Safety class for older drivers planned at senior center

Friday, Aug. 15, 2008

A class next week at the Calvert Pines Senior Center will help drivers aged 50 and older to brush up on their driving skills. The class, being held Monday and Tuesday, Aug. 18 and 19 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. is one of a series at spots around the county to help older drivers learn about age-related changes that could affect their driving, according to Norman Haller, the class instructor.

Vision can deteriorate and reaction times can slow with age, and older drivers are also more likely to be on medications that affect their acuity, Haller said. Hectic traffic can also be difficult.

The class will give participants a chance to discuss these changes and learn about safety.

‘‘We just talk about the reflexes, how it changes, different exercises people can do. It’s eight hours of interactivity with all the participants sharing their experiences. ... It’s fun, everybody loves it. We never get anybody who’s dissatisfied,” Haller said.

The course is classroom-only; there will be no driving.

To enroll, call Calvert Pines Senior Center at 410-535-4606; call Haller at 301-884-8549 with any questions. The cost is $10; make checks payable to AARP.

High art comesto Calvert County

On Saturday, Aug. 23, from 6 to 9 p.m., Carmen’s Gallery on Solomons Island will host the opening artists’ reception for L’Affaire de la Mer, featuring the oil paintings of Yves Parent, according to a release.

On Sunday, Parent will also demonstrate his painting techniques at the gallery and discuss his love for maritime art.

‘‘As an artist, racing sailor, businessman and lawyer, Parent is a true Renaissance man. Born and raised in Brittany, France, he developed an early intimacy with the sea. Sailing and painting are his passions and he is one of very few artists to have painted Cape Horn on location. He also painted the coasts of England and his native Brittany for a number of years before discovering the American East Coast as a result of a single-handed trans-Atlantic race,” the release said.

The public is invited to attend the opening reception and the painting demonstration, both free of charge. The exhibition continues through September.

Carmen’s Gallery is at 14550 Solomons Island Road, Solomons. Contact the gallery at 410-326-2549 or by e-mail at info@carmensgallery.com, or visit online at www.carmensgallery.com for further information.

Chesapeake Community Chorus seeks new members, sponsor churches

The Chesapeake Community Chorus, composed of members from many churches in Calvert County as well as friends from other areas, is in its sixth year of performing sacred music concerts and raising funds for Calvert County charities, according to a release. The chorus needs the community’s help and participation to raise funds for the Burnett-Calvert Hospice House.

The chorus begins practice for the upcoming season Sunday, Aug. 31, at 4 p.m. at Mt. Harmony⁄Lower Marlboro United Methodist Church in Owings and is seeking new singers. No auditions are necessary. The chorus meets every two weeks to practice and learn the music for performances.

In addition to singers, the chorus is seeking new church locations to hold its concert series. If a church is interested in sponsoring a benefit concert, they can contact Larry Brown at 301-855-7277. Sponsorship only requires access to the church an hour before a concert, opening and ending of the program by the church pastor and ushers to give out programs and take up donations. Concerts are usually performed on Sunday afternoons, but the chorus is open to other days.

Concerts include many exciting contemporary, gospel, and classical Christian favorites. There is a free-will offering at the intermission of each concert. The offering in its entirety is donated to the Burnett-Calvert Hospice House. Look for concert dates in the coming months.

Go to www.calverthospice.org for more information or call 410-535-0892 or 301-855-1226.

Get your business into the Calvert County visitors guide

The Department of Economic Development is currently compiling information for the 2009 Calvert County Visitors Guide. Museums, dining and shopping destinations, hotels, inns and recreational boating organizations within the county are welcome to submit information for possible inclusion, free of charge, according to a release.

Forms are available by calling 410-535-4583 or 1-800-331-9771 or online at www.ecalvert.com⁄content⁄visitorsguideforms⁄index.asp.

Sites that were included in last year’s Visitors Guide are requested to submit a new form only if there are changes. New sites and those that wish to note changes should use the online form and fax it to the Department of Economic Development no later than Sept. 1 at 410-535-4585.

Every effort will be made to include complete descriptions for each listing, however, due to space limitations, the Department of Economic Development reserves the right to edit or omit listings as necessary.

The 2008 Visitors Guide is available online at www.ecalvert.com⁄content⁄tourism⁄visitorsguide⁄.

Meeting for P.R. pros to be held at Annmarie Garden

The Aug. 21 Public Relations in Southern Maryland (PRISM) luncheon meeting will be held in Dowell at the new arts building at Annmarie Garden Sculpture Park and Arts Center at noon. A panel of experts in the community arts and public relations fields will address the benefits of using the arts as a public relations vehicle, according to a release.

There will be the opportunity to view major works from the Olga Hirshhorn Collection, including paintings by giants of 20th-century modern art Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso and Joan Miro. The exhibit is on loan from the Corcoran Gallery of Art.

The arts center is located at 13480 Dowell Road. Lunch will be provided by Four Winds Cafe. To RSVP, call Gretchen Heinze, 301-885-0108, or e-mail gretchen.heinze@charlescommunityfoundation.org. You may also register on line at www.prismonline.info. Cost is $13 for members and $18 for non-members. Registration is required by noon, Aug. 19.

Panel members include Peggy Palmer, executive director of the Charles County Chesapeake Bay Floating Theatre, Inc.; Laurell Aiton, director of corporate communications at Smartronix, Inc. in California, Md.; and Stacey Hann-Ruff, director of Annmarie Garden. Topics of discussion will include how to act strategically when gauging how companies benefit from supporting the arts, what companies gain in community image and recruiting efforts from involvement in community arts projects, and how Annmarie Garden is working in cooperation with other tourist attractions in Solomons to encourage the trend toward local ‘‘staycations.” Staycations are short road trips to destinations within four hours of home — a trend that has grown in reaction to high fuel prices and the hassles of air travel.

PRISM is the organization of public relations and marketing professionals in Southern Maryland. It holds bi-monthly luncheon meetings and occasional workshops to foster professional development and networking opportunities for its members. The meetings rotate between Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s counties. For more information or to join, log on to www.prismonline.info, contact Mike Zabko at MikeZ@somdredcross.org, or call 1-888-276-2767.

Tripp awarded as promoter

Steven Tripp, marketing manager for Chaney Enterprises, was awarded ‘‘2007 Promoter of the Year” by the Maryland Ready Mix Concrete Association (MRMCA) in June, according to a company press release. Tripp received the award during the Maryland Construction and Materials Conference in Cambridge.

‘‘What impresses me, as a full-time promoter, is that Steve challenged me to reach farther, be more competitive and think about an even ‘bigger picture’ to advance the concrete industry,” said Tom Evans, promotion director, MRMCA, in the release. In his remarks to conference attendees, Evans noted Tripp’s ability to engage decision-makers during numerous trade shows, how Chaney Enterprises hosted several industry events at its locations, encouraged teamwork to promote industry partners and not just his company, and how Tripp volunteered on his own time to advance the association’s marketing campaign.

Tripp is a champion of pervious concrete, an environmentally friendly surface that allows water to run through the surface instead of ponding, offering storm water management options and for surfaces such as driveways and walkways constructed in critical water areas. He was recognized for his efforts and forward-thinking to introduce, educate and promote pervious concrete as a viable product, not only for Chaney Enterprises, but throughout Maryland.