Author Archives: Scott Huffines

Mobtown Muck

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By Brennen Jensen (Baltimore City Paper, 11/8/2000) “Aristocratic, historic Baltimore is the slumming-ground for thousands of escaping Washingtonians.” Such a statement could have been written yesterday, given the number of D.C.-area residents who regularly hammer up Interstate 95 for a … Continue reading


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“The Flight of Abraham” (Lincoln), March 9th, 1861

By the International Team of Comics Historians (1.) THE ALARM. “On Thursday night, after he had retired, Mr. Lincoln was aroused, and informed that a stranger desired to see him on a matter of life and death. A conversation elicited … Continue reading


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Abraham Lincoln Inauguration Not Assured Until He Gave Baltimore Assassins the Slip

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Evading Baltimore assassins earned vitriol, and the chance to fight another day. By Geoff Brown (U.S.News & World Report, 2/26/2009) When president-elect Barack Obama walked down the steps of Baltimore’s War Memorial on Jan. 17, 2009, to deliver a speech … Continue reading


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“Ghost of Abraham Lincoln” music video by The Skeptics

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The Skeptics new “Ghost of Abraham Lincoln” music video! The Skeptics are: Andrew McCutcheon (lead vocals and guitar) Dennis Crolley (bass, keyboards, backing vocals Stephen Blickenstaff (drums and backing vocals) The Skeptics performing at Baltimore, Maryland’s Trendont Street Stop in … Continue reading


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Whatever Happened To Public Toilets?

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On World Toilet Day the author asks: “How do you manage to enjoy a city if you’re constantly worrying about “holding it”?” by Art Cohen (Baltimore Brew, 11/19/2010) “For some reason which is never clear to any foreigner, American cities … Continue reading


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Former Burlesque Dancer Reminisces

Ex-Stripper’s Days Are Now Quiet Ones By Rafael Alvarez (The Baltimore Sun, 2/2/1993) It isn’t right for Jean Honus to be all alone on Barney Street. The house is quiet; hours are long. And there’s no action. Not like the … Continue reading


Posted in "The Block", 1990s, Booze, Burlesque, Nightlife, Strip Clubs, Vices | Tagged , | Leave a comment

RIP Dale Coleman: Rock Guitarist Would Set His Arms On Fire

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Tommy Carson (left) singing with Dale Coleman (right) Dale Coleman Sr., Age 62 The 1960s and 1970s rock guitarist devised a concert finale in which he would set his arms on fire. By Jacques Kelly (Baltimore Sun, 2/14/2007) Dale Coleman … Continue reading


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Jolly Four Park: Essex’s Secret African-American 1930s Nightclub

One of those Essex urban legends that my late mother Jackie Nickel was never able to verify concerned the existence of a secret African-American speakeasy/nightclub/picnic pavilion/swim club off of Back River Neck Road in Essex. There’s the remnants of a … Continue reading


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Slideshow: Great Baltimore Fire of 1904

The Baltimore Sun The Great Baltimore Fire of 1904 started at 10:50 a.m. on Feb. 7 and raged on until 5 p.m. the next day. The fire began inside the John E. Hurst & Company building, causing an explosion that … Continue reading


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Jimmy Kimmel Pokes Fun at Steven Tyler’s Creepy Leer Towards Baltimore Waitress

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Jimmie Kimmel poked fun at Steven Tyler’s creepy leer when Baltimore’s Hallie Day performed on American Idol. Hallie Day on Facebook


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The Telegraph Has Arrived: “Time and Space Has Been Completely Annihilated”

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By Rebecca J. Rosen (The Atlantic, 2/14/2012) There have been many, many times over the last few decades when a new technology delivered a certain moment of awe: the first time I saw a video stream over the Internet, or … Continue reading


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How Barry Levinson’s Diner Changed Cinema, 30 Years Later

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Much Ado About Nothing For a little movie without special effects, dramatic reveals, or cutting-edge sex scenes—a movie about nothing at all, really—Barry Levinson’s 1982 comedy, Diner, caused a tectonic shift in popular culture. It paved the way for Seinfeld, … Continue reading


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