Arbor Day

Redbud Weekend BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. -The Fifth Annual Redbud Weekend is held in conjunction with Arbor Day and Earth Day. Ends today, 1 to 4 p.m. at Cabin By O'Briens. Pick up tour information at Berkeley Springs Visitors Center, 127 Fairfax St. Call 877-628-6424. 'The Sound of Music' CLEAR SPRING - Clear Spring High School Drama Department presents "The Sound of Music. " 2 p.m. Clear Spring High School. $7; $5 for students. Behind the Scenes at the Hager House A children's program to learn about the scenes of an historic house and museum.

Inmates with Maryland Correctional Enterprises, the prison industry arm of the Maryland Division of Correction, planted trees Wednesday morning at Antietam National Battlefield and at the Maryland Correctional Institution. They were joined by Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services Secretary Gary D. Maynard. Maynard has said the Arbor Day observance is intended to launch a campaign by the department to plant 1 million trees across the state. Part of Maynard's plan involves having what on Tuesday he termed "tree farms" at several state prisions, including MCI. He said having such tree farms would give inmates a chance to work and learn a skill, as well as giving them something to tend and care for.

Employees and inmates from the three state prisons south of Hagerstown will be among Maryland Division of Correction personnel who will plant more than 4,000 trees Wednesday across Maryland. The Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services says the Arbor Day observance will launch a campaign by the department to plant 1 million trees across the state. Inmates from Maryland Correctional Enterprises will plant 150 trees at Antietam National Battlefield after a ceremony at 8 a.m. At 10 a.m., staff and inmates from the prisons will hold a brief ceremony before planting trees at Antietam Creek and at the stone house administrative offices next to Maryland Correctional Institution.

Arbor Day poster contest under way in W.Va. CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Officials at the Division of Forestry are now accepting submissions for the 2009 West Virginia Arbor Day Poster Contest. This year's theme is "Trees are Terrific . . . in Cities and Towns!" The contest is open to all public, private and home-schooled fifth-grade students in West Virginia. The first-place poster will automatically be a finalist in the national competition, and the artist will receive a $100 U. S. Savings Bond from the West Virginia Forestry Association and have a tree planted in his or her honor at the school.

Employees from Citi Hagerstown partnered with the Citicorp Family Center and planted three pin oak trees on the center's lawn May 1 in celebration of Arbor Day. Before the trees were planted, Citi Hagerstown Site President Deb Gorbsky explained the significance of the holiday to the children. Darnell Shaffer, child-care center team leader, said the children dedicated the trees to some special people. The first tree, tied with a pink ribbon, honored the memory of Betty Clopper, an educator and child advocate who often visited the center and read to the children.

Free mental-health workshop offered Creating Common Ground is the theme of a free workshop Saturday, Oct. 22, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Elgin Station Community Center in Hagerstown. Designed for parents, the workshop will be hosted by the Washington County Community Partnership for Children and Families. The goal is to suggest ways to meet the mental-health needs of children and youth in Washington County. There will be a light breakfast, a question-and-answer period, door prizes and continuing education credits.

Council eyes building permit extensions The Hagerstown City Council is considering a proposal that would allow people to get extensions for building permits. Unexpected building delays, such as contaminated soil, was one of the issues that the City Council discussed Tuesday that might merit an extension. Councilwoman Kelly S. Cromer warned that if the city grants extensions to one developer, it should offer extensions to all others to avoid a lawsuit. City Attorney John Urner agreed.

Williamsport's efforts to be a greener town have netted it a "Tree City USA" designation, officials said at a Williamsport Town Council meeting this week. The town received a $15,000 grant from the Chesapeake Bay Trust and used the money to plant an additional 175 trees in town, Maryland Department of Natural Resources spokesman Becky Wilson said in a presentation Monday night before council members and Mayor James G. McCleaf II. Pruning tools were also purchased for town employees, and the workers were given some training on how to properly trim trees, McCleaf said.

The second annual Shepherd University Arbor Day was held on April 7. Trees were planted, several in memory of former Shepherd faculty members. Faculty members from the campus tree Ccommittee along with 12 student volunteers from Tri-Beta, the Biology Honor Society, and the Shepherdstown Environmental Organization planted the trees. Several trees were planted in the Town Garden, between White and Knutti Halls, including a redbud tree donated by Judi McIntyre. A serviceberry tree, in memory of  Ray Harris, a former biology faculty member, and a weeping mulberry tree, in memory of William Reese, the first chair of the biology department who died in 1929 were planted.