ROLAND PARK NEWS Summer Serving the Customer: Schneider’s Key to Success 2011 By Sally Foster house was large enough to accommodate family Imagine picking up the telephone—back when there members, who lived on the third and fourth floors. Volume were party lines—and ordering a rib roast, a sack Jeff’s grandfather, Jake, started working in the store Forty-Two of potatoes and a bag of onions, and having them when he was 13. Jeff said delivered to you in a his grandfather never really horse-drawn wagon. liked the grocery business. You would have stored He would go downtown the potatoes in a pantry to the fish market to This Issue’s or cold cellar and you stock up on supplies with Highlights would have put the two other grocers, Victor meat in an icebox, Cohen—the famous Mr. where large blocks of Victor—the founder of KidsView ice would have kept Eddie’s of Roland Park on it cold. Roland Avenue, and John Page 4 Such was life in Roland Heidelbach, the founder of Natives of Park and Tuxedo Park Heidelbach’s Grocery on the Season in the late 1890s, when West Cold Spring Lane. Andrew Schneider There were a few things Page 10 opened his grocery that bothered Jake. For Lake Roland and store on Wyndhurst one, World War II broke Robert E. Lee Avenue. out and some foods were rationed. A lot of his regular Memorial Park Jeff Pratt, who owns Schneider’s Hardware In a photo of Schneider’s Grocery from 1935, you can see hams hanging from customers asked for favors Page 12 store today, can tell you large meat hooks, loaves of Schmidt’s Old Home bread, fresh produce, cookies and or more than their share. stories that have been tins of vegetables, as well as one of the Schneiders about to wield a cleaver on a The second problem for Home Sales large chunk of meat. Photo courtesy of Jeff Pratt passed down through Jake was the development of grocery chains, Page 15 his family. His great-grandfather, and the third was Spring Andrew—the one that produce, like Celebration with a handlebar lettuce, would mustache—came spoil and he would Page 16 from Germany have to throw things away. Taking A Closer in 1896 to open a meat market. Look at the In 1950, Jake Apparently, opened up the first Baltimore Riots another family floor of the house Page 22 member had as a hardware started a grocery store. For a while, Tree Canopy store in Baltimore he leased the Survey and Andrew second floor to thought it sounded someone else who Page 26 like a good idea. ran a grocery store, Andrew’s specialty but this proved Book Nook was meats, but he to be less than Page 28 carried grocery Jeff Pratt has used his corner sidewalk on Wyndhurst and Summit Avenues to display a beautiful array of satisfactory and he provisions as well. flowers and plants since 2000. Photo: Sally Foster didn’t renew The store was the lease. on the second floor of a house at 700 Wyndhurst Many people in Roland Park will remember Jeff’s Avenue, with steps that led up from the street. The father, Paul Pratt, who married one of the Schneider Continued on page 11 Editors’ Notes Roland Park News By Martha Marani route or two on the Historic Stony Run and Volume 42 Recently, while sitting at a chilly, drizzly, Roland Park Path Walk tour on June 4th. Summer 2011 late May Roland Park Baseball Leagues Stop by afterwards to enjoy Tunes@The game watching my son play, I longed for Tower, a Roland Water Tower event with The Table of Contents summer’s warmth. I thought about how Howard Markman folk rock and roots band. baseball season always seems like it Pack a picnic (including a thermos 1 Serving the Customer: should herald reliable sunshine and of Woodberry Kitchen’s Farmer’s Schneider’s Key to Success warmth—though it never does. Daughter cocktails, perhaps?) and 2 Editors’ Notes Scowling at the sky, I thought relax in the summer sunshine. 3 Art Happenings of Walt Whitman’s poem, “The After the seemingly endless spring rains, you deserve it. 4 KidsView Voice of Rain,” in which the poet 7 Calendar & Announcements imagines “the soft-falling shower” Maybe Whitman knew about rainy 8 Reflections on Seven Generations II Week explaining its purpose: baseball games. He wrote about America’s favorite pastime in a way 10 Natives of the Season: Native Grasses …I descend to lave the drouths, and Sedges atomies, dust-layers of the globe, that makes me think he saw a connection between rain’s renewing effects and baseball’s 12 Lake Roland and Robert E. Lee And all that in them without me were similarly restoring qualities. He said, “I see Memorial Park seeds only, latent, unborn; great things in baseball. It’s our game—the 13 Welcome New Neighbors And