Month: August 2022

AROUND THE PARK AGAIN By Sharon Lee Tegler

Brought to you by Fishpaw’s Marketplace

Arriving at St. Martin’s-in-the-Field Episcopal School in July to take over from Charlie Sachs as Head of School, Tony Shaffer likes what he’s seen of the spacious campus and the Severna Park community surrounding it. Now settled in, he can’t wait to welcome students back for the fall semester on August 31.

An amicable chat with the California native in his comfortable office, revealed that he has an extensive background as an educator that took him from coast to coast and to the deep South.

“I was born in Oroville, a very small town in northern California,” Shaffer said. “I kind of started my path toward being an educator in the deep South…as in living in South America while I was a high school exchange student. I returned home to get my undergraduate university degree at California State University, however, I got a taste of the other deep south while studying for my graduate degree at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee (which included a year studying in Spain).”

After graduating from Vanderbilt, it was back to California for Shaffer where he began his teaching career as Modern Languages Chair at the Pilgrim School in Los Angeles – a private congregational school with a long history in the city. Soon opportunity beckoned, and he found himself below the Mason-Dixon line once more at Augusta Preparatory Day School in Augusta, Georgia where he served for 13 years as Director of Technology while simultaneously teaching and coaching.

On leaving that position, he headed west and became Middle Division Director at Westminster School in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It was his next posting that is most surprising.

“Believe it or not, I moved on from the Westminster School to St. Martin’s Episcopal School in Atlanta, Georgia where I spent the past six years, Shaffer said. “Like St. Martin’s-in-the-Field here in Severna Park, it’s an Episcopal school – one of four St. Martin’s in the country,” In an interesting play on words, the Atlanta St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church founded St. Martin’s Episcopal School while, here, we have St. Martin’s-in-the Field Episcopal Church founding St. Martin’s-in-the-Field Episcopal School.

The new headmaster is impressed that the significant expansion of St. Martin’s student body due to the fact that the school stayed open during the COVID epidemic through 2020 and 2021 has continued this year.

“The trend has continued,” he said. “Those families are finding something here that they weren’t finding before.”

He noted that public schools have a different mission (his wife works for a public school) which is to serve every student who lives within the footprint of that school. It is very challenging and the opposite of finding a school that matches a student’s aptitudes and his family’s values.

“That’s why I’m an independent school person. I like a mission-driven school,” said Shaffer. “What drew me to St. Martin’s-in-the-Field was its mission, as an Episcopal school, to build a student’s compassion, confidence and character. I also like the school’s Pre-K to 8th grade model where we keep things smaller. We get to know all of our students and see them as individuals. We also have great academics for all our kids that enable them to thrive in incredibly competitive high schools and colleges.

Shaffer was somewhat surprised to learn that he’ll not only be welcoming students when school opens, he’ll also be welcoming a bevy of new teachers. St. Martin’s is known as a school for teachers who love to teach, so the school has suffered none of the staffing shortages being experienced in the public-school sector.

A welcome change is that students will not be required to wear masks this year and COVID protocols have pretty much ended. Another possible change has to do with transportation. Since most students come from the greater Severna Park area, they are driven to school by their parents. However, more students are coming from greater distances these days, (as much as 45-minutes away). For the first time, the school is exploring contracting a bus service for a few areas.

Aside from emphasizing the importance of St. Martin’s middle school students and celebrating them when they are sometimes overlooked, Shaffer said he’ll primarily use his first year to observe and learn more about the school before considering any changes. He looks forward to visiting with students in their classrooms or art and science labs and enjoying the beautiful campus that surrounds it.

Liquor Board decision greeted with relief by local spirits sellers

As we announced last week, we found out on Wednesday, August 19 that the Anne Arundel County Board of License Commissioners denied the application for a liquor license for a proposed liquor superstore called Robinson Liquors to have been located along Ritchie Highway at Robinson Road.

The liquor board’s decision followed two hearings to consider arguments by Robinson Liquors, LLC owner Andrey Nikolaev and a lawyer representing 24 liquor stores within a 5-mile radius of Severna Park that opposed the application. They included Dawson’s Liquors, Harbour Wine & Spirits, Severna Park Wine & Spirits, Goska’s Liquors, Corwell & Son Liquors, Magothy Wine & Spirits and Fishpaws Market Place. (Five are pictured below.)

