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!

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!

8702 School Rd – Parkville Summit Colonial
Parkville, Maryland 21234 – Offered at $249,900. {UPDATE: Withdrawn from the market.}

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Erickson Communities’ New Ownership Poised for Growth

Erickson Communities’ new ownership is poised for growth as they take over this month.

Redwood Capital Investments bought Erickson at auction in late December, and the closing happened this month.

Erickson filed for bankruptcy late last year, which wiped out most of their debt, making them financially sound for the upcoming planned projects.

The projects include about 12 communities that were begun but unfinished due to the falling Baltimore real estate market and ensuing bankruptcy.

Jim Davis, the new owner of Erickson, and now also its’ Chief Executive, plans to continue to run the Erickson Retirement Communities in the same spirit as the Erickson family envisioned when they began 26 years ago, getting the places up and then selling to not-for-profit companies to run them, and provide a welcoming place for seniors to live.

The Baltimore Sun reported that:

Long-term demographic trends also bode well for the company. Company officials point out that the population of seniors age 65 and older is projected to grow 60 percent, to 63.9 million people, in the next 15 years, when that segment of older Americans will make up nearly 18 percent of the population.

With these trends, it appears that Erickson would have a great future ahead of them.

If you are considering a move to a retirement home and would need to sell your Baltimore County home, please contact me today. I would be happy to help!

Erickson Communities Bought by Hanover Based Redwood Capital Investments LLC

On Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009 after an 18 hour auction, Erickson Communities chose Maryland based Redwood Capital Investments LLC to pull itself out of bankruptcy, of which it filed for Chapter 11 protection in October.

Redwood successfully outbid a New York company, Kohlberg, Kravis Roberts & Co. to get Erickson’s assets, including the non-profit groups Erickson operates.

Erickson says that the Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection filing nor its sale will affect its residents such as those in Erickson’s Oak Crest Community in Parkville and Charlestown Community located in Catonsville, both in Baltimore County. Refundable deposits and living arrangements will remain the same for those currently living in those communities.

It is a great thing that Erickson is able to keep this sale within Maryland, as our state has had a recent number of large companies being bought or headquarters moved out of state, like Towson based Black & Decker ’s buy out by Stanley Works in Connecticut.

Erickson began to have trouble when the real estate market began to drop after 2005′s boom. The large refundable deposits new residents put down (up to around $400,000) were usually paid from proceeds of the new resident’s sale of their prior home. With homes not selling for the amount needed for the downpayment, less people were moving into the retirement communities.

Fore more details on the Erickson Communities sale, read Baltimore Sun reporter Jamie Hopkins Smith’s article.

This is great news for Erickson Communities, their residents in Parkville’s Oak Crest and Catonsville’s Charlestown, Redwood Capital, and especially the State of Maryland!

Loch Raven Village and Knettishall in Towson Gems in Baltimore Sun Article

A few month back, I received a phone call from Jamie Smith Hopkins of the Baltimore Sun because she knew I know Towson real estate very well, and had sold homes in Loch Raven Village and Knettishall.

Jamie was putting together a series of articles called “Hidden Gems” about areas in Baltimore County and City that were in high demand areas — but not high demand prices.

Part of the criteria was that the median sales price had to be under the “affordable housing” line of $250,000. The buyer’s market of today has put Loch Raven Village and Knettishall in that range.

I was quoted a few times in the article, (thank you Jamie!), and I think she got a great feel for the neighborhood from a few different perspectives. Please read Jamie Smith Hopkins’ Baltimore Sun article about this Hidden Gem of an area!

There are many things that I love about Loch Raven Village and Knettishall. The homes are brick, well built, and generally beautiful. The streets are lined with trees and are so inviting. Its location in Towson and Parkville is convenient for both driving and public transportation. Shops are close by — the newly refurbished Towson Place, the nearby redone Towson Town Center, the Loch Raven Boulevard shops…it is all right there.

I recently sold one in the neighborhood on Aberdeen Road on the eastern side of Loch Raven Boulevard in Parkville. I know the neighborhood well. If you have any questions or would like to sell your Loch Raven Village home or buy one and take advantage of the $8,000 tax credit or $6,500 tax credit, please contact me today. I would love to help!

Cromwell Valley Park in Beautiful Baltimore County is All About the Birds on Saturday, November 7, 2009

Cromwell Valley Park, located off Cromwell Bridge Road in Parkville, MD, offers serene views as well as fun activities! Tucked away on a windy road, it is a hidden treasure in Baltimore County.

This Saturday it is all about the birds! From 7-10 am, visit Willow Grove Farm and go on a birdwalk led by volunteers. No reservations required!

Then, from 10-11:30 am it is “The Great Migration Challenge” where kids aged 5-12 can join in on the “migration maze” — find out just how hard it is for birds to do this every year, and experience some of the challenges they face! The Challenge culminates in a visit to the “Hawk Watch Site”. Cost is $2 for members, $4 for non-members. Reservations are required, so make sure to call 410-887-2503 to secure your spot!

Cromwell Valley Park is located at 2175 Cromwell Bridge Road, Baltimore, MD 21234. The hours are from sunrise to sunset every day of the week.

Weber’s Farm in Baltimore County’s Parkville Offers Barnyard Activities Fun for All Ages

Fall ushers in a great time at Weber’s Farm off Proctor Lane in Parkville, MD.

Open every day of the week until November 1 from 9:30-dusk (9 am weekends) — there is plenty of time to enjoy all of the activities in the Barnyard!

For $5 weekdays and $7 weekends, you can enjoy the straw maze, the story-telling path to the the tall hill slide (be ready for a fast ride!), petting zoo, plus hay rides for pumpkin picking.

They also offer a Scarecrow Building workshop from 4-6 pm weekdays and 10-6 weekends for only $15.

On weekends through the 1st, there is food for sale by the Providence Volunteer Fire Department from 11-4.

Open year round, Weber’s has much to offer for anyone. From pies to turkeys, fresh produce to cider and old time gifts, you can’t miss!

Located at 2526 Proctor Lane in Parkville, it is convenient to Towson, 695, Cromwell Bridge Road and Harford Road.