City Council This Week
Tuesday, August 25
Hearing: Budget and Appropriations Committee, Bernard C. “Jack” Young – Chair
4:00 PM Du Burns Council Chamber, 4th floor, City Hall
09-0374 Supplementary Revenue Bond Fund Capital Appropriation - Department of Transportation $17,000,000
4:05 PM
09-0375 Supplementary Revenue Bond Fund Capital Appropriation - Department of Transportation - $17,000,000
4:10 PM
09-0376 Supplementary Federal Fund Capital Appropriation - Department of Transportation - $1,590,000
Community Events
For a comprehensive listing of events in Baltimore,
check the City Council's online events calendar.
Friday, August 21
Coldstream-Homestead-Montebello (CHM) Movies Under the Stars
Lake Montebello, movie starts at sundown. Free snacks provided. Feature: A Rebel Without a Cause. 410-235-6715.
Summer Sounds at the Square
Belvedere Square, 6-9pm. Friday night outdoor concert. Featuring: Mambo Combo, soca and samba
Little Italy Open-Air Film Festival
High and Stiles Streets, Little Italy, 9pm. Folding chairs are provided on a first come basis, although attendees may wish to bring a lawn chair to assure seating comfort and availability. Feature: Under the Tuscan Sun. www.littleitalymd.com
Abell Improvement Association Summer Film Series
Abell Open Space, 300 block of East 32nd Street, 8:30pm. Feature: The Jungle Book.
August 22-23
St. Gabriel Italian Festival
St. Leo's Church, Stiles and Exeter streets, Noon-8pm. The two-day event includes stalls with delicious Italian food, live music, a Sunday bocce tournament and games for children. Admission is $1. Call 410-675-7275.
Inner Harbor Arts Festival
Inner Harbor and Power Plant Live, Sat. 10am-7pm; Sun. 10am-5pm. Local and national artists show works in ceramics, painting, photography and more.
www.artfestival.com.
Saturday, August 22
Free Family Flicks
Enoch Pratt Library Central Branch, 400 Cathedral St., 2pm. Featured film: The Tale of Despereaux.
Morning Canoe/Kayak Escape
Middle Branch Park, 3301 Waterview Ave., 10am. Pre-registration required; please call at least 24 hours in advance. Recommended for ages 5 and older. Registration is $5. 410-396-0440.
Free Movie Viewing at the Waverly Library
400 E. 33rd St., 12 noon. Feature: The Incredible Hulk.
Waterfront Invasion
Inner Harbor, 4pm. A free family-friendly event offering Waterfront Wiggle Concert Series featuring the St. Veronica’s Youth Steel Orchestra. www.waterfrontpartnership.org
Caregiver Information Fair
The Forum, 4210 Primrose Ave., 8am-3pm. Presented by The Baltimore City Commission on Aging and Retirement Education (CARE). The theme is "Empowerment Through Information." Light refreshments will be served. 410-396-1337.
Saving Our Sons Family Day
Leon Day Park, 1215 N. Franklintown Rd., 12pm-3pm. Enjoy sporting events, music, back to supplies, speakers, youth intervention and prevention services and more. www.projectleon.org.
Sunday, August 23
MICA Jewelry Center Open House
Meadow Mill, 3600 Clipper Mill Rd., noon-2pm. Learn more about the program, course and special events. 410-225-2219.
Tuesday, August 25
Motivational Author Jewel Diamond Taylor Book Discussion
Enoch Pratt Central Library Poe Room, 6:30pm. She’ll discuss the themes in her book, Shift Happens: The Main Thing is to Keep the Main Thing. 410-396-5430.
Upcoming/Ongoing
Learn Michael Jackson’ Thriller dance to raise funds for Dance Baltimore. Thrill Baltimore will join organizations worldwide to break into the Guinness Book of World Records with the largest performance of one dance by the most people at the same time in October. Free classes start Aug. 25, 6pm. RSVP at ttw09DanceBaltimore@gmail.com.
Volunteers are needed for The Baltimore Book Festival, Sept. 25-27. For more information, visit www.promotionandarts.com.
Food and goods vendors and entertainers are needed for the 4th Annual Led Sled Auto Show and Festival, Sept. 19, presented by the Brooklyn and Curtis Bay Coalition. For more info, call 410-355-1100.
East Baltimore Development/Biotechnology Park Initiative hosted by Congressman Elijah Cummings, Sept. 1, 7:30am-10am, Morgan State University Murphy Fine Arts Center. Must RSVP by 8/25 at 410-685-9199.
4th Annual It’s All About The Children Event, Sept. 5, 12pm-5pm, Carroll Park, 2100 Washington Blvd. Fun-filled day to learn more about adoption and foster parenting with food, fun, amusements, games and more. www.iflp.org 410-362-3758.
Charm City Run to Remember 5k Run & 1 Mile Walk, Sept. 11, Downtown, to benefit the Baltimore City Fire and Police Departments. www.charmcityrun.com or 410-561-3570.
Buying into Baltimore East Homebuying Fair & Neighborhood Tours, Sept. 12, Baltimore City College High School, 3220 The Alameda at 33rd St., 9am-2pm.
Join Live Baltimore for this free homebuying fair featuring tours of City neighborhoods and open homes for sale on the Eastern region of Baltimore City. Participants can get $3000 toward their new home in Baltimore City! For more information about the event or to register, visit www.livebaltimore.com/events.
