Do No Harm

 

There are many, many jobs involved in running a local political campaign. For every person you can see handing out literature or working at the polls, there are numerous others working behind the scenes at tasks you probably haven’t even thought of. Candidates must martial their volunteers strategically. 

That’s why they probably don’t have a specific election category called “Watching election signs at the polls after dark.” Nobody has that many volunteers. And besides, why should this even be necessary?

Why, indeed. 

Alas, Early Voting in Howard County has been marred by political vandals who are stealing and/or destroying campaign signs at voting sites. Perhaps I should simply be grateful that no one has of yet been threatened with a machete, but - - come on! - -  asking people to respect the other side’s candidate signs seems like a pretty low bar to me. 

People used to make fun of Howard Counth for our Choose Civility campaign. We’ve moved on from that, and with good reason. Still…Could we at least focus our efforts on making and encouraging good choices? This kind of behavior smacks of disrespect and not just from one candidate’s team to to another. It’s also part of a growing “the end justifies the means” sort of violence that seeks to make polling places and the very act of voting feel less credible and less safe.

If you really have faith in your chosen candidate, how does destroying someone else’s property show that? It doesn’t. It shows insecurity, fear, and possibly a sense of entitlement. “I get to have my say. You don’t.” If your campaign is doing this, or you are “ignoring” evidence that your volunteers are doing it, I sincerely hope that everyone in the county finds out what kind of a person you are. You should wear the truth about your behavior like campaign gear. 

That would be enlightening for the rest of us. Depressing, yes. But educational.

Today is the last day of Early Voting, Then it’s on to November 5th. Do me a flavor, will you? Do no harm. 

*****

Local HoCo shopping recommendations: what about local craft fair and seasonal second-hand markets? Here are some suggestions for this weekend.

Abiding Savior Lutheran Church Holiday Bazaar Sale, November 2, 8 am to 12 noon. 10689 Owen Brown Rd, Columbia, MD Proceeds will support Columbia Community Care, the Liberian Community, and Abiding Savior ministries. Please contact the Abiding Savior office, asic@abiding-savior.org, if you have any questions.

Jewels for Hope - - a sale of gently worn jewelry and scarves. November 2, 8:30 am to 12 noon.  Glen Mar Church, 4701 New Cut Road, Ellicott City, MD. This event directly benefits (100% of proceeds) HopeWorks - Howard County Maryland's Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Center. Admission is FREE with a suggested donation of $5.00. Thousands of items are for sale with prices starting at five dollars

Howard County Crafts Spectacular, Howard County Fairgrounds, November 1-3, beginning at nine am each day. A craft show featuring over 375 artists and crafters. Free Gift wrapping, package check, Free parking, Free courtesy shuttles back to your vehicle, Free door prizes every 15 minutes throughout the weekend. Magic Shows on Sat. & Sun at 11am and 12:30pm. Admission $5 or $7 for a multi-day pass. Children under 10 Free.

Oakland Mills High School Craft Fair this Saturday, November 2, from 10:00 to 3:00. There are always a lot of local artisans selling nice gift items, event benefits the OMHS PTSA. Come visit, see, and buy various works of art from our community members that are unique and one of a kind.

There’s No Place Like Homewood

Thanks for the feedback on yesterday’s post about the unsolved goings on at Rosa Bonheur Memorial Park. It seems that some of my readers are quite knowledgeable on this particular topic. 

*****

I’ve been seeing some folks spouting uninformed views about the Homewood Center lately. There seems to be a misconception that Homewood is where we isolate undesirables that “decent people” want to separate from the general population. Maybe Homewood needs to rebrand itself with a series of adverts that proclaim: Homewood. We’re not what you think we are.

Or perhaps all those “decent people” could do the work to become better informed. Speaking of which, 

Did you know that there are three different educational programs including three high school programs and two middle schools at Homewood Center? We would like to invite you to consider supporting two upcoming things that benefit the Homewood Center. Please consider sharing these upcoming opportunities with your workplaces, your friends, your churches and community groups too.

Most importantly, if you are curious about Homewood Center, reach out to learn more about ways to get involved in supporting our community school!

I’ve written about Homewood before. Because they enroll students from all over the county, they have no dedicated PTA to do the kinds of volunteering and fundraising that can be so crucial to support students and school programs. Above you will see two ways that you can help. 

1. Purchase food to support Thanksgiving meals for Homewood families.

2. Contribute to their Holiday Treasure Sale.

Both of these initiatives hint at what many students bring with them to Homewood. It’s not some innate “undesirable” quality that merits separating them from their home school. It’s poverty.  More than 60% of Homewood's alternative education students qualify for Free and Reduced Meals. Chronic poverty and food insecurity does not make one a bad kid but it certainly can make it hard to be the kid one wants to be.

Over the past several weeks I’ve seen some impassioned posts from parents of Homewood students. They’d like the rest of us to know that Homewood is a place that makes room for kids who are in crisis, who are struggling, or who just plain fell through the cracks at their home school and had no network of support. They don’t want their children to be endangered by the possibility of violent offenders any more than you do.

