Slower Lower

Chris and Crystal weigh in on local news stories and recount visiting several excellent Sussex County businesses, two of them for the very first time. Topics discussed: Big Oyster is reviving Tall Tales Redheaded Stepchild red ale! The scrapple eating competition at First State Fest at Hudson Fields on Saturday, June 27th. And who the heck is the Muskrat Mauler? Somebody accused "the yellow p...

Chris and Crystal reflect on their recent weekend on Smith Island, the only inhabited offshore island in Maryland's portion of the Chesapeake Bay. Known for its crabcakes and soft crabs, iconic layered cake, and the locals' traditional dialect, the island is accessible only by boat. Topics discussed: Connecting with Jerry Smith, "The Rogue's Point Pirate," who was featured in Peter Santenello's vi...

Jerry Smith is a waterman, history buff, YouTube creator, and life-long resident of Smith Island in the Chesapeake Bay. In 2024, he was featured in Peter Santenello’s viral video about the island and its unique culture which has since garnered 5.2 million views, and which resulted in a GoFundMe raising more than $38,000 to repair Jerry’s hurricane-damaged home in Rhodes Point. As “the Rogue’s Poin...

Back by popular demand! Grandma Shirley returned to the Slower Lower podcast for a conversation about her life in the tiny town of Trappe in Talbot County, Maryland, in the 1950s and 60s. Topics discussed: Meeting a young man named Charles Diefenderfer in 1950 and going for a drive before camp meeting service. Denton Pilgrim Holiness Camp in the 1950s. Getting married and moving from Hurlock to Tr...

Chris and Crystal reflect on their first year of podcasting and several local news stories. Topics discussed: Crystal's glowing review of the Red Roost outside Salisbury. Imported crabs and unscrupulous crabhouses. Should restaurants identify the source of their crabs as if they were oysters? The hideous new bollards and boardwalk gate in Rehoboth Beach. Delaware Governor Matt Meyer posted a B...

This very special episode of the Slower Lower podcast features Chris's 91-year-old grandma, Shirley, who was born in Dorchester County, Maryland, in 1934. In Grandma Shirley's first-ever podcast interview, she talks about growing up in the small town of Hurlock in the 1930s and 1940s. Topics discussed: The Pike family's old house in the woods at Rhodesdale. The sad poisoning of the family's dog, J...

Delaware-based country singer Shane Beard returns to the Slower Lower podcast with his friend and musical collaborator Kyle "K.O." Owens. We're celebrating the release of Shane's new single "Would If I Could" and a very cool music video! Topics discussed: A dude in Selbyville is upset about the stinky stuff farmers are spreading on the fields. Chicken manure vs. cow man...

This is the second of two special episodes recorded at historic Rosemont (c. 1772) in downtown Laurel, Delaware. Chris and Crystal were joined by Dr. Keith Cunningham, a gifted and passionate linguist who is reconstructing the long-dormant language of the Nanticoke Indians. Topics discussed: Greeting one another in Nanticoke. Historic Nanticoke word lists from the 1700s. Lydia Clark, the last nati...

Troy and Carolynn Foxwell are a husband-and-wife team who serve as the State President of the Delaware Society of the Sons of the American Revolution and the State Regent of the Delaware Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, respectively. They joined Chris and Crystal at historic Rosemont (c. 1772) in Laurel, Delaware, for a conversation about the organizations, how folks can discov...

In an episode that is almost entirely about gardening, Chris and Crystal give shoutouts to Turnpike Tulips and Lakeside Greenhouses, review the current state of their garden, and read and discuss a variety of posts in the Delaware Gardening group on Facebook. Topics discussed: Local news item: A theft of bee hives in Delmar. Regional news item: They're going to use dredged material from Baltimore...

This week Chris and Crystal recount an unplanned overnight stay in friendly Onancock, Virginia. Topics discussed: The incredible sushi and service at Maurice Orange crushin' and boat watching by the water at Mallards Devouring two bowls of the Eastern Shore clam chowder at the Blarney Stone The craft beer selection at the booming Onancock Taphouse Booking a last-minute stay at the Charlotte Ho...

Chris and Crystal sit down together for a short Slower Lower episode after a Saturday outing in eastern Sussex. Topics discussed: • There ain't no such place as West Fenwick! Salisbury University's food delivery robots; are college kids turning into college hermits? State rep candidate John Atkins promises to tackle local issues including the infuriating barrier between the Tractor Supply and BJ's...

