'Star-Spangled Spectacular' celebration to be televised live on PBS

Baltimore's celebration of the 200th anniversary of the penning of "The Star-Spangled Banner" will be broadcast live during a two-hour episode of PBS' "Great Performances" series on Sept. 13.

The show is set for 8 p.m. and will be broadcast live from the Inner Harbor and Fort McHenry.

"We are delighted to be Maryland's lead story teller, especially during this banner year," Steven J. Schupak, chief content officer at Maryland Public Television, said in a press release. "'Star-Spangled Spectacular' will be a dynamic, moving and memorable prime-time entertainment special."

The show, a co-production of Star-Spangled 200, Inc., Maryland Public Television and Dick Clark Productions, will include coverage of a concert at Pier Six Pavilion and ceremonial activities at Fort McHenry, concluding with a fireworks display.

The talent lineup for the Pier Six concert should be announced this summer, Star-Spangled 200 spokeswoman Jill Feinberg said.

The city's Star-Spangled Spectacular celebration, which will run Sept. 6-16 at the Inner Harbor and elsewhere, marks the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Baltimore during the War of 1812 with Great Britain. While being held on a British ship in Baltimore harbor, lawyer Francis Scott Key witnessed the bombardment of Fort McHenry on the night of Sept. 13, 1814. When, the next morning, he saw an American flag still flying over the fort, he was inspired to write the poem that was later put to music and adopted as the U.S. national anthem.