18 ways to determine if you fit the Columbia profile

       We often hear that there exists a Columbia "bubble."   Is there a profile of the typical Columbia resident?  I have come up with some of those markers of what being a Columbian is all about.  Score yourself to see where you fit in this spectrum. 

One point if you have a Choose Civility bumper sticker.
One point if you have been in a Starbucks in the last week.
One point if you have been at a Bagel Bin in the last month. Two points if you still call it the  Bagel    Shoppe.

One point for being at Lakeside Cafe this month
One point if you have been to the Apple Store in Mall
One point if you drive a foreign car. Two points for driving a hybid.

One point if you know a same sex couple
One point if you know mixed race couple
One point for attending an Interfaith Center or a non-denominational  congregation (one point for being nonreligious)
One point if you belong to an HMO
One point if you have your car radio tuned to NPR
One point if you shopped at MOMS, Roots or David's (3 points for shopping at all of these)
One point if you have had a child on a swim team, played soccer or lacrosse (3 points for all three)
One point if you have voted in a village election (3 points for running in a village election, 2 points for serving on village architectural committee)
One point if you have attended a Columbia Foundation event in the past year
One point for belonging to a book club
One point for being a college graduate (2 points for graduate or professional degree)
One point if you have moved here after 2000, two points for moving here in the 1990's, three points for moving here in the 1980's, four points for the 1970's and five points in the 1960's.

If you scored 25-31 you are a super Columbian
                      19-24 typical Columbian
                      14-18 striving to be a Columbian
                       9-13  must have only moved here because it is located between Baltimore and DC
                       0-8   you might be a better fit in Columbia, South Carolina

P.S.
From the Howard County Library:
" Discovering Great Artists. Learn about the life and methods of history's greatest artists, then use their techniques to create a piece of art. Ages 6-9; 60 min. Tickets required. Aug 1 - Degas: Little Dancer 11:00 AM East Columbia Branch *Limited space; tickets available at Children's Desk 15-30 minutes before class."

 "Kindergarten Here We Come! Stories and activities to help mark that all important first day, including boarding a real school bus. For children entering Kindergarten this fall; 45-60 min. Registration required. Follow the link to find the date, time and branch most convenient for you and your child. "

Building Green in Howard County

       Back in the 1970's and early 1980's the energy crisis hit our country after the oil embargoes and the Three Mile Island incident.  Our President at the time Jimmy Carter has been mocked for his lecture to our citizens that we were wasting energy and needed to conserve. The solar energy industry was still in its infancy but much was being written about this source of energy as the way we could have a new source of environmentally safe cheap energy.  The free protons that hit the earth were the way to a better future.  It seemed as if this revolution was just around the corner.  I remember seeing new homes in Owen Brown being built with solar panels that used heated water.  These were the precursors to our current solar cells which generate electricity

      During this time some forward thinking County employees in the Public Works Department wanted to prepare newly built County buildings for this coming solar reality.  Roofs of these buildings were built with a 30 angle facing South, the ideal orientation to collect the sun's rays.  I was involved in the planning for the Bain Center at this time and you can see this aspect on the roof of the building. 

You can also see this with the Central Library

    The plan was to add the panels once the cost became cost effective.  Unfortunately the time was not just around the corner but we still might see if happen in the not too distant future. The chart below shows that potential cost point around 2016.

   The Bain Center has one additional feature that was supposed to use solar energy for cost savings.  The building was to have a "solar envelop" that would go around the entire exterior.  The cost of this was too expensive and the envelop was only built on the front of the building facing South.  Simply this was a glass front that heated the air between it and the glass windows of the building.  Hence the "envelop" concept.  This heated air was supposed to be blown into the building to provide some the the heat for the building.  In the Summer the vents in the envelop would release the heat back outside.  Unfortunately this technology never worked well and the system was never used. But you can still see it in the front of the building.

