From the Mayor
Thurmont
Mayor John Kinnaird
Thurmont will be celebrating its 275th Anniversary this year, having first been settled in 1751 by families of Pennsylvania-German descent. The settlement grew into a successful community of small businesses dependent on Hunting Creek to power mills and machinery. The town was initially known as Mechanicstown due to the number of manufacturers. By the late 1800s, the town was renamed Thurmont, a name coined by Charles Cassell. Mr. Cassell said the name meant “Through the Mountains.”
In the December 14, 1922, edition of the Catoctin Clarion, the following poem, “Thurmont,” by Folger McKinsey, well-known as The Bentztown Bard, was published. McKinsey was a lifelong writer, poet, and storyteller. Early in his career, he was the Editor of the The Daily News and Weekly News of Frederick. It was during his time in Frederick that he adopted his pen name, “The Bentztown Bard.” McKinsey went on to write for The Baltimore Sun for 42 years.
“Thurmont lies at the foot of the hills. And its street runs into the mountain. And very near and the singing rills, And the foam of a forest fountain; And the old homes stand in such friendly guise, As if to welcome you in, From the world of struggle and strife and lies, And hatred, evil and sin.
All day long the seasons flow, And the peaks and ridges beyond it, Are telling of dreams that come and go, The orchards that softly frond it, Are telling of dreams that come and go, And the lovely park in it’s quiet peace, Brings back as fine a story, Of the lads that served for the great increase, Of freedom and glory.
Thurmont stands with its back to the blue, Of the hills, and looks away, To the vales that lie in the frost and dew, And the mists of the autumn gray; And wandering spirits of fancy dwell, In the nooks and the lovely hollows, And ever the kiss of the mountain spell, The way of the wanderer follows.
Thurmont, high on the hoary knob, And yet so nestled down, In the tender arms of the mystic hills, That dream of the mountain town; As I shall dream, as I go my way, Remembering, aye, so long, How the autumn sun shone yesterday, On its peace and beauty and song!”
Over the years, Thurmont has had several historians, each of whom has researched and written chapters of our community history. I hope to highlight some of our history here over the next year.
Karen and I hope everyone enjoys the wonderful month of March!
As always, I can be reached via email at jkinnaird@thurmont.com and by phone at 301-606-9458.
Emmitsburg
Mayor Frank Davis
I want to start by thanking our citizens for their cooperation and teamwork during the recent snow event. This was a tough storm, with the layer of ice we received on top of eight inches of snow. This was a good reminder for us to keep in mind that not every storm is the same. Snow removal was difficult, time-consuming, and created challenges. Our maintenance staff has developed an updated plan that can be implemented as needed and will bring in additional resources as conditions warrant. Together, we will continue to bring the least amount of disruption to your everyday life and, at the same time, keep roadways open for emergency services.
Beginning on March 24, in collaboration with the Emmitsburg Library, we will be hosting four sessions of “Straight Talk with Mayor Davis.” The event will be held on the fourth Tuesday of March through June, starting at 7:00 p.m. at the Emmitsburg Library. Each month, we will spend 10-15 minutes talking about a specific topic. Then, the floor will be open for questions from you. I look forward to meeting with you to hear your concerns and answer your questions.
I don’t want to disappoint you, so let’s talk water. Every billing cycle, we have over 150 customers who are late paying their utility bill. I am asking for suggestions on how we can help people pay on time. Late payments not only put a burden on our customers, but staff spend hours recalculating and sending late notices. I know I’m opening myself up to criticism and wisecrack answers, but I just want to help. Please email your ideas and suggestions MayorDavis@EmmitsburgMD.Gov.
It is several months away, but please mark October 17 on your calendar. We will be holding our first “Fall Fest” in the E. Eugene Myers Community Park. More details will be coming soon, so save the date.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, or just want to chat, please give me a call.
Woodsboro
Burgess Heath Barnes
I am sure many will agree with me when I say Happy Spring. I am so glad to see spring arriving this month, especially after the snowstorm at the end of January that was brutal for a lot of the area.
We had a short monthly meeting in February, but we do have a few things going on in town that I want to talk about. I want to thank the town staff that worked so diligently during the snowstorm. I appreciate everyone who came together to help a neighbor out, etc., during the snowstorm. There were several who came together to help the town out as well, and I appreciate it. The storm, with the way it turned into ice so quickly, really crippled some of the equipment we have as a town to get it removed quickly, so some outside resources were brought in to assist. This storm opened our eyes to some shortfalls we have as far as snow removal, which has us putting a plan in place should we have a storm like this again.
I want to personally acknowledge a young man in town for all the hours he spent shoveling snow and helping so many who could not complete the tasks themselves. The young man is Cayden Purdy, and I personally, on behalf of the town of Woodsboro, say thank you, and the town is lucky to have you as a part of it.
The annual Easter Egg Hunt in the town park will be on Saturday, March 28. This event is sponsored by the Woodsboro Volunteer Fire Department and the Town of Woodsboro. The event will begin at 2:00 p.m., sharp. Please see the advertisement in this month’s edition of The Catoctin Banner on page 5. We are accepting candy donations through March 11 at the town office or the fire department. We will be having an egg-stuffing party at the fire hall on March 11 at 6:00 p.m. Last year, we stuffed 4,500 eggs, and we plan to do that amount or more this year, so any help in stuffing the eggs would be greatly appreciated.
I am happy to announce that all six slots for the food trucks in June through August, along with the food trucks for the Woodsboro Days (on October 17 this year), have been filled. The food truck nights will take place on the second and fourth Mondays in June, July, and August, between 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
I am happy to announce that the town has filled the planning and zoning administrator and code enforcement roles that both became vacant at the end of last year. We have hired one person to fill both roles. We are excited about the experience he has in both roles.
As always, I encourage everyone to support Glade Valley Community Services (GVCS) if you have clothes or food donations, as they are always in need of items for members of the community. For more information, please contact GVCS by email at gvcs.inc@verizon.net or by calling 301-845-0213.
If you have any questions, concerns, complaints, or compliments, please feel free to reach out to me at hbarnes@woodsboro.org or by phone at 301-401-7164.
Woodsboro town meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. In addition, planning and zoning meetings are at 6:00 p.m. on the first Monday of the month, as needed. If you have an item for the agenda, it needs to be submitted 14 days before the P&Z meeting. The current location for meetings is the St. John’s United Church of Christ, located at 8 N. 2nd Street, Woodsboro, MD 21798. The public is always invited to attend.
