OCTOBER 2001

President's Message:

Lot's going on this month! An annual favorite, the "Artists and Fun" BHA General Meeting, (Wednesday, October 3rd), will feature some artists few of us have seen before and clue us in on the hot local art scene. Nancy Linden and Kini Collins show their work, but are also collaborating on a project with the Creative Alliance, where Megan Hamilton is the Program Director. And Keri Burneston is the one responsible for the elaborate costumes used in Fluid Movement Productions (you can see another one at the end of this month-the Loch Ness - hmmm!). And don't miss the Fells Point Fun Festival this weekend, October 6-7.

There is a big Baltimore Homecoming clean-up on Saturday the 13th, which is a perfect fit for preparing for our House Tour the next day. Please make every effort to rake, sweep, pull weeds and generally clean up, not only your immediate area, but all of Butchers Hill. Then invite friends and neighbors to join you on the great Tour we have planned this October 14th. Six of the homes have never been featured before. Tickets at the reduced advance price will be available at the October 3rd meeting. Check this newsletter for details on all these events.
--Sue Noonan

THE BHA HOUSE TOUR:
"AN INSIDER'S VIEW"

In any season, it's a pleasant pastime to stroll the tree-lined streets of Butchers Hill and admire its unique architecture. But the opportunity to glimpse the interiors of these houses happens just once a year. Your chance to do so this year is Sunday, October 14th, from noon to 5, when the Butchers Hill Association sponsors its annual House Tour.

Aptly called "An Insider's View," the Tour showcases a variety of houses and decorating styles and reflects the diversity of the homeowners-young singles, forty-something professional couples, families, and empty-nesters are all represented. Decorating styles range from traditional elegance to fabulously funky. The House Tour is ideal for those who may be neighborhood-shopping in preparation for a move to the City, as well as for homeowners looking for rehab and decor ideas.

Tickets for the House Tour are $8 in advance, and $10 on the day of the event. The Tour begins at the White House, just inside the Patterson Park gates at Lombard Street and Patterson Park Avenue. Contact House Tour co-chairs Gregory Maley (410-563-0678) or Sue Noonan (410-522-6773) for advance tickets or more information. Advance tickets are also available at the Fells Point offices of O'Conor, Piper & Flynn and Long & Foster.

Sunday, October 14th
Noon to 5, tickets $8.00
White House, Patterson Park

BHA COMMITTEE CHAIRS, COMMITTEE REPORTS, AND MONTHLY MEETINGS

Block Rep/Crime Prevention: Wednesday, October 17th, 7 p.m., 2105 E. Baltimore St. The committee meets monthly to share information from our 20 block representatives and to coordinate action. Contact: Carolyn Boitnott, 410-522-4991, e-mail c.boitnott@verizon.net.
Crime Stats: Officer Penn has supplied us a comparison of crime for our neighborhood, comparing the first 8 months of this year with last year. Overall there is a slight decrease in crime. The total indexed crime is 143 this year, 145 last year; that is broken down into violent crime: 37 this year / 41 last year, and property crime: 106 this year / 104 last year. The shift on which there are the most reports of crime is the 4-12 Midnight . Residential burglary increased from 23 last year to 32 this year, robbery decreased from 25 to 18, auto theft is down by one and aggravated assault up by one.

Butchers Hill Citizens on Patrol (C.O.P.) conducts its walk-around on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of this month. We meet at 7:30 p.m. at the
intersection of Patterson Park Avenue and Lombard Street. All are welcome. For more information, please contact Evan Helfrich at 410-342-2148.

Education: Larcia Premo (410-675-5634).

Community Representative, School 27 School Improvement Team: Carolyn Boitnott, 410-522-4991.

Land Use: Virgil Bartram (410-327-4964). The Land Use Committee would like to remind homeowners in the 2100 and 2200 blocks of E. Baltimore Street and the 2200 block of E. Pratt Street that you live in a City historic district. All exterior work and painting must be submitted to
CHAP and Butchers Hill. We are always happy to help with any questions you may have. Call Virgil Bartram: 410-327-4964. CHAP's number is 410-396-4866.

