Maryland
Collectors show and tell as ‘Antiques Roadshow’ films new season at Maryland Zoo in Baltimore
The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore was abuzz Tuesday with more than mere animal activity.
Beyond the black-tailed prairie dogs, people toting paintings, silverware, and oddities of all shapes and sizes queued up to find out how much money their cherished items were worth — and whether they’d land an appearance on “Antiques Roadshow,” the long-running PBS series that was filming at the zoo for the day.
Rosalie — producers requested attendees be identified by first names only — arrived with a trio of Orioles signs from 1966, 1979 and 1983, all years she attended the team’s World Series games.
“I got them for free … with a lot of excitement,” Rosalie, a 78-year-old retired psychotherapist who lives in Locust Point, said as she recounted taking the 1966 sign from the stadium, and the other two from light poles she and her brother climbed in Federal Hill.
She learned Tuesday that they’re worth around $5,500 as a set — a value she imagined is influenced by how well the Orioles have been playing lately.
It’s the first time the show has returned to Charm City since a stop in 2007, during filming for Season 12, a spokesperson said. This year’s Baltimore visit was the last stop of the 2024 production tour, which focused on historic locations and included visits to Las Vegas, Nevada; Bentonville, Arkansas; Littleton, Colorado; and Urbandale, Iowa.
Each city visit will result in three episodes for Season 29 of “Antiques Roadshow” airing on PBS next year, producers said. Around 5 million people tune in each week for “Antiques Roadshow,” which has received 21 Emmy Award nominations over the years and is PBS’s most-watched ongoing series.
In Baltimore, 2,700 pairs of free tickets were distributed to attend the event.
The show “was due to come back to Baltimore,” said “Antiques Roadshow” executive producer Marsha Bemko, noting that Baltimore’s location made the event accessible to people from outside of the state. She joined “Antiques Roadshow” in 1999 as the series’ senior producer.
Of the more than 25,000 items brought to “Antiques Roadshow” tapings during the five-city tour, only around 150 appraisals per stop were filmed, producers said. Still, at her previous stop in Urbandale, Iowa, Bemko estimated she walked over 9 miles during filming.
“Most of the people who are coming today won’t be taped. They’re coming to an event,” Bemko said. “And they want to have a good experience and they’re excited to have this stuff looked at. Most of them will think it’s worth more than it is. So the very least they can have is a pleasant day at the zoo.”
Producers were looking for locations that could accommodate weather changes, large crowds and film crews, and the zoo agreed to host them, Bemko said.
Some, like Rosalie and her husband Ivo, didn’t have to travel far.
Ivo, a retired banker in his 70s, said the appraisal of the couple’s Orioles signs in Ikea frames was “shocking,” and that they’d hung them in their son’s bedroom when he was a kid. He added that they put the signs on display in their windows for game days when they lived in Federal Hill.
The couple attended previous “Antiques Roadshow” events in D.C., Richmond and Wilmington, and have watched the show “from day one,” Rosalie said.
Myrtis Bedolla, the founding director of Galerie Myrtis in Baltimore, joined “Antiques Roadshow” for the first time Tuesday as an appraiser. She said her expertise is primarily in works by African American artists from the 20th and 21st centuries.
But sitting at the paintings booth in the morning, she inspected works of all kinds.
“At the tables, we’re generalists,” she said.
Another appraiser, Radcliffe Jewelers’ founder Paul Winicki, said he started his work with “Antiques Roadshow” nearly two decades ago at the Baltimore Convention Center. More than 40 years ago, he opened his jewelry store, which he still owns and which has stores in Pikesville and Newark, Delaware.
On Tuesday morning, he was appraising a small lidded silver container that could have once stored sugar and bore a Bonaparte crest, engraved in 1876.
Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte, who is buried in Baltimore, was the first wife of French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte’s brother, Jérôme Bonaparte. The silver object was owned by someone farther down the family tree, Winicki estimated, but could be valued at around $2,500, particularly for a Baltimore collector.
It was a “neat piece for a silver nut like myself,” he said. “If you were in Wisconsin, people might say ‘Who is that?’ … Bonaparte stuff would bring more money in Baltimore, generally, than anywhere else, because she resided here and she was from the Patterson family.”
