thanksgiving

Making rolls for Thanksgiving

Making rolls for Thanksgiving

30 Photos

Photos and text by Barbara Haddock Taylor

James W. Hamlin, who grew up in the Druid Heights neighborhood, wanted to bring people back to Baltimore’s historic Pennsylvania Avenue. He hoped to provide the community with a valuable service and offer a unique product to entice visitors.

The result is The Avenue Bakery, which opened in the summer of 2011. The bakery makes cakes, pies, muffins, cookies, croissants and cobblers. By Thanksgiving of that year, word was out that the Avenue’s signature item, “Poppay’s” dinner rolls, were something unique. The rolls, which Mr. Hamlin has been making for around 20 years, were named by his granddaughter Bria.

Poppay’s rolls at Thanksgiving have quickly become a tradition for many Baltimore area families. They draw people from Virginia and Pennsylvania as well. Customers place orders well in advance, but the bakery also makes dozens more available on a first-come, first serve basis on the day before Thanksgiving.

Mr. Hamlin and his family and friends baked around 400 dozen rolls this week, working around the clock since Monday night. Jules Howie, a regular customer, picked up her rolls on Wednesday afternoon and said the bakery is “a treasure, a beacon of light in the community.”

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Planes, trains and automobiles: Images of Thanksgiving travel

Planes, trains and automobiles: Images of Thanksgiving travel

18 Photos

It’s time to head home for the holidays. A stronger economy and lower gas prices mean Thanksgiving travelers can expect more congested highways this year. During the long holiday weekend, 46.9 million Americans are expected to go 50 miles or more from home, the highest number since 2007, according to travel agency and car lobbying group AAA.

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Rough Cut: Ravens eke out a win over the Steelers

Rough Cut: Ravens eke out a win over the Steelers

153 Photos

“Rough Cut” is a loose edit from The Baltimore Sun’s photographic coverage of the National Football League. Fanatic fans, marching bands, cheerleaders and lots of game action are just part of the spectacle that is the NFL. This week, photojournalists Karl Merton Ferron, Lloyd Fox and Kenneth K. Lam photographed the Ravens as they beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 22 – 20 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.

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Soldiers celebrate Thanksgiving in Afghanistan

Soldiers celebrate Thanksgiving in Afghanistan

14 photos

In Kabul, Afghanistan United States Soldiers at a large military facility got a slice of home as they celebrated Thanksgiving. They were served sliced beef and turkey with all the trimmings. For dessert a gigantic cake was decorated with a turkey done in icing with the words “Happy Thanksgiving” on top. Even football played a part in the festivities not far from the dining hall as service members toss the pigskin around as they played American football.

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