Town Hall

St. Joseph Catholic Church will host its annual Christmas bazaar and bake sale Thursday, Nov. 15, from 5 to 8 p.m., Friday, Nov. 16, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 17, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the parish social hall behind the church, which is on the corner of Halfway Boulevard and Virginia Avenue. The bazaar will offer assorted Christmas gifts and decorations, baby and household items, hand-painted folk art, raffles for a quilt and several one-of-a-kind items. Homemade baked goods and candies, as well as soups, drinks, and sandwiches will be available for purchase.

Happy birthday, Joe Joe Scott is back in the news. Friends and neighbors want to give Joe a big birthday wave as he turns 98 years old today.   'Haunted History and Paranormal Tours' begin The Town of Williamsport will host the first of the “2012 Haunted History and Paranormal Tours” tonight at 7 p.m., beginning at Town Hall. Numerous investigations performed this year will provide scary and unbelievable activity in town. Additional tours are scheduled for Fridays, Oct. 19 and 26; Mondays, Oct. 22 and 29; and Wednesdays, Oct. 24 and 31. Tours will meet in front of Town Hall at 7 p.m. Reservations are not necessary, but recommended, especially for groups.

Twists and turns in the continuing story about the suspended Fairplay Fire Co. continued Tuesday night when a standing-room-only crowd turned out at Keedysville Town Hall to hear about the issue. Paul Miller, chairman of a task force studying what to do about Fairplay Fire Co., gave the Washington County Board of Commissioners an update on weeks of work the task force has put in on the issue. Various people in the audience of about 40 people commented about the situation, including attorney Ed Kuczynski, who has been speaking on behalf of the fire company.

Former U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, who died Sunday, could be a polarizing figure, but he spoke to the point and often elicited laughs with his quips. Specter represented Pennsylvania in the Senate for three decades. He lost a re-election bid after switching from the Republican to the Democratic party in 2009. L. Michael Ross, president of the Franklin County Area Development Corp., said Specter tried to visit each of Pennsylvania's 67 counties every year or two years. Ross described Specter as a key player in helping Letterkenny Army Depot in Chambersburg, Pa., through the Base Realignment and Closure Commission process in 2005.

Two officials with the Washington County Division of Public Works outlined plans Tuesday night for the rehabilitation of the Coffman Farms Road Bridge over Little Antietam Creek near town hall. The one-lane bridge was built in 1832 and is rated in “poor condition” because of issues such as missing and loose mortar and missing stones, said Andrew Eshleman, a structural engineer for the county. The rehabilitation of the span will cost about $600,000 and 80 percent of the money will come from federal funds, which have been “obligated” for the project, Eshleman said.

Tuesday, Oct. 9 Antietam Exchange Club meets at Academy Theatre Banquet & Conference Center, 58 E. Washington St., 7:30 a.m. Toddler lap sit for ages birth to 35 months, Williamsport Memorial Library, 10:30 a.m. Toddler time for ages 18 months to 3 years, Central Library at North Pointe Branch, 11 a.m. Registration required by calling 301-733-8655. Toddler time for ages 18 to 36 months, Boonsboro Free Library, 11 a.m. Hagerstown Lions Club meets at Morris Frock Post 42, Northern Avenue, 12:15 p.m. Hancock Rotary Club meets at Park-N-Dine Restaurant, 189 E. Main St., 12:30 p.m. Food Bank and Second Time Around Clothing Shop open at St. Peter's Lutheran Church, Clear Spring, 1 to 2 p.m. Toddler time for ages 18 months to 3 years, Central Library at North Pointe Branch, 3:30 p.m. Registration required by calling 301-733-8655.

Deadline nearing for Clear Spring elections CLEAR SPRING - Nominations for Clear Spring vice mayor and one town council position are due by Monday, Oct. 1, according to Town Clerk Juanita Grimm. Grimm said the seats of Vice Mayor Steven Blickenstaff and Town Councilwoman Megan Yeakle will be up for grabs in the town's election, scheduled for Monday, Nov. 5. Voting will take place from 2 to 7 p.m. at Clear Spring Town Hall. Yeakle has filed for re-election to her post, but Blickenstaff has not, Grimm said.

Funkstown's monthly mayor and Town Council meeting has been rescheduled for 7 p.m. Sept. 17 at Town Hall, Town Clerk/Treasurer Brenda Haynes said. Mayor Paul N. Crampton Jr. asked to have the meeting, originally scheduled for Sept. 10, rescheduled due to a conflict in his schedule, Haynes said. - Julie E. Greene

U.S. Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett, R-Md., faced dozens of questions Tuesday at a town hall meeting he hosted in Funkstown. About 30 people attended. The audience used the opportunity to ask about a range of topics - health care, Social Security, education, illegal immigration, energy and more. Bartlett is trying to win an 11th term as the 6th District representative in Congress. He is facing two challengers in the November general election: John Delaney on the Democratic line and Nickolaus Mueller on the Libertarian line.