Be Great and Give Back!

By Ginger Ellis, Guest Blogger and What’s Up? Media Intern from Severna Park High School


Give back this Thanksgiving! Events include Turkey Trots, Small Business Saturday, and Lights on The Bay. Also celebrate the 5th Annual Oyster Week and the 30th Annual Festival of Trees on the Eastern Shore!

Turkey Trots

Turkey Trot Annapolis

brbrFleet Feet Sports Crew is hosting its 8th Annual Thanksgiving Turkey Trot 5k Fun Run. The course is a beautiful tour around downtown Annapolis. Dress in your best turkey costume to win a prize! The run is held on Thanksgiving morning at 9 a.m. Tickets are free! Call 410-268-6290 or visit Fleetfeetannapolis.com for more information.

Turkey Trot 5k Fundraiser by the Y in Central Maryland

brbrGive back to the community this Thanksgiving. Trot a 5K around Anne Arundel Community College. The annual Turkey Trot founded by the Y helps raise funds every Thanksgiving in order to support children living in poverty in Central Maryland. Runners dress up like turkeys to add to the wacky festivites! The event is rain or shine. You can bring your dogs and strollers too! The run starts at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, November 26th. Children seven and under can register for free while kids 8-17 can register at half-price. Registration is $35-40. For more information call 410-544-2525 or visit http://www.ymdturkeytrot.org.

Harvest of Plenty - United Way of Central Maryland Distributes Thanksgiving Dinners to Maryland Families

This holiday season, United Way of Central Maryland is aiming to distribute 4,000 Thanksgiving dinners to Central Maryland families as part of the organization’s 23rd Annual Harvest of Plenty. Harvest of Plenty is part of United Way’s Access to Healthy Food Initiative, which improves access to healthy food for underserved families. Across Maryland, there are more than 345,000 residents who are food insecure, meaning that they lack consistent access to healthy affordable food. United Way of Central Maryland exceeded last year’s goal by 1.5 million pounds. Help them beat this year’s goal. To learn how to donate to Harvest of Plenty visit http://www.uwcm.org/main/harvest-of-plenty.

Small Business Saturday

 

Celebrate Small Business Saturday and Help Grow the Local Economy


brbrDo something big for your neighborhood and keep dollars in your community during Small Business Saturday this Saturday, November 28th. Many small businesses will have deals to thank locals for their support. “For every $100 spent at local small businesses, $68 returns to the community”. Source: Civic Economics

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Lights on the Bay Sponsored by Anne Arundel Medical Center

brThis winter take a drive through the spectacular Lights on the Bay show along the Chesapeake Bay. Bring hot cocoa and watch as the lights sparkle and shine for a good cause. Anne Arundel Medical Center sponsors the Annual Lights on the Bay event at Sandy Point State Park where over sixty breath taking displays illuminate the scenic drive. This family-friendly event benefits the hospital and is a great way to get into the holiday spirit. The event started November 21st and continues until January 2nd, 2016. The lights run daily from 5-10 p.m. Tickets are $15 per average sized car. Ticket prices vary depending on size of vehicle ($15-50). For more information call 443-481-3161 or visit Lightsonthebay.org.

Eastern Shore Events

Hyatt Regency’s Fifth Annual Oyster Week and Oyster Cup

brThe Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort, Spa, and Marina in Cambridge will be hosting its Fifth Annual Oyster Week now through Sunday, November 29th starting at 10 a.m. daily. Join the fun with special events all week. There will be an oyster cookout with beer and champagne severed along with an “oyster menu”. A 9-hole golf tournament called the “Oyster cup” will be held on Saturday the 28th so don’t forget to bring your clubs! Other oyster-ly activities will include a showcasing of oyster shell Christmas ornaments and a wine and canvas event where you can let your creative side run wild. University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science Horn Point Oyster Hatchery will have educational displays, videos, still photography and a large aquarium display for the marine life on the Choptank. Tickets and event prices vary. For more information call 410-901-6397 or visit Chesapeakebay.hyatt.com.

Talbot Hospice Festival of Trees

brbrThe Annual Festival of Trees is presented by the Friends of Hospice and this year is the big 30th Anniversary! In the gold ballroom of the Historic Tidewater Inn, volunteers set up displays of multiple dazzling Christmas trees along with dancing, shopping, carolers, and more! The festivities will surely put you in the Christmas spirit. The festival raises funds for Talbot Hospice, which benefits terminally ill patients and families in Talbot County facing life limiting illness. Held on Saturday, November 28th through Tuesday, December 1st from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Tickets are $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, $1 for children under 12 and free for children under 1. For more information call 410-819-3378 or visit Festival-of-trees.org.

To view more events subscribe to the Events E-Newsletter at WhatsUpMag.com/Subscribe. And remember,brtons of fun events are always on our Online Calendar at WhatsUpMag.com/Calendar. Melissa Lauren, Community Events Editor andbrformer WRNR and WTMD DJ, writes the weekly What’s Up? Events Blog andbrE-Newsletter every Thursday. For coverage of your community event, please sendbrpress releases to mlauren@whatsupmag.com. Be sure to Follow What’s Up? on Twitter and Like Us on Facebook.br