To view online go to: http://www.visitmaryland.org/Newsletter/Insights/06.10.09/index.html

The Washington National Opera (WNO) presented Giacomo Puccini's Turandot, June 2 at The Lyric Opera House in Baltimore. Pictured (l to r): Sandy Richmond, executive director of the Lyric; Placido Domingo, WNO general director and conductor of the performance; and Scott Johnson, chair of the Maryland State Arts Council.

NEWS IN BRIEF

Army-Navy classic returns to Maryland

The Army-Navy football game – returning to Maryland in 2011, 2014 and 2016 – is expected to provide the state with an economic boost of up to $22 million for each occasion, said Christian S. Johansson, secretary of the Department of Business and Economic Development.

M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore will be the site for the 2014 and 2016 contests. Baltimore last hosted the Army-Navy game in 2007. It has been the site of the annual rivalry four times since the series started in 1890. FedEx Field in Landover will host the 2011 game.

“Securing the Army-Navy Game in Baltimore, Maryland, is a monumental win for all the partners – the Baltimore Ravens, Department of Business and Economic Development, Maryland Stadium Authority and the City of Baltimore – who have been actively involved in the bid process from Day One,” said Terry Hasseltine, director of the Maryland Sports Marketing Office.

The 2014 game coincides with Maryland’s bicentennial celebration of the National Anthem – a major part of the state’s commemoration of the War of 1812 bicentennial. It will be “a wonderful opportunity to showcase Baltimore and remember its significant role in defending American freedom,” said John Morton, chairman of the Stadium Authority and a Naval Academy graduate.

ALTA Awards celebrate Maryland's cultural heritage

A well-known banjo maker, a popular Bavarian beer garden that re-opened in January and the documentary project at a Western Maryland school are the three recipients of this year's ALTA (Achievement in Living Traditions and the Arts) Awards. The honorees – to be saluted at the Maryland Traditions showcase event at the Creative Alliance in Baltimore, June 11 – represent an individual, place and tradition that epitomize Maryland's cultural heritage.

Hagerstown's George Wunderlich is an expert in minstrel-era music (mid-1800s), who crafts period-style banjos for musicians, museums, collectors and re-enactors throughout the world. Blob's Park & Bavarian Bier Garten, a Jessup landmark known for polka music, opened in 1933 and closed in 2007. However, the great-nephew of founder Max Blob has re-opened Blob's after renovations.

Students at a state-funded school in Western Maryland – nearly all from Amish or Mennonite backgrounds – documented their community, which led to the production of a book, Piece a Quilt of Gortner. Swan Meadow School of Oakland has 64 students in grades one through eight.

Alta Schrock is the namesake of the ALTA Awards. A native of Garrett County, Schrock, in 1944, became the first Menonnite woman in the U.S. to earn a doctorate (biology). She taught biology at Frostburg State University from 1960-1977.

Schrock also cultivated an interest in preserving Appalachian traditional-art forms. She established Spruce Forest Artisan Village, Penn Alps, the Springs Folk Festival and the Council of the Alleghenies. The council produces Journal of the Alleghenies, a publication that spotlights history, arts, literature and folklore of the region.

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Great Outdoors Month trumpets outdoor recreation in Maryland

Gov. Martin O'Malley has proclaimed June in Maryland as Great Outdoors Month, in conjunction with the American Recreation Coalition's annual celebration of outdoor recreation and natural resources.

"This is the third year that Maryland officially celebrates Great Outdoors Month," Gov. O'Malley said. "It's a reminder to all Marylanders to not only get outside, enjoy our parks, our forests and waterways, but to take some time to share Maryland's natural treasures with their children and families."

Great Outdoors Month coincides with a variety of yearly events, including: National Trails Day, National Get Outdoors Day, National Boating and Fishing Week, National Family Recreation Week and National Clean Beaches Week.

Last year, Gov. O'Malley established the Maryland Partnership for Children in Nature to promote opportunities for young people to connect with the natural world and become responsible stewards of the environment.

Check online for outdoor adventure, excursion ideas

The Tourism Office lists 55 hiking and biking options on its web site – from the nature trails on Assateague Island National Seashore to the towpath on the C&O Canal route along the Potomac River. This web site also has suggestions for golf, fishing, touring and water sports. Many of these activities are free.

Designers wrap up first stage of Tubman Park design

A design team headed by Baltimore-based architectural firm GWWO, Inc., is scheduled to complete a conceptual plan for the proposed Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park by the end of this month. The 17-acre park is located in Dorchester County, close to Cambridge and adjacent to Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge.

Maryland's Board of Public Works had authorized a $1.6 million design contract for the park in January. The facility would include a visitor center, memorial garden, exhibits, trails and picnic pavillions. It is being developed by the Maryland Departments of Natural Resources and Business and Economic Development, along with Dorchester County.

(READ MORE)

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AFI Silver Theatre presents annual Silverdocs festival, June 15-22

While attending a film festival in Amsterdam several years ago, Ray Barry recalls overhearing a conversation in which a few participants at the event mentioned plans to attend Silverdocs, the documentary-film festival held in Silver Spring every June. It was an indication of the success of Silverdocs, he says.

Barry is director of the AFI Silver Theatre and Culture Center, the home of Silverdocs. He's been with the American Film Institute for the past 30 years. During the late 1990s, he led AFI's effort to restore the Silver Theatre and create a new film-exhibition facility.

(READ MORE)

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Help persuade the U.S. Congress to support arts funding
A bill that provides a $15 million increase for the National Endowment for the Arts is on its way toward final consideration by Congress. A House subcommittee approved the increase this morning. Support NEA funding with a letter to Congress.

Celebrate June with free events
Launch the summer by taking advantage of the many free things to do in Maryland. Check the Tourism Office web site for a listing of free events in the “Free State.” Or, stop by a Maryland Welcome Center and pick up a rack card that lists 38 free events just in June.

Visitors get free entry to Civil War battlefield on three weekends
The National Park Service is offering free admission to Antietam National Battlefield in Sharpsburg during three weekends this summer: June 20-21, July 18-19 and Aug. 15-16. Antietam is the site of the deadliest one-day battle in American history. Approximately 23,000 soldiers were killed, wounded or missing after 12 hours of combat on Sept. 17, 1862.

Restroom at Baltimore hotel in running for national recognition
Tremont Plaza Hotel in Baltimore is one of the ten finalists for having the "best public restroom" in the nation. The Tremont was recognized for its "extensive use of imported marble, grand columns, chandeliers and hand-carved woodwork." The public is invited to vote online through July 31 in the 8th annual national contest sponsored by Cintas Corporation. Last year, the Hermitage Hotel in Nashville won the vote. A 2009 winner will be announced in August.

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