At least one group of Hagerstown High School alumni has swung with the Jubilee Days date change and will be present on Saturday.
HHS classes often hold reunions during Jubilee Days, which had been scheduled on the third weekend of August for decades. This year, new organizers moved the date forward to Aug. 2-3 so the festival would be over before school resumes.
One alumni group planning to attend is the 1999 baseball team. Kelly Bicknell, longtime assistant, said on Facebook, “The team was regional champs, had a record of 29-4 and one game away from playing for a state championship! We will have a float in the parade, then recognize the team at the alumni game, starting at 1 p.m.”
Most Jubilee Days activities will be in new locations on the north side of town. While there will be an increased role for live music from a beer garden, there will also be the traditional parade, a craft market and a kids zone.
And a surprise: Fireworks shows are planned Friday and Saturday nights, sponsored by the William O. Frazier American Legion Post 333. A viewing area will be in Miller Park at Plum and College streets, according to Jeremy Jennings, Jubilee organizer.
Jennings is working with a group of friends and other volunteers. The Town of Hagerstown is also involved and will provide electricity and other necessary services, said Allan Bullock, town council president. The town has received state permission to close Main Street for the Saturday morning parade, he said.
Michelle Huntington, craft market organizer, said it will include homemade items, woodworking, fall décor, wreaths, antiques and repurposed items. Market spaces will be along North Perry Street.
Freedomforge Woodworks will be represented at the market. That booth will feature unique and customizable precision woodworking and customizable hats. Another will be the Country Barn with garden decorations, primitive items, country décor and more.
A kids zone including games and a free BB gun shooting range run by Scouting America volunteers will extend west on College to the Hagerstown Public Library.
As in many past years, the first scheduled event will be the World Gyroscope Contest on Friday evening. Open to all comers with free gyroscopes provided by TEDCO toy company, practice starts at 6 p.m. in the Meeting Place, 11 E. Main St., with competition at 6:30. The aim is to see who can keep their gyroscope spinning the longest, with prizes by age level.
Also on Friday, a talent show is planned at 7 p.m. A glow party will start at 9 p.m.
On Saturday, the Jubilee Parade will start two hours later than in the past, at 11 a.m.
The music festival is planned Friday evening and Saturday starting at 1 p.m. in a beer garden outside of the Ron-De-Voo at Perry and College streets. The “Voobilee Festival” will feature live music. Bring seating.
Hagerstown man’s tale of canine suspects sells quickly
A Hagerstown man’s new book has set off howls of delight among local dog owners and will be sold during Jubilee Days.
Joe Klemann, a graphic artist known locally for his caricatures and quick wit, has written, illustrated and just published his first book, “The Hounds of Hagerstown.” In a few weeks, it’s sold more than 120 copies and Klemann will have more for the festival. He had figured on having plenty of leftover books to give away.
“I had no idea they would sell like this,” he said. “I am overjoyed and shocked at the same time.”
Set in a dog-populated Hagerstown of the 1920s, Klemann’s softcover book is a visual anthology featuring local dogs as suspects in the heist of a local treasure, The Golden Dog Bone. Each page includes Klemann’s hand-drawn picture of a real local dog and a tale of why it is considered a suspect.
Klemann developed the book as a response to his illness, a rare and slow-growing type of blood cancer that has limited what he can do. He is a longtime volunteer in community activities and worked for over 10 years at the Nettle Creek Gazette and Western Wayne News.
Looking for things to keep his mind off his illness, the idea for the story came to him last November. He put out a “casting call” for the characters on social media and got an enthusiastic response.
“It was an honor to draw and tell an imaginary tail tale about each one of these animals,” he said.
A version of this article appeared in the July 31 2024 print edition of the Western Wayne News.