By Josh Davis, Associate Editor

(Jan. 25, 2018) The “New Berlin Shoebox” opened on Tuesday inside the Berlin Welcome Center, as town officials swore in the bathtub racer pioneered by the late Jesse Turner as a vehicle to collect donations for local families in need.

Turner, who passed away last year, operated the Berlin Shoebox on Main Street for several decades. He was known affectionately as the “Mayor of Germantown” and was an ambassador for Berlin, not to mention sponsor of the winningest racer in the 25-year history of the annual Berlin Bathtub Races.

The racer, an actual bathtub set on the skeleton of a four-wheeled bicycle, was purchased from the Turner family by Frank and Susan Baker, longtime neighbors, with the intention of donating it to the town.

“We’re very excited that we have this opportunity today to accept Jesse Turner’s famous Berlin Bathtub racer that is an iconic source of pride for our community,” Mayor Gee Williams said.

Williams said the tub was important because of its place in the history of the races, but also because it “created and nourished and promoted our town through” Turner and his legacy.

“He was a shoemaker for this town for over a half a century – probably more like 65 years – but it wasn’t just his skills,” Williams said. “It was the fact that he made so many friends and he really cared about people. He took care of his fellow citizens, became the first African-American president of our chamber of commerce, and basically nurtured this feeling of an extended family that we’re trying to not only preserve, but promote.

“He will be long remembered and hopefully this is a way that we can all remember him together, not only at race time, but throughout the year,” Williams added.

The tub will be used to collect new or gently used shoe donations for Diakonia, a West Ocean City nonprofit providing emergency and transitional housing – along with a number of other services – for men, women and families on the Lower Eastern Shore.

To donate, visit the Berlin Welcome Center on 14 South Main Street, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Donations after hours may be left in the lobby.

“Every time the bathtub is filled, we will then donate [the shoes] to charity,” Williams said. “That, to me, is another way we can keep Jesse’s memory in mind … and see that this legacy continues to serve the town.”