Tour Baltimore at Warp Speed During July 3 Scavenger Hunt

Everyone loves a good scavenger hunt, and one that benefits a good cause is even better. If you think you know a bit about Baltimore, test your luck with a Baltimore-based scavenger hunt, billed as an urban adventure, on July 3.

Called the Baltimore Challenge, the scavenger hunt starts and ends at Luckie’s Tavern at 10 Market Place (in the Power Plant Live). The hunt begins at 3 p.m., but show up early to pick up (12:45 p.m. as the earliest) your pre-race packet which includes clues, the rac-number bib and a t-shirt. All ages and abilities are welcome to take part.

Teams of two or more will scour the city for clues around the city to solve 12 clues that will lead 4-6 miles from start to finish. You are allowed to use your two legs and public transportation to get you through the course, but no vehicles. The trick is in plotting a course that will take the least amount of time while getting the job done.

A cash prize of $200 is at stake, but that’s not why people get involved in scavenger hunts. At the end of the race, participants are invited to an after party event with food, drink and music and more prizes at Luckie’s. Prizes will be awarded in several categories, including best costume.

Challenge Nation puts on these urban adventures (aka scavenger hunts) in cities across America. Baltimore is one of 10 cities in which the urban scavenger hunts have been planned. In each city, Challenge Nation picks one local charity to benefit.

In Baltimore, proceeds from the event will go to CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocates of Baltimore, a nonprofit agency dedicated to helping children caught in the juvenile justice system. CASA deals with abused and neglected children.

You may register up until midnight the night before the race (that is midnight on Friday, July 2). To register, go to the Baltimore site: http://www.challengenation.org/baltimorechallenge/. If you have more questions regarding the scavenger hunt in general, contact Challenge Nation.

Debbie Yow Leaving Univ. of MD Terrapins to Become Athletic Director in North Carolina

The University of Maryland, College Park’s Athletic Department is facing uncertain times. First, University President “C.D.” Dan Mote retires as University president in August. Now, Debbie Yow has announced that she, too, is leaving the land of Terrapins to become North Carolina State’s athletic department. The latter part is a stinger.

UMCP is launching an immediate search to find Yow’s successor, a difficult task at best. Even if the ideal candidate were found immediately, according to Mote, it still leaves the university without an athletic director for months. He is quoted in the Baltimore Sunpapers as saying: "That's too long for a high-powered national class athletic program to go without an athletic director.”

But unless UMCP runs across an odd stroke of luck, they won’t find someone to take Yow’s place soon. She was named by Street and Smith’s Sports Business Journal as one of the 20 most influential people in intercollegiate sports. Mote’s worries about replacing Yow are, indeed, warranted.

In the meantime, Mote will appoint an interim Athletic Director for the Terrapins by next week. Moreover, because Mote is retiring, it will be up to the new University president to announce a successor to Yow.

Debbie Yow came to the University of Maryland from St. Louis in the summer of 1994. She has chosen to take on the Athletic Director position at NC State because North Carolina is her hometown. Yow attended Elon College, and her sister coached the women’s basketball team there for 34 years.

Athletic Directors build relationships with their coaches, which affects the program, good or bad. Think of it as a trickle down effect. An AD’s relationship with a coach affects the coach, which in turn affects the players which in turn affects the fans which in turn affects the university’s funding.

The only up side to Yow’s departure is that the Terrapins will not face the same issues most universities face when they lose an Athletic Director. In most cases, when an Athletic Director leaves, it’s a bad thing, but for different reasons. Most leave under terrible circumstances: a budget is in trouble, the sports department is a loser, etc.

That’s not the case with Debbie Yow and The University of Maryland, College Park. The Terrapins have won 11 national championships in five years. Just last year, Maryland took two national championships and five ACC championships. They made 18 post-season appearances in 2009.

From the money side, Yow made a point to balance the budget. In fact, she balanced the budget and lowered debt from 51 to $7.6 million. Perhaps she should have been looking to Washington, rather than North Carolina, as a new home.

