The Last Saturday

Here we are again. The last Saturday before school starts.

Temperatures will be moderate, although humidity will be high and the pollen count is extra high. You can’t have everything, I suppose. Many families will be busy with back to school activities this weekend but there still may be room for a bit of fun around town.

There are quite a few food-oriented events today:

Kupcakes & Company in Elkridge is throwing a 15 year birthday celebration.

Celia’s Cuban Cuisine is having a Salsa Bachata Day party, which is just as much about music and dancing as is it about food.

A Home of Our Own Howard is holding a restaurant day fundraiser at Jason’s to support their programming.

And of course there are the usual Farmers’ Markets in Clarksville and Ellicott City.

Head over to Savage Mill for the Family Plena Workshop with the amazing folks from Cultura Plenera.

Make some music with the Columbia Pro Cantare at their Summer Sing Along.

Enjoy a program of big band swing music with the Patuxent Jazz Band.

If a movie is more your speed, you can catch The Princess Bride this evening at The Win Bin.

The usual disclaimer: this is only a sampling. Take a look at your Facebook Events section and the Visit Howard County events listing for more. The Baltimore Banner has been running a weekly “what to do this weekend” article for Howard County readers and, over on Instagram, The Columbia Mom has a pretty comprehensive weekend list.

My listings are notoriously weak on sports, “night life”, and alcohol-centric venues. So…just because you don’t see it here doesn’t mean it isn’t happening. On any given weekend there’s just about something for everyone in our community.

Whether you find that thought exciting or exhausting - - at least it’s available. Opportunities abound.

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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...

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