Mangiamo!

East Pratt Street
January 18, 2017

“He flew in from Chicago, carrying 30 pounds of frozen meat, spatulas, a cutting board, knives, spoons, the works,” explains Marcella Volini, as her dad dishes meatballs at the sold-out Sons of Italy lodge. “He’s gone to the same butcher for 30 years, since before I was born, and doesn’t trust anyone else. And, of course, his youngest daughter couldn’t possibly have a well-stocked kitchen.”

Tom Volini, father of 12, made the trip to enter—along with his daughter, a Baltimore artist—the family meatballs into the 1st Annual Little Italy Meatball Fest “best recipe” contest.

“The meatball is a part of every Sunday dinner,” says Joe Gardella, the owner of Joe Benny’s Focacceria and organizer of the event, benefitting the nearby Rev. Oreste Pandola Adult Learning Center, which offers classes in Italian language, culture, and cooking. “Everybody has their own recipe and each family recipe has its own story.”

Naturally, there’s also plenty of baked ziti, rosemary bread, and Chianti.

The winning meatball recipe (as judged by taste-testing attendees) eventually goes to Margaret Miller, née Occhiogrosso, who works as an event planner at Aldo’s restaurant. “The veal and pork have a lot of flavor and then I substitute 10 percent beef brisket with regular beef. That’s the slight change,” she says, with a smile. “Just a little more flavor.”

The other contest this afternoon is a meatball-eating contest, which is won by Phil “the Fury” Fiore, who downs 31 meatballs made by Gardella himself.

Angelo Perri, who took third, came with nine family members, including his Italian immigrant mother, with whom he promises to enter the recipe contest next year. He ate 26 meatballs. “Honestly, I thought those were the best meatballs I had all day,” Perri says with a laugh. “I grabbed a few more to take home.”

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Paper Dreams

Eastern Avenue
January 7, 2017

Katherine Fahey begins to unravel a long illustrated scroll at the Creative Alliance as an arabber just off center stage sings out: “Yeah, bananas, cantaloupes, and watermelons. Sweet potatoes and collard greens. Sweet apples and oranges.” Nearby, a musician clapping coconut shells and jingling bells mimics the jangled beat of a workhorse trodding through a narrow rowhouse street. “Each door on the block was a different color,” Fahey says, telling the story of “From Monument to Montford,” her paper cutout fable of an East Baltimore childhood when arabbers and their decorated horses and carts “seemed like fairy tale.”

Fahey’s narrative, hand-cranked scroll and musical accompaniment is based on a 19th-century visual storytelling form—once known as moving panoramas, and now called, with some endearment, “crankies.” In fact, the 4th Annual Baltimore Crankie Fest this weekend, the largest of its kind, sold out all three shows in advance.

“There is something really magical about it,” says Fahey, an award-winning artist who combines shadow puppetry with her exquisite backlit scrolls, and has collaborated on crankie music videos as well with the likes of Wye Oak and Ellen Cherry. “I remember at the first crankie fest being blown away by how entranced the audience becomes.”

Other crankies tonight revolve around a Syrian folktale, a girl from Nova Scotia, and a cosmic country ballad with roots in Alabama and Babylon. Musical pieces include performances by the Gospel Peacemakers, Caleb Stine, Liz Downing, and young old-time artists Anna & Elizabeth.

The most autobiographical “crankie” actually comes via a hand-held scroll sewn by 75-year-old German immigrant Ursula Populoh, who graduated with a degree in fiber art two years ago from the Maryland Institute College of Art. In a series of stitched images, Populoh recounts her story as a young widowed mother, her subsequent and nearly fatal bout with alcoholism, and her desperate hope of moving to America during her long stay in a German hospital.

“I was living in a small town with no money, shunned by my neighbors, and the dream of going to America kept me alive,” Populoh says. “I sold everything and I saw New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., St. Louis, and New Orleans. When I got to Denver, someone took me to a square dance,” she continues. “And I was in heaven.”

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Riding Off

Paca Street
December 30, 2016

With the temperature nearing the freezing mark, David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” blares from the back of a pedaled sound trailer as 150 bicyclists depart St. Mary’s Park.

Let’s dance for fear
your grace should fall
Let’s dance for fear tonight is all

Founded in the spring of 2012, the last-Friday-of-the-month Baltimore Bike Party has a theme—tonight is a tribute to those who left this world in 2016—with each ride becoming a unique celebration of bicycling and Baltimore. This evening’s ride, however, is somewhat bittersweet given the numerous homages to Bowie, George Michael, and Prince, whose “Little Red Corvette” sparks a group-sing among both bicyclists and local residents as the ride passes several bus stops through Greenmount West.

“My first bike party the theme was ‘Pirates!’—I didn’t know what to expect, so I didn’t dress up,” says Josh Miller, reprising Bowie’s blond mullet, makeup, and puffy shirt from the 1986 fantasy film Labyrinth. “At stoplights people were swashbuckling. Ever since I’ve gone all out.”

Meanwhile, other bicyclists are donning boxing gloves, cowboy hats, moon suits, and gorilla masks, in honor, respectively, of Muhammad Ali, Merle Haggard, John Glenn, and Harambe, the 17-year-old gorilla who was shot to death after a young boy fell into his enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo.

A few of the costumes—boxing gloves, for example—prove challenging to wear while operating a bike. Others are a surprisingly good fit, given the chilly conditions.

“The buns are great,” says physician’s assistant Fina Baca-Asher, 34, channeling recently departed Carrie Fisher and Princess Leia with the Star Wars heroine’s iconic hairstyle. “They’ll keep your ears warm.”

