FriendsOfMDRF.org - THE BLOG!

Park plan open to public input

A 214-acre regional park is in the planning stages for the area bounded by Md. 79, Md. 180 and Olive School Road.

Brunswick 's Planning and Zoning Department is welcoming ideas from the public concerning uses for the land. Zoning Administrator Bruce Dell said the park will be a combination of passive and active uses.

"If anybody has a wish list, please e-mail me," at planner@Brunswick md.gov, Dell said.

"All that acreage would be a good place for the Maryland Renaissance Festival," Councilman Tom Smith said.

pulled from: http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=96492

By Nicholas C. Stern

Mount Airy — Mead, a fermented honey beverage, may be the oldest alcoholic drink made by man, its production dating back some 6,000 years.

Beyond studying the history and culture behind the honeyed beverage, Linganore Wine Cellars winemaker Anthony Aellen makes about 7,000 to 8,000 gallons of it each year. He also makes about 120,000 gallons of wine.

Despite the storied use of mead in world culture, most Americans have never tried it.

Aellen thinks this lack of experience presents a great opportunity to not only introduce people to the sweet wine, but also to keep an ancient tradition alive.

The first clues about mead's production might be traced back to cave paintings in Scandinavia that depict the process, Aellen said.

Honey is too sweet to allow yeasts and other bacteria to grow, he said. However, people who processed honey would leave the comb and other honey dregs in vessels that eventually filled with rainwater. The water diluted the honey, allowing fermentation to take place.

Egyptian pharaohs were buried with jars of mead to drink in the afterlife; the libation was considered a gift from the sun god, Aellen said.

The tradition of a honeymoon after marriage can be traced to a Scandinavian custom where the man had to capture his bride-to-be for a month, or one full cycle of the moon, and then drank mead with her to celebrate their new marriage.

Mead and other honey products were popular around the world until the end of the 18th century, when refined sugar took over as a coveted product that became easier for people to buy, he said.

Much of Aellen's mead production goes to the Maryland Renaissance Festival, which ends later this month.

Drinking the beverage helps give visitors the feeling they are in medieval Europe, he said.

Bottles of the mead can be purchased at the winery's tasting room in Mount Airy .

"It's one of those old-time drinks to come back to," Aellen said, "doing the same thing cave men did."

Pulled from: http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=96444

Saturday, January 23, 2010
5:00pm - 11:00pm
4238 Wilson Blvd Arlington, VA 22204

Friends of MDRF Post-Holiday Par-tay will take place both before and after the O'Danny Girls: Winter Wonderbraland show @ the Comedy Spot (4238 Wilson Blvd Arlington, VA 22204)

Saturday, January 23, 2010
Dinner: 5 - 7:15pm
Show: 7:30pm - 9:00pm
Party: 9 - Close

Check back here for more info on dinner and party. . . get tix for the show at: www.comedyindc.com