hobbies

• Maryland

Gardeners prepare for planting season

Spring has sprung and it's almost time to get out in the garden. To guide new gardeners or seasoned veterans eager to learn more, the University of Maryland Extension Carroll County office will hold Twilight Meetings as part of their Maryland Master Gardeners program the third Monday of the month in the Grow It Eat It Demonstration Garden, directly behind the Shipley Arena at the Carroll County Ag Center in Westminster.

• Howard County

Opportunities boundless for tours catering to seniors [Senior Circles]

Road Scholar, an American organization, provides "educational adventures created by Elderhostel, the not-for-profit world leader in lifelong learning since 1975."

• Libraries

At your library

Events at the local branches of the BCPL

• Maryland

Master Gardener training scheduled for April 9

The Master Gardener Program's first volunteer training is April 9 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the University of Maryland Extension, Carroll County. The program is available to Carroll County residents.

• Howard County

All Together Now at Howard library branches

Groups and special events taking place at Howard County library branches

• Hobbies

Weis launches online shopping at Woodlawn store

Weis Markets is now offering online shopping with in-store pick-up at its Woodlawn store.

By Lorraine Mirabella

Mar 31, 2015

• Maryland

Farm toy show brings together collectors, enthusiasts

• Gardening

Spring into planting with some county community gardens

• Features

Seeds of summer bring joy to winter

Seeds of summer are in the catalogs of January

By Susan Reimer

Jan 30, 2015

• Harford

From Plasticville to Penn State and an academic use for a hobby

Plenty of kids build whole worlds out of Legos or assemble model train sets, but one young Fallston man has kept up a building hobby from a more bygone era.

• Maryland

Learn it first, then grow it and eat it

• Howard County

Columbia resident's medical condition inspires soap-making business

It started as a hobby, but soap making is quickly becoming a flourishing business for Columbia resident Wing Pokrywka.

• Sports

Fifteen years after Orioles' visit to Cuba, baseball diplomacy still hits home

It's one thing to view Cuba in geopolitical terms. It's quite another to watch barefoot children playing baseball on a dirt field with homemade bats and balls.

By Peter Schmuck

Dec 20, 2014

• Baltimore County

Franchot stops in Catonsville to encourage local spending

Stop shopping online and start shopping at local businesses.That was the message conveyed by Maryland State Comptroller Peter Franchot during a visit to Catonsville's small businesses along Frederick Road on Wednesday.

• Business

Five questions with Bill Niland, Harpoon Medical CEO

Here's what Bill Niland, CEO of Harpoon Medical, had to say about the company's busy year, which could end with the first use of its medical device in human heart surgery.

• Maryland

The Rev. Ellin M. Dize: Know what you want and walk that path

• Business

Cyber Monday could be crucial this year

After a lackluster Black Friday weekend — spending fell 11 percent from Thanksgiving through Sunday, according to the National Retail Federation — some big retailers were under more pressure to have a sales blowout.

• Business

Catonsville businesses launch marketing campaign for holidays

As holiday shopping begins, Catonsville's local mom-and-pop businesses are looking for ways to lure consumers from large chain stores and online shopping.

• Maryland

Your guide to Cyber Monday, now 'Cyber Week'

As Black Friday has now morphed into a two-day event with the addition of shopping deals on Thanksgiving, Cyber Monday has in many cases similarly stretched into an extended affair.

By Carrie Wells

Dec 1, 2014

• Business

Online sales, early discounts alter holiday shopping traditions

Early holiday promotions and rising online shopping took a toll on in-store U.S. sales during the Thanksgiving weekend as shoppers on average spent 6.4 percent less than they did a year earlier, according to data released Sunday by an industry group.

• Obituaries

Arlynne S. Stark, dance therapist

Arlynne S. Stark, a dancer who was a pioneer in the field of dance movement therapy, died Nov. 17 at the Collier Center Hospice at Lutheran Hospital in Denver. She was 71.

By Frederick N. Rasmussen

Nov 28, 2014

• Maryland

Carroll Business Path: Hobby, side-gig or business?

• Maryland

Model trains powered by appreciation

Terry Goddard and his wife Cindy watched as the small scale model train circumvented its scenic track during the Westminster Train Show at the Carroll County Agriculture Center.

• Obituaries

Dr. Norman Highstein, dentist

Dr. Norman Highstein, a dentist who was a partner in McDonogh Dental Associates and whose hobby was horticulture, died Nov. 2 at Gilchrist Hospice Care in Towson of renal cancer. He was 88.

By Frederick N. Rasmussen

Nov 21, 2014

• Entertainment

At 100, the Baltimore Museum of Art reinvents itself for a younger generation

As it turns 100, museum stays current by offering spaces that showcase new art forms such as film, engages the contemporary art-making community and hiring its first technology officer.

• Obituaries

Edgar P. Silver, city circuit judge

Retired Baltimore Circuit Judge Edgar P. Silver, whose career spanned both the law and politics, died Tuesday at Sinai Hospital after a brief illness, family members said. He was 91.

By Frederick N. Rasmussen

Nov 11, 2014

• Business

Retailers get ready for a brighter holiday season

retailers already have begun to shift their focus to the crucial end-of-year selling season, hoping that a rosy outlook this year will indeed translate into improved sales.

