Allison Rostad If you’ve ever been a part of a volunteer fire company, you’ve probably already experienced a banquet that seems more like a family get together. For the members of Graceham Volunteer Fire Company, this is nothing short of the truth. On Saturday, April 22, 2017, Graceham Volunteer Fire Company members gathered in their […]
Theresa Dardanell The floor of the Sabillasville Elementary gym became the Atlantic Ocean—gymnastic mats were transformed into the Titanic, and ordinary physical education equipment turned into icebergs, lifeboats, and gear to get the students (passengers) to safety. That was only one of the exciting activities during STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) Night on […]
The 2016-17 wrestling season was a difficult one for the Cougars. Coach Green, now 144 wins and 99 losses in his ten-year career at Catoctin High School, compiled a 4 and 10 regular dual meet record and an overall season total of 6 and 23, not exactly the stellar returns that Catoctin wrestling fans have […]
Charmane Nesbitt The Catoctin High School Cougars placed second in the State during the Interscholastic Unified Track and Field State High School Invitational in May. All season, they worked hard preparing for this day. Heat results for the 100-meter run include: 1st place—Destiny Knestout, Max Bingman, Nathan Schwartzbeck; 2nd place—Savannah Smith-Sanchez; 3rd place—David Toddes. Placing […]
by Anita DiGregory In Honor of Fathers On June 18, America will celebrate Father’s Day, a day devoted to our dedicated dads. Although widely celebrated today, surprisingly, Father’s Day was not always embraced by society. In fact, it did not receive its designation as an official holiday until the early 20th century, when it was […]
by Lisa C. Cantwell Dear Reader: This is a column to help you determine the history and value of your heirlooms, attic finds, flea market purchases, or antique items. Please send a picture and description of your piece, such as how you acquired it and any details about its history, to [email protected]. I’ll research any […]
by Theresa Dardanell Emmitsburg Volunteer Ambulance Company One of the questions I asked the administrative members of the Emmitsburg Ambulance Company was, “Why do you volunteer?” Some of the responses were, “It lets me help other people,” “It gives me a great feeling,” and “Volunteering is in our blood.” There are currently sixty-two members that […]
Human Nature by Valerie Nusbaum As a writer and an artist, I’m fascinated by humans. I tend to sit quietly and observe how people move and interact with each other. I notice their bone structures and coloring, and I spend a lot of time pondering their actions. Why do people do and say the things […]
by Christine Maccabee What is Delawnification? First of all, delawnification is not a word. However, its meaning should be pretty clear. At the People’s Climate March in Washington, D.C., this April, one of the speakers talked about the importance of creating and allowing more habitat for native plants and reducing the size of our lawns. […]
Well-thrown Lasso Saves Boy from Icy Death by James Rada, Jr. Charlie Jones, a twelve-year-old Thurmont youth, spent one December afternoon in 1915 walking through the forests around Thurmont, gathering pine boughs and other greens to use to make Christmas decorations. With his bag full of greenery, he headed home. Though young, Charles was the […]
by Jim Houck, Jr. Richard (Dick) Fleagle Sons of AMVETS Richard (Dick) Fleagle is AMVETS Post 7 Thurmont’s AMVETS Son of the YEAR 2013. Neighbors, I am honored to have him as a friend and comrade, and one of the most respected men I have had the privilege of knowing. Dick Fleagle—known by many in […]
Food Pro Buck Reed Urban legend tells a story of a young woman in the late 60s and early 70s, who upon graduating college, decided to hit the farmers market scene. Her booth in New Jersey had a single apple pie that she had placed at the audacious price of $100 (that’s $12.50 per slice). […]
Catoctin Mountain rose from a primordial lake to heights taller than Mount Everest. As time wore it away, many of its secrets were lost with its dwindling peaks. In the era of man, though, its history has been better preserved, although it still holds onto its secrets. In his new book, Secrets of Catoctin Mountain: […]
James Rada, Jr. It’s a new year, and with it comes a new beginning. It’s a chance for you to challenge yourself to meet some of the goals you want, whether it’s to lose weight, find a new job, save for a dream vacation, or something else. We at The Catoctin Banner hope you can […]
December 2016 Emmitsburg Emmitsburg Institutes Voluntary Water Curtailment The Emmitsburg mayor and commissioners voted on December 6 to implement Phase I water curtailment. This restriction asks residents on the town water system to voluntarily conserve water. It will remain in place until conditions change, and the curtailment can be lifted or more severe measures need […]
Mayor John Kinnaird It is hard to believe that another year has come and gone! This past year, we had a lot of things going on in Thurmont, and I am happy to say that many improvements were made for the good of our residents. We completed another year’s worth of I & I infrastructure […]
Mayor Don Briggs During the month of December, Emmitsburg lost an outstanding member of the community when Bob Hance of the Carriage House Inn passed away. The Hance family has hosted the Annual Evening of Christmas Spirit in Emmitsburg the first Monday evening in December for the past twenty-eight years. Mayor Briggs wrote the following […]
Vickie Grinder has been named as the new Economic Development Manager for the Town of Thurmont. Grinder has recently served as Thurmont’s Main Street Manager, a part-time position, since 2013. During her tenure as Thurmont’s Main Street Manager, Grinder has overseen many popular events, including Christmas in Thurmont, the Thurmont Business Showcase, the Main Street […]
The Town of Thurmont is inviting all interested parties to bid on the following surplus equipment: 1999 Chevrolet C-7500 Dump Truck. Unit comes with snow plow and salt spreader; 5 speed hi-lo transmission. Mileage: 36,241. Minimum bid is $500. 1982 GMC 7000 Dump Truck. 5-speed manual transmission. Mileage: 85,741. Minimum bid is $500. Both vehicles […]
Congratulations to this year’s winner of The Catoctin Banner newspaper’s 5th Annual Holiday Home Decorating Contest! This year’s winner receives $50.00 (please call 301-447-2804 to claim your prize). This beautifully decorated home in Thurmont is adorned with thousands of lights and festive lawn decorations, so much so that it was hard to capture all the […]
For years, we have wanted a mascot character to represent this good-news community newspaper at events and parades. At one point a few years ago, John Nickerson (AKA Gnarly Artly, who draws our monthly cartoon) created a newspaper character as a mascot for us, but it was not used due to the cost of creating […]
Michael Cantori (shown right, performing levitation) is a magician who performs astounding illusions right before your very eyes, for audiences of any size. He also lives in our local area. Whether he’s performing a venue with a full stage production, corporate events, colleges, a comfortable living room, or walk-around magic at festivals, Cantori presents the […]
Originally from Panama City, Florida, Jenny Snuffer, has lived in Thurmont for the past ten years. Her first professional career was that of a flight attendant. She left that profession to compete, full-time, in professional Barrell Racing. She worked the racing circuit for about ten years, while working as a bartender to make ends meet. […]
Alex Uphold’s State Farm Insurance Office has relocated to 31 Water Street, Suite A, in Thurmont. She is officially open for business in this brand new space. Stop by for an insurance quote today. Store hours are 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Mondays through Fridays. Call 301-271-3113 for more information. Thurmont Mayor John Kinnaird is shown (center […]
Summer Creek Farm, a USDA Certified Organic farm, located in Thurmont, announces the creation of a new business division: Monocacy Valley Mushrooms. Summer Creek has built a 200-square-foot environmentally controlled growing lab, and added Mycologist Anita Phillips with over twenty years’ experience in Mycology, to produce high quality Oyster Mushrooms for the mid-Atlantic region. Using […]