Now that it's Lent many Elkridge residents are about to decorate for Easter. This year, why not try something besides coloring chicken eggs? Why not try your hand at decorating emu eggs?

The Carlhaven Emu Farm in Highland will sponsor an emu egg decorating contest as part of National Emu Awareness Week starting April 7. Judges will consider three types of decorated eggs: painted, etched and Faberge style. Winners of each of the three categories will receive $50. Entrants must pay $10 to receive the emu egg and the farm must receive the entries before March 24.

The eggs will be on display at Miller Branch and East Columbia Branch libraries throughout April. For more information, call Diane Brown at 301-854-3915.

Lent is a time when people want to change something about themselves. If they want to become more environmentally aware, the Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks has a program just for them. Residents can do something good for the environment without volunteering too much time.

Join the Stream Team, a group of volunteers to check water quality in the county's creeks and rivers. This year, at least two Elkridge sites are available for monitoring.

Stream Team volunteers can check Old Stockbridge site or the Deep Run site. The Old Stockbridge site is behind the town houses on Old Stockbridge Road. The Deep Run site is near the playground off Mayfield Avenue.

The stream monitoring takes about one hour and involves counting the number of larvae that live in the water. The fewer larvae that can live in the water, the healthier the stream.

I used to monitor Old Stockbridge, but I am unable to continue. I found the volunteering experience rewarding.

If interested in joining Stream Team, the Department of Recreation and Parks has two training sessions - March 31 at 8:30 a.m. or April 3 at 4 p.m. in Columbia.

Volunteers only have to attend one. To register for a training session, e-mail Sue Muller at smuller@co.ho.md.us before March 9. She also can be reached at 410-313-4697.

To bring together the community during Lent, St. Augustine's Church will sponsor a fish fry dinner on three Fridays in Lent. The dinners go from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on March 9, 23 and April 6. Meals cost $6 for adults and $3 for children and benefit the Knights of Columbus.

Children can choose between fish or pancakes. Call Tom Devlin, 410-379-6052, for information.

The Knights of Columbus also plans a blood drive for March 11 from 7:45 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. To schedule an appointment, call the above number.

The Elkridge Volunteer Fire Department wants to congratulate Don Watson for winning Volunteer Firefighter for the first quarter. Watson has served for more than 30 years and was honored for his outstanding achievements.

John Baker, Jeff Carter, Susan Arnett, Mike Johnson and Jimmy Wilson successfully completed their Firefighter 2 program and also should be congratulated.

Residents that have questions about the fire department can e-mail the station at elkridgevfd@aol.com.

Elkridge Landing Middle School also accomplished a major feat. The students have collected and donated more than 1,600 new and slightly used children's books as part of a countywide program, Give the Gift of Reading. The books go to libraries in classrooms, shelters and outreach centers to promote reading. Way to go, kids!

Residents living on Mayfield Avenue in Elkridge are asked to become members or renew membership in the Mayfield Avenue Community Association, which is not a homeowners association. The organization sponsors community events and brings important issues to residents.

All families are eligible for membership, which costs $5 per family per year.

The association also could use people to serve on the board of directors. Currently, there is no president or vice president. Both positions are chosen from the board. For information, call Dan Goulette, 410-796-2587.