Maryland Theatre

A proposed $10 million Visual & Performing Arts Center for downtown Hagerstown received a resounding round of applause from the crowd of roughly 100 people on hand for the plan's unveiling Monday at the Maryland Theatre. cont. from front page "I'm all for it. I think we need something like this," Bob Nigh, a resident of downtown Hagerstown, said after the presentation. "I think what they want to do is really needed for Hagerstown to go forward," said John Erath, 60, of Hagerstown.

The loud rumble of motorcycles could be heard around downtown Hagerstown early Friday night, as bikers rolled in for the second annual City Center Bike Night. Not even two hours into the event, bike parking areas along North Potomac Street near Public Square were full, and South Potomac and West Washington streets were filling up steadily. Karen Giffin, the city's community affairs manager, said she anticipated anywhere from 700 to 1,000 bikes for the event, which ran in conjunction with the Maryland Theatre's weekly Wind Down Friday program.

The time has been changed for a December benefit concert that will raise money to help people pay their utility bills. The Utility Relief Benefit Concert will be held at 7 p.m. Dec. 20 at the Maryland Theatre in Hagerstown. The concert will feature opera singer William Clarence Marshall III and local school choirs. Tickets are $10 and may be purchased by calling Hagerstown Community Affairs Director Karen Giffin at 301-739-8577, ext. 116.

The story is a fairy tale classic. Girl sweeps floor, then magically appears at royal ball and sweeps prince off his feet. There are fairy godmothers, magic pumpkins and a race against the clock — a surreal series of events all told with romance, humor and drama, as well as a happy ending. Throughout the years, the story of the peasant-turned-princess who loses a glass slipper has never lost its luster or appeal. And, today, the shoe still fits. For some, the enchantment of "Cinderella" has come from the pages of a book.

Tickets are on sale now for Christian comedian, songwriter and singer Tim Hawkins' concert at 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 3, at The Maryland Theatre, 21 S. Potomac St., downtown Hagerstown. The event is a fundraiser for Boys and Girls Club of Washington County. VIP floor reserved and box reserved seats cost $40 advance only; $45 at the door. Only 48 VIP box seat tickets will be sold. Cost includes a meet and greet with Hawkins after the show. Premium reserved tickets cost $25 in advance; $30 at the door.

Tickets are on sale now for the Miss Maryland Scholarship Pageant. The annual Miss Maryland Pageant week runs from June 24 through June 30. The pageant is being held at The Maryland Theatre on Wednesday, June 27 (preliminary competition), Thursday, June 28 (preliminary competition), Friday June 29 (Miss Maryland Outstanding Teen final night), and Saturday night, June 30, when the new Miss Maryland is crowned. Tickets can be purchased by calling 301-790-2000, or online at www.mdtheatre.

Here are some of the things happening in Washington County Public Schools this week: Tuesday, April 30   Eighth-grade Day on the Job   Barbara Ingram School for the Arts - Visual- arts open studio, 4:30 p.m. E. Russell Hicks Middle - Power Hour Homework Club, 2:30 p.m. Pleasant Valley Elementary - Chess Club, 2:15 p.m.; Good Citizen Luncheon Sharpsburg Elementary - Spring pictures, 8 to 10:30 a.m.; staff picture, 2:30 p.m. ...

A benefit concert for The Maryland Theatre on Saturday promises to hand over "a good chunk of change" to the theater, said organizer Josh Morningstar. Nine acts are scheduled to perform at the downtown Hagerstown theater starting at 5 p.m. Performers include The Freddie Long Band from Frederick, Md., the hard rock group Seventh Seal and The Blue Sky Traffic. Tickets cost $15. There also will be free music and art vendors outside the theater from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Proceeds from art sales also will go toward the theater, said co-organizer Hannah Vann, 23, of Hagerstown.

Organizers of the second annual Maryland International Film Festival in Hagerstown announced plans Tuesday for the April 11-13 event, which will feature a Washington County man who was at the center of the Academy Award-winning movie “Argo.” Tony Mendez, who lives in Pleasant Valley in the southern part of the county, is expected to play a part in the festival, which will have an emphasis on student-produced movies. On the festival's second day, four movies produced by Washington County students will be shown at Bridge of Life Center on South Potomac Street, where high school students are expected to be bused to see the films, Thomas B. Riford, president of the film festival's board of directors, said Tuesday during a news conference in Hagerstown City Council chambers.

Alex Moore said some of his friends joked with him that he was already like Professor Callahan because Moore can be evil. But the Barbara Ingram School for the Arts student doesn't see himself that way, and Moore said he had to work at perfecting the character of the pompous professor in “Legally Blonde - The Musical.” Will Bureau is a young, confident-looking student at the arts school, but he said it was tough being the condescending boyfriend...