It's So Much Fun To Be A Hon
Hon: 1) a term of endearment derived
from the word honey.
2) your
friendly Baltimore woman from the late 1950's to early 1960's who is devoted to
Elvis, loves leopard print, and has a pink flamingo or two in her front yard.
She lives with one simple motto : "The Higher the Hair the Closer to
God"
She is our
Grandmother, our Mother, our neighbor, the friend you run into at Giant. She is
our heritage. She is Bawlmer Hon!
Every Year
in June, for one weekend, one little street in downtown Baltimore erupts into a
plume of pink feather boas, leopard print spandex and cat eye glasses. Hon Fest.
The 2 day celebration that pays homage to the HON and everything Baltimore. A
few years ago my cousins and I started getting dressed up to go to Hon Fest just
for something fun. It has now become a holiday for us and every year more and
more ladies join our hon pack.
The hours
leading up to the group of us caravan down to Hampden is just a haze of
hairspray, jewelry, and red lipstick (no wonder the husband has never
accompanied me). Nothing is "too much" no hair can be "too big" and one can of
aquanet will just not do.
Once we
arrive, we manage to make a stir, that thing about strength in numbers proves
true. We smack our gum and blow kisses and shout some "Hey Hons" for
videographers and pose for photographers, both professional and not. People have
even handed us their kids wanting to take pictures of us all adoring their
clearly terrified children. And of course we do it. I mean why wouldn't
we?
One of my cousins and myself
ready to Hon.
My annual photo with Elvis.
Between the
craziness, we get the opportunity to really take in the festival. Sampling the
food, grabbing a beer, and visiting the awesome stores along the Avenue. For
me, the best part is perusing the super fun vendors that come out for Hon Fest
year after year. I always find Baltimore crafters that I recognise and adore and
each year I manage to discover new ones!
Some of the beautiful hair clips
by one of my favorite Baltimore Crafters, Kolleen Kilduff of
Design By Night
After admiring their work online
for so long, I finally got to meet the lovely ladies of
Charms City Company - I am obsessed with these initial necklaces.
The bright, colorful baltimore
inspired works of
Ramon Matheu.
Be sure you
check out Hon Fest's website and be sure
you watch the adorable movie they have
posted on their page
. If you
need your reminder for Hon Fest for next year, give their facebook page a
like!
