Maritime Magic – Baltimore Magazine

The List: September 2019

Angeline Leong — Tue, 03 Sep 2019 09:00:00 +0000

Chalk It Up – Madoranni Festival
Sept. 6-8. 11 a.m.-10 p.m.. Little Italy, Baltimore. Free. After Michael Kirby discovered his talent for street art as a teenage spray-painter, the Parkside native went on to create thousands of Renaissance chalk paintings and become the first American artist to achieve the title of “master street painter” in major European festivals. Now the founder of local studio Murals of Baltimore, Kirby has seen the Little Italy Baltimore Madonnari Arts Festival grow into a much-anticipated affair that draws thousands of onlookers to the neighborhood to watch local and international artists create pavement masterpieces. Kirby says the most important part of the festival (September 6-8) is that it brings both new and familiar faces to Baltimore. “People will visit on Friday to see what the artists are drawing and then come back again on Sunday to see the finished piece,” Kirby says. “Every day you come back, you see and experience something new.”—KP

Locust Point Festival
Sept. 7. 11 a.m.-6 p.m.. Latrobe Park. Free. This South Baltimore neighborhood is known for being a mix of the old and the new, with some of the city’s oldest rowhomes mere blocks away from luxury high-rises and high-tech office spaces. So it’s no surprise that this annual festival at Latrobe Park will have tons of food and entertainment for residents of all ages, including delectable eats from City Limits, Hull St. Blues, and HarborQue, a kids zone packed with activities, a crush station, and live music by local band The Wafflers. Don’t miss the chance to give back to neighborhood projects through this family-friendly event.

Baltimore Seafood Festival
Sept. 14. 12-7 p.m.. Canton Waterfront Park. Free-$100. What better way to honor Baltimore’s undoubted love for seafood than a full-blown festival with crustaceans as far as the eye can see? Head to Canton Waterfront Park for this sixth annual extravaganza as local seafood spots, including favorites like Jimmy’s Famous Seafood, Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls, Nick’s Fish House, and The Local Oyster, serve up crab cakes, shrimp salad, oysters, and steamed crabs. Indulge in the only large-scale seafood festival in Baltimore City and spend the day trying new drinks, listening to live music, and taking in a cooking demonstration.

Charm City Night Market
Sept. 21. 3-11 p.m. 200 Park Ave. & 100 N Charles St.. Prices vary. During the inaugural Charm City Night Market last fall, more than 12,000 people visited this one-day festival to sample authentic Asian-American eats, peruse locally made wares, and take pictures under the illuminated lantern walk. This month, the Park Avenue block party will make its much-anticipated return with 70 vendors, tons of entertainment on the festival’s outdoor stage, and a true showcase of the booming popularity of Asian cuisine in Baltimore. Be on the lookout for upcoming details about how a permanent revival of Baltimore’s Chinatown is on the horizon, thanks to efforts from the Chinatown Collective and Park Avenue Partners.

Hampdenfest
Sept. 21. 11 a.m.-7 p.m.. 36th St., Hampden. Free. Nothing describes Hampden quite like the neighborhood’s much-anticipated toilet bowl race down Chestnut Avenue. Cheer on your favorite high-speed seat and then spend the rest of this day-long festival jamming to live music by more than 20 local bands, sipping on brews from The Brewer’s Art and Union Craft Brewing, shopping along The Avenue, and taking in the sights and sounds of this quintessentially Baltimore neighborhood.

Pigtown Festival
Sept. 21. 12-7 p.m.. Pigtown Main St.. Free. The historic Pigtown annual neighborhood celebration will have you squealing with joy for the 18th year in a row. This fan-favorite event has all the key ingredients for a great festival experience: local food, craft beer, arts and crafts vendors, and kids’ activities. Not to mention live music from Ursula Ricks Project and The Scotch Bonnets. Oh, and did we mention the live pig races?

Trash Wheel Fan Fest
Sept. 21. 7-10 p.m.. Peabody Heights Brewery, 401 E. 30th St.. $30-40. Although the Trash Wheel family has gained a national following, we know that the truest fans of these lovable garbage-suckers are right here in Charm City. Celebrate these solar-powered trash receptors with unlimited Peabody Heights brews, performance pieces and songs inspired by the trash wheels, and even a make-your-own fan art station to commemorate the trash-tastic evening.

