Membership

At 62, Maryland American Legion Commander Michael L. Mooney is one of the younger members of his Baltimore County post. And that, he said, is part of the problem. Membership of the Parkville American Legion Post No. 183 has dropped by half over the past decade, he said, and is losing another 5 to 7 percent each year. "Ours is a primarily World War II post," said Mooney, a Vietnam-era veteran. With the youngest survivors of World War II now in their mid-80s, and few of the tens of thousands of new veterans minted in Iraq and Afghanistan during the last decade showing much interest in taking their place in veterans service organizations, the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars and other groups are struggling to hold on to the active membership they need to remain vital.

Art show Artists are invited to bring up to two pieces of their work art for display in "Heliotrope Bouquet 13," an open, all-media exhibit taking place June 10-July 13 at Anne Arundel Community College's Cade Center for Fine Arts Gallery, 1010 College Parkway in Arnold. There is no juror for this show and no entry fee. All work entered will be displayed. Participants should bring ready-to-display pieces of art not previously exhibited at the gallery. Artwork can be dropped off from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday, June 7-8. Artwork may be matted and framed.

IYM...It's Your Membership — June 2, 8:30-9:30 a.m. Join to discuss practical ways Baltimore Washington Corridor Chamber membership can benefit you. Members are invited to introduce their company, share success stories, networking tips, sales techniques, referral strategies and more. Free for BWCC members. BWCC Office, 312 Marshall Ave., Suite 104, Laurel. http://www.baltwashchamber.org. Baltimore Washington Corridor Chamber: Membership 101 — June 9, 9-10:30 a.m. For business professionals in the Baltimore/Washington corridor.

Click here to print your pass for free 60 day trial membership at BJ's. It looks like this comes with full member benefits except for online purchases; must activate at the member services desk before shopping.

Baltimore-area hospital CEOs and presidents boast seven-figure salaries, club and gym memberships, and paid financial planning and tax services as part of compensation packages from their nonprofit employers. Nearly a dozen hospitals cover country club dues for top executives. Carroll Hospital, in reporting the compensation to the IRS, disclosed that it requires its chief executive officer to be a member of the exclusive local clubs "to facilitate hospital interaction with the community" and because of the "potential for donors.

Ranchers, split-levels and Cape Cods that rest comfortably on manicured half-acre lots guard a secret in Rolling Acres, a 1950s subdivision tucked between Frederick Road and Route 40. It isn't one that homeowners have pledged to keep to themselves, interestingly enough, but one they want to share. After one enters the Ellicott City community by way of Dogwood Road and takes a few turns, a long driveway appears on an unassuming cul-de-sac, marked by an oversized white mailbox at the curb.

Hundreds of Annapolis-area tennis players are unhappy that they're going to be bounced off the indoor courts at the Naval Academy at the end of March, when the school will cancel what the players say were billed as lifetime tennis memberships at the Brigade Sports Complex. The players are burning up phone lines, e-mail and more, as they try to save their access to the coveted indoor courts. "My impression is that if they don't make this right, that the Naval Academy has just created a lot of ill will in the community," BSC tennis member Donna O'Malley said.

I've got a wad of shopping discount cards rubber-banded into a 4-inch brick in my kitchen drawer. It's my secret weapon for intruders; should some unsavory characters surprise me, I'll just rummage in my kitchen drawer and stun them with a shot to the head comprised of incredible savings and elite memberships. I just can't stand carrying these cards around. I don't even like carrying a purse, but I have to because most women's clothes only sport faux pockets that are sewn shut to give your hips a streamlined look.

Neighbors in North Linthicum have gathered at their community pool for more than three decades' worth of summers. Friends barbecued. Children learned to swim. Teenagers got their first jobs as lifeguards. Now, the pool has become another victim of the financial crisis. Faced with years of declining membership and mounting debt - and dim prospects for a loan to ride out the slump - it is unlikely to open for another season. "Every year, the pool makes enough just to squeak by," said Tu Armagost, president of the North Linthicum Recreation Club, which owns and operates the facility.