Carroll Magazine

11/09/2020

Veterans Day is coming up in just a few days on Wednesday, Nov. 11. It's a day to celebrate and honor America’s veterans for their patriotism, sacrifice and willingness to serve.

We want to share the faces and voices of some of our local veterans. Throughout the week, we'll be posting about 6 local veterans including lessons they learned while serving in the military and how they would like to see people observe Veterans Day.

Keep them and their comrades in mind as you celebrate the federal holiday on Nov. 11.

10/28/2020

A global pandemic has proven disastrous for many business sectors, but according to local realtor Yvette Rippeon, Carroll County’s real estate market is thriving in spite of COVID-19.

“It goes without saying that 2020 hasn’t been without its challenges, but surprisingly enough the real estate market in Carroll County is very strong, despite COVID-19,” Rippeon said. “We are squarely in a sellers’ market right now, with very low inventory available, so if anyone is considering selling, now is the perfect time to reach out to a local realtor.”

Click below to read more!
https://carrollmagazine.com/carroll-real-estate-market-thrives-in-spite-of-pandemic/

10/23/2020

Funky, fun and stylish … these cakes exude personality in edible form. At Starry Night Bakery in Westminster, crazy cakes, simple cakes, and creations in between are what you’ll discover from this hometown bakery. In the 18 years since owner Shannon Clarke opened Starry Night, her establishment has set the tone for its signature style of decoration.

Whether it’s a lifelike trout or a “Nightmare Before Christmas” inspiration that a customer wants to create in cake form, Clarke said that she isn’t deterred when she receives a phone call or an email that starts with, “I know this is going to sound crazy, but what I’d like is…”

Read more about these jaw-dropping cakes!
https://carrollmagazine.com/baking-up-the-sweet-life/#starry

10/22/2020

“Can you make …? Have you ever made …?” When owner Lois Trout receives calls and emails that begin with these questions, she knows another Stone House Cakery and Cafe creation is about to be conceived. Anniversary cakes, birthday cakes, cupcakes, pies, tarts, wedding cakes and more … Stone House Cakery and Cafe helps people celebrate life’s special occasions.

In addition to the bakery, Stone House also showcases its savory side with a charming cafe offering delightful salads, sandwiches and soups. “Joe [Nemec] makes fabulous sandwiches, and he has specials every day,” she said. Maryland crab soup, cream of crab soup and more make stopping in for a bite to eat like taking a culinary vacation for the taste buds.

Read more about this charming cafe!
https://carrollmagazine.com/baking-up-the-sweet-life/#stonehouse

10/21/2020

Homemade treats are at the heart of Bertucco’s Bakery in Hampstead. When your sweet tooth just can’t be satiated by a cookie or a slice of cake alone, Bertucco’s offers an assortment of desserts to tantalize your senses — from cheesecake cups and lemon bars to baklava and napoleons. Owner Jennifer Bertucco feels that the variety of desserts sets her business apart from other bakeries in the area.

Chocolate and peanut butter mousse bombes are popular picks among customers, as are the eclairs, sugar cookies and chocolate top cookies. “We also have pies, parfaits and a huge line of gluten-free items, which have become popular,” she said.

During the fall season, Bertucco said, the bakery incorporates the scents of the season with pumpkin. “We do gourmet cupcakes, and all our gourmet cupcakes start to change to the fall flavors. We also bring in apple dumplings.”

Read more about the special treats Bertucco's offers!
https://carrollmagazine.com/baking-up-the-sweet-life/#bertuccos

10/20/2020

Dandelion Bakery gives Sykesville residents a taste of the sweet life through doughnuts, cookies, scones, custom-order cakes and macarons. Pastry chef and owner Gabby Watson, a Sykesville native, unites classic bakery confections with modern creations within this charming Main Street bake shop.

“What makes us really unique is that I make everything here from scratch,” she said, “but I think our doughnuts have really pushed us to being special. People here have responded well to our doughnuts … we’ve been selling out almost every day.”

This season, Watson will reveal her experimentations with savory doughnuts like the Chicken Salad Stuffed Savory Doughnut.

Read more about the mouth-watering treats Dandelion Bakery offers!
https://carrollmagazine.com/baking-up-the-sweet-life/#dandelion

10/19/2020

Sweet dreams are made in Carroll County’s bakeries. From cakes and cookies to pastries and tarts, you’ll find a dazzling array of delectable delicacies.

We featured 4 bakeries in our Local Flavors section of the October/November issue. We'll be posting all about these sweet bakeries over the next few days. Come with us as we crisscross the county in search of the finest desserts!

10/14/2020

LOL: Laugh For the Health of It!

It isn’t difficult to think of reasons to be stressed out in 2020. It may seem counterintuitive to laugh in the face of all the chaos, but experts suggest that humor could go a long way in helping to reduce the mental and physical stress of tough times. It turns out that the saying “Laughter is the best medicine” has some truth to it, and there is a long history linking humor to good health.

