72 HOURS Aug. 17, 2023

PEABODY’S NEW FREDERICK CAMPUS WILL OPEN IN SEPTEMBER

Baltimore-based Peabody Preparatory has created satellite campuses throughout Maryland, its newest of which is in Frederick. The school will be housed in the Y Arts Center, run by the YMCA, in downtown Frederick and will open to private lessons in September. At its launch, Peabody teachers will serve as instructors, but those behind the program’s Frederick installment hope to eventually expand to hire Frederick-area musicians as instructors and essentially replicate its wider array of offerings, such as group classes, that are already in place at other campuses. Lessons are open to all ages, and online registration is open.

SUPPORT LOCAL THEATER … THEY NEED YOU

Theater troupes across the country are still struggling after being hit hard by the pandemic, and our local theater is no exception. In this week’s cover story, we learn how Frederick theater companies, professional and community alike, have shifted over the past three years to stay afloat. We hope it will inspire you to buy tickets to a show or two this fall, for your own enrichment and to help to keep this theater scene thriving. Most theaters have announced their ’23/’24 seasons and have opened ticket sales online.

LEARN MORE ABOUT CLAIRE MCCARDELL

For those of you interested in learning more about Claire McCardell, two concurrent exhibitions celebrating the life and work of the Frederick fashion designer are on view until November. “The Fashion of Claire McCardell” is at the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts in Hagerstown and includes a dozen McCardell dresses from the museum’s collection, while “Claire / McCardell” at the Maryland Center for History and Culture in Baltimore aims to give viewers a more intimate look at the woman behind the iconic label by showing family letters, interviews and archival documents.

DUST OFF YOUR RECORDER

Perhaps playing the recorder in grade school brings back fond memories … and perhaps it does not. In any case, Shepherd University is extending an invitation for adults to revive — or rewrite — those childhood memories by participating in its recorder ensemble. Under the direction of Andrea Diggs, the ensemble is open to adults who can read music and know basic recorder fingerings. Rehearsals start Aug. 21, and the class concludes with a concert on Dec. 5.

AS WE START TO THINK ABOUT FALL

If you’re looking for a fall getaway, try a day trip or weekend excursion to the nearby Shenandoah National Park. Take the scenic Skyline Drive to see fall foliage, and camp out for a night or grab a cabin or guest room at a lodge in Skyland. In this week’s issue, Gary Bennett, a Frederick resident and avid hiker, gives us a detailed guide for what to see, do and eat along the way, with suggested drives, hikes and overlooks to check out.

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.

Law Office of Lena A. Clark

2022 FINALIST FOR BEST LAW FIRM – ESTATE

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Revocable Trusts vs. Irrevocable Trusts

When it comes to Estate Planning, Trusts are excellent tools that you can use to protect your assets. Revocable and Irrevocable Trusts serve distinct purposes, and it is important to understand the differences between them.

Revocable Trusts allow you to retain control over the Trust assets during your lifetime. You reserve the right to modify, amend, or even revoke the Trust entirely if you wish to do so. This flexibility makes Revocable Trusts an attractive option for many individuals.

Pros of Revocable Trusts:

1. Control. During your lifetime, you can make any changes to the Trust’s terms you want: adding or removing assets, changing beneficiaries, or appointing new Trustees. This adaptability allows you to adjust your planning based on circumstances.

2. Probate Avoidance. Upon your passing, the assets held in the Trust can be distributed to beneficiaries without the need for court involvement, ensuring privacy and saving time and expenses.

3. Incapacity. Revocable Trusts give your loved ones the opportunity to manage your assets in the event you lose mental capacity. If you become unable to handle your affairs, the successor Trustee can step in and manage assets on your behalf.

4. Privacy. Unlike Wills, which become public record during probate proceedings, Revocable Trusts maintain privacy.

Irrevocable Trusts cannot be modified or revoked by the Grantor once they are established, except under specific circumstances. Once assets are transferred to an Irrevocable Trust, they are no longer considered your property.

Pros of Irrevocable Trusts:

1. Medicaid Planning: For those concerned about long-term care costs, Irrevocable Trusts can be utilized for Medicaid planning. By transferring assets to an Irrevocable Trust well in advance, you may be able to qualify for Medicaid benefits while preserving your assets for your loved ones.

2. Asset Protection: By removing assets from your estate, you can better protect them from creditors, legal judgments, or other potential threats. Because you no longer own the assets, they are shielded from personal liability.

3. Estate Tax Planning: Irrevocable Trusts can be effective tools for estate tax planning. Although the Estate Tax floor currently does not apply to most families, we expect this to be a much more relevant concern in the coming years.

4. Charitable Giving. Irrevocable Trusts allow individuals to establish Charitable Trusts, where assets are set aside for a specific charitable purpose. This enables philanthropic endeavors and may provide tax benefits to the Grantor.

It is important to note that establishing an Irrevocable Trust requires careful consideration and professional guidance due to the loss of control and the irrevocability of the arrangement. Please call us at 301-696-0567 or selfschedule at lenaclarklegal.com if you would like help protecting your assets and loved ones in the event of death or disability.

Thick-N-Thin Brewing Co. in Hagerstown

In this episode of the UnCapped podcast, host Chris Sands headed to Thick-N-Thin Brewing Co. in Hagerstown to talk with owner Adam Shaool, lead brewer Jake Beamer and assistant brewer Daerek Siewert about the business, how the brewery operates, and what they want the brewery to be. Here is an excerpt of their talk.

UnCapped: Adam, tell me a little about your background.

Adam Shaool: I grew up in Hagerstown, went to the University of Maryland and stuck around the area in my family business. My brother and I work together. We live almost side by side. About four or five years ago, we talked about opening up a brewery. We have a real estate business and commercial centers, and we were looking to do something fun. As we’ve always worked together, it can kind of get heated. It can get rough as the years go. We’ve been working together for over 20 years. So we were talking about doing something more fun. It’s also a lot of work, and these guys can definitely attest to that.

My brother and I just jumped on it, about three years ago. We started the drawings, the ideas, the marketing, and all of a sudden it was just a happy coincidence, and Think-N-Thin was born.

UnCapped: Shortly after I met you, Jake, you called and asked if I knew anyone hiring a brewer, and I was like, “You know what? I think I do.”

Jake Beamer: Yeah, that’s right. And when I did finally reach out to Adam and follow that lead, it turned out that Adam and I had actually met about two years previously and had talked about making a brewery. I think the stars just weren’t right at the time, but then everything just worked out.

UnCapped: It fell into place perfectly. What led you and your brother to go the brewery route?

THICK-N-THIN BREWING CO.

18330 Spark Drive, Hagerstown thickandthinbrewery.com

240-366-4147

I was doing that, COVID hit, so that changed a lot of variables in the business plan. From a business standpoint, that was the original concept: bring feet back into our centers.

We’re looking to really focus on this home spot location in Hagerstown and our original roots — of being local, being a craft brewery, making good beer, and kind of put all that big business stuff aside.

My brother and I are beer drinkers; we’re not beer makers. Jake’s here, Daerek’s here, and they do really good work — artists, in my opinion — and have a lot of fun doing it.

Because breweries aren’t nearly as lucrative as real estate, from what I understand.

Shaool: No, not at all. Definitely, you have to have a passion. You have to have an interest. I would say the original idea was simply that we are businessmen, and we enjoy creating businesses and working with people

— our staff, our clients, our customers — so it started with that idea.

We grew up in a family business. My father had an oriental rug business, and we were in sales a lot. We looked at each other, back in ’98, and said, “We don’t want to work weekends anymore,” and we started real estate.

To jump to Thick-N-Thin, we have a lot of commercial shopping centers, and getting people back into centers, the walk-in crowds, besides grocery stores and liquor stores and convenience stores and things like that, we wanted to bring something more interesting. We looked at restaurants versus breweries. While

Honestly, I didn’t like sours before I met Jake. I wouldn’t drink a sour. There was House Cat in Frederick, if you remember that. That didn’t help my palate. And also, I saw a lot of, like, milkshake sours and cream lactate sours … I didn’t like any of them, really. I like regular beer — IPAs, pilsners, lagers — more of a Hagerstown, Western Maryland, simple palate.

Part of opening this place up, when we’d go out to breweries, we would feel like we weren’t part of the in crew. We wanted to really have a place where everyone felt welcome, where there was always something to do for fun, and it wasn’t just about drinking beer. We wanted easy drinking, the style Jake’s known for, and to put a little twist on it. I feel like we’re still building on that idea.

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.

Beans in the Belfry offers praiseworthy fare

Stained glass windows, an array of mismatched furniture and the soothing sounds and scents of a coffee shop surround you when you enter Beans in the Belfry in downtown Brunswick. The family business was established in 2004 after owner Melanie DiPasquale moved to the small railroad town and felt a void in the community in terms of businesses — and specifically coffee shops. She had been taken time off from work when she came across an old, boarded-up building that used to be a church in terrible condition, with broken windows and overgrown with trees and vines. Dipasquale decided to buy the building and restore it and, in less than two years, her family came together and brought the coffee shop to life. “it was super slow to start, but through sheer determination, you know, failure was not an option, and now it has been nearly 20 years,” Dipasquale said. Now, the churchturned-coffee shop serves locals and city visitors and hosts various events that bring people together, like music nights and murder mysteries. Dipasquale said she has watched the community get built over the years as people meet each other in the comfortable space. The coffee shop offers plenty of beverage options, from standard cafe items, like lattes and cappuccinos, to a selection of loose teas blended in Purcellville, Virginia, as well as smoothies and lemonades. Aside from drinks, the store also serves various dishes and desserts, including their popular homemade quiches, the traditional Brunswick sweet treat College Ice, sandwiches and various pastries. Many of the menu items are sourced from the shop’s garden, like tomatoes and herbs, or from local businesses in the area, like the coffee. The shop also holds afternoon tea service by reservation with a wide selection of teas, along with scones and sandwiches, served on fine China. “We’ve had to make it a destination, make it a place that people are willing to get in their car and go there, or get off their bike and go there, not just because they need a cup of coffee, but because there’s an experience,” Dipasquale said.

— Marwa Barakat

BEANS IN THE BELFRY

122 West Potomac Street, Brunswick, MD 21716

301-834-7178

beansinthebelfry.com

Instagram: @beansinthebelfry

Twitter: @BeansBelfry

Hours: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 8 a.m to 9 p.m. Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

The owner recommends: Hot or iced chai, freshly squeezed lemonade, and the olive

tapenade.

Staff photos by Katina Zentz

Owner Melanie DiPasquale poses for a portrait at Beans in the Belfry in Brunswick on July 21.

Beans in the Belfry’s signature dish, the spinach quiche, is displayed alongside a salad, bread and butter at the coffee shop in Brunswick.

Country artist Reed Foley thinks beer needs drinkin’ and songs need singin’

CRYSTAL SCHELLE

Special to The News-Post

It was a summery Sunday afternoon in Nashville, Tennessee, and country music artist Reed Foley was on a mission: to get himself a new guitar.

“I’m getting myself a new acoustic. My existing guitar has been giving me fits,” he said during a telephone interview while browsing the music shop. “I’ve got several of them. But for some reason, this one guitar just would not stop breaking strings and going out of tune — and all this other stuff. And I finally got so frustrated and thought, ‘Well, maybe, it’s just time to get another one.”

The new guitar is a Gibson J45 acoustic, a gift from his father-in-law. Foley is going to need new gear as he continues his tour of shows throughout the Southeastern states, with dates to the end of September.

He’ll make a stop in Frederick on Aug. 19 to perform at Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium, following a game between Frederick’s newly formed Atlantic League Spire City Ghost Hounds and the Staten Island Ferry Hawks.

Foley was born in Sparta, North Carolina, home to Old Opry regular Del Reeves. He grew up in outside of Dayton, Florida, in Port Orange, where he was surrounded by music.

“My father is an extremely talented, amazing singer, guitar player and songwriter. He won battle of the bands back in Cleveland when he was younger,” he said. “I grew up just wanting to do things with him, and music was a way for us to connect. That was probably my entry into music — being with him, playing with him and his friends, or playing in church with him.”

In first grade, he picked up his first instrument, the drums. Still in elementary school, he took on piano lessons. But he didn’t pick up the guitar until he was about 13.

At the age of 15, Foley landed his first gig, and by the time he was 16, he was writing songs. He can’t remember which song he wrote first but thinks it was probably in the vein of gospel music.

Realizing that he not only had a passion for music but talent, his parents encouraged him to move to Nashville. And while Music City can be soulcrushing for young artists, Foley wasn’t going to be deterred.

“By 16, 17, I knew I was gonna play music for the rest of my life,” he said.

By that age, he was already paying all his bills through his work as a musician.

“I knew that that was going to be my career. I just didn’t know what kind of career it was gonna be.”

As early as 2017, Foley was releasing singles. But it wasn’t until the October 2022 release of “Beer Needs Drinkin’” and its subsequent first music video that Foley realized maybe all his hard work had resulted in something.

“That’s when I finally said, ‘Hey, I’m going to be able to do this as an artist,’” he said. “There’s going to be opportunities for me to do this not just as cover singer but as an artist.”

He has a Daytona station to thank for his first radio play. The DJ knew him from local events and gave Foley a heads up that he was going to play “Beer Needs Drinkin’” so Foley was ready for it.

“I’m sitting in my truck for 20 minutes before, and all of a sudden, the song comes on,” he recalled. “And it was one of the coolest things in my life. You know, that happened early this year. It was just a very surreal, stop-and-soak-this-in moment.”

“Beer Needs Drinkin’” hit No. 3 on independent artists on country radio, and Foley found himself opening up for Jason Aldean, Tyler Farr, Southerland and William Michael Morgan.

He said the largest crowd he’s played for so far has been the Runaway Country Music Fest in Kissimmee, Florida, which

REED FOLEY

Jersey auction benefiting The Platoon Veteran Services Center, with a fireworks show and post-game concert. When: Aug. 19. Post-game concert following Spire City Ghost Hounds vs Staten Island Ferry Hawks. Game begins at 6 p.m. Where: Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium, 21 Stadium Drive, Frederick Tickets: $9 to $15 Info: goghosthounds.com/schedule

draws between 10,000 and 20,000 people. He loves to play for all types of crowds and have them experience his music for the first time.

“You’re getting in front of eyes and ears, which is also the great thing about opening for people,” he said. “I just opened for Cooper Alan a few weeks ago. It’s like here’s 1,000 people who are Cooper Alan fans, I now have their eyes and ears to try to make them into real Foley fans, and what a great opportunity that is.”

Foley followed up “Beer” with “Ain’t the First Time,” which has been featured on Spotify and Apple Music playlists. Thanks to the popularity of the songs, he’s surpassed 1 million streams across all platforms.

Although he loves to perform, at his base Foley is a songwriter. Living in

Nashville, he has learned to write songs the Music City way, which means setting up meetings with other artists specifically for writing, but he also lets the muse inspire him at any time.

He said when he’s writing with a group, he’ll bring an idea that’s important to him. Then the group or he will work on it with a particular writing partner. But then Foley likes to take an unusual step forward and work the song alone.

