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Der Tag 2026
September 12, 2025 (Saturday) Enoch Pratt Free Library, 400 Cathederal St Mencken Day Eve — Friday, September 11 06:00PM An open house featuring a casual piano performance and an informal presentation on H.L. Mencken’s place in the Jazz Age social scene is planned for 6-8:30 p.m. Sept. 11th at the H. L. Mencken House, 1524…
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21st (2026) Mencken Graveside Memorial Cancelled
A chance of snow is forecast for Saturday (01-31) overnight with accumulations of 1 to 3 inches. Temperatures will remain below freezing. I don’t know how clear the access roads at the Loudon Park Cemetery are or will be. Stretches of the road leading to the gravesite have an upslope (which are a downslope when…
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21st (2026) Graveside Memorial
I will be conducting the 21st graveside memorial on Sunday, February 1, 2026 at 2:00 PM at Loudon Park Cemetery, 3620 Wilkens Ave. After brief remarks attendees are invited to retreat to Spirits West Country Club, 2601 Wilkens Ave., for beer and a light meal. Directional signs will be posted to show the way.
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The Mencken Room, 2003-2025
The Mencken Room at the Enoch Pratt Libray will be rededicated as the “DeWayne Wickham Room of Maryland Journalism” in November. Carla Hayden, who was the director of the library from 1993 to 2016 and then Librarian of Congress from 2016 to 2025, encouraged the tribute and new use of the Mencken Room.
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Mencken Day 2025 Summary
This year’s celebration was marked by an “Ed Larson Double Feature,” with Dr Edward J. Larson Speaking at both events. Dr Larson has written on Evolution, Creationism and Evolution, and the Scopes Trial among other works.Mencken Society Meeting (Morning Session): President Darryl Hart and Ed Larson, remotely joined by John Barr of Lone Star College-Kingswood,…
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Der Tag: September 13, 2025 (Sat)
Mencken Day 2025 will be celebrated at the Enoch Pratt Free Library, 400 Cathederal St, on September 13, 2025 (Saturday) starting at 10:30. 10:30 AM Annual Meeting of The Mencken Society at thePratt Auditorium. After the Business Meeting Ed Larsonand Darryl Hart will hold a conversation about Menckenand the Scopes trial. Dr Larson is author…
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Der Tag 2024
September 14, 2024 (Saturday) Enoch Pratt Free Library, 400 Cathederal St 10:30 AM Annual Meeting of The Mencken Society. Speakers: Fred Hobson by way of remote conferencing and a discussion between John Barr, professor of history at Lone Star College, and Darryl Hart. 2:00 PM The 2024 Mencken Memorial Lecture will be presented by Thomas…
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Last Week with H. L. Mencken (Feb. 3, 2023 edition)
January 29 – “Inherit the Wind” is returning to the stage in Albuquerque: “This enthralling drama is a fictionalized account of the 1925 Scopes “Monkey” Trial, which resulted in John T. Scopes’ being convicted for teaching Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution to a high school science class, contrary to a Tennessee law. The character of…
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Last Week with H. L. Mencken (Jan. 27, 2023 edition)
January 22 — Anthony J. DeBlasi on the intelligence of the American public: “H. L. Mencken had something to say about terminal dumbing, back in 1920, that makes me wonder if he was joking: ‘As democracy is perfected,’ he said, ‘the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people.…
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Last Week with H. L. Mencken (Jan. 23, 2023 edition)
See how writers were quoting Mencken last week and which quotations they used. January 16 — From Herb Caen at the Anderson Valley Advertiser: “What I consider the most cynical utterance in the entire literature of Americana — H.L. Mencken’s ‘No one ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public’ — presents a…