Charm City Run 20 Miler
Sept. 22. 8 a.m.-2 p.m.. The Northern Central Trail, Freeland. $55-60. Whether you’re preparing for a fall marathon or just need an excuse to get some early-morning pep in your step, sign up for this abbreviated run at the Northern Central Railroad Trail. This popular (but tough) 20-mile race will take runners from Hunt Valley to the Mason-Dixon Line. If you need extra motivation for this long-winded race, think about the cash prizes waiting for the top three male and female runners at the finish line.

Maritime Magic
Sept. 27. 7p.m.. Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park, 1417 Thames St.. $120-2,500. A good time for a good cause——what could be better than that? To attend one of the most anticipated fundraisers of the year, head to Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park and enjoy unlimited bites and drinks from local vendors, a silent auction, and incredible live music by renowned New Orleans-based funk and jazz jam band Galactic. This jam-packed benefit will directly support the Living Classroom Foundation’s education, job-training, health and wellness, and violence prevention programs.

Bmore Historic
Sept. 27. 8 a.m.-4 p.m.. Baltimore Museum of Industry, 1415 Key Hwy. $10-25. Calling all history buffs and die-hard Charm City lovers: This annual unconference (AKA participant-led meeting) will delve into everything you’ve ever wondered about the history of Charm City and its preservation. This Baltimore Museum of Industry forum is open to the public and will allow visitors to connect with local historians and archivists to enrich their understanding of this great city.

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Weekend Lineup: October 6-8

Lydia Woolever — Thu, 05 Oct 2017 11:14:00 +0000

Five things to eat, drink, see, hear, and do with your Charm City weekend.

EAT

Oct. 6: Maritime Magic

Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park, 1417 Thames St. 7 p.m. $110. 410-685-0295.

On Friday night, fulfill all your foodie dreams at one of the best benefits in Baltimore. Underneath the stars against the backdrop of the rippling harbor, sample your way through delectable dishes from more than 80 top area restaurants, including classic favorites like Birroteca, Cunningham’s, and Waterfront Kitchen, and new go-tos like Sandlot, Minnow, and Points South Latin Kitchen. Wash it all down with local beer from Union Craft, Diamondback, and Heavy Seas, to name a few, plus wine and booze from the likes of Old Line Spirits and Lyon Distilling. With a rocking music lineup, silent auction, and annual chefs’ competition to tie it all together, it’ll be an exceptionally memorable night, especially since all proceeds go to support Living Classrooms, one of Baltimore’s longest standing nonprofits for disadvantaged youth and adults.

DRINK

Oct. 7: Baltimore Craft Beer Festival

Canton Waterfront Park, 3001 Boston St. 12-5 p.m. $15-55. 410-252-9463.

This Saturday, grab your growlers and hop on over to Canton Waterfront Park to celebrate the city’s craft beer boom. This small-batch brew festival features unlimited samplings from more than 40 Maryland breweries, from seasoned veterans The Brewer’s Art, Flying Dog, and Oliver Brewing Co. to up-and-comers like Attaboy, Black Flag, and Hysteria. Don’t miss the homebrew competition with Nepenthe, the beer yoga session led by HopAsana, a feast of local food trucks, and the Battle of the Brewskies band contest. Proceeds support Strong City Baltimore, which works to strengthen neighborhoods through community programs and invested partnerships.

SEE

Oct. 7-8: Baltimore Open Studio Tour

Locations vary. Sat.-Sun. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Free. 443-263-4350.

Calling all art aficionados: This is your chance to peer into the studios of more than 100 area artists and discover where phenomenal art starts. In its 29th year, this citywide event presents local artists with a wide range of styles in every corner of the city, from Woodberry to Brooklyn Park. Explore new and alternative arts spaces, like SpaceCamp and the Baltimore Jewelry Center in Station North, or Terrault in the Bromo Arts District, or Y:Art Gallery in Highlandtown. Get to know local creatives like Annie Howe and her beloved papercuts, Mary Mashburn of local letterpress fame, Taha Heydari and his mesmerizing installations, and Ernest Shaw, who creates some of the city’s most beautiful murals. Presented by the School 33 Art Center in Federal Hill, this self-guided tour with an official map allows art lovers of all kinds to get out and get inspired by Baltimore.

