Wee-cycle Mart comes to Perryville Outlet Center March 12-14

It's Wee-cycle Mart time again. Organizers are already setting up for this weekend's sale in the old L.L. Bean store at the Perryville Outlet Center. They're accepting items for consignment through noon this Wednesday. The photo above is from last year's sale and here's the info they sent me on this year's event:

The big children's consignment sale is scheduled March 12-14th at the Perryville Outlet Center (old LL Bean Store). The last Perryville sale proved to have the highest sales despite early doubts from the Bel Air moms! Yes, not only did the Harford County moms consign GREAT stuff (over 25,000 items) at the sale but they came to the sale in droves! Some even came back all 3 days with friends! We are once again offering a 5% discount up to $5 if they bring a toll reciept dated that day! Saturday's MomsFest is starting to become a favorite of the moms with a FREE baby photo contest, free childcare (if you have to bring those kids) and over 20 vendors that support moms! We also give out goodie bags to first 500 moms and a punchcard on Sat where moms can get an extra 6% off for stoopping by some of our vendors!

More info about consigning, volunteering and shopping at the sale: www.wee-cyclemart.com

You can follow Wee-cycle Mart on Facebook and Twitter.

Here's a cute video they made of themselves setting up for last year's Harford County sale:



This post was sponsored by Wee-cyclemart.

For more information on sponsored posts e-mail BANV at stacey@belairnewsandviews.com

Bel Air Massage Envy therapists help set new Guinness World Record for simultaneous massage

Massage is usually what you do to relax and restore yourself after a competitive event. But massage therapists from Massage Envy in Bel Air recently helped to turn massage itself into a competition. They ended up winning the new Guinness World Record for the most people being massaged simultaneously in one location. Angela Green and Effie Avgerinos of the Bel Air Massage Envy were among hundreds of therapists from all over the region who massaged 167 people at the same time at the finish line of the 34th annual Marine Corps Marathon in Rosslyn, Virginia last October. They received the official letter notifying them of their record and certificate from The Guinness Book of World Records in late February. The previous world record for the most people being massaged at the same time was 154, set in London, England in 2007.

“We’re thrilled that Massage Envy now officially holds the new world record,” said Regional Developer Eric Barton. He added that, “massage is becoming more and more popular as a way to not only relax, but improve health by lowering blood pressure and boosting the immune system. We’re happy to have given that to the race participants, and we’re happy to share this world-wide honor with the local community.”

Massage Envy is the largest provider and franchisor of therapeutic massage and spa services in the United States. With 609 clinics in 42 states, they employ over 14,000 therapists and are dedicated to providing professional and affordable therapeutic massage services to clients nationwide. In the greater Baltimore/Washington, DC area, there are 19 Massage Envy clinics, with approximately 27,100 members. For more information, please visit www.massageenvy.com.

Find Massage Therapy at 591 Baltimore Pike in the Bel Air Plaza at the intersection of Routes 1 and 24. Call (410) 420-7770 or visit www.massageenvy.com.


This post was sponsored by Massage Envy

For more information on sponsored posts e-mail BANV at stacey@belairnewsandviews.com

Sweet weekend coming up in Bel Air: Chocolate & Wine Affaire Friday night and Chocolate & Candy Festival Saturday

It's going to be a sweet weekend in Bel Air. Friday night is The Bel Air Downtown Alliance's 3rd Annual Chocolate & Wine Affaire from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Bel Air Armory. Then on Saturday, the alliance hosts its 9th Annual Chocolate & Candy Festival at the Armory from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The alliance has all the information you need about both events on its Facebook page. Click here to see it. You can also see everyone who has confirmed that they're coming to the events. You can look and see if your friends will be there.

3rd Annual Chocolate & Wine Affaire

The Bel Air Downtown Alliance would like to cordially invite you to enjoy an evening out on Main Street! Join us on Friday, March 5th, 7pm-10pm at the Bel Air Armory for delicious specialties from local restaurants, wine & beer pairings with scrumptious chocolate desserts (provided by Bel Air Liquors), music, dancing, an open bar, & a silent auction. Tickets are only $50/person or $90/couple. All proceeds benefit the Bel Air Downtown Alliance - creating a vibrant business community & visitor friendly destination in & around Downtown Bel Air!

Chocolate Specialties & Desserts provided by: Moore's Candies, Wockenfuss Candies, & Bel Air Bakery.

Special thanks to our participating restaurants: MaGerk's Pub & Grill, Looney's Pub, C. R. Wings, Pairings Bistro, Buontempo Brothers, Main Street Tower, & Coffee Coffee.

Special thanks to our sponsors:
GOLD: Verizon Wireless & Point Breeze Credit Union
BRONZE: The Aegis & Rosedale Federal
CHOCOLATE: Brown, Brown, & Young, PA

Sponsorship & vendor opportunities are available. For more information or to order your tickets, please contact Scott T. Walker at (410) 638-1023 or swalker@downtownbelair.com.

