It came out of the sky, somewhere south of Sandgates

THIS ‘N' THAT

Friday, April 3, 2009

Powell, a 76-year-old retired cab driver living in the Sandgates community, eventually concluded that what he saw probably fit the government's initial explanation that Russian space junk had reentered the atmosphere. But by midweek, the U.S. Naval Observatory had changed its tune, suggesting to media organizations that the object instead may have been a meteor. "I was in my yard with my dog," Powell said. "I saw a dull red, fluttering object fall from the sky. I saw no tail on it."

The object was falling in a northerly direction, diagonally across the southeastern sky, he said. "After that, there was a boom," he said. "I have no idea how far away it was."

News accounts with the space-junk explanation made sense to Powell, except for the description of the falling debris as having a glowing tail. "I don't believe I saw what everybody else saw. I believe I might have seen a little piece, … rather than the great big thing," he said. "I'm sure it was all part of the same thing."

But uncertainty is hard to shed when it comes to astral anomalies. "I'll have to go along the rest of my life wondering exactly what it was," Powell said.

First Fridays continue tonight throughout Leonardtown

First Fridays events continue from 5 to 8 p.m. today in Leonardtown and include the entire municipality, from the town square to the Maryland Antiques Center and shopping centers along Route 5, with an array of art galleries, restaurants and unique retail businesses.

A stroll on the sidewalks of downtown Leonardtown today will lead to live music at many of the participating businesses. For a complete list of participating businesses, go online to www.leonardtownfirstfridays.com.

Bingo to benefit youth and families

A basket bingo event will be held at 4 p.m. tomorrow, Saturday, at the Alternatives for Youth and Families Office Building in Mechanicsville to benefit youth in the community. There will be a 2009 Longaberger Mother's Day tote in each regular game basket. There will be a 2009 Easter basket raffle, pull tabs for baskets and door prizes. For more information, call Shirley Mattingly at 301-884-5669 or 240-298-3885.

River cleanup set for Saturday

Volunteers are invited to take part at 9 a.m. tomorrow, Saturday, in a St. Mary's River cleanup organized by the St. Mary's River Watershed Association. Bring a boat and paddling gear to the Great Mills canoe-kayak launch. Gloves and garbage bags will be provided. For more information, call 301-737-2903 or send e-mail to info@stmarysriver.org.

Sotterley to seek volunteers Saturday

Sotterley Plantation in Hollywood will hold a Volunteer Open House at 3 p.m. tomorrow, Saturday, for anyone interested in learning more about volunteer opportunities at the National Historic Landmark.

Sotterley needs help in the museum shop and front office, at special events, in the upkeep of the gardens and grounds, and as interpreters. Light fare will be served in the customs warehouse. For more information, call Debbie Reetz, volunteer coordinator at the Sotterley office, at 301-373-2280 or send e-mail to volunteer@sotterley.org.

Fundraiser to help with kidney transplant

A benefit with a silent auction will be held at 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 11, at the Mechanicsville Moose Lodge to help pay for medical bills including the cost of transplanting a sister's kidney to her ailing brother.

Claude Showalter of Golden Beach came down with Alport Syndrome and a genetic kidney disease, and his kidneys now are functioning at 5 percent. He now is on dialysis. He has a sister whom is a perfect match to be a donor for him. She is obtaining testing to be medically cleared, but does not have insurance to date. 

Donated items being sought for the silent auction can include autographed pictures, jerseys and baseballs. For more information, call 202-208-5274.

CMM announces Hank Jr. ticket sales

Tickets for the May 23 Hank Williams Jr. concert at the Calvert Marine Museum in Solomons will go on sale next Tuesday, April 7, to museum members and to the general public on Tuesday, April 14. To buy tickets, go online to www.calvertmarinemuseum.com or call 800-757-9454.

Walden reports start of Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Walden-Sierra, a nonprofit behavioral health agency in St. Mary's, reports that April is National Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and that help is available for the victims/survivors of the devastating crime in the Southern Maryland community.

