2011 Sun pictures of the year

Jed Kirschbaum/Baltimore Sun

At the Downtown Sailing Center's dock next to the Museum of Industry, colorful sails on the Access 303 dinghies brighten the waterfront.

Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun

Jewel Ramirez, Pikesville, and her daughter, Ala Ramirez, 22 months, enjoy the waters of the Chesapeake Bay off the south beach at Sandy Point State Park. Ramirez is teaching her daughter to swim.

Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun

Amidst the emotional goodbyes, Arielle Lee, 22, left, whose mother, 1st Sgt. Carmen Lee, 42, is being deployed, finds a quiet place to sit in the armory. With her is family friend Krystle Camargo, 21. Soldiers will travel to Fort Dix. N.J. for training before heading to Iraq. Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown greeted the troops.

Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun

In The Winner's Circle, Oriol Servia (left) and Will Power (right) celebrate 2nd and 1st place finishes, respectively, after the inaugural 2011 Baltimore Grand Prix.

Kenneth K. Lam/Baltimore Sun

Texans' Wade Smith (#74), left, dives to recover a fumble in front of Ravens' Terrence Cody (#62) Haloti Ngata (#92) and Ed Reed, right, in the Ravens endzone to score a touchdown in the second quarter. Baltimore Ravens defeated the Houston Texans by score of 29 to 14 at M & T Bank Stadium.

Jed Kirschbaum/Baltimore Sun

Fourth grader Lily Spear sports glasses her mom got for her for a special St. Patrick's Day at school.

Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun

Police position themselves in the alley behind a house in the 1200 block of Lombard during a raid. More than 30 people were arrested Thursday morning in connection with a large-scale heroin and marijuana operation.

Kenneth K. Lam, Baltimore Sun

Spec. Tim Hoskins Jr., center, a members of the 1729th Forward Support Maintenance Company of the Maryland National Guard, kisses his 15-month-old daughter Kayden, right, while embracing his wife Nicole, left, after returning home from his unit's year-long deployment to Iraq that was cut short.

Jerry Jackson/Baltimore Sun

Runners start the 11th annual Baltimore Marathon.

Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun

Pilot Rob Holland of Nashua, NH maneuvers his Veteran Home Loans MX2 plane along Ocean City (below) more than 3,000 feet above the Atlantic Ocean, the day before the 2011 OC Air Show. The picture was taken with a GoPro Digital camera mounted to the wing tip of the plane. The palm sized camera was programmed to automatically take a picture every three seconds.

Kenneth K. Lam/Baltimore Sun

IndyCar driver Will Power is congratulated by his crew after winning the inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix.

Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun

Ronald Boccio, 22, (BA Economics) lets people know he's looking for a job.

Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun

Caisson procession up Charles Street to Cathedral of Mary Our Queen for the officer that was killed by friendly fire.

Jed Kirschbaum/Baltimore Sun

Chanel Jenkins holds her granddaughter eight-month-old Jassira Jenkins outside the Clarence Mitchell Courthouse as people at court and in other downtown buildings evacuated their buildings after the earthquake.

Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun

A fan tries to catch a foul ball hit by Cardinals' Matt Holliday in the 5th inning.

Lloyd Fox, Baltimore Sun

Ravens' Lardarius Webb runs back a 4th quarter punt for a touchdown as Browns' #22 Buster Skrine can't make the tackle.

Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun

Christina Brittain, 27 from Perry Hall, says goodbye to her fiance, PFC Michael Harper, 32 at the the Deployment Ceremony for the C-CO 1-175th Infantry which was held at the Towson Armory. Soldiers will be going to Indiana for training, followed by a mission in The Sinai.

Jed Kirschbaum/Baltimore Sun

Rae, a five-year-old American Boxer, quenches her thirst in Patterson Park while on a walk with her owner Craig Rudolph of East Baltimore.

Amy Davis, Baltimore Sun

Baltimore City police evicted the Occupy Baltimore encampment at McKeldin Plaza in the early morning hours. Traffic was blocked from entering Light and Pratt Streets at the Inner Harbor, and police in riot gear surrounded the newly barricaded perimeter as the last protesters straggled out of their tents without incident.

Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun

Abrielle Benbo, 5, of Baltimore cools off in the water fountains next to the Baltimore Visitors Center at the Inner Harbor.

Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun

Robert Finn, 52, of Charles Village, a lifelong Baltimorean, watches the funeral of former Baltimore Mayor and state Gov. William Donald Schaefer at Old St. Paul Church, from across the street.

