that a lot.”
An entourage that included Diakonia Executive Director Claudia Nagle, Worcester County Democratic Central Committee Chairman Howard Sribnick, Williams’ Secretary Joanne Unger and Town of Berlin Administrative Assistant Sharon Timmons posed for a photo, then toured the downtown shops.
At NEST, the congressman met owner Dee Gilbert and Berlin’s unofficial mascot, her dog, Petey. Elsewhere Brenda Trice showed off two floors of colorful knitting supplies at A Little Bit Sheepish, Rayne’s Reef included a stop for ice cream and a brief chat with owner Michael Queen, and Autumn Kramer chatted about the elements of design inside Bleached Butterfly.
While chatting with volunteer Carolyn Connelly at the Berlin Ambassador stand on Main Street, Williams briefly explained the history of the town’s name.
“There’s 15 Berlins in the world and we’re only one not named after Berlin, Germany,” Williams said. “Our origin was Burleigh Plantation – this town would not exist without [it]. We didn’t choose that as our heritage, but it is.”
Williams explained that “Berlin” was derived from the Burleigh Inn, and that there were several ways to pronounce the name.
“Bur-lin” and “Ber-lin” are both acceptable, Williams said, and when former Gov. Martin O’Malley helped christen brewery Burley Oak in 2011 the modified “Beer-lin” was introduced.
“And they still make T-shirts to this day,” Williams said.
Other stops included the Berlin Shoe Box, where Williams said the late Johnny Cash once stopped on the way to Ocean City to get a pair his famous boots fixed, and Sisters, where owner Donna Compher greeted the throng and showed off both her shop and the attached beer and wine tasting room.
The visit concluded at Sea La Vie, where Van Hollen shook hands with owners Hunter Smith and Devon Bostic, and at the Go Organic grocery stand just a few feet away.
Van Hollen said it was his first time in Berlin.
“The campaign is going very well, and I’m spending a lot of time all over the state and making a real point of spending a lot of time on the Eastern Shore,” he said. “We’re going to every county on the shore and it’s great to be in Berlin today as the latest visit. We’re trying to really talk to people about where the Eastern Shore is going, how we can be helpful, and really just listening to people.
“Everyone has been telling me we’ve got the greatest small town in America, and you come here and you can see why so many people are moving here,” Van Hollen added. “When you look at a lot of towns, especially in rural America, you’re seeing more and more boarded up stores. Here you’re finding people waiting to get into a space, so it’s good to hear about a success story and what makes it work.”
After spending part of the day in the town, he called it “a gem.”
“It’s a beautiful Maryland treasure and I plan on coming back with my family,” he said. “You’ve got a great spirit here, and clearly everybody is invested in the success of the town. You see people working together and everybody seems to know each other and want to collaborate with one another and make it successful. It’s great to be here.”
Williams said the visit was yet another “reaffirmation that Berlin is on the map.”
“For generations, people running for statewide office – we just weren’t on their radar at all,” he said. “Now the town, the townspeople and the business people have developed a reputation that well exceeds the borders of not only Worcester County, but even the Eastern Shore.
“It took a long time to get discovered, but I think it reaffirms that we are,” he added.
An outspoken supporter of Van Hollen and his campaign for the Senate, Williams called the candidate “a man of the 21st century, who is very practical.”
“He realizes going back into the past is not going to solve the problems of the present,” Williams said. “At the same time, I think he understands that traditional values are important and he’s very much a people person. And you can see that here today – he takes an interest in why these folks are doing what they are.
“I also think he believes in Maryland’s future and the country’s future,” he added. “I think we both believe that the future is not a fearful place – it’s what we make it.”
He also got a sizable history lesson from both the mayor and several residents and workers in the town.
Van Hollen is running for the Senate seat vacated by retiring Sen. Barbara Mikulski, who served in the House from 1977 to 1987 before moving over to the Senate in 1987. She is the longest-serving woman in the history of the U.S. Congress.
The afternoon visit started at around noon at Town Hall, just outside of Williams’ office. The mayor was eager to educate Van Hollen, whom he has publically endorsed, about his hometown.
“We didn’t have any tourism to speak of at all, and then the hospital was built and that’s when architectural revitalization really got into high gear,” Williams said. “They [the hospital and tourism] are our two-biggest economic drivers by far.”
