League plans events with elected officials
The League of Women Voters of Howard County will hold its annual luncheon with the county delegation to the General Assembly at 11:30 a.m. Jan. 5 in the auditorium of Bethany United Methodist Church, 2875 Bethany Lane, Ellicott City.
There will be an opportunity for questions.
The event is open to the public. The cost is $15 for nonmembers.
The league will also hold a forum for congressional candidates from the 3rd and 7th Districts at 7 p.m. Jan. 10 in the Tyson Room of the George Howard Building, 3430 Court House Drive, Ellicott City.
The forum will be broadcast live on Gtv Channels 44 and 70. The public is invited.
The league will also hold a forum for Board of Education candidates at 7 p.m. Jan. 8 in the boardroom at the Department of Education, 10910 Route 108, Ellicott City.
The PTA Council of Howard County will co-sponsor the forum, which will be broadcast live on Channel 72.
Information or to reserve a place: 410-730-0142.
Columbia plan topic of Jan. 8 meeting
Transportation Advocates will meet from 7:45 a.m. to 9 a.m. Jan. 8 at the Bain Center, 5470 Ruth Keeton Way, Columbia.
Gregory F. Hamm, the new regional vice president and general manager of Columbia for General Growth Properties, will present an overview of the company's vision for downtown Columbia, its potential to be more convenient for pedestrians and to support alternatives to private cars, and its role in regional transportation.
There will be an opportunity to ask questions.
Information: 410-992-1997.
County to celebrate King '40 Years Later'
The Howard County Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Commission will present its 23rd annual celebration of the life and legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. at 3:30 p.m. on Jan. 20 at Long Reach High School, 6101 Old Dobbin Lane, Columbia.
This year's theme is "The Importance of the Dream: 40 Years Later." The celebration is open to the public; admission is free.
Featured in this year's celebration are speakers and entertainment from around the Washington-Baltimore region, including musical selections by Annie Dash and Ron Oaks, and a performance by Slam Poet Extraordinaire Gayle Danley. Keynote speaker Carl O. Snowden was appointed by the Maryland Attorney General as the first Director of Civil Rights.
Audrey Barnes, a reporter for W*USA 9 News -Washington will be master of ceremonies. Barnes, twice nominated, won an Emmy for her documentary on the Joffrey Ballet School.
The Howard County Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Commission will present its Commission Award to a person who exemplifies the spirit of King's message. Cash awards will be given to student contest winners from Howard County for their essays on King and his legacy.
To highlight the compassion and service of King, the commission is asking that attendees support its food drive for the needy by bringing a canned food item to the event. There will be an opportunity to sign up for community service projects planned for Jan. 21.
Information: Office of Human Rights, 410-313-6430.
Transit to operate on holiday schedule
The Corridor Transportation Corp., manager of Connect-A-Ride and Howard Transit regional bus service, will operate on a holiday schedule Monday through New Year's Day.
On Monday and Dec. 31, Connect-A-Ride will operate on a Saturday schedule; Howard Transit will operate on a regular weekday schedule.
There will be no service on Connect-A-Ride and Howard Transit on Christmas Day or New Year's Day.
Connect-A-Ride service changes, designed to address a budget deficit, are to begin on Jan. 7.
Information: 800-270-9553 or 301-725-4000.
Action group's focus is environment
Town Center Community Association will sponsor an Environmental Action Group to educate the public and foster environmentally positive action in the community.
The group, which will be led by Town Center board member Stephen Meskin, will meet at 7 p.m. Jan. 8 and Jan. 22, and on the first and third Tuesdays of each ensuing month, at Historic Oakland, 5430 Vantage Point Road.
Information or registration: 410-730-4744.
Fine arts council seeking members
The Fine Arts Advisory Council is seeking parents and community arts advocates to serve on the council.
The mission of the Fine Arts Advisory Council is to ensure that high-quality, equitable and consistent fine arts programs are provided and maintained for the students in the Howard County Public School System.
The purposes of the FAAC are:
To establish and maintain a system of communication between the Howard County community and the staff of the Fine Arts programs.
To establish and maintain a community of advocates for fine arts education who view as essential the inclusion of fine arts education in the public schools.
To collect and report information/data regarding the artistic needs of Howard County students to fine arts program staff and leaders.
