Jack Burkert’s roots are old Bawlmer. He grew up in blue-collar, 1950s Brooklyn, attended Poly, and graduated with a degree in history and education from the University of Maryland. After teaching in the Baltimore City School system and then at Penn State University, his career in education eventually took him to Washington, D.C. and New York City.

Returning to his hometown, Burkert’s long interest in local history led to a “retirement” reinvention at the Baltimore Museum of Industry. As a BMI educator, Burkert developed a wide range of tours and programs—on everything from oyster-canning to car-making—always informed by his ever-deepening research into the history of Baltimore, its citizens, their work and lives, as well as the many forces that have shaped the city.

His recent book, Twentieth Century Baltimore: A Native Son’s Casual History of the City on the Patapsco, builds upon his 14 years at the BMI. Told a decade at a time, Burkert’s accessible story toggles between a 20,000-foot view of the century’s key people, events, and trends and down-to-earth anecdotes that bring city life to, well, life.

I love the book’s coffee-table feel and the photographs from the Baltimore Museum of Industry’s archives. How did you choose your approach—the broad strokes of history interspersed with the daily happenings in the city?
Have you ever read Scharf’s history of Baltimore from the 1880s? [History of Baltimore City and County by Col. J. Thomas Scharf.] That was the last time somebody wrote a general history of the life and times of Baltimore. The whole 20th century had passed, and I thought, there are a lot of great books on Baltimore, but nobody’s really tied all the loose ends of those 100 years together. There’s the political landscape and national and international forces at play, but I wanted to show how people lived. What were the topics of conversation? Were people asking each other if they were going to the Orioles’ game? If they’re going to win the World Series?

Taking the 20th century history of Baltimore decade by decade, is there an era that you particularly like or find compelling?
Okay, but to understand, you need to be a longtime Baltimorean: the 1970s and the City Fair, in particular. After the 1968 riots, that city was shattered. It was just despair and hopelessness. And the City Fair, starting in 1970, brought together [hundreds of thousands] of people over three days, just enjoying one another, the city, the aspects of city life. So many wonderful things came out of the City Fair and helped put this city on a better track for the next 20 to 25 years. It’s fair to say it’s a forerunner to Artscape, among other festivals.

The midcentury machine politics era is wild. With its ethical challenges, it’s similar in some ways to what the city has been through lately, right?
This may be cynical, but sometimes it seems like city politicians are naïve today. They don’t always know what they can get away with and what they can’t. One of the hardest things I had to write was describing former Mayor Tommy D’Alesandro Jr. [Nancy Pelosi’s father] and his difficulties with alleged corruption. Nothing was ever proven, but it was always just below the surface. William Donald Schaefer was a product of that system, too, and later word got around about his unappointed “shadow government” of advisors.

The 1920s photograph of three local young “flappers” standing and laughing alongside a prop plane—with a young woman pilot in the cockpit—is amazing.
They all look so carefree and ready for an adventure. That picture says to me, there’s excitement in the air, it’s brand new, and we’re going to participate as women no matter how much you say we can’t. Can you imagine a Victorian or Edwardian woman standing out there on that field next to a female pilot? None of that would have ever happened 10 years before. Symbolic of the ’20s in every way, including the airplane being discovered by everybody.

What is your favorite photo?
The interior of the Little Tavern hamburger shop from the 1950s with the woman holding a tray of hamburgers. I went to Poly when it was back on North Avenue, and I had lunch at the Little Tavern shop every day. Perfect teenage spot. Knocked back four hamburgers every day.

There’s the long creak and sudden bang of a screened door as you enter the hottest new bar on Key Highway. To get there, first, you must walk through the corner store, over the black-and-white porcelain tile, past the fading boxes of McCormick spices and 25-cent cans of Eastern Shore tomatoes. But there in the back, beneath the tin ceiling, two chandeliers dangle above a few dozen beer bottles, beckoning visitors to come in and stay awhile.

The only other person in the place is Rachel Donaldson, who on this Thursday afternoon, just before happy hour, bellies up to the oak bar that she helped build for the latest permanent exhibition at the Baltimore Museum of Industry, “The Neighborhood Corner Bar,” which opened to the public this past October.

“Everything you see here is an artifact,” says Donaldson, the museum’s new curator, with the exception of the brass-railed bar top, which is a prop hand-built by volunteer John Reuter.

The “Corner Bar” exhibit was Donaldson’s first big project upon arriving at the BMI in 2022. The New York native and former College of Charleston professor comes to the museum with an extensive background in labor and working-class history—both areas of study that are deeply entwined in the iconic corner bars of Baltimore.

“These spaces were a lot more than just drinking establishments,” says Donaldson, who focuses on the period of 1870 to 1920—essentially the Industrial Revolution until Prohibition. “This was a time when bars were referred to as workingman’s clubs. They were third spaces that did a lot for working-class notions of community and masculinity.”

Back then, these men’s-only saloons were vital social hubs. Often sponsored by one of the city’s number of booming breweries—American, Globe, Monument, National—they had surprisingly refined digs, usually featuring a long standing-room bar where waterfront, railroad, and factory workers could find solace from poor housing conditions, 14 hours a day year-round. With the purchase of a five-cent house beer, patrons got a free lunch, the local newspapers, access to public bathrooms and telephones, conversation about sports and politics, and general camaraderie. Babe Ruth’s family owned a few of these bars. H.L. Mencken was a regular.

“These bars were often talked about as being the most democratic spaces, because you didn’t have to be wealthy, you didn’t have to pay dues—and for the white, male working-class, they were,” says Donaldson, noting that the local brewing industry was bolstered by an influx of German immigrants. “But if you were a person of color, you would not have been accepted,” with Black neighborhoods opening their own juke joints instead.

While the exhibit explores the communal and cultural identity fostered in these early bars, it also touches on their inequities. Women were often permitted inside, but only through the side “ladies entrance,” like the faded rust-red example hanging on the museum’s right wall. During the lunch hour, when boiled eggs, coddies, and bologna sandwiches were on offer, they could eat in the backroom, and after work, they could pick up to-go growlers to drink at home with other women while watching the children.

For her research, Donaldson dug through the BMI archives, interviewed multi-generation bar owners, and collected whatever materials she could from the community. Scholarship on bar history is limited, and many of these original spaces were destroyed in the Great Baltimore Fire of 1904, with even more shuttering during Prohibition.

But a few still stand, mostly with new names, though still bearing old details—the wooden bars, the side doors, the Natty Boh on offer. Now, there’s also Orioles on the TV, Utz above the cash register, a whole range of beer options, and, at their best, a broader, more inclusive clientele, seeking the same sense of belonging.

“We had no idea how popular this exhibit was going to be,” says Donaldson. “It’s tapping into something, and I don’t know exactly what. But personally, I love being a regular. I love going in and seeing the same people and being recognized. If someone knows your order, it’s this connection, not just to the wider community, but to your neighborhood, and to your place.”

This piece appeared in our March 2024 issue. For more great Baltimore stories, consider becoming a subscriber.

I was seven years old, standing by the cash register at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., with three dollars wadded in my hand, free to choose anything I wanted from the gift shop. My sights were set on the space ice cream—the obvious choice of any red-blooded child of the 1980s. A Neapolitan wafer of Styrofoam-like sugar, it was the next best thing to bouncing weightlessly around the moon’s potholes.

This was no mere souvenir. Instead, my crinkly package of freeze-dried dessert was a tangible thread connecting my little-kid body to the superheroes who ascended into the stars. And from that instant, it was official: I was hooked. Not on the space ice cream—it’s pretty disappointing, actually—but on the magic of the museum gift shop.

Of course, these abound in Baltimore, a city of world-class museums that run the gamut from industrial history to postmodern art. And inside each one, the gift shop is another curated collection, tailored to reflect the people, objects, and stories that make that museum special.

Some are cool. Some are whimsical. Some are surprising. All of them distill the contents of their collections to human size, offering a little bit of the extraordinary to fit into our everyday lives. Their curios let you take some of that wonder home with you, as well as, often enough, the vibrancy, diversity, and unmistakable je ne sais quoi of Baltimore.

Every time I’m in town, I make sure to stop into at least one. A trip to the museum just isn’t complete without them.

American Visionary Art Museum

The G.O.A.T. of Baltimore museum shops is without a doubt Sideshow at the American Visionary Art Museum in Federal Hill. Owned by renegade retailer Ted Frankel, aka “Uncle Fun,” Sideshow is one-part outsider art gallery and one-part tchotchke dreamscape.

