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 parking lots in Millsboro, and Delaware farmers being excluded from taxpayer-supported farmers markets.

• Arenas and Henlopen City Oyster House.

• Another rave review of Henlopen City's $32 lobster reuben.

• Brush Factory and 302 Horseshoe Crab apparel.

• Hanging out at Dogfish Head in Milton; a boozy Fishers Popcorn milkshake.

• Georgetown's Bangkok Bistro.

• An upcoming Easter egg hunt hosted by the Laurel Historical Society. (April 4th at 10:00 am.)

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 governor Wes Moore signed proclamations celebrating poultry on March 19th and encouraging Marylanders not to eat meat on March 20th. Also, the Baltimore Sun says "hundreds of states" observe the anti-meat "MeatOut" day.

• Delaware deer harvest in the 2025-2026 season.

• Creepy lab-grown meat.

• Recapping a pre-podcast feast of seared duck breast, pit venison sandwiches, crab meltaways, crabcake balls, and shrimp cocktail.

• A little-known seafood gem: The Shanty in Laurel, Delaware.

• How to cook duck.

• The Showell and Georgetown oyster events.

• The upcoming Gumboro gun bash.

• Billy's first time at Mallards in Onancock.

• The importance of using the restroom before boarding the ferry to Tangier Island.

• Billy and Fulton share feedback about the recent Slower Lower episode featuring outdoorsman , podcaster, and TV personality Joe Wilson.

• Sika deer movements during different seasons, and the impact on farmers.

• Decoys from the Head of the Bay: Madison Mitchell, Vincente, Jobe, and more.

• "Body booting" and other duck hunting stories; more tips on cooking duck.

• The duck confit from Gilbert's Provisions in Berlin, Maryland.

• Chris attempts to use a duck call for the very first time.

• TV talk: The Madison (spoiler alert!), Yellowstone, Stranger Things, Game of Thrones, not starting a new show until it's done, the best order in which to watch prequels and sequels.

• Talking turkeys: Toms, jakes, and hens; the cat-and-mouse game of calling; yelps and gobbles; decoys and the controversial tactic of reaping; safety concerns on public land; comparing and contrasting turkeys and backyard chickens; eating wild turkey vs. a Thanksgiving turkey from the grocery store.

• Slaughtering chickens.

• Ideas for a TV show featuring Billy Hardesty.

• Does Fulton have a Baltimore accent?

• Various local establishments including the Dutch Market, Peggy's Kitchen, Lewes Oyster House, and Henlopen City Oyster House.

• "Swamp Bunnies" (pretty redneck girls) and where to find them.

• Auctions; accidentally bidding $500 for a turkey call.

• . . . . and so much more!

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 booted from British currency by a panel including a "celebrity birdwatcher," whatever that is.

• The most Maryland scandal ever: The mayor of Baltimore blew $1 million of taxpayer funds on crab feasts and tabs at Ravens games.

• Sunday hunting on Maryland public lands: To expand, or not to expand?

• Rehoboth Beach canceled the Polar Bear Plunge again, and people were pissed.

• Milton's observance of St. Patrick's Day nearly two weeks before the day.

• A blind scrapple taste test in which Crystal bought and prepared three different local scrapples for Chris and Russell to sample. Afterward, she reveals that they were Kirby & Holloway, RAPA Turkey, and Milton.

• Revisiting the recent Slower Lower episode with outdoorsman and TV personality Joe Wilson, as well as Joe's hilarious recap of his trip to Delmarva on his own podcast, Cookin' Up A Story.

• Looking forward to Joe's appearances on the Outdoor Channel show Dead Meat, as well as a future show called Meet Joe Wilson.

• True or Shite: A St. Patrick's Day trivia game.

• Russell's poison dart frogs.

• Rumored nighttime frog-gigging on a local golf course, and a hilarious story about Salisbury workers catching turtles for dinner while on the clock.

• And more!

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 Pennsylvania in 1776, ought to be the primary state holiday.

• National Delaware Day (July 13th) is an utterly made-up day on the calendar with no local significance whatsoever.

• Delaware Day (December 7th) commemorates Delaware's ratification of the U.S. Constitution in 1787, and was not the date on which Delaware became a state, and Delaware wasn't the first state.

• Dogfish Head's Mid-90s red ale, a limited release.

• Google autocomplete suggestions for Delaware-related search queries, including, "Is Delaware a state?" (Yes!)

• Living and dead Delaware celebrities including Bob Marley (yes, that Bob Marley), George Thorogood, Sam Calagione, Howard Pyle, George Alfred Townsend, and radio talk show host and mentalist Dan Gaffney.

• Delaware products including Pampers wipes, Playtex tampons, and guitar picks.

• Dewey Beer's Swishy Pants.

• Delaware vs. Maryland: State capitals, beaches, Orange Crushes, flags, and more.

