James Rada, Jr. Catoctin High School was chosen as one of the Top 50 schools for Vans Custom Culture Contest, a nationwide art competition where students design Vans shoes in four themes Catoctin High art teacher Laura Day had a “dream team of artists” this year who strutted their artistic talents and placed the school […]
Mike Franklin, a health and physical education teacher at Catoctin High School (CHS), was formally presented the 2016 Charles E. Tressler Distinguished Teaching Award by Hood College during its graduate school commencement on May 14, 2016. Sponsored by Hood College, this award is presented each May to a Frederick County Public Schools’ (FCPS) teacher who […]
James Rada, Jr. Having a groundhog as a pet wasn’t part of Harold Long’s plan when he took up the hobby of trapping groundhogs and selling them over ten years ago while working a dairy farm. Trapping them has helped curb the damage that the groundhogs—considered rodents—can cause to farmland, crops, and farm equipment. It […]
Gladhill Goodies Officially Opens James Rada, Jr. Anna and Austin Gladhill made their dream come true opening their own store. What began as a small operation selling furniture at the end of their driveway has now led to the opening of Gladhill Goodies on West Main Street in Thurmont. Though the store has been operating […]
Thurmont Historical Society Receives Preservation Award James Rada, Jr. The Thurmont Historical Society received a Best of Maryland Preservation Award on May 12, 2016, at a ceremony in Annapolis. The award was for the preservation of one of the original Cozy Cabins from the early days of when the Cozy Inn and Restaurant had been […]
Outstanding Catoctin Feeder Area Teachers Recognized The Thurmont Lions Club honored thirty-two teachers at their “Teacher of the Year” reception, held on April 21, 2016, at Emmitsburg Elementary School. The reception is an annual event, sponsored by the club, so that teachers who have made an impact on students and the school community can be […]
The Supermarket Gourmet, by Buck Reed Last month, I wrote about baking and what it takes to become a baker. In a sense, I was talking about turning a discipline within the culinary world into a hobby. A gastronomic hobby is about taking a basic need— eating—and turning it into a passion. We are talking […]
I Do. Do You? By Valerie Nusbaum Charles “Chuck” Caldwell has talked with Civil War soldiers, fought against the Japanese in WWII, and chased mushroom clouds after atomic bomb explosions. Now ninety-two years old, he had become part of the history that he loves so much. His story is now the focus of a fascinating […]
Emmitsburg’s Traditional Parade Route Returns and Why It Is Important to Older Emmitsburgians I am very happy to announce that for our Emmitsburg Heritage Day Parade on June 25, 2016, we will be using the traditional parade route that our forefathers and Veterans used for years. When I was asked by the Heritage Day committee […]
Christine Schoene Maccabee The Swallows Are Back I often wonder how many other people feel a thrill when the swallows return to our area in early May. In late April, I began to watch for the swallows with high expectation. Every year, the swallows are drawn back to my home like a magnet, much to […]
By James Rada, Jr. Safecrackers Go After the Thurmont Post Office Late one Saturday night in 1916, two men walked up to the Thurmont Post Office, which at the time was located on the first floor of the Masonic building on East Main Street. They walked casually, alone on the street. They paused beneath the […]
The Two Doc Birelys by “My Father’s Son” A graduate of the University of Maryland Medical School, Morris Alleman Birely set up a medical practice in Thurmont in 1894. Birely’s lengthy career also recognized him as the longtime physician to the Western Maryland Railway Company and Emmitsburg’s St. Joseph College. Morris A. and wife Bertha […]
Charles “Chuck” Caldwell has talked with Civil War soldiers, fought against the Japanese in WWII, and chased mushroom clouds after atomic bomb explosions. Now ninety-two years old, he had become part of the history that he loves so much. His story is now the focus of a fascinating new biography by The Catoctin Banner’s contributing […]
James Rada, Jr. You don’t have to travel out west to visit a national park; you can find five National Park Service sites in Frederick County, Maryland (described below), plus the Gettysburg National Military Park located to our north just over the Pennsylvania state line. This year would be a great year to visit these […]
An Overview of the NPS sites in Frederick County, Maryland Appalachian National Scenic Trail (www.nps.gov/appa/index.htm) This 2,180-mile-long trail traverses all types of terrains […]
Stavros Pizza Returns Grace Eyler The community was devastated in July 2015 with the passing of Bev Koontz, owner of Stavros Pizza in Emmitsburg. When the local pizzeria had abruptly closed, customers were saddened that they not only lost someone so involved with the community, but their favorite meals as well. The question that remained, […]
Community Shred Event The Thurmont Police Department and the Thurmont Police Commission will be hosting a Community Shred Event on Saturday, April 30, 2016, from 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., at the Thurmont Police Department, located at 800 E. Main Street in Thurmont. ALL-SHRED, Inc. will provide a truck for four hours; all residents in Thurmont and […]
Thurmont Little League Opening Day Grace Eyler On April 16, 2016, the community gathered to celebrate its love for baseball and the Opening Day of the 65th season of the Thurmont Little League. At the grandstand on the league fields that are located on East Main Street in Thurmont, teams practiced and families found a […]
Buck Reed The Supermarket Gourmet As a chef, I get into a lot of interesting conversations with people I meet. Mostly, it involves questions about what my favorite thing to cook is or what my specialty is. Once in a while, someone will ask me what my favorite ingredient is or if I have a […]
by Valerie Nusbaum I originally intended this column to be about our garden project, but I decided to put that story on hold until later in the summer when I’ll know whether or not our new garden is a success or a failure. We’ll either be eating tomatoes and corn, or crow. That remains to […]
by Jim Houck, Jr. Danielle Bloxham E-4 Spec. (Military Police) U.S. Army Born on June 12, 1983, in Red Bluff, California, to Dawn and Stephen Marsh, was a bouncing little tomboy they named, Danielle. Eventually, Danielle was blessed with three younger sisters: Desiree, Ronee, and Stephenie. Danielle grew up in California; her mother, Dawn, moved […]
Christine Schoene Maccabee The Joy of Weeding There is a small, but growing, movement in the world of people, who we will call “ultra-organic gardeners.” This term is not my own invention, but as defined in my excellent book called The Natural Garden Book. Ultra-organic gardeners tolerate “weeds,” use no chemicals whatever, and are generous […]
Young Boy Rescues Friend from Runaway Rail Joseph Flautt Frizell was walking along the tracks of the Emmitsburg Railroad one evening in May 1922 with some friends. They were goofing around, as teenage boys are known to do, as they approached the station located on South Seton Avenue. The Emmitsburg Railroad had been incorporated on […]
A House Divided Part II by “My Father’s Son” The […]
Pig-Headed — Not Just for Teenagers by Carie Stafford There are so many idioms that are made up because of little old me. Of course, little is a word that does not describe me—maybe at one point in time. A few of those choice idioms include: pig-headed, eat like a pig, sweating like a pig, […]