Under a bright midday sun and temperatures pushing into the upper 80s, community leaders, bankers, and longtime customers gathered Wednesday for the grand opening of Queenstown Bank’s new Cambridge branch, celebrating what officials called another sign of economic momentum in Dorchester County.
The Dorchester Chamber of Commerce hosted the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the bank’s new full-service branch at 320 Sunburst Highway, drawing a crowd that filled the parking lot along Route 50.
“I know how much dedication and work have gone into opening up this location,” Dorchester Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Alessandro Nardi told the crowd. “I just really want to congratulate Queenstown Bank and the community that’s been so supportive of this effort.”
The branch sits on the former site of a Dairy Queen, a longtime Cambridge landmark familiar to generations of local residents and beach travelers heading east on Route 50. Rather than ignore the site’s history, bank officials embraced it.
Following the ribbon cutting, the bank offered free ice cream to attendees in tribute to the Dairy Queen that once occupied the property. The former restaurant also inspired one of the afternoon’s biggest laughs, when Dorchester County Council member Ricky Travers joked that it was only a matter of time before a confused beach traveler pulled into the bank’s new drive-through and tried ordering a Blizzard or banana split.
For Queenstown Bank executives, the event represented the culmination of a yearslong effort to establish a permanent presence in Cambridge. The bank first entered the Dorchester County market in 2021 with a loan production office led by longtime Cambridge banker Tim McCarter.
That office later expanded into a full-service branch in 2022 while bank leaders searched for a permanent location. The search was led in large part by Executive Vice President and Chief Risk Officer Tracy Whitby-Fairall, a Dorchester County native who began her banking career at the former National Bank of Cambridge in 1988.
“This is the culmination of a long effort,” Whitby-Fairall said during an interview after the ceremony. “A lot of years. But the timing has been perfect.”
Whitby-Fairall joined Queenstown Bank in 2005 and said she quickly recognized the institution’s focus on local customers and small businesses.
“We were the blue-collar bank back then,” she said. “We were the everyday guy, give you a loan, bank your deposits, help you with your small business.”
She said the previous branch location on Maryland Avenue served customers well but lacked several modern conveniences, including a drive-through ATM, night depository, and improved accessibility features. The new branch was designed specifically to meet those needs while giving the bank a more visible location along one of the Shore’s busiest corridors.
Queenstown Bank President and CEO Kevin Cashen credited Whitby-Fairall for pushing the project forward from the moment he joined the bank nearly a decade ago.
“When I joined the bank, Tracy walked into my office, I was here maybe three minutes, and said the reason they hired me was to put a branch in Cambridge,” Cashen said to laughter from the audience.
Cashen said McCarter played a critical role in helping the bank gain traction in Dorchester County before his death. Several speakers referenced McCarter’s influence during the ceremony, and members of his family attended the event.
“One of the best things we did was hire Tim McCarter,” Cashen said. “He really was fundamental to us really growing down here.”
The bank also announced a $1,500 donation to the Dorchester County Historical Society in McCarter’s memory to support local wood-carving classes, a craft he was known for teaching in the community.
Local officials repeatedly emphasized the importance of community banking to small businesses and working families on the Eastern Shore. Delegate Chris Adams told attendees that community banks provide the personal relationships and local decision-making many customers still value.
Cambridge city commissioner Brian Roche said the new branch reflects the kind of redevelopment local leaders want to see along the Route 50 corridor. Roche praised the building’s Eastern Shore design and visibility along Route 50, saying he appreciated “public buildings now that look like they belong in Dorchester County,” and quipped that if the bank generated “anywhere near the business that Dairy Queen did in its heyday,” it would thrive at the location.
Dorchester County Council President Lenny Pfeffer called the opening another positive sign for the county’s business climate.
“Anytime we can bring a business to Dorchester County right here on Route 50 is a great day,” Pfeffer said in an interview after the ceremony. “We’re definitely seeing an upswing in businesses coming to the county now.”
Council member Mike Detmer added that the branch represented more than just another bank building.
“This is not only their dream that came to fruition, but it’s going to foster a lot of other American dreams for people here in the community,” Detmer said.
Founded in 1899, Queenstown Bank now operates nine branches across Maryland’s Eastern Shore and manages approximately $730 million in assets.
