Arts & Entertainment
Making Music and Making Friends
Quarantine Band Brings Neighborhood Together By Lisa Gregory They come with saxophones, trombones, and flutes. They come with bongos, tambourines, and maracas. There is a float every now and then, and even a juggler from time to time. And everywhere they go, the...
A Good Walk Spoiled
Exploring Hagerstown Area Golf Courses By Raymond Franze and photos by Turner Photography Studio When the trees blossom and grass comes to life, area golfers take that as a sign it’s time to clean the clubs, restock the bag with golf balls, tees, and ball markers,...
The Piano Man
Teens Have Talent Winner, Mack Berry: One Year Later By Carla Shives With his hands poised over the keys of a piano, Mack Berry flashes the crowd a smile before filling the air with the smooth notes of George Gershwin. It’s easy to see why Mack is charming audiences...
Sweet Harmony
Local Boonsboro girl makes good in the music industry. By Jessica Swan Megan Burtner was born to sing. “I feel like I was singing before I was talking,” the 2004 Boonsboro High School graduate says. Burtner, who goes professionally by Megan Leigh, fondly recalls...
Shall We Dance?
It’s Hard to Stay Seated When the Music Starts By Lisa Gregory The name remains the same. Even after Rocky Birely took over for his father in 1994, the band was still called The Ray Birely Orchestra. “I never replaced him,” says Rocky of his father, who started the...
A Place for Inspiration
Sculptor Toby Mendez breathes new life into his famous father’s art studio By Jeanne Blackburn and photos by Turner Photography Studio He’s been a part of what was formerly Pleasant Valley Studio since he was in high school, but after his father’s passing last...
A Currier & Ives Christmas
Traditional 19th Century Christmas in Clear Spring’s Plumb Grove By Karen Gardner and photos by Turner Photography Studio Candlelight flickers. Oil lamps twinkle. The scents of pine, fir, clove, and cinnamon permeate the air. In the fireplaces, woodburning fires...
It’s Only Rock’n’Roll
The Maryland Institute of Music, a school where the teachers are real rock stars! By Lisa Gregory and photos by Ashley Bailey Photography Over the door at the Maryland Institute of Music there could be a banner that reads, “All Dreams and Aspirations Welcome.” There...
