Birthday Party

On Nov. 2, three girls from Boonsboro joined together to celebrate their birthdays while helping support local children in need. Meghan Coffman, 14, Mariah Marshall, 13, and Lindsey Coffman, 10, have birthdays within 10 days of each other. This year, they decided to have a combined party and called it a “Triple Deluxe Dance Birthday Party.” Since each girl invited a group of friends, more than 25 guests attended. According to the girls, “We decided to take advantage of the fact that so many people were coming to our party.

City police are continuing to investigate a shooting at a birthday party early Sunday at a house on Guilford Avenue that resulted in the death of a 25-year-old Walkersville, Md., man, according to a Hagerstown Police Department spokesman. Although a department official said Sunday that investigators were getting cooperation from witnesses at the party regarding the shooting of Antonio Michael Joyner, Detective Sgt. Jim Hurd said Monday afternoon that police still do not have a suspect in the shooting.

When Vince Mussolino's family celebrated his 80th birthday, they used the occasion to honor his passion for animals by asking partygoers to bring items for the homeless pets at the Humane Society of Washington County.  On Oct. 19, Mussolino presented the animal-related items to the animal shelter. More than 100 people attended the Sept. 22 surprise birthday party at the Marlowe Ruritan Club in Falling Waters, W.Va.  The attendees brought a variety of animal-related items, which were donated by Mussolino.   “We knew that asking for donations for the humane society was a great way of honoring our father during this celebration,” said Tina Martin, Mussolino's daughter.

The number nine was lucky for the homeless pets at the Humane Society of Washington County when Abby Mason celebrated her birthday. Instead of asking for the usual goodies a 9-year-old girl would like, Abby asked for animal-related items that she could donate to the shelter. On May 5, Abby and 18 of her friends celebrated her birthday in style at the new Monkey Joe's on Maryland Avenue in Hagerstown. They enjoyed playing on inflatable obstacle courses and slides and dined on pizza and cake.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- A masked man armed with an assault-style rifle fired dozens of shots on a birthday party at a house in an inner-city Indianapolis neighborhood early Tuesday, killing two people and wounding six before fleeing, police said. Around 30 people were attending the birthday barbecue when the shooting happened shortly after midnight, Indianapolis police Lt. Jeff Duhamell said. A motive was not immediately known. A man and a woman died at the scene and six people were taken to the hospital in stable condition, including one partygoer who had been shot in the neck and another who was shot in the back, Duhamell said.

Pooch Plunge set for Wednesday The eighth annual Pooch Plunge will be Wednesday from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Claude M. Potterfield Pool, 730 Frederick St. in Hagerstown. The event benefits the Humane Society of Washington County. Admission for one dog plus one handler costs $5. Additional humans or pets will pay $2 each. For more information, call the shelter at 301-733-2060, ext. 239, or go to www.hswcmd.org . BowBow's 20th birthday The Humane Society of Washington County, at 13011 Maugansville Road in Hagerstown, will hold a birthday celebration for BowBow, a terrier mix adopted from the animal shelter 19 years ago. BowBow has been with the family since 1991.

For the second year in a row, Anastasia Jordan chose to help homeless animals to celebrate her birthday. On Feb. 4, she donated a vehicle-full of animal-related items to the Humane Society of Washington County. The party was held at The Improved Order of Red Men Tribe 84 in Williamsport and most of her fellow third-grade schoolmates came to the party.  The theme of the party was football teams and everyone in attendance donned their favorite team's jersey.  The Red Men Riders donated a $100 gift card from PetSmart to the shelter in Anastasia's honor.

HAGERSTOWN -- It wasn't your typical birthday party. Sure, there was fun, food and music - but the guest of honor was nowhere to be found. He's been dead for more than 200 years. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , child prodigy and composer of some of the world's most beloved symphonies and choral works, would have been 252 years old this month. To mark the occasion, a large crowd gathered Monday night at Hempen Hill BBQ Bar & Grill to salute the music genius and raise money for The Maryland Symphony Orchestra . The event began about 13 years ago when Hagerstown resident Phil Kelly and several of his friends decided to get together to socialize and listen to Mozart's music.

karenh@herald-mail.com SMITHSBURG - With a classroom full of baby dolls, Randi Leydig realized she probably had enough toys. For her birthday, she wanted to help her school. About 40 students and their families attended a birthday party/dance for Randi, who asked that attendees donate money instead of bringing gifts. The party raised about $425, which will be used to pay for some things on Old Forge Elementary School Principal John Festerman's wish list - three concrete benches for the playground and child-friendly furniture like bean bags for the library, Randi and her mother Karen Leydig said.

HAGERSTOWN - All Sabrina Gibson wanted was to throw her two sons a special birthday party. What she got was a day she never will forget. Last September, Gibson's son, Aedan, who was 8 at the time, was in the emergency room for the fifth time complaining of a headache and swelling joints. A blood test finally revealed the cause of all of the pain. Aedan had leukemia. With youngest son Conner's 4th birthday in May and Aedan's 9th birthday approaching in June, Gibson thought it would be nice if they could see an airplane up close, and on a whim, she e-mailed Greg Larsen at Hagerstown Regional Airport.

