Halloween Weekend in Baltimore 2011

Halloween Weekend is always a fun-filled weekend in Baltimore.

Though technically it isn’t until Monday, there are plenty of things to do this weekend for Baltimore Halloween fun!

• At Hunt Valley Towne Centre, kids can trick-or-treat on Friday evening from 4-6pm. Children can come in costume and get some treats at the shops on Main Street off Shawan Road in Hunt Valley!
• The Towson Town Center mall will have a festive Halloween celebration on Saturday the 29th at 11am at the Level 1 Grand Court. They will also have mall-wide trick-or-treating on Monday the 31st from 6-8pm at participating stores for children aged 12 & under. More details on their site.
• ZooBOO! at the Baltimore Zoo / Maryland Zoo in Baltimore — 10 am – 4 pm Friday 10/28 – Sunday 10/30. 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! The event comes with your Zoo admission. Costume contests are at 11:30 & 2:30 for kids under the age of 12. There are special events with many of the animals throughout the day, so make sure to visit their website for more details.
• Port Discovery is celebrating Baltimore City’s Kids Month on Saturday from 10am-5pm for FALL-O-WEEN Festival. Activities include making your own tutu or mummy, wildlife adventure, Halloween drum jam, a moon bounce, performances and more! Visit their site for more details.
• Hallowmarine is at the National Aquarium in Baltimore from 10am-4pm on Saturday. Come in costume, there are many spooky events, including a Haunted Classroom! Aqua.org for more info.
• The Great Lantern Parade in Patterson Park is *NOW SUNDAY, 10/30 due to weather!* Saturday October 29 at 7pm. There is a pre-parade Great Lantern Parade Fall Festival from 3-6:30pm. Here is their blog with more details.
• Weber’s Farm in Parkville — Really fun Hillside Slide, pumpkin picking, scarecrow making, hay maze, “Boo Barn”, farm animals, hay ride & more. $7 admission for children, $5 for adults on weekends. Open from 9:30am-6:30pm!
• 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. We did this last weekend, and our son had a blast. They even have facepainting inside — and the main building is already their Christmas wonderland!
• 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 supposed to be very intense, and was named one of “America’s Best Haunts.”
• Hampden HalloweenFest — 5pm-7pm on Sunday, October 30– 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.
• Kim’s Krypt is in a new location in 2011 on Eastern Avenue in Essex. It is open from 7-10:30pm Saturday through Monday — another haunted adventure. The “krypt” is indoors, while the line is outside.

So, as you can see, there is plenty to do for Halloween in Baltimore. I am sure there are many more — what events do YOU know of & can share?

Have a safe and Happy Halloween in Baltimore!

HampdenFest 2011

Hampdenfest 2011 is Saturday, September 10, 2011 from 10am-7pm.

Always a good time, there are exhibitors, games, entertainment, and more. Plus this is the last year for “Hampden Idol!”

The big draws tend to be the wildly popular “Toilet Bowl Race” and the Hampden Film Festival.

This year there is even the Great Baltimore Mac Off, where chefs will submit their best Mac & Cheese recipes and are judged.

What is Hampdenfest? According to their site:

HampdenFest features 4 stages of music and art performances, an activity area for kids, an emerging artists exhibit and a film festival, as well as four blocks of arts and crafts vendors and other wares from a wide range of merchants and artists.

So much to do & see! So come on down to fun-filled Hampden, and visit Hampdenfest on the 10th!

Photo courtesy of Gavin St. Ours courtesy of Flickr CC

Baltimore Bnote Green Currency

Baltimore has its’ own currency called Bnote, and it is now available for purchase and use in more than 60 locations in Baltimore city.

The Bnote comes in $1 and $5 notes, and became available for use on April 18.

According to the Baltimore Green Currency Association, Bnotes are local currency, and:

Local currency, also called complimentary currency, is money that is designed to be used within a community, town, or city.  Whereas national currencies, like the US Dollar, are now loaned into existence, necessitating their repayment with interest to a bank or financial institution, local currencies exist solely to facilitate commerce within a community and to preserve and restore the social nature of trade and business. Dollars are universal, but they don’t have the same power that local currencies have, to promote and grow a local economy, in ways that benefit the people and not banks.

Many merchants in the Hampden neighborhood are accepting the currency, and are ready to get it into circulation around Baltimore.

Here is the list of merchants who are currently accepting the Bnote as currency. They include the very popular Woodberry Kitchen, Golden West, Cafe Hon, 9th Life, Corner Restaurant, Renew Organic Skincare, Sprout Organic Salon, and even two attorneys!

While you’re using your Bnotes in Hampden, make sure to stop by my listing around the corner from the Avenue at 911 38th St. Better yet, you can live there, and just have a quick jaunt to use them!

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!

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!

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!