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In the news, the votes are counted in the Board of Education race. Julie Walsh, Sharon Wilhide and Marsha Herbert won the three open seats, and the third seat came down to just 311 votes. Mail-in and provisional ballots were a factor, much like they were back in the 2022 Board of Education race, when the leaders changed once every vote was counted. A Westminster Wire article looked at the similarities between 2022 and 2026.
Also in this edition: Carroll County Public Schools' plan to convert Outdoor School to a day program is headed to the school board in December, and youth baseball fields at Avondale Park and the Kate Wagner fields are getting a fall overhaul.
Around Town and Looking Ahead are below, with everything from the last day of the Mistletoe Mart and a free McDaniel holiday concert to the Festival of Trees, Miracle on Main Street and the Festival of Wreaths.
Let's get into it.
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Julie V. Walsh (left), Sharon Wilhide (center) and Marsha B. Herbert (right). (Photos from candidate websites)
Walsh, Wilhide and Herbert win Carroll County Board of Education seats
Julie V. Walsh, Sharon Wilhide and Marsha B. Herbert won the three open seats on the Carroll County Board of Education in the Nov. 3 general election, according to results posted by the Maryland State Board of Elections. Walsh finished first with 29,251 votes, followed by Wilhide with 28,743 and Herbert with 28,098. Herbert finished 311 votes ahead of Shannon Hinkhaus, who led among in-person voters. Herbert's edge came from mail-in and provisional ballots.
Outdoor School day program plan heads to Carroll school board in December
Superintendent Cynthia McCabe says the plan to convert Outdoor School from an overnight program to a day program will go to the Board of Education in December, after a work group presents it to board committees this month. A top budget official estimated the change would add about $80,000 in transportation costs. The program is paused for 2026-27, and a day program would start in 2027-28.
Westminster ball fields get rebuilt, with more park work on the way
Youth baseball fields at Avondale Park and the Kate Wagner fields are being rebuilt this fall, and the Westminster Area Recreation Council says they should be ready when players return in spring. The work is paid for by Westminster Baseball Association fundraising and county self-help funds, which add $3 for every $1 a rec council raises. A new $5 million county subcommittee to fix park fields countywide also held its first meeting Nov. 9.
👀 Around Town
🥕 Two markets today. The Downtown Westminster Farmers Market is open today, Saturday, Nov. 14, from 8 a.m. to noon in the Conaway parking lot across from 27 Railroad Ave. Inside the Ag Center, 706 Agriculture Drive, the Carroll County Christmas Farmers Market runs 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. with more than 50 regular vendors selling produce, honey, eggs, meats and baked goods, plus Carroll County Artists Guild members selling original paintings and prints. Admission is free. Downtown market website · Christmas market details
🎄 The 52nd Mistletoe Mart closes today. Its last day is Saturday, Nov. 14, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (doors close at 4 p.m.) at Church of the Ascension, 23 N. Court St. The juried craft show has local artisans, a café, a bake shop and Santa's Workshop for children 8 and under. Admission is $7 at the door, children 12 and under are free, and part of the proceeds goes to local charities. Event details
🚂 Christmas in the Valley is today, Saturday, Nov. 14, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Pleasant Valley Community Fire Company, 2030 S. Pleasant Valley Road. The fire company's annual holiday fundraiser has a bazaar, crafts and food, and the train garden is open. Admission is free. Event details
🎻 Saturday at the Carroll Arts Center. The Arts Center, 91 W. Main St., has two events today, Nov. 14. "The Art of Zentangle," a class on the meditative drawing method, runs 1 to 3:30 p.m. and costs $45. At 7:30 p.m., Common Ground Downtown presents The Livebox, traditional singers Peter Brice (button accordion) and Tess Hartis (fiddle), who revive old Maryland and Chesapeake music. Tickets are $20 to $28. Zentangle details · Livebox tickets and details
