For the County Times

CRISFIELD — The City of Crisfield and the Crisfield Arts and Entertainment District (CAED) Project announce that the Maryland State Arts Council has approved a $2,500 Technical Assistance grant to pay for two billboards to be placed on north and southbound U.S. 13 to direct visitors to the newly designated Crisfield Arts & Entertainment (A& E) District.

The billboards will be in place from March through June of 2019. CAED, a non-profit founded to assist with the fundraising and management of the A& E district, will provide the grant’s matching funds which were raised through the recent Have a Seat in Crisfield Adirondack chairs auction.

“The CAED Project would like to give a heartfelt thank you to the generous sponsors and artists who have given of their time and talent, and the funds for chairs, paint and supplies,” said district manager Jen Merritt.

The CAED Project is partnering with other Crisfield organizations to develop a marketing plan with BEACON, The Business Economic and Community Outreach Network, of the Franklin P. Perdue School of Business at Salisbury University, to ensure that the maximum value is received for all marketing funds.

Another artistic endeavor is now underway — a competition will take place for a new logo for the A& E district. This logo will be included on the new billboards. Any entries should be submitted toarts@crisfieldcityhall.com by Jan 31, 2019 and must be at least one foot by one foot with a 600 dpi resolution. Logos should also reflect the heritage of Crisfield. Entries must include the name, phone number, address, and email address of the artist.

The first round of selections will be made by the CAED Project Board, with the final selection made by Dr. Memo Dirkier of BEACON. The artist of the chosen logo will be awarded $500.