Governor Martin O'Malley welcomed federal legislation in support of a national park honoring Harriet Tubman, an ardent abolitionist and legendary leader of the Underground Railroad.

"The new Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park Visitors Center will provide a long overdue, permanent tribute and gateway into the life of the Maryland-born American patriot whose courage, leadership and legacy serve today as a model for us all," Governor O'Malley said.

"Thanks to the efforts of Senators Benjamin Cardin and Barbara Mikulski," he said, "our partnership with the federal government will greatly enhance Maryland's efforts to help people of all walks of life appreciate and explore Harriet Tubman’s historic journey."

Governor O'Malley has committed $1.6 million in the FY 2009 budget to finance the center’s design, which will serve as a national model and destination for sustainable and environmentally sensitive building. The architectural team to design the visionary center will be selected next month.

The federal legislation authorizes up to $11 million in grants and calls for parks to be built in both Maryland and New York. Maryland's park will depict Tubman's early life and her development of the Underground Railroad. A park in Auburn, N.Y., will evoke Tubman's later life.

Fort McHenry presents its annual Defenders Day celebration, "A Star-Spangled Banner Weekend," Sept. 12-14. Re-enactors, parades, bands and fireworks – including a simulated ship-to-shore bombardment of the fort – will mark the 194th anniversary of Baltimore’s successful stand against invading British forces during the War of 1812’s Chesapeake Campaign.

The following weekend, Sept. 20-21, Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum in Calvert County hosts the yearly Grand Tactical – the largest annual War of 1812 re-enactment in North America. In addition to a Sunday-morning simulated invasion by British tall ships, the Grand Tactical will depict the Battles of Bladensburg, North Point and St. Leonard’s Creek – which is on the site of the 560-acre park.

"Having these consecutive-weekend events is a major boost for the Tourism Office's campaign to raise public awareness and interest in upcoming War of 1812 commemoration activities," said Margot Amelia, the office's executive director.

War of 1812 re-enactments at Fort McHenry's Defenders Day festivities this weekend and next weekend at Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum in Calvert County reflect the rising level of activity linked to Maryland’s celebration of the war’s bicentennial anniversary.

For Bill Pencek, these are busy times. Working in Maryland's Tourism, Film and the Arts office, Pencek is director of cultural and heritage tourism. He’s also executive director of the 1812 Bicentennial Commission, a panel that Governor Martin O'Malley created last year to plan and promote bicentennial events.

The commission's first year has been on schedule, Pencek says. "We've reached out to communities across the state through public meetings and have established partnerships with our stakeholders – those who have interests or resources tied to bicentennial activities." Maryland has more than 300 sites associated with the War of 1812, he adds.

The bicentennial is one of three major cultural-tourism initiatives that Pencek and other TFA staff are developing. The Civil War's sesquicentennial, or 150th anniversary, and Harriet Tubman-related projects are the others. (see related story for more information.)

"All of these efforts have enduring significance," Pencek says. "It's not just about looking back – it's looking forward by channeling our efforts for resource conservation, community re-vitalization and economic development through tourism."

He also notes how the Maryland Byways program relates to the three initiatives. "The byways are the connective tissue," he says.

"Change is inevitable," Pencek says, noting his longtime interest in preservation, "but finding creative and appropriate ways to generate economic value from the natural and cultural riches we've inherited makes it far easier to preserve the best of Maryland."

The Maryland State Arts Council has four new councilors – Barbara Bershon, Nilimma Devi, Nancy Haragan and Susanna Nemes – who are now on the 17-member panel that governs the Arts Council’s operations.

Bershon has four major issues that she'd like to address as a councilor: increase access to the arts; create a marketing plan for making Maryland an arts destination; develop regional film location offices; and provide a way for major musical artists to perform in venues not close to metropolitan areas. She is executive director of the summertime River Concert Series at St. Mary’s College and a professor in St. Mary’s psychology department.

