Mike Sproge and Tim Hofmann, friends since their first day of high school in New Jersey, are co-owners of The Falls, a coffee shop, cafe and bar soon to replace Freda's Kitchen in Mt. Washington Village. Sproge, a graduate of Loyola College, who used to own Evergreen Cafe in Roland Park, and Hofmann are creating a multipurpose neighborhood hangout -- a restaurant and bar wired for Internet access, including wi-fi, with comfy couches, Zeke's coffees and artwork by local artists.

The cafe will serve breakfast and lunch and, in the late afternoon, the bar will open for business serving small-plates and munchies and a wine list that is being compiled by Al Spoler, who hosts the show "Cellar Notes" on WYPR-FM. Also scheduled are weekly wine tastings.

Artwork now on the walls is by Joel Cohen, of South Road. The walls are envisioned as a showcase for neighborhood artists and each artist's work will be displayed for four to six weeks.

Hours will be 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week. They hope to open in the next two weeks.

The third annual Holiday Magic in Mt. Washington celebration was a great success. Elizabeth Grove thanks the restaurants and shops that kept their doors open for visitors to coincide with the Holly Daze program at St. John's Church.

The Whole Foods market contributed cider and cookies and the Glen Avenue fire station sent four firefighters and Engine 45 to escort St. Nicholas into the Village.

The culmination of the evening was the fantastic tree lighting at the Octagon at the Johns Hopkins conference center.

Thanks to Mt. Washington Improvement Association President Aaron Meisner for hosting the celebration. It was so nice to see Baltimore City councilwoman Rikki Spector mingling with the crowd, along with Messenger editor Larry Perl.

Mt. Washington Soccer ended with a celebration of its own Nov. 21. After their final games, all the kids received trophies and had a picnic on the former University of Baltimore fields.

According to Jere Morrel of Mt. Washington Soccer, the season was a success "despite a couple of rainy Saturdays and the H1N1 flu."

I hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving with family and friends. Here's to a fun and festive holiday season.

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