Local filmmaker John Waters describes it as “the best museum gift shop you’ve ever been to in your life,” and clearly the man knows what he is talking about. A funky riot of color, objects, books, clothing, antiques, and crafts, each surface and cupboard is bursting with everything you never knew you needed, be it for gag gifts, artsy gifts, kids’ stuff, grown-up stuff, and even stuff for your own home.

There’s a working Zoltar machine, hundreds of novelty sunglasses in the most improbable shapes and colors, whoopee cushions and miniature naked baby dolls, carved coconut monkeys and a stuffed tiger the size of a loveseat. You can spend hours opening tiny drawers full of glass eyeballs or perusing the world’s most robust supply of trick buzzers, squirt cameras, and fart powders.

But the true heart of Sideshow—and where it most closely reflects AVAM’s philosophy of joyful self-expression—is found in the rotating exhibits of artworks by contributing artists from across the country.

It was in this section that I found my favorite museum shop find of all time, a Christmas tree angel crafted from a National Bohemian beer can. To me, that little topper encompasses the spirit of AVAM’s Sideshow—a celebration of the wonder, whimsy, and imagination of those who are called to create. And how Baltimore is that?

Baltimore Museum of Art

Think of it as the Metropolitan Museum of Art—in miniature. The BMA’s collections include 97,000 works that span the art of ancient Egypt to some of the most significant works of modern-day.

The breadth is the point. By developing, maintaining, and now broadening a deep, global collection of the best 18th-, 19th-, and, increasingly, 20th- and 21st-century art and making it accessible to the public, the BMA continues to cultivate a vibrant and healthy city. After an hour or two of edification in the museum’s collections, with the help of free admission, I cultivate my civic duty with a stop in the BMA’s expansive gift shop.

Snag some Cone Collection-inspired journals, prints, and notecards, and don’t sleep on the shop’s jewelry section, which bypasses “statement” and goes right to “declaration.” Collars of acid-treated brass, necklaces of blown-glass globes, and geometrical wire bracelets mirror the Calders in the sculpture garden and Matisse paintings in the galleries.

The shop transforms with each changing exhibition (this past summer’s The Culture hip-hop show had an epic selection), so check out the latest and plan your shopping list accordingly.

I always come prepared to be enchanted and am never disappointed, with my best BMA purchases being a pair of ever-chic punched gold earrings with tiny metallic rays and a postcard of Vincent van Gogh’s painting of hobnailed boots. Pinned above my desk, the latter transports me in an instant to the cool, quiet beauty of the museum’s halls.

Baltimore Museum of Industry

“Industrial chic” is a recent trend, but at the BMI in Locust Point, it was always in style. Their exhibits feel like a Barry Levinson film set come to life—I love to wander through recreated historic shopfronts, printing presses, and workrooms under the glow of neon signs from bygone businesses, traveling back in time each time I turn a corner.

And the museum shop celebrates the city’s long tradition of manufacturing, too, with merch featuring the likeness of the neighboring Domino Sugars sign and books detailing the story of Baltimore’s packing houses, steel mills, and umbrella factories.

The mission of the museum especially shines through in their “Made in Baltimore” section, where you can buy one-of-a-kind treasures crafted on-site. Definitely check out the wonderful handmade iron keychains of beech leaves made by volunteer blacksmith Bob Webber on the BMI’s own working forge. A lifelike little leaf hangs from my key fob, a reminder that I need to plan my annual BMI pilgrimage for 2024.

The BMI also hosts entrepreneur pop-up events throughout the year, where you can support local small businesses and artisans selling prints, crafts, food, artwork, and other goods, including the seasonal farmers market that takes place in its parking lot come spring.

Maryland Center for History and Culture

Who needs reproductions when you can get the real thing? It makes perfect sense that a museum shop celebrating Maryland’s history and culture would sell antiques and vintage clothing on consignment, which has my name all over it.

Just a few steps from the displays of Orioles team cleats and the New Look sportswear of Frederick fashion designer Claire McCardell, you can find your own Maryland treasures at the MCHC. Snap up period finds like chased copper julep cups from the glitzy brownstones of Mount Vernon or fabulous hats from the Hutzler’s department store.

The museum’s changing exhibits, like the recent retrospective on one-time Marylander Jim Henson, also infuse the shop with all sorts of unique state-centric goodies impossible to find anywhere else.

A few years ago, I picked up a jaunty straw clutch from the 1950s, imagining it tucked under the arm of some well-to-do lady taking in a few races at Pimlico. I carry it around in the summertime to channel a little bit of Baltimore’s post-war glamour. And I often think that would make the MCHC proud.

Reginald F. Lewis Museum

Long before there was the Smithsonian’s world-renowned National Museum of African American History & Culture in Washington, D.C., there was the Reginald F. Lewis Museum, located at a cultural crossroads on the edge of historic Jonestown in downtown Baltimore.

The Lewis Museum features more than 400 years of Black Maryland history in its halls and, over the years, has highlighted both the past and present, such as midcentury painter Ruth Starr Rose, who documented Black life on the Eastern Shore to modern-day photographer and West Baltimorean Devin Allen, whose images have graced the cover of Time magazine.

This same sort of expansive oeuvre is on display in the museum’s gift shop, which offers one-of-a-kind ways to celebrate the icons and imagery of Maryland’s Black history. Frederick Douglass merch and original prints, jewelry, and artwork made by local artists of color, as well as children’s books introducing little readers to Maryland’s iconic Black musicians, artists, athletes, and visionaries, are all great reasons to take advantage of the always-free shop admissions. Inventory rotates weekly, so it’s worth popping in on a semi-regular basis. And while you’re there, be sure to stop a while and watch the city go by through its grand floor-to-ceiling windows along President Street.

The Walters Art Museum

The Walters has roots in a core collection of art and artifacts bequeathed to the City of Baltimore in 1934 by its namesake scion, Henry Walters.

Spanning seven millennia of art from around the world, much of the collections are personal in nature, providing glimpses of what museums looked like in the 19th century, when private salon-style exhibits blended artistic techniques and periods to suit individual tastes. The vast Classical and Egyptian galleries in particular make me feel like Claudia in From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, with covetable Roman torcs and impassive sphinx figurines.

Fortunately, the gift shop provides the perfect place to scratch that same itch. Replicas of ancient Egyptian, Roman, Greek, Chinese, and Pre-Columbian earrings, cuff links, and pins in gold and silver are shockingly modern in their simplicity and design.

The paper and prints section echoes the global scope of the main collections, with illuminated Ethiopian holiday cards, Renaissance landscape prints, and notecards with delicate Japanese watercolors.

My personal favorites are the replica blueprints of the iconic Walters Museum building itself—the perfect insider gift for the Baltimorean who has everything.

Small But Mighty

Many of Baltimore’s smaller institutions boast their own wildly cool shops with mission-inspired inventories that are delightful to explore.

The B&O Railroad Museum, for instance, has gifts for locomotive lovers of all ages, from striped engineer caps and model train kits to 19th-century replica railway maps and vintage Rails Across America comic books.

At the Edgar Allan Poe House & Museum, snap up Poe “Death Week” vigil candles, “Nevermore” highschool iron-on patches, and International Poe Fest swag.

At The National Great Blacks in Wax Museum, find books, clothing, and souvenirs highlighting notable African Americans, like Baltimore’s own Billie Holiday.

And the T-shirt game at the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum is on point, featuring an homage to the baseball icon’s original period uniform and a “Call It” top commemorating the Babe’s epic prediction of his own home run hit to deep center field in 1932, both of which will leave baseball fans with plenty of ways to rep their native son.

Meanwhile, you can find chemistry kits and glow-in-the-dark skeletons at the Maryland Science Center, stuffed animals and shark-tooth necklaces at the National Aquarium, and all sorts of books, games, and puzzles at Port Discovery’s brand-new, minority-owned Snug Books.

As the spread of coronavirus continues to grow exponentially in Maryland, medical facilities have become overwhelmed with the amount of patients who need treatment. In an effort to preempt this problem, COVID-19 testing sites and clinics are sprouting up across Baltimore to ease the burden on overworked hospitals.

“It keeps staff safe as they are seeing patients in open air environments with more space,” says Dr. Bronson Elizabeth Delasobera, the clinical lead at a newly-formed MedStar testing site at the Baltimore Museum of Industry (BMI). “It’s also more efficient for patients who can check in quickly and get in and out in 10 minutes.”

