Currently viewing the tag: "doughboy"

Mayor Don Briggs

With the winter banquet season now drawing to a close and the Super Bowl behind us, there is not much left to blur the stark reality of winter. Left to a sullen impatience is the unsettled longing for spring. While heartened by the unhurried longer daylight hours, it was the surprise guest of a few warm days that gave a nod to the hope of an early spring. Also stirred by the elixir of warmer temperatures so obliging to my anxious imagination, was the restless ambition of Lib’s perennials pushing up throughout the backyard to confirm the possibility. Oh, so tempting the signals be.

If I seem particularly attentive to the signs of spring, it is because this is the spring the Square – Main Street revitalization project is to begin. Yes, finally after four years of plotting and planning, that seems to us at times to be moving at a glacier pace, but to our development partner the State Highway Administration (SHA), as moving along at an unimpeded rush. This project along with the now underway East Street – Flat Run Bridge replacement, a 100 percent SHA project, when complete, will, for the first time, provide connected sidewalks through the downtown along Main Street, from the Brookfield and Pembrook Woods subdivisions to the west and the Silo Hill commercial area to the east.

All of this has been done as a compatible part of a State of Maryland Sustainable Communities Program. One of the first decisions I made when I came into office was to go with the Sustainable Community Program, and not the state Main Street program, a decision I haven’t regretted for a minute. Private property façade grants under the program, together with our own initiatives, have exceeded expectations. To the five consecutive years of matching grant awards, totaling $250,000, results in $500,000 invested in the town historical property façades area. During the same period, pedestrian connectivity and safety has been enhanced, with eight sidewalk connections throughout the town. Now with the downtown revitalization project about to start, it is all coming together. We are moving to a goal of a more walkable town. Thank you for your patience.

On April 6, 1917, the United States, through joint congressional action, declared war on the German Empire. On April 8, 2017, the American Legion and VFW will recognize the 100th Anniversary of this declaration at noon at the Doughboy.

Working through the State House is a blighted properties bill. Though giving much-needed attention to a municipal problem, the bill seems to give a pass to banks and their foreclosed-on properties. The bill might have to be accepted as at least a step in the right direction.

Another pending bill is Senate Bill 141 that would require Maryland’s local board of elections to establish polling places at each public and private college and university in the State that awards baccalaureate or graduate-level degrees and has campus housing. The local election boards must pay a reasonable fee to cover the costs of the space. Imagine everyone in Emmitsburg having to go to the Mount.

My response: If public schools need to take back a normal closing day, Election Day, the Town of Emmitsburg has an optional location for polling. Moving the polling site to the Mount would be inconvenient and expensive for the town residents, and particularly devastating to our senior residents. More to come on the progress of this bill.

 

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 bronze figure in place. The Doughboy monument helps us remember the service and sacrifice of local soldiers who served in World War I.

Emmitsburg Resident and WWII Veteran, Tom Hoke, joined others from Emmitsburg to watch the re-installation of the Doughboy monument on March 16, 2015.

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Photo by Grace Eyler

Thurmont Food Bank Fundraiser

During the fundraiser for the Thurmont Food Bank in March, Senior Benefit Services and Firehouse DJ’s raised $500 for the cause. The Ladies Auxiliary AMVETS Post 7 donated $500 as well. Many food items were collected. Pastor Sally Joyner-Giffin, coordinator for the Food Bank, thanked everyone very much for the generous donations.

Karen of Senior Benefit Services said, “We understand the importance of supporting the community, and what better way than contributing to the Food Bank!”

Thanks to everyone who joined in the festivities and contributed so generously.

Senior-Benefit

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pictured from left are Phyliss Nizer, Barb Plovock, Shawn Graff, Paster Sally Joyner-Giffin, and Karen Simundson.

Photo by Grace Eyler

Local Frederick Animal Welfare Group Offers Free Spay/Neuter and Rabies Vaccines

Through a grant from the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA), Tip Me Frederick (TMF), a local animal welfare group, offers residents in Thurmont and other areas of northern Frederick County assistance in humanely managing the area’s community cats by offering them access to free spay/neuter and rabies vaccination services. TMF has conducted four free spay/neuter and rabies vaccination clinics to date and is taking reservations for upcoming clinics throughout the rest of 2016.

