REMEMBERING A LIFE THAT MADE A DIFFERENCE

It is with heavy hearts that the Friends of Quiet Waters Park bid farewell to Gail B. Olmstead. Sadly, we lost Gail at age 90 following a brief illness. Gail was a dedicated volunteer at the park for 32 years. Gail’s skills as a weaver drew her to the Art Committee where she served as Chairperson, as well serving as Chair of Art @ the Park and, most recently, Chair of the Holiday Artisan Market. She continued to participate with the Art Committee until a recent fall curtailed her activities.

Gail will be remembered as a kind, soft spoken person who was always supportive of those around her. She was a quietly strong person who weathered many personal tragedies. We will miss her counsel and her gentle sense of humor.

A memorial service will be held at the park on September 13th in the Sassafras Pavillion. Time to be determined.

“July, with its days of blue skies

and time that seemingly stands still,

holds a special place in my heart." - Daisaka Ikeda

President’s Message

Please join all of the Friends leadership and our members in a heartfelt tribute to Gail Olmstead, who was so much a part of Quiet Waters Park and the Friends for over 30 years. We will miss you, Gail.  

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July is the absolute heart of summer. It’s the season of long, sun-drenched days, the steady buzz of crickets, and those perfect, lazy picnics that naturally transition into a nap on the grass. 

However, these days the Park is buzzing more than usual - especially in the Formal Gardens. The ADA-specific phase of renovations began on May 12th and will continue for 12 weeks. This is the lead-in to the next two phases that may continue throughout this year and into the next as the Visitor Center and the Blue Heron Center all go through renovation. Site work began on the middle tier of the garden, near Kaleidoscope, where crews have started removing, leveling, and reinstalling the brick pathway. Crews have also cut the brick wall between the middle and lower tier (leading to the Blue Heron Center) to begin constructing an accessibility ramp. Most recently, they've started addressing the uneven pavers surrounding the reflecting pool. We will keep you posted as the renovations move into the next phase which will involve closing the Visitor Center and moving Park operations to adjacent trailers.  

If you're feeling a little adventurous, wander down the Harness Creek Trail to the kayak launch. There is something magical about spontaneously jumping into a kayak when the creek is perfectly calm and reflective in the late afternoon. (The last rental is at 5:45 June through August). See the welcome note further down in the newsletter for more information about the Park’s new kayak concessionaire, Eastern Watersports.

🎶 Summer Concert Season is here!

Our summer concert lineup kicks off on July 26th with the Black-eyed Susans taking the stage from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. Set a reminder to get here a little early so you can snag a prime spot in the shade!

Keep the music going all summer long with these upcoming shows:

• August 1st: The Road Ducks
• August 8th: Clones of Funk
• August 15th: The Kelly Bell Band (5:30 - 7:30)

                                    Food Trucks will be Available at all performances

🎷 A Special Debut Performance

Mark your calendars for Saturday, August 22nd! The Friends of Quiet Waters Park and the Naptown Jazz Kids are teaming up for something truly special: "Young Cats and Old Souls: Generations of Jazz in the Park." 5:30 - 7:30 PM

We are bringing together incredible local student musicians from the Naptown Jazz Kids network to share the stage with a quintet of seasoned regional jazz veterans. It’s going to be a completely immersive, cross-generational musical dialogue exploring the deep roots and vibrant future of jazz.   

See you in the Park!

See you in the Park!

Warm Regards,

Kristin Pauly, President

July Photo Contest Winner

by Joshua Harriman

Through the eyes of the photographer...Joshua Harriman

"I love Quiet Waters Park and walk or run there whenever I get a chance. I love that it is a public space that is for the community. I noticed the purple alliums and thought they looked a lot like the trees in Dr. Seuss's The Lorax. I waited for a nice day and framed the picture of the purple flowers against the blue sky. The photo shows the beauty of nature and how we have to protect the environment."

Aren’t we glad they were here . . .

It is said that fairies are so small, they can only contain one emotion at a time.  It seems the fairies proved this to be true in their houses that magically appeared along the Fairy House (Holly Pavilion) Trail this year. They reflected pure, uncontrolled JOY!  