As soon as government orders came down, closing nonessential businesses, Anita Kassof, the BMI’s executive director, reached out to a friend at Johns Hopkins to inquire how she could lend a hand. She was contacted that same day by representatives from MedStar Health, which had been scoping out potential testing sites on Google Earth and came across the BMI parking lot.

Workers quickly converted the BMI pavilion adjacent to its parking lot into a testing site fashioned with tents and proper equipment.

“It is certainly serendipitous,” Kassof says. “[Closing the museum] cuts the heart out of us. There’s a sense of pride—this has helped our staff feel like we’re continuing to help the community.”

At the BMI, the process from registration to specimen collection takes 10 minutes.

In total, there are doctors, nurses, registration staff, administrative directors, and greeters working at the makeshift clinic treating 50 patients per day. This number is comparable to brick-and-mortar urgent care spaces that see anywhere from 35 to 100 patients daily.

“This clinic ensures that these patients don’t have to visit a busy urgent care or hospital that has a lot of other patients,” Delasobera says. “There’s also a potential to be exposed to other people that are ill [in those spaces]. It eases up the process.”

Patients are pre-screened through their MedStar primary care or telehealth platform, and, since the center was set up a few weeks ago, Delasobera says that there have been several positive tests. Overall, she estimates the clinic has seen around 200 patients, and it has the capacity to add staff should the need arise. Sometime next week, MedStar will also be implementing point of care testing that can deliver site results in 24 hours—at the moment, this process has been taking a few days to a week.

“We want patients to get the answers they need when they are sick,” Delasobera says.

But clinics like MedStar’s aren’t an anomaly. A collaborative effort between the University of Maryland Medical System and Johns Hopkins has sent workers to set up field hospitals at the Baltimore Convention Center and a nearby Hilton hotel, an initiative that Governor Larry Hogan spearheaded last month. In addition to its clinic at the BMI, MedStar has a similar tent space in Montgomery County, and has plans for another in Prince George’s County.

Further testing will also be conducted at tents set up at Pimlico Race Course, where the Baltimore City Health Department expects to run 50 tests a day in collaboration with LifeBridge Health.

In addition to community gathering places offering up their space, local business owners are also doing their part to make sure the public has access to testing.

Lauri Dixon, vice president and general manager of Party Plus Tenting + Events, has shifted her focus to providing her tents for testing and triage at hospitals on the University of Maryland Medical Center and Johns Hopkins campuses.

“We’ve never really had a situation like this,” Dixon says. “We’re helping people and it’s helping us.”

Party Plus is offering both monthly and three-month rentals, as well as giving significant discounts. The company has also started providing drive-through carryout tents for restaurants and food banks. “We’re looking at avenues of how to help the community,” Dixon says, “and also help keep the lights on in our small business.”

It’s a testament to the business community’s willingness to adapt and eagerness to give back in any way they can.

“There’s a sense of gratification that we have an ability to help,” Kassof says. “It feels good to give back in this very small way and work to make sure we are still responding to the needs of the community.”

Power Plant Live and pickle party promoters The Big Dill have teamed up to bring a massive festival celebrating the beloved brined snack to Charm City.

Whether you already relish pickles, or are just pickle curious, the inaugural event is sure to satisfy all odd cravings. Attendees will enjoy pickle vendors, bars offering requisite pickleback shots, and 40 food trucks peddling their pickle-inspired creations. The festivities will take over Power Plant Live on September 22 from 1-6 p.m. (VIP guests will be granted early entry at noon.)

There are three levels of pickle passes—some of which range all the way up to VIP (very important pickle)—which grant admission to attractions like a pickle-eating contest, live country music, carnival games, and even a class on the art of pickling.

Inspired by the growing pickling trend, the event is bringing together an array of local vendors offering everything from themed barbecue to desserts. (If you are feeling bold, Dessert Fantasies will be celebrating with pickle cupcakes.) Josh White, head chef at Wayward Smokehouse, says he’s looking forward to getting in on the fun.

“Pickling has absolutely become more popular in recent years,” White says. “There are some great Southern chefs [such as] Sean Brock and Edward Lee who have really pushed the envelope on pickling and infusing different flavors and ingredients into pickling. They appear on white tablecloth menus and old school barbecue joints alike.”

Specifically for the festival, White is planning to put an entirely new spin on the classic chicken wings that he serves at Wayward.

“We were asked to participate and make wings, which just so happens to be one of my specialities,” he says. “I’ve done pickle-brined fried chicken in the past and it was always a hit, so I figured, why not? I may or may not be working on a pickle barbecue sauce to pair with them, as well.”

There will also be plenty of pickle-infused drinks to wash down all of the eats. Whiteford-based Slate Farm Brewery has partnered with the event to provide pickle, cucumber, and strawberry-flavored beer. If you’d rather down a shot, the creators behind The Original Pickle Shot—bottled in Ocean City—will be mixing a variety of pickle brines with small-batch vodka to create an excellent hangover cure.

What some might not know is that Baltimore has a hidden history with pickles. It dates back to 1881 when pickle and kraut manufacturing company C.C. Lang & Son was founded at 725 North Haven Street, according to the Baltimore Museum of Industry. Though it’s now closed, it once rivaled Pittsburgh-based H.J. Heinz Company in size.

Originally using cucumbers grown on the Lang family farm in Glen Arm, Maryland, the company eventually expanded to open factories in Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina, New York, and Michigan. Lang’s also held a patent on a machine that could slice cucumbers longitudinally for more efficient packing.

Organizers and vendors are looking forward to celebrating the local roots of the acidic snack at the first-of-its-kind festival next month.

“I’ve cooked for a lot of different events, but never a pickle festival,” White says. “I always get excited for people to try our food, but I’m really excited to try what everyone else is making. I’m a huge pickle fan.”

Raised in Dundalk and the son of a retired Baltimore City police officer, award-winning photographer (and occasional Baltimore magazine contributor) Joe Giordano witnessed first hand the fall of Bethlehem Steel and its blow to the workers, families, and fabric of his hometown.

His work has been featured in The Guardian, GQ, Rolling Stone, the Washington Post, and City Paper where he served as photo editor. Giordano’s “Struggle” series, his portraits of Civil Rights and Black Power-era leaders, is in the permanent collections at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture and the Reginald F. Lewis Museum.

Giordano’s ongoing current project, Shuttered: Images from the Fall of Bethlehem Steel, opens with a preview Wednesday evening at the Baltimore Museum of Industry from 5:30-7:30 p.m. and then remains on exhibit through April 2020.

With his new show—amid renewed debates over trade and tariffs and the role of unions—we asked Giordano about the exhibition and its relevance today.

Other than growing up in the shadows of Sparrows Point, what prompted this decade and a half, continuing effort?
The pictures, I want to use as a warning. They aren’t intended as political, the idea started during the George H.W. Bush steel tariffs in 2002 when I started shooting for the paper [the Dundalk Eagle]. They are harbingers of corporate ownership.

They look like images of the post-industrial America. Why did you use the word harbingers?
General Motors and Unilever are gone. The Amazon warehouses and Wal-Mart and Under Armour will be gone someday, too, and Amazon isn’t going to worry about the impact on workers when they pick up and leave—not unless you get back to unions and have some representation. They just leave everybody behind.

The photographs convey a loneliness. The sense of abandonment is palpable.
Intentionally, there are no shots of molten steel, of the product being made. Everyone has seen those. These are photos of the hulking monsters (the weathered steel mills) that were left behind and the people left behind.

How many photographs are in the show?
About 30. I didn’t count [laughs]. But the installation looks great.

A lot of interesting faces. Faces and images of small houses, American flags, and unions hall that communicate a certain pride and dignity among the retired steelworkers.
In 2010, I was at union hall for an announcement of benefit and pension cuts. Some of the shots are the reactions from a lot of elderly people who counted on those benefits and pensions.

Growing up in Dundalk, you obviously knew guys or knew guys whose father or uncle who were steelworkers.
My grandfather didn’t work at Bethlehem Steel, but at Eastern Stainless in Colgate. They made some of the steel that went into the St. Louis arch. My 92-year-old grandmother still lives there.

At a time when so many fewer breadwinners are in union jobs, it’s almost impossible to imagine the huge role those unions and big mills and plants played in the community.
It wasn’t just working together, but working for a common good. They were not just wage employees; their lives were centered around the union. There are two union halls right next to each other on Dundalk Avenue. Obviously, they needed two. That should tell you something.