HEAR

Oct. 7: The Local Oyster’s 2nd Anniversary Party

Mt. Vernon Marketplace, 520 Park Ave. 7-11 p.m. Free. 844-748-2537.

What’s a better combo than oysters and live music? This Saturday night, one of Baltimore’s favorite party bands is making its way to the Mt. Vernon Marketplace to celebrate the second birthday of our beloved Local Oyster. Having performed at The Kennedy Center, Rams Head Live, and Baltimore City Hall, this Swingin’ Swamis will bring a gumbo of R&B, rock-and-roll, jazz, and world rhythms, while L.O. devotees slurp down ice-cold, award-winnig bivalves and tip back tall pours of oyster stout. With the city’s best shrimp sammy in hand, boogie down to the groovy sounds of this musical sextet with shell-ebrity owner Nick Schauman and cheers to his evolution from roving shucking stand to Mount Vernon mainstay. Long live the Local Oyster!

DO

Oct. 7-8: Fells Point Fun Fest

Thames St. at Broadway. Sat. 11 a.m.-8:30 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Free. 410-675-8900.

In 1966, Fells Point started a small neighborhood festival to fight the proposed highway that would have cut through the heart of the historic ’hood. Thanks to a local outpouring and diehard efforts by the likes of Barb Mikulski, that dreaded road never came, and over the past 51 years, that little festival has grown to mass proportions, reaching as high as 100,000 attendees in 2016. This year, they’re scaling things back to highlight the artists, restaurants, and businesses that made Fells Point great in the first place, while also supporting the revitalization of the neighborhood. Sample snacks from the area’s best eateries, comb the cobblestone streets with local beer in hand, and peruse a handful of local crafters, hawking homemade goods. Maryland bands will be performing from two stages, with revered Fells regulars like the Kelly Bell Band and Sean K. Preston, while the music at local haunts like Cat’s Eye Pub and Admiral’s Cup will be playing into the wee hours of the night.

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Weekend Lineup: Sept. 30-Oct. 2

Lydia Woolever — Thu, 29 Sep 2016 17:02:00 +0000

Five things to eat, drink, see, hear, and do with your Charm City weekend.

EAT

Sept. 30: Maritime Magic

Living Classrooms Foundation, 1417 Thames St. 7 p.m. $110.

For one
night, the pier at the Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park will
transform into a foodie haven. Now in its 30th year, the big shebang will treat
more than 2,000 guests to dozens of local restaurants from across the city,
including old mainstays like Peter’s Inn, B&O American Brasserie, and the
one-and-only Andy Nelson’s Barbecue; beloved go-tos like Hersh’s, Birroteca,
and Parts & Labor; and new favorites like Cosima and Gunther & Co.
Local beer will be on hand by Diamondback Brewing, Flying Dog, Key Brewing, and
Union Craft, as well as local liquor by Sagamore Spirit, Lyon Distilling, The
Baltimore Whiskey Company, and Blackwater Distilling. Under the stars (or tent,
depending on the weather), hear the sounds of Cuban music and conga drumming by
New Orleans’ Alexey Marti and Urban Minds followed by San Francisco’s funk and
psychedelic-soul band, Con Brio. Best of all, in the heart of its waterfront
campus, support one of Baltimore’s longest standing nonprofits, Living
Classrooms, which has served disadvantaged youth and young adults in the city
for more than 30 years.

DRINK

Oct. 1: Meet Your Maker at WTMD

WTMD Studios, 1 Olympic Pl., Towson. 3-7
p.m. $30.

