Beer

People gathered at Municipal Stadium Thursday night for the Hagerstown Suns Beer Tasting Festival.

Another day, another aviation hero. Flight attendant Steve Slater might not get the national love and acclaim of Capt. Sully, but in my mind he's just as worthy, after he did a full Anthony Weiner on an obnoxious passenger before activating the plane's inflatable emergency slide and jumping out, popping a beer as he went. That's inspiring on so many levels that I barely know where to start. It's gotta rank in the top five ways to quit your job. The only way it could have been better would have been if the plane were still in the air and he had been sitting on a nuclear bomb.

CHAMBERSBURG, PA. - Move over, Michelob. Make room, Miller. There's a new beer in town. A couple of them actually, and the time to roll out the barrel is approaching. In a matter of weeks, suds connoisseurs will be able to ask their favorite barkeep to pull the handle on a pair of new brews - Lovitz Watermelon Lager and White Horse Hefeweizen - produced by the Roy-Pitz Brewing Co. "We actually condition it with fresh, locally grown watermelon," Jesse Rotz said of the Lovitz Watermelon Lager.

As a way to stimulate business, Hagerstown officials are considering a new policy that would allow the sale of beer at its public golf course. City Engineer Rodney Tissue took two suggestions before the Hagerstown City Council on Tuesday to outline the idea. During the discussion, Tissue said the city could allow third-party catering companies to serve food and drinks for groups playing in tournaments at the course. The caterers would have to offer wine or beer under their own licenses, he said.

My great-great-grandfather John William Walters was a Lieutenant in Company "B" of the 2nd Virginia Infantry. He was killed on Oct. 19, 1864, at the battle of Belle Grove just down Interstate 81 below Winchester, Va. Lt. Walters was just 38 years old. He was supporting his government on the issue of slavery. His son, John Newton Waters, my great-grandfather, decided that Waters sounded better than Walters so he dropped the "l" and thus my family name became Waters instead of Walters.

Bowl about beer, Ravens and revenge Leave my quarterback unbroken Don't turn him into dust and gore Take thy cleats from out my heart And take thy logo off my door Quoth the Ravens, "Never score. " (Memo to eighth-grade English teachers: Be careful what you make your kids read - they may actually remember it 25 years later and put it to thoroughly inappropriate use.) Solace? Perhaps. I used to split my affections between the Vikings and the Colts before Irsay's moving vans came.

Liquor, beer seized from Moose Lodge CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - More than 135 cases of beer and 122 liters of liquor were seized from a club in Mercersburg, Pa., after a search at noon Wednesday found that the establishment was selling alcoholic beverages without a liquor license, according to Pennsylvania State Police. A search warrant was served at the Mercersburg Moose Lodge, 11300 Ft. Loudon Rd., in Montgomery Township, following an investigation by liquor enforcement officers assigned to the Harrisburg district office of the State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement, police said.

Update: Due to Thursday's rain, the Hagerstown Suns postponed their Beer & Wine Tasting Festival to Saturday from 3-6 p.m. Those with tickets to the event will be able to use them Saturday, and advance tickets will go back on sale for $15, effective immediately. Tickets will be sold on the day of the event for $18. -------------------------- Benjamin Franklin once said, "Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. " You've probably tried the top-selling beers.

CHAMBERSBURG, PA. -- Move over, Michelob. Make room, Miller. There's a new beer in town. A couple of them actually, and the time to roll out the barrel is approaching. In a matter of weeks, suds connoisseurs will be able to ask their favorite barkeep to pull the handle on a pair of new brews - Lovitz Watermelon Lager and White Horse Hefeweizen - produced by the Roy-Pitz Brewing Co. "We actually condition it with fresh, locally grown watermelon," Jesse Rotz said of the Lovitz Watermelon Lager.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - The Chambersburg Borough Council on Monday just said "no" to the transfer of a malted and brewed beverage license to a proposed site in the Third Ward after hearing the objections of community residents. Michael Hennessy of Chambersburg applied for an intermunicipal transfer of a license from an unnamed Washington Township licensee to a proposed business he plans to open in the 600 block of South Main Street. The request was denied on a unanimous vote of the eight council members in attendance.

