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, […]
Deb Spalding We all catch a cold or a flu bug now and then, but at the end of February of this year, 15-year-old Wyatt Black of Thurmont caught a very serious infection: bacterial meningitis. Wyatt is an active, fun, farm-grown teenager. He plays sports, loves baseball, trains, and fire trucks, and is quick with a […]
Beth Watson is ready for her final bow, and when the curtain drops on the final performance of Footloose in the fall, the Thurmont Thespians twenty-year run will come to an end. “It’s time,” said Watson, adding, “even if it’s going to be hard to give up something you love so much.” Watson and her […]
James Rada, Jr. In early March of this year, Mike Fitzgerald’s children performed a sad duty in honor of their father: they made his casket from standing dead trees that Mike had harvested years earlier. Donald “Mike” Fitzgerald passed away on February 28, 2016, in the log home that he built himself. He was eighty-five […]
Nicholas DiGregory To the typical wandering traveler, cruising up or down U.S. Route 15, the little town of Emmitsburg does not appear to be a major attraction. While the town’s tourism landmarks—such as the stately National Shrine of Elizabeth Ann Seton and the picturesque Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes—do draw a crowd, Emmitsburg itself […]
Emmitsburg’s Doughboy Stands Tall After Repair Emmitsburg residents stood aside, eager to see the the “Doughboy” statue placed upon a new pedestal where it once stood before being knocked over by a truck in front of the Emmit House on West Main Street. George and Sons and Gilland Memorial Works joined together to hoist the […]
Allison Rostad A vision and hope for the next generation was prominent at the Guardian Hose Company’s annual banquet, held on Saturday, March 5, 2016, at the Guardian Hose Company’s Activities Building in Thurmont. Emcee of the night, President Wayne Stackhouse, welcomed guests to a dinner (catered by GT’s Catering of Cascade), with an invocation […]
The ground has been tilled and marked, the garden design laid out, and the plans for watering put in place for the new Thurmont Community Garden. A work day will be held on April 2, 2016, to install the garden’s fence and gates, establish walkways of plastic and mulch, and set plot numbers. Prior to […]