Free Concerts at Strathmore

Longtime readers know that I love, love, love the plethora of free outdoor summer concerts in the DC-area. Last summer (or was it the year before?) I found a free outdoor concert for my readers nearly every. single. night. all. summer. long.

Can I do it again this year? So far, you know about Sunday night concerts and Thursday night concerts. Now I'm excited to tell you about free Wednesday night concerts!

Yes, these are outside of Prince George's County, but not too far, and at such a lovely venue it will be worth the beltway. (Bonus if you already work in MoCo, head over straight from work and completely miss rush hour traffic to get home!)

It's the Strathmore Free Summer Outdoor Concert Series! And it takes place every Wednesday evening through August 24.

Concerts start at 7pm and take place in front of the Gudelsky Concert Gazebo, in front of the mansion (bring your blankets and lawn chairs!). But here's the totally cool part--roving street performers and special (surprise!) guests will be there starting at 5:30pm to entertain you! Here's what the Strathmore folks say, "Jesters Nicolo Whimsey and Michael Rosman will delight visitors with plate spinning, uncicles, juggling and accordion, while Elena Day, Sabrina Mandell and Mark Jaster engage audience with their mimery and interactive merriment. Mischevious shrubbery from Ambush Theater will sneak, snoop and surprise unsuspecting audience members at the free outdoor concerts."

How fun is that? Even better, they'll have very, very yummy-sounding food and drink (regular 'ole American burgers, etc. plus international fare inspired by the performers!) plus soda, water, beer and wine (date night anyone?!) for sale.

So, here's my recommendation: leave early, arrive by 5:30pm and purchase dinner (or pre-pack it yourself!) and beat the traffic (well, try to anyway!) and crowds to enjoy the pre-show and concert. Lovely!

You can find more info and details at http://www.strathmore.org/

Here's the remaining schedule:

Wednesday, July 6, 2011
7 p.m., Gudelsky Concert Gazebo

CHOPTEETH AFROFUNK BIG BAND
This 14-piece orchestra based in D.C. combines West African music styles with American pop beats - hear modern jazz, Yoruba tribal music and Afrobeat all in one movement.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011
7 p.m., Gudelsky Concert Gazebo

ARMAND NTEP
A native of Cameroon, Armand Ntep adds African beats and traditional Lihongo dance from his native country to jazz, salsa and hip-hop for an eclectic performance.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011
7 p.m., Gudelsky Concert Gazebo

ANDES MANTA
Four brothers comprise Andes Manta: Fernando, Luis, Bolivar and Jorge Lopez. These natives of Ecuador perform true South American music, drawing on more than 35 instruments and centuries of tradition.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011
7 p.m., Gudelsky Concert Gazebo

OLI BROWN BAND
Nineteen year old guitar phenom Oli Brown, the 2010 British Blues Awards Male Vocalist of the Year and Young Artist of the Year, “brings a freshness and excitement to every performance and is at the forefront of the UK's New Blues movement" (Planet Rock Radio).

Wednesday, August 3, 2011
7 p.m., Gudelsky Concert Gazebo

EDWIN ORTIZ AND ORQUESTA LA ROMANA
After 20 years experience in the D.C. salsa scene, Edwin Ortiz and his Orquesta La Romana know how to get a crowd dancing to an addictive beat. The salsa dura offers hard-charging percussive rhythms and vibrant musical energy.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011
7 p.m., Gudelsky Concert Gazebo

RED BARAAT
Baraat is Hindi for a marriage procession and the joyous dancing and singing that ensues. Hear the infectious North Indian rhythm Bhangra meet the sound of a funky brass band, complete with a dhol, drumset, percussion, sousaphone and horns in a tantalizing mix of fresh originals and Bollywood favorites.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011
7 p.m., Gudelsky Concert Gazebo

UKEFEST 2011: Put Up Your Ukes
Strathmore has a passion for the uke - and has made the UkeFest an annual occasion. Grammy winners Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer highlight the festival, bringing with them a merry assortment of uke soloists and uke bands including Gerald Ross, Victoria Vox and the Sweater Set, plus The Riders, The Piney Branch Kids Ukulele Ensemble and the Washington Ukulele Orchestra.


Disclosure: The Strathmore provided my family with free tickets to two Backyard Children's Theater performances and sent along info about the free summer concerts. But, I was under no obligation to write about them. I just really love FREE summer concerts!!

Original post by Out by Ten. Thanks for reading!

Backyard Theater for Children at Strathmore

Last Summer, courtesy of Strathmore, we attended the very last Backyard Theater for Children performance of the season. It was wonderful! Our only regret is that we didn't discover this gem of a series until it was over.