The Homewood Center website can tell you a lot about what goes on there. I’d love to see a comprehensive description of the process whereby a student is enrolled at Homewood. I wish the general public were better informed as to who goes there and why. I think they’d find that their preconceived notions are grossly inaccurate and that Homewood is a resource we all should be supporting.

*****

In keeping with my Local HoCo recommendations, here’s one from Western Howard County. 

In Western HoCo at 13554 Triadelphia Rd, Glenelg (Ellicott City, MD  21042) in an old church there are 3 independent shops worth visiting:

1. Twin Thrift Vintage (vintage and pre-loved decor)

2. Cultivate Garden & Goods at Lauren’s Garden Service (home/gift/ bath, etc.. all nature inspired theme) 

3. Westwood Unique Furniture & Home (home furnishings & antiques)

Pet Cemetery

It’s back…

It looks like that odd and disturbing story about the Rosa Bonheur Memorial Park in Elkridge is still unresolved and it isn’t going away. In what may or may not be a Halloween tie-in, Tim Prudente and Stokely Baksh of the Baltimore Banner have written a piece which dredges up the disturbing details.

It begins like this: 

Questions linger about the graves dug up at Rosa Bonheur Memorial Park

Off U.S. Route 1 in Howard County, in the shadow of new townhomes and industrial-style apartments, a stone wall hides a forgotten little park.

The lawn here is pockmarked with depressions where, year after year, the bronze plaques are sinking deeper in the dirt. These are the graves.

There’s not much else. A battered old house, a collapsed barn, watchful stone buddhas. A black cat creeps through the tree line (honest). Stephen King might have written about this place.

This is not a bare bones recitation of the facts. The article presents both the current state of affairs and the history of the place in an extremely effective use of storytelling techniques which left me not simply better informed but also engaged in the outcome. If you are able to read it, I’d be interested in your take. It’s not lurid or over the top but I do think it helps you to put yourself into the situation and care about what will happen next.

This is not the first we’ve heard of this story. I first saw it discussed on social media, then it began to get picked up by local news outlets, for example: 

December 26, 2023 

Howard County desecration leaves community members saddened, Katie Culbertson, WBAL TV News

June 24, 2024 

Questions loom over historic cemetery’s future following desecration of graves, Mallory Sofastaii, WMAR 2 News Baltimore 

And now here we are in October of 2024. 

October 29, 2024 

Mystery and scandal haunt pet cemetery on coveted Howard County land, Tim Prudente and Stokely Baksh, Baltimore Banner 

In summary - - 

Who: ??? 

What: graves dug up, headstones defaced

When: December, 2023

Where: Rosa Bonheur Memorial Park

Why: ??? 

As we approach the one year mark of the event it looks like we still don’t know who did this or why. Beyond that I’m not sure we know the future of the site, either. A location with eleven and a half acres in Elkridge appears to be of interest to somebody. 

If someone just gave me a piece of land that big in Elkridge I’d put a highschool on it. But I don’t think that the people who are using are exactly done with it yet. 

What do you think?

Village Green/Town² Comments 

What Howard County Craves

Posts on local foodie sites seem to fall into about four categories, excluding positive/negative reviews.

1. I’m looking for a particular kind of restaurant, please recommend.

2. Remember that awesome restaurant from long ago and how amazing it was?

3. Why hasn’t that new restaurant opened yet?

4. When is Taco Bell re-opening???

Yes, the laments from languishing locals over the temporary closure of Columbia’s lone Taco Bell have practically become a category unto themselves. Their fierce loyalty perplexes me; I’m not a Taco Bell fan. Still, their passion cannot be denied. 

In honor of these devoted folks, I’m happy to announce that this Wednesday will officially bring their season of deprivation to a close.

Image from Taco Bell social media 

Hey everyone! Your local Taco Bell GM here! Excited to say we are back to open this Wednesday, October 30th. Please stop by and check out our brand new building! Hope to see you guys soon! 

7102 Minstrel Way, Columbia MD

Lest you think that all is now right with the world, there remains the matter of the ongoing closure of the Costco Food Court to worry about. Inquiring minds want to know.

*****

From yesterday’s flurry of the local HoCo shopping recommendations, two indie bookstores received multiple mentions.

New on the scene, Queen Takes Book in Columbia has many fans. And, in Ellicott City, Backwater Books is also a local favorite. Both businesses do more than sell books. I’ve been fascinated by the creative ways that Queen Takes Book is collaborating with other businesses and participating in local initiatives. Backwater Books and the onsite Bibliopub host events, musical evenings and book clubs.

Keep sending me your local HoCo recommendations! 

Village Green/Town² Comments 

I’m Dreaming Of…

In recent years I’ve been trying to be less judgmental about when folks start doing “the holiday thing”. I was raised in a non-religious home where the rule was nothing Christmas-themed until the conclusion of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, although we didn’t put our tree up until about a week before the actual day. As an adult I have leaned towards observing the time before Christmas as Advent which has a personality all its own and is not merely Christmas Lite.

