AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler
Brought to you by Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu & Tai Chi
and Lean On Dee Senior Home Care Services
The summer of 2024 is proving quite an exciting time for the Friends of Anne Arundel County Trail’s new president Darilyn Marinelli. Having succeeded immediate past president Diane Evans, she’s now involved in plans and preparations for the organization’s 30th Anniversary Celebration on Sunday, September 29th from 4 to 6 pm at Hatton-Regester Green along the B&A Trail.
We caught up with Marinelli at The Big Bean in Severna Park where she was meeting with another past president, Jack Keene, in hopes of learning more about the history of the organization and about the network of trails owned and maintained by the county’s Department of Recreation and Parks. As can be seen in the opening photo, the two were looking over the grounds in back of a line of B&A Boulevard shops including Pedal Pushers, FroYo House Frozen Yogurt, The Big Bean, Sophie’s Crepes and others.
Next week, work will begin on an ambitious trail project to turn the strip of land into “Caraker Plaza” being named in honor of the late Thomas Caraker, III. For years, Caraker rode the B&A Trail every day and became a dedicated member of a group known as the Trailblazers who acted as “goodwill ambassadors” and served as “eyes and ears” for the rangers. Known, unofficially, as the Mayor of the B&A Trail, Tom Caraker was beloved by those who met him along the trail or in The Big Bean which he frequented daily.
Heading back into the cool comfort of the coffee shop, Marinelli explained that the Friends of Anne Arundel County Trails is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization of volunteers whose goal is to protect, preserve and enhance the county’s multi-use trails by supporting the work of the Anne Arundel Department of Recreation and Parks in creating and maintaining them.
Keene, who worked for Recreation and Parks and served as the Friends group’s president for a number of years, is a fount of information about the county trail system which began with the creation of the B&A Trail along the bed of the old Baltimore and Annapolis Railroad and expanded to include five trails.
The right of way to the B&A Railroad was sold to Anne Arundel County on June 8, 1981. After the last freight train ran across the tracks in 1990, it occurred to several people that the route could be used for another purpose. A movement began to recycle the right of way by turning it into a hiking and biking park running from north of Annapolis to Glen Burnie – a 13-mile stretch.
According to Keene, the beginnings of the B&A Trail occurred with the first section laid in Glen Burnie. “It wasn’t actually a Recreation and Parks project but a rehabilitation project for downtown Glen Burnie that was federally funded and carried out by the county,” he said.
The B&A Trail was completed in 1990 and runs from Boulters Way in Annapolis to Dorsey Road in Glen Burnie. The “rails to trails” trail park is one of the most successful in the United States. It has been duplicated many times throughout the country.
Land adjacent to the trail in Severna Park was purchased in 1995 for the first “pocket park”, Hatton Regester Green, but not completed until 1999. The Green was designed and planted by the Friends and is supported by local garden clubs and individuals. May and September concerts are held at the Gazebo on the Green and that is where the 30th Anniversary Celebration will take place.
In November of 1994, a group of ten community-minded citizens led by Stan LeBar and David Dionne established the Friends of the B&A Trail to assist the park rangers as they patrolled the newly created B&A Trail. LeBar became its first president. In 2001, the organization’s articles of incorporation were amended to become the Friends of Anne Arundel County Trails.
According to Keene, the second trail to be completed was the BWI Trail – a loop trail that circles Baltimore Washington International Airport for 12 miles. In agreement with the Department of Recreation and Parks, that one was partially paid for by the Maryland Aviation Administration which helps maintain it. Like the other trails, it is patrolled by the department’s rangers.
The third trail under construction was the WB&A Trail with which Marinelli is closely associated. The WB&A Trail is a paved recreational trail from Odenton to the Patuxent River on the abandoned Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Railroad right of way. Phase 3 of the WB&A trail is almost complete with the creation of the Patuxent River Bridge connecting the trail to the Prince George’s County Trail.
