Howard Life - June 2008-September 2008 - (Page 34)

Pink Power! Blossoms of Hope: The Howard County crafts, good food, music, and, of course, sheep, this is the place for you! This FREE event (which welcomes 55,000 weekend guests) includes 250 vendors, opportunities to watch sheep shearing and sheep dogs herding, and the “Sheep to Shawl” contest. So gather your knitting-circle gal pals and travel to the Howard County Fairgrounds for this “purl” of a festival! Many Howard County hotels offer festival packages, including “Wool Over Ewe Eyes” at Turf Valley, “Count Your Sheep” at Belmont, and “Close Knit Getaways” at the Courtyard by Marriott. Renew Your Spirit Visit Bon Secours Spiritual Center in Marriottsville to enjoy the Peace Garden and walk the labyrinth, the focal point of a one-acre "sacred space" set aside to commemorate the 175th anniversary of the founding of the Congregation of Bon Secours of Paris, a religious order of help to those in need." Benches scattered throughout the area provide places for rest and reflection as you prepare to enter the labyrinth and quiet after the experience. Another place to recharge and reflect, the Tai Sophia Institute in Laurel has grown from a small healing-arts clinic into a preeminent academic institution for the wellness-based integration of Eastern and Western thinking. It is a resource for the general public, providing community and continuing-education programs and clinical services. The institute is also a meeting place and houses a bookstore, library, meditation areas, and herb gardens. Kenneth Losurdo, Jr. U Cherry Tree Project beautifies Howard County, promotes wellness, creates tourism opportunities, and improves the lives of those coping with cancer. During the trees' blossoming season in April and May, special activities are planned to create awareness for the project and celebrate the trees. Over 1,275 new trees are now blossoming across Howard County, and over $50,000 has been contributed to the Howard Hospital Foundation’s Claudia Mayer Cancer Resource Center. The Comcast CHERRYBRATION, a new spring festival that celebrates the blossoming of the trees, premiered in 2007 to further promote the important role that nature and outdoor activity play in individual wellness. Pink Plate Specials—where local restaurants band together to raise funds for breast cancer— debuted in April 2008, and next spring, we’ll welcome the inaugural TriColumbia Blossoms of Hope Half Marathon. This event will center around Merriweather Post Pavilion and feature a music-and-wellness festival. The racecourse will loop through Howard County’s best sights and include, of course, stunning views of its pink cherry trees! Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival region’s most unique home-design and arts retail center. The historic complex of buildings, with over 175,000 square feet of commercial space, is now home to major collector-quality antique centers, homefurnishing stores, craft galleries, artist studios, and specialty shops. You can learn how to make crafts; take dancing and yoga classes; enjoy a massage; learn to restore old photographs; repair your grandfather clock; get fitted for designer glasses; or have a beautiful custom gown made just for you. Great history, outdoor-deck dining at Rams Head Tavern, home and garden design ideas, eclectic merchants, resident artists, family games, a French bakery, and, aaahhhh, massage—it's all here for you. Champagne Hot Air Balloon Flights women whose mission is to provide "good The Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival, the first full weekend in May, is the largest festival of its kind in the U.S., featuring over 1,000 sheep! If you love knitting, fabric arts, 34 howardLIFE Historic Savage Mill Your girlfriends will thank you for discovering this dazzling 19th-century textile mill listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and together you’ll explore this retail destination’s darling shops and more. Savage Mill has been lovingly restored and adapted to become the Imagine: As the dew-covered meadow shrinks away, the panorama of the earth becomes a breathtaking view of beauty and life. You have just taken off on a wondrous flight of fancy and are floating silently on the soft breezes. Let Friendship Hot Air Balloon Company host your balloon flight as you relax and enjoy the scenery with your best girlfriends! Their champagne flights take place over beautiful Howard County either at sunrise or three hours before sunset. This year, in celebration of the Preakness, Turf Valley (which again hosted the annual Preakness Balloon Glow) has special Hot Air Balloon packages. After your balloon flight, you and the girls can get away to the newly renovated Spa at Turf Valley Resort, which has an array of lush treatments guaranteed to leave you feeling refreshed and relaxed! continued on page 39 Kenneth Losurdo, Jr.

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Howard Life - June 2008-September 2008

Howard Life - June 2008-September 2008 Contents Important Numbers Welcome to Howard County, Maryland Join Howard County Tourism The Good Life Events Clark’s Elioak Farm: Home of the Enchanted Forest Farms Merriweather Post Pavilion Ghost Tours Howard County’s Famous Firsts History Resources Volunteerism Getaways: Trips for the Guys and the Girls Golf Resources Spas and Wellness Resources Recreation Resources Howard County Map Ellicott City Walking Tour Savage Mill Artists Art and Music Resources Dining Profiles: Aida Bistro, Jordan’s Steakhouse, and Tersiguel’s Dining Resources Shopping Shopping Resources For the Event Planner Where to Stay Relocation Resources Business and Service Listings

Howard Life - June 2008-September 2008

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