“I will take that song and I will go home with it by myself and tweak it. I will change words here, sentences there. My job is always to loop back in with the original songwriters,” he said. “Usually, though, I’ll rewrite a song once or twice before we ever think about recording it, just because we’re always trying to make sure it’s perfect, you know? Sometimes it’s hard to let it go and stop touching it.”

Like most emerging artists, Foley has covered his share of songs. Earlier this year, he released a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” and plans to release a studio version, too.

In the meantime, Foley is looking forward to performing at the Ghost Hounds game. He’s a huge baseball fan and roots for the Atlanta Braves.

While on tour, he plans to also release four new songs.

“There’s a lot of shows, and I’m really excited to get some new music out in the world,” he said.

When he’s not on the road, he loves spending time with his newlywed wife and 6-year-old stepson, watching sporting events, playing video games and hanging out with friends and family.

As for his future in country music, Foley is happy for every moment he gets to perform.

“I’m one of these people who’s thankful for everything that I get, but I want as much as I can possibly get my hands on,” he said. “I’d love to be able to put together a career that really touches a lot of lives. And obviously, I want to go as far and as big as I possibly can. But at the same time, you know, I’m really happy that I’ve never had to work a day in my life, other than playing that guitar and singing songs.”

Crystal Schelle is a journalist whose work has been published locally, regionally and nationally. She enjoys trivia, cats and streaming movies.

Country music artist Reed Foley will perform at Nymeo Field on Aug. 19.

Courtesy photo

Registration open for Great Frederick Fair exhibitors

The Great Frederick Fair, taking place Sept. 15 to 23, is accepting pre-registration competition entries for exhibitors. Exhibitors have the opportunity to show off their crafts, crops, skills and livestock for ribbons and prizes — and bragging rights.

“It is important to create awareness from the young generation on, so they know the importance of local spending and supporting the farmer,” said Karen Nicklas, general manager of the Great Frederick Fair. “The fair is Frederick County’s single largest event. … We are so excited to see all the new exhibits this year, showing agribusiness growth around the region.”

Each year, GFF staff receives thousands of competitive exhibits ranging from livestock, home arts, farm, garden and more.

Frederick County Residents can enter their products in the Farm and Garden and Household Buildings at the Great Frederick Fair.

Exhibit categories:

n Farm & Garden — Products Display, Corn, Grains & Seeds,

Hay, Straw, Silage, Garden Fruits & Vegetables, Spuddy Buddy, Pumpkin Pals, Fleece

n Pomological — Honey & Beeswax, Apples, Pears, Peaches, Plums, Nuts, Berries, Figs, Wines, Meads, Cider, Beer

n Horticulture — Cut Flowers, Arrangements, Potted Flowers/ Plants, Gourds, Fresh or Living Herbs, Jr. Horticulture

n Baked Goods (Household)

— Breads, Cakes, Candies, Cookies, Pie

n Food Preservation (Household) — Fruits, Meats, Vegetables, Fried Foods, Jellies, Jams, Preserves, Butters, Marmalades, Pickles, Syrups, Salsa, Sauces, Condiments, Vinegars, Dried Herbs

n Home Furnishing (Household) — Afghans, Latch Hooks, Quilts, Quilted Clothing, Rugs, Weaving, Skeins, Knitted Articles

n Clothing (Household) — Adults, Children’s, Sewn Garments

n Needle Arts — Animals & Dolls, Counted Thread/Stamped, Crewel, Crocheted, Embroidery, Needlepoint, Pillows, Knitted Items, Bobbin Lace, Seasonal Decorations, Tatting

n Arts and Crafts — Carpentry,

Exhibitions fill multiple buildings each year at the Great Frederick Fair

Carved Wood, Ceramics, Crafts, Taxidermy, Shoes, Mailbox

n Fine Arts — Acrylics, Charcoal, Colored Ink or Pencil, Oil, Pastel, Pen/Ink, Pencil & Crayon, Watercolor, Mixed Medium, Pencil

n Photography — Black & White or Color

n Children’s (ages 10 and under) — Baked Goods/Food Preservation

n Middle/High-School Stu-

dents (ages 11 to18) — Fine Arts, Baked Goods, Arts & Crafts, Woodworking

Online Still Life entries are open until Aug. 31. For a full list of exhibit categories and to enter online, visit thegreatfrederickfair.com/exhibit. To enter, the cost is $10 for one to three items and $20 for four to six items. With their entry fee, participants receive a Season Strip Pass, which includes

an admission ticket for each day of the fair. Entering items encourages the community to be part of the GFF’s 161-year tradition of keeping Frederick County Agriculture thriving.

Additional contests at the fair:

n Vintage Art Contest & Auction, sponsored by The Mercer Family, on Sunday, September 17th at 3 pm in the South Side Tire & Auto Beef Barn, proceeds will benefit agricultural education programs in Frederick.

n The Landscape Contest, sponsored by Ruppert Landscape, demonstrates the diversity of agriculture in Frederick County. This program is dedicated to educating the public about landscaping within the agricultural industry as well as promoting the landscaping industry.

n The Old Timers Day parade of antique cars at 1:15 p.m. Sept. 21

n The Old Timers Day parade of carriages, carts, buggies and horse-drawn implements at 1:30 pm. Sept. 23

Complete information is available at thegreatfrederickfair.com.

As seen on The Bob and Tom Show, Standup in Stilettos, Laughs on FOX, Gotham Live, Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen and more Ryan Reiss

As seen on Late Night with Seth Meyers, The Today Show, Gotham Comedy LIVE, Net ix and more

Great Frederick Fair

Back to School Blessing in Frederick

To celebrate children’s return to school and provide resources for families, the Frederick Rescue Mission will host a community Back to School Blessing event at their downtown Frederick campus, 419 W. South St., from 2 to 4 p.m. Aug. 21.

Party festivities include free hot dogs, activities for children and the opportunity for personal prayer ministry for children as they return to school. Guests will also receive free goods, including children’s clothing — specifically T-shirts, socks and underwear. Free items are available while supplies last.

The event will be held rain or shine. No RSVP is required. However, children must be present to receive clothing items and snacks. For more information, call 301-695-6633.

Donations of new T-shirts, socks and underwear for youth in kindergarten through 12th grade are gladly accepted. Items can be dropped off at 419 W. South St. in downtown Frederick in person to receive a tax receipt or after hours in the donation bins. In-person donations with a tax receipt provided are accepted Mondays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Tuesdays through Thursdays from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Donation bins are also accessible after 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and all day and evening Saturdays and Sundays.

The Frederick Rescue Mission is a Christcentered ministry that has served the city and the surrounding areas for nearly six decades. Learn more at therescuemission.org

Frederick Rescue Mission

Frederick Rescue Mission will host a community

Back to School Blessing event in downtown Frederick.

Peabody Preparatory will open new campus in Frederick in September

BY CRYSTAL SCHELLE Special to The News-Post

Those passing by the Y Arts Center on East Church Street in Frederick might start noticing aspiring musicians walking the street, carrying their instruments into classes this fall.

The Peabody Preparatory has entered into a partnership with the YMCA of Frederick County to occupy the basement floor of the Y Arts Center to expand its musical offerings into Frederick beginning in September. Falling under the umbrella of the Johns Hopkins Peabody Institute, the Peabody Preparatory has brought campuses to areas throughout the state, including Annapolis, Baltimore and Towson. Frederick will be the most western location in the state.

The idea of bringing the campus to Frederick has been years in the making. Maria Mathieson, executive director of the Peabody Preparatory, said the idea came from Frederickbased music teacher Phyllis Freeman who had worked with her. Mathieson said it was Freeman who suggested bringing a campus to Frederick, and it was through Freeman that they started talking to the YMCA.

By 2019, the YMCA had just taken over the 20,000-square-foot building at East Church Street that would become the Y Arts Center. By the beginning of 2020, the Y had already started renovating the building, but in March 2020, the pandemic shut down the process. In a way, the shutdown became a blessing. Mathieson said the pandemic allowed everything to fall into place.

“The timing just sort of worked out that they were looking for a music partner, and we were looking to potentially bring the Preparatory from the Baltimore side to the

western side of the state,” she said. “It just seemed like a perfect opportunity. It’s a phenomenal space … and I just think it’s a really good fit. The fact that this is an arts hub in downtown Frederick, it just makes perfect sense for us to be part of that community.”

Chris Colville, CEO and president at the YMCA of Frederick County, said having the Peabody Preparatory in the Y Arts Center adds to the Y’s mission.

“The Y has always had a very vibrant kind of arts and humanities department,” she said. “Over the last couple of years, being blessed with having a kind of a standalone facility in downtown Frederick, we’ve really

been able to showcase that and get people to think outside the box of what they think about the Y, which is usually childcare and swimming.

“The reason the Peabody partnership and collaboration is really a win-win for everybody — for them, for the Y and for the community — is because we’re not experts in everything,” Colville went on. “We can be good at some things, but we can’t be great at everything. What Peabody brings to the table is this very specialized level of teaching that the Y just doesn’t have the capacity to do.”

The Y, rather, is good at feedertype programs, such as music for preschoolers, and they now have a recording studio, but Peabody fills in the gaps that are not in the Y’s wheelhouse, such as offering lessons for those who want to be accomplished musicians.

“The Peabody is the best group to come in and do that piece of the puzzle because we’re just not good at it,” Colville said.

The space Peabody Preparatory is taking over previously housed the Head Start program. The Y and Peabody have entered into a facilityuse agreement for a year, which will allow the musical organization to see if it can establish itself in Frederick.

“The little basement space that we’re occupying has five small, perfect studio-size classroom spaces for private construction,” Mathieson said.

Additionally, an office/workspace and a family waiting area have been added.

Photos by Larry Canner Zoe Johnstone Stewart at Peabody’s Suzuki guitar lesson.

A performance at a Peabody Plus concert.

(See PEABODY 12)

Escape to Shenandoah National Park

BY GARY BENNETT Special to The News-Post

We are so lucky to live where we live. Central Maryland is just a stone’s throw away from beaches, big cities, bucolic countryside, iconic rivers and trails, Revolutionary and Civil War history and, of course, the oldest mountains in America.

We are all trying to mitigate the hottest summer on record here in the lowlands, but like me, you might just be ready to plan your escape to the cooler climes of our nearby mountains.

The mountains of Western Maryland are easy to get to but small. The ones in West Virginia are larger and more rugged but too far away for a quick trip. Luckily, we have the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia right next door. Nothing says mountain retreat more to me than a weekend getaway to Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Shenandoah National Park covers 311 square miles in Northern Virginia from Front Royal to Waynesboro, encompassing 196,000 acres of pristine wilderness. It was established in 1935 and designed for everyday Americans in their newfangled motor cars to experience the allure and grandeur of the mountains. The peaks range from about 2,000 feet at the beginning and end of the park to 3,700 feet near the middle at aptly-named Skyland near Thorofare Mountain. Small, when compared to the Rocky Mountains, but much older.

Shenandoah is a long and relatively skinny park that boasts world-famous Skyline Drive. It is the focus and hopping off point for all the best park attractions. A national scenic byway, Skyline Drive is Shenandoah National Park for most people. It famously meanders back and forth across the tops of

the peaks and runs right down the center of the park for over 100 miles.

Skyline Drive is famous for providing access to beautiful mountain vistas that would otherwise be unobtainable for most of us. You’ll want to take advantage of over 75 scenic overlooks, with names like Gooney Run, Hogwallow Flats, Stoney Man, Hawksbill Gap and Naked Creek. You might be tempted to stop at each one to take in all the sights, sounds and fresh air. You’ll see the Shenandoah River and Shenandoah Valley to the west and the rolling hills of the Virginia piedmont to the east.

It will take you about three hours to leisurely cover the 100-plus miles from start to finish, but it is well worth it. You won’t feel a need to go any faster than the 35 miles-perhour speed limit. I swear, I can feel my blood pressure decreasing and sensory perception increasing every time I make this drive.

Shortly after entering the park in Front Royal, stop at Dickey Ridge Visitor Center to get your bearings and to pick up a few snacks. Next, take advantage of the many scenic overlooks. A particular favorite of mine is Hogback Overlook, looking west to the valley and George Washington National Forest. If you’d like to stretch your legs, try Hawksbill Summit, which rewards you with a couple of hidden waterfalls and a breathtaking peak that is easy to climb. Many Skyline Drive trails connect with the Appalachian Trail. Please note there is a fee to enter the park, whether you are staying or simply driving through. As of this writing, the fee for a private car is $30, which includes unlimited entry and exit for up to seven days. Throughout the year, there are some free days. Consult goshenandoah. com for more information.

GETTING THERE

It couldn’t be easier to get to Shenandoah National Park.

Gary Bennett

Gary Bennett at Shenandoah National Park.

Simply drive west and then south on Route 340 right out of Frederick for about an hour and a half, covering about 70 miles to the doorstep of the park in Front Royal, Virginia. No other roads are necessary. Along the way, enjoy peaceful country scenery, plentiful farm stands and country stores, the charm of Charlestown, West Virginia, and Winchester, Virginia, and more beautiful red maple trees and mountain laurel than you can count.

WHEN TO GO

This is completely up to you, because every season offers something spectacular. You simply can’t go wrong.

Spring comes late to this part of the country, and a definite chill fills the air until late May. It has been known to snow as late as early June.

Summer brings a shining clarity to all the deep greens in the ridges and hollows. Birds are nesting and seem to sing nonstop from early morning to early evening. Skies are clear blue with white puffy clouds seeping in around the peaks.

Autumn is prime time at Shenandoah National Park, when a coolness and crispness fills the air. Brilliant fall colors seem to burst from the trees. Hikers abound. Birds are at their most active, preparing for their southward migration.

Even winter offers a quiet, snowcovered stillness that is hard to forget.

WHAT TO DO

One can do very little at the park and feel completely content. Stop along the side of Skyline Drive at one of the many picnic areas and enjoy a quiet lunch. Curl up in your cabin with a favorite book. Snooze the day away at one of many comfy loungers available at camps and visitor’s center.

For the more adventurous among us, you can hike on over 500 miles of trails, including the Appalachian Trail, which cuts a large swath through the park.

Waterfall chasing and bird watching during the day and

stargazing at night are two of the more popular activities.

I highly recommend taking in any programs the park rangers offer. Their knowledge and love of the park is palpable. Plus, they have all the best stories to tell.

At the two park resorts, Skyland and Big Meadows, you can take advantage of expertly prepared programs. Note that some are free when staying at the resorts and some require paying an extra fee.

SOME OF MY FAVORITE ACTIVITIES

n Map and compass navigation — Guides take away your technology and you must fend for yourself. Don’t

worry. You can do it.

n Horseback riding – It’s about $60 for one hour at Skyland, but trust me, one hour will be enough time to see the sights from a whole new perspective.

n Rock climbing — Don’t worry. They have excursions (and rocks) appropriate for both novices and experts.

n Basket-making — A local artisan will lead you in making your very own white oak basket.

n The ever-popular whiskey and wine shuttle takes you down to the lowlands to relax, partake and listen to stories about the park along the way.

