Punch And Judy

At the fairgrounds in West Friendship, the 61st Howard County Fair runs through Saturday with an array of music and other entertain ment, including animals dressed to amuse and competitions for antique tractors, prodigious pie-eaters and the kids of 4-H. Punch and Judy were scheduled to appear, along with a man who carves with a chainsaw. Aside from fresh acts and added conveniences, Fair President John Fleishell has told The Sun that organizers "push and push to maintain tradition, and we always have."

With the holiday season under way, Fells Point throws its annual Olde Tyme Christmas celebration this weekend. Now in its third year, the Olde Tyme Christmas starts at 5 p.m. tomorrow when neighborhood shops and galleries stay open late with sales and refreshments. "It's definitely becoming a regular tradition down here," said Jeremy Fennema, president of the Fells Point Development Corp. The event continues at 9 a.m. Saturday, when Santa arrives on a tugboat, escorted by fireboats, which docks at the Broadway Pier.

George L. Horn, a puppeteer and ventriloquist who spent more than 60 years delighting children and adults with the exploits of his hand-held characters, died Monday of a urinary infection at Millennium Health and Rehabilitation Center of Ellicott City. He was 98. "I saw him perform sometime around 1963 at Patterson Park, and to this day, I can still remember it," said Mark Walker, a Baltimore puppeteer and ventriloquist who spends his days as a planning analyst at Johns Hopkins Health Systems.

At the fairgrounds in West Friendship, the 61st Howard County Fair runs through Saturday with an array of music and other entertain ment, including animals dressed to amuse and competitions for antique tractors, prodigious pie-eaters and the kids of 4-H. Punch and Judy were scheduled to appear, along with a man who carves with a chainsaw. Aside from fresh acts and added conveniences, Fair President John Fleishell has told The Sun that organizers "push and push to maintain tradition, and we always have."

Ever looked for a needle in a haystack? I'm talking a real haystack. No? Well, surely you've searched for a buried treasure. What - no? Well, you've at least watched earthworm races, yes? Certainly you must have. But if you've somehow gone through life without these experiences, it's high time you tried 'em all. "Sunday in the Park: A Day of Old-Fashioned Family Fun" takes place Sunday at Centennial Park in Columbia. Between searching for needles in haystacks (OK, they're really turkey basters)

Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean are the dynamic duo of comic books.The author and illustrator have collaborated on high-profile projects from a brutally frank AIDS prevention piece, "Death Talks About Life," to Alice Cooper's "The Last Temptation."So is it any surprise that their latest effort, titled "Mr. Punch" (childhood reminiscences entwined with a Punch and Judy show) is a runaway hit? Or as Mr. Gaiman describes it, "the fastest selling expensive book in human history"?The first American printing of the $24.95 hardback comic book sold out within four days.

Western Maryland College theater got its season off with a bang lastweekend with a production of Aurand Harris' "Punch and Judy."In this fast-paced, energetically performed, hour-long adaptation of thewell-known puppet show, traditional puppets that open the show latermaterialize as live actors in costume and makeup.The play's title is somewhat misleading and would be more accurate as "Punch." This is his story, his battle and his victory.His wife, Judy, represents only one of the many forces in conflict with Punch's unbridled hedonism.

With the holiday season under way, Fells Point throws its annual Olde Tyme Christmas celebration this weekend. Now in its third year, the Olde Tyme Christmas starts at 5 p.m. tomorrow when neighborhood shops and galleries stay open late with sales and refreshments. "It's definitely becoming a regular tradition down here," said Jeremy Fennema, president of the Fells Point Development Corp. The event continues at 9 a.m. Saturday, when Santa arrives on a tugboat, escorted by fireboats, which docks at the Broadway Pier.

Entertainer looks ahead and back; George Horn: Woodlawn 0) resident, 90, ran a Punch and Judy show,Ninety-year-old George Horn made his living from puppeteering until he retired in 1987. One of his earliest jobs, about 60 years ago, was running a Punch and Judy show at a place called Club Charles (no relation to the present Club Charles)."When the Club Charles opened up, they built a special bar with a one-way mirror. I did my show from behind it. No one ever saw me or met me. The bartenders helped me with the names of patrons who spoke to the puppets."

"Hold Hard," a memoir by Alda Hopkins Clark, is the story of a young girl growing up on a 19th-century farm in Howard County. This excerpt is published with permission of her granddaughter, Martha Anne Clark Crist. I rode Mary Mule for quite a while. One day a horse dealer seeing me on a mule said he had a pony, which he would sell very cheaply and he would like to bring him for me to try. The problem confronting me was how to raise enough money to buy the pony. My brother, Sam Hopkins, who worked with Mother managing the farm, told me that if I caught a couple of little pigs that were running with their mother around the back yard, I could have them.

