The Fourth of July is almost here!
I know that parades and fireworks are back this year, which is grand. A new event that sounds like a lot of fun is the Courtyard Concerts’ 4th of July BBQ Bash, to be held in the courtyard behind Tonge Row from noon to 4 p.m. July 4. All you-can-eat hot dogs, burgers and the works will be available for $25 per person, served up by the Little Market Cafe, and live music will be provided by Mallow Hill. A cash bar will also be available. There is a limited number of tickets available so sign up soon at visitoldellicottcity.com/event-pro/4th-of-july-bbq-bash.
The Chesapeake Shakespeare Company is back at the Patapsco Female Institute Historic Park for another season of Shakespeare in the Ruins. The company first performed at the PFI in 2003 and has gained in popularity. This season’s first offering is “The Adventures of Pericles,” opening July 2 and running through Aug. 1. Ticket prices start at $19. Go to chesapeakeshakespeare.com for tickets.
Georgia Eacker has been coordinator of the Master Gardener program at the University of Maryland Extension in Ellicott City since 1992. The program trains volunteers in safe, effective and sustainable horticultural practices. Graduates used to be the people you see at a desk at the library, ready to answer your gardening questions. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, this service became mostly online, with thousands of questions answered in 2020. Graduates are required to complete a number of service hours each year. They can be found volunteering at the Howard County Conservancy, the Enchanted Garden at the Miller Branch library and many other venues. After doing a stellar job steering this ship for almost 30 years, Eacker is retiring Wednesday. Here is wishing her a most happy retirement, with thanks for a job so well done.
The Paint It plein air event in historic Ellicott City is over, but the exhibit of the paintings created during that weekend will be on display at the Howard County Center for the Arts until Aug. 6. They can also be viewed online at the center’s website at hocoarts.org. I haven’t viewed all of the paintings yet, but so far my favorite is one an artist painted on the rainy Friday that threatened to disrupt the event. The artist took lemons and made lemonade by painting what he saw through his car’s rain-spattered windshield. It is an arresting, wildly different interpretation of the streetscape. Wow.
On June 3, high school students at the Ellicott City Applications and Research Laboratory were named first runner-up in a national personal finance challenge, sponsored by the Council for Economic Education. Nearly 10,000 students from 350 schools across the country participated, demonstrating their understanding of how to manage money, whether you have a lot of it or not much. The team members were Nathaniel Sager, Robby Schroeder, Noah Hoffman and Alice Jacob.
The Wine Bin outdoor movies are back. On Saturday, it is showing “Spiderman: Far from Home” and on July 3, it’s “1917.” Go to winebinec.com for details.
Also on Saturday, Comedy in the Courtyard, behind Tonge Row, returns with Simone as headliner. The show starts at 8 p.m., with access to seating starting at 7 p.m. The Ellicott City Distilling Company and the Little Market Cafe will offer food and beverages. No outside refreshments will be allowed. The cost is $13, $18 at the door. Tickets are available at visitoldellicottcity.com.
Don’t forget to patronize the Farmers Market at the Miller Branch library on Wednesday afternoons from 2 to 6 p.m. Also, Breezy Willow Farm has a good selection of farm goods at its shop on Frederick Road near St. John’s Lane. It is open Thursday through Sunday.
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