Justin Bieber
July 7. Royal Farms Arena, 201 W. Baltimore St. 7:30 p.m. $47.50-113. 410-347-2020.
They say the higher you fly, the harder you fall, and boy, did Justin Bieber shoot straight for the sky. From a YouTube discovery at age 12 to a debut album at age 15 to platinum sales less than two months later, this Canadian pop star went from a cute haircut to an overnight media sensation. Sweet dance moves, swoon-worthy vocals, and a picture-perfect romance with Disney star Selena Gomez solidified his success, but then came his turbulent late teens, a time of fast cars, mouthy remarks, and overall bad-boy behavior that tested the conviction of even his most die-hard “Beliebers.” But, lo and behold, the Biebs is now making a miraculous comeback, with apologetic appearances on Ellen, new number one singles, and a world tour, aptly titled Purpose. His Instagram followers exceed 67 million, his latest album is packed with party-starters (we unabashedly have “Sorry” on repeat), and all the while, his newsworthy tattoo tally continues to climb. For one Thursday night, don your purple hoodies, get ready to catch finger-lip kisses, and see if you still belieb.

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Cinema Al Fresco
July 1-Aug. 26. Little Italy, at the corner of High & Stiles Sts. Fri. Music 7 p.m., movie 9 p.m. Free. Few things say “Baltimore summer” quite like sitting in the parking lot of Da Mimmo Ristorante, watching old movies outside on a summer evening, amidst row homes and twinkling stars. Such is the beauty of Little Italy’s Cinema al Fresco open-air film series, now in its 17th season. On Friday nights through the end of August, gather some friends and unfold some lawn chairs for live music, free popcorn, and the main event, starting this month with the ever-comedic Moonstruck, followed by the likes of Diner, The Sound of Music, and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

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Flicks From the Hill
July 7-Aug. 25. American Visionary Art Museum, 800 Key Hwy. 9 p.m. Free. 410-244-1900. As the sun begins to set, pack a blanket and picnic for this beloved Baltimore tradition on Federal Hill. For the 11th summer, AVAM drops a giant screen down the side of the museum on Thursday nights for harbor-side films beneath the stars. Snuggle up with friends, snack on eats from local food trucks, and catch some favorite flicks, like last year’s Labyrinth and Big Fish.

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Kimono and Obi
July 10-Jan. 15, 2017. The Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Dr. Wed.-Fri. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sat.-Sun. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Free. 443-573-1700. During Japan’s Edo period, the Land of the Rising Sun was kept in the fashion dark ages, as common folk were forbidden from wearing showy clothing, especially colors like purple and red. When the laws were lifted in 1868, the country was entering an industrial age, and with its newfound prosperity, citizens were once again free to flaunt fineries in their own personal style. Embroidered kimonos and embellished obi sashes became en vogue, which are now on display at the BMA.

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Baltimore Caribbean Carnival
July 9-10. Clifton Park, 2701 St. Lo Dr. Sat. 12-10 p.m., Sun. 12-9 p.m. Free. For the 35th year, the paths of Clifton Park will transform into a full-on fiesta during this annual celebration of Caribbean culture. Beginning with a party-starting parade on East 33rd Street, you can follow thousands of spectators as hundreds of colorful costumes, festive performers, and the sounds of soca and calypso musicians march for five full hours. Afterward, attend the two-day festival, with live music and entertainment, authentic food and drink, and arts and crafts until 9 or 10 p.m. Grab some jerk chicken, sip some summer wine, and saunter beneath the stilt dancers on your way to seeing the steel drums.

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Artscape
July 15-17. Mount Royal Avenue & Cathedral Street. Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.- 8 p.m. Free. 410-752-8632. In the middle of the month, Station North will transform into an otherworldly galaxy as Artscape returns for the 35th year with an all-new outer space theme. From iconic art cars to big name concerts (read: The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Wyclef Jean), this weekend block party is the largest free arts festival in the U.S., with thousands of guests, dozens of food vendors, and hundreds of artists, musicians, and performers. It’s a Baltimore tradition not to miss.

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Baltimore Pride
July 23-24. Mount Vernon, Druid Hill Park, & other locations. Times vary. Free. 410-777-8145. With the LGBTQ community finally finding its place at the forefront of national conversation, there’s no better time to celebrate its achievements as well as acknowledge the road ahead. For an entire weekend, Baltimore will throw the largest event of its kind in the state, with an afternoon parade and evening street party in Mount Vernon, followed by an all-day festival in Druid Hill Park. Compete in a high-heel race down Cathedral, get your groove on in a streetwide dance party, and don your brightest colors at this big shebang.

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The Music of David Bowie
July 30. Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, 1212 Cathedral St. 7:30 p.m. $25-65. 410-783-8000. It was six months ago that Ziggy Stardust left this earth, but it’s safe to say that his legacy will not be forgotten. Through music, art, and fashion, David Bowie transcended definition—always moving forward, unafraid of taking risks or thinking outside of the box. For one night, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra will honor the rock-and-roll superstar’s influence, joined by a full band.

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Janet & Walter Sondheim Artscape Prize Exhibition
To July 31. The Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Dr. Wed.-Fri. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sat.-Sun. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Free. 443-573-1700. In conjunction with our city arts festival, the BMA presents the 2016 finalists for the prestigious Janet & Walter Sondheim Artscape Prize. Highlighting some of the most talented artists in the region, the exhibit features the works of local visionaries like art activist organization FORCE: Upsetting Rape Culture, painter Darcie Book, videographers Theo Anthony and Stephanie Barber, and photographers Eric Kruszewski, Christos Palios, and Larry Cook, whose work is pictured above. Explore the exhibit, and attend the award ceremony on July 9.