DECEMBER 1999

As your about-to-be ex-president, I'd like to make a final request. In return for me promising not to talk at all during the December pot luck dinner, I would like to see as many new faces there as possible. You don't have to be a dues-paying member-just living in Butchers Hill is enough. Why do I ask? Because since I've lived in Butchers Hill, I can say without a doubt that I have never met so many concerned, caring, and honest people, and I want everyone here to experience the same thing. If you have never attended a Butchers Hill event in the past, please make this your first (of many I hope).

Now for some updates. At the last Executive Committee meeting, we voted to form a Butchers Hill Community Development Corporation. We plan to incorporate and file as a not-for-profit corporation. The focus will be eliminating vacant houses in Butchers Hill and provide home ownership opportunities for as many people as possible. A lot of what we are able to accomplish will depend on what the Housing Authority of Baltimore City does with their vacant houses that are in our neighborhood. You may remember that I have asked the HABC to title the properties to Butchers Hill. If that comes to fruition, the sky's the limit as to what we can accomplish. I'm hoping to have an idea about how our proposal was received in the next few weeks.

Our "playing safe" playground for Castle Street Park is still a go. Unfortunately, the Neighborhood Design Center got a new Director and lost the project coordinator at the same time. It appears to be back on track now; most of the money is raised and the plans will be finalized soon.

As a follow-up to the November meeting when our guests from Public Works talked about snow removal, we have added a page to our web site on that subject. Check it out. Hope to see hundreds of you on December 10th at the Pot-Luck Dinner.
-Barry Glassman

The Julie Community Center's ANNUAL CHRISTMAS MUSIC CONCERT, Wed., Dec. 13, at 7, St. Michael's Church (Lombard & Wolfe Streets) Come listen to the Men's and Boys' Choir of the Church of the Nativity perform traditional carols in a church with remarkable acoustics. There is no admission fee, but donations are very much appreciated. The money goes to support SE Catholic Schools and the Julie Community Center, which, under the direction of Sr. Bobbie English, provides a wide assortment of youth activities in our community all during the year. So take this opportunity to enjoy some beautiful holiday music and contribute at the same time to the community.

BHA COMMITTEE CHAIRS, COMMITTEE REPORTS, AND MONTHLY MEETINGS

SOUTHEASTERN DISTRICT BURGLARY PREVENTION TIPS: Keep an eye on your neighbors' homes, and ask them to do the same for you. When you see something YOU think is suspicious-movement inside a home when a home should be empty; a strange vehicle; a loiterer-call the Police immediately! | Don't advertise your vacation plans: Have a friend or neighbor pick up your mail and newspaper, or have your Post Office and local newspaper stop delivery while you're away. | When you make a large purchase (TV, computer, etc.), dispose of the packaging carefully, so as not to advertise what valuable new items you may have in your home.

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

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

Land Use: Virgil Bartram (410-327-4964).

Marketing: NO MEETING IN DECEMBER. Contact Rick Gilmour (410-342-7061) .

Membership: Volunteers? Please contact Barry, 410-558-1080, .

Streetscape: Wednesday, December 27, 7 p.m., 2214 E. Pratt St. (The committee meets the fourth Wednesday of each month.) Contact Noel Brown (410-534-8057), .

Book Club: The Book Club is meeting for dinner and an open book discussion on Wednesday, Dec. 13th, dinner spot to be announced.

BHA Executive Committee: Thursday, December 14, 7 p.m., 2002 E. Pratt St. Contact: Barry Glassman, 410-558-1080, . The Executive Committee meets on the second Thursday of the month.

Newsletter: The deadline for the JANUARY Newsletter is Friday, December 22. Drop off written items at 103 S. Chester St. Contact Steve, 410-342-3842, ; e-mail text only, no attached files.

BUTCHERS HILL FAMILY FUN NIGHT. Friday, Dec. 8, 6:30-8. Featuring Roller Skating. Soda and cookies. Free for kids s and adults who live in Butchers Hill. At the Ralph Young Recreation Center located behind School #27 (Commodore Rogers). Call Carolyn for more information: 410-522-4991. The Center has skates, but if you have your own, please bring them.

NO BUTCHERS HILL GENERAL MEETING THIS MONTH
PLEASE PLAN TO COME TO THE BUTCHERS HILL POTLUCK ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 10th (6 to 9 at St. Andrew's Church hall, Lombard Street at Chester) and the JULIE CENTER-St. MICHAEL'S CHRISTMAS CONCERT on Wednesday, the 13th; the concert begins at 7.

