Crafts

Rehoboth Beach, Del. Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival Whether you're a movie buff or not, you'll want to check out some of the 100 American and international films which willl be shown during this five-day festival. Viewers will be able to watch features, shorts and documentaries at a single multiscreen location and attend seminars. The festival also offers a chance to meet celebrity guests and will feature special events, including as a Children's Cinema Corner. The festival will be held Wednesday through Sunday, Nov. 7-11, at Movies at Midway in the Midway Shopping Center on Coastal Highway just north of Rehoboth Beach.

The two flagship beers from Woodberry's Union Craft Brewing Company - Duckpin Pale Ale and Balt Altbier - will be sold in 12-ounce cans in Baltimore city retailers by Friday, according to co-founder Jon Zerivitz. The cans will be sold in other areas of Maryland and Washington in the next few weeks. The brewery recently acquired three new 60 barrel tanks, which increase its brewing capacity by 75 percent. The expansion explains why UCB can now sell its beer in cans, Zerivitz said.

Philadelphia Jeff Dunham Stand-up comedian Jeff Dunham has carved a career out of ventriloquism with popular puppets like Walter, Peanut and Achmed the terrorist. Dunham has appeared on Comedy Central Presents and specials titled "Spark of Insanity" and "Controlled Chaos. " This time, Dunham will bring his "Disorderedly Conduct" tour to the Wells Fargo Center. The show starts at 8 p.m. Jan. 25 at the Wells Fargo Center. Tickets are on sale starting at $69 on stubhub.com.

For the past four years, artist Patrick Reid O'Brien has hammered together his display at the Sugarloaf Craft Festival like a carpenter. He starts by attaching pieces of old shutters together. Over the next three hours, he places the art. Then come the finishing touches: faux hardwood floors and Oriental-style rugs. By the time he's finished - the setup takes about 12 hours - O'Brien will have turned a small section of the Maryland State Fairgrounds into a vintage beach cottage.

The calabash is a graceful gourd with a swelling belly. As a vessel, it has been used in nearly every indigenous culture in the world; to hold seed and grain and for ceremonial purposes. With its ancient history in mind, craftswomen Valarie James and Liz Cunningham of Sonoma County, Calif., have re-envisioned the calabash for a contemporary clientele. Allowing each gourd to speak to them, the two create handsome vessels, inlaid with silver and rare stones, stained and burnished.Their works, and the works of other artisans who have turned to ancient and ethnic cultures and the natural world for inspiration, will be on display at the American Craft Council Craft Fair at the Baltimore Convention Center and Festival Hall this Friday to Sunday.

MAYBE IT'S THE Queen Elizabeth Cake, or Helen Shriver's famous peanut brittle. Perhaps it's the Angel Corner, where children make crafts for their family and friends while mom and dad shop, or the complimentary tea and door prizes. After 29 years, Ascension Episcopal Church's Mistletoe Mart is a holiday tradition. The juried craft event begins Nov. 7 and runs through Nov. 9 at the church, 23 N. Court St. in Westminster. More than 50 artists, crafts- people and specialty shops will sell handcrafted gifts.

The lobby of Howard County General Hospital will be filled with holiday crafts and baked goods Friday, when the HCGH Employee/Volunteer Auxiliary holds its annual crafts and bake sale.Proceeds help the auxiliary continue its many activities for patients and their families.For additional information, call 740-7985.*The Kahler Hall Book Club will have its monthly meeting Thursday at 7:30 p.m., at Kahler Hall in Harper's Choice Village Center.New members are welcome, and those interested in joining a book club are welcome to drop by and participate in the discussion.

The Carroll County Board of Zoning Appeals has denied an appeal for an arts and crafts shop on Woodbine Road near Winfield.The board found that the business was not an authorized use of the 5.49-acre property. Bonita L. Harmon appealed an earlier denial for the shop at her home at 5306 Woodbine Road, zoned a conservation district.Harmon and her husband make crafts on weekends and wish to display them in an empty in-law apartment. The couple also wanted to sell other crafts on consignment.

Patapsco Valley Chapter 3850 of the American Association of Retired Persons will hold its annual May Fair from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday at St. Christopher's Church. The fair will feature a ham or turkey lunch for $4, along with baked goods, candy, crafts and a country store. There will also be raffles for prizes that include afghans, Oriole tickets and a gift certificate for Snyder's Willow Grove Restaurant. The church is at 118 Marydell Road in Linthicum Heights. Information: 410-255-2601.

There's still more to come when visitors finish touring the main building of the Maryland Home and Flower Show at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium.This year, there will also be a separate exhibition hall nearby that is filled with craft booths to browse through at no extra cost."We're having three shows in one," said Jay Plummer, coordinator of the show for S & L Productions. "The craft show is something additional people will get to see for their money."Last year's show had just a small display of crafts, with no more than 30 booths which were in the same building with the home and garden displays.

