All set for Rotary Oyster Roast in Cambridge The annual fundraiser is hosted by the Cambridge Rotary and this year, it will benefit the Long Wharf World War I Memorial Fountain which is in need of leak repairs.

Tickets are on sale for the seventh annual Rotary Oyster Roast, which will be held on Saturday, March 24, at Long Wharf Park.

The annual event is hosted by the Cambridge Rotary Community Service Foundation and benefits the Long Wharf World War I Memorial Fountain, which is in need of leak repairs.

Tickets are $25 and are available at the Dorchester Chamber of Commerce, 528 Poplar Street. The event will be from noon until 4 pm.

The fountain was built in 1938 by the City of Cambridge and Dorchester County to honour the 38 men from Dorchester County who made the supreme sacrifice during the first World War.

Cambridge Rotary Club (Maryland, US – D 7630) repaired the Fountain in 1986 and again in 2012.

The 2012 repair came nine years after Hurricane Isabel’s historic flooding left the Fountain inoperable.

At that time the electric system was completely replaced, a new pump was purchased, water valves were replaced, and the exterior was cleaned and refinished.

Funds raised from the Oyster Roast were also used to replace the sidewalks with new handicap accessible sidewalks that encircle the fountain.

A new plaza was built to access and surround the Distinguished Service Cross Memorial.

An irrigation system was installed in the circle surrounding the fountain.

The flagpole located in the middle of the new plaza, that predates the Fountain by five years, was also repainted through the efforts of the Cambridge Rotary Club.

This past year, the pump stopped working and was replaced.

Some leaking has occurred in the area where old pipes were removed when the new sidewalk was built in 2015, this spring the acrylic coating will be reapplied, and the fountain again will be water tight.

“Rotary continues its support for Long Wharf Park,” said Cambridge Rotary Community Service Foundation Past President Jeff Hubbard.

“The 2012 fountain repair jump-started the use of the park. We have seen a new lighthouse, bathroom building, and green infrastructure improvements by the City of Cambridge. The Ironman Maryland finish line is at the fountain, and this year the Dorchester Chamber of Commerce will hold a Boat Docking here on Father’s Day weekend.”

Source: Dorchester Star