Community Events
Maryland Health Care commission
During this holiday season, it's important to take steps to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and protect yourself, loved ones, and communities. Keep your social and family events small to reduce risk of exposure. Remember to always wear a mask around people not living in your household. Stay at least two arm lengths apart at all times from people who do not live with you. Mealtime can be especially challenging, as the tendency is to gather around a table. Be creative in your seating arrangements and consider using different parts of a room or home during meals. Wash your hands frequently and use hand sanitizer when hand washing is not possible. Monitor your health and stay home if you're feeling sick. If you do experience symptons of the virus, think about scheduling a virtual visit with your health care provider. Telehealth is a safe and convenient way to receive a wide range of services for urgent, primary and specialty care. This message is brought to you by the Maryland Health Care Commission.
Allegany County Library System
After careful consideration, the Allegany County Library System regret to announce that they will be postponing the reopening of the county libraries. Due to the recent surge in COVID-19 cases in the community, the library administration and staff feel that the time and circumstances are no longer right to move forward into Phase 4 and continue with the reopening of the libraries. Library staff will continue serving you safely through Sidewalk Service until a new date is scheduled to move to Phase 4. The library administration will be monitoring local metrics closely to determine a new date to reopen the libraries. Please visit www.alleganycountylibrary.info for updates on reopening plans and information about library services.
Allegany County Libraries Observing Thanksgiving Holiday
All five operating branches of the Allegany County Library System will close Sidewalk Serivce at 5:00PM on Wednesday, November 25th. Libraries will remain closed until Monday, Novmeber 30th when Sidewalk Service resumes at 2:30PM. As always, library patrons can access their accounts through the library's homepage and can renew books and other items from home. Visit www.alleganycountylibrary.info and click on "Account" for more information. During the holidays, patrons can check the eBooks & More page on their website for access to the digital collections where they can find services like Hoopla, Overdrive and Kanopy. Patrons can strem or download books, audiobooks, movies, music, and magazines. For more information, go to www.alleganycountylibrary.info or contact any branch of the Allegany County Library System, Frostburg: 301-687-0790; George's Creek: 301-463-2629; Southern Cumberland: 301-724-1607; Washington Street: 301-777-1200; Westernport: 301-359-0455.
Winter Clothes Drive
From now until December 5th, City Reach will be collecting winter clothes for youth and kids. New or lightly used items can be dropped off at the City Reach Church, 610 Brookfield Ave on Sundays between 8:00AM-12:00PM. December 12th they will hand out the donated items from the Centre Street Playground.
Christmas at Pressley Ridge of Western Maryland
Christmas is once again right around the corner and Pressley Ridge is in need of support for the families they service. Pressley Ridge is a non-profit, tax exempt agency that provides therapeutic services to the community's most vulnerable children and families. There are several ways the community can assist them in providing a joyful holiday to the children. Once such way is a Christmas Holiday Gift/Donation List available through Pressley Ridge, this list has various items needed for the child and their famililes, from gift cards to games to car seats. For those who are willing to participate in giving and/or donating, please have all items ready by December 11th. For more information please email ssmearman@pressleyridge.org or call 240-609-6915.
Allegany County Library System Community Blue Bookshelves
The Allegany County Library System is partnering with local businesses and organizations to provide free books to children living in underserved neighborhoods in Allegany County. Seven blue bookshelves will be placed in community spaces aroung the county and stocked with children's picture books. The library will also be stocking children's picture books in the Little Free Libraries located at the Banneker Gardens and Jane Frazier communities. Children will be able to select books to keep and read at home. Through this program, the library hopes to increase access to books for children and families that are not able to regularly visit a library building. Promoting early literacy is a key objective in the Allegany County Library System straregic plan. Research shows that having books at home has a positive effect on literacy and academic success. Reading with your children helps develop vocabulary and comprehension, and encourages a love for reading. Community bookshelves will be stocked while supplies last by the Allegany County Library System. For more imformation about this program please contact Program Specialist, Kate Metzger at 301-777-1200 or kmetzger@alleganycountylibrary.info.
Resources for Independence
Resources for Independence is excited to announce an additional program that Western Maryland community members with disabilities can now benefit from. Through the current pandemic, the staff at RFI are dedicated to making resources available for individuals with disabilities during emergencies, or when their consumer's normal routines are disrupted. With this mission in mind, they have collaborated with local food banks and other agencies to create and dispense emergency preparedness kits to help families feel more secure when facing the unknown. Kits provided by the Emergency Preparedness Program from Resources for Independence include: First aid-basic antiseptic, bandages, gloves, and masks, Water, Non-perishable food, Manual can opener, Flashlight batteries, Soap, toilet paper, toothpaste & toothbrush. These kits filled with home essentials can be delivered directly to individuals with disabilities and their families upon request. If you would like to inquire about the Emergency Preparedness Program and would like to sign your family up to receive a kit, please reach out to Resources for Independence by calling 301-784-1774, or by filling out the contact page at http://www.rficil.org/. Resources for Independence (RFI) is a Center for Independent Living (CIL). Centers for Independent Living are grassroots, advocacy driven organizations run by and for people with disabilities. They focus on civil rights, the indenpendent living philosophy, and inclusion. If you would like to learn more about the services RFI provides to the community, and how you can get involved, visit hhtp://www.rficil.org/, or follow them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Linkedin.
