Everything You Need To Know About The Maryland State Fair

From parking to new events and everything in between, Patch explains what you can expect from the state fair this Labor Day weekend.

Maryland State Fairgrounds president and general manager Howard “Max” Mosner remembers the irate — although he calls them “funny” — phone calls he received during the 2011 state fair. “How dare you run that fair and use up our electricity,” he said, reciting the common theme of calls relating the massive outages caused by Hurricane Irene. Of course, the state fair’s power use did not impact the surrounding the community. The hurricane, followed by Tropical Storm Lee, however caused the lowest attendance at the Maryland State Fair in Mosner’s 50-year legacy, which was decidedly not comical. “You can never make up what we lost that first weekend,” Mosner said. But you can learn a lesson or two. Scroll to the bottom of the page to read …

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SCA Meeting, Labor Day Thoughts

Will you be thing about our workers on this holiday weekend?

Hurricane Isaac Could Increase Labor Day Gas Prices

If you're traveling Labor Day Weekend or driving to college, here's what AAA says about gas prices.

Hurricane Isaac, which may hit the Gulf Coast late Tuesday or early Wednesday and has already shut down several refineries, could send gas prices up right before Labor Day weekend. But for now, it looks like Americans are still making plans to travel. The average fuel price in Columbia is $3.84 and Ellicott City is $3.77—nearly 30 cents per gallon more expensive than prices one month ago. AAA defines the Labor Day holiday weekend as starting on Thursday and ending Monday, Sept. 3. AAA projects that 33 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home during the upcoming Labor Day holiday weekend. “In the absence of strong economic growth that might fuel a significant boost in travel volume, it is an encouraging sign that Americans …

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Labor Day Weekend: Parades, Blues and Beatles

Staying in town for the holiday? Not to worry—there's plenty nearby to do.

Labor Day Weekend marks the "unofficial" end of summer and the last holiday weekend of the season. But with the start of school—and soaring gas prices—it may be tough to get away. Fear not, there are plenty of options nearby. We've rounded up some of the area's best picks for Labor Day weekend: Happy Labor Day weekend!  

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Major Hiring Event For Vets Planned For Saturday

More than 30 companies seek to fill more than 2,000 positions in the Washington, D.C. metro region.

Are you a military veteran in search of a job? A major hiring event for vets, wounded warriors, transitioning service members and military spouses is planned for Saturday on the campus of Bethesda’s Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. The event is organized by the 100,000 Jobs Mission – a coalition of 59 companies aiming to hire 100,000 U.S. military vets by 2020. More than 30 major employers seek to fill more than 2,000 positions in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan region and thousands more across the country, according to a media announcement. Industries include defense, technology, customer service, health care, financial services and retail, among others, and open positions range from entry-level to senior management. Some …

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POLL: Should Howard County Schools Start Later?

Parents petition Congress for schools to begin after 8 a.m.

"Saved by the bell" may be a common refrain among students, but parents and teachers are starting to ask if children should be saved from the bell instead. The Start School Later Initiative, a petition encouraging lawmakers to start school no earlier than 8 a.m., was recently presented to members of Congress with nearly 5,000 signatures from all 50 states. More than 1,000 of the signatures were from Maryland parents and educators.  "The [petition] comments range from student pleas for a more humane schedule to educators wishing their students weren't still asleep to health professionals and researchers seriously concerned about the damage we're doing to kids' mental and physical health," said movement organizer Heather Macintosh. What do …

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Poll: Should Schools Start After Labor Day?

Maryland's Comptroller Peter Franchot says it would give a boost to business.

State Comptroller Peter Franchot pitched the idea last week that Maryland schools should start after Labor Day instead of in late August, according to the Baltimore Sun. He said the shift would bolster local businesses. Some states have school calendars that defer the opening of school until after Labor Day. In Virginia, what is known as the “Kings Dominion Law” has been around since the 1980s, although the Huffington Post reported that the measure has opponents currently fighting for its repeal. With a name that references the theme park, the law mandates that schools not open before Labor Day, in large part to help promote tourism and business. A few states away, Ohio lawmakers are looking into standardizing the state's school calendars …

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