Read more by clicking the link below!

by James Rada, Jr. It isn’t difficult to think of reasons to be stressed out in 2020. A global pandemic, polarizing politics, social revolutions, natural d

10/08/2020

Have We Lost the Art of Civilized Debate?

Turn on any TV news station and you’ll get a picture of a polarized America — an America that is divided politically, socially, economically and culturally.

It seems like the stakes are at an all-time high with an election many are calling the most important of their lifetimes and a global pandemic threatening the economic stability and health of millions of Americans. And when opinions turn extreme, it may appear as if Americans have lost their ability to have civil debates.

Read more by clicking the link below!

by Marc Shapiro • Photography by Nikola Tzenov Turn on any TV news station and you’ll get a picture of a polarized America — an America that is divided

10/05/2020

The October/November issue of Carroll Magazine is out now! If you are unable to get a print copy, you can always view the articles online.

09/30/2020

When nonessential businesses were shutdown in March, the Humane Society staff found themselves charged with thinking the box. They set up additional pages and focused on lost and found groups, lending assistance in posting photos and videos, searching databases and connecting finders or owners with adoption groups.

Hannah Long and Alex Kratz (pictured) were able to adopt Forest, a pit bull mix they found on a Facebook group led by the Humane Society.

Click to read the full story!
https://carrollmagazine.com/humane-society-serves-its-furry-friends-during-coronavirus/

09/23/2020

Dollars & Sense in a Pandemic

When the COVID lockdowns started, it may have seemed to some people that the world was ending. People who had worked at jobs for years were told not to come to work, through no fault of their own. Business owners were forced to close their doors, not knowing when, or if, they would reopen.

Food, paper goods, and cleaning supplies disappeared off store shelves. People couldn’t get through to the unemployment office to file for benefits, and even then, they had to wait weeks to see a check. For months, people lived in isolation and worried whether they could make it through the crisis COVID-19 caused.

Now that some of the problems are easing, people can look back and evaluate what they could have done better. One area of scrutiny is their finances. What did they do right? What could they have done better?

Here are some lessons local financial experts say we should have learned from the COVID lockdown to better prepare for the future.

Making Smart Financial Decisions In Unprecedented Times by James Rada, Jr., photography by Nikola Tzenov When the COVID lockdowns started, it may have seeme

09/16/2020

Staying fit in a COVID-19 world is not easy. We're seeing concerns over gaining weight due to the shutdown and stress about missing workouts showing themselves with trending hashtags like #quarantine15 and #coronacurves.

With shutdowns came new stressors, messed up sleep schedules, poor eating habits and lack of exercise. Pair that with binge eating, a newfound love for comfort food, and baking sweets to pass the time, and it’s easy to see how we put on a pound here and there.

Read about the struggles and successes Carroll County residents experienced during the shutdown and how they continue to stay motivated in a COVID-19 world.
https://carrollmagazine.com/staying-fit-in-a-covid-19-world/

09/10/2020

Adjusting the Sails To Survive the Storm

Unexpected. Unpredictable. Unprecedented. Three words Steve Wantz would use to describe 2020. Wantz is in his second term as County Commissioner and president of the board.

A seasoned leader with 44 years of public safety experience under his belt, Wantz feels confident that working collectively, we’ll survive the storm. “I have lived my life quickly adjusting the sails to proceed through the next storm, through the unknown and the difficult obstacles.”

Read the full interview as Wantz discuss the global pandemic in relations to Carroll County and the focus on diversity, policing practices, and equality in Carroll County.

Steve Wantz: President, Board of Carroll County Commissioners by Kym Byrnes When 2020 kicked off, Steve Wantz never could have predicted that by fall the wo

09/03/2020

Our final restaurant featured in our Seafood Delights is Captain Dan’s Crabhouse in Eldersburg. Owner Dan Schuman dedicates himself to putting the freshest crabs he can find into the hands of his loyal clientele. His business serves customers throughout Baltimore, Carroll and Howard counties.

Enjoy Captain Dan’s crabs steamed and ready to serve at your next crab feast, or stop in the restaurant for mouthwatering dishes such as the crab pretzel, lump crabcake fluff, and the seafood skins.

Read more about this Eldersburg restaurant and their tasty dishes:

https://carrollmagazine.com/captain-dans-crabhouse-the-seasoned-pros-of-seafood-crab/

09/02/2020

Seafood sandwiches can go much further than tuna salad on white bread. Rafael’s Restaurant in Westminster proves this with mouthwatering seafood-inspired dishes. Owner Rafael Javier is the creator of the specialties that continue to win the appreciation from friends, guests and catering clientele.

Elevate your lunch sandwich with Rafael’s Neptune Club. A seafood wrap serves as the base for a generous seafood duo of a 5-ounce crabcake and Rafael’s shrimp salad. Lettuce, tomato and bacon add a crisp complement to the seafood filling.

Read more about the awesome dishes Rafael's offers: https://carrollmagazine.com/rafaels-restaurant-savor-the-flavors-of-seafood-sandwiches/

09/01/2020

Paradiso Ristorante: Set Your Senses on Fine Seafood

First up of our seafood delights is Paradiso Ristorante. Owner Salvatore Romeo infuses the dishes on the Paradiso menu with creations that celebrate his Italian heritage.

