Skip to main content

The Best Day of the Year



Let’s talk about perspective. Have you ever seen this New Yorker magazine cover?


Original drawing for View of the World from 9th Avenue, Saul Steinberg, March 29, 1976

It’s a humorous look at how New Yorkers comprehend the world and their place in it. There’s what’s important, and then…there’s everything else. 

This is my way of saying that, while there are an impressive number of events going on in HoCo today, for me there’s really only one thing: the Oakland Mills Fall Festival. Or you could say there’s my Village Festival up close and in detail, and then there’s everything else. I confess to my skewed perspective.



It’s one of my favorite days of the year in Oakland Mills. The day kicks off at eleven am with the Oakland Mills High School Band. New this year: Poms! The Festival runs from 11 - 4 but for me it just isn’t festival day unless I hear the band. Warning: if you talk while the band is playing I just might give you my Teacher Look.

From OMCA:

The Oakland Mills Fall Festival is October 5th from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.! And this year, the weather is looking mighty fine, so we will be OUTSIDE! Come enjoy some great food, cOMmUnity, performers (including the OMHS Marching Band), vendors, and kids' activities. And if you want to bike to the festival, park your bike at the Bike HoCo Bike Corral for free (in the festival parking lot, near the bus stop and Interfaith Center). See you at the Festival!

If you like to scope out events in advance, here’s the Fall Festival website.

And yes, there will be live music throughout the day. Come enjoy the performances in our lovely courtyard. The Stevens Forest PTA will be back again this year selling their tasty hot dogs as well as chili, chips, and drinks. There will be other food vendors on site but I’m a sucker for chili dogs.



If you’ve never been to the Oakland Mills Village center, or perhaps have never made it to the Fall Festival, I hope you will stop by. I have found over the last twenty-odd years or so that many of the folks with confirmed opinions about my village have never actually been here. Of course, not every day can be a festival day, but, the essence of what makes a good community is here every day: the people. Come meet some today! 

In a spirit of giving a nod to “everything else” - - 

Markets: Clarksville Commons, Free Town Farm, Maple Lawn 

AACR Homecoming: A Celebration of Resilience, Resistance & Advancement!

Autism Society of Maryland Walk and 5K Run

Church of the Ressurection Community Fall Festival 

Navigating Freedom At Robinson Nature Center 

Saint Matthew’s Church Multicultural Festival 

Ellicott City Wizarding Weekend on Magical Main


And there may very well be more. You may even be the adventurous sort who hits up multiple events in one day! 

As for me, if I get to hear the OMHS Marching Band, have a chili dog, connect with neighbors, and enjoy a Fall Day…well, that will be just the right amount of fun for me. 

Have a great weekend!


Village Green/Town² Comments





Comments

Post a Comment

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...
1 comment
Read more

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...
1 comment
Read more

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...
1 comment
Read more