Articles by Aries Matheos

A Tangled Murder Misadventure

You’ll have to think outside the apartment to solve Bowie Community Theatre’s mystery

Bowie Community Theatre takes you through so many twists and turns in Murder by Misadventure that trying to keep up could be hazardous to your health. With only four characters and one the police inspector, the 50-50 chance of guessing the murderer could have killed the mystery before final curtain. It survives — though not all the characters do. British dramatist Edward Taylor’s 1992 thriller centers on the rising tension...

Article - Theatre Reviews; by Aries Matheos; 1/19/12

H-E-L-P is a Four-Legged Word

Nancy Patterson’s canine companion Mahler is her arms, her legs and her independence

“I’ve had an engine fail on my plane,” says Nancy Patterson, of Davidsonville, a retired airline pilot. “I’ve had brain surgery. But this has been the most life-changing thing I’ve ever gone through.” Patterson is talking about her experience with Mahler, her service dog from Canine Companions. “Help is a four-legged word,” according to Canine Companions for Independence. As the largest non-profit...

Article - Features; by Aries Matheos; 3/24/11

Gone to the Dogs

For her 10th birthday, Maggie Strandquist asked her guests to help her help animals in need

For the big One-Oh, Maggie Strandquist of Arnold said no to presents for herself and yes to presents for the animals at the SPCA of Anne Arundel County. “I didn’t think I needed anything, so I thought who else needed things,” Maggie reports. “I love animals and really wanted to help them, so I thought of the SPCA.” Maggie was quick to think of the SPCA because she and a friend had already organized a Girl Scout walkathon at...

Article - People; by Aries Matheos; 3/10/11

This Week’s Creature Feature: How the Groundhog Got...

If it’s a sunny day, a second winter is on the way

On February 2, Punxsutawney Phil saw his/no shadow, answering the question of whether our weather will be wintry. Yes, for about six more weeks. But he begged the real question: Why let a groundhog decide? European folklore tells of sacred animals like bears, badgers and hedgehogs predicting the weather. Arriving in North America in the 19th century, Germans brought this tradition with them, giving the job to the animal that most resembled those back home: the groundhog. Other elements of the...

Article - Creature Feature; by Aries Matheos; 2/3/11

Don’t Jump, Dummy!

Who’s that guy on the roof at ATW Hardware & Supplies?

Who’s The Man? He’s the guy Ted Kramer hired to draw attention to his business. The Man has been sitting, standing, lying and climbing onto the roof at ATW Hardware & Supplies on Pike Ridge Road in Edgewater for six years. So it’s a good thing The Man is made of chicken wire and foam rather than flesh and blood. In 2005, Kramer decided something was missing in his then 16-year-old business. “Too many people said they didn’t know where we were,” Kramer...

Article - Things; by Aries Matheos; 2/3/11

When It Snows, There Will Be Snowmen

And in Anne Arundel County, prize-winning snowmen

“Who doesn’t love making snowmen?” Carolyn Ryan, organizer of the first annual Snowman Building Contest, speaks for her fellow snow lovers at the Anne Arundel County Department of Recreation and Parks, sponsors of the first of what they hope will be an annual contest. The contest, which is open-ended from the time of the first measurable snowfall to its last blanketing, will be judged in three categories: Traditional; Most original/creative; and Just for kids (14 and...

Article - Features; by Aries Matheos; 1/20/11

Inspiration to Last a Lifetime

Boys & Girls Club artists hang their own art show

Michelangelo was 17 when he finished his first sculpture. Courtney Johnson, the youngest artist showing her work this month at BayWoods of Annapolis, is eight — and her photo is nationally recognized. Beat that artistic legend. “I paint to show people that everything has some kind of beauty in it,” said 18-year-old Colby Slade, the oldest artist in the BayWoods show and an art class regular at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County. Art is one...

Article - Features; by Aries Matheos; 1/13/11

Lighting Up the Holidays

A little juice goes a long way for these Duffy Electric Boats

Where does the only Earth-friendly, $1-a-fill-up fuel in Annapolis come from? The nearest electrical outlet. As long as the power cord is long enough, Sally Koch, owner of SJ Koch Duffy Electric Boats, can run not only her boats but also as many electrical appliances as captain and crew can operate. Power like that comes in especially handy when the “living room on water” — Koch’s name for her quiet, comfortable fleet — glides through the 28th annual Eastport...

Article - Good Living; by Aries Matheos; 12/9/10

A Small Boy with a Long View

Finding an Indian arrowhead is Daniel Kraus’ best history lesson

Long, long ago before there were packaged turkeys waiting to be cooked for Thanksgiving — or the Thanksgiving holiday at all — Native Americans hunted their food. Mayo Elementary School first-grader Daniel Kraus learned that lesson firsthand when he laid hands on an ancient Native American arrowhead. A day of family bonding turned up a discovery that linked Daniel, and the Kraus family, with an ancient past. “Dan’s godparents came down, and since they don’t have...

Article - History & Lore; by Aries Matheos; 11/18/10

This Week's Creature Feature

Tundra Swans Winging Their Way to Chesapeake Country

Migrating to their winter home, tundra swans will soon be filling the gap in the sky left by south-migrating osprey. Our snowbirds could be arriving any day. Most of their 3,000-mile journey south from their homes in Alaska and Canada occurs during November, according to Larry Hindman, the Water Fowl Project Leader of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. The birds migrate in family groups. Parents with their young plus teens and non-breeders all fly in the famous V form that most...

Article - Creature Feature; by Aries Matheos; 11/4/10