Also, John Fieseler, executive director of the Tourism Council of Frederick County, was appointed to the board. Dave Meloy, president of the Merit Hotel Group, moves from chair to secretary/treasurer. Christopher Schardt, senior general manager for General Growth Properties, is vice-chair, Retail; and Paul Bales, owner of Culinary Concepts, replaces Shockley as vice-chair, Food Services.

Members of the volunteer board come from hospitality-related industries – lodging, retail, transportation, food service and attractions – along with six members of Maryland's General Assembly and representatives from the Maryland Association of Destination Marketing Organizations.

Press tour showcases Maryland's homegrown cuisine

The Tourism Office and the Department of Agriculture are jointly planning a media tour that highlights Maryland's homegrown food. "We are showing the many ways that visitors and residents can experience the bounty of the Chesapeake Bay region," said Margot Amelia, executive director of the Tourism Office.

Set for two days, July 15-16, the first day of the tour focuses on Maryland seafood. Participants will go fishing aboard a charter boat on the Chesapeake Bay. Upon their return, they will be guests at a traditional Maryland crab feast.

The second day includes visits to Clark's Elioak Farm, Ellicott City and Boordy Vineyards. The group will also attend the Buy Local Cook Out at Government House in Annapolis, hosted by Gov. Martin O'Malley, which kicks off Buy Local Challenge Week, July 18-26.

During that week, Marylanders are encouraged to eat at least one homegrown product each day. The Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission, which launched the Buy Local Challenge in 2007, has details on its web site for taking the challenge.

Two Los Angeles filmmakers who grew up in Maryland – Dan Griffiths and Jeremy Kasten – are planning to return to Baltimore this month to begin filming The Dead Ones, a ghost movie set in a rural Maryland high school. They expect the production to include 20 days for filming and 30 days for preparation.

"We are thrilled that the Maryland Film Office was able to make it easy for us to bring this movie to Baltimore," Griffiths said, "and the closer we get to starting to shoot, the better we feel about this decision."

Griffiths, producer of the film, was an actor in John Waters' Cry Baby before he moved to Los Angeles. Kasten, the film's director, started his career as a production assistant for He Said She Said – also shot in Baltimore. The Dead Ones will be the pair's third collaborative production.

"We gave a small grant to the filmmakers," said Jack Gerbes, director of the Film Office, "and we coordinated arrangements with area unions and crew for the production. We also helped with finding locations." He also said the production would be hiring local residents for the cast and crew.

Mary Ann Mears, founder and board member of the Arts Education in Maryland Schools (AEMS) Alliance, will receive an award for Distinguished Service to the Arts from the National Governors Association (NGA) at its annual meeting, July 18 in Biloxi, Miss. Mears was nominated by Gov. Martin O'Malley.

Each year, the NGA honors eight individuals for their contributions to public service – three state officials, three private citizens and two for their work with the arts. The art awards, established in 1980, spotlight "on contributions that improve the quality of life and bring distinction to a state."

Mears is also a prominent artist and a former member of the Maryland State Arts Council. Her work with the Maryland State Department of Education led to the adoption of the Voluntary State Curriculum in Fine Arts. AEMS is a statewide partnership that advocates for the arts as a basic element of public education.

"To charge admission to Artscape, would go against what we're all about," says Bill Gilmore, executive director of the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts (BOPA). "Artscape is still the largest, free, public arts-festival in the country – no one has ever refuted that."

Gilmore adds that "after 28 years, it (Artscape)'s a pretty solid brand." And, he says, "it's at the top of the list for consumer-product sponsors."

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Going to the beach for vacation? How about your pet? Now, you can drop off your dog or cat at the Maryland Shore Pet Resort – "a full-service hotel and spa for pets," as it calls itself. The 440-acre resort opened recently in Vienna along Route 50 on the Eastern Shore. It offers standard and luxury accommodations, "doggy day camps," grooming and all-breed obedience training. An allied company on site, Walker Branch Retrievers, offers specialty training for waterfowl-hunting dogs.

Weekly concerts support Maryland Theatre
Wind Down Friday, an outdoor concert series started last year to benefit the Maryland Theatre in Hagerstown, returns Friday evening, July 10. The series, which features live music performed by regional artists, runs every Friday through Sept. 18 outside the theater. Area restaurants and catering services donate "happy-hour" food items. Five-dollar donations are requested.

Go by boat, car or foot to yearly Deep Creek art event
Deep Creek Lake State Park's Discovery Center hosts Art in the Park, July 12-13. More than 40 artists will present their work at this free, annual event, which also features Dixieland music, food and naturalist programs. Boat docking is available for visitors.

Get up-close look at Shore's homegrown products
The Mid-Shore Regional Council and Dockside Express Cruises and Tours are sponsoring three agricultural tours in three counties on the Eastern Shore this month in celebration of Buy Local Week. Each county tour –Talbot (July 21), Caroline (July 22) and Dorchester (July 23) – has four stops that provide a close look at local farms and a catered lunch featuring local ingredients.

'Shakespeare at the Gap' offers free performance
The Allegany Arts Council presents a free, public performance of William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, Wednesday, July 22 at 7:30 p.m. Actors from the Maryland Shakespeare Festival in Frederick will stage the show at the amphitheatre in Rocky Gap State Park.