Emmitsburg
Mayor Don Briggs
Attention! With September comes our children going to and from school, which means the added congestion of school buses stopping to pick up children crossing streets to catch buses. Please be extra careful.
All of the Catoctin High School and Catoctin Youth Association fall sports teams are in full swing with pre-season practices and scrimmages. Cross country, golf, field hockey, soccer, and volleyball are all gearing up. The first varsity football game with Boonsboro H.S. is set for August 31, at 7:00 p.m. A full slate of fall teams, pick one or all and support them.
The 2018 Mid Maryland United baseball program concluded its season in July with the 13U, 14U, and 15U teams winning championships at “The Battle of the Wood Bat” tournament in Emmitsburg, hosted by Mid Maryland United and Stinger Bat Company. The 10U, 12U, and 13U teams made their home in Emmitsburg at the Community Park and the Memorial Park fields. The 12U team ended its season ranked no. 1, and the 13U team ranked no. 4 in the state. Together, the Emmitsburg teams posted a combined record of 86-34-5 and won seven tournaments.
Memorial Park was also home to the First Annual Mid-Maryland United “Schools Out” Baseball Camp in mid-June. The camp was facilitated by 13U coach and Emmitsburg resident Ed Lowry and assisted by Mount Saint Mary’s University players Vaughn Parker, Nick Dellavalle, and Randall Minogue. That’s not all, Emmitsburg also hosted another successful tournament: “The Armed Forces Slugfest.”
Great feedback about the facilities and town by the visiting teams and their fans. More baseball is planned for the fall, maybe even another clinic to build for the spring 2019 season. If we can get the volunteers, we can grow baseball next spring, to start first with T-ball. Baseball is back. Let’s do it.
The 62nd Thurmont & Emmitsburg Community Show is coming up on September 7-9 at Catoctin High School. Free entry of exhibits on Thursday evening and Friday morning. The opening ceremony is scheduled for Friday at 7:00 p.m., with the 42nd Annual Community Flag Ceremony, accompanied by Bill and Andrew Douwes playing their bagpipes. The program will honor the 50th Anniversary of Catoctin High School and announcement of the 2018-19 Catoctin FFA Ambassador. On Saturday, there is a breakfast at 7:00 until 10:30 a.m., provided by the Thurmont Lions Club; a supper is at 3:00 until 7:00 p.m., provided by Thurmont Grange, fresh roasted turkey and country ham served in the cafeteria. Sunday, September 9, from noon until sold out, Catoctin FFA Alumni’s chicken BBQ will be served in the cafeteria.
Coming up on October 6–7, 2018, is the 37th National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend, when we have the honor of welcoming nearly 6,000 guests. This year, the weekend events will honor firefighters who died in the line of duty during 2017 and previous years.
It appears Emmitsburg will soon have a William Cochran public artwork. Cochran is best known for his interpretive painting on one of the bridges that span the City of Frederick Carroll Creek Linear Park. Nothing will be more fitting for our community than to have a glass etching of firemen boarding a fire truck, setting out on an emergency run. The etching comes from the old Independence Hose Company in Frederick. Through generous gifts, funds have been raised to construct a lighted case outside the fire museum, located on South Seton Avenue, to house the 9-foot-high by 15-foot-wide work. The hope is to have construction completed for an unveiling on Fallen Firefighters Memorial Sunday.
Four level-two electronic vehicle (EV) charging stations should be installed and operable at the Community Center parking lot by no later than September 1. Though the town will soon have an electronic vehicle, the charging stations are primarily for visitors for a place where they can recharge vehicles while dining and shopping in our community.
The last day for the Farmer’s Market is Friday, September 21. The market is open 3:30-6:30 p.m. Thank you to our vendors and to the community for its support for another successful season.
Welcome, Mount students! Settling in always brings with it a welcome from the business community and some angst from residents. But in the end, let’s all live and work together for the betterment of this great community.
Thurmont
Mayor John Kinnaird
If you have not entered Thurmont by way of North Church Street recently you may not have seen that the Maryland Midland railroad bridge has been repainted and THURMONT painted on both sides. This project was a collaborative effort between several groups of interested parties, including the bridge painting committee, the public and the Board of Commissioners. The bridge committee started by crafting a survey to see how residents thought the bridge should be painted. After tabulating the surveying results, the decision was made to paint the bridge black with white lettering. The contractor, Black Land Industries from Baltimore, was selected from three quotes and was awarded the job. They started by painting the surface of both sides of the bridge. Then, two coats of an epoxy-based primer and two coats of black paint were applied. Finally, the lettering was added to each side and the final result is eye-catching. My thanks to the bridge-painting committee, all those who participated in the survey, town staff for moving this project forward, and, finally, Black Land Industries for helping bring this project to a successful conclusion.
This month, the Thurmont & Emmitsburg Community Show will be held the weekend of September 7-9. This year, the Grange will be congratulating Catoctin High School on its 50th Anniversary during the opening ceremony on Friday. Be sure to attend the Community Show to enjoy all the crafts, vegetables, fruits, cakes, photos, and animals on display. There is also live entertainment, auctions of the cakes, and many 4-H animals. You can enjoy tasty food the entire weekend, served by the Thurmont Lions Club, the Thurmont Grange, and the 4-H. The Thurmont & Emmitsburg Community Show is one of those events that sets our communities apart from others. This is a great opportunity to see how amazing our residents are! Join us for an amazing weekend.
With fall just around the corner, Colorfest is not far away. Planning for this annual event is addressed year-round, and several changes are being implemented again this year, including the banning of parking on both East Moser Road and North Church Street. Remember to get your permits for Colorfest in plenty of time to avoid the rush during the last week.
Finally, school is starting again and kids will be walking to and from schools and crossing our streets. Be on the lookout at all intersections for kids, and remember that Maryland Law requires you to stop for pedestrians in designated crosswalks. Of course, you should also watch for kids crossing streets where there are no crosswalks. Thurmont’s crossing guards will be on duty to make sure our walkers get to school safely. School buses will be picking up and dropping off kids on our streets. Be sure to obey the red lights on school buses; they are there to protect our children!
Please call me with any questions or comments at 301-606-9458 or e-mail me at jkinnaird@thurmont.com.
