From the daily archives: "Thursday, June 28, 2018"

James Rada, Jr.

Beulah Zentz (pictured right) may not have been born in Thurmont, but the town’s oldest resident has become a part of the town’s history.

She was born on May 26, 1916, near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. Fresh out of high school, she met Ethel Hockensmith. Beulah went to help Ethel with housework at her home in Zullinger, Pennsylvania. Beulah stayed with her about a week before Ethel asked her, “Do you want a job?”

Ethel’s brother owned and operated the Munshour Dairies in Thurmont. So, Beulah made the move to Thurmont in 1932. She lived with the Munshours. Her work included milking sixteen cows twice a day, washing glass milk bottles, and bottling milk. Munshour Dairies delivered milk by horse and wagon to locations throughout Thurmont. Sometimes, Beulah would ride along.

“The only place she got to go while she was living there was the Lutheran church,” said Viola Noffsinger, Beulah’s daughter.

It was there that she met Albert Zentz, a local farmer. The two got along well, but before their relationship could really develop, Beulah moved back to Chambersburg. A friend of hers invited Beulah to come work at a factory in Chambersburg for $7.50 a week. Beulah was only making $3.00 a week at Munshour Dairies, so she jumped at the new job.

This complicated her growing relationship with Albert, who had to travel from Thurmont to Chambersburg to visit her. He finally told her that it was too far to travel.

Beulah had a choice to make, and she chose Albert over her job. She moved back in with her family, who were living in New Franklin, Pennsylvania. Once she did, Beulah said, “He started visiting more often.” They married on February 24, 1936.

Albert had taken over his family’s farm in 1934, and Beulah moved into the farmhouse at 158 North Carroll Street in Thurmont. “We had animals of all kinds,” Beulah said. “Hogs, calves, beef cattle, chickens.” They also grew vegetables to sell in town.

The farmhouse also became quite crowded. Albert’s parents, Wendell and Florence, continued to live in the house, and Beulah and Albert started their family. Jean (Heims) was born in 1939, Viola (Noffsinger) in 1940, Mary (Eyler) in 1942, and Wendell in 1954.

As the town grew, factories began building in town.

Meanwhile, Albert not only worked his farm, but he helped anyone in town who needed help. Albert got a reputation of being the person to go to if you needed a helping hand.

Beulah did her part to assist the family. She worked for a time at the shoe factory in town, but then she found a better way to help out.

The Zentzes owned a building next to the railroad tracks and near the shoe factory. The upstairs rooms were rented out as apartments, but the Zentzes had another idea for the ground floor.

“The shoe factory wanted something so people could have snacks and eat,” Beulah said.

And, so, the Sunrise Cafeteria was born. Employees at the shoe factory would place orders, and one employee would walk over to the cafeteria to pick up the order of milk and sandwiches that the employees would eat on their break.

The Western Maryland Railroad passenger trains also stopped at the cafeteria. “They made it a point to stop there and eat,” Beulah said.

The cafeteria operated for years until bureaucracy began interfering. Insurance rates climbed because the cafeteria sold fresh milk, not pasteurized. Then the health inspector told Beulah that they would need new coolers to hold the milk, which were too expensive. The cafeteria closed in the early 1950s.

Beulah continued working with companies like Claire Frock and Hillside Turkey.

Albert died in 2002. He and Beulah had been married for sixty-seven years.

Beulah is now 102 years old, making her Thurmont’s oldest citizen. However, she has had health issues this year, including pneumonia. When asked what her secret to long life is, Beulah said, “I never gave it much thought. I just went along and did whatever needed doing.”

Photo by James Rada, Jr.

Emmitsburg

Residents Having Trouble With Mount Students

A group of Emmitsburg residents spoke to the Emmitsburg Mayor and Commissioners during their June meeting about the continuing problems they are having with unruly Mount St. Mary’s students. Some students party too hard and create disturbances in town, including urinating on private property, breaking fences, exposing themselves to residents, and driving through closed alleys to get onto Main Street.

“They are treating Emmitsburg like a frat house and frat row,” Paul McKinley said.

Wayne Green, Mount St. Mary’s vice president and chief of staff, pointed out that the problems are being caused by a handful of students.

“I’m sorry to all of you that had to put up with that,” Green said.

To have any impact on the problem, the town and university would need to continue open communications about it. Green also urged the residents to communicate directly with him to get a quicker response to problems when they arise.

The town and university will work to develop a plan during the summer that can be instituted when the new school year starts in the fall.

 

New Planner Hired

As Emmitsburg Town Planner Sue Cipperly plans her retirement, the Emmitsburg Mayor and Commissioners approved her replacement.

Zach Gulden was approved by the commissioners during their June meeting. He is one of thirty-eight people who applied for the position, and one of three who were interviewed by Town Manager Cathy Willets and Mayor Don Briggs.

Gulden is currently the Freedom Township manager and Upper Allen Township planner. He has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration.

He will start in his new position in July, allowing some overlap between his start and Cipperly’s retirement so that she can get him up to speed on the on-going projects. His annual salary is $55,303.88.

 

Town Cleanup Day Approved

The Emmitsburg Mayor and Commissioners approved a plan by resident Wayne Slaughter to hold the first Volunteer Community Cleanup Day in Emmitsburg on July 14. This initial cleanup will focus on the parks and community west of Seton Avenue.

Slaughter will also present a plan to create a botanical garden and walk within one of the town parks. The area he has in mind will have to be cleared of an invasive vine species and then replanted with native plants.

The commissioners said that they would be interested in hearing more about his idea.

 

Salary Schedule Approved

The Emmitsburg Mayor and Commissioners approved the town employee salary chart for the upcoming year. They also approved changes to when employees can receive their accrued benefits when they leave employment with the town. Employees will have to give two weeks’ notice when they leave to be eligible to receive the accrued benefits.

 

Town to Get Electric Car Charging Stations

The Town of Emmitsburg will receive a grant from the Electric Vehicle Institute that will fund four charging stations. The stations will be placed in the rear parking lot at the Town Community Center.

The town was required to sign a five-year agreement with the Electric Vehicle Institute. The stations will not cost the town anything. Electric consumption used by the charging station will be paid for by the driver charging the vehicle.

The commissioners also had to approve an addendum to their lease with Frederick County, which is the owner of the community center. The addendum change allows the charging stations to be installed.

Thurmont

Catoctin Heights Gets LED Streetlights

The Town of Thurmont has installed LED streetlights in Catoctin Heights. The lights were paid for with a grant from the Maryland Energy Administration. The lights will help reduce the town’s energy costs as the town moves toward becoming greens and sustainable.

Senior Center and Food Bank for CDBG Grants
The Thurmont Mayor and Commissioners are seeking a Community Development Block Grant to purchase a digital messaging sign for the Thurmont Senior Citizens Center and interior upgrades to the Thurmont Food Bank, including the air conditioning system.

Thurmont Approves Budget with 2-cent Property Tax Increase
The Thurmont Mayor and Commissioners approved their Fiscal Year 2019 operating budget with a 2-cent increase to the property tax rate. The new tax rate is 30.41 cents per $100 of assessed value. With this increase, the budget is expected to have a $91,320 surplus of revenues over expenditures.
During the discussions, Commissioner Marty Burns had heated discussions with the other commissioners and Mayor John Kinnaird over past financial errors, funding for the Thurmont Addictions Commission, employee health costs, and employee raises.
“There are a lot of good things in this budget, but I don’t feel comfortable supporting any tax increase because we haven’t sat down and analyzed exactly what happened from three years ago to where we are today,” Burns said.
The tax increase passed 3-1, with Burns voting in opposition.
The $3.8 million general fund budget also passed 3-1, with Burns voting in opposition.

Remember to Maintain Your Property
The Thurmont Police Department released a message to the community that town ordinance forbids blowing cut grass, weeds, and leaves into town streets and gutters.
If yard waste is blown into a street, it must be removed within four hours. Yard waste also cannot be thrown into a storm sewer. Violators of this ordinance can be fined $50.

 

Emmitsburg

Mayor Don Briggs

The passing of beloved community family doctor, Dr. Alan Carroll, was a deep loss to our community. His practice of forty years is a part of tradition, part of our history. He was such a humble man, whose smile always beat his hand to greet you. It seemed I would always meet him going somewhere, mostly on his way to church. He was a wonderful husband and father of seven children, who filtered through our local schools and shared his and Rita’s graces. For me, there is something that Bishop Fulton J. Sheen had said, “A smile is laughter’s whisper and has roots in the soul,” and that is what you got every time you met the good doctor.

Because of weather and construction delays, the Square dedication scheduled for June 30 has been postponed until the fall.

Welcome to Emmitsburg, Richmond American Homes; your Model Grand Opening in the Brookfield subdivision drew many from near and far—what a gorgeous home that takes full advantage of the green mountain views and compliments the beautiful Brookfield setting.

Lib and I attended the Memorial Day Mass at St. Joseph’s Church and then joined the American Legion Honor Guard for visits to our six cemeteries, Legion Hall, and the Doughboy. It was wonderful to trail along for the solemn, respectful tribute to those who gave their lives, so we could live ours. At each stop, there was a 21-gun salute, a lowering of the Maryland flag respectively to our country’s flag, and the bugle sound of “Taps.”

The American Legion-VFW Honor Guard and the same from Thurmont held the annual Flag Day commemoration on June 14, at Memorial Park. As a tradition, the ceremony rotates location every year with Thurmont.

In June, I attended the Maryland Municipal League (MML) summer conference held in Ocean City, Maryland, and was a presenter for one of the sessions. As described by MML, my topic was “Sustainability According to Mark Twain.”  Mark Twain once said, “Common sense is not so common”; however, it should be common sense that we only use what we need and save the rest for future generations. In this session, the Town of Emmitsburg, winners of the 2017 Maryland Green Registry Leadership Award, reviewed what sustainability is, why it’s important, and the various sustainability projects Emmitsburg has completed. It was an honor.

