THUMBS UP: Today, on Veterans Day, we dole out a thumb (way up), a salute and a heartfelt thank-you to those who served. We encourage readers to thank veterans, too. It won’t be hard to find them as there are many in our community. Carroll’s demographics include some 12,000 veterans — more than 7 percent of the county’s population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Carroll County Public Schools has done a nice job honoring veterans, inviting them into many schools the past few days to talk to students and to have students pay them tribute. Among the Veterans Day events going on today, the Monocacy Valley Memorial VFW Post 6918 in Taneytown will host its annual Veterans Day Observance at 11 a.m.; Integrace Fairhaven in Sykesville will host its 21st annual Veterans Day Reception from 3 to 6 p.m.; and American Legion Post 31 in Westminster will host a Veterans Day Ceremony, honoring all who served, from 1 to 2 p.m. We wanted to profile a veteran on Veterans Day, but we found we couldn’t stop at just one, so we turned our Veterans Day coverage into a four-day celebration. On Friday, we featured Michael Yaggy, who served as a member of the U.S. Marine Corps in Vietnam. Today, Dr. Sarah Lentz, a U.S. Air Force surgeon in Iraq. On Sunday, it will be Larry Burbank, an Army aviator who flew helicopters in Vietnam and Monday will bring Landon Becker, a U.S. Army staff sergeant in Afghanistan and Iraq. They are only a few of the many inspiring stories of veterans living among us we hope to tell through Nov. 11, 2018, the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day, commemorating the end of World War I and a national holiday that became Veterans Day in 1954.
THUMBS UP: The Carroll County Board of Elections announced there will be two early voting centers for the 2018 gubernatorial elections and we commend the county for adding a second site, though we wish it had been done sooner to prevent so many from the long lines they endured during the 2016 presidential election. A record number of county residents turned out to cast early ballots in 2016, with waits of more than an hour reported during peak times. Voters in Carroll will be able to cast ballots at either the Westminster Senior Center or the South Carroll Swim Club during the primaries in June and the general election next November. “Our hope is more people will use it because it is more accessible,” Katherine Berry, the county’s elections director, told us. That’s our hope, too. The more opportunities for citizens to exercise their right to vote the better. And it’s possible that yet another site will be added in Carroll by the next presidential election. In Maryland, counties with at least 125,000 registered voters must offer three early voting centers. Carroll had 119,143 registered voters for the 2016 general election, according to the Maryland State Board of Elections, making it the largest in the state to have just one early voting site.
THUMBS UP: The annual Festival of Trees has a new location but a time-honored purpose. Volunteers have been busy since September decorating trees for the event, which runs from Nov. 24 through 26 at John Street Quarters in Westminster to benefit The Shepherd’s Staff, a local nonprofit organization that provides assistance to people in need within the Carroll County community. Last year, the event raised $48,000. “As the needs of the less fortunate in our community continue to increase, this event helps The Shepherd’s Staff continue to provide for those in need. The Carroll County Festival of Trees is an opportunity to have fun, to shop early and to help others in need in Carroll County,” Brenda Meadows, executive director of The Shepherd’s Staff, told us. Admission is free and festivalgoers can participate in a silent auction of more than 30 trees, a tree lighting at the Nov. 24 opening, live music featuring local choirs and schools, living Nativity scenes and Christmas cards, baked goods, a children’s craft table and a secret Santa shop. So, as soon as Thanksgiving ends, consider bidding on a tree that will look nice in your living room this Christmas and also help those in need.