4/05/2006

Mar-Va Theatre hosts Governor Ehrlich
By Gwen and Jim Skeens     

Pocomoke City bustled with enthusiasm this past Thursday, March 30 at the arrival of Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr.  For weeks, his visit had been anticipated and townspeople gathered to greet him.   Pocomoke Mayor Michael McDermott met the governor as he arrived at the corner of Front and Market Streets at 12:45 p.m.  Barbara Tull, director of the Discovery Center, was on hand to show the governor blueprints of the science and nature museum presently under construction.

The governor’s next destination, only a block away, was the renovation project at the Mar-Va Theater.  The former art deco movie theater, which is nearing completion, has received partial funding through the state of Maryland. Curt Lippoldt, president of the Mar-Va Theater Board and past mayor, led a tour through the facility describing the project underway and speculating upon the scheduled completion date, which may be as early as September 2006. Much of the refurbishing has been under the direction of George Staubs, board member of the Mar-Va Theater Performing Arts Center who was working in the building during the governor’s tour.

Exiting through the back door of the theater, Ehrlich walked across the parking lot to the steps of Pocomoke City Hall where several hundred spectators, flanked by the presence of the Pocomoke City Police Department, stood in anticipation.  The Pocomoke High School girls’ chorus opened the proceedings with patriotic songs followed by Mayor McDermott’s introduction of the town’s honored guest.  The occasion allowed the governor to acknowledge the high school’s girls’ field hockey team and the boys’ soccer team for winning the state championship this school year.

He announced that the state was awarding approximately $600,000 to Pocomoke City for town housing rehabilitation, $75,000 to the Discovery Center and another $35,000 for improvement of the town facade.  Governor Ehrlich, known for emphasizing accountability with regard to fiscal responsibility, has been instrumental in reducing the state budget deficit.  He spoke candidly about his determination to restore the health of the Chesapeake Bay and promote state purchase of land that will improve the health of the bay and its tributaries. Upon the conclusion of his remarks, he was presented with a beautiful print of the Old Pocomoke River Bridge.  He held up the large framed artwork and proudly remarked that it would be hung in his outer office.

The event came to a close with the announcement that the governor needed to return to Annapolis.  But even with his busy schedule, Governor Ehrlich’s demeanor remained unhurried and sincere.  After he took his leave many residents took the opportunity to recount the afternoon visit by gathering for sandwiches and crab soup at the at the Downtown Coffee Shop, next-door neighbor of the Mar-Va Theater.  It was a day to be savored by Pocomoke citizens.

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