By Lorraine Mirabella

Oct 25, 2014

• Obituaries

Dr. Thomas J. Kenny, UM pediatric psychologist

Dr. Thomas J. Kenny, a retired University of Maryland School of Medicine pediatric psychologist, died Oct. 19 at Greater Baltimore Medical Center. He was 82.

By Frederick N. Rasmussen

Oct 25, 2014

• Maryland

Wine, etc: Wine collecting is a constantly evolving hobby

Wine collecting is fun, but sometimes, the end product isn't always as tasty as what you hoped. We provide some tips on the hobby.

• Food & Drink

Aquaponics links fish and veggie farming

The lush beds of lettuce, mustard greens and peppers at the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future's greenhouse resemble the plants that Rick Lee of Damascus has grown in his greenhouse. Yet instead of traditional in-ground fertilizer, these plants get their nutrients from a different source: fish waste.

• Lifestyle and Leisure

Holiday season spending and hiring will increase, surveys find

Many of the nation's biggest retailers plan to sharply increase hiring for the holiday shopping season as consumers are looking to spend more, according to reports out today.

• Thanksgiving

Stores announce Black Friday hours for Thanksgiving day

It seems that the Thanksgiving holiday is well on its way to becoming the new "Black Friday." Retailers already are announcing their hours for Thanksgiving weekend, the traditional kick-off to the holiday shopping season, and the shift toward opening earlier and earlier on Thanksgiving itself is continuing.

By Lorraine Mirabella

Oct 15, 2014

• Obituaries

Perra S. Bell, Towson University history teacher

Perra S. Bell, a former Towson University history teacher who was a lifelong crusader for civil rights, died Sept. 26 at Physicians Regional Medical Center in Naples, Fla., of complications of a fractured hip. She was 95.

• Lifestyle and Leisure

Retailers expect strong holiday sales for upcoming season

Holiday shopping is expected to be up over last season, with one retail group calling for a 4 percent increase in November/December sales, the strongest gain in three years.

• Maryland

2014 4-H & FFA Indoor Results

• Features

Vertical living on an Inner Harbor pier

Peter Bowe and his wife, Barbara Stewart, chose their waterfront townhome for its location. An end unit at the tip of a pier in the HarborView complex, the home soars next to Baltimore¿s harbor, affording spectacular views, a stellar seat for Pier Six concerts and a quick, five-minute commute to Bowe¿s job as president of Ellicott Dredges in South Baltimore.

• Baltimore County

Exotic flowers flourish in Lansdowne

Robert Johnston, 76, a retired insurance salesmen, made a hobby of collecting the plants which grows in thousands of varieties in various shapes and colors 16 years ago. Since then he has amassed a collection of 310 of the unique flowers that line his backyard, front porch and dining room table of his home.

• Maryland

Club offers opportunity for more than the imagination to take flight

Being part of the Southwest Area Park Modelers club provides its members a place to share their passion and appreciation for aviation, which they will soon share with the public at their annual Charm City Fly-in event to be held Friday, Sept. 26 through Sunday, Sept. 28 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day.

• Obituaries

George H. 'Haps' Bruggman, railroad fan and artist [Obituary]

Retired draftsman and mechanical sales representative was a passionate fan of the B&O and Maryland & Pennsylvania railroads.

• Howard County

Long Reach homeowner has a deep-rooted love of stormwater protection

Maintaining an environmentally friendly landscape at her family's home in Long Reach comes as second nature to Janine Pollack, who loves gardening and the outdoors.

• Opinion

Birth control bait-and-switch [Editorial]

GOP candidates are touting their newfound support for expanded access to contraceptives, but the ploy could backfire

• Baltimore City

After theft of bikes from program in Druid Hill Park, share program resumes

Several months after dozens of bicycles used in a popular Baltimore bike-sharing program were stolen from Druid Hill Park, city officials said they had garnered enough donations to restart the program.

• Baltimore County

Master Gardeners program encourages residents to grow

Gardeners take hobby to a new level in the Baltimore County Master Gardeners program offered through the University of Maryland Extension.

• Maryland

Westminster commemorates sestercentennial with collection contest

Westminster holding a 250 Years & Counting Contest

• Features

Smithsonian accepts archival material from Baltimore's LGBT community center

Old photographs, newspapers and other miscellaneous "gay pride ephemera" from the last half-century of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history in Baltimore will be added on Tuesday to one of the nation's most esteemed museum collections.

• Maryland

Eldersburg library holds food swap for community

The From Our Table to Yours: Share, Swap and Take event will be held on Thursdays and Fridays until Aug. 28 at the Eldersburg branch of the Carroll County Public Library, and its purpose is to create a more efficient method of producing and consuming produce.

• Features

Bumpy ride into history

• Business

Phelps decides Aqua Sphere is a better fit than Speedo

Michael Phelps' comeback will come with a new partner, Aqua Sphere. The swimming equipment manufacturer says it is partnering with the most decorated Olympic athlete of all time and his coach, Bob Bowman, to develop "a new class of swim products" and expand water-safety efforts.

• Maryland

In support of court's Hobby Lobby decision [Letter]

• Maryland

Rolling back into style in Harford [Editorial]

It doesn't really matter if the modern incarnation of roller derby is here to stay or if it will cycle out of style. What's important is that people are participating in it and having a good time. Ultimately that is what sport is all about.