    The County is still working to make County buildings more energy efficient with the passage in 2007 of the Green Building Initiative, Coun­cil Bill No. 47–2007, estab­lished green build­ing stan­dards for pub­lic and pri­vate build­ings in Howard County. Effec­tive July 1, 2008:

• Most new pub­licly funded build­ings (30% or more County fund­ing), larger than 10,000 square feet must attain a LEED Sil­ver rating.
• Most new pri­vate build­ings larger than 50,000 square feet must attain a LEED Cer­ti­fied rating.   Who knows we might still see those solar panels on our County building yet!

Red Velvet Pancakes

     With the notice from IHOP that their summer special is Red Velvet pancakes (I get their coupons in my email) I couldn't help but try to think about my own twist on this concept.  Not being much for cream cheese icing used by IHOP I searched around the internet for recipes. This is the best one I found:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons granulated white sugar
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 tablespoon red food coloring (red gel paste will get the dark red seen in the recipe)
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) salted butter, melted

1. Pre-heat skillet or griddle over medium heat or 320°
2. Make the pancakes: Mix all of the dry ingredients (flour through salt) together in a large bowl. Whisk thoroughly to combine until all lumps are gone.
3. In a separate bowl, thoroughly mix the buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, vinegar, and food coloring. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the buttermilk mixture. Stir until mostly combined. Add in the melted butter and fold gently to mix.
4. Pour batter in 1/4 cup measurements onto skillet and let cook until bubbles form on top, about 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook for 1 minute more.

   I plan on trying this recipe this weekend but will use fresh strawberries as a topping rather than the cream cheese topping.  But if you want to try that here is that recipe:

Two 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cups powdered sugar
1/ 2 cup ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons prepared strong coffee
1 teaspoon rum (optional)

2012 Olympics: Weren't they supposed to have been "our" Olympic games?

      If you remember back in the early 2000's Washington and Baltimore made a joint pitch to host the 2012 Olympics.  The pictures above were images of what the venues would have looked like in DC.  The RFK Stadium was supposed to be the site of the opening and closing ceremonies.  They were beaten out by New York for the US bid to the Olympic organization that ultimately chose London for the site.  The original effort was seen as a way to more closely connect the two growing metropolitan areas.  Of course Howard County is where the two areas meet.  While no events were to be held in Howard County you can be sure that you wouldn't have been able to get a hotel room here for the next two weeks.  Homeowners in Columbia might be renting out their entire homes for $7-9,000 for the full 17 days if you look at what Londoners are renting out homes this year.   

   The biggest feature of the DC/Baltimore games, in addition to new venues, was the building of the Maglev train between the two cities which would provide a quick 16 minute running time between the cities at 240 mph.  Talk about living in one city and working in another! Or less than a 10 minute ride from BWI to Union Station in DC. This is a similar technology used with the trains at DisneyWorld for transportation. Maglev is short for magnetic levitation that powers trains using magnets with opposite charges. The trains are literally riding on air so higher speeds than current track trains are possible . Not surprisingly China is developing maglev trains that will go at similar speeds to jets.  Here in Baltimore we are dealing with 19th century water pipes instead of 21st century transportation.
    So as you watch the Olympics for the next couple of weeks we can only image the craziness we would all be dealing with if the DC/Baltimore bid had been successful.  Guess we will all just have to settle for the news with Whole Foods moving into the Rouse Building.

P.S.
In honor of the Brits hosting the Olympics this week's music video from George Harrison about something Londoners hope to see the next two weeks.

Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge

    This past week I had a chance to visit the Blackwater Wildlife Refuge near Cambridge.  This 23,000 acre wildlife refuge was established in 1933 to preserve the marsh area that was a favorite spot for migrating water fowl.

  

Once totally covered with marshes the area has seen a dramatic change to open water and a destruction of the marsh grasses.

   Blackwater has been involved in the efforts to increase the bald eagle population and to keep the     Delmarva Grey Squirrel from going extinct.

     In 2002 a tornado cut a path through the area and you can still see the path of the tornado today.
       

If you are looking for a place to spend a interesting day with nature Blackwater fits the bill and is only 2 hours away.

P.S.
Just be sure to take the bug spray along with your visit.