Marketing Committee: No meeting in October. Contact Rick Gilmour 410-342-7061 gilmour@mdo.net.

Trash Committee: Tuesday, October 30th, 7 p.m., 2127 E. Baltimore St. (The committee meets the last Tuesday of each month.) We work with the Sanitation Dept. to help keep Butchers Hill streets clean. Contact Sue Whitson, 410-522-3932, e-mail sbwhitson@hotmail.com. We need more residents to join the trash committee. Our numbers are dwindling and we would like to keep the committee alive. If you have bulk trash items that were not picked up (after you made the proper arrangements), please call Sue Whitson to report the location and items that were missed.

Streetscape: Wednesday, October 24th at 7, 2214 E. Pratt St. (The committee meets the fourth Wednesday of each month.) Contact Noel Brown (410-534-8057), brownnola@aol.com

Book Club: The October selection is The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. Discussion will be at 21 N. Collington on Wednesday, October 24th at 7 p.m. November will be a chance for everyone to bring (or write) a poem to be shared with the Book Club.

BHA Executive Committee: Tuesday, October 16 at 7, 2029 E. Pratt St. Sue Noonan, 410-522-6773.

Newsletter: The deadline for the November Newsletter is Friday, October 26th. Drop off written items at 103 S. Chester St. Contact Steve, 410-342-3842, young@umbc.edu; e-mail text only, no attached files.

OCTOBER BHA GENERAL MEETING
Wednesday, October 3rd. Coffee & cookies, 6:45 p.m. Meeting 7:00 p.m. St. Andrew's Church hall, corner of Chester & Lombard Sts. (entrance on Lombard). Contact: Sue Noonan, 410-522-6773.

AGENDA:
7:00: a brief BHA business meeting;
7:15: ARTISTS AND FUN: Howie Ehrenfeld emcees unique local artists and their art, plus the low-down on local art connections.. Followed by a wine and cheese reception.

ARTISTS AND FUN
It's October, which means it's the annual BHA Artists and Fun meeting! Howie Ehrenfeld, a local artist is our MC for the evening, and has arranged a fascinating program not only highlighting the vibrant local art scene, but showing its connections to our community. We'll hear from Megan Hamilton, Program Director of the Creative Alliance, about the Patterson Center for the Arts being developed at the old Patterson Park Theatre. Kini Collins, now with Friends of Patterson Park, will show and discuss her own art. Artist Nancy Linden will share her work as well. Keri Burneston, a visual artist with training in painting and drawing and founder of Fluid Movement, will explore the performance world and tell how you can get involved. Finally, the "Barbie Window." For everyone who has ever wondered about the seasonal Barbie display window on Lombard Street, meet Linda Goodwin and Tracey Smyser! They'll tell us how they got started, show us some of the past windows, and talk about their plans for the future. All followed by wine and cheese. So don't miss this meeting!

At the September meeting, an ad hoc committee was formed to find a use for the four adjacent empty lots on the 2100 block of E. Fairmount Ave. There are currently two suggestions under consideration: a Community Technology Center and a Fitness Center. We would like to have additional ideas and invite everyone in the community to participate. Please either call (410-558-1080) or e-mail (bha@charm.net) Barry Glassman with your ideas. The committee hopes to make a formal recommendation to the membership within the next few months.

DUMPSTER DAY, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13TH, UNIT BLOCK S. COLLINGTON AVE.
This will be a great day to get our neighborhood ready for the House Tour (Sunday, October 14th.) In addition to the regular dumpster day events, it is also Baltimore City's clean-up day. Mayor O'Malley has given us access to any rakes, gloves and trash bags that we can use for the clean up. I am looking for as many volunteers as possible to help clean the streets, parks, and alleys of our neighborhood. If you are interested, please give Susan a call at (410) 522-3932 or e-mail me at sbwhitson@hotmail.com.

I want to give special thanks to Evan Helfrich. The last dumpster day that our neighborhood had, Evan was the only volunteer that showed up to drive around the neighborhood with me. We picked up everything from a plastic trash can that had been set on fire to a rug that had been sitting in an alley for months (we received an extra surprise when we discovered that the rug was wrapped around crab shells).
THANKS EVAN!!!

