Hampden

The food-truck rally known as The Gathering kicks off a new season on Friday night in Hampden. The 2013 debut Gathering will take place in the parking lot of the Castle, at the corner of Keswisk Avenue and 34th Streets in Hampden, from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Gypsy Queen, Kooper's Chowhound, Mis Shirley's, Chicken 'N Waffles, Kommie Pig, Jolly Pig, Souper Freaks, Charm City Gourmet, Flavorful Cupcakes and Icedgems Creations are all expected....

The following is compiled from police reports. It is the Baltimore Messenger's policy to include descriptions only when there is enough information to make identification possible. If you have any information about these crimes, call the Baltimore City Police Department's Northern District at 410-396-2455. North Calvert Street 2500 block at 3:50 p.m. May 9. Pedestrian knocked down and robbed of back pack, two rings, passport, iPad, clothing, medications. Cedarcroft Road 700 block at 4 p.m. May 5. White iPod stolen from vehicle.

All's well at Cafe Hon , and Chef Gordon Ramsay is very pleased. That was the message of Friday night's "Kitchen Nightmares" on Fox, as Ramsay revisited the Hampden eatery where he was instrumental in tamping down a war that had erupted over owner Denise Whiting's decision to trademark the word "Hon. " After recounting Ramsay's initial visit to the restaurant, in fall 2011, the segment got down to brass tacks. First, he stopped in to see MIX 106.5's JoJo and Reagan, who assured him that, as far as they knew, things were going just fine at Cafe Hon. The food was better, they said, the staff seemed happier -- the first piece portrayed them as primed for a full-scale revolt -- and the community seemed ready to let bygones be bygones, especially once Whiting made good on her promise to let go of the trademark.

Got blood? Time to help your community. On Wednesday, May 15, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Thursday ,May 16, from 3 to 7 p.m., the Hampden Family Center, 1104 W. 36th St., is partnering with MedStar Health, which owns Union Memorial Hospital, for a blood drive. If you have questions or wish to make an appointment, call the Hampden Family Center at 410-467-8710. At Minás Gallery & Boutique, 815 W. 36th St., there is an ongoing silent auction to benefit the House of Ruth, and the final bids and closing reception takes place on May 17 from 7 to 10 p.m. This auction brings together works from a number of excellent Baltimore artists, with all of the proceeds going to support one of the nation's leading domestic violence centers that helps thousands of battered women and their children every year.

Letter writer C.D. Wilmer of Baltimore refers to Hampden as a tourist trap ("Hampden isn't the same," Nov. 11). My definition of tourist trap is an attraction geared more to visitors than to locals, that promises more than it delivers. I moved to Hampden back when it was what Mr. Wilmer calls "quirky and eclectic" and have enjoyed its evolution into an even more quirky and eclectic community ever since. Hampden is better now than it ever has been. My wife, daughter and I eat and shop on the Avenue two to four times a week.

No, this is not the Green Zone in Iraq, it's downtown Hampden where helicopters have been droning at 6 a.m. for two straight early mornings. And no, it's not because the Titanic is sinking - or an earthquake hit or even a tsunami coming down the Jones Falls. It's not the start of World War III, but an unbelievable amount of attention given to two lanes shut down on the Jones Falls Expressway at 28th Street. Come on, TV news people. Give it a rest and move on to something else that might actually be worth waking up an entire neighborhood.

City police were investigating an afternoon non-fatal shooting in Hampden. Police said officers were called to the 3700 block of Hickory Ave., about two blocks north of The Avenue, at about 3:30 p.m. for a report of shots fired. A female, who age was not immediately disclosed, had been shot in the foot, police said. The shooting is the first non-police shooting in Hampden since Aug. 2009, according to data posted to the city's OpenBaltimore website. The last homicide in Hampden was in July 2010, when John Sandy was fatally beaten in the 3500 block of Elm Ave. Police didn't give any details on a motive or other circumstances about the incident.

The Gathering is coming back. The evening food truck rally, which was running on a weekly schedule back in the fall, is kicking off the 2013 season on Saturday at the Castle in Hampden, on 34th Street and Keswick Avenue. The Gatherings are typically scheduled for Friday evenings, but this one is being held from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon. The rally is being filmed for “Second Act,” a new lifestyle makeover show hosted by Paul DiMeo of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” “Second Act,” which has DiMeo and his associates helping the show's subjects cope with mid-life changes, will spotlight the owners of the Iced Gems food truck in the episode being taped at the Gathering.

The idea — the very idea! — that one woman could legally own a word so deeply entrenched in Baltimore's lexicon, a term that seems to touch on the city's very blue-collar, audacious essence, did not sit well with many Baltimoreans. On Sunday, capping a week of outrage about Cafe Hon owner Denise Whiting's trademarking the word "Hon," about 50 people gathered in Hampden to protest. The demonstration was organized through social media, particularly a Facebook page called "Boycott Cafe Hon . " It was one of several sites that sprang up last week after Baltimoreans found out that Whiting had established legal rights to the word "Hon.