🍑 Small Town Stars Theatre Company stages James and the Giant Peach tonight, Saturday, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 15, at 2 p.m. at Synergy Space, 519 Old Westminster Pike. Tickets are $22.50 for adults, $20.42 for students and seniors and $12.10 for children 10 and under, including fees. Tickets and details
⛳ Tonight, Saturday, Nov. 14, Ebb & Nova play Island Green, 1199 S. Pleasant Valley Road, starting at 7 p.m. It's live music with no cover charge. Event details
🎶 McDaniel for the Holidays is Sunday, Nov. 15, at 7 p.m. in Baker Memorial Chapel at McDaniel College, 2 College Hill. It is the college's holiday music program, and admission is free. Event details
🏛️ The Westminster Mayor and Common Council holds a work session Monday, Nov. 16, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at the City Administrative Offices. It is open to the public. City calendar
📜 The Historical Society of Carroll County's Box Lunch Talk is Tuesday, Nov. 17, from noon to 1 p.m. in the Shriver-Weybright Auditorium, 210 E. Main St. The Rev. Dr. James Benedict speaks on the Church of the Brethren's beliefs, practices and customs and its role in local history. Admission is $3 for members and $5 for nonmembers, or free with a nonperishable food item for Carroll Food Sunday. No registration is needed. Bring a lunch; drinks and desserts are provided. Event details
🧵 The Farm Museum's Knowledge at Night lecture is Wednesday, Nov. 18, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Carroll County Farm Museum, 500 S. Center St. Dr. Emily Perett, the coverlet gallery curator at Saint Vincent College, talks about mistakes in coverlet weaving. It costs $15, space is limited, and registration is required. Event details
🪕 Wednesday night downtown: The free 3rd Wednesday Jams runs Wednesday, Nov. 18, from 7 to 9 p.m. at St. Paul's United Church of Christ, 17 Bond St. It is a bluegrass, old-time, blues and folk jam open to all instruments, skill levels and ages, and listeners are welcome. At the same time, the Carroll County Arts Council holds its Annual Open Members' Meeting from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Carroll Arts Center, 91 W. Main St. Jams details · Meeting details
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🔭 Looking Ahead
🏛️ Nov. 19 and 23: The Westminster Planning & Zoning Commission meets Thursday, Nov. 19, at 6 p.m. at City Hall. The Mayor and Common Council meets Monday, Nov. 23, from 7 to 9 p.m. at City Hall. City calendar
🎭 Nov. 19 to 21: McDaniel College Theatre Arts presents Tennessee Williams' Summer and Smoke Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in the Alumni Hall Acting Studio, 2 College Hill. Tickets are $10 to $12 through Eventbrite. The show has adult material and is meant for mature audiences. Event details
🎸 Nov. 20: The band Ayreheart plays Friday at 7 p.m. in the Hill Theater in the Scott Center at Carroll Community College, 1601 Washington Road. The band plays lute-driven music that blends Renaissance, traditional roots and contemporary folk. Admission is free. Event details
🎁 Nov. 20 to Dec. 20: The Carroll Arts Center, 91 W. Main St., holds its 18th annual Gallery of Gifts, a holiday boutique of work by local and regional artisans, during business hours. Entry is free and no reservation is needed. The 29th annual Festival of Wreaths follows Nov. 27 to Dec. 6, with themed wreaths and holiday art on display from noon to 7 p.m. daily. Festival admission is free, and all entries are sold through an online auction that benefits the Arts Council. Also at the Arts Center, applications for its 2027 gift shop call for artists close Sunday, Nov. 29. Gallery of Gifts · Festival of Wreaths
🎵 Nov. 22 to Dec. 6: McDaniel College's free fall concerts are all on campus, 2 College Hill. The College Choir and Green TerrorTones perform Sunday, Nov. 22, at 7 p.m. in Baker Memorial Chapel. In Alumni Hall Mainstage, Jazz Night is Thursday, Dec. 3, at 7 p.m., the College Band is Friday, Dec. 4, at 7 p.m., the Westminster Symphony Orchestra is Saturday, Dec. 5, at 3 p.m., and the Gospel Choir is Sunday, Dec. 6, at 3 p.m. Event calendar
