The Greek Festival of Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church hosted by Father Kosmas Karavellas is an annual community tradition. Behind the scenes are generations of Greek traditions. As a former Greek dancer, I can tell you the story.     Months before their costumes are fitted, Greek dance groups fill any unoccupied room in the gilded church with traditional music for weekly practices that run late into the night.     “Dancing is a great way...

Everything flows downstream. Ponder that maxim as summer draws you to the alluring waters of Chesapeake Country.     When taking a swim in the Bay and its tributaries, think of what’s traveled downstream. The big rains we’ve been having are expressways for pollutants entering the Bay. So some days our waters are not safe waters.     Bacteria are common pollutants in our waterways. Some bacteria, including vibrio, occur naturally in warm waters during...

From auditions to curtain, every theater production is a gamble, but 2nd Star Productions’ Guys and Dolls beats the odds. A period piece lampooning its own subculture, this 1950 Tony winner for Best Musical still feels funny and frisky from the opening Call to Post to the classic Fugue for Tinhorns. It grabs you by the lapels and doesn’t let go as Nicely Nicely Johnson (James Hulcha), Benny Southstreet (Nathan Bowen) and Rusty Charlie (Daniel Starnes) vow I Got the Horse Right Here...

Am I an organic gardener? I’m often asked that question. I suspect that many who read this column conclude that my frequent reference to composting and compost in gardening means I must be an organic gardener. They seem shocked when I say that I use chemical fertilizers in addition to amending my soils with compost. My reasoning is that of a scientist.     Before my research into compost, my primary area of research was mineral nutrition of plants. My research for the...