LaVale Civic Improvement Association, Inc.

LCIA Executive Committee Members, 2025 - Photo taken by: Tabitha Barbarito

Dear Neighbor,

Thank you for visiting the home page of the LaVale Civic Improvement Association. The purpose of this site is to assist in informing and uniting all LaVale residents. Here, you'll find community links, discussion boards, local information, and current activities.

Any and all comments are welcome.

All residents of LaVale are members of the LaVale Civic Improvement Association. Your ideas, talents, and participation will help to Build a Better Life in LaVale.

News / Announcements

Upcoming HRDC Mobile Senior Center – January 16^th

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Hello All,

The LaVale Civic Improvement Association (LCIA) serves as one of the community partners of the Human Resources Development Commission (HRDC). On Friday, January 16, 2026, HRDC will host its monthly Mobile Senior Activity Center in LaVale, MD at the Library.

HRDC also has local centers in Westernport, Georges Creek, Frostburg and Cumberland. Lots of activities, exercise classes, and meals are provided Monday-Friday. Please don't hesitate to contact 301-783-1710 or 301-783-1709 for additional information on either the mobile center, one of your local centers, or to reserve a lunch at the forthcoming mobile center, no later than 10am the day of the event.

Below are photos of the HRDC Mobile Senior Activity Center in LaVale on December 12, 2025:

Click to View Album

We hope you will be able to attend the upcoming HRDC Mobile Senior Activity Center in LaVale on Friday, January 16, 2026. Please find the details below.

Happy New Year,
LCIA Executive Team for 2026:
Wayne Foster, President
Brad Metzger, Vice President
Ellen Swan, Treasurer
Dan Rose, Webmaster
Antoinette Royster, Secretary

January 16, 2026 LaVale Mobile Senior Activity Center Informational Flyer

Projects and Activities in 2024

Notes of Appreciation

July 23, 2024 Letter of Appreciation from Allegany County Library Board of Trustees

August 10, 2024 Letter of Appreciation from Allegany High School Softball Team

LaVale Volunteers Pay Tribute to Tina Midgarden
Oct. 26, 2023

LCIA Executive Committee Members, March 2023 - Photo By Antoinette Royster

It is with great sadness that we learned of the passing of Tina Jo Midgarden on Monday, Oct. 9, at the age of 73. Tina was born in Cumberland on Dec. 27, 1949, to the late James E. Midgarden and Helen M. Midgarden. She was the oldest of their five children. After graduating from Olympus High School, she attended the University of Utah, in Salt Lake City, Utah, where she earned her degree in elementary education in 1971.

Upon moving from Salt Lake City to LaVale, Tina worked at and helped to open the JoAnn Fabrics store in LaVale Plaza. She also began teaching at various schools in our Appalachia Mountains region. Tina and Paul "Pete" Rose focused on her love of handmade crafts, and they opened the Magnolia Rustique Craft Shop in Cumberland.

In January and September 1996, Tina started attending meetings about the damaging floods that were happening in LaVale. By 2005, the Braddock Run Watershed Association had formed, with Tina as a charter member. After her retirement in 2015 from Hunter Douglas, Tina also began attending the meetings of the LaVale Civic Improvement Association prior to the two organizations merging their meetings. Then, in 2019, she along with several other volunteers accepted a position on the civic association board to provide leadership and rejuvenate the association as other long-serving officers retired. Tina served as secretary from May 2019 and remained an active member of both associations until her death.

Always a willing volunteer, Tina took part in work groups helping to clean up the LaVale parks, sweep the sidewalks, weed the gardens and pick up litter along the LaVale streetscape. Her creativity with handcrafts for holidays was superb. Not only were her decorations amazing in her office while working at Hunter Douglas, but her home as well. Halloween was Tina's favorite holiday. For many years, with the help of her loving son – Daniel Rose – she would always set up a complex "haunted porch" to delight the neighborhood trick-or-treaters at her home in LaVale.

Tina loved and cared very much about LaVale. It was her fond wish that more residents, especially the young families, would willingly take part in the future of LaVale to continue to move the community in a strong positive direction. We've lost a great friend and champion of LaVale. Thank you, Tina, for your dedication, hard work and caring. Rest in peace!

LaVale Civic Improvement Association

Web Site Overview
For a short introduction to the LaVale Civic Association follow the *About* link on the left. *Projects* leads to links for Accomplishments, Ongoing Responsibilities, and Current Activities . A quick view of meeting places and dates can be found through the *Calendar.* Please, feel free to use the *Contact* page to make comments or suggestions. The *Links* page is intended to be a comprehensive resource listing all LaVale organizations. The *Solutions* page is intended to assist us in identifying persistent problems and possible solutions. The *Images* page is intended to display the beauty of our community. Captions still need to be written and any assistance would be appreciated. To subscribe to our mailing list, email lcia21502@gmail.com with the word Subscribe in the subject area Cordially, The LaVale Civic Improvement Association

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