Committee Work

In the next few weeks, The party planning committee needs to evaluate the number of restaurants donating to our event. We need to be persistent in following up with restaurants who have not answered back. Our committee needs to see how many restaurants are donating food versus how many are donating objects for our prizes. The party planning committee, along with any other committee, also need to find other organizations such as Under Armor or the National Aquarium and ask if they will be willing to donate objects for our prizes. I am in the process of seeing if the Baltimore Ravens Cheerleaders are willing to donate anything.Our committee has much to discuss in the next few weeks regarding what needs to be done at the event, but first we must continue to send out our asks to see what can be donated.

Marc Steiner's Talk

Marc Steiner’s talk had some great points. I think he’s a great person to learn from because of his rich background in the Baltimore community. I liked how Marc Steiner emphasized that we need to expose what is going on. We need to expose what is right and what is wrong through the stories we tell. That is our goal; we want the history and stories of these forgotten places to be told. In the process we will change others minds about the area. Instead of seeing only negative, they will begin to see the history and appreciate it. My mind was changed when I began my research on Farring-Baybrook Park.  Growing up I have heard nothing but negative things about Brooklyn Park and Curtis Bay. Through my research I learned the park’s recreation center serves to disabled children and adults. It also provides a place for children to go rather than spending time out on the streets. This information was masked from the negative surroundings. It is definitely something that should be exposed and brought to light. I really liked when Marc said we are the ones who are going to define where Baltimore is going to go in the years to come. He also said we need to envision the questions we need to ask when we are in the Baybrook area so we know where we will go next. Those questions will tell the stories of what is going on in those areas. I thought those points were very important in regards to what we are trying to do. We want to share the history as well as the stories and tell what is happening now. Marc Steiner’s talk was very interesting and important for our class to hear, so we can keep his points in mind while we are out in the community. 

Research and The Committee

Exploring the Farring-Baybrook Park was interesting, but extremely frustrating.  It was as if the park did not exist prior to being renamed in 1975. I only knew the park was renamed Farring-Baybrook in 1975 (I did not see any clear indication to what the park was named before) by reading the Maree G Farring Elementary and Middle schools ‘Who was Maree Farring?’ section on their website. I looked up surrounding street names, misspelled names I found in articles, and other names I found in articles. I did find out a lot about Maree Farring and what she did in the community. I enjoyed learning what I did, but I wish I would have been able to find more of the history of the park. The most enjoyable part of the research was learning that the Farring-Baybrook Recreation Center is primarily for those who are disabled. I really liked reading the articles where people would talk about what the center meant to them and how great it is for their loved ones to participate in wheelchair sports. However I am still upset that I was unable to find more on the history of the park prior to 1975. 

Meeting with my committee this week, for the time I was there, was a great time to figure out how we want the event to run. I’m excited to continue to share ideas and hear from others to get a better sense of how we want the even to run. I think the games and raffles will be a great way to bring in money. One of my biggest concerns is having enough items that people will be interested in to raffle off. From our talk on Thursday, it sounds like my committee has many great ideas for prizes. Since I left early on Thursday, I’m looking forward to reconnecting with my committee to hear any ideas I might have missed. Also, since I was unable to view the 2640 building, I would really like to hear what the members of my committee who were able to go thought of the space and hear how they think we should utilize the space, as well as other classmates who were able to go as well. 

Viewing Baybrook

The tour of the Filbert Street Garden was exciting. I enjoyed seeing the amount of work the surrounding student put into the garden. I loved the stepping stones the elementary students created to outline the walkway through the garden along with the fence into the raised bed gardens. I am really excited to see the garden in the spring when some of the plants start to grow. I thought the idea of the rounded classroom gardens were a great idea along with the arms length and elbow length spacing to plant seeds. I think my favorite part of the garden tour was when Jason Reed told us about the strawberry patch and how the five worse students at the local middle school lead members of the community to create the patch. To me, that’s what the community is for.

When we walked down to the Polish Home Hall and explored the interior, I gained a better perspective of the area.  We walked down the street where we could see the townhomes in the area and we even saw some of the residents. The Polish Home Hall was gorgeous. The view from the second story really captured the impact the industrial companies had on the area. I was very interested to learn the brief history of the building, and was a little upset that it is currently vacant. As I was walking around in the building, I wondered if my Fiancés family has any connections to this building. I believe his Polish ancestors were in the Baltimore area around the 1920’s when the building became the Polish Home Hall. That is something I am definitely going to look into.  

Through our tour I was also able to see the Farring-Baybrook Park that I am researching. The view from the park was incredible.  It was a clear view of the Baltimore skyline.  I have started to look up historical articles on Farring-Baybrook Park in the Baltimore Sun, but I haven’t had much luck. I have found score records from baseball games and one murder-suicide that occurred near the park.  I am going to keep searching the Baltimore Sun for any more information. I have also checked the Baltimore county parks website which have very little information on the park. I have researched the Farring family, which has given me a lot of results. I now need to refine my search to focus on the information I want to find. Hopefully in my continuing search I find some piece of information that leads to a bigger picture of Farring-Baybrook Park. 

Adding Creativity

Meeting with the art students at UMBC was exciting. I got the feeling they are as excited to work on this project as we are While we were getting to know each other, they had great ideas as to how they would like to contribute to the project. Their help is going to be important to grab the attention of others.I am intrigued to see what they have in the way of T-Shirt designs as well as any additional ideas they may have as to getting the community interested in our project. I think it would be great if the art students were able to create something to reflect the history of Baybrook.

Reading the oral histories in Baybrook got me more excited for this project. I would love to hear from the community and learn more about what they area use to be. In the Baltimore 68 article, I really thought the button that said "Ask me, I was there!" was a great idea. We discussed doing something similar with the art student. I think its important that we allow the residents of the area to voice their memories and stories to keep the history alive.

Envisioning Research in Baybrook

As I learn more about the area of Baybrook I become interested in the history of the area.  However, I am also interested in the things affecting the area. I think looking into what is causing pollution in the area is where I envision my research topic.  I would like to focus on the incinerators in the surrounding areas or find out more about the dumping and waste issues.

We were handed a 1945 newspaper from the Baltimore Sun Thursday in class. As I read these articles of the pollution from the plants, I became concerned for the people who lived in this area. I wondered what happened after this article arose in the Baltimore Sun. Reading the article made me want to explore the history of these events to see what has been done, but also to look now and see the dangers that may be prevalent in the community today. I think by exploring either the incinerators or the dumping and waste issues I will have a better idea as to what the dangers are and even possibly how to start changing them. 

Social Mission

Our social mission for American Studies 422 is to work with the community of Baybrook to create a space for the community to come together. Our mission also includes creating awareness of issues affecting the community and learn the history of the area.

Our goal is to work together as a class to create a successful fundraiser in support of the Filbert Street Community Garden. The garden should create an educational space for the surrounding community as well as provide fresh produce.  Our class is diverse enough that I believe we will be able to create a way to make a difference. I believe through our journey to help this community we will learn different skills that will be of use beyond our college experience.