Kenneth K. Lam/Baltimore Sun

Mia Smothers, of Baltimore, tries to gain control of her umbrella, which was blown over by strong wind and snow. Smothers, who was returning home from work in College Park, gave up on the Number 5 bus she has waited for an hour and 20 minutes at a stop at W. Baltimore Street and Park Ave. She decided to try to call a cab.

Algerina Perna, Baltimore Sun

Mark Sanders portraid Edgar Allan Poe at Poe's Frightful Halloween! which was held at Westminster Hall, in the graveyard, and the Westminster Catacombs.

Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun

Jackson Thomsen, age 2, wore a shirt saying, "You want me to fix this mess?!" as he attended the protest with his mother, Mercedes Thomsen, (hand at left) and his step-grandfather, Jimmy Rouse, hand at right. The Occupy Wall Street anti-corporate greed movement arrived in Baltimore this afternoon, as protesters gathered at the Inner Harbor for "Occupy Baltimore."

Karl Merton Ferron, Baltimore Sun

Gilman Greyhounds defensive back Matt Tilley (background) follows Calvert Hall Cardinals running back Chet CJ Williams (5) who makes a reception in the second quarter. The Greyhounds stunned the Cardinals, scoring 21 unanswered points to win, 28-21.

Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun

Retired U.S. Marine Corps MSgt. Mark Gwathmey served 8 combat tours in his 21-year military career. He's suffered TBI (traumatic brain injury) from repetitive battlefield explosions; PTSD, and tremors from nerve damage. On the screen behind him is a picture of a soldier. For the past three years, he's had Larry, an English Lab cross who was trained by the organization, America's Vet Dogs, which helps disabled veterans. One of the things Larry does is warn him Gwathmey of his oncoming seizures.He also provides companionship for Gwathmey and his wife, CeCe.

Gene Sweeney Jr., Baltimore Sun

U2 lead singer Bono rocks M&T Stadium during a stop in Baltimore while on their 2011 world wide tour. Also performing was Florence and the Machine.

Lloyd Fox, Baltimore Sun

Manchester Valley's #20 Abbey Dasch slides to get the ball from a Brunswick player during the girls high school Class 1A state soccer finals.

Gene Sweeney Jr./Baltimore Sun

A scene from the infield prior to the 136th running of The Preakness.

Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun

Bilal Smith, a dancer and student at the Baltimore School for the Arts is spending the summer at the Dance Theatre of Harlem.

Jerry Jackson/Baltimore Sun

Tulips showcase the colors of spring in Guilford's Sherwood Garden.

Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun

Lorenzo "Truck" Simpson, 11 trains at Upton Boxing Center in Historic Pennsylvania Avenue.

Kim Hairston, Baltimore Sun

Captain Peter Bolster, director of shipboard operations for the Living Classrooms Foundation, leans out over the rail as (in boat, left to right, Samantha Dinsmore, mate on the Sigsbee, and Lisa Jones, director of shipboard education, help line up the wedges, as the ship is pulled into drydock for the winter. The pungy schooner will undergo extensive repairs.

Gene Sweeney Jr./Baltimore Sun

Snow clean-up from from Parkton in northern Baltimore county shows Steve Morgan cleaning off his wife's car after The Parkton area received a total of 12" of snow.

Gene Sweeney Jr./Baltimore Sun

Shown is IndyCar racing at their recent IndyCar series event in Ohio.

Gene Sweeney Jr./Baltimore Sun

Near the finish line, Shackleford holds off Animal Kingdom (blocked) in the 136th running of The Preakness

Kenneth K. Lam, Baltimore Sun

Navy player Mason Graham celebrates after Navy defeated Army by score of 27 to 21 in the 2011 Army Navy game.

Robert K. Hamilton, Baltimore Sun

A Baltimore city police officer renders a salute during pre-game ceremonies for the Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers opening game of the season. As part of the memorial a giant flag is unfurled for the playing of the national anthem commemorating the 10th anniversary of the attack on the United States on September 11, 2001.

Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun

Graduating Midshipmen and Marines toss their caps after receiving their diplomas during graduation and commissioning ceremonies at the U.S. Naval Academy.

Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun

The U.S.S. Constellation sails toward the Domino factory in Locust Point on its way to the Sparrows Point Shipyard for repairs. Two tugboat operators, Vane Brothers Towing and Smith Marine Towing (pictured), volunteered their services to move the Constellation today and the submarine Torsk on Sunday to a shared dry-dock.

Jed Kirschbaum/Baltimore Sun

Samara Nelson, 4, of Metro Delta Head Start, looks above a mirror in the Science Center.