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Determined to fight the effort together, a core group of seven retailers displayed petitions on their counters collecting many hundreds of signatures in opposition. The petition was also opposed by the Greater Severna Park Council.

We’ve since gotten reaction from three of the small, independent, family businesses that would have been adversely affected by approval of the license. We began with Fishpaws Marketplace owner Kim Lawson who spoke on behalf of all the shops.

“The owners are extremely happy,” Lawson said. “They all felt that we put on a good case. We believe the board made a good decision for the community and our local store owners.”

Nick Cipriano, who owns Dawson’s Liquors along with his Aunt Jo Ann Polk and his brother Danny, expressed the sense of relief his family felt on hearing the board’s decision.

“We were nervous because of the effect such a store so close to us would have,” Cipriano said. “We didn’t feel it would cause us to close our doors because we’re such a staple in the neighborhood. But a retailer with such a large footprint would have had tremendous buying power and could undercut our costs. That would definitely affect our business. We’d basically have had to alter some of the benefits we have for our employees like health insurance and other perks.”

Cipriano added that he was glad to see that, even though the local spirit shop owners were competitors, everyone teamed up and split the bill for a lawyer who represented their concerns very well. He was further pleased that so many people signed the petitions and about 60 Severna Park residents showed up at the hearings to support them.

“What kept us on edge was the fact that it took 3-1/2 months for the decision,” he said. “It should have taken a few weeks had the county gone over the case before the hearing. However, they didn’t go over it until after the hearing causing us concern that they might be prepared to grant the license.”

“You could say we were pessimistic. But, in the end, the result was unanimous – a three to zero verdict based on pretty much everything our lawyer explained – from the number of liquor stores already existing to a heavier traffic flow and the location’s proximity to schools. When we heard the decision, there was a unanimous sight of relief.”

At Goska’s, owner Kevin Sosnowski also breathed a sigh of relief on learning of the decision. The family-owned business founded 61 years ago is closest to the proposed location of the superstore being directly across Ritchie Hiway from it and would have definitely been impacted.

“I didn’t see the hearing which was on Zoom last Tuesday because I was working so I didn’t learn about the decision till that night. Word of it was spreading fast,” Sosnoski said. “That was such good news. We’ve all seen what happens to our community pharmacies, grocery stores and stationery and hardware stores when massive stores come in that can’t be competed with. We knew our futures were at stake.”

In view of the fact that his business is being affected by inflation and recessionary pressures, he said he’s pleased there is now one less thing to worry about.

Woods Church prepares to celebrate Kick-Off Sunday on September 11

Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church’s annual Kick-Off Sunday Picnic will be held this year following worship services on Sunday, September 11th from 12 noon till 2 pm. According to Woods’ Associate Pastor Nancy Lincoln Reynolds, the picnic will be held across the church lawn where tables for various ministries will be set up.

Church volunteer Karen Lerario added that there will be entertainment, games and activities for children, an opportunity to explore Wood’s lovely gardens, and boxed lunches for one and all. She added that, as always, congregation members and their friends and neighbors are welcome to attend. For information on the event, visit Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church (woodschurch.org).

Around The Park Again is brought to you this week by Fishpaws Marketplace, 954 Ritchie Hwy. which carries fine wines, spirits and beers plus gourmet foods. Tastings for various wines, beers and liquors are held almost daily and listed at Event Calendar in Arnold, MD 21012 – Fishpaws Marketplace

AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler

Brought to you by Fishpaws Marketplace

By the second week of August, hairstylists at the Hair Cuttery in Park Plaza were experiencing a round-the-clock boom in business.

“This is our busiest season of the year when the college age kids come in for haircuts before starting the fall semester,” said stylist Holly Mollick. “It’ll stay just as busy for the next couple weeks as parents bring their younger kids in for their back-to-school haircuts.”

Elsewhere, back-to-school fundraising events were taking place and, considering the inflationary prices for school supplies, were needed more than ever. The scene was busy at Spring Arbor Senior Living’s “Food for Thought” event on August 16th. As can be seen from the opening photo, the mood was festive with mellow music from the Good Measure Band playing in the background as attendees filled bins on tables and several wagons with donations of schools supplies and food pantry items. There were fun games for kids too.

Executive Director Maressa Henry said Spring Arbor residents came up with the concept for the occasion based on smaller food drives they’d done in the past

Community Program director Leah Abendschoen revealed how the idea was born and evolved.

