From the monthly archives: "March 2016"

Community Strong, Wyatt Strong!

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Deb Spalding

wyatt-fire-housewyatt-birthday-cakeWe all catch a cold or a flu bug now and then, but at the end of February of this year, 15-year-old Wyatt Black of Thurmont caught a very serious infection: bacterial meningitis.

Wyatt is an active, fun, farm-grown teenager. He plays sports, loves baseball, trains, and fire trucks, and is quick with a joke to brighten your day.

His extended family is well-known in the area as the proprietors of Catoctin Mountain Orchard. For generations, members of the Black family have proven themselves to be valuable members of the community and stewards of the land. That tradition continues today, with the youngest generation of Blacks, including Wyatt and his younger brothers, Nathan and Eaves, contributing to the orchard operation.

His parents, Christopher and Kiona Black, often show up to community functions with fresh fruit, a pie, or some other orchard-grown offering of good will. You could say, they’ve “got your back” regarding your sweet tooth. As of late, the entire Catoctin Community now has “got their back,” too!

Wyatt-Fill-the-Bootwyatt-catoctin-softballWhen Wyatt began his fight against meningitis, he was taken to Penn State Children’s Hospital in Hershey, Pennsylvania, where he received exceptional care. From the beginning of his battle, his parents took to social media to give updates about Wyatt’s condition.

What they didn’t foresee was that those updates, via social media, would spread to thousands of people. The updates served to “rally the troops,” so to speak, for community members and friends to join together and flood the cosmos with prayers, community good-will, community spirit, and energy—all directed towards Wyatt’s battle against the infection.

The volume of action people have taken for Wyatt is astounding. People chanted “Wyatt! Wyatt! Wyatt!” at a fundraiser at the Furnace Bar & Grill in Thurmont; local students sent him drawings for his birthday; “Wyatt Strong” t-shirts are being sold; a “Fill the Boot” fundraiser was held; “Wings for Wyatt” is on-going on Wednesdays at Bollinger’s Restaurant in Thurmont; “Wioters Unite!” wristbands are being sold; and Catoctin High School Baseball is “Team Wyatt.” Catoctin FFA sponsored “Miles for Meningitis,” where participants were able to “beat” meningitis by taking a sledge hammer to a vehicle; a TES Talent Show featured Erin Bollinger, Hayley Bollinger, and Austin Ridenour “Whippin For Wyatt”; Kountry Kitchen Restaurant and Cousins ACE Hardware in Thurmont and Harrington & Sons in Emmitsburg posted messages for Wyatt on their marquis or store windows; a parade was held; raffles, auctions, and ribbon drives have been held; signs and banners state support; cookies were sold for Wyatt; lemonade was sold for Wyatt; food and gifts have been donated; and let’s not forget the many families, individuals, churches, and communities who continue praying for Wyatt.

Wyatt-3Wyatt-1We are sure we have missed naming many additional wonderful efforts and people here. Two upcoming events that we’ve learned about include “Wheels for Wyatt Car Show” at the Thurmont Carnival Grounds on April 9, 2016, and an All-You-Can-Eat Benefit Breakfast for Wyatt Black at Trinity United Church of Christ in Thurmont on April 16, 2016.

If a community can unite to heal a person, Catoctin’s community is doing it!

Meningitis is an infection of the membranes that protect the spinal cord and brain. When these protective membranes become inflamed, it has a harmful impact on every part of the body. At times our bodies can combat the bacteria and move on as if it were a common bug; yet, sometimes, it is a serious infection that sometimes leads to impairment or fatality.

In mid-March, after successfully breathing on his own and having his intubation tube removed, Wyatt was transferred to Penn State Hershey Rehabilitation Hospital, also located in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Since arriving there, rehabilitation therapies have shown that he is able to write to communicate, but some skills need further development. Chris gave an update on Monday, March 28, “Today makes one week at rehab, they are anticipating another 3-5 weeks till he comes home. He receives speech, physical and occupational therapy daily. He needs to work on walking. He is getting better every day with swallowing. They are saying that he cannot open his eyes yet because the infection is still present in that part of his brain.”

Lemonade-for-Wyattwings-for-WyattEvery day, our community has stood by Wyatt and his family, and continues to do so. The social loop on the internet has provided a fluent portal to communicate support and prayers.

While the medical doctors have not given a clear answer as to the magnitude or speed of Wyatt’s recovery, the Blacks have been assured by former patients that, “Wyatt will be just fine. It just takes time.” But, the fight is not won yet. It is a long recovery process for meningitis.

One friend on Facebook posted, “Thank you to all that have been praying. He’s been making great improvements and will continue to get back to the old Wyatt with all of your prayers, positive thoughts, and energy. This kid is truly a class act. We need more Wyatts in this world!!”

Owyatt miles for meningitisn March 24, Kiona posted, “Every day I am thinking of new ways to help Wyatt recover. Today he showed signs that he has both retrograde and anterograde amnesia when it comes to certain topics… Please post a favorite funny story that I can share with Wy and his brothers to help him rebuild his memory bank and to create an activity that the Brothers Three can do together. Having the Middle and Little involved in the story telling should help all of them start to move forward…together.”

wyatt whippin for wyattThe Blacks graciously thank everyone for their generous donations. There are not words to express gratitude for all of the support and caring that the Catoctin Community has shown!

About Wyatt, Chris and Kiona expressed, “We know in our hearts that he will make a full recovery. He has shown so much fight since day one.”

See Kiona’s (Wyatt’s mom) “Love Letter to my Sons” on page 31.

Beth Watson Retires, Thurmont Thespians to End

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Beth Watson is ready for her final bow, and when the curtain drops on the final performance of Footloose in the fall, the Thurmont Thespians twenty-year run will come to an end.

“It’s time,” said Watson, adding, “even if it’s going to be hard to give up something you love so much.”

Watson and her husband, Spence, moved to the Thurmont area in 1993 and formed the Thurmont Thespians a few years later. It originally began as an organization to train and inspire young actors and allow them to perform. It eventually expanded into an organization for adults that performed multiple shows each year at the Thurmont American Legion. During that time, it became a cultural staple for Thurmont.

“We both founded it, but it was his genius that got it going, not mine,” expressed Watson.

Watson retired after directing The Fantasticks in March. The performance of Footloose in the fall will be directed by Rosalyn Smaldone, who actually came up through the Thurmont Thespians program, learning her skills first in the children’s workshops, then as an actor with the group, and now finally as a director.

“I think it speaks well for the program that our last production is directed by someone who came through our program,” Watson said.

When Footloose closes, so will the Thurmont Thespians. It will be the sixty-fifth performance staged by the theater group.

“I’m really proud that we produced three original musicals over the years,” Watson said. This includes a play about autism that actually went on tour to Washington, D.C.

Although Watson still loves the stage, she is eighty-one years old and feels it is time to quit. Also, she points out that managing the group has been a heavier burden to run since Spence died in 2014.

Watson’s love of the stage is not surprising. She and Spence met onstage playing opposite each other in a dinner theater in Wilmington, Delaware, in 1980. They were married thirty years.

Out of the sixty-five shows the Thurmont Thespians have performed, her favorite production is The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, which they produced in the middle of the summer. She knew the author of the book and was able to tie in author events with the performances.

She has acted in, as well as directed, shows. She has even been able to perform with family. She and Spence acted together in Gin Game and Love Letters, and she performed with her daughter in Grace and Glorie.

Her main goal with the Thurmont Thespians, though, has always been to teach children to love the theater.

“I love the theater, and I think it teaches kids a lot,” Watson said. “The Thurmont Thespians was also able to provide something they couldn’t get in school.” She estimates that approximately three hundred children have attended the summer workshops for children held every year. Some children came back summer after summer and fell in love with the theater. Others only attended one summer and decided that it wasn’t for them.

However, keeping the program running requires a lot of time and effort. It also requires a lot of fundraising, which she never liked doing.

Once she retires, Watson said the first thing she is going to do is rest and relax.

Beth-Watson

Nathan Kopit, Emily Cofer, Beth Watson, and Rachel Johnson. Nathan, Emily, and Rachel participated in the Thurmont Thespians summer program and had lead roles in the adult production of The Fantasticks in March 2016. Emily and Rachel were both in productions as preschoolers, as they had older siblings in the program.

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Beth Watson is shown teaching students in the Thurmont Thespians Program, her main goal always being to teach children to love the theater.

When Irish Eyes Are Crying

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James Rada, Jr.

In early March of this year, Mike Fitzgerald’s children performed a sad duty in honor of their father: they made his casket from standing dead trees that Mike had harvested years earlier.

Donald “Mike” Fitzgerald passed away on February 28, 2016, in the log home that he built himself. He was eighty-five years old.

The Shamrock Restaurant, which Mike opened in 1963, closed for a few days when it was learned that Mike had died. It reopened a week later, and now stands as a legacy for Mike’s hard work and love of family.

About Shamrock Restaurant in a 2014 interview, Mike Fitzgerald said, “There were days and nights in a row that I wouldn’t go home. I would be working here doing whatever needed to be done and then I would sleep here.”

The Shamrock was created out of an old dance hall. The walls were stripped and redone, turning the dance hall side of the building into the dining room. Only two rows of tables had tablecloths, originally, and a smaller dance floor was left in place for weekend dances.

On the bar side, Mike raised the price of beers to encourage the troublemakers, who used to come to the dance hall for cheap beer, to go drink elsewhere.

The Shamrock was a family business. Mike, his wife Doris Jane, his mother, and his nine children (as they grew old enough), all worked in the restaurant.

Mike had been a machinist with Moore Business Systems, but he had advanced as far as he could without moving out of state. He had grown up in a restaurant family, though. His parents had owned Fitzgerald’s in Emmitsburg until his father died in 1940. Mike and Doris Jane had decided that they could open a new restaurant and make it successful.

The Shamrock was the first restaurant in Frederick County to get a liquor license in 1965.

The restaurant also won a national award years ago for having the best St. Patrick’s Day party in the nation.