Gene Sweeney Jr./Baltimore Sun

Baltimore Ravens vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers in AFC play-off action. Ravens' TJ Houshmandzadeh sits on the bench after the game. he dropped what would have been a first down in the Ravens final play of their final drive.

Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun

Celia Rose Gieszl, 5 of Baltimore pictured with her flowering hat and extra large artificial sunflowers. The 100th year of the Baltimore Flower Mart.

Lloyd Fox, Baltimore Sun

Poly's #1 Jamal Chappell and #52 Artemus Davis celebrate their 22-16 victory over City. City vs. Poly H.S. football in their 123rd meeting at M&T Bank Stadium.

Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun

An unidentified woman weeps at a vigil at Woodlawn High School that was held for Sean Gamble, 22, who was killed by police on Sunday outside the Select Lounge in the 400 block of N. Paca St.

Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun

A bird swoops through the infield (with second base in lower frame) as the Baltimore Orioles take part in workout at the Orioles' spring training complex.

Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun

Nathaniel Choi, 5, Ellicott City, searches for ripe blackberries to pick at Larriland farm.

Kenneth K. Lam/Baltimore Sun

Yoga instructor Jessica Rodgers, center, teaches a free yoga class at the Inner Harbor. Charm City Yoga, in partnership with Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore, offers a free yoga class on Saturday mornings at the Inner Harbor until end of summer. Over 50 people worked out during the hour-long class, from 9 to 10 a.m.

Karl Merton Ferron, Baltimore Sun

College student Brandie Cross holds a flag raised in distress, whose stars are instead symbols of large corporations, at the Occupy Baltimore site in McKeldin Square, across from the inner harbor.

Gene Sweeney Jr./Baltimore Sun

This is Racers Group Porsche, with Baltimore sponsors driven by Marc Bunting with co-driver Dion van Moltke. The car jumps the chicane during the ALMS race.

Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun

The public files into the Statehouse to pay their respects to Gov. William Donald Schaefer. After the public viewing at the Statehouse from 10am-2pm, the casket will be transported by motorcade to City Hall in Baltimore.

Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun

Megan Molnar of Canton (left) and her friend, Megan Kobuck (right) of Alexandria, VA lose control of their umbrella in Fells Point this afternoon. The rain begins to fall in Fells Point as Hurricane Irene makes it's way to Baltimore.

Barbara Haddock Taylor/Baltimore Sun

Sisters Cody Evans, 2, left, and Charlie Evans, 3, sit in the doorway of their home in west Baltimore, which is not air conditioned.

Karl Merton Ferron, Baltimore Sun

Left-handed pitcher Tsuyoshi Wada fields questions during a press conference at Oriole Park at Camden Yards to announce the signing of the Olympics bronze medalist from Japan, to a two-year contract.

Gene Sweeney Jr./Baltimore Sun

Championship lacrosse game action between Maryland and Virginia. Maryland's #22 Mark White and teammates reacts to their 9-7 loss to Virginia.

Jed Kirschbaum/Baltimore Sun

A plastic flamingo bends with the snow cover.

Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun

Harold Shapiro, 87, of Baltimore, will be inducted into the French Legion of Honor Monday 6/6 in a ceremony at the World War II memorial in Washington, D.C. Shapiro enlisted in1943 and saw action with the 26th Infantry Division, 104th Regiment in northern France, the Rhineland, and the Battle of the Bulge. He was injured in Saarlautern, Germany and evacuated to England, later returning to Czechoslovaki with the occupying forces before being discharged in 1946.

Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun

St. Louis Rams defensive back Darian Stewart (20) grits his teeth, swiping at Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice (27) who eludes his attempted tackle in the second quarter at Edward Jones Dome. The Ravens rammed past St. Louis, 37-7.

Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun

Baltimore Orioles center fielder Adam Jones warms up before playing against the Cleveland Indians at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

Kenneth K. Lam/Baltimore Sun

One-year-old Ryder Sowa, of Rosedale, eyes a piece of pancake as he and his family are among the people who partook of the annual Shrove Tuesday pancake supper at Prince of Peace Evangelical Lutheran Church in Rosedale. Congregations throughout the area mark the end of one festive season and the beginning of Lent with pancake suppers on Shove Tuesday, the eve of Lent.

Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun

April Betherl, 39, (facing camera) comforts those mourning the loss of 12-year-old Sean Johnson who was killed last week in a quadruple shooting. She was one of the team moms for the football team on which her son, Devon Horton, 14, and Sean played. A vigil was held at 1700 Cliftview Ave., the scene of the crime.

