Village Green/Town²

  Sometimes you don’t know.  You think you do, but you don’t. I saw some unhappiness online yesterday about how some schools celebrate (or don’t celebrate) Halloween. There are some things that touch a nerve in people, because of happy memories in their childhood. I remember that when the Columbia Association was working on what they called the Aquaplan - - to rethink Columbia’s pools - - they came up against this phenomenon . Don’t mess with things in my childhood that gave me joy. They’re sacred. If you have memories of happy Halloween celebrations at school when you were young it may feel wrong when that isn’t what happens at your own child’s school. We may not understand that there are children in our schools whose families don’t celebrate Halloween, perhaps for religious reasons, and so they are excluded from a big happy day with their classmates. We may not understand what it feels like to be that child, year after year, who family has no money for costumes or whose home...

Almost exactly one year ago: Pride and Shame The post contrasts the story of WLHS grad Armon Wilson, who walked all the way to his polling place to be there when they opened, with this social media post from another young person in Howard County: This week brings a very similar story. It’s covered in the November issue of The Business Monthly. Eagle Scout Fights Back Against Hate Crime In short: Ryan Lippe, a senior at Marriotts Ridge High School, created an outdoor classroom for Saint Alphonsus Rodriguez Church Preschool as his Eagle Scout project. When he returned to the site some time later he discovered that “someone had carved hate symbols and phrases into every bench.” The story of how Lippe responded will make you feel good. But the efforts that someone (or more than one person, perhaps) took to deface what was intended to be a learning space for preschoolers make me feel heartsick.  More of the same . More of the same . More of the same in Howard County and still people say...

  Something caught my eye as I walked into the professional building next to the hospital. A ziplock bag, neatly packed, sitting on a bench. I saw a granola bar as I passed by on my way to my doctor’s appointment. “Oh, somebody forgot their lunch,” I thought. “That’s too bad. I hope they come back and get it.” When I came out it was still there. I noticed how many different things were in it, including hot cocoa mix and a pair of new, thick white socks. This was not someone’s lunch. It was a charity bag, a Blessing Bag, I believe they are called.I’ve seen descriptions of them on the internet. Church groups make them. Good-hearted individuals make them. They’re primarily intended for the homeless, and may contain a variety of non-perishable foodstuffs as well as personal hygiene items.  I couldn’t get that bag out of my head. Why did the giver choose that particular location? How would a potential recipient know it was for them? What’s most important, I guess, is that someone m...

  Some of those people who want to remove books from your school library want to dictate school curriculum, too. (I’m guessing that there’s some overlap with the loud angry voices for in-person schooling during the last school year.) There seems to be a growing ‘loud angry voices’ parent movement and Howard County is not immune: Or, if you just can’t stand what’s on offer from the local public school system, there’s a new homeschooling group forming with a specialized curriculum. This group is aimed at parents who are worried about vaccines, angry about masks, fearful that schools are brainwashing kids and, most of all, want their children to be taught love of country and America’s Christian heritage. What is freedom in this context? Freedom to disregard public health? Freedom to remove things from American history that you don’t like? Freedom to remove other religions you don’t like? At the moment I’m more concerned by the group that wants to control what’s happening in the public...

  Nothing I have to say this morning is as good as this piece by local blogger Suzi Chase: “It was an assault” This isn’t the first time I’ve had that feeling about her writing. Our community is fortunate to benefit from her exceptional voice. Just read it. We’ll talk more tomorrow.

  On October 8th the Columbia Conversation Facebook page posed an interesting question: Good morning Conversation crew! Continuing to dig into “what people get wrong about Columbia”   One comment - “that it’s a soulless suburb with boring McMansions” - got us thinking. What gives Columbia SOUL?  Whether it’s people, places or things, we want to hear your opinion! I think that’s a great question. I’ve really gotten bogged down over here trying to answer it. My favorite answer came from an Oakland Mills resident who happens to be a reader of this blog. Its residents who take action from their hearts and passions. There are so many events and organizations with home bases in Columbia, that grew up in Columbia, that started with a resident and their passion.  This response brought to mind the conversation I had with my friend over drinks and dinner at Ale House. One thing that came up in our conversation was that we were in complete agreement that all the people who ar...