NEW BULK TRASH RULES: YOU MUST SCHEDULE A PICK-UP

AND SOME OTHER TRASH QUESTIONS

SLATE OF OFFICERS FOR BUTCHERS HILL FOR 2001

THE ICON THAT KNOWS ITS PLACE
Members of St. Andrew the Apostle Orthodox parish have a wonderful story about one of the church's icons. It is a depiction of Christ framed and protected in glass. When it first came to the parish, it was hung in several places in both the parish hall and the church sanctuary, but it kept falling to the floor from wherever it was hung. Finally a place was found for it in the sanctuary where it seemed willing to stay-it seemed to "know" the place it needed to be. During the terrible fire of February 1970, the sanctuary was virtually destroyed, not only by the fire, but also by roof beams collapsing into the church and by water from firefighting. Many of the church's icons were destroyed or heavily damaged, but "the icon that knew its place" remained fixed to its wall, the protective glass unbroken and uncracked, and with only minimal damage. Today, the icon is still a part of St. Andrew's parish, and still firmly occupying the place it "knew" it had to be.
--Rick Gilmour

COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD

Webmaster Barry says that on November 5th the Butchers Hill website (www.butchershill.org) registered its 25,000th visitor. Cool!

PRO-QUALITY FITNESS EQUIPMENT FOR SALE

• Aerobic HealthRider (cost $300) - $100.
• Body Solid Roman Chair (cost $225) - $80.
• Body Solid adj. incline bench (cost $175) - $50.
• Reebok bench step set (cost $80) - $20.

PET CARE
DOGS walked and played with, CATS fed and petted, FISH cared for, PLANTS watered while you're away. Basic rate is $10.00 per visit. Go to my web site at http://sitebuilder.liveuniverse.com/ccarterglass. You may contact me by e-mail at ccarterglass@hotmail.com, or by phone at 410-327-2672.

Enthusiastic about Butchers Hill? Want to help others become enthusiastic, too? Join the MARKETING COMMITTEE for 2001. Contact Rick Gilmour 2223 East Pratt, 410-342-7061,

FOR SALE: Wing back chair, blue, new, used only three times. Perfect condition. $125. Call Tom or Cheryl at 410-342-5912 or e-mail at cherylatkins@flashcom.net.

In her capacity as president of the non-profit Friends of Patterson Park organization, neighbor NANCY SUPIK was recently featured in the City Paper as one of Baltimore's UNSUNG HEROES (November 22, 2000). Congratulations, Nancy, and thank you; the Park we all treasure is in very good hands! Why not become a Friend of the Park yourself (and get a neat bumper sticker)? To join, call 410-276-3676.

Tuesday Night is Community Ice Skating Night at the Mimi DiPietro Ice Skating Rink in Patterson Park OK! It's time to get the ice skates out again! We're going to try our Tuesday nights at the Patterson Rink night again this year. Get your neighbors together and join us at the rink this Tuesday (and every other Tuesday) from 7 - 9 p.m. Admission is $3, skate rental is $2. No experience necessary. If it gets too bad, you can always drink cocoa in the warm-up room!

SE NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICE CENTER:

• Director: Diann Baker: 410-545-6510
• General Information: 410-545-6518
• Police: 410-545-6513
• Housing Inspection: 410-545-6521
• Health Department: 410-545-6532
• Sanitation Enforcement: 410-545-6515,6,7

NEIGHBORHOOD HOLIDAY TRADITIONS

St. Andrew's Church on Chester and Lombard was founded 60 years ago in the Russian Orthodox tradition. Today, the Church Community is made up of people from a wide variety of ethnicities and cultures. The Church still observes traditions that are celebrated in Eastern European countries where the Orthodox Church is dominant. One of these traditions is the Feast of St. Nicholas on December 5th and 6th. Members of St. Andrew's may have various ways to celebrate. Fr. Michael Roshak, pastor of St. Andrew's, suggested that one popular way is to put one's shoes outside the door on December 5th, the Eve of the feast of St. Nicholas, hoping to see goodies in your shoes by morning. This tradition precedes the modern day Santa Claus. Orthodox churches traditionally celebrate the Great Vespers Service on the eve of the feast. In Baltimore, all local Orthodox congregations gather at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Highlandtown to join the church in celebrating its patronal (or patron saint) feast. All are welcome to the service and reception on December 5th at 7:00 p.m. at St. Nicholas Church at 520 S. Ponca Street.

Another tradition that St. Andrew's Church families will observe on Christmas Eve is the Holy Supper. Before the meal, the Christmas story is read from the Bible and Christmas hymns are sung. There is often straw placed in the center of the table to remind family members of the manger where Christ was born. The meal usually consists of 12 courses, with all soups and entrees being Lenten or fasting foods. This means that they are prepared without meat or dairy products. Examples of traditional dishes include a dumpling stuffed with prunes, boiled wheat or barley with mushrooms, and various vegetarian soups. The Holy Supper is usually prepared early, and shared before the Christmas Eve services. St. Andrew's Church will celebrate Christmas Eve services at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 24th. The Christmas Liturgy will be celebrated on Monday, December 25th at 9:30 a.m. All are welcome.

Fr. Michael Roshak also records a weekly message with all the events of the week on Sunday evenings. For an updated listing of St. Andrew's Church events, please call the information line 410-276-5322. You can also check the church calendar on the Internet at www.BaltimoreOrthodox.org.

