Village Green/Town²

First posted on this day in 2015: The Traveling Show It doesn't matter where you live, the traveling show will soon be coming to your town. If not now, then sooner rather than later. The traveling show has money to burn and the tickets are bought by people like us who think they'll never have to pay the price. It doesn't happen  here , they say. Come one come all to gawk and stare as the ringmaster makes media statements and the ambulances pull away from the scene. Action in all three rings! You can have a front row seat. And there's always audience participation. Come early to get good seats. New venues are always being booked. Don't worry if you missed it the last time around. It'll be back. ***** With love, condolences, and profound respect to the  community  of Roseburg, Oregon ***** What more can I say? I woke up to this . One more time: With love, condolences, and profound respect to the people of Las Vegas.

When I came downstairs this morning it was still a bit dark outside. There was a hint of a chill in the house. Fall may finally be making an appearance and the weather will change, the light will change. The days will grow shorter. As I look out at the half-darkness this morning I'm thinking about a family in Howard County who have recently lost their child to suicide. This is so heartbreaking. I can't imagine what this kind of a loss is like. I, too, am the parent of a high school student. I know the love I have for her, and the worries, as well. I know the arc of her life so far: precious memories and ambitious hopes for the future. Suicide destroys all this. The thoughts that whisper, beckon, or demand crowd out both love and reason. It could be a veteran, a member of the LGBTQ community, or a teenager on the brink of adulthood. It could be a sister, a brother, a friend. If we had any way of helping, we would--wouldn't we? One week from today is the Howard County O...

As I watch the progress of the Elevate Maryland podcast I've been thinking a lot about who I would want to interview if I had a local "Talk Show". Now this is where my brain gives to "If I had a talk show" to the tone of "If I had a hammer", and then to the tune of "If I were a rich man." Doesn't everybody? So, without further ado, my top ten list of HoCo locals that I think would make fabulous interview subjects. This is in no particular order of value, by the way. 1. Jean Moon. She's well known for publicizing other peoples' events but I think her own personal story would be fascinating. 2. Jonathan Edelson, chair of the Oakland Mills Village Board. What makes an under-50 with kids in elementary school get involved in what has traditionally been a haven for Pioneers? 3. Bonnie Bricker, educator, writer, and community activist. I'd like to hear more about her present venture to work with parents and infants to supp...

You may or may not be old enough to remember the man in the Ed Sullivan show who would come out and manage to keep an entire row of plates spinning atop long sticks. For some reason I found this hilarious as a child. Now it seems more like life. Keep everything going without anything falling. Steady one while another slows and wobbles. It almost seems to be the precise activity for which the phrase "teetering precariously" was invented. The image of the spinning plates came to mind this morning as I was reading the news that Howard County intends to make a pitch for the new Amazon facility. Clearly having an Amazon facility is the new community fidget spinner. Everybody seems to want one. No matter that we're already spinning school redistricting, de facto segregation in our schools, a Downtown Plan, recovery from a flood, and APFO legislation. Let's add Amazon to the mix! The catch, from what I can tell, is that Amazon is looking for a place with robust public t...

The Columbia 50th birthday festivities are drawing to a close. This Sunday brings the official farewell event from the Columbia Birthday folks: They'll be dedicating the Gail Holliday poster trees, located along Lake Kittamaqundi in the Kennedy Gardens. From Barbara Kellner of the Columbia Archives: On Sunday, Oct 1 starting at 5 pm there will be special celebration of Columbia's 50th.  Starting at the Kennedy Gardens, on the path around Lake Kittamaqundi, with a dedication of the newly-installed restored poster trees that once graced Wincopin Circle. The fete continues at the lakefront with performances by Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, Misako Ballet Company, Columbia Orchestra and Columbia's own Zach Brown.  Please join me as Columbia's celebration of the 50th birthday draws to a close. Weather for Sunday is likely to be mostly sunny, with a high of 70. Perfect weather for a walk around the Lake and some family fun at the Lakefront. It's all ...

Seen in Howard County: First off, I have no use for the term "Alt-right". Let's call it what it is: fascism. And it's flying it's ugly little flag over Route 70 in Howard County. (FYI: it's no longer there.) And what about that slogan? "They will not replace us." It's easy to do a basic Google search. I found an interesting opinion piece in the New York Tines, entitled, "White 'Power' and the Fear of Replacement".  The words, "You will not replace us" and "Jews will not replace us" were chanted by white nationalists in Charlottesville. From the article: While on some level the people who marched in Charlottesville were motivated by a perverse, exceptional hate, they were also, on another level, driven by a very ordinary desire for power. But that desire is based in an impoverished understanding of power as the replacement and domination of others. It appears that these people have friends in Ho...

Destruction, pure and simple. From Pam Watkins Long: Hey friends, I have a very special request. PLEASE SHARE. A lovely friend, a fellow biz owner that recently reopened after last year's devastating flood, walked in to her business, Sweet Cascades Chocolatier, this morning to realize it was badly vandalized last night. Such a shame after an incredible day of celebrating our town with the Main Street Music Fest. Tables, chairs, planters, plants, umbrellas, were thrown over the balcony into the river! The idiots even ripped the lights off the walls and tossed those over as well! Without disclosing what the police already know, I'm asking if you've heard or know anything about this, please contact the non-emergency police number at 410.313.3200 or the store at 410.750.8422 ASAP. Any information is appreciated. Please be part of the solution. Thank you.  And here is my second request. Sweet Cascades has incredible, delicious choices of pure goodness. This week, plea...