  Yesterday morning I was on a mission to pick out one of the beautiful student-made pieces offered for sale at the Burleigh Manor Middle School Yard Sale to benefit the Homewood Center. At a little bit after ten I was on my way. It’s a good thing I didn’t wait any longer because they had already sold eight pieces by the time I arrived. They were every bit as gorgeous in person as they were in the photographs. It was a lovely variety of color, texture, share, and size. I wanted almost all of them, to be honest. I mulled over my decision while noodling around the various yard sale vendors. A little while later I was on my way with my selection. Since I was already out of the house with no particular plans for the morning I headed over to the Saturday morning Farmers Market at Clarksville Commons.  I’ve wanted to get out there for quite a while now. I hadn’t planned on buying anything but some onions caught ny eye as I passed the Clark’s Farm stall. I have one lonely onion at ...

Have you seen this? It has recently resurfaced on social media after being released originally in October of 2020. I think you would call it a digital zine, (webzine?) completely student-written and produced. Its title: Hush: Quiet Racism at Glenelg High School. https://issuu.com/glenelghush/docs/hush?fbclid=IwAR3849W7Lc9ju3meUyxc9gVCqQCiuS_TGGcZYbXHx_BGC8AFse0lW-mJWAE Lately there’s been a good deal of talk centered on Glenelg High School and some examples of blatantly racist behavior, and with good reason. But I’m beginning to be concerned that it’s too easy to point the finger at just one school and ignore what is happening everywhere else. How neat and tidy to suggest that we have this one school where racism is a problem but we’re just fine other than that. It is easier to say but it isn’t true. We have 77 public schools in Howard County and, every day, in more than one of them, something racist is said or done. Every single day. Not because our young people are innately “bad” or ...

This Saturday, at Burleigh Manor Middle School, Homewood Center Art students will be selling their gorgeous ceramic handmade bowls and jewelry.  It’s all a part of Burleigh Manor’s yard sale event to benefit the Homewood Center.  Why? Well, because Homewood draws students referred from schools within the system, it is the one school that doesn’t have its own PTA. That means it doesn’t have PTA funds to support student programs the way that other schools can.  The partnership with Burleigh Manor is particularly brilliant in my opinion because it’s not only a fundraiser but it also allows the community to meet some Homewood students and staff and learn more about the school. The students get to show off  (and sell) their artistic creations. Thus the event is transformed from charity for ‘those people we don’t know’ to an opportunity to learn about and celebrate this school and its programs. Pretty cool. I heard from Principal Christina Krabitz that getting out and abou...

  I returned to my favorite little block in the “new” Columbia yesterday for a haircut at Floyd’s. Although it was all parked up out front, it was easy enough to park in the garage. I guess Columbians have taken to parallel parking more than I thought they would. Speaking of new, I noticed that the scaffolding around the Metropolitan building continues to be a part of the scenery. How long has that work been going on, exactly? Isn’t that odd for a relatively new building? I met someone who lived at the Metropolitan a while back and asked her how she liked it. She said it all looked lovely when they moved in but it was soon clear that a lot of it was cheaply made and wouldn’t hold up over time. I never wrote about it because one anecdote doesn’t make for a balanced story. But, as work on the Metropolitan drags on, I’ve started to be concerned. I wonder how the people who live there feel. People who took a chance on the Metropolitan were, in a way, early adopters in the new wave of d...

I’m operating under a post Benadryl haze this morning after a run in with some kind of allergen yesterday. I have a few fragments on my mind but entire paragraphs will have to wait until tomorrow. Congratulations to the Wilde Lake High School Students for Social Justice winning The Colette Roberts Organization Award presented by the Howard County Human Rights Commission. Concerned about ongoing damage to wildlife around Columbia’s lakes documented by local photographer Michael Oberman. Contemplating the messaging involved in picking a location for announcing a run for political office. Can you imagine catching zebras with…more zebras? Columbia will again be the site of the drug take-back event this this Saturday at the Wilde Lake Village Center. Perhaps tomorrow I’ll move on from the letter C.  

