Nightlife : Buzz

First Mariner has remained true to its name.

Billboard magazine has named it the top-grossing arena of its size. It grossed nearly $16 million this year, making it No. 1 among arenas that seat between 10,000 and 15,000 people, writes the Baltimore Sun. It's the second year in a row that First Mariner has been first.

Recent acts at the arena include Sade, Kanye West and Jay-Z. You can read the rest of the story here.

Aerial artist Mara Neimanis will perform her new solo show at the Creative Alliance next year.

"Naomi's Flight" tells the story of the artist's personal experience caring for her elderly parents. "This one-hour aerial performance combines text and choreography on three steel suspended apparatus sculpted by Baltimore sculptor, Tim Scofield," writes Broadway World.

You can learn more about the Feb. 2 performance here.

LaxPower.com posted this news item on a fire that broke out early Monday morning at North Baltimore's Mount Washington Tavern. Citing ABC2 and WBAL's direct reports on the blaze, the post refers to the establishment as a "lacrosse icon." Read the entire post here.

A host of events are on tap for the 2011 edition of Baltimore Beer Week, which begins October 6.

A sample:

So what’s in store this year? When queried, founder Joe Gold said many of the events are still evolving. However, plans are underway to have the first "Star Spangled Banger" parade of sorts starting at noon on October 6th at Baltimore’s historic Fort McHenry whereupon the fabled mallet will weave its way through some of Baltimore’s storied neighborhoods, visit various landmarks and taverns and ultimately end at Rams Head Live which will be the host venue for this year’s expanded Opening Tap Celebration. The hand-crafted mallet, used to tap the ceremonial first firkin, was crafted by wood expert John Gasparine and actually uses wood from Maryland’s famous fallen Wye Oak tree.

In addition to the Opening Tap Celebration, this year promises some great events like the 10th Anniversary of the Maryland Oktoberfest at Timonium Fairgrounds on October 8th, The Chesapeake Real Ale Festival featuring over 40 one of a kind firkins on October 15th and a Women-Centric event at Max’s Taphouse on October 13th. October 9th will feature a Historic Walking Pub Tour called a “Bar on Every Corner”.

A full schedule, along with more information about the event, can be found at the Baltimore Beer Week website.

With Halloween just around the corner now is the time when even otherwise staid personalities start seeking frights in earnest. Baltimore Mag is here to help, as writer Justin Snow has compiled a list of the region's creepiest spots.

From the source:

Baltimore can be a pretty creepy town.

Neighborhoods like Fells Point and Mt. Vernon have hundreds of years of colorful history ripe for ghosts and other apparitions. Edgar Allan Poe gathered inspiration for his morbid tales from these streets. And the remnants of the city's once-bustling industrial core have been left to decay and descend into eeriness.

With Halloween just around the corner, we profile eight of the spookiest places in our spooky town. Explore them . . . if you dare.

Read the whole feature here.

If Easton real estate agent Tim Miller can pull it off, National Premium beer will soon make a return to area coolers.

From Erik Maza at the Sun:

For decades, National Premium has been a hazy, distant memory. Stored-away memorabilia and faded beer ads were all that remained of its once-storied legacy.

That may change next year. Tim Miller, an Easton real estate agent, has acquired the trademark and has ambitious plans to bring the beer back to the Baltimore market by next baseball season. He has secured the formula and announced a new, spiffy logo. Capital investment and brewing are next.

Read the full story.

The Maryland Terrapins' new uniforms generated a ton of national conversation last week, largely due to their outlandish nature. The Baltimore Sun takes a look at a less-reported aspect of the story: how much the new helmets resemble those worn by Baltimore's Charm City Roller Girls.

From the source:

When the Terps’ revealed a new uniform and helmets before Monday’s game, there was much oohhing and ahhing over the all-white look with the Maryland state flag motif.

But at least one corner of Baltimore reacted with a dismayed pang of recognition: for the Charm City Roller Girls All-Stars team, the Terps’ new helmet looks much like the one they’ve been using for the past three years.

“They’re not identical, but they’re shockingly similar,” said Hillary “Rosie the Rioter” Rosensteel, the roller derby team’s captain.

Read more here.

Soul singer Sade chose Baltimore to kick off her first North American tour in almost a decade and Evan Serpick was there to review it for Rolling Stone.

From the source:

"In many ways, it seemed that little had changed. When the British-Nigerian singer came onstage, her hair was in the familiar tight ponytail, augmented by bright red lipstick, hoop earrings and a sheer black turtleneck. And that luxurious, smoky voice -- the one that earned Sade (the singer, also the name of the band) a reputation as an aural aphrodisiac, the female counterpart to Barry White -- is as glorious as ever."

Read the full review here.

Nervous Tiki Barge fans can rest easy: the popular floating watering hole will be open this summer after all.

From the Baltimore Sun:

"The Tiki Barge, the legally waterlogged Inner Harbor party barge, will stay afloat in July after all.

The liquor board Thursday "formally reconsidered" its April 28 decision that would have suspended its liquor license for the month of July. The Tiki Barge has paid a $3,000 fine in lieu of a 14-day suspension under an agreement between the owners and some of its neighbors. The board had suspended its liquor license after saying patrons disturbed the peace and the bar's counsel gave misleading statements."

Read the whole story.