Frostburg State University will host Focus Frostburg, a day-long teach-in about sustainability and the environment, on Wednesday, April 17, from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the Lane University Center. Twenty 50-minute information sessions on a wide range of topics will be held, and many student-produced poster presentations will be showcased. All events are free and open to the public. The full program is now available here. 

Focus Frostburg is part of FSU’s Learning Green, Living Green initiative, which “engages students, faculty, staff and community members to develop and coordinate programs and projects that create sustainable solutions to environmental, social and economic needs.”

Several of the information sessions are of interest to anyone concerned with his or her impact on the environment. “Contemplating Sustainability,” presented by Morning Klein, general assistant in FSU’s Department of Physics and Engineering, will encourage participants to consider what it means to live a sustainable lifestyle. “Engage! Helping Student Organizations Understand and Facilitate Sustainable Actions,” presented by Victoria Snyder, assistant director of the FSU Diversity Center, will teach professors, students and advisors how to promote sustainability efforts among Millennials. FSU Physics and Engineering professor Dr. Bob Doyle will present “Fifty Years Ahead: Economic Growth, Sustainability or Austerity?” This presentation will examine the environmental and economic impacts of our society’s consumption of fossil fuels and rare metals.

Fracking, the controversial method of natural gas drilling that could affect Frostburg-area residents, will be the focus of two back-to-back presentations in the Atkinson room (232) of the Lane Center. Environmental Science students from Mountain Ridge High School will present “Fracking: Pros, Cons, Uncertainty and Protecting the Safety of Frostburg’s Drinking Water.” Then, Shilpa Joshi from the Chesapeake Climate Action Network will present “Fracking in Western Maryland: What We Deserve to Know” about the potential dangers of fracking.

As the first part of a double session, Dr. Sunshine Brosi and students from FSU’s Ethnobotany program will give two presentations. The first will be on urban forestry and the service learning projects available as a result of FSU’s recent designation as a Tree Campus USA. The second will be on FSU’s online herbarium, which provides students, faculty and the greater community with access to information about local plant species.

In addition to presentations, hands-on activities will be provided. For the second part of the double session, Brosi and Ethnobotany students will distribute pamphlets about ten plants found in the FSU arboretum and their uses in beverage making. Then, weather permitting, they will facilitate a series of plant walks, workshops and sharing of skills on beverage-making techniques, including the making of cider, root beer and sun teas. Later, students, faculty and members of the community can meet with the Student Sierra Club at the Clock Tower to plant seeds in their own containers to grow edible plants. 

At 5:00 p.m., a ceremony at the Clock Tower will mark FSU’s formal designation as a Tree Campus USA, with a tree-planting to follow.

As part of “One Vision, Many Voices,” AppIndie.org’s year-long Appalachian community project, students from Beall Elementary, accompanied by Terry Leonino and Greg Artzner of the folk due Magpie, will unveil a community-made quilt and perform a folk song at 7:00 p.m. in the Alice R. Manicur Assembly Hall of the Lane Center. Leonino and Artzner are internationally recognized folk musicians who have dedicated much of their time, energy and music to environmental causes. The program is made possible with support from the Maryland Humanities Council; Learning Green, Living Green; Allegany College of Maryland; and the FSU President’s Experiential Learning Enhancement Fund.

For more information and a full schedule, visit www.frostburg.edu/lglg or contact Dr. Kara Rogers Thomas at 301-687-3124, and follow the #FocusFrostburg hashtag on Twitter. Updates will also be made available on the LGLG Facebook page: facebook.com/frostburglglg.

Situated in the mountains of Allegany County, Frostburg State University is one of the 12 institutions of the University System of Maryland. FSU is a comprehensive, residential regional university and serves as an educational and cultural center for Western Maryland. For more information, visit www.frostburg.edu or facebook.com/frostburgstateuniversity. Follow FSU on Twitter @frostburgstate.

FSU is committed to making all of its programs, services and activities accessible to persons with disabilities. To request accommodations through the ADA Compliance Office, call 301-687-4102 or use a Voice Relay Operator at 1-800-735-2258.

From April 11-27, the Allegany Arts Council and the Allegany County Public School System are pleased to present the 9th Annual Allegany County Student Art Showcase. On display in the Saville Gallery, the exhibition will feature a sampling of student artwork (grades K-12) from across the county.

A special Opening Celebration for the exhibition, which is free and open to the entire community, will be held on Saturday, April 13, from 6-8PM. This celebration will be a kid-friendly reception to kick-off the exhibit in our gallery. It's going to be a great evening, with lots of fun activities planned, including door prizes, games, and arts-related giveaways from The Book Center, The General Art Store, Mr. Toad’s Pottery, and the FSU Dept. of Theatre & Dance. The Tri-State Community School for the Arts will be on hand with lots of fun, hands-on activities, and kids of all ages will enjoy free face painting and balloon animals by Jewel Balloons – Daffydil the Clown!

At 6:30p.m. that evening, our judges will present $300 in prizes to nine local student artists. A special thanks to PNC Bank for sponsoring this year's Allegany County Student Art Showcase!

During the reception and the remainder of the exhibition, there will be an information table for students and their parents about some of the many great arts-related activities for children in our area.

The Saville Gallery is located at 9 N. Centre Street in Downtown Cumberland. For additional information about exhibitions in the Allegany Arts Council's Saville Gallery, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or call 301-777-ARTS (2787).

The Frostburg State University Cultural Events Series 2012-13 performing arts season will draw to a close with the magic of Broadway when “Three Phantoms in Concert” is performed on Friday, April 26, at 8:00 p.m. in the Pealer Recital Hall of FSU’s Performing Arts Center.

Gary Mauer, Craig Schulman and Ciarán Sheehan, three Broadway stars who have performed the coveted title role in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s powerful musical, “The Phantom of the Opera,” will present solos, duets and trios from the male repertoire of American musical theatre. In addition to songs from “Phantom,” they will share selections from such Broadway hits as “Les Misérables,” “Guys and Dolls, “Man of La Mancha,” “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “West Side Story” and “Kiss Me Kate.”

For more information, contact the Cultural Events Series box office at 301-687-3137 or visit CES’ webpage at ces.frostburg.edu.

The Cultural Events Series is sponsored in part by the Allegany Arts Council with funds from the Maryland State Arts Council, and is supported by a grant from MSAC, an agency dedicated to cultivating a vibrant cultural community where the arts thrive. An agency of the Department of Business and Economic Development, MSAC provides financial support and technical assistance to nonprofit organizations, units of government, colleges and universities for arts activities.

Situated in the mountains of Allegany County, Frostburg State University is one of the 12 institutions of the University System of Maryland. FSU is a comprehensive, residential regional university and serves as an educational and cultural center for Western Maryland. For more information, visit www.frostburg.edu or facebook.com/frostburgstateuniversity. Follow FSU on Twitter @frostburgstate.

FSU is committed to making all of its programs, services and activities accessible to persons with disabilities. To request accommodations through the ADA Compliance Office, call 301-687-4102 or use a Voice Relay Operator at 1-800-735-2258.