Wilde Lake Takes the (Coffee) Cup

 

Good morning! I had an incredibly good day yesterday but I can’t write about it until Friday - - because it wasn’t in Howard County. Until then, you’ll just have to take my word for it.

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Have you seen this recent article in the Baltimore Banner? 

Why Howard County’s power brokers prefer to meet at the Wilde Lake Village Starbucks, Lillian Reed, photographs by Jerry Jackson

It’s fun to see people you know in the newspaper, in particular when it’s a delightful human interest story without any drama. This piece definitely falls into that category. I know many of these folks and they are “good people” who are interested/informed/engaged in community issues.

I still found it vaguely disturbing. From what I can see, I’m pretty much in the minority having mixed feelings about this article. Can’t quite put my finger on what’s spurring my discomfort…possibly it is because I personally would be mortified to be perceived as a wannabe mover and shaker. But that’s just me. 

Certainly I’ve seen people talking about it online.  Here’s a discussion on Reddit. 

Three things:

1. I’m not a fan of the Starbucks corporate machine and I hate to see $$$ going in their coffers. BUT - - I’m still thrilled to see an appealing community space in Wilde Lake where people are consistently turning out and interacting. Life isn’t perfect. Our choices in this particular situation certainly aren’t. So, no judgment from me on that front.
2. In my opinion this entire phenomenon has its roots in something called the “Santos Sunday Sixty” which the article barely touches on. Bill Santos, now the Wilde Lake representative on the CA Board, started having coffee get-togethers consistently years ago that were open to anyone who wanted to chat about community. Held at the Mall Starbucks and then later at the Whole Foods, this was never in any sense about “office hours” as the article suggests. Give the man credit, for heaven’s sake. 
3. If these are indeed the power brokers in Howard County then we are in trouble. Again, it’s not the people I object to, it’s the framing. If you look at the accompanying photographs they reveal a picture I have been seeing locally for years: well-meaning, (largely) white people of a certain age. I have nothing against that particular demographic: I fall in that category, too.

But framing this with words like “power brokers” and “movers and shakers” simply emphasizes a long-standing problem here in Columbia/HoCo. The only conversations we highlight look like this. And, after a while, the people in those conversations come to believe they are the only folks having conversations worth having. 

It’s easy enough to fall into that way of thinking. I’m sure I have been guilty of it from time to time, even as I bemoan its existence. 

So here’s a toast to all the other conversations we aren’t seeing, the other topics worth discussing, and the other people who never make the newspaper. I’m raising my extra large San Francisco Bay French Roast iced coffee in their honor.

Village Green/Town² Comments

Four Sunday

Today’s the first Oakland Mills Farmers Market of the season. Consider yourself invited. It runs from 9 am to 1 pm and it’s located in the Oakland Mills Village Center parking lot across from the Interfaith Center and temptingly close to the Dunkin. 

Come on over and have a walk around. There’s no rain in the forecast and temperatures will be on the warmer side. 

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Columbia Community Care put out an urgent call for donations yesterday. 

FOOD & DIAPER DONATIONS NEEDED PLEASE!!

We are distributing donations as soon as we receive them these days. Our shelves are nearly empty again and it is difficult to keep up with the rising demand. This is a busy time of year with graduations and summer just around the corner so donations (monetary, food, supplies) have decreased while demand continues to increase. If you are able to, please consider picking up a little extra proteins (canned tuna, Spam, chicken, beans, peanut butter), cereal, ramen, pasta, soups, or tomato sauce for donating. We also desperately need diapers sizes 5 & 6 and baby wipes. We know that many people are going through challenging times right now and are deeply grateful for those who can share with others in their time of need. 

If it is easier for you to make a monetary donation, here’s the link: Columbia Community Care.

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I’m thinking of Lisa Spangler Zovko this morning, who left this world on this day in 2020 and who left me with her determined words that:

It's NOT enough to just believe something you have to speak up and #standup .

She believed in the young people in Oakland Mills and wasn’t afraid to say something when they were discounted or disrespected.

We need more people like her everywhere. 

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Coming up this Friday (and for many seasonal Fridays following) it’s Elkridge Food Truck Fridays.

I mention this because our youngest, who now lives in Baltimore, texted me with these magic words:

Something you might want to blog about if you haven’t: Elkridge has a “Food Truck Fridays” spot.

How does someone living in an apartment in Baltimore know about events in Elkridge? TikTok, of course.  

Have you been to Food Truck Fridays? What is the experience like? Are there any particular food vendors you’d recommend? Let me know.

Village Green/Town² Comments

A Little Saturday

It’s a HoCo Saturday in Spring and there’s so much going on that I can’t begin to do it justice. If you haven’t already made your plans take a look at the usual places: 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. 

