Contact MargaretCrofton Area Residents Celebrate July 4
July 1st, 2009 Categories: Events
From the National Mall in Washington, D.C. to the Baltimore Harbour, from Bowie to Fort Meade and Annapolis, Crofton residents have many options for celebrating July 4 beyond their back yard picnics:
BOWIE BAYSOX STADIUM
Friday, July 3
Fireworks Immediately following the 6:15 p.m. game against the Akron Aeros
FIREWORKS CRUISE
Friday, July 3, 7:30 - 10:30 p.m.
($40 Adults / $20 Children 3-11 / 2 & under free. Reservations Required).
410-268-7601 X111
ALLEN POND, Bowie
Saturday, July 4, 3-10:30 p.m.
Entertainment, food and fireworks
PACA HOUSE & GARDEN, Annapolis
Saturday, July 4, 9:30 – 10:00 a.m. Naturalization Ceremony
10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Open House
William Paca House and Garden, 186 Prince George Street, Annapolis
ANNAPOLIS HISTORIC DISTRICT
Saturday, July 4
Parade 6 p.m. Concert by the USNA Band followed by Fireworks over the harbor 9:15 p.m.
QUIET WATERS PARK, Edgewater
Saturday, July 4, 6:00 p.m.
Summer Concert Series
(Big Daddy Stallings, playing the Blues - Seating is on the lawn, so bring a blanket, lawn chairs and pack a picnic)
FIREWORKS CRUISE
Saturday, July 4, 7:30 - 10:30 p.m.
($45 Adults / $25 Children 3-11 / 2 & under free. Reservations Required.
410-286-7601 X111)
FORT GEORGE G. MEADE
Saturday, July 4, 12 Noon-10:00 p.m.
Open to the public
Gate/Midway opens at Noon
Fireworks 9:30 p.m.
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, College Park
Saturday, July 4,
Food and Music in Parking Lot 1 off Campus Drive beginning at 7 p.m. and Fireworks at 9 p.m.
BALTIMORE INNER HARBOUR
Saturday, July 4
Special events throughout the day. Fireworks at 9:30 p.m.
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Saturday, July 4
Parade begins at 11:45 a.m. (Constitution Avenue and 7th to 17th St.)
Events throughout the day at the National Mall
Fireworks 9:15 p.m.
LONDON TOWN, Edgewater
Sunday, July 5, 12:00 — 4:00 p.m.
Historic London Town and Gardens, 839 Londontown Rd., Edgewater
(Admission: $10/adult, $9/senior, $5/youth, Free/6 and under)
ANNAPOLIS
July 5 and Sundays ’til October, Noon-5 p.m.
First block of West Street from Church Circle to Calvert Street
IMAGE: Washington Monument photo by Mike Lynaugh
Video images – istockphoto.com
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Washington Post Makes Changes to Crofton Home-Delivery
June 28th, 2009 Categories: Community News
Long-Time Crofton Newspaper Distributor is Out
You won’t find anything reported in The Washington Post about this, but there are some changes taking place in their own Circulation Department. This Post re-organization could impact you if you’re a home-delivery subscriber in the Greater Crofton area, including part of Bowie.
Bob Steed, one of Crofton’s long-time independent distributors for The Washington Post will be delivering his last newspapers to the area on Sunday, July 05. His departure will be a huge blow to Post customers and carriers alike. Our family has been both since Day One of his 21–year run, and I promise you Bob Steed is The Best!
As a home-delivery customer, you probably ordered your morning paper by contacting The Washington Post directly. From that point on, it magically appeared in the general vicinity of your front door or driveway 365 days a year, including holidays, weekends, blizzards, and even days when your carrier was ill or out of town. The man guaranteeing that for many residents of Crofton for more than two decades has been Bob Steed.
While you were sleeping, he got up in the middle of the night and drove his own truck to pick up thousands of newspapers from The Washington Post and load them on his truck. Then he delivered them to carriers through the area who, in turn, delivered them to you before you left for work.
If you wanted your paper earlier than normal delivery hours, Bob made sure you got an “early-bird” paper. If you were ill or handicapped and couldn’t walk to your driveway to pick up your Post, he made sure it was delivered wherever you specified. He took your calls personally when your paper was missing or wet and did whatever was necessary to correct the situation to your satisfaction. I can’t imagine any newspaper distributor being more conscientious about customer satisfaction.
Unlike some other Post distributors, he always passed your tips through to his carriers. When carriers went on vacation or were ill, he delivered their routes as well as his own. He’s been a supportive and respectful supervisor who somehow retains carriers and drivers for years (and decades), in spite of the many sacrifices and hardships that are a fact of life for this job, this lifestyle.
