Upper Crust Owings Mills

Upper Crust is a Pizzeria and Grill on Reisterstown Road in Owings Mills.

They have a large menu with specialty salads, pizzas, pasta & subs.

You can eat in the casual eatery, or take it to go.

You often can run into my father-in-law there, especially during football season, because he thinks the chicken pesto and philly-style subs are good luck for our Ravens! I don’t know if that is true, but the subs are truly delicious!

There are a lot of pizza choices, and for those who are gluten sensitive, you can choose a gluten free crust.

Here is an Upper Crust menu as of December 2011. Prices & menus change, so don’t rely on this for correct costs or for a full menu of items to eat.

Enjoy good food there or to go!

The Upper Crust pizza/grille is located at 9161 Reisterstown Road, Owings Mills, MD 21117. Phone is 410-581-5804.

Fall Fun at North Run Farm in Baltimore County

I’ve written before about fun places to go for Fall fun in Baltimore County.

Weber’s Farm and Huber’s Farm are two popular locations.

One I just discovered is North Run Farm near Stevenson University.

My son had his class field trip there today, and there are many fun things to do!

The maze this year is wild — a huge crab — that our entire group proceeded to get lost in.

The kids loved the animals, and even the adults learned something new. Did you know that cows love to eat pumpkins? (We didn’t!)

The farm is open Friday 12-6pm, Saturday & Sunday 10am-6pm through November 6, 2011.

Admission includes a hayride, the farm, including the animal farm, a hay play area, a hay tee pee, corn sandbox, mini hay maze, and more. Add the big maze for just $1 more! Visit their website for more details.

We really had fun at the field trip. I will give you a few tips.

1) If there has been rain in the past week, wear BOOTS. The maze & pumpkin patch will be muddy — and two days after rain there were still large, muddy puddles!

2) The port-a-potties were pretty yucky this late in the season. Bring wipes & toilet paper – and be prepared to hold your breath!

3) Bring hand sanitizer – things can get messy!

4) There is a stand with some good looking food & drinks –bring cash!

5) The entire operation only accepts cash, so be prepared to bring some for pumpkins, food, and other produce & goods you may want to get.

Lastly, enjoy!

North Run Farm is run by Rodgers’ Farm and is open usually Friday-Sunday from the middle of September through the first weekend in November. Field trips have additional time openings.

North Run Farm is located at 1818 Greenspring Valley Road, Owings Mills, MD 21117.

Baltimore Earth Day 2011

Friday, April 22, 2011 is Earth Day across the US.

Earth Day began on April 22 in 1970, making this the 41st Anniversary. The first Earth Day, according to Wikipedia, was originally a teach-in held by US Senator Gaylord Nelson, and 20 million people participated. It is now celebrated in 175 countries, and over 500 million join in.

Earth Day in Baltimore brings a number of activities to celebrate.

In Towson, the Towson ARTS Collective has an exhibit, “The Process of Peace”, running through May 20. Friday is a free reception from 6-8 pm to celebrate Baltimore Earth Week’s 8th Anniversary.

On Saturday, The Maryland Science Center in Downtown Baltimore will have Earth Day and recycling activities from noon-4pm which is included in the cost of admission.

The Irvine Nature Center in Owings Mills has multiple events going on Saturday — with the Junior Naturalists in the morning, and then “rainy day” Earth Day activities from 1-2:30pm. They’ll be using broken crayons, old magazines, and more to recycle into new products and projects! For non-members there is a cost.

The Oregon Ridge Nature Center in Hunt Valley will also have its’ “Earth Day Greening” from 1-4pm, where those ages seven and older will be able to help plant trees, and assist in cleaning up the trail & park. This event is free!

You can always celebrate Earth Day at your own Baltimore home too. Plant trees, change lightbulbs to those that use less energy, turn off lights when you are not using them, and recycle materials!

Solo Cup Closing in Owings Mills

Solo Cup is closing its’ Owings Mills plant, laying off 540 people by the middle of 2012.

There will still be about 120 corporate jobs located in Owings Mills, but if the sale of the plant happens like Solo would like it to, those jobs would be moved to elsewhere in the Baltimore area.

540 jobs lost in Baltimore County is a tremendous amount, and this does not bode well for Owings Mills neighborhoods, unless a large manufacturer moves in to the Solo Cup space and brings an ample number of new jobs with it!

The Baltimore Business Journal reported on this, also stating that it plans to close plants in Missouri and Massachusetts as well, eliminating a total of 1,240 jobs.

Over the next two years, this could have a significantly negative impact in Owings Mills house prices because if people are not employed and cannot make payments, this leads to short sales and foreclosures.

Hopefully something new will come in to help Owings Mills homeowners. Right now residents have to wait and see.