9th Annual Chocolate & Candy Festival

The Bel Air Downtown Alliance would like to invite you & your entire family out for an afternoon of FUN on Main Street! Join us on Saturday, March 6th, 10am-3pm at the Bel Air Armory for this year's Chocolate & Candy Festival featuring: chocolate & candy treats for the whole family, music, a children's activity area, & a "Main Street Scavenger Hunt". Tickets are only $5.00 & children under 5 are FREE. Sponsorship & vendor opportunities are available. For more information, please contact Scott T. Walker at (410) 638-1023 or at swalker@downtownbelair.com. All proceeds benefit the Bel Air Downtown Alliance - creating a vibrant business community & visitor friendly destination in & around Downtown Bel Air!

Dark Horse Saloon opens in old Greene Turtle location on Main Street Thursday, March 4

The Dark Horse Saloon -- former home of The Greene Turtle and The Ropewalk -- opens Thursday. Prudential Carruthers Realtor Chris Reda, who owns the building at 119 S. Main St. along with his partners, decided to open the restaurant after The Greene Turtle closed last November. He invited BANV & family to his "friends and family" night yesterday to give his kitchen and wait staff a chance to practice running through their menu items. We enjoyed it. He went with a Tex-Mex and barbecue menu. I had a portabella taco. The portabella mushroom filling was well seasoned and flavorful. The taco had a soft shell which made it easy to handle. It was served with black beans and rice. I liked that it was nice and light. My son had a much heavier dish, the Mexi Mac: pasta and cheese served with spicy chorizo sausage and a tomato base. He enjoyed it and we took the leftovers home for the next day. Their $5.99 kids menu reflects their Tex Mex theme. Along with staples like hot dogs and cheeseburgers, they offer Mexican dishes like quesadillas and tacos for the kids. My daughter had the kids cheeseburger which was small enough for her, but nice and thick on a good roll with fries showing a bit of potato skin, like boardwalk fries. The menu also had a good number of barbecue dishes, which we'll try the next time we go. Reda says his Executive Chef, Frank Campanella, has traveled the country winning awards in barbecue competitions like our Maryland BBQ Bash. Reda and company have given the historic building an Americana theme, with murals by local artist Marshall Adams featuring themes from the Wild West. In a nod to Harford County's equestrian heritage, they've incorporated race horses into the interior design and logo and brought back the bronze replica of race horse Seattle Slew that used to sit atop the outdoor deck when the restaurant was The Ropewalk.

The Dark Horse Saloon opens to the public at 4 p.m. tomorrow and at 5 p.m. on Friday. They'll hold their grand opening event from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday with a special buffet. They'll open for lunch starting at 11:30 a.m. next Wednesday.

I'd link to their website, but it doesn't appear they have one yet.

Click here for previous BANV posts on The Dark Horse Saloon.

Rita's in Forest Hill opened for the season today

I'm sipping a Mango Misto as a write this. The Forest Hill Rita's opened today -- a sure sign of spring despite the remaining piles of slushy snow everywhere. It's so much nicer to experience slush flavored and in a cup. Please don't tell my kids. I got my Misto while they were in school. Oops. Brain freeze. 

To show just how cool they are, Rita's is on Facebook and Twitter.

Chesapeake TriSport to open this week; will sponsor First Annual Havre de Grace Triathlon in May

Warmer weather is on its way and Chesapeake Cycle & Sport and Chesapeake TriSport are ready to greet the season with a new store opening and a partnership with Upper Chesapeake Health to bring races and events to the area.

This week Chesapeake TriSport is scheduled to open at 116 S. Main St. in Bel Air. Chesapeake TriSport will be the headquarters for the company's fully sanctioned multisport team (triathlon, road racing and mountain biking).

The company is also pleased to announce a partnership with Upper Chesapeake Health to form TEAM CHESAPEAKE to bring competitions such as the First Annual Havre de Grace Triathlon, outreach programs and special events to the Harford County area.

TEAM CHESAPEAKE is a USAT and USAC sanctioned competition team participating in running races, duathlons, triathlons, mountain bike racing, road bike racing, cyclocross racing. The TEAM provides for access to a pool of professional coaching, elite athlete support network with promotional and sponsorship duties, event planning, and more.

TEAM CHESAPEAKE's first event will be the Havre de Grace Triathlon to benefit the Maritime Museum on May 2nd 2010. This event is a sprint distance triathlon staged on the grounds of Concord Point Lighthouse adjacent to the HdG Maritime Museum. For more information, click here. To register, click here.

