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The annual Veteran's Day program and buffet will be held Saturday beginning at 6 p.m. at the American Legion Morris Frock Post 42, 405 Northern Ave. Tickets are available at the post. Guest speaker is past national commander of the American Legion, Richard J. Santos. U.S. Army Reserves Major (Ret.) Ronald L. Bowers will be the keynote speaker at Veterans Day ceremonies at Martin L. "Marty" Snook Park in Halfway Sunday at 9 a.m. The ceremony is sponsored by the Joint Veterans Council and includes music and the laying of wreaths to honor veterans.

Employees of Plantscape Inc. of Pittsburgh lower a lift Tuesday evening, while looking up at their work after hanging a 14-foot, 500-pound wreath on the Prime Outlets sign in Hagerstown.

SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.VA. - Susie Wimer's secret recipe for making cinnamon dough ornaments will not be published here. The Shepherdstown native only will say she rolls out a cookie-like dough that is 99 percent cinnamon, and cuts it with metal cutters in the shape of gingerbread men, candy canes and sheep, among other symbols of Christmas revelry. "The dogs don't even eat them," said Wimer, one of several artisans taking part Saturday in the Christmas in Shepherdstown holiday marketplace at the War Memorial Building off German Street.

Jean Thomas, left, and Roger Milihram, center, salute Sunday after placing a wreath on behalf of the Catholic War Veterans at the Morris Frock American Legion Post 42 Memorial Day service at the Washington County Courthouse.

marlob@herald-mail.com HAGERSTOWN - Not only Easter, but Mother's Day came early for Anna Showalter Saturday afternoon as she was presented with a gift of a wreath decked with purple flowers that she earlier had admired at Hagerstown Community College. "I wasn't going to spend the money, but here it is," she said. For three years, Showalter, of Broadway, Va., has accompanied her daughter, Paula Costello, and daughter-in-law, Dixie Showalter, to the HCC Alumni Association's Flower and Garden Show to admire the wares and buy a few things.

FAYETTEVILLE, PA. julieg@herald-mail.com Two years ago, when Chambersburg, Pa., resident Jeanne Amick and her husband were dating, he brought her to the Friends of Caledonia Arts and Crafts Fair. Amick, 54, liked the one-day event so much she returned this year and found some bargains. "This is an incredible buy," said Amick, holding up a large grapevine wreath with silk flowers that she bought for $15.95. That wreath would have cost twice as much at the craft fair she was at two weeks ago in Berryville, Va., she said.

Morris Frock American Legion Post 42 will host the annual Memorial Day program and wreath laying in front of the Washington County Courthouse in Hagerstown on Sunday, May 30, at 2 p.m.Hagerstown Mayor William Breichner will be the guest speaker. Breichner is a 13-year member of Morris Frock Post 42 and a veteran of the Korean War. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy on Feb. 19, 1952 and was honorably discharged in October 1954. He was elected to the Hagerstown City Council for four years in 1989 and re-elected for two four-year terms.

laurae@herald-mail.com Dozens of people lined up outside Snavely's Garden Corner on Leitersburg Pike on Friday, waiting for the doors to open at 9 a.m. Only 50 people at a time could come inside the store. The rest had to stand in the cold until other earlybird shoppers left. Things were crazy for the first hour, as people shopped for Christmas items marked down from 25 percent to 66 percent, said employee Kevin Ledden. Eventually, the crowds thinned, but business was brisk all day, he said.

"Mrs. Prejean, Mrs. Prejean! I know how to spell Mayflower!" The sweet 6-year-old calling my name was soon joined by her friends in a chorus of "M-A-Y-F-L-O-W-E-R!" "Oh, how wonderful," I said. "You know the name of the ship that brought the Pilgrims to the New World. " They were all very proud of themselves, and rightfully so. History - even when it's disguised as a spelling word - can be exciting and empowering. Knowing how we got to this place in time can provide a basis for where we go from here.

gregs@herald-mail.com Former armed forces members gathered Tuesday morning in Hagerstown for a solemn ceremony to commemorate their fallen comrades, but they also used the occasion to reflect on current events. About 60 people gathered to celebrate Veterans Day in front of the Washington County Circuit Court building, where members of more than two dozen local service organizations laid wreaths at the war memorial on West Washington Street near its intersection with Summit Avenue.