(Dec. 29, 2016) With the addition of Michael Day, erstwhile Berlin economic development director, as a consultant to the town, Snow Hill has changed greatly in the past year — particularly with the additions of new shops downtown and a more robust events calendar.
Though it met with delays, the town worked a deal with Comcast to provide free, publicly available WiFi to the town, and upgraded the municipal phones to boot.
Four transponders were installed: one on Green Street, two on River Street and another on Bank Street.
That hardware should be enough to provide coverage to Sturgis Park and the Pocomoke River Canoe Company along the north edge of town and wouldn’t go much farther east, but would continue west to the area near the police station and likely as far south as Market Street.
Not long after the WiFi went live, the vacant Emporium had a new owner, and a new direction.
Jack Helgeson’s goal in taking over the Emporium was to ensure that it wasn’t recognizable to anyone as the old Emporium.
To wit, it’s not even called the Emporium any more (despite the sign remaining on the façade for now), he’s redubbed the building “A Diamond on Pearl,” which is a play on the address, 111 Pearl Street.
It’s also not an eatery any more. Helgeson is also the owner of Choptank Charlie’s in Cambridge, and A Diamond on Pearl is building off the ideas he started there — selling art, interior design, window treatments and formal wear — and with many of the same associates.
Primarily, Helgeson said, he’s going to be offering a mixture of art from four artists: Dawn Tarr, Kirk White, Marty Gillard and himself.
Just a couple of weeks later, Day’s first new event, Return to Goat Island, gave paddleboard and kayak enthusiasts something to cheer about.
Those not paddling on the Pocomoke River played Frisbee games, cornhole or built Lego projects while others blew bubbles, used the nearby playground or visited the petting zoos.
Spectators and participants listened to performers, including Nick Haglich, who opened for the Dukes of Delmarva, while others basked in the sun, ate or caught up with neighbors.
All the while dedicated and amateur paddlers raced around the spit of land, and the single goat denizen stood sentinel.
A total of 130 paddlers participated for the inaugural event.
Meanwhile, Lori McAllister was wondering aloud what her post-graduation options were, when she realized what it was she wanted to do next.
“I know because I’m from Snow Hill and I kept talking about how terribly the town needed a coffee shop,” she said. She didn’t know at the time, but soon found out, one of the people she was discussing this idea with is a friend of Michael Day.
“Before I knew it, I was having a conversation with Michael, and then the next thing I knew I was writing a business plan, marketing plan … all sorts of plans,” she said.
Those plans came to fruition in July, when the Daily Brew Coffeehouse opened full time in downtown Snow Hill on Washington Street.
After weeks of speculation, rumors were also put to rest in July when Richard and Debbie Seaton, Snow Hill natives both, became the first takers of a program the town put forward late last year — renovate a building and, after fulfilling certain conditions, the town will turn over the structure to its occupants.
The Seatons own Toy Town — an antique and vintage toy shop — in Berlin, and their lease is up in April 2017. The Seatons said they don’t intend to renew, but will move the operation from the 4,800-square foot location in Berlin to the more than 6,800-square foot space available at the corner of Market and Washington Streets in Snow Hill.
The building, vacant for nearly 30 years according to several sources within the town, could be subdivided into a number of storefronts, but the Seatons said they’d use the whole thing to expand their shop.
However, the Seatons will have their hands full with a number of other improvements first.
The Town Council voted to declare the building surplus, contingent on a memorandum of understanding between the town and the Seatons. This MOU establishes the requirements necessary, and a timeline of 5 years, before the Seatons formally acquire the property.
In another high profile poach from Berlin, the Lower Shore Land Trust announced at the end of July that they too were moving to Snow Hill.
“The timing couldn’t be better. Snow Hill is ramping up its effort to position itself as the outdoor recreation hub of the Eastern Shore, and it’s really exciting to create more opportunities to use these areas,” Kate Patton, executive director, said. “We know Snow Hill wants to act as a gateway to these activities and we want to build our own capacity to meet those needs.”
