A Cumberland, MD man caught a new Maryland freshwater state record brown trout March 1 while fishing the Barnum area of the North Branch of the Potomac River.

Edward J. Martin, a 23-year-old angler, caught a huge 13-pound, 7.5-ounce brown trout. Martin is the first angler to set a state record in 2001.

Martin battled the 30.5-inch fish for about half an hour, while his dad, David G. Martin, (who, coincidentally, caught the state record 7-pound, 9-ounce cutthroat trout in May 2000), watched.

The brown trout took a Rapala plug on 6-pound test. Martin found the lure the day before catching the record fish.

Martin’s brown trout was weighed at an official citation center, which measured the fish at 30.5 inches with a 16-inch girth.

Reservations are being taken now for the 40th Annual West Virginia Wildflower Pilgrimage, to be held May 10-13, 2001, at Blackwater Falls State Park near Davis, West Virginia. Lodging is available at Blackwater Falls or at nearby Canaan Valley State Park.

Each year approximately 300 people attend this event. Professional and amateur botanists and bird watchers are among those who attend from some 13 states. Specialists will be on hand from West Virginia University, West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, West Virginia Garden Club Inc., and various colleges. Participants can choose from up to 10 different tours each day of the Pilgrimage. Entertainment will be provided during the evenings. The West Virginia Wildlife Pilgrimage is sponsored by the WVDNR and the WV Garden Club Inc.

The package price (which has variations depending upon each participant’s needs) includes up to three nights stay in the lodge, Saturday evening meal, and registration fees. Box lunches are required for all tours, and can be purchased for $4.75 each. Call Vickie Hash of the Environmental Resources Section of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources at (304) 558-3370 for registration and lodging information.

Sample award-winning West Virginia wines, micro-brewed beer, smoked trout, Shiitake mushrooms, honey and maple products, gourmet chocolate and much, much more at Uniquely West Virginia Eighth Annual Wine and Food Festival. The event will be held Saturday, April 21 from 11 am to 5 pm and Sunday, April 22 from 12:30 to 4 pm at the Ice House in Berkeley Springs, WV.

The festival is the centerpiece of Uniquely West Virginia: A Celebration of Wine & Food, Friday through Sunday, April 20th through 22nd, featuring countywide specials all weekend.

Businesses throughout Morgan County join in the Uniquely West Virginia celebration with special sales and events. A Celebration Guide gives all the details on food specials, entertainment, and sales.

Admission is $1 at the Ice House, corner of Independence and Mercer Streets. For more information and a Celebration Guide, call 800-447-8797 or 304-258-9147 or check out their website: www.berkeleysprings.com

Bicycle maker Cannondale has announced the details of its “Homecoming Weekend,” a three-day gathering of cyclists to celebrate the company’s 30th anniversary. The Homecoming, which is open to Cannondale owners and non-owners alike, will be held June 1 - 3, 2001 at the Seven Springs Resort in Champion, PA. Seven Springs is an hour west of Cannondale’s factory in Bedford, PA.

The Homecoming weekend will be filled with great road and mountain bike riding, tours of the Cannondale bike factory, a tech expo, door prizes, music, and lots of other great activities. Cannondale-sponsored athletes will be on-hand throughout the weekend.

The price to attend the Homecoming is $389 per person and includes two nights lodging and five meals - dinner Friday night, breakfast, box lunch and dinner on Saturday, and Sunday morning breakfast, with free beer and wine at both dinners. Also included in the price are guided mountain bike rides, sag-supported road rides, an official Homecoming t-shirt, and tours of Cannondale’s bicycle manufacturing plant. (Motorcoach transportation to and from the factory is provided.)

For more information, call Cannondale at 1-800-BIKE USA.