A 26-year-old man is accused of sexually assaulting a woman after a birthday party over the weekend, according to Berkeley County Magistrate Court records. Darryl Fountaine Clinksdale II, no fixed address, was arraigned Tuesday on one count of second-degree sexual assault by Magistrate JoAnn Overington, according to court documents. Clinksdale was allowed early Sunday into the residence where the victim was staying upon returning from the party, but another woman who lived there told police he wasn't supposed to stay, according to court documents.

On Nov. 2, three girls from Boonsboro joined together to celebrate their birthdays while helping support local children in need. Meghan Coffman, 14, Mariah Marshall, 13, and Lindsey Coffman, 10, have birthdays within 10 days of each other. This year, they decided to have a combined party and called it a “Triple Deluxe Dance Birthday Party.” Since each girl invited a group of friends, more than 25 guests attended. According to the girls, “We decided to take advantage of the fact that so many people were coming to our party.

When Vince Mussolino's family celebrated his 80th birthday, they used the occasion to honor his passion for animals by asking partygoers to bring items for the homeless pets at the Humane Society of Washington County.  On Oct. 19, Mussolino presented the animal-related items to the animal shelter. More than 100 people attended the Sept. 22 surprise birthday party at the Marlowe Ruritan Club in Falling Waters, W.Va.  The attendees brought a variety of animal-related items, which were donated by Mussolino.   “We knew that asking for donations for the humane society was a great way of honoring our father during this celebration,” said Tina Martin, Mussolino's daughter.

A Hagerstown man wanted for the June 24 killing at a birthday party in Hagerstown was arrested on drug and firearm charges last week in Baltimore, according to Baltimore City District Court records. Marcus Deon Longus, 18, formerly of 1036 Ross St., was taken into custody Friday on charges, including use of a firearm in a drug trafficking crime, possession with intent to distribute narcotics, false statements to a police officer and other drug and firearm charges, court records said.

Activities and programs scheduled for Monday, Sept. 24, through Friday, Sept. 28, at senior citizens centers in Washington County, Md., and Franklin County, Pa.: Maryland Francis Murphy 20014 Rosebank Way, Hagerstown 240-313-9300, ext. 154 Nutrition education - Monday, 9:30 a.m. How to stay safe in the hospital with Ita Kavanagh - Tuesday, 10 a.m. Cards or games - Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. Nutrition education:...

City police are continuing to investigate a shooting at a birthday party early Sunday at a house on Guilford Avenue that resulted in the death of a 25-year-old Walkersville, Md., man, according to a Hagerstown Police Department spokesman. Although a department official said Sunday that investigators were getting cooperation from witnesses at the party regarding the shooting of Antonio Michael Joyner, Detective Sgt. Jim Hurd said Monday afternoon that police still do not have a suspect in the shooting.

On Oct. 29, Autumn Grabill, 7, held her birthday party at Mikie's Ice Cream and Green Cow Restaurant in Greencastle, Pa. Autumn invited many family members and friends. Autumn received 18 presents, all of which she donated to the U.S. Marines' Toys for Tots program. Tom Hazlett, Toys for Tots chairman of the Landis McCleaf Detachment, Marine Corps League in Franklin County, Pa., donated the toys to the Antietam Detachment, Marine Corps League in Washington County. The toys were eventually donated to needy children in Washington County.

For the second year in a row, Anastasia Jordan chose to help homeless animals to celebrate her birthday. On Feb. 4, she donated a vehicle-full of animal-related items to the Humane Society of Washington County. The party was held at The Improved Order of Red Men Tribe 84 in Williamsport and most of her fellow third-grade schoolmates came to the party.  The theme of the party was football teams and everyone in attendance donned their favorite team's jersey.  The Red Men Riders donated a $100 gift card from PetSmart to the shelter in Anastasia's honor.

When asked, most 7-year-old boys would probably identify a long list of items they would like to receive as birthday presents. That list might include video games, Matchbox cars, LEGOs or professional sports apparel.   Connor Rohm of Greencastle, Pa., put together a very different list for his birthday. Instead of gifts, he asked his friends to make donations to one of his favorite places, the Boys & Girls Club of Washington County. “It was his idea, so instead of making a wish list of birthday presents, we asked his friends and their families to make donations to the Boys & Girls Club,” said Julie Rohm, Connor's mother and a volunteer at the club.

By ANNE CHOVEY Special to The Herald-Mail The website for Fratelli Italian Pizzeria & Grill states, "Fratelli Restaurant is here to serve good food in a family atmosphere. " That sounded like a good invitation to me, so my friend Pap Ricka and I stopped in for dinner. Fratelli's has a cheerful exterior in one of the units in the South Pointe Shopping Center, on Oak Ridge Drive in Hagerstown. To the left of the front door is an outdoor eating area with tables and chairs under umbrellas.