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The grants are part of the Star Spangled 200 Inc. program in partnership with the Maryland War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission.
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The presentation took place at the American Visionary Art Museum on Key Highway. Among those present from the Eastern Shore Consortium were Bernadette Bowman, Jen Davis, Steve Frohock, Jean Mulford, Kevin Hemstock and John Wyman, all of the Friends of Kent County, Maryland, War of 1812; Michelle Wood of the Kent County Office of Tourism & Economic Development; and Mary Margaret Godwin, chairman of the Queen Anne's County War of 1812 Committee.
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Wyman debuted his completed militia re-enactor's outfit, crafted mostly by hand after painstaking research on the appearance of the original uniform of the 21st Maryland Militia. That regiment fought at the Battle of Caulk's Field in Kent County in August 1814 under the command of Lt. Col. Philip Reed, defeating a British force of similar size. That 21st Regiment uniform and equipment is being used as a model for the recreated militia unit that will be comprised of 15 men.
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“The War of 1812 in the Chesapeake and the writing of The Star-Spangled Banner are important chapters in our history as a State and as a Nation,” said Lt. Gov. Brown in a press release. “I want to thank the grant recipient organizations for their commitment to telling this story and using these funds to invest in community revitalization, tourism development, and job growth in Maryland.”
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Brown underscored the importance of the economic impact that the effort will produce through tourism and job creation over the three-year bicentennial period and beyond.
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Representing the Department of Business & Economic Development were Secretary Christian S. Johansson and William J. Pencek Jr., deputy assistant secretary, Division of Tourism, Film & The Arts.
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After the presentation, all of those representing the organizations that received the awards posed for a picture in front of one of the three buildings that make up the museum complex, under an “O Say Can You See” sign.
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For more information, link to these sites:
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http://www.starspangledtrail.net
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http://www.StarSpangled200.org
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For a full list of grant awards, see http://starspangled200.com/grants#.UHL1092w4rg.
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