Articles by Marilyn Recknor

Kiddie Lit to Light the Holidays

Two books with local connections are treats to put under the tree for younger children.

Denise Blum’s Chesapeake Bay Crab Challenge is about Jay, a young boy who wakes up one morning to find his pet crab Clay missing from his aquarium. Where could Clay be? Will Jay find him? Blum takes readers on a hunt through Chesapeake Country’s Lusby, Oxford and Cambridge — to stores, restaurants and parks. Children will recognize some of the local landmarks; the story begs a field trip to the unfamiliar places. (I wanted to climb into...

Article - Books; by Marilyn Recknor; 12/20/12

Telling His Life Story

History wouldn’t let Charlie Heller forget; Meet the author May 19

Charlie Heller flipped on the television to unwind after a long day. The Tonight Show Host Jay Leno was luring University of Michigan students into showing their ignorance. When was World War II? Who was President during the war? When Leno asked, “Who were the Allies?” one student answered that the U.S. and the Germans teamed up against the Russians. Heller nearly fell off his chair. How could these kids be unaware of the...

Article - People; by Marilyn Recknor; 5/17/12

Caught Up in a Whirlwind of Music

Ed Sparks never left the land of rock and roll

Dorothy Gale was caught up in a tornado and wound up in Oz. Ed Sparks was caught up in the winds of a changing pop scene and wound up in the Land of Music. While Dorothy went home, Sparks is still there, following his own yellow brick road, playing, singing, songwriting, constructing instruments and making friends all over Chesapeake Country and beyond. Born to Rock and Roll A tall man with soft white hair falling beneath his ears, a white mustache and a honeyed voice,...

Article - People; by Marilyn Recknor; 6/3/10

Beating the Summer School Blues

Government officials learn how to prepare for such unexpected and budget-busting events as this year’s record snowfall

You expect the people working for your local government to be in the know and up to the minute on all the issues you care about. So to get a head start in working for you, officials from Maryland’s 23 counties and Baltimore city go to summer school. From August 18 to 21, while you’re soaking up the last rays of summer, they’re taking classes at the Maryland Association of Counties’ Summer Conference. “Local government officials actually go to school 24-seven, every...