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Frederick County's 2009 museum season clanged to life over the weekend with the celebration of Bell and History Days, two days of history, music, fun and focus on the county's western region.

Historical sites and municipalities countywide were enhanced by the sounds of pealing, dinging and jingling bells, as hundreds of tourists and residents took the time to appreciate and celebrate the region's myriad attractions.

One of the county's premier historical celebrations, this year's event, which kicks off the museum season on the first weekend in April every year, focused on the bells of transport, which have been audible across the Middletown Valley and onward to Washington County almost since the county's founding.

"This year a lot of the focus was on the ways bells have had a role in transportation history," said Elizabeth Scott Shatto, coordinator of the event's organizing group, the Frederick Historic Sites Consortium. "From mule bells, to the bells a covered wagon horse team would wear on Old National Road and railroad bells, this was especially [emphasized] because the focus was on the southwestern part of the county: Brunswick, Middletown, Point of Rocks. Those places just sort of suggest transportation, so that tied into the bell theme."

A family event, this year's Bell and History Days offered something for everyone, from old-fashioned trolley rides in Braddock Heights and a slew of museum open houses to Burkittsville walking tours led by costumed re-enactors and a 100-ringer handbell choir concert, which brought the weekend's festivities to a close Sunday evening at Frederick Community College.

Mary Dal-Favero and her ninth-grade son Josh enjoyed their second consecutive Bell and History Days weekend this year. The Thurmont residents had fond memories of touring a steeple on the campus of Mount St. Mary's University in Emmitsburg last year, so they made sure to participate again.

Because they are both members of handbell choirs at Graceham Moravian Church in Thurmont, the Dal-Faveros made especially sure to attend the handbell performance at Frederick Community College, which they called a great chance to hear ringers from across the county all playing together.

"I think we have a pretty rich role in history in Frederick County being that we have [fifth Chief Justice of the United States Roger Brooke] Taney, Barbara Fritchie's house and the Hessian Barracks," Mary said. "I think people are interested in Frederick County, there are a lot of historic sights you can see."

Tiffany and Brad Ahalt of Middletown also made sure not to miss the celebration, which Tiffany said highlights what makes Frederick County an attractive destination for tourists and history buffs. She also said she believes that the emphasis on bells gives the event a cohesive theme that ties the historical and educational aspects together.

"One of the things I like about the bells is that many of the churches in our communities have a lot of history: the people who made Frederick what it is probably worshipped in them. The bells in the church steeples tie it all together with the bells and the history," Tiffany said.

"… History is definitely one of the top reasons people come to visit here, and we preserve it so well. In our historic district in Frederick, but also in the communities like Middletown, there's a real effort to preserve the history and landscapes and the historical integrity."