Rick Mercer Goes Ice Fishing

With the Winter we've been having, this video seems appropriate, somehow. Too bad I left all my ice fishing gear back in Canada. Maybe I could try my luck on Centennial Lake.

Enjoy!





Weekends on Wednesday



Feb 28th

Monster Jam
Baltimore Arena

10:30 a.m.
Belair Mansion
12207 Tulip Grove Dr. 
Bowie

Maya Davis from the Maryland State Archives and Mike Dixon from Delaware will discuss runaway slaves (some from Belair’s Ogle Family) and the lives of everyday citizens during the war. Bring a brown bag lunch; beverages provided. Watch for details in local papers and on the City’s website at www.cityofbowie.org/museums. The program is sponsored in part by the Maryland Humanities Council and is free. For more information, please contact 301-809-3089 or museumevents@cityofbowie.org

March 1st

Chocolate and Candy Festival 
Downtown Bel Air

Wockenfuss, Moore's Candies, Mary Sue Candies, Stephanie's Sweets, Rita's Italian Ice, La Cakerie, Pure Chocolates by Jinji, All About Cookies, A Dream of Chocolate, Kilby Creamery, Oh So Delicious! Cookie Company, Tastefully Simple, and more!

80's Retro Run
Frederick

80's Retro Run is bringing an 80's walk/ run 5k party to town, and we invite all ages and abilities to come. We've been in the lab, sweating neon bullets and concocting the biggest, wildest, totally awesome 80's Retro Run you could ever imagine!!! Register now on our site

Women Soldiers in The Civil War Armies
Frederick

Speakers Tracey McIntire and Dr. Audrey Scanlan-Teller will share the stories of over four hundred women who disguised themselves as men to serve heroically in Union and Confederate armies during the Civil War. Both presenters will be dressed in period clothing as Civil War female soldiers.

Top 30 IBR Bull Riding Finals
Westminster

Top 30 Bull Riding Finals presented by the International Bull Riders. Watch as the top 30 bull riders battle for final standings. Doors open at 5pm and the show starts at 7pm. Bring your children out for the Little Wranglers Rodeo prior to the start of the show. Food, drink and bleacher seating.

German Wine Festival
Ellicott City

Sponsored by Petite Cellars and hosted by Turf Valley Resort. Featuring wines from the Mosel, Pfalz, Rheinhessen, Nahe and Saar regions with the winemakers themselves. Explore the noble grapes of Germany, while expanding your wine knowledge and taste through some of the most acclaimed estates.

Baltimore

Crack open a musical time capsule of Baltimore at the landmark Old Saint Paul's Church featuring the languages, ethnicities and styles of Charm City's rich history, including spirituals, settings of Poe, liturgical Hebrew texts, Spanish love poetry, Greek folk songs of protest, and a Star-Spangled Banner redux.

Haven on the Lake 
Historic Oakland
5430 Vantage Point Rd 
Columbia

Get a sneak preview of the new Haven on the lake mind body wellness retreat. Join mind and body discussions on nutrition, skin care, acupuncture and massage from the Still Point. Participate in movement class demonstrations including Barre, Yoga and Pilates. Watch a video presentation on the new Haven on the Lake. Enjoy complimentary refreshments from Whole Foods. Kidspace area for children to share fun fitness activities, arts & crafts, and snacks. Get free giveaways and more!

St. Patrick's Day Parade 
Alexandria, VA

Classic Car Show, Fun Dog Show, Parade featuring Irish Dancing schools, Bagpipe bands, Alexandria community groups and more.

March 2nd

Baltimore Antique Bottle Club Show and Sale
Essex

A huge array of Bottles, Fruit Jars, Insulators and related collectibles will be on display for any level of collector. From Bromo Seltzers to multi-thousand dollar Historic Flasks expect to find it here. Free bottle appraisals. Food will be available on-site.

the Lyric
110 West Mount Royal Avenue 
Baltimore

Six time Grammy winners, The Chieftains are now recognized for bringing traditional Irish music to the world’s attention.

Dance Baltimore
Owings Mills

Discover traditional dances from Africa, Mexico, the Middle East, and fiery flamenco. Dance Baltimore brings dancers from Sankofa Dance Theatre, Barakaat Middle Eastern Dance Company, Bailes De Mi Tierra, and Arte Flamenco. Part of the "Take a Leap" Baltimore County Dance Celebration.

