Two local students recently had the honor of performing onstage with a national theater tour at the Lyric Operahouse. Carly Hirsh, a sixth-grader at Folly Quarter Middle School, and Kaila Friedman, a sixth-grader at Glenelg Country School, each performed as Munchkins in the National Tour of "The Wizard of Oz," in Baltimore Nov. 13-15.

Carly and Kaila both are students at Stageworkz in Millersville, a theatre arts company. The audition call was for 12 children, grouped similar in size. Carly and Kaila were part of the group of 12 that were selected to audition from Stageworkz. The other 10 performers in their group reside mainly in Anne Arundel County.

On a Saturday afternoon in mid-September, three groups of 12 performers auditioned at the Lyric for the Munchkin role. One group was chosen, the group that Carly and Kaila performed in.

Once selected, the Munchkins began rehearsing for 10 to 12 hours per week (in addition to their regular dance classes). Dance teacher Vicki Smith, along with vocal coach Larry Friedman (Kaila's father), did an excellent job training and working with the Munchkins, getting them ready to perform on the Lyric's large stage.

When "The Wizard of Oz" tour arrived in Baltimore, the Munchkins joined in with the cast for a few formal rehearsals, then it was on with the show

There were four performances of "The Wizard of Oz" that Munchkins participated in. Carly, who has been participating in theatre and drama productions since she was 5, along with Kaila, who is also a life-long performer, thoroughly enjoyed their experience of performing on stage at the Lyric in front of such large audiences. It is certainly a life experience they won't soon forget.

There is a new women's athletic wear boutique in town. StretchAlicious, an activewear clothing company, hosted its grand opening Nov. 13 with a party and silent auction to benefit People Who Need People, a charity organization serving the needs of at-risk women and children.

The store is owned by Celia Dahan, a Glenwood resident, and is located in the Enchanted Forest shopping center.

Throughout the year, the store will hold special shopping days and promotional events to benefit such causes as autism, Alzheimer's disease, breast cancer, domestic violence and the environment.

In addition to the activewear, the boutique will also include a professional fitness studio with specialized classes beginning in January. For more information about StretchAlicious, call Barbara Guterman at 301-537-8681 or go to www.stretchalicious.com.

Are you a stargazer, or would you like to learn more about astronomy? The Howard Astronomical League's Galilean Nights celebration of 2009 -- International Year of Astronomy has been rescheduled for Saturday, Nov. 21 at 5 p.m. at Alpha Ridge Park, in Marriottsville.

Come experience what first amazed Galileo exactly 400 years ago. Multiple telescopes will be set up to observe Jupiter, the moon and other celestial wonders Galileo enjoyed.

Also, be on hand to celebrate as a partnership between the Howard Astronomical League and the Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks is announced. This new partnership will pave the way to build the first publicly accessible observatory in the county at Alpha Ridge Park.

For more information and directions, go to www.howardastro.org.

Bradley Carpenter, a Glenelg High School senior and current Maryland DECA president recently announced his intention to run for national office in DECA.

DECA is an association of marketing students and Bradley will be running for the position of North Atlantic Region Vice President for the 2010-2011 school year.

In order to run for vice president, he will travel to Louisville, Ky., in April to attend DECA's International Career Development Conference, where he will campaign, network and publicize his campaign to thousands of other DECA members from around the country.

"It was the next step. I worked my way up from a member, to chapter officer, to state officer, and now it's time to take on the Nation. I love DECA and I would not want to miss out on the opportunity to run for National office," Bradley said.

In order to make this dream come true, though, Bradley is looking for help from the community. He needs to raise $3,000 to cover the cost of getting to Kentucky, printing promotional materials, and give-a-ways that members hand out at the conference.

If you or your company would like to support Bradley and his campaign, please e-mail him at bradleycarpenter10@gmail.com for additional information.

Don't forget to stop by Glenwood Community Center's third annual Holiday Vendor Fair Saturday, Nov. 21 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. to get a jump start on some of your holiday shopping. The event will feature unique gifts, home décor and more. Admission is free.

Glenelg High School will be presenting its fall drama production, "Echoes," Nov. 18-21 at 7 p.m. "Echoes" will be directed by Glenelg High School senior Tanya Wasyluk, with the assistance of Glenelg drama teacher Sue Miller. The production's title comes from "Every Child Has Original Emotional Stories" - from braces to love to school to grades to friends to fights to divorce to loss and laughter to name a few. Echoes is different from most Glenelg drama productions, which involve consistent plots and scripted characters. This production is a montage of monologues that brings together a variety of realistic teenagers telling their personal stories.

There will be 20 monologues presented, along with accompanying music. The cast of Glenelg students includes Zach Horwath, Demir Akozer, Rachel Smith, Caraugh MacDermott, Connor Davis, Isabelle Yourick, Kyle Emanuel, Rebecca Cumberland, Kaycie Dahan, Nick Haley, Jessica Friedman, Kimmie Martin, Tom Britton, Jack Neumeier, Katie Loveless, Molly McDermid, Derry MacDermott, Quinn Doyle, Caitlin Grant, Eddie Van Osterom, Stephanie Clark, Rachel Herron and Tanya Wasyluk.

Tickets are $8. Seating is limited and the production is not recommended for children younger than 13. For additional information, call the school at 410-313-5528.

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