Sixty years since high school? Can’t be!
The letter was so upbeat, it almost chirped. “Come back!” it urged. “Relive All Those Great Memories! Bask in the Glow!” It was an invitation to my 60th high school reunion. Gulp. Wince. Run fingers through white hair. Have 60 years really passed? They have. Are most of my classmates still alive? They are. Are most of them planning to attend? They are. Am I... READ MORE
Honoring lifelong volunteers for service
Since 1998, Montgomery County, Maryland, has bestowed the Neal Potter Path of Achievement Award on selected older adults, honored for their lifelong commitment to volunteer work. The awards, named after former County Executive Neal Potter, are co-sponsored by the Montgomery County Commission on Aging and the Beacon Newspapers. This year’s winners are Judge Chung K. Pak and Charlotte... READ MORE
Painter captures Richmond Symphony
For the past few months, a special visitor has attended the Richmond Symphony’s rehearsals in the Dominion Energy Center for the Arts. Situated in front of his easel, local artist Matt Lively, 50, has been painting images of one of Richmond’s celebrated artistic institutions. Lively began attending rehearsals after Amy Burhman, the Symphony’s assistant director for marketing and ... READ MORE
Older authors reminisce in their memoirs
The Bibliophile Three accomplished older adults in diverse professions focus on notable aspects of their lives in their fascinating memoirs. On Juneteenth, by Annette Gordon-Reed, 152 pages, Liveright hardcover, 2021 In this anthology of six essays, historian Annette Gordon-Reed, who is in her early 60s, describes her childhood in the Lone Star State and her experiences in the... READ MORE
Wilder classic ‘Our Town’ still resonates
Thornton Wilder once said, “I am interested in those things that repeat and repeat and repeat in the lives of the millions.” His most widely produced play, Our Town, aims to remind us of our universal humanity. Sometimes, however, what some imagine to be folks-writ-large is merely the perspective of a specific group of people. Can Wilder’s fictional Grover’s Corners, New... READ MORE
Dorothy’s lost dress from ‘Oz’ up for sale
It’s one of the most recognizable outfits in American movie history: the blue-and-white checked gingham dress a young Judy Garland wore as Dorothy in the classic 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz. For decades, one of the versions of the dress Garland wore in the movie was assumed lost at Catholic University of America, where it had been given to someone in the drama department in the early... READ MORE
Since her teens, a force for great music
When Baltimore music columnist Rosa Pryor-Trusty was a teenager, the famed Nat King Cole gave her a nickname that endures today. “Our band was on tour in New York, and he noticed that I was a bit antsy and impatient while waiting around in the studio. He then dubbed me a ‘Rambling Rose,’” she said in an interview with the Beacon. Rosa “Rambling Rose” Pryor-Trusty, now 77,... READ MORE
A solution to the older driver conundrum
He was an 80-year-old behind the wheel of an SUV. In March, he became the centerpiece of a major disaster — and a major controversy. The driver lost control of his vehicle on a sunny weekday. He smashed into diners having lunch outside the Parthenon Restaurant in Northwest Washington. Two diners were killed and nine others were seriously injured. No one has fully explained how the... READ MORE
Spice up your edible garden with a theme
During the pandemic, about 15 million people became new gardeners, and research shows that the majority of them are growing or plan to grow edible plants. Always grow the herbs and vegetables that you and your family enjoy. May is a good month to get many of those plants in the ground. Whether you’re new to gardening or a seasoned grower, mix it up by selecting a theme for this... READ MORE
Places for you to cut the rug your way
When people think of dancing, they may think of twirling around a ballroom with a partner. Sure, there are wonderful dances like the waltz, the Texas two-step, foxtrot, salsa, tango and rhumba. There is West Coast swing and shag, too, and they are all wonderful. But freestyle dancing allows you to express yourself in a personal way. With freestyle dance, there is no wrong way, no steps... READ MORE
Arts 2024
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