Village Green/Town²

After yesterday’s warnings, here are some invitations. This Saturday at Abiding Saviour Lutheran Church, a concert by Kommuna Lux to raise money for Ukraine. They’re back again after last year’s successful visit and you’re invited.   Image from Kommuna Lux publicity materials  From the event page : Kommuna Lux brings you the heritage music of their beloved hometown. Klezmer, Balkan, and Urban Chanson, with a dash of Ukrainian Folk and powered by rocket fuel, Kommuna Lux impacts the crowd with a nostalgic, high-energy Big Band sound from the bygone days of speakeasies and rum runners. Returning again after last year's successful fundraiser for Ukraine, tickets will be available online for $20 and a more limited number at the door as space allows. To get a feel for their lively musical style, check them out at their website . Purchase tickets at this link: Communa Lux Tickets ***** Tonight, at the Common Kitchen in Clarksville, host Kathy Barton is kicking off a Howard County ...

  So far no one is beating down my door to respond to yesterday’s request. Missed it? Take a look.  ***** I’m torn about promoting indoor events right now because we are in a legitimately significant COVID wave. This is not just some gut feeling I have. Maryland wastewater monitoring indicates a “Very High” level of COVID-19 infection (per CDC). Anecdotally, I keep seeing folks who managed to stay COVID-free until now report that they are infected. It’s not just a cold. My personal recommendation is that you mask in indoor spaces while levels are so high. That makes indoor dining an extremely difficult choice. It’s the same old problem from earlier in the pandemic: does the restaurant have high ceilings and good ventilation/added air purification systems? Can you go at a less crowded time of day? Perhaps outdoor dining is a better choice. I can’t tell you what to do. I can be blunt and voice the unpopular opinion that COVID is not over and that repeat infections pose long-term...

  Hey there! There are two blog posts I’d like to run but they’re not entirely in my wheelhouse. I’d love for you - - yes, you - - to step up and write one.  First of all, I’d love to be able to share a post along the lines of “Why I love the Howard County Fair.” I know it’s a significant event in the life of the county. Me? I wilt in the heat and I’m allergic to everything, so my visits to the Fair have been rare over the years. Every year when it rolls around I know there are local stories there that I’m just plain missing out on. Maybe this is your time to shine. Reach out to me and let me know.  Second, with the recent forward movement on an Inspector General in Howard County, I am looking for someone who can explain the entire process to people who have no background knowledge. You know, as in the request, “Explain it to me like I’m in kindergarten.” I don’t mean to suggest that my readers are dummies. Far from it. But I think that people who are intensely “in the kn...

  I didn’t have this on my writing agenda this morning but it feels ridiculous to ignore it.  One dead after shooting inside Columbia mall, police say, Rafael Escalera Montoto, Baltimore Banner There was a shooting at the Mall yesterday. If you are reading this and you or someone you know was there your response is a personal one. Even those who are not physically harmed in these situations come away with a more invisible sort of trauma. My heart goes out to you.  But even if you were not there you probably already know. Shootings dominate news coverage and drive social media posts. They are more than frightening and upsetting: they generate more clicks . Clicks mean money. I’ve been watching the story wash through social media like a tidal wave.  Click, click, click. In addition, shootings seem to open the door for people who wish to launch conspiracy theories, place blame, create spurious causal connections, or make predictions of doom. I find these to be unhelpfu...

Looking for local fun? Try here: Events on Facebook (Choose Local and This Week)  Visit Howard County HoCo Calendar  Baltimore Banner A shoutout to the Banner’s Jess Nocera for including the Sunday Farmer’s Market in Oakland Mills in this week’s run-down. I’m somewhat distressed to read the words “as the end of summer draws closer” in her piece. It’s either because I think that summer should go on a whole lot longer or because I’m trying to ignore all those adverts for school supplies that herald the inexorable march towards another school year. I haven’t been a student in K-12 in many a day but that old resistance to back to school displays has stuck with me. Of course some stores are already putting out Halloween and Thanksgiving merchandise, so why am I complaining? All that being said, Prepare for Success is in full swing collecting school supplies to support area students for the upcoming school year. They’re an excellent HoCoLocal organization and they make it easy to...

