From the Mayor
THURMONT
Mayor John Kinnaird
Here we are at the end of September already! Schools are back in session, and autumn is coming fast. With the changing season will come the nice cooler temperatures, colorful leaves, and fall events.
We just celebrated the 69th Annual Thurmont & Emmitsburg Community Show, and I am looking forward to next year’s 70th community event! The weekend was wonderful, and the displays and food were great. Be sure to mark your calendars and start planning for your entries.
Coming up on October 11 and 12 is the 63rd Colorfest weekend. This is always a great weekend for all of our community organizations and nonprofits. For most, this will be the biggest fundraiser of the year. I encourage everyone to support our local organizations during Colorfest weekend. There are plenty of locally owned and operated food stands spread throughout the Colorfest areas; they will appreciate your support. Traffic can be an issue during Colorfest, but with a little planning, most of it can be avoided. I hope we have good weather for the event! It seems early, but Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas will be here before we know it. Travel plays a big part in our lives during the upcoming months, and careful planning can make a big difference. Drive carefully as you go around Thurmont and beyond, and keep in mind that our children may not always be aware of traffic and their surroundings.
The town will be putting out bids for street work. When they are awarded, we will notify residents when the work will be completed. The new pump station connecting the low- and high-pressure systems is well underway and, once completed, will provide system reliability. Planning and design work continues on the PFAS filtration systems to be installed at our wells.
The Town of Thurmont Elections are coming up, and the following dates are very important. September 30 at 7:00 p.m. will be the Nominating Convention in the Thurmont Town Offices. September 30 is the last day to register to vote in the municipal elections. October 15 is the tentative day for the availability of absentee ballots. You can apply for an absentee ballot after the Nominating Convention. October 21 is the last day to apply for an absentee ballot. All Absentee ballots must be returned to the town office by 4:00 p.m. on October 28. October 28 is Election Day. Voting will be held at the Guardian Hose Company’s Activity Building at 123 East Main Street, from 7:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. (Please note, if you’re registered for county, state, or national elections, you are already registered for Thurmont elections.)
There are three seats up for election: mayor and two commissioners. The election will fill positions currently held by me (Mayor), Wayne Hooper (Commissioner), and Bill Blakeslee (Commissioner). All candidates will be announced at the Nominating Convention on September 30; write-in candidates can be included on the ballot on Election Day. I encourage all eligible Thurmont residents to participate in our municipal election. Each of us has the opportunity to play an important part in our town by voting for your candidates of choice.
Questions, concerns, or compliments? I can be contacted by email at jkinnaird@thurmont.com or by cell phone at 301-606-9458.
Emmitsburg
Mayor Frank Davis
Happy fall! It’s the time for bonfires, flannel, and pumpkin spice, but also Woodsboro Days, which is an exciting time in Woodsboro. View the advertisement in this month’s edition on page 5.
It’s an exciting time in Woodsboro, as our long-time project of building a town hall has come to an end, and we will be moving in on October 1. Our Grand Opening is scheduled for October 9, with the ribbon-cutting ceremony taking place at 11:00 a.m. We will also have an open house until 2:00 p.m. that day. Everyone is invited to attend. The town hall is located at 605 S. Main Street, Woodsboro, MD 21798. There are so many people to thank for this project, but I will be taking care of that at the ribbon cutting and will mention it in next month’s article.
We are also excited about our upcoming Woodsboro Days event, which will take place on October 18, from Noon to 5:00 p.m. We will have Taylor Brown as Elvis on stage from Noon to 1:30 p.m., and the Bootleg Band on stage from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. We have multiple food trucks, vendors, and a beer and moonshine garden. This year, we also have added pumpkin painting and a petting zoo for the kids, in addition to our typical face painting. The event is free to attend and will take place at Woodsboro Regional Park. We will have a shuttle to give rides to people who cannot make the walk through the park to the festival. Bring a chair or blanket, and have a good time.
I look forward to seeing you in Woodsboro for one of the above-mentioned events.
Our first year of food trucks was a great success, and we are looking forward to next year, which will start back up in May and run through September.
We also have been approved for a $59,000 grant to work on the pond in the park. We are looking at getting this project underway, hopefully this fall, so that the pond will be in a much better shape for next spring and summer.
Start thinking about your holiday decorations for December, as this year, we will be having a Holiday House Decorating Contest. Judging is set to take place on December 18, and there will be prizes awarded to the top three decorated homes.
As always, I encourage everyone to support Glade Valley Community Services (GVCS) if you have clothes or food donations, as they are always in need of items for members of the community. For more information, please contact GVCS by email at gvcs.inc@verizon.net or by calling 301-845-0213.
If you have any questions, concerns, complaints, or compliments, please feel free to reach out to me at hbarnes@woodsboro.org or by phone at 301-401-7164.
Woodsboro
Burgess Heath Barnes
Happy fall! It’s the time for bonfires, flannel, and pumpkin spice, but also Woodsboro Days, which is an exciting time in Woodsboro. View the advertisement in this month’s edition on page 5.
It’s an exciting time in Woodsboro, as our long-time project of building a town hall has come to an end, and we will be moving in on October 1. Our Grand Opening is scheduled for October 9, with the ribbon-cutting ceremony taking place at 11:00 a.m. We will also have an open house until 2:00 p.m. that day. Everyone is invited to attend. The town hall is located at 605 S. Main Street, Woodsboro, MD 21798. There are so many people to thank for this project, but I will be taking care of that at the ribbon cutting and will mention it in next month’s article.
We are also excited about our upcoming Woodsboro Days event, which will take place on October 18, from Noon to 5:00 p.m. We will have Taylor Brown as Elvis on stage from Noon to 1:30 p.m., and the Bootleg Band on stage from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. We have multiple food trucks, vendors, and a beer and moonshine garden. This year, we also have added pumpkin painting and a petting zoo for the kids, in addition to our typical face painting. The event is free to attend and will take place at Woodsboro Regional Park. We will have a shuttle to give rides to people who cannot make the walk through the park to the festival. Bring a chair or blanket, and have a good time.
I look forward to seeing you in Woodsboro for one of the above-mentioned events.
Our first year of food trucks was a great success, and we are looking forward to next year, which will start back up in May and run through September.
We also have been approved for a $59,000 grant to work on the pond in the park. We are looking at getting this project underway, hopefully this fall, so that the pond will be in a much better shape for next spring and summer.
Start thinking about your holiday decorations for December, as this year, we will be having a Holiday House Decorating Contest. Judging is set to take place on December 18, and there will be prizes awarded to the top three decorated homes.
As always, I encourage everyone to support Glade Valley Community Services (GVCS) if you have clothes or food donations, as they are always in need of items for members of the community. For more information, please contact GVCS by email at gvcs.inc@verizon.net or by calling 301-845-0213.
If you have any questions, concerns, complaints, or compliments, please feel free to reach out to me at hbarnes@woodsboro.org or by phone at 301-401-7164.
Woodsboro town meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. In addition, planning and zoning meetings are at 6:00 p.m. on the first Monday of the month, as needed. If you have an item for the agenda, it needs to be submitted 14 days before the P&Z meeting. The current location for meetings is the St. Johns United Church of Christ, located at 8 N. 2nd Street, Woodsboro, MD 21798. The public is always invited to attend.
