Calendar

Two House panels have scheduled a joint hearing on legislation legalizing same-sex marriage for next Friday at 1 p.m. The House version of the bill was introduced Wednesday, the day of Gov. Martin O'Malley's State of the State address, and referred to both the House Judiciary Committee and the House Health and Government Relations Committee. The hearing will be held on the first floor of the House office building in rooms 170 and 180. Those chambers can be joined by removing a temporary partition that separates them.

The Carroll County Calendar of Events for 2007 is available at the Visitor Center at 210 E. Main St., Westminster. The calendar lists carnivals, festivals, craft fairs, art exhibits, musical productions and other scheduled activities. The Visitor Center is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays and most holidays. Information: 410-848-1388 or 800-272-1933.

Harford County Emergency Operations Division officials will distribute copies of the 2007 Emergency Public Information Calendar to more than 95,000 homes in the county this month. Events noted in the colorful calendar are accompanied by photographs taken by 13 residents. The calendar's main goal is to provide public safety information for residents to use during man-made or natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods and chemical releases. The calendar includes checklists of things to do if residents are advised to take shelter or evacuate, and if their children are at school or a day care center.

Terrance Stowes set out to design a calendar that would teach people about famous black men and woman who were first in their fields.The result has been a calendar that not only teaches people, especially children, about historic black figures, but also spotlights the achievements of men and women long out of the limelight.Mr. Stowes left out such famous figures as Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, so he could include people like Madame C. J. Walker and Ralph Johnson Bunche."I wanted to put in people who maybe others didn't know that much about," said Mr. Stowes, a staff sergeant who lives at Fort Meade and works in the Pentagon.

Last month in Inazawa City, Japan, the Konomiya Naked Festival brought 10,000 unclothed men to the Konomiya Shrine for a ceremony to "drive out the devils."In April, 10,000 pounds of catfish will be served at the World's Biggest Fish Fry in Paris, Tenn.Such bizarre tidbits of information are included in "Tourist Events 1991," a listing of 2,500 happenings in 85 countries.Author Amy Beam, 42, is a former English teacher and school administrator. She came up with the idea for her "calendar of calendars" about two years ago after taking more than a year off from her "software-development business" to embark on an extensive journey.

The Carroll Board of Education approved yesterday the 1993-1994 school calendar with a four-day spring break surrounding Easter but no early dismissals or half days.C. Scott Stone, the board's newest member, tried to modify the calendar to allow only two days off in the spring -- Good Friday and Easter Monday.However, other board members said they felt that spring break is important to students and staff.School will begin Sept. 7 for students and end June 17.The spring break will begin March 31 and last through April 5, the Tuesday after Easter.

Tracy Hudson wanted no part in something she figured was yet another dressed-up scheme to exploit black women.Angelle Brooks balked at the idea of exposing her "chunky" hips and thighs for consumers around the country.But photographer Ken Townsend convinced all these women -- and 10 more -- that they were just what he and his partner, Brian Skyers, were looking for to grace the pages of their swimsuit calendar, "The Darker Image."And the result is a deft-enough balance of class and cheesecake to become the first black female swimsuit calendar to make it into national bookstore chains.

MOUNT WASHINGTON - In an effort to display its pupils' commitment to reading, Mount Washington Elementary School has published several hundred copies of an original calendar, "Mt. Washington Reads," featuring a reading- or author-related theme each month. The calendars, which sell for $7 each, include photographs of classes at the school accompanied by books or other props. Themes include black history in February; fairy tales in April; and the "Amelia Bedelia" children's series in May. Information: Julie Lenovitz or Eva Glasgow, 410-396-6354.

Did your middle school or high school youngster bring home a large calendar printed with community notices and tips for parents last week? That splendid aid to help keep your household organized came compliments of the Western Howard County Coalition, a group of school, church, club, police and business leaders.Your new calendar is intended as more than a family resource. It's a community resource. The Western Howard County Coalition's mission is to share information on the problems of underage drinking and substance use and to try to find and distribute solutions to very real and frightening problems.

Artwork by 13 Freedom Elementary School students appears in the Human Services Programs section of the 1997 Carroll County Calendar.The students are Josh Lapps, Jenna Keyser, Jessica Beaty, Jessica Hoffman, Jackie Rettberg, Brandon Tracey, Kristen Bleach, Matthew Hammond, Tyler Kraus, Liz Edwards, Sarah Middleton, Eric Widman and Samantha Schneeman.Josh Lapps, Lindsay Parker and Matt Davis also were winners in the Westminster City Police Department's 1996 "Safety Is Only a Click Away" contest.