Around the City
By Mary P. Felter
Very soon it will be time to get your flower basket filled and on your front door. The Garden Club of Olde Annapolis Towne will sponsor its 53rd annual May Day celebration on May 1. Downtown Annapolis (including businesses, restaurants, public buildings, and private residents’ doors) will be decorated with beautiful flower baskets, to be judged by volunteers in various categories between 10 a.m. and noon. Janet Hall is chairman and Alex Tower Sears is co-chairman this year. Adult ribbon winners will be invited to a tea to be held at the Paca House Gardens on May 5.
Any basket must be on display and easily seen from the streets before 10 a.m. Dried and artificial flowers are prohibited, Alex said. Businesses can arrange flowers in containers related to their businesses. Residential arrangements must be in baskets. Your sons and daughters (under age 12) can enter their own baskets, and all children win and receive pink ribbons and lollipops. Be sure the child’s full name, address and age are on the basket. Adult baskets also must contain a name and address card.
This Annapolis tradition has been adopted by many other cities across the country and is a popular way to greet spring! Need some flower help? You can shop at the Four Rivers Garden Club’s annual flower mart (a tradition for more than 65 years) from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. the day before at the park near the Market House at the City Dock area. Co-chairmen are Susan Aherne and Joyce Donlon. A Master Gardener will attend to answer your questions and give advice. The sale will have pre-made beautiful May baskets, fresh cut flowers for you to make your own May baskets, and native plants and perennials, many from members’ personal gardens. Also available will be herbs, baked goods, home and garden items, and a raffle. Proceeds benefit community projects by the club, the oldest garden club in the county.
On June 7 from 8 to 11 p.m. the Next Generation of the Mitchell Gallery at St. John’s College will present its “pARTy Beneath the Stars,” a festive fundraiser with a silent art auction to benefit the gallery’s education fund. Kathy Dulisse is organizing the event with lively Latin music, food, and drink. It celebrates the “Image and Imagination: Anne Arundel County Juried Exhibition” at the gallery. Call Kathy at 410-626-2530 or e-mail Kathy.dulisse@sjca.edu for information. Kathy sent me a note that “The Next Generation strives to cultivate the future patrons and leaders of the gallery by encouraging membership and participation in the cultural, social and educational offerings” at the gallery and the college. If you would like to join, Kathy can help you.
I’m excited to see there will be the third annual Home and Garden Tour sponsored by the Eastport Civic Association from 1 to 5 p.m. June 22. Phyllis Emmett, chairman, says the Annapolis Maritime Museum in Eastport is tour headquarters. Participating homes and gardens encompass the museum’s surrounding areas on Chester, Chesapeake, 2nd and 3rd streets. In early March about a dozen homes and a garden were slated, with a mix of architectural styles. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 that day with proceeds to benefit local charities and community improvement projects. Phyllis expects to have information about ticket sales on the Web site at
http://eastportcivic.org shortly.
The ECA sponsors this event “to further its mission of safeguarding the residential and maritime quality of Eastport and engaging in activities that promote, improve and protect the civic interest and well being of the community.”
Also serving on the committee are Lee Finney, Jane Lawrence, Rosemary Freitas, Patsy Helmetag, Dretta Peterson, Linda Hughes, Marcia Marshall, Shelley Row, Janine Barbacane and Jean McCoy.
“I’m pretty excited that we will have another interesting tour and to highlight why Eastport is an appealing place to live,” Phyllis says.
A beloved teacher recently was honored by Ballet Theatre of Maryland when it presented “Annapolis Anthologies,” a full-length ballet created for the Annapolis Charter 300 celebrations, in April at Maryland Hall. This original production focuses on the story of the late Grace Clark, a courageous and talented Annapolis woman who gave African Americans the opportunity to explore the freedom of expression through dance. For more than 40 years she taught students from all cultural backgrounds at her studio on Franklin Street and Southgate Avenue. At the ballet, vignettes from the lives of students impacted by Grace came together on the stage.
The Annapolis Chorale’s Music Director J. Ernest Green appeared with Metropolitan Opera star Denyce Graves when he conducted the nation’s official observance of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday in a standing-room-only mega-concert at the Kennedy Center. Also performing were members of the National Symphony Orchestra, the red-hot string duo Nuttin by Stringz and a 150-voice gospel choir. Sounds like it was a massive success.
Students, faculty and staff at Severn School in Severna Park were excited to learn alumna Jess Adam scored the game-winning goal in the Duke University women’s lacrosse game against Maryland on March 1. She also had the assist that tied the game. Final score was 14-13. Jess, a junior middlefielder, is the daughter of Harriet and Bryan Adam of Linstead.
Denise Tray Rosson, alumni director, said Severn is hosting its Alumni Weekend May 2 to 5 at the school with a luncheon in the new Edward St. John Athletic Center followed by induction of alumni into the Athletic Hall of Fame, all on that Friday. Saturday will feature the alumni family picnic of the Boone House Lawn, with the alumni dinner in the athletic center that night, as well as lacrosse games. Sunday festivities include the Kesmodel-Lindsey Brunch for Classes of 1968 and back, and a 5K Family Fun Run: Salute the Legends, in honor of the late David Snyder, Class of 2008, who was a freshman when he was killed by a drunk driver. Monday will find alumni, school friends and others playing in the Admiral’s Cup Golf outing at Renditions golf course. Mike Cauley, dad of Jack Cauley, Class of 2012, is chairman of the golf event. For reservations for the weekend activities (including the golf), see
www.severnschool.com.
Please send your good news to mfelter@WhatsUpMag.com; call (410) 267-9390, Ext. 128; or send mail to her at What’s Up? Publishing Group, 929 West St., Suite 208A, Annapolis, MD 21401.