A documented timeline of the horse arena project, MDE inspections, mitigation efforts and the latest Fairgrounds restrictions
The story in brief
The recent cancellation of events at the Great Pocomoke Fairgrounds is the latest development in an environmental compliance issue that began in 2024, when fill dirt was proposed for use at the property in connection with a horse arena and potential riding activities. Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) inspection reports show that unauthorized fill was subsequently found in nontidal wetlands and an associated 25-foot buffer. More than a year later, the original wetland issue remained unresolved while the property continued to generate sediment and erosion concerns.
The latest development came after an Aug. 31, 2026 MDE inspection documented an additional area of earth disturbance and a separate Title 4 violation. City officials discussed the matter publicly in September, and Fairgrounds events were subsequently canceled or placed on hold.
The history goes back three decades
Before the horse arena and the 2025 MDE violation, the Fairgrounds property already had a history of regulated work involving its pond and wetlands.
MDE’s inspection reports repeatedly reference a historic Wetlands Letter of Authorization, 94-NT-0657 from 1994. According to MDE, that authorization involved excavation that created approximately 0.5 acres of shallow water to facilitate the growth of submerged aquatic vegetation. The agency also identifies approximately 0.2 acres of nontidal wetlands associated with the excavated edge of those historic wetlands.
That authorization eventually expired. But the landscape it helped create remained central to the environmental issue that surfaced decades later.
How the current project started:
The paper trail begins in August 2024. George Tunis of Hardwire emailed Sara Chapman, Tim Keller (Hardwire) and Douglas Reynolds (Reynolds Excavating) about moving excess fill dirt to the Fairgrounds. Tunis wrote that Hardwire would pay for the work and proposed using Reynolds Excavating equipment and trucking to move the material.
Tunis described the material as a mixture of topsoil, sand and some clay and said it could be used for a motocross track. He estimated approximately 50 to 75 truckloads and referenced the possibility of Supercross or motocross events.
Dan Brandewie, then Pocomoke’s planning director, was included in the correspondence. Brandewie responded that he thought the idea was a great one and said he would forward it to the city manager and City Council for a response.
The horse arena and the first MDE inspection
By August 2024, the Fair was publicly promoting a new horse arena. In a contemporaneous post, Fair Committee member Sara Chapman wrote, “More horse things… I don’t know many horse people down here yet but we put the arena in so let’s use it!” The Fair later promoted a Reese Arena Horse Show Committee interest meeting as it worked toward horse shows and equine activities.
On Jan. 9, 2025, MDE conducted its initial documented inspection. The agency reported unauthorized fill within nontidal wetlands and the associated 25-foot buffer. MDE also documented a fenced enclosure of approximately 19,500 square feet on top of the fill and approximately 40 sediment stockpiles.
MDE also identified a separate sediment and erosion issue under Title 4 of the Maryland Environmental Article, finding sediment in a position likely to pollute waters of the State. The agency directed the responsible party to install erosion and sediment controls and to prevent sediment from entering State waters or discharging offsite.
The MDE report stated that the unauthorized wetland impacts would have to be addressed either through authorization from the Department or, if authorization could not be obtained, by removing the unauthorized fill and restoring the impacted areas.
What the Fair and City said in May 2025
The dispute became a public issue in the spring of 2025. In May, WBOC reported on the situation and interviewed Fair Committee representative Sara Chapman and then-Interim City Manager Brandy Matthews.
Chapman told WBOC that the Fair Committee took responsibility for the situation and acknowledged that the proper channels should have been followed before the arena was constructed. Matthews described two possible paths: restoring the affected area or pursuing mitigation elsewhere so the arena could remain.
On May 28, 2025, MDE met with representatives of the City and the Pocomoke Fair Committee. MDE’s report states that the City would pursue “mitigation” in lieu of restoration and submit a proposal to the Department to determine whether mitigation would be feasible. The report also states that the City would serve as the Department’s point of contact and provide written progress updates at least every two weeks.
The May 28 report did not say that MDE had approved a mitigation plan. Instead, it said the City was to submit a proposal for the Department’s review. MDE also warned that no additional unauthorized impacts to nontidal wetlands or the 25-foot buffer should occur and that authorization should be obtained before work was conducted in regulated areas.
The issue continued into 2026
MDE continued to inspect the property. Its Dec. 18, 2025 report stated that the Department had previously observed unauthorized impacts to nontidal wetlands and the associated 25-foot buffer and that the responsible party still needed to coordinate with MDE to obtain authorization and submit a mitigation proposal.
On Feb. 3, 2026, MDE again documented the unauthorized wetland impacts and required an action plan and timeline. The agency also continued to identify sediment and erosion problems, including disturbed earth and damaged erosion-control measures.
A March 13, 2026 inspection again found that the fill and approximately 19,500-square-foot enclosure remained in place. MDE did not observe indications that additional fill had been placed in the original complaint area, but the inspector observed sediment washing into the wetlands.
