Accidental Fire Damages House Near Grantsville
A fire reportedly caused by an electrical problem in a ceiling fan was deemed by fire...

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Late Clerk Of Court To Be Memorialized
A ceremony to memorialize the late David K. Martin, who was clerk of the Garrett County...

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Chamber Notes Independence Day Fireworks Sponsors
The Garrett County Chamber of Commerce noted this week the various local businesses...

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Chautauqua '09 Set For July 3-8; Focus On "Rights And Reformers"
The Garrett Lakes Arts Festival, in conjunction with the Maryland Humanities Council,...

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MLP Awarded $750,000 For Sewer Project
The Maryland Board of Public Works (BPW) recently approved $750,000 in grant funding...

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Grantsville Days Officials Name Parade Winners
The winners in the various categories of last week's Grantsville Days parade have been...

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SHA To Begin Rt. 219 Paving Project Tues.
On or about Tuesday, July 7, the Maryland Department of Transportation's State Highway...

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Unique Oral History Project By Swan Meadow Students Earns ALTA Award
A three-year history project completed by the students of Swan Meadow School garnered...

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GCSO Reports Multiple Motor Vehicle Accidents
The Garrett County Sheriff's Office released reports of several motor vehicle accidents...

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Bird Counters, Numbers Down In May Count
Constant and sometimes gusty winds hindered efforts by local birders during the recent...

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JUST CRUISIN' AT GRANTSVILLE DAYS

While it might appear that this pup is doing something unusual, she is actually a constant biking companion of her pal Jim Donahue. The pair were part of the annual Grantsville Days parade last Friday, for which the weather was perfect. Jim said Harley is a 9-month-old mutt that he found along the road in Florida. He was afraid she would get hit, so he brought her home, and was going to give her away. Then, someone told him to look out his window, and there she was, sitting on the back of the motorcycle. He kept her, and said she is willing to ride for miles and miles a day with him. The celebration in Grantsville was well-attended and deemed a great success. More photos and information will be published in next week's issue of The Republican.

JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT

   Andrew Lloyd Webber's retelling of the classic biblical tale of Joseph and his 11 brothers is the first of two musicals that will be presented by the Theatre on the Lake (TOTL) Company in its fourth season. Performances are slated for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, July 9-11, on the Garrett College stage. Playing the lead role is Nate Golden, pictured. For this production, the members of the TOTL acting company will be joined by 16 apprentices who are part of a two-week arts camp conducted by TOTL and devoted specifically to theatre performances.
    The student performers will fill the roles of six of the brothers, as well as perform in the ensemble choruses, according to TOTL director Lynn Broderick. Tickets are $10 each, and they may be purchased and/or reserved by calling the TOTL Theatre box office at 304-680-1002 or by reserving tickets online at www.totltheatre.com. The other productions scheduled for TOTL this season are the musical
Big River: The Story of Huckleberry Finn, and Steel Magnolias.

A Great Shot...

ENJOYING HER SUMAC is this female pileated woodpecker, which was captured on camera by Fran Pope during the recent annual May bird count. Pope, who is the coordinator of the local count, was parked across the road from a field observing another bird when the woodpecker swooped in and landed on the sumac.
    "She ate the fruit for over five minutes before flying into a tree directly over my car, where she pounded on a branch before flying into the woods giving her very loud call," said Pope, noting that the pileated is the largest woodpecker breeding in the county, measuring about 16 inches in length. "Their feeding strategies change with the seasons, and in addition to the ants and beetle larvae taken all year, a long list of fruit and mast of wild nuts is also eaten when available, including several species of sumac," She said. Complete results of the May bird count in Garrett County can be found elsewhere on the site.

SWAN MEADOW RECEIVES ALTA AWARD

Representatives of Swan Meadow School in Gortner and Western Maryland Regional Library in Hagerstown were present to receive the 2009 ALTA Tradition Award for Swan Meadow School's Gortner Oral History Project (GOHP). The event took place at the Creative Arts Alliance in Baltimore last month. Dr. Kara Rogers Thomas of Frostburg State University (and a member of the GOHP committee) presented the award on behalf of Maryland Traditions, a cooperative program of the Maryland Historical Trust and the Maryland State Arts Council. The ALTA Award celebrates folklife and living traditions in Maryland. Named for folklorist and community leader Dr. Alta Schrock, the ALTA Award stands for Achievement in Living Traditions and Arts, and was created to honor the work of Schrock, who died in 2001. See story. Shown from left are Ida and Sharon Swartzentruber, school representatives; Randee Craig, Garrett County Board of Education; Elizabeth Rees Gilbert, Swan Meadow teacher (with husband Jeff behind her); and Rogers Thomas.
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