Happy Wednesday, Westminster!
A Westminster nonprofit has started building a home where four longtime residents with disabilities can stay as they grow older. Target Community & Educational Services broke ground on it Monday, and the story is below.
There’s also an update on the Carroll County Public Schools review of why board members say they never got Westminster Wire’s emails seeking comment, and a full rundown for Halloween weekend. And Westminster Wire recently passed 10,000 followers on Facebook. Thank you for reading, commenting and sharing there.
Let's get into it.
Target Community breaks ground on new Westminster home for four aging adults with disabilities
Target Community & Educational Services, a Maryland nonprofit that supports adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, broke ground Monday, Oct. 26, on a new group home at Kate Wagner and Washington roads in Westminster. The existing house on the property will be torn down and replaced with an accessible home built on universal design principles, so four people can live there as they age. CEO Dr. Matthew Ramsey called the project expensive but needed. The nonprofit is asking for donations through its 2026 Annual Appeal to help pay for furnishings, personal spaces and gathering areas in the home.
CCPS email review results expected in a few days, board president says
Carroll County Public Schools board president Steve Whisler told Westminster Wire publisher Mike Holden in a phone call Tuesday that CCPS technology staff are reviewing why board members say they never received Holden’s emails requesting comment for Westminster Wire articles, and that he expects results in a few days, possibly next week. That update and more have been added to the story below.
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Westminster Wire accepts political advertising on equal terms; ads do not reflect Westminster Wire coverage and are not endorsements.
👀 Around Town
🔥 Tonight, Wednesday, Oct. 28, Westminster Recreation & Parks hosts a free, family-friendly Halloween Campfire from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Wakefield Valley Park, 1000 Fenby Farm Road. Rec staff will lead ghost stories and s'mores around the fire and provide the fire and s'mores sticks. Bring your own s'mores supplies, a chair and your best spooky story. Costumes are encouraged (event details). Also tonight, Carroll County Government's 4th Annual Employment Expo runs from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Ag Center, 706 Agriculture Drive, where you can meet staff from county departments and learn about current and future job openings. Employment Expo listing
🍿 Halloween week wraps up at the Carroll Arts Center, 91 W. Main St. Ex Machina screens tonight at 7:30 p.m. for $10. The family-friendly Tricks & Treats Magic Show with D's Magic is Thursday, Oct. 29, at 6 p.m. ($10–$20), and The Rocky Horror Picture Show closes it out Friday, Oct. 30, at 10 p.m. for $30, with a costume contest, live performances and trivia. The free 24th Annual Members Show runs through Nov. 7, noon to 4 p.m. on gallery days.
⛳ Maryland P.E.O. Chapter AJ of Westminster holds its first annual golf tournament, the P.E.O. Stars and Scholarships Open, on Friday, Oct. 30, at 9 a.m. at Oakmont Green Golf Course, 2290 Golf View Lane in Hampstead. Proceeds help the P.E.O. Sisterhood provide grants, scholarships and low-interest loans for women's education. Register or sponsor
🦇 Halloween itself, Saturday, Oct. 31, starts early. The Downtown Westminster Farmers Market, 27 Railroad Ave., holds a Halloween trick-or-treat edition of its regular market from 8 a.m. to noon (event details and market website). The Ag Center's Indoor Flea Market runs 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Shipley Arena, 706 Agriculture Drive, with breakfast and lunch from the Roaring Run Lions Club; no dogs are allowed (flea market details). The Ag Center's Corn Maze is also open Fridays through Sundays through Nov. 1, and it's cash only. TownMall of Westminster holds mall-wide trick-or-treating Saturday, Oct. 31, starting at 1 p.m. and going until the candy runs out, at Center Court, 400 N. Center St. (event details). And coin collectors can head to the Carroll County Coin Club's annual coin show, which the club bills as the biggest in the county, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Best Western Conference Center, Route 140 at WMC Drive. It's open to the public (coin show on Facebook).
🏛️ Mark your calendar for Thursday, Nov. 5, when the Carroll County Commissioners hold a public hearing on extending the county's deferral on data processing centers by one year, to Feb. 19, 2028. It begins no earlier than 9 a.m. in Room 311 of the County Office Building, 225 N. Center St. To learn how to comment, call the Department of Planning and Land Management at 410-386-2949 before the hearing. County notice
📅 Then comes Saturday, Nov. 7, when Westminster has a lot going on. The Carroll County Farmers' Market and Craft Show's Local Author's Day runs 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Ag Center, 706 Agriculture Drive, marking the market's 55th year and the start of its Christmas Market. More than 25 local authors will sell and sign books, and admission and parking are free (details). The Secret Garden Music, Arts and Wine Festival is 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Farm Museum, 500 S. Center St., with no pets or outside alcohol (details). At TownMall, 400 N. Center St., a Sports Card & Pokémon Show runs 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the TCC Event Center, and a Tyler Huntley autograph signing is at 12:30 p.m. ($45 per autograph, $20 per inscription, tickets through Lupton's Sports). That night at 7:30 p.m., A Tribute to Jimmy Buffett in Stories and Song is at the Arts Center, 91 W. Main St. ($30; tickets and details).
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