Sykesville couple design an artistic life

By Carol Sorgen
Posted on February 21, 2017

Julie and Ken Girardini are married not only to each other, but to their art as well. The husband and wife design team have been creating contemporary metalwork pieces since 1990, working out of a studio on their 3½ -acre property in Sykesville.The Girardinis met when both were living in Colorado. They’ve been married for 30 years, and designing and crafting together for... READ MORE

Shall we dance? Absolutely!

By Carol Sorgen and Danielle Rexroad
Posted on February 20, 2017

Christine and Lee Gedansky began ballroom dancing lessons in 1991 in preparation for their wedding. Unlike most couples, though, they never stopped dancing.In 2002, they decided to establish their own dance studio, Beginning Ballroom, “to bring real dancing to real people,” said Lee, who will soon turn 50.Throughout their marriage, the Gedanskys have continued dancing, taking... READ MORE

Nominations sought for volunteer awards

By Beacon
Posted on February 14, 2017

Montgomery County’s Montgomery Serves Awards Ceremony will take place on Monday, April 24 at Imagination Stage in Bethesda, Md. The annual event will honor some of Montgomery County’s most outstanding community leaders and dedicated volunteers.“Montgomery County is the very special place it is today in large part because many extraordinary public citizens work every day to ... READ MORE

Stoppard at Studio: intellectual acrobatics

By Michael Toscano
Posted on February 13, 2017

A 30-ish male tutor and his 22-year-old female student at an English university are debating the prosaically labeled “hard problem,” which concerns how biological brain tissue creates complex feelings, thought and action.Of course, it’s obvious they’re lovers, too. He’s all ego, much less id. She’s a believer that absolute morality is the innate quality... READ MORE

Exhibit looks at Howard’s Jewish settlers

By Robert Friedman
Posted on February 03, 2017

For the Howard County history books: Even before early Israeli settlers established collective agricultural communities (kibbutzim) there in 1909, Russian Jews attempted something similar in the early 1900s along the Patapsco River outside of Ellicott City.The evidence is in the exhibit being put together at the Howard County Historical Society museum by Dustin Linz, the museum manager,... READ MORE

Baltimore celebrates Black History Month

By Carol Sorgen
Posted on January 27, 2017

  Black History Month — created in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson, a renowned African American historian, scholar, educator and publisher — began as “Negro History Week.” It became a month-long celebration in 1976, and the month of February was chosen to coincide with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. Baltimore actually began its Black History Month... READ MORE

A titanic, yet intimate triumph at Signature

By Michael Toscano
Posted on January 18, 2017

Signature Theatre has packed a big experience into a small space with their stunning production of Titanic, in performance at their 330-seat MAX Theatre through Jan. 29. The effect is to concentrate the impact of the familiar encounter with historic tragedy, to make it richer and dazzlingly vibrant.The focus here is on the human dimension of this tale of hubris, hope and heartbreak. The... READ MORE

Still smokin’ after all these years

By Rebekah Alcalde
Posted on January 11, 2017

When William “Smokey” Robinson, Jr. was a young boy, his godfather Claude nicknamed him “Smokey Joe” since they both loved cowboy films. In his early teens, he shortened it to “Smokey.” Though his dreams of the Wild West had faded, he still loved the nickname.Now 76, the singer, songwriter and producer was recently in Washington, D.C. to receive the... READ MORE

Photographers get creative with images

By Robert Friedman
Posted on January 10, 2017

 “Photography is more than a medium for factual communication of ideas. It is a creative art.”             — Ansel AdamsThose words of the great American photographer seem to be the motivating force behind the exhibition of some 40 photographs by the Creative Imaging Workshop, a group of eight local photo-artists, which opens Jan. 5 ... READ MORE

Area comics live for the laughter

By Barbara Ruben
Posted on January 02, 2017

Stand-up comedian Jeff Hysen is at D.C. Improv performing a short routine on an open mic night. “I’m the oldest comedian of the evening,” begins the 58-year-old attorney from Silver Spring, Md. “I had a show recently, and before it began the other comics were asking each other about the effects of drug use on comedy. They asked me my opinion, and I said, ‘Lipitor has no... READ MORE