Fun With A Purpose

I'm all about making connections. When I can put two things together and make people think, that's a good blog post. I'm excited to see two things coming up this weekend that take the concept of making connections out of the abstract and into tangible, multi-sensory experiences. If I can connect you to these cool happenings, then we'll all benefit.

Saturday, June 1st, at Monarch Mills on Oakland Mills Road past Snowden:  the food trucks are coming for HoCo Chow Down!  You can sample a variety of delicacies from area food trucks from 11:30 to 2:30 pm. A portion of the proceeds benefit the Animal Welfare Society of Howard County. You may make your own donation as well. So, you can get wonderful food, support Animal Welfare, possibly adopt a pet (yes, there will be some on hand to meet and greet) and who knows? You might want to take a look at the Monarch Mills apartments while you're there. I love this idea.

Monarch Mills is new to our community. I have been interested to see their engagement with the public through social media. They have definitely taken a community approach. You may recall I wrote a post about a book drive they sponsored for their neighboring elementary school. I like how they are reaching out, making connections, being good neighbors.

Sunday, June 2nd, at locations all over town: The Columbia Home Tour.  This year's tour benefits Rebuilding Together in Howard County. "Rebuilding Together performs home repairs and home modifications such as the installation of wheelchair ramps and grab bars to improve safety and accessibility for homeowners." I have been a docent for the past two years, and this year I'm just going to enjoy making the tour. This event appeals to the HGTV in me. I love seeing what people have done with their houses.

On the Columbia Home Tour website is this sentence,"Creating a sense of community while celebrating the history of Columbia." I love the feeling of balance that conveys. Bringing people together to appreciate beautiful homes. Bringing people together to help others. We need more of that balance these days in the New American City.

As a child I spent many hours in doctors' waiting rooms, often reading the magazine "Highlights for Children". Their motto? "Fun with a Purpose." That has always, always irked me. Why does fun need a purpose?  Fun is by definition its own purpose! But, in thinking about this weekend's events, that old slogan came to mind.

Come and have fun. You don't need to think about the purpose if you don't want to, but while you have fun, you'll be doing good, too.

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