72 HOURS Feb. 9, 2023

MUSICAL SALUTE: Choral Arts Society of Frederick will lead official D-Day commemoration performances in Normandy PAGE 6

Interested in writing for 72 Hours? Email llarocca@newspost.com.

BAKER’S BEST: Priscilla’s Pound Cakes rise to any occasion PAGE 5

WALKERSVILLE REPRESENT!

Tineke Younger — Walkersville High grad and 2022 grad of Frederick Community College’s culinary program — will compete on Gordon Ramsay’s “Next Level Chef” this weekend. Season two of the show debuts on FOX on Feb. 12, immediately after the Super Bowl, and can also be streamed on Hulu. We also suggest you follow her on TikTok @tinekeyounger to see all her behind-the-scenes videos in her home kitchen and out in the world. She has amassed 2.6 million followers (and counting) by posting videos of all her creations. We are so excited to see our hometown girl shine with the big names of the food industry … and we will, of course, be rooting for her.

SHAKE YOUR KEYS — ER, BONES?

Welp, Frederick’s Atlantic League minor league baseball team unveiled five choices for its new name this week: Bone Shakers, Ghost Hounds, Rail Frogs, Sawbones and Screaming Alpacas. Fans have until Feb. 17 to vote for their favorites at frederickatlanticleague.com. You can also read the explanation behind each name at that website … like, did you know Civil War doctors were nicknamed sawbones? Or that penny farthings were once nicknamed boneshakers? Or that ghost dogs roam Frederick streets at night?

MAY THE BEST FLAG WIN

The current Frederick County flag, designed in 1976 by resident James Pearl, features nine red and white stripes and an image of Francis Scott Key pointing to an outline of the county. Frederick County’s 275th Anniversary Committee is sponsoring a contest for a new design. The competition is open to anyone who lives or has lived in Frederick County. Artists can submit designs (one per person) through March 31 at frederickcountymd.gov/275flagcontest. The winning artist will receive $1,275 and a full-size flag with their design, plus bragging rights. The winner will be announced on Flag Day, June 14. May the best design win!

‘ANGELS IN AMERICA’ ... IN FREDERICK

The Maryland Ensemble Theatre had planned a production of “Angels in America” for March 2020, but we all know what happened that month. Fastforward to February 2023, and the Frederick theater company will bring the show to its black-box theater beginning this week. The cast says audiences might see the play through a new lens now, after living through the pandemic crisis, so maybe the timing of its Frederick premiere is perfect. The show opens Feb. 10 and runs through March 5.

LAST CHANCE!

This is the last week to stop by the FAC Art Center and see the work of environmental artist Pamela Moulton in her show “Beneath the Forest.” The space — a converted church on East Second Street in downtown Frederick — is filled with Moulton’s massive fiber-art pieces and found-object sculptures that are in conversation with the natural world and the human communities who walk among it. Admission is free, and the show runs through Feb. 15.

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FOR A LIST OF CAMPUS EVENTS, VISIT HOOD.EDU/CAMPUS-EVENTS

UNCAPPED

Comic Zane Lamprey talks ahead of his show at Idiom

In this episode of the UnCapped podcast, host Chris Sands talks with comedian Zane Lamprey ahead of his shows at Full Tilt Brewing in Baltimore (Feb. 22) and Idiom Brewing Co. in Frederick (Feb. 23). They talk about his previous TV shows, his Amazon Prime specials and the tour he will be kicking off soon. Here is an excerpt of their talk.

UnCapped: Zane is a comedian, a very funny comedian. Before that first time I saw you, there was not even a speck of your standup online. I wasn’t sure what to expect. You were funny in “Three Sheets” and “Drinking Made Easy,” but standup is very different.

Zane Lamprey: [TV shows] do not necessarily translate to standup.

To go back, I did four seasons of “Three Sheets,” traveling around the world, drinking, and then the network it was on went off the air. I did a Save Three Sheets rally in L.A. — about 500, 600 people showed up. And then I went to New York City to do a rally, and that was just fans of the show marching through New York City, past all the TV networks, so they’d be like, “What is this? What is this show? We need to know what this is.”

We get to the very last bar, this four-story Irish pub, and I’m on the fourth floor, and the whole place is just full of fans.

Steve McKenna runs up to me and says, “Mark Cuban’s downstairs — he wants to buy the show.” I’m like, “No, Mark Cuban is not on our pub crawl, dummy.” I was willing to go all the way down there just to prove him wrong, and walk up to this guy who turns around, and it’s Mark Cuban.

So when my contract expired, I called up Mark Cuban and said let’s make a domestic version of “Three Sheets” and call it “Drinking Made Easy.” And so, we did it.

We filled up two tour buses, went on the road. What I already had planned was a standup comedy tour of the U.S. I thought, while we’re in these places, we might as well do the

show. We headed out for the summer for 87 days and shot 24 episodes and then I did a one-hour standup show. Before that, I hadn’t done much standup.

I’ve been working on my standup [ever since], but I’m not always the best at putting my clips online.

UnCapped: Before I went to that first [show], I could not find a single clip of your standup. I even said to Dan [Baumiller, cofounder of Full Tilt Brewing], “Is he funny?” None of us were sure. You were very funny.

Lamprey: I appreciate that. Whatever I do, I put 100% into it.

UnCapped: What do you think is more important with standup comedy: a sense of humor in general or the

ability to tell stories?

Lamprey: Well, not every [comic] is a storyteller. … I was talking to Christopher Titus, who said when he was doing standup, he was having a hard time breaking out. Some guy told him, “You don’t put any of your self into it. Like, put your soul out there. Tell people.” And he did that, and that was it. Ever since that moment, he just exploded.

I was talking to a buddy once and told him a very embarrassing story in confidence — I don’t tell that story, but I think I just told him because I was drunk. Then I get onstage and thought, I’m gonna tell this story. Like, I’m not gonna tell it to a group of friends, but I’ll tell it to 300 strangers. People want to hear about you doing dumb stuff or embarrassing stuff, because then it humanizes you. Comedy is just showing your vulnerability, I think, and being brutally honest sometimes. I don’t like to make fun of other people, but I liked to show my vulnerabilities. I think that’s what it’s about.

ZANE LAMPREY

Learn more and buy tickets at zanelamprey.com.

And it’s being able to see yourself and understand how others see you. That’s a pretty important skill.

UnCapped: Yeah, no one’s gonna get mad at you for making fun of yourself.

Lamprey: Correct.

UnCapped: It’s a safe arena to play in.

Lamprey: Yeah, and a lot of people, when they start out, think [comedy] is making fun of people and bathroom humor, just because when you’re with your friends, it seems like it works. But you have to dig into it.

For me, I’m definitely a storyteller. This is my process: I write it out, let’s say it’s a five-minute story, and then I try to see how concise I can get and still get the point across and still have the twists and turns and the surprises.

UnCapped: If I remember correctly, you even go the slightly more complicated route, where you’ll have a story that weaves through all the other ones, too.

Lamprey: Right.

UnCapped: Which I enjoy. It makes you pay attention.

Lamprey: Yeah, when I’m up there, doing my standup, it’s supposed to feel like I’m just [telling you a story]. If I take a pause, some audience members, usually drunk people, will sort of help me out or start guessing the punchline. And I’m like, no, just sit back. I’m not saying I’m Shakespeare, but this is all premeditated. Every night, I’m getting better. At least, I’m trying to. I’m taking certain risks.

This excerpt has been edited for space and clarity. Listen to the full podcast at fnppodcasts.com/uncapped. Got UnCapped news? Email csands @newspost.com.

Chris Sands

Zane Lamprey

Priscilla’s Pound Cakes

Baking gourmet pound cakes started as a pandemic hobby for Priscilla Myles, then kicked up a notch in the summer of 2022 when she started baking out of a commercial kitchen off of East Second Street in Frederick. Now, Priscilla’s Pound Cakes has a well-manicured website displaying a colorful array of pound cakes made from her grandmother’s recipes. One of those cakes, Ella’s Classic Cream Cheese Pound Cake, is named in honor of her grandmother and represents one of those foundational recipes. “I’ve been baking since I was child,” Myles said. “My dad always told me he enjoyed my pound cakes and said they reminded him of his mother’s, so I just continued to work on that recipe and then add different flavors and develop from there.” Myles’ rum cake is reminiscent of a popular Jamaican dessert called black cake and is inspired by her Jamaican roots, though her version is more vanilla-based and is baked with far less rum, she joked. Other cakes, like her Pumpkin Spice Pound Cake and Gingerbread Pound Cake, are infused with seasonal ingredients. Myles says all of her pound cakes are baked fresh, and her website allows customers to place orders 72 hours in advance, so she can plan their pick up or delivery when the cakes are at their best.

— Emmett Gartner

PRISCILLA’S POUND CAKES

Address: 300 E. Second St., Frederick Website: priscillas poundcakes.com

Social: @priscillas_ poundcakes

Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Thursday. Orders take up to three days to complete.

Price: $45 to $60

The owner recommends: The vanilla-rum infused pound cake, a decadent cake with a taste of Jamaica in every bite. Served with or without pecans and serves approximately 8 to 10 people.

Priscilla Myles, of Priscilla’s Pound Cakes, stands next to her rum cake on Jan. 23.

Staff photos by Katina Zentz

A rum cake from Priscilla’s Pound Cakes.

MUSIC

Choral Arts Society of Frederick will lead official D-Day commemoration performances in Normandy

BY LAURA DUKES Special to The News-Post

The Choral Arts Society of Frederick is going from a year of post-pandemic re-building to the opportunity of a lifetime.

The Frederick Community College based choir has been chosen to represent the United States in the official D-Day American Celebrations in Normandy and Paris. About 35 singers from the 55-member choir will be traveling from June 2 through 8, though some members are choosing to arrive earlier or stay later.

Lynn Straininger, the CASF artistic director, said they were nominated and vetted by the organization Historic Programs, the official production company of the U.S. Department of Defense. Their initial nomination was anonymous and Historic Programs vetted the group through the choir’s website and by reaching out to musicians with whom they’d worked in the past.

Straininger received an official invitation in August and at first figured it was a typical festival invitation, as they have performed overseas in the past. She then saw an official military signature and realized “it was probably the most important invitation we ever received,” Straininger said.

She was even more excited to learn that they were invited to be the lead choir, among several other community, professional and high school choirs.

