Office Of Tourism

The county Office of Tourism has printed 75,000 copies of its annual "Calendar of Events." The 1997 edition lists exhibits, farmers' markets, church suppers, holiday events, theatrical productions, tournaments and annual traditions.The front of the booklet features a picture of Union Mills Homestead, which is celebrating its bicentennial next year with a series of events.Demand for the publication has increased so much that the office printed 25,000 more copies this year and began the listings with a Jan. 1 sculpture exhibit by Bart Walter, a local artist.

Hampstead Business Expo promoting small businesses and services available in the Hampstead area will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 28 at North Carroll High School.Hampstead Business Association, with about 220 members, sponsors the annual expo. New members are welcome. Reservations for exhibition space should be made before Saturday.Career opportunities will be presented by Carroll Community College, Western Maryland College, Maryland Army National Guard, Maryland Air National Guard, Hampstead, DARE and Carroll County Office of Tourism.

The Baltimore County Office of Tourism and Promotion and the Baltimore County Chamber of Commerce have announced the dates for the county's summer dining promotion.  Baltimore County Summer Restaurant Week will run this year from Aug. 10-19, with some 35 participating restaurants offering special menus at a discounted fixed price. The fixed menus are priced between $10.12 to $35.12 for a one-, two- or three-course lunch or dinner. A kickoff for the 10-day event will be held at Cafe Troia on Aug. 8 at 11 a.m., with several participating restaurants sampling their Restaurant Week fare.

Crisfield, the hub of Maryland's crab industry, was severely damaged by Superstorm Sandy. The owners of Golden Ring Transportation, with some assistance of the Maryland Office of Tourism Development, are putting together a grassroots relief effort for the affected areas. A Golden Ring motorcoach will be parked in front of the National Aquarium on Friday, 6-10 a.m., accepting donations of food, clothing, blankets, toys, portable heaters, furnishings, cleaning supplies. Cash donations will be accepted, too, as will gently used items.

`Blossoms of Hope' sponsorship drive to start Friday The sponsorship drive for "Blossoms of Hope - the Howard County Cherry Tree Project" will start Friday - Arbor Day - with two events. At 10 a.m., a ceremony will be held at Centennial Park to dedicate the Blossoms of Hope Founders' Grove, a grouping of 21 Kwanzan cherry trees planted last fall along Route 108 to mark the beginning of the project. At 2 p.m., a tree-planting ceremony will be held at the Elkridge library on U.S. 1, where trees are available for sponsorship.

The second annual Harford County Restaurant Week, sponsored by the Harford County Office of Economic Development's Office of Tourism, is June 9 to 15. Participating restaurants throughout Harford County are offering prix fixe (price fixed) menus consisting of three-course meals for $20.11 (or less), plus tax, beverage and gratuity. Limited service restaurants or restaurants with a lower price point are offering other special values, according to the county. In addition, anyone wishing to be eligible to win $1,000 worth of dining should have dinner at a participating restaurant during Restaurant Week and fill out a dining card entry form.

Visitors to Maryland -- and those wanting to explore more of the state they already call home -- can consult a new book showcasing the state's scenic byways and a mobile application that serves as a guide to the area's Civil War trails. Both items are part of the state's effort to boost tourism. Since 2007, Maryland has seen a 26-percent bump in visits -- amounting to an increase of 7.2 million visitors over the five-year period, according to a national survey of U.S. travelers conducted by D.K. Shifflet and Associates, a tourism industry research firm.

Harriet Tubman was the leader of the underground railroad who masterminded the escape route from the South for many slaves.Matthew Henson was an explorer recruited by Adm. Robert E. Peary to make the expedition to the North Pole.Kunte Kinte was a slave whose family's story was chronicled for millions of Americans by the late author Alex Haley.These three people are part of Maryland's rich African-American heritage, and state officials want the world to know."We are trying to market Maryland to the African-American market," says Marilyn Corbett, a spokesman for the Maryland Department of Economic and Employment Development (DEED)

Flight information screens to include baggage belt numbers To help passengers find their luggage more quickly and easily, the flight information display screens in the Baltimore-Washington International Airport terminal now show baggage belt numbers next to the information on arriving flights. Display screens in the main terminal and the gate areas on the upper and lower levels are updated by each airline. Baggage numbers posted on the display screens correspond to the numbered belts in the baggage claim areas on the terminal's lower level.

An article in Monday's Carroll County section about a Halloween walking tour of historic sites in Westminster should have credited Jesse Glass' book, "Ghosts and Legends of Carroll County, Maryland," for much of the material presented by the county Office of Tourism.* The Sun regrets the error.On a guided tour of Westminster, visitors may meet locals from yesteryear.The Carroll County Office of Tourism has mapped out a Ghost Walk, with stops at eight well-known haunts.The details of the town's most popular haunts are all in "Ghost Walk," which promises tourists "a spirited self-guided walking tour of Westminster."