1-29-2025 4:21am

Mencken's Sat. Night

Jeff Barto Editor

The Society to Preserve H.L. Mencken's Legacy is excited to announce that our first major fundraising event was an overwhelming success. The attendees had a grand time enjoying beautiful music presented by Pianist Carter McMullen, Artistic Director and founder of the salon Concerts of Baltimore.

Mr. McMullen and his trio, Ivan Mendoza on the viola and Erik Franklin on the clarinet presented chamber works by Bach, Beethoven, Haydn, Schubert Brahms and Mozart. The event was catered by Karellas Cafe of Baltimore's Greektown. The crowd loved the food.

The musical selections were based on Mencken’s preferences, which are well documented in the volume Mencken on Music edited by his life-long friend Dr. Louis Cheslock, the last surviving member of the Saturday Night Club regulars.

The Saturday Night Club began in the early 1900’s and its members included musicians, novelists, journalists, physicians and anyone else who enjoyed performing music with good food, conversation and beer. This inspired the Society to revive this unique gathering as a fundraising event to continue the restoration of the piano and other Mencken House initiatives.

This tradition ceased in 1950. Enjoy the photos and please note the images that show Carter at the piano look at the photo on the wall behind the piano and you'll see Mencken playing the same piano.

We intend to hold these Saturday Night Concert Series on a quarterly basis.We received many late ticket requests but couldn't accommodate them due to the limited seating space. Don't wait until the last minute to order your ticket for future events. This one sold out quickly.

The Society to Preserve H. L. Mencken's Legacy The Mencken House is a 501 (c) (3) site and is a national and local historic site.