AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler
Brought to you by Fishpaws Marketplace
Exhibitors and attendees alike took SHOPTOBERFEST’s Trick or Treat theme to heart. Park Plaza’s main parking lot was filled to the brim with colorful autumn-themed tents beneath which costumed vendors offered myriad treats. “Spooky” was the byword at the SERVPRO tent where pirate wench Allison Taylor and witch Lindsay Straiton oversaw a table featuring a gilded pumpkin, a copper-colored cat, and buckets filled with toy footballs and candy. They were aided by Straiton’s daughters, “swamp creature” Harper who won the costume contest prize for scariest, and black and white spotted “moo cow” Micah.
Organized by The Greater Severna Park & Arnold Chamber of Commerce, SHOPTOBERFEST featured entertainment, a costume contest for kids and a costume contest for dogs and drew a total of 51 exhibitors making for a festive event.
Macaroni KID had quite a presence at SHOPTOBERFEST with a tent that matched the blue of Saturday’s skies.
Macaroni KID Annapolis publisher Darla Winstead and daughter Kat, who masqueraded as Minnie Mouse, manned the tent. Meanwhile, Macaroni KID Pasadena publisher Laura McElwain Colquhoun was helping with the costume contest.
It seemed only fitting that there were rows and rows of spooky skeletons decorating the DeMaio Family Chiropractic & Physical Therapy Tent. Needless to say, the skeletons didn’t keep little ones away from the candy-filled pumpkin and skeleton’s head.
Even more kids were drawn to the Kwon’s Taekwondo tent where owner Young Kwon was making balloon animals for everyone.
Familiar faces from other SHOP LOCAL events included Winsome Brown and her well-known Lean on Dee team of professionals for in-home care for seniors. Headmaster Tony Shaffer and Kira Dickson were also on hand from St. Martin’s-in-the-Field Episcopal School. Another SHOP LOCAL favorite was Kelli Dilman’s Fieldstone Animal Inn tent. As usual, Kelli brought along an abundant supply of dog biscuits for SHOPTOBERFEST’s canine attendees.
Every now and then, SHOPTBERFEST visitors stopped circulating through the tents to take in the entertainment including a much- requested Lion Dance from students of Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu and Tai Chi and a dramatic lightsaber exhibition by the school’s Shifu (leader/teacher) Billy Greer.
Later, Greer strolled about with a Lion Dance lion marionette delighting everyone – especially Cub Scouts Vincent Niemeyer and Robert Buck, Jr. and Robert, Sr. who was helping them. Based at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, Troop 450 members are participating in the Wreaths Across America effort through the holidays.
Excitement grew among the youngest SHOPTOBERFEST attendees as the costume contest drew near. Miniature Minnie Mouse Avery Fleck and her tree-frog brother Camden waited anxiously with their mother Allison and grandmother Cindy Hudoniot who made their costumes.
Soon SHOPTOBERFEST emcee Jeff Hughes called for costume contest competitors to come forward and Avery and Camden joined a long line of participants. From Pokemon to Wonder Woman, a slew of princesses and a Royal Guard, the competition was fierce.
Judges eventually awarded the Most Original costume prize to a pint-sized competitor known simply as Taco Bell who was wearing a perfectly painted model of the well-known eatery. A colorful goodie bag prize was awarded to her and the other winners.
The second prize was won by a contestant we’d seen before at the SERVPRO tent – none other than Harper Straiton as a Swamp Creature.
The final choice for Best Overall was a dual costume effort requiring an unusual amount of imagination and skill to pull off. Dubbed “Alien Abduction with Alien Mom”, it wowed spectators and judges alike.
We somehow missed the Dog Costume Contest but discovered the Most Original Prize winner – angel dog Luna with mistress Everly Hendricks – making their way back through the crowd.
The pair wound through a gaggle of political candidate’s tents on the extremely busy midway. In the midst of it all, the 206 Restaurant Group was handing out highly popular samples of foods from JB’s and Park Tavern.
Not far away, near Franklin’s Toys, Donut Shack owner Ali Matthews had handed out free donuts all day and was, once again, down to her last donut. She luckily had more on the way from her shop across Ritchie Highway.