Bird is the word! Outdoorsmen and wild game connoisseurs Billy Hardesty and Fulton Giebel return to the Slower Lower podcast for a hilarious booze-fueled three-hour episode about waterfowl and turkeys, and a heck of a lot more. Topics discussed: European and snowshoe hares are being removed from the list of Delaware game animals. What does that even mean? Things that make you go "Hmmm": Maryland g...

It's St. Patrick's Day on Delmarva! Or close enough. Award-winning photographer Russell A. Taylor III returns to hang out with Chris and Crystal in his fourth appearance on the Slower Lower podcast. Topics discussed: Select global headlines including an Irish employee who won 23,000 pounds after her boss repeatedly screamed "potato!" at her; also, Winston Churchill is getting boo...

March 2nd (3/02) is 302 Day, an unofficial Delaware holiday. On this episode of the Slower Lower podcast, Chris and Crystal crack Delaware beers from Dogfish Head and Dewey Beer and chat about the so-called First State. Topics discussed: 302: Delaware's statewide area code. Why Separation Day (June 15th), which commemorates the Three Lower Counties' separation from both Great Britain and Pennsylva...

Joe Wilson is an outdoorsman, a self-described “preacher of the meat gospel,” and has been called the “redneck Oprah Winfrey.” He is the founder and organizer of the annual World Champion Squirrel Cook Off , which draws dozens of competitors and thousands of spectators to northwest Arkansas every September, as well as the CEO of Steaks 4 Sheepdogs , a nonprofit organization which has served thousa...

It's a tale of two brunches. Whilst sampling two local craft beers, Chris and Crystal recap going out for brunch on two Saturdays in a row, first to the underrated Pines Public House in Ocean Pines, and then to the magnificent Spain Wine Bar in Ocean City. Topics discussed: Picking up purchases from an estate auction in Oak Hall, Virginia. When a server asks for your name, and remembers it. The Pi...

No, this one isn't about sports. Not much, anyway. On a super cold Sunday that happens to be Super Bowl Sunday, Chris and Crystal catch up after two weeks of brutal winter weather. Topics discussed: The overblown snowstorm of January 2026. Panic-buying; what do people do with all of that bread, milk, and toilet paper? Caring for backyard chickens in freezing temperatures. When winter events (e...

Tyler Scott and Amber Kairos live in Georgetown, Delaware. They started the popular public Facebook group "Make Georgetown Great Again" in October 2025 to encourage conversations about issues related to the town. In episode 27 of the Slower Lower podcast, Tyler and Amber joined Chris and Crystal for an unfiltered conversation about the group and all things Georgetown -- the good, the bad, and the...

Chris and Crystal ironically recap a post-Christmas pub crawl in downtown Salisbury, Maryland, before discussing Dry January and other matters concerning the new year. Topics discussed: Is the Georgetown circle a roundabout? Crystal says yes; Chris is horrified. An off-menu traditional breakfast at the Irish Penny. How you can drink multiple pints of Guinness in an afternoon without getting drunk....

What's better than a snow day? As snow falls outside, Chris and Crystal hang out by the wood stove and chat about snow days of yesteryear, as well as their 2025 Spotify Wrapped. Topics discussed: Kids losing the joy of snow days due to "virtual learning." Slower Lower's "ice storm" of the early 1990s. Sledding behind a truck on a public road. Sledding in a laundry baske...

Returning guest Fulton Giebel joins Chris and Crystal for a very special, festive episode of the Slower Lower podcast. They sample a series of craft beers including Goose Island Bourbon County Stout 2025, Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA Aged in Utopias Barrels, and Troegs Mad Elf Grand Cru, and chat about favorite Christmas movies and songs as well as Fulton's recent hunting adventures.

On the last day of November and their four-day Thanksgiving weekend, Chris and Crystal talk about: The results of the 2025 Delaware Whitetail Open. Comparing Havre de Grace to Eastern Shore towns. Footsteps in an empty room at Bahoukas Antique Emporium. Maryland crab soup and "half & half" (Maryland crab plus cream of crab) at Coakley's Pub. More Maryland crab soup at Market Stre...

Chris and Crystal catch up three weeks into a busy November. Topics discussed: Friendsgiving Deer hunting (Chris got a doe) A surprise neck roast Local autumn and Thanksgiving dishes including pretzel salad and baked pineapple Not feeling Halloween Savoring November instead of rushing into the Christmas season

Chris and Crystal recap a recent visit to one of their favorite local restaurants, and discuss local oyster (aka " arster ") history and traditions. Oyster vs. Arster. Dinner at Henlopen City Oyster House in Rehoboth; the raw oyster sampler, fried oysters, casked craft beer, and more. A shout-out to another local favorite, the Lewes Oyster House. Opinioned (and potentially controversial)...