Department Of Recreation

Dog lovers admit to sometimes doing crazy things in the name of love - baking their own homemade canine biscuits, dressing their pets in costumes and occasionally even serenading them. So when they arrived at a pool party for dogs yesterday at the Roger Carter Recreation Center pool in Ellicott City, they didn't hesitate to jump right in with their pooches. "He's like our child," said Vince Pasko, a financier from Woodstock, as he tried to coax his Australian shepherd, Kia, to jump off the diving board by whispering encouragement: "You can do it. Come on, Kia."

Tina Whaley Parker, a longtime city Department of Recreation and Parks employee, died Aug. 5 of cancer at her Ashburton residence. She was 82. Mrs. Parker, daughter a farmer/businessman and a homemaker, was born and raised in Orangeburg, S.C. She graduated from Wilkinson High School in 1946 and earned her bachelor's degree in sociology in 1950 from what is now Morgan State University in Baltimore. Upon her graduation, she married Charles T. Parker III, who worked as a city housing manager, and began her career with Baltimore's Department of Recreation and Parks at the Fairfield Center as a part-time recreation leader.

It might not be as impressive as the labyrinth at Cnossus, but the 6.7-acre maze cut out of a 10-acre cornfield in Glenwood in vTC Howard County is considerably more cheerful than the underground paths that led so many to their doom at the hands of the mythical Minotaur in ancient Crete.Here, children run between the cornrows, and the atmosphere is downright festive."This way or that way?""Are you sure?"A birthday party troops past."We're just doing this for fun," a mother says. "Careful of the people, please!"

Shiretta Henderson can step outside her front door and see the front door of what used to be Rosemont Police Athletic League Center in West Baltimore. Her children, ages 16, 9 and 5, used to head over there and play, do their homework and get an after-school snack. They knew the two police officers assigned there by their first names. The signs are still there, but the doors are locked, permanently, and on Monday the mother of three guarded her front door to make sure her children stayed inside.

Football summit -- Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks, in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association and USA Football, will hold the first Howard County Youth Football Summit. County Executive Ken Ulman will be on hand to discuss youth football in Howard County with coaches, parents, program administrators and players. Originally scheduled for March 7, the summit was postponed because of inclement weather. It will be held at 6:30 p.m. April 9 at the Department of Recreation and Parks Headquarters, 7120 Oakland Mills Road, Columbia.

More than 60 couples attended the Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks Father-Daughter Sweetheart Dance Saturday. Each pair paid $35 and an extra $10 for each additional daughter.

The Blandair Advisory Committee will meet at 7 p.m. today at the Department of Recreation and Parks Headquarters, 7120 Oakland Mills Road, Columbia. This is a regular meeting. The public can attend, but testimony from residents will not be allowed. Blandair is a 300-acre county-owned parkland with portions on both sides of Route 175 in east Columbia between Thunder Hill Road and Tamar Drive. Work on restoring the 19th-century Blandair mansion began in 2006, and plans call for the park to include athletic fields and a natural setting with pedestrian and pike paths.

Just for laughs, and much, much more, Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks is sponsoring the Another Way to See It Laughter Club for those ages 55 and older. The club meets Monday mornings for 40 minutes at the Bain Center and promotes laughter exercises and group sharing. Calling it a "Mind-Body-Spirit Program," the club "is for members to release joyful expression more easily and more often," according to a Department of Recreation and Parks statement. An instructor fee of $2 is charged at each class.

Individuals and community organizations are invited to take part in city-wide efforts to clean up city Department of Recreation and Parks properties on April 6, Baltimore's first "Parks Day."Groups and individuals can compete in a competition for prizes by taking before and after photographs of thir clean-up area and writing a brief essay explaining their accomplishments. First prize is $500.The event is being sponsored by Parks Sausage Co., the Department of Recreation and Parks and the Mayor's Campaign for a Cleaner Baltimore.

In yesterday's LIVE, the incorrect day was listed for the St. Patrick's Day parade as well as the Department of Recreation and Parks' free holiday celebration, which takes place noon to 1 p.m. Monday at Broadway Market Square.Pub Date: 3/14/97

Adult basketball leagues The Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks is accepting registrations for its fall basketball leagues. Play begins Sept. 6. The $570 fee includes an eight-game regular season schedule, single-elimination playoffs, game officials and awards. Registration deadline is Friday. Men's leagues are on Sunday mornings and Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday evenings. Men's over-30 league runs Tuesday evenings. Women's league play takes place Thursday evenings and the co-rec league on Wednesday evenings.

Manamus Willie Gregory, a retired city Department of Recreation and Parks manager and longtime West Baltimore resident, died Tuesday of lung cancer at a sister's home in Woodlawn. He was 62. Mr. Gregory was born in Baltimore and raised on Thomas Avenue. He was a 1963 graduate of Douglass High School. From 1964 to 1965, he served in the Job Corps before going to work for the city Department of Recreation and Parks. Mr. Gregory was a manager at Druid Hill Park until his retirement in the late 1990s.

Wanda S. Durden, a former official at a government contracting firm who previously served as an interim director of Washington's parks department, was nominated as the director of Baltimore's Department of Recreation and Parks yesterday. Durden, 40, would replace Connie A. Brown, who retired from the position in February. Durden most recently worked as the senior director of operations for Motir Services Inc. in Washington. "The Department of Recreation and Parks is a vital, vital tool to help us with some of the systematic issues that impact us," Mayor Sheila Dixon said.

Healthy day slated June 1 Healthy Howard Day, a day of outdoor physical activities, health education and screenings, will be held from 10 a.m to 4 p.m. June 1 in Centennial Park in Ellicott City. Games, crafts, performances and a Healthy Kid Zone specifically designed for children are also planned. The event is presented by We Promote Health and supported by County Executive Ken Ulman, the county school system, county Health Department, county Chamber of Commerce, county Department of Recreation and Parks, Howard County General Hospital, the Columbia Association, the Y of Central Maryland and the Horizon Foundation.

The Blandair Advisory Committee will meet at 7 p.m. today at the Department of Recreation and Parks Headquarters, 7120 Oakland Mills Road, Columbia. This is a regular meeting. The public can attend, but testimony from residents will not be allowed. Blandair is a 300-acre county-owned parkland with portions on both sides of Route 175 in east Columbia between Thunder Hill Road and Tamar Drive. Work on restoring the 19th-century Blandair mansion began in 2006, and plans call for the park to include athletic fields and a natural setting with pedestrian and pike paths.

*TC AN ITEM in last week's column gave the wrong information number for the county Department of Recreation and Parks' liberal arts programs for children.The correct number is 410-222-7300.I'm sorry for the inconvenience.Pub Date: 9/14/97

The administrative headquarters of the Anne Arundel County Department of Recreation and Parks will relocate to 1 Harry S. Truman Parkway, off Riva Road in Annapolis, as of tomorrow.The new mailing address will be P.O. Box 6675, Annapolis 21401.Information: 222-7300.