American Indian expert launches JPPM lecture series

Writer'S NOTEBOOK

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

The talk will be held at Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum in St. Leonard and will be an opportunity for local people to learn about archaeology, according to Megan Williams, a spokeswoman for the park.

The talk, called "Werowocomoco: Archaeology of the Powhatan Center Place," will be given by Prof. Martin Gallivan of the College of William & Mary, and is the first of a series of presentations on archaeology called "From Boats to Bones."

The archaeological theme of this year's lecture series was inspired by the mission of the park itself, according to Williams.

"We wanted to focus on our mission, the education of the public on archaeological processes, what you can find out about studying it," she said.

Art shows, classes available at North Beach gallery

Local artists Barb Hance and Nevin Bossart have teamed up for an original show featuring fine silver and bronze jewelry and acrylic landscapes, drawing their inspiration from the Emerald Isle, according to a release.

The show runs through May 31.

Other shows as well as photography, jewelry-making and other classes are also available from the cooperative gallery.

For more information, go to www.artworksat7th.com, or call 410-286-5278.

Artworks@7th is located at 9128 Bay Ave. in North Beach, just down from 7th Street.

Parking is available behind the building. Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday through Sunday.

Arts contest for local high school students

The Arts Council of Calvert County is pleased to lend its support to the Congressional Arts Competition hosted by Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md., 5th), according to a release. This competition is open to any high school student in Hoyer's district, which includes all of Calvert County.

The deadline to submit is Friday, May 8. Applications are available at the offices of the Arts Council of Calvert County, located at the CalvART Gallery in Prince Frederick. The guidelines and application forms are also available online at www.calvertarts.org/congressional-arts-competition.php. Each student who submits a piece of artwork will be notified by the end of May of the final results. Those students whose artwork is not selected will have the opportunity to pick up their pieces at either of Hoyer's district offices.

The winning student will be notified and a reception will be held in the Cannon House Office Building on Wednesday, June 24. His or her artwork will then hang on display in the United States Capitol for the entire year.

Contact Congressional Liaison Heather Asata at 301-843-1577 with any questions.

New health care project created

The Maryland Ombudsman Project is a new initiative created to study methods of implementing recommendations of a review of the Maryland Ombudsman Program titled "A Plan for Excellence for the Maryland Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program," according to a release.

Project Facilitator Claire Whitbeck noted that in December 2007, Voices for Quality Care, a nonprofit based in Leonardtown that collects and sends out information regarding long-term care, produced a report that showed the Maryland Long-term Care Ombudsman Program needed attention from the Maryland Department of Aging. Nine months later, the Department of Aging solicited bids for a review of the Program and hired Health Benefits ABCs to perform the review. Many of the findings of the Health Benefits report were the same as those found in the Voices report. According to the Health Benefits report, "The Maryland statutory provision that the Secretary may delegate responsibility of the program may conflict with the Older Americans Acts." The report makes 38 recommendations for improvement, many of which have zero cost and could be implemented with little effort, according to Whitbeck.

The new Health Benefits ABCs report and the original Ombudsman Program Report written by Voices for Quality Care are available to the public on the Voices for Quality Care Web site at http://voicesforqualitycare.org/id176.htm.

Calvert County appreciates business

Business Appreciation Week is going on now in Calvert County, and there are still plenty of activities to round out the week.

The theme this year focuses on the spirit of entrepreneurship and the important role that small businesses play in the local economy.

Today is the Women's Business Roundtable Networking Event from 6 to 8 p.m. at the College of Southern Maryland Prince Frederick campus. The event is free.

On Thursday, May 7, there will be a seminar on "Why Words are Your Most Powerful Marketing Tool," from 9 to 10:30 a.m. at the Planning Commission Hearing Room, ground floor, 205 Duke Street in Prince Frederick. Lynne Thorne of Lollipop Copy will be speaking at this free event.

Also Thursday is the Calvert County Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours Mixer hosted by Davis, Upton, Palumbo & Keffler from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The fee for chamber members if $5, $25 for non-members.

The Visitor Information Center will be available for drop-in from noon to 4 p.m. Friday to kick off National Tourism Week. Go to the Fairview Visitor Information Center, 8120 Southern Maryland Boulevard, Owings; or Solomons Visitor Information Center, 14175 Solomons Island Road, Solomons.

emitrano@somdnews.com