Carol, a 74-year-old semi-retired nurse, came to Tuesday’s event from the Eastern Shore with her daughter, daughter-in-law and granddaughter in tow — plus multiple dolls for appraisal.
One — in a box marked “Grandma’s Doll” and made of composition and real wood, with a bisque face — dates back to the 1890s and would sell for around $200 to $300.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” Carol said. “And I wasn’t going to bring her, because I thought she was plastic.”
Sometimes, however, it’s the most unassuming items that surprise.
Larry, 63, traveled to the Antiques Roadshow set from Pennsylvania with his wife Regina, 65, and was filmed as he spoke with appraiser Ken Farmer, who counts folk art among his specialties.
The item in question: a small, wooden Shaker box that belonged to Larry’s mother.
The estimated retail value: $12,000 to $18,000.
“This is a little Shaker box made around 1851,” reads a note stored inside. “Treasure it always as I have for many years.”
The note gifting the box to someone for Christmas, plus writing on the underside of the box, accounted for about half of the box’s value, said Larry, who works for a consulting company.
“It’ll stay in the family,” and in a safe, he said. “I don’t need a grandkid playing with it.”
Maryland
Road condition, traffic congestion in Md. costs drivers thousands, report finds – WTOP News
A new report by the transportation nonprofit TRIPS found the condition of the roads in Maryland’s D.C. suburbs is costing residents over $3,500 annually.
A new report found the condition of the roads in Maryland’s D.C. suburbs is costing residents over $3,500 annually.
This includes increased wear and tear on vehicles as well as depreciation, wasted fuel, wasted time and the cost of traffic accidents.
Rocky Moretti is the director of development and research at TRIP, a national transportation research nonprofit. During a news conference Wednesday, he said the average driver in Maryland’s D.C. suburbs is spending an additional 90 hours per year stuck in traffic and wasting an additional 26 gallons of gas.
Statewide, 30% of Maryland roads are in “poor” condition, which Moretti said is significantly higher than the national average. The D.C. suburbs fare somewhat better, with 27% in poor condition, according to TRIP. Another 24% of Maryland’s roads in D.C. suburbs are rated in “mediocre” condition, compared with 21% statewide, the report found.
“I’m sad to say, you know, a lot of that stuff just rings true with me. For a long time, I was a local commissioner back about 20 years ago, in the early 2000s. And we were constantly wrestling with the need to put more money in our traffic infrastructure and just struggling to find the funding for that, as we saw state and federal dollars continue to drop,” said Jim Kercheval, executive director of the greater Hagerstown committee.
The report said the federal transportation program that was last reauthorized in 2021 was a significant boost to Maryland, increasing federal funding for roadways by 29%. Highway construction inflation since that bill was passed, however, has increased 47%. At the same time, the state is seeing decreasing revenues from gas taxes because of electric and more fuel efficient vehicles.
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Ocean City’s 2026 calendar packed with fun events. Here’s the schedule
Ocean City, Maryland, has announced a big event lineup for 2026. Here’s a closer look at what music festival, car shows and more are to come.
The Delmarva Peninsula is no strange to Irish heritage and history.
Now, ahead of St. Patrick’s Day on March 17, 2026, here’s a closer look at just how that rich Irish history has shaped Delmarva and one of its most popular resort towns.
Irish immigrants helped shape Maryland infrastructure
The state of Maryland, in particular, has deep historical ties to Irish immigrants.
According to the Delmarva Irish-American Club, thousands of Irish immigrants arrived through the Port of Baltimore seeking refuge amid the Irish Potato Famine during the 1840s and 1850s. Together, the immigrants built railroads, dug canals, and formed tight-knit communities in areas such as Locust Point and Fell’s Point in Baltimore.
Irish immigrants also played a big part in early American infrastructure in Maryland.
Throughout the 19th century, countless Irish immigrants helped construct portions of the Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Railroad, the oldest railroad ever to be built in the United States. Even Delmarva Irish-American Club Vice President John R. O’Brien’s great grandfather was a stone mason on the second half of the Washington Monument.
In what ways does Ocean City celebrate Irish culture?
Ocean City, Maryland’s first ever St. Patrick’s Day Parade took place in 1980. Since then, the parade and accompanying festival have grown into one of the Eastern Shore’s biggest St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.
