Uniontown Elementary

They came Wednesday to raise a stink, worried that spreading sludge on farmland will contaminate the food supply, kill earthworms and turn Carroll into a dumping ground for waste."

Unless you've been asleep for the past few weeks, you know that the bazaar season is here. It's time for local churches to serve up crafts and sandwiches and baked goods to raise money for their projects.On Saturday, Nov. 28, it's "A Christmas Star Bazaar" at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Taneytown. The event, from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m., will feature the usual crafts and food by church members.This is a bazaar you'll want to take your children to. There will be balloons and face-painting. And there will be a Christmas crafts corner where, for less than $1, youngsters can make the kinds of simple artwork that become keepsakes for grandparents.

WESTMINSTER -- Joined by faith in the power of prayer, about 100 county citizens gathered Thursday at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to observe the National Day of Prayer.The ceremony by the courthouse, the first in memory in Carroll since the day was nationally recognized in 1951, brought together people of different faiths and represented a cross section of the county's people."The true reality of mankind is spiritual," said Kathy Tomarelli, a member of the local Bahai church. "We need food to grow and develop, and daily prayer is that nourishment."

Teachers could be spending more time on the other side of the desk if a new staff development plan is approved by the school board in the 1994-1995 budget proposal.When administrators present the operating budget proposal to the board Jan. 12, it will include a request to spend $371,639 next year on training teachers to better instruct students."Staff development is not about staff -- the ultimate reason of staff development is what happens to youngsters," said Gary Dunkleberger, director of curriculum and staff development.

Dottie Fritz points to the old black iron pump that decorates her side yard on Uniontown Road. It's all that's left of the childhood home she remembers that was destroyed in a 1976 fire that also claimed the Uniontown Church of God, where her father had been pastor.One of the riches of living in a country town is meeting neighbors like Mrs. Fritz who have lived here their whole lives. They &L remember how things were "back then."Sitting in the warmth of her Uniontown living room, with its display of family photos and the furniture her brother had made, a visitor mentally travels back in time as she describes old-fashioned Halloween pranks, the great snowfalls, extravagant Christmas pageants at the Church of God, sleigh rides on Uniontown Road, and caroling at 5:30 Christmas morning.

She might be Uniontown's poet laureate, but Dottie Fritz writes what she pleases when she pleases. For her, poetry is fun. Period.She's won top honors in a contest that resulted in one of her poems being published by the National Library of Poetry. But a couple of years ago, she turned down a request by a community newspaper to write a weekly poetry column."I like to write when I have something to write about," said the 75-year-old Uniontown resident.Fritz said she has been writing for more than a decade.

Hats off to the many schools in the Central Carroll area that have been celebrating reading during January.Teachers, media specialists and administrators have been busy arranging a variety of activities that are helping students realize that reading is not only important but enjoyable.*At Robert Moton Elementary School, students in grades kindergarten through five have been spending January improving their independent reading skills.The school has been operating under the theme "Elect to Read," and teachers have been conducting book campaigns comparable to those used by politicians.

Carrolltowne Elementary6542 Ridge RoadSykesvilleNancy Chapin795-5585Charles Carroll Elementary3719 Littlestown PikeWestminsterRobert C. Bruce848-6667Carroll Christian Schools550 Baltimore Blvd.WestminsterGary Beard876-1808 or 848-6624Carroll Community College1601 Washington RoadWestminsterJoseph F. Shields, exec. dean876-3880 or 848-1315Carroll County Education Center495 S. Center St.WestminsterRobin L. Farinholt848-7022Carroll County Career and Technology Center1229 Washington RoadWestminsterCatherine Engel848-5202Community Baptist Church613 Uniontown RoadWestminsterAlan B. Fluge, admin.

Several teams from Thunderhead Lanes in Westminster and Taneytown will be competing in the Coca-Cola National Youth Duckpin Association regional tournament next weekend at Mount Airy Lanes.The junior teams, from ages 13-15, and the major teams, 16 to 21, will compete at Mount Airy. Four teams from Thunderhead Westminster will be at that location, as will one major team from Taneytown Thunderhead.Several teams of Pee Wees, up to 6; Preps, 7 to 9; Bantams, 10 to12; and Juniors, 13 to 15, will compete at Village Lanes in Frederick.

As the economy takes a marked downturn, Carroll agencies have submitted by far the highest capital budget request in county history, almost doubling last year's preliminary proposal.Future economic conditions are hard to predict, say the county's budget director and a county commissioner, but they can make one forecast with certainty: The $91.7 million requested by the agencies for fiscal 1992 for new facilities and improvement projects will undergo major surgery before a budget is adopted next May.The request represents a 78 percent increase over the $51.5 million requested in 1989 for the current fiscal year.