AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler
Brought to you by Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu & Tai Chi
and Lean On Dee Senior Home Care Services
August is about to arrive with its typical steamy temperatures but there are plenty of fun activities schedule for the month. Foremost among family-oriented events is Anne Arundel County Eastern District Police’s National Night Out which will occur next Tuesday, August 1 from 6 to 8 pm. We were surprised to learn that the event has a new location this year. It will be held the athletic field at Kinder Farm Park at 1001 Kinder Farm Park Road in Millersville.
Held in previous years at Earleigh Heights Volunteer Fire Department, the event has been the largest of the National Night Out events in Anne Arundel County and crowds of more than 2,000 people have turned out to honor and support the police officers and firefighters that serve county residents.
According to Liz League of the Greater Severna Park & Arnold Chamber of Commerce, which is one of the organizations helping plan the event, organizers decided to move the event due to the concern for attendees who tended to park along Magothy Bridge Road if the firehouse parking lots were full. She added that there is some concern that people won’t realize the event has been relocated to Kinder Farm Park.
Sara Gannon, who is heading the National Night Out planning committee, noted that information has been on the event Facebook page and other social media and people have been emailing it and sharing it.
“Earleigh Heights Volunteer Fire Company is going to display on their front sign that we moved,” Gannon said. “Police are going to use an EMS board also.”
She added that Earleigh Heights VFC will have a piece of fire equipment at National Night Out. As in previous years, a great deal of fire and police emergency equipment will be on display.
There will also be 50 vendors participating including many of Anne Arundel County’s finest community organizations like SPAN, Inc., Northern Lights Against Substance Abuse, the Western Anne Arundel County Prevention Coalition and Saving Grace Animal Rescue of Maryland among others.
National Night Out fosters good relationships between neighbors and law enforcement while bringing back a true sense of community. In addition to highlighting the important services of our county’s first responders and the fire and emergency equipment they depend on, Eastern District Night Out events offer demonstrations and entertainment to enjoy, snacks to sample, brochures and handouts to collect, and numerous games for kids to play.
TGIF Cookout at the Chamber celebrates the last Friday of July
TGIF Cookouts on the office lawn at 1 Holly Avenue are one of the Greater Severna Park & Arnold Chamber of Commerce’s favorite summer pastimes. This Friday, July 28th, the noontime-1:30 pm TGIF Cookout at the Chamber will be brought to you by Brandon Gulley of Modern Mind Connections.
There’s nothing like the aromas wafting from a grill to draw a convivial crowd for the casual cookouts. Attendees can enjoy all kinds of burgers including Veggie burgers, sides, dessert and more. Fresh popped corn provided by Pam Negron of the Negron Farmers Insurance Agency!
This event is free to chamber members and $15 for non-members.
Self-Defense workshop for College Students at Jing Ying Institute
With summer speeding by and the fall semester fast approaching, we wanted to let parents and students know about a workshop called Self Defense for College Students being held at Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu & Tai Chi on Sunday, August 6 from 2 to 4 pm. While this self-defense workshop is geared toward students currently in college or headed to college, it is open to other teens and adults.
There are three levels of self-defense: avoidance, escape and fighting back. The photo seen here demonstrates the second level – escape. In the photo seen here, student Melissa Wittke teamed with teacher Billy Greer for a self-defense demonstration, portraying both victim and attacker. The two illustrated defensive moves like stepping backward so one is beyond an attacker’s reach or turning an attacker’s own energy against him or her.
Supporting our local farmers by visiting farmers markets and produce stands
Cool temperatures and rain during the planting season meant slow growth for corn, tomatoes, melons and other crops from many Anne Arundel County farms. We previously visited Langton Green Community Farm in Millersville where some produce was offered for sale in late June thanks, in part, to the use of greenhouses. However, two of our favorite stands in Davidsonville, Maryland and one at Turkey Point in Edgewater did not open for daily summer produce sales until after July 4th. We’ll have more news from time to time on the farms, farmer’s markets, and produce stands in Millersville, Severna Park, Annapolis and elsewhere.
Last Saturday, we visited Chase’s Produce in South County on Route 424 (Davidsonville Road) which was offering fresh-from-the fields corn, melons and cantaloupes, cucumbers, squash, green beans and other items last Saturday. The popular produce stand had actually been open in the spring for strawberry season but then took a break. Chase’s is known throughout the county and as far away as Washington, D.C. for its Pick-Your-Own Strawberry Days.
According to both Bob Chase and wife Marge, this spring’s strawberry season was the best they’ve experienced over the eight years they’ve been growing and selling the berries.
“With cool temperatures and hardly any rain, the season was incredible. The weather could not have been any better,” Marge said. “We held the strawberry pickings daily and started the first Sunday of May and continued until June 11th which is quite long.”
In contrast, Chase’s produce season started off “quite rough”
“Though the cool weather was ideal for strawberries, we’re paying for it now because low temperatures are bad for produce,” Bob Chase said. “When temperatures finally rose and we got a little rain, crops really jumped so now there’s a lot of green in the fields.”
Chase was less than thrilled, however, with a recent hailstorm that temporarily destroyed his cucumber and squash crops. Regardless, both are now plentiful. Chase’s Produce is open seven days a week through Labor Day after which they open Friday through Sunday. You can follow Chase Produce’s schedule and keep tabs on what’s available at Facebook or by visiting Chase’s Produce – Fruits and Vegetables, Fresh Produce (chasesproduce.com).
We couldn’t resist stopping at nearby Marco Ridge Farm also on Davidsonville Road. In addition to fresh corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, melons, peaches, and flowers, we saw an amazing new variety of pattypan squash.
Marco Ridge Farm was selling corn as fast as they could pick it. 
New to the stand, these pattypan squash are delicious. The white ones have an appealing sweetness.
The Marco Ridge Farm produce stand is currently open Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday and opens at 6 am. Follow them on Facebook.
The Around The Park Again column is brought to you this week by Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu and Tai Chi at 1195 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd. – For over two decades providing martial arts training that improves cardio-vascular health, strength and flexibility while reducing stress. Jing Ying is again bringing Tai Chi to the Severna Park Community Center.)
and by Lean On Dee Senior Home Care Services at 815 Ritchie Hwy., Suite 206 – When you need someone to lean on, Lean On Dee. Their experienced team of personal care management specialists and friendly companions provide high quality consistent care.