What's in a name? Another Columbia street name bites the dust

         It seems that the County has granted the wishes of the residents of Coon Hunt Court to have the street name changed.  That neighborhood off Thunder Hill Road tends to like animal names with Hound Hill Court and Raccoon Court. This follows last years efforts by residents of Satan Wood Place to have its name changed to what it originally was supposed to be--Satin Place.  It is always a little risky to use terms from literature in naming streets.  Is Gay Topaz in Owen Brown next?  Or Deep Cup (size EEE?)?  This is nothing compared to the silly names like Curtsey Court, Possum Court or Greco Garth.
     I am fortunate to live on a fairly innocent named street but it still has been unusual enough for people to realize I live in Columbia.   A few years ago ordering clothes from LL Bean over the phone I was spelling out my street name and the operator said "Is that Columbia?"  I was surprised we were even know by our street names in Maine but she told me she actually worked at a call center in Salisbury and had been to Columbia.

Raising Sons and the gun question

   Yesterday I had a conversation with a person about the Colorado shootings and the question of what it is about boys that cause them to commit an act like this.  This person is raising sons and they indicated that they forbid their boys from having any type of toy guns--even water guns.  The feeling was that sometimes boys can't disconnect play violence from real violence.  While it is difficult to draw a direct connection from play with toy guns and violent video games to adult violence it is something that parents of boys have to address in some fashion.  This issue has always been with us but somehow the cowboy violence of the past was not linked with the violence that occurred in the 1950's.  Twenty four hour news has made these issues covered to a much greater extent.

   In searching around for some blogger reaction to this question I came across a Scary Mommy blog on just this question.  If you haven't read this Baltimore blogger before you have missed a great blog.
Quoting from her blog on boys and guns and her efforts to address this issue,

 "....I held out for three years, finally caving one summer with a small water gun for our local pool. It turned out to be the gateway gun, leading to a basket full of nerf guns and bullets and even targets. We became that house, that I swore we never would. These days, not an evening goes by that my kids aren’t chasing one another around the house, shooting and hiding and fake dying.
After hearing about the sickening Colorado shooting, killing at least 12 people early this morning, I am tempted (once again) to collect every last gun toy in the house and trash them, resurrecting that abandoned rule of mine. Two piece bathing suits are one thing, but how did I manage to cave on something as important as guns? How did I let shooting become a game?"

      "I realize that children with toy guns aren’t doing the killing, but allowing kids to view guns as toys can’t be a good thing, either. Then again, knowing my boys, they’ll end up simply turning innocent items like spoons and wands into weapons, anyway. So, what’s the answer? I know one thing for sure: I’m not going to want my kids running around shooting tonight."

    This story is similar to another mother's story by Kristin Howerton in the Huffington Post section on parenting.

"........in my dreams of motherhood, our home would be free of toys that represent weapons. My oldest was a boy -- but I imagined that somehow, with careful guidance, I could free him from the gender expectations that give way to a desire for violent objects. Unfortunately, no one warned me that a predilection for destruction seems to be coded in the DNA. Despite the fact that I've provided my son Jafta with a playroom full of peaceful, docile toys, he seems to be drawn only to things that produce explosions, loud noises, or (best yet) wounds of the flesh. He was begging for a sword by the time he could talk. Once he got wind of this light-saber business, everything in the house (paper towel roll, umbrella, drumstick) was brandished as a light-saber. And now, despite the fact that he's never seen a movie much darker than "Stuart Little," he is totally and utterly obsessed with guns."

     Somehow my takeaway from the articles is that boys will be drawn to more aggressive forms of play than girls but it might need to be tempered with parental instruction on the reality of violence.  And that this instruction coming from a father is probably doubly important.


P.S.
From the AP:

    "Firearms sales are surging in the wake of the Colorado movie theater massacre as buyers express fears that anti-gun politicians may use the shootings to seek new restrictions on owning weapons. In Colorado, the site of Friday's shooting that killed 12 and injured dozens of others, gun sales jumped in the three days that followed. The state approved background checks for 2,887 people who wanted to purchase a firearm - 25 percent more than the average Friday to Sunday period in 2012 and 43 percent more than the same interval the week prior."