Happy 302 Day!

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 thousands of steak dinners to law enforcement officers and first responders.

Joe has been featured on Bizarre Foods America with Andrew Zimmern, CBS Sunday Morning, the front page of the Wall Street Journal, and numerous podcasts including Bear Grease, This Country Life, and The Ozark Podcast. He is also one of the hosts of the Cookin’ Up A Story podcast, which recently celebrated its 300th episode.

Chris and Crystal got to hang out with Joe in Dorchester County, Maryland, where he’s co-hosting a forthcoming episode of the Outdoor Channel’s Dead Meat.

Topics discussed:

• Welcoming Joe to Delmarva with a sampling of regional products including Hughes Delaware Maid scrapple, J.O. Spice, Wye River seasoning, Fisher's Popcorn, Dolle's saltwater taffy, and Smith Island Cake.

• How Joe launched the World Champion Squirrel Cook Off with a lie.

• Expert tips for hunting, skinning, and cooking squirrels.

• Delmarva-themed squirrel recipe ideas: Squirrel scrapple? Maryland squirrel soup?

• Eastern Shore accents from an Arkansan's perspective.

• Joe's expectations about Maryland vs. his experiences.

• Local sika deer hunters' feelings about Steve Rinella after he blew up their spot.

• Shooting a Dead Meat episode about muskrat culture on Delmarva.

• Chris and Crystal went to the Southern Grille and tried their first muskrat in preparation for this Slower Lower episode. It was delicious!

• Cooking a whole moose in Alaska.

• Serving law enforcement officers by providing tens of thousands of steak dinners.

• Our shared appreciation for the Bear Grease podcast and host Clay Newcomb.

• Joe's next adventure: A TV show called Meet Joe Wilson.

• America isn't a melting pot, it's a gumbo.

• . . . and much more!

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 Pines Public House is a sleeper brunch spot.

• Burley Oak's "The Brackish" oyster stout.

• Pines locals and Glen Riddlers.

• Roasting a whiny Karen.

• Jersey tourons shouldn't complain about things when they don't even know how to pump gas.

• Why don't we go to Ocean City more often?

• Baltimorons love Ocean City for some reason.

• A rave review of the "Bottomless Brunch" at Spain Wine Bar in OC.

• Evo's Salisbury University-themed "Bury Brew" light lager.

• The great Joe Wilson of the World Champion Squirrel Cook Off and the Cookin' Up A Story podcast is coming to Dorchester County's muskrat-themed National Outdoor Show; Chris's disappointment over not being able to go.

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.g., the Lewes Polar Bear Plunge, and Bethany Beach's Fire & Ice Festival) get postponed because the weather is too . . . wintry?

• Chris bought a watercolor of penguins that came with a painting of a clown, and Crystal is not down with the clown.

• John Dagworthy: Who he was, what he did, and why Chris is writing a book about him.

• The first Slower Lower sports report with Bret Elliott (who predicts a Seahawks victory).

• A call to John Barber about noteworthy Super Bowl halftime performances, plus Slower Lower vs. North Carolina weather.

• Recalling the last Slower Lower episode with Tyler Scott and Amber Kairos of Georgetown, Delaware. It's a good one!

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 future.

Topics discussed:

• Georgetown is uniquely important to all Sussex Countians, because it is the county seat.

• The "Make Georgetown Great Again" group on social media; when and why Tyler and Amber started it, who can participate, the rules, etc.

• The group is nonpartisan and focused on local issues, and has been mischaracterized as right-wing and/or Trump-aligned due to its name.

• Georgetown's growing homeless population and related problems.

• Is or isn't Georgetown a magnet for homeless people from other towns, counties, and states?

• Where is the line between helping and enabling?

• Panhandlers who stand by an intersection for 8 hours are capable of working.

• Vagrants sleeping on the Circle during wedding ceremonies and prom photo shoots; Little League kids finding trash, needles, feces, and worse in the dugouts.

• Thoughts on the Shepherd's Office, the Pallet Village, and the Little Living cottages (aka teeny homes).

• Promoting recovery and responsibility vs. giving handouts.

• The upcoming municipal election; if there is a changing of the guard, what should happen next?

• The absurdity of journalists mischaracterizing or misquoting people in the age of long-form podcasts.

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.
• Dinner at Mogan's Oyster House.
• Dry January vs. Sober October.
• Booze alternatives including coffee, tea, kombucha, and mocktails.
• Chris's desire for more bars and restaurants to embrace Dry January by consciously stocking up on non-alcoholic beers and offering more mocktails.
• New Year's goals or resolutions.
• The great debate: Black-eyed peas or sauerkraut on New Year's Day?

Thank you to everyone who checked out the Slower Lower podcast in 2025. Here's to 2026!

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 basket.
• Slower Lower listeners' top podcasts and artists.
• Chris's and Crystal's top podcasts and artists.