The Fairy House Festival in its fourth year reflected so much of the goodness of our community.  It opened with a Pavilion transformed with garlands and butterflies, handmade bouquets on each table, cupcakes donated by Graul’s and Trader Joe’s, and ice cold lemonade from loving volunteers. The hundreds upon hundreds of visitors, attractions of themselves with fairy-like wings and dress, were greeted with fairy wands and smiling faces.  And then to the Fairy House Trail to find the stars -- Fairy Houses, each delightfully different from the rest, each reflecting the joy of creation, each telling us something about the fairy who dwells inside. Wanderers of the trail also had the extraordinary experience of hearing mystical music among the trees, a gift from two talented Annapolis Symphony Orchestra musicians who became as one with the forest and the fairies.  And as if this was not perfect enough, a few feet away we found more magic by the Ballet Theater of Maryland performing “The Fairies Dance” and even a chance for all to dance with them.  

And, for the first time this year, the Fairies gave permission for special friends to spend a few hours in their world the weekend after opening day by making fairy crowns and capturing an image of a favorite fairy house in a painting to take home.  For the magic to endure.  And we thank them.

So many smiles . . . .

It’s hard to let the feeling go, isn’t it?

So clap if you believe and come here for a time.

This event was made possible due to the Friends of Quiet Waters Park and the members who support us. The Friends’ financial resources for events like this come from member donations and we ask anyone who loves the Park to join us. Clap if you believe and please use the Membership and/or Donate links at the bottom of this newsletter.

OYSTER REEF BALLS

On Tuesday, June 23, visitors and project partners watched as the Patricia Campbell set 62 oyster reef balls along a shoreline at Quiet Waters Park. These reef balls, made of concrete and intended to provide a home for oysters and other aquatic life, are a crucial piece of the Quiet Waters shoreline restoration project managed by Arundel Rivers Federation in partnership with the Department of Recreation and Parks, as well as the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF). This deployment of reef balls is one of three trips CBF’s oyster barge is making to the park this summer; once they’re done, 240 new oyster reef balls, over half of them pre-set with baby oysters, will call Harness Creek home.

The reef balls will serve as a breakwater, dissipating wave energy as it approaches the shoreline and minimizing further erosion. They will also provide critical habitat for a number of species. Over a hundred of the reef balls installed are seeded with live oyster spat to kickstart the reef building process. Oyster reefs have seen an exponential decline since the 19th century, when human populations around the Chesapeake Bay boomed. Through the combined efforts of volunteers, non-profits, and government agencies, oysters are beginning to make their comeback as our communities and leaders prioritize watershed health and wildlife protections. Once complete, the shoreline restoration at Quiet Waters will help realize these goals and make the space healthier and safer for human and animal visitors alike.

Heads Up Notice

Two Magical Night Hikes

Coming This Summer

Join a Quiet Waters Park Ranger to walk the trails, listen for night sounds, and experience the wonders of the night sky. Learn from DarkSky MD what you can do to help bring back the dark. First hike is Wednesday, July 29 @ 8pm (a full moon); second hike is Wednesday, August 12 @ 7:45pm (a new moon so much darker). Red light flashlights will be provided. Watch for an email blast and Facebook announcement on July 11th to sign up for the July 29th hike. Signup for August 12 hike will be in the August Friends newsletter. Limit of 20 people; $5 donation requested to benefit the FQWP.

Art Gallery Exhibit

Annette Uroskie, "The Three Graces," Watercolor

Both the Willow and the Garden galleries will hold the watercolor works of Annette Uroskie and Joan Machinchick thru July 27, 2026; their exhibit is titled “Water, Water on the Wall. Annette and Joan have enjoyed a long friendship, met through sailing but drawn together through a love of art. They share a mutual awe of the majesty of life-giving water which coaxes the garden into bloom, and enlivens the paint into art. They portray its surface, its depths, its moods, its life within and the line where it meets the land and earth comes alive.

Joan Machinchick, "Dusk at Sullivan Island," Watercolor

Parks, Pride, and Heavy Machinery

Meet Larry Sanders, Park Maintenance Supervisor

Some people just have a knack for keeping things running. For Quiet Waters Park, that person is Larry Sanders.

