Charles Carroll House

After nine years of historical and architectural research and more than two years of interior restoration, the Charles Carroll House in Annapolis will open to the public Saturday. The house, at 107 Duke of Gloucester St., is the birthplace of Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence. It is the sole surviving birthplace of a Maryland signer.As part of the opening ceremonies from noon to 4 p.m., the 6th Maryland Regiment will offer musket salutes while an actor playing Charles Carroll disembarks from the tall ship Providence.

Carroll House to open doors A section of the Charles Carroll House, owned by one of Maryland's four signers of the Declaration of Independence, is undergoing a rare dose of demolition in Annapolis - just to give it more liberty, organizers said. Getting rid of an awkward exterior addition this week will bring the shuttered mansion's lines to light and will soon allow the front door to be opened for the first time in 130 years, said Sharon Kennedy, a trustee of the nonprofit Charles Carroll House Inc. The house the Carroll family built - a massive Georgian pile of bricks - is being separated from a rectory, part of the St. Mary's Parish complex on lower Duke of Gloucester Street.

Lately the food pages, even the front pages, have been vibrating with reaction to the latest broadside from Michael Jacobson and the Center for Science in the Public Interest.Having exposed the dangers of standard Mexican, Chinese, and Italian restaurant food, the Center for Science recently declared seafood restaurants reasonably healthy places to eat, if one avoids fried offerings.Our forebears in the 17th and 18th centuries did not have the benefit of Mr. Jacobson's research . . . or even of restaurants, generally.

A delightful musical homecoming occurred under the stars Saturday night when the Charles Carroll House of Annapolis presented a recital by cellist Rupert Thompson. Thompson, a 1986 graduate of Annapolis High School, proved himself a consummate musician as he performed in his first full-length recital in his hometown. The recital included full-length sonatas by Bach, Beethoven, Brahms and Debussy, plus Thompson's own "Fanfare for the Common Slave." Thompson's brief, unaccompanied narrative was inspired by the Carroll estate, where involuntary servitude flourished during America's formative decades.

The 18th century will come alive in Annapolis this weekend as artisans, musicians and actors take up the garb and activities of Colonial days for the eighth annual Founding Fathers' Trades Fair at historic Charles Carroll House. The fair, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, will include an indenture/apprenticeship program for children 8 and older, a guided tour of the house and gardens, and a taste of the food of the era. Admission to the fair is $6; $4 for children through 12th grade.

A delightful musical homecoming occurred under the stars Saturday night when the Charles Carroll House of Annapolis presented a recital by cellist Rupert Thompson. Thompson, a 1986 graduate of Annapolis High School, proved himself a consummate musician as he performed in his first full-length recital in his hometown. The recital included full-length sonatas by Bach, Beethoven, Brahms and Debussy, plus Thompson's own "Fanfare for the Common Slave." Thompson's brief, unaccompanied narrative was inspired by the Carroll estate, where involuntary servitude flourished during America's formative decades.

Anne Arundel County has contribution $15,000 toward the $1 million goal of its current restoration campaign, the Charles Carroll House ofAnnapolis Inc. announced.County support for all phases of the Carroll House project totals $45,000, which has been designated for restoration of the main parlor, where permanent recognition of the county's commitment to historical preservation will be displayed.Robert Agee, representing the county executive's office, presented the check to Robert L. Worden in a Nov. 7 ceremony at the Carroll House.

Archaeologists digging in the basement of the Charles Carroll House in Annapolis have discovered a cache of dozens of objects that are linked to West African religious roots.The ritual objects are believed to have been buried beneath the floorboards by slaves serving the Carroll family in the early 1800s.The polished pebbles, rock crystals, disks and bones are identical to sacred objects that were used to tell the future, communicate with the dead and assure good luck in a part of West Africa that is now Sierra Leone.

Fort Meade is not the only place to watch fireworks on Independence Day.You can grab a blanket or a lawn chair and relax at Downs Memorial Park, at the end of Mountain Road in Pasadena, for a 30-minute display launched from a barge in the Chesapeake Bay. The show starts at 9: 15 p.m. Saturday.Annapolis also offers a display, launched from a barge at the mouth of the Severn River, also at 9: 15 p.m.The best place to watch it is from Farragut Field at the Naval Academy. But don't try to drive there.

The doors of the historic Charles Carroll House of Annapolis will open next week for dining, wine, dancing and a sneak peek at a new exhibit "Where Ever There Be Freedom."The gala event for a fledgling group working to restore the 292-year-old home of Maryland's Declaration of Independence signer will include tastes of smoked fish and hot canapes, tours of area historic homes that are privately owned, tales from character interpreters and a try at 18th-century dances."Where Ever There Be Freedom," a multipaneled exhibit of photographs and documents, tells the stories of people who lived in the three-story brick waterfront mansion where Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the declaration signer, Charles Carroll of Annapolis, his father, and Charles Carroll the Settler, his grandfather, put down roots in the New World.

