Looking for clues in church

Hagerstown great-grandmother wins 10th annual landmarks contest

August 19, 2006|by JULIE E. GREENE

Millie Keith and her family have been trying to win The Herald-Mail's annual landmarks contest for three years.

In their first two tries, they couldn't find all the architectural features highlighted in the photos.

"Each year the one we missed has been on a church. So we were bound and determined to check out all the churches this year because we thought maybe the Man Upstairs was trying to tell us something," says Keith, 62, who lives on North Cannon Avenue in Hagerstown.

Their efforts paid off as Keith's entry - one of 53 total entries - won the 10th annual contest and the $300 prize. Keith's entry was randomly drawn from 36 correct entries.

Keith was assisted in her search by daughters Lisa Henicle, 42, and Diane Lichtenberg, 46, and grandchildren Millie Lichtenberg, 16, Jake Lichtenberg, 15, and Ashley McElroy, 11, all of Hagerstown.

Four other family members also submitted entries.

Keith will apply the winnings to the family's summer vacation next year. They usually rent a place in Ocean City, Md., for a week.

Family members walked around downtown Hagerstown in groups to look for the clues. In all, the family searched three to four hours a day for four days.

Keith says she found the last clue, at First Hagerstown Hose Co., by herself on a Saturday morning.

Some of the clues were difficult to find because of the way they were photographed, she says. The clues might look bigger or smaller than they actually are, so much scrutinizing was needed.

While she has 13 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren, she's not retired yet.

She works in the student financial aid department at Hagerstown Community College, where she also is a student studying for an associate's degree in business science.

"I always wanted to go to college and never had the chance," the sophomore says. "Now I do."

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