Under the auspices of BHCA, planning is advancing for one of the city’s more enduring neighborhood street parties, Bolton Hill’s Festival on the Hill is on Saturday Oct. 8 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Festival 2022 will benefit the Samaritan Community and No Boundaries Coalition and will be held in the 1300 block of Bolton Street and Lanvale Street between Park Avenue and Mason Alley.
Activities will include these old favorites: a book sale, “Juntiquities,” crafts, the garden club pansy sale, on-stage entertainment, a kids’ zone, basketball hoop and auction. In addition, a homecoming tent will honor those returning Bolton Hillers who grew up with the festival, as well as screen painting, street performers, an art exhibit, Arabber vendors and a pet parade .
Corpus Christi Church will be doing chili and Brown Memorial Church will provide brownies as they both have since 1969. Oysters, beer, wine, tacos in a bag, Danute’s soup, lemon sticks, hot dogs and jerk chicken will all be available.
This year’s festival will include displays of organizations from the greater neighborhood: Baltimore Music Box, the Bolton Hill Community Association (an exhibition of Zhee Chatmon’s photographs, information from the Social Action Committee and membership material), Brown Memorial tutoring, Daughters of the British Empire, Intersection for Change (produce from their urban garden ), Strength to Change II, and material on Jubilee Arts and Jubilee Arts Youth in Business.
Also, Kappa Alpha Psi, Madison Park Improvement Association, Historic Marble Hill Community Association, MICA Center for Students Engagement (children’s activity and information on how the community can engage MICA students), Midtown Community Benefits District, No Boundaries Coalition, P.S. 103: the Justice Thurgood Marshal Center, Samaritan Community, Single Carrot Theatre (with activities for children and adults) and the new Unity Hall all will have information tables.
Organizers need storage space to house donations and equipment for the festival. If you can help or want to volunteer, contact Louie Wilder or Lee Tawney at festival@boltonhillmd.org.
– Lee Tawney