It will be a weekend of festivities in Baltimore. Many will be honoring the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., from free museum lectures to parades. There will also be several events celebrating Edgar Allan Poe, whose birthday is Sunday.
Here are just some of the things you can check out this long weekend.
Thursday, Jan. 16
Baltimore Honky-Tonk
Waverly Brewing Company (which has had a rough week) regularly holds honky-tonk nights. Put on your two-stepping shoes and dance to Corey Arceneaux and the Zydeco Hot Peppers. There will be a free dance lesson around 6:45 p.m., so no prior experience is needed. Capt’n Crabby will also be on site in case you work up an appetite.
Time: 7-10 p.m.
The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.
Location: Waverly Brewing Company (1625 Union Ave.)
Cost: A sliding scale of $15 to $25.
Read More
Family friendly? Yes, if you feel OK bringing kids to a brewery.
Cinematic Suds
Peabody Heights Brewery is launching a new monthly film series, according to their Instagram. They are inviting folks to “grab a pint and enjoy works from local film makers,” including Alexa Bristol, Corey Hughes, Shaawan Francis Keahna and Sieu Sun. This month’s theme is experimental narratives. Get there early and partake in a pop-up from Thai Restaurant that’ll run from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Time: 7 p.m.
The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.
Location: Peabody Heights Brewery (401 E. 30th St.)
Cost: Free, except for the pint and food.
Family friendly? It’s unclear what the movies are rated, so Iet’s keep the kids at home.
Friday, Jan. 17
Smut Slam Baltimore: Let Them Eat Cake
Smut Slam is a storytelling open mic where the audience gets to tell their “best real-life, first-person, consensual sex stories,” according to the Bluebird Cocktail Room website. Each slam has a theme, and this month’s is “Let Them Eat Cake.”
Longtime Smut Slam producer and burlesque performer Diva Darling will be the “femme-cee.”
The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.
Time: 8-11 p.m.
Location: Bluebird Cocktail Room (3600 Hickory Ave.)
Cost: $20 in advance, $25 at the door.
Family friendly? No.
Edgar Allan Poe Birthday Open House
Enoch Pratt Free Library is inviting Baltimoreans to celebrate Poe’s birthday in the Poe Room. The library will display a selection of prints, reproductions, rare books and original manuscripts, and attendees will have the opportunity to solve a cryptogram puzzle. Winners will get to take home a special print of their choice.
The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.
Time: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Location: Central Library (400 Cathedral St.)
Cost: Free.
Family friendly? It says the age group is “adults.”
Saturday, Jan. 18
An Evening of Poetry at Bird in Hand
The Ivy Bookshop is hosting an evening with local poets at the Bird in Hand coffee shop and bookstore in Charles Village. Poets including Linda Rabben, Liz Hazen, Traci O’Dea, Sam Schmidt, Virginia Crawford and Steven Leyva will read poems about Valentine’s Day.
The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.
Rabben will also be debuting a new collection of poems, “Book of Changes.”
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: Bird in Hand (11 E. 33rd St.)
Cost: Free.
Family friendly? Yes.
The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration with Unique Robinson
Poet and professor Unique Robinson is hosting a celebration of MLK’s legacy through a selection of poetry readings and musical performances. Local singer and songwriter Esi Abercrombie, spoken-word and hip-hop artist Black Chakra and The Storage Unit Collective will also perform.
Robinson is the director of Maryland Institute College of the Art’s MFA Community Arts Program and a lifelong activist and poet. Her work focuses on “the power of language to transmute systemic harm,” according to the Walters Art Museum website.
Time: 2-3:30 p.m.
Location: Walters Art Museum (600 N. Charles St.)
Cost: Free, but registration is required.
Family friendly? It might be better to keep kids at home, as “the language in this program may not be suitable for all audiences.”
Sunday, Jan. 19
Edgar Allan Poe Birthday Weekend Baltimore Bus Tour
Celebrate Poe’s birthday by exploring the mystery surrounding his death. The 2-hour tour includes the Westminster Hall and Burying Ground, the hospital where he died and Gunner’s Hall. It will end at the Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum. (Make sure to check the website for availability.)
Time: Varies.
Location: Tours leave from the Baltimore Visitor Center (401 Light St.)
Cost: $49 to $79
Family friendly? Yes.
B&O Railroad Museum’s Celebration of Freedom Weekend
Rev. Alvin C. Hathaway Sr. will headline the B&O Railroad Museum’s “Celebration of Freedom” weekend, during which he will give a lecture on the life of civil rights leader Thurgood Marshall and his achievements as a lawyer and a judge. Admission is usually $12 for children, $17 for seniors and $20 for adults, but entrance to the museum will be free starting 1 p.m. on Sunday.
The museum will also have a special educational programming and other family-friendly activities on Monday, including “From Slavery to Civil Rights: The African American Railroading Legacy Public Tour.”
Time: 2-3:30 p.m., followed by light refreshments
Location: B&O Railroad Museum (901 W. Pratt St.)
Cost: Free.
Family friendly? Yes.
Monday, Jan. 20
Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade
Marching bands, color guard troopers, local leaders and performers will walk south on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard starting from the corner of North Eutaw Street to pay tribute to the civil rights leader. Baltimore City Solicitor Ebony Thompson will serve as Grand Marshall.
Time: 12 p.m.
Location: Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard
Cost: Free.
Family friendly? Yes.
King Day at Reginald F. Lewis Museum
The Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture will celebrate King Day with free admission for “An Era of Creative Maladjustment.” A main stage panel discussion hosted by historian and Morgan State University archivist Ida Jones will explore “healing and active solutions in the dawn of a new political era,” according to its website. Visitors can also learn about the legacy of local activist Walter P. Carter from his daughter, former Maryland Sen. Jill P. Carter, take in dance performances and attend holistic workshops.
Time: 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Location: Reginald F. Lewis Museum (830 E. Pratt St.)
Cost: Free; register here.
Family friendly? Yes.
MLK Dare to Dream Day
The American Visionary Art Museum is hosting an all-day festival to honor the civil rights leader’s legacy. There will be a live music lineup, dance performances and an open mic. Tour guides will also be available and there will be a special scavenger hunt, according to the museum’s website.
Time: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Location: American Visionary Art Museum (800 Key Highway)
Cost: Free.
Family friendly? Yes.
Comments
Welcome to The Banner's subscriber-only commenting community. Please review our community guidelines.