Village Green/Town²

I’ve talked a bit recently about the challenges of getting information to people who need it. It’s an ongoing struggle. If you don’t believe me, just look outside on a Slide Day for trash collection. It doesn’t matter how many times that information is posted or whether it’s on social media or in neighborhood newsletters. There will be people who put their trash or recycling out according to the regular schedule. It’s simply impossible to get 100 per cent engagement.  People who dislike the current County Executive are inclined to criticize the many local events around town where he can be seen making announcements, highlighting new businesses, and so on. But having County Executive Ball participate in a public event isn’t the  only  way the County communicates with residents. The County issues press releases to local media outlets, pushes out information to county social media accounts, and works with organizations throughout the county to spread the word. A personal app...

  So it turns out that doing this Saturday calendar thing is more labor intensive than I had anticipated. Here is a much-reduced version along with a few extraneous announcements. 1. Don’t forget the markets.  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 2. Ladybug Music Festival , Old Ellicott City, 2 - 8 pm Celebrating women in music  3. Sunday:  Howard County Caribbean American Heritage Celebration , 12-5 pm, Colorburst Park FYI: This event is free but they are asking you to register. Now for some extraneous tidbits. Columbia Community Care Youth Summed Exchange Program:  CCC is raising funds to send mentees from their STAND and PUSH programs to a summer exchange program in Mexico.  Community Ecology Institute: Freetown Farm is celebrating its Fifth Birthday and they are fundraising to support the Farm’s many community programs.  The de...

  You know what they say. If you see one ant, there are bound to be more nearby. But ants are not my problem. It’s something more insidious. They creep up on you. They enter your house one at a time, over a period of years. They seem harmless. And then, one day… …you find that have been overrun.  I hesitate to use the word infestation in this case. It feels so dirty, somehow.  Some people collect silver, china, sports memorabilia, antiques, even autographs. They are things. Inanimate objects. The problem with stuffed plush animals is that first they are cute, then they have names, then personalities. Before you know it they have become members of your family. On that fateful day when you discover that you have far too many you realize that you are contemplating disposing of things that are not unwanted trash but - - dare I say it - - close personal friends. Sometimes old friends. Yes, some are more like passing aquaintances, but, still.  If you are tenderhearted, ima...

True confession: while the history of American film contains plenty of movie set in newsrooms, I've seen only one: All The President’s Men. The newspaper movie I’d like to see doesn’t exist. It would be about these people. Image from the former employees of Patuxent Publishing alumni page on Facebook.  In this place. At last one of these, if not both, are Scott Kramer images Oh, how I’d snap up tickets to see the major motion picture of what it was like to create the Columbia Flier newspaper in the New American City and follow its expansion into Patuxent Publishing, providing news coverage for area communities throughout our region. Perhaps this story wouldn’t have enough of the things that Hollywood movie studios like to market: sex, violence, or characters that can be marketed as plastic action figures.  That wouldn’t matter to me. I’d be happy enough to sit back with my popcorn and watch the story of the people who told the stories. This is the time period - - of Columbia’s...

  Quote of the day for Monday comes from Mark Hemmis of Phoenix Upper Main in Old Ellicott City. "We have rebuilt twice, we have moved, we survived Gordon Ramsey, we survived a pandemic -- we are still here," Hemmis said. "This tunnel gives us the hope we will continue to be here." Hemmis was interviewed by WJZ TV in connection with ongoing work on the County’s Safe and Sound plan, most specifically the North Tunnel Project which will be created to divert stormwater. Yesterday local officials celebrated the next step, which will bring in a machine to tunnel through OEC’s granite. Also worth celebrating: the work of State Representative Courtney Watson and State Senator Katie Fry Hester at the state level to secure funding to bring this public safety initiative closer to completion. You may recall that the county held a contest to name the digger: yesterday we learned that it will be named Rocky. Choices: were Ellicott Drills, Ellicott Excavator, Granite, Granite Gri...

I have reached the stage of Maryland summer where I am just plain angry about the heat. I try not to take it personally, but…it does feel like a personal attack.  Due to the extreme heat over the weekend Howard County Government shared the locations of local cooling centers on social media. This made me wonder how many are accessible by public transit. All, I hope. But I have some research in my future. No, I most likely would not need to use public transit to get to a cooling center. I still care about making sure that others in our community have access to cool places during dangerously hot weather. Not everyone has a car.  I continue to be appalled by locals who care about county initiatives only if they themselves will benefit, which is probably why I make it a point to examine ways that we as a community should keep working to remove obstacles and open doors for those around us. Ahem. Sermon over. Howard County Government has put together a Food Connection Map which does ...

I am going to take a break from stressing out about all the folks who love to drag area restaurants on social media to take a look at a different kind of food service.  Not fast food, casual, or fine dining. The kind of service that means people who might not get food, or not enough, will get to eat. Summer meals will be available to children this summer beginning tomorrow, June 24th: To continue meeting the growing need to feed hungry children and families in Howard County and fill the nutritional gap over the summer months, the Howard County Public School System's free summer meal program begins on June 24 and runs until August 2  This year, meals will be served on weekdays from 12:30-2 pm at our Elkridge and East Columbia branches.  There are no applications, enrollment or fees to participate in this program, however children must be present to receive free meals. Meals will be provided at no cost to any children aged 18 and under. There will be no meal service Thursda...

