Labor Day

Fewer Marylanders plan to travel during Labor Day weekend this year than last year, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic. A survey by the auto club shows that travel is expected to be down 2.7 percent overall, including a drop of 0.4 percent by car and 2.9 percent by air. For all other modes - including bus, train and watercraft - the projected decline is 34.4 percent, the survey said. Eighty-nine percent of travel is expected to be done by car. The travel projections "are based on economic forecasting and research by IHS Global Insight," according to a AAA Mid-Atlantic news release.

With gas prices lower now than they were in July and Labor Day approaching, area residents Wednesday talked about costs, crowds, congestion and even crime shaping their plans to travel over the holiday weekend. Dick Gaylor of Boonsboro said that he planned to stay home over the weekend because gas is still too high for him to travel. "I have a camper, and I can't afford to travel with it like I used to because gas is so high," he said. "Even though the prices have gotten a little better, it's still hard when my camper is only getting about 10 miles to the gallon.

The annual Hagerstown Corn Maze will open Saturday, Sept. 3, at Celebration Farm, 17638 Garden View Road in Maugansville. The maze will be open Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 5, from noon to 6 p.m. It will be open until Sunday, Oct. 30. The hours are Fridays from 5 to 10 p.m.; Saturdays from noon to 10 p.m; and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. It is open other days by appointment. Admission costs $5 for adults and teens; $3 for those ages 5 to 12; and is free for those 4 and younger.

The Washington County Senior Center offers Breakfast for the Brain Fridays at 10 a.m. Light refreshments will be served. The center has a walking club each day from 9 to 10 a.m. New group piano lessons begin in September. The center will be closed Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 5. The center is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Activities for those 55 and older are scheduled each day. The center is at Girls Inc. at 625 Washington Ave. in Hagerstown. For more information, call Kathy Fisher or Linda Rojan at 301-671-2368.

BOONSBORO -- Thirty-nine years ago, members of the newly founded Boonsboro Historical Society conceived of hosting an event that would highlight the legacy of area artisans. "We wanted to get people out here who were doing what people would have done in the early days of southern Washington County," Wanda Heuer said. Heuer was an original member of the historical society. Today, she is president of the group and coordinator of Boonesborough Days, the annual event that continues to celebrate local artisans.

Many Americans have forgotten the meaning of Labor Day and view it as nothing more than a way to mark the end of summer, a group of workers said last week as they toiled in 95-degree heat at the Ruth Ann Monroe Primary School construction site east of Hagerstown. Sheet metal worker Scott Clifford, 40, of Cumberland, Md., said he wished people would give the holiday the respect it deserves. "It would be nice, but it's not going to happen," Clifford said. "Labor built this country.

The following local agencies will operate as listed on Labor Day. Washington County government All offices of Washington County government will be closed Monday in observance of Labor Day. County parks will be open and the swimming pool at Martin L. "Marty" Snook Memorial Park will be open from noon to 6 p.m. Early voting will be held from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the former PNC bank building at 128 W. Washington St. in...

The following local agencies will operate as listed on Labor Day. Washington County government All offices of Washington County government will be closed Monday in observance of Labor Day. County parks will be open and the swimming pool at Martin L. "Marty" Snook Memorial Park will be open from noon to 6 p.m. Early voting will be held from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the former PNC bank building at 128 W. Washington St. in Hagerstown....

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MARTINSBURG, W.Va. -- Berkeley County Magistrate W. Randy Smith, recently a winner of a $79 million Powerball jackpot, will step down from the bench on Labor Day. Smith, 63, of Martinsburg, made his resignation effective Sept. 6. In a memo faxed Friday afternoon to 23rd Judicial Circuit Chief Judge David H. Sanders' office, Smith said he "immensely" enjoyed his time as magistrate. As chief judge, Sanders is responsible for appointing a replacement for Smith, who served two four-year terms as Berkeley County sheriff before being elected magistrate in 2008.