    "Dick Rutan, owner of Gunners Den in suburban Arvada, Colo., said requests for concealed-weapon training certification "are off the hook." His four-hour course in gun safety, required for certification for a concealed-weapons permit in Colorado, has drawn double the interest since Friday. What they're saying is: They want to have a chance. They want to have the ability to protect themselves and their families if they are in a situation like what happened in the movie theater," Rutan said."

Can "Fracking" be done safely?

The issue of "fracking" which is the method used today to drill for natural gas remains controversial.  As I blogged about a few months ago,

      

   "Any discussion of how our Country meets its growing energy needs tends to breakdown into partisan disagreements that pit energy producers against conservationists.  Fracking is just the latest energy production method to be thrown into this energy debate with nuclear power, off shore drilling, solar power, wind power and the Keystone pipeline. The controversy around fracking is the environmental impacts of the chemicals used with the water that is pumped into the shale to release the natural gas.  The use of chemicals in the fracking process has been exempted from meeting the requirements of the Clean Water regulations passed by Congress back in the 1970's.  Halleburton Corporation lobbied for this exemption by saying that the proprietary rights of the company would be violated in having to publicly release the information on the chemicals used.  One of the issues that the Maryland Commission is examining is how the water returned from fracking is processed to remove any harmful chemicals.  Can water treatment plants remove the chemicals safely? Or better yet how can the chemicals be prevented from contaminating the ground water."  

     The Climate Change Initiative of Howard County will be participating in some events this week in DC. 


STOP THE FRACK ATTACK: Many events leading up to the Rally on Saturday, July 28 at the U.S. Capitol, Washington, DC.
http://www.stopthefrackattack.org/schedule/ - Full Schedule

• Friday, July 27: Stop the Frack Gathering at St. Stephens Church, 1525 Newton St. NW, Washington, that includes training sessions from 10 a.m. to noon, a strategy session from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and a town hall from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.  
  
• Saturday, July 28, Stop the Frack Attack in DC

1 pm: CCAN rally and walk to Stop the Frack Attack protest at 2pm. The gathering will be at Spirit of Justice Park (C St SW & South Capitol), about a five-minute walk from Stop the Frack and about a block from the Capitol. Use South Metro. Delegate Heather Mizeur and Mike Tidwell will speak about the fight to stop fracking in Maryland. We'll distribute Maryland-specific signs and then walk over to the rally together. To carpool with CCIHC, email hococlimatechange@gmail.com. Meet at 11:15 am at Broken Land Parkway Park & ride WEST side

(directions at http://maryland.sierraclub.org/hc/directions.html#blpr )

2 pm: Stop the Frack Attack at the West Lawn of the United States Capitol, Washington, DC. Join this historic event convened by citizens from affected communities, together with environmental organizations and community groups, announcing a call to action to demand an end to putting oil and gas drilling profits ahead of public health, clean water and air and the safety of our communities.

3:30 pm: March through streets of DC to delivery our message to the American Petroleum Institute and American Natural Gas Association.

http://www.stopthefrackattack.org/schedule/

Sign the Petition for Fracking Moratorium in Maryland
http://www.chesapeakeclimate.org/take-action/maryland/sign-the-petition-in-support-for-safe-fracking-practices-in-maryland

Annual battle against the tomato thieves

       As you can see above when it comes to being a vegetable gardener I have a very modest section of my yard in which I try to grow a few tomatoes.  Unfortunately even this modest effort is worth the deer and groundhogs efforts to get the tomatoes before me.  Usually in this blog I am writing about how much I enjoy the wildlife that I see on my runs in the morning.  I really enjoy sharing our beautiful green spaces with them most of the year but not when it comes to my tomatoes. I finally broke down and bought some plastic mesh to put around the tomatoes.

                                           They are even bold enough to try this in broad daylight.

