On Wednesday night, around the time I’m usually thinking about a pre-bedtime snack, I found myself at the mercy of a DJ trying to figure out the right sound levels for his thumping club music.

I was attending the “soft opening” of Bond Street Social, a new restaurant and bar in Fells Point. (Full disclosure: It was an event for friends and family of the new staff, and I was there at the invitation of my best friend, who is working as a waiter.)

Bond Street Social took over the space at Bond and Thames streets formerly occupied by the DuClaw Brewing Co. The interior is very sleek and modern, all hardwood floors, wrought iron and leather-backed chairs. Flat-screen TVs hung behind the two, long bars, where the bartenders appeared to be generous with the alcohol.

Such generosity comes at a price, of course. The cheapest beer is $5, and cocktails start at $9. Bond Street Social is upscale and not afraid to admit it, especially since it won’t admit anyone under the age of 23 after 10 p.m.

Talk about upscale bars in Fells Point (and other parts of Baltimore) and their chances for survival are not new. But I can’t think of a place that is attempting to stake its claim the way Bond Street Social is. They might lose some customers who are just looking for a bottle (or four) of Bud Light and a chance to mingle, but these people probably weren’t going to spend $50 for an 80-ounce “social drink” in the first place.

I can easily see Bond Street Social becoming a go-to happy hour spot for young professionals in Harbor East and hipsters across the city, especially in good weather when people can sit outside. It’ll be interesting to watch how it fares beyond that.

(Incidentally, the DJ figured out the music volume, which to me still seemed a bit loud for a place that doesn’t have a dance floor. And then I went home and had some Teddy Grahams before I went to sleep.)

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A pint for Poe.

That’s what organizers of a fundraiser for Baltimore’s Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum are calling Tuesday night’s gathering from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Creative Alliance as part of Baltimore Beer Week.

The Poe House, located at 203 Amity St. on the city’s Westside, has been owned by the city since 1979. It is facing closure because of mounting fiscal woes, made worse by threatened cuts in public subsidies in light of a projected $60 million-plus city budget shortfall next year.

The Pints for Poe event is being held as the Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore has embarked on a “Pennies for Poe” crusade to help keep the museum open.

Now comes the Creative Alliance, where patrons will be able to snag a Raven or Poe pint glass (full of suds) for a donation tonight. Actors in full Poe persona will also be on hand to add to the flair of the night. Mark Supik, who has created a unique Edgar A. Poe/Raven beer tap handle, will offer a toast.

The Creative Alliance is located at 3134 Eastern Ave. in Highlandtown.

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A Chippwea Falls, Wis,. brewery will offer 30 draft beers as part of a new beer garden set to open this week at Power Plant Live! in the Inner Harbor.

Leinenkugel’s Beer Garden will be located in 2,500-square feet of restaurant space and 200 square feet of outdoor space at the ground level of the development owned by the Cordish Companies. Cordish has just completed a $10 million renovation of the historic former plant.

Next month, Leinenkugel’s will host a month-long Oktoberfest. The family-owned, fifth generation brewery is nearly 144 years old. The brews are among the favorites in the Midwest.

In addition to the draft beers, the garden will offer 30 different bottled beers. The garden has a “self serve” draft beer option, allowing customers to pick their favorite draft beers and even mix them.

As part of the renovations at Power Plant, the beer garden will have the outdoor garden with a fireplace, rose bushes, up-lit trees and communal seating. The main restaurant will have a retractable roof and sliding garage doors on three sides.

“We’re thrilled that Leinenkugel’s Beer Garden will open in Power Plant Live!” stated Jake Leinenkugel, president of the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company. “It’s an honor that the premier beer garden in Baltimore will showcase our acclaimed collection of handcrafted beers to a new audience. Baltimore is truly a great beer town and we’re excited to be a part of it.”

Leinenkugel’s is hosting a month of Saturday-only Oktoberfest events beginning Sept. 17 that include live music, contests and food and drink specials. Some of the envents include a Miss Oktoberfest Contest, oompah band and dancers, fish fry, a homebrew competition and a chance to win a trip to the Leinenkugel’s Brewery in Chippewa Falls.

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This weekend, it’s going to be a little hard not to get your Preak on. Or hail Kegasus. Or whatever you really want to call it. Maryland’s Christmas of horse racing is in town this Saturday, and all eyes will be on Animal Kingdom to win the second leg of the Triple Crown at Pimlico Race Course.