Today’s news story that’s all over my Twitter feed is this from our local Patch outlets: Funding has been released for Howard County police officers to begin sporting body-worn cameras before the state's deadline. Sporting? Am I alone in thinking that this particular word choice is, well, odd? My experience with the use of the word “sporting” is not consistent with the implementation of police body cameras. For example, “All the on-trend teens will be sporting the ripped-denim look this season.” “The gentlemen were sporting pink carnation boutonnières at this year’s fundraising event.” “All the best-dressed pooches will be sporting neon reflective collars from Dave’s Dog House.” Do you get my drift? So, when I read the news story, all I could envision was something like this: “Up next on the runway, Officer Smith, sporting the latest in body camera-wear, making him the envy of local police officers statewide.” I did a quick Google search. Does Sporting mean wearing? Sporting has ...

  Halloween candy made its first appearance in stores right after the back to school displays, I’m guessing. I’ve been ignoring it. But, as the leaves begin to turn and the weather shifts towards a bit of a chill, my thoughts are turning to trick or treating. Specifically, I’m wondering if COVID will have left any longer-lasting changes on how we “do” Halloween. If I’m thinking about handing out candy this year, is there any new recommended protocol? My particular neighborhood of (what I call) quadroplexes has never gone out for Halloween with any enthusiasm. We don’t have all that many kids living here. Some years we get trick or treaters, some years we don’t. When my daughter was younger we were fortunate to have friends who invited us along to trick or treat in their neighborhood: single-family detached homes, spaced not too far apart, great sidewalks. It wasn’t more than a five minute drive from where we live but it was night and day as far as Halloween was concerned. Your expe...

  Configuration. That’s what’s on my mind this morning: Columbia’s Village Centers and how they are laid out in 2021. Our Friday night in Wilde Lake got me thinking about whether it would be possible to do the Great Village Center Tour of 2021, eating dinner outside in each one. I’m not entirely sure it would be. It’s my understanding that, the older the village center, the more likely it was to have been built around a courtyard. But the courtyard model has gone out of style commercially. So some of the older village centers have been reconfigured. I moved to Oakland Mills after the Great Reconfiguration so my experiences are of the new model. Off the top of my head, I’d say you couldn’t do the eat outside thing in Oakland Mills these days. The late Second Chance Saloon had tables out front and the Cactus Lounge out back. Alas, you can’t have that experience anymore. Oakland Mills has a lovely courtyard but it isn’t particularly conducive to grabbing something from one of the cent...

  Date night can take many forms. At the moment I’m still celebrating being able to leave the house at all,  so almost any excursion feels like a treat. Last night my husband and I went all out for an evening in Wilde Lake. It was a lot of fun. We began by picking up some subs at Pizza Boli’s in the Wilde Lake Village Center and eating dinner outside in the courtyard. It was a mild evening and a great setting for some people watching. I was particularly curious about a group of young women having some sort of event centered around a circle of orange Adirondack chairs. They had a table set up with a pot luck snack buffet and they were having a wonderful time.  It was fascinating to see the new (relatively new, I know) layout of the Village Center on a Friday night and see how people are using the space. Even with the impact of the pandemic over the last year and a half, you can clearly see life and enjoyment and just plain everyday functional use. You will never get me to ...

At last the weekend is upon us, or, at least close enough that we can taste it. If you read yesterday’s post you know all about the 50th Birthday Celebration in Long Reach. A few extra notes on that:  it’s BYOC for the performances (Bring Your Own Chair) and, to assure there will be enough parking, a shuttle will be running regularly from satellite parking at Long Reach High School.  Now I’ve got another idea for your Saturday: Oktsobarfest. Presented by the Ellicott City-Columbia Lions Club in collaboration with Sobar, Oktsobarfest will be on the grounds of St. John's Episcopal Church, 9140 Frederick Road in Ellicott City, this Saturday from noon to 4 pm. From the event page: This family friendly event features lawn games, samples of alcohol-free beverages and local food trucks. Meet and Greet the Ponies with Safe Haven Equine Warriors and watch Kangaroo Kids performance jump rope team. You can purchase tickets here  and your ticket includes admission, all activities, a...

  Can you feel the weekend coming? Can you sense it waiting in the wings, eager to make its big entrance? If you thought last weekend was full of cool happenings around town, what with HoCo Pride and Books in Bloom, you might be surprised that there’s even more in store this weekend. First off: Happy 50th Birthday to the Village of Long Reach! They’re celebrating with a two-day festival and all of us are invited. The event, presented in collaboration with Columbia Association and the Columbia Festival of the Arts, will feature food, performances, fine arts & crafts show and sale, and a special walk-along exhibit from the Columbia Archives. Check out the event page on Facebook and the website , too. Mark your calendars for Friday, October 15 and Saturday, October 16 to celebrate the 50th Birthday of Long Reach Village in Columbia, Maryland.  Hosted by The Columbia Festival of the Arts, this FREE Outdoor Festival features Live Music, a Fine Arts & Crafts Show, great fest...

