After Dark: Annual burning of the socks heralds spring season

The day after St. Patrick's Day is never fun for those who celebrate it, but it's especially not fun when it falls on a weekday. Fortunately, for you, there's only one more day in the week and then you're off to a weekend filled with great music, fantastic events and, most importantly, the first day of spring!

Friday

Maryland Day is the annual celebration of all things Maryland, a commemoration of the formal founding of the colony of Maryland and the first landfall on Maryland. As we live in the capital of Maryland, this tends to be an epicenter of celebrations.

The official state holiday is on March 25, but this weekend is the celebration of the day. The festivities start with a genealogy discovery afternoon at Sojourner-Douglass College (135 Stepney Lane, Edgewater). Sponsored by the Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Foundation, the afternoon, which runs from 3 to 7 p.m., is for children and adults and everyone will get the chance to explore their genealogy, look at century-old documents and discover the mysteries of their family trees. Sojourner-Douglass staff also will be on hand to answer your questions about adult learning opportunities. There will be plenty of free parking and snacks.

For more information on this and other Maryland Day events this weekend, see our Cover Story on Page 15.

Sweet Leda is one of Annapolis' favorite bands right now, with a great female vocalist and kicking band. They play tomorrow night at Stan and Joe's (37 West St.) and it will be a great night of music.

Doug Day and Friends will take the stage at Armadillo's (132 Dock St.) tomorrow night for a fantastic night of music and fun. The music starts at 10 p.m.; the fun starts earlier with buy one, get one free drinks between 8 and 10 p.m. Wednesday's favorite duo comes to Heroes Pub (1 Riverview Ave.) on a Friday, a good thing for those who can't make it out on a weeknight. Meg and Bryan perform beginning at 10 p.m. - acoustic rock, pop, folk, jazz - they do it all.

Pressing Strings is another super popular local band, one getting great reviews all over the area. They play tomorrow night at The Whiskey (1803 West St.) with Courtlyn Carr and Skribe. Music starts at 9 p.m.

Saturday

Rugby fans get to sleep in this Saturday as the 6 Nations don't start until 10:30 a.m. (much better than the typical 8 a.m. start!). But when they start, Fado (1 Park Place) will be packed with fans looking forward to a long day of rugby fun. All three games are on tap for Saturday, beginning with Wales vs. Italy, then Ireland vs. Scotland at 1 p.m. and France vs. England at 3.

Due to the wonders of BBC, the typical $20 fee mandated by Setanta will not be charged for the last game. Enjoy a Saturday brunch that features American and Irish breakfast specialties.

The vernal equinox occurs at 1:32 p.m. on Saturday, which, if you have lived in Annapolis for at least one year, should mean one very important thing to you - time to burn your socks!

Because the Annapolis Maritime Museum is temporarily closed for repairs, the official sock burning will return to Annapolis Sailyard (326 First St.) where it began 34 years ago. The celebration, a low-key, unplanned thing, actually will start at 3:30 p.m. Saturday and involve sock burning and the quaffing of beverages you bring yourself.

The Eastport Yacht Club will host a sock burning on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. for members and their guests. If neither of those options work for you, take tradition by the horns, grab some friends, some brews and some socks and start your own tradition.

And since celebrating the start of spring seems like the perfect thing to do on Saturday, Sam's on the Waterfront (2020 Chesapeake Harbor Drive East) is throwing their first annual spring equinox party. Proud Mary's Dock Bar will be open from 4 to 6 p.m. and Sam's is adding a special twist to the festivities. They'll serve free beer until the first person breaks the (bathroom) seal. Chef Jerry will be showing off the spring menu and all sorts of fun will take place.

The monthly traditional American Contra and Square Dance evening returns to the Annapolis Friends' Meeting Hall (351 Dubois Road) this Saturday beginning at 6:30 p.m. The evening starts with a half-hour introductory session, followed by a dance from 7 to 10 p.m. All dances are taught and walked through; no experience or partner is necessary.

Laura and Lava Lamps will provide energetic music for the evening and Beth Molaro of Asheville, N.C., will call and teach the dances. Admission is $10, with discounts for seniors, students and members of the Annapolis Traditional Dance Society.

For more information, call 443-540-0867 or visit www.contradancers.com/atds

The Rob Levit Trio, a five-time consecutive recipient of the Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Award and one of the mid-Atlantic region's favorite musicians, will perform on Saturday night beginning at 7 p.m. in the lounge at Carrol's Creek Cafe (410 Severn Ave., inside the Annapolis City Marina complex).