Family Prepares to Sue Baltimore City Police Department in Off-Duty Officer Shooting

The Family of a Baltimore Marine allegedly shot to death by an off-duty Baltimore City Police Officer is preparing to file suit against the department for wrongful death. Alex DeMetrick is representing the family. The suit against the Department center’s on the fact that the officer was allowed to carry his weapon while off duty.

Tyrone Browne, a 32-year-old father of two was shot by a Baltimore City Police Officer outside a Hamden nightclub. The unarmed Marine was shot 12 times at close range and died shortly thereafter. The officer, Gahiji Tshamba, has been charged with First Degree murder in the case.

This is the second time Tshamba has been involved in an off duty shooting. The first one in 2005 was ruled justified, but Tshamba was reprimanded for being intoxicated. This time, Tshamba refused to take a breathalyzer test.

A lawyer for the Brown family is quoted as saying: "The officer's life was not in jeopardy, so there was no basis for him to learn deadly force."

In addition to a monetary reward to the family, lawyers are seeking to have more strict rules placed on officers who carry their weapons off duty.

Tshamba, a 15-year veteran of the Baltimore City Police Department, 36-year-old Gahji Tshamba, turned himself into Baltimore’s Central booking after being on the run in connection with the shooting June 5. Tshamba faces the death penalty for the First-Degree murder charge.

The shooting took place Saturday outside a local Baltimore nightclub, Eden’s Lounge, in Mount Vernon. Brown allegedly made advances, and possibly put his hands on, the off-duty officer’s female companion. Brown is said to have apologized for touching the woman, and started to walk away. Nonetheless, words were exchanged, and according to Brown’s sister, La-Belle Scott, who was among a group on the scene, the off-duty officer pulled out his gun and shot Brown with a crowd of people around. Scott said that in an effort to diffuse the situation, her brother raised his hands in the air and said, “Calm down.”

A breathalyzer test was ordered, but Tshamba exercised his right to refuse to take the test. So, police are now left to determine how much of a role, if any, alcohol played in the shooting.

Tshamba was involved in another off-duty shooting in which alcohol was involved, but the shooting was deemed justified after an investigation. In that case, in 2005a group of men had made racial slurs at Tshamba, and it was decided that the off-duty officer pulled his gun and fired when the group advanced towards him. While the shooting was deemed justified, Tshamba was disciplined for being under the influence of alcohol.

Initially, no charges were made against the officer, but Tshamba was put on paid administrative duty, pending the investigation. As it seemed imminent that charges would be filed, Tshamba went missing on Friday, and Police Commissioner Fred Bealefeld called for an intensified manhunt. Tshamba supposedly contacted his lawyer on Saturday, June 12, then surrendered himself on Sunday, June 13.

A major issue now is whether or not Tshamba identified himself as a police officer. That will play into the charges levied. If he identified himself as a police officer, he has more rights, being recognized as being on duty. It may mitigate the first-degree murder charge. Nonetheless, even police supporters are having a tough time rationalizing why 13 shots were fired at an unarmed man, particularly when there were others around who may have been harmed.

Also in question is the Baltimore City Police Department’s policy of having off-duty officers carrying their weapons. People are voicing concerns that when alcohol is involved, there is no room for a gun, regardless of whether or not the person is a police officer.

Business Beat: Baltimore Gets Motivated

Motivatational Speaker Tamara Lowe brought a group of top-notch motivaters to Baltimore's First Mariner Arena to help business owners, sales people and employees get motivated to achieve...everything.

One message of the day presented by Joe Gibbs, former coach of the Washington Redskins and Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps was:
"Hire Motivated, Dedicated Workers, Then Stand Back!
Plant a good seed in good soil, and you've won half the battle of reaping a good harvest. Similarly, if you want a good staff, you must find those good seeds to plant within your company. It's all about finding the
"right" someone.

Joe Gibbs, who retired as coach of the Washington Redskins in 1992, spoke on this subject at a day-long "Get Motivated" seminar at Baltimore's First Mariner Arena in May, 2010. Gibbs' message was powerful, focusing on a topic that can translate to any business. Find the right people, build the right team, and win the big wins. It's a topic he can speak to with authority."
Read this entire article at Associated Content.