This Weekend

Spring Sea Glass Festival
600 Discovery Lane
Grasonville, MD

Come see what can be done with Sea Glass. Vendors from all over will be here to show their wares. Admission is free. For more information call (410)604-2100


The Dresser
Baltimore

As Britain is under attack from German aircraft, a group of traveling, ragtag Shakespearean players tours the English countryside performing the Bard's tragic masterpiece - King Lear. Sir is the last of the great actors of a generation that has since past. As he prepares to play his 227th performance as Lear, he suddenly realizes he cannot recall his first line.

Baker Artist Awards 2013 
Baltimore Museum of Art

The BMA presents artworks by sculptor Jonathan Latiano and photographer Lynne Parks and a video presentation of cellist Dariusz Sckoraczewski, winners of last year’s $25,000 Mary Sawyers Baker Prize.

Maryland Home and Garden Show
Timonium

Local gardening pros dust off their trowels and shovels to create gardens inspired by popular books and novels as part of this year’s “Books in Bloom” theme. The Maryland Home & Garden Show is sponsored by M&T Bank and is part of the National Home & Garden Show Series presented by DISH Network.

Heaven and Earth: Art of Byzantium From Greek Collections
National Gallery of Art

Heaven and EarthArt of Byzantium from Greek Collections is the first exhibition devoted to Byzantine art at the Gallery. It presents life in Byzantium through approximately 170 works of art dating from the inception of the empire to its close. Drawn from collections throughout Greece, they include sculpture, mosaics, icons, frescoes, manuscripts, metalwork, jewelry, glass, embroideries, coins, and ceramics. The works are arranged in five sections: From the Ancient to the Byzantine WorldSpiritual Life,Pleasures of LifeIntellectual Life, and The Last Phase: Crosscurrents.

Ongoing

American Cool
National Portrait Gallery-Smithsonian Institution

To define cool, you might start by listing the names of those who've contributed to pop-culture through their artistic influence or appealing personas. On Feb. 7, the National Portrait Gallery opens "American Cool," a photographic exhibition exploring the idea of cool with 100 portraits of American artists, musicians, actors and other iconic figures. Those featured include Frank Sinatra, Madonna, Miles Davis and Billie Holiday. The exhibit includes work by Carl Van Vechten, Annie Leibovitz and Cass Bird and other photographers.

Maryland Monday

Are you tired of the snow yet?

This is what we woke up to today.... A grey wintry day, with large puffy snowflakes falling from the sky. It's pretty, but still. Enough is enough, already.


Weekends on Wednesday

As usual, there is lots of stuff to do on the weekend.

I highly recommend the American Craft Council Show. I've been several times, and I'm planning on going again this year. There's some pretty incredible stuff there!

Have fun!

 

Multiple Days this Weekend:


Baltimore
 
The Event is Multi-Venu, Multi-Genre and Multi-Day including the pre-party at Ram's Head Live on Fri 2/21.  Over 60+ acts spread across two nights and 8 stages in the premier adult entertainment complex in the beautiful Baltimore Harbor District.

Maryland State Fairgrounds
Timonium

Baltimore Convention Center
 
Features more than 650 of the country's top contemporary craft artists presenting their latest handmade creations in jewelry, clothing, furniture and home decor.

Last Weekend of Baltimore Restaurant Week

(various locations)

FEB 21st


Columbia
 
Acclaimed author and performer Stuart Isacoff leads us through the battles over the tuning of the musical scale, placing them in the context of quarrels in the worlds of art, philosophy, religion, politics, and science. Following the lecture demonstration, Anne Midgette, author and classical music critic for The Washington Post, will conduct a live interview with Isacoff on the stage of Smith Theatre. A book signing and reception with Isacoff and Midgette will take place immediately afterwards. Free.

