Laureen's Baltimore Blog

The Kentucky Derby winner takes the Woodlawn Vase and a blanket of black-eyed susans in the 2008 Preakness Stakes at Pimilico Race Course. And the weathervane at Pimlico was painted with his colors.

Will he go on to become the 12th Triple Crown winner? Or will be become one of the 19 horses who won the Kentucky Derby and in Baltimore's Preakness but failed to win the Belmont Stakes?

More:

• Big Brown Photos
• Preakness Week Photo Gallery
• Preakness Traditions

More Preakness coverage from About.com Horse Racing.

Getty/Drew Hallowell

Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown is the favorite with 2-1 odds for Preakness at Pimlico Race Course. Is he on his way to the Triple Crown?

• Big Brown (PP #7, odds 1-2) - Kentucky Derby winner
• Gayego (PP #12, odds 8-1) - Arkansas Derby winner
• Behindatthebar (PP #5 , odds 10-1) - Lexington Stakes winner
• Kentucky Bear (PP #8, odds 15-1)
• Yankee Bravo (PP #4, odds 15-1)
• Giant Moon (PP #11, odds 30-1)
• Icabad Crane (PP #3, odds 30-1)
• Macho Again (PP #1, odds 30-1)
• Racecar Rhapsody (PP #6, odds 30-1)
• Riley Tucker (PP #10, odds 30-1)
• Stevil (PP #9, odds 30-1)
• Tres Borrachos (PP #2, odds 30-1)

Preakness Links:

• Events
• Photos
• Traditions
• Party Planning

There's more than just Preakness festivities going on this weekend. While Saturday, May 17, is Baltimore's big moment in horse racing, Baltimore's favorite baseball team takes on its newest rivals. The O's are at home in Camden Yards, for a three-game series, starting Friday evening, against the Washington Nationals.

Though the traditional Preakness Eve fireworks are not scheduled in 2008, fireworks at the conclusion of Friday night's game (one of several post-game fireworks displays throughout the season that Bank of America sponsors) mean the sky will be just as bright.

Other Orioles discounts and specials, including the Dugout Club and student night, are going on at Camden Yards this weekend. Friday and Saturday are evening games, starting at 7:05 p.m.; Sunday's game is at 1:35 p.m. and will be televised locally by WJZ.

Getty/Tom Grill

Preakness Week is in full swing now. While participating in a Preakness party in Pimlico's infield is a right of passage for some, many prefer to celebrate from the comfort of their own home.

If you are planning a Preakness party for the big day Saturday, May 17, 2008, here are some helpful resources:

Food

• While it's a little early in the season for crabs, most Baltimore-area crab houses will have steamed crabs for take out, but order early.
• Check out these traditional recipes for Baltimore crab cakes or Maryland crab soup.
• Mix up a batch of Black-eyed Susans, the official drink of the Preakness.

Entertainment

While, of course, the race is the main entertainment, it only last two minutes, so here are a few more ideas:

• Post time/TV coverage
• "Maryland, My Maryland" - Do you know the words? Print them out here.
• Preakness traditions and trivia- Did you know the Preakness trophy was the most valuable in American sport?
• Preakness party game - Or make it simple and everyon can all just draw names from a hat for a Preakness pool.
• Preakness posters - Shop for Posters of Preakness winners and races.

More Links: Preakness Photos | Baltimore Hotels

All you procrastinators take note, Mother's Day is almost here. Sunday, May 11, 2008, is the big day. If you have not gotten your card in the mail, do so now! If you plan to spend the day with the special mother in your life or need last minute gift ideas, look here.

• Take her out to the ball game. The Orioles are at home in Camden Yards this weekend playing the Kansas City Royals. This is a great option if you have young kids.
• Belly up to the brunch buffet. These top brunch spots are always a great choice. But many restaurants offer Mother's Day specials for both brunch and dinner.
• Hit the mall. If you don't know what you want, go to a Baltimore area mall where you can find most anything. If you have something sweet or sparkly in mind, check out these lists of jewelers and candy stores.
• Flowers are always appreciated. If you can't get out to a local flower shop or your mother is far away, send flowers online.
• Let her take herself out with Restaurant.com certificates. If your mom doesn't live nearby, these restaurant certificates, which offer discounts to restaurants in Baltimore and across the country, are a great way to take her out to dinner. Though they do have minimum purchase amounts, (read more about how Restaurant.com works), Mom can dine out for very little. And now using the coupon code MOM, you can a $25 restaurant gift certificate and a $10 deLa Flowers gift certificate for just $5. With the same code get 50 percent off the Dinner of the Month Club plus the flowers gift certificate.

