Winter music concerts highlight the season in our area, and we have a bevy of musical showcases from which to choose in the next few weeks.
Glenelg High School's instrumental music department will present its winter concert at 8 p.m. Dec. 21 at the school. Go there to hear seasonal music by the symphonic band, the choir and the madrigals. Don't miss this concert, which will quickly put you in a holiday mood.
At intermission you can visit with your neighbors, purchase tapes of the Glenelg music ensembles and buy your tickets for the annual jazz concert at the high school.
After the performances, purchase poinsettias to decorate your home or to give as gifts. The $5 tickets for the winter concert are available from members of the band or choir or at the door. This year's jazz concert will feature the Count Basie Orchestra on Jan. 26.
You can catch the award-winning Glenelg High School Jazz Ensemble at a free concert at Chatham Mall at 2 p.m. Dec 17. The band, led by Barry Enzman, will play a 30-minute set for shoppers and fans.
*
Glenwood Middle School's wind ensemble, an experienced group of instrumentalists, will give its winter concert at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the school. David Apple directs this group. Bushy Park Elementary School will have its strings and chorus concert at the school at 9:45 a.m. and 2:15 p.m. Wednesday. Angelo Gatto conducts the strings, and Susan Kline directs the chorus.
Bushy Park's beginning and advanced bands, under the direction of Michael Blackman, who also directs the bands at Lisbon and West Friendship elementary schools, will perform at 2:15 p.m. and 7 p.m. Dec. 15. At Lisbon Elementary School, the band and strings will perform at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Monday, and the chorus and handbell choir, the only one in the Howard County public schools, will perform at 1:30 and 7 p.m. Dec. 19. West Friendship Elementary School will have its winter band concert featuring beginning and advanced band students at 2:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Dec. 20. Clarksville Elementary School will have it orchestra and chorus perform at 7 p.m. Dec. 14.
*
Gethsemane Baptist Church at 14135 Burnt Woods Road in Glenwood will present "Adoration in Search of a King" Saturday and Sunday at 7 p.m. This is an hourlong musical, featuring the Gethsemane Adult Choir. Tickets are free but must be reserved by calling 442-5853. Dress is casual.
*
For the fourth year, members of the Clarksville Lions Club will participate in the annual dinner for the needy, known as "Holiday Sharing," at the Florence Bain Center in Columbia.
Lions, who have been collecting coats for several months, will present the coats to people in need. They also help serve dinners -- last year they gave meals to almost 400 people.
Lion Don Parlette of Clarksville is selling pecans and black walnuts for $6 a pound and mixed nuts for $5 a pound for the club. Mr. Parlette is also taking orders for spring delivery of gorgeous fresh Vidalia onions from Georgia.
If you would like to buy nuts or onions from the Clarksville Lions, call 531-2140.
The Clarksville Lions Club also has blood drives twice each year. The club is looking for people to donate blood between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Dec. 19 at the Clarksville Fire Station.
If you can give blood, please call Will Hobbs at (301) 854-2941 to make an appointment.
*
Santa Claus invites all the children in our area to join him for breakfast between 9 a.m. and noon Dec. 17.
Santa will be at the 5th District Volunteer Fire Department banquet hall at Routes 108 and 32 in Clarksville. The Ladies Auxiliary will sponsor the breakfast of pancakes, sausage, juice and coffee. Tickets are $4 for adults and $2 for children.
Reservations are not required, but if you wish to make a reservation, call Prancer at 531-2057.
*
Megan Silas and Andrew Shultz are the citizens of the month at Bushy Park Elementary School.
*
Shepherd of the Glen Lutheran Church will hold the first part of its congregational meeting Sunday after the 10 a.m. worship service. Members will elect lay leaders and adopt a budget.
*
New schools have impressive resources that allow students and staff to use the latest technology every day. At Mount View Middle School, FalconNet, a new electronic mail, conference and remote access network is now on-line.
FalconNet users can exchange electronic mail, download software that has been created by teachers and students at Mount View, engage in an electronic conference, dial in using a modem while retaining the full graphical interface of Windows or Macintosh, and just chat with other on-line users.
*
If you go to the Post Office in Clarksville today, you'll go to a brand new facility behind the Sandy Spring Bank. Go there to put a hold on your mail, pick up an article that couldn't be delivered, mail your holiday packages, buy stamps, or to say hello to Postmaster Carol Hohman and her crew.
*
Twelve Maryland teachers were honored recently for their work as part of a space science internship program sponsored by the Maryland Space Grant Consortium. The program included working with space scientists, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather specialists and researchers. Gayle Smith of Mount View Middle School was the first representative to complete the program from the Howard County public school system. Ms. Smith was honored at an awards dinner and program at the Johns Hopkins University in November.