Happening this week in and around Cecil County:
If starting a home business in your kitchen is on your vision board for 2022 you may want to attend the June 1 Cottage Food Seminar offered by the Business Information Center of Cecil County Public Library.
Seating is limited for the program, which begins at noon at the North East branch, 485 Mauldin Avenue.
Learn the regulations and safeguards you need to avoid the cost of having a commercial kitchen installed.
For more information call Laura Metzler at 410-996-6269 extension 1128.
As part of its commitment to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 65% by 2030, Breezeline has put its first electric vehicles on the road.
Starting with its sales teams, Breezeline will then make the transition to EVs for its technicians and work trucks. The EVs will be seen first in New Hampshire and Virginia.
Breezeline, formerly Atlantic Broadband, is the 8th largest cable operator in the US
Pack up that mystery heirloom or unique thrift store find and bring it to Elkton Neighborhood Community Center Saturday because Elkton Alliance is bringing Elkton’s Own Antiques Roadshow to town.
There’s a limit of three items per person, with a $5 fee for each item to be appraised.
Elkton’s Own Antiques Road Show runs April 30 from noon until 4 p.m. at the center located at 121 Stockton St.
Hollywood Casino, Winstead Insurance Agency, Delmarva Craft, Jones Insurance Agency and American Home and Hardware are the major sponsors of this Saturday’s Defenders Festival to benefit Historic Elk Landing Foundation, Inc.
History, food, fun, beer, music, games, rides and more await from 1 p.m. until 6 p.m. at Historic Elk Landing, 590 Landing Lane in Elkton.
Tickets are $60 in advance for VIP, or $70 at the gate. There’s also a beer garden admission for $40 in advance and $45 at the gate. Military, veterans and first responders get in for $35 per person. Your designated driver and anyone under 21 gets in for $10.
Don’t just go golfing. GOLF4STEM is a fundraiser at Winters Run Golf Club hosted by Northeastern Maryland Technology Council and NextGen Federal Systems in support of NMTC’s Women in STEM Scholarships.
GOLF4STEM is June 6 with 7:30 breakfast and registration and a 9 a.m. shotgun start at the club, 100 North Tollgate Road in Bel Air.
Individual golfers who are NMTC members pay $180, $335 for a twosome and $670 for a foursome. Non-members entry fees are $205 per golfer, $385 for a twosome and $770 for a foursome.
Prizes include longest drive, closest to the pin, putting contest and a $50,000 Hole In One. Every player gets a hospitality bag, refreshment stations around the course and lunch.
If you have ever had questions about the workings of the Federal Reserve, the Cecil County Chamber of Commerce is giving you a chance to ask with a May 10 meeting at the North East branch library.
The meeting will run from 9 a.m. until 10:30 a.m.
While this is a fact-finding mission for the Fed, the meeting is a chance to learn more about how it can help Cecil County businesses and non-profits thrive. Federal Reserve officials want to learn more about the county and create connections.
Manufacturing Workforce Innovation Conference will be held June 8 from 7:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the Hilton Baltimore BWI Airport in Linthicum Heights, Md.
This is the first such conference hosted by the Regional Manufacturing Institute of Maryland for leaders and HR personnel only. Maryland Manufacturing Extension Partnership will guide the conference featuring keynote speakers and break out sessions to give insight, strategies and tools to promote change for your business.
Leadercast Speakers Conference is coming to Cecil College May 4 at the Technology Center on the North East campus.
Dubbed “The One Thing,” this year’s conference from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. brings together 10 speakers, each who answer the question “What is the one thing that makes a leader worth following?”
The cost is $99 per person and includes breakfast and lunch. Continuing Education Units will be available.
The goal is to help attendees focus on the ten things that matter to them the most.
Actor and author Tarik Davis will introduce each speaker, which includes Le Var Burton, well known American actor, director and host of PBS’ Reading Rainbow; Andy Stanley, best selling author, pastor and founder of North Point Ministries; Sukhinder Singh Cassidy, former president of StubHub and founder of Boardlist, and seven others coming from science, education, business and non-profits.
The Small Business Administration has changed its definitions of businesses in 16 industrial sectors, making more eligible to compete for federal contracting and loan programs.
“SBA continues to evolve its approach on size standards to ensure that we create access to contracting and loan opportunities for as many small businesses as possible,” said Associate Administrator for Government Contracting and Business Development Bibi Hidalgo. “The publication of these final rules will make 59,000 additional firms eligible for millions of dollars in revenue and business expansion opportunities across a wide range of sectors. This expansion is equally important for contracting agencies, as a diverse industrial base helps ensure a healthy supply chain and, in turn, supports our nation’s broader economic health.”
SBA expects to announce more revisions in the months ahead for wholesale and retail trades as well as manufacturing.
First Friday for May in Oxford will be celebrated Cinco de Mayo style.
May 6 from 5 until 8 p.m. enjoy the foods from the Mexican restaurants downtown along with fun crafts, music and activities. And yes, piñatas!
And the awards keep coming for ChristianaCare and Christiana Hospital.
For the fourth year in a row the hospital – ranked 78th in the United States – is among the world’s best hospitals according to Newsweek. There were 2,200 hospitals in 27 countries that were rated.
“Our ongoing record of outstanding safety is the result of our caregivers who show up every day to provide expert, high-quality care that helps our neighbors get healthy, stay healthy and improve their well-being,” said ChristianaCare President & CEO Janice E. Nevin, M.D., MPH.
Meanwhile, the Human Rights Campaign gave Christiana Hospital a perfect score and designated the facility an LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader. It’s the 11th consecutive year for the designation.
“This designation is the result of our continuous efforts to grow our programs and resources to meet the health care needs of LGBTQ+ people in our community,” said Bettina Tweardy Riveros, J.D., chief health equity officer at ChristianaCare. “We strive every day to provide informed and inclusive care for our LGBTQ+ patients and families.”
Union Hospital in Elkton, which became part of ChristianaCare in 2020, is working to achieve the designation from the Healthcare Equality Index.
She celebrated her 20th anniversary quietly, but said she was grateful that the mask mandate has been lifted for Cecil County students.
“I didn’t officially celebrate,” said Katrina Alkinburg, owner of The Learning Curve, a tutoring company in Port Deposit. Alkinburg said she was just glad her student numbers were back to normal.
“It was a big change when COVID hit,” she said of March 2020 when Gov. Larry Hogan ordered all public schools to close for several weeks hoping the pandemic would pass quickly. “We closed down for three months.”
Alkinburg closed her doors because her tutoring methods work best one-on-one at her Port Deposit home-based business and she is not a fan of the virtual platforms. However, she re-opened for the summer and noticed changes in her students.
“With the whole Zoom classroom was different for the kids, the parents and the teachers. Kids need that personal interaction,” Alkinburg said. “Teachers were trying hard but it was a struggle for everyone.”
It was especially true for her students with reading difficulties.
“I use the Wilson Reading System and you really have to do that in person,” she said of the system that focuses on facial expression and the way words form in the mouth.
Now that normalcy has for the most part returned, Alkinburg said parents are trying to help their children get caught up.
The Learning Curve helps all ages from pre-school to SAT prep and special needs adults.
Business Beat is a weekly column on business happenings in and around Cecil County. If interested in having your business featured in this column, contact Jane Bellmyer at [email protected] or 443-245-5007.