What have you learned from this project?
The importance of unions. I’m in my mid-40s and I think my generation took a lot for granted—like unions. Unions hurt themselves in the past, too, with some of their mob ties, bad investments, and poor leadership. But as the old guard fades away, I do think today that unions, like SEIU, are now are attracting younger laborers and that gives me hope and young leaders like New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who defends workers’ rights.

Looking to add a bit of culture to your afternoon? There is no shortage of great museums around Baltimore. Whether it’s art, science, history, or a particular famous figure you’re interested in, there’s a place nearby to spend your day wandering and learning.

American Visionary Art Museum

This unique museum celebrating outsider art was named by Congress as the country’s official museum for self-taught art. Come for the elaborate sculptures, gorgeous drawings, and interesting assemblage pieces, then stick around to browse Sideshow, the treasure trove of a museum store downstairs. As a bonus, AVAM is free for federal employees (and up to three others) during the 2019 government shutdown with a valid ID.

For more visionary and local art, try: MICA Galleries, Eubie Blake Cultural Center

Baltimore Museum of Art

This free museum houses a collection of 95,000 works, so you’re sure to find something to interest everyone among its vast collection. Lovers of modern art will want to linger in the galleries housing the famed Cone Collection, while those looking for the more non-traditional can usually find something interesting and extraordinary in the Contemporary Wing or special exhibition galleries. Recent shows have included a John Waters retrospective, surreal visions of some of Europe’s great conflicts, and a look back at the BMA’s first exhibit to feature black artists.

For more art and antiques, try: Maryland Art Place, School 33 Art Center

Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African-American History & Culture

The Smithsonian-affiliated Reginald F. Lewis Museum is home to art, photographs, sculptures, military antiques, and ephemera chronicling Maryland’s African-American history from 1784 to the present. Although it’s connected to the Smithsonian, the Lewis Museum remains open throughout the shutdown and is offering free admission to furloughed workers and up to three guests with a valid government I.D.

For more African-American history and culture, try: Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park, National Great Blacks in Wax Museum

The Walters Art Museum

Housed across three buildings (including a historic residence) in Mount Vernon, the Walters features an extensive collection of Asian antiquities and decorative arts. Wander the Chamber of Wonders to experience what a 1600s nobleman might have shown off in his lavish home, or head to the 1 West Mount Vernon Place to see contemporary art placed alongside the preserved architecture of a 19th-century townhouse.

For more historic homes and exhibits, try: The Johns Hopkins Museums, The Star-Spangled Banner Flag House

The Baltimore Museum of Industry

Explore Baltimore’s history as a hub of business and industry at this South Baltimore museum housed in a former cannery. Exhibits include a 1900s garment loft, a recreated soda fountain, a print shop, and a gallery dedicated to how Baltimore fueled the rise of the automobile. Don’t forget to stop by the Baltimore docked outside—she’s the oldest steam-powered tugboat in the United States.

For more transportation and industrial history, try: The B&O Railroad Museum, Baltimore Streetcar Museum

Maryland Historical Society

The MdHS is the state’s oldest, continuously operating cultural institution, having been responsible for documenting Maryland history since 1844. With exhibits featuring figures such as The Catonsville Nine, Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte, and the Peale Family of painters, this collection is comprised of more than seven million items from pre-Colonial times to the present.

For more great figures from Baltimore’s past, try: The Babe Ruth Birthplace & Museum, Edgar Allan Poe House & Museum

Maryland Science Center

With a history going back to 1797 with the Maryland Academy of Sciences, this Inner Harbor spot has evolved into a family-friendly exploration of the natural world, from the smallest cells to history’s largest creatures. Visitors can also take advantage of Davis Planetarium or catch a movie on the IMAX screen, which will reopen in March after theater renovations are complete.

For more hands-on learning, try: Port Discovery Children’s Museum, Historic Ships in Baltimore

National Aquarium

Plan to spend some serious time at this colorful spot. Beyond the normal fish, rays, and other aquatic critters, you’ll find sloths, puffins, crocodiles, and more scattered across the many habitats housed in this multi-level aquarium. An indoor rainforest, a stories-high shark tank, and a living reef featuring Calypso, a rescued sea turtle, are just a few of the highlights in this gem overlooking the Inner Harbor. Book your timed entry ticket online to avoid long lines, and go first thing in the morning or late in the day to avoid the field trip crowd.

For more nature encounters, try: The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, Rawlings Conservatory

OPEN

Tersiguel’s French Country Restaurant: We’re constantly inspired by the resilience of this French fine-dining den on Main Street in Ellicott City—which has endured a fire and three floods since opening in 1975. This week, the restaurant persevered yet again. After three months of rebuilding since the tragic flood on Memorial Day Weekend, husband-and-wife owners Michel and Angie Tersiguel officially reopened their restaurant earlier this week. “Nothing can stop us,” the owners posted to Facebook after the flood. “Our hearts are heavy, the road ahead is paved with blood, sweat, and tears, but it’s familiar territory, one we have traveled many times. And we will continue to do so.” Tersiguel’s reopening comes on the heels of Howard County executive Allan Kittleman’s announcement of a $50 million five-year flood mitigation plan—which will demolish 10 properties on the lower half of Main Street. See more recent reopening updates here. 8293 Main St., Ellicott City. 410-465-4004

COMING SOON

The Greener Kitchen: Pigtown will welcome this vegan worker-owned collective to its dining scene next month. Formerly known as PEP Foods Inc., The Greener Kitchen fulfills its wholesome mission by providing catering services and distributing its plant-based products to vegan restaurants in the area. In addition to boasting plenty of commercial kitchen space for other dairy-free purveyors, the new headquarters off of Washington Boulevard will also operate as a one-stop-shop for vegan groceries. Be on the lookout for dairy-free cheeses, marinated proteins, seitan and deli slices, sauces and dips, and an array of prepared foods to grab on the go. 803 Washington Blvd. 443-929-3706

Indigma: Mt. Vernon locals were saddened when this neighborhood mainstay—known for its classic Indian dishes and filling lunch buffet—shuttered its doors suddenly last year. But now, there is a possibility that Indigma could be making a comeback in the neighborhood. A sign posted to door of the old Tavern on the Hill space at 900 Cathedral Street indicates that Indigma owners Christina Martija and Tony Chemmanoor are requesting to obtain a liquor license for the space. Though nothing has been set in stone as of yet, diners are holding out hope that Indigma’s samosas, curries, chutneys, and gulab jamun (deep-fried honey balls) will return very soon. 900 Cathedral St.

Milk & Honey Market: Speaking of comebacks, this former Mt. Vernon staple is returning with two locations in Station North and Pigtown in the coming months. Owners Ernst and Dana Valery closed their beloved market on Cathedral Street in 2016, and have since been working on a new cafe on the bottom floor of the Nelson Kohr apartment building in Station North. The duo recently told The Baltimore Sun that the store is expected to be finished this fall, and a second Milk & Honey location in Pigtown will follow soon after. The Pigtown iteration will be housed in the new Bath House Square project that the owners are developing on Washington Boulevard. Both locations are expected to offer the market’s signature breakfast sandwiches, paninis, soups, charcuterie boards, and coffees. 20 E. Lanvale St. and 906 Washington Blvd.

UNION COLLECTIVE UPDATES

Vent Coffee Roasters: Locals have enjoyed getting acquainted with Union Collective in Medfield this summer. The massive makerspace which you can spot from I-83, opened in June—debuting Union Craft Brewing’s new taproom and production facility, a state-of-the-art Earth Treks bouldering gym, and an ice cream factory from The Charmery. The latest tenant to join the pack is Vent Coffee Roasters, which opened in the space last weekend. Featuring sleek wood picnic tables and a roll-up garage door, the bright shop offers a full coffee and espresso bar from longtime barista Sarah Walker. Other highlights include nitro cold brews, Chemex and Aeropress offerings, teas, chocolate chip cookies, and other locally sourced pastries. Vent will be open from 7 a.m.-6 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m.-6 p.m. on weekends. 1700 W. 41 St.

