Story by Caroline Miller King and Photography by August Selckmann

Sam Grow shouldn’t be humble. The singer-songwriter from Charles County is enjoying success on the iTunes charts, taking his band on nationwide tours, and often playing with some pretty big names in the music business. But when I thanked him for agreeing to be interviewed, his response was to thank me for wanting to interview him.

Story by Kathy Warren and Photography by August Selckmann

If becoming an artist were as simple as taking a few classes or declaring an art major in college, then art galleries and museums would become obsolete and homes would be filled with our own artwork and not the creations of others. But the truth is that not all of us are artists. The reason we appreciate the work of true artists is because they possess a gift that allows them to create works of art that transcend time and space. Such is the case for local artist Ann Crain.

Local musician Benjamin Connelly arrived for the interview at Solomons Pier on a wet, fog-shrouded afternoon, but inside the popular restaurant, the warmth of friendship overpowered the gloom outside. The bar was packed with friends sipping drinks, munching on appetizers and preparing for the Baltimore Ravens game.

What does Southern Maryland have in common with Northern Italy? St. Mary’s College of Maryland (SMCM) and its campus in Alba, Italy, share Jeffrey Silberschlag, world-renowned trumpeter and conductor.

While Therese Thiedeman is always running in numerous directions, she has a one-track mind. And that track always leads back to a stage of some sort.  “I like being busy all the time,” said Thiedeman. “I love the arts and I love meeting people - creative people even more!

When Dee Jay Gude started calling on potential advertisers for Southern Maryland Online, she often heard, “What’s the Internet?” That was 1996 - the Middle Ages in cyberspace history. It was also the year the Pentagon’s base relocation program was creating thousands of new jobs, military and civilian, in Southern Maryland. Gude, who had been selling advertising for cable television in St. Mary’s County, understood that there could be a link between the Internet and people who would want information about their new neighborhoods. But she didn’t know how to make the technology work.