But everyone is not the same. And it’s really not something worth fighting over in the grand scheme of things. Is it? 

And yet, the appearance of the following program on Public Television last night definitely activated my Too Early button.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra: Ghosts of Christmas Eve

Saturday, October 26, 10:30 pm on MPT

Celebrate Christmas with Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s allegorical rock opera. 

Almost a full two months before Christmas???

Deep breath. 

So here we are. Popular culture pushes the holiday season at us earlier each year, it seems. Much of this is motivated by commercial interests. Perhaps in the case of public television they are hoping it will put us in a good mood for making a donation. As for me, I’m going to use this appearance of Christmas Eve Ghosts to make a pitch. 

You see, my use of Amazon has been gradually declining over the last several years. After the last two days I’m contemplating an Amazon-free Christmas. I think it’s time.

You can help me, and anyone else out there who is looking to support Howard County Local businesses instead. You can reach out via the blog or respond right in the comments section. Where do you love to shop locally and why? It doesn’t need to be for Christmas, necessarily. Where’s your go-to place for finding the best gifts and/or the best food and drink for making any holiday meals?

Instead of hoarding them all for one big post later I’m going to share them as I get them. Look for a few every day for the foreseeable future. Of course that means you need to keep me stocked with your recommendations. 

I’ll kick it off with some suggestions for the nature lover in your life. For anything backyard bird related (and don’t forget the squirrels!) you’ve got plenty of choices.

Kendall Hardware in Clarksville

Westlake Ace Hardware in Columbia and Ellicott City

Wild Birds Unlimited in Columbia 

Now it’s your turn. Help me break my Amazon holiday habit. Send me your local favorites.

Village Green/Town² Comments 

Are You Braver Than A Billionaire?

I voted yesterday. It was legitimately busy at the Florence Bain Center but the wait was minimal. I followed my traditional protocol for thanking each poll worker for being there so that I could vote. In turn, most of them thanked me for voting. 

What would we do if we didn’t have enough poll workers? How would it impact free and fair elections? Some areas of the country are grappling with this right now. Some of it is likely due to COVID. Older people have traditionally stepped in as poll workers and they have been disproportionately disabled or have even died over the last several years. The pool is smaller.

The other reason that it’s getting harder to find poll workers is the steady wave of threats associated with former President Donald Trump’s incursion into national politics and the rise of the MAGA movement. 

Police and poll workers train for possible election threats, Katja Ridderbusch, NPR

I haven’t heard of any of that kind of behavior happening here in Howard County, but, I think it’s important to put ourselves in the shoes of those who have/are experiencing it. 

Would you be brave enough to be a poll worker if it could very well mean threats and intimidation? Even death threats? 

Chris Harvey was Georgia’s elections director from 2015 to 2021.

A former street cop, homicide detective and DA’s investigator, Harvey got his own taste of the hate and violence that followed the 2020 elections. One day before the Senate runoff election that following January, Harvey learned that a picture of his face in a bullseye, his address and other personal data were posted on the darknet. An email advised him to say farewell to his family.

A threat of harm to an elections director does not impact that one person alone. It raises the specter of fear for those currently involved in the election process or anyone even considering it. The ripples of intimidation spread. It’s not enough to scare people in the here and now. One must invest in scaring people in advance that something bad - - that hasn’t happened yet - - could happen to them if they participate in working at the polls.

I don’t blame folks who recoil from putting themselves directly in harm’s way. I am also grateful to everyone who chooses to move forward anyway and for those who are working to keep them safe. Democracy depends on them. 

The plans of those who, in their quest for power, see Democracy as something to be “gotten around” depend on disabling the credibility of the entire election process. They see anyone who is not 100 per cent on their side as a threat to be neutralized. 

I don’t know about you, but I was raised to believe that things like this couldn’t happen in this country. Of course I never learned anything about the Jim Crow South until I was an adult so my upbringing wasn’t exactly comprehensive. The truth is it can happen if we let it. 

Here in Howard County we are fortunate in so many ways and there is a tendency to shy away from discussing ugly things because “they couldn’t happen here.” To feel safe and confident in one’s community is a very good thing. To grow complacent is not. That is when the very things we don’t want come creeping in and set up housekeeping.

Our belief that “it couldn’t happen here” gives them plenty of time to sink down roots. 

This last week the owners of two well-known newspapers prevented their editorial boards from publishing endorsements in the Presidential race. The writers who make up the editorial boards are journalists. The owners are billionaires. It was, presumably, the fear of those billionaires that caused them to keep the journalists from doing their jobs. 

To be blunt: they feared harm, probably financial, from one candidate should the paper’s endorsement be for the other candidate. 

And that is how fear succeeds. 

