by James Rada, Jr. In November of 1973, flocks of blackbirds, grackles, cowbirds, and starlings discovered the 60-acre white pine forest owned by Edgar Emrich of Graceham. Emrich had no trouble sharing his trees with the birds. There were thousands of trees that he had originally planned to sell as Christmas trees when he had […]
by Jeanne Angleberger The Value of Eating More Vegetables Every new year gives us the opportunity to begin a healthy lifestyle. It is an individual choice. What can I do to improve my health? Let’s start the new year researching the value of eating vegetables. We know vegetables are an essential part of a healthy […]
by Buck Reed The Year of Beer When people would ask me where I am from, I usually responded with Frederick County, where brewers walk like gods on earth. It would have been difficult to argue my statement about our county in the past, but now it would be almost impossible. As the United States […]
by Dr. Thomas K. Lo Your thyroid produces hormones that control many activities in your body, some of which are metabolism, body temperature, and how fast your heart beats. The two main thyroid hormones are T3 and T4. Diseases of the thyroid can cause it to make either too much or too little amounts of […]
by James Rada, Jr. James E. Shankle James Shankle of Woodsboro began life behind the eight ball, as they say. He was born in Frederick on November 21, 1925. “My mother abandoned me on the streets of Frederick,” Shankle said. “I was found by a policeman and taken to the hospital.” The police officer took […]
James Rada, Jr. There was a time in Frederick County when workers needed to follow the work. Every year, a couple thousand workers would journey up the East Coast to work on farms and in factories in the county. They lived in migrant camps in Thurmont, Frederick, and Araby. Galen Hahn was among them. He […]
Blair Garrett, Gracie Eyler, and Deb Abraham Spalding “The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come… I do therefore invite my fellow citizens […]
Deb Abraham Spalding Candy (Leahy) Lawyer, of Thurmont, “was a beautiful lady with golden hair, bright green eyes and a sweet smile. She lived in a cottage called Candy’s Corner. Joy and laughter filled the cottage. Every year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, after days of preparation filled with love, she would host a gingerbread […]
The Wallpaper Story Joan Bittner Fry Preface William Jones was a prosperous tannery owner who operated his tannery along Little Hunting Creek in Thurmont in 1838. To show his prosperity, he built a six-room stone house on East Main Street. That was not enough, though. To give his new home a touch of elegance and […]
James Rada, Jr. Catoctin High School (CHS) recognized its graduates who had gone on to find success post-high school during its 4th Annual Distinguished Graduates Induction Ceremony on November 20, 2018. “We’re here to connect the future with the past,” said Teacher Mike Franklin. Also in attendance at the ceremony were the freshmen and senior […]
November 2018 by James Rada, Jr. Emmitsburg New Trees on Main Street The Maryland State Highway Administration has planted new trees along Main Street. The different species include scarlet oak, columnar sergeants cherry, snow goose cherry, and rotundiloba sweetgum. Town Awarded Community Legacy Grant Emmitsburg received a $50,000 Community Legacy Grant for façade improvement and […]
Emmitsburg Mayor Don Briggs This year, Northern Frederick County residents will get a great Christmas present. The Hayward Road-U.S. 15 intersection is closed. Amen. For years—no, generations—this intersection was one of the worst traffic spots in the county. Stop and think of all the trips that you, your friends, or family members whistled by there […]
James Rada, Jr. October has become a month when the residents and businesses in Thurmont go all-out to fight breast cancer. This year was no different, with Thurmont raising $18,000 for its 5th Annual Gateway to the Cure. With this year’s donation to the Hurwitz Breast Cancer Fund, Thurmont has raised $62,000 over five years. […]
James Rada, Jr. It has been decades since Thurmont had a train station; however, this December trains will once again stop in the town. Of course, each train is only a couple feet long. The Frederick County Society of Model Railroad Engineers will host a weekend train garden throughout December. The group will use the […]
James Rada, Jr. The rainy evening did little to keep people away from the bi-annual Thurmont Art & Wine Stroll in November. “I thought because of the weather things would be slow, but it’s been non-stop people,” said Michele Maze with 7 Dragonflies Studios. People like Kevin and Bridget Leahy had to leave and come […]
Catoctin Colorfest, Inc. held its annual banquet in November at Simply Asia in Thurmont. This yearly meeting serves as a wrap-up for the Colorfest annual festival. The weather for the festival was not optimum this year, with cold temperatures on Sunday, some rain, and plenty of mud. Crowds still turned out in large numbers to […]
Apples United Church of Christ Thurmont by Theresa Dardanell In 1760, Peter Apple donated one acre of land for a school that was also used as a church on Sundays. This location has been a place of worship for over 250 years and is now known as Apples United Church of Christ. A log church […]
“Home for the Holidays” by Anita DiGregory Snow, twinkling lights, Christmas music playing on the radio. Just like that, the holidays are upon us. I love this time of year! But it can also be a very stressful season, especially for moms and dads. The struggle to meet regular schedules and family needs doesn’t take […]
by Valerie Nusbaum It was quiet inside the toy factory. Oh, Santa insisted on calling the wood and glass facility a workshop, but everyone knew it was a factory with assembly lines, conveyor belts, and noisy machines that belched and snorted and spit out toys. The elves still did some of the work by hand, […]
Winter Greens: A Prescription for Health” by Christine Maccabee Are you eating your greens this winter? I ask this question because years ago in the winter, I neglected to eat as many greens as I did during the summer. During the growing season, I could easily go out to the garden and get my hands […]
by James Rada, Jr. Frederick County hides a wealth of natural resources underground. It is mined for iron, copper, gold, lead, silver, zinc, aluminum, stone, limestone, silica, calcium, and clay. At one time, Frederick County also had a short-lived coal mine or did it? In October 1877, coal was discovered on the farm of Mary […]
by Buck Reed Holiday Baking Most cooks believe good baking is nothing more than accurately measuring the ingredients, mixing them up, and throwing the finished product in the oven. And, of course, those of us who do bake know these people are wrong in this belief. Armed with nothing more than a good recipe and […]
by Dr. Thomas K. Lo As you age, you are likely to find that your sense of taste starts to decline. You were born with 10,000 taste buds, but after age fifty, that number gradually starts to decrease. Loss of taste can be permanent or temporary, depending on the cause. As with diminished vision and […]
Blair Garrett From hometown day job to high-flying national wrestler, Bill Bain of Thurmont has made a name for himself in the wrestling scene. Bain has performed in various local shows, but he just recently made his biggest splash in the wrestling scene to-date, taking his talents to Monday Night Raw. Bain’s appearance on Raw […]
Blair Garrett The young guns are finding their groove for the Mount St. Mary’s Men’s Basketball team. The Mount has gotten off to a rocky start during the early stretch of road games, but the season is still young, and the team has been navigating its way through the toughest part of its season. Finding […]