Marriottsville/ Sykesville /Woodstock

The Howard County Council of Garden Clubs is sponsoring its annual holiday makeover of Waverly Mansion, with tours available Dec. 7 from 1-4 and Dec. 8 from 10 a.m. - noon, and candlelight tours offered between 6:30 and 9:00 on Dec. 8. Die Liedersanger Madrigal Singers will perform during the Dec. 7 tours and also during the evening tours on the 8th. Enjoy this chance to view an interesting part of our county’s history!

According to “The Founders of Anne Arundel and Howard Counties, Maryland,” by J. D. Warfield, Waverly Mansion once housed two of our state’s most distinguished founding families, the Dorseys and the Howards. Nathan Dorsey first built the main house between 1756 and 1764 upon a tract of land known then as “Ranter’s Ridge.” His father, Colonel John Dorsey, was one of the first commissioners of Baltimore City.

In 1786, Col. John Eager Howard purchased the mansion to give to his son George. The elder Howard, our county’s namesake, soon thereafter became the fifth governor of Maryland (1788-1790), and his son later became the 25th governor (1831-1833). The Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks Web site explains that George Howard and his wife, Prudence, named the mansion after Sir Walter Scott’s first novel, Waverley, published in 1814.

During this holiday season, 10 different Howard County garden clubs will join forces to decorate the mansion, each taking responsibility for a separate room. To view their handiwork, visit the estate at 2300 Waverly Mansion Drive in Marriottsville. The tour costs $5 for adults, $3 for seniors and $2 for children. The garden clubs will also offer wreaths and other holiday decorations for sale during the tours.

For more about the mansion, call 410-313-5400 or go to www.co.ho.md.us/RAP/rap_waverly.htm. For information about Howard County garden clubs, please speak to a member during one of the tours.

This week, I have another update from our ever-changing Waverly Woods Village Center. Nika Edwards, who has owned Nika’s Hair Studio on St. John’s Lane since 1994, launched a second salon in the Waverly Woods Village Center this year, Nika & Co. Hair Studio.

Nika grew up in Catonsville and opened her first salon in her hometown. However, after falling victim to an armed robbery, she changed locations. Another stylist told her about the Ellicott City shop, which she loved at first glance. In fact, she has now made Ellicott City her own home, too.

When the Waverly Woods location became available, a friend notified Nika and asked whether she would be interested in opening a second business. After making the decision to proceed, she needed look no further than her own clientele for a manager.

Vicki Tymann, also an Ellicott City resident, has frequented Nika’s for 10 years. Because all of her children had entered school full-time – Dean is now a senior at Mt. Hebron, and Drew, 10, and Jennifer, 7, both attend Worthington Elementary – Vicki felt a little lost and mentioned to Nika that she might begin looking for a job. Nika offered her one on the spot.

For more information, call 410-480-7030 or go to www.nikaandcompany.com.

Samantha “Sam” Hunter and Dana Keane, directors of Studio Dans in Marriottsville, have seen dance trends transform even since their studio opened in 2006.

Zumba, a Latin dance workout, has become so popular that they have added more classes, including Zumba Gold for ages 55 and older. Sam and Dana are also excited to offer a new drop-in class for preteens and teens called “Friday Nights with CJ.” CJ Cunningham, aka Bboy Bouncer, teaches a unique form of hip hop that he creates by melding different styles, such as break dancing with popping and locking. CJ has trained with some of the best hip hop choreographers in the business, including Marty Kudelka, who choreographs Justin Timberlake, and Jamal Sims, who choreographed the movies Step Up, Step Up 2 and Get Smart.

Go to www.studiodans.com or call 410-442-0226 for more information.

Our resident Waverly Woods coffee shop, The Classic Cup, has recently made some changes. Last month, owners Phyllis Greenbaum and Pete Cook switched to 100 percent organic, fair trade, shade-grown, kosher coffee from Dean’s Beans in Orange, Mass. They welcome your feedback on their new flavors.

For those who do not yet know the pair, Phyllis and Pete first met in 1979 when they began working together at Patuxent Publishing Co., the publisher of this newspaper. In March of 1997, they founded The View newspapers, which they sold a decade later to Patuxent Publishing. They then purchased The Classic Cup in September 2007.

One of Phyllis and Pete’s goals, which is near and dear to my heart, is to bring neighbors closer together. Some of their customers have expressed an interest in forming both a book club and a knitting circle that will meet at the coffee shop. If you are interested in joining one of these groups, look for the signup sheets on the bulletin board at The Classic Cup. The phone number is 410-750-7200.

The Waverly Woods Village Center has seen many changes over the past year. In a previous blog, I mentioned the addition of Bubble Gum Bill’s ice cream parlor; this week, I’d like to highlight another new establishment.

Snap Fitness 24/7 health club has opened at Curves’ former location and will celebrate its Grand Opening Saturday, Aug. 23. Owner and Manager Theresa Stone resides in Ellicott City. She became familiar with Waverly Woods through nearby friends and also through her children, who swim competitively and participate in meets at the Waverly Woods pool.

For additional information, call Snap Fitness at 410-480-2882 or go to www.snapfitness.com.

The administration at Mt. View Middle School asks you to support the school by eating at The Waverly Grill (formerly Mangia Italian Restaurant) in the Waverly Woods Village Center Aug. 19.

If you order lunch, dinner or carryout from the Waverly Grill that day and mention Mt. View, the restaurant will donate a percentage of your bill to the school. Everyone wins through this partnership – The Waverly Grill fills its seats, Mt. View Middle School receives extra money for its PTA and you get to enjoy a delicious meal without the preparation and clean up!

Hot and hungry visitors to the Waverly Woods Village Center will find a new addition since last summer: Bubble Gum Bill’s, an ice cream parlor featuring Hershey’s ice cream, Tropi-Kool smoothies, ice cream cakes, and other treats. The store also serves as a venue for birthday parties.

Michelle Adkins-Hepner fell in love with Hershey’s ice cream during visits to her husband’s family in Pennsylvania, and along with her mother, Bernadette Adkins, saw the need for a Columbia ice cream parlor located outside the mall. However, when Kimco Realty showed the mother-daughter pair a site in Waverly Woods, they changed their minds. They liked the location so much that they not only chose it for their store, but Bernadette also moved into housing across the street.

Michelle lives in Columbia with her husband, Bill Hepner, and their two children, Marissa, 17, and Matt, 13. The family formerly owned two child care centers in Fort Washington, which they closed in 2006. Michelle used her husband’s name for inspiration in creating the character Bubble Gum Bill, who starred in many naptime stories at the child care centers. Because Michelle’s children liked the name, they suggested it for the ice cream parlor.

Bubble Gum Bill’s is open Monday-Saturday, noon-10 p.m. and Sundays, 1-10 p.m.