The 18th century will come alive in Annapolis this weekend as artisans, musicians and actors take up the garb and activities of Colonial days for the eighth annual Founding Fathers' Trades Fair at historic Charles Carroll House. The fair, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, will include an indenture/apprenticeship program for children 8 and older, a guided tour of the house and gardens, and a taste of the food of the era. Admission to the fair is $6; $4 for children through 12th grade.

The 18th century will come alive in Annapolis this weekend as artisans, musicians and actors take up the garb and activities of Colonial days for the eighth annual Founding Fathers' Trades Fair at historic Charles Carroll House. The fair, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, will include an indenture/apprenticeship program for children 8 and older, a guided tour of the house and gardens, and a taste of the food of the era. Admission to the fair is $6; $4 for children through 12th grade.

When I started writing this column, I mentioned that I was looking forward to the return of the ospreys. And now that they're on their way back south, it's a good time to stop writing. I'm passing on this space to another correspondent who I hope will have as much fun as I've had, babbling about birds and books and boats, history and the wonderful people doing wonderful things around Annapolis and South County.Here are some events I think you'll enjoy:Charles Carroll House of Annapolis will present the lecture, "Revolutionary Measures in Wartime," from 7: 30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday.

ROSS SIMONS, director of the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) near Edgewater, will unveil a traveling environmental education exhibit at a reception this evening at the Lowe House Office Building in Annapolis. "Tales of the Blue Crab" is SERC's first major traveling exhibit and will be made available to grammar schools throughout Maryland. The exhibit illustrates the life cycle of the state's famous crustaceans, showing where they live, how they grow, and other interesting things about the blue crab and how scientists learn about them.

Posters, pins and place mats are all on sale Saturday at the Banneker Douglass Museum Market Place at the museum, 84 Franklin St., Annapolis.About 10 vendors from the region will sell jewelry, books, accessories, clothing, and cards for the museum's Black History Month market. The event is a repeat of the Kwanzaa market that drew throngs of visitors last year, organizers say.The market will be open from noon to 3 p.m. Information: 410-974-2893.Fabulous Hubcaps to play at Maryland Hall sock hopThe Fabulous Hubcaps are on their way to Annapolis this weekend to rock the socks off 1950s boppers.

Fort Meade is not the only place to watch fireworks on Independence Day.You can grab a blanket or a lawn chair and relax at Downs Memorial Park, at the end of Mountain Road in Pasadena, for a 30-minute display launched from a barge in the Chesapeake Bay. The show starts at 9: 15 p.m. Saturday.Annapolis also offers a display, launched from a barge at the mouth of the Severn River, also at 9: 15 p.m.The best place to watch it is from Farragut Field at the Naval Academy. But don't try to drive there.

The 18th century will come alive in Annapolis this weekend as artisans, musicians and actors take up the garb and activities of Colonial days for the eighth annual Founding Fathers' Trades Fair at historic Charles Carroll House. The fair, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, will include an indenture/apprenticeship program for children 8 and older, a guided tour of the house and gardens, and a taste of the food of the era. Admission to the fair is $6; $4 for children through 12th grade.

Posters, pins and place mats are all on sale Saturday at the Banneker Douglass Museum Market Place at the museum, 84 Franklin St., Annapolis.About 10 vendors from the region will sell jewelry, books, accessories, clothing, and cards for the museum's Black History Month market. The event is a repeat of the Kwanzaa market that drew throngs of visitors last year, organizers say.The market will be open from noon to 3 p.m. Information: 410-974-2893.Fabulous Hubcaps to play at Maryland Hall sock hopThe Fabulous Hubcaps are on their way to Annapolis this weekend to rock the socks off 1950s boppers.

The doors of the historic Charles Carroll House of Annapolis will open next week for dining, wine, dancing and a sneak peek at a new exhibit "Where Ever There Be Freedom."The gala event for a fledgling group working to restore the 292-year-old home of Maryland's Declaration of Independence signer will include tastes of smoked fish and hot canapes, tours of area historic homes that are privately owned, tales from character interpreters and a try at 18th-century dances."Where Ever There Be Freedom," a multipaneled exhibit of photographs and documents, tells the stories of people who lived in the three-story brick waterfront mansion where Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the declaration signer, Charles Carroll of Annapolis, his father, and Charles Carroll the Settler, his grandfather, put down roots in the New World.

GRACE CARTER doesn't look a bit like Santa, but her 7-year-old daughter, Hannah, could pass for an elf. She sports a freckle-spattered nose and a pixie face under a mop of strawberry blond curls, and the day I saw her she was wearing a Christmas tree-green jumper.The Carters, from Annapolis, plan to pinch hit for the North Pole team this year to make sure at least two children get Christmas surprises."Santa can't get to everyone, so we're helping out," said Hannah.Saturday, mother and daughter took two names from the "Sharing Tree" sponsored by Anne Arundel Medical Center.