Baltimore

Baltimore's annual celebration of experimental art, The Transmodern Festival, begins on Thursday and runs through Sunday. Spread out among many artistic spaces in Baltimore -- including the Current Gallery, the 14Karat Cabaret, and Maryland Art Place -- the festival brings artists from the world over to Charm City. Some highlights this year include Alley-OOPs!, a series of video projections and roving entertainers set up in Tyson Alley on Friday and Saturday morning from 7:30 a.m.- 12 p.m., and F.E.A.S.T. Dinner Theater, an evening of "food-based performance and performance-based food" at the Current Space at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday.

MORE: May 2012 Events in Baltimore

Photo courtesy The Transmodern Festival.

Memorial Day is just a weekend away, which means it's time to get your plans in motion. Over the long weekend, Fort McHenry and Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens are both hosting Memorial Day ceremonies, while the Maryland Zoo will hold their annual "Brew at the Zoo" fundraiser. All this and more suggestions in this handy guide to Memorial Day weekend in Baltimore.

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Photo by Tyler Merber, Flickr.

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And as always, you can also stay in the loop by signing up for the weekly About.com Baltimore newsletter.

Preakness is fast approaching! The race takes place this Saturday, May 19 -- but there are plenty of activities leading up to the main event. Starting tomorrow, visitors to Pimlico can take sunrise tours of the Grandstand Apron, giving a behind-the-scenes look at the stakes (you might even run into a jockey or blacksmith along the way!). Then Friday is Black-Eyed Susan Day, which includes the $300,000 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes and The People's Pink Party, when retired female riders and active riders compete in a jockey challenge. Saturday brings Preakness, which starts with InfieldFest at 8 a.m. On your mark, get set, go!

MORE: Preakness Activities in Baltimore 2012

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Photo by boboroshi / flickr.

To celebrate the announcement of the launch of Ripley's Believe it or Not!, the museum is bringing high wire walker Nik Wallenda to the Inner Harbor later today. Beginning promptly at 5:15 p.m., Wallenda will walk on a high wire from the new location of Ripley's Odditorium out over the water to a platform moored in the harbor. He will cover nearly 300 feet, all on a tightrope without a net or any safety device.

Wallenda is a seventh-generation member of the Wallenda family, who are famous for high wire acts. High great-grandfather Karl Wallenda wire-walked over the Baltimore harbor in 1973. After wire walking in Baltimore today, Wallenda will leave for Niagra Falls in Canada, where he will begin extensive training for a dangerous history-making walk across the falls in June. Wallenda set a Guinness World Record in 2008 for the longest distance and greatest height every traveled by a bicycle on a high wire when he walked 150 feet out on a high wire from the roof of Newark, New Jersey's Prudential Building, suspended 20 stories over the street.

Photo by Roller Coaster Photography, Flickr.

If you are planning to go out for Mother's Day in Baltimore and haven't booked a restaurant, you better hurry! All the best Mother's Day brunch and dinner spots around the city are quick to sell out, and reservations are highly recommended. After all, you don't want to disappoint mom!

Of course, there are plenty of things to do with mom besides just eat. A few of the mom-friendly events happening this weekend include gardening seminars and refreshments at Cylburn Arboretum, a Bromo Seltzer Arts Tower Open House, a piano concerto at by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, and a hot air balloon launch in Turf Valley.

MORE: Mother's Day Brunch and Dinner in Baltimore 2012

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This Saturday, don't be surprised to see wacky, roving sculptures on the streets (and in the harbor and parks) throughout Baltimore. For the 14th year, the American Visionary Arts Museum (AVAM) is putting on the annual Kinetic Sculpture Race, a 15-mile dash across Baltimore on human-powered sculptures. The wild display of art on wheels starts at the museum, races up to Federal Hill Park and down through the Inner Harbor before heading toward Canton, where the sculptures must launch into the water at the Korean War Memorial and complete a loop around a dock. The sculptures that survive the dip in the water then go to Patterson Park for an obstacle course before racing back to the finish line at the AVAM. The day ends with an awards ceremony from 6-7 p.m., where racers receive awards including the "Golden Dinosaur" awarded to the most memorable breakdown or the "Grand Mediocre Champion" for the sculpture who finishes in the middle of all entries. There are also some more conventional awards for engineering, speed and artistic design. Check the spectator's guide for a full schedule, race route and award descriptions.

