Rods

The Franklin stove. Bifocals. Lightning rods. Carriage odometer. Catheter. Swim fins. When Benjamin Franklin considered this impressive list of his inventions, of which was he most pleased? None of the above. "Of all my inventions, the glass armonica has given me the greatest personal satisfaction," he once said. The glass armonica, which Franklin invented in 1761, consisted of graduated sizes of glass bowls mounted on a rotating, horizontal rod. Musicians played the instrument by touching the edge of the spinning bowls with dampened fingers.

WAYNESBORO, PA. bonnieb@herald-mail.com While the adults looked over the antique cars, street rods and motorcycles, Trey Yowell worked on a model car in the shade. Trey, 9, had ridden to the third annual Rouzerville (Pa.) Lions Club's car, truck and bike show at Waynesboro Area Senior High School Saturday morning from his home in Winchester, Va., with his father, Bill Yowell. They made the trip up Interstate 81 in a bright red 1930 Model A two-door sedan with a 350 cubic-inch Corvette engine and a Mustang II front end. The frame is the original 75-year-old Model A frame.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - Traffic was rerouted through downtown Chambersburg for several hours Saturday so owners of street rods, vintage cars, motorcycles and classic cars could show off their vehicles. The third annual Cruisin' Main Street, sponsored by the Chambersburg Area Council for the Arts and the Downtown Business Council of Chambersburg, brought more than 120 shiny vehicles, all obviously loved and well cared-for by their owners, to downtown Chambersburg. A 1993 Gold Wing Trike motorcycle owned by Blaine and Betty Niswander of Chambersburg sat on the town's center square.

The 8-foot elephant that Katie Paul brought home with her from college in May is now ensconced in her front yard. Passersby might do a double take when they approach 20207 Lebeck Drive, a residential street off Jefferson Boulevard, and see the elephant sculpture in the yard. A recent graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, Katie, 21, was one of eight graduates who majored in sculpture, one of the smallest departments at the four-year school. A 1995 Smithsburg High School graduate, Katie learned of the institute during a summer program during which she was tested and did very well.

SHARPSBURG - Asked what he thinks of classic cars that have been customized into hot rods, Sharpsburg-area resident Kenny Hughes says he doesn't care for them. "Because the hot rods are hoodlums, right?" jokes his friend Larry Sulser, also of the Sharpsburg area. "I just don't like butchering them up, I guess," Hughes responds. "Bah humbug," replies Sulser and the car enthusiasts have a good laugh. With car show season starting, there will be plenty of opportunities for Tri-State-area residents to check out classic cars, whether they've been restored to stock appearance or customized into a hot rod. Which means there will be plenty of chances for car owners and aficionados to discuss and debate their feelings about the restoration of classic cars and whether they should be driven or towed to shows.

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - Jim Tolbert can just imagine how members of the Grand United Order of Gallilean Fishermen would feel looking at the gleaming building. In 1885, Charles Town became home to a local chapter of a national self-help organization that gave assistance to blacks to set up banking, insurance and real estate services. The organization had tabernacles throughout the East, and the one in Charles Town was known as the Evening Star. The group eventually disbanded and for a time, the building at the corner of West and Academy streets sat deteriorating in a section of town that was once plagued by drug trafficking.

Many fishermen probably underestimate the importance of crayfish as a food source in our local waters. I have been using them for bait for more than 30 years and have caught every major species of fish with them. I consider crayfish a staple and a bait that will sometimes catch more and bigger fish than minnows or lures that imitate minnows. One of the latest fads is to use fly tackle and crayfish flies while sight-fishing for carp in the shallows. The general approach is to fish like you were after bonefish in Florida.

Saturday, May 3 Standard/Latin ballroom dancing SHENANDOAH JUNCTION, W.Va. -- Learn the basic steps and easy combinations in this beginner's ballroom dance class. No previous experience necessary. Dances include foxtrot, swing, waltz, cha cha, tango and others. 1 to 2 p.m. Saturdays, May 3, through June 7. Jefferson County Community Center, activity room, 235 Sam Michaels Lane. $60 per couple. For information or to register, call 304-728-3207. Saturday, May 10 Fly-fishing workshop WAYNESBORO, Pa. -- Renfrew Institute will sponsor a fly-fishing workshop.

waynesboro@herald-mail.com FREDERICK, Md. - Ian Beal stepped onto the 10-inch- thick pine log. His Australian steel ax caught a glint from the sun. "How long will it take him to cut through the log?" asked John Gephard, another chopper sharing the stage with Beal. "One minute," shouted one onlooker. "Forty-five seconds," said another. "Thirty seconds," offered another in the crowd of about 100 ringing the stage. Beal took the "three-two-one-go" count-down and the ax struck deep into the wood.

