The 92nd Flower Mart will take place Friday and Saturday, May 1 and 2.

The Flower Mart, a Baltimore tradition, began May 4,1911. There was much going on in Baltimore that day. In the crowded Lyric Theater, President Taft was opening the third annual Peace Conference and sharing the speaker's platform with Andrew Carnegie and Cardinal Gibbons. The Orioles stood fourth in the Eastern League and fans throughout the city were still talking about the game the day before when the team trounced Montreal 22-13. In his downtown office, James H. Preston was receiving congratulations on his election as the city's mayor. And at bunting-draped Mount Vernon Place, the ladies of the Civic League and the Home and Garden Club were wondering how people would react to the city's first Flower Mart.

They didn't have long to wait for their answer. By 10 a.m., Baltimoreans by the dozens were streaming into Mount Vernon Place to begin one of the city's most treasured traditions.

The Flower Mart is special and brings people together to smell and purchase the flowers and eat crab cakes, to see colorful hats and spring fashions, suck on lemon sticks and just enjoy the spring weather. I have put together a photo gallery of past Flower Marts for you to enjoy. You can also get more information on the Flower Mart homepage and Susan Reimer's gardening blog.

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Canton, once the city's industrial heart, has undergone a transformation over the last 25 years. But this tranformation has preserved much of the community's industrial heritage, by converting the old factories into business and homes.

Canton has quite a history. It was a large estate founded by Captain John O'Donnell, who named the area after Canton China. Canton became a shipbuilding center and the frigate Constellation was built there in 1797. Armored plating for the Union warship Monitor was also forged there.

Canton was a magnet for many immigrants of Polish, Irish and German descent. The area's many factories made tin cans, copper and beer, and refined oil or packed oysters.

Canton is a major transportation hub with its location on the harbor and its railroad connections and roads. The Canton Railroad still serves the needs of the port.

Here is a link to some photos of Canton, dating back to the late 1800s.

Here's the site of the Canton Community Association.

This page on the Baltimore City Website also has good information about the community.

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Timber racing or steeplechasing in Maryland dates back more than 100 years. The 113th Maryland Hunt Cup is this Saturday, April 25, in Glyndon. It was preceded by the 99th My Lady's Manor in Monkton on April 11, and the 107th Grand National, on April 19 in Butler.

The steeplechase tradition has been kept alive by generations of dedicated men and women. I have pulled photos from our files of many past steeplechases. I hope you enjoy them.

In an April 14, 2001 Sun story by Mike Klingaman, a rider said, "There's a timelessness about steeplechasing. You're disconnected from the computer, the fax machine, the telephone. You're galloping along with the wind on your earflaps, the horse between your legs and the fence coming up. You're fit. You're focused. You're a part of nature."

For more information, here's a link to the official site of Maryland Steeplechasing.

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The first Earth Day was April 22,1970. Mother Nature did her part by providing a glorious warm spring day and thousands of Marylanders flocked outdoors to take a closer look at their environment and discuss its problems.

On that first Earth Day, thousands of new trees were planted, many bikes were ridden and much trash was picked up. An internal combustion engine was buried by students at the University of Baltimore and many lectures and exhibits were held throughout the state. The governor established the Maryland Council on the Environment.

This the 39th Earth Day. More people than ever are aware of the enviromental challenges we face, and if everybody does his or her part, hopefully we can find solutions.

Here are some photos looking back on past Earth Days.

This link goes to the EPA's history of Earth Day.

And here's the official Earth Day site.

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This award-winning photo by Sun photographer Hans Marx is one of my favorites. I was reminded of it when I read a March 1, 2009 article in the Baltimore Sun by reporter Stephanie Desmon. The headline read, "Goodbye country doctors - Maryland rural areas face a crucial shortage of physicians, and legislators seek remedies before situation grows even worse."

This photo, which has the feel of a Norman Rockwell painting, was taken in 1952. The picture shows Dr. E. Paul Knotts of Denton, Md. attending the newborn baby of an Eastern Shore farm family. The Sunday Sun Magazine, on March 30, 1952, ran a profile of Dr. Knotts, who was chosen Maryland's first Family Doctor of the Year.

This photo actually didn't run with the article in the Sun Magazine. It made its appearance in the Evening Sun on February 3, 1953, when it won a family life photo contest. This was aong several photos that helped Hans Marx win the title of Newspaper Photographer of the Year for 1953. The photo of Dr. Knottts was also displayed at the Smithsonian in 1954 and as part of a book of photographs titled "A Century in The Sun," that was published in 1999.

Hans Marx always considered himself a "photojournalist" and this photo prooves he surely was.

