Celebration

Plans are taking shape for an expansive celebration of Columbia's 40th anniversary this summer with 40 days of activities that will include a new three-day celebration at the Town Center lakefront. The Columbia 40th Birthday Celebration Task Force has hired consultants to organize a City Fair, which will be sponsored by the Columbia Association from June 29 through July 1, said Barbara L. Russell, a Columbia Association board member from Oakland Mills and chairwoman of the task force. After considering several candidates, the committee chose TPC: The Party Connoisseur, an event-planning company in Bowie, and Signature Space LLC, a project management company in Silver Spring, which submitted a joint proposal.

In their fourth year of attracting suburbanites to the country with friendly animals, farm machinery, fresh air and family fun, organizers of Howard County's Farm/City Celebration are adding a focus on healthy living to this year's two-week schedule of events. New attractions include a family walk at Clark's Elioak Farm in Ellicott City, sponsored by the county Health Department; a Walk in the Woods at Bon Secours Spiritual Center in Marriottsville; and a program at the Glenwood library for adults to learn about rain gardens.

Annapolis' scaled-back New Year's Eve celebration tomorrow night will still have live music, hours of children's activities and the fireworks display over Spa Creek. But it won't have its well-known name, excessive lines to attend indoor events or those ubiquitous admission buttons that cost up to $22. The local nonprofit that ran First Night Annapolis since 1990 disbanded this fall after years of failing to break even financially and of being unable to raise enough money to put on the giant celebration of the arts, which included up to 50 sites across downtown and cost upward of $300,000.

In September, Habakkuk Music, a Christian gospel label, was launched with the release of its first artist, Jessica Greene of Baltimore. Her CD, 4 the World, includes lyrics that make you think and have your head bobbing at the same time. Her contemporary gospel-music album deals with weighty issues such as premarital pregnancy, molestation and the promises of God. For example, one of the tracks on the CD is "Searching," which is about looking for love, but in all the wrong places. "It's about dealing with issues as they are. I know that God is good.

Miami -- In the midst of the biggest party week this side of Mardi Gras, the city of Miami is planning a celebration of a very different kind that could take place at just about any time. The Miami Herald reported in yesterday's editions that a committee sponsored by the city has begun planning an event at the Orange Bowl to coincide with the death of gravely ill Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. The Cuban exile community has been waiting a long time for the end of Castro's rule, so it's fair to assume that the day he dies, thousands of Cuban-Americans will take to the streets in a spontaneous display of joy and relief.

On June 22, 1967, The Sun reported the official dedication of Wilde Lake: "Rarely have so many dignitaries seemed so enthusiastic about walking through mud or standing under a hot sun while a flock of ducks was mercilessly maneuvered into position by sailboats for a dramatic gush of water jets." At the event, Columbia founder James W. Rouse called the dedication "truly a beginning, a peek under the tent. It is the removal of the guards from the gate for the first time." Forty years later, residents of Wile Lake village - named along with the lake for the president of the insurance company that provided Rouse with $25 million in financial backing - are proud of its status as the starting point for the planned community.

Amid a sea of black and gold banners in the War Memorial Plaza, Mayor-elect Martin O'Malley will become the city's 47th mayor today in an inauguration ceremony celebrating the diversity of the city's neighborhoods.Nearly 2,000 people are expected to attend the noon ceremony, at which ethnic dance troupes and groups playing Irish, Big Band and gospel music fill the Plaza with the sounds of the city.In the evening, more than 3,000 people are expected to attend a 7 to 10 p.m. celebration at the Baltimore Convention Center, where musical groups such as the Grammy Award-winning Neville Brothers and 70 city restaurants will provide food and entertainment.

With the city election over, Mayor-elect Martin O'Malley says it's time to party.The northeast city councilman, who bested 27 candidates to succeed Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke next month, will be throwing two huge parties over the next two weeks.The first will take place tonight in Lexington Market for O'Malley campaign supporters.As many as 2,500 O'Malley backers are expected to attend the invitation-only event being billed as: "Giving Thanks: A Celebration of Community."The affair will include international food stations, and supporters will be given $10 in vouchers to purchase goods.

Forget threats of terrorist attacks.Computer glitches? Power outages? Who cares?Despite all the Y2K warnings, Baltimoreans had one thing on their minds yesterday: ringing in the new year with big food, big bands and big fun.Hundreds of thousands are expected at such events as Baltimore's New Year's Eve Millennium Celebration at the Inner Harbor, First Night Annapolis 2000 and a decoy duck drop in Havre de Grace. Others will stay home to party with relatives and close friends."We're planning a progressive New Year's Eve party with our neighbors," said Julie Squire, who was stuffing an armful of helium-filled balloons from Party City on York Road into the back of her car."

