by Teresa Kempisty Photos by Teresa Kempisty President John Dowling & Board Member Kathy Dowling drive in the Drive-By Greetings Parade on October 14, 2020, waving to over 36 seniors Jim and Joan Leo are visited during the October 14th Drive-By Greetings Parade. Helen Deluca waves to the participants in the October 14th Drive-By Greetings […]
Campaign Off to a Running Start Deb Abraham Spalding The Town of Thurmont’s 6th Annual Gateway to The Cure Covered Bridge 5K Fun Run/Walk took place on Sunday, September 13, 2020, at Eyler Road Park in Thurmont. It kicked off the town’s annual “Gateway to the Cure Campaign” fund drive to benefit the Hurwitz Breast […]
Deb Abraham Spalding The Emmitsburg Board of Commissioners held a ceremony on September 12, 2020, for the dedication of Emmitsburg Community Park as E. Eugene Myers Community Park. E. Eugene Myers was a life-long resident of Emmitsburg. He is credited with establishing the Community Park through his involvement in youth sports and managing many softball […]
Emmitsburg Mayor Don Briggs The new American flag mural on the southern face of the Jubilee store is a welcoming sight. It is a beautiful complement to the farm setting painting on the east face of the store. Thank you to Jubilee for sponsoring these works. Now we have three public artworks when we include […]
by James Rada, Jr. Emmitsburg Emmitsburg Seeks to Become a Main Street Affiliate The Emmitsburg Board of Commissioners approved the application for Emmitsburg to become a Maryland Main Street Affiliate. This is not a Maryland Main Street Community, but it does bring some advantages to the town while not having the associated costs. Although the […]
Deb Abraham Spalding Catoctin-area natives, Kevin Wantz and Andy Adelsberger, know what it’s like to be through boot camp. Having served in the United States Marine Corps and as a policeman with the Frederick County Sheriff’s Department, Kevin carried the integrity of his duty to become the foundation of the construction company he started in […]
Deb Abraham Spalding It’s been a while since there’s been a store in Foxville. From 1961 through the early 1980s, a convenience store was located on top of the hill along Route #77 (Foxville Road). That little convenience store was run by the Leahy Family, then the Fogles, then the Prices, then the Connors. Then […]
James Rada, Jr. Corn mazes have become a popular fall attraction over the years, and Thurmont is home to the largest corn maze in the state. Taylor Huffman with Winterbrook Farms said their maze was also one of the first in the area. In 2000, Jan Lawyer climbed on a skid load and cut Winterbrook […]
Blair Garrett A brand-new patriotic mural greets thousands of cars a day just outside the heart of Emmitsburg. Right off Route 15, visitors and residents can see a bold and colorful American Flag waving in place painted on the street-side wall of Jubilee Foods. Lorne Peters, of Jubilee Foods, attributed the mural to the men […]
Blair Garrett Emmitsburg is nationally recognized for its rich fire history, with the National Fire Academy, FEMA, and the annual Fallen Firefighters memorial all within town limits. The four additional Wayside exhibits added this year push the town further toward its goal of a historic walking tour for visitors. The new exhibits added include Vigilant […]
Guy Swormley of Williamsport, Maryland, won the annual Fort Ritchie Community Center Bass Fishing Tournament, held on September 19, 2020, at the Fort Ritchie Community Center in Cascade. Guy Swormley reeled in a 16¾-inch bass to take the top honors in the adult division. William Trovinger of Sabilllasville, age six, won the youth division with […]
Thurmont Middle School will be handing out lunches for Thurmont-feeder families on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, from 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m., in the cafeteria of the middle school, off of Summit Avenue in Thurmont, until December 31, 2020. All families get a free lunch on those days and an additional pantry bag on Fridays for all […]
James Rada, Jr. This year, all registered and eligible Maryland voters will receive a mail-in ballot application in the mail. You should have received your application in September. You can complete the application and return it using the postage-paid envelope that was included. You can also put the application in the Frederick County Board of […]
Detective Gerald Bowen was honored as Thurmont Lions Club “Police Officer of the Year” at the town meeting held on June 30, 2020, by Lion Jonathan Hamrick. Detective Bowen joined the Thurmont Police Department in 2013, after serving 19 years with the Frederick Police Department. He is currently serving his third year as a criminal […]
The Thurmont Lions Club and Maryland Patriot Guard are teaming up to collect items for the Washington D.C Veterans Community Referral Center (CRRC) to help homeless or formerly homeless Veterans and their families, along with wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Medical Center. Items needed (please note that all items must be NEW): Personal items (clothing […]
James Rada Jr. Everything that has happened in 2020 will make Halloween this year seem tame, no matter how scary things might be on October 31. It will actually be a nice break from everything that is happening; however, some changes to our regular slate of Halloween activities have been made. Thurmont’s annual Halloween in […]
McKenzi Forrest, Rocky Ridge Progressive 4H Club Reporter Congratulations to all of the winners and participants of the Catoctin Area Youth Show on September 12, 2020, at Eyler’s Stables in Thurmont. Unfortunately, we were unable to share in the normal festivities of the Community Show this year, but we really enjoyed the ability to […]
James Rada, Jr. Northern Frederick County is not known for growing tobacco, but it has had a cigar box manufacturer and a few cigar manufacturers who used cigar boxes to pack their products. On May 1, 1905, the federal government made it illegal to give away, sell, or display empty cigar boxes. The reason for […]
The Thurmont Little League Fall Ball season is in full swing, literally! From intermediate all the way down to T-ball, the kids are working hard and having a great time being back out on the field. The board of directors planned out a very extensive season, and it has been jam-packed with games and events […]
James Rada, Jr. The Catoctin Banner presents a continuation of fiction serials for your enjoyment. “Cast from the Gods” is a new, original serial set at Site R when it was under construction. Let us know what you think. 7: The Burial Ancient Indians had killed the creature from the metal box once. The U.S. […]
Children do their own thing: Jump and play and scream Baby dolls, lollipops Dress and eat and scream Fire engines, baseball bats run and chase and scream tag and hide-and-seek Come-in-free and scream. They must have wondrous lungs With exercise supreme They need them all their lives Just listen to them scream! Everywhere I go […]
by James Rada, Jr. October 1920, 100 Years Ago Water Main Bursts Last week one of the joints of wooden pipe that carries water from the dam to the Electric Light and power Plant at this place burst, the break occurring at a point where the pipe line crosses Hunting Creek. Repairs have been made […]
Nuck & Cinnamon by Valerie Nusbaum “What the heck is ‘Nuck’?” I asked. Randy had added some things to our grocery list, and I was unfamiliar with Nuck. I imagined it to be some kind of energy or sports drink. “Huh?” he asked. “What are you talking about?” I told him that he’d written the […]
The Year is…1877 The Archbishop Who Was Buried in Emmitsburg by James Rada, Jr. To those who knew Archbishop of Baltimore James Roosevelt Bayley, it didn’t come as a great surprise when he died on October 3. He had been in ill health for months. It was said he died from liver and kidney problems. […]
Joan Bittner Fry Since 1942, when it was established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as “Shangri-la,” this isolated camp in the hills of Western Maryland has served as an official Presidential retreat and has often been the site of conferences and decisions of national and international significance. Prior to its existence, diplomats vacationed at Pen […]