Picnic

The Baltimore Shakespeare Festival's "Picnic in the Park" may have preceded its first outdoor performance of Much Ado About Nothing -- but the event had all the beginnings of The Tempest. A huge thunderstorm the night before demolished much of the set. After a day of intense repair and reconstruction, what had been a 14-foot backdrop was now only 8 feet. In addition, festival artistic director James Kinstle had stepped into a rabbit hole during the maelstrom, leaving him hobbling around the evening with a sprained ankle.

More than two dozen community gatherings are planned in Baltimore County tonight as part of National "Night Out" anti-crime events. Among them are a picnic sponsored by the Lansdowne Improvement Association, a public safety demonstration at Reisterstown Elementary School, a caravan of Citizens on Patrol vehicles through Sudbrook Park in the Pikesville area, a procession of police vehicles through Towson, a picnic and boat parade at Wilson Point Park...

Arundel High School Class of 1960 will hold its 50th reunion Sept. 9-11 with a picnic, dinner, breakfast, an evening at Blob's Park and more. Information: Robert Stansbury at 410-471-2805, rhstansbury@msn.com or arundel1960hsreunion.com.

Circus at Mondawmin Starting tomorrow, enjoy performances by the Universoul Circus, the nation's only African-American-owned circus. Experience classic circus fun and innovative urban showmanship all in one show. Laugh at clowns, be amazed by aerialists and daredevil motorcyclists, and watch elephants and horses. Performances will be held tomorrow-Aug. 22 at Mondawmin Mall, 2301 Liberty Heights Ave. To buy tickets, call Ticketmaster at 800-277-1700 or visit www.ticketmaster.com. MPT picnic Spend Sunday eating and having fun at Maryland Public Television's Family Fun-Raising Picnic.

Links DIY Painterly Party Cups [via DesignSponge] Why pay extra for party cups, when you can make your own? DIY Convert an old suitcase into a picnic kit [via Curbly] I love a picnic, especially when you can make your own picnic basket! Wedding Inspiration: Yellow accent [via stylemepretty] Love the yellow accents in this Bay-area wedding gallery Books "Apartment Gardening" by Amy Pennington $12.89, amazon.com This looks like a pretty cool book for people who want to garden indoors with little space.

Corrections on gameFrom: Marcia A. McGillinBel AirIn The Harford County Sun on July 12, in the Youth Sports section, "Baseball" Bel Air In House, the Expos did beat the Brewers for the championship.There was no statement written that the Expos were 15-0 for the season. They were 11-0 regular season and 4-0 in the playoffs.Also, the paper states that Jason Driscoll drove in the winning run. This is a mistake.Joshua Kosiol hit a single and made it to second base on a throwing error. Jeffrey McGillin hit a double down the third-base line to send Josh home for the winning run. Although the Brewers started hitting in the top of the sixth, Shane Justis, the Expos pitcher struck the last batter out with two Brewers on base.

Carroll's military personnel who served in the Persian Gulf war willget a hometown thanks with a special program as part of the city's Fourth of July celebration.A ceremony of gratitude and recognitionfor Desert Storm troops from the area is planned to kick off the annual July 4 All-Day Picnic at the Carroll County Farm Museum.The "Welcome Home" rally is sponsored by the city government and the farm museum staff, who promise that yellow ribbons and red, whiteand blue bunting won't be in short supply.

Summertime's long, warm days are the perfect setting for the ultimate alfresco dining experience: a picnic. Whether you're heading out to watch Fourth of July fireworks next Tuesday or attending an outdoor concert, a picnic packed with simple, easy-to-transport foods makes any summer outing a little special. To take the guesswork out of what to pack, we asked some experts to assemble picnics tailored to particular occasions, from a romantic open-air dinner for two to a family foray with a meal in a hamper.

Howard County Executive Charles I. Ecker, undeterred by a recent poll showing him far behind in his bid to become the Republican nominee for governor, has scheduled a fund-raising picnic Aug. 21 at a West Friendship farm.Ecker, who plans to announce the beginning of his gubernatorial campaign in October, has been quietly raising money and speaking to groups for several months.The picnic at Nixon's Farm on Route 32 will be his third fund-raiser.The picnic will cost $25 for adults, $10 for children for a menu of fried chicken, hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad and ice cream.