Mike’s living legacy, however, is his family. He is survived by his wife of sixty-eight years, Doris Jane (Wastler), and nine children: Donna (and TJ) Demmon of Thurmont; Dennis (and Dianne) Fitzgerald of Huntsville, AL; Dawn (and Donald) Knox of Taneytown; Diane (and David) Stottlemyer of Thurmont; Debra Oster of Thurmont; Daniel (and Heather) Fitzgerald of Emmitsburg; David (and Bonny) Fitzgerald of Emmitsburg; Darrell Fitzgerald of Frederick; and Dean (and Cecilia) Fitzgerald of Frederick. He also has seventeen grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren who will all remember him.

The Town of Thurmont owes him a debt for helping establish the Thurmont Community Park and donating it to the town while he was president of the Thurmont Jaycees. He also helped in the creation of Catoctin Colorfest, which allows many non-profit organizations in town to raise a lot of money each year. He was the charter president of the Thurmont Colt’s Corral Chapter 12. Fitzgerald and his friend, Vernon Myers, also launched the Catoctin Youth Association.

He was interred in St. Anthony’s Catholic Church Cemetery.

Mount St. Mary’s University Looking to Recover from Controversy and Return to the Status Quo

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Nicholas DiGregory

To the typical wandering traveler, cruising up or down U.S. Route 15, the little town of Emmitsburg does not appear to be a major attraction. While the town’s tourism landmarks—such as the stately National Shrine of Elizabeth Ann Seton and the picturesque Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes—do draw a crowd, Emmitsburg itself can easily be overlooked on maps and guides dominated by more popular destinations in cities like Gettysburg or Frederick. To an unknowing tourist, the little town of Emmitsburg appears to be just that—a little town.

However, looks can be deceiving. Beneath the quaint, small-town look and feel of Emmitsburg is a tightly knit community of friends and neighbors, many of whom have lived in the area for their entire lives. It is the strength of this community that gives the town of Emmitsburg a uniquely vibrant character.

While the quality of the community has always been the primary motivating factor for Emmitsburg’s prosperity, the strength and unity of that community has been challenged over the past few months by an unexpected controversy, which arose from Emmitsburg’s own Mount St. Mary’s University.

In the early autumn of 2015, disagreements between the university’s administration and its faculty reached a breaking point, with the then-president Simon Newman pioneering for changes that many at the university believed to be unethical. When the arguments boiled over into the community, many local faculty members, staff members, students, and alumni picked a side in the increasingly vociferous debate. The debacle at Mount St. Mary’s gained national attention from such sources as The Washington Post and several scholarly societies from across the country.

The resignation of university president Simon Newman, whose policies were at the center of the dispute, indicates that the school desires to move past the controversy; however, the decision has come too late for many members of the Emmitsburg community. Lack of straightforward communication from the university, coupled with sensationalized reports in local and national media, have left the community of Emmitsburg with few facts and many wounds.

We, at The Catoctin Banner, hope that the information that follows helps to resolve many of the questions that may remain regarding the whirlwind of allegations and accusations that have poured out of Mount St. Mary’s University over the past few months. It must be noted that The Catoctin Banner does not support any involved party other than the community as a whole; our efforts to present what transpired at Mount St. Mary’s University are not intended to harm, but to encourage healing among the embittered parties for the good of the community.

What follows is a documented account of the events that transpired at Mount St. Mary’s University over the past few months.

In the fall of 2014, the Mount St. Mary’s University met with three candidates for the university presidency, which was set to be vacated by Thomas Powell after eleven years of service. Upon reviewing the candidates, the university’s Board of Trustees selected Simon Newman as the 25th president. Trustee member and Mount alumnus Francis W. Daily said that Newman was selected primarily for his financial experience, although communication skills and Catholic identity also played a part in the hiring.

At the time, Mount St. Mary’s was dealing with considerable debts; Newman’s financial expertise was a necessity for the struggling university. A fifty-one-year-old from the United Kingdom, Newman held almost thirty years of experience in the financial sector, specifically in private equity, strategy consulting, and financial operations. During that time, he led several businesses from the brink of bankruptcy, coordinating for more than $200 million in profit improvement.

Newman took charge of the university on March 10, 2015, five months earlier than expected. In an editorial piece, the editing staff of the Mountain Echo student newspaper welcomed Newman to his new position. While the authors of the article cited that Newman would have “his work cut out for him” in improving and increasing the campus’ living spaces and other facilities, they also affirmed that there was “utmost faith” in his ability to “guide the university through these times of concern.”

Newman’s program for improving the university, deemed Mount 2.0, outlined several key changes in the university’s programs and functions. Newman, with the support of the Board of Trustees, implemented several changes to the university’s academic development and marketing. Among other major changes were a re-evaluation of the core curriculum and the addition of two new financial programs: Enterprise Resource Planning and Customer Relationship Management.

While Newman’s financial decisions were originally lauded by the majority of those at the university, he came under fire for one particular decision in October 2015. On October 29, 2015, Mount St. Mary’s administration notified its employees of the elimination of the university’s long-held retiree health care benefits. Prior to this announcement, retired employees of the university that had served before 1996 were allowed to remain on the university’s health care plan. After Newman’s adjustments, these employees were removed from the program, as well as spouses of current employees. Retirement fund benefits for current employees were also cut in half.

While many retired and current employees of the university acknowledged that these benefits could not be funded forever, they criticized the way that Newman and the university administration went about implementing the changes. In a letter from three retired professors addressed to members of the university community, it was stated that the retired professors were “shocked” by the “very abrupt termination of the retiree health benefit.” The letter also stated that Newman implemented the changes behind the backs of many of the retirees.

“We were also shocked by the way we were informed—by receiving a letter in the mail or an email, and in some cases, not being informed at all,” the letter read.

While the administration assured that the benefit cuts were necessary for the continued operation of the university, members of the university community began to distrust Newman’s methods. This distrust reached its climax on January 19, 2016, when the Mountain Echo reported that Newman’s newly-created student retention plan was engineered to ensure the dismissal of twenty to twenty-five of the university’s worst-performing students. Additionally, the article referenced a conversation between Newman and Professor Greg Murray, where Newman allegedly referred to poorly-performing students as “bunnies” that needed to be drowned or have a “Glock to their heads.”

The university’s administration responded swiftly to the article, condemning it as “grossly inaccurate.” A subsequent statement from John E. Coyne, the chairman of the Board of Trustees, confirmed that Newman used the “inappropriate metaphor” but denied that Newman’s new retention program targeted unintelligent students for dismissal. Coyne’s statement blamed the misinformation on an “organized, small group of faculty and recent alums working to undermine and ultimately cause the exit of President Newman.”

Opponents of Newman and the administration were further inflamed in February, when Newman ordered the termination of two university faculty members, one of which was tenured. Professors Thane Naberhaus and Edward Egan were escorted off campus by security, and their university equipment was seized. Newman himself did not address the men about their termination, but rather had letters delivered to the professors, stating that their termination was due to unspecified violations of university policy.

The majority of the faculty members believed that the terminations were retaliatory, as both men had objected to Newman’s policy changes. While the university offered later that same week to reinstate both professors, the damage had already been done. Articles about the university’s termination of the professors—one of whom still had tenure—were published in several local newspapers, as well as The Washington Post. Letters to the editor of the Mountain Echo poured in from current and past members of the university community; some stood with the faculty while others sided with Newman.

In light of the national publicity, the university faculty members voted overwhelmingly in favor of asking for Newman’s resignation. Despite the 87-3 vote, Newman insisted that he had no intention to resign.

On February 29, 2016, Newman did step down from the presidency. The Board of Trustees appointed Karl Einoff as the acting president.

 

Community news

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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.

Guardian Hose Company Holds Annual Banquet

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Allison Rostad

A vision and hope for the next generation was prominent at the Guardian Hose Company’s annual banquet, held on Saturday, March 5, 2016, at the Guardian Hose Company’s Activities Building in Thurmont.

Emcee of the night, President Wayne Stackhouse, welcomed guests to a dinner (catered by GT’s Catering of Cascade), with an invocation from Chaplin Reverend James Hamrick. Guests from surrounding fire companies, volunteer ambulance companies, and local businesses attended the banquet in support of the company.

Reverend James Hamrick held a memorial service and asked for a moment of silence for the one deceased member, Donald Weddle, before beginning the presentation of the 2015 report, awards, and installation of officers.

Chief Chris Kinnaird presented the 2015 report, mentioning several new equipment upgrades, including 5.5 Scott CVA Packs, a compressor and fill station, and computers. The total call volume was down from 2014 to 469 calls, with 373 of them being first-due calls. The total fire loss was only $25,500, which was a good low number for the year.

Several new members joined in 2015. After announcing that Daniel Myers, a member’s son, had joined the company this past year, Kinnaird stated, “We need outsiders to come in, and we also need our families to continue this tradition of firefighting that we’ve started and that continues in this department for so many years.” The next generation of Frushour and Duble families are expected to become active within the next year, continuing the generation tradition within the fire company.

Certificates of appreciation were presented by Chief Kinnaird and Assistant Chief Carroll Brown to the Top 5 Drivers: Steve Yingling (59 alarms), Mike Duble (143 alarms), Wayne Stackhouse (161 alarms), Larry Duble (169 alarms), and Terry Frushour (299 alarms); and for Top Firefighter Responders: Stacey Stackhouse (59 alarms), Mike Beard (75 alarms), Bobby Black (115 alarms), Steve Strickhouser (125 alarms), David Sanders (137 alarms), Brad Weddle (169 alarms), Christopher Kinnaird (173 alarms), David Easterday (183 alarms), Brian Donovan (240 alarms), and Chad Brown (256 alarms).

Two additional Chief Awards were presented to Chad Brown and Brian Donovan, who “showed commitment, passion for their duties, and furthermore, a willingness to help out anywhere they could.” Both men continued their education; were top responders; helped at all, if not most, company functions; and planned and organized a new fundraiser for the company. They both responded to the Emmitsburg house fire on December 7, 2015, and assisted with the interior search and rescue of a downed subject. Brown and Donovan did what they were trained to do and, although the outcome did not go as expected, they were recognized for their courage and diligence in responding to the call and administering life-saving assistance where needed.

