Press Release

BENEDICT, MD (June 7, 2000) – Over 2,000 residents from Calvert, Charles, St. Mary’s and Prince George’s counties attended the "Taste of the Patuxent" at the Benedict Volunteer Fire Department hosted by officials from the Unified Command.

The event commemorated the completion of the emergency phase of the cleanup and the shift to long-term cleanup and restoration. Local restaurants, including Stoney’s, Ray’s Restaurant, Tony’s River House, Chappalears and the Seventh District Optimist Club of St. Mary’s County, provided residents with seafood from the Patuxent River and Baskin Robbins offered ice cream as dessert.

In addition, local watermen – Harry Shorter, Kari Meyers and Roy Vermillion – provided ten bushels of crabs caught earlier in the afternoon in the area between the Chalk Point Plant and the Benedict Bridge for tasting.

The "Taste of the Patuxent" provided local community members the opportunity to speak with federal, state and local agencies and Pepco to answer questions and provide additional information on the oil spill cleanup and long-term restoration process.
More Information on the Chalk Point Oil Spill

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