Month: October 2020

AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler

If ever there was a white glove event, Severna Park Community Center’s 25th Anniversary Drive-By Gala was it. Elegantly dressed, in keeping with the fundraiser’s “Hollywood Premier” theme, community center staffers, board members and volunteers greeted supporters who’d purchased Anniversary Gala dinner packages as they arrived in their cars.

The volunteers’ “white gloves” not only added the perfect touch of class to the event but were one of several COVID-19 precautions taken along with wearing masks and having supporters remain safely in their cars while picking up their dinner boxes.

CEO Sarah Elder, programs director Shelly Beigel, dance center director Kellie Greer and 18 others pitched in to make the event happen.

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Beautifully turned out in silks, satins and pearls, Beigel and board member Patt Haun hailed each car as it entered the community center parking lot, greeted drivers and passengers and directed them around a circle where Greer and others sent them on to one of two Drive-By Stations to pick up their Anniversary Gala dinner boxes.

Haun and Beigel seemed pleased that the drive-by aspect of the fundraiser was going smoothly. They said the gala was going well with every dinner box ticket sold and an online auction/raffle continuing till midnight.

They admitted that switching from SPCC’s original plans for a glamorous 25th Anniversary event held in a hotel ballroom to a mostly online endeavor with a drive-by finale was challenging.

“Creativity has been the name of the game for 2020,” Beigel said. “We worked hard putting together the great dinner packages and coming up with the little touches you see here today.”

One such touch – taking place just below the outdoor stairway where Haun and Beigel were posted – was the appearance of the Arundel High School Jazz Band which serenaded attendees as they drove around the circle. Since the Severna Park Community Center draws visitors from throughout the county, band members considered performing there quite the feather in their caps.

“It’s the band’s first performance this year,” said Beigel. “They’re very happy about it.”

Automobiles heading around the circle past historic Holy Grounds were welcomed by greeters along a row of faux Oscar statuettes and a red carpet to their right.

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To their left, behind a rope line, was an impressive display of exotic cars with Dr. Diane Lebedeff, the board member who’d arranged the exhibit through a friend, upholding tradition by acting as “glamorous spokes model”

Opposite the autos, Drive-By Station #1 was manned by 25th Anniversary Gala honoree Lee Marston, wearing his signature orange paisley tuxedo jacket, former board member Larry Sells and volunteers Sylvia Marston and Joan Tiernan.

At Drive-By Station #2, “Marilyn Monroe” joined volunteers Jean Andrew, Pam Henel, and Ellen Kleinknecht in handing out over 100 anniversary dinner boxes.

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Kleinknecht, SPCC Board secretary, showed off one of the boxes which had labels emblazoned with the logos of companies that sponsored the event to the tune of $1,000 each. She explained that each box contained a split of champagne, a champagne flute, a special dessert and a gift certificate for $50 to one of a variety of local restaurants.

From the champagne and desserts to the gift certificates, everything in the boxes was donated by local restaurants, businesses and bakeries,

According to CEO Elder, the event was a huge success.

“We’ve tabulated all of our fundraising efforts including sponsors, tickets, raffle, and online auction,” she said on Monday. “We raised just shy of $50,000 and made our goal, which is the best news of all!”

Elder noted that there are more upcoming events for the community center.

This Friday, October 30, SPCC is holding a Halloween Parade for kids of all ages from 11 am to noon outdoors in the parking lot There will be treats, take-home crafts and selfies in front of a spooky backdrop.  The event is free but reservations are required. Call 410-647-5843.  

On Sunday December 6, the public is invited to SPCC’s 25th Anniversary Holiday Open House from 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm:  Held outside, there will be a strolling Santa, a fun backdrop for socially distanced selfies, carolers, hot chocolate, treats for kids, fun crafts an artisan marketplace and more. The event is free to the public.

The 25th Anniversary Spaghetti Dinner is being held February 13 from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm in the center’s Andy Borland Gymnasium. They’ll have both in-person and take-out dinners this year and family tables for eating in with lots of social distancing. Tickets are available at https://www.spcommunitycenter.org/.

AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler

From the moment Julia Wills began her class in Annapolis Home Brew’s tasting room, participants’ eyes were drawn to a jar full of floating pancake-shaped living organisms called SCOBY’s that are essential for making the fermented beverage known as Kombucha.

