Embracing Maryland Quirks
By Lauren Burke Meyer
As a Maryland native, it’s not easy to pinpoint the blue-crab-loving state’s identity. The good news? Maryland is generally a military-friendly state, especially in areas like Annapolis, Fort Meade, Bethesda, and Severn, to name a few. As part of your warm welcome, here are ways to prepare yourself environmentally and culturally for a smooth transition for you and your family.
Surviving the Wide-Ranging Weather
One of the most perplexing aspects of Maryland life is the weather. Overall, Maryland summers are warm and can be incredibly humid. Winters are mild, with the coldest weather occurring in late January and early February.
Be prepared for the expected and bizarre weather. For example, the days leading up to Halloween this year were in the seventies or above in most parts of Maryland.
Last winter, BWI airport saw 0.2 inches of snow compared to a 19.3-inch yearly average. This snow range leads to slow snow removal in many of our state’s areas. Uncertain weather outcomes also give rise to schools declaring a snow day ahead of a storm, only to experience a “rain” day.
Two pieces of advice:
1. Always check the weather before leaving your home
2. Layer when dressing because you often experience multiple seasons in one day
Jean jackets are the best investment for my children’s wardrobe. My kids wear them nearly year-round with short sleeves, long sleeves, and sweater combinations for chilly morning walks to school, easy removal for warm recess time, then back on again for outdoor playtime post dinner.
For adults, a light, waterproof jacket with pockets for holding miscellaneous items for ourselves and kids is a crucial wardrobe item for surviving our climate’s wide-ranging weather.
Guide to Foods and Drinks
While I previously mentioned blue crabs, a deeper cultural understanding of the social norms related to our state’s beloved crustacean is needed. Those not from here can be confused about the “work” and the mess of picking crabs. Plus shocked at the high price of crabs given the small amount of meat you can dig out from each crab. You should always have additional food available when eating crabs because even a dozen can still leave you hungry.
However, picking crabs is more about the experience. Crabs are meant to be savored and enjoyed with friends and family. All while talking, drinking beer, and eating additional foods typically found at a barbeque, like hot dogs, corn on the cob, and potato salad.
For those still not sold on picking crabs, there are many other delicious crab dishes at restaurants throughout the state. Crab cakes, crab dips, crab melts, softshell crab, or my personal favorite dish, Yin and Yang soup (cream of crab and Maryland vegetable crab soups mixed in one bowl), will give you your crab fix. You can’t go wrong with seafood in Maryland. Rockfish is another favorite.
Orange Crushes were invented in Ocean City, Maryland, and have become a favorite cocktail throughout the state. The concoction is typically made with orange juice, orange vodka, triple sec, and lemon-lime soda like Sprite.
Classic desserts include Baltimore’s famous Berger cookies that are cake-like with rich, thick chocolate icing and the eight-layer Smith Island cake. Smith Island cakes come in almost every flavor imaginable, including Red Velvet, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Coconut, and Cookies & Cream.
Snowballs originated in Maryland and can be traced to the Industrial Revolution during the mid-1800s when ice houses shipped wagons with huge ice blocks from New York down South. Egg Custard remains one of the most popular flavors.
Top Cultural Events
Maryland offers a variety of events to meet citizens’ passions for water, seafood, history, sports, and art.
Maryland Renaissance Festival
Held in Crownsville the last weekend of August until late October, the Maryland Renaissance Festival features 200+ professional performers, more than 140 artisans exhibiting crafts, plenty of meat on sticks, and various other delectable foods and beverages. There’s an arena with armored jousting, our state’s official sport since 1962.
HONfest
HONfest celebrates the working women who make Bawlmer, aka Baltimore, the great city it is. “Hon” is short for Honey, a classic Bawlmer term of endearment. Since 1994, HonFest has grown from a tiny pageant to a nationally recognized festival that covers four city blocks on Hampden’s 36th Street. The event is scheduled for June.
Annapolis Boat Shows and First Sunday Arts Festival
Whether you’re in the market for a new boat or just coming to admire the variety of water vessels offered, there is an element of magic during the Annapolis Boat Shows. Specifically, the Sail and Powerboat shows occur on back-to-back weekends every October.
Another must-attend event in Annapolis for art lovers is the First Sunday Arts Festival. The free event occurs on the first Sunday of each month, May through November, and is located on the first block of West Street.
Preakness
Baltimore’s version of the Kentucky Derby and the second part of the Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes, is an American thoroughbred horse race held annually on the third Saturday in May at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. It’s one of the nation’s largest, single-day sporting events. The infield party is epic.
These events are just the beginning. There’s an event, festival, or musical performance every weekend in Maryland. Let Chesapeake Family Media be your guide. Always read our monthly magazine and follow our Instagram and Facebook.
