To have your in-person or virtual community calendar item appear in this free listing, please go to baltimoresun.com/calendar and click on the “+ Add Event” button on the right. Under “5. Descriptions” select the “Howard County Times” to mark your item to appear in this calendar. If it’s your first time submitting an event with our events tool, you will first need to create an account on CitySpark.

Tuesday, Dec. 31

Noon Year’s Eve Penguin Ball: 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m., Howard County Library System, Glenwood Branch, 2350 State Route 97, Cooksville. 410-313-5577. howardcounty.librarycalendar.com. Wear black and white, and ring in the New Year Penguin style. Stories, music, countdown with “champagne-juice” toast. Limited space; tickets available at the Children’s desk 15 minutes before class.

Noon Year’s Eve at Carroll Baldwin Hall: 11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m., Carroll Baldwin Hall, 9035 Baltimore St., Savage. howardcounty.librarycalendar.com. Ring in the new year early with stories, dancing and special countdown.

Saturday, Jan. 4

Howard County Recreation and Parks Job Fair: 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Recreation & Parks Headquarters, 7120 Oakland Mills Road, Columbia. 410-313-4700. howardcountymd.gov/events. Apply, interview and potentially be hired in one day. Bring two forms of government-issued identification; resume preferred but not required. Flexible hours and schedules, opportunities to work seasonally or yearly. Jobs include summer camp counselors, lifeguards, park maintenance workers, scorekeepers, licensed child care, sports coaches and more. Those interested in full-time jobs need to go through traditional hiring process.

Fairytale Engineering: The Three Billy Goats Gruff: 2-2:45 p.m., Howard County Library System, Elkridge Branch, 6540 Washington Blvd., Elkridge. 410-313-5077. howardcounty.librarycalendar.com. Ages 6-9 can listen to version of fairytale “The Three Billy Goats Gruff” and then engineer a bridge to keep the goats safe from the troll. Ticket required; available 15 minutes before class.

Recurring events

Holiday Train Garden: Open during center hours, through Jan. 5, Gary J. Arthur Community Center, 2400 Route 97, Cooksville. 410-313-4840. howardcountymd.gov/events. Layout features four continuously operating trains through an 8’ x 8’ scenic garden. Provided by train enthusiast Dennis Moore.

Holiday Train Garden: Through Jan. 5, during normal business hours, Baltimore & Ohio Ellicott City Station Museum, 3711 Maryland Ave., Ellicott City. 410-313-1945. howardcountymd.gov/ecborail. Train models set up throughout the Baltimore and Ohio Ellicott City Station Museum, including a year-round exhibit in the Freight House.

Artists Gallery’s The Gift of Art 2024: Through Jan. 12, 2025, Artists Gallery, 8197 Main St., Ellicott City. 443-325-5936. artistsgalleryec.com. Holiday show featuring variety of work by 24 gallery artists. Gallery hours are 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Wednesdays; 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays; extended hours/days start Nov. 26. Free.

Piece By Piece — Mozaic Art: Through Jan. 25, 2025, The Meeting House Gallery, 5885 Robert Oliver Place, Columbia. 410-997-0692. Exhibition features mosaic artwork by 10 artists. Themes include portraits, landscapes, animals, children, and abstract forms.