For more information or to reserve a spot at the next free clinic, please visit www.tipmefrederick.org, email info@tipmefrederick.org, or call 301-845-1061.

March 2016

Emmitsburg

New Website Up and Running

The town has launched its new website design. You can still view it at www.emmitsburgmd.gov, but it has a new, updated look that includes many new features, such as county alerts, streaming of old meetings, a business directory, and an online incident report.

“This is light years beyond what we have had in the past,” Commissioner Glenn Blanchard said after the presentation.

The website went live in mid-March, and the town staff is seeking pictures that can be posted on the website, particularly pictures of town events that show people.

Pumping Station Gets Power Star

Power Star energy monitoring equipment will soon be installed on the Emmitsburg pumping station, which is guaranteed to decrease electric costs at the pumping station by at least ten percent.

Emmitsburg Zoning Technician Jerry Muir said that the equipment is manufactured in Europe and inhibits unneeded power into the station. “If we need 426 volts, we don’t get 440, that’s where you get the savings,” Muir said.

This is because even if the electricity isn’t used, if it goes to the pumping station, it still has to be paid for. Emmitsburg will be the first municipality in the country with this technology.

Deputies Want to Start Rocket Club

The Frederick County Community Deputies are planning on starting a rocket club for youth in Emmitsburg. The group will meet once a month to build model rockets and then launch them. “We want to encourage youth to come out and feel more comfortable with us and to have a positive impact on them,” the deputy told the Emmitsburg mayor and commissioners.

Other deputies had run a rocket club once before in town and found it to be a popular club.

For more information on the town of Emmitsburg, visit www.emmitsburgmd.gov or call 301-600-6300.

Emmitsburg

by Mayor Briggs

The Doughboy is up.  What took two seconds to knock down took eight months to reinstall. After what seemed like an endless state protocol process, nationally known sculptor Gary Casteel did the repair work in three and half months. Shining, the doughboy rests atop a new 6,500 pound sandstone pedestal extracted from the same quarry as the original base. Welcome home.

Stavros is open—welcome home!

Go men’s Mount Rugby team. The team is ranked No. 1 in the country Small College Division and will play for the National Championship in Denver in late April.

It seems every day that we lose part of history with the passing of another member of our community. Over the last month we lost Richard “Dick” Waybright, a seventh-generation dairy farmer, like few others. Dick was internationally renowned and visited over 80 countries and along with his brother, Horace, developed cutting edge technology needed for the modern dairy farmer. It’s the only dairy farm I know of with a theatre to accommodate its many visitors. We also lost Donald “Mike” Fitzgerald, the proprietor of the Shamrock Restaurant, a northern Frederick County landmark. He was a restaurateur like few others. Known for its Irish décor and menu, the restaurant drew customers from all over. Mike was also known for his strong patriotic views to which he always stood steadfast. Both men will be missed.

Work on replacing sidewalks along South Seton Avenue by the State Highway Administration (SHA) is underway. This is the first installment of the Emmitsburg downtown revitalization project. When the work is complete on South Seton Avenue, the plan is to immediately shift to continue side walk replacements on North Seton Avenue. The whole Seton Avenue work is projected to be completed in two months.

Emmitsburg was featured in the February 2016 edition national mountain bike magazine “Dirt Bag”. Purportedly, the magazine has a readership of over 200,000. The article was written by Brice Shirbach who grew up in the area. The mountain bike trail was developed on town owned land of which 550 acres was donated to the town in 2000 by the State of Maryland working in concert with the Conservation Fund. This is a dream project of Commissioner Tim O’Donnell.

I attended the March monthly meeting of county executive, mayor and burgesses. The main agenda item was going over the results of the SHA Tourist Area and Corridor (TAC) signage program. All through the process northern Frederick County tourism stakeholders were given the opportunity to be involved in the decisions on tourist road signage that will appear in the not too distant future.

Recently I participated in the “Read Across America” program at Mother Seton School. I had the honor of reading to the fourth-grade class and it was a phenomenal experience. Last year Reese Fryer from the town office, Libby and I read to first graders at Emmitsburg Elementary School which was an equally great experience.

