Maryland High School Football Finals at M&T Bank Stadium

This week is the Maryland Public Schools Secondary Athletic Association (MPSSAA)’s football finals. This year is very exciting because not only will the games be played in Downtown Baltimore at M&T Bank Stadium, they will be televised live on TV!

The first game will be Thursday, December 2, 2010 at 7 pm between Franklin High School in Reisterstown in Baltimore County and Wilde High School in Columbia, MD.

Friday night showcases Urbana High School from Frederick County against Henry A Wise in Prince George’s County.

Saturday is a double header with the first game at noon for the Class 1A title with Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Baltimore City taking on Havre de Grace in Harford County. The second game is at 3:30 pm with Middletown High School in Frederick taking on McDonough from Charles County.

The MPSSAA is excited for this weekend, which culminates in the Sunday night Ravens game versus The Pittsburgh Steelers. This is a huge football week here in Baltimore!

So head to Federal Hill and M&T Bank Stadium in Downtown Baltimore for a half week of great football. Support the young men playing in the championships and then the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night!

911 38th Street — Hampden Rowhome
Baltimore, MD 21211 — Offered at $159,000.
**SOLD**

**UPDATE: SOLD**

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Explore this wonderful Hampden home for sale at $159,000…

• First Floor
• Second Floor
• Partially Finished Basement
• Exterior
• Neighborhood

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Baltimore Halloween 2010

With Halloween falling on Sunday this year, many Baltimore Halloween events were happening on Saturday, October 30.

But there are still a number of things to do on Halloween Day, October 31, in & around Baltimore — so check them out!

• Weber’s Farm in Parkville — Fantastic Hillside Slide, pumpkin picking, scarecrow making, hay maze, “Boo Barn”, farm animals, hay ride & more. $7 admission for children, $5 for adults. Open from 9 am until dusk!
• ZooBOO! at the Baltimore Zoo / Maryland Zoo in Baltimore — 10 am – 4 pm. Come in costume, visit the animals, plus free trick-or-treating, carnival games, inflatable slides, crafts, and live entertainment, including magic, mini-theatre, and costume contests! Admission at the gate is $16 for adults, and $11 for children.
• Valley View Farms in Hunt Valley is open from 7am-9pm and has its’ fantastic Halloween Display, a free haunted house, and straw maze for the younger children. You can also take a guess at how many pumpkin seeds are in the Giant Pumpkin, named Rolling Thunder (weighing in at 1540 pounds!) to win a gift card.
• Huber’s Farm in Kingsville is open 9am – 5pm and has pumpkin picking, a kids area for $5 per hour, and at night from 7:30-10pm, Creepywoods, a scary haunted wooded attraction, which is very intense, and named one of America’s Best Haunts.
• Hampden HalloweenFest — 5pm-7pm — Trick or Treating at participating stores on the Avenue, Chestnut Avenue, and Falls Rd. 6:30 is a costume contest in front of Ma Petite Shoe on 36th St. Sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Hampden. (Meanwhile, you can drive, ride or walk by my new listing at 911 38th Street while you are there!)
• Hauntington Avenue 2010 Block Party in Remington from 6-8 pm. Located in the 2900 Block of Huntington Avenue, this is part of Free Fall Baltimore. The Black Cherry Puppet Theatre will be providing walking street puppets, there will be stilt walking from Paco Fish, and local musicians Ricky and Lennon La Ricci.
• Annual Halloween Tour at Westminster Burying Ground at Fayette and Greene Street in Downtown Baltimore from 6-9 pm. There are many Edgar Allan Poe themed readings and events, spooky music played while you tour Westminster Hall. There will be cider, popcorn, and a haunting good time.
• Kim’s Krypt in Dundalk is open from 7-10:30pm — another haunted adventure. The “krypt” is indoors, while the line is outside.
• Cox’s Point Haunted Mansion in Essex 7-10pm — at Cox’s Point Park on Riverside Drive, called “Maryland’s Oldest Haunted Attraction.”

Sunday should be a fun day full of fun & spooks. Enjoy what Baltimore has to offer!

Commit to Vote on Facebook

Have you gotten a lot of your friends posting a “Commit to Vote” button on your page?

I have continually gotten them, and though I appreciate the sentiment, I was lucky enough to be able to take advantage of Early voting in Maryland, and voted on Tuesday at Towson University.

Though I have gotten tired of so many postings on my facebook page, I do understand the importance, and hope everyone who is able to get out and exercise their right to vote.

Whether you do it early or do it on November 2nd, make sure to have your voice heard and VOTE!

Early Voting in Towson

Today, my husband and I took advantage of Maryland’s new Early Voting, and went to Towson University to do our civic duty.

The line was short, the directions easy, and the Administration building well set up & equipped for early voting.

Baltimore County and Baltimore City have a number of sites where you can vote early. Baltimore County voting locations include Towson University, Catonsville Community Center, Honeygo Community Center in Perry Hall, North Point Library in Dundalk, and Randallstown Community Center.

Baltimore City’s early voting centers include the Public Safety Training Facility at 3500 Northern Parkway, St. Brigids Parish Center near Canton, Pleasant View Garden Apartments in Downtown, Library #10 on Loch Raven Blvd, and Edmondson Westside Senior High School #400.

We enjoyed our early voting experience, and thank Towson University for hosting! GET OUT THERE AND VOTE!

