Picnic

Tri-State Civitan Club recently hosted its fifth annual free picnic for individuals with disabilities and their families/caretakers at The Improved Order of Red Men Tribe 84 in Williamsport. In addition to the annual fare of hamburgers and hot dogs, more than 150 people enjoyed face painting, tattoos, nail polishing and a bean bag toss. With DJ music, there was plenty of dancing, and people lined up for the arrival of the ice cream truck.

John Wesley United Methodist Church, at 129 N. Potomac St. in Hagerstown, will host a cabin fever picnic Saturday, Jan. 28, from noon to 4 p.m. It will include bingo, beanbag toss, miniature golf, spoon races, a sing-along, door prizes and other activities. The menu includes burgers, hot dogs, potato salad, macaroni salad, baked beans, chips, beverage and a sundae bar. Tickets cost $8 for adults and $4 for those ages 4 to 12. Those younger than 4 will be admitted free. The public is invited.

On May 31, Concordia Lutheran Church’s Open Arms Christian Child Development Center celebrated the end of its second year of classes with a class picnic at Hager Park.  Students and their families joined with the staff and several members of Concordia to celebrate the end of the year. The day ended with a gift and awards ceremony followed by a chapel service. The children received a gift from Mrs. Rosicky: a picture of Jesus with His arms open talking to the children. They also received a medallion that said “Star Student.”    The preschool is a ministry of Concordia Lutheran Church, 17906 Garden Lane, Hagerstown.

Cabin fever picnic planned at John Wesley John Wesley United Methodist Church, at 129 N. Potomac St. in Hagerstown, will host a cabin fever picnic Saturday, Jan. 28, from noon to 4 p.m. It will include bingo, beanbag toss, miniature golf, spoon races, a sing-along, door prizes and other activities. The menu includes burgers, hot dogs, potato salad, macaroni salad, baked beans, chips, beverage and a sundae bar. Tickets cost $8 for adults and $4 for those ages 4 to 12. Those younger than 4 will be admitted free.

Last year, David Sword of Clear Spring felt compelled to do something to honor U.S. veterans. He rallied community support, and the eventual result was a veterans memorial at Clear Spring Park. This year, area veterans asked Sword, 47, how he planned to follow up. Sword's answer came in the form of a gathering of about 250 people Saturday afternoon, despite the rainy weather, for a picnic and concert honoring veterans. The celebration began outside of Clear Spring Park. Firetrucks and military jeeps escorted a bus carrying soldiers from Fort Belvoir, Va., who had been invited to the event through the Wounded Warrior Project.

Youth M.O.V.E. Washington County is hosting a picnic for young adults ages 16 to 25, who are supported in the child serving systems such as mental health, special education, child welfare and juvenile services. The picnic will be at 3 p.m. Monday, July 11, at Hagerstown City Park. To register, call Kathleen at 240-313-2086 or text 240-818-3537.

The Communications Workers of America Local 2105 Retired Members Chapter will hold its annual picnic Tuesday, Oct. 23, at McClellan Gun Club on Red Hill Road in Keedysville. There will be a business meeting at noon.  Reservations with checks (made out to CWA Local 2105 RMC) should be mailed to treasurer Terry Schildt.  Schildt can be reached at 301-824-6354.  The deadline for reservations is Oct. 18. For more information, call Schildt at 301-824-6354, Roger Grimes at 301- 223-7982 or Vickie Layton at 301-791-1486.

The community is invited to a picnic at Wheaton Park on Saturday, June 30,  from noon to 6 p.m.                   The event will include board games, such as chess, checkers and card games, and additional games such as freeze tag, jump rope and ball games. There will be food, fun and fellowship. Attendees are encouraged to bring chairs and spend the day at the park. Healing forums planned at church Trinity Lutheran Church, 15 Randolph Ave. in Hagerstown, invites the community to its healing forums, which will provide individuals opportunities to work through grief, heal, renew their faith, and refocus on the future.

CLEAR SPRING -- Steven J. Kovacs was raised in a simpler time on a chicken farm. On Saturday, Kovacs, 94, of Chambersburg, Pa., went to a Fourth of July celebration that might have reminded him of those days. Clear Spring's Independence Jam at Plumb Grove Mansion was all about old-fashioned fun. Small U.S. flags fluttered in the breeze along the picket fence of the restored 1831 mansion. Adults sat on the lawn listening to live music, while children competed in three-legged races, watermelon seed spitting contests and rounds of pin the beard on Uncle Sam. Kovacs and his companion Brenda Binkley, 61, of Hagerstown, danced on the lawn, taking short breaks to rest.

Enjoying the shade and great weather for a picnic at Memorial Park in Chambersburg, Pa., on Monday are, from left, Jennifer Martin, Gwenda Hofer, Dennis Martin, Eric Martin and Sarah Fleagle.

