Kennedy Krieger Festival of Trees 2011

The Kennedy Krieger Festival of Trees is this weekend after Thanksgiving, as it is each year.

It is open Friday & Saturday, the 25th & 26th, from 10am-9pm, and Sunday the 27th from 10am-6pm.

Tickets are $12 for Adults, $6 for Seniors and Children ages 5-12. (Children 4 and under are free.) Tickets can be purchased at the door, or, as in the past, if you buy in advance, you can save $2 by buying them online through this link to their website.

As I have mentioned in the past, one of the big tips I have learned, and will continue to share is that if you have children, GET THE $20 ACTIVITY PACKET (also available to order online prior to & pick up at Will Call). Most of the games & activities require tickets or a wrist band and once your kids see them, they will want to play them. We learned the hard way our first time three years ago, and had to go back to stand in line to buy them.

Even if you miss the $2 online coupon, you can still save $1 at the door through downloading this coupon from their site.

Lunchtime at the eating areas is CROWDED. Plan to grab food a little early, and grab a table. You will be glad you did! (We have eaten sitting on the floor the last two years.)

Not only is this a fun event for all, it benefits the children and families of the Kennedy Krieger Institute. They do amazing work!

Happy Holidays!

Labor Day Outside of Downtown Baltimore

Well, with the Grand Prix road closures already causing major issues with traffic in Downtown Baltimore on Thursday, many who are staying in town for Labor Day weekend wonder what activities there may be to do — OUTSIDE of the city.

Baltimore County has much to offer!

The Maryland State Fair is still going strong through the weekend and runs through Monday. Enjoy the rides, games and livestock!

If the weather is nice, head on over to Rocky Point Beach & Park. There is swimming, beach, fishing, and wildlife. Rocky Point is located at 2200 Rocky Point Road, Essex, MD 21221.

There is also North Point State Park — and you can even bring your pets to undeveloped areas and North Point Battlefield. North Point is located in Dundalk across the bay from Rocky Point at 8700 North Point Road, Edgemere, MD 21219.

The Oregon Ridge Nature Center in Hunt Valley is open Saturday & Sunday (they are always closed Monday). This weekend they have a special class on Poisonous & Venomous Animals for $3 per person 2-4 pm. The Nature Center itself and the grounds to explore are free to visit! Indoors there is a museum with wildlife exhibits of turtles, live snakes, fish, amphibians, and honeybees.

Oregon Ridge Park also has a beach for swimming if the weather is nice!

It is the last weekend for the local pools, so take advantage of the end of summer.

Rainy? The Baltimore County Public Libraries are open over the weekend (but are closed Monday to observe Labor Day.) The Cockeysville library is also closed Sundays until October 2, but others are open, like the Towson Library!

Also, if the weather isn’t fantastic, kiddos can hit Red Zone in Timonium — they have laser tag, a laser maze, glow-in-the-dark mini golf, games, and more.

So come on out to Baltimore County for Labor Day fun, and avoid the Downtown Baltimore Grand Prix traffic!

Maryland State Fair in Timonium 2011

The Maryland State Fair begins on Friday, August 26 and runs through September 5, 2011.

With 11 days of games, rides, livestock, concerts and more, the Maryland State Fair has something for everyone!

The big concerts this year are Blake Shelton, who many learned about when he was a coach on The Voice and when he married Miranda Lambert, Selena Gomez of Nickelodeon fame (and most recently made headlines dating the Maryland State Fair 2010 star show, Justin Bieber,) and the locally (TIMONIUM!) bred band, All Time Low, whose hit, “I Feel Like Dancing” has been in the top 100 for months!

Just like last year, the Timonium Farmers Market will be open each day to get fresh fruit, vegetables, and meat from local farmers.

Food Lion also again has a limited number of $5 off ride coupons for certain days.

Ride tickets generally cost $1 each, and rides take 1-6 tickets.

Admission is still $8 for adults and $3 for children 6-11. Children 5 & under are free.

