Flag Day

andrews@herald-mail.com WASHINGTON COUNTY - A woman claims to have figured out how to reverse her death. A boy uses mirrors to contort his face, creating a fake family of "clones. " A man plants red flags on a lawn to mark each U.S. soldier death in Iraq. Three girls explore a mysterious tunnel. These were among the short stories, satires and experimental pieces in Washington County's U Create Film Festival. Filmmakers sowing their imaginations were given few boundaries.

Goose Route Dance Festival Modern dance performances. Family show at 4 p.m. today. Admission is on a pay-what-you-wish basis. Adults must be accompanied by a child. Dance performance at 6 p.m. Saturday, with pre-dance discussion at 5 p.m. Admission $12, adults; and $8, students and seniors. The Nest Performance Space at War Memorial Building, 102 E. German St., Shepherdstown, W.Va. For information or to purchase tickets, call 1-304-725-7621. Fire department carnival Smithsburg Fireman's Carnival features rides, bingo, food and entertainment.

katec@herald-mail.com SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. - Buckle your seat belts. The Contemporary American Theater Festival is no cushy ride. "I really am drawn to playwrights who ask questions without giving us the answers," said Ed Herendeen, CATF founder and producing director. Members of the audience provide their own answers. Those who have seen a CATF play come expecting work that is thought-provoking as well as entertaining, and their numbers are growing each year. As of last week, advance ticket sales were up 25 percent over last season's.

"Homeland Security" A 32-year-old American doctor of Indian descent and his American girlfriend are detained at O'Hare airport when they return home from a vacation in Amsterdam. Playwright Stuart Flack asks if trust and tolerance can exist in a post-Sept. 11, 2001, world. "Homeland Security" features original live music composed and performed by Fareed Haque and Kalyan Pathak. All performances take place at Frank Center Stage: Friday, July 9 - 8 p.m. Followed by opening night reception on Frank Center lawn Saturday, July 10 - 2 p.m. Sunday, July 11 - 7 p.m. Thursday, July 15 - 8 p.m., followed by a discussion Saturday, July 17 - 8 p.m. Sunday, July 18 - 2 p.m. Wednesday, July 21 - 8 p.m. Friday, July 23 - 8 p.m. Saturday, July 24 - 2 p.m. Sunday, July 25 - 7 p.m. Thursday, July 29 - 8 p.m. Saturday, July 31 - 8 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 1 - 2 p.m. "Flag Day" Lee Blessing explores race relations in America in his satirical comedy.

chambersburg@herald-mail.com CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - At first glance, the used car Douglas Gayman bought last week looks as though eight or nine clowns ought to be climbing out of it, but it is after all, a Mini. Not one of the popular Cooper Minis introduced to the American market in the past couple of years, but a 1972 model a full 17 inches shorter than the current edition, Gayman said of the car he bought Tuesday from a man in Richmond, Va. Accentuating its lack of size, the Mini was parked next to a 1956 Cadillac Fleetwood belonging to Mark Swain of Williamsport.

Week of June 13, 1954 The new South End Senior High School will cost around $2,200,000, according to estimates made to the Board of County Commissioners by the architects - McLeod and Ferrara. The school will be erected on the Doub tract at the intersection of Sharpsburg and Downsville pikes and in all probability actual work will start this year. Just to give you some idea of how rapidly the Halfway district is growing in population, figures released by the Board of Election Supervisors show the district has more registered voters than the vast Williamsport district.

ryant@herald-mail.com After lining city streets for last week's funeral proceedings for President Reagan, American flags stayed out and at half-staff Monday as the nation celebrated Flag Day. The national holiday is celebrated every June 14 to commemorate the anniversary of the official adoption of the Stars and Stripes in 1777. "The value of the flag is not really found in the fabric but is found in its meanings of liberty and freedom," Del. Robert A. McKee, R-Washington, said Monday during a ceremony marking the day at Hagerstown City Hall.

waynesboro@herald-mail.com WAYNESBORO, Pa. - It may soon be Flag Day every day in Waynesboro. Members of Vision 2015, led by Ann Backer of Rouzerville, Pa., want the Waynesboro area to have its own giant American flag - a flag large enough and memorable enough to become a permanent landmark. The project has won the blessings of Waynesboro Borough Manager Lloyd Hamberger, Washington Township Administrator Michael Christopher and Carol Henicle, executive director of the Greater Waynesboro Chamber of Commerce Vision 2015 is a group of local community, business and government leaders who plan for the area's future.

We're teaching our 3-year-old the Pledge of Allegiance. Actually, after hearing it in our home school every weekday for the past year, she has pretty much learned it on her own. She timidly looks over to see if the hand she has over her heart is the right one, and she stumbles over some of the words - indivisible is hard to say - but I think she can sense that we place great importance on this ritual. I know she doesn't grasp the full meaning of the Pledge, but sometimes I wonder if many of us adults really stop to contemplate what we've recited for years.

martinsburg@herald-mail.com A bright red flag was raised Friday morning in front of Berkeley County Court Annex 1 in Martinsburg as a memorial to children who have died from acts of violence, preventable accidents or child abuse and neglect. The ceremony was one of many across the nation commemorating Children's Memorial Flag Day. The Eastern Panhandle began participating in the event last year after the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources purchased flags for all 55 counties in the state.