Christmas Music

Rest Haven Cemetery's 19th annual Festival of Lights will be today at the cemetery at the intersection of Pennsylvania and Northern avenues in Hagerstown. A memorial concert by the Market Street Brass Quintet will be at 3 p.m. at Rest Haven Funeral Chapel. At 4 p.m., the lighting of the 9,000 luminarias will take place. Bagpiper Rick Conrad will perform Christmas music throughout the cemetery while volunteers light the luminarias. The public is invited to attend the concert and participate in the lighting of the luminarias.

HAGERSTOWN - They brought fans instead of blankets. They drank lemonade, not hot chocolate. And there are still 147 shopping days until Christmas. But that didn't stop Santa Claus and his helper from showing up at the City Park band shell Sunday night and passing out candy to the nearly 300 people there. Lynn Rushing, of Hagerstown, dressed in a Santa suit and his daughter, Laura Gross, dressed in an elf costume for the Hagerstown Municipal Band's Christmas in July performance.

Seventh-day Adventist Church, U.S. 522, south of Berkeley Springs, W.Va., tonight at 7, the Community Choir of Berkeley Springs will be in concert. The Adventist School chime choir children will also perform. Haven Lutheran Church, 1035 Haven Road, Hagerstown, today at 5, there will be music of the season performed by the choir and the Appalachian Wind Quintet. This concert is in conjunction with the annual luminaria event presented by the Rest Haven Cemetery and Funeral Home which is located near the church.

´ kristinw@herald-mail.com Charles Dickens' classic "A Christmas Carol" is coming to The Maryland Theatre stage in a slightly not-so-classic way. Dickens' famous novella of selfless giving, redemption and the "holiday spirit" will be presented as a musical at 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 12. Members of Troupe America Inc., the traveling theater company that is staging the production, say the twist to Dickens' story is a hit with audiences....

Whippoorwill Dulcimer Duo Whippoorwill Dulcimer Duo, with Penny Hall and Mary Dailey, perform Celtic and Christmas music. Today, 7:30 to 10 p.m., Port City Java, Longmeadow Shopping Center, 1551 Potomac Ave., Hagerstown. Call 301-790-5040. 'The Nutcracker' Featuring dancers from Hagerstown Ballet and Antietam Ballet. Today and Saturday, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, 3 p.m. Antietam Ballet Theater, 104 S. Mechanic St., Sharpsburg. $15. To purchase tickets, call 301-582-2222 or 301-432-8993.

"Merry Christmas to everyone and remember, here is the reason for the season and I wish that we could inspire to be kind and thoughtful of each other all year long. I would like to ask all my brothers and sisters to please pray for my nephew. He has a horrible heroin addiction, he is trying very hard to kick it. We need the prayers of many. Please put him on your list and ask the Lord to help him get through this terrible time. God bless you all and thank you for your prayers. " "This is for the half-baked speed demon who keeps complaining about the bus driver on Salem Avenue: First, get a life, second, take another route, third, what is wrong with you?

"The Christmas Post," a dramatic musical, will be presented at Tri-State Fellowship, 13153 Cearfoss Pike in Hagerstown. Friday, Dec. 6, at 8 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 7, Saturday, Dec. 14, and Sunday, Dec. 15, at 7 p.m.; and Sunday, Dec. 8, at 3 p.m. Admission is free. Doors open one hour prior to performances. Child care is available for children through age 4. Donations will be accepted for Union Rescue Mission. For information, call the church office at 301-790-1774.

Oh, Christmas tree! By RICHARD F. BELISLE / Staff Writer BOONSBORO - The Allen Ditto family of Hagerstown was heading east on Md. 34 to the Red Byrd Restaurant Saturday morning with a Christmas tree safely strapped to the roof of their Toyota station wagon. The family - Allen, wife Judy, and 17-year-old twins Andrew and Meghan - were carrying out a long-time family tradition of cutting their own Christmas tree at the South Mountain Plantation Christmas tree farm then having lunch at the Red Byrd.

The Bethel United Methodist Church Youth Fellowship will present the Christmas musical, "Code Red, an E.R. Christmas" tonight, at 7:30 p.m. at Smithsburg High School's auditorium. Admission is free, but nonperishable food items for Smithsburg Food Bank will be accepted at the door.