Jam

Students across West Virginia danced and moved for one minute Thursday in an effort to improve their physical health. The JAM minute is part of the Let's Move West Virginia Active Schools campaign and first lady Michelle Obama's national Let's Move campaign. West Virginia currently has more than 100,000 participants. Mountain Ridge is part of Berkeley County (W.Va.) Schools.

4 cups finely chopped peppers (see cook's note) 4 cups white vinegar 6 teaspoons calcium water 4 1/2 cups Pomona's Universal Pectin 7 cups sugar Combine peppers with vinegar and calcium water. Bring to a boil. Meanwhile, mix pectin and sugar. Add to pepper mix. Boil for 1 to 2 minutes. Make sure pectin and sugar are totally dissolved. Fill jars. Cook's note: For spicy jam, Bonnie Senay uses 3 cups bell pepper to one cup hot peppers. She prefers habanero or Scotch bonnet varieties of hot peppers.

katec@herald-mail.com A couple of weeks ago there were 20 pounds of blueberries in the basement of Bonnie Senay's Sharpsburg home. "Jam me," they were screaming, she laughs. She did and will continue to make jam for as long as the farms and fields of the Tri-State area yield fruit. Senay, who took the 2000 Washington County Ag Expo's prize for Best Jellies/Jams, will be entering some of her homemade wares in this year's competition, but her jam-making activities have gone beyond the annual weeklong county fair.

Anyone caught in Wednesday's massive traffic jam in downtown Hagerstown was probably tempted to say "doggone it" or worse as they inched through the center city's streets. The jam was caused when police and emergency officials responded to a report of a flu-like illness among African refugees living in an apartment building at 25 1/2 W. Franklin St., across from the main post office Thirteen of the refugees and three of the other residents were evacuated and evaluated in two decontamination tents.

Jefferson County vegetable grower Bill Grantham wanted to learn how to stop the stink bug devastation that's ruining his crops and his livelihood. "My field corn was destroyed. My green and lima beans were wiped out. Wiped out. Zero. So I came here tonight to learn what I can do," said Grantham, owner of Tudor Hall Farm. Grantham and nearly 400 other homeowners, gardeners, commercial fruit and vegetable growers and orchardists from the Tri-State Area jammed the Byrd Auditorium at the National Conservation Training Center Wednesday night.

katec@herald-mail.com Dan Beach began with rapid-fire repetitions of eight notes on his four-string electric bass. Adam Taylor added melody on his sleek black-and-white instrument, and on cue, Ben Atha joined in on his burgundy electric guitar. The fledgling band played a few bars of Social Distortion's "Don't Drag Me Down. " Adam takes lessons from Hagerstown resident Lew Palladino, who has been teaching guitar and bass for about 30 years. He has students of all ages.

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Go far enough down the jelly aisle and you might find some onion jam sitting next to the strawberry and grape preserves. Go a bit farther and, alas, there's red pepper jelly. It used to be that spreads such as onion or pepper weren't commonplace beyond farmers markets and gourmet specialty stores, local jam makers say. But now you can find them at the local grocer. "They're making a comeback," said Eve Felder, chef and associate dean for The Culinary Institute of America, based in Hyde Park, N.Y. Jellies, jams and preserves made from things other than sweet fruits can go great with meats and cheeses, Felder said.

chambersburg@herald-mail.com After driving all night from a festival in New Hampshire, The Bluegrass Brothers of Salem, Va., tuned up their instruments and played for an enthusiastic crowd Sunday afternoon at the Beck & Benedict Hardware Music Theatre. "A hardware store ... We've been everywhere and done it all," said Connie Dowdy, whose husband, Victor, is one of the brothers in The Bluegrass Brothers. Although a bit taken aback when she learned the band was booked in a hardware store, she liked the setting and the crowd of about 200 that showed up. For 16 years, music fans and musicians in the Tri-state area have known that Beck & Benedict means more than tools, custom glass work, and lawn and garden supplies.

WILLIAMSPORT - Conococheague Little League 9-10 All-Stars manager Mike Iseminger was looking for somebody to bail his team out of a jam. Halfway Little League had just tied the game 2-2 during the bottom of the third inning and still had the bases loaded with one out. Iseminger turned to Darryl Shirley for some relief. Shirley made Iseminger look like a genius. Shirley shut down Halfway's offense, escaping the third-inning jam and retiring 10 of Halfway's final 12 batters.

Older guys talked about their first trains when they were children, often Lionels or lower-cost Marx sets, the engines of which got their power from current through the rails. Younger guys were showing off technology that has taken over their hobby - wireless engines and equipment run by computers through digital technology. It didn't seem to matter much, though, as the estimated 600 hobbyists who jammed the Ranson Civic Center for the Bunker Hill (W.Va.) Train Club Show were enjoying themselves.