Chief Kinnaird closed out his presentation with remarks regarding the year to come, and the hope of its success. Chief Kinnaird then turned everyone’s attention over to President Stackhouse, who introduced Vice President Terry Frushour to present a certificate of appreciation to Bill and Howard (non-members) for their support and reconstruction help of building and projects throughout the past year. President Stackhouse then invited the chairman of the events committee, Bev Frushour to award a certificate of appreciation to AJ Hahn, who has always provided help and assistance during Guardian Hose Company events.

President Stackhouse then cut right to his presentation of awards for years of service: Brian Donovan (5 years), Joshua Bentz (15 years), James Demarais (15 years), Randy Demarais (20 years), Tisha Miller (20 years), Abby Valentine (20 years), Ross Smith III (30 years), Timothy Bentz (30 years), Carroll Brown II (35 years), Judith White (35 years), Steve Yingling (35 years), Terry Frushour (40 years), David Valentine (40 years), and Robert Wilhide (55 years).

Life Membership awards were also presented to Roxanne Angel and Jody Miller.

To conclude the evening, President Stackhouse thanked several businesses within the Thurmont community that stood behind the company and supported them with donations, along with anything that was asked of them throughout the 2015 year.

“The standards we set forth in our operations to serve the community when we’re called to duty would be difficult for us to maintain without their support for the fire company,” expressed Stackhouse.

Prior to the benediction, the 2016 Operational and Administrative Officers were installed.

Administrative Officers: President—Wayne Stackhouse; President Emeritus—Don Stitely; Vice President—Terry Frushour; Secretary—Lori Borwn; Assistant Secretary—Tisha Miller; Treasurer—Russ Shantz; Assistant Treasurer—Pam Fraley; Trustees—Brian Donovan, Jody Miller, Steve Strickhouser, Chad Brown, and Joe Ohler.

Operational Officers: Chief—Chris Kinnaird; Assistant Chief—Carroll Brown; Captain—Blaine Schildt; Sergeant—Chad Brown; Lieutenants—Sean Donovan and Will Gue.

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Operational Officers

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Administrative Officers

New Thurmont Community Garden

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community-gardenThe ground has been tilled and marked, the garden design laid out, and the plans for watering put in place for the new Thurmont Community Garden.

A work day will be held on April 2, 2016, to install the garden’s fence and gates, establish walkways of plastic and mulch, and set plot numbers. Prior to this, the town will be setting the fence posts, constructing a stand to house water containers, delivering mulch, and posting the Community Garden sign.  The Green Team will conduct water checks and overall garden checks on a schedule to assist tenants and maintain order and tidiness. Greg Daniels, leader of the Community Garden project, will answer questions about water, plot size, cost, location, and so forth. Local Thurmont Cub Scout Troop 270 will assist with the work day.

Much appreciation is extended to Cousins Ace Hardware, who generously donated all the fencing and posts needed for the garden.

The Community Garden is located in the Carroll Street Park, just below the playground. Residents may lease 9’x11’ garden plots within the 30×100’ garden area for $25.00 each. For more information, please contact Greg Daniels at ThurmontGarden@gmail.com, or the Green Team at ThurmontGreenTeam@gmail.com.

Dance 4 A Cure Zumbathon Fundraiser a Big Success

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Barkers 4 Blood Cancer, a Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Light the Night team, held their annual Dance 4 A Cure Zumbathon on Saturday, February 27, 2016, at the Emmitsburg VFW, benefiting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. They raised $1,330 at the event!

They would like to thank everyone who came out, all of the businesses that donated items for their raffle, and the following people who made the event a success: Morgan Dempsey; Tracie Lee; Tracy Boylan; Sue Reid; Kelly Reid; Heather Smith; Angie Quigley; Sandi Cox; Megan Courtney; Shannon Cool; Andrea Poffinberger; Peggy Dewees; Mary Dewees; Patricia Beard; Jeff Ridenour; Gail and Alex Hayes; Fran, Eric, and Tyler Dempsey; Becky King;  Lynne Murray; Ginny Knight; Ronnie Overfelt; Michelle Weatherhogg; and the Emmitsburg VFW and staff.

For more information on their fundraising team, please visit pages.lightthenight.org/md/westmd16/barkers4bloodcancer. Pictures and information about the event are on their Facebook page: barkers4bloodcancer.

Fitness Frenzy Free Throw Contest Winners

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March Madness started early at the Fort Ritchie Community Center this year. As part of the Fitness Frenzy weekend, the Community Center hosted its inaugural Free Throw Shooting Contest.

freethrowwinners---FRCCThe Fitness Frenzy weekend included a free sampling of group exercise classes, free day passes to the Community Center, and displays from local health agencies. Instructors led group workouts for Zumba, Les Mills BODYPUMP, Yoga, Pilates, Mix It Up, and Senior Stretch. Each sampling lasted approximately fifteen minutes. Organizations promoting health and fitness were onsite to share information and encouragement to Community Center members and visitors. Among the vendors were the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Washington County Health Department, Heal of Washington County, Visiting Angels, Synergy Massage & Wellness Center, and doTerra representatives.

Twenty-five local children and youth participated in the free throw event.  Congratulations to the winners in each age group: (8 years old and under) Reese Tuttle—female champion, Austin Morris—male champion; (9-12 years old) Reese Fox—female champion, Carson Hall—male champion; (13-15 years old) Nick Diaz—champion.

The Fort Ritchie Community Center features a fitness center, computer lab, group exercise classes, childwatch, and before school care. Upcoming events include the first of three bass fishing tournaments, sponsored by Cobblestone Hotel & Suites, on Saturday, April 16, 2016. For more information, visit www.thefrcc.org or see their ad on page 19.

Vigilant Hose Company to Participate in Statewide Recruitment “Open House” Event

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This community’s all-volunteer fire and rescue department proudly announces their participation in “Maryland Volunteer Day” on Sunday, April 10, 2016, from 12:00-4:00 p.m., at the Fire Station, located at 25 West Main Street in Emmitsburg. The open house event is being held in conjunction with a statewide recruitment initiative of the Maryland State Firemen’s Association (www.mdvolunteer.org).

The men and women of the Vigilant Hose Company (VHC) look forward to showcasing their personnel, facilities, and equipment, plus opportunities for all interested in learning more about the organization. April 10 is the start of “National Volunteer Week,” with its 2016 theme:  Celebrate Service (www.pointsoflight.org/signature-events/national-volunteer-week).

Fire Station Tours and Orientations on apparatus and equipment will be conducted throughout the day.  Information will include materials from the highly successful Frederick County “Gear-Up” Campaign (www.gearupfirerescue.com) that seeks to engage men and women of all ages in helping to support the work of their local Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Medical Services departments.

These opportunities embrace all aspects of community safety to include the variety of roles where all can help, ranging from emergency services operations to auxiliary, administrative, and youth programs activities. Free materials include: fire/injury prevention literature, general information on the VHC, “Gear-Up” literature, VHC membership applications, and more.

For more information, visit www.vigilanthose.org

Volunteers Needed to Drive Cancer Patients to Treatment

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For many cancer patients, getting to and from treatment is one of their toughest challenges. The American Cancer Society needs volunteer drivers in Frederick County to help provide transportation for people in their community. Through the simple gift of a lift in your car, you can help carry patients one step further on the road to recovery. Schedules are flexible.

Get in the driver’s seat in the fight against cancer. If you are interested in volunteering, please call 410-781-6909 or email jen.burdette@cancer.org

Post 239 Sons of American Legion 2015 Appreciation Event

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Joan Fry

On February 28, 2016, an appreciation meal was held at Cascade American Legion, followed by a ceremony naming the Community Pillar Award recipient for 2013/2015. After a wonderful meal of shrimp, roast beef, and chicken, a report was given that included the contributions made to the community. Nearly $60,000 was donated to local charities from five major events. More than 10,000 tickets were sold, and nearly 4,000 people attended the events.

The recipient of the largest gift was Fisher House Foundation, which is best known for a network of comfort homes, where military and veterans’ families can stay at no cost while a loved one is receiving hospital treatment. These homes are located at major military and VA medical centers nationwide, close to the medical center or hospital they serve. Fisher House Foundation ensures that there is never a lodging fee. Since inception, the program has saved military and veterans’ families an estimated $282 million in out-of-pocket costs for lodging and transportation.

Larry Lantz, SAL president, introduced Mr. Frank Scheib, Fisher House Volunteer, who thanked the Sons of American Legion (SAL) for their involvement in the program and praised their continuing efforts for this worthy cause. Mr. Scheib is available to speak to organizations about Fisher House at no charge.

Fisher House Foundation also operates the Hero Miles Program, using donated frequent flyer miles to family members, as well as the Hotels for Heroes program, using donated hotel points to allow family members to stay at hotels near medical centers without charge.

SAL Chaplain Jim Bittner presented the annual Community Pillar Award. He came up with many reasons to honor individuals for community service: (1) They have done something particularly praiseworthy; (2) They have been mainstays of the community over a long period of time; (3) They have initiated something successful; (4) They have been responsible for achieving a particular goal; and (5) They have been good leaders.

“One individual here has done not one, but all of the above,” said Bittner. “Early on, he supported sports activities in the local area and continued doing bigger and better things. He has worked willingly and continuously for many years to better the community. He has worked with programs to assist residents, service men and women, veterans, young people, and the elderly, in the community where there is a need. Where some have been down and out, he has been there to give them hope. He is the event organizer who works with other volunteers to make SAL fundraisers the successes they have become. It is an honor to work with this deserving person who continuously thinks of others. On behalf of the Sons of the American Legion, I present the 2015 Pillar of the Community Award to Mr. Jeff Coyle.”

Jeff was very surprised to receive this honor and was nearly speechless.

Jeff-Coyle

Pictured is the 2015 Pillar of the Community Award recipient, Jeff Coyle.