The ripples of intimidation spread. It’s not enough to scare people in the here and now. One must invest in scaring people in advance that something bad that hasn’t happened yet could happen to them.

What does it mean to be braver than a billionaire? Start with being brave enough to be a poll worker. Or a journalist who stands by their work. 

And, most of all, do not let anything keep you from voting. Right now, in Howard County, you can cast your vote without hardship or fear of threats and intimidation. Let’s keep it that way.

 

Village Green/Town² Comments

F ³: The Numbers May Shock You!

Is it possible you’ve been bombarded with numbers about the election lately? Here are some numbers I bet you haven’t seen.

Images from Arts for EveryBody Instagram account

Did you know…

American adults who attend art museums or live arts performances are 20%

more likely to vote than non-attendees.

4 OUT OF 5 young adults were more likely to vote after engaging in the arts.

97% of arts administrators vote.

Cities with high concentrations of art have increased civic engagement.

Arts participants are more than TWICE AS LIKELY

to volunteer in their communities, independent of education, age, gender or ethnicity .

These numbers, shared on the Arts for EveryBody Instagram account, come from The Arts Impact Explorer, an initiative of Americans for the Arts.  The Arts Impact Explorer is an interactive tool that provides factual information on how the arts are interconnected with every aspect of community life. Here’s a screenshot from their website. Visit this page to use it yourself and see how it works. Try clicking on the “Political Activation” category.

Image from Americans for the Arts website

Remember these words?

President Barack Obama - -  "The arts are central to who we are as a people, and they are central to the success of our kids. This is not an afterthought. This is not something you do because it's kind of nice to do. It is necessary for these young people to succeed that we promote the arts."

First Lady Michelle Obama - - "The bottom line here is very clear: Arts education isn't something we add on after we've achieved other priorities, like raising test scores and getting kids into college. It's actually critical for achieving those priorities in the first place."

While you’ve probably grown used to seeing me advocate for Arts Education, I want to widen my scope today to include the area of learning which includes the arts: the humanities.

From an academic standpoint, the humanities include the study of history, philosophy and religion, modern and ancient languages and literatures, fine and performing arts, media and cultural studies, and other fields…. Put simply, the humanities help us understand and interpret the human experience, as individuals and societies. - - What Are the Humanities? What do they “do”? Why are they so important?, National Humanities Center

There has been a growing trend in the US to do away with humanities programs at the college level. As the expense and frequent indebtedness of a college education has grown, it has been accompanied by the pressure to choose fields of study which that have a concrete connection to justifying the expense. Academic institutions respond by cutting the programs that aren’t “making money”. This narrows the range of possibilities for each successive incoming class of students.

It’s important to understand that this doesn’t simply mean that they are eliminating “majors” when they do this. They are eliminating the ability of students to explore and make connections, a hallmark of the liberal arts college experience. By taking away introductory courses and electives they are preventing their students from having the power to choose subjects which could very possibly impact how they look at the world and even shape future decisions. 

Why is this important? 

Humanities education encourages students to think creatively and critically, to reason, and ask questions. And, as the humanities offer insight into nearly every aspect of life, they have been considered a core element of a well-rounded education since ancient times. - - National Humanities Center

Studying topics within the humanities (this includes the arts, remember) provides us with the tools to think creatively and critically, to reason, and ask questions. Additionally, it fosters the ability to look at things from different points of view, which, in turn, develops empathy. All of these things are crucial in becoming active and informed in civic engagement. They contribute to building better informed and more consistent voters plus they are strong motivators for community engagement and volunteering.

Let’s say that again, shall we?

Human brains are not merely overgrown vending machines with neat rows of separated silos of products waiting to be purchased. So much about how we learn and who we are is an amazing interconnected web of possibilities. To devalue and eliminate the humanities cuts us off from a profound element of who we are.

It also weakens our ability to participate in democracy or even to understand it.

Have you voted yet?

Village Green/Town² Comments 

*****

LeVar Burton won a medal from the National Endowment of the Humanities this week.  I’m pretty sure that he’s a regular voter. 

The Post About the Board of Education Race

Today is the first day of Early Voting. I suspect that many who are reading this now have already voted by mail. Just in case you are planning on going in person, I’d like to say a few words about the Board of Education race.  

Longtime readers of the blog know that I am squeamish about making endorsements. I don’t consider myself to be an endorsing body and it feels like hubris to me. Still, as a community blogger with a lifelong interest in education, it would be foolish to suggest that I have no opinions on the matter. 

Here are five* areas of concern for me as we choose from the current BOE candidates:

1. Do they actively support students who don’t look like them and who don’t live in their particular cachement area? Do they understand the needs of LGBTQIA students and families? 

2. Do they support intellectual freedom both in choosing library materials, classroom libraries, and in the teaching of history? 

3. Do they respect teachers and are they committed to work with them collaboratively?

4. How knowledgeable are they of our current backlog of capital improvement projects/deferred maintenance and what do they bring to the table to help address these challenges?