Wills, the owner of Gambrills-based Joyful Days Wellness Spa and a licensed esthetician, is dedicated to nourishing people’s bodies, minds and souls in natural ways. An advocate for making naturally fermented foods and beverages like Kombucha, she initially sought out Annapolis Home Brew – a major supplier of home brewing ingredients and equipment – to purchase glass containers, bottles and other necessities.

She quickly became friends with the owners who sampled her beverages, appreciated her expertise in the art of making Kombucha and suggested she teach a Kombucha class. She’s held the classes once a month ever since.

Speaking from behind an ingredient-laden table, Wills made introductions and extended a special welcome to the class’ oldest participant, John “Jiggs” McHale who happened to have been her junior high vice-principal.

The teacher touched briefly on her background. Having studied nutrition since 2006, she’d learned about the health benefits of naturally fermented foods including Kombucha and had been drinking the beverage for years.

“Back then, Kombucha wasn’t as widely known,” she said. “Only one brand was available locally and I could only find it at one store. Outrageously priced at $4 per bottle, I couldn’t afford it as a young single mom and decided to learn how to make it at home.”

She found a recipe for it in a best-selling cookbook called “Nourishing Traditions” by nutritional expert and author Sally Fallon – a book that both she and McHale consider “their bible”.

Once she’d bought her supplies, she found making a gallon of Kombucha cost her less than $1.

Wills revealed the interesting history of Kombucha and the bacterial culture from which it is made. No one knows exactly how or when it originated but it’s believed to have been used in China as early as 221 BC before spreading around the world. Then as now, the ingredients were very basic.

Wills started her demonstration by combining organic black tea, organic sugar, and boiling water. (It’s perfectly fine to use organic tea bags.) She added 5 tea bags to a small amount of water in a large glass jar she referred to as a fermentation vessel. After stirring the tea, she briefly left the room to fetch additional boiling water.

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During the break, McHale chatted with his tablemates, Erin and Amanda O’Connor, sharing anecdotes and tips. He told them he prepares fermented foods from recipes in Fallon’s book and enjoys making his own sauerkraut from cabbages he grows.

Returning, Wills added a cup of sugar, a cup of pre-made Kombucha, and more boiling water to the vessel. She then introduced the class to the mysterious SCOBY’s in the huge jar. The letters S C O B Y stand for “symbiotic colony of beneficial bacteria and yeast”. Using tongs, she removed one gelatinous SCOBY disc to place atop the brewed tea.

Placing the SCOBY on top of the liquid, Wills covered the vessel with a breathable cloth and sealed it with a rubber band. Transferred to a warm, dark place, the mixture will take 7 to 14 days to culture and will produce a second SCOBY pancake that will float to the top.

“The SCOBY’s interaction with tea and sugar during fermentation produces the proteins gluconic acid and glucaronic acid which cleanse and detoxify the liver, neutralize free radicals, fight inflammation, reduce cholesterol, and protect against petrochemicals found in plastic,” Wills said.

“Fermentation produces numerous probiotics and digestive enzymes as well as energy boosting B vitamins. Properties generated by fermentation also are healing to the pancreas where insulin is made. Both glucosamine, which reduces arthritis joint pain and swelling, and theo-phyllin, which acts as a bronco dilator for asthmatics, are produced.”

The fun part of class began when Wills explained the bottling process during which finished Kombucha brews can be flavored and brought out samples for tasting.

She started with samples from a two week old batch that tasted somewhat sweet and fizzy with a bit of a kick. Samples from a slightly more mature batch, with more of the sugar converted, had a pleasant sweet/sour tang and even more fizz. A third sample – one to which pumpkin spice was added during the bottling process – was voted a big success. One attendee said she preferred it to pumpkin spice coffee.

Fruity watermelon and elderberry-Hibiscus flavored samples were followed by samples of “Jun” – a variety of Kombucha made from green tea and honey requiring a specific kind of SCOBY. All tasted good.

Attendees were next handed recipe print-outs and invited to make their own Kombucha under supervision with their own supplies or by purchasing Joyful Days’ handy fermentation kits which include a SCOBY.