Thurmont

New Basketball Courts Approved

On March 2, 2016, the Thurmont mayor and commissioners approved a bid to have Playground Specialists build two new basketball half-courts at Pleasant Acres Park and Woodland Park. Playground Specialists presented the low bid of $37,875. Of this amount, $37,800 will be paid for by Program Open Space funds.

Town to Hire Summer Maintenance Worker

Thurmont will hire a seasonal employee to maintain town parks and trails this summer. The expected cost for this position is $10,560 for an employee who works forty hours per week at $12.00 for twenty-two weeks. The position’s duties include picking up trash, cleaning bathrooms, and emptying the trash cans in the parks. The purpose of this new hire will be to free up other town staff for work that requires greater knowledge and skill, such as street maintenance.

Despite the additional cost, the Department of Public Works is still expected to come in under budget for the fiscal year, which ends on June 30.

Thurmont Receives Clean Audit

The Thurmont mayor and commissioners received their annual audit during the February 23 town meeting. McLean, Koehler, Sparks & Hammond of Frederick (MKS&H) conducted the audit for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2015. Megan Baker and Barbara Walker of MKS&H presented the highlights of the audit to the commissioners and answered questions.

The town received a clean, unqualified, and unmodified opinion, which is good. Total assets increased $2 million, most of which are infrastructure improvements. Total liabilities increased $3 million. Most of this comes from accounting changes that require a different way of reporting pension liabilities. Overall, revenues for the year decreased around $82,015, and overall expenses increased around $62,652.

The town had $14.6 million in revenues from sources for 2015 and expenses of $12.8 million, leaving the town with a $1.8 million surplus. Although the audit was fine, a couple deficiencies were noted that need to be addressed. One is that some journal entries are needed to reconcile some accounts at year end. The audit notes, “we suggest that management perform monthly reconciliations and more routine reviews that include all funds and accounts.”

Town staff has done this both individually and on an overall fund basis for the cash accounts. They are working on performing monthly reviews for the journal entries and account balances. This will hopefully be accomplished by augmenting the accounting staff.

Another note on the audit was that the same person who signs checks can also write checks and post them to the general ledger. The audit recommended that “another individual should be trained to generate the checks for payment and then post the checks once they have been approved and signed.” This will also hopefully be accomplished once the accounting staff is augmented. In the meantime, Mayor John Kinnaird routinely reviews monthly bank statements and cancelled checks.

For more information on the town of Thurmont, visit www.thurmont.com or call the town office at 301-271-7313.

This article includes excerpts from Karen Gardner’s article in a 1991 Frederick Post titled The History Behind the Doughboy and Joan Bittner Fry’s research in her compilation of local history titled, Did You Know? published in 2013.

A doughboy is the popular name for a World War I foot soldier. A statue commemorating the doughboy and called the Doughboy is located on West Main Street in Emmitsburg. One can’t help but feel pride and sorrow when noticing a statue that commemorates sacrifices in war. Emmitsburg’s Doughboy was created by E. M. Viquesney, a French sculptor who lived in Spencer, Indiana, to honor Veterans and casualties of World War I.  Visquesney was, perhaps, the most popular Doughboy designer. It is interesting to know that not only are there other Doughboy statues around the nation, but that Emmitsburg’s Doughboy statue has an identical twin.

In her book, Did You Know?, Joan Bittner Fry said, “…supposedly, there are seven Doughboys in Maryland. They are made of copper, bronze, granite, or marble. Emmitsburg’s Doughboy statue’s twin is located in Crisfield, Maryland. Other Doughboys in Maryland are located in Funkstown, Elkton, and Williamsport. After research, Joan could only account for five.

In her article, The History Behind the Doughboy that was published in the Frederick Post in 1991, Karen Gardner references the late T. Perry Wesley of Spencer, Indiana who set out to remind people of the importance of these doughboy statues and located 110 of them around the nation but also indicated that he believed that several hundred actually exist.

Joseph Boys, who published an article about the Emmitsburg Doughboy statue in 1981, said, ‘There’s one in practically every small town.’ The statue stands on the lawn of the Emmit House, once a hotel that frequently hosted Maryland governors, but is now an apartment house. It was erected in 1927. The Emmitsburg monument was in its heyday before World War II. Since then, other monuments at the town’s American Legion have gotten considerably more attention, Mr. Boyle said.

