Ah, Berlin.

Disclaimer: The following blogpost is mushy as HECK! 

The love levels are high, read with caution!

I don't know if you know this, but the town of Berlin is absolutely lovely. It looks charming, which is nice, but it's also full of genuinely welcoming and kind people.

About a month ago, a few friends and I were hanging out and not being particularly quiet in the apartment above the Maryland Wine Bar. Right across the street, Victorian Charm was having an anniversary celebration and sale event. We had the windows wide open, and we heard the owners attempting to speak to us from across the street. We immediately fell silent, sure they were going to tell us to quiet down - an instinctual, "dad's yelling down the stairs for us to put a sock in it" kind of effect. 

Lo and behold, the owners of Victorian Charm saw that we were having our own celebration, and were offering us the leftover food from their event. Pieces of smoked salmon on cucumbers, tiny chicken salad sandwiches, the works. It was a total windfall, and we were awestruck. We spent the rest of our evening talking about how that kind of stuff just doesn't happen everywhere. It's not just a perk of living in a small town, it's a perk of living in a small town of nice people. 

I love that Jason and Peggy at Berlin Coffee Shop know which kind of bagel I like the most, I love that I can strike up conversation with just about anyone in town, I love that when I went around Berlin hanging posters for the Food Drive every shop owner lent me some window space, and I love that I see new faces in town all the time. It's even more exciting to see someone else fall in love with Berlin, like I recently realized I have. I love reading those comment cards people leave behind at The Globe that say things like "Can't believe we've missed out on Berlin until now!" and "Everyone is so nice!"

And it gets better all the time! New restaurants to try, new local musicians to hear, new emerging artists,  new faces at The Globe... I can't wait to see what Berlin will be like in a year. This year's been something special, and it's only half over.

Featured Artist June 2014 - Eric Budd

Check out the amazing creations of our June Featured Artist, Eric Budd Decoys and Taxidermy! His work will be on display in the Balcony Art Gallery & Lounge throughout the entire month of June.

 

More information here!

Music at the Globe

It is a delightful thing to walk into the Globe and hear live music playing from the stage. We're lucky to have a variety of very talented musicians play just about every Friday and Saturday night, which makes dinner time on the weekends a really special event. We have bands that play for us almost every month during the summer - like the classy and very popular Dark Gold Jazz and the upbeat and truly fun Poole Brothers. But then we also have some wild cards - last summer we had a ticketed show featuring a John Denver impersonator. He was fantastic; he looked, sounded, and dressed exactly like the real thing and had apparently been adopted from John Denver's home town. And then there's Bryan Clark, who puts every woman in the building to swooning and every one else to dancing. Even if his voice wasn't so dang great he puts on one of the best shows I've ever seen. For New Year's Eve we had Hot Sauce Sandwich, some younger local guys who put a funky spin on the Mumford & Sons sound. The list goes on and on.

But on July 17th we've got something really special! Deanna Bogart, a versatile and truly gifted musician will be playing at 8pm for your listening pleasure. This woman can boogie. She sings, she plays piano, she plays a mean saxophone, and is generally a lot of fun. Give us a call with your questions about tickets or if you just want to know more about her (410.641.0784)! Also here is her website. 

Look. Look she's playing piano and looking soulfully at someone. I'll pretend it's me.

So soulful! Luckily, she probably isn't playing Careless Whisper.

Food Drive Time!

     When you're part of a community as wonderful as Berlin, you can't help but want to give back. We participate in clothing drives, charity auctions - and we're glad to do it. The Globe was a drop off point for a clothing drive for victims of Hurricane Sandy in 2012, and it really made everyone's heart a little lighter to fill up the entire Gallery with shoes, socks, and sweaters that the lovely people of Berlin brought to us. We loaded up an entire truck and it really felt good.

     So, we are hosting a food drive! We are collaborating with Maryland Foodbank and Burley Oak to collect food for families in need all over the Eastern Shore. The main event will be at Burley Oak at 6pm on Monday, June 16th (as part of Burley Oak's fantastic Monday charity series), but The Globe will be taking food donations all week starting on June 10th. Dig that canned food out of your cabinet and leave it with us!

    In order to coordinate the food drive, I (Front Desk Becky) met up with Ralph Hickman, one of the Directing Managers at the Maryland Foodbank in Salisbury. He was kind enough to give me a tour of their warehouse and speak a little bit about what they do. The Foodbank provides to families all over Maryland and even has after-school programs for children who are "food-insecure," meaning they're not sure where their next meal is coming from. Mr. Hickman told me that while it used to be 1 in 4, now 1 in every 5 kids in the area the Foodbank serves is food insecure, and while I'm glad for the improvement it's still very heartbreaking. Hungry kids have evident trouble paying attention in school, maintaining their energy levels, and controlling their behavior.

    The Foodbank gets food donations from all kinds of places - they buy food from grocery stores at discounted rates, take food which is just past the shelf-date but still USDA-approved from bulk-sale stores like Sam's Club and Costco, they collect food from government donations, and they even obtain food from local farms. But the number one source of food is donations from food drives. So let's do it! Bring in those canned peas you were going to make casserole with but ordered pizza instead! Drop them off at the Globe between June 10th and June 16th or (even better) come to our event at Burley Oak at 6pm on June 16th! Bonus: For every pound of food donated, the Globe will donate 50 cents! We'll be glad to see you :)

Donate at: The Globe June 10th-June 16th & Burley Oak @ 6pm on June 16th
Food Drive Finale Event @ Burley Oak 6pm June 16th - 10% of all Bar Sales and All Tips from Burley Oak go to Maryland Food Bank! The Globe will match food donations 50 cents to the pound!

Check that out! Thousands of pounds of food!

I didn't ask if I could drive the forklift because I am a grownup. *Sigh*

That guy right there is helping his community AND knew all the words to "Happy" by Pharrell. I know, I saw him.

The Time Has Come for Sunday Brunch!

"The time has come for Brunch" she said,
"To enjoy many things:
Of eggs--and bacon--and sweet pancakes--
Of cream of crab soup--and wings--
And why not have a $2 Mimosa or Mary,
And savor the Sunday morning of kings."