By Liz Creed

Holiday lights have been a visual display of the holiday season for people whether it be on the outside of someone’s house, wrapped around a Christmas tree, glowing from candles in the windows, or from candles in a Menorah. The residents of the 700 block on 34^th Street in Hampden have been creating the “Miracle on 34^th Street” light display for over sixty years. It has drawn viewers from the Baltimore area as well as around the world due to its beauty, passion and radiating charm from its residents.

The residents of 34^th Street between Keswick Road and Chestnut Street have been displaying the festive lights since 1947. Bob Hosier, a homeowner on 34^th Street, first started his lighting project by placing lights on a tree in his front yard as a teenager. From then on, Hosier became fascinated and passionate about creating a holiday spectacular with holiday lights. Hosier’s wife, Darlene Hughes, grew up on 34^th street in the house that always donned the most lights. Together the Hosiers created the “Miracle on 34^th Street” tradition that has become a holiday attraction in Baltimore for thousands of visitors each year.

Laura Brazier, a junior at Loyola University explains, “I have always wanted to go see the Hampden Lights since moving to Baltimore. I am so happy that I finally made the trip this year”

Each home on the block is as unique as the one next door. Some homes base their decorations on a certain theme or cause. One home features a robot theme with tin robots and the Hampden mascot flamingos painted silver. Another home displays a large National Bohemian Beer mascot sign. A Peanuts-themed house with inflatable peanuts characters and Snoopy lights is located beside artist Jim Pollock’s home, which features a hubcap tree and a snowman made out of bicycle wheels. The Doyle-Gillespies’ home known as the “Peace House,” stands out by displaying blue lights and light-up signs that read “Peace” with hanging lanterns that represent Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, Christian and Hindu traditions.

One of the homes takes advantage of the thousands of visitors by displaying large banners for the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCS) and hanging signs of animals that are ready to be adopted. Another home has a Salvation Army collector ringing a bell, excepting any monetary donations visitors are willing to give.

Such a sparkling and large holiday display attracts some problems for the residents of 34^th Street. In the past, there have been people posing as residents of the street asking for monetary donations to help pay for the season’s high electric bills. These scam artists are doing the exact opposite of what the 34^th Street residents want visitors to believe. The ChristmasStreet.com website warns

visitors about these scam artists and says that, “Putting up these lights is a true labor of love.”

The “Miracle on 34^th Street” display is lit from late November until early January.

By Rose Frullani-Bacon

The Belvedere Square Market is located right off of York Road, just over two miles away from Loyola University Maryland’s Evergreen campus. It is considered the main attraction in Belvedere Square, a small outdoor center that features several dining and retail options. This 5,400 square foot market contains organic and gourmet food from their “safest and most well-attended orchards, dairies, and gardens,” according to the square’s official website. Options for dining include Ikan Seafood & Sushi, Neopol Savory Smokery, Taharka Brother’s Ice Cream, and much more.

Despite the market’s proximity to Loyola’s campus, not many people are aware of its existence. I myself was shocked to discover a market of that size by York Road in the Govans neighborhood, an area infamous for being “undesirable” amongst Loyola students. With the “sketchy” stigma attached to the district, many students feel uncomfortable with exploring the area.

“When I think of York Road, the word scary comes to mind,” says a Loyola freshman who wishes to remain anonymous. She’s not the only one—it seems as though whenever York Road is mentioned in a conversation on this campus, somebody cringes.

Monica Castro, a freshman at Loyola, spent her Saturday afternoon at the Belvedere Square Market last week. “There were tons of places to eat, and a lot of places to sit down and just enjoy yourself,” she said. “I’ll definitely go back there cause it’s not that far from here, and it’s an easy cab ride.”

Leandra Pauley, also a freshman, accompanied Monica on their journey to market. She also was pleasantly surprised by the market’s ambiance. “I was just like really surprised that nobody on campus knew about it. Like, no one has ever told me about it and I talked to other people and they had no idea what it was. And I feel like everyone’s too scared to go on York Road.”