If you’d rather just watch the Preakness Stakes festivities from home, there are other events to enjoy too:

As part of the Preakness Celebration, hot air balloons start Thursday at Turf Valley and go until Saturday at 6 p.m. Admission is free, while tethered ballon rides cost a small fee.

And the Children’s Hospital at Johns Hopkins will hold its 80th annual turtle derby Friday. For a small fee, spectators can name a turtle and enter it to win a cash prize. Races begin at 12:30 p.m. in the Preclinical Teaching Building courtyard on the Johns Hopkins medical campus.

And if you’re looking for something more refined than the infield, there’s the annual Wine in the Woods event at Symphony Woods in Columbia. Going on both Saturday and Sunday, wine tasters can enter for $25 to $30, designated drivers can join for $10 to $15, and children older than 3 years get in for $5. (The super underage set gets in for free.)

The Chesapeake Bay Blues Festival is also going on this weekend at Sandy Point State Park Saturday and Sunday. Tickets cost $55 to $120 and all the action starts at 11 a.m. The lineup includes The Lee Boys, John Mayall, Chris Isaak, Dana Fuchs, Little Feat and Kenny Wayne Shepherd.

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They’re all featured in this blog post, thanks to a variety of interesting business news developments Tuesday.

Nonprofit employment grew 2 percent in 2009, compared to a statewide drop in total employment of 3.2 percent, according to “Nonprofits by the Numbers,” an annual report published by Maryland Nonprofits, a trade group that advocates for nonprofit organizations.

Over the period from 2004-2009, nonprofit employment grew by 9.5 percent while total employment shrank 2.1 percent, according to the report. Nonprofits in Maryland employ 255,408 people or 10.6 percent of the state’s work force, and account for 10 percent of all wages paid statewide, up from 9.5 percent of the work force and 8.6 percent of wages in 2004.

Click here if you’d like to see the report.

Meanwhile, just in time for Easter, Just Born Inc., a Bethlehem, Pa.-based confectionary company that makes the yellow, pink, lavender, blue and white chick- and bunny-shaped marshmallow candy called Peeps, has launched an online store, www.peepsandcompany.com.

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Just like last year, an alcohol tax is being proposed as part of health legislation in this year’s legislative session.

The bill, which has not been scheduled for a hearing, is emotional for both sides — higher taxes on the one side and health care on the other can elicit some pretty strong arguments.

Today I got an e-mail that the legislation is being renamed (maybe for an extra tug on those heart strings?) to the Lorraine Sheehan Health and Community Services Act of 2010 in honor of former Del. Sheehan who died last year. Sheehan was elected to the House of Delegates in 1974, 1978 and 1982. She also served as Maryland Secretary of State from 1983 to 1987 and was inducted into the Maryland Women’s Hall of Fame in 2002.

Emotions aside, let’s look at the breakdown. Essentially the bill would raise taxes to pay for health programs.

• Distilled spirits would go from $1.50 to $10.03 per gallon,
• Wine would go from 40 cents to $2.96 per gallon
• Beer would go from 9 cents to $1.16 per gallon

Con: Opponents of the act say restaurateurs and other distributors can’t afford another tax when the recession has made survival hard for many business owners. From the Restaurant Association of Maryland:

While tax increase supporters will argue that it has been far too long since such taxes were increased, they forget that sales tax on alcohol increased by 20 percent along with all other taxable goods and services during the most recent sales tax increase in January 2008. It would be unfair to our industry to target alcohol for another increase.

Pro: Supporters say the tax would only raise the cost by about 10 cents per drink while raising roughly $214 million in new revenue. Here’s how the revenue would be divided:

• 15 percent: Development Disability Support Fund
• 15 percent: Addiction Treatment and Prevention Fund
• 15 percent: Mental Health Care Fund
• 42.25 percent: Maryland Medicaid Trust Fund to fund health care coverage for childless adults

Like so many battles it’s business owners pitted against public programs — what side do you fall on?

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Pimlico Race Course and the Preakness Stakes have finally joined the 21st Century.

A new Web site has launched today, and gone are the cheesy, static designs, now replaced with– among other things — a count down clock, moving graphics and a ton more information.

For example, did you know that during the Civil War the Woodlawn vase (presented to every Preakness winner) was buried at the Woodlawn Cemetery to be kept safe from being stolen and melted down for bullets?

