Fireworks Display

The fireworks display at the Carroll County Farm Museum on the Fourth of July is in the red — and its supporters are hoping it continues that way. "We had some seed money to start this year," said Tom Welliver, fireworks chairman for the Westminster Kiwanis Club. "It is going really well. " Last year marked the first time the Kiwanis took charge of the show. Now in its 35th year, the fireworks show on the Fourth of July was started by the Jaycees and then later run by the Rotary clubs.

Art camps The Columbia Art Center offers a camp for grades 1-8, Monday through Aug. 19 at 6100 Foreland Garth. Children will experience printmaking, painting, sculpture, collage, drawing, working with clay and more. Artists will teach campers how to experiment with colors, textures and media in a variety of theme-based projects as they go from studio to studio. Camp also includes Zumba dancing and swimming. Camp is offered in one and two week sessions: Cost for the one-week sessions are $235 for residents and $275 for non-residents.

Laurel's annual Independence Day Celebration will be held Saturday, July 2, beginning with a morning parade and ending with fireworks at dusk at Gude Park at Laurel Lakes. The parade begins at 11 a.m., and follows a route from Sixth and Montgomery streets, to south on Fourth Street to Cherry Lane. Antique and classic cars will lead the parade and then be on display at Gude Park through 4 p.m. Parade grand marshals follow a military theme, and include representatives from the Air Force, Army and Marine recruiting offices in Laurel.

Laurel — Granville Gude Park, Laurel Lakes, 8300 Mulberry St., 301-725-5300 ext. 2203. Parade at 11 a.m. Car show follows parade; fireworks at dusk. National Harbor — Gaylord National Resort, 201 Waterfront St. Uncle Sam Jam beginning at 2 p.m., ages 21 and over, tickets required. Lanham — Trinity Assembly of God, 7800 Good Luck Road, 301-552-9322. Mitchellville — The Country Club at Woodmore, 12320 Pleasant Prospect Road, 301-249-6100.

Laurel's annual Independence Day Celebration will be held Saturday, July 2, beginning with a morning parade and ending with fireworks at dusk at Gude Park at Laurel Lakes. The parade begins at 11 a.m., and follows a route from Sixth and Montgomery streets, to south on Fourth Street to Cherry Lane. Antique and classic cars will lead the parade and then be on display at Gude Park through 4 p.m. Parade grand marshals follow a military theme, and include representatives from the Air Force, Army and Marine recruiting offices in Laurel.

Who says Martin O'Malley, who's been in Asia burnishing his foreign-policy credentials and all around the U.S. as head of the Democratic Governors Association, has lost interest in all that needs doing here in Maryland? The governor will be hard at work in Baltimore June 18, leading his Celtic rock band in a performance for the U.S. Conference of Mayors. O'Malley's March will play for the group at Fort McHenry, during what is billed as a "Star Spangled Night. " Plans for the gig were first reported by The Washington Post , darn it all. "On this special night you will dine on the hallowed grounds of this National Monument and Historic Shrine by rare and special arrangement," says the agenda for the conference.

Even a $121 million budget deficit won't be enough to keep the rockets' red glare from shining over Baltimore's Inner Harbor this Fourth of July. A private firm, Ports America Chesapeake, has agreed to sponsor this year's Inner Harbor fireworks display, Mayor Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake announced Wednesday. Ports America Chesapeake, which has sponsored the New Year's Eve fireworks at the Inner Harbor for the past three years, operates the port of Baltimore's Seagirt Marine Terminal in partnership with the Maryland Port Administration.

In the worst economic storm in decades, a Beverly Hills, Calif., company has an ambitious plan to build a $1.1 billion cruise ship, set to cast off in 2013. But instead of offering four- or five-day excursions as typical cruise lines do, the business plans to sell half the cabins as floating homes. Opulent cabins aboard the ship Utopia now range in price from about $3.7 million to $26 million. But even at these prices, a key draw will be location. During the Cannes Film Festival, the ship is slated to drop anchor near the south of France in the Mediterranean.

Environmental panel plans public sessions Howard County's Commission on the Environment and Sustainability will hold five open-dialogue sessions during which the public will have an opportunity to meet commission members and learn about its work. The commission, which was appointed four months ago, is working to identify the best environmental practices to be incorporated into county government operations and all aspects of life in Howard County. The commission is to consider air and water quality, education and outreach, energy, government organization, "green" building and development, open space and local preservation.

Trying to figure out how to celebrate the Fourth of July this year? Here are some Independence Day options: Anne Arundel County An Independence Day parade will begin at 5:45 p.m. today at Amos Garrett Boulevard in Annapolis. A performance by the Taiwanese Girls High School Band in front of the Market House is after the parade. The Naval Academy Band will play at 8 p.m. at Susan C. Campbell Park at the City Dock. Fireworks are at 9:15 p.m. in Farragut Field on the Naval Academy yard. Park at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium off Rowe Boulevard.