  Over the past few weeks I have found myself going online to ask for advice more than once.  I have pain in the back of my thigh but it’s not sciatic. What could it be? What should I do? Where’s a trustworthy local place to sell gold jewelry? My car’s check engine light just came on. Where should I take it?  Any book recommendations for children’s novels which will help me keep the stress of current events at bay? There’s a word for this kind of social media interaction. It’s called crowdsourcing.  Crowdsourcing: the practice of obtaining needed services, ideas, or content by soliciting contributions from a large group of people and especially from the online community rather than from traditional employees or suppliers. - - Merriam Webster  Now, obviously, when an individual like me goes online to find a trustworthy mechanic or the best place to find a root beer snowball it is a far cry from the process described above. It is more like asking one’s neighbor ov...

Today’s topic of discussion comes from Howard Community College. Howard Community College Professor, Howard County Police partner to reduce use-of-force interactions Howard Community College Criminal Justice Assistant Professor Eric L. Clark, a retired United States Marshals Service employee who developed the E.A.S.E program during his service in the agency, encourages using effective communication to decompress tensions, minimize physical force, and achieve productive detention, investigatory, and custodial outcomes with the public. Did you know that HCC was on Substack? Now you do. I just subscribed. howardcommunitycollege.substack.com Criminal Justice Assistant Professor Eric L. Clark, image from HCC social media  You can hear Clark talk about the E.A.S.E. protocol in two short videos. 1. HCC Pathways 2. HCC Facebook page The second video goes into the specifics of what E.A.S.E. teaches, step by step. Image from lecture PowerPoint, HCC social media Clark is partnering with the H...

The other day I bumped into a social media post that got me wondering. If someone is missing a large rooster, he is near serendipity. He ran off into the bushes when he saw me get out off my car to take a picture.  “Near serendipity?” Is that a state of being? Like almost ecstatic? Approaching nirvana? According to Merriam Webster, serendipity is defined as: 1. the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for 2. also : an instance of this Hmm…somehow I doubted that was the case for this particular rooster. I started searching “serendipity” as a place name instead. Perhaps the name of a street or a subdivision? It turned out to be neither.  This is Serendipity. Oh, wait. I think I’ve passed that building. Images from Serendipity social media  Serendipity describes itself as a “quaint, independent boutique offering women's clothes, jewelry, gifts & home decor items.” They are located at 12798 MD-216 in Highland. As I recall they are at t...

  We haven’t had much rain lately. Well, yesterday’s downpour notwithstanding. But here come this week's weather predictions. Everyone loves to make lists these days - - best place for live music, best location to see the fireworks, best local cheesesteak - - but what we don’t have is a list of the best HoCoLocal things to do when it rains.  Let’s make one. Best things to do with kids when it rains. Best places to watch the rain. Best places to dance in the rain. You get the idea.  What are your favorite Howard County hangouts when your outdoor plans get washed out? I once attended a summer concert (Beatlegras, Columbia Festival of the Arts) under a tent at Belmont as a storm moved in and it was a memorable experience. The tent was fine, we didn’t get wet, and the musicians just kept right on playing.  Send me your rainy day (and night) recommendations. They may very well come in handy for the rest of us this week.  Village Green/Town² Comments 

I don’t have much to offer you this morning except a glimpse of our community that I would rather not have encountered. Here you see a social media post from the Howard County Heath department promoting mental health. Mental Health Tip: Celebrate your successes! Even if you've accomplished something small, acknowledging the process you've made on a goal can boost your mood. For mental health support and tips, visit:   https://www.howardcountymd.gov/health/behavioral-health  . The accompanying photo, probably a stock photo, is of a young Muslim woman wearing hijab.  The response to the post? This is not the face of Howard County! “Why?” I wonder. Because it is a young woman, or because she is asking for help to support her mental health? Is that why this is not the face of Howard County?  I doubt that. In all likelihood this response is purely an objection to the choice of a Muslim woman in a social media post in Howard County, Maryland. A quick scan of this poster’s ...