For the first 125 years of Ocean City’s existence, Williams said, “People didn’t know we were here.”
Williams said the building of Atlantic General Hospital and the revitalization of the Atlantic Hotel helped transform the town, which was further aided by the filming of several major motion pictures that used the town as a backdrop. Today, the Victorian brick buildings on Main Street and the charm of the local shops – and shopkeepers – have been recognized as “cool” by several local and national publications, helping Berlin gain some much-needed recognition.
“Although the hospitality industry is our major driver from April through New Year’s Eve, we don’t have one damned tourist – but we have a hell of a lot of guests,” Williams said. “When you invite someone to your home, how do you treat them? Do you treat them like they’re a stranger, or do you treat them like family? Really, we talk about that a lot.”
An entourage that included Diakonia Executive Director Claudia Nagle, Worcester County Democratic Central Committee Chairman Howard Sribnick, Williams’ Secretary Joanne Unger and Town of Berlin Administrative Assistant Sharon Timmons posed for a photo, then toured the downtown shops.
At NEST, the congressman met owner Dee Gilbert and Berlin’s unofficial mascot, her dog, Petey. Elsewhere Brenda Trice showed off two floors of colorful knitting supplies at A Little Bit Sheepish, Rayne’s Reef included a stop for ice cream and a brief chat with owner Michael Queen, and Autumn Kramer chatted about the elements of design inside Bleached Butterfly.
While chatting with volunteer Carolyn Connelly at the Berlin Ambassador stand on Main Street, Williams briefly explained the history of the town’s name.
“There’s 15 Berlins in the world and we’re only one not named after Berlin, Germany,” Williams said. “Our origin was Burleigh Plantation – this town would not exist without [it]. We didn’t choose that as our heritage, but it is.”
Williams explained that “Berlin” was derived from the Burleigh Inn, and that there were several ways to pronounce the name.
“Bur-lin” and “Ber-lin” are both acceptable, Williams said, and when former Gov. Martin O’Malley helped christen brewery Burley Oak in 2011 the modified “Beer-lin” was introduced.
“And they still make T-shirts to this day,” Williams said.
Other stops included the Berlin Shoe Box, where Williams said the late Johnny Cash once stopped on the way to Ocean City to get a pair his famous boots fixed, and Sisters, where owner Donna Compher greeted the throng and showed off both her shop and the attached beer and wine tasting room.
The visit concluded at Sea La Vie, where Van Hollen shook hands with owners Hunter Smith and Devon Bostic, and at the Go Organic grocery stand just a few feet away.
Van Hollen said it was his first time in Berlin.
“The campaign is going very well, and I’m spending a lot of time all over the state and making a real point of spending a lot of time on the Eastern Shore,” he said. “We’re going to every county on the shore and it’s great to be in Berlin today as the latest visit. We’re trying to really talk to people about where the Eastern Shore is going, how we can be helpful, and really just listening to people.
“Everyone has been telling me we’ve got the greatest small town in America, and you come here and you can see why so many people are moving here,” Van Hollen added. “When you look at a lot of towns, especially in rural America, you’re seeing more and more boarded up stores. Here you’re finding people waiting to get into a space, so it’s good to hear about a success story and what makes it work.”
After spending part of the day in the town, he called it “a gem.”
“It’s a beautiful Maryland treasure and I plan on coming back with my family,” he said. “You’ve got a great spirit here, and clearly everybody is invested in the success of the town. You see people working together and everybody seems to know each other and want to collaborate with one another and make it successful. It’s great to be here.”
Williams said the visit was yet another “reaffirmation that Berlin is on the map.”
“For generations, people running for statewide office – we just weren’t on their radar at all,” he said. “Now the town, the townspeople and the business people have developed a reputation that well exceeds the borders of not only Worcester County, but even the Eastern Shore.
“It took a long time to get discovered, but I think it reaffirms that we are,” he added.
An outspoken supporter of Van Hollen and his campaign for the Senate, Williams called the candidate “a man of the 21st century, who is very practical.”
“He realizes going back into the past is not going to solve the problems of the present,” Williams said. “At the same time, I think he understands that traditional values are important and he’s very much a people person. And you can see that here today – he takes an interest in why these folks are doing what they are.
“I also think he believes in Maryland’s future and the country’s future,” he added. “I think we both believe that the future is not a fearful place – it’s what we make it.”