The newest wine bar in town, Crush Winehouse (114 West St.), has not held its grand opening yet, but they are hosting a wine evening with Michael J. Gelb, author of the international best seller "How to Think Like Leonardo DaVinci," the world's leading authority on the application of creative thinking to personal development.

A passionate wine-lover, Gelb has devised a playful, unique approach to bringing people together and forging bonds with friends. He is also the author of the New York Times best seller "Wine Drinking for Inspired Thinking: Uncork Your Creative Juices," which introduces a "whole brain" creative approach to wine appreciation. Tickets are $75 and include wine tasting, food, fun and a signed copy of "Wine Drinking For Inspired Thinking." Visit www.crushwinehouse.com to reserve your ticket and learn more.

Just because St. Patrick's Day is over does not mean the celebrations have to stop. On Saturday, two great performances speak to the Irish tradition.

The first is the Teelin Irish Dance Company performing their original show Portraits of Ireland at 7 p.m. Portraits of Ireland is an unforgettable Irish Dance show that blends traditional and contemporary music with innovative choreography set against a background of magnificent imagery of Ireland. Tickets are $30. For tickets, call 410-280-5640 or visit www.marylandhall.org

The Chesapeake Arts Center (194 Hammond's Lane, Brooklyn Park) will present the second Irish performance, this one by award-winning musician Zan McLeod with Billy McComisky and Laura Byrne in concert at 8 p.m. on Saturday. These are Baltimore's legendary Irish music leaders, with McLeod on bouzouki, McComisky on button accordion, and Byrne on flute, playing the best of Celtic traditional music. It will be an evening of lively reels, jigs and authentic toe-tapping sounds of the Celtic.

Tickets are $15. For tickets call 410-636-6597 or visit www.chesapeakearts.org

49 West will give you the blues on Saturday night, but in a great way. The "Big Joe" Maher Trio performs from 8 to 10:30 p.m., bringing the winner of the 2010 Wammie for Top Male Blues Vocalist to Annapolis for a fantastic night of music. "Big Joe" will be on drums and vocals, with Tommy Cecil on bass and Robert Redd on piano. Cover is $20 and reservations can be made by calling 410-626-9796.

The Harbor Cats will be celebrating the vernal equinox Saturday night at 9 p.m. at the Ebb Tide Tavern (985 Bay Ridge Road) with a tribute to the Spring Nectar parties that were once hosted at the Severn Institute. They play everything from pop, rock and jazz to funk and country. It will be a great night of music and fun. Check out www.harborcats.com for more information about the band.

David Majerowicz, from Pilgrim and Trout, will perform a great night of music at Brian Boru (489 Ritchie Highway, Severna Park) on Saturday night at 9 p.m. Get ready for great acoustic rock and pop songs.

Sunday

On Sunday at 1 p.m., NASCAR fans will be watching the Food City 500 at Bristol, and there's no better place to watch it than at the Rams Head Roadhouse (1773 Generals Highway) or at Rams Head Shore House (800 Main St., Stevensville). During the races, they offer 50 cent wings, $6 eats, including sliders, nachos, rings, cheese louise, chicken tenders and crab dip, $2 domestic bottles, $9 Fordham pitchers and $6 domestic pitchers. You don't have to be able to see the TV to enjoy the specials, but you have to be able to see the TV to enjoy the NASCAR, right?

Maryland Hall (801 Chase St.) will host its ArtFest on Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. It will feature activities, demonstrations, performances, a gallery talk by the Digital Photography Club of Annapolis and more - fun for kids and adults. Enjoy performances by Ballet Theatre of Maryland, Chesapeake Youth Symphony Orchestra, Maryland Hall instructor Maggie Sansone and Peabody Preparatory instructor Alina Kozinska.

The Annapolis Ice Cream Co. will provide complimentary ice cream and there will be scavenger hunts, Maryland trivia and a community mural. It's all part of the city-wide Maryland Day celebration featured in this week's Cover Story.

Bach expert and former St. Anne's organist Larry Molinaro returns to St. Anne's on Sunday at 3 p.m. to perform a concert of the "Passion Chorales" from Bach's "St. Matthew Passion." This concert is part of the St. Anne's Concert Series, jointly presented by Live Arts Maryland and St. Anne's Episcopal Church.