5. Do they honestly know how the whole dang thing works?

You may think I’m joking about that last one. I’m not. During the last several years there have been multiple instances of board meetings essentially breaking down because one or more members didn’t truly understand the process they were engaged in. No, I’m not going to name any names. But I am going to suggest that voting for someone whose opinions really vibe with yours will be a completely ineffectual choice if they don’t know how to do the job and/or aren’t the kind of person who is committed to learning and mastering it.

With all of the above taken into consideration, here are the BOE candidates who look good to me:

D1: Meg Ricks 

D2: Antonia Watts

D3: Jolene Mosley (running unopposed) 

D4: Jennifer Swickard Mallo 

D5: Andrea Chamblee 

These folks bring a combination of skills and experience that can contribute to their work on behalf of schools, students, and families in Howard County. They support the essential mission of public education. Their backgrounds show that they are willing to work both to learn and to get things done on behalf of others. 

I hope you will strongly consider these candidates as you cast your ballots. Our schools need the best we are able to give them.

Village Green/Town² Comments

*This started as a list of three and kept on growing. If I had to do it over again I would include Special Education as well.

From Somersaults to Cold Plunges: Kaleb Cave

Have you seen this story? It piqued my curiosity.

Image from Baltimore Sun social media 

A gymnast with more than 156,000 followers on Instagram, Columbia native and UMBC freshman Kaleb Cave is making waves in a new sport: diving.

First impressions: diving is a new sport? Or perhaps diving is a new sport at UMBC? That doesn’t seem right. I had to know. It is a local story, after all.

And, for the first time ever, I was able to access something I was looking for through the Howard County Library website using Proquest. It’s a miracle, I tell you.

His new platform: Star gymnast is making a lot of waves for UMBC in a different sport: diving, Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun

And here’s the answer. Diving isn’t new, it’s new to him. Cave, a Hammond High School* graduate, has been training and competing in gymnastics since his elementary school years. How’s this for an origin story? 

Cave was introduced to gymnastics when he was 7 years old by his uncle, DeAndre Cave, who taught him how to complete a backflip. After Cave somersaulted off the family sofa and cracked his head open on the corner of the coffee table, his mother Oslyn Cummings-Cave demanded her son sign up for gymnastics classes.

Holy cow. My mother either would have demanded: that my uncle never be welcome at our house again, or that I promise never to try a stunt like that again. I think it’s an essential piece of this story that Ms. Cummings-Cave did something else entirely. She facilitated her son’s natural interest but made sure he would learn to do it safely.

Desire and natural talent are powerful motivators. Having mentors and role models who encourage and challenge you to do the work necessary to meet your goals is equally important. As you read the article you see how important this has been for Cave both as a gymnast and in his transition to diving. The fact that he was willing to plunge into competitive diving (sorry) at UMBC - - with only the most basic swimming skills - -  feels a lot like somersaulting off of the sofa. 

I should be able to do this - - why not?

I’m not sure I’ve ever experienced that kind of confidence in my life. What makes Cave successful is that he follows that exuberance with hours and hours of practice. While enrolled at UMBC to study Mechanical Engineering, his schedule looks jam-packed with multiple commitments.

Cave said he works on diving for two hours per day for six days a week and tumbling for three hours per day for two days. He admitted he isn't quite as prolific sharing content on social media while juggling training, classes and a job as an instructor at a gymnastics training center in Elkridge.

(True confession: on my first read-though I came away thinking he was a competitive juggler, too. My mistake.)

If you’re interested in the social media aspect, check out: 

lub._lub for gymnastics 

lub._dive for diving 

I’m imagining how much energy and enthusiasm one must have to be Kaleb Cave and I’m thinking I’ll just have another cup of coffee and stick to blogging

Village Green/Town² Comments

*He also ran Track for two years in high school. !!!

Trash is Winning

 

If you look on social media or keep up with community newsletters these days, you’ll notice the number of cleanup events held throughout the year. Then there’s Sharkey d’Shark whose entire existence is centered around picking up trash in order to prevent its reaching the local waterways. The folks at Upcycled host regular cleanups, too. 

This has been on my mind lately. Whoever is putting that trash out there is really doing a bang-up job. It isn’t any kind of organized initiative but it is wildly successful. It must take a lot of work to generate enough trash and make sure it is located in public areas in order to keep all these local groups hopping, year after year. 

A rather odd way of looking at it, I know. 

My childhood was filled with the exhortations to “Keep America Beautiful” and “Don’t Be a Litterbug”. Why didn’t that work? This article from Mother Jones is quite educational. 

“The Origins of Anti-Litter Campaigns”, Bradford Plumer, Mother Jones

I’ve never known anyone who was objectively pro-litter. Litter’s awful. It’s disgusting. We’re all agreed. But it seems that the nationwide anti-litter campaign, which began in the 1950s, was a bit less pure in its origins. According to Heather Rogers’ Gone Tomorrow: The Hidden Life of Garbage, the entire anti-litter movement was initiated by a consortium of industry groups who wanted to divert the nation’s attention away from even more radical legislation to control the amount of waste these companies were putting out. It’s a good story worth retelling.