Baltimore Traditions: Cafe Hon, Celebrating Kitsch

As she tells it, Denise Whiting ran through about 32 jobs as of college before she came up with the idea of starting the Café Hon. Turns out it was a good plan. She opened the all-Baltimore, all-the-time, eatery April 22, 1992 as part of the theme to keep Baltimore’s quirky personality alive.

She located Café Hon in Hampden along 36th St., “downy Avenue, hon” as it would be said by locals. For all of you not familiar with Baltimore speak, that translates into Down the Avenue, Honey.

The Café Hon, as with the term Baltimore Hon in general, is all about fun. The Café Hon provides enough to see and do for fun in a tiny spot that the Web site www.grandparents.com has listed it among its 101 things to do with your grandchildren while in Baltimore. No fancy napkins or dress required.

For years, the Café Hon sported a big flamingo attached to the fire escape, that fell into the tradition of being so gaudy it’s chic (also a decidedly Baltimore thing). A major controversy erupted as to the size of someone’s sign, and that person turned to point out the Café Hon flamingo. Whiting was told to pay an extra fee of $800 or take it down. She balked, and she had the backing of many in the city.

She didn’t go down without a fight, staging a “Flock City Hall protest” and appearing on local radio station 98 Rock in support of the beloved flamingo. During the protest, Whiting was clad all in bright pink, looking decidedly like a flamingo, if it weren’t for the foot-high blonde beehive hairdo. A Facebook page was launched called: Giving Baltimore the Bird.

Ultimately, Whiting removed the bird Oct. 22, 2009. It’s something locals won’t get over soon, even though it worked out well. The flamingo’s artist, Randall Gornowich said taking the flamingo down was much like lowering a casket into the ground. In the end, the city cut the fee it had demanded in half to keep the bird, so a spiffed up version is now back up, guarding Café Hon and beckoning visitors to come sit a spell.

And in keeping with the attitude that is Café Hon, the new flamingo is affixed to the front the building. At this year’s HonFest, the flamingo will be the mascot of sorts.

The setting of the eatery diner may be decidedly old school, ‘50s through ‘70s, but even the Café Hon has made its way to the current century, taking full advantage of technology. On its Web site, www.cafehon.com, you can purchase your own Hon attire, including maternity t-shirts and baby bibs.

You can also see what’s on the menu, including specials. It’s all written in Hon language, of course, so for those not familiar with it, let the photos be your guide. You’ll get it soon enough.

Whiting has also made it to Facebook as Denise Whiting at Café Hon. Of course, Denise’s profile shot has her decked out in the ultimate Baltimore Hon hairdo.

In 1994, Whiting started HonFest in her own backyard. It was basically meant to be a quasi beauty pageant to find Baltimore’s ultimate Hon. She had no idea what sort of tradition she was starting from that first outing.

Now HonFest is much more formal, covering four city blocks in Hamden and including food and music. The emphasis, as always, is on the pageant, however. It’s all about the Hons.

The spirit of HonFest and what Whiting first set out to do involves community spirit. Whiting used the proceeds from HonFest ’09 to start a non-profit organization, Project Twelve. The crux is that work on decreasing the dropout rate of teenagers in Baltimore. Baltimore has had a higher than average rate of dropouts over the years.

Check out the Web site www.cafehon.com to find out the specials at Café Hon and at the Hon Bar.
The Café Hon, Denise Whiting, owner, 1002 W. 36th Street. 410-243-1230.

Directions to the Café Hon:
From Downtown Baltimore:
Take I-83 North to Falls Rd. (Exit 8)
Right Turn onto W. 36th St. (the first traffic light)
Cafe Hon and the Hon Bar are two blocks up on the left side, on the corner of W. 36th Street and Roland Road.
(Parking is available via metered spaces on the street. Some free parking is available in back of Café Hon, but you have to access that lot through the alley next to Provident Bank.)