At times challenging, the weather did break open to allow for our pool grand opening on June 2, with DJ music, food goodies, and sodas donated by Spike’s Auto and Tire of Emmitsburg.  Thank you to County Executive Gardner and three Veterans of Foreign War (VFW), Commander Marty Williams, Gene Lingg, and Pat Gjerde for joining us. Thank you, again, to our staff for pulling this together.

The grand opening of the new Seton Center is set for Tuesday, July 10, at 3:00 p.m. It’s a very green, green building, with special day lighting along the roofline to take advantage of borrowed light, solar renewable energy, water suppression fixtures, two dishwashers for cups and utensils—instead of using disposable paper cups and plastic utensils—and permeable pavers in the parking lot to reduce site runoff.

Thank you to the eight hundred firefighters from New Jersey who recently visited the National Emergency Training Center Campus for a weekend of Federal training. For about twenty-five weekends a year, we have firemen from different states come in for these trainings.

Welcome, summer!

Thurmont

Mayor John Kinnaird

The past month has been very busy! Thurmont CAO Jim Humerick, CFO Linda Joyce, Main Street Manager Vickie Grinder, Commissioner Wes Hamrick, and I attended the 2018 Maryland Municipal League (MML) Summer Conference in Ocean City, Maryland. The opportunity to participate in seminars and discussion groups with other municipalities makes you realize that—big or small—all of our communities face similar issues. Every time I return from the MML Conference, I am reminded that Thurmont has benefited for many years from the knowledge and understanding we bring back from this worthwhile week. Three weeks ago, I attended the Project Open Space funding meeting for Frederick County Municipalities. Each year, we get together to allocate the State of Maryland POS funds for our communities. This meeting is always a very friendly event, with give and take from each community. I am pleased to say that Thurmont has been awarded $68,106 to help build a third pavilion at the Community Park, and an additional $13,320 to assist with the installation of lights on the Trolley Trail. I expect both of these projects to be completed within the coming year.

This coming month will be filled with lots of events and activities. The Guardian Hose Company Carnival will be held the week of July 9-14. There will be rides, games, great food, live entertainment every night, and bingo. Be sure to get the kids together for the Annual Parade on Thursday, July 12, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Join me for six evenings of fun, friends, and great food! On Friday, July 13, Fox 5 will be in Thurmont for a Zip Trip. Fox 5 will be broadcasting live, four times an hour, from 6:00-10:00 a.m. This will be a great opportunity for people to see our community and learn about what makes Thurmont special. Be sure to tell your friends and family to watch Fox 5 on July 13, and then come out to see the live broadcast. If you have not stopped at the Thurmont Main Street Farmers Market, you are missing out on some great local produce, beef, BBQ ribs, handmade crafts, pork, homemade jams, fresh baked goodies, and lots of other items! The market is held at the Municipal Parking lot on South Center Street every Saturday from 9:00 a.m.-noon. Be sure to stop and pick up some local goodness. The Town of Thurmont is sponsoring a recreation program in the Community Park on July 23-26 and July 30-August 2. The program is open to kids ages five to fifteen and will feature a different focus each day. The program runs from 8:30 a.m.-noon, and costs $10.00 per day or $35.00 per week. Be sure to stop at the Town Office or call 301-271-7313 to register your kids for this fun-filled summer program.

All of our schools are now out on summer vacation, and our children are outside riding bikes, skateboarding, playing ball, and having a great time. The one thing they may not be doing is paying attention to traffic when crossing our streets, chasing balls, or playing with friends. Please be extra careful on our streets and watch for kids playing near the roadway. They may not be aware of you and could run into the street; your additional care while driving could save a life.

The month of July affords the Thurmont Board of Commissioners a summer break from our regular schedule of weekly meetings. The only scheduled meeting of the month will be on July 24, unless an emergency requires an additional meeting.

I hope everyone has a wonderful July! As always, if you have any comments, concerns, or suggestions, I can be reached at 301-606-9458 or by email at jkinnaird@thurmont.com.

Since 2003, Baker Tree Services has operated out of Lewistown, but they recently relocated to 147 Water Street in Thurmont and celebrated their grand re-opening at their new home.

“We were getting a little too big to operate out of our home in Lewistown,” said Carolyn Baker. “We also wanted to be able to separate our business and home life better.”

She and her husband, Glen “Eric” Baker, originally started as landscapers, but they started working exclusively with trees in 2003.

“It has more profit, and we liked the work better,” said Carolyn.

Baker Tree Services can do tree removal, tree pruning, stump grinding, and lot clearing. The work is done by trained experts. Eric is a Maryland Tree Expert, an ISA Certified Arborist, and holds the CTSP (Certified Tree Care Safety Professional) certification. Additional employees are licensed as well.

Carolyn says their employees are professionals who take pride in their work and do a great clean-up of their work sites. The crews follow American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards practices for proper pruning, which insures that only proper cuts will be made.

Baker Tree Services employs eighteen people and runs three to five crews, depending on the need. They work primarily in Frederick County but will also go into any of the surrounding counties if needed.

On Wednesday, June 6, 2018, the Town of Thurmont held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Baker Tree Services, Inc. to welcome Carolyn and Eric Baker to the Thurmont business community.

They can be reached at 800-383-4595 or treecare@bakertreeservices.com. Check out their advertisement on page 19.

The Town of Thurmont welcomes Baker Tree Services, Inc. to its new location on 147 Water Street in Thurmont with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 6, 2018. Owners, Carolyn and Eric Baker are pictured next to Thurmont Mayor John Kinnaird (holding the certificate) to his left.

James Rada, Jr.

It only took Dr. Alan Carroll a week to realize Emmitsburg was the place where he wanted to live and raise a family. When he died on May 17, 2018, he had resided in Emmitsburg for more than forty years, raised his family of seven, and become a part of the town.

Alan initially thought he would be a priest. He entered a seminary program and attended Loyola University in Chicago. Sometime during his years there, he began thinking life had another path for him to walk.

He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy, but then spent another year taking science classes so that he could apply to medical schools. He was accepted at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore.

Before he left for Maryland, though, he met and fell in love with Rita. The two were married in 1969.

He graduated from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in 1974 and completed a residency in Family Medicine there in 1977. Part of the third year of his residency involved his working with a doctor in private practice for two months, or two doctors for one month each.

He was recommended to Dr. George Morningstar in Emmitsburg, and Alan planned on working with him for one month before moving onto another doctor.

“After Alan had worked with George for a week, he came home and said, ‘I hope I can work with him for two months. It’s really wonderful there,’” recalled Rita Carroll.

Dr. Morningstar allowed Alan to work with him for two months and then invited him to join his practice. When the Carrolls moved to Emmitsburg, they had to get used to living in a small town.

“The day we moved up here in July, there were no street lights on South Seton,” Rita remembered. She also remembers the town being very dark and quiet at night.

Because of his work with Dr. Morningstar, Alan had already started to fit in.

“Alan had already met a lot of George’s patients, and he really liked them,” Rita said.

They rented a house on South Seton for four years, but then had to move when their growing family became too cramped in the house. They moved out to Keysville Road for a while, and when Dr. Morningstar died in 1988, Alan purchased the doctor’s home and practice. This meant there was minimal disruption for the patients.

Alan enjoyed his work. He liked working with the sisters in the nursing home across the street from his practice, and he liked living in a small town where he got to know everyone.

“His dad was in the Air Force, and they moved around a lot when he was younger,” Rita said. “He was looking for a quiet, good place to raise his family and do his work. He thought he found it here.”

After serving Emmitsburg for forty years, Alan closed his practice in mid-February. Rita said that he felt that it was time to close, and the changing nature of medicine and insurance made it unlikely that a single doctor would want to take over the practice.

He died on May 17 at the age of seventy-one. He left behind his wife and seven children: Sarah, John, Eric, Brendan, Peter, Amelia, and Ruth.

Emmitsburg Mayor Don Briggs called Alan a “wonderful doctor for our town.” He said during the June town meeting that Alan had served many generations of residents in town. “It means so much when you lose a person like that.”

Dr. Alan Carroll, served Emmitsburg for forty years and loved every minute of it.

Theresa Dardanell

Thurmont Regional Library Administrator Erin Dingle (pictured right) has lots of things to keep her busy after her retirement. She is looking forward to spending time with her family—babysitting her two grandsons, who live in Silver Spring, and attending sporting and school events with her two grandsons in Baltimore. She also plans to travel farther than Maryland, as she attempts to continue her goal of visiting all fifty states. Her passions include reading and gardening, which she will enjoy while her already-retired husband plays golf.

Dingle is also working on a research project about the Maryland State Sanitorium in Sabillasville, which opened in 1908. Because her father worked there, she grew up on the grounds of the facility. Her research includes original documents and oral histories from nurses and patients. The future of the research project might be a book one day.

Dingle started working at the Thurmont Library in 1987, when it was located on Water Street.  At that time, she lived near the library and walked to work for the evening shift. She reintroduced the children’s storytimes, as well as other programs.  When Margaret Bruchey Krone retired as branch manager, Dingle was promoted. She earned her Master of Library Science degree and became the regional library administrator when the new library opened on Moser Road in 2008.  When looking back over the last thirty years, she’s seen lots of changes: the card catalog was replaced by the computer system, the new library has a literacy corner in the children’s area, there is now a beautiful deck for everyone to enjoy nature, as well as study rooms, artwork on display, and an agricultural history room.  Many community programs have been added over the years; Dingle always looked for ways to increase community involvement, but she also gives credit to her “fabulous” staff for coming up with ideas and implementing them. She will miss the staff and the patrons who have become her friends. “I’ve loved every minute surrounded by books. It was just the perfect job for me.”