With all of the
buzz surrounding Sagamore Spirit these days, it might seem like Kevin Plank is
the only game in town. But his soon-to-be-local rye whiskey aside, Maryland is
home to more than 45 local hooch creations. Bringing together the Land of
Pleasant Living’s nine local distilleries, WTMD’s Meet Your Maker is the
largest gathering of its kind to date in the state, and will include the likes
of Stevensville’s Blackwater Distilling Company (Sloop Betty), St. Michaels’ Lyon
Distilling Company (Lyon Rum), and Tenth Ward Distilling Company (White Caraway
Rye), plus Charm City’s brand-new Old Line Spirits (Single Malt) and young-gun The
Baltimore Whiskey Company (Shot Tower Gin). With your commemorative whiskey
glass in hand, sample the goods and soak up the sounds of up-and-coming Baltimore
bands, local folk group Hollywood Blanks and rockabilly trio High &
Lonesome. Don’t worry about the forecast—the event is rain or shine.

SEE

Sept. 30-Oct. 2: Little Italy Madonnari Arts Festival

Little Italy, S. High St. Thu. 6-9:30 p.m., Fri. 4-10 p.m., Sat.-Sun. 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Free.

Rain won’t be
the only thing painting the streets of Little Italy this weekend. Following the
16th-century tradition of Madonnari artists, the sidewalks and pavement will be
turned into works of pastel and chalk art by dozens of local and international
artists. In celebration of Italian Heritage Month, stop by their tents and
admire as little strokes of color transform into awe-inspiring masterpieces.
Throughout the weekend, indulge in as much homemade pasta and Italian wine as
your heart could desire, and enjoy live music at the neighborhood’s various
venues, like gypsy jazz at Germano’s Piattini on Friday night or steel pan
drums at Amicci’s on Saturday. There will also be outdoor performances by the
Annapolis Shakespeare Company and Baltimore Mandolin Quartet.

HEAR

Oct. 1: Baltimore Jazz Festival

Druid Hill Park, 900 Druid Park Lake Dr. 12-8
p.m. Free.

The roots of
jazz run deep in the city streets of Baltimore. In the early decades of the
last century, this town brought us the likes of Billie Holiday, Cab Calloway,
Chick Webb, Eubie Blake, Cyrus Chestnut, and Ethel Ennis, to name a few, and soon
enough, Pennsylvania Avenue was home to hallowed stages graced by the
likes of Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Etta James, and Nat King Cole. A
handful of decades later, the genre isn’t as prolific or vibrant as it once
was, but in the pockets and corners of this city, you can still catch some of
the best music in town, like on once-a-month Monday nights at An Die Musik with
the Dunbar Alumni Jazz Band, or on Thursdays at Bertha’s with the Jeff Reed
Trio. This weekend, celebrate the heritage of Baltimore jazz as well as its
future with an all-day festival in beautiful Druid Hill Park. As part of Free
Fall Baltimore, enjoy hot sax, Django-inspired guitar, and Wynton-esque
trumpet, with Rumba Club, the Clarence Ward III All-Stars, Hot Club of
Baltimore, Art Sherrod Jr., and the next generation of local musicians with the
Dunbar Jazz Ensemble, all in tow. Rain or shine, bring the whole family to
enjoy food from HarborQue and Ethel’s Creole Kitchen, Union Craft beer, and a
petting zoo.

DO

Sept. 30-Oct. 2: Fells Point Fun Festival

Fells Point, S. Broadway & Thames St.
Fri. 6-9 p.m., Sat. 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Free.

It’s going to be
a bit soggy this weekend, but whatever the weather, the cobblestone streets of
Fells Point will fill for three full days of food, drink, music, and
celebrations of this historic neighborhood. Now in its 50th year, the lively little
festival will honor its history—once upon a time, it was founded as an anti-highway fundraiser to save Fells from connecting to I-95 and
I-83—as well as its ever-evolving days ahead. While old establishments continue
to shutter (R.I.P. Leadbetter’s), promising new businesses continue to
pop up (we see you, Treason Toting and Modern Cook Shop), and at the end of the day, the heart of
the community remains the same, with swashbuckling blues lovers, eclectic
historians, and tipped tourists still running amuck. Hear live music by 10
bands (including Waterfront Hotel and Cat’s Eye regular Sean K. Preston),
indulge in street eats from local restaurants (like drool-worthy mini lobster
rolls from Thames Street Oyster House), grab an orange cup, and raise a glass
to the city’s 250-year-old waterfront.

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