Snack Bar

Odenton, as any MARC passenger knows, is one of the busiest commuter stops between Baltimore and Washington. Military uniforms are a telltale sign of the station's proximity to Fort George G. Meade. Parking is at a premium. And the amount of construction going on in Odenton-area subdivisions guarantees that commuting in future years is going to be much heavier still.Which is why we are delighted at the Odenton Heritage Society'sinitiative to turn the old Citizens State Bank, in the 1400 block of Odenton Road, into a snack shop for commuters.

On June 17, Darlington Elementary School held its fifth grade Farewell. It was directed by Brenda Taylor, principal. Some of those attending included: State Sen. Barry Glassman, Rev. Nancy Dilliplane, and Rector of Grace Memorial Church Rev. Sarah Standiford, Episcopal deacon; Nancy Hill, education specialist, Aberdeen Proving Ground Federal Credit Union, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, grandparent, friends and neighbors. Many certificates of Achievement, Awards, and "gold dollars" were awarded to the class of 2011; the program concluded with an outstanding power point presentation of the many memorable events that occurred during the past year.

Soccer games were canceled yesterday at Liberty High School after track and field equipment in a storage shed caught fire, damaging the shed and its adjacent snack bar and restrooms, fire officials said. It took 35 firefighters about 40 minutes to control the fire, which started accidentally about 3:30 p.m. when the exhaust pipe of a lawn mower made contact with a petroleum-based pad that is used in jumping events in track and field meets, said Bobby Ray Chesney, chief of Sykesville-Freedom District Fire Department.

I have been a member in good standing at my community swimming pool from almost the moment I knew I was pregnant. That's probably because my sisters and I grew up at a community pool. Literally. From swim team practices in the morning to afternoons of pool tag and, finally, to swim meets at night. We lived on French fries and grilled cheese sandwiches from the snack bar. Our fingers and toes were always so wrinkly that my mother felt safe sending us to bed without a bath.

Marge Ernandis knows how a lot of Anne Arundel County folks can eat; she's serving the grandchildren of her original customers."I was already working at the snack bar here [at Riviera Bowl] when Alex [Sandusky] bought the place," Ernandis said. "I took a part-time job here because I could walk to work. I lived just across the field. Well, I guess I could still walk to work if I wanted to, it's just that everything has grown up around the center."Growth will happen over a lifetime, and that's how long Ernandis has been behind the snack bar at Sandusky's Colt Riviera Lanes.

As early as next week, construction workers are to descend on an abandoned bank building in Odenton to restore it to the way it once looked and turn it into a snack bar for commuters at the nearby MARC train station.But the only historical evidence they have to go by is what is left inside the 1917 concrete building in the 1400 block of Odenton Road; no photographs exist of what the Citizen's State Bank looked like nearly eight decades ago."The architectural details in the building have to be restored, such as the window frames and the basic layout," said Sally Shoemaker, the president of the Odenton Heritage Society.

I DISCOVERED "The Times Square of Middle River," and I'll bet you didn't even know there was one. Listen, don't feel bad. Neither did I - until last week. I was sitting with Turkey Joe Trabert in Coffman's Snack Bar, nice little place at Orems and Middle River roads, blowing off the no-carb resolutions with a couple of hot dogs in steamed buns with the works, when I noticed the waitresses' T-shirts. Commemorating Coffman's, which has been at this location since 1947, the T-shirts showed Wiley Ray Coffman's original snack trailer and proclaimed the intersection of Orems and Middle River roads as "The Times Square of Middle River."

After a tense, two-hour Howard County Health Department inspection yesterday morning, during which agents had to dodge workers delivering appliances, the Glenwood Lions Club got the news it had been praying for: Its new snack bar is cleared to open for business at the Howard County Fair tomorrow. "We still have things to do," said Larry Sames, who is overseeing construction of a restaurant-quality concession stand. "But everything is basically operational." Lions members have spent the past five weeks feverishly outfitting the $120,000 structure with central air conditioning, plumbing, an exhaust system, lighting, appliances and everything else needed to create a kitchen capable of churning out pizzas, breakfast sandwiches, hot dogs, snow cones and ice cream.

There is a tinge of sadness in Eugene Penn's voice as he talks abouta job he "wouldn't have changed in the last 14 years for anything."But Penn does not know how long he can continue in it.It is not merely the recession, although that hurts. Penn's business has been declining for at least six years, and he says there is little he can do to turn it around.Penn, who is blind, operates the snack bar in the basement of the county office building. He was thebuilding's first tenant, moving in the day after Christmas 1977.

