Washington Monument

After seven years of repairs, Baltimore's Washingto Monument is reopening -- and not a day too soon. When the 178-foot tower was built between 1815 and 1829, using local Cockeysville marble, it was considered to be an architectural achievement for its time. It was and it is.Baltimore's Washington Monument was the first formal tribute to the nation's first president. When it was built, it stood on a hill in an area known as Howard's Woods, far away from what was then the center of town. The ornate column caused quite an overrun for its day; it cost twice the budgeted $100,000.

The Mount Vernon Place Conservancy (MVPC) plans to restore and maintain the area generally referred to as "Mount Vernon Place" ("Restoring Mount Vernon," May 14). The restoration work envisioned is naturally divided into two projects. One, the "hardscape" is to repair and maintain the Washington monument, the fencing around the monument, the circular road surrounding the monument, and the balustrades which provide a framework for the monument area. We support the MVPC in their efforts to restore the "hardscape" and wish them success.

ANNOUNCEMENT that the Washington Monument, after hiatus of seven years for repairs, was reopening its doors Dec. 4, started me on a long trail of memories.It led back to a luncheon meeting in the Park Plaza restaurant with Richard Tucker, then an assistant city editor of The Evening Sun. The meeting had been arranged by the late Dr. Edgar Berman in a friendly attempt to help me switch from selling insurance, which I hated, to writing for a daily paper, which I hoped would be better.A man whose years in various byways of journalism had soured him on the whole profession, Tucker (no relation to the operatic tenor)

Lady Baltimore has withstood much in 189 years perched overlooking Courthouse Square. She has lost both of her arms over the decades — one of them, holding high a wreath that signifies service to the republic, was sheared off by a gust of wind in January 1938, shattering on the pavement. And though it may be hard to tell from the street 52 feet below, wind, rain, snow, hail and pollution have dissolved much of the marble statue's eyes, nose and ears. But a new effort will finally give Lady Baltimore a new home — for her own good.

Tonight, the lights are coming up at the Washington Monument in Mount Vernon. A Monumental Occasion kicks off at 5:30 p.m. with performances by the Handel Choir, Baltimore City College Choir, Sounds of Downtown and other singers, strolling entertainment, a holiday village of vendors offering food, holiday crafts and knick knacks. Then at 6:25 p.m., the lighting ceremony begins with Mayor Martin O'Malley and director John Waters flipping the switch to light the monument. Afterward, there will be a fire works show choreographed to music.

BOONSBORO -- Two dramatic elements of American and Maryland history, including one of the nation's darkest hours, will be illuminated tonight in the mountains and valleys of Western Maryland.Atop South Mountain, citizens, community and business leaders will gather to light up -- after a darkness of 15 years -- the Washington Monument, a Mason-jar-shaped structure that is the nation's oldest monument to the first president.In the valley below, 23,110 candles are scheduled to flicker -- depending on the weather -- across the Antietam National Battlefield in a now-annual ceremony honoring Union and Confederate soldiers killed, wounded and missing during the bloodiest day of the Civil War.The illumination of the monument, a 34-foot-high stone tower built in 1827 by Boonsboro residents to mark Independence Day and honor the first president, is a source of pride for many in this Washington County town who have donated time and money for the project.

I PUT A question to the Flower Mart's Fred Bierer, president of the nonprofit board that runs that annual May festival around Charles Street's Washington Monument. What were his priorities when he took over running the event five years ago? His answer: Add more flowers and shorten the lines for food. My response: He got the flowers right, but, at the noon hour when I arrive hungry, the food lines are long. I interrogated nonstop talker and attorney Fred in the grand second-floor front room of his St. Paul Street law chambers, once the home of Moses C. Mordecai, shipping baron from the South who settled in Baltimore after the Civil War and later the offices of surgeon Dr. Harry Bowie.

WASHINGTON -- It is the most recognizable structure in Washington, a 555-foot high obelisk almost devoid of decoration.The Washington Monument is about to become even more easily distinguished: Beginning sometime this winter, it will become a 555-foot high obelisk surrounded by scaffolding.Winter is when the National Park Service is scheduled to begin a three-year, $5 million repair effort that will be the most comprehensive overhaul of the monument since it opened to the public in 1888.And think of it not as the Washington Monument, but the Washington Monument-sponsored-by-Target, the department store chain.

WASHINGTON - After months of being closed to the public, the United States' tribute to its first president is about to put out the welcome mat again. The Washington Monument will reopen tomorrow, ending 1 1/2 years of restoration necessitated by aging, an old operating system, and the wear and tear imposed by thousands of visitors each day. The monument - an obelisk 555 feet, 5 1/8 inches tall - attracts 1.2 million visitors annually. The National Park Foundation, a nonprofit partner of the National Park Service, worked with contractors to complete the restoration.

