THE SHEPHERDSTOWN MUSEUM

The Shepherdstown Museum, near the corner of German and Princess Streets is open on weekends from April through October: Saturdays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sundays, 1 p.m.-4 p.m. Special times can be arranged. Please call the Historic Shepherdstown office, which is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday, at 304-876-0910.The Museum tells the history of Shepherdstown and of the Entler Hotel, in which it is located. On display are 18th and 19th century crafts, other early artifacts, and a half-scale replica, made by local craftsmen, of James Rumsey’s early steamboat.

ONGOING

Spay Today is this area’s low cost, non-profit program for spaying and neutering cats and dogs. At the time of surgery, initial tests and shots can also be obtained at lower rates. To find a participating vet near you, visit “http://www.baacs.org”>www.baacs.org or call 304-728-8330.

AUG. 10

In the Jefferson High School Marching Band’s ongoing quest to raise the money for new uniforms, it will host “SUN n’ FUNdraiser” pool party at the Jefferson Memorial Pool from 6 to 9 p.m. Admission is $5 a person, and concessions will be available for sale. All proceeds will go towards new uniforms for the marching band.

AUG. 11

CHARLESTON – Archives and History staff historian, Greg Carroll, will present “Slaves and Free People of Color in Western Virginia from 1800 to 1860″ at the Thursday evening meeting of the Genealogy Club in the Archives and History Library. The discussion will take place from 6 to7:30 p.m. The session is free and the public is invited to attend. Carroll will discuss the political and legal lives of slaves and free people of color in the region. Slavery was not the prolific institution in western Virginia that it was in the eastern part of the state. In a few areas, including the Eastern Panhandle and the Kanawha Valley, slaves were more numerous. Carroll will close his talk with a question and answer session. Advance registration for the program is not required, but is encouraged. To register in advance, contact Robert Taylor, library manager, at 304-558-0230, ext. 163, or by email at Bobby.L.Taylor@wv.gov. Participants interested in registering by email should send their name, telephone number and the name and date of the session.

AUG. 13

New Street United Methodist Church in Shepherdstown will be holding its annul Peach Festival from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Homemade peach pie (by the slice), peach crisp, homemade peach ice cream as well as country ham and other sandwiches will be offered for sale. Whole pies may be available after 2 p.m. Everyone is invited to attend.

AUG. 13 and 14

RESA 8 will offer a Swift Water Rescue Operations Class Saturday and Sunday. Classes will start at 8 a.m. each day at the Independent Volunteer Fire Company in Ranson. Ed Sankbeil will be the instructor. The course fee is $20. Participants must pass a swim test to enroll in Swift Water Rescue Operations. A swim test will be conducted at Shepherd University on Sunday, Aug. 7, from 4 to 6 p.m. Swift Water Rescue Awareness and Rope Rescue Low Angle Operations are pre-requisites for Swift Water Rescue Operations. Participants must provide a swift water helmet and PFD. Wetsuit is optional. Swift Water Rescue Operations is a pre-requisite for Swift Water Rescue Technician. Participants must provide a swift water helmet and PFD. Wetsuit is optional. To register online, visit www.resa8.org. For more information contact Dave Plume by phone at 304-267-3595, ext. 112, or by email dplume@access.k12.wv.us. To learn more about RESA 8’s educational programs in Berkeley, Grant, Hampshire, Hardy, Jefferson, Mineral, Morgan and Pendleton counties, call 304-267-3595 or visit their website resa8.org.

AUG. 14

Shepherdstown Farmers Market will be having a Tomato Contest. Bring your heaviest, biggest, smallest, ugliest, best tasting, most unusual tomato to the market. They can be any color, and if you do not have any, the market will have plenty to choose from. The judging will take place around 12:15 p.m., behind the Shepherdstown Library. The winners will receive “Market Bucks” and other prizes. For more info, find the market on Facebook.

The Potomac Valley Audubon Society will sponsor a free tour of the Redbud Organic Farm near Gerrardstown, W.Va. Those who wish to participate should plan to meet the society’s Executive Director Kristin Alexander, at 12:45 p.m. at the Food Lion Parking lot on Route 51 in Inwood. The tour group will caravan and carpool from there to the farm. The farm tour will last from 1 to about 2:30 p.m. The farm is owned and operated by Haroun Hallack and Clarissa Mathews. Hallack served as an extension agent in Sierra Leone, West Africa, and has extensive training in sustainable agricultural technologies and green building. Mathews, who has a Ph.D. in entomology, is a former U.S. Department of Agriculture researcher who now teaches at Shepherd University’s Institute for Environmental Studies. For more information about the tour, email pvasmail@aol.com or call 304-676-3397.

AUG. 20

Morgan’s Grove Farm Market will be held at 10:30 a.m. at 3988 Kearneysville Pike, in Shepherdstown.

AUG. 28

UVILLA – All descendants of John Jacob Link and their families and friends are invited to attend the 59th Annual Link Reunion at 1 p.m. at St. James Luthern Parish Hall, 4.5 miles south of Shepherdstown. Please bring a dish for the potluck luncheon. Beverages and utensils will be provided. For more information, contact Sara Lee Bond at 304-724-7594 or saraleebond@frontiernet.net.

KEARNEYSVILLE – Enjoy an 18th Century dinner in the barn of the historic 1751 Burr House, beginning at 6 p.m. Following period cookbooks and menus, the bill of fare will include a salad, roasted chickens with claret and apple sauce, apple pie, potatoes, cymlings, and a tansy or fool. Dessert to follow will comprise of seasonal fruits and nuts, as was customary. Please bring your own place settings. After dinner, enjoy family entertainments of period music and dancing, in which all may join in.