That's why I'm thrilled to know that it's back again this year!

And better than ever, in my opinion, as this year the series has an international focus. Throughout July you and your family can travel around the world without leaving the backyard of the Strathmore! Abel and I think it is so important to expose our kids to as much culture as possible and we love to do it like this, in ways that they'll really enjoy.

The venue (a large tent over grass) and low ticket price (only $8! and free for 2 and under) make for a casual morning. I can guarantee your rambunctious toddler, preschooler or elementary-aged child won't be the only one clapping or dancing or cheering (or all of the above!) throughout the show. In fact, for the first performance, Sin Miedo, you're even encouraged to bring your own maracas. But I must say that after listening to their YouTube clip, I'm pretty sure my Latin husband is going to have me up and dancing during this show!

We can't wait to pack up our blanket and head back over to the Strathmore's backyard for a show this year. Maybe we'll see you there!

Here's the full schedule:

Thursday, July 7, 2011

9:30 and 11:30 a.m.
SIN MIEDO
“Sin Miedo is a truly international group that makes the Afro Cuban rhythms of Salsa jump into your blood stream and move your hips around” (Washington Flyer). Music-loving tikes will want to bring maracas and shake to the infectious beat of this D.C.-based salsa band.

Thursday, July 14, 2011
9:30 and 11:30 a.m.
TAIKOZA
Taikoza combines traditional costumes, dynamic motion and the colossal sounds of the magnificent Japanese taiko drums.

Thursday, July 21, 2011
9:30 and 11:30 a.m.
CITYDANCE IN THE WARRIOR PRINCESS OF MANIPUR
Balinese, Manipuri, and Bollywood dance come together in a pan-Indian celebration of life, love and transformation. Noopur Singha and Vishal Kanoi, CityDance’s international dance artists, are joined by young dancers from CityDance Conservatory/Select to re-imagine a Tagore tale of an Indian princess from Manipur.

Thursday, July 28, 2011
9:30 and 11:30 a.m.
BARYNYA
This internationally-acclaimed Russian dance ensemble brings the whimsy and wonder of Russian folk and fairytales straight to Strathmore's backyard.

Check out the Strathmore's full schedule and buy tickets here.


Disclosure: The Strathmore provided our family free tickets last summer and again this summer. But I was not required to blog about it and all opinions are my own.


Original post by Out by Ten. Thanks for reading!

South Mountain Creamery Spring Festival on Saturday, April 30

We've been getting all our eggs, milk, meat and other farm-fresh goodies from South Mountain Creamery in Middleton, MD for more than four years and just adore SMC! Every Thursday morning the cooler on our stoop is filled to the brim with glass bottles of milk, eggs and meat. It is delicious!

If you, too, enjoy deliveries from South Mountain Creamery (or, even if you don't), I highly recommend a trip to the SMC Spring Festival on Saturday, April 30. It's a great way to help your kids understand where their food comes from. In our case, those very cows will have provided the milk they drank that very morning. (And one of the chickens may just be their dinner next week, ahem!)

Admission is free (though there are costs for other things such as yummy food!) to enjoy music, kids' games, hay rides, calf feedings and tours.

Additional Details:

South Mountain Creamery Spring Fesitval
Saturday, April 30 from 10am-5pm
8305 Bolivar Road, Middleton, MD 21769
http://www.southmountaincreamery.com/


Original post by Out by Ten. Thanks for reading!

Holiday Train Displays

Growing up, my siblings and I loved running my dad's old Lionel model train around the Christmas tree and now Lucas has fallen in love with The Polar Express. So trains = holiday magic in our family! There are some lovely train displays in Prince George's County, DC and Baltimore this year. Here are the details for several.

College Park Aviation Museum Holiday Planes and Trains
December 19 - 26, 10am-5pm

During the holiday season, the College Park Aviation Museum gets ready for festivities as miniature trains, villages, tunnels, and depots spark the imagination and bring history to life. The National Capital Trackers bring a fascinating and constantly moving display of model railroads to the Museum. All ages. FREE with museum admission

Click here to read more about why we love the College Park Aviation Museum.


Union Station Norwegian Christmas Model Train Display
Mondays-Saturdays 10am-7pm, Sundays 10am-6pm

Enjoy the giant Norwegian model train display and the 32-foot Norwegian Christmas tree at Union Station in Washington, DC.

Free!


U.S. Botanic Garden Holiday Magic
Daily through January 10, 2010
Conservatory East Gallery and Garden Court

This amazing display of trains, Washington, DC landmarks and storybook gardens is a Washington tradition. It gets better each year!

Free!