WHERE TO STAY

Shenandoah National Park features varied lodging options for every taste, from back-country camping to city-slicker glamping. If you wish, you can pitch a tent in the back country or stay at a spacious, luxurious lodge at one of the two park resorts: Skyland Resort or Big Meadows Lodge.

The park also has four campgrounds that are operated by the National Park Service and are open spring through fall:

n Mathews Arm Campground (at mile 22.2)

n Big Meadows Campground (at mile 51)

n Lewis Mountain Campground (at mile 57.2)

n Loft Mountain Campground (at mile 79.5)

Skyland Resort is about 41 miles into your trip on Skyline Drive and is located at the park’s highest peak, about 3,700 feet high.

Big Meadows Lodge is located just a few miles down the road from Skyland and is just a bit lower in elevation. It features beautiful Dark Hollows Falls and the handy Byrd Visitor Center.

Lodging at both resorts range from premium hotel-like rooms and suites to small, detached cabins. They even have pet-friendly rooms.

Summer prices range from about $150 per night for a cabin with two double beds and very few amenities to about $400 a night for a preferred room with all the amenities you’d expect at a fine hotel. Adults 62 and older receive a 10% discount. Military members and first responders also qualify for special rates. Prices go up a bit in the fall.

I recommend you go with a rustic cabin to get a better mountain retreat experience. Some rooms have TVs and some don’t. Ditch the TV and other technology and instead play a board game to pass the evening, at least until it’s time to stargaze.

Of course, you’ll want a fireplace,

(See SHENANDOAH 17)

Gary Bennett

Shenandoah National Park is a short drive from Frederick and a nice getaway any time of year.

”HUE: An Ode to Color” — through Aug. 25, Gallery 44, 44 S. Bentz St., Frederick. Multimedia art exhibit that explores color in art in a myriad of ways by seven DMV area artists. Open by appointment only. gallery44south@ gmail.com or gallery-44.com.

“The Power of Color” — through Aug. 27, Eastside Artists’ Gallery, 313 E. Patrick St., Frederick. Artist Lynn Hotes exhibits her colorful abstract paintings. She works in acrylics, oils, pastels and pencil sketching and loves portraiture and architectural themes. Hours are 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. eastsidearts313@gmail.com.

”Textile Art” — through Aug. 27, Links Bridge Vineyards, 8830 Old Links Bridge Road, Thurmont. Part of the Wine and Art Series, featuring yarn and canvas textile creations by artist and art teacher Christine Williams. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekends or by appointment. linksbridgevineyards. com.

”Over 70 Show” — through Aug. 27, Delaplaine Arts Center, 40 S. Carroll St., Frederick. Works in a variety of media. A signature of the Delaplaine’s Creative Aging Month, this annual exhibition celebrates local artists over age 70 and showcases a wide range of styles, techniques, and interests. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. 301-698-0656 or delaplaine.org.

”Heavy Metal” — through Aug. 27, Delaplaine Arts Center, 40 S. Carroll St., Frederick. Oil paintings by Raymond Burns. Easily mistaken as merely utilitarian and unattractive, Burns hopes to elevate the character

PEABODY

(Continued from 9)

“The first and second floor has the option for us to potentially do some group classes as well,” she explained. “So there’s just a lot of potential for us to build what we do particularly well, which are private lessons and group classes and teaching music.”

At the launch, Peabody teachers will offer private lessons in violin, viola, cello, guitar and piano for all ages and skill levels.

“The goal for us is to hire musicians and provide work for people in Frederick and around that area, as opposed to a Baltimore City teacher who’s traveling to Frederick,” she said. “We’re really building a cohort of faculty, and students

and the beauty that exists in the form, color and texture of railroad equipment, engines, cabooses, boxcars, and railroad structures in various states of use and decay. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. 301-698-0656 or delaplaine.org.

“Bedwetter” — through Aug. 27, NOMA Gallery, 437 N. Market St., Frederick. Work by Phyllis Mayes and Lily Sellers, daughter of gallery member Annie Quinlan. Noon to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. 240-367-9770, nomagalleryfrederick.com.

Pat Scull: “Outside-In, Inside-Out” — through Aug. 27, Delaplaine Arts Center, 40 S. Carroll St., Frederick. With influences from fossils, crystals and bones and an examination of the forced life of insolation and interruption in the pandemic, Pat Scull’s paintings and sculptures use both the microscopic and telescopic resources of human perception to think about where humanity fits within the cosmos. Hours:9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. 301-698-0656, delaplaine.org.

“Truth” by Robin Davisson — through Aug. 27, DISTRICT Arts, 15 N. Market St., Frederick. Featured artist Robin Davisson’s lyrical, process-driven work is rooted in eclectic curiosity and the material surprises she discovers working with her finely-developed visual vocabulary. districtarts.com/ robin-davisson.

”On Beauty and Revolution” — through Aug. 27, Blanche Ames Gallery, 4880 Elmer Derr Road, Frederick. Featuring the work of Sasa

Aakil. For gallery hours, call 301-4737680.

“The Hot Button” — through Aug. 27, 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.

Crestwood Gallery Spring Exhibit — through Sept. 8, Crestwood Center, 7211 Bank Court, Frederick. Original artwork including photography, watercolors, oil, acrylic, mixed media and wood carvings by Frederick artists. Hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. 240215-1460, frederickhealth.org/ crestwoodart.

”Mandy Chesney is gaudy” — through Sept. 10, Black Rock Center for the Arts, 12901 Town Commons Drive, Germantown. Baltimore resident’s first solo show, born in Mississippi. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Reception and artist talk 6 to 8 p.m. Aug. 18. 301-528-2260 or blackrockcenter.org.

”Landscapes & Legends of Norway: William Singer & His Contemporaries” — through Sept. 17, Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, 401 Museum Drive, Hagerstown. This exhibition uses Singer’s work and that of his contemporaries in

the museum collection to look at the impact of Norway on the imaginations of various artists. A series of watercolors depicting Norse legends (yes, Loki and Thor) by American artist Frank Morse Rummel are also a highlight of the exhibition. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. 301739-5727 or wcmfa.org.

”Treasures of State: Maryland’s Art Collection” — through Oct. 22, Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, 401 Museum Drive, Hagerstown. This collaborative exhibition, coorganized with the Maryland State Archives, features over 90 American and European paintings, sculptures, works on paper, and decorative arts from 1750 to present. Notable artists represented include the Peales, Jasper Cropsey, Thomas Wilmer Dewing, George Inness, Hugh Bolton Jones, Eastman Johnson, Giuseppe Ceracchi, and Giovanni Battista Piranesi. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. 301-739-5727 or wcmfa.org.

”This Majestical Roof: Impressions of Sky” — through Oct. 28, Gallery 50, 50 W. Main St., Waynesboro, Pa., Eight artists participating. Hours are 5 to 8 p.m. Fridays, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturdays and by appointment. artsalliancegw.org.

would have access to what we do at the main campus. Replicating in Frederick what happens at the main campus is really what our goal and vision is.”

Mathieson said there will be a fulltime campus manager employed for the site, and as offerings increase, more staff will be added.

Private lessons are now being accepted for weekly lessons that will begin in September. Students will receive 32 lessons over the course of the academic year and will have the opportunity to perform in repertoire classes and recitals, as well as broader Peabody Preparatory school-wide programs.

Mathieson said the long-term goal is to see all of the Peabody Preparatory programs offered

LEARN MORE

To find out more about classes at The Peabody Preparatory at The Y Arts Center at 115 E. Church St., Frederick, go to peabody.jhu. edu/preparatory.

elsewhere also being offered in Frederick — “being able to offer every instrument, being able to have good, healthy group classes that support our private lessons instructions, and maybe even looking at some of our larger scale programs, our orchestra programs,” she said.

Mathieson also hopes to bring the Tuned-In program to Frederick, which is a major scholarship program that is offered at the downtown Baltimore campus. She would like

to provide a scholarship program for students in need and who might not otherwise have access to music education.

Colville said this partnership shows the importance of the arts and humanities.

“To the Frederick community, I think it demonstrates that we have the ability to recruit top-talented organizations and instructors that work and support those organizations to come to Frederick,” she said, “and that they see Frederick as a growing market for that type of talent, which I think is pretty cool.”

Crystal Schelle is a journalist whose work has been published locally, regionally and nationally. She enjoys trivia, cats and streaming movies.

Two exhibitions celebrate groundbreaking Frederick-born designer Claire McCardell

BY LAURA DUKES Special to The News-Post

A functional but stylish design is pretty much a given for today’s female clothing articles, and a Frederick native played a huge role in making it this way.

Work by Claire McCardell, a Frederick-born fashion designer who lived from 1905 to 1958, is featured in exhibitions at both the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts in Hagerstown and the Maryland Center for History and Culture in Baltimore. Both exhibits will run through the fall. Writer Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson will lead a talk on McCardell at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 14 at WCMFA.

“The Fashion of Claire McCardell” at WCMFA features 12 of her dresses from the museum collection. “Claire / McCardell” in Baltimore aims to give viewers a more intimate look at the woman behind the iconic label by exhibiting family letters, interviews and archival documents, along with examples of McCardell’s work.

Vivian Barnett, who worked as an independent contractor for the Baltimore exhibition, said designing the display was a labor of love, as much work goes into dressing a mannequin. The clothes will initially hang lifelessly and need to be padded to match the silhouettes of their time, and there’s also factors like gravity and light. The effect of light on the materials is one reason why the dates of these exhibits are limited.

Barnett loved learning about how McCardell enjoyed creating and dressing her own paper dolls from magazine photos. She was interested in clothes and design from a young age but was not a fan of school or being a student. “She said she only ever learned that chemicals burn,” Barnett said of one of her favorite McCardell quotes.

McCardell attended Hood College in Frederick for about a year to study home economics, but she ultimately decided to move to New York to pursue her design dreams. She stood apart early in her career for understanding women’s bodies in relation to fabric, style and structure. She was one of the first designers to use pockets on women’s clothing, since they were not only useful but gave models something to do with their hands.

McCardell also understood dressing the middle class and the idea of standardized sizing, as women were no longer spending the whole day in custom dresses.

Sarah Hall, executive director of WCMFA, considers McCardell’s style practical, fun and innovative.

“Not all-day dresses and dressing for dinner,” Hall said. “Though she had fabulous evening wear, for sure.”

Hall referenced McCardell’s book

IF YOU GO

“What Shall I Wear?” as being a combination of both quirkiness and discipline. Advice from the book includes everything from having a wardrobe full of coats to wearing a red shoelace around your neck, Hall said.

McCardell also liked the idea of having clasps in the front of dresses, which were easier for women living alone while also being decorative.

Other features McCardell enjoyed using included belts, sashes and oversized collars, which could also be tied

as a scarf, Hall said. She also was a big proponent of bringing flexible separates on vacation and not having to plan a different outfit for every day.

“You should be able to have fun with fashion. It lets you be yourself,” Hall said of McCardell’s mindset.

Not everything had to be form-fitting either, Hall said. McCardell had some dresses that fit like a monk’s robe but could be styled with a belt or sash. Other favorites included empire waists and popover dresses that go over another piece of clothing.

“It was like an apron but stylish,” Hall said. “You could garden or cook and then meet your guests afterwards.”

Barnett said she was especially struck by McCardell’s attention to detail and how well constructed her clothes are.

“Her insistence on pockets is something I think women today can really appreciate,” Barnett said.

One of her favorite findings when putting together the Baltimore exhibit was an old cassette tape of an interview with McCardell. She said it was equally useful in that McCardell’s handwriting was “very messy.”

“Hearing her voice was really special,” Barnett said. “I had a sense of getting to know her as a person.”

For someone with very snappy one-liners, McCardell was also known for being incredibly thoughtful with her family members, a few of whom still live in the Washington area.

She designed up until her death from colon cancer, during which Hall said McCardell left the hospital with the help of a friend to see her final collection. She is buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Frederick.

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.

WCMFA

“The Fashion of Claire McCardell” at WCMFA.

Writer Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson will lead a talk on McCardell at

at WCMFA.

The pandemic is over, but Frederick’s

BY ERIK ANDERSON Special to The News-Post

For most Frederick County residents, reminders of the COVID-19 pandemic are scarce, and when they do appear, they are only that — reminders, not real ramifications. Some stores have leftover, no-longer enforced signs urging customers to stand six feet apart in checkout lines. Sightings of people wearing masks are not exactly unusual, but businesses that require customers to wear masks are rare or nonexistent. For the most part, the community has moved on.

Frederick’s local performing arts companies have mostly moved on, too. There are no more masked performances or spaced seating. But unlike the rest of the community, save for perhaps the healthcare and elderly sector, the pandemic has left many important, tangible changes on the performance world that will be felt for years into the future. Possibly forever.

Susan Thornton, who last year retired from a 40-year career in Frederick’s professional and community theater circuit, said the local performing arts are doing fairly well post-pandemic. However, she said the shutdowns caused by the pandemic three years ago were so sudden and damaging to theater companies’ bottom lines that the shock of that experience will factor into their decisionmaking for a long time.

“It’s something everybody lived through that everybody thought, ‘Oh, this could never really happen,’” she said. “That is probably a fear theater is going to be living in: ‘Oh my golly, could this happen again?’”

Some of the lasting effects are small, such as Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre’s decision to permanently change its buffet from self-serve to employeeserved. Other changes will have direct impacts on artistic output, such as the Fredericktowne Players’ new commitment to providing their understudies with stage time when possible.

Many theater companies are still waiting to see whether other big changes outside of their control are permanent or temporary, especially whether certain segments of their audiences and volunteer staffs who shrank from theater during the pandemic will ever return. Some companies are not sure if their budgets and balance sheets will ever be the same.

NEW FACES APPEARING ONSTAGE

Before the pandemic, most of the local theater companies did not consistently try to cast understudy actors. Embracing the old theatrical ethos of “the show must go

on,” it was very rare for principal actors to miss their scheduled performances, even in the face of personal hardships, such as illness, said Stephen Ward, the marketing director of the Fredericktowne Players and the director of their recent production of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.”

But in the early days of local theater’s return, following the long shutdowns, principal actor absences were

unavoidable. One actor testing positive for COVID could derail a production if understudies weren’t ready to step in for both rehearsals and performances. Securing dedicated understudies suddenly became a high priority for all theaters in the community. That priority is here to stay, and it has consequences for the shows audiences ultimately see.

“A positive look from the pandemic is to show how valuable understudies

and swings are to a show,” Ward said. “Understudies are the life blood of theater. They help keep things going.”

Justin Kiska, president and managing director of Way Off Broadway, said his theater always made understudies a priority because its shows have long runs, but the pandemic amplified their importance. “The understudies and the standbys and the swings — they are more important than ever in every aspect of theater,” he said.

Ward said Fredericktowne Players, a community theater with all-volunteer casts, is not just privately appreciating understudies who agree to learn multiple parts along with principal actors, it is making sure understudies get at least some time in front of an audience if they can show they’ve put in the work.

