Preview Party

WHILE I WAS away enjoying the balmy Florida weather, I understand you were also treated to springlike weather, much to the delight of those involved with the 27th annual Hunt Valley Antiques Show. The warm temps gave antiques buffs even more reason to get out of the house and enjoy "Garden Style Antiques," the theme of this year's show.More than 350 people attended the gala preview party at Marriott's Hunt Valley Inn, where they browsed through the exhibits while a trio played background music, and food and drinks were served.

Dover, Del. Firefly Music Festival The first large-scale music festival in Dover history, Firefly's inaugural lineup has something for everyone. The three-day, 47-band event extends across a variety of genres, including alternative rock, bluegrass and R&B. A solid list of heavy-hitting rock headliners includes alternative bands the Killers and the Black Keys, as well as Jack White, who will share a stage with R&B superstar John Legend and electronic performers Bassnectar and Passion Pit. Attractions include an air-conditioned brewery, wine garden and hot-air balloon rides.

The Helmore Farm house and more than 300 guests were all decked out for the preview party of the 23rd Baltimore Symphony Decorators' Show House, sponsored by the Baltimore Symphony Associates. The tony attendees first toured the made-over 19th-century Greenspring Valley mansion, then partied into the night at the L'Hirondelle Club in Ruxton.Among those decorating the crowd were Jane Barton, show house chair; Carol O'Connell, BSA president; Ellen and Buddy Zamoiski, preview-party honorary chairs; Anne Reinke Lambdin, preview-party chair; John Gidwitz, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra president; Dale and Carol Lucas, Helmore Farm owners; Henry Wright, owner of Selsed Vineyards; Susan Baukhages, special-events director at Maryland Public Television; Lainy Lebow-Sachs, senior VP at Kennedy Krieger Institute; Bill Knott, president of First Union Bank; Mike Ruck, president of Ruck Funeral Homes; and Judge Chris Kahl of the Baltimore County Circuit Court.

Saturday night in St. Michael's was the preview party for Jack Antwerpen's Big Pickle Food Bar. The official opening is Wednesday. Check out the Facebook page for photos. With restaurants, the name doesn't always fit the place (hardly ever, in fact), but Big Pickle seems a good fit for this a place that's serious about its laid-back atmosphere. Here's the Facebook page , and here's the website .

Saturday night in St. Michael's was the preview party for Jack Antwerpen's Big Pickle Food Bar. The official opening is Wednesday. Check out the Facebook page for photos. With restaurants, the name doesn't always fit the place (hardly ever, in fact), but Big Pickle seems a good fit for this a place that's serious about its laid-back atmosphere. Here's the Facebook page , and here's the website .

April showers brought not only flowers, but some 650 people to the Rites of Spring Garden Show preview party at the Maryland State Fairgrounds. They braved a spring storm outside to be greeted with more water inside, bubbling from fountains amid beautifully landscaped gardens created in the 4-H Building.The Rites of Spring event raised $75,000 for the Union Memorial Hospital Foundation and its patient-care programs, so it's was no surprise that many Union Memorial VIPs were among the guests at the preview party.

Elegance abounded at the 2000 Decorators' Show House preview party, sponsored by the Baltimore Symphony Associates. Formally attired folk toured Loveton Mansion in Sparks, which was just as decked out as its visitors, courtesy of more than 30 local decorators and designers. The 250 guests then were shuttled to Embassy Suites in Hunt Valley to dine and discuss their favorite show house rooms -- such as the upstairs dressing room decorated to look like one that might have been used by Baltimore native Wallis Simpson on the eve of her wedding to Britain's Duke of Windsor, or the $10,000 dining room wallpaper, a pastoral hunting scene mural.

A VERY SPECIAL preview party is scheduled for Wednesday evening, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., at the Artshowcase Gallery, 336 North Charles St.The opening of Baltimore Portrait, an exhibition of 28 photographs of ordinary Baltimoreans, will be a benefit for The Door, a non-profit organization headed by former Baltimore Colt football player Joe Ehrmann. The Door serves inner city families by providing clothing, food, tutoring and drug education. It is truly a labor of love for Ehrmann.The photographs were taken by Tom Guidera III and J. Brough Schamp, who did a marvelous job capturing the dignity of ordinary people.

Baltimore antiques dealer Marcia Moylan said the 1796 pendant that she and fellow dealer Jacqueline Smelkinson will exhibit at this week's Hunt Valley Antiques Show "reads like the first obituary ever written." She's only half joking. She said the 4-by-3-inch pearl and enamel pendant is covered in words extolling the virtues of a young woman who died more than two centuries ago. She was "clearly the apple of her parents' eye," Moylan said. That pendant and thousands of other antiques that have touched many families' lives get the chance to do so again this weekend.

AFTER A LONG winter, April is certain to be one of the most social months of the year. Whether it's a game of golf, black-tie galas or baseball, be there!APRIL:1: Cockeysville Volunteer Fire Company annual golf tourney, Hunt Valley Golf Club, 14101 Phoenix Road. Registration 8 a.m. $75 checks payable to Cockeysville Volunteer Fire Co., Golf Tournament Committee, P.O. Box 344, Cockeysville, Md. 21030.11: The Rites of Spring preview party, Maryland State Fairgrounds, Timonium. 6 p.m.-9 p.m. Business dress.