Church Offers Rest Stop for Face of America/Wounded Warriors Bike Ride

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Every year, Veterans from around the nation bike from Arlington, Virginia to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, as a way to build up their community and show their perseverance. Some riders have specialty bikes that allow them to bike even though they have no arms or legs. Tom’s Creek United Methodist Church (UMC) in Emmitsburg started cheering them on a couple of years ago as they passed by on Sunday morning.

This year, the riders asked if Tom’s Creek UMC would be willing to take a deeper step into helping them on their long journey by providing a rest stop along their route with volunteers to help feed and care for them.

So, on April 24, 2016, at approximately 10:00 a.m., Tom’s Creek United Methodist Church will be canceling Sunday School and worship so that they can support the riders and cheer them on. They will also have a blue grass/gospel band coming from Calvert County to play patriotic music as part of the rest stop. Engine #6 from the Vigilant Hose Company will be on-hand with a huge American flag, waving from the tower.

They would like as many people from the surrounding community to come and cheer on these brave warriors, who have protected our nation and now need a boost to let them know their nation appreciates them!

The event is being held at Tom’s Creek UMC Promised Land property (off of Rt. 140, about three miles out from Emmitsburg), located at 10918 Taneytown Pike in Emmitsburg.

For more information about the bike ride organization, visit www. worldteamsports.org/events/face-of-america/.

Catoctin Corner

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by Avie Hopcraft

Winter is finally ending and spring is here! Spring sports have started at Catoctin, and that means that prom and graduation are right around the corner!

One big issue that has consumed everyone’s thoughts this month is the condition of one of Catoctin’s students, Wyatt Black. Wyatt Black, a freshman at Catoctin High, has everyone worried sick. He was sent out to Penn State Children’s Hospital at Hershey, because he had been diagnosed with bacterial meningitis.

Not just the school, but the entire community, has been doing everything it can to raise awareness and money for Wyatt Black and his family. Students have been raising awareness by wearing his favorite colors to school, sending cards, notes, banners, and hosting fundraisers. One fundraiser was called “Beat the Van”and allowed people to pay $5.00 to beat a van with a bat. That fundraiser resulted in $4,700 in donations.

Many other caring local restaurants and businesses have also held fundraisers to help support the Black family. The community as a whole is praying for Wyatt and his family, and this has definitely brought everyone closer together, making people realize how important it is to have each other in times like this.

On another topic, Mrs. Flabbi, an instructional assistant and advisor of the school’s Spirit Club, called Catoctin Crazies, has offered to host a history throw-back to the time when she went to Catoctin as a young teenager. So, hold up and get ready, because we’re going back in time!

Mrs. Flabbi has always lived in Thurmont; she started at Catoctin High School in 1975 and graduated in 1978.  She remembers that Catoctin High was always a great school, just like it is today. She loves it so much that she has worked at Catoctin for twenty-eight years. Back in the day, she played on the field hockey team. She later became a coach of field hockey and softball, and coached both for a number of years.

Mrs. Flabbi said that when she was a student, there were eight periods a day instead of four.

“With only forty-five minutes a day in a class, you didn’t get the chance to know all of your teachers, but I sure had a few that were very special to me.” She explained, “Today, our teachers really go above and beyond to be positive influences in our students’ lives and offer them the support and help they need. And with only four blocks a day, students really get the chance to know their teachers and vice versa.” She added, “Catoctin’s SGA (Student Government Association) and the Crazies, for example, offer a lot of fun, student-staff activities.”

“When I was a student at Catoctin, sports were our main extra-curricular activity,” said Mrs. Flabbi. She added that it was hard to juggle school work and sports when she was a student. “It was up to you, and you alone, to keep your grades up when I was a student.  If you fell behind in your classes, you had to go get help on your own and no one stopped you from playing your sport. You had to push yourself to keep your grades up. Today, teachers reach out to students and offer tutoring during STEP and after school to help them before they fall behind.”

“All schools have their ups and downs,” said Mrs. Flabbi, “but, as a student, I never wanted to go to another school; I always loved it here. I think we have the best school in the county,” said Mrs. Flabbi, adding,  “For example, you don’t see the principal at every high school, but that man (referring to Mr. Quesada) stands outside every day in all kinds of weather, holding the door open and greeting students.”

Mrs. Flabbi also talked about how proud she is of the students and staff for their kindness and support for Wyatt Black and his family, and that kids have stepped out of their own personal bubble and care for one another. Catoctin is known for being a great role model for other schools; this is just one example of why Catoctin recently received the state School Character Award.

SCHOOL news

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Six Catoctin High School Seniors Sign College Letters of Intent

Six seniors at Catoctin High School (CHS) eagerly awaited to sign the documents that would soon take them off to their next step in their athletic and educational careers. As proud family, friends, and coaches poured into the high school’s gymnasium on February 29, 2016, CHS Athletic Director Kevin Macmullen handed out pens to each student in preparation. As the students began to sign, their coaches (Valentine, Franklin, Williams, and Olsen) remembered star moments of each individual and spoke of how proud they were of each one of their athletes.

Katie Shugars will be attending Frederick Community College and playing on the Women’s Softball team. Kristen Fox will be attending Stevenson University in Maryland, playing on the Women’s Soccer team. Four seniors will be moving onto a college football program: Noah Dell, attending Frostburg State University; Payne Harrison, attending Mercyhurst University; CJ Simmers, attending Juniata College; and Braden Thomson, attending Bridgewater College.

College-Signing

Pictured from left are seniors Katie Shugars, Kristen Fox, Payne Harrison, CJ Simmers, Braden Thomson, and Noah Dell.

Thurmont Middle School PTA to Award Two Scholarships

The Thurmont Middle School (TMS) PTA is awarding two scholarships to qualified Catoctin High School seniors. You must apply by Friday, April 29, 2016. Applicant must have attended TMS for one full school year. View the advertisement on page 6 for more details.

Thurmont’s Masonic Lodge #155 Offering Two Scholarships

Since 1995, Thurmont Masons have awarded scholarships worth over $75,000 to area students. Scholarships are available to all graduating high school level seniors from a Maryland State accredited public, private, and/or homeschool program, who reside within the Catoctin High School district boundaries.

Scholarship application forms are available at the Catoctin High School guidance office and at the Thurmont Regional Library.

Interested students must complete an application and return it on or before April 30, 2016.

Questions regarding the application should be directed to Acacia Masonic Lodge #155 Scholarship Committee via the Lodge website at www.thurmontmasons.com.

Thurmont Elementary Hosts its Annual STEM Night

Thurmont Elementary School hosted its annual STEM Night, where students showed off their skills in all aspects of science, technology, engineering, and math. Every year, STEM Night has grown, with this year having over eighteen stations of interactive fun, spread throughout the school for the community to stop, look, learn, and play. Can you take two dixie cups and one 3×5 index card, make a bridge with it, and then stack forty-six large and ninety-three small metal washers on it without the bridge collapsing? Fourth grader Tegan Mott holds the record.

Students research projects included topics such as fastest cars, bottle rockets, the solar system, why candy is sticky, and many more. TriState Astronomers was on hand with their 8” 40 mm IP Celestron reflected telescope, which allowed everyone to take turns looking at craters on the moon, up close and personal.

This event could not happen without the support of the Catoctin community.  Thurmont Elementary School would like to thank the following: Gateway Market, Rocky’s Pizza, Weis Markets, Jubilee Foods, Bollinger’s Family Restaurant, Mountain Gate Family Restaurant, Food Lion, Subway, Wendy’s, Fratelli’s Thurmont Kountry Kitchen, Shamrock, Catoctin High School, Walkersville High School, Mrs. Brawner and NIH/NCI, Mr. & Mrs. Child, Boy Scout Troop 270, Cub Scout Pack 270, TMS Olympiad Team, Thurmont Public Library, Catoctin Zoo, TriState Astronomers and TEPS PTA for helping to make STEM Night a success.

Mother Seton School Students Map Their Way to Winning in Annual Geography Bee

Do you know in which country Mount Kosciuszko is the highest peak? Jack Guinan (Grade 6) and Emma Adams (Grade 8) could tell you! (It’s Australia.) The Mother Seton School students placed first and second respectively in the school-wide Geography Bee held on February 3, 2016.

First-place winner Jack went on to qualify for the Maryland State Geography Bee, to be held on April 1, 2016, in Owings Mills and will be broadcast on Maryland Public Television. Only the Top 100 scoring students are eligible to take part in the State Bee. Jack is the only seventh-grader and only Catholic school student from Frederick County to be selected. The Top 10 state winners will move on to the National Geography Bee, which will be held in May of this year. The National winner receives a $50,000 college scholarship. The National Geography Bee is in its twenty-eighth year and is sponsored by the National Geographic Society.

Elizabeth Vines, Middle School teacher and Geography Bee Coordinator, said that participation in the Bee is a fun way to promote the value of understanding the world around us. “I tell the students they are global citizens,” she said. “The Bee is one of the ways in which we try to broaden their minds.”

With it being easier than ever before to connect with others on a global scale, it’s crucial for students to have an understanding of their neighbors and where they come from. Classic subject matters such as geography provide the necessary frame of reference for students to reach that understanding, and programs like the Geography Bee provide a forum for students to challenge themselves.

Guinan and Adams competed against other classmates who were selected after the initial classroom screening, including: Ethan Little and Vincent Reaver III (Grade 4), Jameson Doll and Brendan Guinan (Grade 5), Emma Wivell and Alyssa Corsetty (Grade 6), Larisa Tayler (Grade 7), and Kirstyn Bockelmann (Grade 8).

MSS-GeoBee

First-place winner and runner-up of MSS Geography Bee, held February 3, 2016: (from left) Jack Guinan (Grade 7) and Emma Adams (Grade 8).

Thurmont High School Alumni Invited to Celebrate 100 Years

Be the first alumnus to register for the 100th Anniversary Banquet of Thurmont High School Alumni to be held on Saturday, June 4, 2016, at the Lewistown Fireman’s Activities building, located at 11101 Hessong Bridge Road in Lewistown.

