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Happy Saturday, Westminster!
Halloween week is here, and Westminster is ready for it. Sunday alone has three trunk-or-treats, and the week brings lantern walks at the Farm Museum, a campfire with ghost stories at Wakefield Valley Park, Rocky Horror at the Arts Center and trick-or-treating at the farmers market on Halloween morning.
If you missed Friday's standalone email, Carroll County Public Schools is reviewing why school board members say they never got emails that Westminster Wire sent them seeking comment for news stories. Separately, six of the nine requests for information or comment that Westminster Wire sent the CCPS communications office since June got no reply, according to the record. Two sections are worth a look: which questions were answered and which weren't, including several about Outdoor School, and the full timeline since June.
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Let's get into it.
County to hold hearing on extending its data center pause
The Carroll County Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing Thursday, Nov. 5, on extending the county's deferral on data processing centers by one year, to Feb. 19, 2028. A deferral is a temporary pause: while it's in place, the county doesn't process applications for that type of project. The commissioners approved the current one-year pause on Feb. 19, 2026, to study data centers' potential impacts and how to regulate them, WMAR reported. The hearing begins no earlier than 9 a.m. in Room 311 of the County Office Building, 225 N. Center St. The county's notice says the commissioners may change the proposal based on comments without holding another hearing. To learn how to comment, call the Department of Planning and Land Management at 410-386-2949 before the hearing. The proposed ordinance is posted on the county's ordinances page and available in the County Office Building lobby.
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👀 Around Town
🍀 Today, Saturday, Oct. 24, is packed. The Carroll County Public Library's Ghost Walk of Westminster steps off at 2 p.m. from the Westminster Branch, 50 E. Main St. (ages 10 and up, registration required, Ghost Walk registration). St. Mary's UCC, 1441 E. Mayberry Road, hosts a free Harvest Festival from 3 to 5 p.m., with a Trunk 'r Treat at St. Mary's Lutheran at the same time (event details). O'Lordans Irish Pub, 14 Liberty St., celebrates its 21st birthday with specials all day, a party at 7 p.m. and live music from Three Sheets and the Wind at 8 p.m. Buy a $100 gift card there today and get a free $21 one, good for 60 days (O'Lordans' birthday post). Knitters and crocheters can stop by Looped In Fiber Arts, 38 W. Main St., which is marking Malabrigo Day, the yarn company's 20th-anniversary celebration, during its Saturday hours of 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wear something you've made with Malabrigo yarn to enter the shop's raffle (shop website and Malabrigo Day post). At TownMall, 400 N. Center St., The Bridge Healing Center (Suite 123) holds an open house from 2 to 6 p.m. to show off its healing room, which offers individual sessions including table work, massage, reiki and acupuncture (The Bridge on Facebook).
🎃 Sunday, Oct. 25, is a triple-header for trunk-or-treaters. The car group Caffeine and Gasoline of Westminster kicks things off from 10 a.m. to noon at 576 Jermor Lane with costumes, candy and cars (event details). Deer Park United Methodist Church, 2205 Sykesville Road, follows from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. with a free trunk or treat, coloring, games and the playground for kids, plus horseshoes and cornhole for grown-ups (event details). The Ag Center's Trunk or Treat wraps up the day from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Corn Maze, 706 Agriculture Drive, where costumed kids 15 and younger get $2 off the maze (cash only). Ag Center details
🎬 More for Sunday, Oct. 25: a free screening of the documentary The Man from Westminster at 2 p.m. at the Carroll Arts Center, 91 W. Main St. (RSVP requested; includes real surgical footage). Find Your Purpose Inc. and Human Services Programs of Carroll County hold a free Community Resource and Job Fair from 3 to 6 p.m. at Westminster City Park, with music, food, employers, resources and a community yard sale (Find Your Purpose on Facebook). At the Bear Branch Nature Center, Carroll County Recreation and Parks has a Creepy Critters Costume Campfire from 3 to 4 p.m. ($10, $11 for nonresidents; sign up) and Full Moon Yoga and Meditation from 6 to 7:30 p.m. ($20, $21 for nonresidents; sign up).
🕯️ The Carroll County Farm Museum, 500 S. Center St., hosts Trick or Treat & Evening Lantern Walks on Tuesday, Oct. 27. Trick-or-treating for kids 12 and under runs 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. ($5 per car or family). After that, a Spooky Adult Lantern Walk runs 8 to 9 p.m. for $15, and pre-registration is required by calling 410-386-3880. Event details
🔥 Westminster Recreation & Parks hosts a free, family-friendly Halloween Campfire on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 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
🍿 Halloween week at the Arts Center, 91 W. Main St.: the silent-era The Phantom of the Opera screens Tuesday, Oct. 27, and Ex Machina follows Wednesday, Oct. 28, both 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.
📜 Two more weeknight options: a library talk on the Annapolis Tea Party, the 1774 burning of the brig Peggy Stewart, is Monday, Oct. 26, at 6:30 p.m. at Exploration Commons, 50 E. Main St., for adults (event details). Carroll County Government's Employment Expo is Wednesday, Oct. 28, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Ag Center, 706 Agriculture Drive (event listing).
⛳ 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. Golfers can register and businesses can sign up as sponsors online. 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
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