SEPTEMBER 18, 2025
FREE
BERLIN • NORTH WORCESTER COUNTY• OCEAN PINES
Committees could be cut by OP board Heavner cites increasing friction between advisory panels and their bosses
PHOTO COURTESY OF WCPS
DECATUR WALL MURAL CELEBRATED Morgan’s Message founder Dona Rodgers was joined by Worcester County Superintendent of Schools Annette Wallace and administrators, teachers and student-athletes at Stephen Decatur High School in celebrating the grand opening of the dedication wall behind the stadium. Rodgers was the mom of Morgan, a former Division I lacrosse player who died by suicide after a mental health battle linked to a devastating knee injury she suffered.
By Tara Fischer Staff Writer (Sept. 18, 2025) Several of the advisory committees in Ocean Pines that had been tasked with recommending initiatives and community improvements to the Board of Directors may be eliminated later this week. The Ocean Pines Association has numerous committees assigned to assess specific aspects of community life and association operations. These include the Aquatics Advisory Committee, the Golf Advisory Committee, the Recreation and Parks Advisory Committee, the Environment and Natural Assets Committee, the Strategic Planning Advisory Committee, the Bylaws and Resolutions Advisory Committee, the Communications Advisory Committee, the Marine Activities Advisory Committee, the Elections Committee, the Architectural Review Committee and the See HEAVNER Page 8
Fiddlers rosin up bows for Berlin Grass always bluer during fiddlin’, pickin’ contests at Fiddler’s Convention By Tara Fischer Staff Writer (Sept. 18, 2025) Berlin’s popular and enduring Fiddler’s Convention
is back this weekend for its 33rd year of bluegrass, folk, and country tunes. Berlin’s Chamber of Commerce is gearing up to host the convention on Main Street, which will begin Friday at 6 p.m. and conclude at around 10 p.m. The festival will continue into Saturday with music and
entertainment planned from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. Friday night will feature bands such as The String Buzzards from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and The Plate Scrapers from 8 p.m. until 10 p.m. On Saturday, The High and Wides will play from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., and The Clendenen Brothers,
a group making their Fiddler’s Convention debut, will perform from 3:30 p.m. until 5 p.m. Garrett Neville, the chamber’s president, said that the organization affectionately refers to Friday as “a good locals’ night.” “The street is open later, and shops See GOOD Page 4
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GARDNER PT of Ocean Pines 11204 Racetrack Rd, Suite 101 • Ocean Pines, MD, 21811 410-208-1525
GARDNER PT of West Ocean City 12472 Sea Oaks Ln, Unit 1 • Berlin, MD 21811 410-747-3522