Thurmont Lions Club Hosts Mayor and Chief as Speakers and You are Invited
Thurmont Mayor John Kinnaird — January 8
Mayor John Kinnaird is a mainstay of Thurmont, for sure, but there were mayors before him. An excellent resource for finding pictures of previous Thurmont mayors and other Thurmont history is the “The Robert S. Kinnaird Collection of Historic Thurmont Photographs.”
Among these photographs is Mayor Charles Andrew Weller seated by a small table. He holds a long heavy-looking hammer in his right hand and grasps a chain on the table in his left hand. Note the rolled-up sleeves. Similar in dress is Mayor Jacob Henry Cover, standing in front of what looks like a cemetery. He is holding a lengthy pick with both hands. The pick lays across the left shoulder.
There are mayors of the past with the stiff collars, skinny ties, bowties, and other neck fashions of their times. Then, there are mayors of more recent times in business suits with whom we are familiar. Mayor Donald Lewis and Mayor James Franklin Black are two of them.
Our current mayor, John Kinnaird, is seen out and about the town, interacting and talking to Thurmont citizens. Each month, The Catoctin Banner offers the column, “From The Mayor.” The column varies from month to month, but it is always informative and is recommended reading. Every month, Mayor Kinnaird chairs the commissioner’s meetings. These meetings can be attended or watched on TV. Note that there is time given for public comment. He is found at various community events, as well, including the recent Thurmont Lions Club 95th Charter Night, where he became an Honorary Thurmont Lions Club Member.
Mayor Kinnaird will present “State of Thurmont” at the Thurmont Lions Club meeting in St. John’s Lutheran Church, located at 16 N. Church Street, at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 8. This is your chance to ask questions, listen to answers, and ask follow-up questions. Take advantage of this chance to listen, to be informed, and to evaluate.
Guardian Hose Company Fire Chief Charlie Brown and Assistant Fire Chief Chris Kinnaird — January 22
Thurmont Lions Club is fortunate to host Fire Chief Charlie Brown of the Guardian Hose Company as the speaker for the January 22 meeting. The Lions are also fortunate to have Assistant Fire Chief Chris Kinnaird accompanying Chief Charlie Brown to the meeting.
Fire Chief Brown says with heartfelt pride that he is a fourth-generation member of the Guardian Hose Company. His son, Chad, is the fifth generation in the Guardian Hose Company. Both Chief Brown and Mayor Kinnaird hold their heads up a little higher knowing that their sons are members of an organization whose purpose is explained in the following paragraph.
The Guardian Hose Company was created in 1887. It is their mission to “… assist in protecting the lives and property of the people of Thurmont and vicinity, and to assist in rescuing persons and conveying them to a place of safety; to extinguish fire and prevent its spreading to adjacent property; in case of collapsed building, to rescue all person or bodies; to clear debris and to remove all weak or dangerous parts of the building.”
Chief Brown explained in an email that “Career staff started working day work at the end of 2020, and then in 2022, the career staff went to 24 hours a day. Our volunteers work during the day, and losing some volunteers has made us ask the county for help.”
Being a first responder is not a job for the faint of heart. It is a job to expect the unexpected. Calls to 911 are made in times of panic for multiple reasons. Whatever the reason for calling—be it minor or major—the firemen go into a situation only knowing what was heard on the 911 call. Each call is different and requires quick adaptation to what is needed once the firemen arrive at the destination. What was initially thought to be the remedy must be changed to fit the solutions. A 911 call for a fire can be catastrophic in many aspects.
We do not have to travel far to grasp the massive destruction fire can do to a structure, and the amazing job done by the Guardian Hose Co. and other emergency responders. Looking at the remaining structure still standing due to a recent fire in a Thurmont home gives evidence to the extreme bravery shown by the Guardian Hose Company and others. People who watched from their homes, as the flames engulfed the family’s burning house, saw firefighters who risked their lives to save as much structure as possible and to rescue the family.
So, on January 22, join the Thurmont Lions Club when Chief Charlie Brown and Assistant Chief Chris Kinnaird share their knowledge, their experience, and their commitment to answering a fire alarm, not knowing what might be faced when getting to the property and the people who need their help.
The Thurmont Lions Club welcomes everyone. The meetings are open to the public at no charge. Come join us on Wednesday, January 8, for Mayor Kinnaird’s “State of Thurmont” presentation, and on Wednesday, January 22, at the meeting featuring Fire Chief Charlie Brown and Assistant Fire Chief Chris Kinnaird. Come and join the fun!
Pictured from left are Mayor John Kinnaird, President Nancy Echard, and Lion Don Keeney, Jr., taken during the Thurmont Lions Club 95th Charter Night Anniversary when Mayor Kinnaird was recognized as an Honorary Member of the Thurmont Lions Club.