“What started as two separate, resident driven ideas, merged into one event,” she said. “During a resident council meeting, one resident suggested we keep school supplies in our community’s General Store. She also mentioned she’d like to buy some folders to donate to a ‘fill the backpack’ style fundraiser at her church. Another resident (who is a little hard of hearing) said, ‘Folgers? Like the coffee? I don’t think school aged students need coffee…'”

“Though unintentionally funny, the comment snowballed into recognizing the need for both a food drive and a school supply drive for our county. Both BAYADA, our in-house therapy provider, and Hospice of the Chesapeake were on hand to help make this a really great event. Dr. Abigail Ritinski of Hearing & Balance Solutions also jumped on board and was there to set up some fun giveaways. The Sweet Satisfaction ice cream truck provided the soft serve and Good Measure Band provided the tunes.”

Informally referred to as their “Food for Thought” event (to which the general public was invited) the residents turned out with their families and grandchildren for what turned out to be quite a fun occasion.

With the help of Spring Arbor’s residents, their families, and the community, the Food for Though event collected five full totes full of school supplies, as well as two wagons of non-perishable food items. There were also several monetary donations which totaled to over $200 dollars and will go toward more supplies and canned goods!

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“We had a fantastic turnout and I know we will continue to do this at the end of each summer season for students and teachers in Anne Arundel County,” Abendschoen said. 

In mid-July Walk the Walk Foundation’s director Nicole Dolan launched the organization’s first Back-to-School Backpack Donation/Packing event of the year and the initiative is ongoing.

Walk the Walk Foundation partners with the Department of Social Services and others to figure out where the need is. Then, using financial donations from supporters, they purchase backpack items in bulk at a discount. They next bring the items to a specific location, like a church, where supporters can donate $30 and pack a backpack for a child.

In filling the backpacks, WTWF follows guidelines on the standard list of school supplies provided by Anne Arundel County Public Schools.  There are generally 24 items – things like composition notebooks, crayons, pens, dry erase markers, dry erase sleeves, water bottles, Ziplock bags, and more. The effort is ongoing as WTWF partners with Tyler Heights Elementary School in Operation Welcome Back…Pack. Here is the direct giving link:  https://ddock.co/e1d18c3a or, for information, you can email nicole@wtwf.org.

Dolan noted that, ordinarily, parents spend quite a bit more than $30 for a backpack and school supplies. Spring Abor’s Maressa Henry agreed. She said she just spent between $60 and $70 dollars for her daughter’s back-to-school materials.

Parent Atalie Justice Payne already shopped online for a few things for her daughter Elise, who attends Rockbridge Academy, including a mouse pad and mouse for the school Chrome books. To keep costs down, she’ll shop for other items during Maryland’s Sales Tax Free Week at Walmart or Target. Luckily, her 17-year-old son Ezra, who attends Severna Park High School, does most work online and already had most of what he needs.

School opening schedules and other information

Opening day for private schools Severn School and St. Martin’s-in-the-Field Episcopal School is August 31. For St. John the Evangelist School, opening day is August 29 and for Rockbridge Academy, it’s August 30.

The schedule is a bit different for Anne Arundel County Public Schools. August 29 is the start date for grades 1-5, and 6 and 9. All students (grades 1 through 12) return August 30.

Like public schools across the nation, AACPS is dealing with a teacher shortage this year. As of August 17, the county has 311 classroom teacher vacancies that impact all school levels.

In addition, there are 67 bus driver vacancies, 57 crossing guard vacancies, 227 food service worker vacancies and 87 custodial staff vacancies. Staff in the Division of Human Resources are continuing around-the-clock work to aggressively recruit and hire high-quality classroom teachers and other workers to fill vacancies across the system.

Those interested can apply online at Anne Arundel County Public Schools / Homepage (aacps.org) and click the Join Our Team button at the top of the page, then scroll down and click Apply Now for lists of openings.

American Association of University Women book donation drop-offs August 27th

American Association of University Women‘s Anne Arundel Co. branch book donation drop-off locations will be in operation on Saturday, August 27 and include:

St Martin’s-in-the-Field Episcopal Church at 325 Benfield Rd, Severna Park (parking lot)

The Y of Central Maryland, at 1209 Ritchie Hwy, Arnold (AACC parking lot opposite the Y)

St. Phillip’s Episcopal Church at 730 Bestgate Rd, Annapolis (parking lot)

All sites will be open from 9 am to 12 noon and AAUW volunteers will be on hand to help. For more information, visit AAUW Book Collections and Sales | Anne Arundel County (MD) Branch.