I asked Mayor John Kinnaird about Dingle’s contribution to the community. He replied, “Somewhere, there are everyday, run-of-the-mill librarians, but not here in Thurmont! Erin Dingle has played an important and integral part of the lives of the residents of Thurmont since taking her position thirty years ago. In the course of her career, Erin has been the only librarian many of the last two or so generations of youngsters have known. I drive by the library regularly and am always surprised to see how many people are there at any time of the day or evening. Under Erin’s leadership, the Thurmont Regional Library has become a central part of life for residents in and around Thurmont, with many well-attended programs and events suitable for all ages. The Thurmont Regional Library is recognized as one of the best libraries in the state; this recognition is due, in large part, to the efforts of Erin Dingle. Thurmont has benefited from having an outstanding librarian these past thirty years, and on behalf of the residents of Thurmont, I want to wish Erin a happy, healthy, and long retirement.”

James Rada, Jr.

Eliza Phillips took one last look around the Emmitsburg pool on May 26, 2018, and then climbed onto her lifeguard stand and blew her whistle to signal the new Emmitsburg pool was open. Her father, Hamblin, was the first person to jump in.

“The water’s not even cold,” he smiled. “This is nice.”

He explained that the water used to be cold because there was always a hose running into it to keep it filled since the old pool constantly leaked.

He was soon joined by adults and children who waded in from the shallow end or jumped off the diving board. Summer had arrived.

The Emmitsburg Mayor and Commissioners had decided last year to replace the pool after a pressure test showed that it could not be repaired. Also, the beams beneath the pool were damaged and needed to be replaced. Over the pool’s forty-five-year life, no significant work had been done on it. Because of the work being done to restore the pool, it was not open last year.

Although the new pool’s official grand opening was June 2, it actually opened for use on May 26.

Besides a new pool, the pool house has a fresh coat of paint and the pavilion was treated to remove the bees. The parking lot was repaved and repainted. The new pool’s depths range from one foot to ten feet. The new pool is expected to be less expensive to run, primarily because water and chemicals won’t be leaking from the pool.

“I’m impressed with the parking lot,” Phillips commented. “You used to come close to bottoming out your car.”

RSV Pools is managing the pool. The company is also introducing its SWIMSAFE Program, designed to help identify unsupervised “non-swimmers.”

This year marks Eliza’s third year working at a pool. She began her first year as a gate guard for the Emmitsburg pool. This is her first year as a lifeguard. Eliza said that compared to her first year at the Emmitsburg pool, the new pool looks cleaner and won’t have as many issues.

“This is so much nicer than other pools,” Eliza said.

The pool will be open through Labor Day, noon until 7:00 p.m.

For more information, please call the Town of Emmitsburg at 301-600-6303 or email anaill@emmitsburgmd.gov.

The Fuse Teen Center isn’t actually a “center.” It will be a transient teen center,  comprised of a group of parents and concerned citizens hoping to provide activities for teens in the Thurmont area. Fuse is based on Christian principles; however, it is not affiliated with any particular church.

The founder of Fuse, Susan Crone, had been long considering how to provide a group for teens. As a response to several events in which teens were lost to suicide or overdose, Susan decided it was time to step out in faith. In February of this year, a group was formed, a core group of members were identified, and a mission statement was accepted by the core. The group originally called themselves “Abandon,” but after a reorganization of the core, Fuse was born.

Crone has been a teacher in Frederick County Public Schools for thirty years. “I have worked with many students touched by the death of a friend or a loved one who is struggling with depression or addiction. The number of my actual students who have died is so sad to me. I have to do something. I can’t just sit by anymore and let ‘no’ be the answer anymore. If Fuse fails, we lose nothing but our time. But if we do nothing, we fail for sure—and the cost is our teens. Someone has to do something, so I’m doing it,” stated Crone.

Other members of the Fuse team include Buddy Summers, Carly Crone (high school teen rep.), Liz Yingling, Emily Little, Thomas Treat (middle school teen rep.), Bryan Riffle, Rachel Hubbard, the members of RJ’s Lasting Strength Foundation, Doug Mongold, and many others.

The goal of Fuse is to build relationships—relationships between teens, relationships between teens and adults. So many relationships today are made and maintained over social media. Fuse hopes to give teens the opportunity to meet face-to-face in a positive envirnoment.

Fuse hosted its first event on May 5, 2018: a Cinco de Mayo-themed evening of games, talking, and tacos. Taco Bell and Food Lion provided donations for a spectacular buffet. A visit from “Tessa” the guinea pig made the evening complete. Fuse welcomed eighteen teens, thirteen volunteers, and another ten adults who came along for the ride. The event was held at Trinity United Church of Christ in Thurmont. Fuse extends its gratitude to the church for its willingness to take a chance on the group.

Fuse’s second event was a “School’s Out” picnic, held at Thurmont Community Park on Saturday, June 16, 2018. Fuse greeted the start of summer vacation with twelve teens and nine volunteers, along with many adults who stopped in to see how things were going.

The biggest undertaking for Fuse has been the negotiation with Trinity United Church of Christ in Thurmont to offer a “coffee house,” meeting twice a week through the summer, from 6:00-8:30 p.m.—one night for middle school teens and one night for high school teens. Two rooms of the church will be used to allow teens to gather for food, fun, and “Fuse-ing!” All teens are welcome.

Fuse Teen Center has joined RJ’s Lasting Foundation. RJ’s Lasting Strength Foundation, Inc” is a 501c(3) non-profit whose mission is to combat the heroin epidemic in Frederick County by spreading awareness and educating the community on the disease of addiction and overdose deaths. Fuse Teen Center activities fit in with its prevention goals. Fuse has also partnered with the Thurmont Addictions Commission under its prevention pillar, which is chaired by Mike Randall. These partnerships will allow Fuse to be visible to more people.

Fuse does not have funding. At this point, it is operating on the generosity of places like Food Lion, Taco Bell, Mountain Gate Restuarant, Shuff’s Meat Market, and friends and family. Donations of snack items are greatly appreciated. Monetary donations would also be appreciated and can be made out to RJ’s Lasting Strength Foundation – Fuse Teen Center. Monetary donations will be used to fund items that teens at the center request. Currently, teens have requested a projector to show movies and games on the wall, and a bowling game!

For this venture to prosper, Fuse is eager to have volunteers who are willing to commit to at least one night this summer. If someone would like to volunteer or donate, please contact Susan Crone at 301-676-1183, at fuseteencenter@gmail.com , or at www.facebook.com/fuseteens/.

Have you ever noticed the amount of trash that is strewn along Emmitsburg’s streets, alleys, sidewalks, and parks? Some of this loose trash can be attributed to wind storms blowing trash, waste, and recyclable items out of garbage cans, dumpsters, and recycle bins. Unfortunately, some of it is the result of littering. The Town of Emmitsburg would like your help cleaning it up. The litter is not only unsightly and unsanitary, but it can also be hazardous to humans and pets. The town has agreed to sponsor a Volunteer Community Clean-Up Day to help remove loose litter, paper products, plastic containers, bottles, cans, and so forth, throughout Emmitsburg. The town is planning to have these Community Clean-Up Days on the second Saturday of each month, beginning in July and running through October.

The town will supply the garbage bags and tools as necessary, but will be relying upon enthusiastic volunteers to help collect the trash, so it can be disposed of properly. The town will be divided into numbered sections, cleaning one section of the town each month. Depending on levels of participation, the volunteers will work in different parts of the same section, in groups of five to ten, under a team leader who will coordinate with the other team leaders. Team leaders will carry first aid, cleaning supplies, and water bottles. Volunteers will meet at a designated location within the section, where they will be assigned to a team leader and given clean-up supplies. Although team leaders will have a limited number of spare gloves available, volunteers should plan on bringing their own gloves. Team leaders will help remove the full garbage bags and drop them at a central location in each section, where the town will pick them up. The town will take before and after pictures of the sections to help promote the Community Clean-Up Day project, as well as group pictures of all the volunteers to help recognize their hard work. A light breakfast will be provided and bottled water will be supplied for all volunteers, beginning at 8:15 a.m. Team leaders will assemble their volunteers to begin working at about 9:00 a.m., finishing at noon.

The Town of Emmitsburg is hoping to have a great turn out to help clean up and beautify the community.

On Sunday, June 24, 2018, the Vigilant Hose Company (VHC) proudly placed into service its new “Ambulance 69” (A-69) with Amber Zimmerman and Chad Zimmerman running the call. A-69 replaces a unit that was over eleven years old. VHC Chief Umbel stated, “At a cost of over a quarter million dollars, the vision to begin setting aside funds for the new ambulance goes to the former officers and members of the former Ambulance Company who started the process of saving for a new ambulance several years ago.”

During this past year, the joint merger of the Emmitsburg Volunteer Ambulance Company into the Vigilant Hose Company took place. Months of planning and coordination between the organizations and partner agencies allowed for the full process to be effective at 12:01 a.m. on January 1, 2018.

Following its arrival here, it took just over six weeks to get A-69 fully outfitted with all its life saving equipment, including radios and a range of items needed to obtain a ‘Seal of Excellence’ designation from the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS) and, very importantly, training response personnel to be familiar with the various technologies utilized onboard the unit.

Chief Umbel added, “Mounted on a Ford F-550 Chassis, the new ‘Type 1’ ambulance was manufactured by Road Rescue of Winter Park/Orlando, Florida, whose local dealer Atlantic Emergency Solutions of Manassas, Virginia, was very responsive to our particular community’s needs.” The cost of new A-69 exceeded over a quarter million dollars. One key feature is the Stryker Brand ‘Power-LOAD’ powered cot loading and fastener system improves patient and First Responder safety by supporting the cot throughout the loading, unloading, and transportation processes.

During the recent May 23rd ‘EMS Open House” event, held in recognition of National Emergency Medical Services Week, the new unit drew great interest from visitors, just as it has since its arrival. On behalf of the Town of Emmitsburg, Mayor Don Briggs presented VHC with a $6,000 check to help offset costs of EMS delivery locally.

