Cabin Fever

John Wesley United Methodist Church, at 129 N. Potomac St. in Hagerstown, will host a cabin fever picnic Saturday, Jan. 28, from noon to 4 p.m. It will include bingo, beanbag toss, miniature golf, spoon races, a sing-along, door prizes and other activities. The menu includes burgers, hot dogs, potato salad, macaroni salad, baked beans, chips, beverage and a sundae bar. Tickets cost $8 for adults and $4 for those ages 4 to 12. Those younger than 4 will be admitted free. The public is invited.

Cabin fever picnic planned at John Wesley John Wesley United Methodist Church, at 129 N. Potomac St. in Hagerstown, will host a cabin fever picnic Saturday, Jan. 28, from noon to 4 p.m. It will include bingo, beanbag toss, miniature golf, spoon races, a sing-along, door prizes and other activities. The menu includes burgers, hot dogs, potato salad, macaroni salad, baked beans, chips, beverage and a sundae bar. Tickets cost $8 for adults and $4 for those ages 4 to 12. Those younger than 4 will be admitted free.

The Potomac Center gets state funding for its services for intellectually disabled clients, but center officials say they continually have to go to the community to raise money for all their clients' needs. Hearing aids, literacy training and transportation services are among the needs that must be met through fundraising, said Lisa Lynn, volunteer coordinator for the Potomac Center on Marshall Street. The annual Leap Out of Cabin Fever event was held at Cortland Mansion Sunday afternoon to raise money for the center, which serves about 58 clients.

This is the winter of Ruth Murphy's discontent. With month after month of snow, ice and frigid temperatures, the 75-year-old woman is having trouble staying positive. But it wasn't always that way. There was a time when Murphy enjoyed brisk weather, sledding with her children and family ski trips. But age, failing eyesight and arthritis have changed her lifestyle. Instead of taking to the outdoors, she takes to her house. "With health problems, I feel safer staying put,"  Murphy said.

Cabin fever? Does winter give you cabin fever? Is there really such a thing? Cabin fever is a well-known phenomenon, says Ron Pike, a social worker at the Mental Health Center in Hagerstown. "Just ask the people who are dumb enough to live in Michigan," he jokes. Seasonal affective disorder - SAD - is something that has been getting more attention in recent years, Pike says. He thinks that people who are predisposed to being anxious and depressed are more likely to suffer from this winter ill. It really is important that people know that SAD does happen and be proactive if they feel themselves becoming more depressed day after day. Some of the symptoms are a change in your eating and sleeping habits, being irritable or sad without a specific triggering event, and having recurring bouts of sadness during the winter, when is dark outside for more hours of the day. Tips for getting glad: remain active.

Officials at the Potomac Center say it is important to get intellectually disabled residents at the facility out in the community. Residents are taken to movies, restaurants and stores as part of an effort to help them return to life in society. But finding dependable transportation for the residents can be difficult, said Lisa Lynn, volunteer coordinator at the Potomac Center on Marshall Street. Center officials struggle with vehicle breakdowns. Two vehicles had to be towed from the center in the last two years because they weren't worth repairing, according to Lynn and Cathy Marshall, chief executive officer of the Potomac Center.

HAGERSTOWN -- It was an enthusiastic adieu to winter. By early Saturday afternoon, more than 2,200 people already had crowded the Hagerstown Community College Alumni Association's 15th annual Flower & Garden Show, browsing information booths and buying up seedlings for spring planting. Lisa Stewart, coordinator of alumni relations and annual giving, said people look forward to the event each year as a sure sign of spring. "The Flower and Garden Show hits a chord with people," Stewart said.

1. Hot Wheels Day Hot  Wheels Day will be from 2 to 5 p.m.  Sunday, March 3, at Shiloh United Methodist Church, 19731 Shiloh Church Road, Hagerstown. Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars will be on display, with multiple Hot Wheel tracks set up for racing. The public is invited to bring their model cars to race. Free. Call 301-991-7839 or go to www.shilohumchagerstownmd.com . 2. Leap out of Cabin Fever Leap Out of Cabin Fever will be from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 3 at Cortland Mansion, 19411 Cortland Drive, Hagerstown.

Rivers Edge can be heard at the following times and locations: The band's CDs are available on Amazon.com and MP3.com on the Internet and at Ear Food in Winchester. For more about Rivers Edge, check out its Web site: www.riversedgemusic.com. By MEG H. PARTINGTON / Staff Writer Fate has guided the members of Rivers Edge from the banks of the Potomac, Shenandoah and Monocacy to stages occupied by stars whose heights they intend to reach.

For the past couple of years, the combination of harsh winter weather and playoff football always seems to bring this question to my mind: Who is the president of shepherd's pie? I also know of at least two other people who'd probably still like to know who really is in charge of this dish. If you're hosting a Super Bowl dinner, maybe you'd like to know, too. Ravens vs. Steelers. Beef vs. lamb. Those were the matchups on a snowy Sunday afternoon three winters ago as I sat parked behind a lager draft and a basket of pretzels on a bar stool in Carlisle, Pa. On one side of me was a loud Ravens fan. On the other side, a loud Steelers fan. As the action heated up on the television above us, so did those guys' feelings for each other.