“Their entire mission is to honor the veterans of World War II,” Straininger said.

Throughout the week, they will have an intense performing schedule, including singing a solo at a wreath laying ceremony, as well as some concerts where they will be the only performers. They’ll sing patriotic and 1940s-themed tunes, such as “I’ll Be Seeing You” and the “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.” They will sing more solemn American spirituals during the wreath laying ceremony, Straininger said.

Because the trip takes place during the final weeks of the school year, and several members are teachers and college professors, not all singers are able to attend. They also have to pay for all travel expenses.

“This is a service to the country,” Straininger said.

This is a “bucket list” opportunity for many members, so there has been some fundraising involved. Some of the students also received a grant from the Delaplaine Foundation for the trip.

One special element to performing this year is the Department of Defense estimates it will be the next to last year that a living veteran will be in attendance. It’s also the 79th anniversary of D-Day, as well as the 79th year that the CASF has been in existence.

“It’s a nice little moment of karma,” she said.

The choir itself is a diverse group with members ranging in age from 16 to 79. Faith Kiser is one of its student members from Hood College, where she is a junior studying business and

French. She said she knew right away that she wanted to participate as a way to show gratitude toward WWII veterans.

“That sacrifice definitely isn’t something to be taken lightly,” she said.

The North Carolina native has performed at her hometown’s veterans museum before and has sung the National Anthem and “God Bless America” at ceremonies in the past.

“It’s a big passion of mine,” Kiser said of patriotic performances. “I like to give back whenever I can.”

She is planning to stay for a week or two after the concerts and is applying for an internship in Paris with the help of her French professor.

Hood College senior Hailey Williams said she hopes the experience will be a bonding one

Courtesy photo

The Choral Arts Society rehearses.

Courtesy photo

Lynn Straininger, the CASF artistic director, with a picture of her mom.

Ashlynn Stearns, a student and choir member at Hood College, can’t wait to honor the World War II veterans in her family next June. Stearns’ great-grandmother, Jean Pride Stearns, served as a sergeant and navigation instructor in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II, and her great-grandfather, Stanley Stearns, served in the U.S. Marine Corps as a technical sergeant and a bombardier during the war. Her other great-grandfather, Charles Willard Thomas, fought for the U.S. Navy in PT Boat 507 off the shores of Normandy on D-Day, serving as a gunner’s mate, petty officer second class. “This D-Day opportunity means a lot to me, because this gives me a chance to feel closer than ever to my great-grandfather,” said Stearns. Shown here, Jean and Stan Stearns.

for the choir. She said she does not speak French but is hoping to learn some common phrases and lingo, as well as more about the history of the country.

Williams said her father was in the U.S. Army, and she thinks of the performances as a way to serve the country without actually being in the military.

“They call it a musical salute, which I think is really cool,” Williams said.

For Straininger, the experience also has personal importance since her parents, Ray and Helen Straininger, served as a navigator and a nurse, respectively, during WWII.

This is her 20th year with the CASF. The group has rehearsed for Normandy since their season started in September.

They will perform all of the music from the France performances at a local concert on May 12 and 13 at Frederick Community College.

“It’s the most unexpected invitation,” Straininger said. “It’s changed the trajectory of our 79th year in the best way possible.”

Laura Dukes has written for The Frederick News-Post since 2013 as both a freelancer and staff writer. She lives in the Ballenger Creek area with her husband, son and twin daughters.

Courtesy photo

Speak Story Series opens season with Priscilla Howe

Speak Story Series, part of Speak Storytelling Inc., will open its 11th season with story artist Priscilla Howe, who will perform live onstage at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 14 and 15 in the newly-renovated Shepherdstown Opera House.

Howe has been a full-time storyteller since 1993, telling a mix of folktales, tales from books and original stories, most with a generous dollop of humor. She travels the world — 14 countries and counting — with a bag of puppets. In 2015, she spent five months on a Fulbright scholarship in Bulgaria collecting folktales. Howe also is searching for the best restaurant fruit pie on Earth.

The Feb. 14 show will also be streamed online. This program will be “The Story of Tristan and Iseult: A Medieval Classic,” perfect for Valentine’s Day — an epic tale of good luck, bad choices, giants, dragons, fools, betrayal and, of course, romance.

Howe will give a different performance on Feb. 15.

Tickets are $15 and available at speakstoryseries.com.

The Speak Story Series is for adult audiences. Mature youth are permitted at a guardian’s discretion.

Opera House Live is at 131 W. German St., Shepherdstown, West Virginia.

For more information, email info@speakstoryseries.com.

Everyday poetry

BY SHERYL MASSARO Special to The News-Post

Remember last month? The one that ended with news events that were just plain awful? Evilness running rampant and scattering victims? Our hearts breaking yet again over nature’s extremes or human inhumanity to human?

I’ve had it with evil, and I’m not sure what to do about it. I suppose we could personally start to combat it by being respectful to every person we meet, everywhere, all the time, starting with ourselves. But I write that

as someone who has never been beaten up, been in the middle of a war, or faced ruin from a natural disaster. So what do I know? Not enough.

But I have lived long enough to know that mind and imagination can free us a bit, or a lot, from that feeling of helplessness and frustration in the presence of overwhelming cruelty. It is a strange kind of physics that happens when we imagine being freed of horrors and evils. When we imagine it firmly and with determination, we feel stronger. We might not

understand exactly how to accomplish this freedom, but we begin to feel the strength to believe it can be done, and that’s an important start. I will never underestimate the power of imagination. We use it quite a lot, actually, daily. Maybe we should take more time to better examine our mind-wandering moments.

Sheryl Massaro is a Frederick poet and oil painter. She holds an MFA in creative writing from The American University. She is a recipient of one of the many stipends granted in 2022 from the National Endowment for the Arts through the Frederick Arts Council.

SHERYL MASSARO

Courtesy photo

Priscilla Howe

PEEPsterpieces wanted for the annual PEEPshow

The Carroll County Arts Council is looking for innovative artists, engineers, designers and anyone with a “sweet” sense of humor to enter its annual PEEPshow, running March 31 through April 10 at the TownMall of Westminster. Voting will take place at both the live event and online.

The PEEPshow is a wonderfully wacky display of art inspired by the lovable, vibrantly colored marshmallow critters and shapes that invade store shelves before almost every holiday. The Arts Council will accept dioramas, sculptures and mosaics as long as they include Peeps as the medium or subject matter. They will also accept entries utilizing photography, filmmaking, computergenerated art, drawings, or paintings as long as they feature Peeps as the primary subject matter.

This year’s show returns to last year’s location in the TownMall of Westminster in a store space next to Boscov’s. All the entries will also be featured in an online photo contest format for voting from home. Video entries will be available to view online but will not be screened at the live show at the mall. However, the

(See PEEPS 10)

Family FUN Day at the MET

by

The Maryland Ensemble Theatre’s kid-focused family gathering is a great chance to escape the winter weather with a fun-filled day of free activities in downtown Frederick. Kids of all ages will enjoy arts, crafts, face painting, theater games and interactive storytelling, photos with superheroes and characters, and dress up.

“Family FUN Day is all about family bonding, playing and great stories,” said Andrea Baker, the MET’s development and community outreach manager. “There is nothing like some family bonding time on a Saturday.”

Family FUN Day is a free event from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 11 with no registration necessary.

The MET is at 31 W. Patrick St., Frederick.

For more information about Family FUN Day, The Ensemble School, FUN Camp or any of the MET’s programming visit marylandensemble. org or call 301-694-4744.

Hot Chocolate Crawl in Mount Airy

Bundle up and head to Mount Airy’s Main Street to sample warm chocolate drinks and sweet treats from local businesses as you stroll, dine and shop. The event runs from 4 to 6 p.m. Feb. 11.

Place Juror’s Award in photography Jillian Abir MacMaster of Frederick for “Evening Ritual.”

“Something’s Wrong with That Boy’s Medulla Oblongata”

Christian Twamley.

Courtesy photo

PEEPS

MET’s FUNCompany presents ‘The Snowy Day and Other Stories’

Maryland Ensemble Theatre’s FUNCompany invites you to follow Peter and his friends as they set out to celebrate the first snowfall of the year with snowball fights, making snow angels and playing in the snow. Based on the Caldecott Award-winning book by Ezra Jack Keats, this story is packed with humor and fun and is a celebration of childhood joys and the wonder of imagination.

“Whether it’s the wonder of fresh snowfall, the delight of whistling for the first time, the awe in finding a special hidden treasure, or the rush of writing a letter to someone special” said director Sierra Young.

“The Snowy Day and Other Stories” follows young protagonist Peter as he experiences some of life’s simple pleasures — along with its challenges. Within this delightful collection of stories— including “Whistle for Willie,” “Goggles!,” “A Letter to Amy” and Caldecott Winner “The Snowy Day”— the audience joins Peter in navigating the world through his lens through the use of vibrant visuals, shadow

puppetry and strong movement for theatrical storytelling, reminding us all that even in difficult times, there is immense power in finding joy as an act of resistance, and to never discount the small moments of life that make us who we are.

“The Snowy Day and Other Stories” cast features Ezra Lavala as Peter. The show opens Feb. 11 and runs through March 5. Performances are Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. and Sundays at 1:30 p.m. Arrive early to enjoy interactive crafts, games and photo booth stations.

ASL interpretation and audio description services can be arranged in advance through the box office.

Tickets are $15 per person. A limited number of Pay What You Will tickets are available for each performance starting at $5 each, while supplies last. Tickets may be purchased by phone at 301-694- 4744, online at marylandensemble.org, or in person at the MET box office at 31 W. Patrick St., Frederick.

Lafayette Gilchrist plays Herbie Nichols & Lafayette Gilchrist

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18 | 8:00 PM

Skerryvore

THURSDAY, MARCH 2 | 7:30 PM

Teelin Irish Dance Company Celtic Journey

SATURDAY, MARCH 11 | 7:00 PM

Classic Albums Live Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon

SUNDAY, MARCH 12 | 7:30 PM

(Continued from 9)

Arts Council still wants to give these unique entries their time to shine. Video entries will be screened throughout the day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 1 at the Carroll Arts Center. Visitors can watch the videos and walk through the galleries for the last day of Youth Art Month.

