Last night, Fern Shen, editor and founder of this website, was dragooned by her associates to the green pastures of Hunt Valley, to receive The Daily Record’s award as one of “50 Influential Marylanders.”

The ceremony took place at the Grand Masonic Lodge of Maryland where Shen was given a very nice plaque and sampled blue-colored cocktails and seared pork belly under twinkling gold chandeliers.

“Oh my god, the pork belly was good,” she said. “I porked out on two of them.”

A committee of editors selected 50 Marylanders for making “truly significant contributions” in their professional fields and serving as leaders in the state.

Last night’s awards were handed out by Daily Record publisher Suzanne Fischer-Huettner and executive editor Tom Linthicum.

Others feted at the honors banquet, attended by more than 200 people, included Alan M. Wilner, retired judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals; David Wilson, president of Morgan State University; Frank Cho, comic book writer; James Cusack, co-owner of the Charles and Senator theaters; and Mary Corey, director of content of The Baltimore Sun. More here.

This morning Shen was back on the beat, covering a meeting on traffic light signaling in East Baltimore (the subject of a post Tuesday) organized by City Councilman James B. Kraft.

On Sunday, you can ride alongside her as The Brew co-hosts with Baltimore Bicycle Works the fourth annual May Day Roll through the city’s industrial zones.