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During World War II, Victory Gardens went a long way in providing fresh vegetables and helped alleviate food shortages. In 1943 alone, a Department of Agriculture survey showed that 42 percent of the fresh vegetables came from victory gardens.

Marylanders did their part, sowing many seeds and tending their community plots and backyard gardens. Gardeners were recruited by the Civilian Mobilization Commitee and Garden Clubs. These organizations, along with colleges, libraries, newspapers and agricultural departments distributed educational material to help people with their gardens. The Baltimore area alone had more than 50,000 individual gardeners. Plots sprouted in parks, school yards, businesses and neighborhood plots.

Gardening is again growing in popularity due to health and economic reasons. You don't need a large plot of land to have a garden, just a little bit of soil and some seeds or plants.

To read more about gardening, check out Susan Reimer's blog, Garden Variety.

Here's a link to a gallery of archive photos of local Victory Gardens.

Here are some other interesting links about the WWII gardens:

"Operation Rutabaga," from the America in WWII site.

The Victory Gardens chapter from a site about Farming in the 1940.

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Easter is a time of celebration and renewal. It's a time for church services and getting dressed in your Sunday best. It's a time for children to enjoy Easter egg hunts and the Easter bunny. It's a time for wearing a new hat or an Easter bonnet. And it's a time for gathering with family and friends and possibly even having your own Easter parade.

Here are some photos from past Easters. I hope you enjoy them.

Easter Parade

In your Easter bonnet, with all the frills upon it,
You'll be the grandest lady in the Easter Parade.
I'll be all in clover and when they look you over,
I'll be the proudest fellow in the Easter Parade.
On the avenue, Fifth Avenue, the photographers will snap us,
And you'll find that you're in the rotogravure.
Oh, I could write a sonnet about your Easter bonnet,
And of the girl I'm taking to the Easter Parade.

- Written by Irving Berlin

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Opening Day of baseball season comes around once a year, and with it comes a new beginning and a new hope as we cheer on the home team. In Baltimore, we hope for a return of Oriole Magic, but we can also just enjoy the game. Here are some photos from past Opening Days.

I will leave you with some lyrics from, "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," written in 1908 by Jack Norworth.

Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack,
I don't care if I never get back.
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don't win it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out,
At the old ball game.

The story of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game"

The Official Site of the Baltimore Orioles

Baseball coverage from baltimoresun.com

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April 6, 2009 will be the 100th anniversary of Mathew A. Henson's and Commodore Robert E. Peary's planting of the American flag at the North Pole. While Commander Peary was promoted to Rear Admiral and hailed as a hero, Henson, who was born in Charles County, spent most of his life in obscurity. It was only later that the first African American to reach the North Pole received the recognition he deserved for his accomplishment.

Herbert M. Frisby, a student of Eskimo culture who made 21 trips north of the Arctic Circle, was inspired by his fellow Marylander Henson. In 1956, Frisby became the second African American to reach the North Pole, flying over it and dropping a strongbox containing an American flag and a bronze plague commemorating Henson.

It was largely through Frisby's efforts that Henson began to get the recognition he deserved. In 1937, Henson became the first African American voted into the Explorers Club in New York. In 1944, Henson received the same medal given to Peary by Congress decades earlier. And he received recognition by Presidents Truman and Eisenhower before his death in 1955 at the age of 88. His one wish was to buried in Arlington National Cemetary next to his friend, Admiral Peary. After much lobbying his wish was granted and on April 6, 1988 he was reburied at Arlington. A memorial plaque honoring him was placed in the Maryland Statehouse in 1961 and in 2000 the National Geographic Society awarded Henson its highest honor, the Hubbard Medal. The USNS Henson also was named in his honor.

Frisby was head of the science department at Douglass High School for more than 30 years. The Baltimore native traced his interest in Arctic exploration to a sixth-grade geography class. When the teacher told the class that Henson was the first black to reach the North Pole, Frisby yelled out, "I'm going to be the second!" For that he was ordered to write 500 times on the blackboard, "I will not talk out foolish things in class." Despite his teacher's disdain, he did what he said he was going to do. Frisby died on July 26, 1983 at the age of 97. His collection of Artic artifacts has been exhibited at the Maryland Science Center and the Maryland Historical Society as well as other museums. The Herbert M. Frisby Historical Society is named after him.

To learn about these artic explorers I have posted links. I hope you enjoy the photos and I look forward to any feedback or future ideas.

National Geographic's profile of Matthew Henson

MatthewHenson.com

Henson article on the Arlington National Cemetery Website

PBS article on Robert Peary

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