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Happy midweek, Westminster! You’re one of 1,342 people now getting these emails. We’re also about to hit 10,000 Facebook followers, and you can find the Wire on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, too. Tell your local friends!
Westminster has had a lot to celebrate lately. Lotus on Main and The Design Studio just opened on Main Street, San Sushi had a busy pop-up at Covalent Spirits, and two local favorites are marking milestones this week: Collision Course is celebrating its second birthday today, and O'Lordans Irish Pub turns 21 this weekend.
In this edition, there's an update on what happened with Westminster Wire at last week's school board meeting. Early voting also starts Thursday, Oct. 22, with three Board of Education seats on the ballot, and last week's story breaks down where the six candidates stand. And with Halloween week here, there's plenty to do.
Let's get into it.
School board says it never got Westminster Wire's emails
At the Oct. 14 Carroll County Board of Education meeting, Westminster Wire publisher Mike Holden told the board it has been difficult to get answers from CCPS for reporting. Board President Steve Whisler responded from the dais that board members who checked their email had found nothing from Holden. On Oct. 18, Holden sent the superintendent, CCPS’s communications officer and the five voting board members a record of the 21 emails he has sent CCPS’s communications office and three board members since June. None of those emails bounced. All five board members confirmed they received the Oct. 18 message, and the three Holden had emailed before said they found no earlier messages from him. On Oct. 21, CCPS told Holden it had shared his email addresses with its Technology Services department, which is looking into the issue. Holden also asked CCPS how it decides which media questions get answered. A full story, including any response from CCPS, is coming soon to westminster-wire.com.
Have you emailed a board member or CCPS staff? Share whether you heard back at [email protected] or use the news tips form.
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👀 Around Town
🎂 Two local favorites are celebrating birthdays this week. Collision Course, the restaurant at 61 1/2 E. Main St., turns 2 today, Wednesday, Oct. 21, with happy hour drink specials all day. O'Lordans Irish Pub, 14 Liberty St., turns 21 on Saturday, Oct. 24, with food and drink specials all day, a party starting at 7 p.m. and live music from Three Sheets and the Wind at 8 p.m. Buy a $100 gift card at O'Lordans that day and get a free $21 gift card (good for 60 days). Here are Collision Course and O'Lordans' birthday posts.
🆕 Two new businesses on Main Street. Lotus on Main, a yoga studio and wellness center, is now open at 221 E. Main St. Classes are $17 with no commitment, in person or on Zoom (schedule and booking). Down the street at 71 W. Main St., owner Laura Edwards has opened The Design Studio, offering interior design, flooring, furnishings and finishes. It's between RockSalt and the future Double Barrel Tasting Room (studio details).
🎃 McDaniel College's annual Trick or Terror is Friday, Oct. 23, at 6:30 p.m. at Rembert Field at Gill Stadium on the McDaniel campus. It's free, and no registration is needed. Kids 12 and under who come in costume get free candy and can play carnival-style games with McDaniel athletic teams. The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee is hosting. Trick or Terror details
👻 More ways to spook your weekend: the Carroll County Public Library's Ghost Walk of Westminster steps off Saturday, Oct. 24, at 2 p.m. from the Westminster Branch, 50 E. Main St. (ages 10 and up, registration required). The Ag Center's Trunk or Treat is Sunday, Oct. 25, 2–4 p.m. at the Corn Maze, 706 Agriculture Drive, and costumed kids 15 and younger get $2 off the maze. The maze is open Fridays through Sundays through Nov. 1, and it's cash only. The Farm Museum's Trick or Treat & Evening Lantern Walks is Tuesday, Oct. 27, at 500 S. Center St., with trick-or-treating for kids 12 and under from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. ($5 per car or family).
🎭 The Carroll Arts Center, 91 W. Main St., has a busy weekend. Ebb & Nova celebrates its 10th anniversary Friday, Oct. 23, at 7:30 p.m. with greatest hits, special guests and surprises, with tickets starting at $10 (details). Humorist and storyteller Sean Dietrich, known as Sean of the South, performs Saturday, Oct. 24, at 6 p.m. for $37.25 (tickets); it's presented by an outside renter, not the Arts Council. On Sunday, Oct. 25, at 2 p.m., a free screening of the documentary The Man from Westminster tells the story of a surgical breakthrough made at a small-town Westminster hospital (RSVP requested, and the film includes real surgical footage). The 24th Annual Members Show is free and runs through Nov. 7, noon to 4 p.m. on gallery days.
🍿 Late October is movie season at the Arts Center. 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. and $10. The Rocky Horror Picture Show plays Friday, Oct. 30, at 10 p.m. for $30, with a costume contest, live performances and trivia. Beyond those movies, there’s a family-friendly Tricks & Treats Magic Show with D's Magic on Thursday, Oct. 29, at 6 p.m. ($10–$20).
🍂 St. Mary's UCC and St. Mary's Lutheran host a Harvest Festival on Saturday, Oct. 24, from 3 to 5 p.m. at St. Mary's UCC, 1441 E. Mayberry Road. It's free, and St. Mary's Lutheran holds a Trunk 'r Treat at the same time, so park at the UCC or St. Mary's Cemetery lots. Event details
🤝 Find Your Purpose Inc. and Human Services Programs of Carroll County hold their first Community Resource and Job Fair on Sunday, Oct. 25, from 3 to 6 p.m. at Westminster City Park. The flyer lists music, food, guest speakers, employers, community resources, vendors and a community yard sale with The Care Closet, with First Financial Federal Credit Union as sponsor.
📜 The Annapolis Tea Party, the burning of the brig Peggy Stewart, gets a library talk Monday, Oct. 26, at 6:30 p.m. at Exploration Commons, 50 E. Main St. It's part of the library's Carroll 250 series, and the talk covers how Mordecai Gist, elder brother of Col. Joshua Gist, led a Baltimore contingent that demanded the ship's tea be burned. It's for adults. Event details
💼 Carroll County Government's Employment Expo is Wednesday, Oct. 28, 5–7 p.m. at the Ag Center, 706 Agriculture Drive, with staff on hand to talk about county careers and benefits. Event listing
🛍️ The Ag Center's Indoor Flea Market is Saturday, Oct. 31, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Shipley Arena, with breakfast and lunch from the Roaring Run Lions Club. No dogs are allowed, and vendor spaces are sold out. Event details
📅 On Saturday, Nov. 7, 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 (details).
Questions? Send them to [email protected].
— Westminster Wire