Greenbrier State Park

Fun back at Greenbrier By KIMBERLY YAKOWSKI / Staff Writer GREENBRIER - Long before a visitor got to the trail's end to Greenbrier State Park's swimming area Sunday, the sound of people having fun was evident. continued Lively Latin music was playing from someone's boom box, children were splashing in the water and food was sizzling on grills. Throughout the park hundreds of families spent the final weekend of summer swimming at the state park's lake that was off limits last year because of the drought.

The Mason-Dixon Council conducted its annual fall camporee in early November at Greenbrier State Park. Approximately 275 Scouts and leaders from the Mason-Dixon Council attended the event. Scouts participated in fire safety, traffic safety and worked on first aid merit badges. A demonstration of fire equipment was conducted by the Mt. Aetna Fire Department. Representatives from the Maryland DNR, Anne Arundel County Fire Department and the Washington County Sheriff's Department assisted with safety stations.

Shannon Sifford, right, of Martinsburg, W.Va., holds her daughter Addyson, 9 months, Monday in the warm waters at Greenbrier State Park as sister Aubree tries to coax a smile.

BOONSBORO - Greenbrier State Park announces its Junior Ranger program for ages 8 to 14. The program runs from June to August in three-day sessions. Call 301-791-4767 and speak with a park naturalist for exact dates and times. A patch is earned for each session completed.

WASHINGTON COUNTY -- A teenage girl was rescued from the lake at Greenbrier State Park on Sunday afternoon following a near-drowning incident, a 911 dispatcher said. Lifeguards rescued the girl from the water in the incident, which was reported about 4:50 p.m., and cardiopulmonary resuscitation was performed on her, the dispatcher said. The girl was breathing and was taken to Washington County Hospital, the dispatcher said. Officials at Boonsboro Ambulance & Rescue Inc., who responded to the call, would not comment on the incident and referred questions to park rangers, who were not available for comment Sunday night.

First Day Hikes are scheduled Sunday, Jan. 1, at state parks in Maryland. Greenbrier State Park and Fort Frederick State Park in Washington County are two of the many parks in the state participating. A “Walking in a Winter Wonderland” hike around the lake is planned at 1 p.m. at Greenbrier State Park. The 1.5-mile hike is for all ages. For more information, call Greenbrier State Park at 301-791-4767. Dogs on a leash are welcomed. Greenbrier State Park is at 21843 National Pike (U.S.

Residents who want to beat the heat this summer by taking a dip can once again find some relief at Greenbrier State Park lake, which has been closed for a year. cont. from front page The park's 42-acre lake will reopen Memorial Day weekend, Park Manager Dan Spedden said Wednesday. The man-made lake was closed to swimmers last summer because of low water levels. Park officials drained the lake in September 1998 to repair its gate valve, expecting rain and snow melt to replenish the lake by the summer of 1999.

andrews@herald-mail.com A dead crow found in Greenbrier State Park near Boonsboro last week tested positive for West Nile virus, the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said Tuesday. It was Washington County's first confirmed case of the disease, said Rod MacRae, the Washington County Health Department's administrator. MacRae said a park employee found the dead crow Aug. 6. A Washington County environmental health sanitarian collected the bird and sent it to a state lab in Baltimore for testing, he said.

Mountain bike race Participants are to meet at boat launch area. 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Greenbrier State Park. Call 703-569-9875. 18th Century Market Fair More than 150 artisans and vendors who reproduce 18th century furniture, clothing, guns, powder horns and hunting bags. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fort Frederick State Park. Call 301-842-2155. Panhandle homes Shenandoah-Potomac Garden Council sponsors a house and garden tour in Berkeley and Jefferson counties in West Virginia.

Rescue crews were searching Friday night for a 15-year-old boy who reportedly became separated from a group of hikers on the Appalachian Trail earlier in the day, police said. The boy was last seen about 6:30 p.m. near the Hemlock Hills shelter near Greenbrier State Park, said Cpl. Daryl Sanders of the Washington County Sheriff's Department. Sanders said officials were concerned about the boy because of the possibility of snow that was predicted for overnight and the fact that he had limited camping equipment.