The next Julia Wills’ Kombucha class will be held at Annapolis Home Brew off Ritchie Highway in Severna Park on Sunday, November 25 from 1 to 3 pm. For a schedule of her subsequent classes, visit https://annapolishomebrew.com/ .

There was a warm smile on the face of Winsome Brown as she rushed through the door of Garry’s Grill for a bite with a friend between clients in spite of the fact she was running late. Slightly out of breath, Brown explained she was late because she’d been looking for an Alzheimer’s client’s missing cat that they finally found in the attic.

Brown, the co-owner of a Millersville-based business with her sister called Lean On Dee Senior Care Advocates which manages in-home care for Alzheimer’s patients, is quite busy, seeing six clients each day. Nevertheless, she has organized a virtual event scheduled for October 27 from 11 am to 1:30 pm called “The Long Walk” that is being hosted online by the Greater Severna Park & Arnold Chamber of Commerce.

She is being joined for the event by Dr. Alden Gross, Maryanna Lanham, and Casey Bryant.

Gross, an Associate Professor of Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health focuses on cognitive aging and mental health among older adults. He’s the ideal person to address the clinical aspects of Alzheimer’s.

Lanham, from Athenia Financial Services, LLC, will join the discussion to outline the costs associated with caring for an Alzheimer’s patient – whether at home with proper medical attention or in an assisted living memory care facility. She’ll address insurance and costs for long-term care (which can run to $9,000 per month plus expenses) and other treatment options for clients that supplement in-home care.

Bryant, the principal attorney and owner of The Law Office of Casey L. Bryant, will highlight the insurance and legal issues faced by families of Alzheimer’s patients. She’ll touch on documents required for admission to assisted living facilities and legalities involved in being granted “medical power of attorney”.

Brown, a Community Educator for the Greater Maryland Alzhemier’s Association will be acquainting participants with the 10 signs leading to a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s as well as the latest studies and treatment options. Her personal experience as an Alzheimer’s patient caregiver gives her in-depth insight into how best to manage her clients.

After working in New York’s financial sector for over twenty years, she was unexpectedly thrust into the role of a caregiver for her mother who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2010.

The sudden pressure to make life-altering choices on her mother’s behalf, without being prepared to do so, forever shaped her views about our health system and what was needed for seniors and caregivers.

Soon, Brown and her sister Dee, a registered nurse, formed Lean On Dee Senior Care Advocates, serving as Certified Senior Advisors and Certified Dementia Live Coaches and Caregivers. As demand for Lean on Dee’s services grows, the sisters work to bring peace of mind, resources, and education to families that find themselves in need.

Brown, Greater Severna Park & Arnold Chamber CEO Liz League, and Lanham came up with the event’s name “The Long Walk” because the disease can be ongoing for 10 to 15 years, Brown said she’ll describe the Alzheimer’s experience through the eyes of a family. She’ll explain the difference between forgetfulness due to normal aging and dementia associated with problems ranging from memory loss and problem solving issues to not recognizing time, days, dates or seasons, occasional paranoia and other problems.

“The whole point of our business is to hold on to these people’s soul even if they can’t remember everything you do with them,” Brown said. “One client loves to play pool. He can’t remember that we played pool ten times in a row but he is excited each time and it makes him happy.”

Keeping clients engaged in life is important to Brown. She has one patient, for example, who loves to build things. Brown has him build birdhouses but he isn’t good at decorating them. She has another patient who loves to paint. When her “builder” finishes a birdhouse, Brown passes it on to her “artist” client to decorate. Both are very happy to be doing something they love.

For information on Lean On Dee Senior Care Advocates, visit https://www.leanondee.com/ .

Jing Ying Team plans to “Kick Alzheimer’s to the Curb on Sunday

For the fourth year Nancy and Billy Greer, the owners of Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu and Tai Chi, are gathering a team for the “Kick Alzheimer’s to the Curb” walk this Sunday, October 18 at noon. As always, the walk will be dedicated to the memory of Nancy’s mother Cora Willard who had the disease.

Thanks to loving care from her husband Glenn and visits from Nancy and Billy every weekend, Cora was able to remain in her Northern Virginia home until one week before she passed away at a nursing facility.

Nancy comments that she was always happy spending those weekends with her mom -sometimes putting on music so they could dance or taking her parents for dinner at a local Ledo’s where they were known to the staff and treated royally.

