Words For Thirds The National Grange, founded in 1867, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan fraternal organization that advocates for rural America and agriculture. With strong history in grassroots activism, family values, and community service, the Grange is part of more than 2,100 hometowns across the United States. The Thurmont Grange serves our Catoctin region. One of […]
Connor Smoak Among Top Performers at the Ryan Kerrigan Football Camp Catoctin High School sophomore Linebacker, Connor Smoak (pictured right), earned high honors this summer when he placed among the top performers at Sports International’s Ryan Kerrigan Football Camp, held at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. Connor was able to outplay close to two […]
by Avie Hopcraft Catoctin High School (CHS) has been bustling with energy. Fall sports are ending and the signups for winter sports are piling up. So far, varsity soccer, volleyball, football, cross country, basketball, and field hockey have had their last home games and playoffs are wrapping up the season. To top off the season, […]
Buck Reed, The Supermarket Gourmet Gift giving, decorated trees, flying reindeer, white stuff on the ground, a jolly fat man in a red suit, wreaths on doors, and the holiday songs that started the day after Halloween, all being navigated around a sea of political correctness. Let’s just put it out there, it is Christmas. […]
Jeanne Angleberger, Shaklee Associate for a Healthier Life Before we greet 2016, let’s recap some healthy memories of 2015. Here is a recap of the healthy tips shared with The Catoctin Banner readers this year. Take an evaluation of your health. Get a complete physical. Decide what changes are necessary to improve your health. Make […]
by Chris O’Connor Wild Turkeys, Our Native American Birds The wild turkey, a large game bird native to North America, suffered severely depleted numbers due to habitat loss and unfettered hunting in America over a span of hundreds of years. Thanks to decades of efforts by wildlife conservation groups, natural resources folks, and creative solutions […]
by Jim Houck, Jr. Francis X. Elder Gets a New Head Stone Roger Melton, president of the Board of Directors Francis X. Elder American Legion Post 121 Emmitsburg, said that while he was at the 2014 Veterans Day volley by our American Legion and VFW combined Color Guard, over the grave of Francis X. Elder, […]
Christine Schoenemann (Maccabee) Some things never change, and my love affair with turtles is one of them. This essay is about how a young girl looking for turtles in the woods grew into an eighteen-year-old carrying water turtles in a bucket on the Greyhound bus between home and college, to the me that I am […]
by James Rada, Jr. 1965 — Training the Unemployed from the Catoctin Mountaintop Catoctin Mountain can boast a lot of interesting history from Camp David to the Blue Blazes Still raid. From an Office of Strategic Services training camp during World War II to Camp Misty Mount for children. “Also on the Government side is […]
by Carie Stafford My name is Tigger, and I am a four-year-old crested gecko. My scientific name comes from the fringed crest that runs over my eyes and down my neck and back. I am also known as the “eyelash” gecko, because the hair-like projections above my eyes look like eyelashes. I don’t actually have […]
St. Johns Lutheran Church Join St. Johns Lutheran Church in Creagerstown for a Celebration of the Birth of Christ Christmas Eve Service of Lessons and Carols, followed by a dinner, at 5:00 p.m. Their Christmas Eve Candlelight Service will be held at 7:30 p.m. in their 1908 worship space. View the advertisement on page 25 […]
Nicholas DiGregory Bells have long been a cherished part of the firefighting tradition. Long before the invention of the radio or even the telephone, bell systems were used to signal firefighters throughout the day. The bell of the firehouse was rung to signify the beginning of a new shift, or to call members of a […]
You are eligible to be a member of any VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) Men’s Auxiliary if you are a man over the age of sixteen, a citizen of the United States, and are a husband, widower, father, son, grandson, brother, foster brother, step brother, foster son, or step son of persons who were or […]
Deb Spalding Twenty-one year old Corporal William Ferrell—Kyle to those close to him—was known for doing good things for others. While serving with a Marine Corps security force, he helped stranded motorists along Route #15 in northern Frederick County, Maryland, on more than one occasion. He was known to use his free time to do […]
Emmitsburg film maker, Conrad Weaver of ConjoStudios, LLC, is excited to announce that his 2014 documentary The Great American Wheat Harvest film has received a Mid-America Regional EMMY® Award! On Saturday, October 3, 2015, the Mid-America Chapter of National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences held the EMMY® Gala in St. Louis, Missouri, and The […]
Some of Frederick’s favorite artists, merchants and well-known civic leaders will be digging into their holiday decorations early this year in preparation for the Historical Society of Frederick County’s “Festival of Trees” event, November 28-December 13, 2015, in which local individuals volunteer to decorate holiday trees that are sold in a silent auction. Yvonne Reinsch […]
Fred Shinbur, Coordinator of the Maryland Public Television (MPT) Vietnam Project, visited the AMVETS Post 7 in Thurmont during a Wing Feed fundraiser on October 17, 2015. Shinbur was driving in style in a green KIA decorated with information about the project he’s promoting. He was on a trek throughout Maryland to spread the word […]
James Rada, Jr. It is estimated that more than 1,100 World War II Veterans die each day. The United States and Frederick County is quickly losing its “greatest generation.” The Frederick County Veterans History Project is working to make sure those important histories are not lost. Working with the Library of Congress, these county volunteers […]
On October 6, 2015, a slab of granite that was removed from the face of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City was added to the fire archive at The National Fire Heritage Center/Frederick County Fire/Rescue Museum (NHFC) at 300B South Seton Avenue in Emmitsburg. The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was the […]
Denny Black As all boys did in small towns during the 50’s and 60’s, I explored every street and alley in Thurmont. Nestled at the foothills of the beautiful Catoctin Mountains in Northern Frederick County, Thurmont offered a kaleidoscope of images, whether you were walking high on the Western Maryland Railway tracks along Altamont and […]
Barbara Abraham When we, or people visiting the area, think about the names of certain communities, thoughts jump to animals for being the origin. Why not think animals had an influence on the long-ago names? After all, back then, there were more animals than people populating the woods and meadows. But are these thoughts always […]
James Rada, Jr. The crowds have gone now, Colorfest 2015 is over, and life in Thurmont is back to normal. Many local non-profit organizations got their annual boost of funding from the estimated 125,000 people that crowded into Thurmont for the event that was held during the second weekend of October. Although Colorfest started out […]
C. L. Harbaugh The weekend of October 10 and 11, 2015, featured cloudless blue skies and crisp fall temperatures, a glorious greeting for those participants who journeyed just a few miles off of the beaten trail to enjoy a less crowded, slower pace at the Sabillasville’s Annual Mountain Fest and 32nd Annual Kenny Clabaugh Car […]
Deb Spalding Congratulations to Helen Deluca of Thurmont, who was recently inducted into the Maryland Senior Citizens Hall of Fame. Her volunteer contributions to the Thurmont Senior Center, senior citizens in general, her church, and the community are very deserving of acknowledgement. As a column contributor to The Catoctin Banner newspaper, Helen’s willingness to communicate […]
James Rada, Jr. were sworn into office during the Emmitsburg town meeting on October 5, 2015. Both commissioners were unopposed and were re-elected in the September 29 town election. The election saw a small turnout of just thirty-eight votes cast. This is less than two percent of the town’s registered voters. “I know it was […]