by Mary Helen Sprecher
newsroom@baltimoreguide.com

There are plenty of venues that everyone associates with Juneteenth, the celebration of African-American freedom. Now here’s a new one: Fort McHenry.
Well, maybe it’s not that new, according to Vince Vaise, chief ranger at the fort. Fort McHenry’s Fourth Annual Juneteenth celebration will be held on June 16 at 2 p.m. outside the Visitor Center. And according to Vaise, it fits right in with the fort and its mission.
“What better

by Mary Helen Sprecher
newsroom@baltimoreguide.com

Nothing quite says summer like a festival, and the first of the season rolls out this weekend. The Historic Federal Hill Jazz and Blues Festival takes place on Sunday, June 10, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. in the 1000 and 1100 blocks of S. Charles Street.

There is no admission charge which means, according to organizers, there’s no excuse for not hearing some really good music.

Note: The Class of 2007 is an annual feature in which local high schools nominate students whom they feel have been particularly outstanding, for recognition.
by Mary Helen Sprecher
newsroom@baltimoreguide.com

To paraphrase Shakespeare: “Two students, both alike in dignity, in fair Digital Harbor where we lay our scene…”

Kaitlyn Stalnaker and Denis Magallan couldn’t be more different—or more alike. Stalnaker grew up in the Brooklyn area of the city, has been valedictorian of her class all four years,

by Mary Helen Sprecher
newsroom@baltimoreguide.com

There’s progress — or rather process — on Pratt Street. Just don’t expect to see traffic cones any time soon.

Ayers Saint Gross and Olin Partnership of Philadelphia, the design team for the 16-block redesign, “is in the process of negotiating a contract” with the Baltimore Development Corp, for the scope of work to be done on the project, said Joann Logan, public information officer for BDC.

There is no word, she added, on

The Southern District Police Community Relations Council recognized its most recent Officer of the month, Officer Imtiaz Alli.

Alli has been a member of the department since September of 2004. He is assigned to the Southern District Cherry Hill Crime Reduction Team. Additionally, he and his unit are deployed to locations in the district experiencing spikes in violent crime.

During the time frame from April 19-May 17, Alli worked a total of 16 days and during that time, made six

by Jacqueline Watts
editor@baltimoreguide.com

Camden Yards from the right fielder’s point of view is a gorgeous place, sunny and green, the grass like velvet stretching toward the far foul pole.

It is vividly, perfectly green, the color of green that suburbanites can only aspire to.

It is shortly after 11 a.m. and Nick Markakis, the Orioles’ right fielder, is not at work yet. Nicole Sherry is, however, with a crew of seven and three visiting interns, grooming Markakis’ office,

by Jenny Wierschem

Okay, Peninsula folks, here’s a chance to go on the road to root for the home team. Nope, the games isn’t the Orioles, and it’s not Ravens season. This away game is just a mere ball throw outside of city lines. The rangers at Fort McHenry, aka the Locust Point Lamplighters, and the rangers from Hampton, the Towsontown Toughs, are going to play an early version of baseball against one another—while wearing Victorian garb.

by Mary Helen Sprecher
newsroom@baltimoreguide.com

Got plans for Memorial Day? “It’s important for people to know that the holiday is more than cookouts and car sales,” said Vince Vaise, chief ranger at Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine. And as might be expected, the fort—the home of all things patriotic in Baltimore—has a day-long schedule of activities planned to help re-educate the public about what Memorial Day really means.

Throughout the day on Monday, May 28, visitors to

by Jenny Wierschem
Art is going outside of gallery walls and into the outdoors for a new Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts event at the Inner Harbor. Each Sunday in June, artists will set up tents at the harbor’s West Shore Park on Light Street between the Visitor Center and the Maryland Science Center. Throughout the day, artists and craftspeople will display and sell artwork and demonstrate how their craft is done.

“The whole idea was to

by Mary Helen Sprecher
newsroom@baltimoreguide.com

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If the early bird gets the worm, what does the night owl get?

Good deals from local merchants, according to Federal Hill Main Streets. The organization is hosting its Spring Fever event on Friday, May 18. Stores will stay open from 8 p.m.-midnight.