While entertainers have been performing Punch and Judy puppet shows for more than 340 years, the jokes have changed to reflect the times, but some traditions remain intact, according to Bel Air puppeteer Mark Walker. A true Punch and Judy show has the title characters along with a baby and a policeman, among others, he said. Slapstick humor is essential. And Punch should have a squeaky voice, which is created by talking through a small metal-and-tape device called a swazzle. Walker, who has put on Horn's Punch and Judy show for 17 years, will be one of several new entertainment acts this year at the Howard County Fair, which prides itself on adding fresh elements while remaining traditional at its core.

George L. Horn, a puppeteer and ventriloquist who spent more than 60 years delighting children and adults with the exploits of his hand-held characters, died Monday of a urinary infection at Millennium Health and Rehabilitation Center of Ellicott City. He was 98. "I saw him perform sometime around 1963 at Patterson Park, and to this day, I can still remember it," said Mark Walker, a Baltimore puppeteer and ventriloquist who spends his days as a planning analyst at Johns Hopkins Health Systems.

Ever looked for a needle in a haystack? I'm talking a real haystack. No? Well, surely you've searched for a buried treasure. What - no? Well, you've at least watched earthworm races, yes? Certainly you must have. But if you've somehow gone through life without these experiences, it's high time you tried 'em all. "Sunday in the Park: A Day of Old-Fashioned Family Fun" takes place Sunday at Centennial Park in Columbia. Between searching for needles in haystacks (OK, they're really turkey basters)

"Hold Hard," a memoir by Alda Hopkins Clark, is the story of a young girl growing up on a 19th-century farm in Howard County. This excerpt is published with permission of her granddaughter, Martha Anne Clark Crist. I rode Mary Mule for quite a while. One day a horse dealer seeing me on a mule said he had a pony, which he would sell very cheaply and he would like to bring him for me to try. The problem confronting me was how to raise enough money to buy the pony. My brother, Sam Hopkins, who worked with Mother managing the farm, told me that if I caught a couple of little pigs that were running with their mother around the back yard, I could have them.

Make-believe makes a living; Puppeteer: Jill Kyle-Keith has 0) brought her troupe, the Beale Street Puppets, to new digs in Baltimore.Not everybody's moving out of the city to the suburbs. A few brave souls are coming in.Master Pinchpenny and his wife have forsaken bosky Bowie for Canton. Mrs. Posset and Bob the Barker Bug have come as well, along with 400 other new citizens defined by their diminutive size. They seem sure to add color to the town, and maybe a few laughs.So what if these new residents have plastic heads?

Entertainer looks ahead and back; George Horn: Woodlawn 0) resident, 90, ran a Punch and Judy show,Ninety-year-old George Horn made his living from puppeteering until he retired in 1987. One of his earliest jobs, about 60 years ago, was running a Punch and Judy show at a place called Club Charles (no relation to the present Club Charles)."When the Club Charles opened up, they built a special bar with a one-way mirror. I did my show from behind it. No one ever saw me or met me. The bartenders helped me with the names of patrons who spoke to the puppets."

While entertainers have been performing Punch and Judy puppet shows for more than 340 years, the jokes have changed to reflect the times, but some traditions remain intact, according to Bel Air puppeteer Mark Walker. A true Punch and Judy show has the title characters along with a baby and a policeman, among others, he said. Slapstick humor is essential. And Punch should have a squeaky voice, which is created by talking through a small metal-and-tape device called a swazzle. Walker, who has put on Horn's Punch and Judy show for 17 years, will be one of several new entertainment acts this year at the Howard County Fair, which prides itself on adding fresh elements while remaining traditional at its core.

On a Saturday in August 85 years ago, city streetcars bolted toward the cooling waters of Chesapeake Bay.Their destination was the new Bay Shore Park, where Professor Giuseppe Aiala's Royal Artillery Band was brassily playing "You're a Grand Old Flag" and other hit songs of the day. Beach-goers spent the day avoiding sea nettles, getting a sunburn and eating 50-cent fish dinners. The park was a smashing success.When dark came, thousands of carbon-filament lights outlined the towers and gazebos of the park's pavilions, restaurant and bowling alley.

Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean are the dynamic duo of comic books.The author and illustrator have collaborated on high-profile projects from a brutally frank AIDS prevention piece, "Death Talks About Life," to Alice Cooper's "The Last Temptation."So is it any surprise that their latest effort, titled "Mr. Punch" (childhood reminiscences entwined with a Punch and Judy show) is a runaway hit? Or as Mr. Gaiman describes it, "the fastest selling expensive book in human history"?The first American printing of the $24.95 hardback comic book sold out within four days.

Western Maryland College theater got its season off with a bang lastweekend with a production of Aurand Harris' "Punch and Judy."In this fast-paced, energetically performed, hour-long adaptation of thewell-known puppet show, traditional puppets that open the show latermaterialize as live actors in costume and makeup.The play's title is somewhat misleading and would be more accurate as "Punch." This is his story, his battle and his victory.His wife, Judy, represents only one of the many forces in conflict with Punch's unbridled hedonism.