Emmitsburg’s Doughboy is walking between tree stumps, left boot firmly on the ground, right toe touching the ground, and the rest of the boot upraised in a marching pose. The right arm is raised, holding a hand grenade, and the left hand clutches a rifle with bayonet pointed horizontally.

Other doughboy statues are missing the tree stumps, and often have the right foot in the air, held aloft by a bar.

For more information, Joan Bittner Fry’s books of local and regional history are available by calling her at 301-241-3295 or emailing jofry241@yahoo.com.

An Honor Roll at the Emmitsburg Doughboy, * indicates killed in action:

Adelsberter, Joseph Dwen, Althoff, C. Raymond, Alvey, James McSherry, Annan, Louis L., Annan, Samuel McNair, *Bentzel, Arthur H., Barrick, Moffis, Baumgardner, Raymond, Baumgardner, Clarence, Beatty, Albert, Bishop, James Lloyd, Bowling, J. William, Brown, D. Irwin, Brown, Ward, Butler, Charles E., Byard, James A., Byard, Sidney C., Byers, Harry Bryan, Cadle, W. R., Click, Earl Norman, Cool, John, Coombs, C.C., Coyle, Edward J., Damuth, Lester, L., Coyle, Edward J., Damuth, Lester L.,  Dodd, Rev. Francis J., Duffy, William H., Eckenrode, Henry B., Jr., Eichelberger, Charles D., *Elder, Francis X., Eyler, Cleo M., Eyler, Roy, Felix, Joseph Webb, Ferguson, Russell David, Fitez, Robert Glenn, Florence, George, Florence, Vincent, Fox, Leslie, Frailey, Clarence G., Frailey, Thomas J., Frailey, William A., Galt, Sterling, Jr., Gelwicks, Albert, *Gelwicks, Charles, F., Gelwicks, Lillian, Gelwicks, Roy, Gelwicks, William R., Gillelan, Charles D., Gillelan, Rhoda H., Glacken, Joseph J., Glonneger, John R., Gruber, Charles, Hahn, Charles A., *Hahn , Martin Luther, Harbaugh, Charles E., Harbaugh, Charles L., Hartdagen, LeRoy, Harting, John Mark, Hays, James T., Hobbs, John, Hoke, Clarence, Houser, Jacob W., Kelley, Luther, Kerrigan, J. Ware, Kerrigan, Robert V., Knight, Harry, Kreitz, Allen A., Kreitz, John C., Kreitz, Joseph W., Kugler, Martin L., Kump, Charles Wm., Liday, Edgar R., Malloy Arthur, Marshall, Thomas, Martin, Maurice C., McCullough, Richard, McNair, Charles A., Miller, William, Moser, Allen E., Moser, Maurice H., Moser, Roy Jacob, Myers, Clarence, O’Donoghue, D. Allen, O’Donoghue, John A., O’Donoghue, Sidney E., Ohler, Charles F. Ohler, Glenn E., *Ohler, Vernon Ross, Ott, George L., Pittinger, Harvey, *Reifsnider, Robert B., Rauth, Carl M., Rauth, John W., Rosensteel, Allen C., Rosensteel, John H., Rowe, Charles J., *Rowe, Francis Edward, Ryder, Gerald N., *Schley, Reading J., Sanders, J. Basil, Saylor, Roy W., Schildt, Elvin R., Sebold, Felix B., Saffer, J. Albert, Sellers, Charles E., Sellers, Robert R., Seltzer, Earnest T., Seltzer, James E., Sharrer, Charles L., Sherff, William C., Shuff, Joseph, Staker, Arthur, Sterbinsky, William, Stinson, O.H., Stokes, Arthur M., Stokes, Charles K., Stokes, George H., Stone, David E., Stoner, Louis H., Topper, Benjamin M., Topper, Francis S., Topper, Joseph M., Troxell, Charles, Turner, Joseph M., Valentine, Harry E., Valentine, Robert, Wagerman, George, Walter, John W., Warthen, Henry W., Weant, Frank W., Wetzel, John S.

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Emmitsburg Doughboy Statue Postcard

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Elkton, MD Doughboy Statue Postcard

funkstown-doughboy

Funkstown, MD Doughboy Statue