Longtime Park Plaza family business and SHOP LOCAL supporter Side Street Framers & Gift Gallery had a bountiful exhibit of products from local artists including the paintings of Judy Ortiz. There were three of four active generations of the founding Baumgarten family on hand including sisters Dawn Wilson and Donna Phillips, Dawn’s daughter Jessica and her baby Blake.
Anne Arundel Community College Open House was an adventure
“Choose your own adventure was the theme for Anne Arundel Community College’s Open House on October 20th and there was plenty to explore around the now sizeable campus. A handy Open House brochure contained a campus map of buildings housing educational facilities ranging from the School of Liberal Arts to the School of Business and Law. A majority of them were open for prospective students to tour.
We had received a tip beforehand to visit the School of Health and Life Sciences building which had some remarkable technologies to reveal and did not disappoint.
We followed several Open House visitors into the lobby of the building where they were directed forward.
All were welcomed by Assistant Dean David Thomas along with more than a dozen AACC representatives who were stationed at various tables.
“This building is phenomenal. It’s almost like a mini-hospital,” Thomas said. “We’re showcasing some of the programs we have at our Health and Life Sciences building this evening including the largest which is nursing. Our nursing program occupies most of the second floor while the third floor has facilities for medical assistant and physical therapy assistant trainees, massage therapy, and medical lab sciences.
He emphasized that the first floor is the location for Emergency Medical Services training with a state-of-the-art lab, a radiological technology lab and, right behind those, a brand-new dental clinic.
Training to be radiological technologists were Katharina Fernandez, Samantha Agnor and Abigail Jones. 
Abigail demonstrates using the latest technology to x-ray an injured patient.
There is already a dental assistant program and the school hopes to launch a dental hygiene program in the fall of 2023.
Also situated on the first floor was the state-of-the-art Simulation Center which Thomas said was a “must see”.
Mock or simulation patient care provider experiences are used for all EMS, nursing and other training situations according to Thomas. However, EMS students go out with trained EMS professionals in the county on occasion.
The Simulation Center more than lived up to expectations. We met AACC Director of Simulation Education Justin Gyurik behind the center’s nurses station desk, then followed him as he led middle school students on a tour of four realistic looking hospital rooms. The rooms all featured pre-programmed mannequins as patients.
He began by showing the students an expansive area set up as a maternity ward where a “pregnant” mannequin was about to give birth. Opposite her, a recently delivered infant was being cared for.
He demonstrated that, at a signal from his smart phone, the mannequin could open her eyes, move her head and perform as if giving birth like an actual human being. Gyurik definitely captured the students’ attention when he mentioned that all the mannequins could bleed like real patients. A few seemed squeamish, but others loved it.
The simulation director led on to the next hospital room where a mock seriously ill female patient was being treated.
One curious middle-schooler asked of the pretend patient “Does she ever scream or moan?”
Another asked if she vomited.
Gyurik said all the mannequins do both and demonstrated that, with the touch of his finger, she could indeed scream and did. In another room, he allowed students to shine a light from their smart phones in a male patient’s eyes to see how his pupils dilated.
In private conversation following the tour he noted that there is a lot of simulated screaming during classes in the Simulation Center as that is what actually happens in a hospital.
“We get students used to screams as well as many of the other stresses,” he said. “We have everything set up in the rooms exactly as it would be including drips and monitors.”
The realistic atmosphere of the Health and Life Sciences programs was amazing. For more information about them or the other schools at Anne Arundel Community College, visit Home – Anne Arundel Community College (aacc.edu).
Woods Music Benefit Concert set for November 14
Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church invites the community to join them for an exciting evening of music on November 12 at 7 pm.
The evening will feature piano and organ solos/duets from Pastor Randy Bush and Ted Markle in addition to new works by local artists. Composers include Andy Rollins, David and Elysia Merrill, Alan Becknell, Sarah Kent, Josh Huff, and Drew Sharpe. This is a FREE concert with all donations going to support the Woods Church music department.
For more info email David Merrill – dmerrill@woodschurch.org. The event will also be livestreamed.
Around The Park Again is brought to you by Fishpaws Marketplace, 954 Ritchie Hwy. – a family-owned business that carries a great selection of fine wines, spirits and beers, gourmet foods and specialty items perfect for fall entertaining. It’s not too early to start thinking about those holiday dinners.
