Norma Jean's Column for Southern Prince George's County

CLINTON COLUMN FOR MAY 29, 2003

On May 17, along with part of my family and some friends, I enjoyed the annual dance recital of the folks who are taught by Louse Pyles dance studio. It was a great day and those who did the dancing enjoyed it as much as those who watched. There was lots of great hand dancing (it used to be called jitter bugging), and my granddaughter was a part of the group who did "Grease" and then the chicken dance and the Hokey Pokey. It was a wonderful afternoon.

Many of us have lived in south Prince George's County for a long time, and we all know that it sometimes seems like we are the stepchild of the county. We are always the last ones to be taken care of when there is something that needs to be done. I attended the Town Hall meeting at the library on May 21, and I was surprised and ashamed to see that there were only about 50 people there. Perhaps that is the reason we are not privileged to have the kinds of things that happen up north, because the people in the area do not come out when there is a chance to ask our legislators for help. We were fortunate to have Senator Miller, and Delgates Proctor and Vallario to answer our questions. If you have a concern for one of the legislators, and you were not able to attend the meeting, or you would like a question answered, Senator Miller's direct line is 301-858-3700.

Don't forget the big yard sale at the Clinton Presbyterian Church this Saturday, so be sure to check it out some time between 9 am and 2 pm. If it rains, they plan to have it on June 7. Call Jean at 301-868-5585 or Phyllis at 301-868-0724 for more information.

Plan on getting out early and traveling the county for flea markets and yard sales on June 7. There will be a Flea Market at St. Paul's Parish in Baden, with an eat in or carry out barbeque from 11 to 4 ($7). The youth group will be having a car wash and there will be a bake sale from 9 am to 3 pm. Check out the antique cars, and let the kids enjoy the moon bounce. There will be a free golf cart for seniors to use on site.

Faith United Methodist Church in Accokeek will have their annual Flea Market on June 7, also, with lunch from 11 to 2, and a bake sale until it is all gone. As those of you who live in the area know, this is always a big one. Since we now have a great new building, there is a lot more room for everything, too.

Clinton Fire Department's annual Open House will also be on June 7 from 9 am to 3 pm. There will be demonstrations and food. Call 301-868-1313 for more information.

Congratulations to Christopher Batty who is graduating from La Plata High School with high honors. Christopher was the kicker for the football team and had straight As all through school. He already has a job with Ken Dixon and has been working during the last part of the school year. Christopher plans to attend the College of Southern Maryland in the fall.

Nancy and I are still trying to get enough people to go to the Pennsylvania Opry on June 18 and to travel to Baltimore and ride the "Duck" some time in July. We are talking about a trip to Western Maryland and Pennsylvania, where we hope to make a side trip to Skanksville, where the plane went down on September 11. An Alaska Cruise is planned for August 21 to 28, and to Tunica, Mississippi from September 27 to October 3. (Tunica is a great place to go to gamble, but we plan side trips while we are there). There will be a couple of one-day trips to dinner theatres in August, September, November, and December.     

Two out of three Americans are now overweight, and one out of three is obese, according to the 1999-2000 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. That is a jump since the early 1990s, when one out of four were obese. During the '60s and '70s it was one out of seven. Roughly 15 percent of school-aged children are now overweight, up from 11 percent in the early 1990s. Don't wait around for a new scientific breakthrough to keep you trim. If you cannot find a restaurant that serves half-portions, make your own (with a doggy bag). Have your server put half your meal in the doggie bag when he brings it to you. Watch out for 600 calorie muffins, 700 calorie tuna sandwiches, and 800 calorie Frappuccinos. And don't forget to get off your you-know-what for at least a half hour a day.

Jeff Foxworthy said the problem with being the designated driver is it is really

not a desirable job, so if you get sucked into it, have fun with it; at the end of the night, drop them all off at the wrong house.

Norma Jean Fazenbaker's column can be found in the Clinton Gazette, Prince George's Post, Prince George's Sentinel, and the Enquirer Gazette. You can contact Norma Jean by email - click this link.

2003 Archives: Jan. 2, Jan. 9, Jan. 17, Jan. 23, Jan. 30, Feb. 6, Feb. 13, Feb. 20, Feb. 27, March 6, March 13, March 20, March 27, April 3, April 10, April 17, April 24, May 1, May 8, May 16, May 22

2002 Archives: May 30, June 6, June 13, June 20, June 27, July 4, July 11, July 18, July 25, Aug. 1, Aug. 8, Aug. 15, Aug. 22, Aug. 28, Sept. 5, Sept. 12, Sept. 18, Sept. 26, Oct. 3, Oct. 10, Oct. 17, Oct. 24, Oct. 31, Nov. 7, Nov. 14, Nov. 21, Nov. 28, Dec. 5, Dec. 12, Dec. 19, Dec. 26

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