Hounds Around Town
Looking for a day filled with furry friends and fun? Then look no further than the Allegany County Animal Shelter's "Hounds Around Town" program, which allows individuals to sign a shelter dog out for the day. Being situated in the beautiful mountains of Western Maryland presents a great opportunity for our shelter dogs to experience the joy of a long walk, hike or run in many of the area's scenic locations. Looking for something more low-key? No problem, we have many pups that would enjoy an afternoon of lounging on a couch, a leisurely stroll through the neighborhood or maybe a trip for ice cream. The most important thing is you are giving an adoptable shelter dog a much-needed break from the kennels and providing enrichment and socialization. For more information on the "Hounds Around Town" program, contact the shelter at 301-777-5930
Allegany Arts Council
Effective immediately and through Saturday, November 28th, the Arts Council will be open on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays only, 11:00AM-5:00PM. Beginning November 29th they will be closed with plans to reopen on TUesday, Feburary 2, 2021
NextReads Newsletters
For those that love reading the latest and greatest books but have a hard time keeping up with all the new great titles that come out, the Allegany County Library System had started a new perfect serivice, NextReads Newsletter! Patrons can now sign up to receive monthly emails with a list of new books in your favorite genres! The best part is that the list is linked to the library catalog so you can instantly place a request and be one of the first to read all those new books! It's super easy to sign up, just go to their website www.alleganycountylibrary.info/nextreads, select the genres or topics of your reading interest, enter your email, and you are all set!
Let's Get Lit!
From the staff of the Allegany County Library System another great service for the book and movie lovers out there, a new podcast/video series from the ACLS staff called "Let's Get Lit!". In this series, library staff discuss and give a surefire reading, listening, and watching recommendations. There is a mixture of new and old titles from their collection that patrons will enjoy. New episodes are released every second and fourth of the month and are available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcast.
NOVEMBER
Saturday, November 7 – Saturday, November 28, 2020
Color In Motion
The Allegany Arts Council is please to host the Western Maryland Watercolor Society's exhibition, Color In Motion. The exhibit will run from Saturday, November 7th- Saturday, November 28th, in the Arts Council's Schwab Gallery. The Western Maryland Watercolor Society is a non-profit organization which provides a group forum for watercolor enthusiasts meeting regularly, conducting workshops, and exploring new directions in the medium of watercolor.
Saturday, November 28, 2020
Frostburg First Small Business Saturday
Shop Small Season kicks off Saturday, November 28th with Small Business Saturday, a national celebration of small businesses and a positive impact on communities across the country. This holiday season, local small businesses need the support of their communities more than ever. Starting on Small Business Saturday and throughout the holiday season, downtown Frostburg businesses will be celebrating #ShopSmallSeason with specials, promotions, and everything you need to have a safe shopping and dining experience. Frostburg businesses take our community's safety seriously. If you shop or dine in-person, please wear a mask, sanitize, follow posted rules for capacity and traffic flow, a keep 6-foot distance from other people, and most of all be kind and patient with one another. Not comfortable shopping in-person? Many downtown Frostburg businesses have online purchasing, curbside pick-up, delivery, and gift cards available. Or let FrostburgFirst put together the perfect gift bag for you with the Hometown Holiday Gift program. Follow FrostburgFirst's social media for a list of packages, pick the perfect one for your holiday shopping list, and reserve your order. FrostburgFist staff will personally purchase the items from participating businesses and schedule your curbside pick-up. Packages will be listed on the FrostburgFirst website beginning on Small Business Saturday, November 28th and will be available to reserve through Friday, December 18th. To stay updated on Shop Small Season specials and promtions, check our downtownfrostburg.com/shopsmallseason or follow @FrostburgFirst on Facebook and Instagram. For questions about Shop Small Season in Frostburg, please call 301-689-6900 or email frostburgfirst@gmail.com.Thank you for keeping Frostburg a COVID-compliant and safe community to shop and dine.
DECEMBER
JANUARY
SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2021
Virtual Author Talk
The Allegany County Library System has teamed up with Frederick County, Charles County, and Prince George's County Library Systems to bring a virtual author event to patrons in our community, Sunday, January 24th, 5:00PM-6:00PM with Philippa Gregory. No. 1 New York Times bestelling author, Philippa Gregory will be joining libraries across the state of Maryland to discuss her new book "Dark Tide" For more information and to registar for the event go to https://www.evenbrite.com/e/philippa-gregory-author-talk-dark-tides-tickets-128278649895.