A permanent plaque will soon be affixed to the unit, dedicating A-69 to all members of the former Emmitsburg Volunteer Ambulance Company who worked so hard to raise funds that allowed for the purchase and outfitting of equipment being carried. Those who have yet to see the new A-69 will get the opportunity to do so during Emmitsburg Community Heritage Day on Saturday, June 30, which begins with Breakfast at the Fire Station on West Main Street.

Emmitsburg Mayor Don Briggs (standing, center) presents a $6,000 check to VHC President Frank Davis; looking on is ‘Sparkey,’ Frederick County Executive Jan Gardner, and VHC Auxiliary President Tina Ryder; kneeling are members of VHC’s EMS Committee, Jim Click, Chad Zimmerman, Amber Zimmerman, Alyssa Cool, and Dave Stonesifer.

Over the years, Caroline Clark of Thurmont has seen many of her friends participate in a very special contest, with a unique prize awarded, at the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival. This contest, run by the Youth Conservationist Program (YCP), is open to all interested in raising and preserving special breeds of sheep. Winners get the opportunity to experience the joys and responsibilities of raising and conserving heritage breeds of wool sheep that may not be common in certain areas of the United States. It’s made possible by breeders who are willing to mentor youth, donate a yearling ewe, and assist the youth with establishing their own flock. This year, Caroline entered the contest and won a wonderful award.

As part of the contest, youth are required to submit an essay, outlining why they want to preserve a heritage sheep breed. Each year, the breeds change and the youth can review what might be available before deciding to enter. Caroline became interested in the YCP program several years ago, but waited to enter until the right breed came along—the Leicester Longwool. In 2018, Caroline learned a Longwool ewe might be available, and she decided to enter. She had already started her flock, so it was very exciting waiting for the essays to be evaluated. A few days before the start of the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival, Caroline received the phone call she had been waiting for: Her essay had been selected, and she would be receiving a registered yearling Leicester Longwool ewe. Her ewe would be from Stillpoint Farm, donated by Carol McConaughy. Carol and her husband, Tom, have a lovely farm near Mt. Airy, Maryland, where she raises Leicester Longwool sheep and boards horses. Caroline bought her very first Leicester Longwool ewe from Carol and became attached to the breed instantly.

Leicester Longwools are very calm and are excellent mothers. They are also known for their beautiful fleeces, which are prized by hand spinners. According to the Livestock Conservancy, the Leicester Longwool was highly prized in America, especially for its use in crossbreeding to improve “native” stock. During the 1800s, however, the breed lost favor to the Merino and other fine wool breeds. After 1900, the breed fell into decline and was likely extinct in the United States during the 1930s or 1940s. A very small population remained in Canada. In 1990, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, a historic site in Virginia, reestablished the breed in North America by importing sheep from Australia. Several conservation flocks have now been established, and the population of Leicester Longwool sheep in North America is increasing. This is important, given that the breed remains rare globally. Caroline’s new ewe, Bonnie, has a beautiful white fleece.

Caroline is no stranger to raising sheep. She is just twelve years old and has fourteen ewes in her commercial flock and four Leicester Longwools. She is a proud five-year member of the Rocky Ridge 4-H Club and the Frederick County Beef, Sheep & Swine Club. Her projects include market lambs, breeding sheep, sewing, crafts, cooking, and field crops. She has been very active in 4-H Fashion Revue, Skillathon, Livestock Judging, and Shepard’s Line Lead events across the local and state level. Caroline is a third-generation farmer, taking care of all the needs of her growing flock. She gets up early in the morning, prior to school, and tends to them when she gets home from school.

So, not only will Caroline be preserving a heritage breed, but also the art of hand spinning. Caroline was bitten by the wool bug when she was taught how to process her own fleece into roving and then to yarn. At first, she borrowed a spinning wheel from a local artisan—who is a wonderful teacher to the local 4-H youth—Patty Sanville of Jefferson, Maryland. She spent a day educating Caroline on the wheel and how to spin properly. Just a few months later, Caroline had made lots of skeins of beautiful cream colored 2-ply yarn, which will soon be transformed into something spectacular. Caroline has even participated recently in a spinning demonstration, in conjunction with an event held at Rose Hill Manor in Frederick. She sat with local spinners and educated the public on the beauty and versatility of wool. Looking for best pregnancy pillows? Which pregnancy pillow shape is best? Look at https://pregily.com – the best shape will largely depend on user preference. Keep in mind that many are designed to support your neck as well, so if you use a flatter pillow for neck support, a big fluffy one might be hard to adjust to. Many women prefer support for their growing bellies and something to go between their legs for hip support. Most models will support this position, though keep the dimensions in mind if you’re taller as you want to make sure the pillow reaches your knees when bent. Visit Pregily.com for more info!

This year, you may be able to see Caroline and her flock of Leicester Longwools at one of several shows: The Wills Fair, The Great Frederick Fair, and The Maryland State Fair. The YCP program can open up opportunities for youth who are interested in preserving heritage sheep breeds. If you are interested in participating in the program, please contact Elaine Ashcraft at tankewe_cr58@yahoo.com.

 

Caroline participates in the Shepard’s Lead Contest with Bonnie, receiving a second place award. The entire outfit and scarf the ewe is wearing was made from wool by Caroline.

Caroline receiving her new registered Leicester Longwool ewe from Stillpoint Farm at the MD Sheep & Wool Festival

Courtesy Photos

Catoctin High School (CHS) has formed a 50th anniversary planning committee. The committee members are looking for memorabilia from the last fifty years that can be photographed, scanned, and/or displayed in the school for the 2018-2019 school year. The lobby will be “rejuvenated” this summer to display items from each decade. This is a GREAT opportunity to share your fondest memories from your high school years with the current generation!

In addition to the above, families where multiple generations have graduated from CHS, visit https://sites.google.com/fcps.org/catoctin50 to find out how to contribute to this celebration this year!

The Student Government Association of Catoctin High School will present several activities to celebrate the anniversary. Look for a 50th anniversary table and display during the Thurmont & Emmitsburg Community Show in September 2018. On October 5, 2018, a reception will be held for alumni in the school’s cafeteria before the CHS Homecoming football game. On this evening, CHS alumni will receive student-priced admission to the Homecoming game.

The CHS Sports Boosters will also host activities to commemorate the anniversary. Stay tuned for details about these and more upcoming events and activities that commemorate the school’s anniversary.

The annual Thurmont High School Alumni Banquet was held June 2, 2018, at the Thurmont Event Complex. Alumni president, Don Dougherty (Class of 1969) served as the master of ceremonies. Audrey Ecker Coe, Class of 1940, was the oldest in attendance. She first attended alumni banquets in 1933 at the age of nine. She would tap dance and sing. Ironically, Audrey’s great, great nephew received a scholarship.

Scholarships are an important part of the alumni’s purpose: supporting continued education. This year’s recipients were Edison Hatter (grandson of Mayor James Black), Keren June Ott (related to Kenneth Ott), Hayden Spalding (related to Mary Fraley Lawyer, Robert Abraham, Barbara Bittner Abraham, Donald Spalding, and Joan Lawyer Spalding), Nikita James Miller (related to James E. Miller, Sr. and James E. Miller, Jr.), and Casey Ecker (related to Larry Ecker).

Gayle Slezak was in attendance representing former teachers. Former alumni officers were recognized and thanked. Those who served in the military were recognized and thanked.

Addison Eyler sang the “Star Spangled Banner,” and Larry Freshman read a poem he wrote about growing up in Thurmont.

Honors classes were 1948, 1953, 1958, 1963, and 1968. Fred Addison came the farthest, traveling from Texas. Thanks to the many businesses who donated door prizes for the banquet. Next year’s banquet will be held Saturday, June 1, 2019. Anniversary class years end in a 4 or a 9.

Pictured from left are Nikita James Miller; Edison Hatter; Jeff Ott, excepting for his daughter, Keren June Ott; Casey Ecker; and Hayden Spalding.

 

 

Theresa Dardanell

Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS) recently recognized Rachel Misner as the 2018 Instructional Assistant of the Year. She is one of eight support employees recognized for outstanding achievement.

Misner is the Lab Assistant for the Catoctin High School (CHS) Science Department. She was nominated by teachers Tom Mills, April Wells, and Theresa Hutchinson. Misner’s duties include preparing lab equipment and materials for science classes, ordering supplies, and keeping the department running smoothly, but she doesn’t stop there.

Wells said, “She offers her assistance to other departments and areas in the building if she has spare time.” Hutchinson added, “She has assisted with planning and running homecoming, Science National Honor Society, and planning the school’s upcoming 50th anniversary.”

In his nomination letter, Mills said, “Rachel has had a positive transformational effect on this department. Just by loving her job, being herself, respecting others, and expecting the best from others has had a tremendous positive impact on this department and our school community.”

Rachel Misner, 2018 Instructional Assistant of the Year.

Theresa Dardanell

“Girls on the Run” is so much more than the 5K run that was held on June 2, 2018; it is the conclusion of a program that combines physical training for the run with lessons and games that promote friendship and teach life skills.

Twenty girls at Thurmont Elementary School (TES) participated in the program that ran from March through May. The girls met twice a week after school with coaches Tammy Brotman and Doris Grossnickle. After a healthy snack, the coaches presented lessons on communication, strength, star power, empathy, cooperation, how to be a good friend, and how to deal with problems. The meetings concluded with practice runs that were held outside during good weather and inside on the many rainy days we had this spring. Coaches Brotman and Grossnickle were assisted by staff members Amanda Giauque, Julie Desmond, Andrew Piccolo, and Brooke Cipolla.

“The program is self-empowering for girls. It teaches girls to believe in themselves and get their inner light to shine,” said Grossnickle.

According to the Girls on the Run website, girls “develop essential skills to help them navigate their worlds and establish a lifetime appreciation for health and fitness. The program culminates with girls positively impacting their communities through a service project and being physically and emotionally prepared to complete a celebratory 5K event.”

