Got some things to fix up before Bike Party? Go hang with our friends at Bike & Brunch to mingle while you do some routine maintenance and hear from a special guest about The Pennsylvania Avenue Black Arts and Entertainment District.
From the organizers:
Maintenance & Mingle (October) with Lady Brion Gill on The Penns
If you love Baltimore, community, music, food, and good vibes join us the last Thursday of the month to mingle with other like minded people. Bike and Brunch Tours will host its monthly Maintenance and Mingle event! Come and tell your friends.
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Special Guest
This month Lady Brion Gill will speak about The Pennsylvania Avenue Black Arts and Entertainment District, how you can support it, and to help us make a special announcement. She holds the position of Cultural Curator for Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle (LBS), a grassroots think-tank which advances the public policy interest of Black people, in Baltimore, through: youth leadership development, political advocacy, and autonomous intellectual innovation. She is a member of the Pennsylvania Avenue Black Arts and Entertainment District Coalition that led thee way to the creation of this district.
Pennsylvania Avenue, better known as The Avenue to many, has an illustrious history. Decades before the downtown and the Inner Harbor became nationally recognized tourist destinations. This area fostered both thriving local businesses and nationally renowned arts and entertainment venues. Today, few of these sites have been designated for historic preservation, and most of the institutions have been demolished. In an effort to preserve what remains of The Avenue, and to revitalize the region at large, local community leaders have teamed up to found the Pennsylvania Avenue Black Arts and Entertainment District Coalition—which includes organizations such as Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle, the Arch Social Club, the Arch Social Community Network, Upton Planning Committee, Druid Heights Community Development Corporation, University of Baltimore Community Development Fellows Program, and more.
Earlier this month, all of the coalition's hard work paid off when the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC) designated The Avenue as one of the state’s official Arts and Entertainment Districts. The area includes 149 acres and nearly 15 blocks along Pennsylvania Avenue from Fulton Avenue to Dolphin Street, as well as two or three blocks east and west—making it the largest Arts and Entertainment District in the state and the fourth existing in Baltimore City. Among those in the state, it's the only district dedicated to showcasing African-American arts and culture.
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Dress
To honor this achievement and those it pays homage, you are welcome to give your costumes a test drive and come dressed in the theme of the event. Come in your best Afrofuturistic wear or as your favorite figure from history.
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Venue
Curious about the variety of food and libations at this Capital Lounge? Thursdays are a special night here. It is XSCAPE Happy Hour with $2 dollar crabs. Other menu items range from wine to non-alcoholic items and food for vegans and carnivores alike. Get information, ask questions, and learn about services, merchandise, and more. If you like, join us for a short conversation about bike tips during the happy hour. No bikes or bike know how required. This event is open to all. Mingle among the company of other local bike riders at all levels, find ride partners, find out about local events on and off the bike, and connect to people engaged in building community and preserving history, legacy, and culture during what will be a very happy hour and a one of a kind event.
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Follow #MaintenanceandMingle and #BikeandBrunchTours for updates.
*** A portion of the proceeds from Bike and Brunch Tours t-shirt sales will go to the Jubilee Arts Youth in Business* program. Advance purchase of merchandise is available below in the ticket section. ***
About Jubilee Arts: Jubilee is a community program providing arts classes to the residents of the Sandtown-Winchester, Upton, and surrounding neighborhoods in Baltimore, Maryland. Jubilee Arts is located on Pennsylvania Avenue, an area with a rich history of African-American culture, and is helping to bring the arts back to life in our community! They offer programming in dance, visual arts, creative writing and ceramics in partnership with the Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore Clayworks, area artists and writers, and dancers. Jubilee is also part of the larger community development work of Intersection Of Change (formerly Newborn Holistic Ministries). For more visit intersectionofchange.org