Students across West Virginia danced and moved for one minute Thursday in an effort to improve their physical health. The JAM minute is part of the Let's Move West Virginia Active Schools campaign and first lady Michelle Obama's national Let's Move campaign. West Virginia currently has more than 100,000 participants. Mountain Ridge is part of Berkeley County (W.Va.) Schools.

George Thorogood and the Destroyers' hit “Bad to the Bone” blared from speakers as the hulking machine roared past the crowd. It spun around in the dirt track in a deafening roar, all to the joy of throngs of spectators yelling from the stands. The monster truck Grave Digger - a longtime favorite of monster truck fans - was one of seven of the massive rigs that competed at the Hagerstown Speedway on Sunday. The Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam was also held at the speedway Saturday night and attracted about 6,000 people, said Ashley Johnson, marketing manager for Feld Motor Sports, which owns Monster Jam. A Friday show was scheduled at the speedway but was canceled because of the wet weather.

The start of this weekend's Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam show at Hagerstown Speedway was put on hold Friday due to inclement weather, according to the event's promoter. “With the rain, it basically made the track undriveable and unsafe for our drivers as well” as less entertaining for the fans, series promoter Ashley Johnson said. “It's one of those things where we had to look at it from a safety issue,” she said. “If we did let them drive, it would basically be the trucks getting stuck in the mud the entire time and it wouldn't be an actual show.” Friday night ticketholders may use their tickets Saturday or Sunday, which still are scheduled to go on as scheduled, Johnson said.

Fans will have a chance to get an up-close and personal look at their favorite Monster Jam trucks and drivers at three area Advance Auto Parts stores and the Chick-fil-A restaurant in Hagerstown on Thursday. Monster Jam, the world's premier monster truck series, will bring its  stunt trucks to Hagerstown Speedway on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The event will feature Advance Auto Parts' Grinder and celebrates the 30th anniversary of Grave Digger. In addition, Maximum Destruction returns to Hagerstown and brings along El Toro Loco, Grave Digger The Legend, Wolverine and Gunslinger.

Big trucks. Earsplitting noise. Flying dirt. Smashed cars. Monster Jam isn't an event - it's a happening. But long before super-charged engines belch out a roar and thousands of fans are entertained by the crunching and crushing of metal, the wheels already have been turning. Sites have been approved. Drivers are lined up. Demolition vehicles are purchased. An advertising blitz begins. And dirt crews build the tracks. A lot of work goes into making monster trucks a monster draw.

The next Health Care Jam will continue our discussion on a community can provide health care for individuals and reduce dependence on the standard health insurance model. The event is from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9, at Shepherdstown Opera House. The focus is on diet and nutrition in preventing, treating, and curing many of the chronic ailments found in society. Included will be presentations from nutritionists and food providers. The forum will also be opened for questions and information sharing from the audience.

Six years ago, Margaret Cornett had a vision for an event in Clear Spring. She wanted a celebration of America. It had to include music, good local food, games for kids and, of course, fireworks. “Music, games, food and fireworks,” she said. “That’s the Fourth of July.” And it had to be accessible so that everyone in her town, their families and their friends could gather to celebrate the birthday of our nation. “We wanted something special for this community, for everybody to come together, and have a good time and celebrate the Fourth of July,” she said, adding extra emphasis on the word “this.” “We’re a small community,” she said.

Jerry Bard pumped his fist out the window as he crossed the start-finish line, and rightfully so. After leading multiple races and letting numerous wins slip away late, Bard finally got a checkered flag, leading all 25 laps Satuday night to win his first career Late Model feature at Hagerstown Speedway. The Shippensburg, Pa., driver triumphantly stood on the roof of his No. 26 car in Victory Lane with his arms in the air and a huge smile on his face, surrounded by dozens of cheering crew members, family and fans.

Calvary Temple, 147 S. Conococheague St., will host Winter Praise and Jam Friday, beginning at 7 p.m. The evening of live praise and worship features two bands, Langley (formerly Sunday Obsession) and The Living Stones. The public is welcome. Admission and refreshments are free. Indoor yard sale planned St. James Brethren Church, at 17718 Lappans Road, will hold its annual indoor yard sale Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Breakfast, including all-you-can-eat pancakes with sausage and country ham, scrambled eggs, coffee or orange juice, will be available from 8 to 11 a.m. The breakfast costs $6. Soup and sandwiches will be available for purchase from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, call Sam at 301-582-3343.