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Planning on renting and watching any movies this weekend? Stop by Safeway in Middletown and pick up some popcorn from members of the town's Cub Scout Pack 476, who have begun, along with other scouts, the annual tradition of selling popcorn to fund various activities.

Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts are going door-to-door selling the snacks, and local scouting organizations keep about 70 percent of the proceeds from the fundraiser. Individual scouts also have the opportunity to win prizes and scholarships for their sales.

The funds go toward activities such as the Pinewood Derby and summer camps. For the second year scouts are taking orders for popcorn to be sent to U.S. troops serving overseas. It costs $25 to send the treats to troops.

For more information, visit www.OrderPopcorn.com.

Child protection program set for Saturday

At a free event on Saturday and Sunday, the Maryland Freemasons will be on hand to process children through the Freemasons' Child Identification Program (CHIP) program.

The event, solely funded by the Masonic Charities of the Grand Lodge of Maryland Freemasons through Brunswick Lodge No. 191, focuses on creating a file of information about a child to be used in case of an emergency.

The files consist of five major components: digital photographs, digital fingerprints, vital information and emergency contacts, a dental bite impression and two laminated ID cards, which can be carried in wallets.

"Combined, this five-part process provides a dramatic, time-sensitive recovery tool for authorities," according to a Freemasons' statement.

Interested parents are advised to gather pertinent information about their children such as medical and dental records, emergency contacts, allergies, medications, and work, cell and home phone numbers for parents.

According to the Maryland Child Identification Program (CHIP) Web site, program collects basic identification data for each child in a family and provides a permanent record on paper and on a CD. The CD also contains a video interview with your child which is helpful to law enforcement officials when searching for a lost child. The Freemasons collect the data, but do not retain any of the information.

"The printed information and CD are the sole property of parents or guardians. They alone make the decision to share it with law enforcement agencies should a child become lost," the Web site states.

The event will be held Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sunday from noon. to 3 p.m. at the American Legion building in Brunswick.

For more information, or to save time by filling out forms ahead of time, visit www.MDCHIP.org.

Middletown woman earns award

Longtime Middletown Lions Club membership committee chairman Janet Young recently received a 100 percent Membership Award from Lions District 22W for 2007-08.

The award recognizes Young for her dedication to the organization, and the fact that she has introduced many new members to the club.

She received the award for leading the club to achieve a 10 percent net gain in membership in a single year. Young's father, Grayson Main, was a charter member for the Middletown Lions Club when it began on March 16, 1931.

Students recognized

Three Middletown High School students achieved semifinalist status in the 2009 National Merit Scholarship Program, Frederick County Public Schools announced Sept. 22.

Their scores as juniors on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test placed them in the 99th percentile of students nationwide.

The students, Jonathan Blake, Alexis Kriete and Kathryn Woods, now each have the opportunity to continue to compete for one of 8,200 Merit Scholarship awards, worth a total $35 million, to be awarded next spring.

Winners will be awarded based on their academic performance, extracurricular accomplishments and potential success in rigorous college studies.

Contact reporter Connor Adams Sheets at 301-846-2130, e-mail csheets@gazette.net.