The event mirrors some aspects of the Moonlight Madness program, held around the holidays, according to Anna Farr, an assistant

by Mary Helen Sprecher
newsroom@baltimoreguide.com

The Southern District Police Community Relations Council recently recognized Officer Ryan Diener, a member of the department since 2003, and Det. Daniel Martin, a member since 2001, as its Officers of the Month.

Diener is assigned to the Cherry Hill Crime Reduction Team, which is responsible for enforcement in the Cherry Hill community. Cherry Hill was one of the Southern District’s most violent areas in 2006.

The Brewers held their banner high during Saturday’s South Baltimore Little League parade.

Photo by Bill Lear

by Mary Helen Sprecher
newsroom@baltimoreguide.com

With the closure of Swann Park, a number of sporting and recreational activities have had to be relocated. They are as follows:

Digital Harbor High School-Carroll Park

Downtown Coed Softball League-Carroll Park

South Baltimore Bison Unlimited Baseball Team-Druid Hill and Carroll parks

Baltimore City Fire Department Lacrosse Team-Patterson Park (one remaining game)

Kickball League-Riverside and Latrobe parks

SOBO Sports (Co-Ed Adult)-Carroll Park

BCRP’s Softball leagues-Carroll Park

Updates on the Swann Park situation will be posted on the websites of http://www.baltimorehealth.org/swannpark.html and http://swannpark.blogspot.org for all postings. An update on the situation can also be found in the Sobo blog section of this newspaper.

by Mary Helen Sprecher
newsroom@baltimoreguide.com

Got books? Want books?
Those who are doing some spring cleaning, and who have found themselves with more books than they have shelf space, can lose a few volumes over the next week. The Friends of the Light Street branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library, 1251 Light Street, hold their annual book, video and DVD sale from May 10-May 12.

Dates and hours for the book sale are Thursday, May 10 from

by Mary Helen Sprecher
newsroom@baltimoreguide.com

Documentary films—for so long a subculture in the movie industry—have gone mainstream. From “March of the Penguins” to “Fahrenheit 911” to “An Inconvenient Truth,” the movies have emerged from art houses and into big theaters.
Horror movies, by contrast, have always been mainstream, and B-horror movies have always had a cult following. So what will be the reaction to a hybrid of the two—a documentary about a B-horror filmmaker?

There will be plenty of costumed reenactors, music, and battle scenes during this weekend’s encampment at Fort McHenry.
Photo courtesy Fort McHenry National Monument

by Mary Helen Sprecher
newsroom@baltimoreguide.com

What happened at Fort McHenry more than a century ago might be a matter of historical record, but that doesn’t mean it’s ancient history, according to Vince Vaise, chief ranger at the park. The facility’s annual Civil War Weekend, to be held Saturday and Sunday, will bring live demonstrations not just of combat, but of life at the fort during the time of the Civil War.

“It’s My Job” is an occasional feature highlighting individuals in the area with interesting or unique jobs. Have a suggestion for a future It’s My Job feature? E-mail newsroom@baltimoreguide.com.

by Mary Helen Sprecher
newsroom@baltimoreguide.com

Every budding entrepreneur remembers his or her a-ha moment—that exact point when the light bulb clicks on and he or she realizes that the perfect opportunity has presented itself. For Zoey Robinson, though, the a-ha moment was less of a light bulb and more of

by Mary Helen Sprecher
newsroom@baltimoreguide.com

Now that the weather’s warming up, it’s time for two things: getting outdoors and doing home improvement work.

And those are just the two things the organizers of the 11th Annual Port-to-Fort 6K Run and Walk are counting on to make their event go.

The Port-to-Fort, which takes place on Sunday, April 22 at 9 a.m., runs from the waterfront Baltimore Museum of Industry to, yes, Fort McHenry and back again, and benefits the

by Mary Helen Sprecher
newsroom@baltimoreguide.com

There are the typical sightings that mean spring. The first glimpse of robins hopping along in Riverside Park. The flash of yard sales cropping up in front of houses. The signs advertising bull roast fundraisers.

Then there are the appearances by Basshound, Buzzy’s Cousins, The Cheaters, Kendra Banks Chocolate Soul, The Reserves and Soul’d Out.

All of the latter are bands. They, plus a few more of their kind, can be seen at the