Pick and Choose and a Little News

It’s going to be a bit of a hodgepodge here today. Hopefully you’ll find something that you like.

A big day for old school Columbia traditions: Wine in the Woods kicks off at eleven am today and tomorrow in Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods. A few things:

You know the ground is going to be wet after last night’s deluge. Plan accordingly.
Those amazing pervious pathways that will keep you from sinking into the mire? A gift to all of us from the good folks of the Inner Arbor Trust.
HoCo’s very own Sobar will be on-site serving non-alcoholic wines and other beverages. And thank goodness for that.

The County Executive announced the introduction of the Old Ellicott City Weekend Trolley service and folks on Reddit are making sport of it because it doesn’t look like an authentic trolley. Sigh. Interestingly enough, I’m not sure that those armchair wits understood who benefits from this service the most: older visitors and those with mobility issues. So maybe it’s not about providing an historically accurate trolley experience but instead removing barriers to access for folks who might not ordinarily be able to visit Old Ellicott City. And shop there. And eat there. Just a thought.

A brief reminder that today is also the day for Skeletons in the Park: A Goth Picnic from 12 - 6 pm at the Patapsco Valley State Park, Hollowfield Area. So, if you see any dramatically dressed drivers headed in that direction, do not be alarmed. If you are one of those drivers, have fun.

If you are still looking for things to do there are a ton of options. Check out Events on Facebook (Choose Local and This Week) or take a look at the activity calendar at Visit Howard County and the listings at the Howard Courier.

I may very well mosey out to the Farmers Market at Clarksville Commons in search of the sticky buns of song and story. However, it’s probably wise to note that a lot of River Hill/Clarksville lost power last night (including my husband’s annual Guitarpalooza concert) so it’s possible that not all brick and mortar merchants out that way will be open for business. Check before you go.

Thanks for all of the lovely comments on yesterday’s blog post. It was a fun one to write and reminded me how important it is to get out there and live life and have new adventures.

Have a great Saturday.

Village Green/Town² Comments

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