Men, women and children of all races, ages, cultures, economic situations and abilities can be affected by sexual violence, Walden-Sierra reports, citing data from the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network that one out of six American women has been a victim of an attempted or completed rape during her lifetime, and that 15 percent of victims are under the age of 12.

Additionally, victims of sexual assault are three times more likely to suffer from depression, four times more likely to contemplate suicide, 13 times more likely to abuse alcohol and 26 times more likely to abuse drugs.

Walden-Sierra offers a variety of services for victims of sexual assault and rape and those struggling with issues related to childhood sexual abuse. Emergency assistance is available 24 hours a day through the Walden crisis hotline at 301-863-6661 and through walk-in services at its offices located in California, Leonardtown and Charlotte Hall. Individual and group counseling services also are provided by trained professionals to help survivors cope with issues related to trauma.

Walden-Sierra's representatives are available to speak to local businesses and community groups about the topic. For more information, call 301-997-1300, ext. 804.

Palm Sunday, Easter services scheduled

Holy Week services planned by the Rev. Keith Corrick and the congregation of Hughesville Baptist Church include Sunday school classes for all ages at 9:15 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. on Palm Sunday, along with the 10:30 a.m. worship service.

Next week on Good Friday, the church will be open for prayer and meditation.

Easter Sunday services will include a "Sonrise Service" at 7 a.m., followed by breakfast in the fellowship hall. Sunday school classes for all ages will be held at 9:15 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., and the Easter Sunday worship service also will begin at 10:30 a.m.

The church is located at 8505 Old Leonardtown Road in Hughesville. For more information, call 301-884-8645 or 301-274-5672.

Police crack down on impaired drivers

Maryland State Police and St. Mary's sheriff's deputies recently rounding up drunk drivers and making drug arrests through saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints have continued their crackdown on violators.

Jacqueline Beckman, St. Mary's community traffic safety program coordinator, issued a report that driving even after a single drink of alcohol, commonly known as "buzzed" driving, also can have legal, professional and economic consequences.

"High visibility enforcement continues to be paramount in removing impaired drivers from our roadways and reducing the number of impaired driving crashes, injuries and fatalities in St. Mary's County," Beckman reports. "Impaired driving crashes in St. Mary's County and throughout Southern Maryland continue at a higher rate than the Maryland state average. In a two-year period of 2006 and 2007, our community has lost 10 family and friends and 193 were injured in preventable impaired driving crashes — victims of crashes that could and should have been avoided."

Kayakers to hold April 12 open house

River Riders, an inclusive and accessible kayaking program held at Greenwell State Park in Hollywood, will hold an open house event from 1-4 p.m. on April 12 at the Knott Lodge. Visitors can see the program's new kayaks and register for kayak lessons, camps and guided trips. For more information, call 301-373-9775 or go online to www.greenwellfoundation.org.

Boating course begins April 15

Sign up for America's Boating Course presented by the Patuxent River Sail and Power Squadron starting at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 15, at the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory on Williams Street in Solomons.

This eight-session course is designed to educate recreational boaters, be it motor, sail, or oar power. Participants can take the exam after five sessions and return for three sessions of charting and digital charting with the optional introduction to navigation section.

Maryland's Boating Safety Education Law requires that any person born on or after July 1, 1972, must have in their possession a certificate of boating safety education while operating a numbered or documented vessel on Maryland waters. The certificate may be obtained by completing America's Boating Course.

Course participants will learn the basics to safely and comfortably go on the water with a boat. The newly revised comprehensive course includes lessons on seamanship, boat handling, boat types, rules of the road, navigation aids, regulations, adverse conditions, marine VHF radio, knots, trailering and introductory piloting. The course meets state-specific United States Coast Guard and National Association of State Boating Law Administrators requirements for certification.

Completion of the course is accepted by most insurance companies for a reduction in premiums.

For more information and to register, call 301-475-3883. Information on the course also is available online at www.usps.org/localusps/patuxent.

jwharton@somdnews.com