Paul L. Swartz is a Washington County Commissioner.
Augustoberfest was a smashing success!
To the editor:
Yes it was, but it could not have happened if it had not been for the so very talented board working so hard and giving their time and expertise to benefit the festival.
From the logistics to the entertainment, from the marketing over the food and beverage department, from the great cooperation of City Hall to the helpers from the County and let's not forget the most important, the ever-so-generous sponsors and many volunteers and "Spitzklickers," everyone tirelessly worked these two days, instead of having fun and partying.
I also want to thank our 41 visitors from Wesel, Germany who traveled to Hagerstown at their own expense to help celebrate Augustoberfest and to strengthen the relationship of being Hagerstown's Sister City.
Thank you for Wesel's Mayor, his Honor Joern Schroh and his wife for officially visiting Hagerstown for the first time, and to Lt. Gov. Kathleen Townsend, for the good wishes conveyed to us by her and our good friend Mrs. Kathleen Hall, and for the effort to appear in person our Congressman, Rep. Roscoe Bartlett and his wife.
A "thank you" to the media for their kind and extensive reports!
A salute and a word of appreciation is due to the so very attractive performance and participation of the Color Guard of our fire department.
My sincerest "thank you" goes out to all who made this as great as it is.
If you were there and had a good time, do drop us a card and we will inform you of the date of the next Augustoberfest.
Thanks to all the above mentioned to make a festival of this magnitude happen in Hagerstown.
Charles Sekula
Chairman
Augustoberfest Charitable Foundation C&O Canal days
To the editor:
Your feature article of Aug. 26 describing the installation of new lock gates at the canal at Williamsport brought back memories.
In the early 1920s I and several youthful companions frequently stopped at the lock on our way to and from a favorite swimming spot nearby. There we watched enthralled as one of the canal boats entered the steep stone structure. A member of the Brant family, as noted in your article, manipulated the large levers atop the gates that controlled the flow of water in or out of the lock depending upon the direction in which the boat traveled.
The canal and its environs assumed a vital role in the economic and recreational life of the community in those early days. A dozen or more families whom I knew "boated" on the canal for their livelihood. Several coal and construction supply firms bordered the waterway. Swimming and ice skating and strolling the towpath were popular diversions, while the town baseball team, precursor to the famed Williamsport Wildcats, entertained weekend crowds on the broad plain between the canal and the Potomac River. Those were the days.
Abner Kaplan
Baltimore
Ag Expo says thanks to all who helped us with annual event
To the editor:
The Washington County Ag Expo Board of Directors wish to express their gratitude to the staff of the Herald Mail for their excellent coverage of the 2000 Ag Expo. The extra effort from the advertising, news and photography departments was greatly appreciated.
We also thank NBC 25 for their coverage before and during the fair.
Thanks also to WJEJ, WARK, WARX and WRNR for the additional interviews with the Ag Expo Queen to promote the fair, and thanks to Stacy Drake and WYII for planning Ag Expo's first talent show, which was a great success.
To all the volunteers and sponsors, thank you for helping make this another successful year.
See you next year, August 4 - 10, 2001! Joanna Calimer Publicity and Advertising Washington County Ag Expo
Good music lives!
To the editor:
If you are looking for a good listening station check out WMRE-AM 1550 - it's a gem!
Jackie Dailey
Inwood, W.Va.