    I know this battle has two contestants that don't put the same energy into the battle.  On one side are the animals who spend every waking moment thinking about how they will get my tomatoes and on my side I only spend a few minutes every couple of days watering and checking on the tomatoes.  This is a "one-sided" battle.  Maybe that is because for we humans there are always the farmers markets.

P.S.
 Pinnacle Empowerment Center is forming a Focus Group for preparation and
planning of an upcoming experience-based women's leadership program.  The
group will meet on Thursday, Aug. 2 from 6:30 to 8pm at 8180 Lark Brown
Road, Suite 301 in Elkridge.  All are welcome. To RSVP or for more
information, contact jennifer@empowerctr.org or visit www.empowerctr.org.
(Near the Columbia Gateway Overlook)

Restaurant Week in Howard County

Farm -2- Table: July 18 – August 6, 2012

Get Local This Summer! Howard County’s Top Chefs are serving up twenty days of savings and local flavor! Enjoy chef specialty menus inspired by local ingredients with fabulous FIXED PRICES from $10.12 to $40.12.

Participating Restaurants

AIDA Bistro & Wine Bar Columbia Dinner, three course $39.12	The King’s Contrivance Columbia Dinner, three course $40.12
Alexandra’s American Fusion Ellicott City Lunch, three course $25.12 Dinner, three course $35.12	The Mango Grove Restaurant Columbia
Baldwin’s Station Sykesville Lunch, two/three course $10.12/$15.12 Dinner, three course $30.12	The Melting Pot Columbia Dinner, three course $30.12
Bistro Blanc Glenelg Dinner, four course $32.12 and $42.12 with wine pairing	Portalli’s Ellicott City Dinner, three course $30.12
Café de Paris Columbia Lunch, two/three course $10.12/$14.12 Dinner, three course $29.99	Ranazul – Tapas.Wine.Bistro Maple Lawn Dinner, four course $35
Coho Grill Columbia Lunch, three course $22 Dinner, four course $32	Stella Notte Restaurant Ellicott City Lunch, three course $13.12 Dinner, four course $32.12
Eggspectation Ellicott City Dinner, three course $20.12	Tersiguel’s french Country Restaurant Ellicott City Lunch, three course $21.95 Dinner, three course $38.95
El Hidalgo Restaurant Elkridge Dinner, four course $40.12	The Town Grill at Lisbon Citgo Auto Center Lisbon Lunch & Dinner, $10.12 – $13.12
The Elkridge Furnace Inn Elkridge Dinner, three course $35.12	Union Jacks British Pub Columbia Lunch or Dinner, two course $21 – $33 Lunch or Dinner, three course $27 -$39
Greystone Grill Columbia Lunch, three course $16.12 Dinner, three course $30.12	Victoria Gastro Pub Columbia (promotion at this location runs July 23 – Aug. 6)
Iron Bridge Wine Co Columbia Lunch, two course $15 Dinner, three course $35	The Woodstock Inn Woodstock Dinner, three course $25.12
Kelsey’s Restaurant & Catering Ellicott City Dinner, three course $32.12

Best Eggplant Parmasan

    This recipe goes against what I have been trying to do healthwise--frying.  But this dish is worth it.  With eggplant in season know this is the best eggplant I have ever tasted.  I first had this at Salute Ristorante Italian on Main Street in Laurel and have finally learned how to make it at home.  The secret to this recipe is that the eggplant is coated in a mixture of grated sharp cheddar and parmesan cheese.  Here is how to make it:

1. Slice eggplant into 1/2 inch slices.  I peel the skin of eggplant off.
2. Wash in egg wash and then roll in a mixture of flour and breadcrumbs
3. Put the eggplant back in the egg wash and then roll in the mixture of grated cheddar and parmasan cheese.  Coat the slice well with the cheese.
4. Place the slices in the freezer for 15 minutes.  This will keep the cheese from melting too quick in the frying.
5. After the freezer fry the slices in hot oil until brown and crispy on both sides.
6. Pat fried slices on a paper towel to get off excess oil and then place on a baking sheet.
7. Add a good tomato sauce to each slice and bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

I like to use Don Pepino pizza or spaghetti sauce.

