Spring Book Fair Celebrating LHS Graduate Authors
The Laurel History Boys are sponsoring a Spring Book Fair. At this free event, all are invited to meet and greet the first ever collection of Laurel published authors, some of whom are Laurel High School graduates: Kevin Leonard (Class of 1972), Jim Clash (Class of 1973), and Michelle Paris (Class of 1981). Richard Friend and Jeff Krulik, also from The Laurel History Boys, and father and son authors Wayne and Nathan Davis, who wrote Hidden History of Howard County, will also be on hand. Books by all the authors will be available to purchase, including The Laurel History Boys’ new Capital Centre book. (Plus Capital Centre tote bags and stickers!) If you’ve already bought a book, bring your copy to have the authors sign it! You can also purchase our books through our website: laurelhistory.com/shop.
April 28 at Oliver’s Old Towne Tavern, 531 Main Street, 3–5 PM, FREE.
Grants and Donations
Thank you to Kathie Peterson, Janet Willis, Jerry Sachs, and James Bowman for their monetary donations to Voices of Laurel. We are grateful.
Main Street Festival
We will be at our traditional spot in front of Oliver’s for the Main Street Festival on May 11. Please stop by and say hello! It will be another opportunity to purchase our books in person and help support the work that we do to bring history to you.
Help with UMD Published Report
University of Maryland students in the Historic Preservation Studio Workshop published a report on the old Ellicott City Jail. The students contacted Kevin as part of their archival research on the social and architectural history of the historic jail after finding some of his old articles on the Internet. Kevin then provided dozens of archival files and photos to supplement their research. The report creates a Historic Context Study for The Old Ellicott City Jail, also known as the Howard County Jail. It documents the history, including important events and people involved with the various aspects of the jail. The report can be downloaded from https://go.umd.edu/3Vy5oOn.
Upcoming Presentations
On June 14, Kevin will present “The History of the Capital Centre.” The Capital Centre arena opened in Landover in 1973 and for the next 25 years was one of the top arenas in the country. Kevin, one of the authors (with Rich and Jeff) of the new book, Capital Centre: A Retrospective, will describe how the arena came to be and tell backstage stories from sports to concerts by major performers in every genre. North Laurel Community Center, 11 AM, FREE.