Corned Beef

Wear green today for St. Patrick's Day Happy St. Patrick's Day! Are you wearing green? With all the talk of green, I can't help but look outside and appreciate that Mother Nature has started to don a bit of green lately and I could not be more pleased. Serve up a healthy portion of corned beef today and let's all bring out a bit of Irish in us. Good news, bad news about town happenings OK, do you want the good news or the bad news first? Personally, I would prefer the bad news and then the good news.

There was corned beef and cabbage and an Irish singalong. But behind the party atmosphere, charity was at work. About 250 people attended a St. Patrick's Day gala Friday, March 18, at the Knights of Columbus in Hagerstown. The evening event was sponsored by the Knights of Columbus, Pangborn Council No. 1365, and benefited Hospice of Washington County. "As an organization, we wanted to hold a spring event - something everyone could relate to," said Dave Moats, deputy grand knight.

Ribs, wings, classic rock, sandwiches - it's easy to find these in Formica-and-linoleum diners across the Tri-State area. But Mr. D's Wings, Ribs & Sandwiches is a cut above. Mr. D's, a quiet gem, is tucked into an out-of-the-way shopping center just outside the Hagerstown city limits. The cozy sandwich shop is off the beaten path, but it's worth a visit. Like most sandwich shops, Mr. D's interior is a bit hard-edged - designed more for simplicity and efficiency than aesthetics.

andrews@herald-mail.com The meals were corned beef hash for lunch and ham salad and fruit for supper. The wheels were the tires on Bob Bloyer's Dodge Caravan. Bloyer is one of about 30 Meals on Wheels volunteers who deliver hot and cold meals weekdays to frail, ill or isolated people throughout Washington County. Once a month, about 30 employees from Citicorp Credit Services in Hagerstown pitch in, too. Community Action Council serves an average of 90 people per day through Meals on Wheels, said Kristin Short, a nutrition services specialist for CAC. People 60 years old and over are asked for a donation.

HAGERSTOWN Her T-shirt read "American by birth, Irish by the grace of God. " She had green ribbons in her hair and wore two pairs of shamrock earrings in her ears and a leprechaun pin on her shirt. While countless people like to claim on St. Patrick's Day that they possess a bit of Irish blood, Mary McGarity can discuss in-depth her family's exact roots in Ireland. She did just that with a visitor Friday night at the second annual St. Patrick's Day Gala, held at the Pangborn Council Knights of Columbus building on Leitersburg Pike.

Saint Patrick's Day fans can get an early start this Saturday celebrating the Irish holiday with the Downtown Live! Pub Crawl. After seeing successful pub crawls in Baltimore and other areas, Mike Deming, a downtown developer who organizes Downtown Live! events, organized Saturday's event to generate more business for the downtown area. Saint Patrick's Day is typically a good night for pubs and restaurants with bars, Deming said. This will help during the day, starting with a breakfast buffet at 43 South.

I have to apologize for my picking profile of late. Don't start. I know someone out there is saying I should be apologizing for my profile, period. My shadow looks like the letter D. I've been scarce because I had been working hard for this weekend. I had been training and haven't had much time for football. I never knew how grueling it was to get ready for an event. It started innocently. I saw a flyer for this weekend's event and thought I would be a shoo-in to win. My training started lowly and worded it's way up to this point.

WILLIAMSPORT -- After other organizations started charging $6 to $7 per person for community holiday meals, Gateway Ministries decided it would provide one for free. About three months ago, members of the local church along Kemps Mill Road started planning for the community dinner, said Shon Duty, evangelism and outreach director at the church. The church, which has a food bank, paid for the food, and also received cash and food from other donors, Duty said. It all came together Sunday when the church offered its "Setting the Table" meal in its large family life center.