By May and June 2026, MDE reports showed some improvement in one respect: inspectors did not observe additional unauthorized wetland impacts. However, the original Title 5 violation remained listed as unresolved, and MDE continued to require coordination toward mitigation or restoration. Sediment and erosion concerns also remained.
A new disturbance changes the situation
The next significant development came during an Aug. 31, 2026 MDE inspection. The agency documented an additional shallow excavation measuring approximately 1,200 to 1,500 square feet by pace count. The report says the purpose of the excavation was “currently unknown” however, the area appears to correlate with the mud bog part of the grounds.
MDE also found sediment in a position likely to pollute State waters and concluded that the earth disturbance led directly to waters of the State. The agency cited a Title 4 violation for placing pollutants in a position likely to pollute waters of the State and directed that the new and other earth disturbances be stabilized.
At the same time, MDE’s wetlands inspection found vigorous vegetative growth in the wetland and pond and no indications of further unauthorized wetland impacts. However, the original Title 5 violation remained unresolved. MDE again requested a written status update and timeline for obtaining compliance.
Why events began being canceled
The Fairgrounds continued to host or plan events during this period. City Council had approved Fairgrounds-related events earlier in 2026, including the Great Pocomoke Fair and other activities. On Aug. 17, the Council also approved a special one-day alcohol permit associated with the Sept. 26 Music & Mud Fest.
The situation changed after the City received formal notice of the latest MDE compliance issue in September. At the Sept. 8 Mayor and Council meeting, Mayor Todd Nock said the City had received notification of a new compliance violation from MDE on Sept. 7.
Nock said that once the City was formally notified, the Mayor and Council had a responsibility to respond. He said continuing to permit outdoor events while the compliance matter remained unresolved would not have been responsible on the City’s part.
Nock also pushed back on the characterization that the Mayor and Council had simply decided to cancel community events. His explanation was that the City’s response followed formal notification from the State concerning an environmental compliance matter involving City property.
According to Nock’s account, Fair President Gloria Smith contacted him seeking clarification about what the Fair could and could not do while the matter was being addressed. Nock said Smith told him she was not aware that the Fair’s cancellation post on Facebook had already been made.
What the current record shows
The original problem dates to the 2024 placement of fill in nontidal wetlands and the associated 25-foot buffer. That violation remained unresolved in the MDE reports reviewed through August 2026, although inspectors reported no new unauthorized wetland impacts during several 2026 inspections and noted vegetative growth in the wetland and pond.
The newer issue involves earth disturbance and sediment control. On Aug. 31, MDE documented the 1,200- to 1,500-square-foot excavation and issued a Title 4 violation for sediment being placed in a position likely to pollute State waters.
WBOC’s Sept. 9, 2026 report independently described the Fairgrounds as having both Title 4 and Title 5 violations. The report quoted Mayor Nock discussing the City’s concern about potential continuing penalties and quoted MDE’s Jay Apperson confirming the excavation and sediment concerns. WBOC also reported that the MDE investigation remained ongoing.
The unresolved question
The central issue is no longer simply what happened when the horse arena was constructed. The records show a continuing regulatory process involving both the original wetland impacts and later sediment and earth-disturbance problems.
The MDE documents do not establish that the original wetland violation has been closed, nor that a final mitigation plan has been approved, or that the property has returned to compliance. They do show that the City has pursued mitigation rather than immediate restoration and has continued communicating with MDE.
The latest inspection added another compliance problem. That new violation, and the City’s response to it, are what brought the Fairgrounds issue back into public view in September 2026 and led to the cancellation or suspension of events.
What is next to allow the City and the Fair to continue using the Fairgrounds?
Sources
Maryland Department of the Environment Compliance Evaluation Reports dated Jan. 9, May 28, and Dec. 18, 2025; Feb. 3, Mar. 13, May 8, June 25, and Aug. 31, 2026.
Hardwire email correspondence dated Aug. 22–23, 2024 concerning proposed movement of excess fill to the Fairgrounds, obtained via MPIA request for communications between Commissioner Caryn Abbott and city staff (identified via email domains cityofpocomoke.com and pocomokemd.gov).
WBOC, “Pocomoke City officials working to remedy ongoing situation at the fairgrounds,” May 2025.
https://www.wboc.com/news/pocomoke-city-officials-working-to-remedy-ongoing-situation-at-the-fairgrounds/article_ca8dd607-50a4-4cfc-8ff5-b4d0f2743b06.html
WBOC, “Pocomoke City fairgrounds issued two violations by the state,” Sept. 9, 2026.
https://www.wboc.com/news/pocomoke-city-fairgrounds-issued-two-violations-by-the-state/article_104cc1ec-6f09-48fa-b21b-423d6b5bda09.html
Sept. 8, 2026 Pocomoke City Mayor and Council meeting transcript/meeting summary documented by The Pocomoke City Arrowhead.
