Sunday, September 7, 2014

Celebrating 200 Years of the National Anthem in Baltimore

The whole country is celebrating, and the party is in Baltimore. It will be 200 years since Francis Scott Key wrote the lyrics to the Star Spangled Banner on September 14. At least one million visitors are expected to join the people of Baltimore beginning on Wednesday to remember the War of 1812 and the Battle of Baltimore.
Francis Scott Key

Businessmen, including Frank Storch of Baltimore, are ready for the descent on the city; similar to the event which took place two years ago when 1.54 million people came to Baltimore in 2012 for the Sailabration, which marked the beginning of the war. Organizers of the event say that the Sailabration was a kind of ‘dress rehearsal’ for the real celebration this September.

"These are going to be unprecedented crowds and the largest tourism event in our city's history," predicted Tom Noonan, CEO and president of Visit Baltimore, a business that promotes tourism in Baltimore. 

Noonan said the impact of the War of 1812 celebrations will have a similar impact to holding a Super Bowl every day for a week.