From Points North:
Rt. 695 to I-83 South.
Take Coldspring Lane Exit.
Right onto Falls Rd. (at the traffic light)., about a mile. You’re in Hamden.
Left on W. 36th St. (There’s a 7-11 on the left corner.)
Cafe Hon and the Hon Bar are two blocks up on the left side of the road (the corner of W. 36th St. and Roland Rd.).
(Parking is available via metered spaces on the street. Some free parking is available in back of Café Hon, but you have to access that lot through the alley next to Provident Bank.)

Baltimore Traditions: The Baltimore Hon

Baltimoreans can conduct formal business meetings and hold their own with the best of them. Catch them during their off, leisure time, and you are very likely to hear them drop the “H” word: Hon.

Baltimore is much more about the people and the way the people keep traditions alive, than it is about particular tourist sites. When you visit Baltimore, spot the local Hons, and drink it in. You won’t find them anywhere else.

While the Hon tradition took hold in areas such as Highlandtown, Canton, Locust Point and Pigtown, between 1950 and 1970, you couldn’t go through Baltimore City or a Baltimore ‘burb without running into a Hon. Their husbands worked the docks or on the lines at Bethehem Steel (Seversal) and Martin Marietta (Lockheed Martin).

While a Baltimore Hon is a woman who is defined by the attire and accessories, the real giveaway is the hair. In fact, the credo of the Baltimore Hon Club (and, yes, there is one) is “The higher the hair, the closer to God.”

Think of the movie Hairspray, developed by Baltimore native John Waters, who has always taken great pains to highlight Baltimore traditions. The kids in that movie had hair whole families could hide in. The dress was short, gaudy to some, boots or stilettos, and pointy eyeglasses that most would shun. For a visual on the Baltimore Hon, take a peek at photos by The Blonde Photographer at the 2009 HonFest .

The term Baltimore Hon certainly took its name from the Baltimore culture of finishing sentences with “hon.” If you’re at a Baltimore diner, and refer to a woman as “hon,” few will be offended. It’s not a sexual harassment thing; but rather, a cultural thing. Locals can tell the difference. For locals, it’s a term of endearment, as long as it’s said in the right way.

As part of the homage to the Baltimore Hon, you’ll find a business, Cafe Hon, and a festival dedicated to the ideals: HonFest. The 2010 Baltimore HonFest will be held the weekend of June 14th and 15th of 2010. You’ll find lots of cold beer, or as legendary sportscaster Chuck Thompson would have said “Ain’t the beer cold”. Food will be provided by the Hamden Recreation Center, and there will be a free show on Friday night at Roosevelt Park.

Diane Whiting created the HonFest, the first one held in 1994. It started out as a local beauty pageant, almost a spoof, but now it’s a recognized nationally and over four city blocks on Hampden's 36th Street.

According to the HonFest Web site, Whiting was asked if the Baltimore Hon is a dying breed. She didn’t hesistate: "No! Absolutely not. Hon will live on forever in our hearts, and HonFest gives everyone an opportunity to celebrate and embrace their heritage." She added that the HonFest is all about fun and celebrating the hard-working women of Baltimore.

Baltimore Traditions: Arabbers, Living Folk Art

If you’re not from Baltimore, you’ve probably never heard the term A-rab or Arabber, pronounced AY-rabbers. That’s a shame. Just like the terms Coney Island and Philly Cheesesteak conjure up delightful, nostalgic images for many, so does the term Arabber to Baltimoreans.

They’re rare today, but back in the ‘50s and ‘60s, it wasn’t unusual to hear the clippity clop of horses, decked out in large jingling bells, pulling a colorful carriage, that was in essence a produce cart on wheels.

Along with the sound of the horses making their way down asphalt streets, you’d hear the croon of the Arabber: “STRAW-By-rees, Cherrrr-EES” in a trademark style. Part of the tradition of the Arabber involves his personal call to the public. Each has a special chant that comes out more like a song, weaving the various items for sale into the call.

The term Arabber is said to come from a 19-century London term used for homeless urchins and street peddlars. For a good visual, check out some YouTube clips. One gives interviews of local Arabbers, while another shows the Arabber in action.

