Quiet Waters Park

ARTSHOWCASE GALLERY336 N. Charles St. Glenn Walker Retrospective.In a case of art censorship -- and inadvertent promotion -- Baltimore Mayor Thomas D'Alesandro Jr. banned Glenn Walker's painting "In a Room" in 1956 from a Peale Museum exhibit, calling the rendering of a nude man and woman "morally objectionable and obscene." Thanks in part to the attention, this Maryland Institute graduate's paintings subsequently could be found in all of Baltimore's major art galleries. Walker died in 1988 and this retrospective features some 50 pieces, spanning various movements including figurative, abstract and pointillism in woodcuts, oil paintings and pastel, watercolors and drawings.

Barge House Museum to receive $10,000 to fund bay exhibits The Barge House Museum in Annapolis will receive $10,000 as part of the Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails Initiative, a federal program to bolster the bay's natural, cultural and recreational resources. The museum was one of the initiative's first 23 grant recipients announced last week, 10 of which are in Maryland. The grant will help the Barge House create a waterfront access site and install interpretive exhibits focusing on bay oysters, according to an announcement by the office of U.S. Sen. Paul S. Sarbanes, a Maryland Democrat.

Pizza deliveryman robbed in LaurelAnne Arundel County police are continuing to search for an unidentified person who robbed a pizza deliveryman of between $120 and $130 Friday night.Police said the deliveryman had just dropped off a pizza about 8:30 p.m. to a home on Red Clay Road near Barbersville Road in Laurel, when a man approached him from behind and demanded money.Chester man killed in car-motorcycle crashA 35-year-old Chester man was killed late Friday when his motorcycle collided with the rear of a car at Central Avenue and Mayo Road in Edgewater.

THE ANNAPOLIS Opera has rescheduled its musicale, "Opera and the Bible: From Moses to the Inquisition," from Oct. 21 to Jan. 14.The concert is co-sponsored by the National Council of Jewish Women and will be held at Kneseth Israel Synagogue in Annapolis.Subscribers to the opera's season series will receive tickets for the rescheduled concert. Individuals holding tickets for the October concert may use them for the Jan. 14 performance.For more information, call the opera office at 267-8135.

Arts at Quiet WatersAn arty weekend is in store for one and all at Quiet Waters Park. As artists show off their watercolors, ceramics, wearable creations, prints, carved wood works, garden sculptures, jewelry and metalworks, visitors can browse, shop and chat with the ZTC artists. An array of hands-on activities, children's crafts and live music from local musicians will continue throughout the two-day festival.The festival takes place Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Quiet Waters Park, Hillsmere Drive in Annapolis.

Take public transportation. Carpool. Recycle. Those suggestions are given by people and organizations stressing the preservation of the environment, but people don't always pay attention to them until April 22 rolls around. That day -- Earth Day -- was created in 1970 to help improve the environment and create awareness of problems, such as global warming, that would eventually become a concern for future generations. Now, those threats are real, and it is more important than ever to be educated about the small things that can be done to help create a more stable environment.

Monday is the official beginning of spring, the season of new growth and change. For Bill Offutt, the new ranger at Downs Park, the season got an early start three weeks ago when his son, Scott, was born."

Annapolis resident Phyllis Saroff can recall vividly the frosty winter evenings when she and two neighborhood children - each of them armed with a flashlight and a pair of ice skates - used to walk through the woods to a crowded, moonlit rink in the middle of Quiet Waters Park. "There would always be people watching the skaters, drinking hot chocolate and listening to the music over the loudspeakers," said Saroff, who lives in Hillsmere Estates, a neighborhood adjacent to the park. Last season, the once-popular ice rink closed because of costly, much-needed renovations.

From hiking to windsurfing, concert series to sculptures, Annapolis-area parks offer a variety of recreational and entertainment opportunities, many taking advantage of access to the Chesapeake Bay and others of the area's historic heritage. Sandy Point State Park Windsurfing is among the most popular activities at Sandy Point, a 786-acre park at 1100 College Parkway off U.S. 50 and 301 on the Chesapeake Bay. Thousands of people go to the park to picnic, fish, crab, watch birds, hike and boat, said Sgt. Fran Gower, park ranger supervisor.

FRESH FROM a visit with my 9-month-old granddaughter, I find I'm ready to give kudos sight unseen to a new program at St. Anne's Day School in Annapolis: Preschool for the Joyful Arts.With that name, doesn't it just have to be a happy learning environment?The preschool starts Sept. 2, and registration is now open. The program covers the visual arts, drama and Kindermusik in its weekly curriculum. Phyllis Denton, director of Kindermusik of the Chesapeake, is in charge. Information: 410-263-5689.