Baltimore Spirits Company: On deck to open at Union Collective next month is this homegrown distillery, which was formerly headquartered in Remington. In conjunction with the grand opening of its production facility and tasting room at the Collective on September 15, Baltimore Whiskey Company has officially changed its name to Baltimore Spirits Company. The team hopes that the new name will better reflect the diversity of their products, which include gin, brandy, and amaro in addition to whiskey. Aside from providing more room to breathe, the new production space will use a custom geothermal system to sustainably distill award-winning spirits like Epoch Rye and Shot Tower Gin. “We can’t wait to show everyone what we’ve built over here,” co-founder Max Lents said in a statement. “We will certainly miss our old location on Sisson Street. It had a lot of character, but when people see our new space, they will understand how we’ve carried that character forward.” 1700 W. 41 St.

EPICUREAN EVENTS

8/31: Food Truck Rally at the Baltimore Museum of Industry
Kick off your long weekend with this foodie get-together to benefit There Goes My Hero, a nonprofit that works to improve the lives of blood cancer patients and their families. More than 15 local food trucks will be parked against the waterfront backdrop at the Baltimore Museum of Industry, serving everything from burgers and barbecue to tacos and ice cream. (Be on the lookout for favorites including Farm to Charm, Kommie Pig, The Smoking Swine, and Bistro Lunch Box.) Plus, enjoy family-friendly activities, sip beers from Heavy Seas, and dance to live tunes spun by DJ Neil Paul. Baltimore Museum of Industry, 5-9 p.m. Free admission.

9/4: Brewer’s Dinner with Dogfish Head at Rye Street Tavern
Rye Street Tavern in Port Covington is continuing its monthly Brewer’s Dinner series with a four-course meal that will pair each dish with a different Dogfish Head beer. Snag a seat on the restaurant’s lawn overlooking the Patapsco River to dig in to a bay scallop crudo with SeaQuench ale, smoked ricotta cappelletti paired with Punkin’ Ale (yes, it’s almost that time of year), a duo of beef with the Bitches Brew imperial stout, and a Hawaiian chocolate trifle with the Luau-luau IPA. 225 E. Cromwell St. 7-10 p.m. $85. 443-662-8000.

 EAT

May 19: The BMI’s Farmers’ Market

The Baltimore Museum of Industry, 1415 Key Hwy. 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. 410-727-4808.

Although this weekend’s forecast looks dreary, don’t let that deter you from spending Saturday morning filling your tote bag with fresh produce and locally-made goods at this annual farmers’ market. Shop for spring flowers, fresh-from-the-oven breads and sweets, and handmade crafts from local artisans at this 10-year-old South Baltimore tradition. If there’s a break in the rain, enjoy breakfast on the picnic tables that overlook the Inner Harbor.

 DRINK

May 20: Brewscape

Birroteca, 1520 Clipper Mill Rd. 12-5 p.m. Free-$5. 443-708-1934.

There’s a special place in our hearts (and stomachs) for hair-of-the-dog brunches filled with beermosas and avocado toast, but this weekend, skip the usual Sunday routine and head to Hampden for its first-ever spring festival to celebrate the art, music, and culture of the neighborhood. At this inaugural event, browse works by local artists, snack on eats from Hampden staples like Birroteca, The Nickel Taphouse, and Encantada, and hear back-to-back sets by bands like Slow Chasm and Polar Opposites. Team up with one of the participating breweries (Union Craft, RaR, Evolution, and more) and compete in the Birrolympics, a series of drinking games and feats of endurance, to win bragging rights and brewery-themed swag.

 SEE

May 17-June 23: Waving and Wavering

The Maryland Art Place, 218 W. Saratoga St. Tues.-Sat. 12-4 p.m. Free. 410-962-8565.

In a time when many of our visible public symbols, like statues and monuments, are under scrutiny, The Maryland Art Place’s latest exhibition contributes to the conversation by presenting an alternative view of flags and how artists’ interpretations of them can be used to address social issues. During its opening weekend, examine the three perspectives set forth by contributing local artists: new flags for the city of Baltimore, new models of artists examining the American flag, and samples of how artists have worked with flags in contemporary ways.

 HEAR

May 18-19: Caleb Stine Moon CD Release

Stages Music Arts, 10 Stenerson Lane, Cockeysville. 7:30-10:30 p.m. $30. 443-353-5300.

When we think about Baltimore’s folk music scene and the local musicians whose country-tinged songs have stood the test of time, we think of Caleb Stine. Make the quick trip up I-83 to hear this celebrated singer-songwriter perform eight original songs from his new album, Moon, in its intimate entirety. Grab a copy at the door, accompanied by a hand-crafted coloring book with illustrations to match each song, and jam out with one of the city’s best musical storytellers.

 DO

May 19: Preakness Stakes

Pimlico Race Course, 5201 Park Heights Ave. 8 a.m. $40-720. 410-542-9400.

After 143 years, the Preakness Stakes is ingrained in Baltimore’s past, present, and (hopefully) future, and with the country’s finest thoroughbred horses competing for the second jewel of the Triple Crown, this weekend’s race is sure to be one for the history books. Before heading to your seat for this all-day event, partake in pre-race festivities throughout the city, and then watch chart-toppers ODESZA, Post Malone, and 21 Savage take over the raucous Infield Fest.

The Baltimore Museum of Industry is a stunning tribute to bygone eras with its displays of a massive canning machine, antique cars, archaic medicinal products, once-upon-a-time printing presses, and countless other artifacts from our country’s past.

But a contemporary exhibit opens this weekend in a small BMI gallery space and focuses instead on the personal side of industry—the people who went to work each day to make these products and provide these services, and the people today who continue in these roles, even as time has changed them.

Why We Work, chiefly curated by Johns Hopkins University and Maryland Institute College of Art students, asks just that: Why do we work? What is our work? How does it shape us?

The exhibit is twofold. One wall combines spellbinding black-and-white historical photos alongside recent images by Baltimore contributing photographer Christopher Myers that show locals past and present in their working environments: A Baltimore Gas and Electric engineer at his desk in 1966, a streetcar car conductor in 1943, a bartender in Remington in 2013, a Hampden mortician in 2014.

The second component of the show involves you. Guests are invited to answer three multiple-choice questions by placing a colored dot sticker beside their answers. Each color corresponds to a career field: finance, hospitality, education, and so on (“retired” and “other” are also options). In the resulting art pieces, which will change over time as more visitors engage with the piece, show trends in the workforce—from both the general public and specific career fields. For instance, under the “What motivates you at work?” question, several  blue—i.e., healthcare—dots fill the “service” box, while the “creativity” motivator is dense with the lime-green dots of the culture/creative workforce.

Museum Lab, a course that the BMI director of interpretation Beth Maloney teaches at JHU, was the impetus for the project. Students were asked how they might enhance visitor interaction. They wanted to create a contemporary piece, Maloney says. Part of the process involved students going to BMI and surveying visitors about their jobs. Those responses were used to compile the prompts and the response option.

As the last leg of the conceptual portion of the process, JHU teamed up with Jeremy Hoffman’s graphic design students at MICA, who prepared nine exhibit proposals for those in Museum Lab to consider.

Several people involved in the making of the show—including Myers, Maloney, Hoffman, and BMI director Anita Kassof—will be at its opening at Saturday, May 19 at 11 a.m. Museum entrance is free that day as a celebration to kick off the 10th season of the BMI farmers’ market. The show will remain on view through April 14, 2019.

Spencer Finch: Moon Dust
Feb. 21-Oct. 2024. The Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Dr. Wed.-Sun. 10 a.m – 5 p.m. Free. 443-573-1700. The Baltimore Museum of Art adds a light installation inspired by lunar dust. Mankind’s eternal fascination with the moon has inspired generations to marvel at the orb’s bright, serene presence in our nighttime sky. Now Brooklyn-based artist Spencer Finch is using the moon’s alluring luster as inspiration for the BMA’s new installation, Moon Dust, on view February 21 through October 13, 2024. For the next six years, Finch will dangle some 150 chandeliers (each one boasting 417 bulbs) from the museum’s ceiling, using a variety of lights to mimic the chemical composition of the moon’s surface as collected during the 1972 lunar landing mission of Apollo 17. But much like the real celestial body, you don’t need to know a lot about chemistry or science to let it light up your imagination.

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Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit

Feb. 6. Modell Performing Arts Center at The Lyric, 140 W. Mt. Royal Ave. 8 p.m. $29-56. 410-900-1150. In the 11 years since this Alabama native ditched the Drive-By Truckers to go it alone, his widely successful solo career has proved he made the right decision. With two Grammys under his belt, the Americana songwriter returns to Baltimore with his all-star band for a night of pared-down folk songs you won’t forget.