Parking is $3 on site, but free at the Deereco Park & Ride. There are a number of private parking lots where you can pay for parking as well.

Come to Timonium and enjoy the Maryland State Fair! It will be a lot of fun!

The Maryland State Fairgrounds are located at 2200 York Road, Timonium, MD 21093.

Kennedy Krieger Festival of Trees 2010 at Timonium Fairgrounds November 26-28

The Kennedy Krieger Festival of Trees comes back to the Timonium Fairgrounds right after Thanksgiving, November 26-28, 2010.

Children of all ages anticipate this weekend where it is a Wonderland of decorated trees, Santa, games, crafters, activities, and more!

The train garden is always a huge hit — my son always begs to go back to it — even with all of the rides and games to play!

Milkshake will be there for two performances on Friday, and there will be ballet, dance, comedy, and music performances throughout the weekend.

As I mentioned in my post about the Festival of Trees last year, I want to a few tips before you head to the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium this weekend.

1) Buy your tickets beforehand. If you order them online, you can save $2 off adult admission, and you can pick them up at Will Call at the Timonium Fairgrounds when you arrive. The tickets are good for any of the days it is open. Here is the link to the Kennedy Krieger site to order them.

2) If you have children, GET THE $20 ACTIVITY PACKET (also available to order online prior to & pick up at Will Call). Most of the games & activities require tickets or a wrist band and once your kids see them, they will want to play them. We learned the hard way our first time two years ago, and had to go back to stand in line to buy them. Just get them up front!

3) It can be very crowded at times. Some areas are more crowded than others, but especially at lunchtime around the eating area, it can be very busy.

The Festival of Trees is Friday & Saturday November 26 & 27 from 10 am – 9 pm and Sunday, November 28 from 10 am -6 pm at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium. The cost before discount is $10 adults, $5 for children 5-12 years old & senior citizens. Children 4 & under are free.

This is so much fun and for a great cause. I hope to see you there!

Timonium Scaregrounds 2010

The Timonium Fairgrounds this weekend will become the Timonium SCAREGROUNDS to support the United Cerebral Palsy Delrey School.

Put together by a few families in Lutherville, this event is a scary one — and not designed for the little guys.

As the Towson Times article says,

A group of traveling “carnies” are kidnapping, torturing and killing teenagers, then grinding them up to make corn dogs to sell at their haunted carnival.

A highly elaborate haunted house, it will be held under the Grandstands at the Fairgrounds. There will be more than 12 rooms full of blood, gore, ghosts, clowns, and other scary people and sights, all designed to scare the pants off its’ visitors.

The special effects and makeup are all either hand crafted or movie set quality. It should be very scary!

The Timonium Scaregrounds Haunted House will be open Friday & Saturday, October 29 & 30 from 6:30-10 pm. Tickets are $10 in advance and $13 at the door, and more information can be found on their website.

Timonium Scaregrounds is located at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium, 2200 York Road (map), Timonium, MD 21093.

Loch Raven Trail Access Meeting Thursday, October 28, 2010 at the Timonium Fairgrounds

The Loch Raven Trail Users Committe has a planned community meeting about the Trail Access on Thursday, October 28, 2010.

The Committee was formed in response to the Department of Public Works’ plan to restrict access to use of the single track trails on the Watershed Property to lessen the impeding of forest renewal.

Many people utilize these trails, and have asked the Department of Public Works to work with volunteer groups to recondition and maintain these trails. These groups include (according to their October 24 report, entitled: Baltimore City Reservoir Watershed Property Recreational Trail Use):

Mid-Atlantic Off Road Enthusiasts (MORE- 5000 local mountain bikers, 950 volunteer hours at Loch Raven this year, maintains trails in over 30 parks), International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA), Bike Maryland, local businesses, local schools, the boy scouts and the citizens who use the trails want to help to correct poor trail conditions to protect the environment and our municipal water supply.

