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
As the holiday season moves into full swing, budget concerns are an issue for most families. In a national survey conducted by Ziff Davis Shopping, 50% of respondents indicated they are still concerned about rising prices, while 39% said budget constraints will likely add to their holiday stress.
Fortunately, the greater Severna Park area offers many opportunities to find affordable gifts – from local retailers’ Black Friday sales to a slew of church holiday bazaars about to begin. Probably the best known of the latter is the Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church Holiday Bazaar that has been held for nearly eight decades and is something of a neighborhood tradition. This year’s Bazaar is being held next Saturday, November 23rd, from 9 am till 1 pm. As always, the community is invited.
Hosted by the church’s Mission Ministry, the bazaar will delight holiday shoppers with a wide range of handmade knitted items, quilts from the renowned Woods Quilters, homemade baked goods, sweets and candy and, of course, a White Elephant Sale. There will be jewelry, books and children’s books, walnuts and pecans and an abundance holiday greens and arrangements.
When we arrived at the church library last Thursday to meet with bazaar committee co-chairs Beth Hadley and Pam Blumenthal, donations for the event were already coming in. Several items representative of the Woods Quilters donations were displayed on a table in the church library (as seen in the photo above).
Collectibles donated for the bazaar included several vintage lamps like the one on the table and several paintings by the late Nancy Lou Saarlas, a church member and well-known artist who led the creation of the Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church Art Gallery.
“One of the things we want to emphasize this year is that we are turning the entire main hallway into an area that is fun for young families with children,” Hadley said. “We’ve always held our Secret Santa Shop in the library where kids can economically shop for gifts for their parents on their own. This time we’re expanding holiday activities beyond it with a storyteller midway down the hall and Santa waiting at the end.”
Blumenthal added that there will be a big jar full of candy there that is the focus of a contest. The kids must guess how many pieces of candy the jar contains with a first, second and third place prize awarded to the children closest to the mark. The hallway will also be the location for a stand selling lemon-peppermint sticks.
Other popular traditions include the Woods Knitters table with their much sought after knit hats and the bazaar’s famous candy table. In fact, according to Hadley and Blumenthal, candy making was already underway with church member Karen Royer heading the volunteers who were preparing batches and batches of fudge and Buckeyes.
Equally beloved is Woods’ tradition of serving lunch which will begin this year at 10:30 am. They’ll be serving homemade chicken noodle soup, hot dogs, vegetarian Chili and church members’ all-time favorite chicken salad made by “renowned chicken salad chef” Carolyn.
For the first time, homemade jams will be for sale. They were donated by a church member who made 61 jars of jam in a variety of flavors. There is much more, including a Silent Auction for which there has been a donation of a Lionel Train Set. Blumenthal notes that this year, in addition to regular items, the Silent Auction will have gift cards to bid on.
For more information about the 2024 Holiday Bazaar, visit Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church (woodschurch.org).
CottonWood in the Park debuts in time for the holidays
It’s likely that no one is happier about the opening of Julie and D.J. Antinucci’s CottonWood in the Park than members of the Woods Quilters group mentioned above…but we love it too.
We’d first discovered Julie, D.J. and CottonWood in the Park when we came across their table at the Greater Severna Park & Arnold Chamber of Commerce SHOPTOBERFEST at Park Plaza. The lettering on the van noted that CottonWood was a Quilting, Arts and Antique shop.
That brief encounter whetted our appetite to visit the store which we discovered was located off Benfield Road next to the Szechuan Inn. Imagine our surprise when we walked up to the shop, walked through the door to meet Julie and discovered an absolute treasure trove of colorful fabrics, antique quilts and vintage and antique furnishings.
Before having Antinucci show us around the shop, we sat down with her for a chat. We asked her if CottonWood in the Park was the outgrowth of a previous business or a brand new idea.