Yikes. I didn’t know that.

Yet it’s clear that the amount and variety of trash being picked up by community cleanups could not solely be the result of a careless toss of a candy wrapper or soda can. It’s a far larger problem than that and cannot be completely conquered by good-hearted individuals taking up (metaphorical) arms against litterbugs. This is not to say that their work isn’t helping or that is isn’t meaningful. It absolutely is. 

But let’s be honest. We are just making a dent in it. We aren’t addressing the systemic decisions that make this happen. To be blunt:

there’s just too much **** stuff that people don’t want anymore because they have replaced it with new **** stuff.

We are not talking candy wrappers and soda cans here. We’re also talking old mattresses, tires, broken furniture, plastic household items that were made to become quickly obsolete…you get the picture. 

This is not the post I thought I was going to write. I was inspired by a reel on Instagram about Swedish trash cans that say “Mmm! Yum, yum, yum!” when you put in your litter. (I take a dim view of the ones that talk sexy to you in a woman’s voice, however.) Shaping public behavior with fun trash cans is certainly worth a try but it won’t change the bigger picture. Unless…

When you realize that Sweden has enacted strict regulations on packaging, you realize that the anthropomorphic trash bins are only a piece of a larger strategy. 

Screen capture from a basic Google search, informed by AI.*

By and large, the U.S. lacks that larger strategy.

It’s rather mindboggling. As hard as members of our community are working to clean up trash, someone(s) are doing a way better job putting it there. Can this cycle be broken?

Village Green/Town² Comments

*Sorry. I was in a hurry.

One Hundred Years and Other Good News

If you need a little good news to help you ease into your Monday, may I suggest:

Columbia barbershop marks 100 years of haircuts — and mentoring Black barbers, Jess Nocera, Baltimore Banner 

Photo credit Jessica Gallagher, The Baltimore Banner

It’s a beautiful and thorough piece about Warren’s Barber Shop in the Owen Brown Village Center. Warren's is the first Black-owned barbershop in Howard County. And no, nothing in Columbia is a hundred years old, obviously. You’ll have to read the story to learn more about their roots. 

The Village of Owen Brown doesn’t pop up in the news all that often. Although, over last year or so it has been a pretty happening place. The Department of Recreation and Parks has worked with the community to fine tune plans for a new East Columbia Library Park, and the new East Columbia 50+ Center received the “Large Project of the Year Award” , awarded by the County Engineers Association of Maryland (CEAM). 

And, while it may not make the news, the Owen Brown Interfaith Center hosts a number of community events all throughout the year. I would hazard a guess that the Interfaith Center’s capacity for meeting and event space brings many people to Owen Brown who would never have come there otherwise. 

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation maintains a Free Pantry which is kept stocked with both non-perishables and produce throughout the year. This “no questions asked” initiative supports Owen Brown neighbors who are experiencing food insecurity. 

Image from UU Columbia website 

Wait. Did I forget to mention that the Library has installed a solar panel canopy in the parking lot?

Images courtesy of A. MacDonald 

Oh! And the 50+ Centers will now be open on Saturday mornings. (That includes the East Columbia one, yay.)

Have a wonderful Monday. Have any local news? Let me know.

Village Green/Town² Comments

Fair Weather/Fall Frolics

 

Friends, may I present today’s weather predictions for Columbia, Maryland:

Image from Weather Bug App, 10/20/2024

This is an especially good thing, since two local events which had to be scrapped due to bad weather are rescheduled for today. 

Over in Wilde Lake (aka Vibrant Wilde Lake) they are actually hosting two events back to back. Beginning at noon it’s Wilde Lake Fall Fest. 

Join us for a fantastic day of fun at the Wilde Lake Fall Festival! Celebrate the season with the community on Sunday, October 20, 2024, from 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM at Wilde Lake Park. There’s something for everyone: live music, local vendors, delicious food, trick-or-treating, and family-friendly activities. Kids will love the moonbounces, scarecrow spoon craft, and exciting games! It’s the perfect way to kick off the fall season. Don’t miss out—be part of the #VibrantWildeLake fun! RSVP HERE!

This event is free and open to the public but they’re asking you to register in advance. (See link above.)

Immediately following at four PM is Wilde Lake’s Walktober event.

Join the Wilde Lake Neighborhood Reps on Sunday, Oct. 20 at 4PM for a Walktober event at Wilde Lake Park! Choose to participate in a friendly walk around Wilde Lake (approximately 1.3 miles) or "share a bench" to get to know a neighbor.

There is no charge to attend and this event is open to all. Please join us as we seek to build community and health in our village!

True confession: I’m having some mobility issues right now and a Walktober event where I could “share a bench” is mighty tempting. I love this kind of creative thinking which expands the parameters of who is welcome to participate.

