Crisfield's McCready Memorial Hospital celebrates National Hospital and Health Care Week

From McCready Memorial Hospital:

"Hospitals across the country celebrated National Hospital and Health Care Week in early May. The focus was on recognizing the dedicated folks who’ve made health care their careers.

The McCready Foundation in Crisfield celebrated too, but with a distinctly maritime flair.

The week’s highlight – ask anyone at McCready Memorial Hospital or the Tawes Nursing and Rehabilitation Center there – is the picnic and boat race held on the foundation’s sunny campus overlooking the Little Annemessex River.

This year, the “McCready Maritime Skipper’s Cup” race featured identical, little wooden craft rather than the larger vessels individually fashioned by McCready departments.

The rules were simple: buy your boat for $2, decorate it (without additional parts) and show up to launch it into the river at l p.m. on picnic day. The first three boats to pass the finish line win cash prizes - read more about the boat race.

McCready’s nautical theme extended throughout the week-long celebration in the form of a SpongeBob Square Pants theme for the picnic and for department-decorating and song-writing contests and games.

There was also a free breakfast buffet and ice cream for all shifts. An annual dessert-making competition yielded prizes for winners as well as more treats for the staff.

McCready’s hospital week celebration is planned and paid for by a committee of employees – they raise the money with small fundraisers throughout the year.

This year, boat sales generated cash to help McCready’s surgeon, Sidney Barnes, pay the hefty entrance fees for his family’s participation in a national breast cancer walk in Cleveland."


It was certainly a great day for a picnic at McCready. I have covered many events there, and I can tell you that all of the people who work there are dedicated, hard-working people who not only take their jobs seriously, but know how to have fun. Below are some photos from their picnic and boat race.


City councilwoman LaVerne Johnson gets a take-out; I mean a take-in.

This was my favorite game. Go SpongeBob!

Reminds me of The Lawrence Welk Show. Yes. I gave away my age.

Cameras Ahoy! This employee was taking photos of the events.

"Every limbo boy and girl
All around the limbo world
Gonna do the limbo rock
All around the limbo clock
Jack be limbo, Jack be quick
Jack go unda limbo stick
All around the limbo clock
Hey, let's do the limbo rock."

Find enough starfish in a certain amount of time and you win a prize! He did!

The obstacle course for games.

Time for the boat race!

The wind and currents made for a difficult launch.

The boats were ready to sail!

But they did not want to leave the shore, eventually flopping to one side.

And then the current began to take them out in different directions. Oh, What to do?

An employee spies a boat on the shore. "Um? This might work for retrieving the boats."

"I'll retrieve the boats!" There were no paddles around, so a pole was used to navigate the shallow water.

Little did anyone know the plug in the boat was missing. Woman overboard! Almost. Crisfielder's have great sea legs.

After plugging the hole with a towel, another employee joins in, using a piece of wood as a paddle. This time, employees tied a long rope to the boat.

Everyone was worried about the boats getting away. But the day was saved by someone who arrived on the scene with paddles.

By now the boats were everywhere, and all the king's men - and women - could not bring them back again, at least with a paddle.


There was only one way to save the boats from trashing up their beloved Little Annemessex River...jump and swim.

And all the little boats came home again, leaving the river just as they had found it.

Now, is that dedication or what?