Severn River Lions and Cub Scout Pack 688 celebrate with Pack Trailer Ribbon Cutting

On Saturday, August 27 from 10 to 10:30 am, a ribbon cutting will be held to celebrate Cub Schout Pack 688’s acquisition of a Pack Trailer. The ribbon cutting will be held in the parking lot at the Shipley’s Choice Swim & Tennis Club at 947 Rustling Oaks Drive in Millersville. For information call Severn River Lions Club at 410-439-5770.

NEWS FLASH! License for liquor superstore denied

Local liquor store owners found out in February that a proposed liquor superstore to be called Robinson Liquors and located off Robinson Road near Aldi’s Supermarket had applied to the Anne Arundel County Board of License Commissioners for a liquor license. The local owners opposed the issuing of a license at a hearing before that board initially scheduled for March 8 at the County Council Chambers in Annapolis on the basis that there were already 24 liquor stores in the area (seven in Severna Park). All were small independent businesses.

No decision was made. A second hearing followed with local owners in attendance again. Since then, they’ve waited to hear the result. We received news today that the license was denied. We’ll report back on the reaction from the owners next week.

Around The Park Again is brought to you this week by Fishpaws Marketplace, 954 Ritchie Hwy. – a family-owned business that carries fine wines, spirits and beers plus gourmet foods and specialty items perfect for a summer party.

AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler

Brought to you by Fishpaws Marketplace

If there’s one good thing about the Dog Days of August, when temperatures soar into the nineties, it’s that locally grown produce is at its peak. Due to a cool spring and rainy weather, this year’s crops got off to a slow start meaning some of our favorite farm stands opened later than usual. Once open, however, they boomed with business.

Driving in a wide circle, we visited several of our area’s outstanding farm stands starting out at Pumphrey’s Produce at 8220 Veterans Highway in Millersville. Wearing a smile as always, Nat Pumphrey was minding the family business from his stool at the counter.

A member of the well-known Pumphrey farming family, Nat is proud of his heritage. He began working on the farm at an early age and feels agriculture is in the Pumphrey DNA.

Behind and above him, in the produce stand’s rafters, was a sign welcoming customers and noting that the farm has served the public for 61 years. The sign also listed the prices of some items.

As with all the produce stands, Pumphrey’s prices are slightly higher than usual this year. The higher prices reflect inflationary costs for fertilizer, fuel and other supplies vital to growing and transporting crops.

For longtime customers like JoAnne Zoller and her husband who’ve shopped at the stand year after year, spending a few cents extra is worth it. They love the quality and taste of the fruit and vegetables they buy.

It’s obvious that maintaining the quality of their produce is of utmost importance to the Pumphreys.

“Everything you see is picked fresh from the fields right here in downtown Millersville at 6:30 each morning,” Nat Pumphrey said as he spread his arms in a wide arc. “We have 4-1/2 acres behind the stand and a larger acreage across I-97.”

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In addition to a bounty of corn, slicing tomatoes, peppers, squash, zucchini and green beans, Pumphrey’s grows blackberries, cantaloupes and a variety of melons along with heirloom tomatoes, flat Italian beans, okra and other specialty crops.

“Where else can you get okra?” asked JoAnne Zoller. “This stand is the best.”

Pumphrey says he’s always experimenting with new vegetables, most of which are successful. They’ve included husk ground tomatoes, tomatillos, and Cubanelle peppers. Now, thanks to a birthday gift from friend Ed Cohen who grows crops on his allotment at Kinder Farm Park, Nat now has some Chinese long beans (also known as Alligator beans) to try, sell a few and save some of the seeds to grow next year. Cohen said he grows the beans, (which are sold in the Asian market) on a trellis and harvests pounds of them each day.

Heading back down Veterans Highway to Benfield Road, our next stop was Diehl’s Produce in Olde Severna Park at B&A Boulevard and McKinsey Road. Undeterred by the slow growing season locally, Diehl’s opened in April and managed to source some early season produce from North and South Carolina along with Eastern Shore asparagus. By late June, the shelves were overflowing with colorful fruits and vegetables. As always, there is Eastern Shore sweet corn. Thanks to contacts established by founder Doug Diehl who recently retired, the stand carries Adams County, Pennsylvania peaches – a major draw.