“It’s something brand new that my husband D.J. and I had been thinking about for a long time,” she said. “We met at Severna Park High School and started dating when I was fourteen years old. His parents were antiquers. We were very close to his parents from the moment we started dating so we went antiquing with them every weekend as we were, literally, growing up. That’s how the antiquing aspect of what we’re doing came about.”
She added that later, when she had her first child, her best friend’s mother Nancy Wiswall taught her how to quilt. Quilting quickly became a passion for her.
“Through the 25 years since we were married, we’d often thought about the concept of an antique/quilt shop…. and then JoAnn’s at Park Plaza closed,” Antinucci said. “We thought, ‘What else will the community need? Craft and art supplies?’ We paused for a few moments to think about it, then said, ‘Let’s do it!’ and put things into high gear.”
The couple and been collecting antiques and quilts over all those years but when they decided to open the store, they started to “really collect”. They began with one storage unit, quickly filled a second and then another until they had their space at 548 Benfield Road. They now have over 300 antique quilts and great Early American and mid-century modern antique furniture.
Asked if it was easy to acquire those quilts, Antinucci said when they are looking for antiques, they are also looking for antique quilts.
“We find them at auctions, we find them at stores, and we also bought the collections of two Maryland quilters,” she said. “Some of those in the collections are vintage and some are antiques. Vintage quilts are 50 to 100 years old while antique quilts are over 100 years old.”
As we walked through the store, she pointed out different sections and items she really loves starting with a children’s area featuring antique toys and a newly arrived handmade doll house by a local craftsperson.
The antique toys are fascinating to both the young and the young at heart. 
Though new, this dollhouse built by a local craftsperson fits right in.
One part of CottonWood in the Park is dedicated to mid-century modern items including a lot of vintage Pyrex dishes and an aqua blue chair perched on a table and surrounded by artwork and quilts.
In the same area of the store, Antinucci pointed to some cool vintage jewelry and several collections of pins. One of the collections featured pins from Elvis and Beetles concerts. Others were from the concerts of other popular musical groups from the same era.
A favorite antique, a Danish chest built in 1816, is the oldest piece the Antinucci’s currently have in the store. There were also a couple of handsome China cabinets which are back in vogue now and other fine pieces. However, CottonWood in the Park has a decidedly practical side too.
Though located off the beaten track, the couple is certain that Severna Park residents who quilt or sew or craft will find CottonWood since they carry every item one might need. From fabrics to arts and craft supplies to embroidery threads and knitting yarn, they have everything.
A nice selection of arts and crafts supplies…. 
….and embroidery threads in a rainbow of color.
Walls of fabrics plus fabric and quilt batting are available and employees like Kelsea Schwemer are happy to help customers. There is also a Makers Table where Jennifer and Megan McCaskey were busy with craft projects. The table is available for others who want to work on a craft, sewing or quilting project.
Kelsey Schwemer measures and cuts a bolt of fabric for a customer. 
Jennifer (left) and Megan McCaskey at the Makers Table completing a project.
There is so much more to see, but the last thing we saw that impressed us is the classroom at Cottonwood in the Park with tables and chairs and sewing machines where quilting classes will be held.
Whether you are looking for a unique holiday gift, or like Wood Quilter Liz Pringle, miss running to JoAnn’s at Park Plaza nearly every day for an item you need, check out CottonWood in the Park. You can follow them on their Facebook page at Facebook.
Annual Community Tree Lighting at the Chamber happening December 6
The Greater Severna Park & Arnold Chamber of Commerce has announced that Severna Park’s annual Community Tree Lighting will take place on Friday, December 6, from 5 to 6:30 pm. See performances by Creative Force Dance Center dancers, the Severna Park Elementary School Chorus, the Edge Dance Complex dancers and the Severna Park High School Jazz Band. There will be cookies, hot cocoa, and ice cream to enjoy and Santa and the Grinch will be on hand too. The Severna Park Model Train Club will be open next door and, not only will the Chamber tree be lit but the historic towering tree nearby will be lit as well, courtesy of Maryland Lighting and Sprinklers.
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.)
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.