 For a nice finishing touch you can chop some fresh basil to put on right before serving.

Yogi Castle: A new frozen yogurt place worth trying

     I have been driving by the Yogi Castle on McGraw Rd for the past month and just never got around to checking it out.  My feeling was if you have been to one yogurt place you have been to them all.  But was I surprised to see the different approach Yogi Castle takes to getting yogurt.

     Rather than a server getting your yogurt you get your own cup of yogurt.  This allows you to get as much or in my case as little as you want.  Sometimes you don't want a lot of yogurt.  You can also mix and match the flavors in whatever combination you want.  The flavors cover a nice range of choices.

       After choosing your yogurt you can add any of the toppings you want in whatever quantity you want.  Mixed peanut butter and chocolate yogurt with crushed butterfinger topping was my choice and it was just right.

      In addition to the store on McGraw Road in Columbia there is one in Ellicott City at 10132-H Baltimore National Pike.

     I signed up for their club membership as I see myself going there often this summer.

P.S.
Artscape 2012 is in Baltimore this weekend.  Parking for this event can be difficult with some planning ahead.   Not sure why there isn't free bus transportation from Ravens Stadium.

P.S. 1
Music video this week from Elton John.

Bike About

Columbia BikeAbout is Saturday, September 15, 2012

Staggered Start – 9:30 – 10:30

Ride Begins and Ends at Columbia Downtown Lakefront

The 13 mile, history-filled ride through Columbia is a self-paced ride utilizing Columbia’s paths and street connections where necessary.  The annual event highlights the history, arts and culture and environmental features found in Columbia while introducing new ways to make the connections between villages.

This year’s BikeAbout route will take riders through parts of Oakland Mills, Long Reach, Town Center and Wilde Lake.  Featured interpretation will include:

• Blandair Park – Phase 1 is open – what’s next?
• Woodlawn Slave Quarters  - CA’s sensitive restoration helps interpret Howard County history
• Oakland Ridge Industrial Park – Columbia’s first industrial area has become a hidden marketplace
• Thunder Hill street – from Sleeping Dog Lane to Soaring Hill – the story behind the street names
• Jackson Pond – from farm pond, to experimental storm water retention, to neighborhood amenity
• Symphony Woods  and Downtown Redevelopment –  past, present and future

Pre-registration for the BikeAbout is encouraged. Registration can be done online. Forms are also available at Columbia Archives, located at 10227 Wincopin Circle in Town Center or Columbia Association headquarters, located at 10221 Wincopin Circle.

For more information, go to www.ColumbiaArchives.org email Columbia.Archives@ColumbiaAssociation.org or call 410-715-6781.

P.S.

Looks like the dredging of Lake Elkhorn is back underway.

Outdoor Summer Concerts

The best thing about summer is attending events outside around the County.  One of those events is the Sunset Concerts at Centennial Park in Ellicott City.  Every Wednesday evening starting at 7 p.m. local bands provide entertainment and local vendors have meals for purchase. They also have some traveling concerts. The schedule for upcoming concerts are:

Centennial concerts: July 18 Pirate Night - Regatta (special boat rental discounts)  Pyrates Royale - Maritime Swashbuckling July 25  Damon Foreman - Funk, Blues, Rock August 1Pajama Party Night  Kinderman - Children's Music August 8Tropical Island Night  Pan Masters - Steel Drum, Calypso August 15  Black Alley - Soul Garage