🌲 Nov. 27 to 29: The Shepherd's Staff's 20th annual Carroll County Festival of Trees is at John Street Quarters, 28 John St. It is open Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. More than 30 decorated trees are sold by silent auction, and there is live music, baked goods and a cash-and-carry table. Admission is free, and the event is the Shepherd's Staff's largest fundraiser. Event details
✨ Nov. 28: Miracle on Main Street fills downtown Westminster on Saturday. "A Little Whoville Magic," a free children's event with crafts, face painting, the Grinch and Cindy Lou Who, is at the Westminster Family Fitness Center. The Holiday Electric Parade steps off on Main Street at 5 p.m. and is followed by the city's tree lighting in Locust Lane and visits with Santa on the Westminster library's front lawn. The same day is Shop Small Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at locally owned downtown businesses. Miracle on Main Street · Shop Small Saturday
🛍️ Nov. 28: The 13th annual Sykesville Holiday Marketplace, held at the Ag Center in Westminster, runs 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Shipley Arena, 706 Agriculture Drive, with more than 180 vendors and free entry. The Historical Society's Home for the Holidays Open House runs 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 210 E. Main St. with decorated trees, music, cider and cookies, and it is free. Pleasant Valley Community Fire Company serves a pancake breakfast from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. for $8 to $15. Marketplace · Open house · Pancake breakfast
🍺 Nov. 28: Westminster Wired, an espresso milk stout brewed by Brewery Fire in collaboration with Westminster Wire, gets its release Saturday, Nov. 28, at 11 a.m. at Brewery Fire Taphouse, 530 Jermor Lane, in the 140 Village Shopping Center. The beer uses coffee from Hahn's Pork and Beans Store and grain from Bear Branch Malt, both in Westminster, making it a fitting stop on Small Business Saturday. Event details
🎼 Nov. 30 and Dec. 1: Carroll Singers presents Sing Gloria! Monday and Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at Westminster High School, 1225 Washington Road. Tickets are $15 for adults ($12 in advance) and $9 for students ($7 in advance), and children under 6 are free. Advance tickets are sold at the Carroll Arts Center, Menchey Music and by Carroll Singers members. Event details
🕯️ Dec. 1 to 20: The Carroll County Farm Museum, 500 S. Center St., marks its 60th anniversary with the holiday tour Hands that Built the Holiday. Each room of the 1852 almshouse shows a different handcraft tradition. Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays and noon to 4 p.m. on weekends. Admission is $10 per family, $5 for adults and children 9 and older, and $4 for seniors 60 and older. On Saturday, Dec. 5, A Day of Christmas Cheer runs noon to 4 p.m. with Santa, holiday crafts for kids, hot cocoa and music by the Old Line Statesman from 1 to 2 p.m. Holiday tour · Christmas Cheer
🎙️ Dec. 4 and 5: Storytellers 2026 comes to the Carroll Arts Center, 91 W. Main St., with three shows: Friday, Dec. 4, at 7 p.m., and Saturday, Dec. 5, at 3 and 6 p.m. Local performers combine music, storytelling and multimedia to tell the stories behind some of the best-known Christmas songs. Tickets are $28, and half of all ticket sales go to five local charities, including the Human Services Program of Carroll County and Project Lather. Tickets and details
🎅 Dec. 5: The 73rd annual St. John Christmas Bazaar runs Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at St. John, 43 Monroe St. It is an indoor holiday market with food, a raffle and a Nutcracker performance at 11:30 a.m., and proceeds benefit St. John Catholic School. Admission and parking are free. The same day, the city's Saturdays with Santa runs noon to 4 p.m. at Santa's house on the library's front lawn. Bazaar · City calendar
🎤 Dec. 6: Two holiday concerts are Sunday afternoon. The Masterworks Chorale of Carroll County performs Hagenberg's "Illuminare" and Rutter's "Gloria" at 3 p.m. at Winters Mill High School, 560 Gorsuch Road, with tickets at $20 and free for those 18 and under. At 4 p.m., Motown & More, an 11-piece band playing Motown hits with a holiday twist, is at the Carroll Arts Center for $10 to $30. Masterworks tickets · Motown & More tickets
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