He said that new priority is not a simple thing for a production to do. For musicals, it requires having principal actors who are willing to both step aside for some performances and to learn additional ensemble roles on top of their main roles. But Ward said the benefits of letting alternates take the stage are tremendous, practically and artistically.

Recently, he found that when the four understudies he cast for “Spelling Bee” took their turns in the limelight, they brought completely new audiences who came specifically to see them.

“That’s one of the reasons I did it,” he said. “From the profit standpoint, there is that platform.”

He also said giving the understudies a chance to shine allows for special moments of artistic serendipity.

“One of my understudies was an understudy for the lead role, and I guaranteed her a performance,” he said. “She performed one of her dream roles on her birthday and got to showcase all of the hard work that she did. That is something that, as a director, I was very proud to be able to give.”

Tad Janes, producing artistic director of Maryland Ensemble Theatre, a professional non-union company, said, “Pre-pandemic, I can probably count on one hand how many times we hired an understudy for a show.” Now, the MET has an understudy crew booked into its setup.

More than providing a mere backup plan in the event of unforeseen illness, Janes said the new understudy policy is reshaping his company’s culture around actors’ work/life balance.

“It used to be if an actor had a wedding on a Saturday during the run, we’d be like, ‘Well, sorry, you can’t be in

Bill Green Staff Photographer

Tad Janes, producing artistic director of the Maryland Ensemble Theatre in Frederick.

Frederick’s theaters aren’t over it

the show.’ But now we’re like, ‘OK, well, I guess your understudy’s going to go on that night.”

He said the company and audiences have even learned to be forgiving of understudies who have major conflicts with performances when they are needed, citing a recent incident when both a principal actor and the designated understudy had to miss a performance of the MET’s original production “South & Saints.”

“We had one of our stage managers go onstage on book, and the audience was so appreciative of that after the pandemic, of having to reschedule so many times because of canceled performances,” he said. “They were all in for it. She’s not even really a performer, but she was having fun with them, and she is like a rock star in our eyes.”

FAMILIAR FACES DISAPPEARING FROM THE STAGE

While audiences are seeing new faces onstage, thanks to new understudy policies, many of the usual faces have disappeared in the wake of the pandemic, some never to return.

Kimberly Price, the director and owner of the Mid Maryland Performing Arts Center, a pre-professional dance school that has annual performances at the Weinberg Center, said most of her students who were in their early teen years during the core pandemic time have sharply reduced their commitment to dance. Some have dropped out altogether.

“Prior to the pandemic, there was a very focused energy from students, particularly from teenage students. They were very dedicated, very committed to working and dancing a lot,” she said. “Then the craziness happened, and what I have noticed since we’ve come back from it is now my older kids are often doing many other things. They want to dance, but they don’t want to commit to it as their main activity.”

She said the time away from regular dance practice during the pandemic led many students to question their priorities.

“Their choices were taken away from them when they were locked down, and now they’re not locked down anymore and they want to be footloose and fancy free to make many choices,” she said. “I think it’s because they were locked

down and they resent that.”

She feels the pandemic caused an age role-reversal among her students, leading the teens to be less committed and younger students to a new sense of dedication. Practically speaking, the shift means her staff needs to re-focus the bulk of their attention on their younger students.

“I opened my studio 34 years ago, and I feel like I did 34 years ago. It’s almost like I’ve got this brand-new baby and now I’m going to have to rebuild my dancers,” she said. “I’m going to have to put energy into my younger dancers to build them to pre-professional level.”

Price has been hearing similar stories from other dance companies in the region — that there will forever be a generational gap among the dancers who are currently high school aged.

Andrew Baughman is the producing artistic director of Landless Theatre Co., a professional company that moved to Frederick from Washington, D.C., shortly before the pandemic started. One major lasting effect of the pandemic he has noticed is an age gap in performing arts participation.

“There was a generation of students that, when they all went to online school and they weren’t able to rehearse in person and train … we did lose a lot of

kids that way,” he said.

Earlier this year, his company partnered with 24/7 Dance Studio for a production of “Footloose.” Normally these types of partnerships yield several teenage intern performers taking on big roles, but this year was different.

“I expected to have much more student interns in that 13 to 18 age range. We had some on the younger side, but we had maybe one or two 16- or 17-year-olds,” he said. “We wound up having to hire in really young-looking 20-year-olds for some of the lead parts. We wanted to give those opportunities to students.”

But like Price, he also sees strong numbers of a younger generation entering the performing arts.

LOSS OF VOLUNTEER CREWS AND SUPPORT STAFF

Christine Mosere, artistic director of Endangered Species (Theatre) Project in Frederick, relies on a mixture of paid and volunteer staff. Like Frederick’s community theaters, she reported, “Volunteers are harder to get.” She is finding ways to cope with the loss of people to help run ticket booths and usher audiences to their seats, but says it’s one of many contributing factors to her inability to schedule a season in advance.

She believes many former volunteers have lingering concerns about contracting COVID-19.

“There’re still less people who want to volunteer to come inside a theater space and sit with 30 people,” she said.

Her company’s recent opening weekend of “Twelfth Night” was canceled

in part because an actor had an allergic reaction to a COVID treatment.

Steve Cairns, who recently took over the role of artistic director at Other Voices Theatre from Thornton’s long tenure there, believes many former community theater volunteer staff are still concerned about COVID because they mostly fall into an older demographic.

That is true for Fredericktowne Players, as well, Ward said, a company that often partnered with Frederick Community College to find volunteers. He thinks even though COVID is less of a concern, “Now some people just have illness awareness.”

SHIFTS OF AUDIENCES

That heightened awareness of illness is the likely reason for shifts in audience demographics, many theater companies said, but other factors were cited as well.

Janes says the MET’s post-pandemic audience has shifted both in age and in absolute numbers. He said their more traditional productions, such as “A Christmas Carol” and “Christmas at Pemberley,” have been well attended since the pandemic, but their newer and edgier productions have lost about 10% to 15% of their audience compared to prepandemic numbers. He is not yet sure if that segment of the audience is coming back.

“Certainly, the return has been slow. Before the pandemic, people were like, ‘Oh, I’m willing to see this even though I don’t know anything about it,’” he speculated. “But now, I think in the consumer’s mind, maybe there’s the idea of ‘Do I have to go see this, or do I not have to go see this?’ The idea of staying home and watching Netflix is probably a little more appealing to someone who is wavering right now.”

College students have also been slow to return to the theater, despite FCC and Hood College students receiving free tickets to performances. As a theater instructor at FCC, Janes used to strongly encourage his students to attend certain MET shows, but during the pandemic, the college administration prevented that practice, due to differences in masking policies. FCC did not require students to wear masks in class, but the MET requires masks at performances, and professors were prevented from sending students anywhere that required masks.

Now that those differences are no longer in play, college student attendance is still not back to what it was pre-pandemic, but it’s heading in that direction. He also said their season subscription numbers are nearly back to what they were pre-pandemic.

Cairns said shows at Other Voices

(See PANDEMIC 27)

Bill Green Staff Photographer

Justin Kiska, president and managing director of Way Off Broadway.

“ I just think it’s going to take us some time to get back to where we can feel like we’re whole again.

STEVE CAIRNS, director, Other VoicesTheatre

Auditions

for the 2023-2024 Season

Come sing with us! The Frederick Chorale is holding auditions for new members on August 27th, September 10th, and September 17th

Led by Heidi Ackerman, the Chorale is a 50-voice auditioned chorus committed to excellence in performing choral music for the benefit of the community.

Candidates should have a pleasing voice, basic sight-reading skills, and employ good vocal production techniques.

Not ready for a full audition? Come sit in an open rehearsal and see what it’s like to sing with us! We’ll be opening rehearsals on November 19th

To schedule an audition or attend the open rehearsal, please email auditions@frederickchorale.org.

Book Launch Party: Frederick author pens

YA novel ‘Holly Horror’

Michelle Corpora’s latest book, “Holly Horror,” is the first in a YA series from Penguin Random House and is a new, dark take on the classic character Holly Hobbie.

It tells the story of Evie Archer, who, after her parents’ painful divorce, hopes that moving to Ravenglass, Massachusetts, is the fresh start her family needs. But Evie quickly learns about Holly Hobbie, who mysteriously vanished in her bedroom one night, and realizes her new home carries its own dark past.

Traces of Holly linger in the “Horror House,” as locals call it, and slowly begin to take over Evie’s life. A strange shadow follows her everywhere she goes, and Evie starts to lose sight of what’s real and what isn’t.

Can Evie find out what happened the night of Holly’s disappearance? Or is history doomed to repeat itself in the Horror House?

The book was released Aug. 15.

A launch party will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Aug. 19 at New Market Plains Vineyard, a historic vineyard

that may or may not be haunted. Corpora, who is based in Frederick, will give a brief reading from the book. Copies will be available for purchase and signing while supplies last.

Wine from the vineyard will be available for sampling and purchase, and simple refreshments will also be available. All ages are welcome. Learn more about the author at michellejcorpora.com.

Theater auditions

www.frederickchorale.org

Shepherd University’s Rude Mechanicals Medieval and Renaissance Players will hold auditions for the Renaissance tragedy “‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore” by Shakespeare’s contemporary, John Ford, at 8 p.m. Aug. 23 and 24 in Reynolds Hall. Community members 16 and older are welcome to audition.

The play depicts many of the same

themes as “Hamlet” — abuse of power, adultery, incest, murder and revenge. Multiple roles are available, both large and small, for all genders and levels of experience and a diverse cast is highly desired. There’s also a need for tech crew, dancers, choreographers, musicians and visual and video artists.

For more information, contact Betty Ellzey at bellzey@shepherd.edu.

The Frederick chorale

Courtesy photo

Corpora

The only two cons that matter (to me)

The Baltimore Comic-Con is back for its 24th year, Sept. 8 to 10, and while I know I shouldn’t play favorites, well, the simple truth is that it’s near and dear to me for so, so many reasons.

I started my annual pilgrimage to the Baltimore con maybe 20 or more years ago, and it’s been the genesis of some of my happiest life experiences. Even before I took up the pencil and pen once to start doodling odd little costumed figures in neat panels, I’d wander the aisles, picking up back issues, chatting with creators, paying rapt attention to panels and wondering, “Why am I not drawing anymore?” and sometimes, “Who are these people?”

I saw the rise of cosplay and increasingly elaborate costuming; I noticed I was standing longer and longer in the line outside, before the event, to get it; I realized it was taking longer and longer to peruse through the list of guests from comics, TV, animation and film; and I marveled how the con itself seemed to benevolently metastasize across the Baltimore Conference Center’s massive rooms, taking up more and more space like a nerd-driven zombie invasion.

Except one day, there were no more nerds. Exclusion had become inclusion. We were just fans, attending an event alongside other fans, shamelessly reveling in our love for what had once been the hobby of a few odd, slightly obsessive weird kids.

Whereas other conventions that started with comics have morphed into so-called “multimedia” spectacles, the wonderful thing about the Baltimore convention is, it still has comics at its core. And that’s why I love it.

Now, I’m not gloating or anything, but the Hollywood writers and actors strike means that comic-book industry pros and amateurs alike are going to take center stage. My only hope is that this doesn’t impact the con negatively. (You can still meet a couple of actors, but there are only like three of them and maybe you should avoid patronizing them because, you know, solidarity with the Hollywood strike.)

As you know (at least, I hope you do), this column is focused on small-press and independent comics, which brings me to a con (or expo, more accurately), happening the same weekend as the Baltimore Comic Con but equally if not more influential in its sphere.

And as these two conventions celebrate the comics industry, one is the yin to the other’s yang, both for me personally and also in the wider sphere of the comics field.

Whereas Baltimore focuses on the more commercial side of comics, capes and cowls (even within its widely diverse representation in its artists’ alley), SPX — the Small Press Expo — specifically targets small-press and independent representation. While I have a longish history with the Baltimore con, the first time I attended SPX was last year, where I caught up with a slew of local and regional creators (search through my past columns for the after-hours rundowns). What sets SPX apart is its mission. It’s more than just a convention; it’s a celebration of creativity and innovation that ensures the continued vibrancy and diversity of the comic arts.

One of the things I most enjoyed about the event last year wasn’t only the sheer volume of extremely talented creators. It was discovering so many who I hadn’t heard of. There’s a lot of joy in finding that creator you’ll spend a lifetime appreciating.

Particularly, though, this year, I’m looking forward to shaking the hand of Eddie Campbell, someone whose work I’m deeply familiar with, as he’s a fellow Brit. Campbell was small press before there was a recognizable small press. You may best know him from his work on “From Hell,” with writer Alan Moore (yes, he of “Watchmen” fame), which tells the tale of Jack the Ripper, and which was made into a movie starring Johnny Depp.

If you’d like to know more about SPX, I had a great interview last year with SPX executive director Warren Bernard, available at thelongbox. substack.com.

TL;DR … Baltimore Comic Con show hours are 1 to 7 p.m. Friday (I’ll be there this day), 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday (Sept. 8 to 10). Visit baltimorecomiccon. com for more. SPX runs the weekend of Sept. 9 and 10 (I couldn’t find the time on their website, so keep checking as new information goes up throughout this month). Find SPX info at smallpressexpo.com. Maybe I’ll see you guys there. It’s going to be an expensive weekend …

(Continued from 11)

especially in the spring or fall. There is nothing better than collapsing into your comfy bed after a day of hiking and starting a cozy fire in your fireplace. Unfortunately, in-room fireplaces are unavailable for the remainder of the 2023 season due to an ongoing rehabilitation project.

WHAT TO EAT

Suffice it to say, you won’t go hungry at the four campgrounds, which are well supplied with nearby camp stores, or at the two resorts.

Skyland Resort and Big Meadows feature several pleasing dining options.

Skyland’s Pollock Dining Room serves regional specialties like wild game, with wonderful views of the Shenandoah Valley. The spacious dining room is wood-paneled and smells amazing. And don’t miss out the house specialty desert: MileHigh Blackberry Ice Cream Pie.

There’s also a Grab ’n Go market and the Mountain Taproom for snacks, drinks and live

entertainment in a casual setting.

At Big Meadows Lodge’s Spottswood Dining Room, guests can enjoy dishes like Roosevelt’s roasted or fried chicken (named after the president who dedicated the park) or the New Deal roast turkey plate. Outdoor patio seating is available.

The New Market Taproom provides craft beer, local wines, snacks and live entertainment, or you can order lunch to-go at the front desk.

As you drive along after your stay, whether it be north or south, several waysides will keep you well fed, gassed up and ready to buy souvenirs:

n Elkswallow Wayside (at mile 24.)

n Big Meadows Wayside (at mile 51)

n Loft Mountain Wayside (at mile 79)

Gary Bennett is a longtime Frederick resident who spends his time hiking, biking, volunteering and providing childcare for grandchildren. He is married and retired from his career as a nonprofit marketing executive.