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Frederick Douglass Day 

Feb. 10. Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St. 12-4 p.m. Free-$8. 443-263-1800. Among the many legends born in the Baltimore region, few are more revered than Frederick Douglass. Raised on the Eastern Shore, the freed slave turned iconic abolitionist, author, and orator spent many years in and around Charm City. This year, celebrate his 200th birthday and honor his historic legacy with readings and a children’s storytime at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum.

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Steve Martin and Martin Short 

Feb. 16. Modell Performing Arts Center at The Lyric, 140 W. Mt. Royal Ave. 8 p.m. $85-235. 410-900-1150. Steve Martin and Martin Short have earned their reputations as comedic titans through their decades-long careers that included such memorable collaborations as Father of the Bride, Three Amigos, and, of course, Saturday Night Live. These funny men are teaming up again for a rare night of double-billed comedy full of off-kilter humor at The Lyric.

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Max’s Belgian Beer Fest 

Feb. 16-19. Max’s Taphouse, 737 S. Broadway. 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Free. 410-675-6297. Take shelter from the cold weather this February at one of Baltimore’s most hallowed haunts, Max’s Taphouse, during its annual Belgian Beer Fest in the heart of Fells Point. With more than 200 bottles and beers on tap, you can sip on your favorite local brews or go bold with European rarities not commonly found in the U.S. The pub will also be offering Belgium-inspired grub such as cheese platters and frites to help soak up the suds.

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Lunar New Year Celebration 

Feb. 18. The Walters Art Museum, 600 N. Charles St. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Free. 410-547-9000. In these uncertain times, we may all feel like we could use a little more luck. On cue, The Walters is bringing together Chinese and Korean dance troupes to perform a traditional Lunar New Year celebration meant to ward off bad luck and usher in good fortune. The museum’s Year of the Dog festivities also feature live music and fun arts activities for the kids.

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Fueling the Automobile Age 
 
Feb. 23. Baltimore Museum of Industry, 1415 Key Hwy. Tues.-Sun. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Free-$12. 410-717-4808. When people think of oil, they usually think of big-time tycoons in Texas, not little old Baltimore City. But the BMI’s newest permanent exhibition explores all the ways our town contributed to the booming age of automobiles, thanks in large part to former oil heavyweights like Amoco and Crown. Visitors can learn about America’s love of cars by piling into a real 1962 Chrysler Newport station wagon, pumping fuel at a mock gas station, and viewing advertisements from the car heydays of the mid-20th century.

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American Craft Show 

Feb. 23-25. Baltimore Convention Center, 1 W. Pratt St. Fri. 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. $14-34. 612-206-3100. Whether you’re looking for a bold piece of furniture to complete your living room or a fabulous piece of statement jewelry, the American Craft Council’s annual show has you covered. With more than 650 artists hailing from Baltimore and beyond, there are thousands of one-of-a-kind finds, ranging from handmade clothing to fine art and even whiskey.

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Django Jazz Fest 

Feb. 23-25. Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave. Fri.-Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 7 p.m. $23-72. 410-276-1651. When Belgian jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt lost movement in two of his fingers after a fire, he taught himself to play with the other three, and in the process birthed an entire genre that is now called Gypsy Jazz, an energetic, swinging style that swept the early 20th century. Revel in the form during this weekend celebration featuring music by the likes of Baltimore’s beloved jazz group Ultrafaux and international guitar star Samson Schmitt.

History Type

Key Highway
January 7, 2016

Sitting on a chair in front of a 7-foot-tall machine invented in 1884 called the linotype—literally “line of type”—Ray Loomis hits several keys, demonstrating how hot liquid metal forms molds for each letter.

“It was mechanical, before electricity, when gas lines and a steam engine— usually in the backyard—powered its operation,” says the 86-year-old Loomis, a printer with 72 years of experience. “It created the type that got taken over to the press, which is basically how things were printed for 80 years.”

More than 150 linotype and letterpress enthusiasts—many former printers and younger artists—are gathering inside the Baltimore Museum of Industry for an unveiling of the museum’s renovated linotype exhibit and a discussion around the machine, and its inventor, Ottmar Mergenthaler, that launched the previous Information Age.

A German watchmaker, Mergenthaler emigrated in 1872, arriving in Locust Point to join the U.S.’s burgeoning industrialization and, possibly, to avoid conscription into Otto von Bismarck’s army. “He was extraordinarily bright, making this complex machine out of mechanical parts when others struggled with similar efforts,” says Frank Romano, author of History of the Linotype Company. “His biggest problem was that he never stopped inventing it. He kept changing his mind, believing he could do better. Drove people crazy.”

Michael Ponton, a MICA graphic design major, renovated the exhibit, making tonight’s promotional flier from old linotype font. “I find inspiration in his story and accomplishments,” Ponton says. “My Bolton Hill apartment is on the street where Mergenthaler lived. I walk by his house on the way to my internship.”

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Beautiful Minds

Union Avenue
January 19, 2016

The sign taped to the glass door simply reads “Here!”—with a cartoon smiley face dashed across the page.

Due to overwhelming interest, tonight’s lecture by Johns Hopkins psychologist William Richards—whose book, Sacred Knowledge: Psychedelics and Religious Experience was recently published—has moved from Artifact Coffee to a larger space next door, where the entrance is tricky to find after hours.

“Bill is one of the O.G.’s [original gangsters] of psychedelic research,” chuckles Mike Margolies, 29, founder of the local group Psychedelic Seminars, which hosts conversations about the benefits—and risks—of hallucinogens. “He has been studying this since volunteering for a research study in 1963.”

That’s the same year that Harvard University terminated professor and LSD-advocate Timothy Leary, but Richards’s book is considered among the first serious academic accounts of the effects of psychedelic drugs on human biological processes, consciousness, and religious experiences. In fact, fliers here seek fresh volunteers for ongoing research around psychedelics and their effects on those suffering from depression and addiction.

“This [enlightenment experience] has been so elusive before,” Richards encouragingly tells the audience, which includes an organizer of Baltimore’s annual Mushroom City Art Festival. “For many years, the study of mystical states was limited to people in the dark carols of libraries. Even reading the works of ancient mystics in their original languages trying to get closer to what’s being expressed. And now, we have a technique, really, enabling many people to experience these things directly—in the present time—and say, ‘Oh, now I understand where Plato was coming from.’”

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Sisters of Hoop

York Road, Towson
January 29, 2016

Institute of Notre Dame guard Amber Knapper-Jones darts to the wing just in time to tip an opponent’s pass. Then, scooping up the loose ball, the diminutive senior dribbles the length of the floor, laying the ball off the backboard as she’s knocked down—sending Towson University’s packed SECU Arena into a frenzy.

On a night so frigid that walking through the parking lot feels like a brave endeavor, 3,400 fans are here for the 50th edition of “The Game”—the annual match between IND and Mercy—a pair of Catholic girls high schools not especially known for their hardwood prowess.

The first contest took place at the then-Baltimore Civic Center, as a school basketball fundraiser before a Bullets game, and was won by IND, 31-23, though IND now trails in the overall series. This evening, led by Knapper-Jones—her key steal capping a 9-0 run—and sophomore Ja’Lyn Armstrong, who scored 14 points, IND wins again.

A lot has changed over the years, including girls basketball, which once played by half-court rules. Other things seem eternal, such as Sister Hilde behind the IND souvenir table. Supervised by nuns at St. Mary’s Female Orphan Asylum for several years before receiving her own religious calling, she has spent 68 of her 83 years doing whatever needs doing at IND, including making a locker-room speech before “The Game” a few seasons back after a request from the coach.

“I told the girls, win or lose, they will always be No. 1 in God’s eye,” Sister Hilde says. “And I told them to keep their heads up, their hands out, and eyes on the ball and the player they should be guarding.”

The new year is all about trying new things, making resolutions, and, most importantly, sticking to them. This January, challenge yourself to learn something new with one of these eight events.

Taste the City

JAN. 10: RA SUSHI LESSON
RA Sushi Bar Restaurant, 1390 Lancaster St. 2 p.m. $32-60. 410-522-3200. Learn the traditions of sushi, its cultural significance, and, of course, how to roll your own at RA.

JAN. 28: WINE & CANVAS
Baltimore Museum of Industry, 1415 Key Hwy. 6:30-9:30 p.m. $40. 410-727-4808. Enjoy a glass of wine while you learn to paint a Ravens-themed masterpiece.

