Glen Echo Park in Glen Echo, Maryland is a place that holds a lot of significance to the history of the state. It opened in 1891 and became an amusement park in the early 1900s. It served as an amusement park until 1968 when it shut down. The park still remains standing today, but none of the rides except the carousel have run in 40 years. The carousel was added to the park in 1921 and can still be ridden today and are made of original hand-carved wooden horses. The park is very close to the historic Clara Barton house and the two are closely linked (Clara Barton grew up going to the park). Today the park is owned by a non-profit organization called the Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture Inc. They maintain the park and oversees activities.

Purpose and Goal

The purpose of this project is to bring more people to Glen Echo Park, teach them about the history of it, and to reopen the park for one day as a tribute to the park's history. Every time I went to the park, I was so amazed by all the history behind it and it always bothered me to see the whole park in tact, but not be allowed to go in and see that everything in there is going to waste. Reopening the park is a surefire way to attract children and families and will help them discover the history of Glen Echo.

Public Awareness

Fliers, ads, and word of mouth are great ways to put out the word about Glen Echo park. Sure, the internet is great, and how I usually find out about what is going on there, but people are not going to be going online and looking for the park. If we get a chance to reopen the park, there will need to be advertising/promotion everywhere. If people know the purpose of this, I am sure they will strive to come to the event and learn more about the park.

Budget

The cheapest part of the budget would be advertising. Posting online would be free through my blogs and sites. Fliers would cost under $20; and news papers ads would cost an estimated $25 an inch (that is the cost for one in The Baltimore Sun). To reopen the park and hold an event, however, the price could be more on the expensive side, but the park does offer facility rentals (prices are not listed on the site, you have to contact the organization first) .

Contacts

There are many people that would need to be contacted for this:

Baltimore Sun advertising:
410-539-7700
501 N. Calvert Street
Baltimore, MD

Emily Mah (Glen Echo Facilities Rental Associate):
301.634.2233
rentals@glenechopark.org

Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture Inc. (Foundation to support the park and its history. This is where you would donate money):
7300 MacArthur Blvd.
Glen Echo, MD 20812
info@glenechopark.org

Meredith Forster (Education Program Manager):
mforster@glenechopark.org

Donna Barker (Special Events Manager):
Dbarker@glenechopark.org

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I think hosting an event like this would be exciting and educational. It would help preserve an important part of Maryland's history. It was all so fascinating to me as a child I could only hope to give that feeling to other children.

Home

Home has always been a very special place for me. Whenever something goes wrong... the first place I want to go, is home. I always associate home with my family, my cats, that warm, comforting feeling I get when I'm there... I'm a very strong believer in "Home is where the heart is".

Object I dislike

The object that I dislike that I chose to write about is the wii. I have always been opposed to video games in general, but the wii upsets me the most. I feel as though the wii was created to fool gamers into believing that they are being active when they really aren't. Wii does not substitute REAL tennis or bowling or any other sport. This system is keeping kids cooped up in the house playing an electronic game all day when they should be out doing something productive. Its a shame that the Wii has become such a phenomenon that it practically defines our generation and makes us look lazy.

High School: The Best Years of Your Life

I've always said that High School was the best years of my life. I was fortunate enough to go to a high school with an amazing history and graduate in its centennial class. High school is a turning point in everybody's life and every class that went through Sherwood High School has a different story to tell. When I was in high school, my life was yearbook. In our work room, we had tons and tons of Sherwood yearbooks from the past. I loved looking through them and seeing how the school changed so drastically over 100 years. Regardless of the year though, Sherwood seemed to be a sanctuary for all its students, whether it be Rock and Roll Revival (the 38-year still-running music show that has become a county-wide phenomenon) or our famously known football team that visits the state championships almost every other year. At least for me, Sherwood became a home for me, and when it came time for me to graduate and say goodbye, I was devastated. Sherwood is located in the town of Sandy Spring, Maryland and serves the towns of Olney, Ashton, and Brookeville. The Sherwood community has an amazing comradery. Parents, teachers and students are always working together and it makes it an incredible place to grow up. As a matter of fact, the neighborhood was ranked 17th in best places to live in America by CNN because of the community. Everyone gets involved in every aspect of Sherwood and it makes it the best school to attend for a great high school experience.

Blog 1

The object that most represents me is my stuffed bunny named Bunner. I have had Bunner since I was 6 years old. My father bought the stuffed animal for me on my birthday to cheer me up because I had chicken pox. Because I have had Bunner for over 14 years now, he is very ratty and torn up. One of the eyes has fallen off, one ear is half way off, he's dirty, and has holes. Like my stuffed animal, I have been through a lot. But like Bunner, after everything I've been through, I'm just as good now as I ever was. Bunner also represents the child within me. I may have matured and grown in many ways over the years, but I still find it important to keep a child alive within me, and the fact that I still sleep with a stuffed animal every night shows that. Last but not least, Bunner represents my love for classics. New things are great, but after all of the nice things I've gotten over the years, Bunner is still one of the favorite things I own and will never get old to me. I have the same outlook for friendships as well. Bunner is truely a representation of me as a person.