HampdenFest 2010

HampdenFest 2010 will be held September 11, 2010 from 10 am – 7 pm on the Avenue — 36th Street — in Hampden, Hon!

HampdenFest is a community arts festival with four blocks of arts & crafts vendors, local food and drink, antiques, kids’ activities, three stages for art & musical performances, and the Hampden Village Merchants Association shops.

The silly & fun event is the toilet racing (yes, you read that right, toilet racing), where participants will have built a car-type racing machine using a clean toilet, and race in drag-racing type competition. The first heat begins at 10 am.

A short-film mini Film Festival will be held with shorts from local producers.

This comes on the heels of the fun Annual Honfest that was held June 12 & 13, 2010. Hampden is such a great hub of neat events. So come on down to Hampden, Hon, and visit Hampdenfest on the 11th!

Buying into Baltimore $4,000 Incentive Fall 2010

Buying a home Baltimore just became a little sweeter for homebuyers looking on the east side.

The Housing Authority of Baltimore City sent a press release out this morning with this great announcement that 50 eligible buyers participating in the Buying into Baltimore event on September 11, 2010 will receive $4,000 towards their new home, an increase of $1,000 over the past 13 years of the program. These are 5 year forgivable loans, meaning that if the buyers remain in the home for 5 years, they will not have to repay.

The Spring Buying into Baltimore Fair was held on May 8, and was a great success.

September’s Buying into Baltimore Event & Tour will begin at Mergenthaler Vocational Technical High School on Hillen Road in Baltimore from 8:30 am – 2 pm.

From the press release:

To receive the money, participants must:
1) live in the desired home as the primary owner/occupant,
2) possess a valid homeownership counseling certificate,
3) participate in the “Buying into Baltimore” tour and have the tour ticket validated at four homes,
4) buy in the eastern part of Baltimore (see Live Baltimore website for boundary details),
5) purchase a home that is less than $417,000, and
6) sign the home sales contract after the event takes place.

Funds are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Participants must close on a house within 90 days of the eastern region fair to receive the $4,000 award. There are no income restrictions on this program, nor does a recipient have to be a first-time homebuyer.

The Boundaries, from the Live Baltimore website are:

Boundary dividing line:

Starting from the North (Baltimore City/Baltimore County Line)…

• Head South on Charles St.
• To West on 29th St.
• To South on Howard St.
• To West on Camden St.
• To South on Russell St. and continue to County Line

So if you are considering buying a house in East Baltimore City, contact me to learn more!

Maryland Taxation of Forgiven Debt in Short Sales

The Maryland Taxation of Forgiven Debt in Short Sales bill was signed by Mayor O’Malley on May 20, 2010.

This is great news because it PREVENTS the tax of the debt forgiven.

A few counties in Maryland — Anne Arundel, Prince George’s, and Montgomery had begun charging recordation and transfer taxes based on what was owed to the bank, NOT what the current transfer price was in a short sale situation.

This emergency bill, HB590/SB657 puts an end to this practice.

Now, if a seller in distress short sales their house, they will only have to pay recordation and transfer taxes on the price they are selling it for — not what they owe.

Honfest 2010

Honfest 2010 is coming up, and the Hons in Hampden are ready!

This year’s Honfest is June 12 & 13.

For those unfamiliar with the Baltimore term, “Hon”, here is an explanation from the Honfest website:

HonFest is a local tradition. The Bawlmer term of endearment, Hon, short for Honey, embodies the warmth and affection bestowed upon our neighbors and visitors alike by historic working-women of Baltimore. HonFest is an annual celebration in honor of these women.

Honfest 2010 is adding on a fun evening the night before with the Concert in the Park from 6-10 pm at Roosevelt Park.

Saturday and Sunday, attendees can delight in music, crafts, and fun, not to mention wild, outrageous hair, outfits, and accents! Sunday afternoon is when the full judging happens with the “Top 10 Hons” and talent show.

Honfest takes place over 4 blocks of 36th street on the Avenue in Hampden.

There are many shops, restaurants, and Hampden houses nearby!

Hampden is also home to the Miracle on 34th Street lights show around the holidays in December.

Come visit Hampden in Baltimore on June 12 & 13 — you’ve never experienced anything like it!

Preakness 2010

The 135th running of the Preakness is Saturday May 15, 2010.

This is one of the biggest horse races, part of the “triple crown” with the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes in New York.

The Preakness is run at Pimlico Race Track in Baltimore City.

This race is a big one for the track and for the city, as it brings in visitors from across the US to visit the City of Baltimore and see horse racing at its’ finest, while hopefully also staying to enjoy the food and entertainment our city has to offer.

For the local Baltimore crowd, the Infield is the place to be with the big party-like atmosphere, a concert on the mainstage this year by Zac Brown Band and O.A.R. as well as performances by Mr. Greengenes and Collective Soul on an additional stage.

Leading up to Preakness Saturday includes Black Eyed Susan Day on Friday where the whole course will be covered in pink in recognition of Susan G Komen for the Cure. The Black Eyed Susan race happens Friday as well. This is one of the oldest stake races, and its name comes from the Maryland State Flower.

Friday night at 8:30 pm in the Inner Harbor is the 37th Annual Preakness Parade of Lights. Baltimore Raven Willis McGahee is the Grand Marshall. The parade runs from Market Place to Pratt Street over to First Mariner Arena.

So many fun Preakness events happening in Baltimore this weekend!

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