Community members who wish to participate in the 35th annual Bel Air Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting Celebration can now submit applications.

To apply, residents must visit the town’s website at www.md-belair.civicplus.com  and navigate to the “Bel Air Special Events” tab under the “Community” section for an online application. Applications will be accepted until Nov. 24.

Participation in the parade is acceptance of the application only. Therefore, submitting an application doesn’t guarantee acceptance into the parade. All applicants will be contacted individually with a decision on their approval.

All floats must be decorated in a holiday theme. Participants must also be costumed or dressed in holiday or seasonal attire. This dress code also applies to animals, which should be decorated or accessorized to be in line with the Christmas theme.

Commercial units are permitted only if they include a performance or holiday-themed unit, according to the town. Parade units are required to keep moving during the parade and groups or performers must not hand out anything to the crowd.

In addition to participants, the parade is also looking for sponsors. For more information on being a sponsor, residents can visit the Bel Air Downtown Alliance website at downtownbelair.com or send an email to Jenny Erhard at jenny@downtownbelair.com.

North Harford High School Teacher named Agriculture Teacher of the Year

North Harford High School agriculture teacher and Envirothon advisor Laura O’Leary was honored by the Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts as the Agriculture Teacher of the Year for her leadership in agriculture and environmental education.

O’Leary, who’s starting her 37th year of teaching, has been using the school’s rural campus and working farm to bring classroom learning to life. She also serves in the Natural Resources strand of North Harford’s Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences Magnet Program.

As advisor to North Harford’s Envirothon team, O’Leary has guided students to various successes. This year, the team earned second place at the NCF-Envirothon international competition in Canada, missing first place by one point. In 2024, the team made nationals again and placed third. Locally, for the last three years, her team has won the Maryland state Envirothon.

“They care deeply about the environment and each other,” O’Leary said in a press release about her students. “Their success is a result of the time they’ve invested studying after school, practicing in the field and pushing themselves to grow as scientists and as a team.”

The Agriculture Teacher of the Year award honors educators who exemplify excellence in conservation-focused agricultural education.

Harford County Public Library hosts spelling bee at Farm Fair

Harford County Public Library hosted its Literacy Spelling Bee at the 38th annual Harford County Farm Fair, crowning winners.

The competition was held in seven categories, from kindergarten to adults, with the winners receiving ribbons.

“The Annual Literacy Spelling Bee is an exciting combination of spelling, learning and the library,” said the chief executive officer of Harford County Public Library, Mary Hastler. “It is a thrill each year to see the enthusiasm of the participants as they take the floor and eagerly await each new word to be spelled. The library holds many events each summer and this is one of my favorites.”

The top three library Spelling Bee winners in each category were:

  • Up to Kindergarten: first place –  Addy Ryan
  • Entering grades 1-2: first place – Laney Lail; second place – Benjamin Palad; third place (tie) – Austin Thompson and Aardarsh Krishna
  • Entering grades 3-4: first place – Rithin Diawakar; second place – Grace Holloway
  • Entering grades 5-6: first place – Watson Fargus; second place – Aaron Lightfoot; third place – Rylee Brown
  • Entering grades 7-8: first place – Brooke Turek; second place – Elyse Taliercio; third place – Timothy Taliercio
  • Entering grades 9-12: first place – Adrian Pitt; second place – Sydney Urand; third place – Sarah Urand
  • Adults: first place – Leah Amin; second place – Timothy Fargus; third place – Chelsea Carr

This year marked the 28th year the library has hosted the spelling bee, with nearly 200 people in attendance.

All participants received free books and other giveaway items from the library.

Have a news tip? Contact Shaela Foster at sfoster@baltsun.com or 443-826-5894.