HonFest a Time to Celebrate Baltimore’s Women

From Candida Mannozzi. You can reach her at candida[AT]borderstan.com.

Borderstan, with the amazing 2012 Capital Pride festival behind us (what a turnout! what awesome crowds! hooray!), I’d like to reassure you that this by no means spells the end to parades, celebrations, festivals and any number of serious or whimsical occasions to don wigs, toss beads to cheering crowds, perform or be the spectators enjoying such antics.

For instance, this past weekend also marked “HonFest 2012” in our neighboring city of Baltimore or “Bawlmer,” if you want to sound like a real Bawlmer HON. The word stands short for “honey,” the ubiquitous term of endearment used by the working class women of Baltimore in phrases such as: “What can I get you, hon?” or “Come right on in, hon!” You get the picture.

Honfest has been celebrating these Bawlmer women since 1994 and is an opportunity for the bona fides and the wannabees to doll-up, perform and step out into a welcoming crowd to enjoy the limelight and the public’s affection. As their website states: “HonFest gives you permission to have fun, HON!” Each year’s winning HON serves a few times at public events in the city and also rides in the Mayor’s Christmas Parade.

Hons come in all sizes, shapes and ages, as I found out. The hot and humid weekend did not deter these feisty ladies or any of the numerous vendors, bands and entertainers who transformed Hampden’s “main drag” into an open-air neighborhood feast for all the visitors.

So, if you’re looking for outdoor community events to visit in the weeks to come, consider some of DC’s neighboring cities, too!

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