Columbia
 
Treat your family to a Friday evening of spectacular space delights. This program features a full-dome movie preceded by a fun, family-friendly planetarium presentation about current happenings in our night sky. All programs are held in the NatureSphere, a digital planetarium and dome-style movie theatre. Film previews are available on the Nature Center’s website. Due to the nature of the show, please arrive at least 10 minutes early. Recommended age 5 yrs+. $6.00

National Aquarium
Baltimore
 
The aquarium's discount program will include monthly activities celebrating native cultures, world holiday traditions, Asian-Pacific heritage, Black History Month and Women's History Month

FEB 22nd


Columbia
 
The orchestra is joined by the marvelous performers of Kinetics Dance Theatre for Prokofiev’s immortal Peter and the Wolf. Kids of all ages will enjoy this fun-filled introduction to the orchestra with our entertaining conductor and narrator Greg Jukes. Choose either the 10:30 or 1:00 concert and try your hand at playing instruments at our free Musical Instrument Petting Zoo in between the two performances.

Deep Creek
 
We invite you to BE COOL and do the Dunk alongside the rare breed of thousands of Maryland Dunkers who dare to bare it all each year for the inspirational athletes who represent Special Olympics Maryland! For just $50 in pledges, Dunk participants take a quick dip in Deep Creek Lake

Frederick
 
The Comedy Pigs, MET’s resident improv/sketch comedy troupe is back with a new season of gut wrenching fun. 

Baltimore
 
The ninety-minute show is a unique blend of stand up comedy, food experimentation, talk show antics, multimedia lecture, and, for the first time...live music.

Baltimore
 
Thanks to the volcanic success of the Tony-winning musical Jersey Boys, which chronicles the life and times of Frankie and his legendary group, such classic songs as “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Walk Like a Man,” “Rag Doll,” and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” are all the rage all over again. 

Annapolis
 
A seminar is a conversation to explore ideas raised by a commonly read text and led by a St. John's Tutor followed by conversation over lunch. Participants choose one of 9 topics, read the assigned text in advance and then join with 15-20 other participants on seminar day in a discussion of the work. no previous knowledge of the subject or author is expected.Readings are drawn from the st. John's curriculum or chosen by the tutors.

Owings Mills
 
Company E, a dynamic, internationally known contemporary dance company, adds Baltimore County to its roster of performance locales. Recent performances have taken place in Kazakhstan, Algeria, Italy and New York. The company brings selections from its NEXT series to the Gordon center

New Market
 
Indoor beach themed party includes cookout, beach ball volleyball, DJ, backyard and video games. $15 for chaperone or child under age 5. Include indoor attractions for $10 more ONLINE ONLY. $25/person online ($30/person at the door) Includes unlimited West World Laser Tag, Hangem High Ropes Course, Rustler’s Ridge Rock Wall, Spin Zone Bumper Cars, cookout, backyard games and video games. *Excludes Merchandising & redemption games

National Building Museum
 
The event will feature slime-making, catapulting a table tennis ball, controlling a robot and other engineering-related activities.

Anacostia Community Museum
 
Join us for our annual Mardi Gras Family Day, which includes the celebratory traditions in South Africa this year. There will be storytelling, face painting, mask-making, and other hands-on activities, live performances, and more. Attendees can also participate in the Art of Adornment workshop with creative artist Januwa Moja-Nelson
 
 

FEB 23rd


Rockville Swim and Fitness Center
 
Participants can choose their own start times each morning, with up to five people in each time bracket. Competition is open to people age 15 and older. The Dash and Splash is part of the Swim Center's new Triathlon Training program.

Robinson Nature Center (Columbia)
 
Howard County is connected to the Chesapeake Bay via the Middle Patuxent River. Come out and enjoy this celebration of Chesapeake Bay food, restoration efforts, and fun. This year we are focusing on the oyster whose harvesting season in the Bay is from November 2013 until the end of February 2014. Come buy a bushel of oysters to shuck and eat on-site or at home. Learn how you can recycle your oyster shells at the center so that they can become substrate on which young oysters can grow. Meet “touch tank” animals in our Discovery Room and take part in fun, Chesapeake-themed activities. No registration necessary; event is free with paid admission. Children must be accompanied by an adult

Weekends on Wednesday - 19 Things to Do!

