Mount Airy's Fire Company will open the doors of a state-of-the-art, three-story station to the community tonight from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. for a Christmas Open House.
Santa will make a grand entrance on a fire engine about 7:05 p.m. The jolly fellow will be available during the event to chat with children of all ages. Complimentary cookies and punch will be served to visitors, and goodie bags will be given to youngsters by Santa, said event planner Charlana Hornick.
Fire company volunteers have decorated their station with twinkling lights, wreaths and bows in preparation for the holiday. Packages, wrapped with paper and ribbon, adorn the company's historic American LaFrance pumper, which sits in the lobby/museum.
Engine No. 1 was purchased in 1926 as the company's first piece of equipment. It was retired in 1958 after 32 years of service.
Many people have not seen the $1.5 million fire station, which was built by Brechbill and Helman Construction Co. and opened in 1992. "It gives the community another chance to see it," she said. "Tours will be given upon request."
Santa is also serving as Mount Airy Fire Company's neighborhood ambassador in his spare time. He visited the Frederick County portion of Mount Airy first and and will visit the Carroll County side -- by fire engine -- next week.
Children in the Merridale Gardens, Main Street, Park Avenue and Warfield Acres area should look for Santa and company on Monday evening. Christy Acres, Watersville Road (townhouses and apartments) and the Paddocks will be Santa's destination Wednesday.
Santa will also consider requests for visits, said Mrs. Hornick. "If people have requests for shut-in children, we'll make an effort to get there," she said.
Arrangements can be made by calling the station at (301) 829-0100.
The fire company's 1994 Christmas open house and Santa visits represent the continuation of a tradition of many years ago, said Mrs. Hornick. She said it is a great opportunity to show the upbeat side of the fire company, because people often think of just the fires and accidents handled
by the volunteers. "There's a fun side and giving side too," she said.
Mrs. Hornick, who is an emergency medical technician, said many fire company volunteers will be on duty -- and on call -- at this evening's open house, including her husband, Brian. Their daughters, Erin, 11, Margo, 10, and Ashley, 9, will be Santa's assistants.
The all-volunteer fire company always appreciates contributions, Mrs. Hornick said, but no donations will be solicited at the open house. "It's our chance to give back to the community," she said.
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Saturday morning, 50 ready-to-cook, oven-roaster holiday dinners and trimmings will arrive in Mount Airy to reward SHARE program participants for community-oriented jobs well done.
The contents of the SHARE units usually remain a mystery until the monthly pickup, but someone let the "chicken out of the bag" for December. The Mount Airy Lions Club members sponsored their first local SHARE delivery in November.
The Lions are pleased by the increase in participation, according to Martha Paisie. "That's almost twice what we had last time," she said. "It seems to be catching on."
SHARE, the Self Help and Resource Exchange program, encourages people of all income groups to stretch their food dollars by "purchasing" a unit of food with two hours of community service and $13. There's no limit to the number of units purchased if two hours of community service are performed for each unit.
"The biggest thing is that it's not government surplus," noted Mrs. Paisie.
Last month, Mrs. Paisie purchased one unit and received a package of breaded chicken breast fillets, four chicken legs (thigh and drumstick), a half-pound of pork sausage, a 2 1/2 -pound turkey/ham chunk, 10-bean soup mix, a box of chicken stuffing mix, pancake mix and assorted fruits and vegetables, including three pounds of potatoes.
"Lettuce was $1.29 a head that week," said Mrs. Paisie. "It's about $30 worth of food, which isn't a bad deal."
The local Lions, who recently finished another successful run of their child-pleasing Santa Claus Lane project, will work at the Mount Airy Senior Center at 703 Ridge Avenue to deliver the SHARE units from 10 a.m. to noon tomorrow.
People are invited to sign up for the January delivery, which will take place in about four weeks. SHARE participants are reminded they must pick up their orders no later than noon or their orders will be given away. "We have no way of keeping it," said Mrs. Paisie.
For information, call (301) 829-LION.
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Harpist Molly Hahn of Middletown will join the heavenly voices of the South Carroll High School Chorus Wednesday for the group's Gala Holiday Concert.
The community is invited to the school for the 7:30 p.m. concert. Benjamin Britten's "Ceremony of Carols," featuring women's voices and harp, will be performed, said chorus director Kevin King.
Donations will be cheerfully accepted at the door.
South Carroll High School's
holiday band concert, conducted by band director Bradley Collins, is scheduled for Tuesday. It features the talents of South Carroll's many instrumentalists and will begin promptly at 7:30 p.m.
An art show featuring the creative work of South Carroll's students will be held in the school lobby on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The school is at 1300 West Old Liberty Road, adjacent to the Winfield Fire Department.
For information, call (410) 795-8500.
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A Mount Airy chapter of DRADA -- the Depression and Related Affective Disorders Association -- has been started and will meet twice each month at St. James Episcopal Church.
The first meeting of the self-help group was Dec. 5, with 14 people in attendance, the Rev. Robert D. Herzog said.
The group will meet again Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in the church's education wing. "It's absolutely free, and the coffee pot will be on," Mr. Herzog said.
DRADA, which begin in 1986 as a self-help group for patients admitted to Johns Hopkins Hospital for depressive illnesses, is dedicated to assisting people with mood disorders and helping their families. The association has grown to include 56 support groups in the Baltimore-Washington area.
Mr. Herzog said the group will meet on the first and third Tuesdays at Saint James Episcopal Church, 204 North Main Street, Mount Airy. For information, call (301) 829-0325.