Party

THE ROLAND PARK Second Presbyterian Church looked absolutely stunning last Saturday for the wedding of Natalia Pia Melanie Sommer and Richard Matthew Dohler. Thousands of wildflowers, miles of lace ribbons and tulle, and window sills decorated with Singapore orchids set the stage for the nuptials of the daughter of pop music star Donna Summer and her first husband, Helmut Sommer,and the son of Dick and Bonna Dohler, he's an Ellicott City builder.The church was filled with the music of German trumpeteer Langston Fitzgerald and selections of Bach, Beethoven and Vivaldi, played by the church's music director Margaret Budd on the organ.

Wedding Day: December 1, 2012 Her story: Faith Deutschle, 28, grew up in Dublin, Ohio, and now lives in Federal Hill. Her father, Jean Deutschle, is senior sales manager at Abbott Laboratories. Her mother, Marianne Deutschle is a pre-kindergarten teacher in Dublin. Deutschle is senior marketing consultant for LivingSocial. His story: Jason Albert, 35, grew up in Manchester, Maryland, and now lives in Federal Hill. He is general manager at the Delia Foley's pub in Federal Hill.

Last week we learned that adult children of divorce will almost always revert to childish behaviors. Case in point, Briana, the daughter previously known as The Most Reasonable Person in Orange County, dissolved into a impertinent, recalcitrant, petulant brat upon meeting her mother's boyfriend. This week Briana grows up and fights like a big girl … but we'll get there soon enough. Elsewhere in the O.C., there are tiaras to be worn and bling to be bought as Alexis goes all out for her little princesses, and Slade decides to declare Gretchen his queen.

The Green and Libertarian parties are launching new petition drives to get their candidates for president and other offices on Maryland's November ballot after losing a battle before the state's highest court. The Maryland Court of Appeals ruled Monday that state elections officials were correct to disqualify thousands of signatures on petitions previously circulated by the two parties. Many signatures were thrown out as illegible or not consistent with the voter's official registration card.

Deputed Testamony is 32-years-old. His dark brown coat is shaggy, and his biggest excitement is going into his paddock at Bonita Farm for three or four hours of grazing each day. He is a pensioner, an icon. The oldest living winner of a Triple Crown race. But when Billy Boniface looks at the horse in his paddock, he sees the striking colt that was born and trained at the family farm and raced to victory in the 1983 Preakness - the last horse bred or trained in Maryland to do so. "Oh my gosh, I still get goose bumps when I look at him and remember that day," said Boniface, who was 18 then and had just taken over the breeding operation at the farm.

Baltimore's movers and shakers were at the American Visionary Art Museum for "Harbor Lights: Leading the Way Home". The event celebrated the 25th anniversary of Enterprise Homes and the 10th anniversary of the Enterprise Women's Network, and honored Bart Harvey, the former chairman and CEO of Enterprise Community Partners. Baltimore's movers and shakers were at the American Visionary Art Museum for "Harbor Lights: Leading the Way Home." The event celebrated the 25th anniversary of Enterprise Homes and the 10th anniversary of the Enterprise Women's Network, and honored Bart Harvey , the former chairman and CEO of Enterprise Community Partners.

This episode begins with Emily meeting for “girl talk” with her best “gal pals.” She mentions that all her friends are the mothers of her daughter's playmates. Can't Emily form meaning relationships by herself? While she hangs out at the park these friends that are twice her age, the guys indulge in a pool party reminiscent of a Schmitts Gay commercial . Only two of the 19 bachelors have chest hair! Ryan Gets the First Date Card Sarah: Ryan “Fluff Head” spent a lot of time getting ready for the date - except he forgot to comb his hair.

We Democrats welcome the Republican voters and their candidates back into the fire. It has been lonely being the only active party, solving problems. Now remember, you don't have the luxury of "no," and you are getting a second chance to take back "your" country. There will be no more opportunities for the Republican voters or their party if your representatives drop the ball. The pressure is off us Democrats. Now we can sit back and ask you and your party why things are not going well.

The Enoch Pratt Free Library was abuzz with activity at Art With A Heart's 10th anniversary celebration, "A Decade of Difference." Tunes from a band mixed with chatter from a few hundred guests like: Dale Stevens , RHI Inc. president; Rachel Monroe , the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation president; Melody McCoy , Jhpiego director of external affairs; Jami Kofsky , Kimberly-Clark customer business partner; George Braswell ...