Jesse Rotz and Ryan Richards are living the dream. The two Chambersburg friends, pals since grade school, have managed to parlay their passion for beer into a lucrative business. Since 2008 when the Roy-Pitz Brewing Co. at 140 N. Third St., sold its first keg, business has more than quadrupled for the 29-year-old entrepreneurs. What began five years ago as a small, manufacturing facility housed in what was once a hosiery plant off an obscure alley has emerged as a beer business that's all the buzz.

Root Beer Float Cupcakes 2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup butter 1 1/2 cups sugar 3 eggs 1 tablespoon root beer extract 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 1/4 cup root beer 6 candy sticks for straws Preheat oven to 350 degrees In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl, blend butter until fluffy. Slowly add sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla and root beer extract.

A bill that would allow Sunday sales of beer and wine to begin at 10 a.m. died Wednesday in the House of Delegates, according to the legislation's lead sponsor. Wednesday was the deadline for bills that originated in the House and Senate to pass out of their respective chambers. “I'm very sorry about it,” Del. Stephen Skinner, D-Jefferson, said of House Bill 2946. “I'm not going to stop fighting for it.” Current state law now only allows alcohol sales on Sunday to begin after 1 p.m. Advocates of the legislation included the owners of the Bavarian Inn in Shepherdstown, W.Va., where patrons cannot order a glass of champagne or other alcoholic beverage with their Sunday brunch until the dining part is more than halfway through.

I have no problem with arming America, as outlined by the NRA last week. If you want to put guns in schools, churches and manned missions to Mars, I am all for it. Only one condition: If we require universal gun ownership, then we need to outlaw beer. Guns, fine. Beer, fine. Guns and beer together, what are you, nuts? Walking into a liquor store with a gun strapped to your belt just strikes me as a problem waiting to happen. The clerk is going to need some immediate clarification: Are you here to rob me or do you just want to enjoy a few pulls off a bottle of Schnapps while you pluck nuts off a hickory tree?

Northbound Interstate 270 southeast of Frederick was closed for more than six hours Thursday morning after a tractor-trailer carrying beer overturned and spilled its cargo onto the highway, Maryland State Police said. The accident on I-270 near Exit 22, the Md. 109 (Old Hundred Road) interchange about eight miles southeast of Frederick, was reported at about 4:10 a.m., according to a state police news release. The three northbound traffic lanes of I-270 had reopened by 10:45 a.m., according to the Maryland Department of Transportation's traffic alert website.

As a way to stimulate business, Hagerstown officials are considering a new policy that would allow the sale of beer at its public golf course. City Engineer Rodney Tissue took two suggestions before the Hagerstown City Council on Tuesday to outline the idea. During the discussion, Tissue said the city could allow third-party catering companies to serve food and drinks for groups playing in tournaments at the course. The caterers would have to offer wine or beer under their own licenses, he said.

If you more or less came into this world with the commencement of the first Super Bowl, you watch warily as the Roman numerals become longer and more complex with each passing year. You realize that you are no longer a young XV yourself, but have moved on into joint-challenged CVLIIXIIVII territory. You can also track your age rather accurately by corresponding it to Super Bowl start times. If you can remember the days when the Super Bowl started at 2 p.m., well, help yourself to Medicare.

The Washington County liquor board has issued a license to a new business in Hancock to sell alcohol. During a hearing in Hagerstown Wednesday, the Board of License Commissioners for Washington County granted a license to the Blue Goose Fruit Market & Bakery at 557 E. Main St. in Hancock, to sell beer and wine. Blue Goose owner Penny Pittman said she intends to use the license to sell only wines from local wineries. Pittman said the business, which sells fruits, gourmet foods and baked goods, opened Nov. 21. - Dan Dearth

This is no time to politicize and legislate personhood To the editor: Nearly 50 years ago, the Supreme Court in the Griswold case indicated individuals were entitled to privacy in their most intimate relations into which government might not intrude. I would suggest that the recent failed efforts to legislate personhood are designed to counter that ruling with respect to women. Proposed personhood legislation would impact much of family planning and birth control.

Pennsylvania beer lovers will soon have more time to buy beer on Sundays under a bill that lawmakers approved with bipartisan support Wednesday and sent to the governor. The legislation, which originally sought to create a liquor license for small Pennsylvania distilleries, was amended without fanfare in the Senate to include a potpourri of changes to the state liquor code. The Senate approved the amended version 40-9 and the House followed suit a short time later, 170-32. Gov. Tom Corbett plans to sign the bill, spokesman Gary Miller said.