For their service project, the girls planted flowers in the courtyard and in pots in front of the school to add color and beauty. They also made bird feeders to put in trees around the building.

Thurmont Elementary School “Girls on the Run,” with coaches Tammy Brotman, Doris Grossnickle, and Amanda Giauque.

Theresa Dardanell

Catoctin High School (CHS) athletes who signed up to attend  colleges and universities in the fall.

 

Football: Will Bingman, Clarion University; Joey Fogle, Gettysburg College.

 

Soccer: Noah Olson, Frederick Community College.

 

Baseball: Ryan Fisher, Mount St. Mary’s University; Dylan Reid, Hagerstown Community College; Nick Ford, Frederick Community College; Brett Weatherly, Fairmont State University; Connor Cramer, Fairmont State University.

 

Lacrosse: Colin Webb, Messiah College; Brenden Bozick, Frederick Community College; Sam Staley, Frederick Community College.

 

Softball: Lizzie Dougherty, Frederick Community College; Taylor Beckley, Frederick Community College; Maddie Krantz, Penn State.

 

A ceremony was held at CHS on May 23, 2018, to recognize the athletes. Assistant Athletic Director Keith Bruck introduced the coaches, Paul Dumars, Rob Phelan, Mike Franklin, and Neil Metzgar, who praised and congratulated the students. An enthusiastic crowd of parents, families, friends, and fellow students attended the event.

Pictured are ten of the student athletes recognized during the signing ceremony at Catoctin High School. Pictured left to right are Brett Weatherly, Dylan Reid, Nick Ford, Ryan Fisher, Connor Cramer, Joey Fogle, Will Bingman, Colin Webb, Brendan Bozick, and Noah Olson. Unavailable for photo: Sam Staley, Lizzie Dougherty, Taylor Beckley, and Maddie Krantz.

Photo by Theresa Dardanell

The Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS) Food and Nutrition Services Department is participating in the United States Department of Agriculture Summer Food Service Program to provide free breakfast and lunch at some local schools.

The Summer Program that will be in operation at Thurmont Elementary, located at 805 E. Main Street in Thurmont, is available to all children the age of eighteen years and under.

The children do not have to be a student at the school to participate and do not need to be accompanied by a parent.

Please enter the side of the school through the cafeteria doors.

Free meals will be provided Mondays through Thursdays, through August 16, with breakfast from 9:00-9:30 a.m., and lunch from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Bryant Defends Title, Repeats as Champion • Schildt Replaces Green as Head Coach

The 2017-18 wrestling season was a unique one for Cougar wrestlers and for fans of Frederick County wrestling. Unique because it marked the first time in a decade without long-time Catoctin Coach Ryan Green, sitting matside and barking commands at his wrestlers. Green, who debuted in 2006 as Catoctin’s head wrestling coach, ended his ten year tenure last season with a 144 and 99 record,  making him the most-successful wrestling coach in the school’s history. Green and his dedicated staff, Coaches Rich Gialanella, Garrett Baer, George O’Brien, Brad Maze, Tyler White, and Tracy Eureka, turned out numerous county and regional champions, including one four-time county champ. Green’s athletes, always known for their aggressive, straightforward, and punishing styles, were recognized and honored with the prestigious Fred Burgee Outstanding Wrestler Award at the Frederick County championships three times in ten years, and his squad won the county title in 2014. During his term, he has coached twenty-four individual state medal winners and seven of the nine state champions representing Catoctin High School (CHS).

Although Green is no longer at the helm, his coaching style will be easily recognized through the new head coach, Colin Schildt. Coach Schildt was a stand-out wrestler at Catoctin, one of the most successful that the school has ever produced, a three-time county champion, two-time regional champion, four-time state qualifier, two-time medalist, and finalist during his senior year, boasting a career record of 143 wins and 23 losses. Always a leader in the wrestling room, it’s only fitting that the former Green-trained, Kutztown University wrestler lead Catoctin’s lineup. Schildt and his assistant, Bill Orr, also a decorated high school wrestler and possessing collegiate experience at Clemson University, would lead a thin, but scrappy team in their inaugural season. Much like the previous season, the coaches struggled to fill weight classes, and as a result forfeited 18 points in each team contest. As a unit, the Cougars posted a 249-103 record, winning over 70 percent of their individual matches and winning half of their fourteen regular season dual meets. They went 14 and 15 overall, and were named to the “others to watch” category as a tournament team by the Maryland State Wrestling Association, while remaining unranked overall or as a dual meet team. Seven of the team’s eleven participants would qualify for the regional tournament, four would earn state qualification honors, three would become state place-winners, and one would successfully defend his state title, becoming only the second Catoctin wrestler to win multiple state tournament crowns.

Although there would be no team placement in each of the two dual meet tournaments, individual accomplishments were plentiful. At the Bauerlein Duals, two wrestlers, including the 145-pounder Wyatt Payne and senior-heavyweight Dennis Pittinger, would dominate the competition and remain undefeated in five bouts. Seniors Zachary Bryant (113 pounds), Ethan Fuss (126 pounds), and RJ Monoghan (182 pounds), would each suffer only a single loss in the tournament. At Catoctin’s debut appearance at the Westminster Duals, three senior athletes, Zachary Bryant, 160-pound Joshua Small, and RJ Monoghan would prevail in each of their nine bouts to remain unbeaten. Fuss would lose only one match in the tournament. At the 2018 Hub Cup, still regarded as one of the toughest tournaments in Western Maryland, five Catoctin wrestlers advanced to the medal rounds and the squad placed fifth in a field of fourteen teams. RJ Monoghan and senior Nolan Brightshue (138 pounds) each placed fifth. Travis Fields, the 145-pound sophomore, placed fourth; Ethan Fuss wrestled back to third after a second-round loss; Joshua Small and Dennis Pittinger would place second after losing in finals; and Zachary Bryant would become Catoctin’s lone Hub Cup champion.

Frederick County continues to be the authority on wrestling in the state of Maryland. Year after year, Frederick County wrestlers continue to raise the bar and achieve an unparallelled success that simply overshadows other programs statewide. With only ten public high schools representing the county, the number of state champions and place-winners that are consistently produced by these ten schools every winter is astounding. Last year alone, Frederick County claimed eight of the twenty-eight state champions, and placed twenty-two of the thirty-four wrestlers that qualified. This year, Frederick County wrestlers accounted for five of the fourteen state champions and seventeen place-winners. Even more impressive, over the past ten years, Frederick County has produced forty state champions and one hundred seventy-one medalists, a testament to the widely-held notion that the Frederick County tournament is often regarded as more competitive than the regional or state contests. Catoctin placed fifth as a team at the 2018 Frederick County wrestling championships, advanced seven wrestlers to the medal rounds, and celebrated three county champs. Zachary Bryant pinned his way through the tourney, becoming a two-time county champ. RJ Monoghan and Dennis Pittinger captured their first county titles, winning by decision in finals. Travis Fields, Wyatt Payne, and Joshua Small each wrestled back to collect third-place medals after losing in semi-finals. Ethan Fuss, the 2016 County champ, saw no action due to a concussion. Although Matthew Linker, the 220-pound sophomore, earned fourth-place honors, he did not qualify to advance to the regional meet. He ends the season with 6 wins and 7 losses and has a career total of 14-25. Nick Veronie, the 132-pound freshman, was eliminated from the contest after two losses, but saw significant varsity action during the year. He won several dual meet matches, as well as bouts at Bauerlien and Westminster, finishing his first season with 8 wins and 20 losses. Nolan Brightshue, the 138-pound senior, failed to advance to regionals after two losses. He was 5-3 in regular season duals, won three matches at Bauerlien Duals, was 6-3 at Westminster, and 4-2 at the Hub Cup, placing fifth. He finishes the year with 18 wins and 12 losses and his career with a 43-35 record. Ryan Orr had his work cut out for him as a 170-pound freshman. He won 50 percent of his matches, including a victory at the Frederick County tournament, and concluded his first year of high school wrestling with a 5-5 tally.

The Cougars captured a fifth-place team finish at the 1A-2A West Regional tournament by advancing four of seven qualifiers to the medal rounds, including a third-place finisher, three finalists, and one regional champion. The field expanded to twenty-three teams, up from seventeen teams last year after a state-wide restructuring. The addition of six teams, including the robust squads of Oakdale and Poolesville and the all-powerful Damascus line-up, made the mighty West, statistically Maryland’s best region for wrestling, an even stronger and more dominant force. For the past three years, nearly half, 41 percent, of all place-winners at the state championships represented the Western region, 103 of 252. This year, the trend continues. Over 40 percent, 35 of the 84 place-winners hailed from the West, including almost half of the finalists, 13 of 28, and just under half of the state champions with 6 of 14. In two weight classes, both finalists represented the West, and in one bracket the West was home to the top three medalists. Zachary Bryant remained unbeaten in the contest by winning two consecutive bouts by fall after a first-round bye. He successfully defended his regional crown, becoming a two-time 1A-2A West champ, and secured the number one seed at states with a 9-1 decision in finals. Ethan Fuss dropped a close decision out of the gate, but fought back to third place with back-to-back pins and a tight victory in a rematch of his earlier loss. Joshua Small fought his way to finals with a first-round bye and two victories by decision only to be uncharacteristically caught and put on his back in the second period of his finals match by the eventual state runner-up. Dennis Pittinger suffered a similar fate. He pinned his initial opponent after a bye in the first round, won by decision in semi’s, and was pinned in the second period of his finals match, again, by the future state runner-up.

Travis Fields came up short at the regional tournament for the second time in as many years. After a victory by fall in his first bout, Fields was eliminated with back-to-back losses. However, the 145-pound sophomore won over 70 percent of his matches, an improvement of over 10 percent from his freshman year,  including eight regular season dual meet victories, two wins at the Bauerlein Duals, and six triumphant bouts at the Westminster Duals. He went 3-2 at the Hub Cup for a fourth-place finish and 3-1 at the Frederick County tournament, earning a third-place medal. Fields ends his season with a 23-11 record and a career mark of 45-27.

