Bob Jester Captures First Place Alisha Yocum When The Catoctin Banner announced its 1st Annual Photography Contest, celebrating local landscapes, the response from the community was overwhelming. We published the top ten finalists in the February issue and left it up to you—our readers—to determine the winner. One image rose above the rest: a stunning…

by Richard D. L. Fulton “Wherever he saw a hole, he always wanted to know the depth of it. To him this was important.”  ~Jules Verne, Journey to the Center of the Earth For over a million years, and even in modern times, caves and caverns have often provided humans with places to live, to…

by James Rada, Jr. Thurmont Charter Review Committee Established The Thurmont Mayor and Commissioners passed a resolution to establish a charter review committee, which will review the current town charter and make recommendations to the mayor and commissioners of suggested changes by September 1, 2027. The mayor and commissioners also approved the following residents to…

ThurmontMayor John Kinnaird Thurmont will be celebrating its 275th Anniversary this year, having first been settled in 1751 by families of Pennsylvania-German descent. The settlement grew into a successful community of small businesses dependent on Hunting Creek to power mills and machinery. The town was initially known as Mechanicstown due to the number of manufacturers.…

Friendship Airport Dedication Richard D. L. Fulton A special cover was issued, commemorating the dedication in recognition of the opening of the Friendship International Airport, which had been located nine miles south of Baltimore in Anne Arundel County, on June 24, 1950. Celebratory covers, such as the Friendship International Airport cover, were not printed by…

Richard D. L. Fulton Together We Will Touch the Sky– Anderson Abruzzo International Balloon Museum Foundation Etruscan artifacts from around 630 B.C. have been recovered, which depict the legend of man’s first attempt to become airborne, the Greek story of Daedalus and Icarus (the son of Daedalus). According to the legend, Daedalus had designed a…

Thank you to all our readers who submitted entries to our very first Catoctin Banner Photography Contest! This year’s theme, Local Landscapes, invited photographers to capture the beauty of our region in a vertical format. We received many submissions from across the tri-state area, showcasing the incredible scenery right in our own backyard. Narrowing the…

Richard D. L. Fulton Frederick Douglass “A man’s rights rest in three boxes. The ballot box, the jury box, and the cartridge box.”   ~Frederick Douglass The United States Postal Service (USPS) issued a 25-cent stamp on February 14, 1967, and a 32-cent stamp on June 29, 1995, commemorating Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, better known as…

by James Rada, Jr. Thurmont Rezoning Hearing Held The Thurmont Mayor and Commissioners recently held a public hearing about a rezoning request from property owners of 13 properties in town, and some that town staff identified that needed to be compatible with their zoning. Town Planner Kelly Duty reviewed the properties with the Thurmont Mayor…

ThurmontMayor John Kinnaird As I write this article, we are in the beginning stages of our first major snowstorm of the year, and probably our biggest storm in several years. It looks like we may be headed into an exceptionally cold and snowy winter. There are steps we should all take when faced with this…

Richard D. L. Fulton During the days of televised dance programs, such as Baltimore’s The Buddy Deane Show (precursor of Dick Clark’s American Bandstand), Maryland turned out several rock and roll bands in the late 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, some of whom achieved stardom.Below are a few of the more-renowned individuals from Maryland or who…

By E. Catherine Curtis Catoctin Banner staff writer Richard D. L. Fulton, the author of “Maryland: The Age of Rock ‘n Roll,” also dabbled in Maryland’s rock ‘n roll era when, at age 15, he had formed a group entitled The Nautiloids, with himself as lead guitarist, and composed Nautiloid Reef and Nautiloid Surf. The…

Calling all photographers—amateurs and pros alike! Show off your best shots of local landscapes and get a chance to be featured in our newspaper. The submission deadline is January 18, 2026. How It Works: Submit your vertical, print-quality photo (horizontal photos cannot be accepted as photo needs to fit our cover format). Our newspaper staff…

First Flight Baltimore/Bermuda Richard D. L. Fulton A special cover was issued to commemorate the first transatlantic airmail flight from Baltimore, Maryland to Bermuda on March 16, 1938. United States stamps used on these covers were variable. On the example provided with this article, the sender posted an eight-cent, winged globe airmail stamp with a…

by James Rada, Jr. Thurmont Impact Fees May Be Raised The Town of Thurmont is considering raising its impact fees paid for new construction in town by 2.81 percent. They are paid for water, wastewater, roads, and parks. The fees currently total $23,320. If the increase is approved, the fees will total $23,965. The commissioners…

THURMONT Mayor John Kinnaird Karen and I hope that everyone had a very Merry Christmas with family and friends, and that the New Year brings good health and happiness.  The New Year is traditionally a time when we make resolutions about changing things in our lives, like losing weight, spending more time with our family,…

Murals Strengthen Community at Catoctin High School Alisha Yocum “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together,” Vincent van Gogh once said. At Catoctin High School (CHS), senior Zachary Williams and art teacher Theresa Hutchinson are proving just that as they collaborate on a project that’s capturing attention throughout the building.…

Richard D. L. Fulton “If it wasn’t for baseball, I’d be in either the penitentiary or the cemetery.”   ~Babe Ruth The United States Postal Service (USPS) issued a 20-cent stamp on July 6, 1983, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the first All-Star Game, and honoring the legendary Baltimorean baseball player, George “Babe” Herman Ruth, Jr.…

Thurmont Swearing In and New Liaison Assignments The winners of the Thurmont town election were sworn in during a recent town meeting, bringing a new face to the Thurmont Board of Commissioners. Incumbent Mayor John Kinnaird, incumbent Commissioner Wayne Hooper, and new Commissioner Chris Stouter were officially sworn in on November 1 and ceremonially sworn…

THURMONT Mayor John Kinnaird First, I want to thank everyone who voted for me and for your continued support. My thoughts after the election are that we, as a community, can continue to work toward our common goal of making Thurmont the best it can be, and I look forward to playing a part in…