For sake of a change in scenery our magazine decided to go to nearby Maryland and notably the mountains surrounding beautiful Cumberland City. Our choice was to take an excursion trip on the scenic Western Maryland Railroad.

The trip would take us from  the Western Maryland Train Station, located at 13 Canal Street in downtown Cumberland to the mountaintop town of Frostburg. Both of these cities border southern Pennsylvania to the north, and Cumberland also is host to part of the canal system that used to link Ohio with the Chesapeake Bay. This was one of the ‘water highways’ of early America, known as The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. It’s purpose was to create a route to transfer goods and supplies between the East Coast ports and the American frontier. A museum for the Canal system is on the lower level of the Cumberland Train Station. (more…)

  In the continuing series of ‘My Virginia’ my photographer son, Joseph O’Donnell IV, and I recently took a trip to Great Falls and Mather Gorge. The Great Falls Park is run by the National Park Service and is located in Northern Virginia along the Potomac River. The river itself is the borderline between Virginia and Maryland and it has been a National attraction since the our country was first founded. The gorge was named after Stephen T. Mather, the first National Park Service director.

There is a canal running along it that was set up by the Patowmack Company in 1784 which constructed a series of five canals to make the river navigable as a water route between the Chesapeake Bay and the interior of Virginia. It was overseen by George Washington who’s dream was to connect the East with the Ohio Valley and bind the country together in a framework of trade and mutual interest. (more…)

TAEM- The Arts and Entertainment Magazine has once again attended the annual poet Robert Burns Anniversary Dinner thrown by Fauquier Scottish Heritage Society of Warrenton, Virginia. We also linked this to the 35th Wedding anniversary of our publisher, Joseph J. O’Donnell, and his wife Maryann. We were joined by our daughter, Jennifer Baird, and her husband Matt and our granddaughter, Haven. The celebration was also extended to include our daughter’s 33rd Birthday ! (more…)

It is with great sadness that we must announce that our publication will be coming to an end. As advertising has not caught up to the costs of production we have come to the conclusion that we must close our doors. As the publisher I have only a small pension and a monthly Social Security check to survive on, and I feel that out-of-pocket expenses for the magazine is no longer viable.

There will be no void, however, because this gives me a chance to complete two other books that I am writing and I am deeply involved in oil painting. I also wish to travel and I am researching my family history (possibly for another book in the future) and I wish to visit Scotland, the home of my father. (more…)

The Arts and Entertainment Magazine has just been contacted by a very famous actress that we had interviewed some time ago. We had first met with her in Hollywood and followed up with an interview with Calista Carradine (click on to see article) for our January 1, 2011 issue. Her new film, Jade Trader, has received much attention in Hollywood and she sent us the following report and pictures:

When Gerry Pallay brought The Jade Trader to my attention, his wish was for Quentin Tarantino to direct it. He asked me to bring Quentin the script  since Quentin is tight with the Carradines’ (more…)