Traveling Bands Various days/locations 7–8:30 PM. FREE ICE CREAM from Edy’s Grand Ice Cream (while supplies last).    Thurs., July 12 - Meadowbrook Park 5001 Meadowbrook Lane, Ellicott City String Theory - Classic Rock Fri., July 27 - Schooley Mill Park 12975 Hall Shop Road, Highland Wicked Jezabel - All Female 80's Rock/Pop Thurs., Aug. 2 - Patapsco Female Institute Historic Park 3655 Church Road, Ellicott City The Jokers Wild - Swing/Jazz Tues., Aug. 7 - North Laurel Park* 9411 Whiskey Bottom Road U.S. Air Force Max Impact - Pop/Rock Fri., Aug. 17 - Rockburn Branch Park West 6105 Rockburn Branch Park Road, Elkridge Bad Influence - Blues, Rock, Funk  The Columbia Association hosts entertainment at the Kittaquandi Lakefront thru the summer.   The schedule is: Concert 07/18/2012 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM Dave Chappell Band Roots Rock Dave plays guitar and sings in the "Dave Chappell Band". Along with Bruce Swaim on tenor sax, Claude Arthur on bass, and Barry Hart on drums, this four piece unit covers a huge variety of musical ground from rock, blues, swing, jazz, to country and more depending on the venue or private event. Concert 07/19/2012 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM Vikki & The Hitz Movie 07/20/2012 8:00 PM - 10:30 PM WAR HORSE (PG-13) Jeremy Irving, Emily Watson and David Thewlis DreamWorks Pictures; Directed by Steven Spielberg Rated PG-13; 146 minutes; 2011 Concert 07/21/2012 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM Ronn MacFarlane & Ayreheart Contemporary Acoustic Concert 07/22/2012 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM St. John Baptist Church Choir Gospel Movie 07/23/2012 8:00 PM - 10:30 PM THE MUPPETS (PG) Amy Adams, Jason Segel and Chris Cooper Walt Disney Pictures Rated PG; 98 minutes; 2011 Open Mic 07/24/2012 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM TEEN OPEN MIC Concert 07/25/2012 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM The Nighthawks Roots Rock & Blues Concert 07/26/2012 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM Jeni Hankins & Billy Kemp Appalachian Culture For all folkies who are looking for traditional music, we have Jeni & Billy.  They "Get It" as I've told my listeners.  Jeni & Billy understand and, be it a traditional song or a song in the tradition, what they do is real gift to music. Movie 07/27/2012 8:00 PM - 10:30 PM THE HELP (PG-13) Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard DreamWorks Pictures; Directed by Tate Taylor Rated PG-13; 146 minutes; 2011 Concert 07/28/2012 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM Richard Walton Group Jazz The Richard Walton Group is celebrating 20 years as an accomplished, award winning, instrumental contemporary jazz group. The band’s current musicians include Michael Bronson, Michael Gottleib, Dave Krug, David Meer, Eric Robertson, Mitchell Shaivitz, Tecla & Richard Walton. Concert 07/29/2012 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM The Patty Reese Group Roots Rock Azalea City Recordings’ Artist, The Patty Reese Band is known and celebrated for their ability to raise the roof with a "get down" rocker or to bring tears to your eyes with a heartfelt ballad.Each song is loaded with soulful vocals, harmony's and showcases some of the most critically acclaimed soloists on the East Coast. Either way, you'll find your feet moving and your heart touched by the infectious rhythms and grooves of the Patty Reese Band. Movie 07/30/2012 8:00 PM - 10:30 PM THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN (PG) Voices by Jamie Bell Paramount Pictures; Directed by Steven Spielberg Rated PG; 107 minutes; 2011 Open Mic 07/31/2012 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM TEEN OPEN MIC P.S. Thanks to HoCo Rising and Village Green blogs for alerting all of us to a great project to supply school supplies to students in HoCo. P.S. 1 I have always felt that the secret to having a more educated population is to instill the love of reading in children.  The HoCo Library makes that easy with a new link at the Library for young readers with the Tumbledown Cloud.   Check it out.

Centennial Fun Run-Best Family Fun Event in Howard County for 34 years and running

        Today I am doing something I have never done before on a blog.   I am repeating a blog I did last year about the Centennial Fun Run that Arleen Dinneen has been doing in her neighborhood near Centennial High School.  I ran the run last week with my grandson and wanted to again alert everyone who would like to have a fun one mile run or walk.  You can participate next Tuesday July 24, August 4th and the partner race on August 11th. Here is the info on this year's runs.