  I did not know.  In 1984, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed July as National Ice Cream Month and established National Ice Cream Day as the third Sunday in July. - -  National Day Calendar Why do I feel that the National Dairy Council had something to do with this? Just a hunch. Here in Howard County you have a variety of options if you are interested in observing National Ice Cream Day.  Of course you have well-known chains such as Baskin-Robbins, Rita’s, and Cold Stone Creamery. The Meadows Frozen Custard , located in the Hickory Ridge Village Center, is technically a part of a chain but this location is one of only two in Maryland.  And don’t forget, Jason’s Deli provides an option of chocolate or vanilla soft-serve free with your meal if you are dining in.  For the indie ice cream options you have your choice of: Cindy’s Soft Serve Soft Stuff Park Ridge Creamery The Charmery  The Crazy Mason Milkshake Bar * Unusual Company  (gelato) If you h...

Looking for events? You know the drill. It’s another summer Saturday and the weather predictions look fairly reasonable. Markets: Movie at the Wine Bin:   Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny At the Fairgrounds there’s a Christmas in July event both Saturday and Sunday. Personally I think Santa should get summers off. As always, check out these resources for info on local events:  Events   on Facebook (Choose Local and This Week)  or take a look at the activity calendar at  Visit Howard County .  There’s also a new events calendar in town run by Ricardo Whitaker/Guilford Gazette. Check it out and see what you think. It’s called HoCo Calendar. Apparently tomorrow is National Ice Cream Day.  Where will you be celebrating? I’m planning on making tomorrow’s post the All-HoCo Ice Cream Edition. Send me your recommendations! Village Green/Town² Comments

  The outpouring of appreciation yesterday from folks responding to the passing of comedian and actor Bob Newhart brought reminiscences of his most famous roles. For me it brought to mind the time that Newhart played God. The Rebirth of Packy Rowe , Insight, Paulist Fathers, 1979 This is not meant to be an endorsement of the Paulist Fathers or the Roman Catholic Church but rather an appreciation for the acting of the two main characters, played by Newhart and Jack Klugman.  Theatrical agent Packy Rowe has a low opinion of himself and what he's done with his life. He's in for a few surprises when he dies and meets God who thinks otherwise. (From the YouTube description) I haven’t watched this in years and I’m sure I’d find things about it now that are less than optimal that I wouldn’t have noticed back then. For one thing, it’s very white-centric and that would’ve been invisible to me in 1979 or whenever it showed up in my television viewing.  With all that being said… Wha...

Sorry I’m late. It took forever for me to get to sleep last night and my best sleep turned out to be from around 3:45 to 6:30. For me, that’s oversleeping. A few things: Have you taken this survey yet? The deadline is July 31st. I completed it yesterday. My unprofessional assessment is that is was a bit too long for me, but still doable. I absolutely hate long surveys.  Racial Equity Perception Survey for Howard County Community Members  is part of the work of the Howard County Office of Human Rights & Equity. If you are not following them already you can check them out on Facebook  and  Instagram . There’s an article about new CA President Shawn MacInnes in the Baltimore Banner.  One more thing: I read something recently that suggests to me that the Columbia Assocation Board will be considering some pretty major changes in CA’s relationship with the Villages. Has anyone out there been following this? Any opinions?  Let me know. Village Green/Town² Com...

