Steam

By JENNYLYNN BROWN Staff Writer SMITHSBURG, Md. - Smithsburg's Steam Engine and Craft Show will celebrate its 25th anniversary in two years. This year's event, scheduled for Sept. 27-28, follows the long-standing tradition of getting people hooked on machines - if only for a weekend - while raising money for Smithsburg High School's athletic programs. It is sponsored by the Smithsburg Athletic Leopard Booster Club. "We get tremendous response. We're pushed almost as far as we can go for space and crowds," said event committee member Wayne Smith, 64, of Seminole Drive.

  Smithsburg Steam Engine and Craft Show There will be a parade through town at 5 p.m. Saturday. The show runs from 9 a.m. to after the parade Saturday, and from noon until 6 p.m. Sunday. Proceeds benefit athletics at Smithsburg High School. It's full steam ahead for the 25th annual Smithsburg Steam Engine and Craft show. The Athletic Booster-sponsored event has raised more than $300,000 for Smithsburg High School sports since it started in 1975, and organizers anticipate a great turnout for the show's silver anniversary Saturday, Sept.

GREENCASTLE, Pa. - Before 2002, Greencastle-Antrim had not had a Fourth of July community celebration since the mid-1910s, according to Bonnie Shockey, who helped restart the tradition six years ago. "After Sept. 11, 2001, I wondered why Greencastle-Antrim didn't have a July 4 event," Shockey said. Six weeks before July 4, 2002, Shockey got in touch with Greencastle's former mayor, the late Red Pensinger, as well as Dana Given and Jean Oliver, and the four made contacts with singers, Cub Scouts, the American Legion and other organizations to participate in that year's celebration.

marlob@herald-mail.com Beating the heat becomes an art form when the thermometer climbs above 90 degrees, as it did Tuesday. There are some things that work: Air conditioning, eating ice cream, and drinking, splashing or submerging in water. The temperature reached a sticky 95 degrees in Hagerstown at 4:25 p.m. Tuesday, according to Hagerstown weather observer Greg Keefer's Web site. With the high humidity and low wind factored in, the heat index of how hot it felt was 104 degrees.

kauffman@herald-mail.com It didn't take long for North Hagerstown's boys basketball team to solve Boonsboro's zone defense. The Hubs went inside with Tyrell Wilson, outside with Quielan Gantt and on a tear on the scoreboard. Gantt had 13 points in the first quarter, including two 3-pointers, while Wilson used his size effectively and scored 12 of his 14 points in the first eight minutes as North raced out to a 31-11 lead and cruised to an 83-54 victory Friday night in the MVAL Antietam Conference.

katec@herald-mail.com The Smithsburg Steam Engine & Craft Show will open at 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, at the Smithsburg Fire Hall grounds. The weekend festivities, which continue Sunday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m., are the annual edition of an event started by the Smithsburg Athletic Booster Club 27 years ago. Funds raised - about $400,000 in the festival's long history - support the athletic program at Smithsburg High School. "It is our main source of revenue," says Teresa Bachtell, athletic director at Smithsburg High.

SMITHSBURG - There was "Ho Ho Ho" in the air Saturday at Smithsburg Hometown Christmas. But there also was the sound of sneezing and coughing from participants as well as those attending the all-day festival. Typically the Christmas season coincides with the cold and flu season. And then there was the dismal forecast of approaching snow and freezing rain. Whichever was to blame, the crowds were somewhat diminished by one or the other at Saturday's event. The good news is that those who did venture out seemed to be having a good time.

Asparagus is spring's most luxurious vegetable. It was once cultivated for medicinal purposes as a natural remedy for blood cleansing and diuretic properties. Botanically, asparagus is a member of the lily family, closely related to onions and leeks, though it bears no resemblance to them in appearance or flavor. Asparagus comes in a variety of colors including white, violet-green, pink and purple. Asparagus is a nutrient-dense food, which in high in folic acid and is a good source of potassium, fiber, vitamin B6, vitamins A and C, and thiamin.

Is there anything better than a pot of freshly steamed crabs? I venture to say yes, and that would be some freshly cooked soft shell crabs. Now this recipe is a spiced up version of the good old favorite, so be sure to serve a favorite beverage or two to cut the heat. - Scott C. Anderson is associate food service director and chef with Shepherd University dining services in Shepherdstown, W.Va. Soft shell crabs 8 small soft shell crabs, cleaned 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon blackened seasoning 1/4 cup grapeseed oil 2 fresh chili peppers, seeded and sliced 6 scallions, sliced and chopped Coarse sea salt 1 cup shredded cabbage 1/4 cup shredded jicama 1/4 cup shredded red cabbage 6 ounces sweet chili sauce Take the crabs and make sure that the face has been cut off and that the gills have been removed, pat dry with paper towel.

SMITHSBURG - The Smithsburg Athletic Booster Club of Smithsburg High School will host the 30th annual Smithsburg Steam Engine & Craft Show Saturday, Sept. 25, and Sunday, Sept. 26. Antique steam traction engines and gasoline tractors will be featured at the annual show. Traction engines will be used to demonstrate how farmers once sawed lumber, threshed wheat and made wooden shingles. Antique tractors will parade through town at 5 p.m. Saturday. Attendees also will find arts and crafts, flea markets and food such as country ham sandwiches, crab cakes and steamers.