Patriots

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - On Saturday, Letterkenny Army Depot will be home to the first 9/11 Patriot Day celebration. State Sen. Richard Alloway, R-Franklin/Adams/York, will host a full day of events, including a 5K race or 1.5-mile walk, a memorial church service, motorcycle rally and 10-hole golf scramble. The celebration will conclude with a barbecue dinner, music and fireworks. At 11 a.m., all motorcyclists interested in making the 87.21-mile trek to the Flight 93 Memorial Chapel in Shanksville, Pa., will gather and embark on the journey.

FREDERICK, Md. -- Despite losing 33 players to graduation, the Thomas Johnson football team showed no signs of being in a rebuilding year Friday night. No, it seems the Patriots have simply reloaded. Thomas Johnson exercised its pedigree against North Hagerstown in the season opener, reaching the end zone eight times in a 56-7 drubbing of the Hubs to kick off the season. The Patriots were sharp in all phases, scoring touchdowns on offense, defense and special teams. "That's a (Maryland Class)

GREENCASTLE, Pa. -- Shade from a grove of walnut trees provided relief for about 100 people who gathered Monday for the Greencastle area's ninth annual Independence Day celebration. The event at Tayamentasachta Environmental Center kicked off with Cub Pack 95 demonstrating the proper way to fold a flag. A pack leader read documents telling how each fold has a symbolic meaning, including a tribute to mothers and one for the "In God We Trust" motto. The crowd stood to recite the Pledge of Allegiance and sing "The Star-Spangled Banner," then Greencastle Mayor Robert Eberly delivered remarks brimming with historical references.

SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. -- Independence Day was marked Sunday in Shepherdstown with a parade.

25th Annual Salute to Independence photo gallery WASHINGTON COUNTY -- Living up to its reputation as one of Washington County's grandest events, the 25th annual Salute to Independence was no small, cozy affair. Antietam National Battlefield Superintendent John Howard stood on a stage and looked out over a sea of people, blankets, lawn chairs and American flags. He welcomed "30,000 of our closest friends. " The Maryland Symphony Orchestra was rich in sound and symbolism as it played patriotic favorites, starting with "The Star-Spangled Banner.

SHARPSBURG -- Next to Christmas, Memorial Day is Ava Gift's favorite holiday. "I love all the flag waving," said Gift, 58. Decked out in red, white and blue, Gift wears the colors of her flag and country with pride. She said Memorial Day in Sharpsburg reminds her of a Norman Rockwell painting, as residents on the parade route scrub their porches and fly their flags in preparation for the event. "I ask myself, 'Why do I feel like such a patriot?'" said Gift, a Washington County native.

Patriot Federal Credit Union recently opened a new branch at 18721 Longmeadow Road in Hagerstown. The North Pointe branch will be Patriot's fifth office in the area and first freestanding branch in Washington County to serve members in Maryland. The new 3,000-square-foot location features two drive-up windows, an ATM at the rear of the building, a night depository, a tech center for members to research financial information and a spacious full-service lobby. To celebrate the opening, Patriot held a ribbon-cutting ceremony March 25. A member appreciation event was held March 27, featuring a drawing for a dream vacation worth $1,500.

BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. -- Toni Davison was on her first deer hunting trip with her grandfather in the Cold Run Valley area Monday when he bent over and fell. "I said, 'Are you all right?' and he didn't respond," Toni, 15, said Tuesday. Curtis Lane Walker, 73, of Berkeley Springs, died Monday of an apparent heart attack on the first day of West Virginia's buck season. Toni called her mother, Tammy Walker Davison, on a cell phone from the woods after her grandfather fell, and the girl's mother told her how to perform CPR on her grandfather.

HAGERSTOWN -- When Nancy Mullinex stepped off a city bus at Public Square in downtown Hagerstown during the lunch hour Monday, she wasn't sure why there was a small crowd gathered in front of an American flag. After learning that a brief flag ceremony -- a collaborative effort between three local Exchange Club chapters -- was designed to remind people of the sentiment behind the flag, Mullinex said she thought it was an important concept. "I think it's a good idea. A lot of people don't know how to fly the flag or any of that," said Mullinex, of Hagerstown.

WAYNESBORO, Pa. -- On a football field that looked more like a wading pool, Waynesboro tailback Greg Wade was clearly in his element. The Indians senior slogged for 172 yards on 40 carries and three touchdowns on Friday to drown Red Land 23-9 in a Mid-Penn Colonial game. According to Waynesboro coach Darwin Seiler, the soggy conditions worked to the Indians' advantage. "In all honesty, the weather took away some of our running game," said Seiler. "But we're certainly used to playing in these conditions.