Most people may see the name Lance Richardson and recognize he is our Queen Anne’s County State’s Attorney. Most often he is recognized as a local resident, dad, husband, coach and volunteer. While it may be debatable whether he should be considered a Chicken Necker, the majority of Lance’s memories are about his life in Queen Anne’s County, which he considers his home.
Lance moved to Kent Island at age nine from Louisville Kentucky and quickly absorbed all the area had to offer. His most vivid memories of Kent Island include oyster shell roads and the stop light at Routes 8 and 50 that would take hours to cross on a Sunday, if you dared. He says, “Who could forget the Kent Narrows drawbridge and life before the overpass. Or that Pizza Hut and Hardees were the first fast food establishments on the island.”
Like most youth of Queen Anne’s County, Lance grew up crabbing, fishing and playing in row boats in creeks on the southern half of Kent Island located near Kent Island Estates. He attended Queen Anne’s County High School with most of the area teens. He spent his summers working on crab boats for local watermen and pulling crab pots. His other interests included soccer, wrestling and lacrosse.
After a brief hiatus from the county and after attending the University Maryland and receiving his law degree, Lance and his wife Denise decided to make Queen Anne’s County their home. Lance remembers growing up here and recognizing everyone’s faces, selling raffle tickets door to door without concern and not worrying about locking doors. He couldn’t imagine a safer place to raise his family.
Today Lance and Denise live in Church Hill with their daughter Paige, age 13, and son, Garrhett, age 10. He says, “I still can’t think of a better place to raise a family after all these years. We have great public schools, lots of parks and open recreational areas and are surrounded by good people and friends.”
Lance says that like most young families his kids keep him busy. He spends a great deal of time coaching their lacrosse and other sporting teams including his daughter’s travel soccer team known as the Bay Shore Atomics. He does admit to getting in a little “guy time” by participating in an over-30 indoor soccer league at ISA on Kent Island.
Lance spends much of his time volunteering for organizations that work to keep Queen Anne’s County a safe and great place to live. He has been a Character Counts Coach for Church Hill Elementary for the past five years. He is a member of the Anti-Bullying Committee, which focuses on teaching children how to prevent bullying and teaches older youth about the dangers of cyber bullying and sexting. He also works with the Youth Suicide Hotline and Suicide Prevention. Lance is a member of the Drug and Alcohol Council Drug Free Coalition and a member of the Child Advocacy Board (CARE), which sponsors a child advocacy center for children who have been sexually and physically abused.
With involvement in so many local activities, you may run into Lance at a local event or meeting. Be sure to say hello to Lance and his family as they support local charities such as Hospice of Queen Anne’s and Bosom Buddies Charities. Now that we all know Lance, let him know why you are proud to be a resident of Queen Anne’s County, your fondest memories of living here, and the hopes you have for your children.