A variety of other vegetables draw customer’s eyes including grape, cherry and slicing tomatoes, squash, eggplants, green beans, new potatoes, spring onions and mushrooms plus an abundance of melons and jams, jellies and fresh flowers.

Manager Jennifer Diehl said she’s currently seeing many first-time customers who love being able to get “same day produce”. She said the sweet corn, garden veggies, melons and peaches are at their peak now and will remain so through August.

Like elsewhere, prices for some items were higher than in 2021 due to inflationary pressures for growers and transporters. The peach prices, for example, had to be raised 40 cents.

As usual, a sign at the counter where Calvin Winship was checking shoppers out had a sign noting that Diehl’s rounds out customers’ tabs and uses the extra change for gift certificates to donate to needy families through the SPAN, Inc. food pantry.

Leaving Diehl’s Produce in Severna Park, we moved on to Diehl’s Produce of Annapolis in Eastport where Jennifer Diehl’s sister Abby Diehl is proprietor. Having carved out a nice little niche in what is basically a cityscape, Abby’s farm stand gives Annapolis and Eastport residents a much-appreciated chance to buy fresh fruits and vegetables.

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We spoke with Ryan Manusan who was helping customers from behind a sea of blueberries and pears.

Manusan said the lateness of spring planting created a need to source some produce from farther afield.

“We had to bring in strawberries and early broccoli from out west,” he said. “We sold so many strawberries and blackberries, and, as you can see, we had a lot more blueberries on this table. At least half have been sold.”

He added that peaches are plentiful since Abby Diehl was also able to source them from Adams County, Pennsylvania.

Who doesn’t love the sunflowers that add such a cheerful touch to the main tent at Diehl’s Produce of Annapolis?

Diehl’s Produce of Annapolis has been quite busy with customers coming in rushes like the one we noticed at the counter in the check-out tent. The stand will be open seven days a week from now through October.

Leaving Eastport we circled back through town to Route 50 and headed for Davidsonville where two of our favorite farm stands are located.

Chase’s Produce at 2857 Davidsonville Road (Rt.424) is owned by farmer Bob Chase and wife Marge. Like Pumphrey’s, it has operated as a family farm stand for more than 60 years and has always been renowned for its sweet corn. Every fruit and vegetable the Chases sell is grown in the fields surrounding the stand on both sides of Route 424.

Though managing to hold a shortened version of their annual “pick your own strawberries” season, the Chases experienced planting delays due to weather and were unable to open the produce stand for its regular season before the last week of June. Luckily, the stand has been busy ever since and sales have been good.

By the time we arrived Tuesday afternoon, there was little corn left, they’d run out of a few other vegetables, and melons of all kinds had sold like hotcakes.

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According to Marge Chase, Bob and the students he hires are out in the fields picking corn, fruit and vegetables early each morning. She said the stand is open till 5 pm on Saturdays and Sundays and their aim is to sell all the corn by closing time and as much of the other produce as possible.

Marge added that the farm is still struggling with the rains which interfere with the ripening of zucchini and yellow squash and the second crop of cucumbers.

In addition, the Chase’s farm has experienced problems with deer. There is electric fencing around the corn fields which keep them out. But there’s no fencing elsewhere. They chose not to plant tomatoes this year because the deer destroy them. Instead, they’re getting tomatoes from Charles County. (Other farmers have trouble with deer as well. The Pumphreys solve the problem by fencing their entire farm.)

The only other item Chase’s Produce doesn’t grow is peaches which they get from an orchard in Bridgeville, Delaware and have found to be delicious.

The last stand on our circuit was Marco Ridge Farm Produce at 3208 Davidsonville Road. The 210-acre Marco Ridge farm is owned by the Covington family and located along both sides of the road with some fields directly behind the stand. These days Diane and Fred Klinken manage the stand for Alan Covington while he runs the farm.

We arrived at Marco Ridge Farm just as Covington was leaving after off-loading one of many carts filled with produce being picked throughout the day.

Customers visiting the stand generally help themselves while Alan works behind the scenes and Diane tends the till. The couple also has students helping them at their busiest times.

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Peppers were huge, the pickling cucumbers crisp and the squash a perfect size.

The Klinkens said Marco Ridge Farm has also struggled with the rains. Like others who grow everything they sell, they were late planting and couldn’t open the stand until their crops ripened a week after the 4th of July.

