New Years Eve Parties

For those of us still making plans for New Years Eve, there are plenty of fun events going on right here in St. Mary's County.  From dances to dinners, there are lots of great ways to celebrate 2010.

Lenny's New Years Bash

Lenny's Restaurant in California is hosting a New Years Bash on December 31 from 8 p.m. until 2 a.m.  Bring your friends and enjoy live music by Geezer, a dinner buffet, and more!  Plus, champagne and party favors will be given out as it gets closer to midnight.  Tickets for this celebration must be purchased in advance, so don't wait too much longer to make your plans!

For more information, contact Lenny's Restaurant at 301-737-0777 or visit http://www.lennys.net/.


New Years Eve Celebration at Buffalo Wings & Beer
Looking for a place to casually celebrate with friends?  Check out the New Years Eve celebration at Buffalo Wings & Beer in Leonardtown!  From 9 p.m. until 1 a.m. on December 31, enjoy live music and dinner and drink specials.  Champagne will be available before the ball drops.

For more information, contact Buffalo Wings & Beer at 301-475-2711 or visit http://www.buffalowingsandbeer.com/.


New Years Eve Dance at Bowles Farms
Bring your significant other to Bowles Farms in Clements for a wonderful evening of dancing in celebration of the new year.  From 9 p.m. until 1 a.m. on December 31, there will be live music by Southern Tradition and an open dance floor.  The dance is being sponsored by the Seventh District Volunteer Rescue Squad Auxiliary and the cost of the tickets includes a light breakfast and party favors.

For more information, contact Bowles Farms at 301-769-2659 or visit http://www.bowlesfarms.com/.


Bar-B-Que and Champagne Celebration

Evans Seafood Restaurant in Piney Point will be celebrating the new year with a Bubble Bar and Bar-B-Que!  From 7 p.m. until 2 a.m. on December 31, come out to Evans and indulge in delicious food including ribs, barbeque chicken, pulled pork, oysters and more while listening to live music by the Rum Runners.  Reservations are required, so be sure to act quickly!

For more information, contact Evans Seafood Restaurant at 301-994-1234 or visit http://www.evansseafoodrestaurant.com/.

Linda's Cafe Named Winner of 1st Annual Holiday Window Display Contest

The Lexington Park Business and Community Association announced Linda's Cafe the winner of the 1st Annual Holiday Window Display Contest!  Competitors for the $500 prize included the winner, Linda’s Café along with Hair in the Square (which earned the second highest number of votes), The Lexington Restaurant and Lounge, The Grapevine Antiques and Collectibles, Sake Japanese Steakhouse, Mattress Corner, P. J’ Auto Body, Donut Connection and Hope Place of Walden. The competitors encouraged patrons to vote with personal appeals and direct solicitations such as Hope Place of Walden’s mass e-mail featuring its holiday window display.

Linda’s Café garnered a whopping 63% of the vote. “We are so excited to win. Every time we looked at the blog, it appeared that we were trailing behind in second place,” stated Linda Palchinsky, owner of Linda’s Café. “This was so much fun for us and great for Lexington Park and now, my staff can have a holiday party with the winnings from the competition.” In the spirit of giving, Linda and her staff decided to hold their holiday party at the newly opened Lexington Restaurant and Lounge.

This competition was developed by Dorothy Andrews, owner/operator of Endless Summer Tanning, to be the first marketing initiative of the newly formed Business Association. The competition proved to be a resounding success with over 1,000 votes cast over a 10-day period. “I wanted the light up Lexington Park to show the holiday spirit of our many merchants,” said Ms. Andrews. Endless Summer Tanning created a blog site for the competition and the nine merchants elected to join in on the fun.

The Lexington Park Business and Community Association meets on the second Wednesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. in the Bay District Fire Station Social Hall. The meetings are open to anyone who is committed to the betterment of Lexington Park. For more information, contact the Community Development Corporation, the host agency for the Business Association, at 240-725-5786.  6ST5ETJWM4QP

Celebrate 375 Christmas Ornaments on Sale Now

Celebrate 375 Christmas ornaments are available for purchase from Hallmark Stores throughout St. Mary's County and from Cecil's Country Store in Great Mills!  The ornaments are made from 24 Karat gold flashed brass and feature a three-dimensional version of the Celebrate 375 logo.

Proceeds from the sale of the ornaments will be used to support children and young adults who serve their campuses and our community in K-Kids Clubs, Builders Clubs, Key Clubs and CKI Clubs in St. Mary's County, which are all sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of St. Mary's County.
 
For more information, contact the Glynnis Schmidt, President of the Kiwanis Club of St. Mary's County, at 301-475-4321 or bwsges@yahoo.com.

Sotterley Plantation's Holiday Events

Sotterley Plantation has two great events coming up this weekend to get you and your family into the holiday spirit: Holiday Candlelight Tours and A Family Plantation Christmas.

Holiday Candlelight Tours
Kick-off the holiday season with a historical dramatization of life at Sotterley during The War of 1812 in the Holiday Candlelight Tours at Sotterley Plantation, December 4th & 5th from 6 p.m.–10 p.m. The tours take place inside the over 300 year old historic Mansion, which will be graced with period decorations.

The plot for this year's tour is that Sotterley is under siege by the British occupation. The family is determined to hold their annual holiday celebration no matter what! Family and friends join the Platers for a very entertaining evening which will be quite different than holiday celebrations experienced in previous years. Join the Sotterley Players as they step back in time and witness for yourself the unfolding dramatic holiday events.

Live musical performances from local premiere high school choral groups and complimentary cookies will be available in the historic Barn, prior to the reserved tour time.  Reservations are required.
 
A Family Plantation Christmas
Family Plantation Christmas will be held on Saturday, December 5th, 2009 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. at Sotterley Plantation, offering a full day of wonderment and Christmas spirit!

Let Santa know what you want for Christmas, purchase scrumptious treats from Mrs. Claus’ Kitchen, take a horse-drawn carriage ride, sing along with the carolers, make holiday crafts, get your face painted, see what you can find at the Scavenger Hunt in the garden, visit the Sotterley Museum Shop to find unique holiday gifts while the children are buying presents at Santa’s Secret Shop, and purchase seasonal greens and hand-crafted items from Sotterley’s Garden Guild! Back by popular demand, Sandi English will perform “Mammy Reminiscence,” giving a glimpse into how slaves celebrated this holiday.

To make reservations or get more information, contact Sotterley Plantation at 800-681-0850 or 301-373-2280 or visit http://www.sotterley.org/.  Also, be sure to check out Sotterley Plantation's new blog at http://www.sotterleyplantation.blogspot.com/ for information about news and other upcoming events!

Join the party in Leonardtown this Friday, December 4th from 5 – 8 p.m.!

First Friday Town Celebration:

Visit Leonardtown this Friday, December 4th, for their holiday First Friday raffle! A Fuji Crosstown bicycle will be raffled off at 7:30 p.m. in Town Square. Santa will be on hand to draw the winning name! No purchase is necessary to register to win the bicycle, just stop in to any participating First Friday business to enter! Many shops, galleries and restaurants are offering specials unique to this “Holiday First Friday.” There will be live music, wine tastings, award-winning appetizers, Christmas caroling, and more! The galleries have special preview receptions for their featured artists, and most of the restaurants offer samples of their delicious menu items or a discount off their menu. Jump start your festive holiday season by visiting Leonardtown this Friday! To learn more about the specials, visit http://www.leonardtownfirstfridays.com/.