The top 10 entries with the most live and online votes combined will receive Audience Favorite awards, with the first place entry being named the Grand Prize winner. Additionally, a separate award will be given to the video entry with the most votes. Voting for video entries will only be available online. Artistic Excellence awards will be chosen by the Arts Council staff and Sponsor’s Choice awards will be selected by PEEPshow’s sponsor organizations.

Photos of previous years’

Loudon Wainwright III & Tom Rush with Matt Nakoa

FRIDAY, MARCH 17 | 8:00 PM

An Evening with David Sedaris

FRIDAY, MARCH 30 | 7:30 PM

entries can be viewed on the Arts Council’s website. In the 2022 PEEPshow, a total of 20,892 Peeps were used in the 110 entries. Last year’s Grand Prize winner was “Something’s Wrong with That Boy’s Medulla Oblongata” by Christian Twamley.

The deadline to register an entry is March 10, though registration will close early if the CCAC reaches capacity. Decorators will be responsible for transporting their entry to the TownMall of Westminster. There is an entry fee of $10 and only one entry per person will be accepted. Registration is online only. Participants can find more information and register online at marshmallowpeepshow. com. Completed Peep creations must be delivered to the TownMall on March 17 or 18. For more information, call 410-8487272.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9 | 7:30 PM

An

with David Sedaris

A free night in Sicily sounds amazing. Booking it is complicated.

BY ANDREA SACHS The Washington Post

If you’re considering a trip to Italy — and you have deep reserves of patience — Sicily’s tourism office will pay for a chunk of your stay to include the dreamy Mediterranean island in your plans.

Under its See Sicily program, Visit Sicily offers a free night’s stay, a complimentary excursion and a discount on an airfare or ferry ticket. After the tourism office unveiled the travel promotion two years ago, it’s back for 2023.

Andiamo, right? Not so fast.

The deal is riddled with confusing details and caveats, including two blackout months in the summer. I spent days trying to arrange a test booking before making any progress.

Visit Sicily created the package to boost tourism, which withered during the coronavirus pandemic. Compared to 2019 figures, tourism in Italy fell by 61 percent in 2020 and 58 percent in 2021, according to the U.N. World Travel Organization. In 2019, about 65 million people visited one of the world’s top tourist destinations.

The deal, which is outlined on Visit Sicily’s website, seems straightforward enough. Book two nights at any of the dozens of participating accommodations and receive a third night free. You can also double the rewards with two free nights on a sixnight stay.

Additionally, you get to choose a “tourist service,” such as a guided walking tour or a diving trip. As a further incentive, the tourism office will throw in a voucher that claims to cover 50 percent of your air or ferry expenses.

But don’t start packing your Dolce & Gabbana caftan yet. You’re about to begin trading emails with travel agents working on Italian time.

The fine print for See Sicily offers

The promotion runs through Sept. 30, but July and August, two of Sicily’s most popular months, are blacked out. Some of the lodgings, which range from hotels and apartment rentals to bed-and-breakfasts and campsites, are closed during the slow season covering parts of winter and spring.

One of the most notable — and burdensome — requirements is that you must book through a travel agency in Sicily.

The math for the travel discount also does not add up. According to the website, the rebate is capped at $109 for domestic or continental flights and $217 for international airfare. That won’t cover half of most transatlantic tickets, which can cost about $900 in the offseason and $1,600 or more in the summer.

“Overall, it’s probably not worth all the effort,” said Steve Perillo,

president and owner of Perillo Tours, a New Jersey-based tour operator that specializes in Italy, “and it has to be booked directly with Sicilian travel agents or hotels, and who knows what exchange rate they’ll charge your credit card.”

Of course, any travel deal, especially one for Sicily, which is known for its ancient ruins, silky beaches, caponata and Marsala wine, is worth some effort. Or at least an attempt.

“To some people this would be an attractive promotion,” said Ann Castagna Morin, an Italian American travel adviser based in Massachusetts, “[like] independent travelers who are comfortable exploring on their own.”

What happens when you try to book

The tourism office provides a long list of travel agencies affiliated with the deal; some even have “See Sicily” in

their email address. The companies are organized by city, such as Palermo, Enna and Trapani. When I unleashed my first dozen inquiries, I received one response.

The agency reiterated the package details, including the confounding bit about the discount, and asked me about my vacation style (active, relaxed, foodie), preferred category of lodging (depending on the number of meals) and choice of outings: an “exciting” trek up Mount Etna or a city walking tour?

I immediately replied, but I never heard back from the company that signed off as the “Take it slowly Team.” (The tourism office sporadically emailed me back but several of my questions remain unanswered, such as further clarification of the travel voucher.)

I submitted another round of inquiries the following evening, so Sicily would welcome the new day with messages from me.

I eagerly opened an email from Ulisse Tour Operator in Palermo. Anna Maria Ulisse advised me to research flights and share my findings with her, so that she could book it. But she never replied to my follow-up questions.

The next night, aware of the desperation creeping into my text, I tried again, hitting up a new batch of agents.

I scored the most success this time around. One agent replied, confirming my email address. Dimensione Sicilia in Catania sent me tantalizing videos of the island and of a self-drive tour, plus a few itinerary ideas.

“You could spend the 3 nights in Palermo, the capital city, very [rich] in art and monuments and have a free visit of Palermo or spend the 3 nights in Catania, the second most important city and get an excursion on Mount Etna, the highest active volcano in Europe or visit the lovely Taormina,” Daisy, an employee, suggested.

Washington Post photo by Michael Robinson Chave Beach vendors and sunbathers walk along the beach in San Vito de Capo, Sicily in 2021.

For Tineke Younger, cooking was more than something to learn. It was

The 21-year-old admits she was Walkersville High School — until she was introduced to a culinary program. Now, Younger is on her way to see if she’s got what it takes to be the “Next Level Chef.”

Younger has been cast in the second season competition, which premieres Feb. 12. The show also is available on “Next Level Chef” is hosted by celebrity chefs Gordon Ramsey, Nyesha

Richard Blais with a top prize of $250,000 and a year of mentorship with the

Younger, along with 17 other contestants, are split into teams, with each mentor groups. She was placed on

The stage is set up in three levels: a top kitchen (with the best appliances and kitchen tools), a standard commercial kitchen and “the basement,” where the stove barely works and chefs lack standard appliances. Every round is themed and the contestants have 30 seconds to grab ingredients from a

large platform. The top kitchen gets first pick, while the basement contestants have to take whatever is left.

All of the final dishes are tasted by the judges. The best dish overall saves the entire team. The remaining two teams’ mentors must choose a chef who then competes by creating a dish, and one is eliminated. This continues until the last chef is left standing.

COOKING UP A CAREER

During her sophomore year, Younger visited Frederick County Public Schools Career and Technology Center to shadow the cosmetology school.

“I had terrible grades, and I just wanted

to find a passion for something,” Younger said during a phone interview from her home in Augusta, Georgia. Unfortunately, cutting hair wasn’t it. “I absolutely hated it,” she said. “I was like, ‘This is not for me,’ and on my way out, I smelled the food down the hallway.”

That’s when she inquired about the school’s culinary program and was told students get to miss half a day of school — and eat, which sounded like a win-win to her.

She returned to the school, this time to shadow the culinary program, and said it was love at first sight. She applied, was accepted, and started the

From left, Richard Blais with contestant Tineke Younger in the season premiere episode of “Next Level Chef,”

program during her junior year.

“Everything changed. I had been getting Ds and Fs. I even got a D in PE. I wasn’t applying myself. I didn’t care about school,” she said. “As soon as I found out that I was actually good at cooking and it was something I liked, my grades turned around. My behavior also turned around, because I wasn’t the best kid. I was getting in trouble and [sent to] the principal’s office. But my behavior turned for the good, because I found my passion.”

After CTC, Younger continued her culinary education at Frederick Community College Monroe Center: Hospitality, Culinary & Tourism Institute.

She graduated in 2022.

Before her training, she said she cooked basic dishes, like spaghetti and chicken breast. She hadn’t even cooked a steak before she started at FCC. She still remembers the first meal she was proud of.

“It’s so stupid,” she said with a laugh. “I made a California club sandwich. I have pictures of it because I was so proud of it. Looking back, I’m like, it’s literally a sandwich, girl.”

TIKTOK STAR

In 2021, while working at a restaurant and going to school, Younger rebranded her TikTok page. One night she asked her

boyfriend what he wanted to eat. He said steak and mac-and-cheese. When she began cooking, she decided to record herself.

“I thought it would just be fun, so I recorded it and posted it the next day,” she said. “It was 14 million views and I had gained 300,000 followers. It blew up over Twitter, over Instagram, over Snapchat. It was insane. Celebrities were reaching out.”

The most views she’s gotten on a post was 25 million for a fried chicken sandwich she made for her boyfriend.

With a 27,000 following, Younger caught the attention of the producers of FOX’s competition show “Next Level Chef”

for its second season. They reached out to her and told her they thought she would be a good contestant. After graduating HCIT, Younger had landed a job at Disney Culinary Internship Program and was just two weeks from starting at Disney World when she received that call.

“It was a decision I had to make, but it was a pretty easy decision,” she said.

Younger admitted she hadn’t seen the show before she said yes but quickly binged the first season in a week. She also prerecorded a bunch of videos so her fans wouldn’t question where she was while “Next Level Chef” was being filmed.

A week later, Younger was in Las Vegas and competing with the other contestants — a mixture of trained chefs and home cooks turned social media influencers.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been starstruck before, but I couldn’t control myself … I was like, oh my gosh — I’ve been watching Gordon Ramsay since I was 8 years old.’ I was watching ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ and ‘Master Chef’ and ‘Master Chef Junior,’ and Gordon Ramsay is in front of me and he’s about to taste my food in a few minutes. This is nerve-racking.”

As a member of Team Blais, Younger was excited to work with the former “Top Chef” contestant Blais because “he’s all about flavor,” she said. “I knew he was gonna help me improve my flavor and find unique ways to infuse flavor, because that’s all Richard Blais. He finds the most unique and weird ways to infuse flavor. I was so excited to have him as a mentor.”

Although Younger isn’t allowed to spill the beans on how far she got or who won season two, she said the contestants are all “like a big family” now. She even has plans for some pop-up events with fellow Maryland contestants.

Being on the show also made her a better chef, she said.

