Skip to main content

It’s a Festival Day in the Park

 




Celebrate Caribbean American Heritage Month today at the Chrysalis! 

The event is from 3-7 pm, Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods:

Join Howard County Executive Calvin Ball, the Office of Human Rights and Equity, and Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods as we celebrate the diverse and vibrant heritage of the Caribbean at our 2026 Caribbean American Heritage Month (CAHM) Festival! This family-friendly event will showcase traditional Caribbean dances, children's activities, live music performances, interactive exercise classes, vendors, and delicious Caribbean cuisine.

Don't miss out on this opportunity to immerse yourself in the rich heritage of the Caribbean. Come experience a taste of the islands!


FEATURED PERFORMERS:

  • DJ Shomari KRL
  • Lennard Jack Jr.
  • SocaRobics
  • White House Studios
  • Eclipse International Band

The announcement mentions food but I have not seen a list of today’s vendors. If you have this information, let me know and I will add it in here.

Saturday, August 8, 2026
3:00 PM  7:00 PM
Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods
10431 Little Patuxent Parkway Columbia, MD, 21044 United States 

Here’s the link to the event page on Facebook. The event is free but they are asking folks to register at Eventbrite so they can get an idea of how many people to expect. There’s also additional information there so it’s worth your while to click the link if you are planning to attend. 

According to the Maryland Governor’s Office if Community Initiatives, Maryland officially recognized August as Caribbean Heritage Month in 2019. The Maryland General Assembly passed legislation to set aside August as a time to celebrate the “culture, history, and invaluable contributions of Caribbean Americans who continue to strengthen communities across the state.”

Let’s do it!

This event was originally slated for June 27th but was rescheduled due to weather issues. I’m glad that the folks at the Inner Arbor Trust were able to step up and offer their space for today’s event.

Have a great Saturday.





Comments

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...

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...

Columbia Chance Connection

  Last night, as my husband and I were about to sit down to dinner, our front door swung open and a cheery voice announced, “I’m ba—ack!”  We weren’t expecting anyone. Clearly the only people who’d walk right in to our house would be one of our offspring. I had my reading glasses on so I wasn’t seeing too clearly. It seemed too tall for our youngest, but we knew our eldest was at work. I took off my glasses to see a friendly but confused face scanning our living room. When her gaze landed on us we all had a sudden realization. We didn’t know eachother. “Oh I’m so sorry! I’m in the wrong house! My daughter just moved in and she needed hooks for the kitchen so I ran out to get them.” She waved the package. “All these houses look the same and I don’t know the neighborhood yet. I thought this was my daughter’s house.” We were all getting a bit giggly. “That’s okay. For a quick second we thought you were our daughter,” said my husband. I told her our names and said she should defin...