The moment I heard about Tail Lights, a dog-friendly stroll through the Symphony of Lights at Merriweather Post Pavilion’s Symphony Woods, sponsored by Howard County General Hospital, I was determined to participate. I rallied my reluctant (and definitely warm weather) husband and another friend (after all, I had three dogs to walk) and pre-registered.
As the 10th of December drew near, I watched the weather reports anxiously. Arrrgggggghhhhhhh! Snow was in the forecast!
That morning I watched and paced around the house as the snow fell, barely enjoying the snowfall and the unexpected day off.
Then the weather cleared, the sun emerged. Hoooray!! We’d go after all! And how pretty in the newly fallen snow — I considered myself pretty lucky! I opened my email to print off my registration confirmation and there it was: the email postponing the event for another week, to 17 December. The anxious wait and the weather forecast freak-out would start all over again.
The day drew near, the snow melted, but the forecasted rain held off. We arrived at the entrance of Symphony of Lights at close to 4 pm when it opened. There were minivans, SUVs, and station wagons galore stuffed with …. dogs! Of every size, color and breed! (We noticed a plethora of beagles.)
As we entered the event, there were a number of sponsors, including 101.9 Lite FM offering prizes and lovely poinsettias, Bob Lucido Team/RE/MAX handing out ice-scrapers and wine-cooler bags (among other items), Dog Italia and Camp BowWow Columbia handing out packets of dog treats, VCA Animal Hospitals handing out people treats and dog frisbees, and most welcome on a cold evening, Chesapeake Coffee offering complimentary cups of coffee! It was like Halloween for adults! (Apologies: Mixing holidays is like mixing metaphors.) Thank you for helping sponsor this fun event!
After we received our goodies, we headed off to enjoy the walk among the lights. Along the way we encountered many friendly dogs and their owners — some dressed for the season (the dogs, too!), such as Taylor and her friendly pooch, Pepper.
Even though it was barely dusk when we started, the lights came alive as it grew darker. And although I’ve been to Symphony of Lights many times, this was a different way to experience the lights. Walking through the lights is definitely a different experience than rolling through in your vehicle! Definitely worth getting out of your car to take advantage of this rare opportunity!
Alas — this is a one time event every year. Look for it next year, in early December! Thank you Howard County General Hospital for starting this!
I enjoyed it so much I decided to post a mid-week blog about it. Look for my regular blog post this Thursday, about a visit to two Maryland wineries along the Piedmont Wine Trail.
Tip #1: It was a bit muddier than I’d expected. Come prepared not only with comfortable walking shoes (it’s almost a 1.5 mile walk), but come with shoes you don’t mind getting a bit muddy.
Tip #2: The Lights on the Bay, a scenic drive along the shore of the Chesapeake Bay at Sandy Point State Park, also sponsors a dog walk in late November. The Christmas light show is sponsored by the Anne Arundel Medical Center.
Websites: Symphony of Lights Tail Lights http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/howard_county_general_hospital/ways_give/howard_hospital_foundation/foundation_events/symphony_of_lights/tail_lights.html
Dogs: Definitely!! It’s all about the dogs!
Hours: Tail Lighs: 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. 17 December (rescheduled from 10 December). Keep an eye on then blog’s facebook page as I’ll be sure to highlight this event next year!
Symnphony of Lights Drive Through: Monday, November 25, 2013 – Sunday, January 5, 2014. Open 7 days a week, from 6:00 – 10:00 p.m., including holidays except closed December 31.
Check out the blog’s FB page for updates on places we’ve visited and blogged about: facebook.com/midatlanticdaytrips!
Have you daytripped somewhere interesting? I’d love to hear what you’re doing! Email [email protected] if you’re interested in being a guest-blogger!