The Belvedere Square is also features Matava Too (a footwear shop), Greg’s Bagels, TCBY yogurt, and much more. The market is open Monday through Saturday 10 am-8 pm and Sunday 10am-5pm, while the retail store hours are Monday through Saturday 10 am-6 pm and Sunday 12 pm- 5 pm.

By: Margaret George

Baltimore’s newly elected Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake looked more than pleased as the jingle of bells on makeshift sleighs rang clear and floods of marching bands passed through Hampden on Sunday afternoon around two o’clock. The sparkle of costumes and Christmas colored pom-poms glimmered in the afternoon sun, as the 39^th annual Mayor’s Christmas Parade got closer to 36^th street.

The parade had something offer everyone. There were many performances by local highschool dance teams and marching bands. Those of which played a variety of music ranging from “Joy To The World” to “Shots” by Lil John. All of the performers were enthusiastic about displaying their many talents to the excited attendees. Other highlights consisted of the potty racers: men who road around on motorized toilets and what seemed to be homemade bicycles. Even Edgar Allen Poe made an appearance along with his long lost love; followed by a hearse that encouraged people to save the Edgar Allen Poe House. No Christmas parade would be complete without Santa and Mrs. Claus walking through the crowds making sure all the boys and girls had been good the whole year.

WLOY, Loyola’s radio station also made an appearance for a second year in the Christmas parade. They added to the family aspect of the parade by handing out candy to children who watched expectantly on the curbs. This year they also had kids from What Happens Next, a local program that gives kids an option to practice their writing, walk with them in the parade. Kate Marshall, a junior at Loyola Maryland and WLOY staff member described her experience as “awesome.” Marshall exclaimed, “My favorite part was when I handed a ball to a little boy and his eyes just lit up!” She also noticed that more families attended this year’s parade than years past. “It was much different from last year,” Marshall said, “Aside from the fact that having the kids walk with us was cute it really incorporated the community more so into what we do. Although, it was a little hard to keep all of the kids in front our float.”

The Mayor’s parade is just one of Baltimore’s major Christmas events that really bring the communities together, spreading a little holiday cheer along its way. “It was so nice to see everyone is such good spirits Sunday afternoon, and to see a lot of the community come together,” Marshall expressed.

By Meagan Mallen

Chris Carrabba, front man for musical group Dashboard Confessional, has certainly “Stolen” the hearts of both dedicated follower and newfound fan alike at his solo acoustic show 7 p.m. on December 3 at the Recher Theatre in Towson. This local venue was one of the stops on Carrabba’s Swiss Army Romance: 10^th Anniversary Tour.

The show’s opening acts were Madi Diaz and Say Chance Music. The set list for the night included popular tracks from a few Dashboard albums, most prominently including: The Swiss Army Romance, The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most, and Dusk and Summer. Carrabba created a strong presence for himself at the very onset of the night with his initial song, the emotionally charged "Screaming Infidelities."

The mood at the event was infectious. The crowd could be heard screaming the lyrics, sometimes even overpowering Carrabba himself. The 36-year-old singer also exuded a playful vibe though, sparing the audience no obscenities or quirky jokes. Carrabba even introduced his encore with the transition: “And now I’ll play some of the sh-- from T.V. shows.” Showmanship and crowd interaction dominated in the relatively intimate and low-key scene.

Carrabba returned to the stage and an enthusiastic audience to finish the show playing what is arguably the band's most ubiquitous single, “Hands Down.” Eryn McKenzie, a freshman communications major at the University of Maryland, said when asked about the concert: “the atmosphere was great and you could just tell that everyone was having a good time.” Another animated fan used a pun on the singer’s lyrics when he advised this reporter to “remember to breathe, because the concert is just so good.”

The Recher Theatre where the concert was held is a general admission venue with a capacity of 700 people. Because of this aspect, the theatre caters more specifically to a younger crowd. Many college students, especially from Loyola and Towson University because of proximity, frequent the Recher with its relatively cheap pricing and laid-back feel. The informal theatre, previously a single screen movie theatre, is renowned as “the best sounding room in Baltimore” and “a venue that many artists say has a great vibe.” Visit the official Recher Theatre Website for more information on the Recher as well as listings of upcoming shows at this local and easily-accesible venue.