The weather looks promising and not too hot.

I’m going to put in a good word for the grand opening event at Apple Core’s Bake Shoppe today.

I first tasted their delicious vegan brandy apple bread pudding at The Third and have since bumped into them at local festivals. It’s a big leap to a brick and mortar location and I wish them well. 

That little shopping area where they are located - - Snowden Center - -  is really hopping these days. Well, maybe it’s not so little. Here’s a list of their tenants. I’m seeing all sorts of possibilities for combining your shopping trips over there - - I guess the big question is pastries first and then books? Or books first and then pastries?

But seriously, folks, how soon before the usual HoCoLocal complaints about parking and traffic in the parking lot start cropping up? It seems like we all want places to be fun, successful (dare I say “vibrant”?) right up until we have trouble finding a parking space. I have enjoyed witnessing that area become more popular. Perhaps I’m worrying needlessly in advance but, you know how people are…

On the other side of town (is it?) there’s Plantapalooza at Freetown Farm.

Plus, the Repair Cafe beginning at 1 pm.

Yes, I know there are Big Events happening this weekend. I thought I’d veer off course a little bit and put in a good word for two of the quieter ones.

Do you have plans to be out and about today? It’s really kind of amazing that we have so many choices. 

Village Green/Town² Comments

F ³: My Lunch With Carla Hayden

Years ago I worked for a tiny Episcopal school* in Baltimore: preschool through fifth grade. We were located in the Mount Vernon neighborhood and our campus,  in a sense, expanded in all directions. We went for walks through the park squares surrounding the Washington Monument to observe the changes of the seasons. We learned not only in the classroom and on the playground but through frequent visits (on foot) to area cultural institutions:

• Baltimore Symphony
• Walters Art Gallery
• YWCA
• Maryland Historical Society
• Central Branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library

Our kids walked weekly to the Pratt Library for story hour and to check out books. (If you haven’t ever been to the Children’s Room there, you should. It’s rather magical.) Our sessions always ended with an opportunity to visit the fish in the fishpond. 

Photo from Enoch Pratt Free Library Central Branch (Flicker)

When Carla Hayden became the head librarian of the Pratt we somehow managed to arrange a professional development session with her. We got to eat lunch together at the library while learning how we could best use their resources to support our students.

I’m mortified that all I remember is how kind she was to us and that we got to have catered box lunches. It was a long time ago. Forgive me.

Carla Hayden, the newly appointed head of a large city library system, took the time to have lunch and engage with us, teachers in a tiny school with no more than 180 students. I’m still wowed by that. She was kind, thoughtful, full of insight and ideas. When she was chosen to head the Library of Congress I was thrilled. 

This morning I awoke to this:

President Trump fires Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden, Associated Press

Well, of course. It’s simply impossible for that man to respect a brilliant Black professional woman in a leadership role.  The fact that her job is to champion the free circulation of ideas, culture, and knowledge? Intolerable. If you are Donald Trump then such a person must be purged.

The Librarian of Congress is not appointed by the President. They do not serve at the pleasure of the Executive Branch. As the name makes clear, the role falls under the authority of Congress. 

Will Congress exercise their own authority? Will they fulfill their responsibility to defend the most basic intellectual freedom in the United States of America? What do you think?

Something to remember: the library where I first met Hayden is called the Enoch Pratt Free Library because it was a part of the Free Library movement which began in this country in the mid to late 1800’s. Before that one could access libraries only by paying a subscription fee. 

We are able to enjoy our local libraries today because of that movement. Local municipalities stepped in to take on the financial support, creating our nation’s public libraries. Why? So that all of the knowledge gathered there would be free to everyone. No, a Free Library is not “free” in the sense that it doesn’t cost anyone anywhere any money. 

A Free Library is a both a promise and a gift:

We will not charge for access. We will not charge for facilities and services. We will not erect barriers or choose who may learn, or think, gather together, or improve their lives. 

Across the nation, our public libraries are an investment in the people of a democratic nation. All of the people, no exceptions.

If the President is allowed to destroy the very leadership of the Library of Congress, what comes next?

Village Green/Town² Comments

*Grace and Saint Peter’s School/The Wilkes School: 1940-2020

New Tastes in Savage Mill

I’ve read that there is such a thing as a Wine Mom. I am not one of them. I have nothing inherently against wine. It can be a wonderful part of a celebratory meal. There’s clearly both an art and a science to creating fine wine. 

And nine out ten times it gives me a migraine.

So if you wonder why I don’t write much about local wine events…

Nonetheless, this clip from the news intrigued me.