For more info on joining TEAM CHESAPEAKE and all the great products from Chesapeake Cycle and Chesapeake Trisport, visit www.chesapeakecyclesport.com and www.chesapeaketrisport.com.

This post was sponsored by Chesapeake TriSport.

For more information on sponsored posts e-mail BANV at stacey@belairnewsandviews.com

Did shoveling snow give you an aching back? Massage Envy can help

If shoveling your way through our historic snow storms left you with an aching back, Massage Envy can help. This national spa chain, which is the leading provider of massage therapy in the U.S., features therapies specifically designed to alleviate back pain. Visit Massage Envy's Bel Air location for a treatment that increases blood flow, relaxes muscles, releases endorphins and restores flexibility to tense muscles. Massage can reduce the need for painkillers by 36 percent, according to a study from the Annals of Internal Medicine. Massage is most effective for pain relief when it is combined with other treatments. A Massage Envy therapist can recommend such things as correcting posture, adjusting living and working spaces and changing work habits. Exercise should also play a role with massage therapy to achieve maximum relief, but consult with your doctor before starting a new regimen. Sufferers of chronic back pain should develop a plan that includes a massage therapy session every three to four weeks.

"It's important to listen to your therapist," says Massage Envy's C.G. Funk, vice president of industry relations and product development. A good therapist will give you homework that you need to stay on top of to get rid of the back pain."

At Massage Envy clinics, the front desk personnel will match clientele with therapists skilled in specific areas such as Swedish massage or one customized to back pain relief. With proper therapy and monitored exercise habits, back pain can be alleviated and even eliminated in the long term. At Massage Envy, an introductory one-hour massage session (a 50-minute massage and time for consultation and dressing) is just $49. Memberships are available for $59 per month and include a one-hour massage session. Members may also enjoy unlimited additional one-hour massage sessions at the $49 member rate, with an array of massage styles including deep tissue, therapeutic, trigger point, and cranial sacral massage.

For more information, contact Massage Therapy's Bel Air location at 591 Baltimore Pike in the Bel Air Plaza at the intersection of Routes 1 and 24. Call (410) 420-7770 or visit www.massageenvy.com.



This post was sponsored by Massage Envy

For more information on sponsored posts e-mail BANV at stacey@belairnewsandviews.com

Preliminary work on Forest Hill Kohl's site has begun

You've probably seen the construction trailer and equipment at the corner of Rock Spring Road and Osborne Parkway in Forest Hill. If you're thinking that's there to get the Kohl's Department store building started, it looks like that is the case. I'm still tracking down a date for when we can expect to see that much-discussed Kohl's to start taking shape. However, I learned from the county planning department that what's going on now is some preliminary work to install retaining walls and lay water and sewer pipelines. Even though the work is just getting started, I did see that Kohl's has already posted an advertisement to fill the job of Executive Manager at the Forest Hill store. Click here to see it.

Click here for previous BANV posts on Kohl's and The Village at Forest Lakes.

Today's snow day isn't expected to lengthen the school year any further in Harford County

Another flake, another day off of school. I know, I know. Drifting, blowing, danger, danger. Better safe than sorry. I get it. We went to the library. We got books. We got movies. For some reason my kids still are in my home office with me.

Anyhow, the good news is that it doesn't look like this day off will change the Harford County Public Schools calendar any further. It is expected to be included in the number of days the district will ask the state to waive. I called over there and it looks like Wednesday's story in the Aegis had it correct. Our spring break will be cut short by two days, with kids remaining in school for March 31 and April 1. If you look at your school calendar, you'll see those days are marked as potential inclement weather make up days. Instead of a full week-long spring break, kids get four days off of school from Friday, April 2 through Wednesday April 7. They're back in school on April 8.

The school year will be lengthened by four days, with children attending school through June 15 -- which you'll notice on your school calendar were also marked as potential inclement weather make up days.

The district is using the six snow days it built into its calendar. Since we've already taken nine days off because of the weather, the district will ask the state to waive the three extra days so we won't need to make them up in order to reach the required 180 days of school. According to the Aegis story, the district doesn't plan to make the request until the winter is ended since it's possible we could have more snow days with this incomparable weather we've been having. The state has limited the number of days districts can request to waive at five. Hopefully, the weather will break before we reach that number.

Harford County Public Schools to open on time tomorrow!

And now back to our regularly scheduled lives....

