Mother Nature—with Hurricane Irene's assistance—apparently pruned the Lower Back River Neck Peninsula during the 2011 storms. As a result, the remnants of Hurricane Sandy appear to have done very little damage. There were just a few trees down, a huge change from the dozens that came down and knocked power out for a week following Irene. On the other hand, a few roads were flooded, but not all the usual places. Holly Neck Peninsula Thankfully, this wooded neighborhood had minimal damage compared to what residents experienced during both Isabel and Irene. Marsh Road (Cedar Beach) was overrun …

As Hurricane Sandy continued its slow jaunt into the eastern seaboard Monday, people could still be seen heading for their favorite stores over the weekend. Shopping carts at many stores showed the usual bread, milk, eggs and toilet paper. Many had enough snacks to host a Super Bowl party! But there were carts at other stores piled high with flashlights, batteries, extension cords, candles and lighters. Some stores were prominently displaying charcoal as a hot sales item for people willing and able to cook on a charcoal grill when the power goes out. Dollar stores, as well as Walmarts, had …

The “Frankenstorm” known as Hurricane Sandy is forecast to hit near the Maryland coast and impact the Baltimore area. Will it be devastating? Will we lose power for up to a week or more? Will residents fare well in the wake of the storm? Are residents ignoring the warnings with the hope the storm will pass to the north? Expecting to see the grocery stores overflowing with customers, I decided to check out the frenzy! I was surprised to find very few customers at the Food Lion on Hyde Park Road. I was told I had missed the rush, but there were only two check-out lines open—so no big rush there…

Tomorrow’s actors are on display now as The Children’s Playhouse of Maryland continues its fall season Saturday and Sunday with Meredith Willson's "The Music Man Jr.” at CCBC Essex. The production features 46 student actors from across the region, including Baltimore City and Baltimore, Anne Arundel and Harford counties. Dundalk resident James Ruth stars as Harold Hill while Towson’s Allison Comotto co-stars as Marian Paroo. "The Music Man, Jr." is the story of Harold Hill, a con man who poses as an organizer for children's bands and convinces those in an Iowa town to invest in instruments. …

The Chesapeake Gateway Chamber of Commerce recently donated $1,000 to Baltimore County Public Schools. The funds were presented to schools Superintendent Joe Hairston to assist homeless students in Baltimore County. In addition, two chamber members, Costco Wholesale and the Community College of Baltimore County, contributed book bags and school supplies. Our Lady of Mount Carmel Gets New Seminarians Our Lady of Mount Carmel (OLMC) is proud to welcome to the parish four seminarians. These young men will be receiving their training at St. Mary's Seminary throughout this school year.  They will …

Between the recent earthquake and Hurricane Irene, many in the Essex-Middle River area are looking for a positive distraction. For many people that distraction is the NFL season, which for the Baltimore Ravens begins at 1 p.m. Sunday when they host the Pittsburgh Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium. The upcoming season was the topic of conversation last Tuesday for the members of Ravens Nest 8. The Nest members held their monthly meeting at Bill Bateman’s Express in Middle River, hosting WNST 1570 sports talk show host Drew Forrester as the special guest. Forrester hosts the morning show “Morning …

Mother Nature has wreaked havoc all across Maryland this week.  The storms crossing Baltimore have produced a great deal of damage—flooding roadways, knocking out power and tearing down trees. Unfortunately, the heavy downpours also wash litter, debris and trees into the waterways. The Back River Restoration Committee (BRRC) staff and volunteers worked diligently throughout the week to remove trash, sticks, limbs and whole trees from the river as they accumulated along the trash boom.  The boom, when properly in place, prevents much of the litter and other debris from washing into and …

On a hazy, humid Sunday morning, several hundred people converged at Rocky Point Beach to support the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. The annual PurpleSwim event was founded by Tim Beatty in honor of his father, Bud Beatty, who was an avid swimmer, swim coach and all-around community supporter. Bud lost his battle with pancreatic cancer several years ago. In 2008, Tim decided to swim from Rocky Point Beach to Hart-Miller Island and back. His plan was to raise a couple hundred dollars for pancreatic cancer research. Beatty and four friends made the swim and raised nearly $8,000. In 2009, 100…

The Back River watershed turned into a classroom last week for more than 30 teachers from across the country, who visited the area to learn about the cleanup efforts there with hopes of incorporating what they saw into their curriculum. Dale Bergerhofer, a Kansas School Designer with Expeditionary Learning (EL), was leader of the group of math and science teachers that visited the trash boom currently in place along Back River at Diamond Point. Bergerhofer said the program is part of the movement for a national school reform model. “The area is rich in environmental and aquatic lessons these …

With family and guests in attendance, the 88th annual Knights of Columbus' formal induction of officers took place in Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church.   The new officers include: Michael Mank, Grand Knight; Gary Heil, Deputy Grand Knight; Msgr. Robert Hartnett, Association Chaplain; Frank Schwarzman, Warden; Rick Fiorita, Chancellor. Also during the ceremony, Herb Kraft Jr. was sworn in as the new District 28 representative. “The Knights have always been a beacon of light in Essex-Middle River,” said State Secretary of the Knights of Columbus Bill Kuchmas. Kuchmas also pointed out that the …