CLIFF CUMBER

SHENANDOAH

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BLUE BEETLE SPANISH SUBTITLED & DUBBED SHOWINGS

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Wednesday, August 23rd at 7:00pm

UPCOMING FILMS

THIS WEEKEND: “Blue Beetle”, “Strays”, and “Back on the Strip”

Warehouse Cinemas is an independently owned cinema that offers a unique, premium movie going experience by providing first-run movies + retro films, leather recliner seating w/ seat warmers, high-quality picture and sound, including Dolby Atmos, a modernindustrial décor, and premium food and drink options, including movie themed cocktails, wine and a 28-tap self-serve beer wall. Visit us at warehouscinemas.com or scan the QR Code for this week’s feature films.

available Aug. 15 on Prime Video.

What to stream this week

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW MOVIES TO

STREAM

n Parents looking for fresh animated offerings should rejoice that Netflix has a new film from Stephen Chow, the actor and producer known for “Kung Fu Hustle” and “Shaolin Soccer,” in “The Monkey King” streaming Friday, Aug. 18. Jimmy O. Yang of “Silicon Valley” and “Crazy Rich Asians” voices said Monkey King, born from a stone with magical powers and a big ego and who is on a quest for immortality. A young human girl (Jolie HoangRappaport) teams up with him to defeat dragons and demons. Other voice actors include Jo Koy, Bowen Yang, Stephanie Hsu and BD Wong. It’s loosely based on the 16th century, Wu Cheng’en Ming dynasty novel “Journey to the West.”

n Netflix also has “Depp v. Heard,” a new doc about the widely watched libel trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, coming on Wednesday from director Emma Cooper (“The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes”).

n “Cocaine Bear” is coming to Prime Video on Tuesday. Very loosely based on a true story (and taken to wild heights), the non-stop action comedy from Elizabeth Banks stars Keri Russell, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Margo Martindale, Kristofer Hivju, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Alden Ehrenreich and the late Ray Liotta. AP’s Mark Kennedy was no fan in his zero star review but said that at an efficient 95 minutes it “snorts along.” Others were enchanted. “When the

movie’s pitched, you hear the word ‘Cocaine,’ you’re like I’m not sure what to think of this,” producer Phil Lord told the AP. “Then when you hear the word ‘Bear,’ you’re like: I’m all in.”

n Or if you want to settle in with a raunchy comedy, the Jennifer Lawrence vehicle “No Hard Feelings” is coming to video-on-demand on Tuesday. Lawrence plays a woman who answers a Craigslist ad posted by some concerned parents who want someone to “date” their awkward teenage son Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman) before he heads to college. Lawrence’s pal Gene Stupnitsky (“Good Boys”) wrote it for he r to showcase her comedy prowess, which has so far been mostly relegated to her talk show appearances. Film Writer Jake Coyle wrote in his review that the movie “works better than it ought to” and that it gives Lawrence “plenty of room to showcase her talent at upending traditional ideas of Hollywood glamour. At every moment, she delights in undercutting her own sexiness; it’s not every A-lister who’s willing to film a beach brawl in the nude.”

— Lindsey Bahr

NEW SERIES TO STREAM

n A new “Peanut’s” special on Apple TV+ puts Marcie, the introverted, studious bestie of Peppermint Patty and the gang, in the spotlight with her first special. In “Snoopy Presents: One-of-a-Kind Marcie,” the character has lots of ideas to make her friend’s lives easier, but when those problemsolving abilities get her elected class president, the attention makes Marcie

uncomfortable, and she becomes overwhelmed. “One-of-a-Kind Marcie” debuts Friday, Aug. 18.

n Best-selling author Harlan Coben has had many of his books adapted for TV, but his latest offering, “Harlan Coben’s Shelter” for Prime Video, centers on a younger protagonist. Jaden Michael (“Colin in Black & White”) stars as Mickey Bolitar — the teen nephew of famed Coben character Myron Bolitar. (Mickey has been the subject of YA books by Coben.) In this series, we meet Mickey when he is taken in by his aunt in New Jersey after his dad’s death. He quickly channels his own grief into obsessing over a local disappearance. We also see Mickey interact with colorful school classmates including Abby Corrigan, Adrian Greensmith, Sage Linder and Antonio Cipriano, doing his best Biff from “Back to the Future.” The series debuts Friday, Aug. 18.

n The star-studded TV fundraiser for cancer research co-founded by Katie Couric called “Stand Up to Cancer” returns on Saturday, Aug. 19. Celebs taking part include Elizabeth Banks, Jessica Biel, Don Cheadle, Danai Gurira and Justin Timberlake. It will also feature skits and musical performances from past specials. The fundraiser airs every other year and this time, it will simulcast across 50 media platforms in both the U.S. and Canada, including on the four major U.S. broadcast networks.

— Alicia Rancilio

Paramount+/Netflix/Sony Pictures/Universal Pictures/Prime Video

This combination of images shows promotional art for “Reinventing Elvis: The ‘68 Comeback” available Aug. 15 on Paramount+, “The Monkey King” available Aug. 18 on Netflix, “No Hard Feelings” available Aug. 15 on Video on Demand, and “Cocaine Bear”

Local Mentions

BRUNSWICK COMMUNITY FESTIVAL

August 25 and 26, 2023

5 PM to 9:30 PM

Burkittsville Ruritan 500 E Main St

Burkittsville, MD

Fun for everyone!!

Great Food by Burkittsville Ruritan Members both nights Apple Dumplings added this year

Entries for the Community Show accepted Friday evening 6 to 8 and Saturday morning from 9 to 11.

Entertainment on Friday evening will be Rewind

Mini Tractor pull will start at 7 on Friday evening

Entertainment on Saturday evening with the Cake Auction starting at 7 PM to support the Brunswick FFA Alumni Scholarship Fund

Pony rides and petting zoo, games for the kids

For more information see our facebook page at Brunswick Community Festival or email BrunswickCommunity123 @gmail com

CAR SHOW AUG. 19

Francis Scott Key Antique Car Club

38th Annual Benefit Show at Rose Hill Manor Museum and Historic Park

1611 North Market Street

Frederick, MD

Sat August 19th, Rain: 8/20

Registration 8 a m -12 p m

Voting 10:30 a m -12:30 p m

Awards approx 2 p m

Spectators admitted free!

Special attraction: Frederick County Fire and Rescue Museum (mini-muster)

Antique and current fire apparatus on display.

Rose Hill WW II Encampment, music, food, tours, money raffle, 50/50 drawing Fun for the whole family!

MAYNE’S SWEET CORN

Mon-Fri 9-6, Sat-Sun 9-4 3420 Buckeystown Pike 301-662-4320

Local Mentions

CATOCTIN MOUNTAIN ORCHARD

Available in our Market: Kiwi Berries, Blackberries, Nectarines, Sugar Giant White Peaches & Cresthaven Yellow Peaches, Sweet Plums, Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Rambo, Gala & Honeycrisp Apples, Harvest Queen Pears, Kale, Cucumbers, Tomatoes, Green & Yellow Summer Squash, Sweet Corn, Cabbage, Fresh Baked Fruit Pies, Apple Cider Donuts, Fresh Fruit Smoothies, Slushies and Sundaes Jams & Jellies

Cut Your Own Flowers 301-271-2737

Open Daily 9am-5pm 15036 North Franklinville Rd Thurmont MD

www catoctinmountainorchard com

HOLIDAY CRAFT AND VENDOR EVENT

Hosted by Vigilant Hose Co

Activities Bldg , 17701 Creamery Rd Emmitsburg, MD

Sat Dec 2nd, 9 to 3

Sun Dec 3rd, 9 to 2

Many Crafters and Vendors including Fresh wreaths, plants as well as silk floral arrangements And much more!

Food available for purchase

Visit with Santa Saturday and Sunday Photos Available for sale

Bring families, children and pets!

For more info contact: Sharon Keeney 410746-8776, MaryLou Little 240-285-3184 or Kenny Cevinger 240-393-0758

Middletown Vol Fire Co

Auxiliary Sponsors the 13th Annual Car, Truck, Motorcycle, Tractor, and Specialty Vehicle Show

Sat Aug 19 • 10AM-3PM

Rain Date: Sun Aug 20

Deadline for Reg : Noon Awards: 3PM

Reg fee: $15 00

Goody bags to the first 100

Food available to purchase on site, breakfast & lunch

No alcohol permitted

Flea Market & Yard Sale tables avail

1 Fireman's Lane, Middletown, MD

Contact: Janie 301-471-9604

Local Mentions

PIT BEEF/PULLED PORK PLATTER SALE

SATURDAY, AUG. 19, 2023

Carry-out or Eat-in

Pit Beef or Pulled

Pork Sandwich

Au Gratin Potatoes, Green Beans, Cole Slaw, and Drink

$18 00 per platter

Pre-order by August 16th

Pick up August 19 from 4 to 7pm Order Call 301-834-6165 or 301-401-2692

Jefferson Ruritan Club

4603B Lander Rd, Jefferson, MD 21755

PRYOR'S ORCHARD

FREESTONE PEACHES

Yellow Cresthaven

Honey Crisp & Ginger Gold

Sweet Plums, Nectarines

Tomatoes, Melons, Lopes

Sweet Corn, Green Beans

Cucumbers, Pickles

Red Beets, Zucchini

Patty Pans, Yellow Squash

Honey, Jellies, Sparkling Cider

Call FIRST - 301-271-2693

2 mi West of Thurmont off Rt 15 Take 77W 1 mile to Pryor Rd www PryorsOrchard com

SCENIC VIEW ORCHARDS

Sweet Corn

Red Clapp's Favorite & Sugar Pears

White & Yellow Nectarines

Peaches: Sunhigh & Contender, White Lady Blackberries, Plums

Lodi Apples, Blueberries

Cantaloupes, Green Beans

Squash, Eggplant, Kale, Tomatoes, Pickling Cucumbers

Onions, Cabbage, Beets

Red & Yukon Potatoes

Honey, Canned Fruits & Vegetables, Jams and Jellies 16239 Sabillasville Rd

Sabillasville MD

Open daily 10:00-6:00

301-271-2149

www scenicvieworchards com

Frederick Farmers Market 1215 West Patrick St

Saturdays 10:00-1:00

YMCA Farmers Market 1000 North Market St

Tuesdays 3:30-6:30

Local Mentions

St Paul's Utica Fundraiser

CASH BINGO

Sunday, August 20th

Lewistown Vol Fire Dept 11101 Hessong Bridge Rd

Frederick, MD

Doors Open @ 12:30 p.m.

Games Begin @ 2 p m

$25 Advance $30 at the Door 20 Games, 3 Specials

Door prizes, Raffles, Tip Jars, Concessions

Tickets can be purchased from St Paul's Utica member or cdevilbiss@splcutica org or Billie Jo at 301-639-3199 or Carol at 301606-6921

THE LITTLE RED WAGON

Order Red Haven Peaches for canning or freezing! Also taking orders for canner tomatoes

Local melons, sweet corn, lopes, tomatoes, candy onions, eggplant, sweet & hot peppers

11434 Keymar Rd

Woodsboro, MD 21798

Live Info: 240-439-9401

Yard Sales

YARD SALE

Sat. Aug. 19 8 a m to 3 p m

8633 Chestnut Grove Rd

Frederick, MD misc, tools, drills, lawnmowers, snowblowers, Christmas items, craft items, toys, and lots of misc

Yard Sale

Mt Zion Lutheran Church, Feagaville, will have a yard sale on Saturday, August 19th, from 9:00 a m - 2:00 p m The church is located at 5709 Mt Phillip Road, on the corner of Mt Zion and Mt Phillip Roads

We are also having a Shoe Fund Drive! If you have any women, men's, or children's gently used shoes you would like to donate, you can drop them off at the yard sale Any size or style is appreciated!

Thursday Aug. 17

CLASSES

Volunteer Information Sessions — Literacy Council of Frederick County — 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. at via Zoom. Recruiting volunteer tutors to work with adults one-to-one or in small groups of 2-3 adults. No previous experience required. Attendance of a volunteer session is required prior to registering for a tutor training workshop. frederickliteracy.org.

Sunset Yoga at Washington Monument State Park — 7:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Washington Monument State Park, 6620 Zittlestown Road, Middletown. Watch the sun dip in the sky as you stretch and strengthen your body and mind in the great outdoors. All experience levels are welcome. Bring a yoga mat or towel, and water. Meet at upper parking lot at Washington Monument. For questions about weather events, call 301-791-4767. 301-791-4656. cecilia.melton@maryland.gov. dnr.maryland.gov.

ETCETERA

“The Fashion of Claire McCardell” — 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, 401 Museum Drive, Hagerstown. Features 12 of the designer’s fashions. McCardell, a Frederick native, was a designer who redefined American women’s fashion during the 1930s to the 1950s. She designed casual sportswear for women that was comfortable yet stylish.

301-739-5727. cschelle@wcmfa.org. wcmfa.org/claire-mccardell-on-display/.

Stitches Through Time: Women’s Work from Farm to Fashion — 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Museum of Frederick County History/Heritage Frederick, 24 E. Church St., Frederick. Explores one story of women’s work, interpreting the history of textile production up to the 1950s. It features a beautiful selection of hand-sewn quilts and clothes from the 1800s; equipment, advertising, photographs and ephemera from the factory era; and selections of mid-20th century clothing by Claire McCardell that reflect the department store culture that emerged after World War II. Ten wedding

dresses spanning 100 years showcase the themes in our story.

$12, $10, $8. Tonya@FrederickHistory.org. frederickhistory.org.

Duplicate Bridge Games — noon to 4 p.m. at Church of the Transfiguration , 6909 Maryland Ave., Frederick. Looking for a competitive mind sport? Frederick Bridge Club duplicate games allow you to hone your skills and make new, like-minded friends. All are welcome, no membership requirements. Need a partner? Contact our Player Representative, Karol McIntosh, at karolmcin@yahoo.com.

$7. 301-254-4727. sharonwcox@gmail.com. bridgewebs.com/frederick.

Summer Reads: Tracey Enerson Wood — 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Exploration Commons At 50 East, 50 E. Main St., Westminster. For adults. Tracey Enerson Wood is a published playwright whose family is steeped in military tradition. Her latest novel, “The President’s Wife,” is the incredible story of the First Lady who clandestinely assumed the presidency to protect her husband and her country at all costs. Books will be available for purchase and signing. Registration is required. Visit site for details.

443-293-3000. ask@carr.org. ccpl.librarymarket.com/event/presidents-wife.

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

Wildwood Storytime — 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at Wildwood Park Gazebo, 400 Park Ave., Mount Airy. For ages up to 8. Join us for storytime at the Wildwood Park Gazebo. We’ll share books, stories, rhymes, music and movement. We’ll talk, sing, read, write and play together in a format appropriate for young children. In the event of inclement weather, meet indoors at the CCPL Mount Airy Branch. 410-386-4470. ask@carr.org. ccpl.librarymarket.com/event/wildwoodstorytime-ccpls-mount-airy-branch-14.

FESTIVALS

Montgomery County Agricultural Fair — at Montgomery County Fairgrounds, 16 Chestnut St., Gaithersburg. Continues daily through Aug. 19. Military Day is Aug. 17, with free admission for active military in uniform or with valid ID before 5 p.m. Additional ticketed events: Monster Truck Madness 7:30 p.m. Aug. 17; Demolition Derby 7:30 p.m. Aug. 18 and 19. Food, rides, demonstrations and many other activities. Visit website for schedule, ticket and parking information. On-site parking fee $15 plus fair admission fees, varies, and for special events are not included with fair admission. 301-926-3100. mcagfair.com.

