ITEM #1: There’s so much happening around here in just a little while that I can barely keep it all straight! For one thing, the Baltimore Comic-Con arrives just across the street from us in the BaltimoreConvention Center on Saturday, October 10 and Sunday, October 11, and GEM will have a table on the dealers’ floor. I might also be appearing elsewhere in the con that weekend, but more on that when it’s all decided.

As if that isn’t enough for one weekend, it’s also World Zombie Day that Sunday, and there will be a zombie walk for charity starting at the downtown Baltimore Barnes & Noble bookstore in the InnerHarbor at 1 PM. But guess where all those undead are planning to shamble? That’s right, Geppi’s EntertainmentMuseum will be their last stop at 3 PM, and if all goes well, yours truly and my Zombiemania co-author Andy Hershberger will be on hand to sign copies of our book – the most comprehensive guide to zombie cinema from 1932-2005 you will ever need – as well as meet and greet all those lovely living dead.

And I’ve heard there’s also a Ravens game that day too. I also hope to have info about our next special exhibits and much, much more. Why does it always pile up in one weekend? You won’t want to be anywhere else, that’s for sure!

ITEM #2: We’re holding our Second Annual Teachers’ Night at GEM on November 2 from 4:30-6:30 PM. All educators are invited to hear about the many exciting possibilities for integrating GEM into your curriculum and field trip plans.

Besides myself, Educational and Special Programming Associate Bailey M. Ball will be on hand to discuss the museum’s educational tour program and the existing modules already in place. Teachers will also find out how to discuss having a custom educational tour arranged based on their specific class needs.

The event will include a tour of the museum, discussion of the GEM educational tours and the upcoming in-classroom program, “GEM’s Traveling Time Capsule,” and a presentation by Steven Bates, Retail Marketing Associate from Diamond Comic Distributors, about Diamond’s BookShelf program. For more information, contact Bailey at (410) 625-7063 or email bbailey@geppismuseum.com.

ITEM #3: Yellow Bricks & Emerald Cities – Our Special Edition Exhibit
In 1900, children of all ages were first introduced to a wonderful land of imagination and adventure known as Oz. Written by L. Frank Baum (1856-1919), The Wonderful Wizard of Oz told the tale of farm girl Dorothy Gale and her magical journey to another world populated by fanciful friends and foes like the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, and the Wicked Witch of the West.

Geppi’s EntertainmentMuseum celebrates the legacy of Baum’s work and its incredible impact on generations of children through a special exhibition that showcases first editions of the first 40 Oz books on loan to the museum from local collector Fred Trust, as well as other memorabilia. The original art wall graphics and cutout figures for the exhibit were produced by the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) Oz Project Team: Crisanto Cimatu, Michael Clayton, Maggie Cerveny, Tiffany Nguyen, Elly Kim and Cody Griffith, all seniors in the Illustration Program at MICA. The Team was lead by MICA’s Chair of Illustration, Whitney Sherman, who acted as creative consultant and art director.

Yellow Bricks & Emerald Cities is open through January 2010.

And in 2010: HOME PLATE…

Don’t forget to visit Geppi’s EntertainmentMuseum online at www.geppismuseum.com or in person at 301 W. Camden Street, Baltimore, MD21201 or call (410) 625-7060.