Five Things to Know About Columbia, 8/24

1) Weather: Has anyone else noticed consecutive days of nice weather? I’m beginning to think with all the weather coverage this summer, from derecho to the , maybe us Patchers should write a story or two about how, you know, it’s just been pretty nice outside. It’s supposed to reach a high of 88 degrees today in Columbia.  

2) Weekend Things: What are you doing this weekend? There’s a lot from , the Maryland State Fair, Ellicott City Main Street, and much more. My can’t-miss event? All Together Now at on Saturday mornings. Toddlers, stories and singing? What can I say, I love it.  

3) Careful of Mosquitoes!: There is apparently an , so be careful of mosquitoes! Has anyone else noticed there’s A LOT of them at this time of year in Columbia?

4) In Defense of the Train Victims: Reader had this to say about a where the author said she was  “certain the girls who were needlessly taken from the world had been told to not play on train tracks”: “I cannot believe you are blaming these girls for their own deaths. They were not playing on the tracks. They were near railroad tracks. Just like the owners of all the cars that were totaled by crushing coal, these girls are blameless.” 

5) Readers’ Choice: Think you know where the best of everything is in Columbia, from restaurants, to sweet shops to mechanics? See how your ideas match up with readers of Howard County Patch sites. We have our results of our

Have a story idea for Columbia Patch? You can get your voice heard by emailing me at lisa.rossi@patch.com, posting your thoughts to our Local Voices section by clicking here, or talking to us on Facebook or Twitter.