Rain Date Announcements

We finally get rain -- and it has to be on a weekend with so much going on! The Canton Connection Online will be listing cancellations, rain locations, and reschedulings as we receive them. So please bookmark this entry and check back regularly for updates.

BARCStoberfest/Howl-o-Ween Postponed
The rain date is Sunday, October 28, same time and place.

Patterson Park Tree Team Volunteer Day Cancelled

Great Halloween Lantern Parade Decision Pending
The Friends of Patterson Park will make a decision Saturday around 1:00 p.m. Rain date is Sunday October 28, same time. The Friends will announce the decision by e-mail and a message on their answering machine at (410) 276-3676. If after 1:00 p.m. there is no answering machine message about a postponement, the parade will proceed at the scheduled time.

BCDRP Announces Free Tree Giveaway

Fall is a great time to plant trees, and the Baltimore City Department of Recreation and Parks will be giving away free Willow Oak and Flowering Dogwood trees to Baltimore residents to plant in their front and back yards, as part of its annual Shape Up Parks Day. Plus, Baltimore's City Arborist, Rebecca Feldberg, will be available to answer your questions about how to plant and care for trees.

Trees will be available on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last, and there is a limit of two trees per household.

Pick up your free trees at Herring Run Park (Hall Spring), 3700 Harford Road and Cylburn Arboretum, 4915 Greenspring Avenue from 9:00 a.m. to noon on Saturday, October 27. You can also register in advance by calling (410) 396-7900 or by visiting the BCDRP's RecNet.

Have space for a tree? Need some shade? Why not plant a tree and help support TreeBaltimore, Baltimore's urban tree canopy while you're at it?

HDC Confirms CHAP Hearing Schedule

The Historic Districts Council of Baltimore has confirmed that the City Council has scheduled a hearing on the effectiveness of the city's Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation (CHAP) on Wednesday, October 24, at 5:00 p.m. at City Hall, 100 N. Holliday St. You can read more details in this post.

Lance Humphries of HDC asks that concerned residents who are planning to attend to please e-mail him in advance with the anticipated number attending and whether you will want to speak at the hearing.

More Conkling Street Construction Schedule Updates

This is a reprint of a previous article from the Canton Connection Online. It will be periodically reprinted with continuing updates on the construction project.

As reported previously on the Canton Connection Online, the Hanover Company recently began a two-year construction project to build an apartment complex on the site of the old Tulkoff Food Products/Gunther Brewery buildings on S. Conkling between Toone and Elliot Streets.

Project Manager Robert Hooten reports that the construction crews will be pushing back their starting times each morning out of consideration for nearby residents who are impacted by the noise. From now on, during the week construction will begin at 8:00 am. On Saturdays, work will begin at 9:00 am.

"We will start work at 7:00 am further south on our project away from Elliott Street," Hooten said. "We are anxious to complete the demolition as quickly as possible and are making every effort to do so."

Hooten also said that he anticipated the completion of a report by the project's structural engineer by this Friday, which he will distribute to community organizations and residents who would like to receive it.

UPDATE (Saturday, August 25): The interim vibration monitoring report is available for download here (PDF, 792kb). Thanks to Robert Hooten of the Hanover Company for providing this and subsequent reports.

UPDATE (Friday August 31): Construction crews will not be working over the Labor Day weekend. Work will resume Tuesday, September 4. On Saturday, a service crew will perform equipment maintenance, but no construction work.

UPDATE (Friday, September 7): Crews will be dismantling and removing the Tulkoff Bridge tomorrow (Saturday, September 8). Conkling Street will be closed between 7:00 am and 7:00 pm; please use Clinton Street to connect between O’Donnell and Boston Streets.

UPDATE (Wednesday, September 19): Demolition of the existing foundation and building should be completed by the end of September. The process of recycling the existing building should wrap up shortly after that. The crews are in the process of excavating and shoring up the space for the new foundation walls and parking garage, which should be completed in late October. Work on the concrete foundation will begin at that time and should last until February 2008. The Hanover Company is waiting to hear from Comcast about when they will come to remove overhead lines on the 2500 block of Elliott.