Thirty-one years before Michelle Obama started her campaign to improve the fitness of our youth we had a Howard County resident starting her own effort to “get all of us moving.” Arleen Dinneen has been organizing the Centennial Fun Run for 34 years that has probably started more Howard County residents running than any other event.

Back in the mid 70’s before running was popular Arleen’s son Tim told her that he and some of his friends  had done a mile run on the track at Centennial High School.  Thinking that a mile was one lap of the track she decided to do it herself.  After completing one lap and stopping she was told that a mile was FOUR times around the track.  Not one to stop before doing the mile she pushed herself to do the other three laps and decided that she wanted to be able to do all four laps without stopping.  When she could do that she heard about the Howard County Striders weekly runs and thought she would go out with her son to do the 2-mile length run.  When someone suggested trying the 6-mile run she thought that would be too far but eventually they were able to do it.

Again this was before the running craze (and triathlons) and Arleen just ran in cutoffs and tennis shoes. But because the Striders were so friendly and encouraging to the beginning runners she stuck with it.  Along the way she started hosting some informal runs for kids in her neighborhood around a one-mile course.  Each week it seemed to have more kids and then even some parents joined in the runs and the Centennial Fun Run was born.  One thing led to another and she decided to give the kids a trophy if they did the run 5 times and started sending the run results to the local newspaper to have them posted. Each year it has grown and is now an official event sponsored by the Howard County Striders. Many of the youth that have gone on to join the Junior Striders started out at Arleen’s Fun Run. Along the way her neighbors like Dave and Peggy Fitzpatrick and Alice and Bill Barrows became race volunteers. After starting to run the Fun Run with my children when they were young I am now bringing out my grandchildren.  And that story is repeated by a number of other families. And Arleen’s kids are now grown with families of their own and help her run the events each week.

Even though Arleen gets the young high school track runners who can do the Fun Run in less than 5 minutes she has always thought of this as an event for kids.  With this in mind she has a different theme night. I have posted some of these events like caulk night, Scales and Tales, Banjo Buddies and one really special time years ago when a neighbor and I ran as the crash test dummies, Vince and Larry.  While those suits didn’t breath and were very hot we had fun coming up behind runners and yelling out “Your being passed by a crash dummy.”

Tuesday night starts its 33^rd year at 7:30 on 10114 Colonial Drive in Ellicott City near Centennial High School. Think about coming out or emailing this blog to friends, family and neighbors who may be interested in starting a new healthy family tradition. You never know where it will lead.

 Yours truly at the right at the Fun Run with my Son in 1997

P.S.

For me this blog also has a personal impact. Twenty-six years ago I was one of those non-runners who thought that getting out to run in all kinds of weather was crazy. Arleen was a co-worker of my at the time and she said “don’t knock it till you try it.”  And she invited me to try her Fun Run since it was only a one mile run.  As someone who played racquetball 5 or 6 times a week I thought that doing this shouldn’t be a problem.  However when I saw kids 7 and 8 years old passing me (to say nothing about the women) on the run I decided come back out the next week after building my endurance up during the following week.  After pushing myself to do first one mile then 2 miles and finally 3 miles I began to see how your body could really adjust to aerobic exercise. Suddenly I saw myself as a runner and set goals of doing a 10K race and then training for a marathon, something I had never imaged myself doing in the recent past. Fast forward 26 years and running, like blogging, has become a part of who I am. By my estimation I have run far enough in those years to run around the earth twice having run over 50,000 miles in those 26 years. While 10K races every weekend, the Bagel Run and marathons (having completed 11 including Chicago last year) are no longer something I do I still think of myself as a runner although these days it might be more accurate to call myself a slow jogger. For this I salute you Arleen!

P.S. 1

 The Governor’s Commission on Asian Affairs is meeting in Howard County tonight, Tuesday July 17, beginning at 6:30 pm at the Miller Library in Ellicott City.  The focus of the meeting will be on the Dream Act.  The address, in case you don’t have it, is 9421 Frederick Road, Ellicott City MD 21042.