Greenbrier State Park

Matthew Strite of Hagerstown tries to net fish Tuesday in the lake at Greenbrier State Park. The weather was bright and sunny with warm temperatures in the area, allowing for various outdoor recreational activities.

Michael Hotz, left, and Ana Silva enjoy the summery weather beside the lake Monday at Greenbrier State Park near Boonsboro. According to local weather observer Greg Keefer's Web site, i4weather.net, the high temperature Monday in Hagerstown was 77.6 degrees at 3:40 p.m.

Cats Young DSH, gray, found on Interstate 81 between Cearfoss exit and Maugans Avenue exit. Young DSH, black, found on Fairview Church Road. Young DSH, black, found on Garlinger Avenue. Young DSH, gray, found on Lockhouse Drive. Young DSH, beige, found on Lockhouse Drive. Young DSH, black, found on Goldizen Lane. Young DSH, gray and white, found on Humane Society property. Young DSH, black and white, found on Virginia Avenue. Adult DSH, buff and white, found on West Church Street.

 Western Maryland Kidney Walk will begin at noon Sunday, May 15, at Greenbrier State Park, 21843 National Pike, Boonsboro.  In addition to the walk, the event will feature activities for kids, entertainment, food. The walk will make folks aware of the impact of kidney disease, take steps to help prevent kidney disease and encourage organ donation. For more information, contact Carolyn A. Smith-Kennedy at 410-533-3075 or carolynkennedy9@aol.com .

Daniel P. Spedden, park manager for the South Mountain Recreation Area, was the guest speaker at a recent meeting of the Rotary Club of Long Meadows. Snedden talked about summer operations at Greenbrier State Park, and said the challenges include getting traffic into the park in a timely fashion to prevent gridlock along U.S. 40 east of Hagerstown. He said another task is managing hundreds of swimmers simultaneously as they try to beat the heat in the park's lake.

Hagerstown area bicycle enthusiasts will host a series of races Sunday at Hagerstown Community College. Proceeds of the Hagerstown Challenge Criterium will help the college's Hawk Scholarship Fund, said organizer Tim Lung of the Antietam Velo Club. One of the scholarship's fund-raisers, a tri-athalon, had to be canceled this year due to low water at Greenbrier State Park. The first of 10 races begins at 9 a.m. Riders will be grouped according to age and ability. There will be two women's races, Lung said.

shappell@herald-mail.com BOONSBORO - In what may be a win-win situation for Greenbrier State Park and area residents wishing to stock up on firewood, park officials say people can cut up trees downed by recent storms and take the wood home for a price below market value. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources issued a news release Monday saying Greenbrier officials will sell permits to anyone interested in cutting up toppled trees for firewood. Mary Jo Bartles, an administrative officer at Greenbrier State Park, at 21843 National Pike east of Hagerstown, said Tropical Storm Isabel left dozens of trees in disrepair.

Greenbrier State Park in Washington County on April 29 will host the Greenbrier Challenge, a mountain bike race that will be a key Olympic qualifying event. For the first time, the race will be sanctioned by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the international sanctioning body of bicycle racing that also is recognized by the International Olympic Committee as the source for determining the cycling role of each nation in the Olympics. The Greenbrier Challenge is one of a few races by which U.S. racers may obtain invitations to the U.S. National Championships to be held in Vermont in July.

BOONSBORO - Greenbrier State Park has added 17 acres to its holdings thanks to an allocation from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. The Maryland Board of Public Works on Wednesday approved $380,000 to buy the land, which is on the park's northeast edge near Swope Road. The property will be added sometime late next year to the state park's 550-acre hunting area, which currently includes land west of Greenbrier Lake, Park Manager Dan Spedden said. The purchase was part of the park's land acquisition plan, which includes several parcels of property that currently are surrounded by or border parkland.