Fort Frederick

HANCOCK - The C&O Canal Association's annual Heritage Hike will be Saturday, Nov. 1. There will be three hiking options along the C&O Canal towpath, all beginning and ending at Fort Frederick. The hikes include a 13-mile hike to Little Tonoloway in Hancock (mile 124.5), a nine-mile hike to Little Pool Campground (mile 120) and a five-mile hike to Licking Creek Aqueduct (mile 116). Restrooms are available on each of those treks. Hike participants will need to park their vehicles and meet a shuttle bus in the Fort Frederick State Park Visitors Center parking area.

The Friends of Fort Frederick Inc. and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources have announced the return of the Ghost Walk at Fort Frederick State Park. The event is set for Saturday, Oct. 25. The night will include a guided tour of the park. Along the route, visitors will encounter ghostly travelers from Fort Frederick's past. The fort is 252 years old. Visitors will walk through a guided "haunted" trail where they will encounter costumed actors re-enacting historical situations from the fort's past.

View the slideshow BIG POOL - It was like going back to the 18th century, except with credit cards and talk of rising gas prices. Re-enactors were dressed in attire that would have been common during the French and Indian War Thursday during the first day of the 14th annual 18th Century Market Fair at Fort Frederick State Park. However, shoppers looking for period clothing, blankets, weapons and other items common in the 18th century were talking about the price of gas and paying for their purchases with credit cards.

Special to The Herald-Mail Don't let anyone tell you that there's nothing to do in Western Maryland - one of the benefits of living in such a historically notable area is that there is never a shortage of enthusiastic artists and historians ready to bring the past alive again. The Friends of Fort Frederick State Park and the Maryland Park Service will be hosting the 14th annual 18th Century Market Fair today through Sunday, April 27. It will be a historically accurate reproduction of an 18th century fair.

BIG POOL -- It was like going back to the 18th century, except with credit cards and talk of rising gas prices. Re-enactors were dressed in attire that would have been common during the French and Indian War Thursday during the first day of the 14th annual 18th Century Market Fair at Fort Frederick State Park. However, shoppers looking for period clothing, blankets, weapons and other items common in the 18th century were talking about the price of gas and paying for their purchases with credit cards.

The Maryland Park Service and the Friends of Fort Frederick State Park will host the annual 18th Century Market Fair at Fort Frederick State Park April 24 to 27. Visitors will meet more than 150 artisans, craftspeople and vendors who sell reproductions of 18th-century items, including furniture, clothing, guns, powder horns and hunting bags. Most of the goods for sale are handmade by the vendors themselves, and many of these individuals, known as sutlers, will demonstrate their crafts.

Arts Council plans 'Evening in Hancock' Dinner, music, great conversation! What more could you ask for? Once again, the Hancock Arts Council is putting on an evening of entertainment at the Park-n-Dine Restaurant. The Evening in Hancock, on Friday, April 11, with a dinner buffet starting at 6 p.m., will feature a wide variety of performances, including Hancock's singing legend Tori Anderson accompanied by Gwynne Cavey. Arts Council chairperson Sinclair Hamilton said, "This year's fundraiser will be full of great local talent and some from a little further a field.

BIG POOL - A plan to erect a cell phone tower near Fort Frederick State Park has caused concern among the project's opponents, who say the structure could damage the historic integrity of the fort. The Washington County Board of Zoning Appeals on Wednesday night approved a special exception that would permit a 199-foot-high communication tower in the 11000 block of Gehr Road, less than a mile from Fort Frederick, Assistant County Attorney Kirk C. Downey said. Downey said Vista PCS LLC, a private company, sought the special exception to build the tower so Verizon could satisfy a gap in service coverage.

BIG POOL -- The Washington County Board of Zoning Appeals on Wednesday approved a special exception that would permit a 199-foot-high communication tower to be built near Fort Frederick, Assistant County Attorney Kirk C. Downey said. He said Vista PCS LLC, a private company, sought the special exception to build the tower near the 18th-century fort so Verizon could satisfy a gap in service coverage. The tower would be raised in the 11000 block of Gehr Road, according to county documents.

The Hagerstown-Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau announced that a network television episode was completed in Washington County the weekend of Nov. 9 and 10. Much of the filming was done at Fort Frederick State Park, and included local participating organizations and individuals. "This project has been in the works for several weeks," said Convention and Visitors Bureau President Tom Riford. "We welcome film and television projects to our county. Our organization helped coordinate the location site, the hotel rooms, local fire and emergency services, the production company's need for animals, hay and straw, and several other items.