For 12 years, Larry has been the backbone of the park’s daily maintenance operations, supervising a team of 1 full-time employee, and 3 part-timers, to keep the grounds beautiful and safe. The Maintenance and Horticulture staff work hand-in-glove on this agenda. This role demands ultimate adaptability. From dramatic seasonal shifts to unpredictable daily challenges, no two days in Larry’s boots are ever the same. Currently, Larry is serving as the Park’s supervisor for the ADA portion of the county-managed major renovation project. This massive, three-phase transformation involves — the Formal Gardens, the Visitor Center and Blue Heron Center – and will stretch through 2026 and into 2027.

Larry’s journey to the park began about 20 years ago when he moved from Alexandria, Virginia, to the Northern District Park Office. While he relishes the sheer variety of tasks that come with Parks Operations and Maintenance, his true passion lies in the Regional Park setting. The District Parks are more community parks with a sports orientation, as distinct from the Southern Regional Parks that are - like Quiet Waters Park - more oriented toward nature and family activities. 

Whether he’s overseeing a major construction phase or ensuring the trails are safe for everyone, Larry’s decades of dedication continue to make Quiet Waters Park a more beautiful, accessible place to enjoy being outdoors.  

Clear trails ahead! Thanks to the Friends of Quiet Waters Park, the Maintenance Department has a new tractor grappler accessory ready to tackle fallen trees and speed up storm cleanup. 

July

Bird Bulletin

Courtesy of Kate Neall, owner of Wild Birds Unlimited in Gambrills

• Watch for those baby hummingbirds! The first brood of immature hummingbirds begin to show up at nectar feeders early in the month – be sure to keep your nectar fresh and available. The hot, humid, weather of July can spoil nectar quickly, so you may need to change it almost daily – check it regularly to ensure freshness. If you don’t want to have to make your own nectar, Wild Birds Unlimited carries a variety of easy nectar options that can help get you through the “dog days of summer” more easily!

• Flocking Blackbirds! Blackbirds begin to flock and appear at feeders (if they haven’t already). Some people enjoy feeding these birds as much as others, but they tend to eat more than their fair share! To deter them, you can use feeders that restrict their access and only allow the smaller birds access to eat. Switching to Safflower seed can help! Safflower seeds are a good option for attracting other birds like cardinals, house finches, and chickadees while discouraging the larger, more aggressive birds like blackbirds, starlings, and grackles that tend to dislike/avoid it. Safflower seed is bitter tasting to squirrels and other mammals, so it can be a great deterrent for them too!

Welcome Our New Waterfront Vendor

Eastern Watersports

We are thrilled to officially welcome Eastern Watersports as Quiet Waters Park’s new kayak, canoe, paddle board and Hobie Cat sailing rental provider! 

Eastern Watersports brings a long history of waterfront expertise from their three other locations, and they are eager to become an active part of our park community.

Exciting Summer Events

Starting mid-July and running through the end of summer, look out for a variety of special on-the-water events, including:

• Sunset & Sunrise Paddles
• Pups & Pets on the Water
• Complimentary Quiet Cleanup Hours (a great way to help keep our waters beautiful!)

Where to Find Them & Special Perks

• Location: Simply follow the parking signs to the Blue Heron Lot and take an easy stroll down to their rental hut.
• Concert Series Giveaway: Be sure to attend the upcoming park concert series! Eastern Watersports is generously donating a "A Day on the Waters" prize to one lucky winner at every concert sponsored by the Friends.

To see their full schedule of Eastern Watersports offerings or to book a rental, click on the link below. Please join us in giving them a warm Quiet Waters Park welcome!

2026 FQWP Photo Contest – Now Open!

We’re excited to welcome entries for the 12th Annual Friends of Quiet Waters Park Photo Contest. Share your best images of Quiet Waters Park—nature scenes, wildlife, water views, sculptures, seasonal landscapes, and park events.

Honor Your Loved One

While Helping Your Favorite Park!

Next time you are in the Visitors Center, visit the Memorial Tribute Tree in the entrance foyer installed by the Friends of Quiet Waters Park and park staff. The tree offers those wishing to honor loved ones an opportunity to purchase gold, silver, and copper leaves and special features such as acorns or mini trees. These will be custom engraved with your personal messages. The engraved feature will be a perpetual tribute to your loved one and proceeds benefit the park.

Interested in sponsoring programs at Quiet Waters Park?

Our local sponsors help support Friends of Quiet Waters Park activities.

Contact us for more information: Info@friendsofquietwaterspark.org

Friends of Quiet Waters Park

www.fqwp.org

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