This is an amphitheater that was on its last legs a few years ago.

Since then, promoter Seth Hurwitz has led a remarkable comeback, topped by the Virgin Mobile FreeFest, which Merriweather hosts Aug. 30.

Check out the piece.

Besides the bit about the turnaround, it has some interesting history about the venue ...

Captain Larry's

Ivars and the gang beat out a bunch of other South Baltimore bars to win the Midnight Sun Commenters' Choice Award for Federal Hill's Best Neighborhood Bar.

People seemed to gloss over (or dispute) my description of the physical boundaries of Federal Hill as defined by this contest.

To them, I say: Pbth.

Here are the runner-ups ...

Anyhow, my pal Evan and I made the trip out there last Thursday. My jaw dropped as we drove by. If I'm not mistaken, this building used to be a scruffy-looking little lesbian bar called Gallagher's. These days, you'd never know ...

BEE GEES HONORED WITH POSTAGE STAMPS IN THEIR BIRTHPLACE
Issued Today, Isle Of Man's Eight-Stamp Set Salutes Hitmaking Native Sons

Umm ... OK ...

I came up with about a dozen options outside of the Inner Harbor.

They include (but aren't limited to) Bo Brooks, Tide Point Waterfront Park, Canton Waterfront Park, Shuckers, the Bay Cafe and more.

Here's a link to the piece, which ran in today's paper.

(Baltimore Sun archive photo)

Here's another: The first letter of the name of this one-word spot is in the second half of the alphabet. The prize for guessing the Mystery Bar is getting better and better by the day. I can't believe it's taken you guys so long. I know more than a few of you have been here.

If all goes as planned, Billabong, the Australian themed pub on East Cross Street, will close, and the liquor license will be transfered to the building at 1100 S. Charles St. (where Dinner at Your Door once was).

The new owners are going to build an outdoor terrace in the adjacent parking lot.

According to my source, Federales is going to be a cross between Rosa Mexicano and Don Pablo's. It will serve tacos and burritos to go at the Charles Street entrance ...

Lady Gaga makes me giggle.

She's saturated with sexuality. Her wardrobes are so over the top. Her image is pure plastic.

But I can't imagine that she takes herself seriously. She's got to be in on the joke. Right?

Look at this photo of her. She's wearing some kind of cyborg spacesuit dress, she's got what appears to be a cutesy blonde wig draped over one eye, and then the kicker: She's rocking a keytar.

Awesome!

Unfamiliar with the keytar? Witness this.

Awesome!

...

Now, let's tackle Federal Hill.

What is the best neighborhood bar in Federal Hill? And why?

The "why" is crucial.

Oh, and by the way, I've come up with a name for this little series: the Midnight Sun Commenters' Choice Awards. I might even make awards for the winning bars, and give them out at the next Shindig.

To jog everyone's memories, this is what I mean by neighborhood bar ...

Big surprise, eh? Hee hee.

Sorry it took me so long to post this -- it took quite a while to go back through all 135ish comments and tally the votes.

But as you can see from this highly scientific chart, Bad Decisions was the clear winner, with 45ish votes.

Hey, I'm a journalist, not a mathematician!

Thankfully, parachuting marine soldier toy was there to keep watch over the vote tallying. Fairness is most important when it comes to such a prestigious award.

Here are the runners up ...

But I won't touch Midnight Sun without a large cup of hot, tasty coffee. That's my only prerequisite (a big word for 7 a.m., I know).

A brief tangent: Anybody know a local spot or distributor that carries really good coffee? Like, this stuff? I'd love to get some without paying an arm and a leg for shipping from Costa Rica.

If you notice, Midnight Sun (and the rest of the Sun blogs) got a minor face lift earlier this week.

I lobbied hard to have the blog search bar bumped up from the very bottom of the sidebar almost all the way to the top. That way, it's easier to find previous posts. At least, that's what I'm hoping.

I also created a Name That Bar category, which will (soon) have all the previous Name That Bar contests and winners, just for kicks. And I'm going to add a category titled All the Essentials (or something like that), and put some background posts about me and Midnight Sun in it ...

To get one of 2,400 general admission tickets, you have to volunteer for an act of community service -- giving blood, cleaning up parks, etc. -- through this Web site.

The initiative, called the Summer of Service, is being spearheaded by Howard County Executive Ken Ulman.

The sign-up for volunteering starts at noon Thursday. Volunteers must be 18 and older. In the coming weeks, the volunteering will be expanded to include other counties throughout the state.

But wait, there's more ...

The first person to name this bar wins a prize. Simple as that.

Go!

(Photo by Alexander D. Mitchell IV)