Wine in the Woods on May 16-17 (Columbia, MD)

Each year Howard County Recreation and Parks hosts Wine in the Woods, an outdoor wine festival in Columbia's Symphony Woods next to Merriweather Post Pavilion. This year the event will be on May 16-17, 2015.

Started in 1991, Wine in the Woods now welcomes over 25,000 attendees each year with over 30 wineries from across Maryland participating.

Wine education seminars are included with the admission fee, and there are also Wine Check locations where patrons can leave purchased bottles of wine so they don't have to carry them around.

The festival also includes artisans and crafters, live bands on two stages, and food vendors.

There will also be a Wine in the Woods 5K Run in Centennial Park a week prior to the festival, on Saturday, May 9th.

Tickets

Emerson: Yard Sale, Bradwell Park

More news from Emerson:

1. Emerson Annual Yard Sale on Saturday, May 2 @ 8 AM - 12 Noon (Clubhouse Parking Lot, 8400 Upper Sky Way, Laurel, MD 20723)

• Set-up can begin as early as 7 AM
• Participation is free to all Emerson residents
• The event is advertised in local papers
• Weather forecast looks good (74 degrees and partly cloudy)

Guidelines are still roughly the same as in previous years: Emerson Yard Sale  (2013) 

2. Bradwell Park Playground Renovation

• The tot lot at Bradwell Park will be closed all of next week for renovation
• Closed Mon., May 4 - Fri., May 8

Stephens Road Update

The following was sent by Emerson's Master HOA to the community email list on 4/24/15:

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Stephens Road Update

One of our homeowners was kind enough to contact Howard County and get an update on the status of Stephens Road resurfacing.  Listed below is what we were told:    


Howard County’s Transportation & Special Projects Division within our Bureau of Engineering has a Capital Project - J4202 to reconstruct this section of Stephens Road. 

The project entails widening of the roadway, raising the bridge out of the floodplain and add sidewalks where they are missing. 

Input on Local Emerson Traffic (Gorman & Skylark)

Emerson Master HOA sent a message to residents asking them to go to the Howard County WalkHoward wiki to click "agree" on suggestions to add sidewalks to Gorman Road on the stretch between Skylark Blvd and Leishear Road.

The deadline for this input is Thursday, April 30, 2015.

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The message from Emerson:

Emerson Residents have a voice with Howard County. There is a website where County residents can see projects being planned or request projects (like sidewalks where none are). Log into "Walk Howard" by clicking on http://wikimapping.net/wikimap/Howard-County-Ped-Plan.html. 

You will need to register if this is your first time; when a map comes up you can select the icons and "agree" with a proposed project. Right now we are asking our community to “agree” with the requests for a sidewalk/shoulder on Gorman road going towards Leishear.  

The county will address safety concerns on a scenic road. Putting in at least a shoulder is in the art of the possible.  

WE ONLY HAVE UNTIL APRIL 30TH

Gorman Crossing PTA Chick-Fil-A Fundraiser Thurs. April 30th

Next Thursday from 5 PM - 8 PM the Johns Hopkins Road location of Chick-fil-A will have a fundraiser for Gorman Crossing Elementary School's PTA!

Let the cashier know it's a fundraiser for Gorman Crossing before placing your order. Thanks and see you there!

Gorman Crossing PTA Fundraiser

Chick-Fil-A
10975 Johns Hopkins Road
Laurel, MD 20723

Date: Thursday, April 30th
Time: 5 PM - 8 PM

Tell the cashier this is for the Gorman Crossing fundraiser before placing your order

Howard County One of Only 41 US Counties Rated AAA

Howard County announced on March 20th that our county is one of only 41 counties from among the over 3000 counties in the US to receive the highest AAA rating from all three major debt rating agencies.

This is the 18th year in a row that Howard has achieved this rating.

Fitch, Standard and Poor's, and Moody's all gave Howard County a AAA rating with a positive outlook based upon prudent fiscal management and a strong and diverse tax base.

Revolutionary War Encampment at Mount Vernon (May 2-3)

One of the advantages of living halfway between Baltimore and Washington, DC is the wealth of things to do, some of them fairly unique to the area. 

On the weekend of May 2-3, 2015 George Washington's home Mount Vernon will host a Revolutionary War Encampment with hundreds of re-enactors demonstrating battle skills and "General Washington" overseeing the action.

Mount Vernon
Many of you know that George Washington used his surveyor skills to personally help map out the District of Columbia.

But it's easy to forget that Mount Vernon lies just 15 miles south of Alexandria, VA and the bustling DC Beltway, at the end of the George Washington Memorial Parkway.

Emerson Annual Comprehensive Inspections Begin April 14

Emerson's annual comprehensive inspection of properties within the community for compliance with the bylaws will begin on Tuesday, April 14, 2015.

