Quintessential Saturday Post

First things first: today is the birthday of friend of the blog Candace Dodson Reed, who has taken on one more notable accomplishment this week by signing on as Treasurer for Delegate Brooke Lierman’s 2022 campaign for State Comptroller. Candace, now better known locally as cohost of local podcast Elevate Maryland, once wrote a pointed but short-lived blog entitled “Is This Thing On?” known for its annual round-up of fascinating local people. You either wanted to be on it or suggest someone who should be.

If I were writing such a round-up this year she would definitely be on it, both for her leadership at UMBC, involvement in local causes, partnership in Elevate Maryland, and commitment to women in politics. Happy Birthday Candace!

You are going to want to bundle up, dress in layers, and head out to Clarksville Commons today for their Holiday Market at the Commons. The event, which runs from 10 am - 2 pm, will feature 30-plus vendors for your shopping pleasure.

To keep everyone safe, masks are required when you're at the market. While the plaza is an open, airy setting, please be mindful of keeping a safe distance from other folks. Please practice choosing with your eyes rather than handling products to make a selection.

You can take a look at the businesses that will be participating here on the Clarksville Commons Facebook page. Happy shopping!

Tonight at 7:30 pm: the Columbia Orchestra’s Holiday Concert, YouTube Premiere.

Here’s some information about the concert from the Columbia Orchestra’s Online Education Corner:

Holiday Music: Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa

I may have my tech-savvy daughter do that thing where you hook up the computer to the tv so I can have a bigger screen experience, maybe turn down the house lights, put the color wheel on the aluminum tree, eat a few Christmas cookies. I’m looking forward to it.

In closing, if you were over on the County Executive’s Facebook page last night catching up on the guidelines for safer holiday celebrations during the pandemic, you’ll have seen that COVID denial is scarily on display locally and that concern for the common good is perceived by some to be a sign of either corrupt political belief or intellectual inferiority. Holy mackerel. These people live among us. Many thanks to those who were willing to push back in the name of science, community care, and good sense, but - - sheesh - - how does one run a government page meant to get the facts out while contending with a constant firehose blast of actively hostile disinformation?

Spread the truth amongst your own circles, folks.

And have a great weekend.

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