In preparation for the event, Mr. Rain's Fun House (located on the top floor of the AVAM) will host a reception and fundraiser on the eve of the Kinetic Sculpture Race. From 6-10 p.m. on Friday, the restaurant will offer a Cinco de Mayo-themed cocktail and hors d'oeuvres reception featuring Mezcal drinks ($30), as well as a tasting menu of five Latin-inspired dishes by Chef Bill Buszinski ($50). Attending both events comes at a discount price of $70. Hand-crafted cocktails by the restaurant's mixologist, Perez Klebahn, will be available for $8-14.

MORE: Only in Baltimore - Culture of Charm City

MORE: Free Outdoor Movies in Baltimore (including this year's series at the AVAM)

Photo from last year's Kinetic Sculpture Race by Libby Zay.

Hamilton's trendiest restaurant will soon open up in the Creative Alliance at the Patterson. A representative from the Creative Alliance briefly touched on the partnership before a screening in mid-April, and Bmore Media has just confirmed the details. Clementine owner and chef Winston Blick told the outlet the restaurant will bring food direct from area farms to Creative Alliance tables beginning May 17 (UPDATE: A just-released statement from the Creative Alliance says the restaurant will hold a grand opening on Thursday, May 24).

Inside the Creative Alliance is a 49-seat bar and bistro that will soon be a slightly more upscale version of Clementine in Hamilton. Jeremy price, current sous chef at Clementine, will step up and take over as chef, with Jill Snyder, formerly of Woodberry Kitchen, beside him as executive chef at the new location.

May will be a busy month for Blick, as he also plans to open a food market called Green Onion just down the street from Clementine this week or early next week. The market will carry locally-made dry goods, dairy products, sauces, coffees and meats, as well as products like cleaning supplies and pet food. Chefs will also use the location to offer classes and workshops.

MORE: Patterson Park in Baltimore

Photo by i zimbra / flickr.

Since 1999, the Maryland Film Festival has been highlighting Baltimore filmmakers and bringing top-notch film and video work from all over the world to the city. Approximately 50 feature films and 75 shorts will be screened at the Charles Theater, Windup Space and MICA's Brown Center from Thursday, May 3 through Sunday, May 6. Don't miss John Water's pick this year, Barbar Loden's "!WANDA," a film from 1970 that follows a woman from the coal mining region of Pennsylvania who is constantly drinking to shut out the problems in her life. Whether you are a die hard film devotee or just a casual moviegoer, the festival is sure to be a treat. Tickets to most screenings are $10.

Thursday, May 3

Opening Night Shorts and Party, 8 p.m., MICA Brown Center

Friday, May 4

Attenberg, 11 a.m., Charles Theater 1
Shorts: Drama, 11 a.m., Charles Theater 3
Found Memories, 11:30 a.m., Charles Theater 2
Volcano w/ Revolution Reykjavik, 11:30 a.m., Charles Theater 4
Empire Builder, 12 p.m., Charles Theater 5
Vito, 1: 30 p.m., Charles Theater 1
Shorts: Documentary, 2 p.m., Charles Theater 3
The Source, 2 p.m., Charles Theater 2
Reconvergence w/ Undergrowth, 2:30 p.m., Charles Theater 4
Pilgrim Son, 2:30 p.m., Charles Theater 5
Tchoupitoulas, 4:30 p.m., Windup Space
Shorts: Narrative, 4:30 p.m., Charles Theater 3
Compliance, 4:30 p.m., Charles Theater 1
Sun Don't Shine, 5 p.m., Charles Theater 2
Supporting Characters, 5:30 p.m., Charles Theater 5
Kid-Thing, 5:30 p.m., Charles Theater 4
Shorts: The Passion of WTF Shorts, 7 p.m., Charles Theater 3
Wild in the Streets, 7 p.m., Windup Space
This is Not a Film, 7:30 p.m., MICA Brown Center
!WANDA, 7:30 p.m., Charles Theater 1
The International Sign for Chocking, 8 p.m., Charles Theater 4
Save the Date, 8 p.m., Charles Theater 2
Very Extremely Dangerous, 8:30 p.m., Charles Theater 5
The Atomic State of America, 9:30 p.m., MICA Brown Center
Shorts: Genre, 10 p.m., Windup Space
Wuthering Heights, 11 p.m., Charles Theater 5
Lovely Molly, 11:30 p.m., Charles Theater 1