Like steamed crabs and fresh corn, live music in the great outdoors is just one of the perks of summer. This summer Baltimore has plenty of spots to spread a blanket and catch some tunes.

• Harborplace
• Patterson Park
• Belvedere Square
• Lurman Woodland Theatre
• Lexington Market

^{More Music: Pier Six Pavilion | Rams Head Live!}

Now with Big Brown crowned the Kentuckly Derby winner, all eyes turn toward Baltimore and the Preakness Stakes on May 17, 2008. Just before the kick off of the Triple Crown this weekend, officials at Pimlico announce the slate of festivities for Preakness Week this year. Many of the old favorites, like the Preakness Parade and free concerts, are back. But some, namely the fireworks in the Inner Harbor, are absent.

I have been checking in with the Preakness Celebration organization waiting for a full update, expecting to see more events added, but they never came. The 5k race, which last year had ballooned into a three-race Triple Crown, is not on the agenda. Neither is the Preakness Eve fireworks in the Inner Harbor, and the Preakness Balloon Festival, which last year floated all over the Baltimore metro area stopping in Baltimore and Howard counties as well as the Inner Harbor, is staying put at Turf Valley Resort in Howard County.

But don't worry the most cherished traditions, including Sunrise at Old Hilltop, crowning Miss Preakness,the Crab Derby at Lexington Market and the Pee Wee Preakness are still on.

More:

• Full Preakness Schedule of Events
• Preakness in Photos
• Preakness Tradition and Trivia

Photo by Middleton Evans

  Now that the April showers have passed (cross your fingers on that one!), this month brings not only May flowers but May festivals. The warmer weather means we can begin enjoying the many outdoor festivals and events Baltimore has to offer in the Inner Harbor and elsewhere. And the first weekend in May is the kickoff! Look for these events this weekend:

• Kinetic Scupture Race - Inner Harbor, Canton, Patterson Park
• Flower Mart - Mount Vernon
• BaltiMORE for LESS - Inner Harbor

If you're interested in indoor or evening events, there's also the Maryland Film Festival this weekend.

More Links:
American Visionary Art Museum
Inner Harbor Parking
Mount Vernon
Patterson Park

OK, Dad, you're in charge here. When the kids are small, they want to honor Mom, but sometimes all that honoring can wear a mother out.

While brunch is great when the kids are old enough to fill their own plates, it may be overwhelming for little ones and, in turn, for Mom. Gifts can be a fun and easy way to get the kids involved. Let them make their own gifts with these Mother's Day craft ideas. Also kids love to help shop. Here are a few resources for shopping for Mom:

• Flowers
• Candy
• Jewelry

But usually when the kids are happy, so is Mom. So another idea is a day at one of Baltimore's top family attractions.

Some people are afraid of spiders or snakes or bees. Not me. My phobia? Bureaucrats.

But I've had so many negative experiences with official-types, who demand notarized forms in triplicate to fix a simple typo. All that power, so little understanding.

So when my drivers license needed to be renewed, I put off the trip to the Maryland MVA, even though (or maybe because) my license had already expired. How fast the years had flown since my last trip to the MVA. Then one day I suddenly realized my license had expired months earlier. My husband's had too. He went to the MVA within a week and took care of it, just like that.

I, on the other hand, procrastinated. I needed a haircut. I was busy at work. The kids had dentist appointments. I had an excuse for every day of the week. Finally my motivation came in the form of a vehicle registration renewal notice. I usually renew by mail, but this time I purposely ignored the notice, knowing that it would inspire me to make the trip when it was too late to renew by mail.

Worked like a charm! On April 30, the day my registration expired, I arrived at the Essex branch of the MVA at 8:35 a.m., prepared for any contingency. I brought my property tax bill to prove my address change. I found my auto insurance policy just in case I needed proof of insurance. I stuffed two magazines and an iPod in my purse to pass the time. I made arrangements for someone to pick up my kids if I wasn't finished by noon. Yes, that was overkill, but phobias aren't reasonable.

I was done by 9:15 a.m. Everyone was so friendly and helpful, and I didn't need any of that stuff. I even had the courage to ask how my husband might get an error in his name fixed. But thank goodness that's his job. I'm not going back there again until 2013!