Baltimore antiques dealer Marcia Moylan said the 1796 pendant that she and fellow dealer Jacqueline Smelkinson will exhibit at this week's Hunt Valley Antiques Show "reads like the first obituary ever written." She's only half joking. She said the 4-by-3-inch pearl and enamel pendant is covered in words extolling the virtues of a young woman who died more than two centuries ago. She was "clearly the apple of her parents' eye," Moylan said. That pendant and thousands of other antiques that have touched many families' lives get the chance to do so again this weekend.

NEXT WEEK IN LIVE Getting ready for the water at the Baltimore Boat Show ... Visiting a wolf sanctuary and Lancaster County, Pa. ... Chatting with Ambrosia Parsley of the pop group Shivaree, whose new album just came out. COMING UP Actor Henry Winkler -- also an acclaimed director, producer and author -- is this year's celebrity honoree at "Heartfest 2005" Saturday at Martin's West. The 15th annual event features an evening of heart-healthy gourmet dining, dancing and education, as well as book signings by Winkler (Hank Zipzer)

Elegance abounded at the 2000 Decorators' Show House preview party, sponsored by the Baltimore Symphony Associates. Formally attired folk toured Loveton Mansion in Sparks, which was just as decked out as its visitors, courtesy of more than 30 local decorators and designers. The 250 guests then were shuttled to Embassy Suites in Hunt Valley to dine and discuss their favorite show house rooms -- such as the upstairs dressing room decorated to look like one that might have been used by Baltimore native Wallis Simpson on the eve of her wedding to Britain's Duke of Windsor, or the $10,000 dining room wallpaper, a pastoral hunting scene mural.

Half a dozen landscapers and more than three dozen vendors will guarantee a blooming good time at "2000 Blooms," this year's 14th annual Rites of Spring garden show, sponsored by the Union Memorial Hospital Foundation. The show also features demonstrations on such topics as creating indoor topiary gardens and arranging silk flowers, plus educational exhibits, activities for children, a book corner and a perennial plant fashion show by Bluemount Nurseries. Light fare will be available from a bistro by Linwood's/Due.

The Helmore Farm house and more than 300 guests were all decked out for the preview party of the 23rd Baltimore Symphony Decorators' Show House, sponsored by the Baltimore Symphony Associates. The tony attendees first toured the made-over 19th-century Greenspring Valley mansion, then partied into the night at the L'Hirondelle Club in Ruxton.Among those decorating the crowd were Jane Barton, show house chair; Carol O'Connell, BSA president; Ellen and Buddy Zamoiski, preview-party honorary chairs; Anne Reinke Lambdin, preview-party chair; John Gidwitz, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra president; Dale and Carol Lucas, Helmore Farm owners; Henry Wright, owner of Selsed Vineyards; Susan Baukhages, special-events director at Maryland Public Television; Lainy Lebow-Sachs, senior VP at Kennedy Krieger Institute; Bill Knott, president of First Union Bank; Mike Ruck, president of Ruck Funeral Homes; and Judge Chris Kahl of the Baltimore County Circuit Court.

April showers brought not only flowers, but some 650 people to the Rites of Spring Garden Show preview party at the Maryland State Fairgrounds. They braved a spring storm outside to be greeted with more water inside, bubbling from fountains amid beautifully landscaped gardens created in the 4-H Building.The Rites of Spring event raised $75,000 for the Union Memorial Hospital Foundation and its patient-care programs, so it's was no surprise that many Union Memorial VIPs were among the guests at the preview party.

If you can't afford the couch, think about buying the adviceWhile almost any interior designer will be glad to work with what you have for a fee -- if you need help rearranging your living room furniture, for instance -- most don't make that the cornerstone of their business.Enter Nancy Pappas and Lauren Hwang.The two women have a background in design and last managed the Handblock and April Cornell stores. They decided to start their own business, says Ms. Pappas, "because so many people want to have a decorator come in but feel they can't afford it."

Dover, Del. Firefly Music Festival The first large-scale music festival in Dover history, Firefly's inaugural lineup has something for everyone. The three-day, 47-band event extends across a variety of genres, including alternative rock, bluegrass and R&B. A solid list of heavy-hitting rock headliners includes alternative bands the Killers and the Black Keys, as well as Jack White, who will share a stage with R&B superstar John Legend and electronic performers Bassnectar and Passion Pit. Attractions include an air-conditioned brewery, wine garden and hot-air balloon rides.

Alexandra Stoddard, interior designer, author and philosopher of "fulfilled living," will be the keynote speaker at this year's Hunt Valley Antiques Show. The show, which takes place this coming weekend at Marriott's Hunt Valley Inn, will feature more than 60 dealers from around the country offering a wide array of furniture and decorative items.Stoddard's topic will be "The Decoration of Houses: Open Your Eyes," after the title of her latest book (William Morrow, 1998, $28). The book, and the lecture, offer guidelines for helping people "see better," so they can find the beauty around them, whether they live in a penthouse or an efficiency apartment.

WHILE I WAS away enjoying the balmy Florida weather, I understand you were also treated to springlike weather, much to the delight of those involved with the 27th annual Hunt Valley Antiques Show. The warm temps gave antiques buffs even more reason to get out of the house and enjoy "Garden Style Antiques," the theme of this year's show.More than 350 people attended the gala preview party at Marriott's Hunt Valley Inn, where they browsed through the exhibits while a trio played background music, and food and drinks were served.