The Weinberg Center for the Arts is going to announce its schedule for the upcoming 2009-2010 on July 15th.  Check their website for details on performances.  Tickets for the upcoming season will go on sale July 31st for members and subscribers and individual tickets will go on sale August 7th.

Meanwhile, check out 24/7 Dance Studio’s production of Fame on July 25th at 2PM and 8PM and Hagerstown’s Authentic Community Theatre’s production of Never Land on July 31st at 7:30PM.

Bryan Voltaggio, chef and co-owner of Frederick’s own VOLT Restaurant, is going to be a contestant on season six of Bravo’s Top Chef TV show.  From the Baltimore Sun:

The chefs competing in Season Six, which starts August 26, have just been announced…

…a Maryland restaurant has a second contestant, Bryan Voltaggio of Volt in Frederick. His brother Michael, originally from Frederick and last chef de cuisine at Jose Andres’s Bazaar in Los Angeles, is the third Marylander on the show.

Check out Bryan’s Bio and size up his competition on Bravo’s Top Chef website.

Another Frederick business will be shutting their doors soon. As noted in the comments and from this photo emailed to me by Joe W., Mondo Gonzo, formerly CineGraphics, is going out of business:

Mondo Gonzo Closing via Joe W.

Bad news.

The winner of the free wedding website contest courtesy of Aynex Designs was James. Here is his most excellent winning submission:

Before his first day of work at the downtown library, she had already been in the system for a year, helping all manner of wobbly colt-legged children, sleepy transient men and older ladies who came clutching clipped and wrinkled book reviews from the Sunday Post.

Many couples first meet at work and this was how it was for them.

They were both very shy and both very funny.

Books on bashfulness and humor are in the 155s and near 814, respectively.

It was natural that they should meet and talk and discover that they liked the same sorts of things–weekly movies and regular trips to Lucky Corner where kind and attentive waiters learned that she preferred curried tofu and the gentleman always ordered the pho.

Vietnamese cooking can be found at 641.595

At first, he was scared.

He kept waiting for the day that she might tire of him…or grow bored…or not laugh at his jokes, but a year passed, then another and it was still the two of them.

He realized that it always would be–just like it was now, just like they wanted it to be.

There are books on fate and books on chance; sections for comfort and trust and understanding. Happiness, though, is in the 158s.

In the Spring, he asked and she said yes.

Congratulations to James! Who has been gracious enough to also share the website Aynex will create for him. Stay tuned.

The flag at Bakers Park

I hope everyone has a safe and fun July 4th!

The Fourth of July is right around the corner and I wanted to query the collective mind of FMO to see where you all watch fireworks in Frederick. We usually go to the top of Frederick Memorial Hospital’s parking deck and watch the ones in Baker Park, but I have heard there are other fireworks displays in the county. For example, doesn’t Middletown do their own?

Do any of you shun the big show in Baker Park to check out other fireworks fun around the county? I’d be interested to hear how they are? We were thinking of trying a new venue this year to get our annual fix of things that go boom.

Well, my daughter bought  The Sims 3 last night with her hard earned money from her first job and so I’ve got to get this written before she wakes up and kicks me off the computer.  Here are a few events going on in our county this July.  As always add anything else you’ve heard about in the comments.  For a more complete list, check out the events calendar on the Frederick tourism website.

Frederick’s 4th weekend kicks off on Friday, July 3rd with the Great Frederick Float.

Begin your Independence Day early with The Great Frederick Float, Friday, July 3rd from 5 – 8pm!  Enjoy children’s activities, music, dancing, and A BOAT PARADE/CONTEST!! Prizes to be awarded!

First Saturday moves to Friday night the 3rd with the theme Great American Main Street.

The July First Saturday – Great American Main Street moves to Friday, July 3rd from 5 – 9pm for the month of July.  Celebrate Downtown Frederick’s distinction as a Great American Main Street as named by the National Historic Trust for Preservation.  After visiting the Great Frederick Float, try your hand at old-fashioned game stations located througout downtown.  Visitors can even meet Elvis.  Live music, guest artists and exhibit openings complete the evening!

Then downtown will be hopping on Saturday the 4th in Baker Park with Frederick’s 4th.

Frederick’s 4th – An Independance Day Celebration is celebrating 26 years as Frederick’s premier 4th of July event. This Independence Day Celebration is the largest in Frederick County, attracting over 70,000 annually to Baker Park in downtown Frederick, offering fun, music and the American tradition for all.