FEB 14-16


Ocean City Convention Center

Maryland State Fairgrounds
Timonium
One Day Pass: $10
Weekend Pass: $15
Purchase in advance and print your RV Show tickets at home and receive an automatic $2 OFF discount on each ticket

National Harbor, MD
Katsucon is an annual 3-day fan convention held in the D.C. metro area for multicultural enthusiasts and entertainment. Katsucon is produced by Katsucon Entertainment, Inc. (KEI), a 501(c)(3) educational non-profit organization dedicated to bringing information about Japanese animation, society, and traditional and popular culture to fans everywhere.

737 South Broadway
Baltimore
10th Anniversary of the Belgian this year. So we will be pulling out all the stops for this one.We will have over 160 Belgian beers on draft, over 200 Belgian beers in Bottles and a full Belgian inspired food menu
NO ENTRANCE FEE

It may be cold outside but Baltimore is heating up with the most delicious week of winter – Restaurant Week – and fixed-price dinner, lunch and brunch menus at participating restaurants around town. Find the cure for cabin fever with a money-saving package at your choice of accommodations and receive a bonus gift card in return. Enjoy ticket offers and special programs at museums & attractions! By One Get One Offers!!

FEB 14th


Oregon Ridge Nature Center
13555 Beaver Dam Road
Cockeysville
7 PM
Ages 6+ $5
$4 Members
Tap a maple tree by moonlight. Sit by a campfire and hear legends about maple sugaring while making jack wax (or sugar in the snow) from maple syrup! To register call 410-887-1815.

Baltimore Humane Society
1601 Nicodemus Road, Reisterstown
1:30 PM

Please join us for Valentine’s Day nuptials between Chico and TeTe, an adoptable dog and cat, and Aladdin and Jasmine, two of our adoptable guinea pigs.  It is a celebration of hope, caring, and friendship in the lives of animals who have lost the love and support of their families, but who tirelessly search for it again. 

Baltimore Arena
201 W. Baltimore Street
Baltimore

FEB 15th


Merkle Wildlife Sanctuary and Visitor's Center
6:00  - 9:00 PM
11704 Fenno Rd., Upper Marlboro
$3 per person or $10 for a family of four
Join a naturalist as we explore the nighttime world of the owl. Take a hike and look, listen, and call for our creatures of the night. Meet at the Park Store building. Call to make your reservations- space is limited!

Baltimore Arena
Bruce Bruce and Earthquake are back! The Top Shelf Comedy Tour is one you do not want to miss!

Imagination Stage
4908 Auburn Ave., Bethesda
The clock ticks as playwrights, directors and actors from professional Washington, D.C. theaters are given just 24 hours to create 10-minute plays, culminating in an evening of unpredictable, one-of-a-kind theater.

Reginald F. Lewis Museum
830 E. Pratt St.
Baltimore
Teaching artist Culture Queen™ leads children in an interactive workshop with drama, movement, art and music as they use future hero™ powers to envision the future of America 20 years from now. This workshop is inspired by The Kinsey Collection. Program included with museum admission.

Gordon Center For Performing Arts at the JCC
3506 Gwynnbrook Avenue • Owings Mills
7:30 p.m. • $35 Adult/$15 Students & Seniors
 
Baltimore Ballet presents world class dancing at affordable prices.  Audiences enjoy international stars and up-and-coming, award winning dancers performing to Gershwin and Stravinsky. 

Turn the Page Bookstore
18 N Main Street * Boonsboro, MD
12-2 PM
Book Signings by: Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb, Erica Bauermeister, Jaci Burton, Sylvia Day, Stephanie Dray/Draven, Jeaniene Frost, J. Kenner, Pamela Palmer,and local children's author Michael T. Myers

Games and Stuff
7385-G Baltimore Annapolis Boulevard, Glen Burnie
Shake off the winter blues by putting on your best Hawaiian shirt and coming out to play piles of island-themed board games! As is our custom, we'll have some Hawaiian refreshments available throughout the day! Dressing up is encouraged, but grass skirts are not required. :)

Oregon Ridge Nature Center
13555 Beaver Dam Road
Cockeysville
10AM and 4PM
Visit our Sugar Shack any time between  to learn the magic behind the process of making maple syrup! Take an invigorating hike to tap a tree for sap. Then, taste maple syrup and sugar! Hikes on the hour. Sugar on the snow demos at 12:30 and 3:45. Free!