Kenneth K. Lam, Baltimore Sun

Ravens cheerleader perform during game against the Indianapolis Colts at M & T Bank Stadium.

Christopher T. Assaf, Baltimore Sun

Bengals cornerback Adam Jones, left, tackles Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith by his hair at the Bengals 41. Smith gained 28 yards on the Joe Flacco pass.

Barbara Haddock Taylor/Baltimore Sun

Dr. Ursula McClymont, left, shares a moment with patient Erica Earl of Baltimore, right, at the Baltimore Medical System clinic on Orleans street.

Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun

Otto, a Coquerel's sifaka, is the first offspring of Anastasia and Gratain, lemurs at the Baltimore Zoo.

Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun

Clarisa Allen, 5, looks imploringly at her mother, Jasetta Marshall, as they stand outside Allen's kindergarten classroom at Cherry Hill Elementary School. It is the first day of school and Marshall says her daughter is nervous about being in the class.

Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun

Quille Decker, left, a senior at Douglass H.S., and his friend, Kyiera Dunton, a senior at Coppin Academy, take a break after school in Druid Hill Park on a warm afternoon.

Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun

Keyaira Rhodes, 20, performs with the Dream Nation Marching Band at the 11th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade which began at the intersection of MLK and Eutaw St., and ended at MLK and Baltimore St.

Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun

Ernie Tyler Jr., the son of Ernie Tyler, kisses the casket of his father one last time at the Bel Air Memorial Gardens. Funeral liturgy and interment for longtime Orioles umpires' assistant Ernie Tyler, who died Friday at age 86. The funeral was held at St. Ingatius Church and the burial was held at Bel Air Memorial Gardens.

Jed Kirschbaum/Baltimore Sun

After a morning walk, camper Rebecca Wilson lets counselor Ronnie Meusel know how much she likes her and camp.

Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun

A rose rests at the base of the tomb of writer Edgar Allan Poe during a visit of actor Luke Evans, who plays detective Emmett Fields in the new film, "The Raven (2010)," a fictional movie about the final days of the novelist, who attempts to help Fields capture a serial killer who uses information from Poe's writings for the killing spree in Baltimore.

Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun

Dunbar #12 Aaron Haynes breaks up a pass play intended for City's #20 Deion Petty in the first half.

Karl Merton Ferron, Baltimore Sun

Terry Thompson helps conduct the Maryland Terrapins marching band in the halftime show in the final home game of the season at Byrd Stadium.

Lloyd Fox, Baltimore Sun

Baltimore Orioles' Brian Roberts talks about his time away from baseball due to the concussions he had while playing.

Barbara Haddock Taylor/Baltimore Sun

Members of the O'Malley family share a moment during the inauguration ceremony of Martin O'Malley as Governor of Maryland. Left to right: William O'Malley, Katie O'Malley and Jack, Governor Martin O'Malley.

Lloyd Fox, Baltimore Sun

Maryland National Guard Special Forces does a high altitude, low opening military free fall training from a C-27J aircraft at Phillips Army Airfield at Aberdeen Proving Grounds.

Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun

President Barack Obama greets students gathered in the cafeteria of Parkville Middle School and Center of Technology, after visiting an 8th grade science class with the Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, and Budget Director Jack Lew.

Lloyd Fox, Baltimore Sun

Towson University head football coach Rob Ambrose leads his team onto the field at Johnny Unitas Stadium. Towson University was about to kickoff their 2011 season against Morgan State Bears.

Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun

Pool chairs and recliners - dumped into the pool to prevent them from being swept away by hurricane-force winds - are retrieved by a staff worker at the Hilton hotel as the community begins returning to daily life following the overnight impact of Hurricane Irene. Ocean City "dodged a bullet," surviving with only minimal cosmetic damages and no reported injuries so far.

Jeffrey F. Bill/Baltimore Sun

Trent Evans from Catonsville, Md., gets an early start removing snow from his car this morning. A transplant from Texas, he said he never had to wake up to shoveling snow before moving to Maryland.

Amy Davis, Baltimore Sun

Santa's helpers, Bart Viguers, left, and Dan Kestler, center, carrying a boom box playing Christmas tunes, accompany friend Jason Toraldo, dressed as Santa, right, along Fort Avenue to deliver a Christmas tree in Locust Point. Jason Toraldo delivers Christmas trees and pulled pork sandwiches, and for local deliveries from his Federal Hill home he travels by bicycle. His business is called Pork-n-Pine.

Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun

Kenley Hewitt a third grader at the school reacts after her hair is cut off at the event. 57 students at the Immaculate Conception School in Towson getting their hair cut to be donated to the Pink Heart Fund. The organization makes wigs for kids with cancer.

Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun

Andy Zittrauer, 20, Columbus, GA, 12th Company, crawls through a muddy trench as he works his way through the Wet and Sandy event during Sea Trials. Naval Academy plebes test their physical and mental skills while working as a team during Sea Trials. The 14 hour challenge helps to reinforce their bonds as a company and class as they end their plebe year.

Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun

Alden's Malibu a horse at Country Life Farm in Bel Air, stands out in the snow covered field.

Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun

Caroline Trowbridge and Devon Minarik, both of Hunt Valley, kiss during as they are photographed at the National Aquarium, Baltimore, in front of the dolphin exhibit. They were married earlier and are having a round of wedding photos taken.

Kenneth K. Lam/Baltimore Sun

Tavon Blowe, 5, right, and step-brother Tyhiem Johnson, 8, cool off by playing in the water sprays at the kids' pool at Patterson Park pool. Baltimore City Department of Recreation and Parks opened the pool at Patterson Park to let people cool off from the over 90 degree heat.

Gene Sweeney Jr./Baltimore Sun

Baltimore Orioles teammates mob Nolan Reimold after he scored the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning to beat the Boston Red Sox, 4-3, at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland. The loss eliminated the Red Sox from playoff contention.

Gene Sweeney Jr./Baltimore Sun

Championship lacrosse game action between Maryland and Virginia. Virginia's #30 Bray Malphrus (mohawk) and teammates including Steele Stanwick (Right) hoist their championship trophy.

Kenneth K. Lam/Baltimore Sun

Stacy Hayward of Trumansbury, NY, holds Julio, a chihuahua sporting earplugs at the Baltimore Grand Prix.

Amy Davis, Baltimore Sun

Bonnie Wasserman, 63, of Pikesville, high-fives the supporters who lined the Survivors finish line at the Komen Maryland Race for the Cure. She is a 16 year cancer survivor.

Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun

At the USNA, plebes use each other for support for the Herndon monument climb. Plebes struggle in supporting each other for the Herndon monument climb. This is the ritual whereby the freshman class become midshipmen after the plebe hat called a "dixie cup" is removed from the top of the greased Herndon monument and replaced by midshipman's hat. It took 2 hours, forty-one minutes and thirteen seconds.

Baltimore Sun photo by Kenneth K. Lam

Baltimore Ravens football head coach John Harbaugh, right, demonstrates the intensity he wanted with player Davon Drew during rushing drill. The Baltimore Ravens held the team's first practice of the 2011 season training camp after several months of lockout.

Algerina perna, Baltimore Sun

Adam Pantel with Empire United Fencing from New York City, right, became the Champion for Men's Foil when he won the finals bout against Don Davis, left, from Rockville Fencing Academy in the Regional Open Circuit (ROC) Charm City Classic fencing tournament was held at UMBC.

Lloyd Fox, Baltimore Sun

Window washers cleaning the windows at the Charles Center building on Charles Street.

Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun

Homeowners on Overbrook Rd. clear their cars, sidewalks and the street after yesterday's snowstorm which dropped about 10 inches in the area.

Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun

The crowd who came to pay their respects in front of the Basilica of the Assumption is reflected in the hearse window carrying the body of the former Gov. William Donald Schaefer. At right is Michael J. Ruck, Jr. of Ruck Towson Funeral Home Inc. Schaefer's body laid in repose in the Annapolis State House today, followed by a tour of Baltimore sites that are part of his legacy. His casket was blessed outside the Basilica by Bishop Madden.

Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun

Bayhawks #11 Kyle Dixon (Left) is checked by a stick around the neck by Long Island's #18 Stephen Peyser (Right) in the first half of the Long Island Lizards vs. Chesapeake Bayhawks MLL lacrosse game at Navy-Marine Stadium.

Gene Sweeney Jr./Baltimore Sun

Baltimore Orioles third baseman Mark Reynolds goes airborne to retire Dustin Pedroia of the Boston Red Sox in the third inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland. The Red Sox defeated the Orioles, 6-2.

Gene Sweeney Jr, Baltimore Sun

Ravens #82 Torrey Smith catches this 36 yard pass from Joe Flacco in front of Cardinal defender #31 Richard Marshall. This set up the winning field goal as Baltimore won 30-27.

Karl Merton Ferron, Baltimore Sun

Brooks Robinson sits during the unveiling ceremony of a nine-foot statue, honoring the Baltimore Orioles legendary third baseman and Hall of Famer at the plaza in front of Pickles Pub across from Oriole Park at Camden Yards.