The old X-ray machine at the St. Mary’s County Courthouse was becoming obsolete and harder to repair, but the purchase of a new one with federal funds meant a step forward for another courthouse north of the Mason-Dixon Line.

“It was getting hard to find parts,” sheriff’s Sgt. Julian Schwab said this week, adding that the agency offered the old machine to every other sheriff’s office in Maryland. Only one in the western end of the state responded, and ultimately rejected the offer.

The new home for the old machine resulted from a “collaboration” involving the AutoClear corporation, the sheriff’s office, its counterpart in Fayette County, Pa., and St. Mary’s Department of Emergency Services and Technology, according to Gerald Gardiner, the department’s emergency management manager.

“We purchased the new one with homeland security funds,” Gardiner said this week at his office in Leonardtown. “Part of the deal, because [the old unit] was a radiation source, was that the company was going to take that one back. The sheriff’s department talked to the people in Pennsylvania, so we put them in touch with the manufacturer. They ended up giving it to them.”

The Fayette County sheriff and a commissioner told a reporter with TribLIVE.com that St. Mary’s 2004 machine was a free upgrade for them, hammered out in about 30 minutes of phone calls, and that the machine will speed up the process of screening people entering their courthouse, especially during “court week.”

It could mean a sort of semi-retirement for the machine that stood just inside the front door of the courthouse in Leonardtown, revealing the contents of purses, briefcases and other toteable items people bring with them into its four courtrooms, which generally host dockets on all five days, every week.

Schwab said the new machine brings St. Mary’s to the present era in security. “The technology is getting better every day,” he said.

Eat steak, shrimp today in Avenue

American Legion Post 221 in Avenue will hold its monthly steak and shrimp dinner from 5 to 8 p.m. today, Friday, featuring New York strip steak, steamed shrimp and burgers. Platters and sandwiches both will be available, for eat-in or carryout service. For more information, call Everett Cooper at 301-769-4346.

Church to join worldwide simulcast

Hughesville Baptist Church will be having a “Men of Honor” simulcast at 7 p.m. today, Friday, joining Sherwood Baptist Church parishioners and other viewers around the world for a time of worship. The church is located at 8505 Old Leonardtown Road in Hughesville. For more information, call 301-884-8645 or 301-274-3672 or go online to www.hughesvillebaptist.com.

Saturday racing means slow going on highway

Maryland State Police remind St. Mary’s motorists that this weekend’s 2012 AMA Pro National Championship in Budds Creek will include a main event at 1 p.m. this Saturday, June 16, traditionally drawing large crowds from surrounding areas.

Motorists are advised to avoid the area of Route 234 in Budds Creek if at all possible on Saturday during the early morning and late afternoon. Motorists are advised to use alternate local routes to avoid the congestion in that area.

Treat Dad on Sunday to Summerseat

Celebrate Father’s Day this Sunday, June 17, by taking dad to Summerseat Farm off Route 235 north of Hollywood for an afternoon of food, drink and live music.

Proceeds will benefit Summerseat, a nonprofit organization featuring a herd of American buffalo, as well as a diverse selection heritage farm animals, on 120 acres of historic farmland dating back to the late 17th century. For more information or to purchase tickets, go online to www.summerseat.org.

Mobile Career Center visits start next week

St. Mary’s County Library has scheduled the Southern Maryland JobSource Mobile Career Center to visit the Lexington Park library on June 18, July 18 and Aug. 21; the Charlotte Hall library on June 19, July 19 and Aug. 22; and the Leonardtown library on June 20, July 20 and Aug. 23.

This mobile career center offers employment, reemployment and employer’s services to people searching for jobs or having other workforce-related needs. The library has a job search center with resources to assist job seekers in each branch. Library staff members are available to assist, and each branch has public computers, scanners and other software. For people who need to improve or learn new computer skills, the library offers free computer classes, one-on-one instruction and online tutorials.

For more information about the mobile career center, call Southern Maryland JobSource at 301-880-2800. Information about St. Mary’s County Library can be found online at www.stmalib.org or by calling 301-475-2846.

Enjoy fitness classes in Mechanicsville

The Mechanicsville Volunteer Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary is sponsoring Zumba Fitness Classes, a fun and energetic aerobic workout routine with a Latin-inspired atmosphere presented at 7 p.m. each Wednesday at the Mechanicsville firehouse’s social hall.

For more information, send email to meghannet@yahoo.com or theredding6@gmail.com.

Sing a song June 22 in Chaptico

The Southern Maryland Traditional Music and Dance HomeSpun Coffee House will sponsor an open mic at 7 p.m. on Friday, June 22, at Christ Episcopal Church’s parish hall on Zach Fowler Road in Chaptico. Light refreshments will be provided.

For more information or to sign up to perform, send email to carthagena@wildblue.net or call 301-904-4987.

Sign up for cover crop program

Maryland’s Watershed Implementation Plan to protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay includes about $18 million for the Maryland Department of Agriculture’s 2012-2013 Cover Crop Program, providing grants to farmers who plant cover crops in their fields in the fall to conserve nutrients, reduce soil erosion and protect water quality in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.

Farmers may sign up for this year’s cover crop program by visiting their local soil conservation district office between June 21 and July 16. In St. Mary’s, farmers can go to the Soil Conservation District office at 26737 Radio Station Way in Leonardtown.

For more information, call 301-475-8402, ext. 3.

Dance at Christmas in April benefit

A dinner-dance to be held from 7 to 11 p.m. on Friday, June 29, at the St. Mary’s County fairgrounds south of Leonardtown will benefit Christmas in April and feature music by Roadhouse.

