Amy Bejm, band director of West Friendship Elementary School, would like to congratulate her WFES Band Musicians of the Month. Students earn recognition by demonstrating superior musicianship and outstanding attitudes. Bejm's October Musicians of the Month are Hunter Cestone, Megan Plummer, Brent Wade, Alexandra Pickett, Jake Polinsky, Cade Buch, Niklas Schnake and Samie Costa. Kudos to these kids for setting a great example!

Have you ever dreamed of establishing a small farm? The Maryland Cooperative Extension can help you realize your goal through its two-part short course series, "Beginning a Successful Small Farm Operation." The program has earned national recognition for its innovation and effectiveness and now appears for the first time in Howard County.

Part I of the series, a six-week, 12-hour course, begins this fall. (Part II takes place in the spring). Topics include "Finding the Perfect Farm Enterprise/Marketing What You Produce," "Basics of Soil and Plant Fertility," "Review of Pasture Weeds," "Cover Crops/Field and Forage Crops on Small Farms," "Developing a Pasture System" and Pasture System Management/Hay Evaluation.

The program not only teaches the basics of farming, it also provides a means of networking with others who share similar interests.

Instructor Terry Poole will teach the course from 7-9 p.m. Nov. 6 and 20 and 25 and on Dec. 4, 11 and 18.

All sessions will take place at the Howard County Extension Office, located at 3525-L Ellicott Mills Drive, Ellicott City, MD 21043. Registration is free, and space is limited. For more information, contact either the Howard County Extension Office at 410-313-2707 or Poole at 301-600-3577.

On Oct. 6, you can enjoy a day of golf while supporting a terrific cause at the 18th annual Verizon Wireless SIDS Golf Invitational. This year's event begins with an 11 a.m. shotgun start at Turf Valley Country Club, in Ellicott City, and concludes with a 4:30 p.m. reception and program presented by emcee Alex Cortright, from radio station WRNR-FM 103.1, in Annapolis.

The evening includes live and silent auctions, music, and golfing awards. All proceeds help fund the Center for Infant and Child Loss in Baltimore.

The honorary tournament chairwoman is Brenda Frese, the head coach of the University of Maryland women's basketball team, who hopes to raise awareness of and support for The Center for Infant and Child Loss.

As a new mother herself, Brenda understands the anxiety parents feel about the health and safety of their children. Every year, hundreds of Maryland families experience the abrupt, tragic loss of a child through Sudden Infant Death Syndrome or an accident.

The Center for Infant & Child Loss provides these bereaved families with counseling and support, facilitates research into SIDS, offers risk reduction training, and educates the community about infant and child loss.

To register for the golf tournament or donate money to this worthy cause, call the center at 410-706-3091 or 800-808-7437, or go to www.infantandchildloss.org.

Pssssst......want in on a secret? You can find much of my neighborhood information online before it appears in print at www.explorehoward.com.

Scroll down to the section labeled "updated blogs" and then select Marriottsville/Sykesville/Woodstock from the menu. Many of the online articles contain photos; additionally, you can comment on the entries. Check out the site and let me know what you think.

Last week, a comment about Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin appeared in an item I wrote about the Sisney family's vacation to Honduras. It was an ill-fated attempt at humor by my editor and I would like to assure my readers that I did not write the comment and that I do not include political commentary in my column.

user comments (0)