Devi is a Maryland Traditions artist and a recipient of an Arts Council’s Individual Artist Award in 2007 for dance. She is founder and director of the Nilimma Devi Dance Theater and the Sutradhar Institute of Dance and Related Arts in Silver Spring.

Haragan has been executive director of the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance since its inception in 2001. She is interested in determining with her co-councilors "how we can get louder in the crowded marketplace to broaden audiences for arts and culture programs."

Hannah Byron, assistant secretary for Tourism, Film and the Arts, will attend the festival's opening night celebration at the Avalon. The opening features Flash Genius – a film based on the true story of college professor and part-time inventor Robert Kearns and his struggle with the U.S. auto industry to win recognition for the invention of intermittent windshield wipers.

A Saturday night screening of Gore Vidal's 1964 film, The Best Man, will be followed by a discussion moderated by CNN's Lucy Spiegel, which includes Birch Bayh, the former U.S. senator from Indiana and presidential candidate.

Talbot County arts advocate Marie U'Ren is director of the festival and independent filmmaker Doug Sadler is its artistic director.

Charles County has a new water-trails guide that depicts four paddling routes along the county’s Potomac River shoreline, according to Donna Dudley, director of Charles County Economic Development and Tourism.

Designed primarily for kayakers and canoeists, the guide charts trips for Mallows Bay, Friendship Farm Park, Mattawoman Creek and the Port Tobacco River. It also includes information about natural, historic and cultural resources near the trails.

To obtain a free copy of the guide, visit the Charles County Tourism web site or call 1-800-766-3386 to request a mailed copy.

Eyre Bus, Tour and Travel received the International Motor Coach Group’s 2008 Operator of the Year Award. The Glenelg-based company has been in business for nearly 60 years.

International arrivals to the Washington, D.C., Virginia and Maryland region grew by 7 percent in 2007 and spending in the region increased 15 percent to $1.05 billion, according to Matt Gaffney, president and CEO of Capital Region USA (CRUSA) � a partnership of the Maryland Tourism Office, Virginia Tourism Corporation, and the Washington, D.C. Convention and Tourism Corporation. Take advantage of this market by checking CRUSA�s cooperative marketing opportunities.

Arts Advocacy Group Stages National Conference This Week
Staff members of the Maryland State Arts Council are in Chattanooga, Tn., for the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA)’ annual conference, Sept. 10-13. Located in Washington, D.C., NASAA works on federal, state and local levels to advocate for the arts as an integral element in the educational, economic and cultural spheres of communities throughout the nation.

Appalachian Festival Highlights Regional Folk Culture
Frostburg State University presents its third annual Appalachian Festival, Sept. 19-20. The weekend event in Frostburg – partially funded by the Maryland State Arts Council – features performers and artisans, as well as an opening-day symposium about the Appalachian natural environment and an Appalachian film festival. A series of workshops and arts & crafts demonstrations are scheduled for Saturday, followed by an evening concert at the Palace Theatre featuring Robin and Linda Williams and Their Fine Group. Contact Kara Rogers Thomas, 301-687-3124, for information.

Two Events planned for Michael Phelps Celebration, October 4
- Parade of Gold: Starting at 3:00 p.m., the parade will go through Towson, MD, beginning at the intersection of York Road and Burke Avenue, continuing down York Road and through the Rodgers Forge neighborhood where Michael grew up and where his mother, Debbie, still resides.
- Star-Spangled Salute to Michael Phelps: Phelps and the Maryland Olympians will be honored at Fort McHenry. Beginning at 7:00 p.m., the public will be part of a Star-Spangled Salute with a evening of music and fireworks.

Save the Date: Tourism Conference, Nov. 10-12 at Gaylord
The Maryland Governor’s Tourism Industry Conference will be at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, Nov. 10-12. Gaylord is the anchor of the new National Harbor project overlooking the Potomac River in Prince George’s County. Members of the Maryland Tourism Council (MTC) can attend at a reduced rate. For MTC membership information, call Amy Winston at 443-370-7989.

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