POLICE LOG* Ellicott City: Turf Valley Country Club: A window in the snack bar was reported pried open Tuesday. Snacks and beer were taken.4800 block of Montgomery Road: Computer and office equipment were taken from a business in the rear of a residence Tuesday morning.

The Columbia Association seeks volunteers to help Special Olympics athletes participate in an "Ice Skating Social" from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Monday at the Columbia Ice Rink, 5876 Thunder Hill Road in Columbia. Volunteers will receive free skate rentals and food from the snack bar. Call 410-715-5523 to volunteer and for more information.

James Lynn Coffman, the owner of Coffman's Snack Bar, which has been a gathering place for Middle River residents and politicians for more than half a century, died from lung cancer Dec. 15 in his apartment above the Orems Road restaurant. He was 76. Mr. Coffman, the son of a body shop mechanic and a dressmaker, was born in Fairmont, W.Va., and spent his early years there. With the outbreak of World War II, Mr. Coffman moved to Middle River with his family when his father went to work at the old Glenn L. Martin Co. plant building warplanes.

Baltimore County finished the year that ended June 30 with a $280 million surplus, $25 million more than expected, thanks mostly to a robust real estate market that is beginning to lose steam, county officials said yesterday. Most of the surplus money came from taxes associated with real estate transactions, with the rest coming from property and income taxes, according to County Auditor Brian J. Rowe. About $76 million will be locked in a reserve fund set aside for emergencies. The rest of the surplus will be used for capital projects, such as school construction and to help fund the benefits of future retirees, said Donald I. Mohler, a spokesman for County Executive James T. Smith Jr. Mohler said it was "premature" to discuss whether Smith, a Democrat seeking a second term, would consider using some of the surplus money to cut the county's property tax rate, which, after a slight reduction this year, is $1.10 per $100 of assessed value.

If you plan to spend a good chunk of your summer at the community pool this year, you might figure your meal options are reduced to two choices: Order from the local carryout or grab a bite at the pool snack bar. But a diet of burgers and pizza for the next three months could make your swimsuit awfully tight come August. A more healthful and more economical answer is to pack meals yourself. "You get so much fresher food and you have complete control over what the kids are eating," says Sara Deseran, author of Picnics: Delicious Recipes for Outdoor Entertaining (Chronicle Books, 2004, $14.95)

I DISCOVERED "The Times Square of Middle River," and I'll bet you didn't even know there was one. Listen, don't feel bad. Neither did I - until last week. I was sitting with Turkey Joe Trabert in Coffman's Snack Bar, nice little place at Orems and Middle River roads, blowing off the no-carb resolutions with a couple of hot dogs in steamed buns with the works, when I noticed the waitresses' T-shirts. Commemorating Coffman's, which has been at this location since 1947, the T-shirts showed Wiley Ray Coffman's original snack trailer and proclaimed the intersection of Orems and Middle River roads as "The Times Square of Middle River."

It's a sure sign of affection: Brett Angstadt and Lisa Simmonds give each other a good-natured shove as they stride across the Padonia Park Club pool deck. They're both in uniform: a club-issue polo shirt for him and a regulation red bathing suit underneath shorts and sweat shirt for her. They met when Lisa, a swimming instructor and lifeguard, came to the snack bar, where Brett is grill manager, and asked for a cup of ice. "I don't drink water. I eat ice," she explains. Later, Brett and Lisa, both 19, attended a mutual friend's party.

The Columbia Association seeks volunteers to help Special Olympics athletes participate in an "Ice Skating Social" from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Monday at the Columbia Ice Rink, 5876 Thunder Hill Road in Columbia. Volunteers will receive free skate rentals and food from the snack bar. Call 410-715-5523 to volunteer and for more information.

POLICE LOG* Town Center: 10000 block of The Mending Wall: The rear window and door of a home were found pried Saturday, but police were not sure if anything was taken.* Hickory Ridge: 11600 block of Little Patuxent Parkway: Police said someone jumped the fence at the Clary's Forest Pool Saturday or Sunday, entered an unlocked door and stole food and a radio from a snack bar.

Soccer games were canceled yesterday at Liberty High School after track and field equipment in a storage shed caught fire, damaging the shed and its adjacent snack bar and restrooms, fire officials said. It took 35 firefighters about 40 minutes to control the fire, which started accidentally about 3:30 p.m. when the exhaust pipe of a lawn mower made contact with a petroleum-based pad that is used in jumping events in track and field meets, said Bobby Ray Chesney, chief of Sykesville-Freedom District Fire Department.