Dance

A gala that drew nearly 300 guests raised almost $100,000 toward a proposed Harford County Center for the Arts. In a takeoff on a popular TV competition, the second annual Dancing for the Arts last month at Bulle Rock in Havre de Grace paired experienced dance instructors and studio owners with local officials and business leaders, many of them unpracticed in tangos, waltzes and fox trots. Organized four years ago to build a home for the arts, the nonprofit Center for the Arts group is searching for a location with about 22 acres and is raising construction money.

Tonight is a tribute to Michael Jackson's "Bad" and the show starts with pros and the troupe performing to two of the album's "monster hits" - "Smooth Criminal" and "The Way You Make Me Feel. " I wish we were getting a "Thriller? tribute instead of a "Bad" tribute, but "Bad's" the one that's turning 25 and getting a Spike Lee-directed special on this same network later this week. We're calling the remaining couples "semi-finalists. " Whatever. The first round is going to be those weirdo made-up themes/styles and the second round is going to be the Michael Jackson music.

We're at the finale already (didn't this season seem short?). I'll say it right here at the top of the episode - unless William falls repeatedly on his keister, requiring the judges to give him 5's across the board, there's no way he's not winning this thing. That being said, I'd be OK with any of the three finalists winning, even though I'm personally Team Driver. Tonight's show will have each couple dancing two dances:  1. Judge's pick, which are new routines danced to new music, but in a style the couple has previously danced and in which the judges would like to see them improve.  2. Freestyle Tomorrow night, the couples will be doing some sort of third scored dance, details about which we'll learn later.

100 Years Ago Dusty dating scene In the county social notices: "Mr. David Oland and brother of Brookeville spent several days in Frederick last week. Mrs. Perry Ensey and Miss Mary Stewart of Unity, were the guests of friends in Baltimore this week. Mr. Wade H.D. Warfield, of Sykesville, and Blanche Waterhouse, of Wheeling, were married in that city by the Rt. Rev. John J. Kain. " Mid-summer dance - " The mid-summer dance held on July 17th at the Club House was a largely attended and brilliant affair.

On behalf of the board of directors of the CEFM Network (formerly Catonsville Emergency Food Ministries), I would like to thank the attendees of the Loverde Family Community Fund dance that was held at the Community College of Baltimore County-Catonsville on Oct. 27. The guests donated almost 1,000 pounds of non-perishable food, which will be distributed over the holidays to needy families in our community. I would also like to thank fraternity members of Lambda Chi Alpha for their assistance in collecting the food at the dance and selling 50/50 tickets.

They came, they saw, they danced and -- amazingly -- no one was arrested. No one was choked. No one was slammed to the ground or struck in the face.  Saturday at the Thomas Jefferson Memorial in Washington D.C., protesters led by Russia Today show host Adam Kokesh (a former U.S. Marine and Iraq war vet) danced (rather poorly, I'll add) around the monument while police watched with no show of force. After letting the protesters dance for a significant amount of time, the officers closed the memorial and escorted protesters out peacefully -- without arrests or violence of any kind.

It is hard to believe that the 66th annual Catonsville parade and fireworks will occur in 160 days. The Catonsville Fourth of July Committee is tasked with raising $100,000 between now and July 4. Once again, we are calling on all Catonsville residents to assist us with fundraising. A great way to help and have fun is to buy tickets for the yearly Dance for the Fourth, which will be held Saturday, March 3, from 8 p.m. to midnight at the Catonsville Armory. Playing old favorites and contemporary music, Appaloosa, will provide fabulous tunes for dancing.

The Baltimore County school board is expected to vote to approve S. Dallas Dance, a Houston school administrator, as its next superintendent at a special meeting Tuesday, April 10 at 6 p.m. in the school board offices on Charles Street. Dance will be at the meeting, which will be open to the public. The school board announced Tuesday that it had selected Dance, who has been a middle schools officer in Houston since 2010, as superintendent after a closed search. He will replace Joe A. Hairston, who will be leaving July 1 after 12 years.

Baltimore County Public Schools Superintendent  S. Dallas Dance  last week set his expectations for "Team BCPS" - calling on educators to working together with parents, students and the community to make the county school system the best in the nation. On Aug. 17, Dance's back-to-school address at Loch Raven High School marked the traditional start of the new school year for nearly 700 principals, assistant principals, office heads and administrators. "In the next two to five years, the improvements to this school system will be because of the people in this room right now," said Dance, who took over the school system in June from retiring Superintendent Joe Hairston.