Social hour begins at 5:00 p.m., followed by the banquet of fried shrimp, turkey, and trimmings. During the program, the graduating classes ending with 6 or 1 will receive special recognition, three scholarship recipients will be announced, door prizes will be distributed, and a very special musical performance from Nashville, Tennessee.

So pass the word to your high school friends and send in your reservation(s). The cost is $25.00 per person; checks made payable to Thurmont High School Alumni and mail to Viola Noffsinger, 12510 Creagerstown RD, Thurmont, MD 21788. The first one received will be awarded a free meal.

Note: The open time for scholarship applications is March 30 to April 30. Check the Community Foundation of Frederick County website for applications.

Four $1,000 Scholarships Offered

The Emmistsburg High School Association is accepting scholarship applications.  Four one thousand dollar scholarships will be awarded in May to deserving students. Any Catoctin High School senior or graduate enrolled in an institution of higher learning, including trade schools, is eligible if he/she resides in the Emmitsburg School District. This includes Emmitsburg 21727, Rocky Ridge 21778, and Taneytown 21787 (Taneytown boundary is determined by Bridgeport on route 140).  Applicants may apply each year as long as they are enrolled in an institution.

Selection is based on having a 3.0 or higher grade point average, being a full time student, presenting two letters of recommendation, their community and school activities, and pursuing higher education (technical school, four-year college, or community college).

Applications may be obtained by contacting the guidance department at Catoctin High School (240-236-8082 Ryan Zimmerman) or calling Phyllis Kelly (717) 642-6963.  All applications must be received by May 10, 2016.

Thurmont Lions Club Lions Work to Increase Literacy in our Community

Lions Clubs International President Jitsuhiro Yarnada has announced a program to Lions to strengthen the service challenge to get resources to develop hands-on projects to help children in need. President Yarnada has implemented a Reading Action Program to help give the gift of literacy. Education and literacy are crucial to helping our students grow. They are the keys to overcoming poverty, disease, and other social issues.  As children’s book author Dr. Seuss wrote, “The more you read, the more things you’ll know.  The more you learn, the more places you’ll go.”

The Thurmont Lions Club has taken great strides to help bridge the gap between literacy and education, and has supported the Literacy Program for many years. This year, the club donated a drawstring backpack containing a Dr. Seuss book, Look for the Lorax; a Dr. Seuss bookmark; and a Dr. Seuss coloring book and crayons to the kindergarten classes at Thurmont Primary, Lewistown Elementary, and Sabillasville Elementary schools (127 students), to be used to help celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday, which took place on March 2. The book chronicles the plight of the environment and the Lorax, who speaks for the trees, which everyone needs. This project will also apply to the club’s Environmental Program. Hopefully, the Dr. Seuss book will encourage the children to read.

The Literacy Program co-chairpersons, Lions Susan Favorite and Joyce Anthony, delivered filled backpacks to the Lewistown Elementary and Sabillasville Elementary Schools (Lion Susan) and Thurmont Primary School (Lion Joyce).

 

SPORTS news

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Thurmont Little League Invites Entire Community to Join in Celebration of 65th Season of Baseball

Melissa Kinna

On Saturday, April 16, 2016, over 275 little league players, from the ages of four through twelve, will take the fields for Thurmont Little League’s (TLL) 65th season of baseball. The day will begin at 9:00 a.m. with the first round of games, followed by an Opening Day Ceremony at 10:15 a.m. The Board of Directors would like to invite the entire community to celebrate the beginning of the 2016 season and reflect on sixty-five years of baseball history.

The TLL Opening Day festivities will include a Kid’s Fun Zone with several games and activities, raffles, 50/50 drawings, ice cream, and more—a love of baseball and a celebration of the community.

“Our opening ceremonies are always a wonderful day to celebrate our players, parents, and volunteers,” said Ed Lowry, TLL president. “This year is an extra special year as we celebrate Thurmont Little League’s 65th season of baseball. We’re excited to kick off our new season and look forward to a great year of baseball.”

Little League has provided communities around the world the opportunity for families to connect, and for children to come together in a healthy, safe environment to learn the values of team sports and the fundamentals of baseball. Thurmont Little League is proud to be able to provide this opportunity to our community for sixty-five years and continue to be one of the largest youth sports association in the Northern Frederick County area.

It will be a great 2016 season at Thurmont Little League; please mark your calendars for Opening Day on Saturday, April 16. Check us out on the web at www.TLLbaseball.com or visit us on Facebook @ThurmontLittleLeague or on Twitter or Instagram @theTLLnetwork.

Catoctin High School JV Lady Cougars Finish Successful Season

The Junior Varsity Lady Cougars recently completed the 2015-2016 season. Despite being in a new conference and playing a very tough schedule, they finished with a record of thirteen wins and seven losses. This included wins over Urbana, Walkersville, and Governor Thomas Johnson. Coaches Rick and Sara Wastler would like to thank the girls for their hard work to make this a successful season.

 

Pictured from left are: (front row) Syd Zentz, Lexi Smith, Olivia Crum, Mel Topper, Dru Long, and Rachel Waldron; (back row) Coach Sara Wastler, Chloe Wivell, Raegan Smith, Lizzie Dougherty, Kelly Glass, Summer Belanger, and Coach Rick Wastler.

Catoctin High School Sports Boosters Announce “Wall of Honor” Inductees

Catoctin High School (CHS) Sports Boosters has added a “Wall of Honor” Banner in the gymnasium to recognize individuals who have gone above and beyond the normal parent or fan support. The first two names on the banner are William “Buzz” Barker and Bernard “Bun” Wivell. Each in his own way has been a tremendous asset to the Sports Boosters, a sports program at CHS, and they both have been equally as generous with youth programs.

Mr. William “Buzz” Barker passed away on November 23, 2015. Buzz was a Frederick County Basketball referee for eight years in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He volunteered for thirty-three years with both the girls and boys basketball programs, keeping the clock for over 1,300 games. He helped with the “chain gang” for football games, helped with timing events at track meets, and umpired at little league games over the years.

His family has created the “Buzz” Barker Scholarship Fund in his memory through Sports Boosters. Accepting the “Wall of Honor” recognition for William “Buzz” Barker were daughter Gwenae Wachter and husband Jerry and daughter Krista Kae Hazen and husband Matt.

Mr. Bernard “Bun” Wivell is the Treasurer of the Rocky Ridge Volunteer Fire Company and has held that position for forty-three years. He was chosen because of all the support over the years to CHS Sports Boosters, youth programs, and fees for families in distress through the Michael L. and Douglas A. Wivell Memorial Fund. One of the first big projects was the clothing shack down at the Football Stadium; filling a need for a place for students to purchase apparel and miscellaneous items to promote school spirit, the “Clothing Shack” was born.

CHS-Wall-of-Honor-inductees

Pictured from left are Gwenae and Jerry Wachter and Matt and Krista Kae Hazen, accepting the “Wall of Honor” for William “Buzz” Barker; and “Wall of Honor” Inductee, Bernard “Bun” Wivell.

Catoctin Girls Basketball Celebrates Alumni Night

Catoctin High School Girls Basketball invited alumni to be their guests at the basketball game on February 2, 2016.

There was a very nice turn out for the first year, considering the date had to be changed due to inclement weather. Alumni were introduced at the break between the JV and Varsity games. A brief reception was held after the Varsity game, and everyone enjoyed visiting with old friends.

Thurmont-Almuni-bball

Alumni in attendance were: (kneeling) Donna Martin ’74, Denise Sanders Valentine ’79, Anne Umbel Benjamin ’72, Jenn Eyler Creeger ’02, Morgan Cole ’11, and Sarah Wastler ’05; (center) Carol Gearhart Long ’72, Samantha Valentine ’05; Jessica Valentine ’05; and Lindsay Benjamin Fuss ’98; (standing) Karen Stitely ’81, Liv Myers ’72, Loretta Stitely Stouter ’79, Karen and Long Cole ’75, Melissa Shaw Kinna ’96, Cyndi Benjamin Miller ’01, Vicky Seiss Troxell ’93, and Tina Boyd Reaver ’80.

Photo by Georgette Stitely

 

2016 Mid-Maryland Jayvee “A” League Champion Catoctin Cougars

Catoctin won its first-ever League tournament championship, taking jayvee honors in the “A” championships. This is the first time in the history of Mid-Maryland Basketball that a Catoctin team has won the league championship tournament. They are very proud of their players.

DSC_0834-003

2016 Mid-Maryland Jayvee “A” League Tournament Champion Catoctin Cougars: (back row) Coach Jim Weddle, Aiden Shadle, Josh Maze, Bryson Caballero, Chase Bowers, Connor Kock, Bryant Palmer, Mason Albright, Coach Brian Burdette; (front row) Zach Whitmore, Dylan Click, Garrett Malachowski, Tommy Fitzgerald, Ethan Burdette, Garrett Mayhew, and Coach Darryl Dextrauder.

Catoctin MYBA U12 Girls Team Finishes Sucessful Season

The Catoctin MYBA U12 Girls Basketball team finished a very successful season, winning the championship.

Catoctin-MYBA-U12-Girls-Cha

Pictured from left are: (back row) Coach Jenn Cregger, who has been volunteering/coaching for CYA Girls Basketball for the past thirteen years; Hailie Dawson, Brynn Shank, Katie Glass, Assistant Coach Brian Glass; (middle row) Mackenzie Thompson, Jaz Weedon, Liza Morgan, Jenna Zentz, Corinn Gregory, Anna Belluomo; (bottom row) Dakota Fitzpatrick, Reese Fox, and Allison Brawner.

Catoctin High School Softball to Hold Crab Cake Dinner

The Catoctin High School (CHS) Softball Team will hold a Crab Cake Dinner Fundraiser on Saturday, April 2, 2016, at the American Legion in Thurmont, from 4:00-7:00 p.m. Dinner will include two crab cakes (a Vigilant Hose Company specialty), baked potato, green beans, coleslaw, roll, drink, and your choice of a dessert. The cost is $15.00 per dinner (eat in or carryout). You can purchase tickets from any CHS softball player or call Coach Jess at 301-788-0976 to hold your tickets at the door. All remaining tickets will be sold at the door until dinners are sold out.