Wyatt Payne, the 152-pound junior, was eliminated after a close loss by decision in the pigtail rounds in his second showing at regionals. His progress was interrupted mid-season by an injury that kept him from participating in the Westminster Duals and the Hub Cup, but he claimed a 4-4  tab in regular season dual meets matches, posted a perfect, 5-0 record at the Bauerlien Duals, and went 3-1 at the Frederick  County championships, collecting a third-place medal. The Frederick News Post Honorable Mention rounded out his junior season with a 11-6 record and bumps his career record to 54-34.

RJ Monoghan qualified for his first appearance at the state tournament last season as a junior. This year, the 182-pound senior would not be so fortunate. After a first-round bye, he advanced by way of a very close decision in quarter’s only to suffer a one-point loss in semi’s, the match that would have propelled him to states had he won. Monoghan was ousted from the competition after being pinned during wrestle-backs. Although his hopes of making the bracket in the state tournament would not materialize, his senior year was far from uneventful. He lost only two regular season dual meets with a record of 12-2, had an exceptional showing at the Bauerlien Duals with a 4-1 total, and swept the opposition with a perfect 9-0 run at the Westminster Duals. He finished fifth at the Hub Cup and claimed a Frederick County title en route to a 31-7 season record. He was honored with a second team All-area  nomination by the Frederick News Post and sports a career record of 91 wins and 50 losses, just shy of the 100 win mark.

Catoctin was able to nab another top-ten team placement, finishing 9th,  among one hundred seven 1A-2A public high school wrestling programs, up from ninety-nine schools last year after redistricting. The Cougars propelled three of its four qualifiers to the medal rounds during the Maryland state wrestling championships, held for the third year at the Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. And for the seventh time in as many years, the team celebrated yet another individual state wrestling title, boosting the total to nine (Shane Tiffany 1995, Seth Chilson 2010, Tim Nordan and Charlie Perella 2013, Wayne Wivel and Charlie Perella 2014, Charlie Perella 2015,  Zachary Bryant 2017, and Bryant again in 2018).

Dennis Pittinger, the 285-pound senior, would make monumental gains during his high school career. As a 182-pounr freshman, Pittinger faced the obstacle of being in a weight class often dominated by seniors. He won 22 of 45 matches, a winning percentage of 48 percent. After a brief absence during his junior year, Pitinger returned to CHS and posted some spectacular stats, including a state tournament bid where he pinned his first opponent in just under four minutes. A loss in quarter’s pushed him to the wrestle-backs where he, again, won by pin. He was poised to celebrate a spot on the podium and secure a state medal with one more victory. Unfortunately, he lost by a single point to the eventual third-place winner and was bumped from the contest. His impressive season included a perfect 14-0 regular season dual meet record, a flawless 5-0 Bauerlien Duals total, and a 6-3 showing at the Westminster Duals. He fought his way to the final round of the Hub Cup, placing second, and blanked the competition at the Frederick County championships en route to his first county title. He placed second in the regional tournament and qualified for his second appearance at states. The Frederick News Post All-area 1st team nominee is ranked number eighteen in the state by the MSWA  and racked up a winning percentage of 88 percent with a season record of 33-7. He wraps up his high school career with a commendable 81-32 total.

Ethan Fuss, the 126-pound senior, made his third appearance at the state tournament. No stranger to the big stage and the advanced competition, he placed fourth as a sophomore. Fuss looked promising with a 10-2 victory in prelim’s, but dropped a tough, low-scoring, 5-2 match in quarter-finals. After winning two consecutive matches in the lower bracket, including one by pin, which guaranteed advancement to the medal rounds, something strange happened. During the match that would have thrust him to wrestle for third place had he won, Fuss was unexpectedly and unjustifiably disqualified from the tournament, leaving the fans confused and in disbelief. The referee had clearly lost control of the match, evident by his failed attempts to slow the wild pace of the match and gain control of the contestants. Fuss has always been a physical wrestler, bluntly unintimidated, and one to counter aggression with his own offensive charge. He displayed his eye-for-an-eye style during the bout, and his actions were well within the legal bounds of sportsmanship. It appeared, however, that the actions of his opponent were not only bordering on illegality, but were outright malicious, and that the wrong athlete may have been punished with ejection. The impending decision to disqualify Fuss resulted in the forfeit of his final two high school matches, and he would be forced to accept a 6th place finish. With a season winning percentage of over 80 percent, Fuss still had plenty to celebrate, including an 11-3 regular season dual meet record, a 4-1 performance at the Bauerlien Duals, and a near-perfect record of 8-1 at the Westminster Duals. He fought back from an early loss at the Hub Cup to earn third-place honors and qualified for states by placing third in the region. He was nominated to the Frederick News Post’s All-area 1st team and is ranked at number fifteen by the MSWA. He finishes his senior year with a season record of 32-10 and increases his career totals to 121-41.

Joshua Small, the uniquely calm 160-pound senior and already the owner of a pair of state championship medals, has had plenty of post-season wrestling experience. The four-time state qualifier came away empty handed as a freshman, but finished in fifth place his sophomore year and earned a third-place medal last year as a junior.  Employing a no-frills, practical, and deliberate wrestling methodology, he would add yet another piece of hardware to his collection. This year, Small came out efficient and strong, pinning his first opponent in under two minutes. He was forced into the consolation bracket after a close, 3-1 loss by decision in quarter’s, but then cranked out three consecutive victories, one by pin, another by major decision, and a third by injury default, that would advance him to the third-place round. Unfortunately, he would settle for fourth after a hard-fought 9-4 defeat, but was able to stand on the podium at states, unrattled, for the third time in his high school career. Small’s senior year was nothing short of extraordinary. He posted a perfect, 14-0 regular season dual meet record that included a seven-second pin, the fastest of the season, against Walkersville. He went 3-2 at the Bauerlien Duals and swept the competition with an undefeated showing at the Westminster Duals. He was a finalist at the Hub Cup and wrestled back to place third at the Frederick County tournament after a loss in semi’s. Also a finalist in the regional tournament and placing fourth at states, Small would put together a superb 37-7 season record, winning almost 90 percent of his matches. The Frederick News Post All-area 1st team selection is ranked number twelve in the state by the Maryland State Wrestling Association, and he tops off a exceptional high school career record of 130 wins and 46 losses.

Zachary Bryant, the defending state champion, held the number one seed for the second year coming into the state championships. The exciting and daring four-time qualifier came away with a pair of fourth-place medals, representing his freshman and sophomore year, and celebrated his first state title as a junior. The persistent 113-pounder made quick work of his first opponent by pinning him in just twenty-two seconds. Another pin in quarter’s and a hard-fought, 4-2 decision in semi’s afforded Bryant the opportunity to repeat his previous success in finals. He did just that. Winning a 6-3 decision against an opponent that he had been victorious against twice before in the season, the unrelenting Bryant was crowned Maryland’s 1A-2A, 113-pound state champion for the second time in as many years, and Catoctin High School’s 9th individual state champ. His distinguished season included an unbeaten 14-0 record during regular season dual meets, a 9-0 tally at the Westminster Duals, 1st place honors at the Hub Cup, the county championship, the regional championship, and, of course, the state tournament. His only loss of the year came at the Bauerlien Duals, early in the stretch, where he posted a 4-1 record. He had a winning percentage of 97 percent, and was honored with a first team bid to the Frederick News Post’s All-area team. Bryant is ranked third in the state by the Maryland State Wrestling Association. He finished the season with a near-immaculate 38-1 record and a career total of 143 wins and 18 losses, tying Coach Schildt’s 143 career wins and firmly in third place for all-time wins at Catoctin High School.

Zachary Bryant (center), 113 pound state champion.

 

Monocacy Church of the Brethren

by Theresa Dardanell

The Brethren Love Feast is a reenactment of the Last Supper. It is celebrated at the Monocacy Church of the Brethren on Holy Thursday (Maundy Thursday) and on the first Sunday in November. I met with Pastor Tracy Wiser and members of the congregation in June and learned that the Love Feast consists of four parts: preparation, feet washing, simple meal of soup and sandwiches, and communion. It is held in the original church building that was established in 1853. The church, which was built in the traditional meeting-house style, still contains the original pews with backs that tilt up to become tables for the Love Feast.  The soup is cooked downstairs in the original kettles. Although many of the traditions have continued, some things have changed. Men and women now sit together instead of on separate sides of the church, and visiting worshipers no longer stay overnight as they did in the “horse and buggy” days.

Modern conveniences, as well as a fellowship hall and education wing, have been added to the historic building. A chair lift from the main floor to the downstairs fellowship hall adds handicap accessibility. Monocacy Church of the Brethren will celebrate its 165th anniversary this year on Sunday, December 2.

Sunday worship begins with the Christian education hour at 9:30 a.m. Adult classes focus on various topics, and children attend classes appropriate for their ages. Before the worship service begins at 10:30 a.m., the children recite memory verses that they learned during their class. The service continues with scripture readings, prayers, a sermon, and the sharing of joys and concerns, as well as traditional hymns with organ accompaniment. Once a month, a praise service features contemporary music. Bread and Cup Communions are held at the end of worship on the second Sundays in June and September and are open to all professing Christians.

Bible Study and Vacation Bible School are part of the educational program. Bible Study is held on the third Thursday of every month, from 7:00-8:30 p.m. Each lesson is a self-contained study of a particular topic like doubt, procrastination, failure, or jealousy.

Vacation Bible School for children will be held this year from July 18-21. The theme is “Rolling River Rampage — Experience the ride of a lifetime with God.” All children are welcome to attend. Sign up online or call Deb Eyler at 301-271-7396.