GALLERY

The Hagerstown and Frederick Railway Exhibit — 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Heritage Frederick, 24 E. Church St., Frederick. From 1896 until 1954, a network of interurban trolley lines were built linking communities across Frederick and Washington counties. This exhibit presents the history of these electric railways and how they changed the landscape and communities of Frederick County. $12, $10, $8. director@frederickhistory.org. cognitoforms.com/HeritageFrederick1/ stitchesthroughtimeexhibittickets.

MUSIC

Alive@Five: Carly Harvey — 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Carroll Creek Amphitheater, Frederick. Live music. Outdoor happy hour. Ages 21 and older only, with ID. $6 entry plus $6 drinks. Food available for purchase. 301-698-8118. downtownfrederick.org.

Live Jazz at the Cocktail Lab — 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Tenth Ward Distilling Co., 55 E. Patrick St., Frederick. Get swanky with us every Thursday night for live jazz and your favorite craft cocktails. 21 and older.

301-233-4817. monica@tenthwarddistilling. com.

tenthwarddistilling.com/events.

Appalachian Chamber Music Festival: Opening Night - Places That Inspire — 7:30 p.m. at Zion Episcopal Church, 300 E. Con-

gress St., Charles Town, W.Va. Featuring world premieres of Steven Snowden and Noam Faingold and performances by special artists, John Bullard, classical banjo, and Efi Hackmey, piano.

$13 - $28. info@appalachianchamber.org.

OUTDOORS

Geology of the Appalachians — 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Greenbrier State Park, 21843 National Pike, Boonsboro. The Appalachian mountains are some of the oldest mountains on our planet! Learn about the ancient events that shaped the landscape we know today. At the Nature Nook (next to concessions). 301-791-4656. laura.nalven@maryland.gov. dnr.maryland.gov/publiclands/pages/ western/greenbrier.aspx.

Friday Aug. 18

CLASSES

Mt. Cuba Center Virtual Lecture: Shade-Loving Perennials — 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Carroll County Public Library Online, . For ages 16 and up. Discover easyto-grow native perennials that turn a shaded garden into a lovely sanctuary that will only increase in beauty year after year with this lecture by Leah Brooks. 410-386-4488. ask@carr.org. ccpl.librarymarket.com.

Brain Boost: Hacked in the Age of AI ... It Just Happened to Me — 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Cowork Frederick, 122 E. Patrick St., Frederick. Wayne Dorsey, a cyber security engineer, will share how he was hacked in just 2 minutes by Chat GPT and had both of his businesses compromised not only financially but also functionally. He will also share how he got out of it and what to do prevent it in the future. Pre-register. ainsley@coworkfrederickfoundation.org. coworkfrederickfoundation.org/ brain-boost-hacked-by-ai.

Teen Service Learning Drop In: No-sew Cat Blankets — 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Carroll County Public Library, Eldersburg Branch, 6400 W. Hemlock Drive, Eldersburg. For ages 12-18.

Drop in and earn service learning hours by making easy no-sew fleece blankets for cats at the Humane Society of Carroll County. 410-386-4460. ask@carr.org.

ETCETERA

Garden Night at the Museum — 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, 401 Museum Drive, Hagerstown. Bring your own picnic and join us in the Kaylor Rose Garden for live music. Wine is available for purchase (for ages 21 and older) from Stone House Urban Winery. Free admission. Museum exhibitions remain open until 8 p.m.  301-739-5727. cschelle@wcmfa.org. wcmfa.org/concerts-lectures-2/.

Yappy Hour — 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Kentlands Mansion, 320 Kent Square Road, Gaithersburg. Kentlands Mansion invites you and your pooch to the garden for a lively happy hour. Registration is required.

$5-$7. 301-258-6425. kentlands@gaithersburgmd.gov. gaithersburgmd.gov.

Ghost Tours of Historic Frederick — 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Brewer’s Alley Restaurant and Brewery, 124 N. Market St., Frederick. Journey through Frederick’s gruesome and bloody past. Nearly 300 years of war, executions and revenge. True documented stories of the paranormal with Maryland’s oldest operating Ghost Tour. Uncover political savvy and defiant citizens, patriots from the Revolutionary War, beckoning soldiers from the Civil War. Reservations recommended.

$15. 301-668-8922. info@marylandghosttours.com. marylandghosttours.com.

GALLERY

The Hagerstown and Frederick Railway Exhibit — 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Heritage Frederick, 24 E. Church St., Frederick. From 1896 until 1954, a network of interurban trolley lines were built linking communities across Frederick and Washington counties. This exhibit presents the history of these electric railways and how they changed the landscape and communities of Frederick County. $12, $10, $8. director@frederickhistory.org. cognitoforms.com/HeritageFrederick1/ stitchesthroughtimeexhibittickets.

MUSIC

Friday Nights Live — 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at American Ice Co Cafe, 62 W. Main St., Westminster. Come out to listen and support musicians play every Friday night. The stage behind the café is the perfect place to spend warm summer nights with a glass of wine, bottle of beer, or one of our specialty lattes. 443-952-0552. gabby.aic.co@gmail.com.

Appalachian Chamber Music Festival: Behind Every Great Woman ... — 7:30 p.m. at Camp Hill-Wesley United Methodist Church, 601 W. Washington St., Harpers Ferry, W.Va. A celebration of women composers with fascinating stories to tell.

$13 - $28. info@appalachianchamber.org.

Live Music at the Cocktail Lab — 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Tenth Ward Distilling Co., 55 E. Patrick St., Frederick. Every Friday in the Cocktail Lab we’ll be servin’ up our deliciously wild concoctions and some sweet tunes to get your weekend started off right! 21 and older. 301-233-4817. monica@tenthwarddistilling. com. tenthwarddistilling.com/events.

OUTDOORS

Feathered Friends Walk — 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Greenbrier State Park, 21843 National Pike, Boonsboro. Ever wondered what kind of birds are flying around? Or who’s making that noise in the woods? Join us for a walk around the lake to watch and identify some of the birds in Greenbrier Park. Meet at the Nature Nook (next to concessions). 301-791-4656. laura.nalven@maryland.gov.

THEATER

The Art of Comedy: Improv Night with Oh, Crit! — 7:30 p.m. at FAC’s Sky Stage, 59 S. Carroll St., Frederick. An interactive, audience-participation evening with hilarious regional improv groups on third Fridays in August, September and October. The August installment will feature “Oh, Crit! A Dungeons & Dragons Improv Show,” with a warm-up set by The Highwire Hive. $10. skystage@frederickartscouncil.org. frederickartscouncil.org/programs/sky-stage.

Saturday Aug. 19

CLASSES

All-Levels Yoga — 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at FAC’s Sky Stage, 59 S. Carroll St., , Frederick. An all-levels yoga class with experienced instructors from Yogamour, a Frederick-based studio and non-profit. Saturdays through October.

$15. 301-662-4190. skystage@frederickartscouncil.org. frederickartscouncil.org/programs/sky-stage.

A Session of SoulCollage — 9 a.m. to noon at St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, 13025 Greensburg Road, Smithsburg. Soul Collage is an intuitive process of self-discovery. No artistic experience is needed. All materials and snacks will be provided. Pastor Julie Brigham is the certified facilitator. This is a gift of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. Donations will be accepted. 18 and older. 240-513-5878. mycatmarti@gmail.com.

The Art and Alchemy of Aromatic Distillation with Meaghan Thompson — 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Fox Haven Farm, Retreat & Learning Center, 3630 Poffenberger Road, Jefferson. Take a deep dive into the art and alchemy of fresh plant distillation using a copper Alembic still. Beginning with the history of steam distillation, we will move into creating our very own Hydrosol together using the Alembic. While we watch our Hydrosol come to life we will discuss the current applications and benefits of working with plants in this way.

$42. 240-490-5484. alecks@foxhavenfarm.org. foxhavenfarm.org.

Senior Fitness: Cardio Drumming — 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Walkersville Branch Library, 2 S. Glade Road, Walkersville. For adults and seniors, bringing together drumsticks and an exercise ball. You can stand or sit to do this exercise. We will provide the equipment, but if you have drumsticks or an exercise ball you are welcome to bring them with you to the class. 21 and older.

301-600-8200. fcpl.org.

Fall Season Vegetable Gardening — 10 a.m. to noon at University of Maryland Extension Office, 330 Montevue Lane, Frederick. Begin to plant now for a harvest in the fall. Find out

what to plant and when to plant it. Discover the benefits of making and using row covers. 301-600-1596. strice@umd.edu. bit.ly/FCMG23ThirdCropVeggies.

Goat Yoga at the Farm — 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Goat for the Soul, 10209 Fountain School Road, Union Bridge. All ages welcome. For Friday night classes, feel free to bring your favorite adult beverage.

$27. 240-405-2208. christy@gvalleye.com. goatforthesoul.com.

Freedom BANG Fitness Class — 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Walkersville Branch LIbrary, 2 S. Glade Road, Walkersville. A pre-choreographed fusion of boxing, HIIT, hip hop, world dance, optional weighted gloves and just a touch of attitude. Offering a wide range of intensity options to help you customize your workout. 18 and older.

301-600-8200. fcpl.org.

Writing Workshop — 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, 401 Museum Drive, Hagerstown. Award-winning author James Rada Jr. will lead adults in this writing workshop inspired by the exhibition “Treasures of State” to create nonfiction, fiction or poetry. Register in advance. 18 and older. $50 museum members, $60 general public. 301-739-5727. cschelle@wcmfa.org. wcmfa.org/writing-workshop.

ETCETERA

Frederick During the Civil War Walking Tour — 10:30 a.m. to noon at Museum of Frederick County History/Heritage Frederick, 24 E. Church St., Frederick. Explore what it was like to live in Frederick during the Civil War. Stories include the last Confederate invasion of the North, the ransom of Frederick, and the Battle of Monocacy. The museum and garden open at 10 a.m. for walk-up ticket sales and appreciation; tours start promptly at 10:30 a.m. and last 90 minutes.

$12, $10, $8. director@FrederickHistory.org. frederickhistory.org/programs/adults/ walking-tours.

Schifferstadt Architectural Museum — 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Schifferstadt Architectural Museum, 1110 Rosemont Ave., Frederick. Explore the home of Frederick’s pioneer family, the Brunners. Built in 1758, it is the oldest surviving building in the city and a National Historic Landmark. Inside is the only known example of a German heating system that provided safe, clean, energy-efficient radiant heat. Learn the story of the desperate German immigrants who fled dire conditions in Europe and came to prominence in Frederick County. Walk in for a guided tour.

$8 for adults, free for under age 12. 301-4564912. boycerensberger@gmail.com. fredericklandmarks.org.

Ghost Tours of Historic Frederick — 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Brewer’s Alley Restaurant and Brewery, 124 N. Market St., Frederick. Journey through Frederick’s gruesome and bloody past. Nearly 300 years of war, executions and revenge. True documented stories of the paranormal with Maryland’s oldest operating Ghost Tour. Uncover political savvy and defiant citizens, patriots from the Revolutionary War, beckoning soldiers from the Civil War. Reservations recommended. $15. 301-668-8922. info@marylandghosttours.com. marylandghosttours.com.

FAMILY

Super Smash Bros. Tournament — 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. at Carroll County Public Library, Taneytown Branch, 10 Grand Drive, Taneytown. For ages 11-17. CCPL’s Taneytown Branch is having a monthly Super Smash Bros. tournament, so join us to show you’re the best Super Smash Bros. player in town. No prizes, just glory to the winner!

410-386-4510. ask@carr.org. ccpl.librarymarket.com/event/ super-smash-bros-tournament-16.

FESTIVALS

Sunflower Festival — 10 a.m. at Summers Farm, 7503 Hollow Road, Middletown. 8-acre sunflower field with thousands of sunflowers in bloom, 35 varieties. Lots of activities including games, corn maze, farmer golf, music and food. $23.50 at the gate, $19.50 online, ages 2 and under free. Weekends through Sept. 10. $19.50 advance tickets, $23.50 at the gate, ages 2 and under free. 301-401-3031. summersfarm.com.

World War II Weekend — 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Rose Hill Manor Park, 1611 N. Market St., Frederick. Continues Aug. 20. Explore the living history and museum exhibits to learn more about life during WWII. Walk-in event.  301-600-1650.

rosehillmuseum.com.

Annual Wolfsville Picnic — 11 a.m. at Smith’s Picnic Woods, Md. 17, just north of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, Wolfsville. Musical entertainment throughout the afternoon by Ernie Bradley and the Grassy Ridge Band, the Rohrersville Band and Hearts in Harmony. White elephant, crafts, garden produce and home-baked goods will be offered for sale. Homemade soups, featuring slippery pot-pie, country ham sandwiches, hand-dipped ice cream and French fries and potato chips will be available. All are welcome. Hosted by St. Mark’s Lutheran Church.

FILM

“The Chosen”: Outdoor Watch Parties — 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Damascus Road Community Church, 12826 Old National Pike, Mount Airy. Come on out to “The Chosen” Watch Parties featuring episodes of the first season of the acclaimed historical drama TV series by the same name. Watch on the lawn on our 14’ LED screen (or indoors during inclement weather). Food and dessert trucks will be on-campus for food purchases. Bring sunscreen, lawn chairs or blankets for seating. 301-829-3722. damascus@damascus.com. damascus.com/the-chosen.

MUSIC

Nashville’s Reed Foley To Host Free Concert as part of Ghost Hounds Game — 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Ghost Hounds game, Harry Grove Stadium , 21 Stadium Drive,, Frederick. Reed Foley and his band, one of country music’s hottest up-and-coming artists, will perform a free concert as part of Frederick’s Spire City Ghost Hounds versus Staten Island Ferry Hawks game. The concert will conclude with a massive fireworks display. Admission to the concert is included in the price of the game ticket.

Free. 301-253-5016. lgrimes299@verizon.net.

The Greater Washington Midsummer Concert — 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Baker

Park Bandshell, 21 N. Bentz St., Frederick. The program includes gongs and drums, singing, dancing, musical instrument playing, martial arts, Peking Opera. Many outstanding Chinese artists will participate in the performance.

240-476-5378. gyzhang001@gmail.com. cccaa.org/en.aspx.

Jumpstreet Concert — 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Francis Scott Key Post 11, American Legion, 1450 Taney Ave., Frederick. The Bowie-Thomas Family Reunion presents Jumpstreet, a concert. $30-$50. bowiethomasfamilyreunion.simpletix.com.

The Coffin Daggers, Atomic Mosquitos & the Luau Cinders — 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at FAC’s Sky Stage, 59 S. Carroll St., Frederick. Join us for a surf-rock bash when New York hard-driving surf jammers The Coffin Daggers make a special visit to Sky Stage, with local faves the Atomic Mosquitos also taking the stage, and Bethesda-based The Luau Cinders kicking things off. All ages. $10, under 12 free. skystage@frederickartscouncil.org. skystagefrederick.com.

