Hagers

Bob Boone takes advantage of Monday's mild weather by playing tennis at Hagers-town's City Park.

City worker Mark Persinger bears the cold Thursday on West Washington Street in Hagers-town diverting traffic due to road work.

Laura Chaskes of Berkeley Springs, W.Va., looks at a quilt Sunday during a show at Hagers-town Community College. The quilt was pieced by Ginger Brindley of Hagerstown.

Birthdays Today - David Bennett Jr., formerly of Hagerstown, currently of Utah, turns 24; Margaret Judy, Crabapple Lane, Hagers-town, turns 67. Anniversary Aug. 7 - Russell and Claudine Smoot, Sharpsburg, celebrated their 62nd anniversary.

Children's art show A children's art competition is open to all young artists in any media. Submissions on the theme "Winter in Hagers-town" must be delivered to Contemporary School of the Arts & Gallery Inc., 4 W. Franklin St., Hagers-town, by Friday, Jan. 4. Entry is free. Prizes will be awarded in three categories: first through fifth grades; sixth through eighth grades; and ninth through 12 grades. For information, e-mail ronlytle3@netzero.net .

Heritage Academy is holding its annual auction Saturday, Oct. 6. The auction is the main fundraiser for the school, which is nondenominational and located west of Hagers-town. Auction organizers are looking for craft vendors to participate in the activities that day. Anyone interested may call 301-991-7984.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. - Hagers-town's Ashley Grier scorched the Caves Valley Golf Club with a single-round tournament record 65 on Monday for the first-round lead in the Maryland Women's Open Championship. The University of Central Florida had an error-free round of 31-34, missing only two fairways and hitting every green in regulation. She had seven birdies, including five on the front nine. Her round was also a competitive course record at Caves Valley. Grier's lead is over defending champion Collette Matthes in the field of 77 players.

Monday, Nov. 19 - American Red Cross Donor Center, 1131 Conrad Court, Hagers-town, 1 to 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 19 - Maugansville Ruritan, 18007 Maugans Ave., Maugansville, 2 to 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 19 - Fellowship Church of the Brethren, 505 Blossom Drive, Martinsburg, W.Va., 1 to 7 p.m.  Tuesday, Nov. 20 - Reeders, 141 S. Main St., Boonsboro, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Wednesday, Nov. 21 - American Red Cross Donor Center, 1131 Conrad Court, Hagerstown,...

MAY 26, 1931-JAN. 6, 2009 Betty Lou Grimm Willis, 77, of Hagerstown, died Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009, at Washington County Hospital. Born May 26, 1931, in Grottoes, Va., she was the daughter of the late George Oliver Grimm and Emma Virginia Shifflett Grimm Picket Shank. She retired from Londontown Co. in Boonsboro after 28 years of service. She attended Virginia Avenue Church of God in Hagerstown. She was past vice president of Amalgamated Workers Union Local 918 of Boonsboro.

Top Democrats from the state will converge in Hagerstown on Saturday for an annual summit of Western Maryland Democrats. And although Western Maryland hasn't been a Democrat stronghold in recent years, party leaders said they were buoyed by significant gains made in the 2012 election such as a strong showing by U.S. Congressman John Delaney. “It is a good time to take stock, and talk about the session (the 2013 session of the Maryland General Assembly in Annapolis) that just concluded,” said Del. John P. Donoghue, D-Washington.

About 70 people attended an informational meeting Wednesday night where officials briefed the public on the plans for the proposed “West City” elementary school in the Hager's Crossing development in Hagerstown's West End. Chad Criswell, a senior project manager and planning supervisor for Washington County Public Schools, and two others laid out details including bus traffic associated with the school, its outdoor recreational features and...

A public information meeting will be held tonight to provide information about the planned “West City” elementary school to community members of the Hager's Crossing housing development, Washington County Public Schools officials said Tuesday. The school is to be built in the development behind Walmart in Hagerstown's West End. The 7 p.m. meeting will be held in the Hager's Crossing community center. City of Hagerstown officials asked for the informational meeting to be held before the county submits an application for a Planned Unit Development amendment, said Chad Criswell, a senior project manager and planning supervisor for the school system.

The Jonathan Hager House and Museum opened Friday, April 5, and will remain open through December. This year, the home, in Hagerstown's City Park along Key Street, will be open for extended hours on the weekends. The Hager House is open for self-guided tours on Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  The home is also available for tour by appointment Sunday through Thursday. On June 5, 1739, Jonathan Hager purchased 200 acres of land and dubbed his tract “Hager's Fancy.” Placards throughout the home tell the story of Hager's family and their way of life during Hagerstown's earliest years.

TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) Md. 0077 Today, weigh in 7:15 to 9:15 a.m., meeting 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. First Christian Church, 1345 Potomac Ave., Hagers-town. Call Patsy P. at 301-582-2292. Gam-anon Today, 7 to 8:30 p.m. 33 E. Church St., Frederick, Md. Use side entrance. An anonymous self-help program for friends and family whose lives have been affected by someone with a gambling problem. Call 240-409-2395. Concerned Persons Wednesday, March 27, 6 p.m. Meritus Behavioral Health Services, 11116 Medical Campus Road, east of Hagers-town.

Hager Optical Inc. has closed after more than a half-century in business. William Sachs, who had been president of the eye-care business, on Wednesday confirmed that he closed Hager Optical last November. In a notice he had posted on the front door of the 251 E. Baltimore St. office building, Sachs thanked “our loyal customers for 57 years of business. The tough economic environment and the commoditization of basic vision and eyecare services have forced us to this decision.

Monday, Dec. 24 -  American Red Cross Donor Center, 1131 Conrad Court, Hagers-town, 9:15 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, Dec. 24 -  Moler Avenue Church of the Brethren, 136 Moler Ave., Martinsburg, W.Va., 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.   Wednesday, Dec. 26 -  American Red Cross Donor Center, 1131 Conrad Court, Hagerstown, noon to 6 p.m.   Wednesday, Dec. 26 -  Christ Reformed Church, 130 W. Franklin St., Hagerstown, 1 to 7 p.m.  Wednesday, Dec. 26...

Some people who shopped at the Kris Kringle Craft Show last month attended a related event Sunday at the Hager Hall Conference and Event Center in Hagerstown as the craft show's promoter helped start a smaller craft show in which vendors offered at least one item on sale. Mary Hott, 64, who lives south of Williamsport, said she likes the smaller version. She bought a scarf with a snowflake embellishment at the Kris Kringle show and went to Sunday's show in search of another. She decided to keep the first one and wanted another to give as a gift.

The Hagers-Town Town and Country Almanack is getting an award for its contributions to Maryland's cultural heritage. The almanac and the other two winners of this year's Achievement in Living Traditions and Arts (ALTA) Awards will be honored at a ceremony at the Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center in December. The almanac, which John Gruber founded in 1797, won in the “Tradition” category. “The Almanack has made Hagerstown widely known throughout the U.S. and has given Maryland an 'epicenter' of farming and agricultural life,” the award announcement says.