Five-city Poe bicentennial events

Here is a list of selected events in Baltimore, Boston, Philadelphia, New York and Richmond, Va., planned for the bicentennial of Edgar Allan Poe's birthday.

BALTIMORE

Jan. 17, 7 p.m. - Birthday celebration with a Poe tribute performed by actor John Astin, a theatrical performance of Poe's "Hop Frog," a musical tribute to Poe by soloist Paula McCabe, and a sparkling cider toast to Poe led by Astin and Jeff Jerome, curator of the Poe House and Museum. Westminster Hall, 519 W. Fayette St.

Jan. 18, 4:30 p.m. - Birthday celebration with a Poe tribute performed by actor John Astin, a theatrical performance of "Some Words with a Mummy," a musical tribute to Poe by soloist Paula McCabe, a raffle for a cake in the shape of the Poe Monument designed by Duff Goldman of TV's "Ace of Cakes," and a sparkling cider toast to Poe led by Astin and Jeff Jerome, curator of the Poe House and Museum. Westminster Hall, 519 W. Fayette St.

Jan. 19, 10 a.m. - Launch of "Edgar Allan Poe: More than a Poet," a new exhibit at the Enoch Pratt Free Library, 400 Cathedral St.

Jan. 19, 10 a.m. - "Edgar Allan Poe Birthday Festival" with tours of the catacombs at Westminster Burying Ground, theatrical readings of "The Raven" and "Annabel Lee," a ghost hunt with author Vince Wilson and an Edgar Allan Poe look-alike contest. Westminster Hall, 519 W. Fayette St.

Jan. 19, time unknown - Appearance of the "Poe Toaster," Westminster Burying Ground, 519 W. Fayette St.

Jan. 31, 7 p.m. - Repeat of Poe birthday celebration, Westminster Hall, 519 W. Fayette St.

Feb. 1, 4:30 p.m. - Repeat of Poe birthday celebration, Westminster Hall, 519 W. Fayette St.

March 27, time TBA - Wine tasting inspired by "The Cask of Amontillado" and other Poe stories, catacombs of Westminster Hall, 519 W. Fayette St.

June 13, time TBA - Performance of Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher" and discourse on the history of Westminster Burying Ground and the people buried there, Westminster Burying Ground, 519 W. Fayette St.

Sept. 21-Oct. 4 - Performances of one-man show "POE in Person" by actor David Keltz in a two-week residency at the Baltimore Theatre Project, 45 W. Preston St.

October, date TBA - Opening of "Art of Darkness: Inspired by Poe," a new exhibit at the Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Dr.

Oct. 7, noon - Public viewing of a replica of Poe's body, Poe House and Museum, 203 N. Amity St.

Oct. 7, midnight - Candlelight vigil at Poe's grave with readings of Poe's work, Westminster Burying Ground, 519 W. Fayette St.

Oct. 10, noon - Re-enactment of Poe's funeral service, with a horse-drawn hearse bringing a replica of his body from his home to Westminster Hall and eulogies delivered by actors playing both people who knew Poe and artists inspired by him, Westminster Hall, 519 W. Fayette St.

Oct. 10, 4:30 p.m. - Repeat of Poe funeral service, Westminster Hall, 519 W. Fayette St.

November, date, time and location TBA - Attorneys, a judge and a jury stage a mock trial inspired by Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart."

BOSTON

Jan. 15, 7:30 p.m. - Program with lectures by writers Matthew Pearl and Scott Peeples, reading of Poe passages, performance of creative work by BC students and a Poe birthday cake, Devlin Hall 101, Boston College, Chestnut Hill Campus.

Jan. 16, 7:30 p.m. - Screening of film "The Last Days of the Raven," followed by Q&A with co-director, screenwriter and star Brent Fidler, Devlin Hall 101, Boston College, Chestnut Hill Campus.

NEW YORK

Jan. 18, 1 p.m. - Birthday celebration with actor Tristan Laurence performing as Poe at the Edgar Allan Poe Cottage, 2640 Grand Concourse, Bronx, N.Y.

PHILADELPHIA

Jan. 10, time TBA - Actor David Keltz performs as Poe with park ranger Helen McKenna-Uff as his fiancee, Helen Whitman, Free Library of Philadelphia, 1901 Vine St.

Jan. 13, 7:30 p.m. - "Great Poe Debate" between Poe scholars Jeff Jerome of Baltimore, Paul Lewis of Boston and Edward Pettit of Philadelphia about what city has the best claim on Poe's legacy, Free Library of Philadelphia, 1901 Vine St.

Jan. 16, 6 p.m. - Friends of Poe bicentennial party with park rangers Paul Campbell and Helen McKenna-Uff performing an original piece, "Doppelganger Poes," and a wine tasting of vintages mentioned in Poe's works. German Society, 7th and Spring Garden streets.

Jan. 17, 2 p.m. - Official opening of new Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site exhibits, with a talk by Daniel Hoffman, poet and Poe scholar, 532 N. 7th St.

March 28, 2 p.m. - Scholar David Reynolds discusses "Poe in his Times" and signs copies of his new book "Waking Giant: America in the Age of Jackson, Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site, 532 N. 7th St.

April 3, 2 p.m. - UCLA professor and cultural historian Karen Halttunen discusses her book "Murder Most Foul," about how popular tastes were reflected in Poe's Gothic horror stories, Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site, 532 N. 7th St.

May 23, 2 p.m. - Tony McGowan, an English professor at the United States Military Academy, speaks about Poe's military experience and how it influenced his writing, Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site, 532 N. 7th St.

Oct. 8-11 - The Poe Studies Association's Third International Edgar Allan Poe Conference, Hyatt Regency at Penn

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