Saturday, May 5

Ethel, 11 a.m., MICA Brown Center
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, 11 a.m., Charles Theater 2
Those Redhead from Seattle -- in 3D!, 11 a.m., Charles Theater 1
Wuthering Heights, 11 a.m., Charles Theater 5
Shorts: Documentary, 11:30 a.m., Charles Theater 3
This is Not a Film, 12 p.m., Charles Theater 4
Wild in the Streets, 1:30 p.m., Charles Theater 5
Detropia, 1:30 p.m., MICA Brown Center
Come Back, Africa, 2 p.m., Charles Theater 1
Shorts: Drama, 2 p.m., Charles Theater 3
Vito, 2:30 p.m., Charles Theater 2
The Patron Saints, 2:30 p.m. Charles Theater 4
Shorts: Genre, 2:30 p.m., Windup Space
Empire Builder, 4 p.m., Charles Theater 5
Shorts: Experimental, 4:30 p.m., Charles Theater 3
Pilgrim Song, 4:30 p.m., Charles Theater 1
Under African Skies, 4:30 p.m., MICA Brown Center
Kid-Thing, 5 p.m., Charles Theater 4
Porfirio, Charles Theater 2, 5 p.m.
Shorts: The Passion of the WTF Shorts, 5 p.m., Windup Space
The Source, 6:30 p.m., Charles Theater 5
Tchoupitoulas, 7 p.m., Charles Theater 3
Francine, 7:30 p.m., Charles Theater 1
Sun Don't Shine, 7:30 p.m., Charles Theater 4
Very Extremely Dangerous, 7:30 p.m., Windup Space
Luv, 8 p.m., MICA Brown Center
Gayby, 8 p.m., Charles Theater 2
Jeff, 9:30 p.m., Charles Theater 5
Oslo August 31st, 10 p.m., Charles Theater 4
Reconvergence w/ Undergrowth, 10 p.m., Charles Theater 3
Shorts: Dark Comedy, 10 p.m., Windup Space
God Bless America, 10:30 p.m., Charles Theater 1
Lovely Molly, 11 p.m., Charles Theater 2
V/H/S, 11 p.m., MICA Brown Center

Sunday, May 6

From Morning Till Midnight, 11 a.m., Charles Theater 1
Volcano w/ Revolution Reykjavik, 11 a.m., Charles Theater 5
See You Soon Again, 11: 30 a.m., MICA Brown Center
Found Memories, 11:30 a.m., Charles Theater 2
Shorts: Experimental, 12 p.m., Windup Space
Jeff, 12 p.m., Charles Theater 4
Shorts: Animated, 1:30 p.m., Charles Theater 3
The Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best, 2 p.m., MICA Brown Center
Save the Date, 2 p.m., Charles Theater 1
The Turin Horse, 2 p.m., Charles Theater 2
The Comedy, 2 p.m., Charles Theater 5
Compliance, 2:30 p.m., Charles Theater 4
Shorts: Narrative, 2:30 p.m., Windup Space
Shorts: Dark Comedy, 4 p.m., Charles Theater 3
The Black Balloon, 4:30 p.m., Charles Theater 1
Love Free or Die, 4:30 p.m., MICA Brown Center
Gayby, 5 p.m., Charles Theater 5
Supporting Characters, 5 p.m., Charles Theater 4
The International Sign for Choking, 5 p.m., Windup Space
Attenberg, 5 p.m., Charles Theater 2
Closing Night: Dark Horse, 7 p.m., Charles Theater 1

Please verify all movies, times and locations with the official schedule, as these details could change.

MORE: May 2012 Events in Baltimore

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Whoop Dee Doo, a Kansas City-based public access television show run led by artists and volunteers, will descend on Baltimore this Friday for Station North Arts & Entertainment District's Final Fridays. The organization hosts live, free shows and workshops that aim to strip away divisions between high and low art -- as well as barriers between age, gender, race, culture and sub-culture. The results is a chaotic mix that includes everything from punk bands and drag queens to clog troupes and science teachers.

Final Fridays will take place this Friday, April 27 from 5-8 p.m. The Whoop Dee Doo show will happen outside City Arts Apartments (440 East Oliver Street), but the rest of Station North will be filled with musicians, performance artists, art installations and food. The first 150 people to arrive at Final Fridays this weekend will receive a free Sta-Note, a currency worth $2 at these Station North businesses: Bohemian Coffee Shop, Cyclops, Joe Squared, Liam Flynn's Ale House, Station North Arts Cafe and Windup Space.

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Photo of Gaia's mural in Station North by Libby Zay.