To advise, counsel and collaborate with school-system staff to facilitate continuous improvement in Fine Arts programs.
The Fine Arts Advisory Council will hold a membership and informational meeting from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Jan. 9 in the Monteabaro Recital Hall in the Horowitz Visual and Performing Arts Center, Howard Community College, 10901 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia.
Parents and members of the community who would like to support and celebrate the arts in Howard public schools are urged to attend.
Information: Katie Reitmeyer, Office of Advanced Programs and Fine Arts, 410-313-6885 or Kathryn_Reitmeyer@hcpss.org.
FIRN classes to help with citizenship test
FIRN Inc., a nonprofit organization providing resources and help to the foreign-born, will offer free classes to local foreign-born residents seeking to become naturalized.
Classes to prepare students for the federal government's new U.S. Citizenship Test, to be taken by naturalization applicants beginning Oct. 1, 2008, will begin in June. Classes to prepare for the current test format begin in February.
Information: 410-992-1923.
Festival of the Arts has gift certificates
Columbia Festival of the Arts will offer an opportunity to "Give the Gift of the Arts" in the form of gift certificates for the 2008 performance season.
The certificates, which will help support the nonprofit Columbia Festival, are available in denominations of $25, $50 and $100.
The 2008 performance schedule will be announced in March. Gift certificates may be redeemed for tickets. The certificates are not redeemable for cash and cannot be returned for a cash refund.
Information: 410-715-3044.
Arc is collecting linens for homes
The Arc of Howard County is collecting linens to refurbish homes for people with cognitive and developmental disabilities.
Needed are bath and kitchen towels, pillows and pillowcases, twin- and double-bed sheets, mattress pads and comforters. The drive runs through Dec. 30.
Donations can be dropped off at the Arc's offices, 11735 Homewood Road, Ellicott City.
The Arc also is selling raffle tickets for a Bose home theater system with 50-inch plasma television. The tickets cost $25 each; 1,000 tickets will be sold.
The winning ticket will be drawn at a Super Bowl social to be held from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Jan. 31 at the Arc's offices. Refreshments will be served.
The Arc was started by a group of parents in 1961 as an advocacy and support group. The organization provides housing, job placement, vocational training and individual and family-support services to people with cognitive and developmental disabilities and their families.
Information: 410-730-0638.
Symphony of Lights open through Jan. 5
The Symphony of Lights, a display benefiting Maternal Child Services at Howard County General Hospital, is open to vehicles - and, this year, groups of walkers - through Jan. 5.
Hours for the display of more than 70 giant animated and stationary light creations are 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week, including holidays.
Admission is $20 a car for vehicles with up to 11 passengers; those holding 12 to 24 passengers pay $35; and buses with 25 or more passengers pay $125.
Groups of 50 or more may walk through the display between 4:30 p.m. and 5:45 p.m. The cost is $5 a person. Reservations are required.
Information: www.hcgh.org.
Veterans invited to tell life stories
The Howard County public library is seeking veterans to interview as part of the countywide "This Is Your Life" initiative to encourage residents ages 50 and older to record their personal histories.
The Columbia Archives will preserve the oral histories in its permanent collection.
Veterans who have lived or worked in Howard County and are interested in recording their memories should contact Lois Sanders, 410-313-7791.
Information: 410-313-7750, or www.hclibrary.org.
Library offers online survey
The Howard County public library is offering an online customer-satisfaction survey in English and Spanish at www.hclibrary.org.
Paper forms are available at all branch locations.
The library is interested in identifying areas in which services can be improved to better meet the needs of the community.
Information: Lew Belfont, 410-313-7764.
Family services moves temporarily
Family and Children's Services of Central Maryland is moving its operations to two temporary locations, effective Jan. 7, while its offices in the Family Life Center in Wilde Lake are being renovated.
Counseling services will be offered in the historic Rose Price House on the grounds of Oakland Manor, 5430 Vantage Point Road, Columbia.
The Healthy Families Howard County program, which provides services to first-time parents, and the Elder Services program, which offers in-home care for older adults and people with disabilities, will be at 30 Corporate Center, Suite 300, 10440 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia.
The Wilde Lake offices are expected to be completed in the spring. Family and Children's Services also has offices in the North Laurel-Savage Multiservice Center in the Whiskey Bottom Shopping Center.
Information: 410-997-3557.