I hope everyone has been out enjoying the lovely springtime weather which graces the Mid-Atlantic this time of year. It has been just perfect for a bike ride on the Jones Falls Trail, a walk around Druid Hill, or a backyard BBQ! Love that.

Unfortunately I missed out on the Sheep & Wool Festival last weekend but caught the Kinetic Sculpture Race as well as a day trip to Emmitsburg. The latter is a small town in Frederick County, only about 15 minutes from Gettysburg (PA). A lovely place if you are ever out that way. I’m also happy that the downtown Farmer’s Market has begun for the season! Make sure to check that out on Sunday morning until noon.





Of course, there are a smattering of goings-on taking place in the next few weeks, including:
• Maryland Film Festival this weekend
• Also this weekend, the 93rd annual Flower Mart at the Monument. I went today on my lunch break and bought myself some Taharka Bros ice cream...yum!
• Open House at the Danish Embassy in DC on Saturday, May 8, featuring the theme of Danish architecture.
• Also Saturday, May 8 is From Mountains to Maryland: The Appalachian Out-migration to Baltimore, at the Creative Alliance. Part of their Urban/Appalachia project.
• Mother’s Day, of course, is this Sunday…don’t forget to send some flowers, make a card or call your mom!
• The Preakness Parade and Race, a long-standing Maryland tradition, on May 15
• The opportunity to see Baltimore’s unique folk art with the leading authority on the subject will take place at the Painted Screens Pilgrimage, also on May 15. Read more below!

I want to share a bit about the activities of Maryland Traditions, a program that celebrates the folk and traditional arts of our fine state. Staffed by the talented folklorists Elaine Eff and Cliff Murphy at the Maryland State Arts Council, they offer a master and apprenticeship program in traditional arts each year as well as a variety of individual events, meetings and smaller programs. They study and sustain the many traditions that make Baltimore—and all of Maryland—the quirky, charming, colorful place it is.

I plan on attending Cliff’s From Mountains to Maryland: The Appalachian Out-migration to Baltimore event this weekend and am really interested in the CA’s Urban/Appalachia project. According to their website, Urban/Appalachia “unearths stories and songs of decades of migration between Baltimore and Appalachia, and unveils new collaborations across seemingly oppositional cultures.”

And a bit more about Elaine’s Painted Screen Pilgrimage on May 15. Although $35 sounds steep for those of us without a lot of disposable income, this is really going to be a fantastic opportunity to get up close and personal with the foremost expert on Southeast Baltimore’s famous folk art form of painted window screens. After a continental breakfast and film screening, a bus will take tour goers from Little Bohemia to Fells Point. The tour begins and ends at The Patterson (Highlandtown). Enjoy!!

The annual Maryland Traditions Gathering & Showcase is another big event to look out for, coming up on June 10 at the Creative Alliance. More details to follow, but mark it on your calendars now!

One final note: I stumbled upon this wonderful cut-out map of Baltimore on etsy the other day…how beautiful is it?