For more information or to purchase tickets, call Bev Wood at 301-481-4335 or Anne Marum at 301-862-1666.

Sotterley plans July 1 holiday concert

Sotterley Plantation in Hollywood will get an early start to celebrating the United States’ birthday by hosting its annual Independence Day Celebration Concert from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, July 1, featuring the Chesapeake Orchestra Brass Quintet led by Maestro Jeffrey Silberschlag of St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

Anyone with a military ID and their families are invited to attend the event free of charge. General admission will be $10 per vehicle.

For more information on Sotterley Plantation events, go online to www.sotterley.org.

Check out farmers market guide

The 2012 So. Maryland, So Good Farmers Market Guide lists 29 Southern Maryland farmers markets located in Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, Prince George’s and St. Mary’s counties, and other markets in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area and Virginia that feature Southern Maryland farm vendors.

The free guide contains market hours of operation, directions, contact details and a harvesting chart. Also listed are market websites that often feature information on farm vendors, produce updates and great recipe ideas.

Many farmers market vendors are now authorized to accept FMNP (WIC and Senior) and FVC coupons and some accept SNAP for fresh fruits and vegetables. For details on how and where to access the benefit programs in Southern Maryland, go online to the website of the Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission at www.smadc.com.

A related effort by the commission is the upcoming statewide Buy Local Challenge Week, to be held July 21-29, which calls on all Marylanders to pledge to include local products such as produce, eggs, meat, fruit and wine in their meals for one week. Go online to www.buy-local-challenge.com for details on how to take the pledge and to find information about this year's “Take the Challenge with Friends” competition.

The Farmers Market Guide is available while stocks last at Southern Maryland farmers markets and regional public libraries, or call 301-274-1922 for a list of pick-up sites. The guide also can be viewed or downloaded at www.somarylandsogood.com, or www.smadc.com.

County launches new tourism website

St. Mary’s County’s Division of Tourism has launched a new website at www.visitstmarysmd.com with a marketing message of “Real People. Real Places. Real Close.” and many new features, such as an interactive map, trip planner and searchable events calendar.

The site also offers continuously updated listings of county restaurants, accommodations, shops, events and attractions. Local tourism and hospitality businesses and attractions are invited to provide and update their own listings through an interactive feature on the website. Tourism partners can edit their businesses’ information, which allows them to add content, photos, events and special deals.

The new travel and tourism site is being publicized with an online campaign and sweepstakes in Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Annapolis to promote weekend travel to St. Mary’s.

For more information, contact Rebecca Lira, St. Mary’s tourism coordinator, at rebecca.lira@stmarysmd.com or by phone at 301-4754200, ext. 1404.

Sotterley introduces audio tours

Sotterley Plantation in Hollywood now offers audio tours to visitors as a new and engaging way to experience the history of the site.

The audio tours are based on a new interpretive tour launched in 2011. The 1703 Plantation House Audio Tour is available on Fridays only, with interpreter-led guided tours on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. A self-guided audio tour of Sotterley’s grounds is available every day, except Mondays. There will be no additional fees for the new tour options.

Additionally, a new 15-minute introductory video can be viewed at the Visitor Center, which sets the stage for the many visitors who come to hear more about Sotterley and its 300-year history.

For more information, call 301-373-2280.

Nature Time camps start July 10

Greenwell State Park in Hollywood will host two sessions of Nature Time Camp this summer, running four hours a day, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., on July 10, 11 and 12 and again on July 31, Aug. 1 and 2.

Nature Time Camp is based at Greenwell's air-conditioned Nature Center. From there, campers will embark on outdoor adventures and discover their natural world through games, crafts, short hikes and exploration.

Each session is limited to 10 campers age 4 years old, at the time camp begins, and 5 years old, who have not yet attended kindergarten.

Nature Time Camp will introduce children to summer camp, through a shorter day and a shorter week than Greenwell's traditional camp offerings. And with only 10 children per session, each child will have lots of hands-on opportunities to make new friends, interact with nature and their environment, and receive focused attention from the Nature Time Camp counselors.

For more information and to register for Nature Time Camp, visit www.greenwellfoundation.org.

Sotterley 1812 talks continue July 14

Sotterley Plantation in Hollywood will present its second War of 1812 Living History event, titled “The Choice,” at 11 a.m., noon, 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 14, to tell of the war with Great Britain that brought hardship to the plantation but a chance at freedom for the enslaved. The event is free to the public, but space is limited. Advance reservations can be made by calling 301-373-2280.

Apply by July 15 to be park coordinator

The Greenwell Foundation at Greenwell State Park in Hollywood is seeking a Volunteer Maryland Coordinator to organize the volunteers that help with inclusive and accessible programs at Greenwell, including the Therapeutic Riding Program, a summer camp, nature programs and beautification projects.

The 11-month commitment as a member of AmeriCorps begins in September and includes extensive training, a modest living allowance and a post-service education award. The application deadline is July 15.

For more information and an application, go online to www.greenwellfoundation.org or call 301-373-9775.

Conservation film to air July 27 at Sotterley

“A Place in the Land,” an award-winning film presented by Grace Guggenheim and Flo Stone, will be presented as part of the 2012 Speaker Series at Sotterley Plantation at 7 p.m. on Friday, July 27, in the historic barn at the Hollywood landmark.

A Place in the Land is the story of George Perkins Marsh, Frederick Billings, and Laurance S. Rockefeller, three seminal figures in the history of the conservation movement in America. For more information, call 301-373-2280 or 800-681-0850.

jwharton@somdnews.com