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Erin is a freelance journalist and former humanities teacher with a particular interest in writing about the arts, culture, history, and literature. She helps clients develop memoirs and book proposals to bring their stories into the world. Visit www.erinjoneswriter.com to learn more.
by Erin Jones, photography by Nikola Tzenov Homero Bayarena still remembers receiving a phone call from a young woman he first directed in the Glyndon Area Players when she was 5. Erica Clare, from Finksburg, played a Munchkin in the company's production of "The Wizard of Oz."
The mingling scents of food trucks waft through a sea of tent canopies as live music plays, mixing with the buzz of conversations and excited shouts of children greeting new
The day Shawn Hatosy's second Emmy nomination was announced began like any other busy workday on the set of the HBO Max drama "The Pitt," where he was shooting season
When the final note fades and applause gives way to post-concert chatter, Appalachian Chamber Music Festival founder and artistic director Katie Tertell often hears the same thing: Audience members who
Frederick's Maxine Chikumbo competed in the finale of Food Network's home cook competition show "100 Cooks," advancing to the top five before being eliminated just shy of the final two-cook
Rae Tucker has noticed a pattern whenever she's out around Hagerstown in a Girls Inc. van. Strangers will run up to her in excitement. "I was a Girls Inc. girl!" they tell her. In many cases these girls are now the age of having ...
Ice block sledding was born of necessity - truly the mother of invention, as the adage goes.
Jordan Stone describes his journey from professional soccer to pastoral ministry.
The dorms of Shepherd University will once again be trading college students for choristers as Maryland State Boychoir (MSB) returns for its own unique flavor of summer camp. While the
When Maxine Chikumbo was a teenager in Zimbabwe, her favorite TV show was the Food Network's "Chopped." She watched chefs like Alex Guarnaschelli and Marcus Samuelsson with admiration as they
Owen Davis was walking down a path in the Philippines when a visiting fellow Peace Corps volunteer noticed something. "You remind me of Fred MacMurray!" the visitor remarked, and began
The hands of many spectators, both in person and across the nation, grew icy cold with anticipation as they clutched a mint julep and watched the Kentucky Derby on May
June 29, 1863, brought more than oppressive summer heat to Mount Airy in 1863. The clamor of hooves as a Union Cavalry Division rode through the town pursuing Confederate General
It's been a long year for readers of Michelle Jabès Corpora's Throne of Khetara trilogy. The first installment, "His Face Is the Sun," ended on a gripping cliffhanger, and since
Even as a child, Sarah Moschopoulos knew that music would play a significant role in her life. The young musician sang and played multiple instruments, particularly piano and guitar -
Against the expansive backdrop of vibrant paintings in the 2019 Guggenheim Museum exhibition, a small black-and-white photo caught Alyson Richman's eye. Beneath the photo of Swedish artist Hilma af Klint,
Lucelia Justiniano was 7 years old when her family immigrated to the United States from Mexico. She witnessed firsthand the struggles of family members and the lengthy, arduous process of
The opening of Oklahoma on April 11 at Washington County Playhouse Dinner Theater, marks a special milestone for owners Laura and Shawn Martin. The last time the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic graced the...
Churches on a weekday afternoon are usually quiet places, in contrast to the bustling echoes of a Sunday morning. But when Joseph Parrish was a high school student at Baltimore
The project began with curiosity. In her reading, Jan Bromwell Saxton came across a suggestion that the Old Testament book of Psalms contained echoes, revelations, or perhaps foreshadowing of Jesus
Erik Larson was on the record years ago when he said he would never write a book on the Civil War.
At first glance, the chair seemed an intricate yet faded cast-off. When he stumbled across the piece of furniture at an estate sale in Lemont Pennsylvania, David Werner was drawn
A backpack cannot possibly hold a lifetime of memories and treasured belongings, and it certainly cannot hold enough to furnish a new life in a new country. And yet, many
The donation of a Revolutionary War-era tea caddy was treasure enough, but the artifact contained an even rarer hidden surprise. The tea caddy belonged to the Bayley family, and particularly
The printed program of the first International Women's Day Conference in Hagerstown in 2024 featured a collage of the speakers' faces, a graphic that was then turned into a puzzle
"What's up! I can't read that well. And up until recently I could barely read at all."
