Camden Club

Because of increased sponsorship from local companies and renewed confidence from the PGA Tour, the Greater Baltimore Classic will go on as scheduled this year, tournament director Brian Thompson said yesterday. Thompson said that last month's meeting at the Camden Club between PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem and local business leaders proved crucial for both sides to feel confident about the success of the renamed Senior Tour event, scheduled for June 21-23 at Hayfields Country Club in Hunt Valley.

The best strategy off the tee was a short hop onto the fairway. This set up a long drive to the left, between the mahogany-lined mini-bar and black leather couch.With a little luck, a simple chip shot from there got you over the marble-topped Camden Club coffee table and onto the green, located in the middle of the owner's box at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Too strong a swing invited disaster: the ball could soar over the railing and onto home plate.And that was only the first hole of the 18-hole indoor golf tournament, the fifth annual such event for the Maryland Chapter of the Leukemia Society of America.

COLLEGE PARK -- Even after a blowout loss in his first college game in his home state, Zeke Marshall was smiling.Marshall, a 6-foot-4 senior forward for Cornell and The Sun's 1990 Player of the Year, missed seven of his first eight shots but came back to score 12 points with a team-leading six rebounds and three assists in the Big Red's 92-41 defeat to Maryland."

You've heard of a man without a country. How about a cook without a kitchen?That's life for Mark Hofmann these days. The former chef of the Pavilion at the Walters has just signed on at Ellen and Linwood Dame's as-yet-unnamed Northern Italian restaurant in Owings Mills. The trattoria, located next door to Linwood's Cafe-Grille, is expected to open this summer.In the meantime, Mr. Hofmann will be traveling to restaurants along the East Coast, learning the behind-the-scenes secrets to Italian cooking.

Speakeasy in Canton has been so successful that owner Bill Vasilakopoulos is opening a second restaurant serving continental food at the Anchorage Marina at 2501 Boston St. He's naming it Anastasia, after his mother. The first floor of the new place will have a bar, casual dining and live music. The dining room on the second floor, which has a fine view of the water, will be a little more formal. The new chef is George Platis, formerly of the Camden Club. Mr. Vasilakopoulos says he's shooting for an opening date at the end of May.* Don't miss the Culinary Extravaganza at Harbor Court Hotel on Wednesday.

Gov. Parris N. Glendening, a veteran office-seeker without any obvious office to seek, raised an estimated $335,000 last night at Camden Yards.Mike Morrill, the governor's communications director, said the figure was a conservative estimate. After Glendening's campaign debts are paid, the fund-raiser is expected to leave him a hefty sum to bankroll political ventures.More than 200 people paid $1,000 to $4,000 for drinks and finger food at the posh Camden Club. They were willing -- though perhaps not eager -- contributors for a governor whose decisions will affect their interests for another 3 1/2 years.

National Democratic and Republican leaders have promised to pour money and star power into the race for Maryland's 2nd Congressional District, and judging from a series of fund-raisers scheduled for this month, they mean it. Baltimore County Executive C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, the leading Democratic contender, is planning an event for June 28 headlined by Rep. Nancy D'Alesandro Pelosi of California, the House Democratic whip. She is the daughter and sister of former Baltimore Mayors Thomas A. D'Alesandro Jr. and Thomas A. D'Alesandro III. The event, to be held in the Camden Club at Camden Yards, also will feature nearly the entire Maryland Democratic leadership, including Gov. Parris N. Glendening, Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley, U.S. Sens.

The Camden Club inside Oriole Park at Camden Yards was hoppin' last week, as Pam Shriver hosted the annual Kickoff Reception and Auction the night before her big Mercantile Tennis Challenge. Folks loaded up on food and drink and laid down a few bucks at the auction. Among the celebs in attendance: Tom McMillen, Jim Beattie, Mike Flanagan, Geoff Grant, Elise Burgin, Scoville Jenkins and Phillip Simmonds. Of course, we had the hostess herself - and new mom - Pam Shriver. Pam had left 5-month-old Georgie at home.

The concessionaire for Oriole Park at Camden Yards wants to hire more than 400 people to sell food and drinks at the new downtown ballpark and will start taking applications at Memorial Stadium from 3 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. today.ARA Leisure Services Inc. will also hold "open houses" at Memorial Stadium's Hit & Run Club from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. tomorrow and Sunday."This is new for us. We don't know how many people to expect," said ARA personnel manager Debbie Wyda. "We'll be here until midnight if we need to to accommodate the people who come in."

Running with the bulls at Pamplona highlighted Brian Knoerlein's European summer. Running the aisles at Camden Yards, selling Cracker Jack or beer, is how he plans to pay for it.That's what brought the Middle River science teacher, and hundreds of other hopefuls to a job fair at Camden Yards yesterday.Aramark Corp. had hoped to hire about 400 people to work concessions, restaurants and other operations at the ballpark.The company is hiring more workers this year to staff concessions formerly operated by church and other nonprofit groups.