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Author: James Snyder

Experience Fall Color and Autumn Surprises in Western Maryland: A Three Day Road Trip

Experience Fall Color and Autumn Surprises in Western Maryland: A Three Day Road Trip

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Autumn is such a glorious season.  There is no better way to enjoy the beauty of nature’s annual colorful splendor than embarking on a long, leisurely drive to nowhere.  The air is cool and crisp – sweeping vistas are filled with a kaleidoscope of reds, oranges, and yellows, and the adventure of the open road beckons the curious traveler.  What sights, sounds, and tastes wait around the next bend?  Does it seem like a far-away fantasy? Western Maryland has what…

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Easy Chicken Noodle Soup

Easy Chicken Noodle Soup

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Man, I love to make (and taste) a big pot of soup.  It’s so warming, welcoming, and homey – especially as the season turns from summer to fall.  You can’t go wrong with a pot of soup, and most are very easy to make.  Here’s my recipe for chicken noodle (one of my kids’ favorites).  I just made a pot of this yesterday and it’s gone already.  Try it out at your house and see how many fans you create….

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The Slow Cooker: The Solution for a Busy Family’s Dinner Dilemma

The Slow Cooker: The Solution for a Busy Family’s Dinner Dilemma

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It happens every fall all over the four-state area.  The kids are back in school and sports and your calendar now looks like a jumbled mass of dates and times.  One goes here, one goes there – oh, and don’t forget your church meeting or club gathering.  When will you ever find the time to make dinner when everyone is going in ten different directions? Ahhh, but there is hope.  A kitchen gadget you no doubt already have in your…

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Get Out and Walk – It’s Good For You

Get Out and Walk – It’s Good For You

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From the looks of the weather forecasts, it appears that the oppressive heat of this summer will finally take a break in the next week or two (hopefully for good this year), so it’s time to start thinking about fall-weather activities. The Four-State area is blessed with many pristine and beautiful spots to do the simplest form of exercise imaginable – walking. Whether it be on the C&O Canal, the Western Maryland Rail Trail, a city or county park, or…

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The Honeycrisp Apple: Back For Another Delicious Season

The Honeycrisp Apple: Back For Another Delicious Season

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Ahhh, September.  You mean so many things.  The kids are back in school, the summer is ending, and my favorite month – October – is just around the corner.  September also signals the return of my favorite fruit – the Honeycrisp apple. You can have your Red Delicious, your Granny Smith, and your Fuji.  For my money, there is no better apple out there than the Honeycrisp.  It’s sweet, firm, crispy, juicy, and wonderful to eat all by itself. The…

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Local Restaurants: It’s a Tough Business

Local Restaurants: It’s a Tough Business

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You probably saw the headlines this week.  “Family Meal” (the restaurant owned by celebrity chef Bryan Voltaggio of “Top Chef” TV fame) is closing its Hagerstown location – after only six months in business (good grief, I think they only had their permanent sign up for the last two months). This follows in the wake of the location’s former tenant, the “Stone Wall Tavern”.  I think that restaurant lasted – what – three months? Why do new restaurants seem to…

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Grocery Shopping 101: Tricks of the Trade to Get You to Buy More

Grocery Shopping 101: Tricks of the Trade to Get You to Buy More

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Have you been to a Wal-Mart lately and seen the price of a gallon of milk?  It’s less than $2 – every day. That’s right – less than $2 for a gallon of milk. Yes, genuine “moo-juice”. The real thing. How does a store like Wal-Mart (or any grocery store for that matter) make any money offering deals like that?  Well, the truth is, they don’t.  It is just another one of the tricks that supermarkets play on unsuspecting shoppers…

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Why Kids Should Travel

Why Kids Should Travel

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My oldest daughter recently completed a week-long excursion to London this past summer.  It is a tradition started by my mother.  Whenever one of her grandchildren reaches their 15th birthday, Grandma will take them on a trip – anywhere they want to go. Pretty awesome gift, huh?  She’s accompanied grand-kids to Paris and on a cruise to the Scandinavian countries (with Germany and Russia thrown in for good measure).  My youngest is eagerly waiting in anticipation for her turn in…

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Relax with Smooth Jazz this Weekend in Waynesboro, PA

Relax with Smooth Jazz this Weekend in Waynesboro, PA

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Looking for something different to do this weekend with friends and family?  If you enjoy the soothing sounds of smooth jazz, then you won’t want to miss what’s happening in Waynesboro, PA this Sunday, August 28th. The Renfrew Institute will present its 25th Annual Jazz Festival, which is held each year on the lawn behind the historic museum house on the Renfrew grounds (the rain location will be Waynesboro Area High School auditorium). Organizers have gone the extra mile to…

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“Augustoberfest” Celebrates Hagerstown’s German Heritage

“Augustoberfest” Celebrates Hagerstown’s German Heritage

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Is your travel wish to take part in this year’s Oktoberfest celebrations in Germany?  Do you secretly wish you could drink your German beer out of a stein?  Do you have a weird affinity for lederhosen?  If the answer to any one of these questions is “yes” then you, my friend, are in luck. This weekend marks the 21st anniversary of the “Augustoberfest” celebration in downtown Hagerstown, MD.  Celebrating the German heritage of the four-state area and the 64th year…

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