Monkey Business: First Annual Festa Italiana Frederick
By Lloyd Thompson Taylor
Sights, songs, and spaghetti, the flavors and highlights of Italy make their way to Frederick in a new and exciting way.
Homemade Italian favorites like lasagna, tiramisu, sausages, ices, and beverages along with the traditional and contemporary musical stylings of Sergio Fresco, a musician well known in the greater metropolitan area for his performances and his love of Italian culture await the Frederick community at Crumland Farms, the event site on May 25, 2013 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Habitat for Humanity, with the thought of the greater Frederick family community in mind, has sponsored “Festa Italiana Frederick,” the first of many such events to come. Tuscany, Florence, and Rome are coming to Frederick and invite every member of the community to stop by and take a walk on La Riviera Italienne
Ron Cramer, executive director of the Frederick Habitat for Humanity, is an advocate for involvement and outreach, to those in need as well as the families of Frederick.
“Our organization is excited to produce this event; a first event of its kind in Frederick,” Cramer shared. “At the Frederick Habitat, we are all about supporting families, so this family-friendly activity is right in line with our mission.”
Admission to Festa Italiana Frederick is $5 plus the price of the Italiana cuisine presented. All proceeds go to Habitat for Humanity and their initiatives. Children under the age of 2 are free.
Artistry, celebrity, soccer, and a Spaghetti Sauce Cook-Off all invite the public to take an active role in the Italian culture and cuisine presented for them. Events for children include small craft making, fun games, and a chance to create their own dish. “Top your Own Spaghetti Tent” offers pasta kids of all ages will love with chocolate, gummy bears, and more.
Father Leo Patalinghug, a parish priest with a surprising past, will also be a fixture at the Festa. Father Leo, as a famous cooking show host and founder of a meal-based religious initiative, will publicly prepare an Italian favorite of his and then sign copies of his book, Recipes for Joy.
“Attendees can expect the ambiance of Italy at this unforgettable event. Our goal is to create a true Italian experience filled with the music, smells and sounds that take you from Frederick to Italy in your wildest imagination,” Cramer said.
Questions and additional information can be asked and answered at www.festaItalianafrederick.com.
Read MoreAbrams Speaks out on Domestic Violence at Heartly House Affair
By Lloyd Thompson Taylor
“We’re powerless to change what we won’t acknowledge.”
These were the words at the very heart of the message given by Sil Lai Abrams, a nationally recognized speaker, writer and domestic violence awareness activist, to the crowd gathered for the Affair of the Heart event at the Holly Hills Country Club on May 14.
Abrams was invited to Frederick to share her story and what programs like the Heartly House mean to her. She was only able to move forward with her life and heal due to the aid of a New York-based program similar to the Heartly House, she stated in her keynote address at the event.
“This is hard work; it’s not sexy,” she said in reference to supporting the programs that help battered women, men and children. There is a great need for assistance in this area, but unlike the arts and other initiatives, domestic violence support is something that no one likes to talk about, she observed.
In addition, backing for such programs has declined over the years, while the downturn of the economy and cuts in government spending have left the Heartly House with less funds available to help a growing population in need of its services.
Board members of the Heartly House joined Abrams in sharing their own stories of working with those affected by domestic violence and the gripping statistics of domestic abuse. The board noted that in the Frederick County area alone, with its population of 230,000, a real need exists for the Heartly House. The organization fields thousands of calls to its hotline and houses hundreds of victims who need shelter and the resources to break free from their abusers.
Olivia White, Affair of the Heart committee member and co-chair of this year’s event, discussed the importance of giving back to the community through time and donations to programs like the Heartly House. She also took the time to acknowledge all of the effort by community leaders and corporations who came together to sponsor the event this year.
Affair of the Heart is an annual fundraising event sponsored by the Heartly House of Frederick, Maryland. The event regularly brings together donors, supporters, and friends of the Heartly House from across Frederick County in order to thank everyone involved in their mission and touch on the importance of such programs in the county and across the country.
”Those who support this cause, do it from the heart,” Abrams said.
For more information on the Heartly House and how to get involved, go to www.heartlyhouse.org.
Read MoreLocal Business Helping To Trim the Trend of Childhood Obesity
By Lori Rypka
Noah “Biingo” Gray of New Windsor knows all about working smarter while working harder. His 180-degree health turnaround was rather public and required him to juggle school with an extreme workout regimen.
Noah was chosen to be one of three youth ambassadors for Biggest Loser season 14, which concluded in March. This 13-year-old with a big personality took on an equally bigger task of changing the course of his health and inspiring millions of viewers to get off the couch and get healthy. Baseball, his favorite sport, provided an extra reason for motivation.
From late September 2012 to mid-March 2013, Noah spent his days attending school, doing homework and exercising in the gym.
Dan Strayton, trainer and owners of Health Unlimited of Mount Airy, trained Noah and his family during the season. He said the Gray family was looking for a gym nearby when he first met them. The show’s producers liked that Strayton had worked with and coached kids for years. Plus, he also played baseball in college.
Noah managed to stay on track toward his fitness goal — he ultimately lost 42 pounds — despite a foot injury that benched him for six weeks. His whole family took the challenge along with him; together they lost more than 200 pounds total during the season.
Noah had it a little tougher than most of the contestants on the Biggest Loser Ranch for much of the season. The weight was figuratively on his shoulders to do the fitness work at home week after week.