Oh, and there’s also relevant info about parking, dining, menus, etc.

But on a sour note for those who are Infield regulars and still plan on going — despite the new alcohol policy — you’d better hurry up and get your tickets now if you want to lock in on last year’s ticket price of $45 (the online-only advance price available). If you wait until later, that goes up to $50, and if you buy your tickets at Pimlico the day of the race, it’ll run you $60.

Ah, but at least the Web site’s more fun, right?

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Almost as if to rub it in that the Preakness’ infield is no longer BYOB, the event’s promoters announced today who its title sponsor would be: You guessed it, Bud Light.

Here’s what Robert Barraco, geographic marketing manager for Anheuser-Busch Inc., had to say about the 2009 Bud Light Preakness InfieldFEST in a news release: “This partnership allows us to market Bud Light in the classic setting that is the Pimlico Race Course. It is an honor to be a part of bringing these two great brands together and we are looking forward to an exciting weekend.”

OK, I’m going to pick on Barraco a little here, but since when has Bud Light and its goofy, low ball humor commercials (of which I’m a fan, by the way) ever made anyone think of a ‘classic’ and prestigious horse race? Not that the infield crowd was ever prestigious, but by banning outside beverages, the race’s organizers have indicated they’d like to turn up the maturity (and civility) level a notch. Even using Budweiser with its iconic Clydesdales would have made more sense as a title sponsor if that’s what you’re going for.

But more importantly, does anyone else smell something fishy here? With all the uproar over outside alcohol being banned from the infield, the organizers then score Bud Light as the top supporter of the event. Conspiracy theorists, take your shot…

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An NFL ban on liquor and lottery sponsorships may be lifted for next season if the recession continues to scare away advertisers, the Sports Business Journal reported this week.

The proposal was approved by the league’s business ventures committee this month and is expected to be on the agenda for the owners meeting starting Sunday in Dana Point, Calif. The NBA also recently lifted liquor regulations, allowing for teams to market products at retail, in ads and on arena signs.

“If the NFL allows co-branded spirits marketing, it is expected to take the same course as other leagues and not allow direct designations, like the ‘official Scotch whisky [sic] of the Green Bay Packers,’ along with requiring a heavy social responsibility message,” the SBJ says.

Seems to me like Crown Royal whiskey and its distinctive purple velvet bag would be a natural fit for the Ravens. (And, interestingly enough, SBJ notes Mark Waller, NFL senior vice president of sales and marketing, was a Diageo marketer for 17 years and with the company when it broke NASCAR’s ban on liquor advertising with Crown Royal and others in 2005.)

Maybe it’s about time the NFL broke down this sponsorship distinction. Yes, hard liquor and gambling carry a bigger stigma in our society than just drinking beer and wine (i.e., no liquor sold in Maryland on Sundays). But it’s not as if beer is reserved only for those who are morally pure and immune to trouble — anyone who’s ever been to a bar knows that’s not true either.

But would this allowance by the NFL set a worrisome precedent? If it bends on this to allow for more revenue opportunities, what’s next? Playboy Magazine ads?

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Grab your eye patches, peg legs and hornpipes, International “Talk Like a Pirate” Day is Sept. 19 and Clipper City Brewing Co. is celebrating the holiday at the brewery by forcing people to look ridiculous in exchange for alcohol.

Featuring music from — of course — The Salty Dog Band, the shindig will debut the release of this year’s batch of Clipper City’s Winter Storm ale…but the catch is it’s only available to attendees dressed in pirate garb, so get cracking now on your costume.

If you don’t want to look like a bilge rat (and if you don’t know what that means you really need to keep reading) luckily there are a plethora of Web sites devoted to the topic of walking and talking like a pirate.

Talklikeapirate.com promises to give “your conversation a swagger, an elán, denied to landlocked lubbers.” If you want to go all-out, Dresslikeapirate.com offers everything from French coats to treasure chests. And if you want to impress your pirate friends by dropping some knowledge, the Golden Age of Piracy would be a good resource to check out.

So have fun shivering your timbers and “arrr”ing ‘til your throat is sore but be careful not to hornswaggle your bartender out of her tips or ye won’t be welcome back. Tickets, which include a Heavy Seas Pint Glass and beer samples, are $15 in advance or $20 at the door.

LIZ FARMER, Business Writer 

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