The fourth trail currently under construction is the Broadneck Peninsula Trail – a paved trail located within the right of way of College Parkway in Arnold, Maryland. Phases 1B and Phase 5 are still to be finished.
“Technically, the Broadneck Peninsula Trail connects with the B&A Trail at Jones Station Road,” Keene said. “From the Anne Arundel Community College section onward, it will eventually go all the way to Sandy Point State Park.”
The newest trail is the 11-mile South Shore Trail. The South Shore Trail mainly uses the abandoned roadbed of the WB&A Railroad between Annapolis and Odenton. It will connect with the Colonial Annapolis Maritime Route on the east end and the WB&A Trail on the west and be a component of the East Coast Greenway and the American Discovery Trail.
“It will more or less run parallel to General’s Highway. The first section in Millersville is complete and the second section will stretch from Millersville to the traffic circle in Odenton,” said Keene. “A small section will pass by the Annapolis Mall ending at Medical Parkway.”
All of the trails will eventually connect according to Marinelli. There are three national trails with which one or more of them connect. A signpost erected on the B&A Trail at Jones Station Road points the way to all of them. They include The East Coast Greenway going North to South from Maine to Florida, the American Discovery Trail which goes East to West from Delaware to San Francisco, California and the September 11th National Memorial Trail which runs from the World Trade Center in New York to the Pentagon in Washington to the third crash site in Western Pennsylvania and back.
The headquarters for all of the national trails is Jonas and Anne Catharine Green Park at the base of the United States Naval Academy Bridge in Annapolis.
More immediately, plans for the 30th Anniversary year include Marinelli’s personal goal of attracting 30 new members for 30 years. She’s over halfway there, having signed up 18 new members with 12 to go before the big celebration at Hatton-Regester Green in September. The Friends are also promoting a Lasting Gift program to provide the opportunity to purchase a brick, bench, or water fountain to honor or remember a special person, pet or organization.
“Lasting Gift donations for the bulletin boards, in particular, would be appreciated as they are all showing signs of wear,” she says.
The Friends will be continuing as hosts of concert series at Hatton-Regester Green in September and continue as co-host the Planet Walk on the B&A Trail with Anne Arundel Community College.
Through spring, summer and fall, they also maintain the Flowerbeds planted and tended by volunteers all along the county trails. At Christmas the Friends assist Santa on the trail, providing beverages and snacks in collaboration with the Anne Arundel County Department of Recreation and Parks.
Not to be forgotten, a small group of Trailblazers still exists to help the park rangers.
Darilyn Marinelli is delighted remind everyone to Save The Date of Sunday, September 29th when the Friends of Anne Arundel County Trail invites you to join them for the 30th Anniversary Celebration from 4 to 6 pm at Hatton-Regester Green along the B&A Trail. There will be live music from the Steel Drum Band, door prizes, drawings for a 50/50 raffle, and an outreach table from the Friends with information and items of interest. For information about the group, visit Anne Arundel County Trails | The Friends of AACo Trails (friendsofaatrails.org).
Earleigh Heights Volunteer Fire Company Carnival opens tonight, July 11
A reminder that the Earleigh Heights Volunteer Fire Company Carnival at 161 Ritchie Highway opens this evening. The Carnival runs from July 11 through July 20 (with the exception of Sunday, July 14) from 6 pm till 11 pm. This year, there are 40 attractions including rides, games and food. For more information, visit Earleigh Heights VFC (ehvfc.org).
The Around The Park Again column is brought to you this week by Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu and Tai Chi at 1195 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd. – For over two decades providing martial arts training that improves cardio-vascular health, strength and flexibility while reducing stress. Jing Ying is again bringing Tai Chi to the Severna Park Community Center.) They are also doing a summer camp.
and by Lean On Dee Senior Home Care Services at 815 Ritchie Hwy., Suite 206 – When you need someone to lean on, Lean On Dee. Their experienced team of personal care management specialists and friendly companions provide high quality consistent care.
