CHESTERTOWN — The 2026 edition of the Chestertown Tea Party Festival will honor LaMonte Cooke as grand marshal of the parade on Saturday, May 23 and Mike Riggin as recipient of the Edna Ross Award.
Cooke has devoted his career to public safety, beginning in 1975 when he came to Kent County as a deputy sheriff. He rose to the rank of chief deputy of the Kent County Sheriff’s Office and managed the 1986 transition to the Kent County Detention Center from the old Kent County Jail, then located on Cross Street.
Since 1987, Cooke has served as director of corrections for Queen Anne’s County.
A Kent County resident, Cooke has been a friend and a member of the Tea Party Festival Committee since its earliest days, according to a festival spokesperson.
Riggin is the proprietor of the Chestertown print and engraving shop Riverside Unique, which has been in business in the 200-block of High Street for seven years.
Tea Party Festival organizers created the Edna Ross Award in 2011 in honor of Ross, a longtime and dedicated business owner who passed away in January of that year.
The award recognizes a person who has been “a stalwart part of the town’s business community and has been a supporter of local causes and nonprofits.”
Riggin is a member of the Rock Hall Lions Club and volunteers with Hope Community Alliance, providing food and clothing to those in need in Rock Hall, Pirates and Wenches Weekend and FallFest also in Rock Hall.
Through his business, which applies logos, artwork and other personalizations to banners, signs, plaques, mugs and other items, he “collaborates with local businesses, offers discounts to nonprofits and maintains a close relationship with Washington College athletic coaches in creating special award plaques,” according to the Tea Party Festival Committee.
Riggin will be presented his award on Saturday at about 11 a.m., immediately following the parade.
One Response
That’s so nice on both accounts! We know both Mike and Lamonte. I’m happy for both of them