The nonprofit’s mission is to build a future where the lower shore’s towns are the centerpieces of engaged rural communities surrounded by thriving natural and working lands and healthy waterways.
In August, the Blessing of the Combines — the town’s signature event — drew more spectators than there are residents of Snow Hill.
The event began with a parade of tractors and combines. Hundreds and hundreds of people were already lining the streets when the parade began, and the vendors were already active when the combines arrived, awaiting their blessing.  
Several speakers were featured, including Mayor Charlie Dorman, County Commissioners Ted Elder and Jim Bunting and Capt. Willie Dykes. Steve Hales acted as the emcee, and Rev. Andy Frick, of Whatcoat Methodist Church, delivered the blessing.
In addition to the speakers, Delegates Mary Beth Carozza, Charles Otto and Carl Anderton as well as State Sen. Jim Mathias were present, along with the mayor and council of Snow Hill.
Pearl Street was transformed into a kids’ area with a bounce house, soybean pit and petting zoo, while a block north on River Street, featured a lot of the vendors and food service areas.
In September, and as part of the effort to bring down Bike Week traffic into Snow Hill, which had been mostly overlooked in the past, Day brought in the “Ride to Sturgis,” a play on the name of one of the town’s parks and a famous motorcycling destination.
While the prevailing wisdom and the ultimate justification for Bike Week and its related events is the amount of business their arrival attracts, yet Snow Hill’s first foray into a motorcycle-themed event, the “Ride to Sturgis” brought a lot of people to the namesake park, but not very many to downtown shops.
“It’s definitely coming back next year,” Michael Day, town economic development consultant, said. “This was one of those things where the people who came this year will tell all their friends, so we’ll have more next year.”
Moreso than the town, the ride along Route 113 is considered the draw. Rolling fields, wide open spaces and very few billboards and signs line mainland Worcester’s major north-south highway.
A couple of weeks later, and following the surprise announcement that the Courtney Brooke Salon downtown was shutting its doors forever, another announcement was made, and if Betsy Brittingham were asked in April if she thought by October she’d be running her own salon in Snow Hill, the answer would have been “no.”
While it was always her dream to open her own salon, at that point in April, she was just starting out on two new adventures: starting a job at the Courtney Brooke, and returning to work following the birth of her son, J.J.
After Courtney Brooke announced its closure effective Sept. 24, Brittingham’s timeline accelerated.
It also helped that this wasn’t her first foray into the world of haircuts and color. Brittingham was the former manager of the Great Clips franchise in Salisbury, but was also looking for something a little closer to home when she accepted the job at Courtney Brooke.
With October well underway, it was time for Oktoberfest, and hopefully the end of a rivalry.
For what organizers hoped was the last time, Snow Hill’s Oktoberfest was scheduled to compete with Berlin’s event.
“We’re going to try to work it out for next year. We’d like to expand our event a little bit, but would like it to remain kind of a locals’ thing. Berlin makes a big show,” Day said.
Day said this is only the second time Snow Hill has hosted an Oktoberfest, and the town and organizers were still “feeling their way through it.”
In November the town received word it had been accepted into the Main Street Affiliate program, described as a sort of training wheels program for the more formal Main Street Maryland program.
“We’re going to do what we did in Berlin,” Day said. “Where we pretended like we were a Main Street community for three years before we applied and got it.”
Enrollment in the affiliate program gives local government and businesses time to adjust to the requirements of the program and any changes that could be in store.  
The program provides access to funding and technical support for towns seeking to revitalize their traditional business districts.  
Finally, in December, Snow Hill welcomed the last of its new 2016 businesses, with a marathon run-up to welcome Mark Schramek’s Olde Town Candy Company at the final First Friday of the year.
The shop is, of course, dedicated to desserts and snacks. Bulk candy, such as white and dark chocolates and gummy bears, will be sold by weight at a rate of $8.99 per pound. The new store also offers gourmet candies, sodas, chocolate bars and other treats imported from all across the country.