Fortunately, Marco Ridge Farm has so many fields full of field corn and soybeans and cover crops that deer leave the vegetables alone so they’re able to reap everything they plant. More vine-ripened produce is coming in each day and the stand also carries a great selection of made-from-the-farm products like Marco Ridge salsas, barbeque sauces and salad dressings.

Around The Park Again is brought to you this week by Fishpaws Marketplace, 954 Ritchie Hwy. – a family-owned business that carries fine wines, spirits and beers plus gourmet foods and specialty items perfect for a summer party.

AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler

Brought to you by Fishpaws Marketplace

The National Night Out events hosted by the Anne Arundel County Eastern District Police at Earleigh Heights Volunteer Fire Company always draw a good crowd. Still, it was astonishing to see the parking lots nearly full 45 minutes prior to the official opening time of 6 pm. By 6:15, the lots were overflowing, and cars were park on both sides of Magothy Bridge Road as far as the eye could see as well as at Magothy Gateway Shopping Center opposite the firehouse.

Entering the open-air event, one observed the crowds (mostly families) moving slowly between the rows of tents. They’d come out to show their support for Anne Arundel County’s first responders and the community service organizations that support them but also to be educated and entertained.

National Night Out was organized by an Eastern District Steering Committee chaired by Sarah Gannon from Anne Arundel County Councilman Nathan Volke’s office. She had help from representatives from the Eastern District Police Department, Earleigh Heights Volunteer Fire Department, the Cape St. Claire Improvement Association the Broadneck Council of Communities, the Greater Severna Park & Arnold Chamber of Commerce (GSPACC) and the Pasadena Business Association (PBA) among others. The event was staged so the Eastern District Police booth and displays of Anne Arundel County’s recreation, police, fire and emergency vehicles formed a ring around the midsection booths and tents while a portion of field behind them was reserved for the always popular demonstrations by police and sheriff’s department K-9 Units.

Major sponsorships from the Eastern District Police, GSPACC, PBA and Mission Barbeque made National Night Out possible along with community sponsorships from The Bonk Team-Keller Williams , Fence & Deck Connection, Oscars Ale House, Passantes Home Food Services , and Fishpaws Marketplace among others. There were 44 community organizations and vendors on site for National Night Out. many of which participated in the event previously though some were new. We caught up with a few.

First-timers included Danny Forbes, Samuel Crossman and Preston Elliott from Boy Scouts of America Troop 346 from Pasadena. Stationed just beyond the entrance, they shyly greeted their first visitors.

According to Samuel Crossman, the threesome hadn’t done anything like this before but knew their main objectives were to familiarize the public with their troop and recruit some new members.

Opposite the Scouts was the tent of the Greater Severna Park Council where vice-president Amy Leahy and board members Doug Nichols and Craig Myers were stood ready to hand out water and provide information about the event and offer assistance to the general public.

On the way to check out the Oscar’s Ale House tent, we ran into Barbara Dean who was wearing a bright purple T-shirt heralding the annual Walk to End Alzheimers which takes place this year on October 16th. Dean arrived back at the booth she and Anne Arundel Co. Team member Trisha Herold were manning just in time to meet an equally strong advocate for the Alzheimer’s Walk – Nancy Greer, co-owner of Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu and Tai Chi. (Jing Ying Institute students would later perform a martial arts demonstration.)

Dean revealed that the Anne Arundel County team topped area organizations for their first and second years participating in the walk raising more than $20,000. Greer, as leader of the Jing Ying team reported that they’d been the winning team during their first year which followed the loss of her mother to the disease.

You may have guessed from the column’s opening photo featuring Diane Casanova with one of Saving Grace Animal Rescue of Maryland’s four adorable foster pets that her booth with the puppies was among the event’s most popular stops.

“Saving Grace Animal Rescue is a completely foster pet-based organization that operates through Maryland, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. ,” Casanova said. “Our purpose is to unite pets with foster families until we can find forever families for them.”

She added that Saving Grace dogs come from shelters in Baltimore and through the Southern states like West Virginia.

“We have to line up a foster family before we take a pet in. That’s why being at an event like National Night Out is advantageous for us so we can find more foster families. In fact, our attendance here last year resulted in several adoptions by people who had already been approved.