The real problem with Cafe Hon specifically and Hampden in general ("Beleaguered café owner drops her 'Hon' trademark," Nov. 8) is that the folks there have turned a quirky, eclectic neighborhood into a tourist trap. It should be avoided at all costs. C.D. Wilmer, Baltimore

A shave and a haircut of yesteryear cost the proverbial two bits, 25 cents. A shave alone at The Old Bank Barbers, a soon-to-open barber shop on The Avenue in Hampden, will cost $25. It won't be any old shave, though. Owner Daniel Wells promises an old-fashioned, full-face, straight-edge shave, complete with hot lather, in a leather chair with a headrest that leans back. "It's an old-school barber shop with the tile floors," said Wells, who hopes to open this month at 1100 W. 36th St., the former site of Sixteen Tons, a men's clothing store.

A Jeep crashed into a tax preparation office Saturday at 36th Street and Falls Road in Hampden, pinning a pedestrian to the road and sending a wave of glass over people inside, according to witnesses. Tom Hanlon, 63, was inside getting his paperwork done before Monday's filing deadline. “It was like a bomb went off,” he said. “Glass flew past me 30 feet.” Hanlon said he went outside and the driver of the Jeep seemed dazed. People warned him not to back up because another man was trapped underneath the SUV, he added.

Breathe Books in Hampden says it will add a health-food cafe to its store next month. Owner Susan Weis-Bohlen says all the offerings will have at least one of five features: gluten free, vegan, vegetarian, raw or Ayurvedic -- Ayurveda is a holistic type of medicine that originated in India. This goes along with the store's stated mission to provide "books, music, and spiritual and inspirational items to help people continue their practice and journey. " "We will not be using white flour or white sugar; every ingredient will have some sort of nutritional quality," said Weis-Bohlen, who also lectures about Ayurvedic medicine at the University of Maryland's medical school.

Sometimes, it's the small things that make you happy about where you are. Here's what I mean. It was an early spring day and I was walking back from the post office when I heard a bunch of commotion from kids, so I crossed the street to steer clear of it, anticipating the worst. As I progressed up the street a bit further, I saw what the racket was. Like a row of teeth with one knocked out, there was a grass lot in the line of row homes where a house used to be (it blew up a few years back, and now it's just an empty grass lot)

Baltimore has so many hidden streets and lanes, it is no surprise that a place called Crittenton Place stumped the members of the Baltimore City Planning Commission. For the better part of two hours Thursday, I listened to an urban saga about a piece of property and its aged stone buildings that tell an amazing history. It's a story that is not often told, and you need a degree in advanced urban geography to find the the street and the charity that flourished here. Setting the tone for the neighbors who mounted a defense for the old Florence Crittenton Home was Mark Thistle, who lives near the old stone house built on the side of the Jones Falls Valley in Hampden.

The food-truck rally known as The Gathering kicks off a new season on Friday night in Hampden. The 2013 debut Gathering will take place in the parking lot of the Castle, at the corner of Keswisk Avenue and 34th Streets in Hampden, from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Gypsy Queen, Kooper's Chowhound, Mis Shirley's, Chicken 'N Waffles, Kommie Pig, Jolly Pig, Souper Freaks, Charm City Gourmet, Flavorful Cupcakes and Icedgems Creations are all expected....

Like letter writer John Starling ("Hampden owes a lot to Denise Whiting," June 13), I too became familiarized with Hampden because of Café Hon and moved here. I have watched its owner, Denise Whiting, only become better at what she does. There have been many businesses and restaurants that have opened in Hampden because they knew it would be profitable "settling" in a neighborhood that would embrace them, and we should thank Ms. Whiting for doing that groundwork! Arlene Layton, Hampden

Baltimore has so many hidden streets and lanes, it is no surprise that a place called Crittenton Place stumped the members of the Baltimore City Planning Commission. For the better part of two hours Thursday, I listened to an urban saga about a piece of property and its aged stone buildings that tell an amazing history. It's a story that is not often told, and you need a degree in advanced urban geography to find the the street and the charity that flourished here. Setting the tone for the neighbors who mounted a defense for the old Florence Crittenton Home was Mark Thistle, who lives near the old stone house built on the side of the Jones Falls Valley in Hampden.

The cuisine and restaurants of Baltimore are getting another turn in the national spotlight. The March 25 episode of "Bizarre Foods America with Andrew Zimmern" features Baltimore and the Chesapeake Bay. The last time Baltimore was the subject of a Travel Channel food show was in July 2009, when Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" took viewers into a gritty side of the city. Not all Baltimoreans were pleased with how the city came across. Zimmern's affable style is different from Bourdain's, but don't expect a chamber of commerce-style slide show.

Unless you've missed the news and are befuddled as to why people keep saying you're an hour late to things, we've all just "sprung forward. " How is it springtime already? With spring comes a lot of shuffling and changes in Hampden. Every year, it surprises me at how The Avenue (and our business district in general) can keep getting better and better, but it does. And if a lot of the plans and rumors I've heard come to fruition, Hampden looks poised to grow its thriving local economy.