“It taught me to take risks,” she said. “The whole experience on how I even got on the show was because I took a risk. I didn’t play it safe. If you’re not out of your comfort zone, then I don’t think you’re a good chef. I feel like you have to be out of your comfort zone the whole time. That’s how you improve.” Her biggest takeaway, she said, was to stop second-guessing herself in the kitchen.

She said being on the show was like being back in culinary school, “except you have Gordon Ramsay, Richard Blaise and Nyesha Arrington as your teachers. The whole time, I just wanted to become a better chef.”

FOX photos Chef,” airing Feb. 12 on FOX and available to stream on Hulu.

“ If you’re not out of your comfort zone, then I don’t think you’re a good chef. I feel like you have to be out of your comfort zone the whole time.

TINEKE YOUNGER

Amazing Tablescapes — through Feb. 12, Washington County Museum of Fine Arts Atrium, 401 Museum Drive, Hagerstown. Creative tablescapes displays. People’s Choice Award announced on Facebook at 5 p.m. March 1. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. 301-739-5727 or wcmfa.org.

”Natural Selection: Experiencing Change” — through Feb. 26, Delaplaine Arts Center, 40 S. Carroll St., Frederick. Paintings by S. Manya Stoumen–Tolino. The idea of natural selection belongs to human ideas about how organic forms evolve and endure, or not. In this series, Stoumen-Tolino reflects on major forms, lines, and color experienced in the natural world that express the inherent changes constantly occurring in all living things. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. 301-6980656 or delaplaine.org.

”Drifting Through Deep Time” — through Feb. 26, Delaplaine Arts Center, 40 S. Carroll St., Frederick. Photography by Keith Kozloff. A reflection on “deep time,” a term applied to how we conceive of geological timescales. Constructing a photographic narrative loosely based on the protocontinent Avalonia, his work is a reflection on human attention and humanity’s capacity to understand Earth’s life support systems. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. 301-698-0656 or delaplaine. org.

”Diversity, Equity and Inclusion”

— through Feb. 26, Blanche Ames Gallery, 4880 Elmer Derr Road, Frederick. Features nine artists from the Gaithersburg Fine Arts Association. Call 301-473-7680 for gallery hours or visit frederickuu.org.

“Community Threads: Connectivity through Creativity” — through Feb. 26. This exhibition was curated as a vignette showcase that reflects the array of creativity within the Frederick County Art Association, with work by 16 members. Opening reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Feb. 11. DISTRICT Arts, 15 N. Market St., Frederick. Districtarts.com.

”Natural Selections” — through Feb. 26, NOMA Gallery, 437 N. Market St., Frederick. Works by artists

Melissa Penley Cormier and Caitlin

Gill investigate the natural world as metaphor. Cormier uses photography and installations to document and explore how we mark time. Gill uses printmaking, sculpting, drawing, collage, painting and fiber to create artwork that explores ideas of identity, femininity and domesticity. Cormier’s projects center around looking closely and carefully. Gill’s work examines the patriarchy the male gaze and gender through animal and insect portraits. Artists’ talk 7 to 9 p.m. Feb. 16. Hours are noon to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. 240-367-9770.

Brad Blair: “Divergent Entities” — through Feb. 26, Delaplaine Arts Center, 40 S. Carroll St., Frederick. Artist talk on Feb. 4. Blair’s curiosity of the unknown, paired with a strong imagination and an inquisitive mindset, leads him to create art what provides wonder and examination. His ceramic work in this exhibition are obscure oddities that help convey a message regarding this mysterious life we live, in a universe yet to be explored fully. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. 301-698-0656 or delaplaine.org.

“When A Tree Falls” — through Feb. 26, Delaplaine Arts Center, 40 S. Carroll St., Frederick. Selected woodturners from throughout Maryland join artistic forces with local Frederick artists for a treethemed exhibition of handcrafted woodturnings, presented alongside paintings, carvings and prints. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. 301-6980656 or delaplaine.org.

”Home Free: A Farewell to California” — through Feb. 26, Delaplaine Arts Center, 40 S. Carroll St., Frederick. The photographs in this exhibition are a part of Brandon Oleksy’s final farewell to the state he called home for as long as he can remember. The collection comprises scenes that he and others residents passed a thousand times, and are both a remembrance of place and the start of calling a new place “home.”

9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. 301-

698-0656 or delaplaine.org.

”The Magic of Threes” — through Feb. 26, The Mansion House Art Center & Gallery, 480 Highland Ave., Hagerstown City Park. Valley Art Association members exhibit. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays. 301-797-2867 or valleyartassoc.org.

”UNSHUTTERED: Celebrating Photojournalism of The Frederick News-Post — through April 1 at the Frederick Book Arts Center, 217 W. Patrick St., Frederick. Curated by Nancy Luse, the show celebrates the News-Post photographers during the era of film. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday and Friday, 1 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday. 301-228-9816 or contact@ frederickbookarts.org.

”Together We Rise” — through Feb. 28, EastSide Artists’ Gallery, 313 E. Patrick St., Frederick. A world traveler, most of Kianna Nobles’ photography captures the world from Iceland to South Korea to France. She also does portraits and street photography. This month, she is focusing on Black History Month with guest artists Gaby Nobody (Gaby) and Big Stratus (Jasmine). 1 to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. eastsideartists313@gmail. com.

“Mingling Echoes” — through March 3, Phaze 2 Gallery, 98 West Campus Drive, Shepherdstown, W.Va. Work by Lauren Koch, adjunct professor of sculpture who incorporates found and repurposed objects from a personal collection amassed over the past three decades from many places. 304-876-5159, eboggess@shepherd. edu, shepherd.edu/art/phaze-2gallery.

”Scents of It All” — through March 3, Gallery B, 7700 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda. Explore the artists interruption of scent, evoking emotional memory and transporting self through space and time. Noon to 5 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. 301-215-6660 or bethesda.org/bethesda/gallery-bexhibitions.

”Behind the Fold” — through March 5, BlackRock Center for the Arts, 12901 Town Commons Drive, Germantown. Showcasing the works of nationally known sculptor, amateur magician, and former Carnegie Melon professor, Dan Droz. Artist talk Feb. 25. Hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, noon

Courtesy photo

“Community Threads: Connectivity through Creativity” runs through Feb. 26 at DISTRICT Arts, 15 N. Market St., Frederick, featuring work by Frederick County Art Association members. Catch the opening reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Feb. 11. Shown here, “Sunflower Fields Forever,” by Elayne Rogge.

to 4 p.m. Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday. 301-528-2260 or blackrockcenter.org.

Cumberland Valley Artists and Photographers Exhibitions — through April 23, Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, 401 Museum Drive, Hagerstown. This juried exhibition features 95 pieces of art and photography from artists who live in the Quad-State area. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 301739-5727 or wcmfa.org.

”Structures 2023” — through May 5, Crestwood Center, 7211 Bank Court, Frederick. Original works of art, including oil, watercolors, mixed media, acrylic, photography, and wood carvings from some of Frederick’s most talented artists. 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. 240-2151460 or frederickhealth.org.

“The Hot Button” — through August, Hot Button Gallery, 129 E. German St., Shepherdstown, W.Va. Carol Williams exhibits textiles and poster art that reflect her passion for social responsibility through artistic communication. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays. The artist will be available for conversation at these times. anothercarolwilliams.com.

Photographer Joshua Rashaad McFadden

Explore and celebrate Black life in the United States through the eyes of photographer Joshua Rashaad McFadden on Feb. 9.

He will give a lecture from 10:15 to 11:30 a.m. in the Marinoff Theater at Shepherd University and will read from his book “Joshua Rashaad McFadden: I Believe I’ll Run On,” from 5 to 6 p.m. at Four Seasons Books, 116 W. German St., Shepherdstown.

McFadden’s photography explores themes related to identity, masculinity, history, race, sexuality and the exploration and celebration of Black life in America

McFadden has mastered a wide range of photographic genres — social documentary, reportage, portraiture and fine art — and has used the medium to confront racism and anti-Black violence. His work includes a series of impactful photographs devoted to the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020.

McFadden is an assistant professor in the Rochester Institute of Technology School of Photographic Arts and Sciences. His book was published by Yale University Press in association with the George Eastman Museum, Rochester, New York, in conjunction with his first solo museum exhibition.

Both events are free and open to the public.

The Marinoff Theater is on the campus of Shepherd University at 301 N. King St. in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.

Meet Bob & Freddie. When it comes to local businesses, businesspeople and organizations in Frederick, they know best. Here is a personal interview with a 2022 Best of the Best winner or finalist about why they love what they do, helping those they serve and working in Frederick.

Sage Cakery

2022 WINNER FOR BEST CUPCAKE & CUSTOM CAKE DECORATING

3401 Urbana Pike, Suite E2

Frederick

240-341-2710

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Twitter.com/sagecakery

BOB HISTORY

2022, 2021 – Winner, Cupcake

2022 – Winner, Custom Cake

Decorating

2020-2022 – Finalist, Bakery

WHAT SETS YOUR BUSINESS APART?

Our team bakes entirely from scratch, with premium ingredients. We have a talented team of decorators with a wide range of artistic talents that are able to create all sorts of custom decorations. We care deeply about our product, our customers and our planet, and are rooted in our community.

WHAT MAKES FREDERICK A GREAT PLACE TO DO BUSINESS?

We love to lift one another up around here. There is truly a deep sense of community in Frederick.

WHERE DO YOU SEE YOUR BUSINESS IN FIVE YEARS?

Thriving through it’s expansion.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE OTHERS GOING INTO BUSINESS?

Hire above yourself and plan for longevity.

WHAT BUSINESS LEADER TO YOU MOST ADMIRE?

April Reardon of Velvet Lounge and Wildflower Weddings. I have always been inspired by April’s positive attitude, endless hustle, and overall drive to lead in her business and community.

Pamela Moulton creates a whimsical world in ‘Beneath the Forest’ at FAC Art Center

BY KARI MARTINDALE Special to The News-Post

Amid the gray winter days, the FAC Art Center has been transformed into a colorful world with the art installation “Beneath the Forest,” by environmental artist Pam Moulton.

The installation includes large-scale fiber-art pieces and found-art sculpture made of discarded materials — fishing nets, heirloom gloves, bottlecaps — that have been given new life. The result is a focus on the natural world and various communities.