I just got my automated call from the Harford County school district announcing that school will start on time tomorrow for the first time since Snowmaggedon turned our worlds upside down. However, it doesn't appear there is yet any word on whether our extended leave from school will shorten any upcoming school breaks. The district's website says it will post upcoming schedule changes online and through other means:

Harford County Public Schools will open ON-TIME tomorrow, Monday, February 22

HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS WILL RETURN TO THE NORMAL OPERATING SCHEDULE TOMORROW, FEBRUARY 22:
Due to the cooperation and support of our parents and staff, Harford County Public Schools students were able to return to school last week smoothly and safely.  We want to thank all of our parents and employees for their patience and support as we worked together to return out students to a normal school schedule after two, back-to-back, historic snow storms.
Information will be forthcoming regarding any changes that need to be made to the calendar as a result of the days lost due to inclement weather.  That information will be posted on this website, distributed to students at school, emailed through our district-wide Constant Contact email service, and will also be posted on EdLine sites as soon as it is available. 

Posted 2/21/2010 7:32:07 PM

Get help with your job search at a Grace Career Networking Group meeting

Still looking for a job? The Grace Career Networking Group can help. This group for area residents who are unemployed or who are underemployed meets on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month at 8 a.m. at  Grace Assembly of God, 2303 Churchville Road, Bel Air, MD. Their February 27 meeting will feature Interview Coach/Life Coach Darlene McDaniel, who will discuss job search strategy.

I hear that someone who attended the group's December meeting has since found a job.

For more information, contact group facilitator Clint Deriemaeker at c_deriemaeker@hotmail.com.

Forest Lakes Elementary School's Basket Bingo Fundraiser rescheduled for Feb. 26

The gazillion inches of snow that fell here postponed Forest Lakes Elementary School's 6th Annual Basket Bingo event. The PTA fundraiser will now be held Friday, Feb. 26. Doors open at 6 p.m. and bingo starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 per person in advance and $17 at the door. Players can win Longaberger Baskets filled with items donated by Forest Lakes families. Southern Living at Home products, Vera Bradley and Coach items will also be featured. For tickets, contact Forest Lakes Elementary School at (410) 638-4262. The event will be held in the school gym at 100 Osborne Parkway, Forest Hill.

Oak Grove Baptist Church seeks crafters for its Easter Block Party April 3rd

Can you believe that March 20^th starts spring? With the beginning of spring, we also begin thinking about Easter being around the corner! Oak Grove Baptist Church will be having its annual Easter Block Party on Saturday, April 3^rd from 9 am to 3 pm. An added feature this year will be an outdoor craft fair. Applications are currently being accepted for crafters who wish to participate. All crafters are encouraged to contact Trey Wooton, Minister to Children and Senior Adults at trey@oakgrovebaptist.com or 410-838-9898, ext. 244 to receive a copy of the application and guidelines. Info can also be found at www.oakgrovebaptist.com. 

On Tiger and parenting your kids to handle success

I just finished watching Tiger Woods' televised apology and I found myself listening like parent. I'd heard so much about his strong relationship with his parents. He often expressed his gratitude for the guidance he received from his father, whom he lost in 2006. One story had always stuck with me as evidence of the good lessons his parents taught him: When he arrived at a golf competition, he opened his father's car trunk to discover no one had packed his clubs for him. If I remember correctly, he said that taught him that it was his responsibility to make sure he had what he needed. But now listening to him today, he sounded to me like a child who just didn't take these lessons to heart. It made me worry, as a parent. We teach our children they should not feel entitled, that they should play by the rules and that the rules always apply to them. And, yet we don't necessarily expect they will grow up to be the best golfer in the world. We expect that when we aren't there to point out the limitations they must work within, that there will be others to do so -- teachers, bosses, family members, friends, religious leaders. So, as I watched Tiger apologize and express regret for his what he described as his selfishness -- his mother sitting in the front row looking so pained -- I thought how do you prepare your children to handle success? Even success on a lesser level, like high school sports or later in business, can put our children in positions where they may view themselves as being exceptions to the usual rules. We see these young people who achieve fame and fortune and we applaud the hard work that got them there, and then we see the sense of entitlement set in: e.g. Michael Phelps and the pot smoking incident. It's easy to understand the temptations they face. But you can just feel their parents' heartbreak. Is there a way to instill in our children an ethical emergency brake system -- a little voice in their head that reminds them that no matter how great their frustration, or how great their success, that the usual rules apply to them, too?

Harford County Schools to open 2 hours late for the rest of this week

At least we're going back to school. The Harford County Public Schools website (www.hcps.org) says schools will open two hours late for the rest of this week. My 11-year-old thinks this is nice way to ease kids into waking up for school.

The 2-hour late school opening news sparked a lively discussion about students' safety on Bel Air News & View's Facebook page. Click here to follow the conversation: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bel-Air-News-Views/136958171000?ref=ts Or leave a comment below to let us know what you think.

The district offers several safety tips on its webpage: http://www.hcps.org/aboutus/inclementweather/default.aspx

It urges parents to supervise children more closely on their walks to bus stops and schools and mentions that bus pick up times will likely be a bit off schedule as buses take longer to navigate the snowy streets.

Click here for previous BANV posts on the storm of 2010.