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Laura Grimes-Hartley of Woodsboro has been named to the Kids' Chance of Maryland board of directors.

Kids' Chance is a nonprofit foundation that gives scholarships to children whose parents have been injured or killed in workplace incidents.

Grimes-Hartley is the mother of two children who have received scholarships from the organization in the past, making her the first parent of a recipient to serve on the board, according to Nancy Kellar, the program's executive director. "She offers a unique perspective to the board," she said.

"I hope to be able to bring a parent's point of view," said Grimes-Hartley, who lost her husband to a construction site accident in 1998.

"I also would like to be more involved with mentoring fellow parents as they traverse through the aftermath of their crisis," she said. "I just want to be there for other people who may not have as much support as I had." She also hopes to promote the foundation amongst local businesses and encourage them to become sponsors.

Grimes-Hartley said that after her family crisis, she felt that "cards were dealt that weren't easy to understand at the time." But, "it's what you do with them when it's over, that's what counts," she said. "That's what makes the world a better place."

DAR sponsors historical essay contest

The first transcontinental railroad was completed with a golden spike on May 10, 1869. Now, any student in grades five through eight can write an essay about the railroad for a chance to win a monetary prize from the Frederick Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR).

The essay should be written from the point of view of a settler who plans to use the train to get to his or her new home in the West, a Native American whose lifestyle was drastically changed because of the railroad or an Irish or Chinese immigrant worker who helped build the railroad. The pieces will be judged based on accuracy, relevance to topic, organization, interest, originality, spelling, grammar, punctuation and neatness. Entries are due by Dec. 4.

The chapter will also sponsor and judge the Christopher Columbus essay contest, which is open to students in grades nine through 12. It will be judged based on the same criteria and is also due on Dec. 4. The essay should "discuss and analyze the early influences and experiences of Christopher Columbus and how these contributed to successes and failures in his voyages of exploration."

Contact Mary Lee Schumeyer at 301-696-1191 or theschumeyers@ comcast.net for more information on how to submit an essay or for more specific rules and regulations. The authors of the winning essays will receive a monetary prize and medal and will automatically move on to a regional essay competition, Schumeyer said.

Lutheran Church hosts

first Reformation Fair

The Peace In Christ Lutheran Church in Walkersville will hold its first Reformation Fair from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.

Halloween is significant to the church, the Rev. Joseph Eggleston said, because Martin Luther nailed his "95 Theses" to a church door in Wittenberg, Germany on Oct. 31, 1517. The document explained Luther's discontent with some practices of the Roman Catholic Church and is known as the spark that created the Protestant branch of Christianity, Eggleston said.

"It's very much like a renaissance fair," he said of the event. "It's kind of like going into a little village 500 years ago." All fair workers will be in costume but some will even be in character as 16th century religious figures.

He said the fair will also feature a wheelbarrow joust, a "dunk the monk" tank, a javelin throw, a craft table, a play about 16th century religious history and traditional German foods.

Admission for the event is free, but some games with prizes and food are not. Still, there is "plenty to do for free," Eggleston said.

For more information on the Reformation Fair, visit www.reformationfair.org or call 301-845-6300.

Mother Seton School hosts memorial Mass

The Mother Seton School in Emmitsburg will host its All Souls Memorial Mass starting at 10 a.m., Tuesday, in the school's gymnasium. Names of the dead will be read and remembered through prayer, according to the school's Web site.

The Rev. Martin Field from St. Joseph's in Taneytown will be officiating. Anyone can attend the ceremony. For more information call 301-447-3161 or visit www.mothersetonschool.org.

Halloween in the Park moved to Saturday

Thurmont's annual Halloween in the Park was postponed due to a poor weather forecast last weekend and will now begin at 6 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 31. According to coordinator Wayne Hooper, this year's festivities will include a magician, games, treats and completely new haunted hay ride that will be "quite interesting."

Participants are asked to bring one nonperishable food item each, which will be sent to a local food bank. Cash donations will also be accepted at the door.

Faith Striders' masquerade ball supports breast cancer cause

A Frederick County-based faith-based awareness group will hold a masquerade ball in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and invites the public to come out in costume Halloween night to "unveil their masks for a cure."

The Faith Striders, a group of women who have been working for three years on education and research for curing breast cancer and other forms of illness, will host its 3rd annual "A Toast for the Cure" event Saturday at the American Legion, 1450 Taney Ave., Frederick.

The theme for this year's toast and the group's task is "Unveil the Mask for the Cure." Tickets are $15 per person; food, drinks and door prizes will be available.

Proceeds from the event will go to the Faith Striders' participation in the Avon Walk for the Cure event in Washington, D.C. in May 2010.

The group also has two new members who are breast cancer survivors, which adds to the group's inspiration, she said.

"Just having survivors with us, it inspires us even more to do more for our community, more for your friends, more for our families," Spencer said.

For more information on the Faith Striders, go to, www.faithstriders.com.

Send items for North County Notes to reporter Courtney Pomeroy at cpomeroy@gazette.net. Call 301-846-2127 for more information.