Among the pieces Molinaro will perform are "O Lamm Gottes, unschuldig," BWV 656, "Herzliebster Jesu," BWV 1093, and "O Mensch bewein, dein Sunde gross," BWV 622. Mr. Molinaro will also play Bach's Prelude and Fugue in C minor, BWV 546.

Tickets are $15 (plus a $3/per ticket service fee) and may be purchased from the Maryland Hall Box office noon to 5 p.m. weekdays by calling 410-280-5640 or visiting www.marylandhall.org. Free concert tickets for students with a valid ID or under 18 years old will be available via the student rush option at the door one hour before the concert.

Celtic Crossroads, the critically acclaimed combination of traditional Irish music, bluegrass, gypsy, jazz and Irish dance percussion will be on stage at Rams Head On Stage on Sunday for the last (that I know of) St. Patrick's Day hurrah in the area in 2010. There will be two shows, an early one at 4 p.m. for all ages, and one at 7 for those age 21 and over.

For tickets and more details, call 410-268-4545 or visit www.ramsheadonstage.com.

Monday

The Tom Lagana Group plays their monthly fourth Monday slot at 49 West on Monday from 8-11 p.m. Jazz guitarist Lagana leads a stellar quartet including Tom Baldwin on bass, Todd Harrison on drums and Tedd Baker on saxophone. The evening promises an enticing array of tunes from great jazz names like Pat Metheny, Bill Evans and Jobim, plus originals from Lagana's recently released CD "Schematic."

The $10 cover charge for this evening of great music includes a copy of the new CD. Call 410-626-9796 for more information.

Tuesday

Tuesday nights at Carrol's Creek Cafe (410 Severn Ave, inside the Annapolis City Marina complex), you can make a full night of it for half the price. Start your evening in the lounge, enjoying half-price appetizers from 4 p.m to close. Then, head to dinner in the dining room and enjoy half-price bottles of wine with your meal - any bottle of wine on their list is half-price.

Wednesday

The Severn Inn (1993 Baltimore-Annapolis Blvd., at the base of the Naval Academy Bridge) will host a wine dinner on Wednesday night beginning at 7 p.m. Ridge Vineyards, which produces sought-after California wines, will have their wines featured in this five-course menu, while Eric Baugher, winemaker and vice president at Monte Bello, and John Olney, vice president and winemaker at Lytton Springs, will be special guests.

The menu goes from romaine and rocket salad to zinfandel poached strawberries and white chocolate panna cotta, with stops at buffalo carpaccio, veal ragout and Wagyu beef prime rib in between. Admission is $105 and includes tax and gratuity. For reservations call Wine Cellars of Annapolis at 410-216-9080 or e-mail info@winecellarsofannapolis.com

Thursday, March 25

The Annapolis Maritime Museum (723 Second St.) Winter Seminar Series continues next Thursday at 7 p.m. with an opportunity to meet Chief Winterhawk of the Nause-Waiwash Tribe, a group of more than 250 based in Dorchester County who are descendants of the original Nanticoke. There will be a one-hour presentation, followed by a discussion period.

Admission is $15. For details, call 410-295-0104

Thursday nights at Stan and Joe's (37 West St.) are lobster nights, with ginormous lobsters for $17.95. Down the street, the Rob Levit Trio plays at 49 West from 8:30 to 11 p.m. It's a night of fantastic jazz.

Coming up

The Box of Rain Foundation, an Annapolis organization that was established in 2002 to serve disadvantaged Annapolis youth, is holding Rock & Roast, its annual fundraiser at the Annapolis Maritime Museum from 7 to 11 p.m. April 10.

The event, co-chaired by world-class sailor Terry Hutchinson and Regan Weaver, will feature live music by Too Big To Fail, a primarily rock 'n' roll and R&B band, playing songs from the 60s to the present, an open bar and a Chesapeake Bay oyster roast.

Silent and live auction items will include foul-weather gear used in recent America's Cup and Volvo Round the World Races, as well as the Northeaster Dory that Box of Rain's kids are building in this winter's Boatbuilding by the Bay Program.

Proceeds from the event will benefit the Box of Rain Foundation and Annapolis Community Boating. Rock & Roast 

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Tell Jessica about your next event, party or gig at afterdark@hometownannapolis.com