Also rescheduled for today, the Columbia Orchestra Pops Concert at the Chrysalis (Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods) beginning at 4:00 PM.

Presented by BWFA, this free, family-friendly performance by the Columbia Orchestra is the perfect way to spend a beautiful evening outdoors enjoying music in the park.

Don’t miss this fun and exciting musical journey filled with possibilities as the Columbia Orchestra performs a captivating program of popular pops melodies for all ages, including thrilling themes from classics like "Star Wars" and "Mission: Impossible."

The program also includes beloved jazz standards such as Duke Ellington's swinging "Just Squeeze Me" and the dreamy ballad "So Many Stars." Bring a blanket and enjoy this delightful musical journey through galaxies both near and far!

Register for your free tickets here. 

The Pops Concert has been a fixture of each season in the Park since it opened in 2017. The ongoing collaboration between the Columbia Orchestra and the Inner Arbor Trust has produced some lovely musical events. I hope there will be many more.

I intend to be at this concert but several logistical problems are conspiring against me. Here’s hoping.

Village Green/Town² Comments

Freedom to Read

 

HCPSS Media Specialists were suprised this week to discover a note in their work email wishing them a Happy National School Librarian Day. If you thought they were surprised since National School Librarian Day is in April and not October, you’d be partly right. 

But what really made them scratch their heads was who sent the email: Trent Kittleman, a candidate for the Board of Education, District 5.

Image used with permission.

Thank you Media Staff!

Dear HCPSS Media staff:

Shoutout to all the superheroes behind the shelves!

Happy #NationalSchoolLibrarianDay

Dear Media staff,

I am truly thankful for the dedication, hard work, and commitment you show in providing first-class media centers to all our students --including my five grandchildren!

Trent Kittleman

Candidate for Board of Education, District 5

There are several reasons why this email is puzzling if not downright troubling. It appears to violate accepted boundaries for ethical campaigning. Teachers are being solicited at their place of business by someone who, if elected, would have substantial influence over their professional lives. We have rules that govern what candidates can and cannot do. They can’t place campaign signs on school property, for instance, or actively campaign on school grounds.

Sending a campaign email directly to media specialists at work looks an awful lot like campaigning on school grounds to me.

How do I know it’s meant to be a campaign email? This:

Used with permission 

The email closes with information about participating in early voting and contains the campaign information at the bottom.

For many folks a run for the Board of Education is their first experience with politics and election rules. Sometimes they run afoul of things like sign placing and need to be brought up to speed when it comes to what is and isn’t appropriate. Ms. Kittleman, the veteran of many political campaigns both locally and statewide, can’t be confused with a newcomer. That’s what makes this email so unsettling.

And there’s one more thing. 

Kittleman is well known locally as an early supporter of the Howard County Moms 4 Liberty Group, withdrawing her membership only when deciding to run for BOE. M4L has a national reputation ( and in Howard County, too) for attacking the professional expertise of school librarians/media specialists and demanding the removal of materials they don’t like from school library collections.

In short, M4L has made it their business to undermine intellectual freedom in schools and denigrate the professional ability of school librarians. If you’ve watched any BOE meetings recently, you’ve seen how they operate. They don’t call media specialists the “Superheroes Behind the Shelves”. They call them “groomers” and “woke indoctrinators.”

A vote for Ms. Kittleman to sit on the Howard County Schools Board of Education is a vote for that. Therefore, soliciting the votes of these HCPSS teachers whose field of expertise has already been subjected to such negative and almost threatening scrutiny could very well be interpreted as offensive. Or disingenuous. 

I most certainly cannot explain it. 

If you live in District 5 I’d suggest you go look up her opponent Andrea Chamblee  and learn all you can before casting your vote.

Some good news for today. October 19th is Freedom to Read Day of Action.

Librarians nationwide are facing verbal abuse, death threats, and, in some cases, even criminal charges and jail time. As bastions of intellectual freedom, public libraries are at the forefront of this battle. On October 19, New York City will join our counterparts across the country to stand up for free, unfettered access to information. Upholding diverse perspectives and a broad range of ideas is not only essential to the core mission of libraries, but to our democracy. - - from the American Library Association article on Freedom to Read Day of Action

Throughout the country, Freedom to Read Day of Action is hosting more than 100 events in 35 states to take action to support libraries and to push back against book bans. I haven’t found any events specifically in Howard County. (If you know of any, let me know.)  I do know that one of the best ways to support the freedom to read right now to is to vote for candidates up and down the ballot who have a proven track record of supporting libraries and intellectual freedom. 

That includes how you vote in the Board of Education race. Early Voting begins October 24th, 

Village Green/Town² Comments

F ³: They Paved Paradise

There’s quite a lively conversation going on over at the Columbia MD Reddit on the theme:

The worst parking lots in Columbia.

After reading many responses filled with heartfelt frustration I began to wonder. Is there such a thing as a good parking lot? An excellent parking lot? Can you think of a place you look forward to visiting because the parking lot is just that good? 