The foot-stomping, hard-driving sounds of Moreland & Arbuckle filled The Maryland Theatre on Thursday night as Western Maryland Blues Fest organizers began pumping up local blues fans and getting them ready for the upcoming blues festival in Hagerstown. Thursday night's Cabin Fever Blues Bash is intended to raise awareness and money for the festival, which will be celebrating its 18th year in its May 30 through June 2 run. There are many parts to the fundraising for the festival and this year's goal is to raise $90,000, said Karen Giffin, the city's community affairs manager.

The Potomac Center gets state funding for its services for intellectually disabled clients, but center officials say they continually have to go to the community to raise money for all their clients' needs. Hearing aids, literacy training and transportation services are among the needs that must be met through fundraising, said Lisa Lynn, volunteer coordinator for the Potomac Center on Marshall Street. The annual Leap Out of Cabin Fever event was held at Cortland Mansion Sunday afternoon to raise money for the center, which serves about 58 clients.

1. Hot Wheels Day Hot  Wheels Day will be from 2 to 5 p.m.  Sunday, March 3, at Shiloh United Methodist Church, 19731 Shiloh Church Road, Hagerstown. Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars will be on display, with multiple Hot Wheel tracks set up for racing. The public is invited to bring their model cars to race. Free. Call 301-991-7839 or go to www.shilohumchagerstownmd.com . 2. Leap out of Cabin Fever Leap Out of Cabin Fever will be from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 3 at Cortland Mansion, 19411 Cortland Drive, Hagerstown.

Got the wintertime blues? Try curing them Thursday, March 7, with the 2013 Cabin Fever Blues Bash at The Maryland Theatre. This year's headliners, Moreland & Arbuckle, perform at 7 p.m. “Blues Bash is to get people in the mood for (Western Maryland) Blues Fest,” said Karen Giffin, community affairs manager for Hagerstown and a member of the executive board for Blues Fest. “It's a way to get warm entertainment for the cold days.” Cabin Fever Blues Bash hypes the 2013 Western Maryland Blues Fest, which is Thursday, May 30, through Sunday, June 2. During the Bash, the lineup for Blues Fest will be introduced.

Tickets are on sale for the second annual Leap Out of Cabin Fever Auction taking place Sunday, March 3, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Cortland Mansion in Hagerstown.  Lou Scally will emcee the frog-themed event.  The event will feature jazz performed by Kerensa Gray, food stations, a sponsored bar and live auction.  The auction will feature NASCAR tickets, a week's stay in Williamsburg, Va., a Dr. Seuss cake (March 3 is his birthday) and other items. Hundreds of silent auction items will be up for grabs, including restaurant gift certificates, household items, gift baskets, electronics, children's games and jewelry.

Officials at the Potomac Center say it is important to get intellectually disabled residents at the facility out in the community. Residents are taken to movies, restaurants and stores as part of an effort to help them return to life in society. But finding dependable transportation for the residents can be difficult, said Lisa Lynn, volunteer coordinator at the Potomac Center on Marshall Street. Center officials struggle with vehicle breakdowns. Two vehicles had to be towed from the center in the last two years because they weren't worth repairing, according to Lynn and Cathy Marshall, chief executive officer of the Potomac Center.

When Bobby Parker drops names, it's like a who's who of rock 'n' roll royalty. Buddy Holly, Sam Cooke, Bo Diddley, The Big Bopper. Parker knew them all. He was a “guitarist for hire”  back in the 1950s, he said, performing with many of the people who gave birth to a new era in music. He eventually made his own mark in the industry, particularly in 1961 when his rhythm and blues classic “Watch Your Step” became a Billboard hit. It was a song famous for its creative guitar riffs - the same riffs that John Lennon later admitted The Beatles had borrowed for their song “I Feel Fine.” But The Beatles weren't the only musicians influenced by Parker's talent.

With unseasonably warm temperatures for much of the winter and little snow, no one seemed to be feeling feverish Saturday at the Cabin Fever Festival at John Wesley United Methodist Church in Hagerstown. And no was missing the snow, either. “Not one inch of it, not one flake of it,” said Bob Moales, laughing in the church's fellowship hall. Moales, 81, and his wife, Jean Moales, of Hagerstown, were among about 80 people who purchased tickets to the festival, event chairman Greg Hoover said.

John Wesley United Methodist Church, 129 N. Potomac St., will host a cabin fever picnic Saturday, Jan. 28, from noon to 4 p.m. The event will include beanbag toss, miniature golf, spoon races, sing-along, door prizes and other activities The menu includes hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, macaroni salad, baked beans, chips, beverage and a sundae bar. Tickets cost $8 for adults and $5 for those 4 to 12. Those younger than 4 will be...

John Wesley United Methodist Church, at 129 N. Potomac St. in Hagerstown, will host a cabin fever picnic Saturday, Jan. 28, from noon to 4 p.m. It will include bingo, beanbag toss, miniature golf, spoon races, a sing-along, door prizes and other activities. The menu includes burgers, hot dogs, potato salad, macaroni salad, baked beans, chips, beverage and a sundae bar. Tickets cost $8 for adults and $4 for those ages 4 to 12. Those younger than 4 will be admitted free. The public is invited.