Howard County Conservancy
10520 Old Frederick Road
Woodstock
The Lunar New Year is the most important annual festival observed in many eastern Asian cultures. During this program at the Howard County Conservancy, Wendy Ng and Kyong Parker will explore how many Lunar New Year practices in the Chinese and Korean cultures are rooted in nature – cycle of life, flowers, animals, respect and love as well as sharing the significance of some individual practices. Come and learn more about the most important cultural festival celebrated by nearly half the population of the world. Families who attend will participate in some of the activities many Asian children experience during their Lunar New Year. FREE.

Columbia Mall
11 AM - 1 PM

Columbia Pro Cantare will present it third annual “Singathon,” at The Mall in Columbia. Admission to the performance is free. No ticket is required.The Singathon program will be lively and casual with works ranging from traditional songs to spirituals to Broadway tunes. Listeners are invited to stop by the Mall’s Center Court any time between 11 and 1 to enjoy the music.

FEB 16th


Chesapeake Arts Center
Hammonds Lane Theatre
194 Hammonds Lane, Brooklyn Park, MD
3:00 PM
Ticket Price: $27.00
All Age Concert!

And Events in D.C. this weekend?!?  Way too many to list!  Search on this website for something you might enjoy!

Maryland Monday (brought to you by Wednesday)

What a Winter this has been! Have you ever seen the like?

So - in anticipation of THIS week's storm, here are pictures of our ice storm from last week.

(I stopped at a grocery store last night to pick up some orange juice, and it was CRAZY in there! Good luck, and stay warm!)













 

Weekends on Wednesday


Ninon and I managed to make it to the Van Gogh Exhibit last weekend. We were glad we bought our tickets the day before, though! When we came out, we found it was sold out for the rest of the day. Great exhibit! Great museum!

 

JAN 6-9th


Baltimore Convention Center 
 
See hundreds of the latest cars, trucks, crossovers and more.

The Hippodrome
12 N Eutaw St, Baltimore
 
WAR HORSE tells the story of young Albert and his beloved horse, Joey. This powerfully moving and imaginative drama, filled with stirring music and songs, is a show of phenomenal inventiveness that is currently playing to packed houses in London and around the world.

Tales of Beatrix Potter 
The Puppet Co
Glen Echo Park
7300 MacArthur Park, Glen Echo

Puppets bring Potter's tales to life at the Puppet Co. Playhouse (ends this week)

JAN 7-9th


Maryland State Fairgrounds
2200 York Road
Lutherville/Timonium
$5 off coupons available if you order tickets from the link.
 
Shop for motorcycles, motorcycle accessories and get information at this event! Attendees can also meet Michele Smith, a national Motorcycle TV personality all 3 days plus other bike celebrities. Enjoy a huge Swapmeet & Cafe Racer feature section in a second large building.

Open Space Arts
16 Hanover Road
Reisterstown
 
Open Space Arts is proud to present Shakespeare's classic play

JAN 6-8th


UMBC's NEW Proscenium Theatre
Performing Arts and Humanities Building 
8pm each evening
 
Expanding dance with visually stunning, interactive sound, video and spoken text, Baltimore Dance Project brings together dancers, visual artists and live musicians. Features the creative work of Doug Hamby and Carol Hess. Part of the "Take a Leap" Baltimore County Dance Celebration.

JAN 7th

 
The Artists' Gallery
American City Building
10227 Wincopin Circle
Columbia
 
Please join Artists' Gallery members and fellow art lovers at Our Opening Reception. We will have beverages and finger food for you to enjoy while looking at this beautiful exhibit

Robinson Nature Center
6692 Cedar Lane
Columbia
Ages 5+
$6 
6:30 - 7:30 PM

Treat your family to a Friday evening of spectacular space delights. This program features a full-dome movie preceded by a fun, family-friendly planetarium presentation about current happenings in our night sky. All programs are held in the NatureSphere, a digital planetarium and dome-style movie theatre. Film previews are available on the Nature Center’s website. On this date there is a special opportunity, weather permitting, to enjoy telescope viewing with members of the Howard Astronomical League (HAL) on the center’s green roof. Due to the nature of the show, please arrive at least 10 minutes early. Recommended age 5 yrs+. $6.00

Robinson Nature Center
6692 Cedar Lane
Columbia
Ages 18+
8-9 PM
 
What's up? Bring your date or a group of friends to discover the night sky in the warmth of the planetarium. This program features a full-dome movie preceded by an engaging, adult-oriented planetarium presentation. Tickets are $6 per person. This program features the film "Black Holes."