“The process [Moulton] engages in, which often involves her community, is part of the work itself,” said Emily Holland, public art program manager at the Frederick Arts Council, who manages the space.

Moulton calls it “public spirit” and notes that “the hands that have gathered, unraveled, tied, woven, painted, touched and transformed these materials are truly inseparable from the objects.”

Much of Moulton’s work is constructed of discarded fishing gear, known as ghost gear, pulled from the Gulf of Maine. Moulton, who lives near the gulf, works with lobstermen and local organizations to clear the waters of this debris, which she “tames” by cleaning, deconstructing and then reassembling to create art that evokes conversations about ocean pollution.

As part of her environmental awareness mission, Moulton visits schools and explains to students that the rope in her sculptures was at the bottom of the ocean. “All of a sudden, these little second-graders become ambassadors for the ocean,” Moulton said.

“Beneath the Forest” is part of a larger body of work, “Forest,” which Moulton created during her two-month residency at Speedwell Projects in Portland, Maine. Moulton began working on the installation pre-pandemic, having received several grants to build an interactive, multi-sensory forest for elders living with dementia.

“COVID changed the direction of the project, closing possibilities for elders,” Moulton said, however, “the work continues evolving for site-specific spaces,” such as “Beneath the Forest, Beneath the Sea,” a public art installation at Payson Park in Portland, commissioned by TEMPOart. Large, fantas-

tical outdoor sculptures constructed of ghost gear were shaped into trees “teased out of the Earth,” she said.

“The accessibility and joyousness of this work lends itself to a greater consciousness about the fragility of our ecosystem and inspires better futures worth imagining,” Moulton said.

Moulton facilitates Opening Minds through Art, a class where University of Southern Maine and University of New England students are partnered with elder artists living with dementia to make contemporary art.

“I just realized that as people age and they lose their motor skills … responsibilities are taken away from them, and they can’t be autonomous at all.”

Wanting to give them the autonomy

to make creative decisions, Moulton thought, “I’m going to design an installation where, no matter what they do, they’re successful.”

Elements of the forest exhibited in Frederick have been created by elders, including the misshapen mittens in the FAC exhibit. Moulton asked, “What would happen to our hands if we [were to eat] all those genetically modified foods,” inspiring mittens depicting how the body might change.

“Beneath the Forest” is a multi-sensory exhibit, as its visual and tactile elements are often paired with music, movement and scent. During the FAC holiday party, Moulton performed alongside a piece that includes a windowless, doorless birdhouse covered in denim motifs, representing the difficult period of isolation early in the pandemic. Her movement was accompanied by a soundscape created by her son, Matice Maino.

Denim is found throughout Moulton’s COVID-inspired pieces. In late 2021, she participated in “Remembering Together: Marking Lives COVID-19,” hosted by the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. Artists had been asked to make 1,000 marks on paper, to represent 1,000 lives lost to COVID. Moulton described her contribution as little round piece of denim in piles. She chose the material because “COVID was ruthless and had no boundaries of any kind — just like denim,” she said, “which crosses generations and cultures.”

A similar piece in “Beneath the Forest,” made of denim piles shaped into emojis, depicts Moulton’s feelings throughout the pandemic. She worked with students to create the pieces.

“We explored how we felt, focusing on social-emotional learning, thus my emojis.”

Moulton finds denim material to be a perfect representation of our climate crisis, too. The average American has multiple pairs of jeans, and the industrial process is significant, she pointed out. “To make one pair of jeans uses about 1,800 gallons of water.”

From doilies to denim, needlepoint to netting, “Beneath the Forest” is comprised of modules made of lostand-found objects and ghost gear, reminding us that “we can make beautiful things out of forgotten objects,” Moulton said.

Kari Martindale is a writer and Pushcart Prize-nominated poet and spoken word artist who has been published in various literary journals and anthologies and featured in events and readings across Maryland. She sits on the board of Maryland Writers’ Association, co-edits the literary magazine Pen in Hand, and holds an MA in linguistics.

Staff photos by Bill Green

Pamela Moulton stands inside her exhibit “Beneath the Forest” at FAC Art Center. Shown at right and below are pieces in the installation.

The MET’s ‘Angels in America’ cast hopes COVID shifts views of AIDS crisis

BY ERIK ANDERSON Special to The News-Post

When the Maryland Ensemble Theatre’s production of “Angels in America Part One: Millennium Approaches” was canceled before its first performance in March 2020 due to the pandemic, the cast and crew had to cope with stinging disappointment and uncertainty.

As Jeremy Myers, who portrays the lead role of Prior Walter, explained, the cast “put so much effort and love into this and had that work evaporated and didn’t know if we were ever really going to have the opportunity to come back to live theater.”

Three years later, all that effort and love will finally get to prove itself to a live audience on Feb. 10, and Myers believes the show’s politically inflected message about the AIDS crisis of the 1980s will come through all the stronger because of the adversity the production and audiences have survived.

“We are changed people coming out of these past three years,” Myers said. “We all have new sets of experiences that we’re all bringing to these roles and to this storytelling, and I think the audience will feel that, having had this collective experience with COVID and politics.”

Calling his character “sort of an everyman who just happens to be gay,” Myers said the Tony Awardwinning play by Tony Kushner follows Prior’s journey after receiving an AIDS diagnosis at the height of its epidemic in the late ’80s. The audience sees him struggle with the disease’s resulting physical limitations and relationship woes against a conservative cultural backdrop embodied by the Reagan Administration’s handling of the AIDS crisis.

“It’s just interesting to see some of the parallels with the Trump administration and their handling of the COVID pandemic,” Myers reflected. “COVID certainly affected a greater amount of people [than AIDS] in terms of a variety of backgrounds, but I do think [the pandemic] will affect the way the audience can look at the story.”

Myers said he embraced the role of Prior in part because of the “beautiful language” and “smartly crafted” relationships of Kushner’s

script, but also because it affords him his first opportunity in 20 years as a professional actor to portray an openly gay character.

“As a proud gay man myself, that’s something that’s really special for me,” he said.

Though he loves the production, he admits a certain amount of exhaustion comes with his part.

“For as much time as I spend laying in a hospital bed, it is a very emotionally and physically demanding role,” he said. “There is a level of fear, a heightened emotion involved. If you sit with that breath for so long as an actor, being in that heart space, in that headspace, with that emotion, that can

be very physically taxing, even though you’re not really moving a lot.”

While Myers doesn’t move a lot, the play is far from static. It is rife with quasi-supernatural activities that swirl around stage with technical complexity.

“A large piece of this play is in a dream-esque state, and there are moments when I think the audience is going to have to decide for themselves what is reality and what is not,” he said. “There are many moments when Prior is working through external things that he can’t really answer for — voices and physical things appearing, seeing things, ghosts visiting him and premonitions

and things like that.”

Tad Janes, producing artistic director at the MET and the show’s director, describes Kushner’s script as “an intimidating play” because of its technical challenges. He said Kushner himself has indicated he doesn’t mind if productions take a barebones technical approach to the fantastical elements of his script. Kushner once said one of his favorite performances involved the angel character being wheeled onstage on a step ladder. But Janes sees the production as an opportunity to find the limits of the small black box theater’s technical

(See ANGELS 18)

Maryland Ensemble Theatre

Misery loves theater

BY GINA GALLUCCI-WHITE Special to The News-Post

At the age of 12, Amy Hebb’s parents caught her reading Stephen King’s “Misery” and promptly took the horror story away from her forbidding her to read it.

“In order to finish the book, I had to go up to the library and read it because I couldn’t have it in the house,” she recalls. “[The protagonist] Annie has always been that boogeyman, and what is fascinating about her is she is human. Stephen King writes a lot about the supernatural and aliens and all that kind of stuff, but his best monsters are human.”

“Misery” explores the terrifying relationship between successful romance novelist Paul Sheldon and Annie Wilkes, who is his obsessive No. 1 fan. She rescues and tends to him after an accident but becomes enraged when she discovers his next book kills off her favorite character, Misery Chastain, and demands a rewrite.

Hebb has always wanted to play Wilkes because of the up-and-down character arc, as well as the role’s intensity.

“For an actor, it is a smorgasbord,” as she put it.

She will get her chance when Other Voices Theatre hosts the regional premier of “Misery” Feb. 10 at its 244 B S. Jefferson St., Frederick, location. The show runs through Feb. 19.

The horror show is a big departure for OVT, which traditionally focuses on musicals, family shows and comedy. Director Steve Cairns notes the theater group has wanted to do the show for a long time.

“It is one of those shows that is unique in the fact that it is a small cast,” he said. “Three people total. Most of the show, two people.”

While there is bone-chilling action in certain scenes, a majority of the roughly 90-minute show is conversations between Wilkes and Sheldon.

“The goal is to find the little things inside those conversations that can give you hints to the character,” Cairns said. “They can give you hints to what may come next. They can give you little subtext to some of the thought process that goes into those conversations.”

Jeff Wine describes his part as writer Paul Sheldon as a role that comes along infrequently for an actor in this area.

“There is so much range,” he said. “It is the perfect balance of intensity and drama and humor and physicality. It is exciting to be a part of the premier.”

ANGELS

(Continued from 17)

capabilities.

“You have to invent ways to do things. This one has a lot of those problems you have to work around,” he said. “I think we’re on track to make a pretty impressive stab at it with our 9-foot-high ceilings.”

Myers and Janes hope the show will be well-received enough to justify bringing the play’s second part into production in the near future.

“I don’t know that this is reality, but we’re certainly looking at the possibility of being able to do both the pieces back-to-back [someday], giving people perhaps an opportunity to see Part One and Part Two in one day or one weekend,” Myers said. “I think that’s a unique experience that a lot of people will not have had before, that sort of marathonstyle theater where they are just devoting their minds to taking in one story for that long of a time.”

Janes emphasized, however, that Part One stands well on its own.

“There are plenty of plays out there that are kind of openended. Part One was out there in the ether for several years before Part Two came along,” he said. “People were seeing the play for the first time without really an inkling that there was going to be a second part.”

Erik Anderson is a freelance writer in Frederick who cares about few things more than the history of his community. Email him at erikanderson07@gmail. com.