Dead for One Night: Multi-band Tribute to the Grateful Dead — 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Steinhardt Brewing Co., 340 E. Patrick St., Frederick. Members of local bands Rays of Violet, the Silverbooks, the Dirty Middle and Get Off My Grass have come together for another night of tribute to the Grateful Dead. 301-651-8385. thedirtymiddle@gmail.com.

OUTDOORS

Volunteer Invasive Plant Removal — 10 a.m. to noon at Washington Monument State Park, 6620 Zittlestown Road, Middletown. Invasive plant species disrupt ecosystems, invade forests, and prevent native plants from growing. Help us remove invasive plant species at the Monument Trail. Bring plenty of water, sunscreen, insect repellent and work gloves; wear sturdy shoes. Washington Monument State Park. Meet at the upper parking lot. 301-791-4656. emilym.bard@maryland.gov. dnr.maryland.gov.

Battlefield Hike: The Woods Road — 1 p.m. to 3 a.m. at Appalachian Trail Parking , 6132 Old National Pike, Boonsboro. On September 14, 1862, Confederate General D. H. Hill arrived at the Mountain House in Turner’s Gap between “daylight and sunrise.” Hill then proceeded to reconnoiter both Turner’s and Fox’s Gaps to determine how to best defend the mountain. Join us for this hike starting at Turner’s Gap and follow the trace of the Woods Road as Hill did the morning of the battle. jamesn.johnston@maryland.gov. dnr.maryland.gov.

Sunday Aug. 20

CLASSES

Goat Yoga at Rocky Point Creamery — 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Rocky Point Creamery, 4323A Tuscarora Road, Tuscarora. Join the fun: goats, yoga ... and ice cream!

$32. 240-405-2208. christy@gvalleye.com. goatforthesoul.com.

Forage Your Own Gin with McClintock Distilling — 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Fox Haven Farm, Retreat & Learning Center, 3630 Poffenberger Road, Jefferson. In this immersive experience, you’ll be transported through the history and

art of distilling. Then get hands-on to create your very own recipe! A local distiller from McClintock will introduce the art of gin-making through the centuries. $65. 240-490-5484. alecks@foxhavenfarm.org. foxhavenfarm.org.

ETCETERA

Civil War Style Church Service — 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Historic Rocky Springs Chapel, 7817 Rocky Springs Road, Frederick. Nondenominational church service conducted by a preacher wearing Civil War period attire and worshipers sing hymns that were popular during the American Civil War. Most sermons preached were originally delivered between 1861-1865. Living history program follows each service. The wearing of Civil War period attire is encouraged but not required. Sundays through Nov. 19. 321-610-7246. debbymoone@gmail.com. historic rockyspringschapelandschoolhouse.org.

Connecting with the Other Side: Mediums and Tarot Cards — 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Walkersville Branch Library, 2 S. Glade Road, Walkersville. Rhonda and Terri with the “Lifting the Veil” podcast will discuss a recent psychic walk-through of Walkersville and demonstrate what they used to communicate with the other side as mediums. Mary Mannix is a tarot card professional and educator and will present an overview of tarot cards, their practice, structure, and use. 18 and older. 301-600-8200. fcpl.org.

Frederick Death Cafe Meeting — 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Legacy Financial Associates, 149 W. Patrick St., Frederick. Have you ever wanted to talk about death but felt uncomfortable?  Felt it was too morbid? Have questions about costs and options for the end of life? Then we are here for you!  We all have fears, concerns, and discomfort talking about our death.  We just chat, eat cake, drink tea and talk about all things death. Not a support group nor do we provide counseling. We are “regular folks.” All are welcome, but RSVP. 410-596-0272.

frederickdeathcafe@gmail.com. facebook.com/FrederickDeathCafe.

Schifferstadt Architectural Museum — 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Schifferstadt Architectural Museum, 1110 Rosemont Ave., Frederick. Explore the home of Frederick’s pioneer family, the Brunners. Built in 1758, it is the oldest surviving building in the city and a National Historic Landmark. Inside is the only known example of a German heating system that provided safe, clean, energy-efficient radiant heat. Learn the story of the desperate German immigrants who fled dire conditions in Europe and came to prominence in Frederick County. Walk in for a guided tour. $8 for adults, free for under age 12. 301-4564912. boycerensberger@gmail.com. fredericklandmarks.org.

FAMILY

Storytime with Michael Muller! — noon to 1 p.m. at Dancing Bear Toys and Games, 15 E. Patrick St., Frederick. Join us for Mirabelle’s Big Trip Adventure show! A storytime and puppet show with author and illustrator Michael Muller. 301-606-0934. cimarketingassistant@gmail.com.

Appalachian Chamber Music Festival Kids Concert Event: Travel the World Through Music! — 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. at Franklin Park Arts

Center, 36441 Blueridge View Lane, Purcellville, Va. This family-friendly kids concert is designed to engage, educate and enlighten younger audience members, but is delightful for all ages. Join us on an hour-long journey exploring how composers from around the world express the idea of “Places that Inspire” through their music. $15 general, ages 12 and under free accompanied by an adult. info@appalachianchamber.org.

FESTIVALS

Sunflower Festival — 10 a.m. at Summers Farm, 7503 Hollow Road, Middletown. 8-acre sunflower field with thousands of sunflowers in bloom, 35 varieties. Lots of activities including games, corn maze, farmer golf, music and food. $23.50 at the gate, $19.50 online, ages 2 and under free. Weekends through Sept. 10.

$19.50 advance tickets, $23.50 at the gate, ages 2 and under free. 301-401-3031. summersfarm.com.

MUSIC

Sunday Brunch Concert Series — 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Shab Row Stage - Everedy Square, 100 N. East St., Frederick. Enjoy live acoustic music performed by local/regional musicians at the cutest outdoor live music venue in Mid-Maryland - the Shab Row Stage. Held every Sunday behind the Frederick Coffee Co. through September.

301-639-1050. todd@toddcwalker.ccom.

Jimi Cupino Project — 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Cactus Flats, 10026 Hansonville Road, Frederick. Variety of music.

Summer Concert Series: Mark Bray & The Steel Soul Cowboys — 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Baker Park Band Shell, 121 N. Bentz St., Frederick. Today’s country and yesterday’s favorites. celebratefrederick.com.

Appalachian Chamber Music Festival

Favorites Encore Concert — 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Shepherdstown Opera House, 131 W. German St., Shepherdstown, W.Va. A best-of program featuring some of the most exciting works from our first week, with an encore of Stravinsky’s “Dumbarton Oaks”! The first weekend of our festival ends with a bang with an hour long concert featuring some of the most exciting works from our first week. Join us in the Shepherdstown Opera House for a vast array of repertoire, featuring our string and wind artists. A great way to end a weekend with a shorter performance that’s sure to pack a punch.

$13 - $28. info@appalachianchamber.org.

Monday Aug. 21

CLASSES

Sol Yoga Class — 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Walkersville Branch LIbrary, 2 S. Glade Road, Walkersville. Join us for this free yoga class offered by Sol Yoga.  Be sure to wear comfortable clothes. 21 and older.

301-600-8200. fcpl.org.

Meditative Dance Movement — 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at FAC Art Center, 5 E. Second St., Frederick. The dance experience starts with a brief guided meditation involving breathing, stretching, shaking and gentle yoga-like movements to help become more heart-centered and embodied. Then, dance music

ETCETERA

Karaoke Nights and Paint Your Own Pottery — 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Hot Fired Arts, 1003 W. Seventh St., Suite D,, Frederick. Join us! 301-788-9749. Stayfocusedone@mac.com. us@hotfiredarts.com.

Late Night Happy Hour — 9 p.m. to 12 a.m. at Champion Billiards Sports Bar, 5205 Buckeystown Pike, Frederick. All the drink prices from regular happy hour from 9 p.m. to close with select half-price appetizers.  301-846-0089.

frederickchampions.com/weekly-specials.

FAMILY

Under the Microscope — 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Greenbrier State Park, 21843 National Pike, Boonsboro. Look at some interesting natural objects under a microscope. Enjoy a view of the tiny world that surrounds us! At the Nature Nook (next to concessions). 301-791-4656. laura.nalven@maryland.gov. dnr.maryland.gov.

HEALTH

Courtesy photo

Artists will return to Baker Park this week for another Greater Washington Midsummer Concert.

Greater Washington Midsummer Concert

The Greater Washington Midsummer Concert will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Aug. 19 at the Baker Park Bandshell. The concert will include singing, dancing, instrumentals, Peking opera, martial arts, gongs and drums, and more, featuring Chinese artists. The event is hosted by the Hebei, Anhui Friendship, Hunan and Tianjin associations.

starts slow and then ramps up over time. $10. laurabsherwood@gmail.com.

ETCETERA

Duplicate Bridge Games — noon to 4 p.m. at Church of the Transfiguration , 6909 Maryland Ave., Frederick. Looking for a competitive mind sport? Frederick Bridge Club duplicate games allow you to hone your skills and make new, like-minded friends. All are welcome, no membership requirements. Need a partner? Contact our Player Representative, Karol McIntosh, at karolmcin@yahoo.com.

$7. 301-254-4727. sharonwcox@gmail.com. bridgewebs.com/frederick.

Karaoke Nights and Paint Your Own Pottery — 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Hot Fired Arts, 1003 W. Seventh St., Suite D,, Frederick. Join us! 301-788-9749. Stayfocusedone@mac.com. US@HOTFIREDARTS.COM.

Tuesday Aug. 22

ETCETERA

Pride On The Patio — 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Showroom, 882 N. East St., Fredrick. Weekly LGBTQIA social mixer. Relaxed an casual. Happy hour pricing, full menu available; drink special Gender Fluid. 21 and older. 240-409-8858. prideonthepatio@gmail.com. facebook.com/PrideOnThePatio.

Karaoke Nights and Paint Your Own Pottery — 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Hot Fired Arts, 1003 W. Seventh St., Suite D,, Frederick. Join us!

301-788-9749. Stayfocusedone@mac.com. us@hotfiredarts.com.

Late Night Happy Hour — 9 p.m. to 12 a.m. at Champion Billiards Sports Bar, 5205 Buckeystown Pike, Frederick. All the drink prices from regular happy hour from 9 p.m. to close with select half-price appetizers.  301-846-0089. frederickchampions.com/weekly-specials.

FILM

Art Center Bijou — 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at FAC Art Center, 5 E. Second St., Frederick. Meet on the second, third and fourth Tuesdays for Bijou, a curation of films presented by Falling Squares. Brief discussion of the film(s) after the viewing. 301-662-4190. artcenter@frederickartscouncil.org. frederickartscouncil.org.

Wednesday Aug. 23

CLASSES

Dance Wednesdays — 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at FAC’s Sky Stage, 59 S. Carroll St., Frederick. Celebrate South Asian Heritage Month by learning about Indian dance styles with hosts Jhalak Dance Academy. Fourth Wednesdays will feature a participatory element such as a lesson, demo or workshop and may include (depending on the hosts) a performance segment, hosted by a rotating roster of dance companies. Free. 301-662-4190. skystage@ frederickartscouncil.org. frederickartscouncil.org.

Gentle Yoga Class for All — 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. at The Common Market Co-op, 927 W. Seventh St., Frederick. This class is the perfect intro for a new student or an experienced yogi. Plenty of modifications offered to meet various levels. Includes low-impact movement, seated postures and plenty of stretching. Students will become comfortable using props like blocks, straps and even the occasional chair. 301-663-3416.

aharmon@commonmarket.coop.

MUSIC

Appalachian Chamber Music Festival: Lost in Plain Sight: Cassadó and His Lost Iberian Legacy — 7:30 p.m. at Robert C. Byrd Center for History and Education at Shepherd University, 213 N. King St., Shepherdstown, W.Va. This concert is a continuation of the enlightening concert discussion from 2022 with Dr. H Rosi Song, exploring the 20th century catalan composer, Gaspar Cassadó. A juxtaposition of Cassadó’s music paired with Derrick Skye’s “American Mirrors” which draws on a rich tapestry of colors and expression of America.

$13 - $23. info@appalachianchamber.org.

Thursday Aug. 24

CLASSES

Virtual Genealogy Lecture Series: “Did Your Ancestors Marry at Gretna Green?” — 7 p.m. at Virtual, . Presenter is Roslyn Torella. All lectures on the fourth Thursday via Zoom.  240-818-1937.

tinyurl.com/msfsajvy.

Sunset Yoga at Washington Monument State Park — 7:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Washington Monument State Park, 6620 Zittlestown Road, Middletown. Watch the sun dip in the sky as you stretch and strengthen your body and mind in the great outdoors. All experience levels are welcome. Bring a yoga mat or towel, and water. Meet at upper parking lot at Washington Monument. For questions about weather events, call 301-791-4767. 301-791-4656. cecilia.melton@maryland.gov.

ETCETERA

Duplicate Bridge Games — noon to 4 p.m. at Church of the Transfiguration , 6909 Maryland Ave., Frederick. Looking for a competitive mind sport? Frederick Bridge Club duplicate games allow you to hone your skills and make new, like-minded friends. All are welcome, no membership requirements. Need a partner? Contact our Player Representative, Karol McIntosh, at karolmcin@yahoo.com.

$7. 301-254-4727. sharonwcox@gmail.com. bridgewebs.com/frederick.

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

Feathered Friends Walk — 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Greenbrier State Park, 21843 National Pike, Boonsboro. Ever wondered what kind of birds are flying around? Or who’s making that noise in the woods? Join us for a walk around the lake to watch and identify some of the birds in Greenbrier Park. Meet at the Nature Nook (next to concessions). 301-791-4656. laura.nalven@maryland.gov. dnr.maryland.gov.

Wildwood Storytime with CCPL’s Mount Airy Branch — 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at Wildwood Park Gazebo, 400 Park Ave., Mount Airy. For ages up to 8. Join us for storytime at the Wildwood Park Gazebo. We’ll share books, stories, rhymes, music, and movement. We’ll talk, sing, read, write, and play together in a format appropriate for young children. In the event of inclement weather, we will meet indoors at CCPL’s Mount Airy Branch. 410-386-4470. ask@carr.org. ccpl.librarymarket.com.

FESTIVALS

Maryland State Fair — 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Maryland State Fairgrounds, 2200 York Road, Timonium. Also Aug. 31-Sept. 4 and Sept. 7-10. Daily home arts, farm and garden, livestock and horse competitions and exhibits, rides, games, live concerts and entertainment, live Thoroughbred horse racing, fair treats and farm fresh foods, U-Learn Agriculture Education Zone, The Birthing Center,

a museum, and more. $12 ages 12-61, $10 ages 62 and older, $7 ages 6-11, free for ages 5 and under. 410-252-0200. marylandstatefair.com.

MUSIC

Alive@Five: East 3rd St., Band — 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Carroll Creek Amphitheater, Frederick. Live music. Outdoor happy hour. Ages 21 and older only, with ID. $6 entry plus $6 drinks. Food available for purchase.