It's more than just another holiday event. It's "A Monumental Occasion." That, of course, would be the lighting of the Washington Monument, a tradition in Baltimore for more than three decades. The big event takes place today at 7 p.m. at Mount Vernon Place. "This is the 32nd year," says Michael Evitts, public relations director for Downtown Partnership. "It's become a really popular holiday tradition." The annual lighting of the historic monument is the official start of the holiday.

Two of Baltimore's most recognizable landmarks will be lit up in blue Monday in honor of World Diabetes Day — a commemoration inspired by a 16-year-old girl's desire to draw attention to the prevalent disease. The Washington Monument in Mount Vernon and the Bromo Seltzer Arts Tower will be illuminated Monday evening. Blue is the color of the globally recognized symbol for diabetes, a circle. The city granted the request by Amanda Witherspoon, a Garrison Forest School sophomore who was diagnosed six years ago with Type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease that can damage victims' eyes, kidneys, heart and blood vessels, and nerves.

Send sports notices a minimum of two weeks before the requested publication date to Patuxent Publishing/MS Sports Notices, 501 N. Calvert St., Baltimore, MD 21278; e-mail tworgo@patuxent.com . Include date, time, location, contact information and subsection. Competitive Baltimore Tennis Patrons forming winter indoor instructional and team tennis programs for Baltimore City and Baltimore County boys and girls in grades four to 12. Program runs to March.410-296-2100 or http://www.tennispatrons.org.

As of 9:30 a.m. Friday, traffic was slow on I-83 northbound at Mt. Carmel Road, due to an accident. Accidents were slowing traffic on Loch Raven Boulevard and Providence Road in Baltimore County; Maryland Avenue at 22nd Street in Baltimore; and Route 3 at St. Stephens Church Road in Anne Arundel County. Streets around the Washington Monument in the 600 block of N. Charles St., including a section of Charles Street itself, are closed in preparation for the Baltimore Book Festival, which begins Friday.

This week Watchdog brings you an update on a problem that has yet to be fixed. Update: The fence around the Washington Monument in Mount Vernon has not been repaired. Several months ago, Jean Renalds called Watchdog with concerns about the fence. The ornate black-and-gold fence was damaged in October when a driver crashed his van into the southeast section and fled the scene. According to Baltimore police, alcohol was a factor in the collision. Renalds, who lives in Mount Vernon Square, said she can see the monument from her window and watched as workers removed the 15-foot damaged section.

Here in Howard County, located in Central Maryland, we’re mere minutes — or, at most, a few hours — away from big-city culture, rural beauty, historic sites and recreational opportunities. WASHINGTON, D.C. With our nation’s capital featured nightly on television, many monuments and buildings are already familiar: the White House, Capitol, Supreme Court, Library of Congress, FBI headquarters, Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Holocaust Museum, Washington Monument, the Lincoln, Jefferson and Vietnam Veterans memorials and the World War II Memorial.

The problem: A section of the fence around the Washington Monument is damaged. The backstory: The Washington Monument in Baltimore has to be one of the most photographed sites in the city. The monument — more than 150 years old — is a destination for tourists and wedding parties alike, not to mention all the festivals that take place around it. And that's one of the reasons why the damage to a 15-foot section of the fence surrounding the historic site troubles Jean Renalds.

Undaunted by drizzle, a crowd in the hundreds surrounded the Washington Monument yesterday evening to watch the 26th annual holiday lighting of the towering marble statue in the heart Baltimore's Mount Vernon section.In a festive urban moment, Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke urged onlookers to be "the city that counts backward" -- a play on his slogan of "The City That Reads" -- and join him in counting down the seconds before the white lights flashed on and dazzling fireworks lighted the sky."This is a shining reminder of a happy and joyous time of year," said Schmoke, clad in a cap and raincoat.

Last week, in this space I made an (extremely serious) argument for a Trump presidency, laying out the potential positives of having Donald Trump as our bloviator-in-chief. I envisioned Trump firing the Senate, getting in a shouting match with the United Nation or putting a huge photo of his smiling face on the Washington monument. (All, I maintain, still realistic possibilities.)  But, as is usually the case with Trump, he outdid any of my predictions.  This week, The Donald boasted of swindling -- that's right, actually illegally swindling -- Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi in a land deal.

So Donald Trump is seriously considering a run for president in 2012 as a republican and I, for one, am strenuously encouraging him to do so. Imagine the hilarity and endless bombast that would accompany a Trump presidency: Trump firing the Senate. Trump getting in a shouting match with the United Nations. Trump putting a huge photo of his smiling face on the Washington monument.  The possibilities are endless. The Donald hasn't wasted any time getting the pomposity started. In an ABC News interview posted last night, Trump took on President Obama, House Speaker Boehner, Somalian pirates, and, of course, somehow found some time to compliment himself.