Don’t limit yourself to HocoLocal examples. I’m thinking of parking lots everywhere. 

Parking lots have to be designed by somebody. There’s clearly a range of expertise involved. Has anyone ever designed a parking lot of such intrinsic excellence that they won awards for it? Where does the budget come from for parking lots? Do they often get the short end of the stick when funds are allocated?

The public can be persnickety when it comes to parking preferences, and I admit to being one of them. When I lived in Rodgers Forge I got to a point where I wouldn’t shop at the Towson Mall at all if I couldn’t get parking in the exact location I liked best. That area was 1) more convenient to my needs and 2) I’d never forget where I parked.

Yes, I realized that was self-limiting. Perhaps I didn’t really need to shop in the Mall all that much after all.

Even if you are not daunted by walking long distances, it’s likely you wouldn’t pick parking lots as the place you’d want to do that. Large expanses of pavement with few protections for pedestrians in a sea of hopefully roving automobiles aren’t the settings that entice me, anyway. I feel like a wrote a post once proposing that regular shuttles might be a solution in sprawling shopping centers like Columbia Crossing. Park once, then easily travel from business to business without needing to move your car.

(It hints at Public Transportation. Therefore it probably won’t catch on.)

I learned from the thread on Reddit that ingress/egress and resulting traffic play a big role in the parking lot situation as well. It doesn’t matter how much you like the business if you get snarled up both coming and going. You’ll probably find an establishment you like almost as much if going there doesn’t take years off your life. 

So, here’s your assignment. What’s the very best parking lot you’ve ever visited and why? Or do you think the whole concept of parking lots is inherently flawed and it’s not possible to make a good one? Are they merely ugly examples of our car-dependent culture?

If we started giving awards for the best parking lots would other parking lots want to improve in order to snag public recognition?

What do you think?

Village Green/Town² Comments

Pick Your Pleasure

Maybe you’re a pumpkin spice person or maybe you’re a mulled cider person. What ever your preference, I think it’s safe to say that Fall weather is making itself known and it may very well be time to put away the last of the summer clothes and pull out some sweaters or comfy hoodies. 

Maybe. We know how quirky Maryland weather can be.

Speaking of pumpkin….are you a pumpkin carving person or a pumpkin painting person? I’ve done both. After years of encouraging squeamish preschoolers to stick their hands into pumpkin guts for the sensory experience, I’m certainly not afraid to get my hands dirty. But a whole lot of glitter paints (and maybe even glow in the dark?) can be fun, too.

Why do I ask? Well, I noticed that Tribos Peri Peri in Ellicott City is doing their free pumpkin carving again this year.

From Tribos Peri Peri Instagram 

Join us at Tribos Peri Peri Ellicott City for spooktacular evenings of creativity all month long!

Enjoy free pumpkin carving-bring your own tools or use ours! Carve your own jack-o-lantern and take it home to brighten up your neighborhood.

Whether you're channeling your inner artist or looking for a fun family activity, we've got you covered with delicious food and no clean-up hassle!

Every Thursday from 5 PM to 8 PM

until Halloween! Offer is at the Tribos Peri Peri Ellicott City location only. Call 410-720-2448

to RSVP!

Below are some photos from last year’s events. I’m almost tempted to dive in, myself.

Yes, I’ve written about Tribos before. We discovered them on the Fourth Of July in 2023 and just keep coming back. The food and service are excellent and the owner and his family have been very kind to us. 

If you haven’t been there yet, they are located across from Waterloo Elementary School, near where Eggspectation used to be. Or, to be precise:

Today’s Thursday, so - - if you want to get in on this pumpkinpalooza, give them a call to reserve your spot.

And now, for something completely different:

Here’s an event which is definitely not kid friendly and it’s not in Howard County. But it’s absolutely, positively Halloween-themed.

Image from Monarque social media 

A sinfully sweet Halloween awaits you at Monarque 

Join us for a night of interactive entertainment, a prix fixe menu, Sweet Gwendoline cocktails and much more. 

Reserve your seat https://www.opentable.com/booking/experiences-availability?rid=1070506&restref=1070506&experienceId=348364&utm_source=external&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=shared

From the Open Table Listing:

Join us for a tantalizing event in partnership with Sweet Gwendoline Gin! Monarque will be celebrating Halloween in style with intimate discoveries, interactive entertainment, and burlesque on the main stage. Join us early in the evening for a three course meal, two Sweet Gwendoline cocktails, and the full range of wicked entertainment. Then slide through the secret passage to Elk Room for a wild afterparty!  Delight and Bewitch is an event for guests 21 years of age and over.

Monarque is located on Fleet Street in Harbor East.

Why am I sharing this here? It’s simple. The event is the brainchild of former HoCo Blogger HoCoHouseHon. Those personal connections  carry a lot of weight around here.

What’s your favorite Fall and/or Halloween tradition in HoCo? Let me know.

 Village Green/Town² Comments