Kennedy Center
 
Spanish jazz guitarist and composer Oscar Peñas makes his KC Jazz Club debut playing his unique style of music that has been described as "transnational cool," fusing traditional jazz with hints of flamenco and South American grooves.

JAN 8th

 
BSO
Meyerhoff
1212 Cathedral Street
Baltimore
 
Come one and all to a musical carnival complete with lions, fish, a dancing turtle and a beautiful swan. This Saint-Saëns classic is a delightful way to meet the instruments of the orchestra and let your imagination run wild!

Reginald F Lewis Museum
830 E Pratt Street
Baltimore
1 PM
 
Professor LaRoche uses archaeology and research of black churches, fraternal organizations and Quakers to explore how free blacks assisted runaways in the Midwest. LaRoche is a lecturer at the University of Maryland and author.

Sotterly Plantation
44300 Sotterley Lane
Hollywood, MD
 
Through the generous sponsorship of the Maryland Humanities Council and Star Spangled 200, this event will be FREE, but reservations are requested by calling 301-373-2280.Charles Ball was an African-American slave from Maryland and was sold to a South Carolinian cotton planter, thus estranged from his wife and children who remained in Maryland. After several escapes and recaptures, he wrote his autobiography with the help of his lawyer, Isaac Fisher. 

Raisin' Cane: A harlem Renaissance Odyssey staring Jasmine Guy and the Avery Sharpe Trio 
Publick Playhouse
5445 Landover Road
Cheverly, MD


Celebrate Black History Month and the renaissance of artistic expression in post-World War I Harlem in this production that weaves poetry, fiction, art and music and creates a multi-media window into a critical point in cultural history. (Matinee on Friday)

JAN 9th


The Great Baltimore Fire Motor Coach Tour 
The Fire Museum of Maryland
1301 York Road
Lutherville

 
Meet at the Museum for a bus tour and walking tour of the Burnt District of Baltimore with historian Wayne Schaumburg. Learn about the 3rd worst fire in US history in which 86 downtown blocks and 1,500 buildings were destroyed in 30 hours.

Avanti Orchestra of FMMC Free Concert!
Friday Morning Music Club
801 K Street NW, Washington DC

Pablo Saelzer leads the orchestra in performance of Haydn “Surprise” Symphony, Vaughan Williams Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, Beethoven Allegretto from Symphony No. 7, Ginastera Variaciones Concertantes.

National Kidney Foundation of Maryland KEY Screening 
Gillis Memorial Christian Community Church
4016 Park Heights Ave
Baltimore,

Free--Lasting about 20 minutes, the screening includes a blood test, as well as blood pressure and weight checks. It will test for high blood pressure, diabetes and kidney disease. No appointments are needed and any adult can participate.


Live Dance/Dance in Film 
Goron Center for Performing Arts
3506 Gwynnbrook Avenue, Owings Mills 

2 PM

Free live performance by the Baltimore County Youth Ballet followed by a screening of Billy Elliot, the story of a boy's unexpected dream to dance. Part of the "Take a Leap" Baltimore County Dance Celebration.

History Supper-Patapsco Female Institute and Almira Hart Lincoln Phelps 
Elkridge Furnace Inn
5745 Furnace Avenue, Elkridge

12-2:30 PM
 
Step back in time and enjoy a wonderful afternoon. 3 course supper, preceded by a presentation by Helen B. Mitchell, Ph.D. (Professor, Philosophy, Director, Women’s Studies Howard Community College) on the Patapsco Female Institute and Almira Hart Lincoln Phelps who spent her life as a pioneer for women’s education, a teacher, a writer, and a publisher. In 1841, Phelps arrived in Maryland and became head of the Patapsco Female Institute in Ellicott Mills, Maryland. At the time of her arrival, the school was in shambles. Through her work, Phelps transformed the Institute into a place of high academic standards with a curriculum rich in natural history, mathematics, and the sciences. Many of the school’s graduates went on to become teachers as well. Reservations Required. $32.50 pus tax and service