The winter solstice marks an important turning, the day when mid-December's darkness slowly begins to recede and the Earth makes its initial preparations for spring.

It’s also a good excuse for a party.

For the second year, the Friends of Druid Hill Park is celebrating the winter solstice — an ancient Celtic tradition — with an evening fire and gathering at Parkie Pavilion, including the dedication of the park’s new Druid sculptures (see below), hay rides, music, and seasonal refreshments.

The Friday night event begins at 6 p.m. and runs to 11 p.m. Hay rides are scheduled from 7:30 p.m. to 9 :30 p.m.

More information can be found on the Friends of Druid Hill Park website and Facebook page.

The Red Line transit project, a proposed 14-mile, east-west, light rail system now estimated to cost $2.5 billion, took another step forward today.

The Baltimore Red Line Final Environmental Impact Statement, prepared by the Federal Transit Administration and the Maryland Transit Administration is available for 45 days of public review.

The Red Line study and evaluation summarizes the transportation and environmental impacts related to the implementation of the proposed transit line, which would connect Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center and Greektown in East Baltimore with Woodlawn and the Social Security Administration in Baltimore County.

The document, which will be available at local libraries, among other locations, can also be found online here.

According to the study, the projected light rail system would attract more than 50,000 riders a day by 2035 while operating from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m., Monday thru Friday; 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. on Saturdays; and from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sundays. Light rail trains would be designed for a top speed of 55 miles-per-hour, but actual speeds would vary from segment to segment.

All trains would stop at each of the planned 19 stations along the route — with no “express” trains.

Initiated by an MTA Study Team in community discussions a decade ago, in October the Red Line project was among 14 infrastructure projects around the country fast-tracked for environmental review. Following the public review, the FTA is expected to issue a Record of Decision on the project in February. A that point, the final design process would begin, according to the Red Line project’s timeline.

Construction is slated to begin in 2015, with the most of the construction to be complete by late 2020, and first line open in 2021.

The adult “footie” pajama business is apparently alive and well. At least in Charm City.

Hundreds of bicyclists took to the streets Friday night in their best — and funniest — pajamas for the Baltimore Bike Party’s November ride. There were couples in matching snow leopard print footies, grown men in dinosaur footies, female bicyclists in full-on bunny footies with ears and cotton tails, a pajama Tony the Tiger look-a-like, and one clown with an airhorn in bright, polka dot footies. (I mean, appeared to be a clown.)

Or maybe that was just his regular nightime wardrobe?

One guy wore a velvet Playboy robe, ala Hugh Heffner, over his animal print PJ’s. Another had Batman PJ’s, complete with cape.

Several parents brought their kids along for the ride. Some rode in PJ’s on their own bikes; the younger ones took in the scene in bike trailers. One bicyclist brought a terrier along in a basket on his bike.

Launched in April with a different theme each month, there's more music it seems at every new Bike Party, too. Depending if you’re upfront, in the pack or pulling up the rear — you might have heard anything from “Folsom Prison Gangstaz,” a remix of Johnny Cash with Easy E, Scissor Sister’s “Take Your Mama,” to Notorius B.I.G., Michael Jackson, Christina Aguilera and even, Huey Lewis and the News.

There were also a couple of bicycle drummers, literally building a small kit atop their handlebars. (Not recommended for everyone.)

This month’s ride went through neighborhoods above Patterson Park and east through Pigtown before wrapping up at the Pratt Street Ale House.

As usual, residents along the route came out to shoot videos, take photos, high-five and occasionally, ask exactly why hundreds of people were making noise and riding down their street at 9 p.m.

“What is this, why ya’ll riding?,” one man asked, leaning out of his SUV while stopped at a traffic light as hundreds of bicyclists hooted and hollered by.

“It’s Baltimore Bike Party!,” came the enthusiastic response from several riders pedaling past.

“Oh, it’s a bike party,” the driver repeated with a smile. And then he turned, and explained — like it should've been perfectly obvious — what was happening to his passenger. “It’s a bike party."