The group also discussed pending federal legislation that would authorize an 1812 bicentennial commemorative coin, which could net the Maryland commission $8.5 million. State Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller and House Speaker Michael E. Busch attended the session.

A day before its Annapolis meeting, the commission presented the North Point Star-Spangled 200 Conference – a day of presentations and area tours in Baltimore County related to the War of 1812's Battle of North Point – for stakeholders in the bicentennial celebration. Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith was one of the speakers at the gathering. In his remarks, Smith announced the formation of a Baltimore County War of 1812 bicentennial advisory committee, which will help the county convey its War of 1812 heritage to residents and visitors. The advisory group is a subcommittee of the Baltimore County Conference and Tourism Advisory Committee.

Other speakers were: Vince Vaise, chief of interpretation at Fort McHenry; Ross Kimmel, historian for the Maryland Park Service; Ed Seufert, a Royal Marines re-enactor; and Larry Leone, representing Todd's Inheritance (a house used as an American signal station before it was burned by the British).

Take your pick for buying local in Maryland
"Buying local" often means visiting a farmers' market for fresh produce grown on Maryland farms. It can also mean much more, suggests the Maryland Office of Tourism: dining on Chesapeake Bay seafood, selecting Maryland wine, acquiring the artwork of local artists, or even soaking up local history along the state's Civil War Trails, for instance.

The tourism office has designated July as a time to focus on "buying local" in Maryland, making it the theme of its Maryland Spotlight campaign – a monthly promotion that highlights distinctive aspects of tourism in the state.

"When residents and visitors experience our local resources, they are tapping into Maryland's unique assets," said Governor Martin O'Malley. "Buying local is making an investment in Maryland's signature products, attractions and events. The bounty of our land and water – a reflection of our commitment to a Smart, Green and Growing future for all Marylanders – is just the start of what it means to buy local in Maryland."

Margot Ameila, executive director of the tourism office, adds: "Travelers can sample the best of Maryland with a multi-faceted "buy local" approach. They'll have plenty of opportunities to enjoy Maryland's authentic treasures."

Ideas for trips into Maryland's five regions with examples of local events and attractions that reflect the identity of the area are named in a recent Office of Tourism news release. Also, the Maryland Department of Agriculture has an online directory of farmers' markets in the state.


Buy Local Week , two restaurant weeks start in July
Gov. Martin O'Malley hosts the annual Buy Local Cook-Out in Annapolis on July 15 to kick off Maryland's Buy Local Challenge Week, July 17-25. The Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission, which initiated Buy Local Week, invites Marylanders to pledge to eat at least one item from a local farm every day during that week.

The commission also created a guidebook for "all things handmade, home-grown, locally harvested and authentically Southern Maryland" in Southern Maryland Trails: Earth, Art, Imagination. In the guide, trails are a network for locating farms, art studios and galleries, wineries, gardens, eateries, lodging and other related destinations.

Two restaurant-week promotions that spotlight local food start in July. St. Mary’s County restaurant week, Savor St. Mary’s, runs July 25-Aug. 8. Participating restaurants will prepare special dishes using ingredients from area farms, waterways and vineyards. Howard County’s Farm2Table Summer Restaurant Weeks, July 26-Aug. 8, offers diners a chance to try pre-fixe menus that feature locally grown products at 25 independent restaurants in the county.

Survey looks at economic value of visits to state parks
The Maryland Office of Tourism and Maryland Park Service are surveying state park visitors this summer in order to gauge the economic impact that visitors have from the time they leave their homes on the way to the parks to their return. Data will also indicate trends and visitor preferences at the parks.

Project organizers have designated a series of dates over a six-month span to distribute the survey at 36 state parks. They expect to collect 2,500 completed surveys – either online or on paper – after giving 12,500 of them to daytime visitors. Overnight campers at state parks are receiving e-mail invitations to participate in an online survey.

Preliminary results will be available early in 2011. The Office of Tourism last conducted a similar survey in 2004, when information about the economic impact of overnight campers at public and private campgrounds was gathered.

The current survey is the focus of intern Sean Aten’s work at the Office of Tourism. A graduate student at The Johns Hopkins Institute for Policy Studies, Aten is working with Rebecca Dougherty, the tourism office’s research manager. The Cecil County Tourism Office and other destination marketing organizations are also involved in the project.

New wine trail opens in Carroll County
Maryland’s fifth wine trail – connecting three Carroll County wineries – will be launched July 7 at Galloping Goose Vineyards in Hampstead. Cygnus Wine Cellars in Manchester and Serpent Ridge in Westminster are the two other wineries on the trail. Two more wineries in Carroll County are planning to open next spring.

Wineries in this grape-growing region of Maryland (Piedmont Plateau) have produced notable Bordeaux wines, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, says Kevin Atticks, executive director of the Maryland Wineries Association. “Many of our award-winning wines come from this region.”

Carroll County also hosts the annual Maryland Wine Festival at the Farm Museum in Westminster every September. This year, the festival is Sept. 18-19.

Western Maryland park doubles for 1944 Belgium in PBS film
Fort Frederick State Park in Western Maryland will be the backdrop for the July 10-13 filming of part of a PBS documentary about 11 African-American soldiers who tried to escape from German troops during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. The park near Big Pool will be a stand-in for a forest in Belgium in December 1944.

Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau is assisting with lodging needs and other logistics for the production, which is titled The Wereth Massacre. Historical Entertainment, based in Cascade (Washington County), is providing re-enactors.

The 585-acre state park includes a stone fort, built in 1756, to protect Maryland’s western frontier during the French and Indian War. Fort Frederick was also a prison for British soldiers during the American Revolution and a station for Union troops who guarded the C&O Canal during the Civil War.

Public art commissioner speaks at AFTA
Randall M. Griffin, a member of the Maryland Commission on Public Art and president and CEO of Corporate Office Properties Trust, participated in a panel discussion at the Americans for the Arts conference in Baltimore, June 25-27. The panel was called Intersections: Arts and Culture/Urban Planning and Design.

Budget Travel: Oakland one of best lake towns in U.S.

First Worcester County winery opens mid-July
A new Eastern Shore winery, Costa Ventosa (“windy coast” in Italian), is planning a grand-opening weekend, July 16-18. After considering Wolfgang Puck for food service, the winery will use a local caterer for the weekend event. Costa Ventosa is 10 minutes from Ocean City in Whaleysville, 2.5 miles off Rt. 50.

Outdoor film festival, Italian style
Little Italy in Baltimore has a new season of Friday evening films showing at the corner of High and Stiles streets. Live music starts at 7, the movie at 9. Free popcorn. Bread and Tulips is the July 9 feature. Series runs through Aug. 27.

Sondheim Prize winner to be named this weekend
The winner of the fifth annual $25,000 Janet and Walter Sondheim Artscape Prize will be announced Saturday, July 10 at the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) at 7 p.m. A public reception follows. The award is given to an artist or artist collaborators working in the Baltimore region. Held in conjunction with the annual Artscape juried exhibition, the contest is produced by the Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts. An exhibition of work by the seven finalists for the award will be on display at the BMA through Aug. 1. Artscape, often called the nation's largest free arts festival, runs July 16-18 along the Mount Royal Avenue corridor in Baltimore City.

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