Village Green/Town²

  Happy Saturday! And, happy first day of summer vacation for those who celebrate. How about starting it off at a local Market?  Maple Lawn Farmers Market , Maple Lawn Boulevard, 9 am - 1 pm Clarksville Commons Farmers Market , 10 am - 2 pm Freetown   Farm Plant Sale , 9 am - 1 pm There’s a craft fair at Historic Oakland from 10 - 3 pm. At Savage Mill there’s a Bluegrass Festival from 12 - 5 pm. (Tickets here )* In Dorsey’s Search they are having an event called a Meet, Greet, and Eat Festival from 1-3 pm. The image below lists a variety of summer events to be held at the Kimco village centers.  Black Flag Brewing Company is celebrating their 8th anniversary , 12 - 11 pm. Mary’s Land Farm is having a Summer Solstice Kick-off Party from 12 - 9 pm.*  You can take in some musical delights at “ The Almost Famous Revue ” to support Columbia Pro Cantare: First Evangelical Lutheran Church, 6 pm. (Tickets here )* The movie at the Wine Bin tonight is ET, 9 - 11 pm. T...

  Today’s post is about mental images and cognitive flexibility. First, an anecdote for context: As a newlywed, I adored my food processor. Back then I cooked everything from scratch and it was one of the wedding presents that got frequent use. So, I tried to talk my mother into getting one. She was still chopping everything in a wooden chopping bowl. Her resistance amazed me. "How do you make sure that the plastic pusher-thing doesn't get sliced off by the blades?" She asked, doubtfully. "It doesn't! Trust me! And besides, do you think they could successfully market something that got sliced up as soon as you used it?"  I wasn't very patient with her line of thinking. She got a food processor. But she never really used it. It sat on the kitchen counter looking sparkly and new. And she continued to use her wooden chopping bowl. I won the battle, but I lost the war. - - Challenging Our Assumptions, Village Green/Town², March 21, 2013 One of the things abo...

  Been to any parties lately? It’s big-time graduation season right now. Weddings abound, Father’s Day is coming up… Have you seen one of these on a party buffet? Image from Touché Touchet social media  When I spotted this post from HoCoLocal bakery Touché Touchet this morning I must admit I was a bit startled. Do people still eat cookie cakes? Are they even “a thing?” Aren’t all the cool kids choosing from assorted mini Bundt cakes at this season’s parties? Or perhaps oohing and ahhing over customized cookies from a cottage bakery, glossy with icing like a satin evening gown? Until I saw this photo I hadn’t thought about cookie cakes in quite some time. I remember buying one for a family birthday a good while back. At the time the only place I knew that made them was at the Mall in Columbia. You know the one - - near the foood court. Image from a Google search In my mind, cookie cakes were one of those food trends that become very popular so as to almost be ubiquitous and the...

How about a visit to my handy-dandy bag of tricks this morning? I feel certain there are some odds and ends in there… 1. New restaurants on the HoCo scene: Crimson Cowar d, Honeygrow , Ranazul , Soluna Cocina , Smashing Grapes . FYI: Honeygrow opens Friday, Ranazul is locally known but opening in a new location. 2. Howard County has opened an Age Friendly Fitness Lot at Centennial Park North. 3. HoCo has a “ Craft Brew Trail ”? Apparently. And remember: please don’t drink and drive.  4. If you’re a parent struggling to get to the end of the school year, so is Leslie Gray Streeter of the Baltimore Banner. This one is is funny and excruciatingly honest. You’re not alone, parents. 5. It seems as though every organization in town wants you to take their engagement survey. Right now. What’s up with that? Is June National Engagement Survey Month? Any other local news I should know? Fill me in.  Village Green/Town² Comments 

  Friday is the last day of school in Howard County. It’s a half day. It’s also the beginning of Lakefest , the free Columbia Festival weekend whose catchphrase has long been: Your summer starts here. I’m sensing some synchronicity. Lakefest is present by the Columbia Festival of the Arts (supported by many local partners.)  The fun kicks off at 5:00 pm on Friday with a performance by LJR on the Lake Stage. Hours for the festival are as follows: Friday, June 14: 5:00 pm – 10:30 pm, Saturday, June 15: 11:00 am – 10:30 pm, Sunday, June 16: 11:00 am – 7:00 pm. What you’ll find: The Columbia Festival returns to the Downtown Columbia Lakefront with its FREE LakeFest Weekend featuring three days of live music*, an invitational fine arts & crafts show, kids’ entertainment and crafts, a variety of activities for all ages, and fabulous festival food fare. Here’s a handy dandy map of the festivities. (What? No People Tree?)  Important info for those who will ...

When you think you have seen everything in our local corner of the internet, you will discover a gentleman who is disgruntled that he cannot purchase gourmet cookies on Sunday in River Hill.  Really. It just so happens that the new Crumbl establishment in the River Hill Village Center is closed on Sundays. That’s apparently a part of the company culture.  The company addressed this question on its LinkedIn profile, acknowledging that many people have been wondering the same thing, and that "[w]hile we know customers still want to buy cookies on Sundays, we believe there are more important things than just sales." The post went on to explain that the main reason for the policy is that "Sunday is a dedicated day to our Crumbl Crew to be with their friends and families. Running a Crumbl location is around-the-clock HARD work but running a store shouldn't come at the cost of meaningful relationships." - - The Food Republic  I must admit I was puzzled that anyone c...

Howard County Pride is kicking off their celebration of LGBTQIA+ culture with an event this morning at Colorburst Park in the Merriweather District. As you know, Howard County’s official celebration of Pride is held at Merriweather Park in Symphony Woods in October, to coincide with LGBTQIA+ History Month.  Image from Howard County Pride website This morning’s event begins at nine thirty and runs until 1:00. There will be plenty of fun, family-oriented activities plus the announcements of the winner of the K-12 Art Contest for HoCo Pride Festival in October and Hoco Pride Community Awards. They’re encouraging folks to patronize area businesses in the Merriweather District, some of whom have provided some incentives to support HoCo Pride. To learn more, visit the HoCo Pride Facebook page . I went to last year's event (and wrote about it ) and I’d like to give a shoutout to the planners of this year’s event for choosing a morning time slot this time.  Last night I went with my f...