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Happy Wednesday, Westminster!
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In this issue: you’ll find news about how the City of Westminster’s Planning and Zoning Commission holds its first public hearing this Thursday on a proposal to replace roughly 32 apartments on Wimert Avenue with a 120-unit building.
That same day, student artwork goes up in over 40 downtown businesses as part of the fourth annual Kindness Stroll fundraiser, which culminates at the Westminster Fallfest on Sept. 27. Yes, it’s really almost time for Fallfest.
Plus, below you’ll find details on multiple charity-related events, an evening with author Harlan Coben at Winters Mill High School, and plenty more.
Let's get into it.
👀 Around Town
🏗️ Work is moving along on The Shepherd's Staff's new building on Carroll Street in downtown Westminster (pictured above). In the meantime, the nonprofit is operating out of its temporary home at 75 John St. Shepherd’s Staff is a privately-funded 501(c)(3) nondenominational Christian Outreach and Support Center serving those in crisis in Carroll County.
📚 One week before their 100-author Carroll Book Festival, the Carroll County Public Library hosts An Evening with Harlan Coben, Saturday, Sept. 12, at 6:30 p.m., at Winters Mill High School. Tickets include an author talk on his latest book, Plot Twist, and a signed copy. Coben has sold more than 100 million books worldwide and has multiple Netflix series to his name, including Stay Close, The Stranger and Fool Me Once. Get tickets.
🎃 Sew 'N Sweep, at the TownMall of Westminster, holds its "Stitch or Treat" night on Saturday, Oct. 17, from 6–8 p.m., with a Halloween make-and-take project, embroidery demos and a costume contest for handmade costumes. And if you can’t wait for October, the store has a 5-week class starting September 6 where you’ll make an Ouija Board quilt.
🎸 Last Friday’s four-band show inside a working laundromat got a lot of social media traction, and organizer Jake Fine released a new video this week after videos from the Amy's Laundry show racked up views, likes, and comments. In the new video, Fine talks about the philosophy behind shows in non-traditional venues and more.
⚽ Westminster Wire took a look at Carroll County's first public artificial turf field at Carroll Community College—private entities such as McDaniel College, Gerstell Academy, and Coppermine already have outdoor turf fields. The $5.6 million facility, funded through a partnership between the Carroll Community College Foundation and the Carroll County Government, is set to open Sept. 17 with a Lynx women's and men’s soccer doubleheader. The college and county are finalizing an operational agreement to govern the facility's use by both the college and the broader community, according to Carroll Community College.
🍰 Dessert and Discourse in the Community Classroom, a monthly history lecture series at JeannieBird Baking Company, kicked off Tuesday night with a session on the American Revolution. Three sessions remain this fall: Sept. 15, Oct. 13, and Nov. 10, each 7–9 p.m. and $50 per person (dessert included). A portion of the proceeds from this series, run by historian Corey Campion, helps to fund events like last week’s screening of the movie Fresh at the Carroll Arts Center, which raised money for the local non-profit Carroll County Food Sunday. Register here.
🐻 This Sunday, Aug. 23, is your chance to catch an O’s game at Camden Yards while raising money for Rachel's Bears, a Carroll County-based charity that donates books and bears to children receiving care at places like Carroll Hospital. The promo code for the tickets is ALONSO. Get tickets here.
What did we miss? If you have Westminster-related news, submit details here.
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🗞️ In the News
🌳 Wakefield Valley Park Trail Work Could Begin This Fall
Westminster Wire attended some of the Mayor's Community Meeting on the Wakefield Valley Park Trail Renovation on Tuesday night, where Mayor Dr. Mona Becker, city staff and designers walked through plans for the trail's upgrades and answered questions, covering everything from trail access to which types of motorized bikes can and cannot use the path. We’ll have more on this soon, but the trail work in the 187-acre park could begin this fall, once the bidding process is complete and a contractor is secured.
In the meantime, this Westminster Wire article from May provided some details on the different phases of trail restoration at Wakefield Valley.
The Wakefield Valley Trail restoration project should not be confused with the shared-use path being built for bicyclists and pedestrians between Hahn Road and Railroad Avenue. That’s a completely different county-requested and state-funded project, and not the city’s. There’s been quite a bit of confusion on Facebook over what’s what.
🏘️ First Public Hearing Set for Village Square on Thursday
The Westminster Planning and Zoning Commission holds its first public hearing Thursday, Aug. 20, at 6 p.m., at City Hall on a proposal to replace roughly 32 apartments on Wimert Avenue with a 120-unit, mixed-use building. In a report prepared for the meeting, city staff flagged 10 items for the developer to address, including water, parking, and a request that the developer clarify what will happen to current residents. Daniel Hoff, a Westminster city councilman who sits on the Planning and Zoning Commission, told Westminster Wire that Thursday's hearing is "not the public's last opportunity to comment on this," but stated that "the earlier in the process people comment, the better."
💛 More Than 40 Downtown Businesses to Display Student Artwork
The fourth annual Westminster Kindness Stroll kicks off Thursday, Aug. 20, from 4–6 p.m. at Locust Lane downtown, when student-designed Be Kind artwork goes up in the windows of over 40 Westminster merchants. The window displays run through Sept. 23, when the signs come down and move to Westminster Fallfest. Community members can vote for their favorite designs through a dollar-per-vote system that raises money for the Community of Kindness Workshop Program and Kids Kindness Grants.
Thanks for reading.
— Westminster Wire