Village Green/Town²

  Did you know that September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month? Until very recently, I didn’t.  Childhood Cancer Awareness Month began in 2012. President Barack Obama made the first proclamation establishing September as a month to increase awareness of the particular challenges of childhood cancer, the necessity of increased reasearch, and to…”pay tribute to the families, friends, professionals, and communities who lend their strength to children fighting pediatric cancer. May their courage and commitment continue to move us toward new cures, healthier outcomes, and a brighter future for America’s youth.” The symbol of Childhood Cancer Awareness is a gold ribbon.  The theme for this year’s Childhood Cancer Awareness Month is “Go Gold.” Although many colors were considered, gold was agreed upon as the ideal choice for childhood cancer awareness because gold is a precious metal, and is therefore the perfect color to reflect the most precious thing in our lives—our child...

  Clip from A Thousand Clowns, United Artists, 1965 Let’s watch Jason Robards do the big build up with Barbara Harris in this scene from A Thousand Clowns. (It runs one minute and twenty-seven seconds. You have time.) What is he building up to? This: Sandy I uh I'm sorry I'm very sorry Well dammit lady that was a beautiful apology I mean you gotta love a guy who can apologize so nice I rehearsed it for over an hour Aw Sandy That's the most you should expect from life A really good apology for all the things you won't get - - A Thousand Clowns, film, 1965 This morning I’m still trying to process last night’s very last-minute announcement from HCPSS Superintendent Michael Martirano. School times are changing - - in the third week of the school year - -  in an attempt to address problems with school bus service. I will have more time to process than most folks as I am not directly impacted. Still,  I have felt increasingly frustrated that there is nothing I can do to he...

  It appears to have rained last night. Even if I hadn’t heard it myself, I’d know from all the local hubbub on social media. I’ve been saving this tidbit for just such an occasion. On August 10th, the Twitter account for Howard County Recycles shared the request shown above: Heavy rain is expected in #HoCo today. Wet paper & cardboard is more difficult to process & bale at the recycling facility than dry material, so please try to keep your paper & cardboard as dry as possible by covering open top bins or bringing them indoors. Yes, we want your cardboard. No, we don’t want your wet cardboard. I hadn’t known that, so that’s useful information.  But it was the next tweet that really set me off. On August 16, addressing medical supplies, they wrote: In addition, empty prescription pill bottles must go in the trash. Oh my word. That’s the last straw. I can’t take it any more.  Pill bottles. Prescription pill bottles. Say it ain’t so. So all the years I’ve been d...

Appearing one night only in Columbia, Maryland: Kommuna Lux , originators of the “Odesa gangsta folk” style of Klezmer* music. The young, high-energy musical group is visiting Columbia as a part of their US tour to raise money for war-torn Ukraine.  If you’re wondering what “Odesa gangsta folk” might be, these words from their website may help: “In Odesa, people find togetherness. In Odesa, all will laugh and sing." Ukraine’s Kommuna Lux validates these words from an old poem, performing their own style called "Odesa Gangsta Folk:" thrilling klezmer music and common gangster folk songs from their hometown, all with a dose of rocket fuel. Kommuna Lux plays joyful songs and melodies from Odessa and all Eastern Europe in spiced up arrangements. The following promotional video gives an energizing summation of what they do along how they have used moneys raised to support the war effort in Ukraine. (It’s about two and a half minutes long, so not a big time commitment.) The vi...

  Some people need to tell the stories - - to tell them, and retell them - - year after year. Some people seek out the commemorative programs on television that show the horrific film footage again and again. Everyone responds differently to grief and horror. Probably the biggest thing that divides us in this day is whether or not we have a personal connection to the events of 9/11/2001. If we don’t I suspect the day is one that passes with sadness and the continued disbelief that this kind of thing could happen. If we do it is a searing fire of trauma experienced and relived. I can never never truly know what that kind of pain is like. I am grateful for that. But I also feel guilty when this day comes around because others suffered so much and I was spared. Why them? Why not me? (Thank God not me!) And over and over again as the years roll by.  You are likely to see heartwarming pieces today about how the whole nation came together after 9-11. This is  not  the trut...

  This years ARTSites are going up around the County and the Howard County School System got one. Photos from HCPSS social media  Entitled “The Evening Blooms”, it is the work of Cathrin Hoskinson. Her work was also selected for ARTsites in 2014, when her piece “Sunbeam” was on display on the campus of Howard Community College near the Horowitz Center for the Performing Arts. You may recall that I made a startling discovery when learning about last year’s sculptors.  I’m looking forward to learning more about this year's selections and writing about them soon.  Another interesting discovery. Columbia’s Lakefront has a live cam. Welcome to Columbia, MD! EarthCam and @columbiaass have partnered to bring you live views from the banks of Lake Kittamaqundi. The lakefront is one of the most beautiful and beloved spaces in the Columbia community. Watch live: bit.ly/ 3R14DLj There’s some good news at River Hill High School. The RHHS Boosters Birthday Hawk is back, following...

  Are you fascinated by local history? Are you the kind of person who craves hands-on experiences? I saw this event announcement when it was shared by the Howard County Historical Society. Photo credits:   (1) ©2018 Patricia Bixler Reber Forgotten history of Ellicott City & Howard County MD (2) ©2018 Patricia Bixler Reber Forgotten history of Ellicott City & Howard County MD (3)Creator: Photo by Scott Kramer  Credit: Photo by Scott Kramer Copyright: Photo by Scott Kramer ***** Howard County Recreation and Parks Department - FREE PUBLIC DIG DAY Saturday, September 9th, 10 am-12 pm Patapsco Female Institite (PFI), HO-60 Have you ever wondered what is buried below ground at the Patapsco Female Institute? Have you wanted to get your hands dirty doing real archaeology? Come visit the Patapsco Female Institute at 3655 Church Rd., Ellicott City, MD 21043, this Saturday, September 9th, from 10am-2pm for a FREE Public Dig Day! Get a tour of the PFl's 19th-century ruins, he...