Rodeo

Beach concerts in O.C.Grab a blanket or beach chair and head for the Caroline Street beach in Ocean City for three days of free concerts, in addition to a concert by the legendary Beach Boys. Main act entertainment starts tomorrow evening with the modern rock band Sleeping Giants. Saturday night, the music starts with Rivers Edge and continues with country singer Lee Greenwood. Listen to Motown sounds by the Drifters, the Coasters and the Marvelettes Sunday evening. And on Monday, the Beach Boys take center stage at noon.

Bull rides. More concerts. Maybe even basketball and roller hockey.The new managers of the Baltimore Arena, executives of the Philadelphia-based SMG, say they will use their national contacts to bring a wider array of sports and acts to the downtown building."

Toots Mansfield, 84, a seven-time world champion calf roper and a charter member of the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame, died of pneumonia Wednesday in El Paso, Texas. He took up rodeo to make money during the Depression.Carlos Foster, 76, a cowboy who taught riding to city children and promoted the role of blacks in the development of the Old West, died in New York on Dec. 12 of heart failure.Robert Johnston, 85, an engineer known for designing foundations for some of New York City's most important buildings, died Dec. 4 at his home in Millbrook, N.Y. His excavation and foundation construction plans were used for the United Nations, the former Chase Manhattan bank headquarters and the 92-acre landfill that became Battery Park City.

Residents in the tiny community of Johnsville jokingly call it a "Leave It to Beaver" kind of place.Most people do their yardwork on the weekends. There is little, if any, conversation about crime. And, other than the frequent rumbling of trucks down the small stretch of Route 75 that is Johnsville's Main Street, daily activity is tranquil.The general store that once offered everything from haircuts to fertilizer is gone. So is Gruber's Garage, and the local antique store.With only a few more than 300 residents, this Frederick County community that rests between Union Bridge and Libertytown would certainly suit June and Ward Cleaver just fine.

We have become big fans of rodeos and would like to plan a 1998 vacation that includes a really good rodeo.I have heard of events in Cheyenne and Calgary but don't know when or how to get information about either of them.Cheyenne Frontier Days in Wyoming, July 17-26, the biggest outdoor professional rodeo of all, will celebrate 100 years of tradition with a carnival, parades, music, dance, races, food, art, stage shows and stagecoaches. For ticket information, schedules and so on, contact Dave Johnson, P.O. Box 2477, Cheyenne, Wyo. 82003-2477, 800-227-6336.

Keep government out of state's Catholic schoolsAs a father of three young girls, I decided long ago to send my daughters to a private Catholic school. My wife and I were fully cognizant of the sacrifices we would have to make to ensure that our children were educated with what we feel are appropriate moral values.Never have we asked for any tax considerations or special treatment. All we expected was that our children would not be subjected to the drugs, guns and general lack of morality and respect for authority so prevalent in today's public schools.

A Catonsville man who competes in bull-riding competitions wants to put on a rodeo in Baltimore.But Nicholas Citro Jr., a paramedic and restaurant worker, must overcome a city ordinance forbidding the use of flank straps, bucking straps and spurs -- rodeo accessories designed to make the animals buck.The ban makes the shows virtually impossible.A bill before the City Council, introduced by Council President Lawrence A. Bell III, could change that. The measure, inspired by Citro's plans, seeks to allow bucking straps, fleece-lined flank straps and dulled spurs.

On Wednesday nights in Glen Burnie's Cancun Cantina, if you wade past the line-dancers and barflies and approach the bar out back, you can catch a whiff of something fresh in the air.It's deep, earthy and well, fertilizer-like. But this beer-swilling crowd is oblivious to the odor.About 1,800 people have been jamming this country restaurant and bar every Wednesday this summer to see Glen Burnie's latest tourist attraction -- live, rodeo-style bull-riding in the Cantina's back yard.The bar is only one of two in the United States that features live bull-riding, according to Clay Gaillard, a spokesman for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA)

The city of Taneytown and police are co-sponsoring a bicycle rodeo from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at Taneytown Memorial Park.Children ages 8 to 16 are invited. The rodeo will include an obstacle course, bike safety check, raffles, bike identification engraving, photo identifications, food and prizes.The rodeo is free. Registration begins at 9 a.m. at the park on Route 140.Also sponsoring the event are Sears, Sheetz Inc. and Carroll County Health Department.Information: 410-751-1100.FiresUnion Bridge: Firefighters assisted Frederick County at 8: 06 a.m. Thursday, responding to a trash fire on Lehigh and Clemsonville roads.

The Savage librarians and participants in last month's Bike Rodeo would like to express appreciation to Gayle Miller and her staff at State Farm for their support.Joe Short of the Columbia State Farm office put in an appearance as the Good Neigh-Bear, wearing a plush suit for most of the afternoon.Tom Shaffer of Bowie Cycle and Henry Niverth and David Turnan of Bike Line of Laurel inspected bicycles to make sure they ran well.News from Forest RidgeForest Ridge Elementary announces that student Amanda Moore has received an honorable mention in the Human Rights Commission Fair Housing Poster Contest.