Alisha Yocum In today’s world, running a restaurant is no easy task, but the Carriage House Inn in Emmitsburg is celebrating 40 years in business this year. While there are many reasons for their success, one thing stands out: They feel like family. The original owners, the late James “Pop” and JoAnn Hance, first opened…

by Richard D. L. Fulton Maryland has been the scene of numerous “firsts” in the annals of aviation, beginning with the first “manned” hot air balloon in America (see “Balloons Over Maryland,” by Richard D. L. Fulton, in the February 2026 issue of The Catoctin Banner) to the first airplane built in the state and…

by James Rada, Jr. Thurmont Emmitsburg Road Flood Mitigation Project On Hold Unless a significant grant can be found to help pay for the Emmitsburg Road Flood Mitigation Project, it has been tabled. The Thurmont Mayor and Commissioners discussed the project during a recent town meeting. The project has been planned, and the needed property…

ThurmontMayor John Kinnaird After record-breaking cold temperatures, snow that wouldn’t melt, and crazy storms, we are hopefully in store for some nice spring weather. Currently, the Maryland State Highway Administration is working to repave Emmitsburg Road from North Church Street to just past Eyler Road. Be careful when driving in the area, and watch for…

Baltimore-Washington HPO Richard D. L. Fulton TThe United States Postal Service (USPS) inaugurated its first Highway Post Office (HPO) on February 10, 1941, and added a Baltimore-Washington route to the HPO system on November 16, 1943. Each time a new route was added to the service routes of the HPO, a commemorative “first-trip cover” was…

Every Last Word | published in 2015 | Young Adult Fiction The book for this month was not a recent pick for my Book Club, although I may pick it for our next read! The book I chose for this month, Every Last Word, was first read by my daughter, who then gave it to…

By Joan Fry I was born in 1940, the youngest of five children, and lived my childhood during WWII near Fort Ritchie Military Base and the Maryland State Sanatorium for tuberculosis. I idolized my Daddy and would jump with glee when I heard him rumble across the wooden bridge in his old Ford sedan. That…

Alisha Yocum It seems like Domino’s was always in the works for Marco Paci and his wife, Megan. Born and raised in Montgomery County, Marco started his first job at the age of 14 with Domino’s before he moved to Brazil to complete high school. At age 17, Marco found his way back to the…

James Rada, Jr. When the Discovery Station in Hagerstown decided to move to Fort Ritchie last fall, they were only closed two weeks between the time they closed in Hagerstown and when they opened their new larger location at 14326 Barrick Avenue in Cascade. “In this location, we’ve grouped the exhibits to be more logically…

by Richard D. L. Fulton Claire Frock Company The Thurmont Claire Frock Company was established in 1936, and incorporated on December 23, 1947, by Abraham Jules Bernstein of York, Pennsylvania, in a vacant high school on East Main Street, according to an article published on July 30, 1977, in The (Frederick) News. The News further…

Emmitsburg New Business and Development Briefs The following are the statuses of new businesses and development coming to Emmitsburg from the town planner’s report: Christ Community Church (Creamery Road) — Awaiting the submission of updated improvement plans. Emmit Ridge — Road closure and street cut plans have been received and reviewed. Improvement Plan is currently…

The Frederick County Fire & Rescue Museum, located at 300B South Seton Avenue in Emmitsburg, will open for the 2026 season on Saturday, April 11. The collection on display includes several pieces of apparatus and equipment from the early days of firefighting in Frederick County. The collection also includes some motorized apparatus, such as the…

Alisha Yocum Emmitsburg Elementary School (EES), in partnership with Helping Hands and Caring Hearts (HHCH), recently hosted a community event aimed at connecting local families with essential resources. From food, hygiene items, clothes, and toys, the volunteers were ready to help meet the needs of Emmitsburg families. Mary Beth Smith, the new principal at EES,…

by Geraldine Otremba, Cascade Resident, on Behalf of the Committee to Protect Our Mountain Cascade resident Danielle Durning—only after making inquiries—was advised by Planning Department staff that her Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) application related to the proposed Dollar General Mart at 14413 McAfee Hill Road is scheduled for a public hearing before the Washington County…

Alisha Yocum It was a beautiful day at the Catoctin Fish and Game Protective Association grounds on March 21, where everything centered around turkey hunting. Hosted by the Monocacy Valley Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF), the annual Jake’s Day event brings together youth, ages 6–17, interested in or wanting to learn more…

Emma Barber, a student at Mother Seton School in Emmitsburg, created a lemonade stand to raise funds for the Thurmont Food Bank. Her grandmother lives near the food bank, and they noticed the long lines of people seeking food. Emma decided to help, and her hard work brought in $50.00 to be used to purchase…

The Thurmont Lions Club’s sandwich sales are back! The Thurmont Lions Club began its sandwich sales 24 years ago. The first two years were conducted out of the Lions Club trailer, next to Bell Hill Farm fruit stand. Beginning with the third year, the owner of Bell Hill retired, and the club was allowed to…

Piper Seiss of Thurmont is a new junior member of the American Angus Association®, reports Mark McCully, CEO of the national organization with headquarters in Saint Joseph, Missouri. Junior members of the Association are eligible to register cattle in the American Angus Association, participate in programs conducted by the National Junior Angus Association, and take…

Pre AI Retouching Post AI Retouching This is an undated image of Main Street in Graceham looking east. You can see the steeple of the Moravian Church in the distance slightly off to the left. Moravians settled in the Graceham area in the 1740s. Their first building was constructed in 1749, but the church in…

September 8, 1929 | March 5, 2026 Catherine Adkins, 96, of Thurmont passed away peacefully in her sleep on March 5, 2026, at Autumn Lake of Glade Valley in Walkersville. Born on September 8, 1929, in her family home in Catoctin Furnace, she was the daughter of the late Clyde N. and Harriett Ruth Spalding…