Mister Rogers once recounted a now-famous childhood memory that continues to circulate online during turbulent times. He recalled his mother telling him, when watching scary movies or troubling news coverage,
For many of us, our first encounters with science arrive through the gilded lens of childhood wonder. We peer breathlessly into jars, waiting for a butterfly to emerge from its
"These are real people with real names and real faces... These are human beings made in God's image."
From a rickety steam train, newly deployed Ron Twentey beheld the devastation of a war-ravaged Korea. Shellshocked survivors lived in shacks, shanties, and even cardboard boxes. Later in his deployment, the toll of the conflict would...
By Erin Jones
The theater and film department of Urbana High School resides in the F-wing of the building. That may have started out as a technical designation like any other area of
Elena Griffis knows more than most that labor and delivery rooms in a hospital do not always hold scenes of celebration and new life. In 25 years as a labor
Some call it Feral Week, others Twixmas, and still others a black hole, in which time has lost all meaning. That week between Christmas and New Years can hold any
For more than 50 years Fort Ritchie was closely guarded by mountains, stone-turreted gates, and secrecy. The 638-acre Army installation in Washington County, tucked just beneath the Pennsylvania border, served as the World War II training site for...
By Erin Jones
By Erin Jones
With three little words, Trinity Ripley had the power to change the course of the entire evening. Her friends might be piled on the couch watching TV or just hanging
Carleah Summers had a 10-month-old baby boy when she embarked on the daunting path to sobriety in 2006. She had grown up with a drug-addicted parent and didn't want her
As Christmas 1863 drew near, the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow felt a deep heaviness in his heart. The previous two years had included the traumatic death of his beloved wife
On Christmas Eve, a hush falls over the chapel of King's College Cambridge with such expectant stillness the flickering of the candles could almost be audible. In a sea of
There's a good chance you have already encountered Pierce Scantlin's work and not even known it. If you're one of the over 170 million Americans with a passport, you have
For more than 50 years Fort Ritchie was closely guarded by stone-turreted gates and secrecy. The 638-acre Washington County property, tucked beyond the western side of the Catoctin Mountain ridge, once housed the facility for some of the most influential intelligence training of World War II.
According to Vito Loiola, he has saved more soles than the Vatican. As impressive a metric as that may be in the shoe repair world, it's perhaps more impressive -
Attending a Tuba Skinny concert should come with a fair warning: Outbreaks of spontaneous dancing may occur. In fact, it's encouraged.
When the charity representative pulled up to the 4-H club meeting to collect donations for Blessings in a Backpack, an unexpected challenge awaited her. Of the 27 Frederick County 4-H
It was sometime in 2020 that Naomi Pike hit rock bottom, mired in addiction and helplessly trying to figure out what would come next."I had nothing, no one, nowhere else to turn to but God," she recalls of that dark and...
By Erin Jones
Life has gotten a little sweeter in downtown Mount Airy this fall, as summer brought the addition of both a pastry shop and a candy store to Main Street.
Carlton Hill felt something break inside him when he stood in front of the congregation of his Washington, D.C., church and confessed his addiction to cocaine and alcohol. Adding to
Paul Foss had never experienced anything like it before or since. Even to retell it today, he knows it sounds fantastical, but every detail is preserved in his memory. As
It's hard to miss the 60-foot-long American flag gathered and draped from the wall at Foundry Outpost on East Patrick Street. Prior to the store's July 31 opening, hanging the
At a recent giveaway event through Senior Services Network, founder Paul Brown noticed something unusual. He had thousands of pounds in food and household supplies to give away, and he was...
Pine Grove Chapel looks deceptively peaceful. The quaint stone building on South Main Street in Mount Airy overlooks a rolling, gravestone-lined hill and peaceful paths that encircle a grand Wye
by Erin Jones, photogrpahy by Nikola Tzenov Teresa Barrett Dower doesn't have to be reminded about her in-laws' eventful younger days. Hal and Aileen Dower both served in the Peace Corps, building schools in Africa. As the couple grew older, Aileen became pragmatic.