John Worgul doesn't like to see fellow veterans get “kicked to the side,” even if they're serving time in prison for criminal activity. A veteran himself, Worgul volunteers to help other veterans who are inmates at Roxbury Correctional Institution south of Hagerstown, where he also works as a correctional officer. Worgul was among dozens of volunteers saluted Saturday for their efforts by Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services officials at a picnic at Boonsboro's Shafer Memorial Park.

The Communications Workers of America Local 2105 Retired Members Chapter will hold its annual picnic Tuesday, Oct. 23, at McClellan Gun Club on Red Hill Road in Keedysville. There will be a business meeting at noon.  Reservations with checks (made out to CWA Local 2105 RMC) should be mailed to treasurer Terry Schildt.  Schildt can be reached at 301-824-6354.  The deadline for reservations is Oct. 18. For more information, call Schildt at 301-824-6354, Roger Grimes at 301- 223-7982 or Vickie Layton at 301-791-1486.

Celebrate Recovery will hold its annual Friends and Family Picnic from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 7, at Otterbein Church Picnic Pavilion, 800 Park St. Meat, drinks and place settings provided. The program includes food, live music and testimony. For information, call Mike at 717-762-7428.

Democrats in Washington County cheered Thursday for their 2012 candidate for Congress and applauded four elected officials who haven't committed yet to statewide campaigns in 2014. All eyes at the Washington County Democratic Central Committee picnic were on John Delaney, who is trying to prevent Republican Roscoe G. Bartlett from winning an 11th term in Congress. About 200 people attended the picnic at the Improved Order of Red Men Tribe 84 near Williamsport. There was speculation in the air, too, because of other Democrats who attended and talked up Delaney's credentials.

Washington County Republicans got a sample of two elections on Wednesday - this year'sU.S. Senate race and the 2014 Maryland governor's race. The guest speakers at their annual picnic were Daniel Bongino, who is trying to unseat Democratic U.S. Sen.Benjamin L. Cardin, and Blaine R. Young, who is seeking the Republican nomination for governor in two years. The Washington County Republican Club picnicked this year at the North American Rod & Gun Club near Hagerstown. The menu included hot dogs and hamburgers off the grill and freshly cooked corn.

The South Hagerstown High School Alumni Association will hold its annual yard sale Saturday, Sept. 22, in the South High parking lot.  It's a good time of year to clean out those closets and get ready for new school clothes. South High's Alumni Association has a good way to recycle items. It costs $10 to rent a space. Registration is required. To reserve a space, call Christy Moser at 301-416-7681 or you can register by mail. Registration forms can be found on the alumni website at www.shhsrebelalumni.org . Class of 1959 plans picnic The South Hagerstown High Class of 1959 will hold its annual picnic Saturday at Funkstown Park in the picnic pavilion at the entrance off Beaver Creek Road.

Tri-State Civitan Club recently hosted its fifth annual free picnic for individuals with disabilities and their families/caretakers at The Improved Order of Red Men Tribe 84 in Williamsport. In addition to the annual fare of hamburgers and hot dogs, more than 150 people enjoyed face painting, tattoos, nail polishing and a bean bag toss. With DJ music, there was plenty of dancing, and people lined up for the arrival of the ice cream truck.

A red oak tree and a picnic table at Washington County Regional Park were damaged sometime overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday, according to a news release from the Washington County Sheriff's Office. The tree was pushed over far enough to snap it in half, and a bench section of the picnic table had been pulled off, deputies said. Several Bud Light Platinum beer bottles and fireworks also were found in the area, deputies said. The incident is believed to have taken place between Tuesday at 8 p.m. and Wednesday at 6:30 a.m. at the park along Mount Aetna Road, deputies said.

Ominous dark clouds began rolling into the Clear Spring area around 5 p.m. Tuesday, as the town's yearly Independence Day celebration got under way on the grounds of Plumb Grove Mansion. A vendor at the seventh annual event, Sam Spinder of Old Country Kettle Korn, based in Greencastle, Pa., said it was his second year coming to the community festival, but he wasn't worried about the weather forecast. “Last year, it was kind of a similar day as it is today, but for about 30 minutes it poured like you couldn't imagine,” Spinder said.

The community is invited to a picnic at Wheaton Park on Saturday, June 30,  from noon to 6 p.m.                   The event will include board games, such as chess, checkers and card games, and additional games such as freeze tag, jump rope and ball games. There will be food, fun and fellowship. Attendees are encouraged to bring chairs and spend the day at the park. Healing forums planned at church Trinity Lutheran Church, 15 Randolph Ave. in Hagerstown, invites the community to its healing forums, which will provide individuals opportunities to work through grief, heal, renew their faith, and refocus on the future.