Baltimore is welcoming basketball players from historically Black colleges and universities across the nation this week for the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Basketball Tournament. Alongside the athletic games, there are plenty of festivities to keep you busy, from step performances to a two-day fan fest.
Plus, learn about salt boxes, celebrate Babe Ruth’s birthday, and more. Check it all out in this weekend’s lineup:
Rodgers, Hart, And Hammerstein, Thursday, Feb. 23, Saturday, Feb. 25, and Sunday, Feb. 26, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Enjoy the music of Richard Rogers, Lorenz Hart, and Oscar Hammerstein, the creative minds behind musicals such as “The Sound of Music,” “The Boys from Syracuse,” “Oklahoma!” and more. Conductor Jack Everly and actor and singer Ashley Brown (who played Mary Poppins on Broadway) will join the BSO for this performance.
Imaginarium, Thursday, Feb. 23, through Sunday, Feb. 26, Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture. The new exhibition “Imaginarium: Social Imagination Experience” offers an “experimental and interactive” opportunity to imagine the future of Black Baltimore. The exhibition opened Feb. 22 and will run through April 9.
Step Show Throwdown, Friday, Feb. 24, doors 6 p.m., show 7 p.m., Baltimore Convention Center. Greek life fraternities and sororities will put their best foot forward in a special CIAA step competition.
Take 6, Friday, Feb. 24, and Saturday, Feb. 25, 7 p.m. both nights, Keystone Korner. Grammy award-winning a capella group Take 6 will perform their mix of gospel, jazz, R&B, and pop.
CIAA Fan Fest, Friday, Feb. 24, and Saturday, Feb. 25, Baltimore Convention Center. This two-day event will include more than 40 vendors, a cheerleading exhibition, live musical performances by R&B recording artists Sammie and Sevyn Streeter, and more. Read about this event and other CIAA happenings in this Baltimore Fishbowl article.
Shakespeare Abridged, Friday, Feb. 24 through Sunday, Feb. 26, Vagabond Players. Catch “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)” at the Vagabond Players theater in Fells Point. The show premiered last week and will run through March 12.
Anthony Hamilton and K. Michelle + Friends, Friday, Feb. 24, doors 7 p.m., show 8 p.m., Lyric Baltimore. R&B and soul singers Anthony Hamilton and K. Michelle will perform together in Baltimore. The event will also feature DJ Quick Silva and host Persia Nicole.
Boom Bap Society, Friday, Feb. 24, 9 p.m., Le Mondo. The Baltimore Boom Bap Society, featuring emcees J Pope and Ashley Sierra, will perform live, improvised hip-hop.
Salt Box Revolution, Saturday, Feb. 25, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., American Visionary Art Museum. You’ve seen those yellow salt boxes around town, including the many that have received artistic makeovers. Now, you can learn about the stories behind the art. Saltbox historian Bob Atkinson and artist Juliet Ames, one of the main artists behind many of the salt box art creations you’ll spot around Baltimore, will discuss the salt box’s history, how the art movement began, and more. Plus, after the talk, decorate your own salt box craft. The event is free and open to all ages.
Reframing the Narrative, Saturday, Feb. 25, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Baltimore Museum of Industry. Learn about how industry and civil rights in Baltimore helped change the nation. Follow a tour of exhibits in the BMI’s “Reframing the Narrative” project with Alexis Ojeda-Brown, the museum’s diversity, equity, accessibility and inclusion specialist.
Babe Ruth Birthday Bash, Saturday, Feb. 25, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Babe Ruth Birthplace & Museum. Baltimore-born baseball player George Herman “Babe” Ruth’s birthday was Feb. 6. But the Babe Ruth Birthplace & Museum is celebrating this Saturday with free museum admission, a concession stand, baseball programs, a raffle, and birthday cake.
TKQ Quartet, Saturday, Feb. 25, 7 p.m., An Die Musik. The TKQ Quartet will perform a special Black History Month show, highlighting songs that are significant to Black history and culture.
DVSN, Saturday, Feb. 25, doors 7 p.m., show 8 p.m., Baltimore Soundstage. Toronto-based R&B duo dvsn will stop in Baltimore on their “Working On My Karma” tour.
Dover Quartet and Joseph Conyers, Sunday, Feb. 26, 5:30 p.m., Shriver Hall. The Dover Quartet will be joined by Philadelphia Orchestra double-bassist Joseph Conyers for their Baltimore performance.