JuneteenthA celebration of the Emancipation Proclamation takes place Saturday at St. Mary's Park in Baltimore. The freeing of slaves during the Civil War is marked each year as Juneteenth. This year's celebration of that momentous event offers historical lectures, a Paul Robeson exhibit, limited-edition prints by Tom Miller, artifacts, quilting seminars, hand dancing, gospel, blues and jazz and lots of food.The Juneteenth celebration is 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday at St. Mary's Park, 606 N. Paca St. at Druid Hill Avenue.

Candy, costumed witches and goblins, and even the word Halloween have been missing from many of the Howard County schools' celebrations this past week. The goons, goblins, witches and devils that have long been associated with Halloween celebrations are slowly becoming less commonplace. Instead, schools are following the suggestions of central office administrators and more kids are coming to school in doctor's scrubs and tool belts for career days or dressed as popular storybook characters.

Gertrude P. "Trudy" Vanderbilt Private services were held Wednesday, July 8, in Parishville, NY. Arrangements for a celebration of her life are incomplete at this time.

Howard County is planning a slightly shorter Fourth of July celebration at Columbia's lakefront this year. The celebration will officially begin at 5 p.m. rather than 2 p.m. to help save money, though the $60,000 menu of entertainment and fireworks is going forward, mostly at county government expense. County Executive Ken Ulman said he and his staff discussed whether to make larger cuts this year due to the recession, but rejected the idea. "It's the Fourth of July. It's important for the county.

The fifth Howard County Farm-City celebration includes opportunities to pick pumpkins, pet animals and peer at farm equipment, all intended to give city dwellers a way to better understand farm life. "It's about educating the public about the importance of farms to their lives, to their health and to the environment," said Kathy Zimmerman, agricultural marketing specialist for the Howard County Economic Development Authority. "We want people to see the importance of having farms in the community."

A 50th anniversary celebration honoring the 1958 Baltimore Colts NFL championship team will be held Saturday, Dec. 27, at M&T Bank Stadium, organizers announced yesterday. Tickets will go on sale in October. Most of the 18 surviving Colts are expected to attend, along with members of the New York Giants, who fell to Baltimore, 23-17, in overtime. That game, played in New York on Dec. 28, 1958, is considered to have launched the NFL toward becoming America's most popular sport. "Nostalgia for the old Colts is still very heavy, but this is more than just a Baltimore event," said Dorsey Baldwin, co-chairman of the 50th Anniversary Greatest Game Ever Played Committee.

With a decades-long stretch of private sponsorship now at an end, the county government is taking over operation of this year's Fourth of July celebration in Columbia, and officials are promising an "upgraded, choreographed fireworks display." And officials expect the cost of the event to rise. The bill likely will be $100,000, county officials said, though five private sponsors have pledged a total of about $15,000 in donations, and government will recoup some expenses from vendors' fees, and sales of merchandise and water.

John "JC" Michel, Jr A celebration of JC's life will be held the weekend of May 24th at 45 N, River Wilderness Rd., Del Ray, WVa. 26717. Family and friends are invited to come Friday, with their own sleeping accommodations. The celebration will be held on Saturday, May 24, 2008. It was his request that memorial donations be made to the Hampshire County Food Pantry, 49 N. High Street, Romney, WV 26757

MAY BROADWAY'S BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION -- 1325 Celebrity Circle, Myrtle Beach / 843-444-3200 or broad wayatthebeach.com. 10 a.m.-10 p.m. May 30-31 and June 1. Live music, street entertainers, mascot appearances. Free cake and balloons May 31. JUNE SUN FUN FESTIVAL -- Various locations throughout Myrtle Beach / 843-626-7444 or sunfunfestival.com. June 5-9. Kids' activities, a beauty pageant, volleyball competition, fireworks, live music, arts and crafts and food vendors and more. Times vary.

The Bain Center, 5470 Ruth Keeton Way, has been celebrating its 25 years of service to Howard County senior citizens with 12 days of events. The center, which serves about 150 seniors each day, opened its doors in the Harper's Choice Village Center in 1983 as the Florence Bain Senior Center, welcoming about 25 seniors daily. A wine tasting, the culmination of the month's celebration, is planned from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday. Daniel Wecker of The Elkridge Furnace Inn will present white varietals and light hors d'oeuvres.

Fumiko Campbell of Baltimore celebrated a Japanese holiday for girls yesterday called Hina Matsuri (Girls' Day). The celebration, designed to wish girls future happiness, involves the display of ceremonial dolls. Her celebration has taken on new meaning in recent years with the birth of a granddaughter.