The legend of the Arabber was made famous when the show Homicide hit the airwaves. In one of the initial episodes, Det. Baliss (Kyle Secor) hunted a killer of a young girl, Adena Watson. All signs pointed to an Arabber, Rissley Tucker. That story line carried over several episodes. Homicide made a point of highlighting Baltimore traditions and the Baltimore that we who live here see, not the tourist points most people read about. Homicide's creator, David Simon, featured Arabbers on The Wire, another Baltimore-based show he created.

Arabbers are part of the real Baltimore.

Arabbers, an endangered species and a tradition almost exclusive to Baltimore, are early-day entrepreneurs, known more as hucksters back then. It’s primarily a Black male tradition, almost a living folk tradition. While New York and Philadelphia once had Arabbers, both have ceased allowing Arabbers to market, so Baltimore is the last remaining city allowing Arabbers to make a living.

Baltimore almost lost this tradition as well, its last remaining bastion, because in 1994 the stables that housed the horses were condemned. In stepped the Arabber Preservation Society. It’s a pride thing for Baltimore Arabbers. Their carts are painted, just so, and the horses wear special harnesses. According to the Arabber Preservation Society, this harness has black with gold trim and bone rings, which are white plastic rings. They also have red tassels and red plume with bell drops.

Because of the help of the Preservation Society, another generation of Baltimoreans gets to hear the call of the Arabber, a sight and sound that belongs solely to Baltimore. The heritage continues, and that’s good. In the ‘90s, Richard Kurin, director of the Smithsonian Institution's folk-life program said: "In the end, when we lose the Arabbers. . . I think a bit of the city's soul is lost." For now, the tradition is safe.

Baltimore Mariners Crush New Jersey Revolution

The Baltimore Mariners, an indoor football team based at Baltimore’s First Mariner Arena, stand as one of Baltimore’s best-kept sports secrets. And that’s a shame.

In Saturday’s game against the New Jersey Revolution, the Mariners dominated start to finish, sending New Jersey home with a loss of 84-6 in what felt more like a basketball game based on the Mariners’ scoring ability. It was a game of one interception after another as well as a series of passing, rushing and kicking scores.

Baltimore came into the game undefeated, while New Jersey came into the game winless. So, the Mariners’ crushing victory wasn’t much of a surprise to most. Nonetheless, Coach Chris Simpson made it clear the fans would be treated to the magnificent plays the Mariners have been known for all season. Even though they came into the game Saturday with a secure spot in the playoffs, Simpson had the Mariners pushing and pressing as if it were the first game of the season.

Running Back Isaiah Grier blew onto the field with feet flying and never stopped. Grier, 6’ 1”, 215 lbs out of Rhode Island, rushed for 103 yards, a franchise record, and posted three touchdowns. Quarterback E.J. Nemeth rushed for two touchdowns of his own. That was only surpassed by his passing game: three touchdowns and 143 yards.

Baltimore came into the American Indoor Football Association in 2008 and posted a losing record that year. It makes their overall record of 22-5 with two consecutive playoff seasons in 2009 and 2010 even more awesome.

The Mariners have one more regular game against rivals and defending AIFA champs, the Reading Express, Saturday, June 26. If they win that game, they become the first team in AIFA history to finish out a regular season undefeated. In the Western League, the Wyoming Cavalry are also undefeated to date.

Reading will not make it an easy win for Baltimore. In addition to being the defending champs, Reading comes into the upcoming game against Baltimore carrying a heavy weight. To clinch a playoff spot, Reading must win Saturday. Crushing Baltimore’s hope of staying undefeated would be just a sweet side benefit of the win.

Count on a wild, wonderful night of Indoor Football at Baltimore’s 1st Mariner Arena on Saturday, June 26 at 7 p.m. Playoff games are set for July 10 and July 25. For ticket and schedule information, check out Baltimore’s First Mariner Arena’s Web site at www.baltimorearena.com. For team information, see www.baltimoremariners.com.