Summer

The Pennsylvania Air National Guard Band of the Mid-Atlantic performed Monday at Hagerstown Community College's Alumni Amphitheater. The band's performance is part of a summer tour.

Need to beef up your portfolio? Want to see your words or photos in print? Or just want to avoid boredom? Join the Pulse team for the summer. Contact Editor Chris Copley at chrisc@herald-mail.com or call 301-733-5131, ext. 2343.

Michele Conway reads a book Tuesday as she walks along Summit Avenue in Hagerstown. Weather conditions call for continued sun and hot temperatures today and Thursday with highs in the 90s.

One of the easiest ways to advance in your fitness goals is to take advantage of the seasonal advantages of the upcoming summer season. Produce is cheaper, everyone is grilling, and there are plenty of reasons to get out of the house. What can you do this summer to get into better shape? Eat extra vegetables and enjoy fruits During the summer months, dark, leafy greens and other fibrous green vegetables can be purchased at low prices from grocery stores and local farmers markets.

Moose Lodge 120 in Martinsburg, W.Va., will be holding a summer horseshoes league. Any member of any Moose lodge is eligible. There will be a meeting Thursday, March 1, at 6:30 p.m. at the lodge at 201 Woodbury Ave. in Martinsburg. Anyone interested in participating in the league should attend. For more information, call David Slevins at 304-676-3105.

As an oppressive heat wave continues to besiege the area with no signs of letting up, kids and counselors at area summer camps have had to slow down their outdoor activities. “It's been really hot all week,” said Marty Snook camper Jordan Gardner, 12, of Hagerstown. “I drink lots of water.” Members of the Marty Snook and Williamsport Camps went to the skating rink at Turner's Skating Palace on Virginia Avenue on Friday, something they do every week. But during the rest of the week, the campers had to find other ways to cool off. Marty Snook camper Nichole Sherman, 11, of Hagerstown said they found some less heated outdoor activities.

After spending the summer working through a youth program at Battery One Inc. on Virginia Avenue in Hagerstown, Rodney Tennant was offered a part-time job there. “I wanted to do something with lifting a lot of weights,” said Tennant, of Hagerstown. “I've liked working here.” Tennant, 18, began working at Battery One Inc. through the Western Maryland Consortium Summer Youth Program, which provides work opportunities for financially disadvantaged youths ages 14 to 21. A spring graduate of North Hagerstown High School, Tennant works two part-time jobs, sometimes logging up to 70 hours a week between the two. He accepted the part-time job offer at Battery One, which sells services and installs batteries for a variety of items, from cars to cellphones.

Jade, a black Lab belonging to Tyler Catlett of Martinsburg, W.Va., cools off Monday afternoon by splashing in Opequon Creek near Martinsburg. Searing heat is expected today through Thursday.

In the Northern Hemisphere, summer begins today. It's the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. Because the days are longer and the nights shorter in summer, the sun has more time to warm the earth. And that's good news for Bryant Hendrickson, shift manager at Rita's Water Ices at 1313 Pennsylvania Ave., who said he already has seen pre-summer heat increase business. On hot days, he and his co-workers have steady streams of customers. On cool days, he said, it's "like one or two an hour.