Following the influx of Irish immigration during the 1840s and 1850s, many individuals of Irish descent began to settle throughout Maryland and the Mid-Atlantic region. Now, that heritage is reflected in local organizations, churches, music traditions and community-wide events such as Ocean City’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
This year’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration will take place on Saturday, March 14, 2026. The procession will begin at noon at 57th Street on Coastal Highway, marching south to the 45th Street Shopping Center.
How can people honor their Irish heritage at home?
There are many ways people of all ages can honor their Irish heritage and history alongside friends and family at home.
A few Irish-centered activities include:
- Listening to traditional Irish folk music
- Baking Irish soda bread or stew
- Learning about family genealogy
- Reading Irish literature and mythology
- Sharing Irish stories and folklore with children
- Decorating with Celtic symbols and shamrocks
Fun Irish phrases such as “Sláinte” (meaning cheers or good health), “Céad míle fáilte” (meaning a hundred thousand welcomes), and the Irish blessing “May the road rise to meet you,” can also be incorporated into daily vocabulary.
What is the Delmarva Irish-American Club?
The Delmarva Irish-American Club was founded in 1980 by a small group of friends with the vision of celebrating the Feast Day of St. Patrick, the Patron Saint of Ireland, with a grand parade.
The club’s first membership drive resulted in 75 members. Today, there are nearly 300. The club is open to anyone who is Irish, of Irish descent, or likes all things Irish, Delmarva Now previously reported.
The Delmarva Irish-American Club — a 501(c)(3) social organization — is an all-volunteer, local charity that works year-round to celebrate and preserve Irish history and culture on the Eastern Shore.
“Our goal is to celebrate Irish heritage and share those traditions with the broader community while keeping them alive for the next generation,” Vice President John R. O’Brien shared.
The club is largely responsible for the Ocean City’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade, and also supports Irish music, dance and cultural events throughout the year. To learn more, visit www.delmarvairish.org.
Olivia Minzola covers communities on the Lower Shore. Contact her with tips and story ideas at ominzola@delmarvanow.com.
Parents who’ve lost their children to fentanyl overdoses went to Annapolis, Maryland Tuesday in search of accountability.
They want a new law that would hold drug dealers accountable when someone dies from an overdose. Their efforts have met strong opposition in the past, so this year, lawmakers are making changes.
Isis Flores held photos of her 16-year-old son, Yader, who died from a fentanyl overdose.
The Montgomery County mom pleaded with lawmakers to pass legislation that would hold drug dealers accountable when someone dies from an overdose.
“A mother who lost a child in 2022 to this horrible drug,” she said. “This is something horrible and that a child passed through — my son was one of them.”
Scott Broadfoot Sr. spoke through tears about his 21-year-old son, Scottie, who also died from an overdose. While prosecutors say there was a suspect in his son’s death, the person could not be charged under current Maryland law.
“Losing Scottie is a devastation unlike any other,” Broadfoot said. “The pain that follows, his passing, is something our family carries every day.”
These families are supporting a bill that would make distribution of heroin or fentanyl causing serious bodily injury or death a felony in Maryland. Supporters say it’s needed to hold people accountable for overdose deaths.
“We can’t bring these brothers, sisters, moms, dads back,” said Maryland Del. Chris Tomlinson, who represents Carroll and Frederick Counties. “But we can take this small step to keep this poison off the streets and hold drug dealers accountable for selling a lethal product that results in death of those we cherish the most.”
This is the third year in a row this legislation has been introduced, but because of the opposition, supporters have made changes. They’re hoping those changes will make a difference in getting it passed this year.
Among the concerns from opponents is the bill could punish those struggling with addiction who need help and treatment they won’t get through the prison system.
The biggest change supporters made to the bill is that a suspect must have a prior drug manufacturing or distribution conviction in order to face this new felony charge.
Supporters say dozens of other states already have similar laws.
“It is time that House Bill 1386, that this bill be passed so Maryland can join the vast majority of jurisdictions that already see the dangers of fentanyl and already have drug-induced homicide laws” said Stuart Welch with the Harford County State’s Attorney’s Office.
In previous years, the bill has not come up for a vote. Supporters say they’ll keep coming back until the bill passes.
“How many lives must we lose?” Broadfoot said.
The maximum sentence for anyone convicted under this new law – if it passes – would be 20 years in prison.
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