Get Moving

JAN. 1: NEW YEAR’S DAY RESOLUTION RUN
Patterson Park, 2638 E. Baltimore St. 2-6 p.m. $15-30. 410-308-1870. Start the year off right with a 5K through Patterson Park, finished off with a hearty chili dinner.

JAN. 5-26: GROUP TANGO CLASSES
Towson Dance Studio, 9486 Deereco Rd., Towson. Tues. 7 p.m. $65-70. 410-828-6116. Dance your January nights away with tango lessons in Towson.

See Something New

JAN. 20-MAR. 5: RAOUL MIDDLEMAN
C. Grimaldis Gallery, 523 N. Charles St. Tues.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Free. 410-539-1080. Don’t miss prints and watercolors by this prolific contemporary American painter and MICA professor whose works have been shown at the Met, National Gallery, and BMA.

JAN. 21: MAKE NIGHT: INSCRIBING THE SELF, ISLAMIC BOOKBINDING
The Walters Art Museum, 600 N. Charles St. 6-9 p.m. $25-35. 410-547-9000. Learn about the history of Islamic bookbinding and try it for yourself with help from bookmaker Kelly Laughlin.

Conquer Your Fear

JAN. 23: COMEDY TONIGHT!
Everyman Theatre, 315 W. Fayette St. 10 a.m. $100. 443-615-7055. Whatever your experience level, head to the local theater and partake in this comedy acting workshop with noted playwright Michael Hollinger.

JAN. 30-31: REPTICON
Maryland State Fairgrounds, 2200 York Rd., Lutherville-Timonium. Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. $5-12. 863-268-8573. Forgo your fear of scaly, snaky things at this up-close-and-personal exhibition featuring hundreds of reptiles, exotic animals, vendors, activities, and informational seminars.

Land of the Free

June 25, 2015
Koppers Street

“Brazil, Burma, Cameroon . . . ,” Greg Collett, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services district director, calls out 26 countries in alphabetical order until 39 would-be citizens are on their feet. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has already made some opening remarks, noting the difficult time Baltimore has been through recently, informing those about to become Americans that the strength and resiliency they’ve already demonstrated will be needed. After a brief history of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” those standing are asked to place their right hands over their hearts and recite the Pledge of Allegiance.

Following a videotaped welcome from President Barack Obama, the newly naturalized U.S. citizens—surrounded by family and dressed in their holiday best—burst into spontaneous cheers, waving the tiny flags they’ve been given over their heads. A few are moved to tears. “I’m very happy after all these years,” says Maria Suarez, a Peruvian immigrant and mother, who was separated for years from her husband. “Triste [sad],” she says of that time, breaking into Spanish and smiling while wiping the corners of her eyes. “Many difficult nights.” Nearby, in a camouflage uniform, Mexican-born Haroldo Palma receives high-fives from U.S. Army buddies.

Upfront, Oyindamola Ikujuni, a vivacious Nigerian-born mother of three, is celebrating both her citizenship and her 36th birthday today. Asked what she likes most about America, she beams. “The freedom,” she says. “And the roads.”

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Signs of Life

June 18, 2015
Key Highway

“I run a lot, and the first time I turned down Bond Street and saw the Bond Street Wharf sign, I was blown away by the scale and color,” says Samantha Redles, at the Baltimore Museum of Industry, explaining the inspiration for her pop-up exhibition, Not Yet Lost! The Art of Maryland Sign Painters. “I knew there was a person who did that, who was behind that sign.”

The three-story, BOND STREET WHARF lettering—integrated into the former warehouse’s architecture and reappointed brick—was painted in 2008 by Brendon Brandon, whose efforts over the past half-century include other historic renovations, like the E.J. Codd building, also in Fells Point. As part of the exhibit here, organized by Redles for her Maryland Institute College of Art Curatorial Practice thesis, there’s also a screening tonight of the 2013 documentary Sign Painters, which recounts the craft’s heyday and unsung mid-century practitioners before the mass adoption of vinyl lettering.

“It’s definitely viewed as blue-collar, but it offered the chance to be creative and work with your hands,” says Redles, whose show highlights six Maryland painters, including Clifford Olson. His best-known work included the whimsical Cloud Mattress mural on the company’s former Guilford Avenue factory, since gone condo. Restored and visible from I-83, the painting depicts a woman lying alone in bed in a negligee and curlers, levitating above the city at night.

As a 14-year-old in 1934, armed with his paintbrushes, Olson had hopped a freight train out of his Nebraska hometown, ultimately landing in Baltimore. “Dad didn’t quit until he was 76, after a stroke,” his son Ole says later. “Worked all those years on swinging scaffolding without a safety line, shoveling snow off in the winter. I helped him sometimes in high school. He’d tell me, ‘You’ll be fine. Hold onto the brush.’”

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Business as Usual

July 11, 2015
East 31st Street

Like the ephemera sitting in the front windows—the papier-mâché bunny and evil clown dolls, the used hardcover on tiny surrealism and ’80s vinyl from Afrika Bambaataa—Normal’s Books & Records wasn’t expected to survive the digital revolution, let alone celebrate its silver anniversary. But crowded among the teetering stacks of books and bric-a-brac this afternoon, a real clown named Norma plays a kazoo as a young dad with dreadlocks tries to corral his son and two men peruse albums and recall Left Bank Jazz Society shows at Baltimore’s old Famous Ballroom. At the same time, in the store’s backroom performance space, called the Red Room—which is blue, of course—an a cappella Sacred Harp choir is following a raucous noise band to the floor.

The shop’s motto, co-owner Rupert Wondolowski notes, has always been “everything from the obscure to the indispensable.” Its name comes from paid study work several of the early store founders did with the Baltimore Psychiatric Research Center—where control subjects in schizophrenia investigations were referred to as “normals.”

“We started two doors down in a smaller space, but not a lot else has changed,” Wondolowski says. “We did sell vintage bikes and clothes, but ran out of room for that. The first year, it’s true, John Waters bought a bike here. This was before iPhones, so I don’t have a picture, but in my mind, I can still see him wobbling off down the street in ragged glory.”

Working Girls

Key Highway

March 15, 2015

“It was a serious time for everybody, and I took my job very seriously,” Grace Henninger tells the Baltimore Museum of Industry’s packed auditorium, describing how she helped build B-26 bombers at the Glenn L. Martin Company factory during World War II. “I learned right away that if you were working the rivet gun, that bracket had to be held very tight. Very little re-work had to be done on my end,” the fit, blue-eyed 90-year-old says in a North Carolina drawl. “I loved my United States of America.”

At its peak, the Middle River aviation manufacturer employed 55,000 workers—one-third young women like Henninger and fellow panelist Elsie Arnold, the Rosie the Riveter Association’s Baltimore Chapter president. Raised on a 500-acre farm, Henninger had followed an aunt to Charm City. Starting at 19, Arnold worked at Glenn L. Martin for two-and-a-half years, saving for nursing school. “The boys had left for war and the women took over,” smiles Arnold, who went on to a 40-year career at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center. “But we didn’t think of ourselves as pioneers.”

Later, Henninger recalls meeting her future husband, home on leave, while shopping at the Essex A&P. They married six weeks later—almost 70 years ago. After his discharge, they bought a four-room house initially intended as temporary housing for plant workers in Victory Villa, a development where the streets were given names like Fuselage Avenue and Altimeter Court. “There were extensive renovations over the years, and we raised our five children in that house,” says Henninger, who also worked on the assembly line at Westinghouse for 20 years after her children had grown. “My husband Jim died in 1999 from colon cancer from the asbestos at Bethlehem Steel. I still live in that house.”

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Birthday Blues

South Durham Street

April 10, 2015

In an open garage, accompanied by her quartet, Baltimore’s Rhonda Robinson, in heels and pearls—gold flower tucked in her hair—belts out the song most associated with the legendary jazz singer who grew up in this cramped alley.

“Lady sings the blues
She tells her side, nothing to hide

Now the world will know

Just what the blues is all about”

Up at the corner, there’s a beautiful, towering, three-story-high mural of a full-throated Billie Holiday—her back turned away, appropriately, from her difficult childhood home—singing out to Upper Fells Point and far beyond. The painting by artist James Eichelberger is so perfectly executed that the century-old building’s narrow drainpipe has been seamlessly transformed into a throwback standing microphone. And today, with a block party commemorating her 100th birthday, Holiday’s music pulls passersby down the alley where she grew up. “It’s bouncing off the row houses and going up the street,” says Ian Craig, who lives above the garage where Robinson is performing. “People are walking past, hearing the music, and joining in.”