10U Catoctin Baseball Club Claims the Tournament Championship

The 10U Catoctin Baseball Club (CBC) traveled to the Durham, North Carolina, metropolitan area over the weekend of March 18-20, 2016, and were named the Champions of the AAU Super Regional tournament, outscoring their opponents 53-25 over five games.

Over the course of two days, the 10U CBC went five wins and zero losses, competing against teams from Virginia and North Carolina, to claim the tournament championship. One of the highlights of the tournament came in the semi-final round with CBC trailing Elon Phoenix Baseball Club. Down 5-0, Joe McMannis belted a grand slam to put the game in reach. In the bottom of the last inning, Brad Butts singled to tie the game up, and Peyton Castellow’s “walk off” single clinched the game for CBC. Catoctin Baseball Club went on to beat 4G3 Baseball Academy (Greensboro, NC) 17-9 in the championship final.

10U-Catoctin-Baseball-Club

Pictured from left are: (top row) Brad Butts, Dominic Moats, Joe McMannis, Braden Manning, Garrett Worth, Ajonte Bullock, Caden Diggs; (bottom row) Danny Orr, Peyton Castellow, D.J. Shipton, and Donovan Baker.

Catoctin Youth Association’s Sharks Basketball Team Finishes a Great Season and Gives Back to Community

de Catoctin Youth Association (CYA) Rec Basketball team, the Sharks!  This season, they focused on learning basketball fundamentals; being coachable; and most importantly, teamwork.

The team celebrated their last practice by bringing in non-perishable food items to donate to the Thurmont Food Bank. These young people have learned that they can bring teamwork outside of the court and into their community. CYA would like to thank the Sharks’ players and their parents for all of their support.

CYA-Sharks

Pictured are: (back row) Keelm Dove, Zachary Kerr, Chance Dove, Josh Deyton, and Ethan Williams; (front row) Simon Burrier, Zachary Williams, Carson Fry, Gavin Horn, and Jake Miller.

For the Love of Baking

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The Supermarket Gourmet, Buck Reed

We all have seen it on reality shows, at the movies, and even in Disney cartoons. The angry chef. It is almost cliché to say one plate of under- or over-cooked risotto might send them into a tirade—an over-cooked steak might bring you close to being stabbed, or an under-cooked piece of fish might get you sent home. They portray themselves as culinary masters who are one dish away from acting like murderous madmen, bent on destroying anyone in their way. The truth is, it is not an act.

The nice guy executive chef, the benevolent leader of the brigade is a myth, the white whale, an out-and-out unicorn, never to be seen in a professional kitchen.

If this is indeed who they are, then I submit that bakers are the complete opposite. I say baker, because I am a cook who is comfortable baking, equally a rarity in the culinary world. I learned to first bake in the U.S. Navy, where you do what you were ordered, and the better you did a job, the more they left you alone. When I left the service, I worked as a line cook in an upscale restaurant; I spent two weeks learning baking—there, called pastry chef—from a wonderful person who had the patience of Job, coupled with the meticulous adherence to detail any master chef would have envied. She was exacting, but kind, a good teacher who critiqued without demeaning.

I believe all good bakers have this quality. Yes, I have known a few bakers who did not possess these qualities, but then I do not think they were very good bakers.

If you ask a chef/cook why he doesn’t like baking, you almost always get the answer that they do not like measuring everything. Great cooks do not really even need recipes. Some will tell you that it is boring, that there is no room for creativity. Nothing could be further from the truth. There is always a fruit or vegetable right around the corner coming into season that you can try to figure out how to work into a recipe. Or you can try a different flour or sugar that might change the texture of your cookie. Some might even say it is an easy win, that slapping some chocolate on a pastry and hitting it with some booze is far easier than, say, seasoning a soup. They will say everyone applauds the dessert course, but the unsung hero is the guy who perfectly cooked your steak. But few realize that the true master of baking is in the basics. It is all about the appreciation of the ingredients and discipline of the techniques that make the baker. That is where the caring starts. That is where the respect makes a difference. That is where the love comes in.

At the end of the day, I am still a cook who knows how to bake, but truth be known, I would never call myself a pastry chef.

Happily Ever After Hooray! It’s the Weekend

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by Valerie Nusbaum

Whenever I get an email from Randy on Friday afternoon that reads, “Pizza?” I know the weekend is here.  Once or twice a month, Randy cooks dinner on Friday night, which almost always means he brings home a pizza from the grocery store. I’m fine with that. The pizza is good, and I don’t have to cook it.

That’s exactly what we did this weekend. I had worked all day at a craft show on Friday and he’d put in a hard week at his job, so neither of us felt like going out or doing anything serious in the kitchen. We curled up on the couch in front of the television, ate our pizza, and caught up on some shows that we’d missed during the week. We were both napping by 7:30 p.m. Yep, we’re party animals.

Our usual Saturday morning routine is also very lively. We wake up early and try to figure out what happens next. This particular weekend wasn’t earmarked for anything, so we had forty-eight hours of free time.

Randy cooked breakfast. He made me a hearty bowl of cinnamon squares cereal, complete with skim milk and hot tea, and he had some raisin bran because fiber is his friend. We discussed current events and family matters while we paid the bills and read the newspaper. Randy always reads our horoscopes so that we’ll know whether to talk to people or hide from them. He calls them “horrible-scopes,” and most times he’s correct in saying that.

After breakfast, there was laundry to do and there were errands to run. Randy needed a haircut, and I needed to hit the treadmill. Sounds fun so far, doesn’t it? Just wait. It gets better.

I needed to take some photographs for a painting that I’m planning to do for an art exhibit, so I suggested that we drive down to Baker Park in Frederick. Randy was agreeable to that and we headed out.  The weather didn’t look promising, but we went anyway. I got some good photos without getting rained on. Randy took some pictures, too, so I should have plenty of reference for my painting.

Baker Park holds a special place in my heart. I’m not the sentimental one in our marriage. I don’t save ticket stubs or press flowers. Randy does all that stuff, and he doesn’t mind that I tease him about it. I have a fondness for the park, though, because that’s where Randy and I went on our first date. It’s also the place where we first shared a kiss, and a while later, it’s where we said the “L” word. No, I don’t mean leftovers, although I do say that quite often—so much so that Randy sometimes questions where all the leftovers come from since he doesn’t remember eating it the first time around. I thought for sure that Randy would take me to Baker Park to propose, but it was a rainy, cold night in November when we got engaged, and we stayed in where it was warm. But I digress…

Since we were in downtown Frederick, I mentioned to Randy that I’d love to get us a soft, hot pretzel from Pretzel and Pizza Creations, but I didn’t think it was a good idea. We’ve been eating too many carbs lately. Randy agreed with me and promptly drove us downtown and parked around the corner from the pretzel place.

“What? You brought it up and you know how I am,” he said. “I didn’t think about a pretzel until you mentioned it, and now I want one.”

“Can we at least share one?” I asked. He rolled his eyes and got out of the car grumbling that he’d be back. We split the pretzel, and it was delicious.

“We’ll have salad for dinner,” said my pragmatic husband. He’d been complaining of an upset stomach, and I asked him whether salad was a good idea.

Randy looked at me as though he thought I was clueless and said, “Here’s the thing…If I’m going to throw up, I’d rather it be a salad than a steak. I won’t feel sorry about losing the salad.”

We did, indeed, have salad for dinner. Randy did not throw up. We finished our chores around the house, took care of all the pressing business, and called it a night. Sunday was much the same. I lied when I told you this story would get better. Things have been pretty dull around here, and I stink at writing fiction. If you want suspense and intrigue, you should read James Patterson.

I do hope every single one of you had a blessed and beautiful Easter, and have a blessed Passover season. If you’re a wee bit Irish, I hope your St. Patrick’s Day was a celebration of epic proportion. I sincerely hope you’re the April “fooler” and not the April “foolee”!

Randy and I will be hiding eggs for our “kids.” They’re all more than eighty years old and can’t bend over, so we have to put the eggs at eye level.

Our Neighborhood Veterans

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by Jim Houck, Jr.

Kenneth L. Jones

Private U.S. Army

AMVET-RIDERSKenny was born in Washington, D.C. on December 11, 1962, to James and Phyllis Jones. Right after he was born, his family moved to Bowie, Maryland, and then to Laurel, Maryland, where Kenny lived until he was twenty-one years old. Kenny has one brother (James Jones, Jr.) who lives in Florida.

As a kid, Kenny was taught to respect the military; growing up, he could see what was happening with our military as they were fighting in the Vietnam War. He knew it wasn’t right how our soldiers were being treated at home, and he was disgusted and wished he was old enough to join in the fight. Kenny said that all soldiers who have taken the oath to lay down their life for our country were heroes in his book.

Kenny finally got his chance to join and was so proud when he took the oath, but that happiness was short-lived; he had a hearing problem that cost him a medical discharge.

His father was in World War II and had a gun blow up in his arms; a piece of metal was lodged in his elbow that they couldn’t remove, so he was medically discharged. Now history was repeating itself, because Kenny was completely deaf in his left ear, causing his medical discharge.

Kenny’s grandfather was in World War I and was a victim of mustard gas. Kenny’s best friend found out that he was joining the army, and he asked Kenny if he was an idiot. Kenny asked him what he meant, and his friend asked him if he was willing to lay his life down for this country; Kenny answered, “If I’m not, who is?” He stated that this is our country, and he will fight for it; unfortunately, a Lieutenant Colonel decided Kenny’s fate for him and sent him home.

Kenny said his wife brought him to AMVETS Post 7 for dinner. After meeting some of the members and seeing how friendly they were toward him and how well the Post family worked together, he said he could feel his passion growing; he decided then that he wanted to become a part of this wonderful organization. Shortly after the dinner date with his wife, Candace, Kenny filled out the membership application and was voted in as a member, making him very happy; he immediately got the feeling that he was now serving out the rest of his enlistment. No one could send him home and end his enlistment. Kenny really has a genuine love for AMVETS Post 7 and its family. He said, “It is just a great Post with great people, and it is great to be a part of it.”

