arts/festivals/august

first of all, what is with all these insane thunderstorms lately? they make it hard to be outdoors and frankly, they scare me with their intensity!


i hope everyone had a great artscape!! i was shocked at how crowded it was, but it could have been more unpleasant if the humidity had acted up. it is really inspiring to see so many people out and about for the arts-- but it sure is tiring to be stuck in a crowd the whole weekend. i tried to watch cake but ended up having a much better time at the side stage listening to noble lake, a cool local folk-y duo. speaking of local folk-y musicians, there's going to be a great concert at golden west cafe in hampden tomorrow night: paul mason and caleb stine. i'd recommend it!! oh, and speaking of upcoming shows, providence-based folk group the low anthem will be playing at the ottobar on august 15-- should be good!

today i went to the chesapeake folk festival at the chesapeake bay maritime museum in saint michael's, on the eastern shore. although being caught in traffic for a few hours dampened spirits, it was a really awesome day. if you ever get the chance to go to saint michaels, go to the museum!! it is huge and well worth the entrance fee. they put on a great festival!
[they had smith island cake, boats, and many other chesapeake classics]





and in the next few weeks there are some cool events coming up:
i would definitely recommend going to local performance troupe fluid movement's water ballet next weekend, august 2, at patterson park. i went to their water ballet last year and it was great-- really quirky, light-hearted, and fun.

also next weekend is the international festival at poly/western high school off cold spring lane in medfield (just north of hampden). it includes a huge variety of activities and nations-- a soccer tournament, performances, food...

keep in mind there are also county fairs pretty much every weekend until september-- for a more complete list, see the maryland office of tourism's monthly newsletter (online here). i subscribe to that and the baltimore fun guide, both of which give some great tips on cool stuff to do in the area.

fourth fun + agristuff

we've made it to july and for most of us, it is a long weekend. this means a spectacular opportunity to do some baltimore event-hopping-- my favorite!!

here are a few ideas for celebrating the fourth of july:
-go to the pet parade at AVAM. 10 am- 12:30 pm. free!
-listen to the baltimore symphony orchestra at oregon ridge park in baltimore county-- and see fireworks integrated into the concert-- on july 3 or 4 at 8 pm. $9-18.
-watch the fireworks over the inner harbor from federal hill. begins at 9:30 pm.
-check out the historic carroll mansion on saturday or sunday between 12-4 pm. 1/2 price if you wear red, white and blue!
-go to the african-american heritage festival at camden yards, held july 3-5.
-take the train down to washington d.c. to catch the smithsonian folklife festival. this year they celebrate wales, latin music and african-american storytelling. free on the national mall. (mariachi serenade pictured below)


and here are a few things you could do this weekend, or later:
-free daily cultural walk of mount vernon! every day at noon. meet at visitors center on light street in the inner harbor. this sounds great, i can't wait to try it!
-free heritage walk. meet at the inner harbor visitors center. monday-friday @ 10 am, saturday/sunday @ 10 am or 1 pm
-take a guided hike at the lovely gwynns falls park in west baltimore. saturday at 3 pm (that will cost you $1), thursday 9-10 am or second sunday from 1-4 pm. or, any time on your own!
-outdoor movie at AVAM (thursday nights) or little italy (friday nights)
-station north flea market on saturday mornings from 9-2. north avenue
-see the "east side images" exhibit at the reginald f. lewis museum or a joint exhibition at the james backas gallery located at the maryland state arts council's offices in south baltimore.

other upcoming events of note:

-stoop storytelling series-- supposed to be just awesome. july 9-11 at 7 pm, centerstage theater. the reason i haven't gone yet...it is $20.
-caribbean carnival at druid hill park. july 10-12. colorful!
-roots music festival at the carroll county farm museum in westminster, july 11-12.
-artscape, of course, is going to be fantastic. huge, hot, overwhelming, and just great. make sure to check out the painted screen society booth! in the bolton hill/MICA/penn station/charles area, july 17-19.

summer is a great time to do some traveling, of course, and there is plenty to see even within maryland. the eastern shore offers more than just ocean access-- if you are interested in agriculture or traditional ways of life, check out:
-taste of cambridge festival on july 11.
-agricultural tours of talbot county (july 21), caroline county (july 22), dorchester county (july 23)
-chesapeake folk festival at the ward museum of waterfowl art in st. michael's, maryland on july 25.
-venture to smith island, dubbed "an island out of time," in the chesapeake. take the twice-daily ferry from crisfield (on the lower eastern shore, close to virginia) for a real treat-- and of course, don't forget to try their famous ten-layer cake.

as for the rest of maryland, there are plenty of other opportunities:
-potomac jazz and seafood festival in st. mary's on july 11
-baltimore county 4H fair, july 16-19 in timonium
-washington county fair july 17-19 in sharpsburg (a really quaint place i'd recommend visiting at some time)
-cecil county farm fair, july 24-august 1 in elkton
-harford county farm fair, july 30-august 2 in bel air

maryland just keeps these events coming! i love it. hope to see you at one of these great opportunities!