forever, by day and night, I give American game. It will take our people out- 14 School’s Athletic Complex back life to my own origin, of-doors, fill them with oxygen, give them a Awarded LEED Gold larger physical stoicism. Tend to relieve us 15 Roland Park Country School’s New Preschool and make pure and beautify it… from being a nervous, dyspeptic set. Repair 15 Home Sales Yes, showers bring beautiful flowers and these losses, and be a blessing to us.” 16 Spring Celebration refresh and restore the Earth after winter’s Summer blessings (and O’s victories) to you 18 The Lawn Project cold. A rainy spring generally turns into a all, Roland Park. Enjoy! � 19 Woodland Garden at Roland Park hot summer, and the outdoors beckons. Elementary/Middle School Answering that call leads to great things in 19 Summer Recipe: Farmer’s Daughter Cocktail Roland Park! 20 MovieFest at The Village of Cross Keys Summer is the season for outdoor theatre, We Need You! 20 Summer Recipe: Chilled with one of this year’s highlights being the Maryland Shakespeare Festival’s production Katy Couch and Mike Heirloom Tomato Soup DiPietro, organizers of the 21 Summer Sounds at the Square of “As You Like It” in the Meadow at Johns Hopkins’ Evergreen Museum & Library. Bring 4th of July Family Parade, 22 Taking a Closer Look at the Baltimore Riots the family and enjoy this lively performance. need volunteers to help with 25 EnergyWise: Green Cleaning You can also take in an outdoor movie at the the many small tasks that are involved in 26 Tree Canopy Survey Village at Cross Keys on Saturday nights in getting the parade rolling. Please lend a 27 Book Nook, Jr. June. This year’s theme is Academy Award- hand this year—it’s patriotic (and fun)! winners. More great outdoor entertainment Contact Katy Couch at 410-889-7604 or 28 The Book Nook [email protected]. 31 Roads & Maintenance Update can be found at Belvedere Square, which books local musicians to perform “Sounds at the Square” from June through August. Bob Friedman plays with his a five-piece Latin See You on the 4th! and Caribbean dance music band, Mambo Join the fun on the 4th! Decorate Editorial Board: Combo, on June 3rd and July 29th (see the yourselves and your bikes, strollers and Martha Marani, Anne Stuzin, and spring issue for more about Bob). Henry “Chip” Mortimer Advertising Manager: Marni Toop Of course, July 4th is a great opportunity for Roland Park News is published quarterly by the Roland some outside time. Grab the flags, pinwheels Park Community Foundation, and silly Uncle Sam hats. Tie a red, white 5115B Roland Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21210 and blue bandana around your dog’s neck. Telephone: (410) 464-2525 FAX (410)-464-2533 Deck out the bikes, scooters and strollers in E-mail: [email protected] streamers and ride over to the Roland Park wagons in your patriotic finery and help Chair, Ken Rice; Vice Chair, Ilene Asner; Treasurer, Martha Library to get a spot in this year’s parade. As celebrate our nation’s birthday. We’ll meet Kwiterovich; Secretary, Open is the tradition, kids will enjoy a “soft-falling at 10 a.m. in front of the Roland Park shower,” compliments of Roland Park firemen Library for a reading of the Declaration Graphic Production: DesignConcept.com and their hoses. Printer: Swanson Graphics of Independence and then follow the fire Deadlines for copy, including announcements and calendar Summer is also a time to slow down the trucks down Roland Avenue to the Roland items, are February 1st for Spring issue, May 1st for Summer pace, with relaxing evenings at the Roland Park Presbyterian Church, at the corner of issue, August 1st for Fall issue, and November 1st for Upland and Roland. Winter issue. Park Pool, a good read on your porch or leisurely walks along the neighborhood’s footpaths. Perhaps you can learn a new path 2 on day of class. Class size limited to 20 and advance, pre-paid Art Happenings registration required. Call 410-516-0341. Evergreen Museum & Library (4545 N. Charles Street) is housed • June 18th, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., Maintaining the Garden in a former Gilded Age mansion surrounded by Italian-style gardens. It is at once an intimate collection of fine and decorative • Aug. 27th, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., Getting Ready for Fall arts, rare books and manuscripts assembled by two generations • October 15th, 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Gertrude’s, followed by of the B&O’s philanthropic Garrett family, and a vibrant, lunch, The Fruits of Our Labor inspirational venue for contemporary artists.