APRIL IS SHAPING UP to be a busy month in Annapolis and south county.

If you like to tour homes and gardens, view inspiring art, fly kites, listen to jazz, run road races or swing a hammer to help a neighbor, there's something for you in this quick preview of events.

Art show at Maryland Hall

Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts will play host to a reception from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. April 9 to celebrate the opening of a Hallway Gallery show featuring works from the Providence Art Institute.

On display for the show, which runs through May 15, are the works of artists with disabilities who have taken classes with the institute.

Information: Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, 801 Chase St., Annapolis, 410-263-5544.

House & Garden Pilgrimage

The 62nd annual Maryland House & Garden Pilgrimage will feature a number of homes in Annapolis and south county, according to Keren Dement, one of the tour organizers in the county.

"Three centuries of eclectic architecture are represented on the tour as it winds through the rolling countryside," she says.

The self-guided tour runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 17, rain or shine.

Among the 14 sites are homes in the Downs near Edgewater and the Annearrundell County Free School in Davidsonville.

The Free School dates to 1724, and it served the whole county until the Civil War. Now owned by the Board of Education, the building was restored by volunteers from the Anne Arundel County Retired Teachers Association.

The school is at 1298 Lavall Drive in Davidsonville, and it's worth a visit, even if you're not going on the pilgrimage.

Proceeds from the House & Garden Pilgrimage will benefit the Rising Sun Inn, a tavern built in 1753 on Generals Highway in Millersville. The inn is owned by the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Tour tickets are $20, and include a guidebook. Information: House & Garden Pilgrimage, 1105-A Providence Road, Baltimore 21286, 410-821-6933.

Go fly a kite

Esther Slaff is hoping for breezy weather for the second Great Kite Fly at St. John's College April 17.

This year's event will begin with a kite-building workshop from 10 a.m. to noon at the boathouse on College Creek. Kids and adults can learn to make kites and then fly them from noon to 3: 30 p.m.

There also will be competitions, displays of exotic kites, kite fights, kite ballet and acrobatic kite maneuvers.

"Last year, we had visitors who saw all of the huge, colorful kites flying over the campus while driving down Route 50, and they told us they just had to stop by to join the fun," Esther says.

The event is sponsored by the Friends of St. John's College and coordinated by the Maryland Kite Society, with assistance from the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association, the Anne Arundel Medical Center, and G & G Outfitters.

Information and workshop registration: 410-626-2881.

A jazzy birthday bash

In celebration of Duke Ellington's 100th birthday, jazz vocalist Ethel Ennis will perform at 8 p.m. April 17 at Maryland Hall.

Tickets for "A Salute to Duke" are $25 for reserved seating or $50 for reserved seating and an intermission reception. Proceeds will benefit First Night Annapolis, the New Year's Eve celebration of the arts. Ennis will be accompanied by the Baltimore Jazz Orchestra. And since it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing, there will be a swing dance performance, too.

Cherry Pit race

The Annapolis Striders will hold its 19th annual Cherry Pit 10-mile Race at 8 a.m. April 18. The race will begin and end at South River High School in Edgewater, with a lot of running over the rolling hills of south county in between.

"Last year there were 149 finishers," says Melvin Gross of Severn, who's organizing the run along with Bob Burash, also from Severn. The best time was just under 56 minutes.

The race is open to men and women, members of the Annapolis Striders or nonmembers.

Registration information: 410- 551-8996 or 410-551-5774.

A few good volunteers

The Eastport Business Association is looking for volunteers for its "Christmas in April" project April 24.

The group will join with the Eastport Civic Association and the Maritime Republic of Eastport to sponsor the renovation of a home on Chester Avenue owned by an elderly neighbor.

There are jobs for all skill levels, and you can work all day or just part of the day. To join the fun, call Wayne Speight at 410-267-7890.

Pub Date: 3/29/99