The Salmon Rose dish (pictured) consists of a fresh salmon filet with a tasty topping of jumbo lump crabmeat, accented with a creamy tomato sauce and served over fettuccine.

Read more about the tasty dishes from this Westminster restaurant by clicking the link below!

by Michael Vyskocil, photography by Nikola Tzenov Since 1992, Paradiso Ristorante has delighted the senses of its guests from Carroll County and beyond with

08/31/2020

You know Marylanders love their seafood 🦀 And you don't even have to go 'down to the shore' to get fabulous seafood dishes. We have local sea fare favorites right here in Carroll County!

Over the next few days we'll post about three local restaurants who serve delicious seafood delights as featured in our Local Flavors section of the August/September issue. Stay tuned!

08/24/2020

Education Overhaul: COVID-19 Forces a Revolution in Education... Practically Overnight

Both the Carroll County Public Schools and the private schools in Carroll County had to adapt quickly to virtual teaching when the coronavirus hit.

“No one, I don’t think, could say they were completely prepared to operate in this kind of situation,” said CCPS Superintendent Steven Lockard (pictured). “We’ve taken for granted that we’re going to see kids every day. … All of the things we’ve built and created have to be rethought, and that’s really challenging.”

Read all about how the schools in Carroll County quickly adapted to this new method of teaching and the plans for the 2020-21 school year.

by Marc Shapiro, photography by Nikola Tzenov At the beginning of 2020, Carroll County public schools had a few Google Classrooms set up. The idea was that t

08/18/2020

Keeping the Business Doors Open Virtually

When Gov. Larry Hogan issued an executive order in March shutting down nonessential businesses, many small businesses were forced to innovate. Fortunately, many found those innovations beneficial enough to continue using them as things move back towards normalcy.

Read about the struggles Carroll County businesses went through during the shut down and the innovative methods they use to keep moving forward.

by James Rada, Jr., photography by Nikola Tzenov When Gov. Larry Hogan issued an executive order in March shutting down nonessential businesses because o

08/14/2020

The August/September issue of Carroll Magazine is out now! If you don't have a copy of a print version, don't worry- you can always view the digital versions on our website.

07/31/2020

Spreading Love One Thread at a Time

June Renner started the Princess Pillowcase Project to recruit volunteers to sew dresses and shorts for needy children across the globe. She converted her home-based private dance studio into a temporary sewing room, where she hosted workshops, teaching women to sew and make the clothing. The project grew by word of mouth, and soon she found herself conducting workshops for 30 women at a time.

Since its inception, Princess Pillowcase Project has donated a combined 37,000 dresses and shorts to 49 countries on five continents, with the help of missionaries. Read all about this awesome project by clicking the link below.

by Linda L. Esterson All it took was a photo of a smiling young girl, and June Renner knew her fate was sealed. The girl wore the first dress that Renner

07/27/2020

The Battle For ZZZ's: Sleeping Disorders Are On The Rise

They say what’s old is new again and we thought in light of the chaos children have endured in the past few months, this article on children’s sleep issues previously published in Carroll Parent Magazine might be helpful to local families. While there are more recent studies about sleep since this published in 2009, the information about the importance of sleep, certain disorders and treatments, remains relevant.

They say what's old is new again and we thought in light of the chaos children have endured in the past few months, this article on children's sleep issues pr

07/20/2020

This Ain't Your Grandma's Library

When much of Carroll County was shut down due to COVID-19, staff with the Carroll County Public Library were hard at work. Although the branches were closed to the public, all the 3-D printers in the system were put to work making parts for face masks that people could use as personal protective equipment.

Read about all the ways the libraries today are different compared to those from 20 years ago.

by James Rada, Jr. When much of Carroll County was shut down due to COVID-19, staff with the Carroll County Public Library were hard at work. Although the br

07/15/2020

Garrett Hoover, Carroll Hospital: Taking the Reins During a Pandemic

When Garrett Hoover was speaking to the hiring committee last September about his interest in becoming the next president of Carroll Hospital, he had no idea that a global pandemic was on the horizon. March brought travel restrictions, a state of emergency, public school closings and stay-at-home orders, and for Hoover, a new job as the president and chief operating officer of Carroll Hospital.

Click below to read the full interview.

by Kym Byrnes When Garrett Hoover was speaking to the hiring committee last September about his interest in becoming the next president of Carroll Hospital,

07/11/2020

Local Business: Employing Creativity to Survive a Global Pandemic

As COVID-19 claimed lives, and states including Maryland mandated quarantines, businesses faced their own crises. Enduring significant losses, many closed their doors, while others creatively repurposed to remain open.

Click below to see the creative strategies many Carroll County businesses used to stay open.

by Linda L. Esterson As COVID-19 claimed lives, and states including Maryland mandated quarantines, businesses faced their own crises. Enduring significant l