Raise your Lemon Sticks – Flower Mart is back! With major support from The Agora Companies., which recognized the value of a revitalized Flower Mart to the community, Baltimore City’s annual rite of spring returns to its original roots with a 21st century twist. Flower Mart, under new leadership of The Mount Vernon Place Conservancy, takes place Friday, May 3 and Saturday, May 4 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. in historic Mount Vernon Place. Cherished traditions will be honored, with a renewed emphasis on local vendors. There will be flower and food stalls, jewelers and woodworkers, workshops and lectures, musical performances, and, of course, Lemon Sticks.
What: Flower Mart
When: Friday, May 3 and Saturday, May 4 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Where: Mount Vernon Place
Public transportation is encouraged. During the festival, the free Charm City Circulator (Purple Line) and MTA bus will detour around Mount Vernon Place, but drop off riders slightly south and north of Mount Vernon Place. Should you choose to drive or take the Light Rail, please find additional directions and various parking options here.
Details: This year, for the first time, the annual Flower Mart festival is being managed by the Mount Vernon Place Conservancy. Besides cherished traditions, such as lemon sticks, ice cream and plant sales, local nurseries, artists, jewelers, woodworkers, eateries (many from the Mount Vernon area), breweries, and more than 20 musicians are some features of this year’s Flower Mart. “We’re embracing the Flower Mart’s original 1911 vision of encouraging the greening of the City, a central goal of our stewardship of Mount Vernon Place, the City’s most historic green space,” says Lance Humphries, executive director of the Conservancy. The event is heavily underwritten by The Agora Companies., whose campus surrounds Mount Vernon Place. “We are thrilled that The Agora Companies. stepped up to be our first major sponsor, recognizing the importance of this tradition to the Mount Vernon community and city,” notes Humphries.
Over the course of two days musicians will perform from 11 am to 8pm on the festival’s two stages located in the South and West Squares. They will include performers from many genres of music including classical, jazz, country, Dixieland swing, and more. Some of the musicians include Mariah Bonner, Ebb & Nova, Hot Club of Baltimore, Letitia VanSant, Outcalls, Tongue in Cheek, and Upendo. The full list and schedule to follow.
A series of educational workshops and lectures will be offered, covering themes relating to the greening of the city, and flower and plants. Lectures will explore the value of bee-keeping, urban farming, garden maintenance, and other topics, while hands-on workshops will offer participants the opportunity to take home a bee-friendly container garden, a floral arrangement, or a floral crown wreath. Some of the presenters include the Baltimore Office of Sustainability, Master Gardeners of the University of Maryland and the National Aquarium. Baltimore Tree Trust and Baltimore City Master Gardeners are among the non-profits offering expertise to attendees. Children’s activities are designed to make Flower Mart 2019 a family destination.
About: With its long history, Flower Mart is part of the traditions of Mount Vernon Place, and the oldest ongoing festival in the city of Baltimore. Flower Mart was founded in 1911 by the Women’s Civic League, an organization formed to advocate for better living conditions in the City of Baltimore. A focal point of the original festival was to encourage flower, plant, and vegetable gardening in the yards of homes and vacant lots—thereby making them green. The Conservancy has revived that relevant mission in putting on this year’s festival. “We find this message relevant today,” says Humphries.
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