OTHER VOICES THEATRE PRESENTS “MISERY”

When: Feb. 10 to 19

Where: Performing Arts Factory, 244 B S. Jefferson St., Frederick

Tickets: $18 to $22

Info: othervoicestheatre.org

Cairns is a big fan of his cast. “Amy has such a love for this show,” he said. “She is knows it inside and out. She has thought about it for awhile, so her passion for this show really drives a lot of what she does, and she is just a brilliant actor.”

Wine brings a calming presence, Cairns said, and tremendous range of emotions to the role. About 95% of his time onstage is spent not moving. “He is really doing a tremendous amount of work with his face and his emotions and the subtext.”

When the curtain in drawn on the psychological thriller, Cairns hopes the audience is, quite frankly, scared out of their wits.

“I hope we shock people and help them have a great night of thrill,” he said. “I hope they walk away saying that was a wonderfully told horror story. That is what this is. This is a wonderfully told horror story. Stephen King is a genius, and we get to play with his genius.”

“ANGELS IN AMERICA PART ONE: MILLENNIUM APPROACHES”

When: Feb. 10 to March 5

Where: Maryland Ensemble Theatre, 31 W. Patrick St., Frederick Tickets: $5+ Info: 301-694-4744, marylandensemble.org

Audio description services are available upon request. To request this service, email zcallis@marylandensemble.org. ASL interpreted performance at 7 p.m. Feb. 17. Please note this performance runs three hours with two intermissions. This performance contains mature themes, sexual situations, nudity, use of fog and mature language.

Other Voices Theatre

Amy Hebb as Annie Wilkes in “Misery.”

Filmmaker Ken Burns speaks at the gala ceremony for the inaugural Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film, Oct. 17, 2019.

Shawn Miller/Library of Congress/Wikimedia Commons

WAREHOUSE CINEMAS NEWS AND EVENTS:

$7 TUESDAYS

Any movie, including Dolby Atmos. All day. Anytime.

TAPPY HOUR WEDNESDAYS

50% OFF all beers and ciders on the self-serve beer wall. All Day.

WAREHOUSE MERCHANDISE IS HERE!

Get Warehouse Merchandise for you and your family! We have shirts, hats, socks, and Fanny packs! All proceeds go towards our employees' scholarships funds.

FILM LEAGUE PRESENTS:

"Planes, Trains and Automobiles" Wednesday, December 28th @ 7 PM and 7:30 PM

Who Are We? A festival celebrating the films of Ken Burns

Gettysburg College’s Majestic Theater will host the first-ever film festival dedicated solely to the work of award-winning documentarian Ken Burns Feb. 10 to 12 in the historic theater located in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Offering more than a career retrospective, Burns will engage with the public and Gettysburg

College students in consequential conversations about the question Burns has explored in all of his films about American history: Who are we?

n 7 p.m. Feb. 10 — Ken Burns Presents “The Civil War, Ep. 5”

n 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Feb. 11 — Thematic Clip Reels presented by Ken Burns

n 7 p.m. Feb. 11 — Screening of “The Central Park Five” featuring post-film discussion with Kevin Richardson, member of the Exonerated Five.

The Majestic Theater is at 25 Carlisle St., Gettysburg. For more information, go to gettysburgmajestic.org or call 717337-8200.

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TWO FREE MOVIE PASSES TO WAREHOUSE CINEMAS

SPORTSMAN’S BINGO

Sat March 11, 2023

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10 Games for Guns

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Local Mentions

Games Start: 7:30 pm

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COACH BAG & MONEY BINGO

March 19, 2023

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This is a Non-Profit Event to Benefit the Thurmont Community Ambulance Company

FREDERICK COMMUNITY BLACK HISTORY

GOSPEL CHOIR

February 11th; 2pm

Mt Carmel UMC 9411 Baltimore Road, Frederick

This is a FREE Event; all we ask is you register by going on our website so we have a seat for you We will be collecting nonperishable food items for a local food bank www hopemtcarmel org

SLIPPERY POT PIE

Chicken or Ham: $7/Quart

Country Ham Sand : $6/ea

Order by: 2/13

Pickup: 2/15 9 a m -12 p m

To order call 301-271-2305 or 301-271-2655

Trinity United Church of Christ, 101 E Main St , Thurmont

SLIPPERY POT PIE SALE

Chicken & Country Ham

$8 00 per quart Bake Table Contact St Johns Church, Creagerstown, MD Leave message on church phone at 301-898-5290 or call Carmi Sayler at 301-401-0633

Orders due by Sun , Feb 19th Pick-up orders Sat , Feb 25th, 10am-1pm

SPORTSMAN’S BINGO

Sat March 11, 2023

New Midway Vol Fire Co

10 Games for Guns

10 Games for $200 Cash

Doors open: 5:00 pm

Buffet Dinner: 6:00 pm

Games Start: 7:30 pm

Guns Include:

Ruger American 22 LR, Savage Axis w/Scope 243, Winchester SPX 12ga , Stevens Model 320

Thumbhole 20ga , Heritage Roughrider Mdl 22 Revolver,

Guns Include: Ruger American 22 LR, Savage Axis w/Scope 243, Winchester SPX 12ga , Stevens Model 320

Thumbhole 20ga , Heritage Roughrider Mdl 22 Revolver, Charles Daly Walnut/Blued O/U 410, Iver Johnson Pump Shotgun 12ga , Hi Point MKS 380 Cal, Taurus GX 4 9MM Pistol

Weatherby Vanguard II 300 Win Mag

Beer and Wine Coolers on Sale: No outside alcohol

$40/Person Includes Buffet Dinner Only 250 Tickets Sold (Advanced Tickets Only) Call 301-898-7985 or 301-271-4650

Benefits: New Midway Vol Fire Co

THE REAGAN YEARS

February 18, 2023

Doors open at 6 p m

DJ Music: 7-8:15 p m

Reagan Years: 8:15 p m to 12 a m

Tickets: $10 per person at door or Friday Night Bingo or at www eventbrite com

Cash Bar / Food - No Coolers/Alcohol

ATM Available / Holders

Must be 18

Be prepared to Show ID

Benefits Thurmont Ambulance Co 13716 Strafford Dr Thurmont, MD 21788

Wolfsville Ruritan

FRESH PORK BUTCHERING

Ham, Ponhaus, Pork Chops, Puddin', Ribs, Roast, Sausage, Tenderloin, etc

Orders can be picked up March 3 (5-7pm) or March 4 (8-11am) at Ruritan Park, 12708 Brandenburg Hollow Rd, Myersville Contact RuritanClubMD@aol com (preferred) or 301-293-2426 to place your order Order cutoff is Feb 18th

Price sheet can be seen on our Facebook page and website

!!FATHER AND SONS!!! HANDYMAN HANDYMAN

INTER. PAINTING

Home Repair & Improvements

301-694-9630 LIC #74117

Serving Frederick for 34 Years!

HAVING TROUBLE CLEARING AN ESTATE?

Can't get anyone to help? We can! Full range of services from clean-outs to buyouts Express service avail Mcdonald's Auctions & Estate Liquidation Service 301707-8401

POOL WATER

We fill any size pool Call Nolan Hubble 240-315-1762

Thursday Feb. 9

CLASSES

Iris Paper Folding — Valentines — 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Frederick Community College, Student Center, Room H239, 7932 Opossumtown Pike, Frederick. A wonderful technique that looks difficult but is fairly easy to master. It makes gorgeous greetings cards and can be incorporated into scrapbooking and other crafts. All materials are included in the course fee and directions are provided to you so you can create additional projects on your own. Pre-registration required, ages 18 and older. $29. 301-624-2727. lifelonglearning@frederick.edu.

Easy Macrame Bird Feeders — 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Carroll County Public Library, Mount Airy Branch, 705 Ridge Ave., Mount Airy. For adults. February is National Bird Feeding Month. Help us celebrate by making an easy macrame bird feeder out of twine and a grapefruit rind. Registration is required. Visit site for details. 410-386-4470. ask@carr.org. ccpl.librarymarket.com/event/ easy-macrame-bird-feeders.

ETCETERA

Amazing Tablescapes — 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, 401 Museum Drive, Hagerstown. Continues through Feb. 12. Amazing Tablescapes entries are on view in the museum’s Kaylor Atrium. See the designed tables up close and vote for your favorites. Admission is $5 per person and voting is $1 per vote.  $5. 301-739-5727. cschelle@wcmfa.org. wcmfa.org/amazing-tablescapes/.

Pour House Trivia — 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Champion Billiards Sports Bar, 5205 Buckeystown Pike, Frederick. Come on out with the team and play some Pour House Trivia. 7 p.m. start. Extended Happy Hour from 4 to 8 p.m.  301-846-0089. frederickchampions.com/weekly-specials.

FAMILY

Game Night: Sushi Go — 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Carroll County Public Library, Westminster Branch, 50 E. Main St., Westminster. For ages 8 and up. Come out for our game night. This month we’re learning how to play Sushi Go. Children under 13 must be accompanied by an adult. Number of players: 2-5. Average game play: 15 minutes. 410-386-4490. ask@carr.org. ccpl.librarymarket.com/event/ game-night-sushi-go.

FILM

Wonder Book Classic Film Series: “Wuthering Heights” (1939) — 7:30 p.m. at Weinberg Center for the Arts, 20 W. Patrick St., Frederick. A servant in the house of Wuthering Heights tells a traveler the unfortunate tale of lovers Cathy and Heathcliff. With Merle Oberon, Lauren Olivier, David Niven. (1 hour 44 min.) $7. 301-600-2828. bhiller@cityoffrederick.com. weinbergcenter.org/shows/ wuthering-heights-1939/.

THEATER

“Angels in America Part 1: Millennium Approaches” — 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Maryand Ensemble Theatre, 31 W. Patrick St., Frederick. By Tony Kushner. Directed by Tad Janes. In the mid-1980s, amid the AIDS crisis and a conservative Reagan administration, New Yorkers grapple with life and death, love and sex, heaven and hell in this Pulitzer Prizewinning play. 18 and older.

$32. 301-694-4744. zcallis@ marylandensemble.org.

Friday Feb. 10

FAMILY

Make Your Own Valentine’s Day Cards — 11:05 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, 401 Museum Drive, Hagerstown. For elementary-aged students. Homeschoolers are welcome. Masking is required for all participants. Register by contacting Donna Rastelli at 301-739-5727 or drastelli@wcmfa.org. Or go to https://wcmfa. org/make-your-own-valentines-day-cards/ $15. 301-739-5727. cschelle@wcmfa.org. wcmfa.org/make-your-own-valentines-daycards.