She mentioned how difficult it was seeing her mother go through the different phases of Alzheimer’s – especially the scariest one when she failed to recognize her husband and had a fear “of that stranger living in the house”.

Following her mother’s death in October of 2017, Nancy and Billy did their first Alzheimer’s fundraising walk in downtown Annapolis. Nancy was Team Captain and they raised $11,000. They raised similar sums of money over the next two years. All told, their walks have raised $30,000 for research, care and support of Alzheimer’s patients and caregivers.

“Because of COVID-19, this year’s walk will be different and smaller,” Nancy said. “We’ll gather at Jing Ying Institute at 1195 Baltimore Annapolis Boulevard in Arnold for a virtual opening ceremony and then “Kick Alzheimer’s to the Curb” by walking circuits around our building.”

For information about Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu and Tai Chi, to make a donation to the Kick It to the Curb fundraiser, or to check out their Drive-By Halloween Celebration on October 31, visit http://www.jingying.org/.

AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler

Celebrating the opening of Sullivan’s Cove at Park Plaza on January 3, owners Eric Leatherman and Sean Martin felt their new restaurant’s future looked bright. That was just before COVID 19 hit…..and hit them hard.

Forced to close down on March 13, they struggled for a few months doing carry-out only. As summer approached and outdoor dining was permitted, they partnered with two other restaurants to rent an expensive tent to keep the business running and brought back most of their staff. In quick order, they lost one chef to illness and another to stress and, when an employee tested positive for the virus, were forced to shut down another couple weeks.

On edge, short-staffed, and suffering supply disruptions, they found it hard to be on their A game according to Leatherman.

“We’ve experienced sometimes long delays serving our customers. Though some were understanding, we’ve gotten bad reviews as a result. We’ve been deeply distressed by the problems but we’re not going anywhere,” Leatherman said. “My wife Franny explained our frustrations best in a Facebook post she sent out explaining the situation we find ourselves in.”

Franny’s post began with an eloquent poem by Morgan Harper Nichols titled “Empathy” and followed with an an explanation of what’s taken place during what she described as “the hardest weeks of their lives”. She also expressed thanks to the staff and management team, their families, and the supporters who continue to be there for Sullivan’s Cove.

Leatherman noted that they’ve been receiving some welcome support as a result of her post. Nevertheless, each day brings a new problem.

“Our latest frustration has to do with the tent which, though very expensive, allowed us to double our capacity,” said Leatherman. “Now it’s starting to get cold and County Executive Stuart Pittman won’t allow us to add sides to the tent to provide warmth and still be able to serve people outside. We can only serve 50% of customers inside to comply with social distancing. That puts restaurants like us in a tight spot. It’s hard to break even or make any profit. We’ve already been through the wringer and they need to let us make some money.”

He and partner Sean Martin would love to get back to what Sullivan’s Cove does best – serving comfort foods made from fresh, locally grown ingredients.

Check out Sullivan’s Cove at https://www.sullivanscovesp.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SullivansCoveSP/ .

Some small businesses and restaurants are fortunate to have survived and thrived and are doing their best to help families in need. We highlight two.

Diehl’s Produce helps families with gifts of fresh fruits and vegetables

Diehl’s Produce is one of the businesses doing well enough to reach out a helping hand to the community.

Jennifer Diehl and daughter Madeline came up with a practical way to help families that are struggling. As is their practice, Diehl’s Produce only takes cash or checks. For people that don’t want to accept change, they simply round up the total and donate the balance to families in need through gift certificates for fresh produce. Thus far, they’ve donated more than $3,000 in gift certificates with most, but not all, going to SPAN – an amazing accomplishment considering they’re operating under COVID-19 guidelines.

“This year has been highly stressful even if business was good,” Jennifer Diehl said. “Supply problems, being short handed after having to make employees quarantine for fear of exposure, and people being hostile when we ask them to wear their masks and not lick their fingers. Some people have been terrible to my staff. And some people have been absolutely wonderful. All in all,, we’ve been lucky. Donating the gift cards has been ‘the most rewarding thing’ this whole summer season.”

Delighted to be the recipient of their largess, SPAN, Inc’s development director Ellen Kinsella commented after Jennifer’s latest delivery of gift cards, that they were overwhelmed by the generosity of Diehl’s Produce.

