November is a great time to head to downtown Baltimore – the gentle nip in the air is ideal for strolling around the city. The weekend of November 11-12, a pair of fun, community-oriented events offer extra incentive to go downtown.

Love Sessions Finale

Saturday, November 11 marks the last Love Sessions event of the year; it takes place at McKeldin Square in the Inner Harbor, starting at 3:30 p.m.

Love Sessions, put on by the band withLove, blends music, art, dancing, writing and religion. It’s a kid-friendly, interactive event in which everyone is invited to dance and sing and participate.

Saturday’s concert/party features music from withLove, plus discussions from Joshua Smith and Lance Robinson. Smith is a pastor who is a community activist and mentor in West Baltimore, known for his inspiring and moving speeches. The events featured artist, Lance Robinson is a local gospel musician.

The two will join withLove, a group that hopes to break down cultural barriers through music and religion, for an exciting afternoon downtown.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-love-sessions-inner-harbor-tickets-38394155954 Dinner in Little Italy

Little Italy’s St. Leo’s Catholic Church will also be filled with love during the weekend – love and plenty of pasta.

The parish’s bi-annual pasta dinner takes place on Sunday, November 12, from noon to 6 p.m. the dinner takes place in the St. Leo’s School Hall, on Stiles Street, and is $12 for adults and $6 for kids (carry-out is $12.50).

The pasta dinners are a fundraiser for the parish; every March, the meal is spaghetti and in November, the dinner is ravioli and meatballs. This year’s dinner will be a big one, with over 13,000 ravioli and 8,000 meatballs made, plus bread, beer and wine (especially Chianti!) and cannoli for dessert.

The church is also looking for volunteers to help make the meatballs on Saturday, November 11 and to serve during the dinner itself. The meatball making starts at 9 a.m. on Saturday and requires absolutely no experience.

http://saintleorcc.com/

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Whether you’ll be singing in McKeldin Square or tucking into some pasta at St. Leo’s, it’s important to figure out your parking strategy before heading downtown.

Harbor Park Garage, located at 55 Market Place in downtown Baltimore, is an easy, pretty walk to both Little Italy and the Inner Harbor – plus, it’s easily accessible from 83 and other major routes. In addition to being convenient, parking at the garage is reasonably priced and it’s staffed by a friendly crew who know the area and are ready to answer questions or point you in the right direction. Prepay for parking by following this link – https://goo.gl/mDibI9