Diet changes aside, Strayton says the key for Noah was something kids do naturally anyway — playing with friends. Most of Noah’s hours at the gym were spent playing B-Ball or dodgeball with his buddies.
And really, that’s no different than kids’ schedules years ago — come home from school, do homework, play with friends outside, and then go to bed.
Many kids today, including Noah before he got involved in the show, spend hours playing electronics rather than playing in physical sports.
Looking ahead, having a love of sports is an advantage for Noah, Strayton says. His weight loss “will be a lot easier to maintain because he can play sports.”
For a kid who used to spend hours playing video games or watching TV, Noah was pretty proud of himself when he ran a sub-10-minute mile.
But that’s not his only source of pride. Since receiving a surprise jersey on the Biggest Loser live show by coaches of the Maryland Cardinals Baseball Club in Winfield, Noah has been out on the field practicing with the team.
Although Noah admits he’s still not a fan of vegetables, his diet has also undergone a complete transformation, and he’s become more mindful about how he’s fueling his body. At 13, he can make only so many choices about what he eats, but a huge part of Noah’s success was that his parents participated in the lifestyle change, too.
“Kids won’t be successful if the parents won’t do it. Kids can’t do it on their own,” Strayton says.
And, when it came down to it, Noah not only stepped up to the plate, but he hit a home run.
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Sound Off: Turning tragedy into acts of service
By Michael Vyskocil
Last month, we experienced two tragedies in our nation: the Boston Marathon bombings and an explosion in Texas. While these events occurred outside our Frederick community, their impacts, nevertheless, have been felt here in Maryland.
Tragic events like these have a way of overwhelming us to the point where fear and hopelessness can cripple our daily thoughts and actions.
And while, as we saw from Boston and from Texas, tragedies can happen where we least expect them, we, however, can choose how we respond to them.
In times of fear and confusion, we’ve witnessed individuals who have charged headfirst into help mode. And they go well beyond first responders on the scene. These are the individuals who sign up as blood donors for the American Red Cross. These are the ones who organize fundraisers in their churches and communities. These are the ones who try to make a difference.
As the days and weeks pass, we shouldn’t allow time to also fade our willingness to help others. While we can’t change everything in our world, we can make changes that impact our own daily living. We are all connected, and each positive act of service we perform can have impacts far-reaching beyond our own homes.
As our nation continues to grasp the aftermath of the tragedies in Boston and Texas, we should try to embrace today and every day with an attitude of love. While there are plenty of prejudices that we can impose on others, we must remember our interconnectedness. Strive to make your life an act of service — and of love — to others.
Read MoreLuxury Home Raffle: The New Bake Sale?
A national trend hits home as the Middletown community rallies together to raffle off a half-million-dollar home to help save their high school.
Most high school booster clubs host bake sales or car washes when they need to raise money for their sports teams, but the folks in Middletown are a little more ambitious.
In this football-centric town, where almost everyone knows someone who plays on the football team, a bake sale isn’t going to cut it. Raffling off a house instead will raise money for the renovation of the school’s football field and athletic facilities. 
Their hope is to raise at least $1 million through ticket sales. The home — appraised at $475,000, with four bedrooms and 3 1/2 bathrooms — is located in a quiet neighborhood in the Middletown community.
The raffle is sponsored by the Middletown High School Sports Club. The club aspires to pay off their existing loan and raise substantial funds towards their continuing renovation project. Club members hope to sell 15,000 tickets at $100 each between now and the raffle drawing on June 13 at Hollow Creek Golf Club, 50 Glenbrook Dr., Middletown.
For those interested in participating in the Dream Home Raffle, call 301-371-3502 for information or visit www.middletowndreamhome.com.
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Monkey Business: The Art of Words
Writing is an art. And art is writing.
That’s no play on words for author Beth Mende Conny, who will host a reception for her exhibit, “Art of Words: Illustrated Writings,” on Saturday, May 4 at Cowork Frederick, 122 E. Patrick St. in Frederick. Visitors can browse the exhibit from 5-9 p.m.
“I’ve written numerous meditation collections, but this is the first time I’ve coupled my writing and artwork,” says Conny. Where one leaves off, the other begins, giving greater depth to her work.
It’s been an incredibly creative process, she says — one that began at Lowe’s.
“My husband was off buying tools, and I wandered over to the paint section and become enthralled with all the paint chips,” she says. “I gathered a bunch and began arranging them in my hand, as if they were playing cards. The colors were so vibrant, and I was hooked.”
Hooked, that is, on bringing home dozens of paint chips every time she went shopping at Lowe’s.
“One day, I spread them all out on my desk, got some scissors and rubber cement and began collaging,” she says. “I didn’t set out to accomplish anything other than to relax.”
Over time, however, she discovered that her collages made perfect illustrations for her meditations. Her meditations, in turn, sparked collage ideas. “It’s been great fun and very fulfilling,” she says. “Collaging, itself, is meditation.”
Conny’s exhibit will feature posters of her meditations and collages. The event coincides with Mayfest 2013, an all-day event in downtown historic Frederick, which will include live performances and other festivities.
For more information about Conny’s work, contact her at beth@writedirections.com or call 301-471-5572. To learn about Cowork Frederick, email info@coworkfrederick.com or call 301-732-5165.
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