Walking through a giant hall in the Baltimore Convention Center, Susan Johnson and Sherry Mills stopped to admire a bronze-and-steel sculpture with water cascading out of it. "I need this," Mills said. "You may want to come around this side first," Johnson said, nodding at a sticker announcing the water feature's $18,000 price. The sculpture by San Francisco artist Michael Szabo was among the many pricey items at the American Craft Council show this weekend. Others among the 650 crafts people at the event were showing high-end jewelry, paintings, furniture and glassware, with prices reaching into the tens of thousands of dollars.

For a craftsman, David Sleightholm knows he's pretty lucky. One of the biggest craft shows in the country is right in his own backyard. "People come from all around the country to do this show," Sleightholm, who works out of Hampstead, says of this weekend's American Craft Council Show at the Baltimore Convention Center. "People show up from all around the world to buy at it. The level of the art there is just amazing. " An annual event for 37 years, the ACC's Baltimore show will bring together about 650 artists and craftspeople, working in everything from paper to jewels, leather to metal.

On a sunny Saturday afternoon, Kate Williams stood behind the sushi bar at Pabu in Harbor East's Four Seasons Hotel, concentrating as she carefully wrapped a bamboo mat around rice-strewn seaweed. Chef Jonah Kim, the executive chef at Pabu, stood next to Williams, offering her guidance and casually chatting with a dozen would-be sushi chefs sitting on the other side of the sushi bar. When finished, Williams lifted her creation in the air with a smile. Pabu's Sushi 101 class - a combination of lecture, hands-on experimentation and afternoon snack - is one of several that has recently popped up around the Baltimore area.

They may look like simple iron candlesticks, tall and thin. But for interior designer Elizabeth Cross-Beard Marsh, they were more than just a decoration or a lighting accessory. They were an inspiration, for a room of soft beiges and abstract art. "I just fell in love with those candlesticks," says Marsh, one of 11 designers from the Mid-Atlantic whose works - each inspired by a unique piece of craftsmanship - will be on display at the Baltimore Convention Center next weekend as part of the 37th annual American Craft Council Show.

Founded just last year, Union Craft Brewing has established itself as a major player in Baltimore's craft-beer movement. Tours and tastings are given every Saturday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the brewery's headquarters in Woodberry, in the shadow of the Pepsi sign, The brewery is also developing into a popular venue for medium-sized events, indoor and out. Parking is easy, and the brewery is steps away from a light rail stop. On Friday, the brewery is hosting an event called the Truck Party Food Rally, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., featuring a group of popular food trucks, including Gypsy Queen , Kommie Pig , Kooper's Chowhound and Sultan . Guests at the event can buy $4 pints of Union Craft beers.

Founded in 2011, Union Craft Brewing has established itself as a player in Baltimore's craft-beer movement. Located in the shadow of the Pepsi sign, the brewery site, accessible to the Light Rail and with ample parking, is proving to be an accommodating venue for medium-sized events, indoor and out. On Feb. 8, the brewery will host a Truck Party Food Rally , from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Participating trucks include Gypsy Queen, Kommie Pig, Kooper's...

St. Paul's Lutheran Church in historic Uniontown will sponsor its annual flea market and crafts fair from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 9 at the church.The fair will feature baked goods, food, antiques, crafts and flea market items. The event is held in conjunction with a matching funds project for Aid Association for Lutherans Helping Hand Project and Lutheran Brotherhood.The church is at 3330 Uniontown Road.Information: 848-9415.FIRE* Harney: Harney responded to a brush fire on Harney Road at 8:06 p.m. Monday.

Bright autumn weekends in North Carroll are a collage of color and scent: hot cider with cinnamon; well-seasoned hardwoods aflame; maple trees rushing to saturate the woodland with reds and gold.Take a tour and visit two local craft-lovers' highlights. Sunswept Meadows flower farm and Springhouse Crafts will be open for the next several weekends.You'll discover crafts for sale at reasonable prices.Plan to browse in a neighborly way, enjoying free refreshments and friendly assistance.*Amid acres of flowers and family pets, the barn at Sunswept Meadows will welcome visitors with cider or tea around a wood stove.

I'm trying to be as much of a do-it-yourself-er as I can for the wedding. With that, I've ventured into every craft store known to man. And who knew there were so many out there. I guess I just didn't pay attention to them all until I needed to. If you're considering doing some projects on your own, whether for your wedding or your home, or even gifts for holidays and birthdays, take a look at my personal reviews of the area's most popular craft stores. Michaels: This is probably the most common and well known craft store and for good reason.

Nothing screams Super Bowl weekend like hot wings, chips and dip, and, most importantly, beer. Padonia Station in Timonium is taking that last element to the next level, hosting the first Super Bowl of Maryland Craft Beer from Thursday, Jan. 31, through Sunday, Feb. 3. Expected to be on tap are 40 beers from seven local breweries, including 10 from Halethorpe's famed Heavy Seas brewery. Padonia Station General Manager Larry Leonardi said it's a chance for the bar to transform its image.