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Patience Rewarded in Stevens Forest

 


“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 the curious kids of Columbia. Keep exploring!

Columbia Association,  HCLS

These 18 snazzy signs are brought to you by Columbia Association, teaming up with the Oakland Mills Community Association.

Curious about CA's green dreams and sustainability shenanigans? Check out our website for the scoop!

See this right here?


What you are seeing is collaboration to make something positive happen: CA, the library system, and the Oakland Mills Community Association. I’m a big fan of this kind of collaboration. 

Oh, and one more thing. Between yesterday and today, it’s beginning to look like the Columbia Association is on a mission to make my dreams come true. Proof positive:

Come To My Party, Village Green/Town²  6/28/2013

Invitations can be exciting. As a child, the excitement of receiving a birthday party invitation was unsurpassed. As adults we become more wary of invitations. "You are a part of an exclusive group to receive this special invitation.." begins a commercial pitch that comes in the mail. Invitations to fundraisers, no matter how worthy, may be less than welcome when money and/or time is in short supply.

How can we bring the excitement of a genuine invitation to the promoting Columbia's tot lots, pathways, and open space? No matter how much you believe that everyone already knows, or that they "should know"' the truth is, many don't.

Some may know but are just in a rut. They may look at these things and just see "same old, same old." They may need help seeing old things in a new way.

I used a photograph yesterday which combined signage with QR codes and an invitation to interact through FourSquare. How would the use of something like this lend some interest? I can see how it might add an element of gamification to the use and exploration of tot lots. It might also give some useful feedback on which spaces are the most used, and whether a program such as this influences greater use or exploration.

A less high-tech way to invite people in is the StoryWalk program. I can see this as a partnership between CA, individual Villages, the Howard County Library System, and the Howard County Schools. Basically, the Storywalk is designed to encourage parents to take a walk with their child, while reading pages of a storybook posted at intervals along the way. What a great invitation to walk down a path, enjoy nature, find out what happens next in the story and --ooh--a tot lot!

Maybe tot lots, pathways, and open spaces need their own fan clubs in each village. We hold concerts and festivals in our Village Centers. We have annual pool parties, often rotating each year from one village pool to the next. If our outdoor spaces had annual events, or ongoing programs, it would be one more way to invite and engage residents to enjoy this wonderful amenity.

I'm inviting you to share your ideas with me in the comments, and over at Inspire Columbia. No salesman will call, and there is no obligation to buy.

*****

FYI: Inspire Columbia doesn’t exist anymore. But, after seeing my friend’s images from the new story walk, I am inspired to get outside and take a walk to find them.

Happy Monday!

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  1. Julia A. McCreadyMay 12, 2026 at 4:10 AM

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