Skip to main content

Bits and Bobs

A few local happenings:

Last night in the Village of Long Reach, the County presented the draft of the Long Reach Village Center Revitalization Plan. If you were there, how do you feel about it? I'm especially curious now that Oakland Mills will be working with the County to study possibilities for our Village Center.

PATH (People Acting Together in Howard) and HCEA (Howard County Educator's Association) have kicked off a Community Listening Campaign to engage young people, parents, community members, and educators in a conversation centered around what kind of challenges our schools are facing and what kind of schools our community deserves. Their goal is to meet with 2000 people all over the County over the next three months.

A new restaurant has opened in the Metropolitan: the Corner Bakery Café. Initial feedback I'm getting is good. Have you been yet? What did you think?

Tickets are now on sale for this year's Concert for Kids at Oakland Mills High School. I went last year and it was fabulous. If you are feeling a little blue about Symphony of Lights taking a year off, add this into your holiday celebration instead. They're even adding a Family Matinée performance this year which offers a slightly shortened program tailored to meet the needs of younger children. And it all benefits the WBAL Radio Kids Campaign.

One happening from farther afield: they're gearing up for the holiday season at Longwood Gardens. I have never been, but this year I am making it a top priority. My friend Justin, the one who has made an amazing recovery since his heart transplant, will be back at the organ console doing something he has missed dearly: leading the Christmas Carol sing-alongs.

Just thinking about that makes me smile.

 

 

 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Teacher Gifts

Today is the last day of school before the Winter Break. It’s a good time to remember the far-reaching nature of our public school system. You may not have children. You may have sent your children to independent schools. It matters not. You will be impacted one way or another. Yesterday I read a long thread on Facebook about several waves of illness in the schools right now. There’s influenza A and norovirus, I believe. And of course there’s COVID. Apparently in some individual schools the rate of illness is high enough for school admin to notify parents.  When I was little the acceptable holiday gift for a teacher was one of those lovely floral handkerchief squares. (I don’t know what it was for male teachers. They were rare in my elementary years.) These days the range of teacher gifts is wider and I have fond memories of Target gift cards which I have written about before. I think it’s safe to say that giving one’s teacher Influenza, norovirus, or COVID is not the ideal holiday...

Getting Fresh

One of my favorite days in the Spring comes when this year’s list of Farmer’s Markets is released. That happened this week. New this year are markets in Old Ellicott City and the “Merriweather Market” which, according to the address, will be located here . I mistakenly thought at first glance that it was in the new-construction part of the Merriweather District. I find the name confusing considering its actual location. I’m going to guess that this market is an initiative of the Howard Hughes Corporation because the name seems chosen more for branding purposes than anything else.  Alas, the market in Maple Lawn is gone. The thread on the markets on the County Executive’s FB page will provide you with quite the education in who actually runs the Farmers Markets vs what people often think is going on. Short answer: they are not  chosen nor run by the county. Each market is an independent entity, sometimes started by community volunteers, other times supported by local businesses...

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday.  Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was  "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018.  2018 .  But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest.  In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...