Feast or Famine? Local Events Positively Pop on Saturdays in April

First order of business. If you live in Harper’s Choice, Owen Brown, Wilde Lake: vote! It’s true that I allowed myself some feelings of apathy/hopelessness about this year’s CA Election. Nevertheless, it does matters who gets elected. I received the following response to my recent blog post:

Despite the fact that there is widespread apathy towards CA governance, despite pervasive feelings of futility in the community, despite the fact that volunteers for these positions often get personally attacked and have nasty things made up about them… Despite all those things that contribute to this feeling of cynicism, there are still a few people willing to volunteer a big chunk of their time on behalf of the community and deal with the hassle of contested elections. And if they weren’t willing to do that, then people with unethical track records or questionable values would be able to step into these community leadership positions unopposed.

Food for thought.

*****

Looking for Saturday plans? The weather looks hopeful.

WeatherBug App predictions for Saturday, April 20th, 2024

Yards Alive! Spring Plant Share is part of the Earth Day Celebration in Oakland Mills, 11 am - 2 pm

Patuxent Jazz Band performs at River Hill High School, 3 pm

Earth Day Celebration at Clarksville Commons, 1 - 4 pm

Earthapalooza, Freetown Farm 9 am - 1 pm

Earthday Festival 2024 Wilde Lake including Plant Exchange, 10 am to 1 pm (Includes Unity Reggae Band)

Earth Day Celebration and Service at the Howard County Conservancy, 9 am to noon

Springfest 2024 Main Street Ellicott City, 12 - 8 pm Check out the dedicated website for more info.

Clarksville Elementary School is having a Spring Fling , 3 - 7 pm

Oakland Mills Middle School is having a Yardsale, 8 am to noon

The Charm City Chess Club is meeting up at Whole Foods, 11 am - 2 m

There’s a Mommy & Me Meetup at the Miller Branch Library Enchanted Garden, 1 - 3 pm

The Dancel Y in Ellicott City is having a Heathy Kids Day, 10 am - 1 pm

Is this everything? Probably not, but it’s a good start. I don’t imagine you plan to hit all of these (unless you are running for public office.) Recommendations? Let me know.

Village Green/Town² Comments

Comments

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...

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...

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