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It’s Carnival Week!  The Annual Tradition Continues

It’s Carnival Week!  The Annual Tradition Continues

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The first week of August means only one thing in my small town. It’s carnival week! Yes, that cavalcade of carnies, questionably-maintenanced rides, deep fried food, inflatable trinkets, and colorful, live entertainment descends once again on my little town, offering a week of summertime entertainment to young and old alike. The carnival marks the wind-down of the summer season, when kids know school is just around the corner and older folks know another summer is almost gone, soon making way…

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A Little Town Celebrates a Big Milestone

A Little Town Celebrates a Big Milestone

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My small town of Clear Spring, MD (population 479 – salute!) celebrated a big milestone this past weekend. It was the town’s 200th anniversary. Now, it’s not every day you get to live in a town that has been around long enough to celebrate its own bicentennial, but for an “older” gal, I have to say she still looks pretty good. This past weekend was celebrated with home tours, scavenger hunts, and panckake breakfasts.  Lots of folks were popping in…

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It’s Carnival Week! Let the Good Times Roll!

It’s Carnival Week! Let the Good Times Roll!

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The last months of summer can mean only one thing in my neck of the woods – it’s time once again for the annual Clear Spring Volunteer Fire Company Carnival! For the week of August 5th through August 10th, the carnival grounds just south of town are the place to be and be seen, as every local civic organization and school group will have a stand or gaming tent in place for the biggest local fundraiser of the year. The…

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Small Town Living: An Endangered Species

Small Town Living: An Endangered Species

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If you’re familiar with my columns, then you know I live in Clear Spring, MD – a very small town in Western Maryland.  How small, you ask?  Well, as of 2016, we were at a whopping 350 residents (for those of you keeping score, that’s pretty small).  As a matter of fact, we’re the smallest incorporated town in the county. It’s a quaint little village, with a main street, two stop lights, three schools (elementary, middle, and high) at the…

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A Small Town School Comes Up Big

A Small Town School Comes Up Big

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I’ve written previously about how hard it is for a small-town, rural school to compete in athletics and other extra-curricular activities against larger, more populous institutions – where there is a larger pool of talent to choose from and use each and every year (click here to link to that article). But every now and then, lightning strikes – even in a small school. The town where I live (Clear Spring, MD) is a tiny hamlet (only 350 residents, according…

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“Christmas in Clear Spring”: A Glimpse of What Could Be

“Christmas in Clear Spring”: A Glimpse of What Could Be

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This past Saturday night, a special celebration was held in the town where I live.  Called “Christmas in Clear Spring”, it was an evening of old-fashioned, small-town, holiday events (the town has population of only 399 people) that is held once every three years and put on by the local Garden Club. All of the local residents took special care putting up their Christmas lights this year (to help decorate for the event – plus there were prizes for the…

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Carnival Week 2017: The Tradition Continues

Carnival Week 2017: The Tradition Continues

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Yes, it’s time once again for the annual Clear Spring Volunteer Fire Company’s annual summer carnival, taking place this week (7/31-17 – 8/5/17) at the carnival grounds just outside of Clear Spring, Maryland. In what’s become a sort of tradition at the Snyder household, we have driven by the grounds on several occasions on Sunday to see what sort of thrill rides and other delights the amusement company in charge of this year’s rides has brought to town for the…

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National Pike Days: A Glimpse of Travel from the 19th Century

National Pike Days: A Glimpse of Travel from the 19th Century

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Local residents often take for granted that the four-state area is steeped in history, dating all the way back to the days when this country was founded.  One event that celebrates the transportation systems of an earlier time is coming up this weekend – National Pike Days. One of the first major “improved” highways funded by the federal government (and authorized by President Thomas Jefferson in 1806), the National Pike (also known as the “Cumberland Road” or its more common…

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The Summer Carnival: A Celebration of Small Town America

The Summer Carnival: A Celebration of Small Town America

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All over the four-state area, summer means it’s time for the local carnival, an annual tradition that exemplifies small town, family entertainment.  Throughout the region, each community has its own “carnival week”, a time when the local community gets together to eat, play, raise money for various civic organizations, and mingle. This week marks the annual Clear Spring Volunteer Fire Company Carnival, a local entertainment institution that’s been going for over 75 years.   Generations of families have experienced what is…

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