Kenny, at that time, had no idea that the AMVETS had Rider chapters, and Kenny had a passion for riding motorcycles. He was out riding with Jim Burns one day; when they got off their bikes, Kenny made the remark that there were enough riders that they could start some kind of club. Jim said he thought that was a great idea and told Kenny about the AMVET Riders. Jim told Kenny if he would like to start one at Post 7, he would help in any way he could. Kenny sat on the idea and didn’t do anything about it. One day, he and Jim were sitting at the bar watching television, and Jim tapped him on the leg and asked him, “Hey, how’s that Riders chapter coming?” Kenny told him he didn’t think he could do it, but he mentioned it to the Commander—at that time—Tom Joy; Tom was very supportive. Kenny mentioned it to two other AMVET members: Pete Twentey and Bob O’Neal, who he knew personally. Pete had started the American Legion Riders at a Frederick Post, and they thought it was a great idea; Pete and Bob offered their support but did not want to be officers, because they had already been in the official positions.

Mike Mahoney heard about it and pushed Kenny; Ed and Donny McKinnon supported the move, also. With all the support, Kenny thought they could actually start the club. He went online and started researching. Kenny asked his wife, already knowing Candi would support anything he would like to try. He put out a sign-up sheet and announced what his plans were; the next thing he knew, there were twenty-some names on the sheet.

Next, Kenny scheduled a night to meet for all of those who were interested. At the meeting, they took a vote for Charter and all the officers were voted in; they received their Charter in December of 2014. They celebrated their first-year anniversary this past December 2015. Kenny said he wasn’t sure he had a real goal in mind when he first started; he just knew he wanted to start something involving motorcycles. The biggest thing for Kenny was that he could take the mission outside of Post 7; they have their own vests they wear and their own patches.

Kenny said he remembers telling his wife the first time she mentioned going to the AMVETS for dinner, that you, “don’t go to the AMVETS for dinner, you go there for clothing.” He had only heard of the AMVETS Thrift Store, not the AMVETS Veterans Organization.

The newly formed AMVETS Riders Post 7 branch met a few times and fumbled their way through the meetings. Kenny said the Veteran Members, The Sons of AMVETS, and the Ladies Auxiliary were very supportive. He expressed that he just can’t get over how our Post 7 family made them feel so welcomed, and it amazes him at what a great Post it is. It never dawned on Kenny that they needed money to operate the Riders club; all three family members chipped in to donate some money for operating expenses for the new family branch. The AMVET Riders held some fundraisers that turned out well, and they were on their way to helping support Veterans and the community. Kenny truly believes that we are our brothers’ keepers, and our community is only as strong as we make it; all funds taken in at functions will be used for these ends.

Kenny expressed that they are very fortunate to have twenty quality members now that are as dedicated as he is in doing what is good for Post 7 and its family. “It is not the number of people we have, but the quality of the people, and I have the privilege of being a part of it.” Kenny sees the passion flowing at every meeting held and the belief in what they are doing, and he thinks it is awesome. They have grown in the past year, and he knows their spirit will continue to grow stronger because of our great family at AMVETS Post 7. Since AMVET Riders have been chartered, they have been able to contribute donations to Hero Dogs three times (they specialize in training dogs to aid vets) and to North Pointe Veterans Home numerous times. They rode up to enjoy time with the Veterans being rehabilitated at North Pointe and to have dinner with them. They made a large donation to disabled Veterans and a large donation to Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Over the Christmas holiday, they found two local families that had a member of their family deployed (one in Germany and one in Japan), so 2nd Vice Sandi Reed Burns put together two care packages—$100 each—and sent them to the deployed members to make them feel somewhat at home. Kenny said they have also donated to Post 7, because without their support, the Riders wouldn’t exist.

In a little over a year, the Riders have donated over $2,000 to various causes. That is certainly an accomplishment, and one that makes them very proud. Kenny stated that they are setting a goal of over $3,000 in donations for 2016, and I am sure they will do it with all the determination and drive they have. They are also planning a poker run in the near future. Kenny and the Riders were in the Emmitsburg Heritage Day Parade last year, and have received an invitation again for this year’s parade. Kenny is so proud of the fact that he is a part of such a wonderful group of people as the AMVETS Post 7 family. He said that he would love to see the chapter have forty or fifty members, but members who would be dedicated and proud to ride with them and join in and help with functions, not just to show up at the bar for the cheap drinks.

Pride and dedication are the main factors required at all family branches of AMVETS Post 7, including the Riders. Paying dues and never participating in meetings and functions is not what pride and dedication is all about. Our families at Post 7 are givers, and we are also receivers, in that we receive so much satisfaction and pride by giving to the veterans and to our community.

Kenny is full of pride from all the good that is done at Post 7 by the Veteran members, Sons, Ladies, and Riders, and he is very proud to be the president of this AMVETS Rider Chapter. He is also excited about The American Legion, VFW, and AMVETS working together to pay tribute to a True Marine Hero from Camp David who stopped to help change a flat tire and was killed by a hit-and-run driver (who has not been found yet), by having a sign put on the Catoctin Furnace Historic Trail bridge that crosses U.S. Rt. 15, just a short distance from where CPL William Kyle Ferrell was killed. The sign will read: Bridge Dedicated to CPL WILLIAM KYLE FERRELL United States Marine Corps. As soon as all the dates and details are available, you will be able to read about it in The Catoctin Banner. Kenny is very passionate about letting people know what kind of hero this young marine was.

Kenny invites all American Veterans, Sons of American Veterans, Daughters of American Veterans, and Wives of American Veterans, who are not members, to come in as guests and talk to our families or attend an event and watch how everyone works together. See if you can get as excited as most of us are about an organization that actually cares about our Veterans and our community.

AMVET Riders Chapter 7 Officers are as follows: Kenny Jones—President; Wendy Clevenger—1st Vice President; Sandi Reed Burns—2nd Vice President; Doris Twentey—Treasurer; Candace Jones—Secretary; Jay Shown—Sergeant-at-Arms; Pete Forrest—Judge Advocate; Nick Alexandra—Chaplain.

Kenny is the “real deal” when it comes to pride in being the president of the Riders and when it comes to his beliefs in AMVETS Post 7. So if you meet him on the street or at Post 7, stop and say “Hi” to him and mention bikes, Veterans, or our community, then hang on, because he will show you what pride is all about—you will see what a great soldier he would have been and how he is carrying it out now in his own way.

God Bless the United States of America, God Bless the American Veterans, and God Bless You.

Thurmont American Legion

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Ed Gravatt, Past Commander

Well, it’s here…spring! That Easter Bunny has gone and laid his eggs and left those jelly beans all over the place; now it is time to start mowing the grass. Will the work never end? Here at the American Legion, we are getting ready for some fun and exciting events.

For all you sports nuts out there, we will be having a Cornhole Tournament on April 16, 2016.  The Sons of the American Legion is hosting the tournament, with the proceeds to benefit the Special Olympics. The tournament is limited to fifty teams, and cash prizes will be proportionate to the number of teams entered. For more information, email locoputter@msn.com. There will be food and drinks available.

Now, for those of you who prefer a quieter form of entertainment, there will be a Paint Night with Laura Day. You can learn to turn your artistic talents into a work of art. Laura will be teaching and providing the materials needed on Sunday, April 24, 2016. For more information, call Cindy at 301-676-7016 or email cindy.collis@fcps.org.  The kitchen at the Legion will be open.

Our weekly entertainment starts with Karaoke with Jimmy James on April Fools Day, April 1, at 8:00 p.m.; followed by Big Al on Saturday, April 9, at 8:00 p.m.; then on April 15 at 8:30 p.m., the Fire House DJ’s; Ralph Gann will entertain with his karaoke and singing on April 22 at 8:00 p.m.; DJ Jake will be playing your favorites, along with karaoke, on April 29 at 8:00 p.m. If that isn’t enough, on April 30, 5 1/2 Men will be here from 7:00-11:00 p.m.

Our kitchen is open on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, and on Sunday afternoon. Our Ace of Hearts is going strong on Wednesdays; the last winner, Steve Lawrence, walked off with over $5K.  On Thursdays, we are still having bingo.

Some of our meeting times and days have changed. SAL now meets on the second Saturday at noon; the Auxiliary has moved their meeting to the third Monday at 7:00 p.m. The regular membership still meets on the third Tuesday, no change.

AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary Post 7

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AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary Post 7 is holding a Mother’s Day Breakfast on Sunday, May 8, 2016, from 7:00-11:00 a.m. Mothers eat for free! The cost per ticket is $7.00 per adult; $3.50 for ages ten and under. Breakfast is open to the public. The menu includes: eggs, bacon, sausage, chipped beef gravy, biscuits, pancakes, fried potatoes, coffee, tea, milk, and orange juice.

Sons of the American Legion Squadron 121

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On April 23, 2016, the Sons of the American Legion Squadron 121 is holding a Crab Leg and Shrimp Dinner at Ambulance Company #26 on Creamery Road in Emmitsburg. Tickets are $20.00 per person.

Doors open at 3:00 p.m.; eat dinner at 4:00 p.m.; entertainment by Jenni and Patrick, 7:00-11:00 p.m. Event is open to the public.

On The Wild Side

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Christine Schoene Maccabee

The Mysterious Lives of Insects (Part 2)

coon (size of a large lemon) attached to a twig down by the chicken coop. I feel lucky to have even seen it, as it was covered with dead leaves and looked like nothing special. However, having seen such cocoons in years past, I recognized it immediately as that of a magnificent large moth. Excitedly, I broke off the twig and brought it up to the porch, where I stood it upright in a sturdy container for observation.

With the warmth of early to mid-spring, one of three moths will emerge from this cocoon: it may be a Cecropia or a Polyphemus or Promethea. I am excited to see what it will be, but until then it remains a mystery.