National Night Out provided the perfect opportunity to familiarize the public with some of agencies created to help people in times of trouble. The Anne Arundel County Police Crisis Response System and Anne Arundel County Mental Health Agency booth that was manned by Director of Crisis Response Jennifer Corbin and Cpl. Jennifer Sieth was a perfect example. Both women handed out giveaways and fielded numerous questions about how their agencies work.

“Our agencies work hand-in-hand, operating a 24-hour warmline (which is like a hotline) for any type of crisis – a mental health crisis, homelessness, or any other ongoing emergency situation,” said Cpl. Sieth. “We have different teams that can respond to those problems including mobile crisis teams and CI teams where an officer and mental health officer work together to find solutions. You’ll see that we’ve put our phone number on all our giveaways to remind people that help is just a call away.”

They also informed attendees about services like the Safe Stations established at Anne Arundel County police and fire stations where anyone dealing with a substance abuse problem or emergency can come for help.

One booth over, Katie Wardo, who is coalition coordinator for Northern Lights Against Substance Abuse and the Western Anne Arundel County Prevention Coalition and outreach coordinator Denise Williams also handed out information and giveaways. Their table had several sign-up sheets, as well, for free programs, training, and memberships.

“We work with youth and young adults to break the stigma associated with addiction and to prevent drug and alcohol abuse,” said Wardo. She added that they also visit schools to acquaint students with facts about substance abuse.

Because of the tremendous number of dangerous drugs (like the powerful synthetic opioid Fentanyl) arriving in our neighborhoods from across the southern border, one important sign-up sheet offered free training for the use of Narcan – a nasal spray which is used for emergency treatment of opioid overdose.

Many community organizations participated in National Night Out and most had games for children. At the Greater Severna Park and Arnold Chamber booth, CEO Liz League and husband Jim were treating kids to a fishing game and pushing the organizations’ SHOP LOCAL initiative by promoting area businesses.

Nearby, SPAN, Inc. development director Michelle Sabean had created a brand new Shopping Cart game for this year’s National Night Out appearance with help from volunteers Josie Justice and Kayla Patel. Their display also had a good representation of SPAN’s services including food panty items and financial assistance to cover electricity bills, medical bills or prevent evictions. They were also accepting donations.

A team of volunteers from Woods Church were delighted to be at National Night Out for the first time. Retta Barkley, Katie Taylor and Carla Raubales were having a great time spreading the word about the church’s many services to the greater Severna Park community and beyond.

A visit to the Anne Arundel Community College booth revealed the diversity of programs now offered there. Instructional Specialist Peggy Walton from the engineering department had some very interesting displays and information.

“We have a lot of great programs at the college that people don’t realize – programs that are meant to be two years and right out to work,” Walton said. “For example, in our bio engineering department we have a separate technology path that’s not quite as difficult. I have more jobs, at the moment, than I have kids to fill them and the salaries are great starting at the low $60,000 and $70,000 range…for two years training and no prior experience. Four-year degrees are great but you don’t have to have one to make a good living and you come out with no debt.”

There were lots of impressive critical response police vehicles to see that kids, in particular, loved to climb aboard. We entered one just in time to hear Cpl. Moorhouse explain his mission as an Anne Arundel County Police Crisis Negotiation Team member and show off some of the equipment used.

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“We deal with people in crisis situations, people who are taken hostage and barricaded in a house. We are trained as hostage negotiators by the FBI,” Cpl. Moorhouse said. “Our job is to come in when the hostage takers threaten to kill themselves or the hostages. We need to talk them out of their crisis and get them out of the state they’re in, then get them away from the building and the residents.”

In addition to the screens along the counter, Moorhouse had a number of what he referred to as throw phones. Working with police SWAT Teams, the crisis negotiators often go right up by the door of a residence and try to get the hostage taker to accept a throw phone or throw a cell phone so they can communicate with them. He said negotiations can go on for 24 hours or as little as 30 minutes to an hour.

He added that the number of hostage situations has actually gone down since Anne Arundel County instituted crisis intervention teams which work with people that are having mental health crises.

There was much more including opening ceremonies, several speakers, the K-9 Unit demonstrations and martial arts demonstrations by Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu and Tai Chi. A most touching moment came when the National Anthem rang out over the loudspeaker and everyone across the grounds paused and put their hands over their hearts.

Around The Park Again is brought to you this week by Fishpaws Marketplace, 954 Ritchie Hwy. – a family-owned business that carries wines, spirits and beers plus gourmet foods and specialty items perfect for a summer party.