The State of Maryland maintains a website specifically to inform the public about prominent garden locations throughout the state. It falls under their promotion of tourism.  Gardens of Maryland  In HoCo, the Howard County Conservancy is on the list. Their focus is, of course, primarily environmental. Other locations lean more historical, while some fit a more ‘traditional’ description of a public garden - - Brookside Gardens in Montgomery County, for instance. According to the  American Public Gardens Association: A public garden is an institution that maintains plants for the purposes of public education and enjoyment, in addition to research, conservation, and higher learning. It must be open to the public and the garden’s resources and accommodations must be made to all visitors . That’s a broad enough definition to encompass a wider variety of places than I would have expected, which explains the variety in the State of Maryland’s list. I am realizing now that I assu...

  National news is truly taking a lot of the wind out of my sails these days. Trying to focus on the local takes a lot of effort. Okay, that’s enough of that. Here are three new local businesses you might be interested in: New to me is a place called The Village Center.  They describe themselves as both a family center and a wellness center. Located at 10203 Tanager Lane, Suite 102 in Columbia, they offer a range of services including massage and facials for adults and drop-in play and language classes for children. To my knowledge there’s no other business in HoCo that combines these elements under one roof. Opening last weekend in Ellicott City is a place called Twin Thrift Vintage.  I don’t mean Main Street Old Ellicott City, though. It’s closer to Glenelg. I don’t understand this entirely, but it looks like Twin Thrift Vintage is a part of (or operating alongside) a business called Westwood Unique . They’re in a repurposed church building at 13554 Triadelphia Road. Tw...

Have you been to the Mall lately? I have not, but my post-college kid stopped by after a recent visit and clearly takes a dim view of the curfew/chaperone rule.  “I mean, it’s summer!” I get the point. How many air conditioned spaces are there in town where teens can meet and socialize without a substantial financial outlay? It’s not just a Columbia thing. The establishment and enforcement of these kinds of restrictions is happening in other nearby areas as well. This piece by Leslie Gray Streeter in the Baltimore Banner looks at what “mall life” meant to teens of her generation.  Local malls are restricting teens. Gen X would never have survived . Leslie Gray Streeter, Baltimore Banner  It’s more than a pure nostalgia piece, although it does provide a delicious glimpse into what made the mall such a magical place for Streeter and her contemporaries. I spent my teen years in a town without a mall and we certainly bemoaned the fact that there was “nowhere to go!” other tha...

It’s Saturday and for some reason I have a bad attitude this morning about posting local events, possibly because the weather doesn’t look promising. But that doesn’t mean I should take it out on you. (Don’t say I haven’t warned you, though.) But who knows? It might clear up. Clark Elioak Farm is celebrating Fairy Days today and tomorrow.  Photo from Clark’s Elioak Farm social media  Sunflowers of Lisbon are having a special Final Weekend Sale: All you can pick flowers with general admission.  Photo from Sunflowers of Lisbon social media  There’s a fundraising event at Reckless Shepherd for the All Shepherd Rescue organization. Image from Reckless Shepherd social media  Ridgely’s Run Community Center is hosting a Yard Sale from 9 am to noon in Savage. Out at the Howard County Fairgrounds you can visit the Native American Pow Wow both today and tomorrow. Learn more at Visit Howard County: Whispering Winds Pow Wow . Image from Visit Howard County And, of cours...

 A Tweet: Dear people racialized as White: When y'all say it's not a race thing, you've made it a race thing by rendering your racialized experiences invisible, which is indicative of how the race thing works. - - Deadric T. Williams,  @doc_thoughts Last night I removed someone’s ability to comment on the blog. I do that very rarely. Generally it is for one of two reasons: 1. They verbally attack others who are commenting. 2. They verbally attack my family. Yesterday’s commenter chose to go down the road of claiming that something wasn’t racism because they, a white person, said it wasn’t. This is just not going to fly with me, and I said as much. Their response was to persist at length and to become more belligerent. Friends, I am willing to discuss a lot of things in the comments and I try mightily to make it a space where people can express more than one point of view. But I am not obliged to make space for white people attempting to control definitions of racism. I reje...