St. Mary's briefs

Flat Iron Road to temporarily close

St. Mary’s County Government’s Department of Public Works and Transportation will be installing a culvert under Flat Iron Road in Great Mills beginning on or about Oct. 14. As a result, Flat Iron Road will be closed for approximately five days between 20357 Flat Iron Road and 20318 Flat Iron Road. A detour plan will be implemented for the duration of the road closure.

Drivers are asked to remain alert for equipment, work crews and changing traffic patterns. Message boards and signage will be deployed in the area prior to and during the project to serve as a reminder. Consider alternate travel routes to avoid delays in traffic. For additional information, contact John Wise at 301-475-4200, ext. 3531.

Lecture to focus on county's 'Modernist Revolution'

The Historic Preservation Commission of St. Mary's County will present the special lecture, "Modernism Comes to St. Mary’s County," on Thursday, Oct. 17, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The presentation will explore the transformative period in St. Mary’s County's history during 1942, when the U.S. government established the Patuxent Naval Air Test Center, leading to the development of Lexington Park. Join to hear featured speaker John Cook delve into how modernist planning ideas were brought to the U.S. and how early economic growth helped create the St. Mary’s we know today.

The lecture will be in the commissioners' meeting room, located in the Chesapeake Building at 41770 Baldridge Street in Leonardtown. The lecture will be streamed live on St. Mary's government TV Channel 95 and at www.youtube.com/@StMarysCoGov. For more about the Historic Preservation Commission, go to www.stmaryscountymd.gov/hpc.

Elections board to demonstrate ballot scanner

The St. Mary’s County Board of Elections will conduct a public logic and accuracy demonstration on the DS200 ballot scanner unit on Friday, Oct. 11, at 10 a.m. for the general election. This public demonstration will be held at the elections board office, located at 23250 Hollywood Road in Leonardtown. Questions about the process may be directed to Wendy Adkins at wendy.adkins@stmaryscountymd.gov or by calling 301-475-4200 ext. 1613.

Annual health fair planned

St. Mary’s County Department of Aging & Human Services will host its annual Community Health & Wellness Fair, which will be held on Friday, Oct. 11, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., at the University System of Maryland at Southern Maryland, located at 44219 Airport Road in California. The event is free and open to the public. Preregister online at www.stmaryscountymd.gov/healthfair by noon on Oct. 10 to skip registration line.

Farmers can apply for federal conservation programs

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is encouraging Maryland’s agricultural producers and forest landowners to sign up for voluntary conservation programs and adopt climate-smart practices this year. NRCS is accepting applications for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, the Conservation Stewardship Program, the Regional Conservation Partnership Program and the Agricultural Management Assistance program, which help a wide variety of producers, including urban and organic producers.

To find out more about the application process, contact a local NRCS office by visiting nrcs.usda.gov/contact.

Ride the bus to Ocean City

St. Mary’s County Department of Recreation & Parks will hold its annual bus trip to Ocean City for Sunfest on Saturday, Oct. 26. Sunfest is one of the largest outdoor festivals in the region, attracting tens of thousands of attendees each year for arts, crafts, music and food. Registration is now open and available online with trip details provided. Tickets are available online at stmaryscountymd.gov/recreate; click “Online Registration” and then “Trips.”

Ticketholders will meet to check-in at 6:30 a.m. on Oct. 26 at the recreation and parks main office, located at 23150 Leonard Hall Drive in Leonardtown. The bus will leave Leonardtown at 7 a.m. sharp and arrive in Ocean City at approximately 11 a.m. Evening departure is scheduled for 8 p.m. that day, returning to Leonardtown at approximately 11:45 p.m.

For questions or assistance with online registration, call 301-475-4200, ext. 1800, or email webtrac@stmaryscountymd.gov.

Free mulch available at landfill

St. Mary’s County’s Department of Public Works and Transportation continues to offer free mulch for residents to pick up from the St. Andrew’s Landfill. Mulch is available for residents between the hours of 8 a.m. and 3 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays.

Residents are responsible for the loading and delivery of the mulch. Bring a shovel, pitchfork or similar hand tool to load the mulch and a tarp to cover the load, if necessary. More information is available by calling 301-475-4200 or at www.stmaryscountymd.gov/dpw.

Oral histories of Lexington Park ‘Flat Tops’ available online

The St. Mary’s County Historical Society, in partnership with St. Mary’s County government, recently announce the digitization of the Lexington Manor Oral History Collection, which is now available to the public on the St. Mary’s County Historical Society website at www.stmaryshistory.org.

Health department offers mentoring resource

The St. Mary’s County Health Department has partnered with Maryland-based technology firm WellCheck to launch the St. Mary’s County Mentoring Exchange. The digital platform provides an opportunity for parents and caregivers to explore youth mentoring programs and events in the community and connects local youth mentoring programs with resources to support their work. Community service providers can also use the platform to refer their clients to youth development opportunities in the county.

Visit smcmentors.org for more information about local youth mentoring opportunities.

Libraries in need of ‘memory lab’ donations

The St. Mary’s County Library is seeking donations for its memory labs at each of the library branches. The memory labs will allow patrons to take their physical memories and make them digital. VHS tapes, cassettes, film negatives, slides, photos and documents can all be converted to digital files in just a few simple steps.

If you have any of the following items in good working condition that you’d like to donate, you can bring them to the nearest St. Mary’s County Library branch. Items needed include VCRs and DVD players; camcorders that play Video8, Hi8, Digital8 and MiniDV; and audiocassette, CD players reel-to-reel players. Donations will not be returned.

For more, go to www.stmalib.org/library-services/makerspace-at-leonardtown-library/memory-lab/.

Crime Solvers accepts tips

St. Mary’s County Crime Solvers allows people to submit anonymous tips related to alleged crimes in the county. In some cases, rewards up to $1,000 will be given for information leading to the arrest of criminals.

To submit a tip, call 301-475-3333 or text TIP239 along with the message to CRIMES (274637).

Roller skating offered at Leonard Hall

Family Skate is offered at the newly renovated Leonard Hall Recreation Center in Leonardtown every Sunday afternoon from 2 to 5 p.m. Entrance is $5 per person and skates are available to rent for $2.50 or bring your own skates.

Online registration is available at stmaryscountymd.gov/recreate, click the Online Registration button and then choose Special Events. For more information, call 301-475-4200, ext. 1800, or email webtrac@stmaryscountymd.gov.