FILM

“Who Are We: A Festival Celebrating the Films of Ken Burns” — at Majestic Theater, 25 Carlisle St., Gettysburg, Pa. Ken Burns has been making documentary films about America’s history and its people for over forty years. Since the Academy Award-nominated Brooklyn Bridge in 1981, Ken has gone on to direct and produce some of the most acclaimed historical documentaries about war, racism, and presidential leadership. See website for ticket options and pricing. 717-337-8200. jarudy@gettysburg.edu.

Foreign Film Festival: “Tel Aviv on Fire” (Israel, 2018, NR) — 7:30 p.m. at Carroll Arts Center, 91 W. Main St., Westminster. Also at 1 p.m. Salam, a young Palestinian man, becomes a writer on a popular soap

opera after a chance meeting with an Israeli soldier. As he solicits the soldier for ideas for the show, Salam’s creative career is on the rise – until the soldier and the show’s financial backers disagree about how the show should end. Thoughtful and well-acted, this comedy highlights the awful absurdity of war — and proves it’s possible to find humor in the midst of cultural conflict.

$7 adults, $6 ages 25 and under and ages 60 and up. 410-848-7272. carrollcountyartscouncil.org.

MUSIC

Mike Kuster at Beans In The Belfry — 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Beans In The Belfry, 122 W. Potomac St., Brunswick. Mike Kuster and bass player, Rockabilly Mikey C, will perform an acoustic set of originals and cover traditional country music.

$10. 301-834-7178. customerservice@beansinthebelfry.com. mikekuster.net.

Bluegrass Jam — 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Mount Pleasant Ruritan Club, 8101 Crum Road, Walkersville. Open to all levels of acoustic musicians and vocalists. Spectators, families welcome. Sandwiches, snacks and sodas available for purchase. No smoking or swearing. $5 donation at the door requested. 301-898-3719.

PERFORMER

MET Comedy Night: Yes And: Double Feature New Improv Teams — 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Maryland Ensemble Theatre, 31 W. Patrick St., Frederick. A new improv team double-feature. 18 and older.

$15. 301-694-4744. zcallis@ marylandensemble.org.

THEATER

Lerner & Loewe’s “Camelot” — 6 p.m. at Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre, 5 Willowdale Drive, Frederick . An idealistic young King Arthur hopes to create a kingdom built on honor and dignity, embodied by his Knights of The Round Table. His ideals, however, are tested when his lovely queen, Guinevere, falls in love with the young Knight, Lancelot, and the fate of the kingdom hangs in the balance. The legendary love triangle of King Arthur, Guinevere and Sir Lancelot leaps from the pages of T.H. White’s novel in Lerner and Loewe’s award-winning, soaring musical. See website for prices; doors open at 6 p.m. for dinner, shows at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; doors open at 12:30 p.m. for buffet, shows 2:15 p.m. Sundays through Feb. 15. 301-662-6600. wayoffbroadway.com.

“Grease” — 6 p.m. at Washington County Playhouse Dinner Theatre, 44 N. Potomac St., Hagerstown. Here is Rydell High’s senior class of 1959: duck-tailed, hot-rodding “Burger Palace Boys” and their gum-snapping, hip-shaking “Pink Ladies” in bobby sox and pedal pushers, evoking the look and sound of the 1950s in this rollicking musical. Dinner precedes show. Cash bar available. $63 adults, $57 active military and first responders, includes dinner and show. 301739-7469. washingtoncountyplayhouse.com.

“Angels in America Part 1: Millennium Approaches” — 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Maryand Ensemble Theatre, 31 W. Patrick St., Frederick. By Tony Kushner. Directed by Tad Janes. In the mid-1980s, amid the AIDS crisis and a conservative Reagan administration, New Yorkers grapple with life and death, love and sex, heaven and hell in this Pulitzer Prizewinning play. 18 and older.

$32. 301-694-4744. zcallis@ marylandensemble.org.

Saturday Feb. 11

CLASSES

DIY Home Maintenance for Beginners —

9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Monroe Center, 200 Monroe Ave., Room MC129, Frederick. Learn how to do simple drywall repair; hang a perfectly straight picture; mount a TV; locate a stud; fix leaky faucets, toilets, and drains; master the use of common tools; and so much more. This class will take a lunch break so be sure to bring a packed lunch. 18 and older, pre-register.

$99. 301-624-2727. lifelonglearning@frederick.edu.

Zumba Saturdays at the Library — 10:15 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Urbana Regional Library, 9020 Amelung St., Frederick. Come on in for Zumba at the Library on Saturday mornings. 18 and older.

301-600-7004.

marchange-desir@frederickcountymd.gov. frederick.librarycalendar.com/ event/zumba-saturdays-library-8.

Foraging Level 1: Ethics of Foraging and Elderberry Propagation — 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Fox Haven Farm, Retreat & Learning Center, 3630 Poffenberger Road, Jefferson. The process of identification, harvest and preparation of wild edibles and medicinals brings us closer to our immediate ecosystem and strengthens our sense of food security and wellness. Snow date Feb. 25.

$50. 240-490-5484. alecks@foxhavenfarm.org. foxhavenfarm.org.

CALENDAR

ETCETERA

Valentine’s Day Shopping with Alpacas — 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Shepherd’s Purse Alpaca, 7971 Bennett Branch Road, Mount Airy. The barn and the It’s Alpaca! Boutique will be open and guests can visit and interact with the resident alpacas in a fun and relaxing way, as well as to see and purchase luxurious alpaca gifts for their sweethearts.

301-452-1874. info@ shepherdspursealpacas.com. shepherdspursealpacas.com/whatsnew.htm.

Brinton’s Brandy Release at Tenth Ward — noon to 10 p.m. at Tenth Ward Distilling, 55 E. Patrick St., Frederick. Your favorite limited release is back!Released only once a year, this spirit is distilled from McCutcheon’s Apple Products’ apple cider that we ferment and distill in-house, then infused with tart cherries and slightly sweetened. This guy will taste like cherry pie to the face with a teensy bit of sweetness and apple pucker to the finish.All day we’ll have Brinton’s Brandy tastings, full pours, specialty Brinton’s Brandy cocktails and bottles available for purchase. 21 and older.

301-233-4817. monica@tenthwarddistilling.com. fb.me/e/54V9Qdk5o.

Valentine’s Dance — 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. at Winfield Fire Hall, 1320 W. Old Liberty Road, Sykesville. Featuring the Dixie Wind Band from 7 to 11 p.m. Hors d’oeuvres and dessert. Door prizes and raffles. BYOB set ups provided. Hosted by the Winfield Ladies Auxiliary.

$35 advance, $40 at the door. 410-795-1333, ext. 341. winfield.vfd.org.

FAMILY

Princess Breakfast — 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. at Adventure Park USA, 11113 W. Baldwin Road, Monrovia. Second session at 9:30 a.m.

It’s a fairytale morning at Adventure Park USA where every little girl is a princess, and every boy is a prince. Dress up as your favorite princess/prince for a prize!  Indulge in a royal delicious breakfast buffet, meet & greet and photo opportunity with your favorite princess in a real carriage!

$22.95 breakfast only, add on play specials available. 301-865-6800. janine@adventureparkusa.com. adventureparkusa.com.

Model Train Show — 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Washington County Agricultural Education Center, 7303 Sharpsburg Pike, Boonsboro. Vendors will offer all scales of model trains for sale, as well as railroad artifacts and books. Refreshments will be available. Free parking and site is handicap accessible. $5 per person, 12 and under free. 301-8009829. hmrrm@myactv.net. antietamstation.com.

Family FUN Day — 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Maryland Ensemble Theatre, 31 W. Patrick St., Frederick. Kid-focused family gathering is a fun-filled day of free activities. Kids of all ages will enjoy arts, crafts, face painting,

theater games and interactive storytelling, photos with superheroes and characters, and dress up!

301-694-4744. marylandensemble.org.

“The Snowy Day” — 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Maryland Ensemble Theatre, 31 W. Patrick St., Frederick. Follow Peter and his friends as they set out to celebrate the first snowfall of the year with snowball fights, by making snow angels, and playing in the snow. Based on the Caldecott Award-winning book by Ezra Jack Keats. This story, packed with humor and fun, is a celebration of childhood joys and the wonder of imagination.

$15. 301-694-4744. zcallis@ marylandensemble.org.

Hot Chocolate Crawl — 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Hot Chocolate Crawl, 110 S. Main St., Mount Airy. Bundle up and head to Mount Airy’s Main Street to sample warm chocolate drinks and sweet treats from local businesses as you stroll, dine and shop. 240-449-6435. alices.agrimaryland@gmail. com.

FILM

“Who Are We: A Festival Celebrating the Films of Ken Burns” — at Majestic Theater, 25 Carlisle St., Gettysburg, Pa. Ken Burns has been making documentary films about America’s history and its people for over forty years. Since the Academy Awardnominated Brooklyn Bridge in 1981, Ken has gone on to direct and produce some of the most acclaimed historical documentaries about war, racism, and presidential leadership. See website for ticket options and pricing.

717-337-8200. jarudy@gettysburg.edu. gettysburgmajestic.org/calendar/event_ detail.dot?id=233af993-9bce-48c5-b544e9c7c485b640.

GALLERY

Cumberland Valley Artists and Photographers Award Winners

Discussion — 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, 401 Museum Drive, Hagerstown. This year’s award winners will be in conversation with exhibition jurors Dr. Leo Hsu of Silver Eye Center for Photography and Dr. Mary Morton from the National Gallery of Art. Free. Register by contacting Donna Rastelli at 301-739-5727 or drastelli@wcmfa.org.  301-739-5727. cschelle@wcmfa.org. wcmfa.org/cumberland-valley-artists-andphotographers-exhibition.

MUSIC

Maryland Symphony Orchestra: “La Création” — 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at The Maryland Theatre, 21 S. Potomac St., Hagerstown. Maurice Ravel, “Le Tombeau de Couperin,” Darius Milhaud, “La Création du monde (The Creation of the World)”; Igor Stravinsky, “L’Histoire du soldat (The Soldier’s Tale).” 301-797-4002. nathan@ marylandsymphony.org.