Click here to see the complete entertainment line-up for the 4th in the Park and here for family fun events.

There are a couple dates in July for the Battle of the Beast at J Bar W Ranch.

July 9th and 23rd are Alive @ Five days.

There are lots of home games for the Frederick Keys in July (lots of fireworks nights too!).

The Walkersville Southern Railroad has a few fun sounding events in July.  On the 1st, 15th and 29th they have a Teddy Bear Picnic:

Bring your Teddy Bear and your lunch to enjoy an afternoon of fun with Goldilocks on the train and in the Park. Train departs at 11:30 a.m. and returns by 2:00 p.m. $7 per person, babies under one free. Reservations recommended.

Then on the 18th is Jesse James Day:

Experience an Old West raid on the train. We supply fake jewels and money for the robbery. Caution! There will be the sound of gunfire.

And finally, there is a Mystery Dinner Train on the 24th:

Live theater “on the rail” presented by professional actors, with a buffet supper served in a lovely park setting. “Murderous” fun. Adult theme. Train departs from the station at 6:00 p.m. and returns at 8:30. Casual attire. Reservations required. Cost $47 per person.

July 18th and 19th is the Reggae Festival at Linganore Winecellars.

The Historical Society of Frederick County presents Fabulous 50’s Jazz in the Garden on July 25th:

Join us to turn back the clock to the fabulous 1950s! The annual event will feature delicious hors d’oevres and desserts, a cash bar, and the live Jazz sounds of the Star Spangled Big Band. Antique cars from the period also will be on dispaly. Attendees are invited to get into the spirit by donning fashions of the ’50s, but costumes are not required. Tickets go on sale at the Museum of Frederick County History on June 22. Sponsorship opportunities also are available by contacting Duane Doxzen at 301-663-1188. Click here for an event brochure including ticket ordering and sponsorship information [259K, PDF]. Tickets are $25 in advance/$30 at the door.

Sorry this is such short notice but I just heard about this event tonight.  I’m a sucker for dog rescue organizations.  I’ve mentioned before how we rescued a retired racing greyhound and I’ve also talked about adopting pets from the local shelter.  Needless to say, I’m a sucker for matching up pets to good homes.

Our friends Pam and Mike let us know about an event on Sunday for the Mid-Atlantic Great Dane Rescue League.  If you are a biker and looking for a ride on Sunday, consider doing it for a good cause.  All the info here.

According to the FNP, a new farmer’s market is going to open next month in Urbana at the Landon House.  This is in addition to the other farmer’s markets in Frederick County.  I am pretty excited about this news since we live in the southern part of the county.  Although that corner where the Landon House sits is kind of a disaster, traffic-wise.

The first farmers market in the southern region of Frederick County will open next month.Kevin Dolan, owner of the Landon House, is hosting the market. It will take place on the grounds of the historic house, which will also be open for tours.

“(We’re hoping to) make it a regular Sunday community event where people can come enjoy getting together with their neighbors and enjoy the Landon House property,” Dolan said.

He has commitments from four farmers for the season, as well as people selling baked goods and crafts.

As the market grows, he expects more will join. He is also looking for bands and groups interested in performing music on market days.

“It’s going to be a cool thing because it’s just a great place to come and hang out,” Dolan said.

We just spent the weekend with my family up in Ohio.  We were celebrating my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary.  It was the first time the whole family has been together in twelve years.   Since the last time were all together, two more grandchildren have been born and since my siblings all live far and wide, it was a pretty special weekend.  I particularly enjoyed watching my kids hanging out with their cousins and grandparents and wishing we all lived closer together so that the cousins could hang out more.

So,  I have lots of questions.  How long have you been married? ( We celebrated our 24th anniversary last month).  Are you engaged to be married?  Do you find the wedding guide in Frederick Magazine to be useful in your planning?  Do you have a special way in which you got engaged?  Are you a confirmed bachelor/bachelorette who never wants to get married?  Do you have a funny story about your wedding/engagement that you laugh about now but were horrified when it happened? (The closest I have to that is right after our wedding, my Dad was about to give a toast and a waiter dropped a whole tray of champagne glasses right when everyone got real quiet to listen to the toast.  I wasn’t horrified, but I’m sure the waiter was!)

I hope all you Dads had a great Father’s Day!