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APRIL 2018     |   Vol. 23   |    Issue 4    |     Mail Run: 8,466    |     Total Print Run: 11,500

















             www.thecatoctinbanner.com     Your Good News Community Newspaper, Serving Northern Frederick County, Maryland, Since 1995     www.epluspromotes.com


                                                   Mother Nature Had Other Plans

              inside


                this issue                           Spring Snow Dumps An A verage

                                                                   of 20 Inches on Region


             Who’s
                                                    James Rada, Jr.
             on the                                                                                                  Courtesy Photo

             Ballot for                             It was supposed to be the                                                      to cause plenty of problems.
                                                  first day of spring on March                                                     The mountain roads definitely
             Northern                             21. Instead, the region got                                                      presented more than their
                                                  snow, probably more snow                                                         usual obstacles, and all of
             Frederick                            than we saw all winter—                                                          them had to be closed at some
             County?                              when it’s actually supposed                                                      point, including Rt. 116 to
                                                  to snow—and it continued                                                         Blue Ridge Summit and MD
                                                  snowing into the second day                                                      550 to Sabillasville.
               —  See page 10                     of spring. Schools were closed.                                                     The National Weather
                                                  Events  were canceled. There                                                     Service put the snow totals
                                                  were lots of accidents.                                                          for many places in the
                                                    One accident that got                                                          county at more than 20
             The                                  some national exposure was                                                       inches, but Thurmont Chief
                                                  the school bus crash on MD                                                       Administrative Officer Jim
             Town of                              77, shortly before 4:00 p.m.                                                     Humerick said Thurmont got
                                                  on March 20. The driver lost                                                     11 inches.
             Thurmont                             control of the vehicle, about a                                                     The heavy snow also
             Receives                             mile west of Pryor Road. The                                                     brought down power lines in
                                                  bus veered off the winding                                                       some areas. The Maryland
             Award                                road into Big Hunting Creek.                                                     State Highway Administration
                                                    Luckily, the driver wasn’t                                                     confirmed that besides the
                                                  injured, and no children were                                                    MD 77 closure due to the
               —  See page 12                     on the bus at the time. The bus                                                  crash, MD 550 was closed an
                                                  was damaged, though, and         Andrea and Tommy Webb’s dog, Sadie, was just as surprised   hour later due to a utility pole
                                                  MD 77 had to be closed. Traffic           by the spring snow as we all were.     coming down.
                                                  was detoured while the bus was                                                      Emmitsburg and Thurmont
                                                  pulled out of the creek.             Riffle drove us for sporting events in   were able to keep their roads cleared
             2018 Plans                             Having lived on the mountain       all sorts of weather.”                better since their crews are not as
                                                  in Foxville while growing up, The       She reminisced, “For the longest   spread out as county and state crews.
             for 62                               Catoctin Banner Publisher Deb        time, I believed my father when he    Humerick said that in Thurmont,
                    nd
             Community                            Abraham Spalding said, “It’s not     said he had four kids so he could     besides having full public works
                                                  uncommon to have more snow on
                                                                                                                             crews plowing during the day,
                                                                                       weigh down the station wagon to
             Show Are                             the mountain than in the lower areas.   make it up the mountain in snow. I   nine employees stayed overnight
                                                  This makes school bus navigation     survived many memorably terrifying    to try and keep up with plowing
             Underway                             tricky for bus drivers who drive the   adventures in the back of that station   Thurmont’s roads.
                                                  mountain. My bus drivers, brothers   wagon, while Dad yelled, ‘Hang on!’      “We concentrated on the main
                                                  Glenn DeLauter (late) and Paul       as he gunned the engine and fish-     roads first and then worked our way
               —  See page 19                     DeLauter, used chains when I was     tailed the vehicle up to our house on   back to clearing the cul de sacs,”
                                                  riding the bus, and we still got stuck,   Tower Road. I can laugh about that   Humerick said. “Our guys took extra
                                                  sometimes. Also, Shirley and Frank   now, and I’m sure many people can     care to try and make sure that they
                                                                                       relate.”                              didn’t plow anyone’s driveway in.”
                                                                                          This school bus accident was just     After two days of snow, the sun
                                                                                       one of hundreds of accidents that     came out, and temperatures warmed
                                                                Residential Customer
                                                                                       occurred in Frederick County during   up enough that the snow began to
                        E D D M
                                                                                   301-447-2804
                                                                                       the spring snow. Northern Frederick   melt, helping to clear the roads even
                       P A I D
                                                                                   www.TheCatoctinBanner.com
                                                                                       County didn’t get as much snow,       more, and to raise hopes that spring
                          U.S.POSTAGE
                                                                                   Emmitsburg, Maryland 21727
                                                                                       in general, as the rest of the county   is truly on the way.
                           ECRWSS
                                                                                   515B East Main Street
                                                                                       and points west, but it was enough    — See more snow photos on page 18
                            PRSRT STD
                                                                                   The Catoctin Banner Newspaper
                                                   The Catoctin Banner Newspaper •
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