^{Image by Chad Trovinger}

1. Start by heading over to the Jonathan Hager House Museum. German immigrant Jonathan Hager bought 200 acres of cheap land in Western Maryland and built a story-and-a-half stone house with a basement; he presented it to his new wife, Elizabeth, in 1740. Later, another story was built on top.Hager’s house was purchased in 1944 by the Washington County Historical Society after it fell into disrepair. The refurbished Hager House is now a museum.
2. Follow the wide, winding asphalt path past Hager House and through the park. The path crosses a footbridge and meets a sidewalk along South Walnut Street. Bear left to the nearby stoplight at West Antietam Street. Turn right and cross the street. Walk eastward along Antietam and follow the sidewalk uphill, walking alongside St. John’s  Episcopal Church. Built in the Gothic Revival style popular in the 1870s, St. John’s steeple is made completely of stone, one of only five stone steeples in the United States,   according to a plaque in front of the church.
3. In the early 1800s, South Prospect Street was a one-block street from West Washington Street to the West Antietam Street gully. Just before the the Civil War, two landowners constructed a stone bridge over Antietam Street, extending Prospect southward through a forested hilltop.The bridge became known as the Dry Bridge; the current bridge is iron.
4. Now turn right and walk southward along Prospect Street. This is one of the most densely interesting neighborhoods in Hagerstown, architecturally speaking. In two  blocks, you’ll see examples of Italianate, Second Empire, Beaux Arts, stick-style and shingle-style Victorian houses.
5. Walk downhill to Park Circle. Look down at the sidewalk. Set into the concrete around the traffic circle are a series of millstones, which inspired the traffic circle’s original  name, Mill Stone Circle. Tags date the stones to specific mills active in the area from 1790 to 1830. Turn right and cross Walnut Street toward City Park and follow  the sidewalk around to see four more millstones.Look at the bronze fountain in the center of the traffic circle. It was installed in 2009 and features a mythological motif, with four women and four bearded satyr heads above them. Hagerstown Garden Club established a garden around the fountain.

   Now carefully cross Virginia Avenue toward Park Circle Animal Hospital – there are three more millstones in the sidewalk in front of the hospital – and walk eastward on  Memorial Boulevard.

   At the next intersection, turn right onto Summit Avenue.

6. Cross Surrey Avenue and you’ll see a stucco-clad apartment building. This building was originally built by Hagerstown bicycle manufacturer Robert S. Crawford in about  1903 to produce automobiles. Pipe organ-maker Mathias Moller took over the company in about 1908 and built cars there for about 15 years. The building is still known as Moller Apartments.
7. Continue walking uphill on Summit and check out the turn-of-the-century architecture. There’s a terrific, three-story brick house with a square tower at No. 429, and next to it a beautifully restored, colorful Victorian with a lovely garden.Walk up the hill and cross Reynolds to see No. 506, a stellar example of Beaux Arts architecture, which uses classical columns and heavy molding to present an air of aristocracy.
8. Our walk is a little more than half done. It’s time for a break. Backtrack a few steps to Reynolds to turn right, heading east. Walk downhill for two blocks to Chestnut Street and turn right. Across the street is Superior Ice Cream and Snack Bar, known locally as Superior Dairy.
9. Continue on down Chestnut to the next street, Garlinger Avenue, turn right and walk west toward City Park. In two blocks, you’ll come to Summit Avenue again. Cross Summit, jog to the left about 20 feet and you’ll come to a very narrow street, Dunn Irvin Drive.Dunn Irvin is a wishbone-shaped street with two “legs,” each so narrow it has no sidewalk. Proceed west on Dunn Irvin to Virginia Avenue.
10. Across Virginia is the south entrance to City Park, Hagerstown’s answer to New York City’s Central Park. The park was built in the 1920s from unused industrial land  and swampland.Cross the street and enter the park by the wide asphalt path. The path comes to Upper Lake and splits; take the right fork and enjoy a pleasant lakeside stroll. In about 100 yards, you’ll come to one of the park’s official entrances. Stairs climb to Virginia Avenue on the right. But turn left and cross the stone bridge to the heart of the park’s features. Here you’ll find a fountain, gardens and a playground for children.

