Quite a few West Friendship neighbors saved a penny at the pump during the Memorial Day holiday weekend by sticking close to home. Some got in on the green concept of buying locally at the Glenwood Farmers Market Saturday sale. Flat leaf parsley and fresh leeks were among the organic veggies filling the buyers baskets.

"We come here every week," West Friendship resident Scott Stewart said. Stewart, along with his children, Donovan and Jillian, were browsing the wares at the Glenwood Farmers Market May 24 along with fellow West Friendship neighbor Sharon Russell. For Stewart, it was R.J. Caulder's signature homemade soaps that ended up filling his satchel.

Caulder, of West Friendship's Breezy Willow Farm, has a loyal following of soap lovers who chase after her fragrant patchouli, dusty rose, lavender, eucalyptus and mint soaps. The Glenwood Farmers Market is set up each Saturday morning from 9 a.m to noon throughout the summer months.

Speaking of local produce, Joe Mercer's strawberry stand at his West Friendship home on Route 144 may be humble in appearance but don't let that fool you. His strawberries are the best I've ever tasted: homegrown, plump and delicious.

What a glorious Memorial Day weekend in West Friendship. Breezy air filled with the scent of almost-spent lilacs and lawns and fields with the greenest grasses our region will see all year. The air was crisp and the community was busy with area folks readying for high school and college graduations as well as weekend getaway plans for the first offical holiday of the summer season.

Glenelg Country School Headmaster Greg Ventre had so many activities this week that his head was spinning. "There's something every day and every night this week," said the unflappable Ventre who stole away from his busy academic schedule for a quick haircut mid-week.

West Friendship Elementary students are in a state of excitement. The school's annual Spring Festival will be held Friday, June 6, 4:30-7:30 p.m. Janet Yingling, one of the festival organizer's says there will be inflatable games, a maze, a slide, an obstacle course, a velcro wall, cake walk, ring toss, a "snakes alive" reptile show, snowballs, refreshments and surely lots of hoots and hollers. Bring the little ones to this annual West Friendship happening.

After all the excitement of the Spring Festival, the fifth grade will calm down in time for the fifth-grade promotion ceremony and celebration June 9 at 9:45 a.m.

Down the road a bit at Lisbon Elementary, art teacher Shawn Costello has whipped up an amazing surprise for the fifth grade students. Costello, who was formerly the art teacher at West Friendship Elementary, is also a professional artist who has illustrated children's books as well as painted portraits and landscapes. Any elementary student is blessed to have such an accomplished artist as his or her teacher.

As part of the fifth-grade culminating ceremony and celebration at Lisbon, Costello has done a small oil portrait of each of her students. This is an extraordinary gesture as Costello's work is not just magnificent, but in the open market would bring a nice fee for even just one portrait. This is the kind of teacher Costello is: simply extraordinary.

The evening will also include panels of the students landscape paintings, a handbell concert, magical and decorative fairy houses and puppets, and of course, refreshments. The community is welcome to come see the lovely portraits.

Shepherd of the Glen Lutheran Church, 14551 Burntwoods Road, will host an outdoor flea market Saturday, June 7, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Vendors promise loads of unusual items, costume jewelry, linens, collectibles, books and tapes, vintage items, household and children's wares. Stop by.

Evan and Rebecca Moy Behre have been pretty busy this week. The artist couple who run Greenbridge Pottery are saying "ready, set go." That's the motto for this weekend's annual Spring Thing at the pottery barns.

New containers for flowers in the signature Greenbridge style are to be presented as well as at the annual spring cleaning sale. This is the part of the sale where folks who have really good taste, but also live by bargain hunting rules, go wild.

I love giving Greenbridge Pottery as wedding gifts. Members of the local Lake family swear by Greenbridge and have even sent a piece of the local pottery all the way to Thailand. The Greenbridge Spring Thing is set for June 7, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Greenbridge Pottery is at 5159 Green Bridge Road, in Dayton.

Congratulations to Wayne Pfau who is to be presented with the Ellicott City Restoration Foundation's Historic District Person of the Year Award Friday, June 6.

Pfau, long time letter carrier in Ellicott City's historic district is a well loved man who knows his route like no other. I worked in a shop on Main Street for more than a decade and thus saw Pfau almost daily. I used to laugh that should a letter be addressed just "Lisa," I knew he would deliver it. A beloved fixture, Pfau is most deserving of this honor.

The public is invited to join in celebrating his achievement as well as view the winning photographs from the Ellicott City Restoration Foundation's recent photo contest. All entries and winning photos will be on view during a 7 p.m. reception at the Howard County Historical Society Friday, June 6.

Congratulations to all the recent graduates from our area. Great job, class of 2008.

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