Baltimore County Residents Encouraged To Visit City's Culture

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A call for action for Baltimore County residents: visit the city's arts and cultural attractions more often. That's the message from county leaders as they kick off a campaign to boost attendance and dollars at arts events in the city.

As Gigi Barnett explains, some of the places and events are a few of the "favorite things" Baltimore has to offer.

Baltimore's historic Hippodrome, its symphony orchestra and its Everyman Theater are just a small sample of the city's vibrant cultural scene. Last year alone, nearly 700,000 people from Baltimore County visited a city arts attraction. This week, County Executive Kevin Kamenetz stopped by the Hippodrome to kick off a campaign to boost that number.

"I call on every resident of Baltimore County to come to the city to see our wonderful arts and culture just down the road," he said.

He did the same thing back in May when unrest and riots in the city forced many to stay away. Plus, a strict curfew and peaceful protests cut deep into the bottom line of hotels and restaurants.

"This call to action helped provide our restaurants with a much needed economic boost," said Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. "At their best, the arts help us to move forward and most times, the arts are just plain fun."

"The arts can change your life, you know?" said Everyman Theater founder Vincent Lancisi.

Lancisi says his productions draw the crowds and they stay to enjoy other businesses around the theater. Recently, attendance at his venue is off the charts.

"They want to come downtown and they want to celebrate humanity and they're coming. That's the really good news," he said.

Baltimore County leaders say they're willing to spend on the arts, too. This year, they've approved nearly $3 million in grants to arts and cultural programs in the region.

Places like the Maryland Science Center and the National Aquarium are also included in the campaign.