Ukrainian Festival, September 12-13, Patterson Park at Linwood and Eastern avenues, Saturday noon-10pm and Sunday noon-9pm. A celebration featuring four dance groups, Ukrainian Easter Eggs demonstration, musicians, traditional crafts, Ukrainian beer garden and children's activities, 410-687-3465. www.ukrainianfestival.net.
Korean Festival, September 12-13, War Memorial Plaza at Fayette and Gay streets. A cultural program with traditional dances, tae kwon do demonstrations, games and more, Saturday 10am-6pm (tentative), , 410-625-2442. FREE www.koreansocietyofmd.org
Baltimore City Vendor Development Seminar Series for Minority and Women Business Enterprises, Small Business Resource Center, 1101 E. 33rd Street. Mondays: Sept. 14, Sept. 21, Sept. 28, Oct. 5 and Oct. 19, 6:00 – 8:00 pm. To expose minority-owned and women-owned businesses to the procedures for conducting business with the City of Baltimore. $25.00 per class/$100.00 for entire series. For course schedule and registration information, contact the Mayor’s Office of Minority and Women-Owned Business Development at 410-396-3818.
Federal Hill Street Beat Festival, September 20th, 11am-7pm.
Developing Good Credit in Tough Economic Times, Sept. 22, Enoch Pratt Central Library, 400 Cathedral St, Poe Room, 6pm. Baltimore CASH Campaign kicks off a series of free Financial Fitness workshops at the Pratt Library.
Learn how to read your credit report and get errors on your report fixed. Registration is FREE but space is limited to 30 participants per workshop. Call 410-234-2804 to register. www.baltimorecashcampaign.org
Baltimore Book Festival,
September 25-27,
Mount Vernon Place,
600 block of North Charles Street, Friday & Saturday 12-8pm and Sunday 12-7pm. The mid-Atlantic's premier celebration of the literary arts offers well-known authors, local bookstores, publishers, children's writers, storytellers, author signings, crafts, refreshments and entertainment.
Free legal services for non-profits through The Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service Community Development Project. It assists non-profits that engage in strengthening and revitalizing low to moderate-income communities. Assistance includes lease negotiations, organization and structural concerns, employment matters and more. Contact CDP Director Richard Chambers at 443-451-4064 or at richard@mvlslaw.org
Professional, business attire clothing donations are needed for The Bon Secours Outreach Center, which provides job readiness training. Clients need clothes and shoes for job interviews. tonia.mccoy@sba.gov 410-962-4392 ext. 316.
Assistance to help low-and fixed-income residents with cooling and heating bills is available through the Office of Home Energy Programs (OHEP). Call the OHEP hotline at 410-396-5555 or visit the office at 2700 N. Charles St.
Mentors Needed for Community Law In Action (CLIA) is organizing a new mentoring program to connect 100 young people with 100 adult mentors. The youth are all rising 9th and 10th grade students from four Baltimore City schools--Lemmel & Garrison Middle Schools and Forest Park & Douglas High Schools. Mentors must be over 20, live in the Baltimore Metro area, and be dedicated to mentor for at least one year. Angela Hanks at 410-706-3940 or anghanks@gmail.com.
Get a free Orioles ticket for your birthday. Any fan can get a free ticket to a game during the month of his or her birthday--unless the Orioles are playing the Yankees or Red Sox. Register online at www.orioles.com/birthdays and receive a voucher for a free birthday ticket.
MD HOPE (Home Owners Preserving Equity) State Hotline 1-877-462-7555. For assessment and possible referral to a housing counseling agency or a volunteer attorney for assistance in your foreclosure matter. www.mdhope.org
Conserve energy, save money and protect the environment with BGE’s PeakRewards program. If you have central air conditioning or an electric heat pump, you could save up to 15% year round in energy costs. www.bgesmartenergy.com/peakrewards
On Monday I was thrilled to join Councilman Bill Cole at the Sports Legends Museum at a press conference launching an effort to bring a Grand Prix Indy Car Race to Baltimore. On August 10th, the City Council adopted a resolution giving Baltimore Racing Development exclusive rights to negotiate with the Indy Racing League to bring the race to Baltimore. As currently proposed, the race would take drivers on a course through the streets around the Convention Center and stadium areas. Organizers say the event will not be branded as a race, but rather a “three-day festival of speed that’s family-affordable,” featuring concerts.
This is a pretty exciting prospect for Baltimore. Over a four-day period, the Grand Prix is projected to bring over 150,000 visitors to the City of Baltimore, generating $100 million for the economy of Baltimore and Maryland. Long Beach, California has thrived from the economic impact of Grand Prix Indy Car racing, and Mayor Bob Foster believes the race can enhance Baltimore’s image for prospective travelers and convention planners. 
Residents of Park Heights continue to make their neighborhood a better, safer and stronger place by planning and participating in community events. Last month, the Park Heights Renaissance Residents Advisory Council held a "Think Outside the Box" Health Fair encouraging residents to live an active and healthy life. Residents who attended the fair obtained health information, received free health tests and screenings and witnessed running and boxing clinics. The supporting partners for the event included Park Heights Renaissance Inc, Park Heights Community Health Alliance Inc, and Maryland Physician Care. 
Then, on August 4th, residents from northern and southern Park Heights joined together with the Northwest Police District to celebrate National Night Out as "One District, One Community, One Park Heights." Those in attendance obtained information from community resources, ate food and enjoyed a performance from the Baltimore Entertainers Marching Band while they celebrated the National Night Out Against Crime. This year's event was formed in partnership by the Northwest Police District, The New Park Heights Community Development Corporation and the Glen Neighborhood Improvement Association.