Past Special Events
Discover highlights and memorable moments from our past special events, showcasing unique experiences and community celebrations.
Winter Faerie Ball: Celebrating Imbolc
December 2023 & February 2025
Faeries from all around Baltimore joined us at our annual Winter Faerie Ball! The evening featured a costume contest, faerie dance lessons, food, and magical faerie punch.
The Brinjal Faerie Band provided dance music from the Middle East, with improvisational solos straight out of Fairyland, and dance performances from the Aubergine Faeries!
80s dance night with dj erik
January 17, 2025
We stepped back in time to the neon-lit era of big hair, shoulder pads, and iconic beats! DJ Erik provided dance anthems that kept us moving all night long - Duran Duran, Prince, Madonna - you name it! There was no shortage of leg warmers, retro outfits, and amazing dance moves under the colorful Loft lights.
"Psych-ish" with Adam Stone Magic
January 10, 2025
"Psych-ish" took us for a thrilling journey through the realms of the unexplained. Adam Stone's extraordinary show seamlessly wove together the arts of mentalism, hypnosis, and magic to create an unforgettable experience that defied logic and challenged reality.
Santa’s Workshop with Mr. and Mrs. Claus!
December 22, 2024
Children prepped with the Head Elf to make an elf hat and designed a toy out of wood—then assembled it with the help of Santa himself! It was a rare moment to meet Santa as he hustled in his shop to get everything ready for the big day.
This special event is offered every year and is best for children 3-10 years old.
Parent & Child Gingerbread House Decorating!
Parents and children got into the holiday spirit by joining us for a fun day of gingerbread house decorating! We provided all materials to make a beautiful gingerbread house—each parent and child received one gingerbread house to assemble and decorate. We played fun holiday music, ate yummy food, and even played Christmas movies for when a break from decorating was needed!
This special event is offered every year and is suitable for all age groups
Holiday Sing Along and Fun with pat hundley
November 30 and December 21, 2024
We had a fantastic time singing along to traditional and original music with Pat Hundley! Pat showcased his talents on guitar, fiddle, and mandolin, delivering a wonderfully fun performance that included audience participation in juggling, balancing, magic, and science.
This special event is offered around every major holiday and is best for children ages 0-8 years old.
Manor Mill Writers Retreat
November 16, 2024
Picture it: a day devoted to writing in a beautifully restored grist mill, surrounded by tall autumn trees and a tranquil stream. Participants chose from sessions that educated—learning about publishing options, exploring submittable markets, and gaining editing tips—or embraced a quiet day of intentional writing guided by skilled prompt leaders. It was a truly inspiring experience in a serene and picturesque setting!
Haunted Tour of Manor Mill: Frank K. Mason, Strongman returns
October 26 & 30, 2024
We revisited the legend of Frank K. Mason, Strongman, in 2024’s Haunted Tour of Manor Mill. We unearthed hidden truths, faced the wrath of the legendary Strongman, encountered slithering and eight legged creatures, and were left petrified by the many ghosts and ghouls of Manor Mill.
An evening of ghosts, spirits and the supernatural with a musical performance of Conor and the Wild Hunt
October 2023 & 2024
Guests enjoyed a musically narrated film about a girl discovering the history of three generations of her family and the ghosts that followed them, while exploring their familial home passed down over a century. It was a love letter to ghostly storytelling, and a meditation on love and loss through a supernatural lens.
Manor Mill Playhouse presents “Our Town” by Thornton Wilder
October 18, 19 & 20, 2024
Manor Mill Playhouse’s first production at The David Niven Theater of Oldfields School
Our Town examines life in the small town of Grover's Corners, New Hampshire, zeroing in on two families, the Webbs and the Gibbs. Three acts, spaced a few years apart, follow relationships and changes in the town and its people.
Disco Night with Disco Inferno
September 28, 2024
Manor Mill dove head first into the glitz and glamour of the 70s. We boogied all night long thanks to a wonderful performance by Disco Inferno. Our guests made sure to dress up with of afros, bell bottoms, fringe, glitter, and psychedelic patterns. It was groovy baby!
The Mo and Katy Show
November and December 2023 & February 2024
We have had the pleasure of listening in on Mo and Katy’s hilarity several times now and we cannot get enough! Imagine the hilarious hijinks of Laverne and Shirley meeting the parody genius of Weird Al. Mo and Katy always deliver an evening filled with laughter, storytelling, improv and toe-tapping tunes that celebrate the quirks of each season.
Stoop Storytelling
September 2023 & April and August 2024
The Stoop Storytelling Series is a Baltimore-based live show and podcast that features “ordinary” people sharing the extraordinary, true tales of their lives. The mission of The Stoop is to build community through the sharing of personal stories. Stoop stories are not memorized, performed, or read. They’re shared.
Jane Austen Day with Manor Mill and the Jane Austen Society of North America
June 2023 & May 2024
The Jane Austen Society of North America, Maryland Region and joined forces with Manor Mill to create an afternoon of scholarship and fun! The event included informative presentations on Austen’s novels, sessions on her life, and the world she lived in.
Mother’s Day Tea Party with Spore and Seed
May 2022, 2023 & 2024
Courtney of Spore and Seed treated students to an afternoon of learning and leisure. The first portion of the class was about growing a tea garden at your home where we discussed plant selection, care, post-harvest and storing plant material for tea. The second half of the class was spent enjoying tea and snacking on locally made pastries from Dough Run.
