My oldest daughter, who is close to being my clone, started school this year. It’s both an exhilarating and nerve-wracking time not just for her but me, too. There’s so much that’s new. So much that’s changing. So much that’s coming. She’s growing up, and…

As Washington County’s baby-boomers and leading-edge Gen-Xers advance into retirement, community support for seniors and their families is taking center stage. One local nonprofit is making a difference for those navigating the challenges of…

At a recent giveaway event through Senior Services Network, founder Paul Brown noticed something unusual. He had thousands of pounds in food and household supplies to give away, and he was…

More babies than usual were born at Meritus Medical Center in the fiscal year 2024, which might lead one to think Washington County is bucking the national trend toward lower birth rates. But officials say other factors likely…

The Maryland Symphony Orchestra (MSO) is hitting a high note with the launch of the full-time Maryland Symphony Youth Orchestra (MSYO), showing its deepening commitment to arts education across the region. MSYO is an audition-based ensemble for…

When my son moved back from California last fall, he introduced me to pickleball. It’s not that I didn’t know about the sport, but I thought it was too the 2020s what the Hula-Hoop had been to the 1960s. I told him I’d give it a…

Last summer, more than 500,000 visitors enjoyed swimming, camping and hiking at Greenbrier State Park. Ranger Emily Bard talks about the park’s history and its amenities.   

When Rachel Roupe was growing up in Sharpsburg, her father and a couple of his friends started a softball league to give young girls an opportunity in sports. Roupe took to the sport, loved it, and excelled as she…

Imagine not having easy access to a gallon of milk, bread, fresh fruits and vegetables, and protein options. This is a reality for millions of people in many parts of the country, even here in some neighborhoods of Hagerstown. City residents are…

Paul Beard started building resonator guitars in a Hagerstown basement 40 years ago. At that time, he wasn’t setting out to build a business. Instead, he was setting out to make music. Today, Beard Guitars has grown into…

What today is a sprawling, serpentine lake covering 3,900 acres in Garrett County and serving as a recreational and economic hub was, in the early 20th century, a rural valley of farms, homes and schools, resembling much of the rest of…

In celebration of Women’s History Month, Sheehy subaru of Hagerstown visited Lasting Change, a local organization dedicated to helping women overcome addiction and rebuild their lives. As part of this…

The University System of Maryland Hagerstown hosts the annual Washington County High School Art Show and gives awards to high school artists from Washington County public and private schools. More than 90 pieces were…

The first time my parents took me to the Atlantic Ocean I was young enough that I hadn’t started school yet. We went to Assateague Island and camped in a tent along the seashore. I don’t recall much from that trip. I most remember a storm coming in off the water to…

The last time I saw Corey Hackley was sometime around 2008 in the hallways of Boonsboro High School–until this past year when I turned on a National Geographic documentary titled “The Deepest Cave” and saw…

From youth camps to seniors who want to play pickleball, the opening of the Hagerstown Field House earlier this year has changed sports and fitness for anyone in Washington County who wants to take advantage of the…

Hagerstown resident, Michael Keifer was just curious one day. “I was sitting at the computer and wondered if there were any other towns named Hagerstown,” he says. There was. One. “I saw only two, one in Maryland and one in…

Four States Livestock Sales, a local livestock auction business, is celebrating its 40th Anniversary for owners, James and Barb Starliper. Four States was originally established in 1935 by founders E.B. Clark and William Garrott making the…

Competition, tradition, great food, and fun are just a few of the things that come to mind when you think of the county fair. July marks the annual Washington County Ag Expo & Fair when thousands of people flock to the…

One of my favorite 4-H projects is the Cavy project. Cavies, more commonly known as guinea pigs, are in the rodent family. There are 13 different breeds of cavies, and they tend to live five to seven years. Once cavies are fully grown, they…