“How wonderful to be able to give our clients the gift of fresh produce in addition to non-perishable food,” she said.

Garry’s Grill provides a helping hand through boxes of food

From the moment he became the owner of Garry’s Grill & Catering in 2008, Eddie Conway has been a positive force in the Severna Park community. Challenged by the effects of COVID-19 like other local businesses, he initiated a carry out and delivery policy, devised innovative grocery boxes and created an outdoor dining space when the weather warmed. Thanks to the many customers and friends that continued supporting the restaurant throughout the pandemic, he’s done well enough that he wanted to give back.

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Garry’s Grill’s latest giving back effort involved teaming with Baltimore Washington Medical Center in a “Hungry Harvest” initiative. The restaurant handed out meal boxes to nearly 200 families at Belle Grove Elementary School in Brooklyn Park. The effort made the local TV news.

“Luckily, we’ve had the backing of longtime customers and the whole Severna Park community to support us and help us get through this COVID situation” Conway said. “So, in my mind, it’s imperative to give back to those who need it because not everyone is as fortunate.”

In the beginning, Garry’s Grill would host “Give-Back Tuesdays” where 5% of total sales would be given to a specific community organization including the Severna Park Community Center, SPAN and Partners In Care. “We helped, too, by doing little things like $6 burger nights on Wednesdays when we’d ask people to guess the number of burgers sold that day and, whoever came out closest won $25.”

Conway has always loved helping people but he’s very humble and feels strange about publicizing the fact. He prefers to give credit to others – especially the community organizations that have operated throughout the pandemic like SPAN and ACAN.

Food pantries benefit from donations

In spite of the loss of their executive director Janet Pack, who died in May, the Asbury Church Assistance Network (ACAN) has been able to carry on. ACAN has continued distributing food, paper goods and other items through their Drive Up Pantry throughout the pandemic thanks to donors like Schmidt’s Bakery and a majority of area grocery stores. ACAN is located at 429 Asbury Drive in Severna Park. Visit them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ACANAssistance/

SPAN, Inc. has benefited from generous donations from individuals, neighborhoods, churches, high schools, and companies ranging from small businesses like Diehl’s Produce, The Big Bean and Side Street Framers to larger enterprises like the Bank of Glen Burnie, Chartwell Golf & Country Club, and Keller Williams Flagship of Maryland to name just a few.

The donations have allowed SPAN to continue its drive-through food pick-ups behind the SPAN house at 400 Benfield Road. SPAN volunteers also see clients for eviction, utility or medical expense assistance in an outdoor setting. For information, visit https://www.spanhelps.org/.

“Pieced Together” documentary premiers on MPT

Area quilters who attended the debut of filmaker Julianne Donofrio’s  “Pieced Together” documentary about barn quilts at Kinder Farm Park will be interested to know the film will be making its Broadcast Premiere on Maryland Public Television on Saturday, October 10th at 7:00.

One of two barn quilts painted by Severna Park High School graduate Julia O’Mara on the barns at Kinder Farm Park is featured in the film. View a trailer for the film at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwokgoWGIFA&feature=youtu.be.

At a table near the entrance at Annapolis Home Brew, four members of the Greater Severna Park & Arnold Chamber’s Successful Women in Business group attended their first in-person networking event in months.

Aside from the joy of seeing each other, the women delighted in sampling small glasses of home brew. Brittany Billings wore a surprised expression as she tasted Kombucha for the first time while Lauren Gerlach, Angela Smith and Angela Balsamo savored samples of Blonde Ale.

Gerlach from Challenge Auto, Smith from Flaherty Solutions, Balsamo from Coffee News and Billings from Consolidated Insurance and Risk Management.traded local business news. All four giggled when host Steve Bolton dropped by the table and announced, “This is the most women we’ve ever had in here”.

Nearby, Cheryl Pace from Change Your Pace Therapeutic Massage and Body Works was saying she detected a raspberry taste in her Kombucha. Bolton told her that he flavors the beverage with raspberry or pineapple and ginger to improve the taste.

