Saturday is Maryland Day

Come to the 13th annual Maryland Day on Saturday, April 30.  Maryland Day is the University of Maryland's popular--and FREE--open house.  This family-friendly event will have 400 interactive exhibits, workshops and live performances. The event lasts from 10am to 4m.   For a full event schedule, check out the Maryland Day event page.  Whether you’re a student or not, discover all that Maryland has to offer!

Happy Easter!

Hoping everyone has a peaceful and candy-filled Easter/Passover weekend.  Here are some fun facts about the season: 

• When taking a bite into a chocolate bunny, 76% of Americans prefer to bite off the ears first. 5% eat the feet first and 4% eat the tail first.
• During the Easter season, Americans buy more than 700 million Peeps - making Peeps the most popular non-chocolate Easter candy.
• Ham came to be the traditional favorite for Easter dinner because in pre-refrigeration days, hogs were slaughtered in the fall and cured for six to seven months. Just in time for Easter dinner.
• Each day throughout the year, 5 million marshmallow chicks and bunnies are produced in preparation for Easter.
• 16 billion jelly beans are made specifically for Easter which is enough to fill a plastic egg the size of a 9-story building.
• Eggs, like rabbits and hares, are fertility symbols of antiquity. Since birds lay eggs and rabbits and hares give birth to large litters in the early spring, these became symbols of the rising fertility of the earth at the Spring equinox.
• The most famous decorated Easter eggs were those made by the well-known goldsmith, Peter Carl Faberge. In 1883 the Russian Czar, Alexander, commissioned Faberge to make a special Easter gift for his wife, the Empress Marie.
• 57% of kids get up super early on Easter to see what the Easter bunny has brought them.
• 80% of parents carry on the tradition of the Easter bunny by preparing a surprise Easter basket filled with goodies for their children and 90% of adults hope for their own Easter treat.
• The first chocolate eggs were made in Germany in the 19th century and remain one of the most popular Easter candies today.
• In the old days pretzels were associated with Easter because the twists of the pretzel were thought to resemble arms crossing in prayer.
• The name Easter comes from Eostre, an ancient Anglo-Saxon goddess, originally of the dawn. In pagan times an annual spring festival was held in her honor. Some Easter customs have come from this and other pre-Christian spring festivals. Others come from the Passover feast of the Jews, observed in memory of their deliverance from Egypt.
• The Easter egg roll on the White House lawn has been a tradition since 1878.
• After Halloween, Easter is the biggest candy consuming holiday.

 

You can read more Easter Fun Facts here and here.

TerpStock 2011

Get ready for TerpStock, an annual outdoor festival of music taking place at Nyumburu Amphitheater.  Headlining the event is The Cataracs, with supporting acts such as The Pietasters, HR from Bad Brains, and Hoodie Allen. Come out this Saturday, April 16th between 3:00pm and 10:00pm and experience a day full of peace, love, and great music, for FREE!

Comedy at UMD

Have you laughed this week?  If not, you need to see Off the Wall's Return to Siberia Comedy Showcase.  Off the Wall is UMD's only student organization dedicated to stand-up comedy.  So spend your Sunday (April 10th) laughing with College Park's funniest amateur stand-up comics.  The show starts at 6pm at the Hoff Theater and admission is FREE.  Check out the Stamp Events page for more details.