Children ages 5-12 are invited to enjoy a backstage tour of station KGCN -- Kids' and God's Communication Network, Aug. 9-13, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Vacation Bible school at Triadelphia Adventist Church on Brighton Dam Road will feature shows focused on great ways to communicate with God. Registration by Sat., July 31 is requested to ensure adequate quantities of craft materials and other supplies. To register or for more information, e-mail Jesse Wenzel at comalriverfish@yahoo.com or call 443-538-7962.

Entertainment for the River Hill Courtyard Concert Fri., July 30 is scheduled to be Gary and the Groove from 6 to 8 p.m. You might also catch Gary and the Groove in the courtyard Tues., Aug. 3 as part of River Hill's annual ice cream social in celebration of National Night Out. Appaloosa is scheduled to perform on Aug. 6. The summer Courtyard Concert series is free to all. Come enjoy the music while meeting and greeting friends and neighbors.

It's great to hear from grandmas who happily bridge any generation gaps. Judy Haxton was proud to be known as Josh's Grandma while volunteering as a helper to juniors at Cub Scout camp. In addition to grandson Josh Huffman, there were around 300 Cub Scouts and lots of helpers including both adults and Boy Scouts at the Howard County Fairgrounds, in West Friendship.

The boys did lots of fun things like archery, carving, camp fire, egg drop and more. What have you and your family been doing for fun this summer?

The youth group of Mt. Zion United Methodist Church will be sponsoring a yard sale Sept. 11 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. It will be in the church parking lot, 12430 Scaggsville Road, in Highland. The cost will be $20 for two 9-by-17-foot spaces and $5 for each additional 9-by-17 space.

If you would like to reserve a space or get more information e-mail Elizabeth Blough at Eblough@comcast.net or 301-604-6769. The rain date for this event will be Sept. 19. All proceeds from the event will benefit the youth fellowship at Mt. Zion.

You might say that Nick Novak is coming home to River Hill High School. Although Nick spent the last two years as an assistant principal at Glenelg High School, he has had extensive experience at River Hill. The brand new high school, opened in 1998, welcomed Nick Novak as a student teacher in 1999. From then until 2008, he worked his way up from English teacher to assistant principal. Now he's coming home as the third River Hill principal with the aim of continuing the school's tradition of excellence and leading to new levels of "preeminence." Welcome home. Go Hawks!

Also, former River Hill Principal William Ryan is on special assignment to the Howard County Board of Education. Best of luck to you, Bill and Nick, in your new positions.

At this point, I ran out of news to share, but then I read The Nectar Collector, the Howard County Beekeepers Association newsletter, and learned that honey sold in stores may be mixed with high-fructose corn syrup or cane syrup. If I wanted those products, I wouldn't be buying honey.

Maple-flavored syrup is not maple syrup.Honey mixed with high-fructose corn syrup, cane syrup or any other sweetener is not honey. It seems Florida and California have adopted honey standards, but the FDA has not. Has Maryland?

There was also mention of a site on the Web that I plan to visit soon. You may get around to viewing sooner. Go to www.dontsqueezethebees.org.

If you love fresh fruits and veggies, and I do, you need to love and care for bees. In April, you can pick them up gently for a closer look. Don't try that in August. I've never had the nerve to try that in April, but friends have been observed doing just that. Without the honey bee, our diets would become extremely bland and boring at the very least. Bon apetit!

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