Over 50 participants gathered around Lake Royer in Cascade for the annual Fort Ritchie Community Center’s Bass Fishing Tournament on Saturday, May 18. The event was sponsored by Cobblestone Hotel & Suites and included prizes for the largest bass caught by youth and adults. The winners were: Adult Winners: Steven Pinkley—17 ¼” Steve Christian—16 ½”…

Over 60 participants turned out for the Fort Ritchie Community Center’s Spring Bass Fishing Tournament. The tournament, which is sponsored by Cobblestone Hotel & Suites, is held on Lake Royer located on the former Fort Ritchie property in Cascade. Bobby Swomley of Williamsport won the event with a 15-inch bass. There was a three-way tie…

Empowering Residents to Improve Their Lives Deb Abraham Spalding In the glory days of the former military base called Fort Ritchie in Cascade, its recreation facilities were considered by some to be the “best-kept secret” in the Army! These days, the recreational facilities still exist and operate as the Fort Ritchie Community Center, Inc. (FRCC).…

Blair Garrett Pickleball is one of America’s fastest-growing sports. Despite its name, pickleball involves no eating or food-based projectiles. It’s a hybrid of tennis and badminton, meant for two or four players to face off in high-octane rallies by launching a perforated ball on each other’s side of the court. Its similarities to tennis are…

Lucia Lamberson thought she was attending a Zumba fundraising event at the Fort Ritchie Community Center; however, her friends had secretly planned a surprise party in her honor. Lamberson officially became an American on Monday, April 12, 2021, in Philadelphia. Friends she had made through exercise classes at the community center were so impressed with…

Guy Swormley of Williamsport, Maryland, won the annual Fort Ritchie Community Center Bass Fishing Tournament, held on September 19, 2020, at the Fort Ritchie Community Center in Cascade. Guy Swormley reeled in a 16¾-inch bass to take the top honors in the adult division. William Trovinger of Sabilllasville, age six, won the youth division with…

James Rada Jr. Everything that has happened in 2020 will make Halloween this year seem tame, no matter how scary things might be on October 31. It will actually be a nice break from everything that is happening; however, some changes to our regular slate of Halloween activities have been made. Thurmont’s annual Halloween in…

Members of the Fort Ritchie Community Center can win a free T-shirt if they can properly guess their temperature upon entering the facility. The Community Center has established a COVID-19 prevention protocol based upon guidelines from the CDC, State of Maryland, and Washington County. The protocol includes each member answering a series of questions related…

James Rada, Jr. The signs on the doors of businesses across the area are turning from closed to open as the COVID-19 restrictions in Maryland and Frederick County loosen. Even businesses that were open because they were deemed essential are expanding their operations. On June 11, the Carriage House Inn in Emmitsburg opened with 32…

A secret group of soldiers, who are credited with shortening World War II by two years, is being honored locally. The group, known as Ritchie Boys, was part of the D-Day invasion and subsequent march across Europe to defeat the Nazis. An exhibit highlighting the impact of the Ritchie Boys during World War II is…

The father and son duo of Tyler and Steve Pinkley from Keedysville, Maryland, dominated the Fort Ritchie Community Center Bass Fishing Tournament. Tyler took first place honors with a 16½-inch bass, while his father, Steve, was one of three participants who tied for third place. The tournament is held at Lake Royer in Cascade and…

The Fort Ritchie Community Center has been robbed! Gold recovered from a sunken Pirate ship on loan to the Community Center’s summer program has gone missing. Luckily, participants in the summer camp program are on the case collecting and deciphering clues as part of the Crime Scene Investigators theme week. “We know one of the…

The Fort Ritchie Community Center has added a marketing and special events coordinator to its team. Buck Browning, executive director, said Jaimie Paterson (pictured right) has begun her new role, and he is excited to have her on board. “There are so many exciting things in the works here for Fort Ritchie and the community;…

M&T Bank contributed $6,000 to the Fort Ritchie Community Center in Cascade. The funds helped sponsor the 2016 Mountaintop Heritage Days event that celebrated the 90th anniversary of Camp Ritchie. “M&T Bank’s investment in the community goes beyond sponsoring Mountaintop Heritage Days,” said Buck Browning, executive director of the Community Center. “All of our programs…

Holiday Craft Bazaar at Fort Ritchie Community Center By Chris O’Connor Nothing says, “Let’s go Christmas shopping,” like balmy, seventy-degree weather on a Saturday in mid-December. Beverly Coyle, Fort Ritchie Community Center’s event organizer, stated that the turnout for the annual Holiday Craft Bazaar was impressive, though it generally is the best-attended of the three…

Participants in Zumba at the Fort Ritchie Community Center made a financial contribution to Breast Cancer Awareness of the Cumberland Valley (BCA-CV). Heather DeLauter, a Zumba instructor at the community center, organized a special session of the class in which participants made a donation instead of paying the usual class fee. “It was Heather’s idea…