We will certainly miss him, both as Post customers and as carriers in the “E” section since 1982.
Bob Steed will be a tough act to follow for anyone who succeeds him!
After July 05, if you have any complaints about your newspaper delivery or want to request vacation stops/starts, you should contact the Service Desk at the re-organized Circulation Department online or call them at
800–477–4679
Post customer service hours are limited – 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday and 7 a.m. to noon on weekends and holidays - unlike Bob Steed, who was accessible to customers 24/7.
P.S. Since the new distributor hasn’t yet contacted current carriers in the Crofton area, it’s possible -maybe even likely – that your carrier could change in the near future without notice. If your paper isn’t where you expect it some morning soon, that may be the reason.
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Gambrills Real Estate Update - May 2009
June 28th, 2009 Categories: Market Updates
Real estate statistics for last month in Gambrills are quite difficult to decipher because the sampling of sales is so small – not only this year, but also the two prior years. As a result, high-end and low-end sales dramatically impact the average and median sold prices.
If ever there was a zipcode that really needs these statistics broken down by neighborhood, and perhaps over a period of months, 21054 is it.
Let’s take a look at this chart for Gambrills real estate last month and May of preceding years:
Probably the most telling figures, then, are the number of new listings compared to how many new contracts were written and the number of homes sold/settled. As long as the inventory of homes keeps growing (new listings) at a faster pace than homes are selling and settling, Economics 101 will always come into play, i.e. “supply and demand” -
Looking only at May 2009, just three homes went under contract out of 86 on the market. In other words, 96.5% of homes on the market did NOT sell. It would take over 28 months to sell the Gambrills inventory at this rate, assuming no additional listings go on the market during that time. Even back in ‘06, in the so-called “bubble” market, the absorption rate in Gambrills was over seven months while it was closer to five in Odenton, three in Crofton, and even less in some other communities.
Three Gambrills homes went under contract and four sold/settled in May 2009, in spite of all this doom and gloom – that makes for seven happy home sellers. They not only beat the odds, they sold at more than 90% of list price. This is a much higher percentage than other areas, so there is some good news for the month.
Related Links:
- Crofton Real Estate Update – May 2009
- Odenton Real Estate Update – May 2009
- Homes for Sale in Gambrills, MD
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Some Crofton Residents Wait Too Long to Refinance
June 27th, 2009 Categories: Real Estate Information
Sorry, Crofton residents and home buyers. You missed the boat.
While you were waiting for interest rates to bottom out, gambling that they would go even lower than rates were a few weeks ago to re-finance or buy a home, they started back up. In the flyer dated 6/26/09 that I received today from one local lender, the current rates are:
- 5.25% for Conventional 30–year Fixed Rate financing
- 5.375% for VA and FHA financing
- 6% for Jumbo financing
According to MarketWatch, the average rate on a national level is slightly higher: 5.47% for Conventional 30–year Fixed Rate financing. 5/1–year arms are priced at 4.87% – not much of a break, considering the risk of a higher rate at the time of each future adjustment (but this is a good loan for someone who doesn’t expect to stay in a property more than 5 years).
You can follow the interest rate trends right here at Focus On Crofton any time by clicking on Mortgage Interest Rates in the left navigation bar. That takes you straight to MarketWatch 101 where you will see the interest rate for this week, last week, and last month as well as an arrow up or down to indicate the current trend.
But, just because you missed the bottom, rates are still lower than they’ve been in recent years. You can get a loan in the 5’s now, so don’t wait ‘til rates are back up to 6% or more.
I have terrible memories of selling real estate (or not) when interest rates were
16% and 17% in the Carter years… could it happen again?
Thinking of buying a home?
Nobody can predict when home prices will hit bottom. In fact, we won’t know what the bottom is until it disappears and prices show signs of increasing. Even if prices drop a little more, any savings in your payment has probably been swallowed up by the higher interest rate. So don’t get caught twice with your pants down. You missed the best interest rate… don’t risk an increase in housing prices too!
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Northrup Grumman and Ft. Meade Newbies Choose Crofton Area
June 26th, 2009 Categories: Community Information
If you’re transferring into Fort Meade, the U.S. Naval Academy or Andrews AFB – or you’re a new employee at Northrup Grumman or another defense contractors located nearby – you are probably looking for the same things we sought when we moved to this area ourselves. That may include convenience, community amenities, home features, price range, schools…
There is certain to be a home that fits your budget and taste in the Greater Crofton Area including Annapolis, Bowie, Crofton, Crownsville, Davidsonville, Gambrills, Millersville, Odenton or another nearby area. But this blog is called Focus on CROFTON, so let me show you seven reasons to choose a neighborhood in this community for your next home:
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