 Just when I was getting all sentimental about Sunday’s Pops Concert at the Chrysalis… The weather report for Sunday is grim. We truly regret that due to expected high temperatures, we have cancelled the upcoming Columbia Orchestra Summer Pops Concert: Preludes and Possibilities, presented by Baltimore Washington Financial Advisors. The temperature on Sunday, June 23, is expected to reach 98 degrees with 50% humidity and would be an unsafe environment for our guests, our staff, and our artists.  We know you were looking forward to this incredible performance and we were thrilled to be working once again with the Columbia Orchestra.  While we regret cancelling any event, we take the safety of our guests and artists very seriously We are actively working with the Columbia Orchestra to set a new date and hope very much that they will return to the stage this year and that you will be able to join us. - -    Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods It’s absolutely the ri...

  Howard County Summer Theater’s big production for 2024 opens this weekend. It’s “ Guys and Dolls ”, and will run for 7 performances at Marriotts Ridge High School.  I went to last summer’s production, “Hello Dolly” and had a lot of fun. You can learn more about the mission of Howard County Summer Theater at their website , where you can also purchase tickets. A portion of the proceeds from ticket sales will go to local charities.  Heads up: there’s road work going on out there. This helpful PSA comes from a cast member: Are you coming to see Guys and Dolls? Here are a few transportation tips. Part of Marriottsville Road will be closed during our run (from Resort Road to US 40) and while you can "technically" still get to the school from Marriottsville Road North off of 70, you may want to avoid it all together and go down to 32 North. I've also included an image with info on parking (don't turn into the first parking lot; go to the second). Can't wait to see yo...

  Here are two local celebrations of Juneteenth that are happening today. Details are at the links: At the Lakefront  in Columbia. At  Caroll Baldwin Hall  in Savage. The observation of Juneteenth as a federal holiday is very new. President Biden signed it into law in 2021. The historical truth it rests upon is not new. It’s about slavery, period. The people who are experts in understanding that history are Black Americans. That can be uncomfortable for white people who are accustomed to feeling that pretty much everything centers around what we understand. This year I’ve been actively looking for responses to Juneteenth that don’t come from people like me. This one made me realize what happens when the corporate world gets ahold of a concept that’s just too raw for them to articulate: Maybe making Juneteenth a federal holiday was a mistake. Because what is this? - - Morgan Jerkins, Writer, Editor, Professor at Columbia University  “In observance of Juneteenth,...

After yesterday’s post you might be surprised to see this photo of students tackling a math problem. Image from Glenwood Academy. Used with permission. Take a closer look at the math problem. They’re making “Stick Stew.” Measuring, doubling, and halving ingredients for our 'Stick Stew'. Even basic recipes require math skills. Making recipes larger or smaller can take you even deeper into fractions, multiplication, and division! - - Glenwood Academy As someone who had terrible experiences with math throughout my education, I thought, “Wow! That looks like fun!”  As a career early childhood educator, I wondered, “But did they really get to go out and make ‘Stick Stew’ with real sticks?” Glenwood Academy is described on the The Maryland Association of Nonpublic Special Education Facilities (MANSEF) website as follows: GA embraces and empowers all students with language-based learning differences such as dysgraphia, dyscalculia, dyslexia, and language processing difficulties. Thro...

 “What did you do on your summer vacation?” Do you remember a time when the first days back to school in the fall were centered around that question? Classroom discussions and possibly the first essay assignment of the year were often rooted in the recounting of seeing fireworks or a family trip to the beach.  These days it has become painfully clear that a question like this makes an assumption: of privilege. Many families struggle to get through the summer if both parents must work. Childcare is cobbled together or sometimes the older children are put in charge of the younger ones. Families who rely on school food programs during the school year face additional hardship. When I was growing up the assumption in my neighborhood was that the kids “stayed home” and had fun playing during the summer. This really meant that the family could afford for Mom to be the full time caregiver during the summer months. In recent years I’ve seen that assumption grow to include a summer spen...

For an event announcement and a confession, read on. From the  Chinese American Parent Association of Howard County : Looking for a fun summer activity for your kids or a delightful evening for the whole family? Join us at CAPA's annual Dragon Boat Festival, June 16th from 4-8PM  at the Dancel YMCA in Ellicott City! Enjoy Asian food, cultural activities, performances, a moon bounce, magic show, twisted balloon art, Asian games, and much more.  Images from CAPA-GC social media True confession: all this time I have been thinking that actual dragon boats would be a part of this event. My assumption, as embarrassing as it is for me to admit, is that the dragon boats would be…in the pool at the Y. Alas, the schedule of events does not indicate that this is so. This is where a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. I’m familiar with dragon boats largely because of the Baltimore Dragon Boat Club.   What I had not done, until this morning, was any basic research on...