This is an event that is offered every year for Mother’s Day.
BIRD DAY
May 11, 2025
We enjoyed an educational and and fun day with live birds onsite thanks to the MD School of Falconry, birding walks, artistic demos, speakers, a kids creative station, and a bird-themed fine art exhibit with seventeen different artists!
Poetry Day
June 1, 2024
We held our first annual Poetry Day which offered a wide array of poetry-themed events and activities including an ekphrastic event, poetry workshops, readings, an afternoon tea with time to reflect and mingle with fellow poets, and a poetry and piano concert.
Train Day
March 30, 2024
Choo Choo! To accompany our train themed gallery exhibit, we had 2 model trains onsite, local experts presenting on train/railroad themes, antique train/railroad items on display thanks to Stewartstown Railroad and D.E. Gettle Hobby shop, a Paint-A-Train activity, kids creative station, and more!
Laughs at the Mill
August 2022, May 2023 & February 2024
We have had several nights of laughter here at Manor Mill. After each show, participants chatted with the comics about their journey to the stage and learn how to begin their own journey to becoming a comedian.
The Gun Show
February 4, 2024
Artist David Hess and documentary filmmaker Richard Chisolm hosted their film screening, book premiere, and interactive sculpture event. We had extraordinary conversation with two Monkton area creators whose collaborative work addresses America’s complex relationship with firearms.
Come Write In: NaNoWriMo Kickoff Night
November 1, 2023
We kicked off National Novel Writing Month at Manor Mill! Our writer’s guild came out to meet other local writers and WriMos, partake in some lightly competitive word sprints, and the chance to win one of our NaNo-themed door prizes.
Haunted Tour at Manor Mill: The Toymaker
October 26 & 28, 2023
Our fearful guests joined us for a haunted, flashlight tour throughout the Manor Mill property to discover why the spirit of the Toymaker could not let go of Manor Mill.
B-Side Man: a Monologue Reading by Alonzo LaMont
October 19, 2023
Alonzo Lamont shared his life experience as an African-American man through stories of his journeys, transformations, segues, love, loss, dark days, belly roll laughter and that goddamn playwriting bug!
FISH DAY
September 17, 2023
A day filled with all things fish! We had have several local organizations participating throughout the day from educational talks, hands on demos, videos, live trout, artists creating beautiful work such as glass blowing and wood burning, and much more!
The Beginners Guide to Ayurvedic Home Remedies - Susan Weis-Bohlen Book Signing and Reading
September 1, 2023
Local author Susan Weis-Bohlen at Manor Mill hosted a signing and reading of her new book "The Beginners Guide to Ayurvedic Home Remedies: Ancient Healing for Modern Life."
The Beginner’s Guide to Ayurvedic Home Remedies includes practical remedies for the most common modern ailments/health concerns, including immunity, quality sleep, hormone balance, pain relief, longevity, and aging well.
War’s Over, Come Home : Book Signing with Patrick Smithwick
June 3, 2023
War’s Over, Come Home will take your breath away; it will exhaust you; it will infuriate you; it will inspire you. Patrick Smithwick brings the reader on a two-year quest for his son, Andrew, two-tour Marine veteran of the Iraq War, who is running away from war memories, nightmares, hallucinations, and those that love him.
This is a book for our times as well as a memoir that will last; its focus on the life of one homeless veteran and his family is a microcosm of the national nightmare 50,000 homeless veterans and their families are living.
With his fresh, energy-infused and indomitably-positive voice, along with his self-deprecating sense of humor, Smithwick imbues every chapter with hope: hope for his son, hope for his family, hope for his country. This is a memoir of love and perseverance and hope.
Fiber Arts Day
May 2022 & May 2023 & May 2022
We gathered fiber artists of all disciplines to give demos, sell their products, and chat with customers about the ins and outs of fiber arts.
Featured Arts: Weaving, Spinning, Punch Needle Rug Hooking, Quilting, Knitting, Plants for Natural Dying, Sewing, Embroidery, Hand cut appliqued upcycled felts and woolens, and more!
Maryland Public Television's NEA Big Read initiative
April 15, 2023
We were honored to host MPT's NEA Big Read initiative featuring Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude by Ross Gay. The NEA Big Read initiative encourages creativity and connection through the shared experience of reading. At Yoga + Meditation at the Mill, attendees will participate in a variety of activities meant to inspire meaningful conversations around the themes of gratitude and nature,
At the center of food and art
February 18, 2023
This night was focused on showcasing the work of Penn Eastburn and Emma Childs, featured in the Gallery at Manor Mill for February, 2023. The evening was made even more enjoyable with the addition of live music and spectacular food created by Chef Jerry Edwards.
The Crankie Factory
November 2022, May & December 2023
Katherine Fahey, award winning puppeteer, is one of the pioneers reviving of the art form of crankies, a form of visual storytelling involving a scroll of artwork in a box. Katherine’s crankies incorporate intricate papercutting, shadow puppetry, singing, and storytelling. Artist, puppeteer, and foley artist Daniel Van Allen accompanied Katherine Fahey in this magical evening.