B&O Railroad Museum Holiday Festival of Trains

The annual Holiday Festival of Trains at the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore takes place through Sunday, January 10, 2010 (except Christmas Eve & Day and New Year’s Day). It features weekend train rides with Santa and Frosty the Snowman, different model railroad exhibits each week, holiday photos (packages start at $13), train ornament craft projects ($1 each) and a Santa's Secret Shop for children (items range from $0.25 to $12). Regular museum admission applies but you can click here to print a $1 off coupon.

Original post by Out by Ten. Thanks for reading!

Smithsonian Free Museum Day: Saturday, September 26

We have gotten quite spoiled by living in the DC Metro area with access to dozens of world-class free museums through the Smithsonian Institution: We hate paying for museums! And yet, we've found some smaller, off-the-beaten-path museums that we really love and are willing to pay to enjoy. The College Park Aviation Museum and B&O Railroad Museum are two examples.

This Saturday, those museums and dozens of others are also free! That's right, Saturday, September 26 is Smithsonian Magazine Free Museum Day!

If you receive the Smithsonian Magazine, there's a tear-out coupon in your magazine. If you're not a subscriber or have already recycled your magazine, simply click here here to fill out and print the admission card to receive free admission for two. (Be sure to print out one card for every two people in your family!)

Then, head on over to one (or more!) of the museums that are free for the day this Saturday.

Participating museums in Prince George's County include:

College Park Aviation Museum
National Museum of Language
Radio and Television Museum


Additional participating museums in Maryland that are great for children include:

B&O Railroad Museum
Baltimore Streetcar Museum
Chesapeake Children's Museum


Click here for the complete list of participating museums in MD, DC, VA and across the country.



Original post by Out by Ten. Thanks for reading!

Kids Fest at the B&O Railroad Museum September 12 and 13

After spending lots of time dancing and singing along to Play! and Great Day by Milkshake, Lucas and I couldn't be more excited to see them live in concert at Kids Fest at the B&O Railroad Museum this weekend. Milkshake will be performing on Saturday and Sunday at Noon in what the group promises will be high energy, surprise-filled performances!

The B&O Railroad Museum's Kids Fest will take place on Saturday, September 12 and Sunday, September 13 from 10am - 5pm and is free with regular museum admission.

In addition to the Milkshake concerts, highlights of Kids Fest include:

• Kiddie Train Rides
• Kids' "All Aboard" Calling Contests
• Balloon Twisters
• Children's Games, Arts, & Crafts
• Contests and giveaways throughout the weekend including a trip to Rye Creek Lodge in Montana courtesy of Modern Babies and Children.
• Mile One Express Train Rides ($2 adults, $1 children 2-12, free for B&O members)
• Guest Mascot appearances by Amtrak's Arte & Bowie Baysox Louie
• Souvenir family photos at Dr. Coupler's Railroad Photorium with packages starting at $12.95

Read more about why DC-area parents love the B&O Railroad Museum at Being Savvy DC and A Parent in Silver Spring.

Additional Information:

B&O Railroad Museum
901 West Pratt Street in Baltimore, MD

Admission rates:
Adults - $14; Seniors (60+) - $12; Children (ages 2-12) - $8; B&O Members - Free

Click here to print a coupon for $1 off admission for each person in your group during Kids Fest!

Parking: Free!

Want to check out the B&O Railroad Museum but can't make is this weekend? Plan to visit on the first Tuesday of any month for their "Thrifty Tuesday" half-price admission!

Website: http://www.borail.org

Blogging disclaimer: The B&O Railroad Museum sent us four free coupons for museum admission so we can attend this event.

Don't forget to enter my giveaway to win a copy of Milkshake's newest CD, Great Day. You have until Saturday to enter--click here!

Original post by Out by Ten. Thanks for reading!

Visit a Farmers Market in honor of the Buy Local Challenge

This week is Maryland's annual Buy Local Challenge. Buying local is good for you, good for your local economy and good for the planet. If you want to commit to eating at least one local food item each day this week then take the challenge and make the pledge!

There's so much more I could say about buying local food, but this isn't a food blog, it's a blog about family friendly activities and ways to get out and about with your kids in Prince George's County. And farmers markets are not only your best source of fresh, local food, they are an awesome family-friendly activity!

Farmers markets are a great way to introduce your kids to a wide variety of produce and to help make the connection between the farmer and the food. I always find the vendors to be friendly and ready to answer questions about the best way to store and prepare what they are selling. If you think creatively, there are so many educational opportunities for your kids. Younger kids might have fun seeking out different color produce. Can they find something purple? Red? Orange? Older kids will love choosing which bag of peaches or ears of corn look most appetizing (and won't they be more likely to eat it if they helped choose it?!).

