As spring emerges in Frederick County, we are all heading outside to enjoy the lovely weather, a nice hike and maybe even enjoy some of the renowned outdoor dining.

“The king of instruments” is how Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart described the pipe organ. Standing beneath the nearly complete organ at Calvary United Methodist Church, with many of its nearly 3,000 pipes climbing two stories above the pulpit, it is easy to see why the composer felt that way.

The music of KIX has been heard across the country and around the world. Even deep below. “When my husband was in the Navy and on a submarine, he had a Walkman and he took their cassettes with him,” says Chary Varkalis, a longtime fan. “So, KIX has been played at many leagues under the sea.”

Andy Bennett reaches into a pile of reed-thin plant stalks and fine fiber sitting on the floor in his barn. To the uninitiated, this could be straw or hay or many other plants grown on Frederick County farms. To the initiated, it is hemp.

The great designs of the world—from the sublime cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris to the bucolic Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece Fallingwater—are rarely based on cautious ideas. Architectural swagger still takes place today, perhaps in less-noticeable measures. 

As a youngster living in New Jersey, Eric Byrd recalls his father coming home from work, sitting with The Philadelphia Inquirer and listening to the records of Earl Gardner and other jazz greats.