 September National
Football League If
it’s fall and you’re ready for some football, count on the National Football League to deliver non-stop grid action,
leading to playoffs, and the incomparable Super Bowl. The NFL has come a long way since its 1920 founding in Canton, Ohio
at Ralph Hay’s Hupmobile dealership. NFL action was first televised in 1939 when NBC broadcast within New York City.
The NFL’s Longest Day was on Christmas, 1971, in a playoff between the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins, and Miami’s
17-0 Perfect Season unfolded the following year. But that’s history, and prospects for new milestones start in September.
College Football
NCAA Football, created in 1997 to promote college football
ideals, makes no bones about the importance of each game. Losing at any time during the season can thwart a team's chances
for postseason action or an NCAA Championship. No wonder NCAA Football marketers have adopted a tagline of "NCAA Football:
Every Game Counts."
Irish Festival Baltimore enjoys traditional dancing, food, crafts and performances
in celebration of its Irish heritage, at the Fifth Regiment Armory, 29th Division Street at Howard and Preston Streets. For
more information call (410) 747-6868.
Grandparents Day at the Baltimore Museum of Industry
Museum of Industry celebrates National Grandparents Day, where kids and grandparents
activities (free with discounted admission) include hands-on activity making keepsake memory books. Call (410) 727-4808 for
more information.
Baltimore
Book Festival
Enjoy
poetry readings, cookbook demonstrations and an assortment of literary presentations by authors and other exhibitors, accompanied
by food, beer and local Maryland wines, at Mount Vernon Place, in the 600 block of North Charles Street. For more information
call (410) 452-8632.
Atlantic Stampede
Take
a side trip down to Gaithersburg, just north of Washington, D.C., for the annual gay rodeo, which in addition to the traditional
rodeo events, includes some special events like steer decorating, at the Montgomery Fairgrounds. For more information call
(410) 547-9590. National
Hockey League The
National Hockey League’s rough and tumble world packs a motherlode of milestones, from 1917’s NHL opener, to when
Maurice Richard was first to score 50 goals in one season in 1944-45, to when Clint Benedict was the first goalie to put on
a mask after a shot knocked him unconscious, to when Manon Rheaume made headlines in 1992 as the first woman playing in one
of the four major sports leagues, goaltending for the Tampa Bay Lightning against the St. Louis Blues. From October on, it’s
non-stop action in the world of hat tricks -- three goals in a game by a player -- and sudden death overtime. Baltimore International Rhythm and Drumming Society (B.I.R.D.S.) Festival Enjoy
a variety of programs in and around St. John’s Church to promote world peace through percussion. For more information
call (410) 893-4439. Maryland Oktoberfest
Polka dancing, brass bands, authentic
food and the best beer around are what this annual festival is all about at the Fifth Regiment Armory. For more information
call (410) 752-8632. Taste of Baltimore Highlighting Baltimore foods, wines, family fun, and musical
entertainment, Taste of Baltimore showcases radio personalities and more than 70 area restaurants with a sampling pavilion
in Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Call (410) 296-1019 for more information.
November
National Basketball Association Toronto, Canada was the site of the National Basketball League's
first game on Nov. 1, 1946, with the Huskies hosting the New York Knickerbockers at Maple Leaf Gardens. Thirteen original
rules were drafted by Dr. James Naismith, creator of basketball. Pro basketball suffered in popularity in the early 1950's,
but one rule change -- that of the 24-second clock -- transformed the sport from a dull, stalling game to an exciting, offensive
showcase. Icons along the way, from Bob Cousy and Wilt Chamberlain to Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Michael Jordan, have immortalized
what's now the National Basketball Association's game, creating long-standing rivalries from coast to coast.
College Basketball First devised by James Naismith in 1891, with the first recorded collegiate
game in 1893, legions testify there’s no sound so soothing as a basketball whooshing through the net after a flick of
the wrist. NCAA basketball brings grass roots hoop dreams to an entirely new level each fall, building toward March Madness,
the NCAA Division Basketball Championships. George Mason Patriots,
Georgetown Hoyas, Maryland Terrapins, Morgan State Bears, Navy Midshipmen, Towson Tigers, American Eagles, CUA Cardinals,
Coppin State Eagles, Gaucher Gophers, George Washington Colonials, Howard Bison, Loyola College Greyhounds, UMBC Retrievers
MicroCineFest Skizz Cyzyk presents the most offbeat but promising films
he can find, produced by the most talented directors with the least financial backing, at the G Spot in Hampden. For more
information call (410) 243-5307.
Festival of Trees
The Maryland
State Fairgrounds in Timonium displays an “enchanted forest” of over 100 trees decorated by local artists, to
benefit thousands of children with brain disorders at the Krieger Kennedy Institute. For more information call (443) 923-7300.
Evergreen’s
Carriage House Holiday Sale Evergreen’s
Carriage House will sell items from 21 area museums, with proceeds benefiting the educational programs of the contributors.
For more information call (410) 516-0341.
December Washington Monument Lighting Ceremony
Baltimore begins the holiday
season with free refreshments, concerts by local school choirs and a fireworks display, at Charles Street and Mount Vernon
Place. For more information call (410) 244-1030. Night of 1,000 ELVISes Benefiting
the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, this multi-talented event features 40-plus acts on three stages at the Luthuanian
Hall, with no Elvis song duplicated. Call (888) 494-9558 for more information. Lighted
Boat Parade Decorated
boats light up the Inner Harbor. For more information call (800) HARBOR-1. New Year’s
Eve at Inner Harbor Ice
skating, the annual Masque Parade of gigantic papier-mache puppets, and an outdoor street party all over the downtown area
are an annual tradition, beginning at 10 PM. For more information call (410) 752-8632.
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