Two people went to the hospital with minor injuries early Saturday after a party in a hall used by the Violetville Volunteer Fire Department got out of hand. Baltimore County Sgt. Benjamin Yohe said that the two incidents - a stabbing and a man who was struck by a car - weren't related. Police were called at 1:38 a.m. to 4000 Benson Ave. after a 25-year-old Baltimore man was cut in the neck. Six minutes later, Yohe said, another partygoer was hit by an Acura in front of the fire station.

Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts will begin an injury rehabilitation assignment Wednesday night at Double-A Bowie, which means that he has up to 20 days to work his way back into the major league lineup. That's happy news - considering that he has spent a grueling and frustrating year recovering from the compound effects of a pair of concussions - but the announcement just before game time Tuesday night only amplified all the questions that remain about his future and the impact of his potential return on the first-place Orioles.

Paige Tanner of Lancaster, Pa. reveled in the infield Saturday celebrating her first Preakness -- and her last few months as a single woman. The 24-year-old, whose wedding is set for July, reunited with her girlfriends from Elizabethtown College for a bachelorette party at Pimlico.  Her bridal tiara and garter drew lots of attention from the infield crowds, Tanner said. "I've had two or three people take the garter off with their teeth," said Tanner, whose friends were all dressed in pink.

There were still drunken 20-somethings. Still crowds making a ruckus. And people throwing up after one too many beers. But this year - unlike at recent Preakness Stakes when infield crowds gained a reputation for debauchery and rowdy stunts like port-a-potty races - racegoers said the party was less out of control. The infield drew both casual fans, who came just to hang out, and well-dressed and well-heeled racing patrons - the type you usually find in the VIP tents or grandstands.

The Preakness is, let's face it, the dark horse on the nation's party planning circuit. After all, the second leg of the Triple Crown is squeezed between its more challenging and prestigious cousins, the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes. And, it's held in proudly fashion-averse Baltimore. Nonetheless, there are a few pioneering socialites and trailblazing doyennes living in states such as Kentucky and Pennsylvania and New Jersey. For them, the Preakness' underdog status practically demands a celebration — and the more fancy hats and black-eyed Susan centerpieces the better.

If it has accomplished nothing else, the tea party insurgency has made Republicans vastly more newsworthy than Democrats. While the party of the left plods along performing the boring old tasks of governing, the party of the right is engaged in high drama worthy of Shakespeare. The latest plot twist comes from Nebraska, where three conservatives have been vying to be the GOP's nominee for the U.S. Senate. The "establishment" candidate, state Attorney General Jon Bruning is, by traditional measures, a conservative.

Tea party advocates in Indiana are congratulating themselves on the Republican primary victory of one of their own, Richard Mourdock, over six-term Senate veteran Richard Lugar. But the rest of the country should be mourning the departure of the epitome of what Washington needs much more of: conscientious bipartisanship. The 80-year-old Mr. Lugar is being kicked out in part because of his age, his alleged failure to keep a real residence in Indiana, and his penchant for putting common sense and national security ahead of party labels.

With the passing of William Donald Schaefer, we should be reminded of what can be achieved when our elected officials place the concerns of the voters above party affiliation. His life served as a testament to those who work tirelessly every day in Annapolis to achieve the best for their constituents and reminds us all that in the end, whether Democrat, Republican or moderate, we are all Marylanders. Jessica Fugate, Nottingham

All are welcome to join hocoblogs  and  The Baltimore Sun  at tonight's blogtail party, from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. at The Stanford Grill in Columbia. Bring your smartphones, your charming self and perhaps a blog-reading friend or two. Kids are also welcome , and the group will be outside in the patio area, so there is more space for kids to be included in an adult party yet not required to sit still for (what may seem like) an eternity to them. The Baltimore Sun is bringing a posse of their staff to engage with those curious about their " blog network , The Mobbies , the Explore Howard site redesign, the new  Howard County Desk - Baltimore Sun Facebook Page and anything else bloggers and readers would like to discuss.

A grass-roots idea to bridge the gaps among racially divided neighborhoods has blossomed into an annual block party in West Baltimore that drew hundreds Saturday to a triangular park in Upton. At the fifth annual Boundary Block Party, sponsored by a coalition of five of the city's central-western neighborhoods, children frolicked near a fountain, a wooden platform served as a stage for local musicians and choirs, and dozens of people lined up for free hot dogs and potato salad.

The tea party's waning impact on the country's politics has been continuously reported since the movement's success in the 2010 elections. Well, the tea party has not gone away. In Indiana's primary election May 8, liberal Republican Senator Richard Lugar was beaten handily after 35 years in office by conservative rival Richard Mourdock, who was backed by the tea party ("GOP Senate stalwart falls," May 9). The liberal media and their supporters seem to believe that if they keep reporting tea party's death, it will simply go away.