Over the past several weeks, lots of graduation parties have taken place, as well as a few reunions to celebrate graduation milestones. There was one particularly unique reunion at the Golden Corral on Rossville Blvd. last week. Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish has been in the community for 124 years. For the last 51 years, the parish has incorporated a school for grades kindergarten through 12. And many alumni have celebrated reunions along the way.  Prior to the high school being built, students at Mount Carmel celebrated graduating from the eighth grade before they went their separate ways …

Cassandra Umoh is a dedicated local community leader who has made it her life's work to improve the lives of those in and around the Essex-Middle River community. As a member of the National Association of Commissions for Women (NACW), Umoh serves as a local commissioner on the Baltimore County Commission for Women. The NACW members receive information concerning leadership, new programs and services that impact local communities. In June, the NACW held its annual meeting in Washington, D.C. Umoh was honored to be a representative from Baltimore County. It was also her privilege to be present…

Local Turkey Point resident Christopher Mundy put his scout training into action on Oct. 9, 2010, when his cousin was choking.  Performing the Heimlich maneuver on his cousin was a real act of heroism. Now age 11, Mundy was awarded the Arrow of Light and advanced to Scout status within Boy Scout Troop 355. During the Baltimore Area Council's annual meeting on June 16, Mundy received the Heroism Award for his quick thinking and proper lifesaving action in October. Mundy used a skill he had learned during training for his Webelos Readyman Activity Badge for first aid.  Boy Scout Troop 355 is …

As an eight-time cancer survivor, I have made it a mission to help others fighting the same fight I have for 34 years. Here are just a few stops I made over the weekend "around town" to events that benefited the fight against cancer.  Relay for Life Relay for Life was once again a big success at CCBC Essex. Through the end of the day Monday, the event raised $90,061.89 for the American Cancer Society. The event’s organizers have set a goal of raising $95,000 and are asking the public to help make that dream a reality. As usual, Relay for Life brought all segments of the population together …

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is continuing to keep the public involved as it develops cleanup and redevelopment plans for the  68th Street Landfill in Rosedale.  The project’s team held an information session at the Rosedale Library on May 23.  Local residents were invited to review property charts, reuse proposals, identified environmental impact statements and general cleanup needs of the landfill and surrounding waterways.  Throughout the presentations, project staff and partners were on hand to answer questions and provide details of each facet of the cleanup process. Public …

The St. Baldrick's Foundation has a legion of volunteers. It is committed to funding research to find cures for childhood cancers. Its goal is to give survivors long and healthy lives. It’s working to “conquer kids' cancers.” Each March a fundraiser is held in our area to help fund research grants. Several doctors at the Johns Hopkins Hospital are recipients of funds that support promising research. At this year’s March 6 fundraiser at Martin’s East, Dr. Eric Raaber, a third-year grant recipient, was the guest speaker. His research focuses on children’s brain tumors.  The name “Baldricks” …

It was another very busy week in the Essex Middle River area! There are so many people doing so many interesting things!  Here are a few highlights around town: Bevins Communicates with Local Community Groups Last Monday night, District 6 Councilwoman Cathy Bevins was the guest speaker at the Holly Neck Conservation Association monthly meeting. Bevins answered numerous questions posed by the local residents of the lower Back River Neck Peninsula.  Representatives from several other community associations also attended the meeting, including Back River Neck Peninsula Community Association as …

Being in the second grade can be very interesting and exciting. This is especially true when a reading class works for several months with teaching intern, Ms. White (Stevenson University) to improve their writing skills and to increase their vocabulary. The goal for this particular group of students in Ms. Cathy Dietz’s class was to create their own book.  After learning to write with different types of sentences using descriptions, quotations, and correct punctuation along with other writing skills, each student accomplished their goal to create their own book including the book covers. In …

Sometimes life moves fast and furious with too many events happening without enough time to attend them all! My calendar is evidence to this since May arrived. Here’s a look at my latest observations from “around town.” Young Artists on Display in Essex Library There is some fabulous artwork on the walls of the Essex Library's youth area. Through the efforts of some very special students from Holabird Middle School, the library is now the proud recipient of these posters. The library is looking forward to an exciting working relationship with these young folks. Their art “exhibit” will be on …

April is coming to an end. And as you may know, April is “Volunteer Appreciation Month.” Throughout the last week of the month an even more special emphasis is placed on honoring volunteers for “Volunteer Appreciation Week.” Throughout our area, there are many different venues for residents to donate their time. Some of the “Top Places to Volunteer in Essex, Middle River” were identified in my December 29, 2010 column. However, one of the largest homes to a cadre of volunteers is our local hospital, Franklin Square Hospital Center. In 2010, the hospital benefited from 75,000 volunteer hours …