There are 100 steps from Curious Iguana bookstore on 12 N. Market Street to the Dancing Bear Toys and Games at 15 E. Patrick Street in downtown Frederick. Tom and
The vintage military aircraft flying above Hagerstown this month will ring nostalgic for Hagerstown's older generations and should pique the curiosity of younger generations. The old planes will fly in commemoration of Hagerstown's aviation history, which is one of the...
Before his diagnosis, John Godinet loved to gather his running community and disappear into the woods for long, rambling runs. The destination and route was partially known at best, and
Forai in Kirkwood, Missouri is both a business and a ministry-employing refugee women as artisans to sew and create jewelry.
"All the world's a stage," William Shakespeare famously wrote in his play "As you Like It." However, were the Bard to visit Frederick County in September, he might amend his
Each year, Halloween week descends into downtown Frederick with the rustling of fallen leaves, the perching of pumpkins on front stoops, and the hush of candlelit ghost tours. But this
For years, Beth Candemi thought her donkey, Ricky Bobby, was unique in his capacity to give hugs. He would cuddle up to her and rest his head on her shoulder.
The hills will be alive with the sound of chamber music this August, as the Appalachian Chamber Music Festival kicks off its fifth season.
"It's not just about bricks and mortar, but it's about looking back on how God has used this campus for global transformation."
Joanie Jenkins sat under a Magnolia tree in Haiti and sewed, surveying the orphanage building in front of her. She may have arrived on the island's shore as a stranger,
If you live in one of the counties that intersect in Mount Airy, you have probably discovered through an errant Google search at some point that there is, in fact,
Up the spiral staircase, visitors to the C. Burr Artz Public Library in downtown Frederick will find the Maryland Room. The space is a miniature library within the library, a
On the first Saturday in June, the Hodson auditorium in Hood College's historic Rosenstock building traded the sounds of lectures and note-taking for the lavish tones of a string quartet.
Associate Pastor Nick Swan is a Juilliard-trained oboist. Read about his journey from the orchestra pit to the pulpit.
By the time most of the country is buying hot dog buns and hanging flags for the Fourth of July, the town of Mount Airy will have already gotten the
How can a potter measure the temperature inside a kiln, where the heat exceeds the boiling point of a mercury thermometer many times over? This was the conundrum faced by
By Erin Jones
Shari Ostrow Scher was 15 years old when her father unexpectedly went to prison. As she describes now, her dad was her favorite person in the universe. During his incarceration,
Will Huss reflects on the leadership transition and RUF's ministry on college campuses throughout the world.
Andrew Rein looks ahead to his upcoming role as Reformed University Fellowship's National Coordinator.
Not every film premiere has dinosaurs present. But then again, not every movie premiere contains the unique partnership of Maryland Public Television and the Maryland Science Center.
On the fateful evening of May 11, 1907, the Sagamore, a four-masted schooner, carried 2200 tons of coal through Martha's Vineyard sound, while the Edda, a Norwegian steamer, attempted to [...]
What is the worth of a symphony orchestra in its hometown? Some might say priceless, but in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the value is a Mercedes-Benz factory. That's what Frederick Symphony Orchestra
By Erin Jones
By Erin Jones
Against the brick gallery wall of the New Spire Arts Stages, each photo, framed in white, pops out. One contains an extra layer of sparkle, quite literally, as it features
"The Taylor Swift Effect." Coined by musician and Red-Wing Blackbird records founder Katie Powderly, the phrase describes the growing phenomenon of young girls being able to envision themselves as guitar
Hope in the Havoc offers coaching for betrayal trauma and problematic sexual behavior recovery. You can read more here.
When my cousin and I were little girls, we once dialed the 1-800 number on the TV screen at our grandmother's house to request travel brochures that were being advertised.
Community leader Donna Hamilton takes advantage of 'every hour of the day'
"So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past." Many will recognize those words as the conclusion of F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel "The Great Gatsby."
If "Game of Thrones" and "The Mummy" had a baby, it would be Michelle Jabés Corpora's latest series: "The Throne of Khetara." At least, that's one comparison that the author
The conference room at the Mental Health Association of Frederick County is surprisingly abuzz with conversation despite the many unoccupied seats. That's because four attendees are present via a large
Mary Clark has seen American political history from a unique vantage point: high up in the National Cathedral bellcroft.