    Straight ahead and up the hill is the Mansion House, the 160-year-old home of John Heyser, who once owned the land; Mansion House is now an art gallery.

    For this tour, turn right and head north. Just ahead are the park’s public restrooms. Past the restrooms, the path splits. Take the center path and walk about 50 yards to Rock Springs, a picturesque, shady, sunken pool. Walk over the two wooden bridges overlooking the pool, pass another playground and continue along the path to our final stop.

    Up ahead, you’ll see an iron fence. Walk through the gate and enter the garden between the park’s Lower Lake and the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts.

11. The Washington County Museum of Fine Arts was founded in 1924 by American impressionist painter William Singer Jr. and his Hagerstown-born wife, Anna Brugh Singer. The museum specializes in 19th and 20th-century American art.Admission to the museum is free. There are restrooms for patrons.

And now we’re back to the parking area of the museum.  If you have time, consider a walk to path along the Lower Lake or even around the entire lake.

Click here for the original article.

5 p.m.- 6:30 p.m. Free music series at University Plaza on West Washington Street in downtown Hagerstown featuring a variety of regional performers. Sponsored by the City of Hagerstown and Washington County Arts Council. For information, call (301) 739-8577 ext. 183

June 3rd – 6th. Sunday is the free day in the city park!

Held on the first weekend following Memorial Day, the Western Maryland Blues Fest serves up an annual community celebration centered around one of America’s most enduring musical forms-the blues.

Set amidst raw-boned guitar riffs and emotionally charged vocals, the Blues Fest represents a unique “home-grown” partnership between public and private concerns. Conceptually conceived in 1995, and annually hosted by the City of Hagerstown, the Western Maryland Blues Fest has mushroomed into a critically acclaimed blues event in the mid-Atlantic region since its modest inception in 1996.

With spring in the air, Hagerstown, Maryland and the League of American Bicyclists, the national organization of bicyclists, announce that May is National Bike Month, May 17 to 21, 2010 is Bike to Work Week and Friday, May 21, 2010 is Bike to Work Day.
Mayor Robert E. Bruchey II urges everyone to bike to work or try cycling for fun, fitness or transportation. “I would like to remind everyone that the City of Hagerstown has adopted a Bicycle Master Plan which is available for people to review at hagerstownmd.org. This plan was adopted by the City Council in March 2010.”

Mayor Bruchey went on to explain that the City is in the process of selecting members to be a part of the newly formed Bicycle Advisory Committee. “This group will be selected by the City Council in May and will begin meeting in June to advocate and promote bicycle riding in the City.”
Andy Clarke, President of the League of American Bicyclists, said, “Biking to work is an efficient and fun way to get the exercise you need, without having to find extra time to work out. And this year, with gasoline prices as high as they are, biking to work makes more sense than ever.”
Following are some tips that will help you enjoy biking to work more:

• Have your bike checked over by your local bike shop
• Always wear a helmet to protect your head in the event of a crash
• Ride in the right-most lane that goes in the direction that you are traveling
• Obey all stop signs, traffic lights and lane markings
• Look before you change lanes or signal a turn; indicate your intention, then act
• Be visible and predictable at all times; wear bright clothing and signal turns

“This is our first promotion that bicycling is a viable transportation option in the City in which we can use the City”s established bike routes,” stated City Engineer Rodney Tissue.

Join The Herald-Mail Company and the area’s finest restaurants and caterers for a celebration of all things food. Enjoy delicious food sampling and wine tasting along with live entertainment, culinary demonstrations, and cook-offs. Plus there’s a free cookbook for all of our guests!

Here is an advance look at some of the local favorite who will be there sharing their food (& trade secrets!):

• Leiter’s Catering
• Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyards
• The Greene Turtle
• Edible Arrangements
• Hard Times Cafe
• Barefoot Bernie’s
• 1912 Hoover House
• Pampered Chef
• Tastefully Simple
• Aqua 103
• Palmyra Farm Cheeses
• Spriggs Delight
• Mrs. Gibbles
• SIlpada Jewelry

Tickets are $10 and can be purchased in advance at the Herald Mail or Barefoot Bernies.

A portion of the proceeds from this event will benefit Food Resources.

