I love Poe. I love beer and wine. So when Poe Forevermore had an event called “The Cask of Amontillado Tasting Among the Bones”? I made a point to attend.

Good thing. The event – the proceeds of which go to help the Poe House in Baltimore get back on it’s feet after budget cuts – is held yearly, and it’s a whole lot of fun.

Boordy Vineyards and Raven beer help keep folks well lubed. There are bands, belly dancers and wine talks. Yes, even Poe gets in on the action, with a performance of The Raven by a very talented actor that seemed to channel the poet himself.

But the best part of all was the chance to get a tour of the Westminster Church catacombs. A historian gave a talk about the church, how burials happened back in Poe’s day, and why many of the graves are empty. (Hint: the USA’s first public medical school was very close by, and so was the local entrepreneur….)

So if you have the time next year? Definitely make this an item on your To-Do list. Til then, enjoy a few pics of this year’s fest!

Poe's original family plot

The front of Westminster Church

Gypsy Fusion belly dancers

Goth belly dance troupe Mortifera, who were phenomenal

A performance of The Raven

Ice casket

A crypt in the catacombs under the church

Beauty in the catacombs!