Just a Regular Day

Guess what?

Not even twenty four hours has passed and here’s another alliterative announcement!

The Bags Will Fly May 21st! for BAGS AND BEERS! the Howard County Autism Society's (HCAS') 2nd Annual Cornhole Tournament fundraiser* on May 21, Noon-5pm at Mary's Land Farm in Ellicott City, MD. Visit our website to Register, Sponsor and Donate!

We now have “Brews and Bulbs” and “Bags and Beers”. And how could I forget Wine in the Woods? I wonder if that’s where the nifty names trend started?

Since it’s Thursday, I was waiting around to read the Columbia Flier in case there was an important story to write about. Silly me. Did you know that Tuesday, April 5th, was Caramel Day?

Well, I suppose the annual CA elections at the back of the issue may be helpful to you if you don’t know much about the candidates. And if your village has a contested election. The only endorsement I’m going to make in this year’s CA elections is that, if you have the opportunity to vote: VOTE.

Enough said.

On a positive note, last night Wilde Lake High School hosted Howard County Schools first ever Shred Fest, featuring guitar ensembles from Long Reach, Mount Hebron, Oakland Mills, River Hill, and Wilde Lake High Schools. You’ve probably heard of Band Festivals, Choral Festivals and String-a-Palooza, but you might not know that students can study guitar at the high school level and participate in ensemble playing, as well. Last night was the first time that students in these programs had the opportunity to hear each other play and receive feedback from an adjudicator.

I can’t tell you how grateful I am that their event was not even remotely alliterative.

* Proceeds from this event support the HCAS mission of advocacy and public awareness in our community.

Comments

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...

Village Green/Town²

Search This Blog