TASTE OF THE ARTS

HAGERSTOWN, MD (May 11, 2010) – The entertainment for Taste of the Arts was announced today. The event will occur on Thursday, May 13, 2010 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Downtown Hagerstown. The event is being sponsored by the City of Hagerstown and the Downtown Alliance. The net proceeds will assist The Maryland Theatre and the Barbara Ingram School for the Arts Foundation (BISFA).

Participants will be able to listen and view local artists at work while simultaneously tasting culinary sample treats from 12 restaurants. The restaurants and their featured entertainment include: Uncle Louie G’s Homemade Italian Ices & Ice Creams, 34 E. Washington St.; Bulls & Bears Pub & Restaurant, 38 S. Potomac St. (Barbara Ingram School Musical Theatre); Taj India, 28 S. Potomac St. (BISFA Dance, Instrumental & Vocal Music and a Visual Arts Display); Rocky’s Pizza Caffe’ Napoli, 40 N. Potomac St. (BISFA Vocal Music); Schmankerl Stube, 58 S. Potomac St. (Visual Art); Skyline Coffee Co., 2 W. Washington St. (BISFA Visual Art); The Rhubarb House, 12 Public Square (BISFA Vocalist Megan Lancaster); Leiters Fine Catering Inc, 28 S. Potomac St.(BISFA Dance, Instrumental & Vocal Music and a Visual Arts Display); Ava, 28 S. Potomac St. (Jazz Music); The Peach Pub, 43 S. Potomac St (BISFA Visual Art); Durango Restaurant, 12 E. Washington St. (BISFA Vocalists); and Laila’s Kitchen, 4 E. Franklin St (BISFA Vocalists).

Passport tickets for the event are $20 with a $3 mailing fee and a $4 internet charge (if purchased online). The passport ticket also entitles patrons to free entrance into the Barbara Ingram School for the Arts Instrumental Music Concert at Bridge of Life (14 South Potomac St.) from 8:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. The Phantom Flash Photo will also be taking place during intermission at 9 p.m.

Individuals who get their passport ticket stamped at every restaurant are eligible to enter to win a $500 gift certificate from Anderson Photographs, 4 S. Potomac St., or $300 in Downtown Dollars. The winners will be drawn at the Concert.

Advance passport tickets can be obtained by calling 301-790-2000, by stopping by 21 South Potomac St. (the Maryland Theatre) or on-line at www.mdtheatre.org. END

It’s been a long cold winter and The Historic City Park Neighborhood’s 1st Group is ready for spring! Please help us raise money to clean up our neighborhood and bring pride back to Hagerstown! Help us reach our goal of $2000 to address our safety issues (click here for a list of safety issues) and support our beautification ideas (click here for a list of beautification ideas). So please purchase some flowers from our fundraiser site – http://www.flowerpowerfundraising.com/campaign?campaign_id=1989 and help support our newly formed group!

If you aren’t interested in purchasing flowers you may make a donation to our cause by contact Heather @ (240) 329-0547 or heather@historiccitypark.com.

Our fundraiser was recently shown on WHAG with the mayor talking about our group! Just to clarify WE ARENT MAKING ANY PROFIT OFF THIS 100% of the money we make goes to the neighborhood, the rest covers the cost of the flowers/plants and goes to the flower/plant company.

So PLEASE HELP US BY BUYING FLOWERS –>CLICK HERE TO SHOP ONLINE<– for the flowers, plants and bulbs!!!!!!!! If you would rather make your purchase in person please call Heather @ (240) 329-0547 or heather@historiccitypark.com. Let’s make Hagerstown the most beautiful city in Maryland!

The plants are 100% Guaranteed to grow or a replacement will be issued! They are shipped as bulbs, small plants and bare roots.

If you aren’t interested in flowers/plants but still want to donate, 100% of your money will go in to making the park safer and is tax deductible. Make checks payable to “The City of Hagerstown” with Historic City Park in the note and mail to:

City Park Neighborhoods 1st
c/o Heather Holman
1 E. Franklin Street
Room 401
Hagerstown, MD 21740

Businesses who would like to donate $50 or more to our cause will be listed on our website as sponsors!