Village Green/Town²

  “Patience. More will be revealed soon.” It sounds like something you’d get in a fortune cookie, or a cryptic reponse from a Magic Eight Ball. Instead, it was a response on a local Reddit about this photo. “Anyone have details on the empty markers in Stevens Forest?” There was the usual discussion of what it might be or what the respondents thought it should be. And then… “Patience. More will be revealed soon.” I took a screenshot. I tried to be patient. That was e…i…g…h…t days ago. Then last night I heard from Jeanne Lay, friend of the blog - - and good neighbor extraordinaire - - with the answer to the mystery. I took a bike ride this afternoon on the footpaths behind Stevens Forest pool. Check out these new signs which right now are a story walk. From the first image: Welcome to Columbia Association's new Sign Walk! There are 18 signs posted along the pathways. We will fill these signs with stories, fun facts, and other community information. The signs are dedicated to all th...

Have you seen the photos from the opening event for the new Columbia Association performance space at the Lakefront? Or perhaps you were present for the event? You know how opening events are. Speeches, local notables, chairs lined up neatly for invited guests, celebratory signage and decoration, the photo-friendly ribbon cutting…You’ve seen one, you’ve seen ‘em all. Right? But, wait. The violinist. Could it be? Yes! It was.  Marvillous Beats.   In 2020 I discovered a local performer through a tweet and wrote about him in The Beat Goes On. The video shows a young Black man playing violin near Vantage House* in Town Center, I believe. He is accompanied by a backing track. Would you call this style jazz violin? I think so. He is very, very good.  I was curious, so I looked him up. Marvillous Beats is the performance name of a Laurel-based violinist Marvill L. Martin. (He is also a composer, actor, and audio engineer, according to his website bio.)  The violinist playin...

It’s a cloudy day in HoCo and it’s shaping up to be mostly plant sales, yard sales, farmer’s markets, and Mother’s Day themed events. Here’s a look at a few that caught my eye.  The Market at Clarksville Commons is back, beginning at nine am. There’s an historical event in Elkridge  beginning at eleven am. “Elkridge: Crossroads of Revolution.” It’s free but you need to sign up because they are providing lunch. Click here  to learn more and to register.  Event is in Patapsco Valley State Park, Avalon Picnic Shelter 105. At Robinson Nature Center, there’s a Bookworm Bash  from 10 am to 12 pm. It's a read aloud party, and everyone is invited! Join local authors alongside Robinson Nature Center staff for this imagination-fueled adventure in our nature play space. Enjoy story times before making your own story through interactive play and crafts. The RPB Sneak Peek Weekend is a soft opening event for a new experiential art space called Resting Bitch Place: 135...

I woke up this morning to discover that NPR making the claim: Prices are up, but Mother’s Day still means brunch , Alina Selyukh, Scott Horsley. It's the biggest day for America's restaurants, and one of the biggest for flower sales. Despite anxieties over rising gas prices, people are ready to splurge to celebrate. Really? Which people would that be? Last night as I was making up a grocery list I discovered that a tub of Kerrygold Butter, a special treat for my mother in law who loves her mashed potatoes with a dollop of good Irish butter, has reached the eye-watering price of ten ninety-nine.. I don’t know how one grocery item can break your brain but this was too much. At fourteen ounces, it isn’t even a full pound of butter. To be sure, it’s a special treat, possibly a bit of a luxury item. But ten ninety-nine for a package of soft butter? I can’t do it. I found myself facing a mental hurdle I couldn’t get over.  Of course the Irish butter is symbolic of all of the increasi...

I may not be hanging around town as much as I’d like these days, but I did have lunch with a friend at the Lakeside Deli Tuesday. This afforded me the opportunity to pop into Lidl afterwards. As I navigated the distance between the two, I did a double take. The Metropolitan is no longer Metropolitan. Images from basic Google search Well, it may be “metropolitan” in the descriptive sense, but the signage tells me it’s The Westley. So does their website. When did that happen? It was still The Metropolitan in December… And then, in February… Why the new name? Also, apparently the full name is The Westley Merriweather, because of course it is.  From what I can tell the rebranding is associated with a change in management. The Metropolitan opened in 2017 under the management of a company called Kettler. It is now in the hands of Bozzuto. NEIGHBORHOOD  Life is About Exploration  Location, Community, Quality Living. It Starts Here. (At the Cheesecake Factory? Well, okay.) I’ve ...

 It’s getting on my nerves again.  “Never saw a photo opp he didn’t like.” You know what I’m talking about, right? Some folks have nothing better to do than to show up on a local social media post and complain that the County Executive is in the photo. This happened on Reddit recently and I made the mistake of responding, in frustration, “I don’t think the original poster understands how this all works.” Then came the response, “How does it all work?” Sigh. I asked for that. The County Executive does not wake up on a Wednesday morning and decide to do some new HoCoGov thing and get his picture taken. He works with a team of county employees. They assess needs, establish priorities, enact policy. When you see Dr. Ball cutting a ribbon, speaking on a new initiative, or responding to a community concern he is there to serve the public as a representative of the work of Howard County Government as a whole. His face and his position are the most widely-recognized in HoCo and he is...