Tales on Trails
Trails for the Kids Richard D. L. Fulton Fall is a season of change, as the heat of summer begins to diminish and weather, overall, begins to moderate. But fall is also a season during which life begins to prepare for the harshest of Earth’s seasons, the winter, with its plunging, freezing temperatures, along with…
Day Trippin’
Take A Dip! The boat house operated by Eastern Watersports is open for business, renting out canoes, kayaks and paddle boards. James Rada, Jr. With the warm summer weather upon us, sometimes it is nice to cool off in the water. Northern Frederick County has a good ole swimming hole at Cunningham Falls State Park,…
Plan A Family Day Trip
The following is recommended as an ideal family day trip. See Joan Bittner Fry story on page 20. The remains of the iron works Thomas Johnson founded can be seen at the base of the Catoctin Mountain in Cunningham Falls State Park in Thurmont in Frederick County, Maryland. The furnace can be reached from the…
It’s Time To Make The Syrup
James Rada, Jr. Fun Facts: Although maple trees are found on other continents, no other continent’s maples can compare in sweetness to the sugar maple trees in North America. It takes an average of 40 gallons of sap to produce one gallon of syrup. As spring approaches in the area, maple sap is flowing into…
Maryland’s Prime Vacation Spots
Jayden Myers For those traveling in the area, whether it be for sightseeing, visiting, or just passing through, there are some unique places that you could stop visit this summer and fall. Locally, spots such as Cunningham Falls State Park, Catoctin Wildlife Preserve, and the Catoctin Furnace are places worth visiting. Cunningham Falls State Park…
Shangri-la/Camp David
Joan Bittner Fry Since 1942, when it was established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as “Shangri-la,” this isolated camp in the hills of Western Maryland has served as an official Presidential retreat and has often been the site of conferences and decisions of national and international significance. Prior to its existence, diplomats vacationed at Pen…
About Our Cover Photo: The Maryland Iron Festival
The first annual Maryland Iron Festival was held the weekend of May 18 and 19, 2019 in historic Catoctin Furnace, in Thurmont, Maryland, to celebrate the state as a center for the craft of ironmaking. Activities were held within the historic village, as well as Catoctin Mountain Park, and Cunningham Falls State Park. The festival…
THEY MAKE THURMONT PROUD
James Rada, Jr. Thurmont businesses are beginning to be recognized as some of the best in Frederick County. The Frederick News-Post’s annual “Best of the Best” contest recognized 183 county businesses in 14 categories as being the “Best of the Best.” Each year, the community nominates and votes for their favorite businesses. At a town…
More McAfee Falls History Tidbits
Deb Abraham Spalding In the October issue of The Catoctin Banner, the cover article was called “The History and Mystery of McAfee Falls.” In it, we explored the McAfee family, who were the landowners of the falls, now called Cunningham Falls and part of Cunningham Falls State Park. We invited people to help solve the…
Department Spotlight
by Theresa Dardanell The Guardian Hose Company, Inc. Frederick County Company 10 Hopefully, you will never need to be rescued due to an accident at Catoctin Mountain National Park or Cunningham Falls State Park; but if you do, the Guardian Hose Company provides fire and rescue services to an 84-square mile area that includes the…