UPDATE (Wednesday, September 26): Comcast has informed the Hanover Company that the relocation of the overhead cable lines along Elliott Street into underground trunks will begin on Monday, October 1 and should wrap up by Wednesday, October 10. Comcast crews will be working in the North and East alleys between Elliott and Conkling Streets.

UPDATE (Wednesday, October 17): Demolition, which ran over the original forecast, should be completed within the next two weeks as well as the recycling of the existing building. Shoring work for the foundation walls and parking garage is still expected to be completed by late October, and the concrete foundation should be complete by February 2008, weather permitting. Comcast has installed new underground cable lines and removal of the old overhead lines should be completed by the end of this week. The onsite crane will be erected within the next four weeks and is anticipated to remain in place through late spring. The project team now has an onsite mailing address: 1200 South Conkling, 21224.

F.A.C.E. Announces Inaugural Walk for the Children

For All Children Everyday (F.A.C.E.), a local nonprofit that supports children with special needs and related programs in Maryland, is holding a Walk for the Children on Saturday, October 27 at 10:00, beginning at Canton Square. Details about the walk are available on the CCA Events Calendar. The registration fee is $40.

Co-founded by Richard M. Dawson, Sr. of Maryland and Deborah D. Roach of Texas, F.A.C.E. advocates for children with special needs through fundraising events, grant applications, local business support, and public outreach. F.A.C.E. is in the process of creating a network of volunteers, an advisory board, and event planning, public relations and gift development committees. You can find out more about F.A.C.E. by checking out their website.

One of F.A.C.E.'s co-founders knows firsthand the challenges faced by parents and children with special needs. One of Roach's children was born with a physical impairment. But instead of simply accepting this, Roach and her son moved to Maryland for a year so that he could obtain treatment, including three surgeries in nine months. He's now back in Texas undergoing physical therapy and will soon have almost no trace of his disability.

Interested in the walk or in helping F.A.C.E. carry out its mission? Take a look at their website today, and maybe you can make a difference in the life of a child.

Inaugural Canton Citizens on Patrol Walk

As part of CCA's ongoing efforts to work with police and residents to make Canton a safer place to live, work, and play, the first Citizens On Patrol/Paws On Patrol walk around Canton will be taking place on Thursday, October 18, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The walk will convene at the Canton Dog Park at the corner of S. Clinton and Toone Streets.

Residents are invited to join the walk from the beginning or along the way. Representatives from the Southeast District Police and the offices of the Mayor and Councilman Jim Kraft will be joining the walk, and want to hear from residents about safety risks or problems in their blocks. Well-behaved leashed dogs are welcome too, to form the neighborhood's Paws on Patrol cadre.

From the Canton Dog Park, the walk will proceed West on Toone, North on S. East, West on Elliott, North on S. Linwood, East on O’Donnell, North on S. Ellwood, East on Foster, South on S. Clinton, West on Hudson, South on S. Kenwood, East on O’Donnell, South on S. Linwood, Southeast on Boston, North on S. East to Toone, and end back at the Canton Dog Park. CCA's Block Watch coordinator, Susan Panek, says that the route "takes about forty minutes of moderately-paced walking, and with stops to take in the sights should last the hour and a half we have scheduled."

For more information about Citizens on Patrol/Paws on Patrol walk, contact Block Watch Coordinator Susan Panek.

City Council Hearing on Historic Preservation Guidelines Pending

The Historic Districts Council of Baltimore announced that the City Council has tentatively scheduled a hearing on the effectiveness of the city's Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation (CHAP) on Wednesday, October 24, at 5:00 p.m. at City Hall, 100 N. Holliday St.

"We look on this as a constructive opportunity to work with the city to give CHAP the tools it needs to administer and enforce the CHAP ordinance," writes HDC. "It is also an opportunity to broaden the preservation discussion to non-CHAP-local-districts." HDC is hoping for a large turnout of interested Baltimore residents.

In related news, HDC member district Arcadia-Beverly Hills has announced that it is currently fighting a zoning variance that would permit the installation of a 260 foot cell phone tower in this National Register Historic District. More information can be found here.

Howl-O-Ween Voted #1 Wacky Event of the Month!

You'll be pleased -- and perhaps not surprised -- that the Canton Dog Park's beloved annual Howl-O-Ween event has been awarded the #1 Wacky Event for October by the AOL Local City Guide's monthly Strange, Weird, and Wacky Events Listing!