The Maryland Department of Agriculture lists ten weekly farmers markets in Prince George's County. Check one out this week in honor of the Buy Local Challenge!

Of course, I am biased here, but I strongly recommend you and your family come on over to Cheverly this weekend to check out the Cheverly Community Market! This is the second summer in a row that Cheverly has had their very own community market and it just keeps getting better. The market is a completely home-grown effort by a few incredibly dedicated volunteers who wanted close-to-home options for purchasing fresh, local--not to mention, delicious--food for their families.

Here are a few things I love about our market.

1) Neighbors. Even if I could accomplish my actual shopping in 30 minutes, I know I have to plan to spend at least an hour at the market. I see so many of our neighbors. Lucas always sees a few of his little buddies and they run around while Abel and I catch-up with our neighborhood friends.

2) Fresh, fresh food. A few weeks ago I purchased new potatoes which had been dug from the earth just the day before. In fact, the man I bought them from had most likely done the digging. When I was younger my mom's cousins owned a potato farm and would bring bags of freshly dug potatoes to our family reunion each summer. Let me tell you, there is nothing like a potato that is only a day or two out of the ground. Another time, I bought a half dozen peaches. Again, they had been picked just the day before. The sweet, sweet girl who sold them to me cautioned to wait two days before eating them. She wanted them to be at their prime for me. I was barely able to resist but am glad I did. Because on days 3, 4, 5 and 6 I thoroughly enjoyed taking big bites of peach as the juice drizzled down my chin.

3) Music. Our Cheverly Community Market has a house band! I love it when Lucas takes a few minutes to dance--solo or with other kids--at the market. With that great music playing, he just can't help himself.

This Saturday just so happens to be a Market Saturday. Come on over to Cheverly and check it out for yourself!

Additional Details:

The Cheverly Community Market takes place Saturday mornings (generally the second and fourth Saturdays of the month), 8:00am to noon , in the heart of Cheverly, Maryland, at the Cheverly Community Center, 6401 Forest Road. Complete list of dates here.

Website: http://www.cheverlycommunitymarket.com/

Visit the Maryland Department of Agriculture for a list of all Maryland farmers markets arranged by county.

Giveaway! "Bugs Bunny on Broadway" at the Merriweather Post Pavilion

Sure I get a kick out of Phineas and Ferb, have a little cartoon crush on Handy Manny and have a love/hate relationship with Elmo (aka toddler crack). But, they don't really hold a candle to characters like Bugs, Daffy and Elmer. You know, that whole Looney Tunes crew.

I can't think of a better way to introduce your kids to first-class classical music and the great cartoons of yesterday than Bugs Bunny on Broadway, performed by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at the Merriweather Post Pavilion on July 11.

According to the press release:

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is going “Looney” on July 11, 2009 with “Bugs Bunny On Broadway,” the critically-acclaimed concert which showcases the world’s most beloved classic Warner Bros. Studios cartoons projected on the big screen overhead, while their original film scores are performed live, in perfect synchronization by The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Emmy Award-winning conductor George Daugherty will lead the orchestra as they take the stage at Merriweather Post Pavilion, Saturday July 11, 2009 at 8:30pm.

This unique concert will feature musical masterpieces of Wagner, Rossini, Strauss, Tchaikovsky, and others, as interpreted through the “hare-raising” cartoon scores of legendary Warner Bros. Studios composers Carl Stalling and Milt Franklyn, in such iconic Looney Tunes as “What's Opera, Doc?,” “The Rabbit of Seville,” “Corny Concerto,” “Baton Bunny,” “Long-Haired Hare,” “High Note,” and many more.

Could it get any better? Why yes, yes it could! I've got 4 lawn tickets (an $80 value!) to give away to one lucky Out by Ten reader. Here's how to enter:

1) Leave a comment on this post by Thursday, July 2 at 5pm eastern time. To be a valid entry, you must include your e-mail address in the comment form (for my eyes only) or in your comment (public).

2) Earn an additional entry by leaving me a comment to let me know that you are a subscriber or follower of Out by Ten.

3) Earn yet another entry by tweeting about this contest and linking to your tweet in a comment. Sample tweet: Win 4 tickets to Bugs Bunny on Broadway at the Merriweather Post Pavilion! Enter here: http://tinyurl.com/mmyyzq

I'll use random.org to choose a winner from all valid entries. Good luck!


Congratulations to Kim of Passion and Art! Her comment was chosen as the winner by random.org.

Original post by Out by Ten. Thanks for reading!