Pastor Tracy said that Monocacy Church of the Brethren is “a small country church but very much a family church.” They celebrate member birthdays once a month after Sunday services, and enjoy summer picnics and Christmas socials. On Sunday July 22, they will meet at Mount Tabor Park to participate in the annual “Worship in the Park,” which combines worship with a picnic. Many of the members are also active with the local fire department. The Ladies Aid Committee and Outreach Committee members hold bake sales, yard sales, and auctions to raise funds that are used to help church and community members in need. The Thurmont Food Bank, Heifer International, the JoyEl ministry, and Operation Christmas Child are also recipients of the generosity of the congregation. Last year, fifty-three shoe boxes were assembled and donated to the Operation Christmas Child organization.

Everyone is welcome to attend the Brethren Love Feast, Sunday worship service, Worship in the Park, Bible Study, Vacation Bible School, and Church Picnic. The church is located at 13517 Motters Station Road in Rocky Ridge. You can reach the church office at 301-271-3588.

Their very informative and up-to-date website at monocacychurchofthebrethren.org provides details about all of their worship services and events, as well as photos, sermons, history, newsletters, and more.

Pastor Tracy Wiser (center, behind podium) is pictured with members of the Monocacy Church of the Brethren.

Making July a True Blast

by Anita DiGregory

Mmmm…July! What a wonderful month. Typically, the pace of life slows just a bit. As we begin to relax and exhale into summer, we, as a country, come together to celebrate the birth of our nation.

This year, we observe our 242nd birthday—that’s a lot of candles!  During those years, our country has experienced joys, sorrows, successes, heartache, victories, sufferings, triumphs, and rebirths. Through it all, in July, as a nation we unite to celebrate independence and freedom, dedication and service, equality and diversity, family and friends.

With parades, concerts, memorials, and fireworks, we proudly commemorate our nation, our flag, and that for which it stands. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

This month as you and your family hit the beach or pool, visit local carnivals, host cookouts, or attend local firework displays, I wish you all a safe and blessed time, filled with beautiful family memory-makers. Here are some additional fun activities to share with the ones you love.

 

Share a story. Studies have repeatedly shown the importance and benefits of reading aloud with our children. These storybooks make explaining the birth of our nation more understandable to even young readers (and listeners): The Story of America’s Birthday by Patricia Pingry, The Night Before the Fourth of July by Natasha Wing, The Berenstain Bears God Bless our Country by Mike Berenstain, and The Fourth of July Story by Alice Dalgliesh.

 

Host some games. Celebrate with family, friends, and neighbors. Try hosting backyard olympics. Games could include a volleyball tournament, water balloon battle, egg toss, kick-the-can game, relays, and a hopscotch competition.

Fashion food festivities.Organize a fun, old-fashioned block party. Invite neighbors to bring their favorite foods to share. Or host a family barbeque. Create yummy red, white, and blue favorites. Finish the night with some delicious, gooey s’mores.

 

 

Let your red, white, and blue shine. Decorate your home in our nation’s colors. Have the kids help you display the flag. Take the opportunity to talk to them about our flag, its history and importance, and how to care for it.

 

Say “Thank you.” Take the opportunity to talk to your children about those who have served and continue to serve our country. Have them write a thank you letter or make a card or gift, and help them deliver it to a relative or neighbor who has served our country.

 

Take some time to reflect. Visit a memorial. Take a trip to Arlington National Cemetery. Visit your church and light a candle or say a prayer for our country and those who have sacrificed for freedom.

 

Create colorful crafts. Kids of all ages love crafts, and what better time for crafting than in celebration of the fourth of July. The Web and Pinterest have lots of ideas from which to choose, and they don’t have to be expensive. We took a trip to the local dollar store for supplies and created a patriotic lantern, centerpiece, and wreath. The kids had a blast and love seeing their creations decorating the house.

by Valerie Nusbaum

When Randy and I were children, playing Password meant watching a game show on television.  The show was hosted by Allen Ludden, who was the husband of national treasure, Betty White. My family also had the Password board game.

Nowadays, playing password means something entirely different. It means not being able to remember what password goes with which online account. We have passwords for our computer and our email, and a password for each site we post on. In my case, that’s Etsy, Pinterest, and Facebook. Randy has a password for his Twitter account. Let’s not forget that all those medical portals and any place we shop online and have an account require us to have a valid password. We also need passwords for our phones and voicemail. I’m sure I’m forgetting some sites. Oh, I just remembered online banking, which requires a password and several other pieces of information. And don’t get me started on PIN numbers. That’s a whole other kettle of fish.

We are advised not to use the same password for everything, and that’s where I have a problem. I can only remember one password.  Any more than that and I have to write it down. Then I forget where I’ve written it. I have an entire Rolodex full of passwords; people make fun of me because I’m still using a Rolodex. What would you have me do? One note: You cannot access your Land’s End account with your L. L. Bean password.  Just saying.

Randy and I discussed my recent visit to an unfamiliar website on which I set up an account. I griped that I’d most likely be unable to access the site or my account in the future, but that I’d gotten the information I needed. Randy assured me that he’d been able to access his own account for a second time. He said, “Well, it took ten days and a letter from the administrator because I’d locked myself out when I used the wrong password, but, hey, I consider that a victory.”

I originally intended to write this column about my foray into Instagram. I know. I swore I’d never sink low enough to post photos on Instagram; but, since Etsy (the site where I sell my art prints online) is practically forcing us shop owners to do more self-promotion to drive sales to the site, I felt I didn’t have much choice. I managed to set up an initial account for myself, just to see what would be involved with posting photos of my work and process. That was as far as I got, because I found that I needed to open a Google Play account in order to download the Instagram application before I could begin posting.  I don’t have time to play, and I rarely ever Google anyone or anything, but there was no way around it. Randy helped me set up the Google account. Naturally, I needed a password to do that, and I’d already made up another password for Instagram. Those are several hours of my life I’ll never get back, but I now have thirteen followers, so I’m sure it was all worth it.

I know, dear readers, that you must get tired of me fussing about technology and how it’s supposed to make my life easier but only seems to cause me stress and anxiety. So, I’m open to suggestions. If you can tell me a good way to keep all this stuff straight, I’m all ears. You can find me on Instagram or Facebook, or you can visit my Etsy shop and send me a convo. When I remember how to get back into my accounts, I’ll read your messages and thank you for your help. Seriously.

While all this was going on, we had a very nice thing happen. Randy got ready for work the other morning and walked outside to get the newspaper. He came back inside and had a puzzled look on his face.  I’m used to that look, so I didn’t think too much of it.

“I know I’m not the most observant person in the world,” he said, “but has that green flower pot always been on the front porch?”

“What green flower pot?” I asked. We have two terra cotta pots, filled with red and white impatiens. I wondered if he meant one of those.

He dragged me to the front door and, lo and behold, there was indeed a large, very pretty green flower pot on the porch, filled with beautiful dark blue/purple petunias and violas. Maybe they’re not violas, but I get my flowers confused. I should really read the tags. Anyway, it’s gorgeous.

“Nope. That’s definitely new, and I didn’t do it. Is there a card or note?” I asked.

There was no card or note, but it certainly was a wonderful surprise. Someone was kind enough to think of us, and it really made our day. I wish I could thank the giver(s) in person, but this will have to suffice.

“I’m surprised you didn’t take credit for it,” I said to Randy.

“Yeah, I almost did, but I would have told you the pot had been there for weeks just to mess with you,” replied my loving husband.

And you wonder why most of my passwords are four-letter words.

What Goes Up Must Come Down

by Christine Maccabee

The chilly, windy rainstorms of May and June are over, with much flooding and sadly loss of life and property in Ellicott City, Frederick City, and elsewhere.

The humid weather has now set in, which, of course, breeds gnats, mosquitoes, and other tiny flying pests; yet, swallows and blue birds need them to feed their newly hatched babies, as well as themselves. So, I try to appreciate them, even as I  transplant my peppers and tomatoes, which should have been planted a month ago, if the rain had just abated.

Many gardening friends, both professional and serious hobbyists, have expressed frustration about the quantity of cold rain this spring. Having read a bit from good sources, and even as I use my own intuition, I now believe I know what is happening. All during that cold, rainy spell, I kept saying “What goes up must come down.” I would say it to people I met as we ran into the Food Lion or CVS, sometimes taking time to explain my theory, which at this point is no theory at all, but actual. The earth’s natural air-conditioning system is disappearing as the many amazing glaciers, Greenlands white snow/ice shield and the polar ice caps are melting. Everything is melting three times faster than expected. (Once it is all melted, then we will see even hotter weather with wildfires and drought, already occurring in many places out west.)

Some of this melting ice flows into the ocean, and some evaporates into the atmosphere. All this is simple science, which even my twelve-year-old grandson understands. The Earth is becoming confused, and so are we. Human stress levels are soaring and suicides increasing. Yes, we can no longer deny what is happening on many levels, and many people are becoming more aware. Truth is, levels of CO2 emissions (and methane, as well) remain high and our lifestyles contribute to it daily. Did you know that mowing acre upon acre of grass on large estates is one of the greatest contributors to CO2 pollution? So, who cares, you ask.

Actually, we all should care. Even if many people in our own country do not care, many of us do and are working towards positive changes, such as alternative energy use and conservation practices. Yes, when the rain comes down it affects us all, even those of us who care, and it is not getting any better. According to studies made at the University of Pennsylvania, future hurricanes will be qualitatively different than ones we have seen thus far, possibly even worse than past ones. Allow me to explain.

Due to more moisture in the atmosphere and disruption of climate patterns, hurricanes are moving more slowly and linger longer over larger areas, thus perhaps all the very cold rain and wind we saw this spring in our part of the world. Future hurricanes, due to continuing melting of ice and snow (even our beautiful snow-capped mountains are in trouble these days) could see winds up to 200 mph or greater. Recent hurricanes, such as Irma, saw 185 mph winds in the Virgin Islands, and Patricia went as high as 200 already. These are winds far beyond a category 5. Experts are saying they are in a new category: 6.

