Catoctin Breeze Vineyard & Winery Offers Award-Winning Wines in Thurmont
James Rada, Jr. The Thurmont area is perfect for growing grapes that then can be turned into fine wines, and Alicja and Voytek Fizyta have the awards to prove it. Over the past five years, the wines of Catoctin Breeze Winery have earned thirty awards at shows like the Atlantic Seaboard Wine Association Wine Competition…
William and Betty Jean Hixen Meredith Celebrate 60 Years of Marriage
Deb Spalding Young Betty Jean Hixen was raised in a family of Polish and Irish descent, who were coal miners in Jordan, West Virginia. Just three miles away, her future husband, William (Bill) Meredith, lived with his family of Welsh and Irish ancestry. They were farmers. The two were destined to love, and met when…
2004 Catoctin High School Graduate Now Company Commander of the HHC, 127th Engineer Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, and 82nd Airborne
CPT David Lee Burrier, son of Lonnie and Barbara Burrier of Thurmont, recently became Company Commander of the HHC, 127th Engineer Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, and 82nd Airborne at Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, North Carolina. CPT Burrier was a 2004 graduate of Catoctin High School, and a 2008 graduate of The Citadel in Charleston,…
Jeremy Murphy is the New Chief Ranger for Gettysburg National Military Park and Eisenhower National Historic Site
James Rada, Jr. Jeremy Murphy (pictured right) was born and raised in Emmitsburg, graduating from Catoctin High in 1998. He visited both Catoctin Mountain Park and Gettysburg National Military Park on field trips and summer trips, never realizing that he would grow up to become the chief law enforcement officer for the Gettysburg National Military…
Arts and Entertainment
Thurmont Thespians Hold Auditions for 2015 Fall Show The Thurmont Thespians are proud to announce auditions for their fall show, God’s Favorite, a comedy by Neil Simon and directed by Matthew Bannister. Auditions will be held at St. John’s Lutheran Church, located on 15 N. Church Street in Thurmont, on Tuesday, September 1, at 7:00…
Rebecca Pearl Takes First Place in the 2015 Barnstormers Tour and Plein Air Paint-Out
Deb Spalding The 9th Annual Barnstormers Tour and Plein Air Paint-Out was held on Saturday, June 13, 2015. Local artist Rebecca Pearl was one of thirty-five artists to participate. The event was sponsored by the Frederick County Landmarks Foundation as a fundraiser to support the preservation of barns in the Frederick County area. The day’s…
Dollar General Opens in Emmitsburg
James Rada, Jr. You can be forgiven if you missed the opening of the new Dollar General Store at 501 E. Main Street in Emmitsburg. The doors opened on June 28, the same day that Emmitsburg Community Heritage Day was being held. “A lot of times we have a soft opening and then have a…
Thurmont High School Class of 1965 Holds Reunion
Thurmont High School Class of 1965 celebrated their 50th class reunion on June 5, 2015. A dinner dance was held at the Thurmont American Legion. The seventy-first class to graduate Thurmont High School was comprised of one hundred seventeen students, of which twenty-nine are deceased. Thirty-seven classmates returned to socialize with old friends. Some classmates…
James Black Family Donates Artwork to New Thurmont Town Office
At a recent town meeting, Mayor John Kinnaird announced that the family of former Mayor James Black had donated to the town a framed watercolor print of their family home that was created by local artist Rebecca Pearl. James Black served as Thurmont’s mayor for a period of sixteen years (1969-1977 and 1979-1987). Many may…
Emmitsburg Walks Off With Three-Peat
Davy Wantz IV Emmitsburg hosted the Cal Ripken 12U 46/60 state tournament from July 2nd to July 7th, for the third consecutive year. Emmitsburg was coming off of back-to-back state titles entering the tournament, and was returning eight players from last year’s championship winning team. With these players and the addition of some new talent,…
Thurmont Little League 9-10 All Star Team Wins State Title
The Thurmont Little League 9-10 All Star Team went 8-0, outscoring their opponents 104-19, to win the Maryland District 2 and Maryland State Championships. With the State Championship, they will be moving on to represent our communities, Maryland District 2, and the State of Maryland in the 9-10 Little League Eastern Regional in Cranston, Rhode…
Sabillasville Native Presented Prominent Award for Contributions to Medical Laser
On May 16, 2015, Jim Bittner, Peggy Elgin, and Becky Linton attended an event at Dr. Ronald (Ron) Waynant’s home. They were invited by his wife, Priscilla, for a presentation of a citation awarded him from the President of ASLMS (American Society for Laser Medicine & Surgery, Inc.). The award, presented by President of ASLMS…
ConjoStudios and Archai Media Collaborate on Documentary
Will there be enough water to survive? Thirsty Land is an exciting new documentary that tells the story of drought, its impact on agriculture, communities, and the global food supply. Two Frederick production companies are collaborating to produce this film. Frederick County filmmaker, Conrad Weaver, is already well-known for his award-winning documentary The Great American…
Vigilant Hose Co. Holds their Annual Spring Fling
Deb Spalding Emmitsburg’s Vigilant Hose Company hosted their 7th annual Spring Fling in the parking lot of Mount St. Mary’s University’s Waldron Family Stadium on May 16, 2015. In past years, the event has been described as our community’s version of a party at the beach; this year’s location was described as a community tail-gate…
BUSINESS news
Wine, Cupcakes, and Art in Thurmont James Rada, Jr. It was a nice night for a stroll on the evening of May 8, 2015, and residents took advantage of the pleasant weather to come to downtown Thurmont for the Art & Wine Walk. Ten downtown businesses shared their storefronts with local wineries, cupcake bakers, and…
COMMUNITY news
Melissa Wetzel CPA Staff and Customers Donate for Emmitsburg Food Bank Customers and staff at Melissa Wetzel CPA in Emmitsburg have topped last year’s record for collecting food donations in comparison to the annual numbers for the project that started in 2009. “With 1,244 food items collected, it’s still catching on. Our goal is to…
Kuhns, Wolfes, and Other Natives Attended Foxville School Reunion
Deb Spalding Yes, the Kuhns and the Wolfes were out for the Foxville School Reunion on May 17, 2015, at the school house. So were the Brandenburgs, Buhrmans, Hurleys, Willards, Delauters, Klines, and Clines, in addition to members of other homestead mountain families as students of the former Foxville School reminisced while enjoying a lunch…
Better Late Than Never — The Thurmont Business Expo Happened on April 2
The Thurmont business community put its best foot forward for the 11th Annual Thurmont Business Expo, held on April 2, 2015. However, this was the Expo that almost didn’t happen. Thurmont Main Street, the usual organizers of the event, had decided not to hold the Expo this year and canceled it. Heather Dewees and Rob…
The 33rd Annual Heritage Day
Emmitsburg Civilian and Veteran Organizations and Surrounding Communities Join Together to Celebrate the 33rd Annual Heritage Day Jim Houck, Jr. The combined planning efforts of civilian and Veteran organizations in Emmitsburg and the surrounding communities will join together to celebrate the 33rd Annual Heritage Day (formerly Community Day) on Saturday June 27, 2015. The Town…
New Thurmont Kiosk
Mayor John Kinnaird (far right), Chief Administrative Officer Jim Humerick (center), and Main Street Manager Vickie Grinder (left) pose in front of the new Thurmont kiosk at the Mason Dixon Welcome Center. The kiosk was provided by Frederick County Tourism Special Projects Coordinator Mr. Chris Haugh.
