Rawlings Park Conservatory Holds Special Event For Summer Solstice

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- If you've been to the Rawlings Conservatory, you know it's famous for its beautiful flowers. As the seasons change, something special will happen there Friday night.

Ron Matz has more on the sounds of summer in Druid Hill Park.

Greg Thompkins and the Jazz Explosion will bring their great sounds to Druid Hill Park Friday night, a special free outdoor concert at the Rawlings Conservatory.

"I'm going to love it. It's outside; it's beautiful out. The conservatory looks wonderful. You can't beat it. It's hometown turf. I grew up here. I learned to play the saxophone in Baltimore. It's friends, it's family, it's the whole thing," said Thompkins.

"It's going to be a great event for me and for some of the best jazz musicians out of Baltimore. We've got Lafayette Gilchrist, Carl Filipiak, Amy Shook, Robert Shahid and Clarie Daily coming down from New York. It's very exciting," he continued.

Conservatory Supervisor Kate Blom says it's a special event: a celebration of the start of summer in Baltimore.

"This is going to be a thrilling night. I have been looking forward to this for a long time. We'll have wonderful music...and two saxophone players in our garden. I think it's a little bit of heaven," Blom said.

"Bring a blanket, bring a chair. We'll have some refreshments for sale. If you feel like bringing your own picnic, bring that, too. Wear red, orange or yellow and celebrate the sun," she continued.

Ben Frederick's great-great-uncle was an architect and designed the conservatory's Plum House.

"He was a famous architect in Baltimore. He was the architect for Baltimore City Hall. Later, he was their architect for all the park systems in Baltimore. Most of the buildings you see here in Druid Hill Park were designed by my great-great-uncle, George Frederick," said Ben Frederick.

"It's an honor just to be a part of this and to support my hometown," he continued.

It's a hometown event, the Sounds of Summer Solstice Celebration.

Friday night's concert begins at 6:30 p.m. Refreshments will be sold. After the concert, there will be a walk through the park, followed by the lighting of the solstice fire and a celebration party.