by Deb Abraham Spalding The McAfee family (pronounced Mack-a-Fee), originally from the Island of Bute, Scotland, planted roots in Frederick County, Maryland, around 1774 from Franklin County, Pennsylvania, staking a homestead on land that is now known as Cunningham Falls. Daniel McAfee was the original settler of this land, and transferred the ownership to his…

James Rada, Jr McKenzie Forrest of Thurmont is only ten years old, but she is a veteran at showing animals. This was her second year showing rabbits at the Thurmont & Emmitsburg Community Show. “I like rabbits because they’re nice and you get to hold them,” grinned McKenzie. She also likes the competition of preparing…

Denny Black Pouring fresh, chilled milk from a disposable container that was conveniently purchased at a grocery store is something that all of us take for granted these days. Few people remain who remember the time when small local dairies delivered bottled milk to our doorstep. This is a short article about the dairies that…

September 2017 by James Rada, Jr. Emmitsburg Creamery Road to be Closed for VHC Spring Fling Anticipating that the Vigilant Hose Company and Emmitsburg Ambulance Company will be combined by the end of this year, next year’s Spring Fling for Vigilant Hose Company will be held at the ambulance company building on Creamery Road. In…

Thurmont Mayor John Kinnaird October brings a lot of activity to Thurmont! The month of October is Breast Cancer awareness month, and Thurmont is participating with our Annual Gateway to the Cure Fundraiser. During the entire month, residents are encouraged to burn pink light bulbs in their porch lights to show support for this effort.…

Deb Abraham Spalding Sharon Edmondson (pictured right) became a certified hypnotherapist in 2001. Around that time, while visiting Dr. John Hagemann at the Center of Life Chiropractic Center, he shared his vision of The Center of Life Holistic Center that has since come to be. Sharon’s hypnotherapy office is now open in the Holistic Center,…

Deb Abraham Spalding Hoping to get some relief from a pain or injury? What about improving your cardiovascular health and reducing stress and anxiety? Maybe a good night’s rest is what you are trying to find. Floating is an increasingly popular form of therapy that can help. And, it’s much more exciting than going to…

Thomas K. Lo, a doctor of Chiropractic, has just returned from completing the most advanced nutritional training module in Nutrition Response Testing®. Nutrition Response Testing®, used by thousands of health practitioners of all types and specialties across the United States, helps osteopaths, medical doctors, chiropractors, acupuncturists, and veterinarians to help their patients safely and naturally…

Deb Abraham Spalding Sandy Willis has teamed up with Emmitsburg Family Barbershop’s owner Jaime Andrew to provide a full menu of spa services in Emmitsburg. Jaime has been in business for twenty years in Emmitsburg as a master barber and recently renovated additional shop space to expand services. The Emmitsburg Family Barbershop and Day Spa…

James Rada, Jr. It’s getting harder and harder to stop and smell the roses, as local florists seem to be disappearing. However, a new florist opened earlier this year in Thurmont, providing floral arrangements for all occasions. Karen Myers (pictured right), owner of The Wedding Bouquet, said, “Like our name says, we primarily do wedding…

James Rada, Jr. Jim Wisotzskey considers himself the luckiest guy in the world. He is ninety-three years old and is still going strong. He has lived in Thurmont all of his life, except for a few years in the 1940s during World War II. He survived the war, barely missing several times when he could…

Mike Jensen of Mike’s Autobody in Thurmont hosted the Spirit Ride at the Guardian Hose Company’s carnival grounds on Saturday, September 6, 2017. The Spirit Ride ceremony paid tribute to first responder men and women who have lost their lives while assisting motorists along the highway. Whether they be police, emergency, fire, tow responders, highway…

Local Artist Yemi Fagbohn announced in spring 2017 that he would be completing the mural project on Main Street, on the former electric building, after the Thurmont Commissioners approved the project to proceed. The current Main Street murals depict Thurmont’s historical buildings, natural resources, and trolley history, which were completed in collaboration with the Thurmont…

James Rada, Jr. The Emmitsburg commissioners approved some changes to the town’s zoning ordinance that affect where churches can be built in the future, after changing references of churches in the zoning ordinance to “places of worship.” This term is more inclusive and would not allow someone to say that a mosque or a synagogue…

A special service will be dedicated to the life of Henry Harbaugh, D. D., a descendant of the founders of Harbaugh’s Valley. It will be held Sunday, October 22, 2017, at St. John’s UCC, located at 16907 Sabillasville Road in Sabillasville, at 11:00 a.m. Service will be followed by a light lunch in the church…

The Frederick Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), will dedicate a historical marker to honor Harriet Chapel, following the 10:30 a.m. Sunday Worship Service on October 22, 2017, at 12625 Catoctin Furnace Road in Thurmont. Harriet Chapel is located on the edge of the Catoctin Furnace Historic District, which includes the structures…

Theresa Dardanell Congratulations to Catoctin High School (CHS) seniors, Edison Hatter, Casey Ecker, and Jude O’Donnell.  They won the first round in the Baltimore region It’s Academic competition against Eastern Tech and Franklin High Schools. The show was held on September 16, 2017, at the WJZ Studio in Baltimore, and will air on October 21…

The Emmitsburg High School’s 93rd Annual Alumni Banquet will be held on Saturday, October 21, 2017. All graduates of Emmitsburg High School, and all who attended the school at some time, are invited. They are asked to seek out classmates and encourage them to attend. Graduation is not a requirement. Teachers of the Emmitsburg School…

A New Chapter by Anita DiGregory It’s a beautiful Saturday morning here in the area I am blessed to call home. The sun is shining. The sound of my children playing in the distance is ringing in the air. But instead of enjoying the day out with the family, I am sitting at the kitchen…

by Lisa C. Cantwell Sam Tressler invited me to his home near Emmitsburg, recently, to share his collection of antique salesman’s samples. Tressler, an antique dealer who offers informal appraisals, exhibited several of these beautiful samples at a community event that I attended over a year ago. It was a thrill to finally see all…