The Seldom Scene in Concert — 7:30 p.m. at Carroll Arts Center, 91 W. Main St., Westminster. Formed in 1971, The Scene are an American progressive bluegrass group with unmatched musicianship, a signature sound, a solid repertoire, and a sheer sense of fun.

$37 adults, $35 for students 19 and under and ages 60 and up. 410-848-7272. carrollcountyartscouncil.org.

PERFORMER

PRIDE Company Concerts — 2 p.m. at Weinberg Center for the Arts, 20 W. Patrick St., Frederick. Second completely different show at 7 p.m. Features dancers from ages 8-18 from 24/7 Dance Studio’s PRIDE Company in dances and choreography in genres including contemporary, jazz, tap, hip hop, musical theater, vocals and more.  $15 for either show. 301-600-2828. weinbergcenter.org.

Peter Fogel’s “Til Death Us Do Part ...You First” — 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at The Capitol Theatre, 159 S. Main St., Chambersburg, Pa. Comedian Peter Fogel will have you in stitches with this comedy for hopeless romantics or for anyone who just needs a good laugh! Peter is the eternal bachelor & has major “commitment” issues as the love of his life has just broken up with him on Valentine’s Day! Beer, wine, non-alcoholic drinks, concessions will be available. 21 and older.

$30. 717-263-0202. vperry@thecapitoltheatre.org. thecapitoltheatre.org.

THEATER

“Grease” — 6 p.m. at Washington County Playhouse Dinner Theatre, 44 N. Potomac St., Hagerstown. Here is Rydell High’s senior class of 1959: duck-tailed, hotrodding “Burger Palace Boys” and their gum-snapping, hip-shaking “Pink Ladies” in bobby sox and pedal pushers, evoking the look and sound of the 1950s in this rollicking musical. Dinner precedes show. Cash bar available.

$63 adults, $57 active military and first responders, includes dinner and show. 301739-7469. washingtoncountyplayhouse.com.

Lerner & Loewe’s “Camelot” — 6 p.m. at Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre, 5 Willowdale Drive, Frederick . An idealistic young King Arthur hopes to create a kingdom built on honor and dignity, embodied by his Knights of The Round Table. His ideals, however, are tested when his lovely queen, Guinevere, falls in love with the young Knight, Lancelot, and the fate of the kingdom hangs in the balance. The legendary love triangle of King Arthur, Guinevere and Sir Lancelot leaps from the pages of T.H. White’s novel in Lerner and Loewe’s award-winning, soaring musical. See website for prices; doors open at 6 p.m. for dinner, shows at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; doors open at 12:30 p.m. for buffet, shows 2:15 p.m. Sundays through Feb. 15.

301-662-6600. wayoffbroadway.com.

“Angels in America Part 1: Millennium Approaches” — 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Maryand Ensemble Theatre, 31 W. Patrick St., Frederick. By Tony Kushner. Directed by Tad Janes. In the mid-1980s, amid the AIDS crisis and a conservative Reagan administration, New Yorkers grapple with life and death, love and sex, heaven and hell in this Pulitzer Prizewinning play. 18 and older.

$32. 301-694-4744. zcallis@ marylandensemble.org.

Sunday Feb. 12

CLASSES

Swing into Valentine’s Day — 1 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. at Walkersville Public LIbrary, 2 South Glade Road, Walkersville. Amanda Comi of Revolution Modern Dance reviews some basics of swing dancing. Then practice what you learned or freestyle to some swingin’ tunes.

301-600-8200. fcpl.org.

Fox Haven Foragers Level 2: Advanced Land Stewardship & Reciprocity — 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the second Sunday of each month through November at Fox Haven Farm, Retreat & Learning Center, 3630 Poffenberger Road, Jefferson. In Level 1, Foragers were exposed to a wide variety of plants and skills and began to build the concept of reciprocity. In Level 2 we take those lessons and put them into action by designing and stewarding a Foragers Patch that will ground us in our ecosystem and the complex relationships within it. Plus three Zoom conversation classes throughout the season.

$420. 240-490-5484.

alecks@foxhavenfarm.org.

foxhavenfarm.org/events/foragers-level-2advanced-land-stewardship-reciprocity-2.

Fox Haven Foragers: Level 1 — 9 a.m. to noon at Fox Haven Farm, Retreat & Learning Center, 3630 Poffenberger Road, Jefferson. In this series, visit some common favorites like milkweed, goldenrod, cattail and elderberry; and some seasonal species  like witch hazel, paw paw, and aronia. Natural dyeing with fresh florals, hunting for edible mushrooms, plucking ripe paw paw, cooking up cattail, propagating and stewarding wild species and much more. Each Foragers class will include plant ID, foraging and processing the season’s bounty with local guides from diverse backgrounds and skill sets. Class runs from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. on the second Saturday of each month from February through November.

$450. 240-490-5484. alecks@foxhavenfarm.org. foxhavenfarm.org/events/fox-haven-foragerslevel-1-session-2-3.

Garden Planning & Seed Starting with Master Gardener Don Ludke — 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Fox Haven Farm, Retreat & Learning Center, 3630 Poffenberger Road, Jefferson. One of the most challenging tasks for

gardeners is seed starting. Whether you are an experienced gardener or just getting started, this class will teach you everything you need to know to start, grow, and transplant healthy organic seedlings into your veggie garden. You’ll also receive a seedling to take home.

$32. 240-490-5484. alecks@foxhavenfarm.org. foxhavenfarm.org/events/garden-planningseed-starting-with-don-ludke/.

ETCETERA

Breakfast Fundraiser — 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Union Bridge Fire Co., 8 W. Locust St., Union Bridge. All-you-can-eat pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage biscuits, sausage gravy, puddin’, hominy, muffins and more. Benefits the fire company; cancelled if snow emergency plan is in effect. Prices subject to change as market prices dictate. $10 adults, $5 for ages 6-12, under 6 free, $12 for carry out. 410-775-7422 or 443-5479477.

USMH Basket Bingo Scholarship

Fundraiser — 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Hagerstown Elks Lodge, 1063 Robinwood Drive, Hagerstown. University System of Maryland at Hagerstown’s annual scholarship fundraiser. 18 and older. $35. 240-527-2712. pfrancis@ hagerstown.usmd.edu. usmhbasketbingo2023.eventbrite.com.

SOLDOUT!

DR. TEMPLE GRANDIN

Professor, Accomplished Author & Leading Animal Welfare Expert

FEB. 16, 2023 | 7:30PM

FAMILY

“The Snowy Day” — 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Maryland Ensemble Theatre, 31 W. Patrick St., Frederick. Follow Peter and his friends as they set out to celebrate the first snowfall of the year with snowball fights, by making snow angels, and playing in the snow. Based on the Caldecott Award-winning book by Ezra Jack Keats. This story, packed with humor and fun, is a celebration of childhood joys and the wonder of imagination.

$15. 301-694-4744. zcallis@ marylandensemble.org.

FILM

“Who Are We: A Festival Celebrating the Films of Ken Burns” — at Majestic Theater, 25 Carlisle St., Gettysburg, Pa. Ken Burns has been making documentary films about America’s history and its people for over forty years. Since the Academy Award-nominated Brooklyn Bridge in 1981, Ken has gone on to direct and produce some of the most acclaimed historical documentaries about war, racism, and presidential leadership. See website for ticket options and pricing. 717-337-8200. jarudy@gettysburg.edu.

MUSIC

Sunday Classic Concert Series: Arabesque Duo in Concert — 2 p.m. at Carroll Arts

Center, 91 W. Main St., Westminster. Husband and wife guitar ensemble of Kathrin Murray and Troy King have performed to critical claim at concert venues in Bostom, New York, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and many others.

$22 to $25. 410-848-7272. carrollcountyartscouncil.org.

Maryland Symphony Orchestra: “La Création” — 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at The Maryland Theatre, 21 S. Potomac St., Hagerstown. Maurice Ravel, “Le Tombeau de Couperin,” Darius Milhaud, “La Création du monde (The Creation of the World)”; Igor Stravinsky, “L’Histoire du soldat (The Soldier’s Tale).” See website for ticket info. 301-797-4002. nathan@marylandsymphony.org.

Calvary United Methodist Church Community Concert Series Presents Brian Ganz, Pianist — 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Calvary United Methodist Church, 131 W. Second St., Frederick. Ganz is a cornerstone of the concert series. He returns for another “All Chopin” concert as he continues his quest to perform every work of music by the great composer. This concert is an interactive and highly energetic performance where Ganz brings Chopin’s music to life with emotional power and warmth.      301-662-1464. office@calvaryumc.org. calvaryumc.org/concerts.

Monday Feb. 13

CLASSES

Meet-up Mondays — 10 a.m. to noon at Carroll County Public Library, North Carroll Branch, 2255 Hanover Pike, Hampstead. For all ages. Get together at the library for a fun social time for you and your children. We’ll provide the space, toys, and activities. Play is an important part of developing early literacy skills. Learn and make new friends at the same time!

410-386-4480. ask@carr.org. ccpl.librarymarket.com/ event/meet-mondays-3.

Veterans Book Club: Stampede — 6 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. at Carroll County Public Library, Finksburg Branch, 2265 Old Westminster Pike, Finksburg. For adults. In partnership with the Carroll County Veterans Advisory Council, we invite veterans, current military and reservists and family members to join us for an evening of discussion, fellowship and camaraderie. This month’s selection is “Stampede: Gold Fever and Disaster in the Klondike” by Brian Castner. 410-386-4505. ask@carr.org. ccpl.librarymarket.com/event/ veterans-book-club-stampede.

EMMANUEL ACHO

#1 NYT Bestselling Author, 2-Time Emmy Award Winner, Host, Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man & Fox Sports Analyst

MAR. 16, 2023 | 7:30PM

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF ILLUMINATING INSIGHTS, SPIRITED CONVERSATIONS AND STIMULATING IDEAS

VERNICE “FLYGIRL” ARMOUR

America's First Black Female Combat Pilot, Author, Former Marine & Cop

APR. 20, 2023 | 7:30PM

TICKETS

WeinbergCenter.org • 301-600-2828

WEINBERG CENTER BOX OFFICE

20 W. Patrick Street • Frederick, Maryland

Tickets for meet-and-greet receptions following the discussions are also available for an additional $75. All meet-and-greet proceeds benefit children’s programming at Frederick County Public Libraries.

All events will be ASL-interpreted.