Date Archives: February 2015

Baltimore Supporting Youth for Future Workforce

Baltimore is a city that values its young people as shown by its Hire One Youth program, a campaign supported by Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. Through the campaign, Mayor Rawlings-Blake is encouraging Baltimore's many businesses to hire one young person during the summer months.

The Details of the Program

Hire One Youth is a campaign encouraging area businesses to provide a six-week summer job to one young person between the ages of 16 and 21. The youth, which are considered job-ready, will perform the job during the set time period, learning important job skills that they will carry into their future careers while freeing the company to give its employees some summer vacation time. The program also hopes to inspire some youth to find fulfilling careers in a field they love, by giving them the chance to try different types of work.

The Hire One Youth program encourages businesses to commit to hiring at least one job-ready young person, and then recruit one other business to do the same. In this way, the campaign's organizers hope to get the majority of businesses in Baltimore and the surrounding communities to participate. This year is the fourth year of the Hire One Youth Program. Interested businesses can sign up on Baltimore's city website.

Hire One Youth in Partnership with YouthWorks

In order to make Hire One Youth successful, the program needs a pool of "job ready" young people. Baltimore City's YouthWorks program helps young people develop the right work-ready skills to play an important role in today's marketplace.

YouthWorks holds to the slogan that "Summer Jobs Launch Careers."  Through the program, students interested in positioning themselves for the Hire One Youth jobs can register for the program, participate in job training and financial literacy training, and then enjoy being matched to job opportunities that are a good fit for their skills. Completing the training and the six-week job gives these young people job experience to place on a resume as they seek future employment.

Past Years Have Seen Great Success

In 2014, the Hire One Youth initiative saw 500 young people hired by local businesses. This year, the program's organizers expect to see even more hiring and participation. Students who have completed several years of the program are reporting excellent training and experience.

Hire One Youth is just one example of ways in which the city of Baltimore is striving to make its community family-friendly and its people productive. If you find that initiatives like this make Baltimore appealing to you, talk to the team at Homesale Realty to get professional help finding your new Baltimore home.

Italian Lake Park is Part of Harrisburg's Appeal

Although it might seem as if Punxsutawney Phil squelched any hopes for an early spring, one glimpse of Italian Lake Park in the Uptown neighborhood of Harrisburg, PA, and you may change your mind.

Italian Lake Park, located just north of Division Street between Third and Green Streets, is one of Harrisburg's most beautiful parks.  The park attracts both residents and visitors to the area for early morning walks, wedding photographs, and even an occasional free summer concert.

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Lancaster's Historic Fulton Theatre - a Hallowed Haunt

As you travel along Prince Street in Lancaster, you will see one of the community's many historic buildings. The stately Fulton Theatre, known as the "Grand Old Lady of Prince Street," opened 160 years ago as Fulton Hall. Today, it stands as one of only a handful of theaters in the country to have earned National Historic Landmark status and is one of the country's oldest continuously operating theaters. Many of the most famous performers in America's history have performed on its iconic stage, and today it still produces popular performances that "wow" Lancaster locals.

History of the Fulton Theatre

In 1852, Philadelphian architect Samuel Sloan built the Fulton Opera House to serve as a meeting hall and performance venue for the city. Built using Victorian design and boasting two balconies, the 683 seat theater has a beautiful interior that has been painstakingly restored and maintained, so it looks today much as it did when it opened over a decade and a half ago.

The building sits on the foundation of the pre-Revolutionary jail that once was part of Lancaster's history. The back wall of the theater is the original exterior wall of the jail courtyard. This means that the building is even more deeply steeped in history than that which started with the opening of the theater in 1852.

Over the years since it was originally built, the Fulton Theater has served as a meeting hall, movie theater, live-performance venue and concert hall. Since it holds less than 700 seats, it provides an intimate performance venue, and tickets to popular events can be hard to come by. Today, the Fulton Theater is maintained and operated by the Fulton Opera House Foundation, a Lancaster non-profit organization. Many famous people, including Marcel Marceau, Mark Twain, Helen Hayes and Al Jolson, have set foot on its stage.

Is the Fulton Theatre Haunted?

In addition to being a historic landmark and venue for live performances, the Fulton Theatre is popular amongst those who follow potential ghost sightings. Some have reported accounts of hearing phantom applause in the building or seeing the piano play itself. The ghosts of Sarah Bernhardt and Marie Cahill are reported to haunt the building. Also, because it sits on the foundation of the old Lancaster jail, some have reported to be able to hear the screams of the Native Americans who were slaughtered by a mob on the premises.

Upcoming Performances at The Fulton

Whether or not you believe in haunting, it's clear that The Fulton is the place to see live performances in Lancaster, PA. In March, the Fulton will host a performance of The Producers, with The Full Monty coming in May. The family theater series will host Cinderella in April and Little Women in May.

Are you making plans to see an upcoming performance at The Fulton? While you are here, visit the rest of our Lancaster, PA community. You are sure to fall in love with our city. Once you do, contact us at Homesale Realty to help you find a home in Lancaster, PA.

Baltimore's Best Places to Celebrate on Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is just a few days away. Don't Panic.  If bouquets of flowers and heart-shaped boxes of candy are too "traditional" for you, we have compiled our list of creative and unique things to do in Baltimore with your sweetheart on Valentine's Day.

Food for Love

Baltimore's fine dining scene is exceptional. Your main challenge will not be finding a restaurant, but rather narrowing down your choices. Consider Barcocina. This contemporary Mexican restaurant will have a four-course prefix menu on Valentine's Day with drink pairings available. It is located in Fells Point.

For something downtown, head to McCormick and Schmick's Seafood and Steaks. Not only can you dine on scrumptious sea food here, but you can end the date on a romantic note with the restaurant's signature Chocolate Bag dessert.

 
If "amore" is more to your liking, head to Baltimore's Little Italy neighborhood. La Tavola will be offering a Prix Fixe menu on Valentine's Day, which is a great way to start an evening.

Catch a Romantic Show

Share a box of popcorn with the one you love while catching a classic romance playing at many local Baltimore theaters. For the 1946 classic "The Best Years of Our Lives," head to the Charles Theater at 10:30. The Enoch Pratt Central Library will be showing "The Clock" at 10:30, and tickets to that performance are free. If you are spending the night in Baltimore Valentine's Day, then head to the Cinemark Towson at 11 on Sunday for "Giant."

Take a Cruise or Ride a Helicopter

What is more romantic than a cruise at sunset? Not much, and Baltimore offers the chance to enjoy a cruise along the Baltimore River in the Spirit of Baltimore or the Inner Harbor Spirit. Both ships have a Valentine's Day Dinner special and will allow you to cruise well past sunset. A rose and champagne are included to round out the romantic evening.

If you prefer something a little more thrilling, Monumental Helicopters gives you the chance to see the lights of the city from the air with a City Lights helicopter tour. The tour includes a complementary GoPro video of the flight.

Party the Night Away

If you want to enjoy the nightlife after dinner and some entertainment, you won't be disappointed in Baltimore. The Grand Central Club will be hosting its Rehab 2nd Saturday event. If your nightclub tastes are more refined, head to the Havana Club for cigars and desserts in the club's upstairs lounge. Red Maple features tapas and DJs to dance the night away.

If you have fallen in love with Baltimore and want to make it your home, contact Homesale Realty for help finding a home in the area.