Long run-down, Holiday’s childhood alley has been reborn since the local improvement association won a $30,000 PNC Transformative Art Prize to create a tribute to “Lady Day.” So far, five murals, a mosaic, and 11 painted screens pay homage to the singer, and, coinciding with her birthday, neighbors have hosted tours this week. “You hear that voice once, and you never forget,” says Leo Arreaza, 46, who now lives in Baltimore, but is from Caracas. “I’m from Venezuela, and when I was a kid my parents played her records all the time.”

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No Silent Spring

Eutaw Street

April 29, 2015

As leadoff man Alejandro De Aza steps to the plate, the unmistakable, and on this day, wholly surprising sound of the Orioles’ rallying cry echoes through Camden Yards. For the first time in major league history, there isn’t a single fan at a game. Not officially, anyway. This afternoon’s contest is closed to the public following protests in the wake of 25-year-old Freddie Gray’s death in police custody. However, two-dozen vociferous fans are stealing glimpses of the action outside the center-field gates, letting the Orioles know they’re not quite alone.

“Give me an ‘O,’ Give me an ‘R’ . . . “

In fact, the strange thing is not what isn’t heard, but what is—everything. When a White Sox batsman hits a hard grounder to O’s second baseman Rey Navarro, the ball can literally be heard smacking into gloves around the infield for an inning ending, 4-5-3 double play. Players can be heard calling for fly balls and clapping from the bench.

During the pregame press conference, O’s manager Buck Showalter had joked about umps catching the normally unheard “sweet nothings” emanating from the dugout. Afterward, he jokes again about the starting pitcher hearing the bullpen phone ringing. But when asked what advice he has for Baltimore’s young black men, Showalter strikes a serious tone. “I’ve never been black, okay? So I don’t know,” he begins. “I can’t put myself there. I’ve never faced the challenges that they face. . . . It’s a pet peeve of mine when somebody says, ‘Well, I know what they’re feeling. Why don’t they do this?’ . . . You have never been black, okay? So just slow down a little bit.”

It’s time for spiking nog, heating up toddies, and opening up that nice bottle of wine you’ve been saving. It’s time for celebration—to eat, drink, and be merry—and it’s also time for survival—to sip away the stress of having all of your family in town. Whatever you’re drinking for, here are six boozy holiday happenings to get you in the spirit.

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DEC 4: CRAFT BEER TASTING
Baltimore Museum of Industry, 1415 Key Hwy. 6-10 p.m. $35-45. 410-727-4808. Heavy Seas founder Hugh Sisson discusses the brewing process and history of Baltimore beer, with food pairings by Kloby’s Smokehouse.

DEC. 5: WINTER TIME WARMER
Cockey’s Tavern, 216 E. Main St., Westminster. 5-8 p.m. $30-40. 410-848-6494. The historic tavern and boarding house gets decked in holiday garb during this wintertime wine night with vintages from various vineyards, hors d’oeuvres, and music by a local chorus quartet.

DEC. 6: FELLS POINT OLDE TYME CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL
Fells Point, Broadway Sq. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. $10. 410-675-8900. This all-day festival begins with Santa arriving on a tugboat to Broadway Pier, continues with vendors in the square’s Holiday Market, an eggnog contest, and a tree-lighting ceremony, and concludes with the parade of lighted boats on the water.

DEC. 13: PINTS & PANIC
Heavy Seas Beer, 4615 Hollins Ferry Rd., Halethorpe. 12-4 p.m. Free. 410-247-7822. Take on holiday shopping with a little liquid courage at Heavy Seas Beer, where they’ll have 19-plus vendors, live funk music, and local food trucks.

DEC. 18: RYE WHISKEY TASTING
The Walters Art Museum, 600 N. Charles St. 6-7:30 p.m. $45-50. 410-547-9000. Mixologist Doug Atwell of the craft-cocktail bar Rye leads a rye whiskey tasting/workshop about the hooch’s history in Maryland.

DEC. 20: BREWTIMORE!
All Grain Brew Tours, Hammonds Ferry Rd., Linthicum Heights. 12:30-6:30 p.m. $70. 443-583-3965. This six-hour brewery crawl takes you from Union Craft Brewing to The Brewer’s Art to Heavy Seas, where you’ll get taproom tours, beer tastings, and chats with the brewmasters themselves.

Another Easter filled with egg-hunting, chocolate-eating, and
(hopefully) warm weather is right around the corner. (It’s Sunday, April
20, if you want to get technical.) From the Inner Harbor all the way
out to Frederick, you can’t go anywhere without finding a scavenger hunt
or bunny breakfast. Be on the lookout for these events:

>> APR. 11-21: 7TH ANNUAL PEEPSHOW
Carroll Arts Center, 91 W. Main St., Westminster. 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Free. 410-848-7272. carrollcountyartscouncil.org. Enjoy treats, souvenirs, and a sweet display of hundreds of works of art made from the marshmallow candies.

>> APR. 12: BREAKFAST WITH THE EASTER BUNNY
Baltimore Museum of Industry, 1415 Key Hwy. 8:30-10:30 a.m. $5-12. 410-727-4808. thebmi.org. Munch a continental breakfast, search for eggs, watch a holiday film, and get your picture snapped with the Easter bunny.

>> APR. 12-13, 17-19, 21, 26-27: 19TH ANNUAL BUNNYLAND
Butler’s Orchard, 22200 Davis Mill Rd., Germantown. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. $6.75-8.75. 301-972-3299. butlersorchard.com. Take a hayride in Bunnyland, hunt for eggs, participate in the Rubber Ducky Derby, and visit Butler’s very own Country Bunny.

>> APR. 13 & 19: EASTER ON THE FARM
Crumland Farms, 7612 Willow Rd., Frederick. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Free-$9. 301-845-8099. crumland.com. Hop on down for egg hunts, a mini-carnival, hay rides through the Bunny Trail, and visits with the Easter Bunny.

>> APR. 18-19: BUNNY BREAKFAST & TRAIN RIDE
B&O Railroad Museum, 901 W. Pratt St. 8:30-9:30 a.m. $21-34. 410-752-2490. borail.org, Reservations required. Enjoy a buffet in the Roundhouse, story time, and carousel rides, plus photos and a train ride with the Easter bunny.

>> APR. 18-20: MARY SUE CANDIES BUNNY BONANZOO
Waterfowl Lake Pavilion at The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, 1876 Mansion House Dr. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Free with admission ($12.50-17.50). 443-552-5276. marylandzoo.org. Live entertainment, games, crafts, and free egg hunts. Each participating child can redeem his or her eggs for Mary Sue chocolate eggs.

>> APR. 19: BREAKFAST WITH THE EASTER BUNNY
Mansion House at The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, 1876 Mansion House Dr. 8:30-10 a.m. Free-$35. 443-552-5276. marylandzoo.org. Enjoy a hot breakfast, plus photo-ops with the Easter bunny and animal encounters.

>> APR. 19: CROMWELL VALLEY PARK EASTER EGG HUNT
Cromwell Valley Park, 2002 Cromwell Bridge Rd., Parkville. 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Free. 410-887-2503. cromwellvalleypark.org. There will be four egg hunts divided by age groups, plus crafts, family games, and egg dyeing.

>> APR. 19: EASTER BASKET MAKING
Enoch Pratt Free Library, Southeast Anchor Library, 3601 Eastern Ave. 2-3 p.m. Free. 410-396-1580. prattlibrary.org. Celebrate with a program about international Easter traditions, an Easter story, and basket-making.

>> APR. 19: FLASHLIGHT EGG HUNTS
Robert E. Lee Park, 1000 Lakeside Dr. 6-8 p.m. (ages 5-12), 8-9 p.m. (ages 10 and up) $3-5. 410-887-4156. relpnc.org. Registration required. Use your night vision and a flashlight to find hidden eggs along the Robert E. Lee Park trails.

>> APR. 19-20: EGG HUNT AND CRAFT WEEKEND
Clark’s Elioak Farm, 10500 Clarksville Pike, Ellicott City. 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m. $5. 410-730-4049. clarklandfarm.com. Enjoy continuous egg hunts for varying age groups, Easter crafts, gem-mining, and geode-cracking.