Local Events

The annual Easter egg hunt sponsored by Sons of the American Legion Squadron 60, will be Sunday, April 8, 1 p.m. at Berkeley Springs State Park.

The Easter Bunny will arrive on the Berkeley Springs fire truck. Colored eggs will be hidden in the park with prize eggs in each age group.

The April meeting of the Potomac Valley Audubon Society will feature a presentation by local naturalist Wil Hershberger on the spring songs of local birds.

The meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 11, at the U.S. Geological Survey's Leetown Science Center, 11649 Leetown Road (County Route 1), Kearneysville.

Award-winning West Virginia actress and storyteller Karen Vuranch moves from a day in the Morgan County schools to the stage of the Ice House on Thursday, March 29 at 7 p.m. for a free performance as Mother Jones, famed union organizer and labor activist. The evening event is produced by the Morgan Arts Council (MAC) in partnership with the West Virginia Humanities Council's "History Alive!" program.

Mary Harriet Jones was an Irish immigrant who turned the harsh experiences of her early life into motivation for her consuming efforts to bring decent working and living conditions to people in all walks of life. Coal miners in West Virginia were among those who benfitted from her lifelong crusade during the early part of the 20th century. Vuranch uses her consumate skills to recreate Jones' fire and energy. Her lively presentation leaves audiences knowing how it felt to sit in a union hall and listen to her outspoken exhortations.

A reception, lecture and book signing in honor of Agostino von Hassell, author of Military High Life, will be held at 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 1, at The Country Inn.

The new book tells the story of the unique culinary journey of the world's military forces through history. The event is sponsored by the Written Word and Bath Bookworks of Berkeley Springs.

Students from Berkeley Springs High School are keeping busy after school while learning about ethnic heritage, community, cultural traditions, tolerance, and faith. These lessons are being taught through the Performing Arts department, as the students rehearse for the Broadway musical "Fiddler on the Roof." Though these traditions may not stem from our own West Virginia heritage, the values taught hold true to every small community going through change.

The production of "Fiddler on the Roof" is just a week away. For one weekend only the stage at BSHS, with the help of Brice Williams and the cast, will be transformed into the small Jewish community of Anatevka in Tsarist Russia in 1905.

The Fulton County Community Christian School will sponsor a hymn sing/variety show on Friday, March 23 at 7 p.m., at the Needmore Bible Church.

Sharing their vocal talents will be Melissa Wilson of McConnellsburg, Nancy Jones of Little Orleans, the Needmore Bible Church choir, Russell Cheek, Berkeley Springs, FCCCS faculty choir; a skit; FCCCS children's choir; recorder and handbell numbers featuring FCCCS students; the high school chorus, and more.

The Humane Society of Morgan County announces that the donor group that created The St. Patrick's Day Matching Challenge" has extended the deadline for the challenge. Database failure prevented generation of mailing labels for the donor appeal prepared to go out in conjunction with the related advertising appeals.

To redeem the project and be good stewards of the challenge grant, several Board members, including the officers, spent many hours searching old data records for donor information and hand-addressed all of the envelopes in the mailing.

To mark the tenth year of the Youth Art special exhibit at the Ice House, the gala opening event on Friday, March 16 features members of the Berkeley Springs High School chorus led by Kathy Seager as well as hundreds of pieces of visual art. During the gala, a certificate of appreciation will be presented to the Morgan County School Board for their ongoing support of Morgan Arts Council (MAC) programs both in the schools and at the Ice House. The Youth Art exhibit displays two and three-dimensional art produced by students in every Morgan County school and homeschoolers at the Ice House Gallery in Berkeley Springs. Refreshments will be served at the gala opening reception to which parents, fellow students and the public are invited. Matt Hahn serves as emcee of the performance.

The Youth Art show is staged by the Morgan Arts Council. "We initiated this art show in 1995 as part of the Goals 2000 grant," said Sandra Earls who organizes the event for MAC. "The first two were held at Widmyer. Until MAC created this event, there was no countywide art show for students," she said. "Now art teachers have grown to expect it as a way to provide public exposure for their students," said Earls. " We appreciate the art teachers' support and could not collect and hang the art without their help."

Hoax or Relic, a display devoted to a rock signed by George Washington, debuts on Saturday, March 17 at 10am when the Museum of the Berkeley Springs opens for the season.

Other activities related to the town's most famous visitor include Saturday morning readings from Washington's writings, a walking tour of town and dollar specials in various shops and businesses. "We want folks to know that George Washington's face still means something in Berkeley Springs," said Jeanne Mozier organizer of the weekend festival.

American Legion Post 60 will hold their 88th birthday celebration on Sunday, March 18, 1 p.m.

Harold Plants will be the guest speaker for the celebration at the post home on 522 north.