  Starting on Monday I have seen on social media quite the outburst of anger as well as smug attempts to excuse ignorance pertaining to Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Yes, even right here in Howard County. Ignorance: when you don’t know and you don’t care. (A Mom definition.) In looking over my post  from last year’s Indigenous Peoples’ Day I came across a video shared by the Howard County Office of Human Rights and Equity. It’s three minutes long and it puts the focus right where it should be: Indigenous Peoples’ Day Ignorance and a fierce determination to defend it are not something to be proud of. Caring enough to learn the truth and come to terms with it are what we should be striving for.  Here is what the Indigenous Peoples’ Day deniers seem to have missed: it is absolutely possible to love this land, to love our democracy, and at the same time believe we are made stronger by learning the truth about our history and by choosing ways to do better.  It isn’t weakness....

  Saturday was my first Pride. Not Howard County’s first, that was at Centennial Park in 2019, but it was my first time attending a Pride event. It meant a lot to me seeing Columbia/HoCo open one of its most central public spaces for this celebration. It was a day I’ll be remembering for a long time to come. County Executive Calvin Ball’s opening remarks were both reasoned and impassioned. When Howard County Pride director Jumel Howard read the names of LGBTQ+ people who have died this year due to targeted violence the silence was heavy with sadness and horror.  It was a day to celebrate but also to remember. To party, yes, but also continue the work to make our communities safer and more accepting. Naturally I have souvenirs. Some of them are photographs, like this beautiful shot taken of the booths lined up around the new Chrysalis pervious pathway. Photo credit Matt Braddock (used with permission) Some are snippets of information, like the flier for a new group called Unmat...

  Today is Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Howard County and in a growing number of places across the US. County Executive Calvin Ball made the announcement of the change in September of 2020. Howard County replaces Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day “Indigenous and Native American history is embedded in our nomenclature and our geography — Patuxent, Potomac, Kittamaqundi. And yet there is a clear erasure of their history and their connection to our land,” Ball said. “Indigenous Peoples’ Day presents an opportunity of all ages and backgrounds to learn more about the people who were here before Columbus and colonization. Representation matters, but it must be more than a rallying cry.” It can be difficult for some of us to let go of the tales from our early years about brave explorers who discovered new lands. But all those stories are rooted in the basic falsehood that any places that Western Europeans didn’t know about yet were theirs to take. And why did they believe this? Beca...

The local news story that extinguished my desire to write yesterday was this one, by Alex Mann and Jessica Anderson, promoted on Twitter by the Baltimore Sun like this:  Brian and Kelly Sue Robinette, high school sweethearts from Cumberland, had a comfortable life in Ellicott City. Back home, the life of Brian’s half brother, Jeffrey Burnham, was going another way. On Sept. 30, their paths crossed in a deadly encounter. In itself, the story is heartbreaking and the crime is horrific. But the power of social media means that, as I searched for local stories to write about, I kept reading those words over and over again. Tweets, retweets, quote tweets. Numerous accounts sharing the same story because they knew it would be a reliable source of easy clicks. High school sweethearts High school sweethearts High school sweethearts Somewhere in there I lost the will to write. I needed to get away from that story and from social media and live some real life for a while, and I did. It was ...

  Wishful thinking has not been enough. No zebras have been spotted (sorry) in Columbia/HoCo. And, despite efforts to catch and return them to the farm where they had been living, they are still on the loose. An update: One Month Later, Five Escaped Zebras Are Still Roaming the Suburbs of Marylan d, Ben Panko, Smithsonian Magazine I’m beginning to see reassurances from animal experts that zebras can winter in Maryland just fine, thank you. These are probably to assuage the fears of children and tender-hearted people like me who wonder what will become of them. Or perhaps this is an indication that they don’t think the possibility of their recapture is very likely.  I have read repeated statements that the zebras can manage just fine on the loose and also that their prior living arrangement was legal and above-board. I haven’t seen anyone address whether it was good for the zebras. Do they even want to be in the United States at all? In captivity, no less? The now-named “Maryla...