Boyd Cru Wines opens first physical location in Howard County, WUSA9

Intrigued, I looked for more information. Here’s a piece in Business Monthly:

Boyd Cru Wines opens first tasting room in Savage Mill, Mark R. Smith

Jon’ll and Matthew Boyd started Boyd Cru Wines in 2023.

Image from Boyd Cru Wines website 

They’re now looking to connect their wines with the public at their newly-opened tasting room at Savage Mill.  In addition, they’ll be hosting special events as well as providing other small businesses an opportunity to expand their own customer bases. Take a look at their Mother’s Day Getaway Collaboration promotion, for example.

Those of you with more knowledge will need to help me out here. I thought you physically had to own vineyards and cultivate grapes to make wine but this looks like something different. I guess it is also possible to use expert knowledge to select grapes grown by someone else and craft a unique vintage. Please exercise patience with me here as this is clearly not my wheelhouse. What I can tell is that their wines are made from Maryland grapes so, if local matters to you, you may find their wines just what you are looking for. 

The sense I get from this story is that the Boyds not simply winemakers. They are also looking to create a positive and appealing community space for the enjoyment of wine. To be blunt: enjoyment of wine has sometimes been seen as the right of only some kinds of people. The Boyd Cru tasting room has the potential to connect with a wide variety of county residents. and to draw in folks who might not have ventured into a tasting room before.

You can find Boyd Cru Wines on Facebook and Instagram, where they use the tagline “approachable, vibrant, zero-pretentiousness.”

Sounds refreshing. 

Village Green/Town² Comments 

Don’t Ever Change

 

I’m not always great with change.  I once devoted an entire post to my dismay at the new layout at Target. Some say this is a symptom of age. Honestly, I’ve always been this way. I need to work at being flexible.

So, when I walked into the East Columbia branch to pick up my most recent hold I felt a moment of disorientation. Where was my book? Where were all the holds waiting for pick up?

Gone. In their place was the display of new books which had always been there before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Back then all the holds were stored behind the desk and you had to go ask for them.)

Oh, okay. That makes sense. 

Where’s my book, then?

There must have been a sign because I easily found the new location: past the circulation desk, turn left. There they are. Easy-peasy.

I found my book and started digging around in my purse for my library card. I put down my book for a moment. Wait, what’s this table all about? Was it a supply table for library employees working on a project?

It took me a minute. Could these possibly be things that the library thinks that patrons might need while working there? Is this a handy dandy “we are anticipating your needs” table?

Wow. They’re good, those library people.

My gaze wanderered upwards. There was a map.

It’s the emergency exit plan showing a map of the library and all the available exits. Oh, that’s useful information.

Right above the map?

You can learn a lot from a trip to the library. 

• There’s a new location for the self-serve hold shelf. 
• The new book selection is back where it used to be, right as you walk in to the library.
• There’s a handy dandy supply table for things you might need.
• I now know where the emergency exit plan and fire alarm are located.

I don’t know if there was any concerted strategic plan to gather all those things into one location but their existence was not lost on me. 

And now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m headed back to kindergarten.

I love you, East Columbia Branch library. Don’t ever change.

Well, only if you need to. And leave me a sign, okay?

Village Green/Town² Comments 

A Sunday in May

You may have noticed this week that your social media feed is filled with suggestions about how you can celebrate Mom on Her Special Day. Most of them, of course, involve spending money. Rampant commercialism? True. Supporting local businesses? Also true.

There are plenty of ways to celebrate Mom without spending money but that involves a bit more creativity on your part. 

One of the best Mother’s Days I remember was the year my husband took me to see the Brighton Dam azaleas (not actually in HoCo, I know.) We had a lazy Sunday drive which concluded with a home cooked dinner at my older daughter’s place. Many of the details have been forgotten but I do remember she made barbecued chicken - - one of my very favorite foods. 

Mother’s Day can be a prickly topic if your own mother is no longer living or if you are estranged from one another. It can also be difficult if you are a woman without children. Either you don’t want them but people are continually harping on you about it, or, you dearly want but can’t have them. Or, for whatever reason, you could be estranged from your own children.

Especially right now when the political mood seems to be defining the value of woman solely by their procreative potential, it could be easy to be disillusioned about the whole thing.

If you are a woman, I am sorry this is such a minefield. If you are a man - - how do you feel about Mother’s Day? 

I’m turning the tables today to ask you to share your best local ideas for celebrating that second Sunday in May. They can involve spending money or not. They just need to be local. And they don’t actually have to be on the day itself, either. I’m flexible on that.

Some days when I ask a question on the blog the floodgates open and I spend the rest of the day delighted by what you all have to say. I just have to ask the right question, I guess. And perhaps good timing is involved, too.

Got a minute? I’d love your thoughts. 

Village Green/Town² Comments