Now, that's the #1 wacky event in the entire country! That's quite an accomplishment.

This year's Howl-O-Ween takes place on October 27 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Patterson Park, in conjunction with BARCStoberfest. The costume competition starts at 12:30. Prizes will be awarded for Most Original, Most Baltimorean, Matching Dog & Human, and Best Last Minute. It's the best dog-gone thing in Baltimore.

Congratulations, Canton Dog Park, from the Canton Connection Online and your community. Here's to keepin' it weird!

AARP MD Sponsoring BGE Rate Listening Session

Has the rise in electricity costs affected you? Here's an opportunity for you to let BGE know face to face.

The Maryland Chapter of AARP is inviting Baltimore residents, BGE representatives, and others to a Listening Session on Friday, October 19th from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the BWI Comfort Inn, 6921 Baltimore-Annapolis Blvd. The session will feature a panel discussion on BGE's electricity rate hike and the prospect for competitive providers.

AARP MD will provide a free lunch after the panel session and distribute a free energy saving product to 50 randomly-selected participants. AARP MD will also be providing transportation for groups of 40 or more.

For more information, contact Deena Speights-NaPata, AARP Maryland's Associate State Director of Community Outreach at (410) 895-7603 or dsnapata@aarp.org.

Downtown Partnership Issues St. Paul Street Traffic Advisory

The Downtown Partnership of Baltimore has issued a Traffic Advisory covering the road construction that is currently underway on St. Paul Street between Lexington and Baltimore Streets and south to Light Street. Two lanes are currently shut down.

Drivers can expect traffic backups from St. Paul Street and St. Paul Place to Mercy Hospital, especially at rush hour. Motorists are advised to avoid the area and take alternate routes. The Canton Connection Online will post updates as they are received.

UPDATE (Saturday, October 5): The Baltimore Sun reports that parts of St. Paul and Calvert Streets will be closed between Saratoga and Centre Streets on Sunday between 6 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Daily Grind Says "Hi" with Free Sandwiches and Coffee!

The new Daily Grind coffee shop will soon be opening in the old Firehouse at the west end of O'Donnell Square. In the meantime, to help train the new staff -- and also to say "hi" to its Canton neighbors -- the Daily Grind is having an "Open House" this week and serving free sandwiches and coffee!

The Open House runs from today through Thursday, from 9:00 a.m. (or thereabouts) to 4:00 p.m. So drop by, say hi, and see how well they can make your favorite caffeinated concoction (double-double-soy-affogato-breve-half-caf-on-a-leash, anyone?).

Image courtesy iBand.com

Breaking News: Canton Home Burglarized Sunday, Suspect at Large

A Canton resident reported the following to The Canton Connection this morning:

"My husband and I live on Dillon Street and on Sunday afternoon [September 30] we decided to walk to Vaccarro's for some gelato. Upon returning 25 minutes later we found someone in our home attempting to rob us. It appears this individual got in through the back of the house and jumped out our 2nd story window exiting through the alley. Please be on the lookout for suspicious individuals in this neighborhood and lock your door and alarm your home (Sunday during the day is no exclusion for break ins) most of our neighbors were home. The person we believe is a white thin male about 5'8 with tattoos on his fore arms with dirty blond hair shoulder length and limping. He had on work boots, jeans and a tee shirt and was seen earlier in the day walking down Dillon street near Canton Square."

If you believe you have seen the suspect, please call 311 right away. The Canton Connection Online encourages Cantonites to follow the resident's suggestions to protect your homes from being robbed. If you have been the victim of a break-in, call 311 right away and be sure to file a report with the responding officer and ask for the case number. That way, you can call the police later to find out what's being done to solve your case.

In addition to reporting a crime directly to the police, Canton residents should also make use of the Community Citizen Complaint Form which is available on the Southeast District Police Community Relations Council (SEP CRC) website. You can fill out the form online or print it out and mail it in, and complaints can be filed anonymously.

The resident added:

"Luckily for us he only got away with some cash on my desk and that was it. Although it is a very frightening experience to come home and find someone in your house. Hopefully this does not happen to anyone else."

Image: iStockPhoto.com