Toaster
For 60 years, a mysterious
visitor honored Edgar Allan Poe
Every year on Jan. 19, an anonymous admirer
would steal into the Westminster Burying
Ground in the wee hours and leave three red
roses and a partial bottle of cognac on the
gravestone marking the original burial site
of Edgar Allan Poe. But the “Poe Toaster,” as
he became known, has been absent the past
two years. The last gift was left Jan. 19, 2009,
the 200th anniversary of Poe’s birth in 1809.
It is believed that the Toaster first visited
ave
Date
DOWNTOWN
the
Baltimore
Boat Show
Jan. 19–22
Aside from displaying
boats and more boats up
close, this year’s show
features free boating
seminars, special guests
and plenty of swag. At
the Baltimore Convention Center. baltimore
boatshow.com
AROUND TO WN
Restaurant
Week
Jan. 20–29
Some 60 restaurants
typically sign up to offer
three-course dinners for
about $35 during restau-
rant weeks in the winter
and the summer. Some
offer lunch, as well, for
around $20. baltimore
restaurantweek.com
CITY GUIDE
Baltimore
in 1949, but his identity has never been
discovered. Jeff Jerome, curator of the Poe
House and Museum, has been monitoring the
Toaster since 1977 and has seen him in action
many times. But after the two no-shows,
Jerome told the Baltimore Sun last year, he is
giving the Toaster one more shot this January
before pronouncing the tradition deceased.
Whether the Toaster shows or not, the
burial ground, in the Lexington Terrace section, not far from downtown, is open daily,
from 8 a.m. to dusk. Tours are conducted on
the first and third Fridays of the month during
the summer. 410-706-2072; eapoe.org.
The Civil War
Came by Train
Before the mid-
1800s, wars were
fought on foot and
horseback. Then,
the rise of railroads
brought a new
strategic element
to war, and the Civil
War was the first
to test its power.
The Baltimore &
Ohio Railroad, in
particular, played a
crucial role, straddling both North
and South.
In a special
exhibit running
into 2015, paral-
leling the years
DOWNTOWN
Wishful
Drinking with
Carrie Fisher
Jan. 31–Feb. 12
The woman who became
famous as Princess Leia
in Star Wars tells the
story of her inebriated
Hollywood life. A big
hit on Broadway and
across the country.
Hippodrome Theatre.
410-547-7328
INNER HARBOR
Harry’s Big
Adventure: My
Bug World!
Feb. 4–April 29
An exhibit providing
a new look at insects,
beginning with host
Harry, a Chinese praying mantis. Maryland
Science Center.
410-685-5225; mdsci.org
that coincide with
the 150th anniversary of the
Civil War, the B&O
Railroad Museum
has assembled
what it says is the
largest collection of Civil War
equipment in the
world—one facet
of “The War Came
by Train.” There
also are artifacts
from the Smithsonian, changing each
year to match the
corresponding
war years, and a
narrated train ride
that takes visitors
to the site of Camp
Carroll, the largest
Union encampment in wartime
Baltimore. The
museum is in the
Hollins Park section. 410-752-2490;
borail.org.
MOUNT VERNON
Exploring Art
of the Ancient
Americas
Feb. 12–May 20
An exhibit at the Wal-
ters Art Museum of 129
artworks made between
1200 B.C. and 1520 A.D.
in Mexico and south to
the Andes. 410-547-9000;
thewalters.org