Everyone attending the event wore a mask but, as usual, conversation flowed freely. SWIB co-chairs Nancy Greer of Jing Ying Institute and Pam Spearman of Mary Kay Cosmetics were pleased to hear multiple women exclaim what fun it was to see everyone …..or to see anyone for that matter.

Noting what a “rare thing” it was to be attending a networking event, Laura Wegman of Laura’s Eyes Photography summed up the entire group’s feelings.

“It’s good being around all these people that I really like but am never seeing,” she said.

The doorbell sounded and Lisa Edelman Schneiderman from neighboring Lisa’s Cakepops walked through the door with a tray of delicious looking chocolate covered pops. Greer and Spearman gratefully accepted her gift for the snack table.

Minutes later, they called the meeting to order in Annapolis Home Brew’s kitchen/workroom surrounded by bottles, jars, boxes of yeast and brewing equipment.

As is traditional, members were invited to introduce themselves and talk about their businesses.

Each member’s description of her company was interesting and some members had news to share. Greer extended invitations to Jing Ying’s Halloween Drive-By taking place Saturday October 3 from 1:30 to 2:30 pm. She also highlighted Team Jing Ying’s participation in Anne Arundel County’s “Kick Alzheimer’s to the Curb” Walk to End Alzheimer’s on Sunday, October 18.

Schneiderman announced that Lisa’s Cakepops is taking orders for Halloween custom cakes and Halloween-themed cakepop decorating kits while Spearman drew attention to a Mary Kay lipstick sale.

Greater Severna Park & Arnold Chamber CEO Liz League thanked everyone for coming out. Then the program was handed over to Steve Bolton. who provided a bit of history about Annapolis Home Brew with help from his German Shepherd Letty.

Surrounded by bottles, jars, buckets, cardboard boxes of yeast and brewing equipment in Annapolis Home Brew’s kitchen/workroom, host Steve Bolton addressed the meeting. Surrounding him, left to right, are Successful Women In Business members Angela Smith Brittany Billings, German Shepherd Letty, GSPACC CEO Liz League and event co-chair Pam Spearman.

“i’m one of the owners who took over the business three years ago but Annapolis Home Brew has actually been at the same location at 836 Ritchie Highway for 18 years,” Bolton explained. “We’re off the beaten path here but we’re a destination for people who need our products to make wine or cider or Meade or cheeses.”

Because the business is considered an essential grocery business since yeast and other food products are needed for the fermentation process, the shop remained busy throughout the COVID pandemic and even picked up customers new to the hobby.

Bolton described the basic fermentation method for making beer, wines, and other beverages. He emphasized that yeast does all the work. so the process is easy and said the shop holds classes from time to time.

He talked briefly about Kombucha, a healthy fermented beverage made by combining organic black tea with organic sugar and a yeast cake called a scoby. The mixture ferments for about two weeks transforming into a slightly sour beverage that is packed with probiotics and is good for the digestion.

For Bolton’s official tasting there were two beers, Chardonay and Kombucha on tap plus some special products made by Annapolis Home Brew or its clients.

“For us, it’s not about what we can make, it’s about what you can make,” he said. “I have the best job in the world because people bring me bottles of their beverages to taste for my opinion.”

The tasting was a fascinating experience.

“Steve was very funny,” League said. “He served us an Apple Pie beverage, Spiced Cider, some absolutely delicious Rasberry Chocolate Port and something he called Cherry Bombs. We had a great time.”

For information about Annapolis Home Brew, visit https://annapolishomebrew.com.

Blessing of the Animals Drive-Through at Woods Church

If Fido is shy or nervous, he’ll love this year’s Drive-Through Blessing of the Animals at Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church this Sunday, October 4.

According to committee member Cheryl Querry, pets will be able to stay in the car with their families this time.

There will be good traffic management for two lanes. Two pastors will give the blessings – Rev. Dr. Susan DeWyngaert and Rev. Nancy Lincoln Reynolds.

People with last names beginning with the initials A through K are being asked to arrive and 11 am Sunday and people with initials L through Z may come at 11:30 am.

Following the blessings, each pet will receive a Certificate of Blessing, a treat bag.and a bandanna.

“Obviously there will be one kind of treat bag for dogs and one kind for cats,” Querry said.

In past years frogs, a chicken and a pony have shown up to be blessed so there are additional treat bag options. For information, visit http://www.woodschurch.org/.