I have found in all my years of observation and discovery that most things we take for granted in nature happen in secret. Not unlike most creatures, including the human creature, insects have very private personal lives. Not only that, they are all specialized with particular talents, and most of them make significant contributions to the quality of life as we know it on this amazingly mysterious Earth.

In my column last month, I left the reader hanging when I said that bees have “stinky feet.” With my apologies to Dr. Dave Goulson1, who discovered this peculiar trait in bees, I will proceed to explain why bees have “smelly,” not stinky, feet. Smelly is not always stinky. Sorry, Dave.

So what does Dr. Goulson mean when he speaks of smelly feet? As he was observing the behavior of bees in his extensive meadows in France, he found that bees are very particular as to which flowers they feed on. Not only do different species of bees specialize in specific types of flowers to suck, but they seem to know, somehow, whether a particular flower has recently been fed on by another bee. Perhaps you have observed in your own gardens bees hovering by a perfectly fresh looking flower, but passing it up for another. I know I have seen this, and often wondered about it.

Dave Goulson set about the “fiddly business” of measuring the quantity of nectar in the rejected flowers, and found that they had less nectar in them than the chosen flowers. Somehow, bees knew which flowers had the most rewards, but how were they doing it? Much like we humans, bees are very busy and have no time to waste sucking dry flowers. Of course, the flowers they reject eventually create more nectar, so perhaps that same bee will come back to suck later.

Now we have two mysteries to solve. First, why are bees in such a hurry with no time to waste (in other words, busy)? And what are those smelly feet all about anyway?

First of all, in flight, a bumblebee flaps its wings two hundred times per second, according to bee experts like Dr. Goulson. This generates a lot of heat, which it needs to keep its body temperature at least 30 degrees Centigrade; but, of course, this comes at a cost: bumblebee flight is enormously expensive in terms of the energy it uses. A bumblebee with a full stomach is only ever about forty minutes from starvation, so it cannot waste energy sucking at dry flowers or it may perish before the days end. So you thought it was difficult being a human when the car breaks down and you have to put hard earned money and precious time and energy into fixing it. I guess bees and humans are not so different after all!

But what about those smelly feet? As it turns out, after examining the feet of bees, Dr. Goulson discovered that every bee—in fact, every insect—leaves a trace of oily liquid wherever they go. Bees, even butterflies, leave a footprint wherever they land, which is then detected by the antennae of other pollinators. Antennae of insects are finely tuned for detecting the oily traces and can readily “smell” just a few molecules in the air around a flower and on the petals themselves. This amazing built-in mechanism saves the bee time and energy that would be wasted climbing inside empty flowers.

I must confess, now I am worried more than ever as to how lawn chemicals and herbicides might interfere with, and even kill, these important, sensitive, insects.

There is much about the natural world most of us do not know, and what I have written here barely scratches the surface.

I don’t know about you, but I will never look at my flowers, and the insects that depend on them, the same this spring and summer.

So, enjoy the emerging beauty in your gardens and the world at large. And never loose your curiosity or your sense of wonder, for that is equally a part of our natural heritage. Even smelly feet!

1Dave Goulson’s entertaining and informative books, A Sting in the Tale and A Buzz in the Meadow are available at our library.

Looking Back

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by James Rada, Jr.

Early Public Education in Emmitsburg

Emmitsburg has always had plenty of schools. Of the 158 one-room schools in Frederick County in 1890, more than 20 were near Emmitsburg. This doesn’t even include the private and parochial schools in town at the time.

In a 1908 Emmitsburg Chronicle article, an old-timer recalled his experiences with some of Emmitsburg’s early schools.

One school was on the former site of Helman’s store where Mrs. Reed, a widow, taught class.

“I was packed off to school when I was about five years old, with a small yellow book called an English Primer. The seat, a rough bench, was much too high for my short legs, and my feet hung some distance above the floor. The school was a sort of a go-as-you please affair, and I did not receive much attention from the mistress, who, by the way, was a very good-natured lady. Yet, as it is the school boys’ want to go ahead, I made rapid progress and soon learned to throw paper wads and pinch the boys that sat next to me,” the unidentified man recalled.

He also recalled that the first public school in town had been on the site where St. Euphemia’s School would eventually stand. Robert Crooks was the “man’s” teacher.

“Other well-liked and successful teachers of the old public school were Mr. John Walter, a graduate of Mount St. Mary’s College, and a Mr. Tearce, who came to Emmitsburg with the Gutherie family from Pennsylvania. Mr. Tearce’s assistant was Squire Knouff, well known in this community for many years. Mr. Tearce was…“a genuine athlete; he joined in all our outdoor games, and many a time in playing corner-ball, I had his broad back for a target.

With all this comradeship with his pupils, inside of the schoolroom he was master and commanded the respect and love of his scholars,” recalled the man.

He was taught grammar, geography, algebra, and history.

“In the Summer when the public schools were closed, we had, what were then called, ‘subscription schools.’ I attended one that was held in a brick house on Broad alley. This building is still standing in good condition and is now occupied as a dwelling, by John Ellis. It was called the ‘Potter Kiln School’ because the house had been built for a potter’s shop. In the rear stood an immense potter’s kiln that had been unused for many years. It was a representative of one of the extinct industries of Emmitsburg: The darkness inside this kiln and the many small openings made it a fine place for boys to play hide-and-seek,” the man recalled.

Darius Thomas was the first teacher. Isaac E. Pierson, a lawyer, also taught at the school and was a harsh disciplinarian. “He did not believe in whipping but inflicted cruel and unusual punishment by making a boy stand up before the school with a girl’s sunbonnet on his head; a terrible penalty, far more dreadful to the boys than the rod,” the man recalled.

He recalled the Union Academy at Elias Church as one of the best.

“It was established long before the public schools were started and was considered a sort of finishing school,” the man recalled.

Today, most of the old school buildings are gone, but a few remain that have been repurposed. However, the education the students received in the 19th century helped create the solid citizens who built Emmitsburg into a thriving town.

mountain talk

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Orienteering at Catoctin Mountain Park

By Chris O’Connor

There comes a time in everyone’s life when they choose to change course to reach their destination. But the question is which way to turn?

Orienteering is a means to help one find a way through forest and field, over mountains and across deserts. Armed with the basic technique of using a compass and topographical map, hikers can find their destinations.

I’ve always wanted to learn compass skills in the unlikely event I ever became lost in the wilderness. It’s doubtful I’ll ever be lost in the wilderness because I never venture too far off the beaten path, and learning to use a compass or topographical map always remains a daunting prospect.

All that changed after attending a basic orienteering class under the expert tutelage of Ranger Peggie Gaul at Catoctin Mountain Park.

Orienteering is often known as a sport where competitors race through a course from point to point, but the instruction in basic orienteering offered at Catoctin Mountain Park is not about competition.

According to Ranger Gaul, it’s a great leisure activity for individuals and families to enjoy a relaxing time in the Catoctin Mountain Park’s 5,770-acre woodlands and waterways.

Ranger Gaul, a twenty-five-year veteran of the National Park Service, has had a lifelong interest in the outdoors. She explained clearly what I considered to be a complex subject.

The class, held at the Visitors Center at the intersection of Park Central Road and Rt. 77 in Thurmont,  is roughly a 45-minute instruction period, during which participants are encouraged to interact with the instructor while learning the vagaries of topographical maps and symbiotic relationship the map and compass have, along with information they provide the hiker.

“I actually appreciate questions,” Ranger Gaul said, adding, “It gives me feedback. I know if I’m getting the message across or not. If one person doesn’t understand what I said, chances are there are other people in the room who don’t get it either.”

Each participant is supplied with a compass and topographic map.  The map shows the orienteering course “controls,” 4×4 inch brown painted posts that sport numbers or letters, in addition to red and white triangles that are internationally recognized orienteering symbols.

One of the many beauties of the topographic map is that it contains “contour lines,” which aid the hiker to visualize points of equal elevation and “contour intervals” that reveal rise and fall in elevation. It contains other details explained in the class.

One basic and important detail of any map is the “legend,” the key that identifies symbols and defines them.

Unlike competitive orienteering where the course must be followed in sequence, we were encouraged to choose any controls designated on the orienteering course.

After the classroom instruction, we budding orienteers were sent on our merry way to utilize our newly acquired compass and topographic map reading skills.

The group dispersed as they chose their own destinations.  While changing from my sneakers to hiking boots, I noticed some folks immediately strike out, then others appeared to all have their heads together, apparently studying their maps as if to decide which control to head for first.

After donning my boots, my first attempt at orienteering was hampered by my inability to focus.

I was distracted by the beauty of the surroundings, from the moss on the rocks to a wee purple-leaved woodland plant just peeking out from under the leaf litter, to the mixed hardwood trees towering overhead and the delightful noise of the creek flowing under the bridge, crossing just feet away from the beginning of the trek.

Although the orienteering course doesn’t follow trails, Catoctin Mountain Park contains twenty-five miles of established trails for hikers. Hikers can obtain a trail map at the Visitors Center: folks can choose loops for shorter hikes or other destinations like one of the many scenic overlooks with varying degrees of difficulty.

Printed on the reverse side of the map I acquired at the Visitor’s Center is a guide chart with trail names with their respective round-trip mileage, estimated hiking time, the ascent in footage, location of trailhead, a brief description of the trail attributes, and ratings from “easy” to “strenuous.”

Cold rain discouraged continuing on the orienteering course, but orienteers are welcome to hone their skills while the course is open.  Inquire at the Visitor’s Center for specific course closure dates, but generally, the course is closed from April through October. Hikers are discouraged from going off-trail for reasons that include protection of growing flora and protecting hikers from ticks.

Trail maps can be obtained at the Visitor’s Center.

The orienteering class is offered at no charge throughout weekends in March and again in November.

Class sizes are limited, so pre-registration is necessary.

Call the Visitor Center at 301- 663-9388 to register or for further information.

For general information regarding Catoctin Mountain Park, access the website at www.nps.gov/cato