The Catholic Community of St. Michael and St. Patrick is the place of worship for many Latino members of our community. A special feast for this community is Our Lady of Guadalupe. The feast commemorates the appearance of the Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus, to a poor Mexican peasant on a hilltop in 1531. This peasant, an Aztec named Cuauhtlatoatzin, received his Christian name Juan Diego when he and his wife were baptized by Franciscan missionaries circa 1525. When she appeared, Mary revealed herself as the Ever-Virgin, Holy Mary of Guadalupe. She told Juan Diego to tell the local Bishop that a church should be built on the place of her appearance. When the Bishop was doubted Juan's story, the Virgin appeared again and told Juan to pick some roses and deliver them to the Bishop. Juan wrapped the rose petals in his cloak. When Juan visited the Bishop and dropped the rose petals, they observed the imprint of the face of Mary on his cloak. A small basilica was built on the spot of the Virgin Mary's appearance. To this day, pilgrimages are made to the church. The feast is often celebrated with foods prepared with rose petals.

Juan Diego was praised by Pope John Paul II for his humility and simple faith and was declared as Blessed in April 1990. In 1999, Pope John Paul II officially decreed that the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is to be celebrated by Catholics throughout the Americas annually on December 12. The parish of St. Michael and St. Patrick will celebrate Our Lady of Guadalupe on the morning of Saturday, December 9th. The service will begin with a dramatic interpretation of the apparition (or appearance) of the Virgin Mary to Juan Diego and a serenade to Mary called "Las Mananitas." Mass will then be celebrated and followed by a festive Mexican breakfast. All are welcome to honor the Patroness of the Americas.

For more information contact St. Michael the Archangel Church at 410-276-1646 or St. Patrick Church at 410-675-0640. On Sunday, December 10th, the parish will join the entire Baltimore Diocese at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen for the celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe. A bus will leave from St. Patrick's Church at 12:30 p.m. and from St. Michael's Church at 1:00 p.m. The celebration will begin at the Cathedral with the dramatic presentation at 2:00 p.m. Mass will be celebrated at 3:00 p.m. with a reception to follow. All are welcome to celebrate the Diocesan feast.

This year the Jewish celebration Hanukkah (Chanukah) begins on December 22nd. The holiday originated when Judah the Maccabee and his followers reclaimed the temple in the village of Modi'in from Syrian King Antiochus IV. The temple was cleansed and prepared for rededication. The Hebrew word Hanukkah means "dedication." When the sacred temple Menorah (candelabra) was relit, there was only enough sacred oil to burn for one day. Yet, according to tradition, the oil miraculously lasted eight days until more purified oil could be found. On each of the eight nights of Hanukkah at sundown, the menorah is lit. The Hanukkah menorah is called a Hanukiah in Hebrew. Children receive gifts of gelt (in remembrance of the coins minted by the new independent Maccabee state) or money and play games of dreidel (a spinning four-sided top.) The dreidel game is not only fun, but it also has a real tie with the Hanukkah holiday. Each of the four Hebrew letters on a dreidel stands for a word. Together, they mean "A great miracle happened there." The tradition of receiving a gift on each of the eight days of Hanukkah is fairly recent. Since Christians exchange gifts at Christmas, Jews have come to exchange gifts other than coins at Hanukkah, which comes at the same time of the year. The traditional foods consumed during the Hanukkah holiday are symbolic of the events being celebrated. Most are fried in oil, symbolic of the oil that lasted eight days. Loukoumades are deep-fried puffs dipped in honey or sugar to represent the cakes the Maccabees ate. Pancakes are a traditional dish, serving as a reminder of the food hurriedly prepared for the Maccabees as they went into battle, along with the oil they are fried in as a reminder of the miraculous oil. Latkes-shredded potato fried in oil-are another food eaten during Hanukkah.

Excerpted from: http://www.theholidayspot.com/hanukkah/history.htm and http://www.concentric.net/~foxfive/traditions.html.

Kwanzaa is an African-American spiritual, festive and joyous celebration of the oneness and goodness of life, which claims no ties with any religion. The seven-day festival focuses on seven principles or Nguzo Saba with particular emphasis on the unity of Black families. The Seven Principles are: umoja (unity), kujichagulia (self-determination), ujima (collective work and responsibility); ujamaa (cooperative economics), nia (purpose), kuumba (creativity); and imani (faith) As the time of Kwanzaa nears, families arrange the Kwanzaa symbols on a low table or on the floor. These include: a straw mat (Mkeka); a candle holder with seven candles of black, red and green in the center of the Mkeka (Kinara with Mishumaa Saba); an ear of corn (Muhindi) for each child in the family are placed on either side of the Mkeka; the Unity Cup (Kikombe Cha Umoja); water and soil (Tambiko); and a basket of fruit (Mazao) on the Mkeka. A Flag of the Black Nation (Bendera Ya Taifa) is hung facing the East.

The Kwanzaa celebration begins on December 26 when the Mtume (leader or minister) calls the family together. When everyone is present, the Mtume greets them "Habari Gani," and the family responds "Umoja." A traditional Kwanzaa ritual then follows. The Karamu or Feast is held on the night of December 31st and includes food, music, dance, etc. Source: The Kwanzaa Information Center. http://www.melanet.com/kwanzaa/whatis.html http://www.melanet.com/kwanzaa/schedule.html