Etiquette

Lecturer makes 1865 come alive for children By MARC G. AUBER / Staff Writer, Chambersburg CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - Nancy Walker said Wednesday morning that she wants to take the mystery out of history. And she is confident that she succeeded after hanging out for a couple of hours with about 30 kids in grades 2-5 at the First United Methodist Church on 225 S. Second St. continued Walker, of Fort Loudon, Pa., and an early dance and etiquette specialist, spent the morning teaching the children about young lives in 1865.

Etiquette school graduation today The Blossom School of Etiquette invites the community to attend its second graduation today at 6:30 p.m. Some of the girls from the first class will give speeches about their experiences. The graduation will be at Memorial Recreation Center, 109 E. North St. Some great things have happened since the first class graduated. For instance, the group has attended events at the Baltimore Aquarium and The Maryland Theatre. The group also held a successful yard sale.

New classes for the Blossom School of Etiquette will start Saturday April 23, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Hagerstown Presbyterian Church, 20 S. Prospect St., Hagerstown. Classes are for girls ages 7 to 17. The classes are free. The classes teach poise, assertiveness, social skills (home and school) table manners, manners, self-confidence, self-esteem, etc. For more information, call Ladetra Robinson at 240-520-5676 or email bsetiquette@yahoo.com. Fitness program meets at Fairgrounds Park Walking and fitness programs are held three days a week at 6:30 p.m. at Fairgrounds Park.

Draping your towel over a lounge chair at a public pool should hold it while you go for a swim or visit the bathroom. cont. from lifestyle It may not be posted on the official pool rules, but "first come, first serve" is the rule when it comes to chairs and blanket space at public pools and parks, according to officials from Tri-State park and recreation departments. It's also the rule for open picnic tables and grills, they say. But there are no squatters' rights when it comes to using park pavilions or the grills that go along with them, park officials say. Though rules for use vary depending on the park system, it's universal that the person with the reservation gets the pavilion, regardless of whether someone else stakes it out before they arrive.

It's not your fault. You don't know what you don't know. When you got your health club membership, you went through the standard sales presentation from the sales guy, the "three free sessions" with one of the club trainers, and then you were thrown in the deep end of the proverbial pool without a set of floaties. You learned how to use the machines, what the child care hours were and what day the gym will take your money every month. Through all this, you never learned what is commonly considered proper gym etiquette until "Joe the Bench Presser" is all over you for a flagrant violation of one or a few. Here are the most violated rules of gym etiquette, and how to be a courteous exerciser: Personal hygiene No one likes to work beside a stinky person.

katec@herald-mail.com Tipping - the gratuity kind - can be confusing. Who do you tip? When and, of course, how much? But it is part of our culture, and it's here to stay. So says Peggy Post, great-granddaughter-in-law of Emily Post, author of the 1922 best-selling book, "Etiquette," the 17th edition of which will be released in October. Peggy Post is a spokeswoman and author for the Burlington, Vt.-based Emily Post Institute. "Tipping is an awkward thing," Post said.

Blossom School of Etiquette classes start Saturday. Classes are for girls ages 7 to 17 and are offered free of charge. Classes are held from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Hagerstown Presbyterian Church, 20 S. Prospect St., Hagerstown. For more information, call Ladetra Robinson at 240-520-5676 or send e-mail to bsetiquette@yahoo.com. The school also has a Facebook page.