Read about the international worship happening at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
In the eastern corner of Culler Lake in Baker Park, the statue of a fisherman rises out of the water. The bronze handiwork of local sculptor Toby Mendez, the statue
"Are you a poet?" The question caught Zorina Frey off guard. After all, she had been using poetry to make sense of a difficult time in her life.
By Erin Jones
It was New Year's Day in 1892 when a 17-year-old girl made history by disembarking the steamship that had carried her, along with her two younger brothers, all the way
By Erin Jones
In 1962, fifth-grader Kevin Bain had his first taste of artistic fame when his picture appeared in the Winkler County News in his hometown of Kermit, Texas. Seeing the student's
The problem with weddings is boys. At least, that's how 5-year-old Carole McFarland felt about her make-believe wedding in 1942.
While the sidewalks of Bentz Street are still slick with ice and lined with snow, the dance floor in Bentztown is just heating up. Stepping inside from the bleak winter
by Erin Jones, photography by Nikola Tzenov A Dog's Life: The Great Kibble Upgrade Some corners of social media have begun to resemble the Food Network but f
By Erin Jones
Melissa Aellen still remembers seeing an issue of Wine Business Monthly resting on her grandmother's coffee table at 8 years old. "Do you know who this woman is?" her grandmother
By Erin Jones
The snow lovers among us have probably looked upon Garrett County with envy at some point. After all, how often has Western Maryland been favored with an abundance of snow,
Greek mythology contains the story of Ariadne's thread, a ball of thread used to escape the perilous labyrinth of King Minos. A red thread appears throughout Ally Christmas' "/bodycrumbs" exhibition
By Erin Jones
Romanian Christian Enterprises has been extending mercy toward those that society deems the "least" for more than three decades.
Artistic director Pete Peterson adapts the famous work with an eye to faith and a look back at Scrooge's past.
When I taught literature, reading "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irving was one of my favorite fall traditions. Teaching it close to Halloween only intensified the festiveness of
There's nothing still about a Marie Riccio still life. That's because in the eyes of the artist, the composition, atmosphere and especially the colors are full of life.
It started with a chicken, created from an unlikely treasure hunt. A young boy of 4 or 5 wandered his family's farm gathering bits of scrap metal he found along
As a teenager, Esperanza Alzona wanted to be both a ballerina and brain surgeon. While the vocational pairing may seem unrelated and incompatible, the connection was clear and significant to
When Jacob's Well launched in 2012, it was the state's first PCA church plant in 30 years. Since then, Wisconsin Presbytery has 17 particularized churches, with four mission churches in process.
MTW has been in Scotland since 2000, though the relationship with the Free Church was not always as healthy and collaborative as it is today.
Before stories were written down and bound into books, they were passed from speaker to audience, generation to generation, through the art of storytelling. Even after the rise of written
These bibliophiles teach kids to love reading-and themselves.
When young Jarod Curley arrived at his ballet class at Frederick School of Classical Ballet one day, he had no idea that instead of his usual class, he would get
"I'm honored to have had a part in encouraging that so that when we meet as a denomination we meet for worship, not just business."
by Erin Jones, photography by Nikola Tzenov The Duties of Disciplining How Should Parents Approach Behavior Issues with their Kids? Kids! I don't know what
A mysterious, obelisk-shaped building stands in the backyard of a historic home in Mount Airy. Over a century ago, that structure, with the aid of a windmill, supplied water to
Discover how Corey Pelton is leading an effort to multiply churches in "small towns and neglected places."
With all the excitement around the 2024 Olympics, there are wonderful ways Christians can pray for those ministering to the fifteen million visitors to Paris.
MNA's new ESL curriculum brings to life an outreach tool intended to tangibly carry out the Great Commission.
