University Plaza

Pops Walker plays a mean slide guitar Thursday at the Lunchtime Blues Prelude at University Plaza.

Bob Tantillo, bass guitarist for The Rhythm Kings, plays Thursday at the 2007 Blues Fest Kick Off at University Plaza in Hagerstown.

The Read Out took place Friday, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at University Plaza in downtown Hagerstown. Employees of downtown businesses could pick up a copy of "The Great Gatsby" and other Big Read-related materials while relaxing in University Plaza. The event included period music, dancing and refreshments courtesy of the Community Foundation of Washington County MD Inc.

Abby Barrett, a visitor from New Jersey, gives a thumbs up to The Tonehounds at Thursday's Plaza Party at University Plaza off West Washington Street in downtown Hagerstown. Abby was there with her family. The Plaza Party, sponsored by the Washington County Arts Council, is held each week during the Thursday lunch hour.

The City of Hagerstown and Sunrise Rotary worked together to erect the fountain at University Plaza for the University System of Maryland at Hagerstown which is at 32 W. Washington St. City Engineer Rodney Tissue wrote in a memo that city staff recommended buying a Robinson Iron fountain for $30,000, including shipping. The city's half of the cost would come from a Downtown Beautification Fund, while Sunrise Rotary Club would be donating $15,000 toward the cost of a fountain.

In cooperation with 2013 Outdoor Fitness Series, there will be yoga classes from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays, May 7 through June 25, on the lawn or near the fountain at the University Plaza, 32 W. Washington St., Hagerstown. Two classes Tuesdays, May 14, and June 11 will be Zumba. The classes are free and open to everyone. For more information, contact the City of Hagerstown, Department of Community and Economic Development, by calling 301-797-6213.

janeth@herald-mail.com The Washington County Arts Council is offering another reason to take in the sights and sounds of summer with its Plaza Party Concerts on Thursdays at noon through Aug. 18. Set in the University Plaza adjacent to the University System of Maryland at Hagerstown on West Washington Street, the hour-long live concerts draw up to 100 people, said Kevin Moriarty, executive director of the Washington County Arts Council....

New date and place The Kris Kringle Craft and Gift Show is moving back to The Clarion Hotel & Conference Center at 901 Dual Highway. It's not too late to mark your calendars for this great event taking place on Saturday, Nov. 18, and Sunday, Nov. 19, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Admission is free. Raffle tickets will be sold for beautiful keepsakes, with the proceeds going to charity. For vendor information, call 301-582-1233. Scouting ready to start up again Crew 3 at Noland Village will resume Boy Scouts in the fall.

Thumbs up to the City of Hagerstown for hosting Tuesday's Earth Day Celebration at University Plaza. Pangborn Elementary School students heard from Mayor David S. Gysberts, City Engineer Rodney Tissue and Tom Stang of Waste Management about the importance of recycling and how the students' actions affect the future of the planet. Thumbs up to the hundreds of Washington County Public Schools students whose artwork is on display at the Museum of Fine Arts in City Park. The museum is featuring more than 1,000 pieces of art by elementary students through early May, when the creations will be replaced by those of middle and high school students.

HAGERSTOWN gregs@herald-mail.com Hagerstown City Police will have more space for police training and a new home for bicycle-patrol officers while future University System of Maryland at Hagerstown students, faculty and staff will have more security and peace of mind under an agreement signed Thursday, officials said. "We're moving one step closer to opening the doors to this place," said David Warner, University System of Maryland at Hagerstown executive director, after the agreement was signed.

It was seconds after taking the stage that 26-year-old Elese Wade was choking back tears. “I've had sleepless nights, tear-filled days and my finances stretched to the limit. I can honestly say that being finished now feels so good,” Wade said. “I'm the first in my family with my bachelor's degree.” The daughter of a single mother, Wade became a single mother shortly after graduating from high school, she confided to the audience in University Plaza where the University System of Maryland at Hagerstown on Monday held its annual graduation celebration to recognize students getting degrees from USM schools that offer classes in Hagerstown.

In cooperation with 2013 Outdoor Fitness Series, there will be yoga classes from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays, May 7 through June 25, on the lawn or near the fountain at the University Plaza, 32 W. Washington St., Hagerstown. Two classes Tuesdays, May 14, and June 11 will be Zumba. The classes are free and open to everyone. For more information, contact the City of Hagerstown, Department of Community and Economic Development, by calling 301-797-6213.

Thumbs up to the City of Hagerstown for hosting Tuesday's Earth Day Celebration at University Plaza. Pangborn Elementary School students heard from Mayor David S. Gysberts, City Engineer Rodney Tissue and Tom Stang of Waste Management about the importance of recycling and how the students' actions affect the future of the planet. Thumbs up to the hundreds of Washington County Public Schools students whose artwork is on display at the Museum of Fine Arts in City Park. The museum is featuring more than 1,000 pieces of art by elementary students through early May, when the creations will be replaced by those of middle and high school students.

Jeanne Dietz-Band sat in a small studio at the back of the bus waiting to promote her smoked spices while cars streamed by outside along Washington Street. A man operating a video camera gave Dietz-Band a few pointers on how to get her point across while other anxious local entrepreneurs waited at the front of the bus for their turn. Pitch Across Maryland made its way to downtown Hagerstown Thursday afternoon, delivering it's on-the-go entrepreneurial contest to any Washington Countians trying to get word out about their business ideas.

Alley 1-130, which runs from Jonathan Street behind University Plaza to the North Potomac Street parking deck, remains closed at Jonathan Street. Work crews from Miller Pipeline Co. were repairing a sanitary sewer main in the alley earlier this week, according to a traffic advisory from the City of Hagerstown's website, www.hagerstownmd.org . Vehicles can still access the parking deck by using Alley 1-135, also known as Hays Alley, beside...

Alley 1-130, which runs from Jonathan Street, behind University Plaza, to the North Potomac Street parking deck, is closed to all vehicular traffic until Wednesday morning. Work crews from Miller Pipeline Company are repairing a sanitary sewer main in the alley, according to a traffic advisory from the City of Hagerstown's website, www.hagerstownmd.org . Vehicles can still access the parking deck using Alley 1-135, also known as Hays Alley, beside the University System of Maryland at Hagerstown, according to the advisory.

The Read Out took place Friday, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at University Plaza in downtown Hagerstown. Employees of downtown businesses could pick up a copy of "The Great Gatsby" and other Big Read-related materials while relaxing in University Plaza. The event included period music, dancing and refreshments courtesy of the Community Foundation of Washington County MD Inc.

Bob Tantillo, bass guitarist for The Rhythm Kings, plays Thursday at the 2007 Blues Fest Kick Off at University Plaza in Hagerstown.

New date and place The Kris Kringle Craft and Gift Show is moving back to The Clarion Hotel & Conference Center at 901 Dual Highway. It's not too late to mark your calendars for this great event taking place on Saturday, Nov. 18, and Sunday, Nov. 19, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Admission is free. Raffle tickets will be sold for beautiful keepsakes, with the proceeds going to charity. For vendor information, call 301-582-1233. Scouting ready to start up again Crew 3 at Noland Village will resume Boy Scouts in the fall.