Gather up your fishing rods and fish bait — it's fishing time. Many Individuals Helping Individuals (MiHi) will hold its ninth annual Fishin' Frenzy combining children, seniors and individuals with disabilities for a day of fun in Hagerstown's Pangborn Park. MiHi is a local organization dedicated to providing assistance and recreational activities to senior citizens and individuals with disabilities. The event centers around Pangborn Lake lined with participants as they wait for a tug on their lines.

As she walked to her car, Williamsport resident Lorraine Troxell tried to remember the last year she did not get a flu shot. "I think I've been getting it since it came out," she said. "I can't remember a time I didn't get it. " Troxell went to the Washington County Agricultural Education Center on Sharpsburg Pike on Tuesday with her husband, Richard, for the  Washington County Health Department's scheduled flu vaccination clinic. She said that such clinics make it easier for her to stay healthy.

Gather up your fishing rods and fish bait — it's fishing time. Many Individuals Helping Individuals (MiHi) will hold its ninth annual Fishin' Frenzy combining children, seniors and individuals with disabilities for a day of fun in Hagerstown's Pangborn Park. MiHi is a local organization dedicated to providing assistance and recreational activities to senior citizens and individuals with disabilities. The event centers around Pangborn Lake lined with participants as they wait for a tug on their lines.

Gazing up into a night sky, it's easy to get swept off into the heavens. Thousands of stars appear, like diamonds on velvet, with more graduations of intensity than the naked eye can perceive. Rod Martin was no more than 5 years old when he peered into the universe and became starstruck. It was the beginning of a hobby that would eventually become a career and a lifelong passion. For the past 27 years, Martin has been director of the William M. Brish Planetarium in Hagerstown.

As the ball left the bat, I knew it was going to be a home run. New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez swung at a 2-0 pitch from Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Shawn Marcum in the first inning of their Aug. 4 game and launched the ball toward Monument Park behind the center-field fence at Yankee Stadium. This was no ordinary home run. For A-Rod, it was the 600th home run of his career, making him only the seventh player in Major League history to reach the milestone.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Alex Rodriguez became the youngest player to hit 600 home runs and did it with style, driving a pitch into Yankee Stadium's Monument Park in center field exactly three years to the day after his 500th homer. A-Rod reached the milestone Wednesday after a 12-game drought with a first-inning homer off Toronto's Shaun Marcum. Rodriguez connected with a 2-0 pitch over the middle of the plate for his 17th home run of the season, giving the Yankees a 2-0 lead on a sweltering summer afternoon.

HAGERSTOWN -- Marvin Bauman brought his son's dragster and two hot rods to the Jocelyn Dunahugh Benefit Car, Truck & Motorcycle Show on Sunday because he likes fundraisers. It wasn't the first time Bauman, of Poolesville, Md., brought cars to a show hosted by Cumberland Valley Transmissions. He brought an orange Dodge Neon hot rod and a black Dodge Charger SRT8 hot rod to one of the company's shows last year, and brought them again this year to the show on Commonwealth Avenue in Hagerstown.

Rodney "Rod" Wayne MidKiff, 55, of 11729 Anthony Highway, Waynesboro, Pa., died Monday, April 19, 2010, at Harrisburg (Pa.) Hospital after a long illness. The family will receive friends Saturday one hour prior to service. The service will be Saturday at 10 a.m. at Lochstampfor Funeral Home Inc., Waynesboro. Burial will be in Green Hill Cemetery, with full military honors presented by VFW Nitterhouse Post 1599.

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -- The Hagerstown Suns rapped out 12 hits Wednesday night and withstood a late rally to take an 8-5 victory over the Bowling Green Hot Rods. Suns starter Marcos Frias (6-3) did his part, scattering eight hits in six innings and allowing just one run. Tyler Moore had an RBI double in the first and Charlie Fermaint led off the second with a home run as the Suns took an early 2-0 lead. They extended the margin to 4-0 in the third, highlighted by a steal of home by Steve Lombardozzi.

The Franklin stove. Bifocals. Lightning rods. Carriage odometer. Catheter. Swim fins. When Benjamin Franklin considered this impressive list of his inventions, of which was he most pleased? None of the above. "Of all my inventions, the glass armonica has given me the greatest personal satisfaction," he once said. The glass armonica, which Franklin invented in 1761, consisted of graduated sizes of glass bowls mounted on a rotating, horizontal rod. Musicians played the instrument by touching the edge of the spinning bowls with dampened fingers.

The North American Rod & Gun Club will hold a fishing rodeo Saturday, May 2, at 12108 Belvedere Road in Hagerstown. Registration starts at 9 a.m. and fishing begins at 10 a.m. There will be three age groups, with prizes for the largest fish caught and for participating. Free refreshments for the youngsters will be served after the rodeo. The event will be held rain or shine. For more information, call 301-739-4440.