Applause echoes through the ceilings of the old bank building. In the momentary lull that follows, Jason Hannan calls out the name of a song. "Key of A!" he says,
Just three months after making his Broadway debut in "The Outsiders," TJ High School graduate Brent Comer not only performed at the Tony Awards but celebrated the musical's four Tony
The grounds of Antietam were not new to Rhonda Smith, who lives in Keedysville. She walked them almost daily, in fact. But something stood out to her as she passed
The night was cool and windy, but the sounds of summer were in the air. In the At Home parking lot off Route 26 in Walkersville, the sounds of summer
If you look closely through the narrow stone alley of St. Mary's Passage in Oxford, you might spy a bit of magic. Tucked above a wooden door beneath a tudor-style
Some of our richest hymns have been written by women and have been born out of intense suffering. Tags: hymns of the faith, hymns written by women, contributions to the church by women, women have written some of our favorite hymns
"In my feeble estimation, General McClellen, with all his laurels, sinks into insignificance beside the true heroine of the age, the angel of the battlefield." These words were spoken by
It's a scene that has haunted the pages of American history books and classrooms for a century and half. Venerated President Abraham Lincoln slumped over in the Presidential Box at
A pronounced absence pervaded the Square Halo conference, as this year's event marked the first since the passing of its founder and champion, Leslie Bustard, in April 2023.
The stage of the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre in New York has held the footsteps of such greats as Laurence Olivier, Julie Andrews, Bette Davis, Billy Crudup, Samuel L. Jackson
After the war, Harry Crosby finished his Master's in English from the University of Iowa. He then completed his doctorate at Stanford University, before returning to the University of Iowa to teach. In 1958, he and his wife Jean moved their young family to Newton, where he taught English at Boston University until 1984.
2023 Year-End Cultural Moment Recaps: Sharon Says So
It was an unusual scene for an art museum. Against the backdrop of a large treehouse mural, under leafy twinkle lights and seated on a carpet of faux grass, adult
Written in the wake of world war, the poignant service stills us during a season of extravagance.
When Audrey Thelemann stood on the stage at the end of the 2011 Rockette Summer Intensive, she had no idea that the next few moments would change the course of
"This is a thrill." The comment rose above the ambient chatter in the tightly packed sanctuary of Wayne Presbyterian Church on Saturday Nov. 4. "Thrill" accurately summed up the palpable anticipation in the stately sanctuary. Twice, in the half an hour leading up to the performance, audience members were asked to move closer together to make room for the newcomers still streaming in.
With the words of his poem "In Flanders Field," Canadian poet and physician John McCrae painted a vividly humanizing picture of the ultimate sacrifice made by his fellow WWI soldiers.
A much-needed sabbatical just became more feasible for some PCA pastors, thanks to a new grant program announced this week. Beginning in 2024, Geneva Benefits Group will offer matching grants of up to $10,000 through its new Ministerial Wellbeing Sabbatical Program.
If knowing the tale's end can transform the storyline of a Tim Burton comedy, imagine the implications for the Christian life?
Summer's end felt a bit strange for Linda Pieplow '72, M.A. '78, this year.
Red and gold streamers shot like fireworks across the Welsh Rugby Union training grounds in Pontyclun, Wales, as team captain Alun Wyn Jones held aloft the Six Nations Tournament trophy, flanked by medal-wearing teammates in red. Unlike most championship victories, Wales did not actually play in the game that deemed them winners.
Some artists create with paint and canvas, some with stone, some with glass. Suppose an artist wished to work with more intangible media, such as light, sky, and air? The Eiffel Tower in Paris is a feat of architecture that somehow manages to marry science, industrialization, and engineering, with the light, airy aesthetic that draws the eyes upwards into the sky.
If the concept of liberty were to be embodied in human form, what would she look like? The Statue of Liberty famously presents a serene and noble image, holding aloft a torch and welcoming all who come from afar. Painter Eugène Delacroix imagined a much more dramatic casting of Lady Liberty, in "Liberty Leading the People, 1830."
Vigée Le Brun, "Self Portrait with Daughter Julie" Source: https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010066320 It's not uncommon these days to see a mother and her child huddle together in front of a phone camera to snap a quick selfie. An 18th century "selfie" with a mother and child, however, required significantly more effort and skill.
"Let Freedom Ring." These words famously resound throughout the American patriotic anthem "My Country 'Tis of Thee," and again in Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, as he envisions a future devoid of racial prejudice and oppression. The image is a poetic one, assigning a physical sound to an intangible concept.