OPINION
May 23, 2013
Remember those who served on Memorial Day To the editor: Memorial Day is set aside for us to remember and honor those who gave their lives in service to our country. Thanks to them, we can be with family and enjoy a day of picnics. We should also take time to think about and pray for those who came home safely and those who have served or are currently serving. We could never repay them, but saying thank you is a start. Don't forget those who “sit and wait” - the parents, children, siblings and friends who wait anxiously for their loved ones to come home, and the unfortunate ones who got that awful telegram or knock on their door telling them their loved one was not coming home.
NEWS
May 23, 2013
The summer season won't be ushered in this year by the annual Halfway Park Days at Martin L. “Marty” Snook Memorial Park. The president of Halfway Lions Club, the organization that hosts the fundraiser, said the cancellation of the traditional Memorial Day weekend event was due to circumstances beyond the club's control. The club last year observed the 33rd Halfway Park Days. The 34th will have to wait until Memorial Day weekend in May 2014. Club President Samuel Key said Wednesday that he has been helping to run and organize Halfway Park Days for the past 25 years.
LIFESTYLE
May 23, 2013
Rotary Club of Martinsburg will host a free pancake breakfast at 7 a.m. Monday, May 27, at War Memorial Park, off Tennessee Avenue, Martinsburg. Call 304-262-4200.
NEWS
By ROXANN MILLER | roxann.miller@herald-mail.com | May 23, 2013
Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial start of summer and the beginning of swimming pool season. For the first time since Labor Day, swimsuits will emerge from storage and the scent of suntan oil will float in the air. Area pools and beaches have been prepping for months for opening day. Waynesboro (Pa.) Assistant Borough Manager Jason Cohen said the borough's public pool is ready for a banner weekend. “We're pretty much geared up and ready to go,” he said. The pool, at the intersection of Brown and Garfield streets in Waynesboro, includes features such as a zero-depth entrance, two slides and bubblers.
OPINION
By BRIEN POFFENBERGER | May 22, 2013
Memorial Day may kick off the summer season, but in Washington County, it also prompts a measure of reflection. War has played a large role in the history of Washington County, and with it a connection to the broader American story. It has given us a shared sense of community. Antietam, of course, ravaged the homes and fields around Sharpsburg during the Civil War, and less than a century later, the Allied war effort harnessed Washington County's manufacturing to help win World War II. More recently, men and women have answered the call and fought in the Middle East.
NEWS
May 22, 2013
Saturday, May 25 • Rose Hill Cemetery, 600 S. Potomac St., annual Memorial Day service, 9:30 a.m. Speaker is U.S. Army Lt. Col. (retired) Arthur Callaham, Civil War re-enactors bagpiper, color guard and more. • Sharpsburg, 145th annual Memorial Day Commemoration and Parade - Wreath laying ceremony, 11 a.m., Town Square and 3 p.m. at National Cemetery; Parade through town, 1:30 p.m. Saturday, May 25-Sunday, May 26 • Monocacy National Battlefield in Frederick, Md., holds public programs and hosts a memorial flag display in honor of those soldiers who fell during the Battle of Monocacy.
NEWS
Jamie Shekels | Around Halfway | May 22, 2013
The annual Halfway Park Days/Family Fun Day has been canceled. The event was to be held Saturday at Martin L. “Marty” Snook Memorial Park in Halfway. The event, long known as Halfway Park Days and hosted by the Halfway Lions Club, has been traditionally held over the Memorial Day weekend. Samuel Key, president of the Halfway Lions Club, which sponsors the event, submitted the following: “Due to circumstances beyond our control, the Halfway Lions Club has found it necessary to cancel the 2013 Family Fun Day/Halfway Park Days.
NEWS
By CALEB CALHOUN | caleb.calhoun@herald-mail.com | May 22, 2013
Derek Hays of Hagerstown sometimes travels to the beach for Memorial Day weekend but said he plans to stay home and have a barbecue with his family this year. “Money's a little tight, gas is a little tight, so it just doesn't pay to drive down there for two days and pay the rates that they're charging for the hotels,” said Hays, 26. “It just isn't worth it.” Despite the improved economy and lower gas prices compared to last year, fewer U.S. residents and fewer Marylanders are expected to travel Memorial Day this year than last year, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic.
ENTERTAINMENT
May 21, 2013
1. Rose Hill Memorial Day service Retired Army Lt. Col. Art Callaham will speak. Military honors by AMVETS Post 10. Rick Conrad, shown, will play bag pipes and the Polished Four will perform barbershop quartet music. Free refreshments. 9:30 a.m. Saturday, May 25, at Rose Hill Cemetery, 600 S. Potomac St., Hagerstown. Call 301-739-3630. 2. Memorial Day concert Cumberland Valley School of Music Community Symphonic Band will perform a Memorial Day concert. 7 p.m. Monday, May 27, at Chambersburg Memorial Park bandshell, East McKinley Street, Chambersburg, Pa. Free.
NEWS
May 20, 2013
Washington County All county administrative offices will be closed Monday for Memorial Day. Trash will not be collected. The County Commuter will not operate Monday. City of Hagerstown City of Hagerstown offices are closed Monday. Trash, recycling and yard waste collection will be delayed by one day throughout the week. Towns Boonsboro Town Hall is closed Monday. Clear Spring Town Hall is closed Monday. Funkstown Town Hall is closed Monday.