301-698-8118. downtownfrederick.org.

Live Jazz at the Cocktail Lab — 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Tenth Ward Distilling Co., 55 E. Patrick St., Frederick. Get swanky with us every Thursday night for live jazz and your favorite craft cocktails. 21 and older.

301-233-4817. monica@tenthwarddistilling. com. tenthwarddistilling.com/events.

OUTDOORS

How ‘Bout Dem Owls? — 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Greenbrier State Park, 21843 National Pike, Boonsboro. There are 8 species of owls in Maryland. Can you tell them apart? Learn about the amazing adaptations owls have developed to hunt and survive. Identify different owl calls, dissect an owl pellet, and enjoy an owl-themed story. At the Nature Nook (next to concessions).

301-791-4656. laura.nalven@maryland.gov. dnr.maryland.gov.

Friday Aug. 25

CLASSES

Learn About Wild Edibles — 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Strawberry Hill Nature Preserve, 1537 Mount Hope Road, Fairfield, Pa. Are you interested in safe, sustainable foraging? Love getting creative in the kitchen? Want to learn more about the plants found in your own backyard? Join Debbie Naha-Koretzky, “The Wild Edibles Lady.” Learn about plant identification, safety, look-alike plants, sustainable harvesting, cooking with wild plants, and of course, nutrition. Ages 14 and older. Pre-register. $20. strawberryhill.org.

ETCETERA

Hey ... It’s the ‘90s! — 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Union Mills Public House, 340 E. Patrick St., Unit A, Frederick. Throw on your best ‘90s outfit and celebrate the era of neon, slap

bracelets and epic dance moves, and party with amazing food, trivia, a costume party, and the main event: a concert by tribute band Uncle Jesse. All proceeds benefit Community Living. $75. 301-663-8811. elainal@clifrederick.org. communitylivinginc.org/hey-its-the-90s.

FAMILY

Insect ID Walk — 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Greenbrier State Park, 21843 National Pike, Boonsboro. What awesome arthropods can we find in the park? Join us for a short hike to find and identify some of the insects who share our park. Meet at Gazebo 1 in day use area (next to volleyball court). 301-791-4656. laura.nalven@maryland.gov. dnr.maryland.gov.

How to Leave No Trace and Clean-up Walk — 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Greenbrier State Park, 21843 National Pike, Boonsboro. Learn seven simple principles to keep nature natural and to keep your parks a clean and enjoyable place for everyone – human and otherwise. Then join a group walk around the lake to pick up litter. At the Nature Nook (next to concessions). Grabbers and buckets provided. 301-791-4656. laura.nalven@maryland. gov. dnr.maryland.gov.

FESTIVALS

Maryland State Fair — 10 a.m. at Maryland State Fairgrounds, 2200 York Road, Timonium. Also Aug. 31-Sept. 4 and Sept. 7-10. Daily home arts, farm and garden, livestock and horse competitions and exhibits, rides, games, live concerts and entertainment, live Thoroughbred horse racing, fair treats and

farm fresh foods, U-Learn Agriculture Education Zone, The Birthing Center, a museum, and more. $12 ages 12-61, $10 ages 62 and older, $7 ages 6-11, free for ages 5 and under. 410-252-0200. marylandstatefair.com.

MUSIC

Friday Nights Live — 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at American Ice Co Cafe, 62 W. Main St., Westminster. Come out to listen and support musicians play every Friday night. The stage behind the café is the perfect place to spend warm summer nights with a glass of wine, bottle of beer, or one of our specialty lattes. 443-952-0552. gabby.aic.co@gmail.com.

Appalachian Chamber Music Festival: Water and Beauty — 7:30 p.m. at Shepherd University, 260 University Drive, Shepherdstown, W.Va. Celebrate the beauty and inspiration water brings to our lives with a world premiere performance of Rufus Reid’s “Wind and Sail” and Schubert’s “Trout” piano quintet. After intermission, reflect on the beauty of Italy with Tchaikovsky’s “Souvenir de Florence.” $13 - $28. info@appalachianchamber.org.

Live Music at the Cocktail Lab — 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Tenth Ward Distilling Co., 55 E. Patrick St., Frederick. Every Friday in the Cocktail Lab we’ll be servin’ up our deliciously wild concoctions and some sweet tunes to get your weekend started off right! 21 and older. 301-233-4817. monica@tenthwarddistilling. com. tenthwarddistilling.com/events.

PERFORMER

Comedy Night Series — 7:30 p.m. to 9:30

1611 North Market Street Frederick, MD 21701

p.m. at FAC’s Sky Stage, 59 S. Carroll St., Frederick. A night of standup comedy under the stars, every fourth Friday of the month through October. Beer/wine w/ID, other concessions available for purchase. Tickets on Eventbrite, some at door, cash or cards accepted. Doors 30 min before start time. *Parents please note, Sky Stage is an all-ages venue, but comedy shows may contain mature content. $10. 301-662-4190. skystage@ frederickartscouncil.org. frederickartscouncil.org/programs/sky-stage.

Saturday Aug. 26

CLASSES

All-Levels Yoga — 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at FAC’s Sky Stage, 59 S. Carroll St., , Frederick. An all-levels yoga class with experienced instructors from Yogamour, a Frederick-based studio and non-profit. Saturdays through October.

$15. 301-662-4190. skystage@frederickartscouncil.org. frederickartscouncil.org/programs/sky-stage.

Seed Saving for a Sustainable Kitchen Garden — 10 a.m. to noon at University of Maryland Extension Office, 330 Montevue Lane, Frederick. Learn seed-saving basics to ensure you always have a supply of your kitchen garden favorites. An overview of plant reproduction will be followed by a handson demo and seeds to take home for next season. Pre-registration is required. 301-600-1596. strice@umd.edu. bit.ly/FCMG23SeedSaving.

Freedom BANG Fitness Class — 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Walkersville Branch LIbrary, 2 S. Glade Road, Walkersville. A pre-choreographed fusion of boxing, HIIT, hip hop, world dance, optional weighted gloves and just a touch of attitude. Offering a wide range of intensity options to help you customize your workout. 18 and older.

301-600-8200. fcpl.org.

Canning, Preserving, and Fermenting — 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Middletown Branch Library, 101 Prospect St., Middletown. Learn how to use and preserve your garden harvest with Joi Vogin, Nutritionist and Faculty Extension Educator at the UMD Extension Service. Canning, preserving and fermenting will be included. This is part of a series of programs on gardening that will continue throughout the year at the Middletown Library. 18 and older. 301-600-7560.

lgrackin@frederickcountymd.gov.

Bonding with Baby: Infant Massage Class for Parents and Babies — 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. at The Common Market Co-op, 927 W. Seventh St., Frederick. In this workshop parents will gain an understanding around how to identify and respond to their baby’s cues and enjoy the developmental benefits of nurturing touch through infant massage.  $25-$50. 301-663-3416. aharmon@commonmarket.coop. commonmarket.coop.

ETCETERA

Waldo’s & Company 10th Birthday Celebration — 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Waldo’s & Company, 17 Lincoln Square (Basement),

Gettysburg, Pa. Nonprofit art space Waldo’s & Company welcomes everyone to celebrate a decade of community art with food trucks, lawn games, live music by The Heads or Tails Experience and Ben Kennedy. Dance party kicks off at 8:30 p.m. with DJ Deezy. 717-420-0412. e.fetter.kellett@gmail.com. waldosandco.com.

Huge Church Yard Sale — 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Brook Hill United Methodist Church, 8946 Indian Springs Road, Frederick. Large variety of items for sale in the Life Activity Center. Stop by and browse for a great cause. Free. 301-662-1727. childrens_ministry@ bhumc.org. bhumc.org.

Foundations of Frederick Walking Tour — 10:30 a.m. to noon at Heritage Frederick, 24 E. Church St., Frederick. Walk in the footsteps of Frederick’s past residents and discover their stories. Experience the history and beauty of downtown as knowledgeable guides share the fascinating stories that make up historic Frederick. Tours are 90 minutes. $12, $10, $8. director@frederickhistory.org. frederickhistory.org/programs/adults/ walking-tours.

Schifferstadt Architectural Museum — 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Schifferstadt Architectural Museum, 1110 Rosemont Ave., Frederick. Explore the home of Frederick’s pioneer family, the Brunners. Built in 1758, it is the oldest surviving building in the city and a National Historic Landmark. Inside is the only known example of a German heating system that provided safe, clean, energy-efficient radiant heat. Learn the story of the desperate German immigrants who fled dire conditions in Europe and came to prominence in Frederick County. Walk in for a guided tour. $8 for adults, free for under age 12. 301-4564912. boycerensberger@gmail.com. fredericklandmarks.org.

FESTIVALS

Spud Fest — Heritage Fest & Craft Show — 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Washington County Agricultural Education Center, 7313 Sharpsburg Pike, Boonsboro. This annual fundraiser continues Aug. 27 and provides memorable experiences of the early potato harvests in Maryland during the horse-powered years of farming. The main event begins with the draft horses plowing the potato patch, kicking off a competition with kids racing into the field to pick a bucket of potatoes to find the heaviest potato. The next competition is a kid’s tractor pedal pull contest. Food, heritage living demonstrations, craft show, farm equipment, transportation and early life museums will be open both days. See website for full schedule. Free admission, parking by donation. 301-788-6687.

info.ruralheritagemuseum@gmail.com. ruralheritagemuseum.org/spudfest.html.

142nd Maryland State Fair — 10 a.m. at Maryland State Fairgrounds, 2200 York Road, Timonium. Also Aug. 31-Sept. 4 and Sept. 7-10. Daily home arts, farm and garden, livestock and horse competitions and exhibits, rides, games, live concerts and entertainment, live Thoroughbred horse racing, fair treats and farm fresh foods, U-Learn Agriculture Education Zone, The Birthing Center, a museum, and more. $12 ages 12-61, $10 ages 62 and older, $7 ages 6-11, free for ages 5 and under. 410-252-0200.

marylandstatefair.com.

Sunday Classics Series

Baltimore Composers Forum

Sunday, August 27 at 2pm

Presenting Let it Be Said, a spoken word collabora tion

Headliner Series

Billy Lyve and iLL LuCK

Saturday, September 9at8pm

A fusion of hip-hop, R&B, rock and EDM

BrewHaHa Comedy Series

Justin Schlegel feat Mike Aronin

Friday, September 1at8pm

The 98 Rock co-host br ings the laughs

have been selling about 85% to 90% of their seats recently, which is about the same as before the pandemic, but he has noticed a change in audience composition from older to younger.

“There’s just a general sense of much more caution from a segment of our audience that I don’t think we are ever really going to get back,” he said. “While we still have our stalwart supporters from an older age bracket, I think we’re striving to find a younger base now because some of those older patrons didn’t come back,” he said.

Kiska said he has been surprised to discover that Way Off Broadway productions have been selling out much more often than before the pandemic. He says he can only speculate as to why but suspects it might be because his theater has had an easier time securing the licenses to perform big-name shows than in the past, due to the closure of larger venues.

“I’d hate to say it, but with so many theaters gone out of business, obviously the licensers want their shows out there now, and they’re looking for people to do them,” he said. “They might not be as strict anymore, like, ‘Oh, the first time this show is done, it has to be in a 1,000seat regional theater.’ They’re being a little more open with contracts. And that could be a good thing. The more people get to see any show, the better it is for everybody.”

Ward said that musicals in general have been safer bets for theaters since the pandemic, which is why Fredericktowne Players has been producing three musicals a year, which have been doing well in terms of sales. “I wish plays would get more love,” he said. “I wish there were an opportunity to do more avant-garde stuff.”

MORE FINANCIAL PRESSURE

Most of the area theaters reported lingering financial stress in the wake of the pandemic.

Cairns said they have been able to make up for lost older audiences with younger audiences at Other Voices, “because we are putting a lot of effort into advertising for our shows,” but they haven’t seen that effort pay off in a return to pre-pandemic levels of donations.

“Fundraising really took a hit and coming out of COVID because people are much more selective as far as where they put their dollars. I think that’s probably the biggest impact we’ve seen,” he said, estimating a 50% drop in donations and sponsorship money. They have survived the pandemic thanks to a variety of state and local grant sources, but it wasn’t enough to compensate for a year and a half of lost revenue on top

of the loss in donor dollars.

“I just think it’s going to take us some time to get back to where we can feel like we’re whole again,” he said. “We have to do more to get back to a level of financial stability.”

Mosere said the biggest impediment for her company has been the rise in costs to run a show. “Prices are so much higher than they were pre-pandemic, yet there’s so much less income, and it feels almost permanent,” she said.

Her company doesn’t have a dedicated venue, and she says the cost to rent a theater for a run of performances has tripled in many cases since the pandemic. The stress of the pandemic has also led cast and crew members to expect higher pay, which she agrees they should have. Government pandemic money helped ESP sustain those costs for a period, but that money has run out, and the company ran a deficit for the first time. The cumulative costs of running a show after the pandemic are ultimately going to mean fewer shows with shorter runs, she said. Making up for the deficits is going to require theater companies to educate their corporate, government and foundation funders about the true extent of their needs.

“Some of them are very generous and they give you the money up front, but too many of them want you to show need and don’t give you the money until after you’ve spent it,” she said. “We don’t have those kinds of savings anymore and have to rebuild that stuff, but you can’t rebuild it in the middle of trauma.”

She added that the local funding organizations are amazing, but the county’s funding of ESP’s deaf programing is released on a quarterly basis, “yet all of the expenses are now.”

The MET was responsive to a national call within professional theater to increase pay for cast and crew in light of the stress of the pandemic. Janes said their full-time staff members now make a living wage, and their pay for actors, who are not full-time employees, has nearly doubled since before the pandemic. That resulted in producing five MainStage shows each season, rather than the MET’s usual six.

Ward, Cairns and Mosere each said they hope having survived the pandemic will bring theaters together to help each other.

“I really hope at some point many of us in the Frederick theater community can find ways to work together,” Ward said, “that we’re not just competing against each other, that we find ways to lift up and promote and support.”

Erik Anderson’s MA in medieval literature only qualifies him to write about Chaucer, but he’s going to tell you about local theater anyway.

TOAD THE WET SPROCKET

THURSDAY, SEPT 21 • 7:30 PM

DIRECT FROM SWEDEN: THE MUSIC OF ABBA

SATURDAY, SEPT 23 • 8:00 PM

VERSA-STYLE DANCE COMPANY

SATURDAY, OCT 7 • 8:00 PM

MENOPAUSE THE MUSICAL ® THURSDAY, NOV 9 & FRIDAY, NOV 10 8:00 PM

BUCKETS N BOARDS COMEDY PERCUSSION SHOW

WEDNESDAY, FEB 21 • 8:00 PM

THE YOUNG DUBLINERS

FRIDAY, MAR 22

8:00 PM

STEP AFRIKA!

FRIDAY, APRIL 26

8:00 PM

...AND

VISIT

JILL

Menopause The Musical® Watertown 2021 Cast: Teri Adams, Megan Cavanagh, Donna J. Huntley, and Rebecca Fisher. Please note, this may not be the cast in your market.