If you utilize the Loch Raven Watershed Trails, and are concerned about the restriction of all access to the single track trails, this meeting will show you how to get involved. More information can be found at the website set up for this cause.

The Loch Raven Trail Access meeting will be held at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium from 7-9 pm.

The Maryland State Fairgrounds are located at 2200 York Road, Timonium, MD 21093.

Maryland Home and Garden Show at Timonium Fairgrounds

The Maryland Home & Garden Show is this weekend, October 15-17, 2010 at the Timonium Fairgrounds.

$1 from each ticket is donated to the Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake, so while you are getting great ideas for your home, you are also helping a great local charity!

Admission is $9 for adults. $7 for Seniors, $3 for children 6-12, and little ones are free. Here is a link to get a $2 off coupon to the Maryland Home & Garden Show to help save some money!

The theme for the fall show is “Better Living for You & Your Home”, and will showcase over 300 home improvement exhibits, “Better Living” exhibits (such as food, health & travel), seminars, local wine tasting, and over 100 craft booths.

Hours of the show are Friday, the 15th 10am-6pm, Saturday the 16th 10am-9pm, and Sunday the 17th 10am-6pm.

The Maryland Home & Garden Show is at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium, located at 2200 York Road, Timonium, MD 21093.

Maryland State Fair in Timonium 2010

The Maryland State Fair in Timonium begins August 27 and runs through September 6, 2010, bringing rides, games, and more to northern Baltimore County for 11 days!

This year, in addition to the regular concerts, one really big one is Justin Bieber, which has caused a huge stir all around Baltimore and sold out right away.

The two other Maryland State Fair concerts are Bret Michaels and Gretchen Wilson, both of which still have general admission tickets available.

A large portion of the Maryland State Fair is designated for livestock and horse shows as well as demonstrations. This year, the Timonium Farmers Market will be open each day to get local foods from local farms to enjoy!

Certain days have ride and admission specials, like a $20 wrist band for all day rides, and Food Lion has a $5 off coupon for 5 days of the Fair. Ride tickets are $1 each, and depending on the rides, they take 1-6 tickets. A book is available at the ride booth for $45 you get 50 ride tickets, and that is available to anyone on site.

Admission to the Maryland State Fair is $8 for adults, $6 for senior citizens, $3 for children 6-11 years old, and free for children under 6 years old.

Parking is $3 in the main lot, and there are many other parking lots around where one can pay to park. Just north of the Timonium Fairgrounds is the Deereco Lightrail Park & Ride, where parking is free.

The Maryland State Fairgrounds are located at 2200 York Road, Timonium, MD 21093.

Kennedy Krieger Festival of Trees Friday-Sunday November 27-29 at Timonium Fairgrounds

Believe it or not, it is that time of year again — it’s the Kennedy Krieger Institute’s Festival of Trees!

As they put it on their website: “If Santa had a Themepark, this would be it!”

We thoroughly enjoyed this last year and are looking forward to this year! Our son LOVED the train garden last year, while my niece was onstage dancing with the entertainers.

This year marks the 20th Anniversary of the Festival of Trees, and they are offering a special: $2 off Adult Admission when you buy your ticket online.

I will share with you something we learned quickly last year, at our first visit to the Festival. If you have children over the age of 1, BUY THE $20 ACTIVITY PACKET (which you can order online with your tickets or buy at the door if you buy your tickets there). It includes a wrist band for unlimited train rides, moon bounce, and carousel, plus a ticket for a pony ride, and 20 activity tickets. We did not originally, and ended up going back to wait in line to get them. Kids will WANT TO PLAY these activities and ride the rides.

The Festival of Trees is Friday & Saturday November 27 & 28 from 10 am – 9 pm and Sunday, November 29 from 10 am -6 pm at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium. The cost before discount is $10 adults, $5 for children 5-12 years old & senior citizens. Children under 4 are free.

The Maryland State Fairgrounds are located at 2200 York Road, Timonium, MD 21093.