Speaking of trash, did you know that hauling stuff to the dump is much easier these days? City residents don't need any special permits (and are not charged any fees) to use the various sanitation yards, as long as your vehicle is no larger than an unmodified 3/4 ton pickup (like a Ford Ranger). The closest transfer station to us is the Eastern Sanitation Yard, 6101 Bowley's Lane (just off Moravia Road), which is open for small haulers from 9 to 1, Monday through Saturday. For more information, check the DPW website: www.baltimorecity.gov/government/dpw/waste.html, or call 410-396-8450.

Also, you can schedule BULK TRASH pickup on line now (rather than calling in); there is a BULK TRASH SERVICE REQUEST form at www.baltimorecitydpw.com/solidwaste/bulk.asp.

Butchers Hill Family Fun night at the Rec Center resumes on October, 12th, 6:30-8 p.m. Call Carolyn for more information: 410-522-4991.

HAZARDOUS WASTE: Saturday, October 27th, is one of the City's two Household Hazardous Waste (paint, solvents, car batteries, etc.) drop-off days. Call for this year's drop-off locations: 410-396-5916.

COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD

Portrait of a Neighborhood
The Creatures and Features of Butchers Hill
Illustrations by Martha Simons
October 8th through November 3rd
Simon's Pub & Eatery, 2031 E. Fairmount Avenue
Opening Reception Tuesday, October 9th, 6 to 9 p.m.

In celebration of the annual October House Tour, Martha Simons is featuring images created right here in our own neighborhood. You've seen her work on the House Tour posters. Now take a sneak peak with her at some of the interesting features of neighborhood homes and a sampling of the warm and fuzzy creatures that share our lives. Her wildly colorful digitally enhanced prints will be juxtaposed with original line drawings of houses from the tour. Martha is a graduate of Indiana University School of Fine Art where she studied Painting and Costume Design. She has been creating and exhibiting digital images for three years. A Butchers Hill resident, she enjoys city life with her dog Stella and three cats, Trixie, Shelton and Sammy Sosa.

Artists Wanted: If you're interested in showing your art at Simon's Pub, please contact Carole Poppleton at 410/276-0333 or email her at: carpoppleton@prodigy.net.

Simon's Pub will begin opening on Sundays at 1:00 p.m. to serve Light Fare - Tailgate Party Food. Full dinner service on Sundays will begin at 4:00 p.m. For more information, call Simon's Pub at 410-522-4477. THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE OF BALTIMORE MAGAZINE HAS SELECTED SIMON'S AS ONE OF THE 27 BEST PUBS IN BALTIMORE!

Help Poet/Publisher Relocate to Baltimore A good friend of ours who is a poet and publisher from San Diego is looking for an apartment/room/space to rent in Baltimore (preferably Butchers Hill) for the month of December. He is thinking about moving to Baltimore and wants to try it out. If you have any place or any suggestions, please call Howie or Terri Ehrenfeld at 410/276-1043 or e-mail howard@photoillustration.net

RETIRED PROFESSIONAL COUPLE from Hershey, PA are looking for a furnished room or small Apt. for short term rental in Butchers Hill Area. We visit Baltimore at least once a month; we both lived in Baltimore in the 1960s, and want to retire in Butchers Hill in the near future. Please respond:prodgerm42@hotmail.com, 717-697-2715, or P. Rodger Magriney, 206 W. Caracas Ave., Hershey, PA 17033. References on request.

Butchers Hill resident needs old bricks. Any amount would be appreciated! Please call Dotti or Bob at 410-327-6229.

Fluid Movement's NESSIE ON WHEELS:
THE LOCH NESS MONSTER
At the Pagoda - Patterson Park Ave. and Lombard Street
Saturday, October 27th at 8:45 PM
Sunday, October 28th and Wednesday, October 31 at 7 PM
$5 suggested donation

Molly Ross and The Creative Alliance's
GREAT HALLOWEEN LANTERN PARADE II
Parade begins at the Pulaski Monument - Eastern and Linwood
Saturday, October 27th, at 7 PM
Contact Kini Collins <Kini@pattersonpark.com>