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!

We were wandering around downtown on Saturday evening and picked up this menu from The Cellar Door.  I’m not sure how often they will change their menu but this will give you a good idea of the place.  Click on the pictures to enlarge them.

Win a free wedding site.

FMO’s latest sponsor, Aynex Design, has graciously offered to create a website for one lucky Frederick couple who will be tying the knot soon. All you have to do to enter the drawing for a free wedding website is to write a quick note about how you and your special someone met in Frederick or a favorite Frederick location that has some special meaning to you all as a couple.

Send your entry to aynex@aynex.com with the subject “FMO Wedding Website Give-away” in the subject and the date your wedding will be taking place. Aynex will read all the entries and pick the best story as the winner of the free wedding website. Please send your entry by June 27, 2009 and the winner will be announced here on July 5th.

P.S. Also a big thanks to Aynex for creating the new logo for Frederick Maryland Online. You can see it on our Twitter feed and she also integrated the style into the header of the site.

Ashley Henley (of The Pink Sink) was kind enough to give Apartment Therapy a tour of her work zone where she creates everything from button bouquets to crocheted handbags…

Cool beans! Go to the Apartment Therapy site for more.

My family and I were taking a nice walk downtown this evening when my son asked if he could take a closer look at the water. As we watched the chunks of algae float by I pulled out my chap stick to freshen my lips (I’m somewhat of a chap stick addict, I always have one in my pocket). I went to put the lid back on, fumbled it, and dropped it in Carroll Creek.

Did I mention it was a brand new stick? And there it floated right by the edge; taunting me. Not wanting to be a litterer I quickly plucked the stick from the stagnant water.

So what would you do: keep it or chuck?