On a side note: 
Emerson's on-site CMC management team will also be inspecting sidewalks and asphalt in the common areas for cracks, trip hazards, and other deficiencies between April 13 and April 24. 

They ask that you bring any such issues to their attention!

Comprehensive Annual Inspection
The Emerson Architect will systematically inspect all properties within Emerson on a neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis over the next few months, looking for both remediation of past issues as well as new violations of the covenants.

Mitigating Factors
Note that if you have mitigating factors that will prevent you from addressing past notices, you can contact Emerson's Assistant Community Manager via email, phone, or mail and she will work with you.

Inspection Plan

Autumn Walk Spring Mulching Completed

It was a perfect Spring weekend, so many of you may have been out enjoying it.

Thus you might not have seen that our landscaping contractor finished the major Spring Clean-up, to include both the Common Areas and the beds in front of our individual houses!

• To see the full list of services provided, go to the Landscaping page (also linked above).

About 2 weeks ago they brought in the machine that re-edged all of the flowerbeds and tree plantings by creating a trench around them.

Howard County School Kids Display Art at Columbia Mall

Artwork from the visual arts students in all of the public elementary, middle, and high schools in Howard County is now on display in Columbia Mall in the 43rd Annual HCPSS K-12 Spring Exhibition.

Almost every type of media is represented, from drawings, collages and paintings to three-dimensional masks, pottery and crafts.

I was impressed by the talent demonstrated, particularly among some of the younger students!

Unfortunately the display for one group of elementary schools -- including our own Gorman Crossing -- is in a somewhat difficult to find location near the secondary Macy's entrance on the second floor.

But it's worth it to seek out the fabulous work by our next generation of young artists!

Disposal of Unwanted Medications

(Updated 4/13/15 with results)

There will be a "Drug Take Back" event for the disposal of unwanted medications on Saturday, April 11, 2015.

After that date, three permanent disposal boxes will be located at the Northern and Southern District Police Stations, and the Gary Arthur Community Center in Cooksville.

 From Howard County Police Department's web site hcpd.org:

WalkHoward Open House on April 14th

If you would like to provide input into the Howard County Pedestrian Master Plan, you can provide feedback online or attend WalkHoward's last Open House on Tuesday, April 14th at 7 PM at Elkridge Landing Middle School.

Sponsored by Howard County's Office of Transportation, this community outreach campaign is part of an effort to update the 2007 plan for building a system of sidewalks, pathways, bus stops and roadways to make walking easy and safe.

Summer 2015 Howard County Schedule

For your convenience, a list of selected events in Howard County between April and August 2015 is posted here.

Upcoming 2015 Howard County Activities:

• Tue. April 7 @ 6:30 PM: Southern Howard County Civic Association first meeting at NLCC
• Wed. April 8: Caring for the Young Athlete at Howard County General Hospital
• April 11 - April 25: Howard County Conservancy (events for 25th Anniversary)
• Sat. April 11: Hike to the River - Mt. Pleasant
• Sat. April 18: Belmont History Hike - Belmont Manor
• Sun. April 19: 5K Green Run and Scavenger Hunt (Belmont Manor/Patapsco State Park)
• Sat. April 25: Bird Walk and Day of Service - Mt. Pleasant
• Thu. May 28: Wine in the Garden / Beer in the Barn - Mt. Pleasant
• Sat. April 11 @ 1 PM: Belmont Manor Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony
• 6555 Belmont Woods Road, Elkridge, MD 21075 - followed by first of three Open Houses till 5 PM (the site is not normally open for daily tours)
• Sat. April 11: HCPD Drug Take Back Day - turn in expired medications
• Tue. April 14: WalkHoward Open House - community input session into Howard County's pedestrian plan to be held at Elkridge Landing Middle School
• Sat. April 18: Howard County Greenfest at Howard Community College
• Sat. April 25: Paper Shredding (from 9 AM to 1 PM at Long Gate Park & Ride, Exit 1A off Route 100) - usually part of Greenfest but 1 week later this year
• Sat. April 25 from 9 AM-1 PM: Free vehicle identification number (VIN) etching by HCPD, Amherst House, King's Contrivance Village Center, 7251 Eden Brook Drive, Columbia, MD 

2015 Emerson Pool Hours

You should have received your application for your 2015 Pool Pass, along with the Pool Rules, in the mail last week.

For your convenience, the 2015 Emerson Pool Hours are reposted here:

Season Opening: 10 AM to 8 PM (May 9-10, May 16-17)
Normal Hours: 10 AM to 8 PM (May 23 - June 30, Aug. 15 - Sept. 5)
Mid-Summer Extended Hours: 10 AM to 9 PM (July 1 - Aug. 14)
Season's End (After Labor Day): 10 AM to 8 PM (Sept. 12-13, Sept. 19-20)

The Pool typically closes shortly after Labor Day depending on the weather.

This year, the Pool Tot Lot will also be fenced so that it can remain open year-round.