Pope Frances, a wonderful advocate of caring for Creation, invited leading oil executives to a two-day conference at the Vatican. No matter your feelings about the Pope, he says it straight, and he said it there to CEOs of ExxonMobil and other energy producers. He said we can and must do better, and though “Civilization requires energy, energy must not destroy civilization,” and he encouraged innovation. I am sure he would also encourage living more conservatively, more simply.

So, as the rains continue to fall on us all, and the winds get stronger and sea levels rise, and fires and drought increase, we will all need to be inventive and conservative in order to survive. As for me, I will persist in growing my own food and herbs, support local farmers, provide  habitat for wildlife, and mow less. I will also vote.

Such a wonderful country and world we have. I thank God for the beauty and mystery of Creation every day as I work with it and explore it. I hope you enjoy it—gnats and all—and never take anything for granted, for it is a precious gift we should all cherish and protect.

Richard Bard Rescues His Wife

by James Rada, Jr.

Editor’s Note: This is the third in a series of columns about Richard Bard’s escape from captivity and the rescue of his wife.

After the Delaware Indians had captured the Bard Family in 1758, Richard Bard managed to escape his captivity after a few days. His wife, Catherine, wasn’t so lucky. She remained a prisoner of the Indians.

The Delawares initially beat her, but once the war party arrived back in their village, two braves adopted Catherine as a sister. “She was treated during this time by her adopted relations with much kindness, even more than she had reason to expect,” Catherine’s son, Archibald, wrote in Incidents of Border Life.

In the meantime, Richard Bard recovered from his ordeal and began hunting for his wife. The Indians had already killed one of his children, and he wasn’t going to lose his wife. “From the time that my father was taken by the Indians until my mother was released, he did little else than wander from place to place in quest of information respecting her and after he was informed where she was his whole mind bent upon contriving plans for her redemption,” Archibald wrote.

Bard traveled to Fort Duquesne in the fall of 1758. A treaty had been signed with the Indians there, and Bard went to meet with them to ask about his wife to see if he could find out where she had been taken.

Some of these Indians were the ones who had raided Bard’s mill and captured him, his family, and friends. “My father observed among them several who were there when he was taken prisoner, to these he discovered himself they professed not to know him on which he enquired of them they did not recollect having been at the taking of nine persons referring them to the time and place,” Archibald wrote.

When Bard left the Indians and returned to Fort Duquesne, he was followed by a young man. The man told Bard that after he had gone, the Indians had said “that they never had a stronger desire for anything than to have sunk the tomahawk into his head, and that they had agreed to kill him on his return next day,” according to Archibald. The young Indian warned Bard not to return the next day if he wanted to live.

Instead, Bard chose to travel with a wagon convoy to Fort Bedford, where he met an Indian named Captain White Eyes, who was friends with the Moravian missionaries in the area. A few miles from Fort Bedford, the Indians with the convoy got drunk. One of the wagon drivers was scalped, and Bard was once again captured.

“Captain White Eyes was soon under the influence of liquor, and told Bard if he tried to escape, he would be shot. He told Bard that he knew that he had escaped from the Delawares before,” wrote  L. Dean Calimer in Franklin County Archives VII. White Eyes fired at Bard, but he jumped behind a tree. Bard then moved around the tree to keep it between himself and the Indian. The other Indians found this amusing, until one of them finally grew tired of it and disarmed White Eyes.

White Eyes then grabbed a stick and began beating Bard, but Bard managed to make his way to a horse and escape.

Following up on information about his wife being at the Indian village of Shamokin (Sunbury, Pennsylvania), Bard made his way to Pittsburgh. He wrote a letter to his wife, saying that if her adopted friends would bring her to Pittsburgh and release her, he would pay 40 pounds. Bard was hoping that even if they didn’t release her, some other Indians would hear about the reward offer and find a way to free her.

While the Indians who had adopted Catherine Bard were willing to free her, they feared that they wouldn’t be paid the bounty.

“To allay their suspicions he told them to keep him as a hostage, while they sent Mrs. Bard into the town with an order for the money. This put the savages in good humor, and they took them into the town, where the money was paid and his wife was released,” Calimer wrote.

Catherine had been a captive of the Delawares for two years and five months.

Following her release, the Bards returned to Franklin County and bought a plantation near Williamson.

Bard went on to serve in the Revolutionary War. He was also a member of the Pennsylvania Convention in 1787, which was the group of Pennsylvanians who were asked to ratify the U.S. Constitution in the Commonwealth.

He died in 1799. He is buried in the Church Hill Graveyard in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania.

Catherine kept one memento—if you can call it that—of her time among the Delawares. It is a horn spoon that was given to her to help her in her work as a woman of the tribe. It was passed down through the females of the family.

One interesting post-captivity story is that one of Catherine’s “brothers” came to visit the Bards. While there, he went to a tavern and got a bit drunk. He was attacked by a white man who tried to kill him, but only severely wounded him.

According to the book, The Bard Family, “The Indian was cared for at Mr. Bard’s house until he recovered, but he was afterward put to death by his tribe on the pretense that he had joined the white people.”

Catherine died in 1811. She is buried in the Church Hill Graveyard with her husband.

Captured and forced to stay with the Delawares tribe for over two years, Catherine Bard kept one memento of her time with the Delawares, a horn spoon, given to her to help her in her work as a woman of the trible.

 

 

 

 

Sergeant Kenneth Lionel Krom

by Jim Houck, Jr.

Author’s Note: I originally wrote this article about Kenny Krom in July of 2012. I interviewed his mother, Betty; his brother, Ronnie; and high school friends, Gary Valentine and Gerry Orndorff. I am sorry to report that Kenny’s mother, and brother, Ronnie (they were the last of the immediate family), and Gary and Gerry have all passed on in these past seven years. I think the folks that missed the article when it was first published should have a chance to read about the first local casualty of the Vietnam War, who graduated from Emmitsburg High School.

The following are “Precious Memories” from Kenneth’s family about his life before the Vietnam War.

 

Mrs. Betty Krom — Ken’s Mother

Mrs. Krom is eighty-eight years of age and totally independent. She still drives to church on Sunday, does her own grocery shopping, and goes to the pharmacy for her medicine. She also mows her lawn—and she has a very large lawn. Mrs. Krom recently had back surgery and still uses a walker to get around. She said as long as she can get on the tractor seat, she can mow. She resides in Walkersville, but said she misses living in Emmitsburg.

Mrs. Krom said that when Ken was born on August 8, 1947, at Annie M. Warner Hospital in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the hospital was the size of a large two-story house. She said Ken was a very good baby, and she had no problems raising him. He had a normal childhood, playing with his friends and going to school. He was a person who would do anything for you. He did well in school and tried to be the best at whatever endeavor he chose—whether it be scholastic, shop class, or sports. Mrs. Krom said Ken had one brother, Ronnie, who was two years older than him, and aside from the usual sibling rivalry, Ken looked up to Ronnie. Ronnie had a bread route while he was in high school, and when Ronnie had to give it up, Ken took it over.

Ken’s first vehicle was a black Corvair van that he used to deliver bread after school. She said he would pick up the bread at Smith’s Bakery in Ladiesburg, Maryland, and deliver it house-to-house to his customers. She said he also worked for Lawrence Basler, doing farm work while in high school.

Ken graduated from Emmitsburg High School with the class of 1965. Mrs. Krom said that he then went to work for a construction company, helping to build the brick plant at Rocky Ridge. After wrecking his black Corvair van, he bought an old brown panel truck to drive to work. His next job was with Moore Business Forms in Thurmont, where he saved enough money to buy a blue 1966 Chevelle convertible that was his pride and joy. He really took care of that car. He worked at Moore’s until he was drafted. He was engaged to Marie Devilbiss, but never made it back to marry her.

During our interview, Mrs. Krom was getting tired and having a hard time talking about what happened to Ken in Vietnam. I knew recalling a tragedy that happened almost forty years ago may take a toll on her, so I thanked her for talking with me and promised I would return the pictures she loaned me.

Ronald Krom — Kenny’s Brother

Ron was in the U.S. Army, stationed in Japan, where he was part of a military police unit. His tour of duty was almost over when Kenny was drafted.

Ron remembers Kenny as an almost-always positive, fun-loving boy. They grew up in a loving, close-knit family. He and Kenny fished a lot and played along the Monocacy River, which ran very close to where they lived. A lot of their childhood was spent swimming and fishing. They would dip for suckers at Stony Branch. The nearest neighbor lived about a mile away, and they would go to their farm to play. The kids would find eggs in the hay loft, where the bantam chickens laid them. They would have egg fights, and Ron said they would really sting when they were hit in the face. He recalled that being boys and being brothers, Ron and Kenny would get into scraps, and Kenny—even though he was younger and smaller—was a tough kid to handle. He said that Kenny would win some, but even if Ron won, he lost, because he would be in trouble for picking the fight and have to cut weeds for two or three days as punishment. Kenny loved driving tractors. Any job having to do with a tractor, he would always want to drive the tractor. He would haul sawdust from Smith’s Sawmill in an old cart that was ready to fall apart. Ron can remember himself, Ken, and the neighbors playing baseball in his Uncle Jim’s field and using cow patties as bases. Ron said that they both also played baseball for the Rocky Ridge Progressive 4-H team. They played their games mostly at Thurmont Middle School and West Frederick Junior High School.

Ron said Kenny never did any homework for school, but always managed to pass his school tests and pass from grade to grade without difficulty. He had plenty of energy and loved to play school sports, and also liked weightlifting. Ron said that after his grandfather passed away, he and Kenny would take their grandfather’s car down in the meadow and pop wheelies.

Ron and Kenny had lots of fun together, but the time was far too short. He said that the last time he talked to Kenny was in South Carolina in April of 1968. He was at home in Walkersville when the call came from the U.S. Army about Kenny being a casualty. He said that his whole family was in shock. Kenny’s body was sent to a funeral home in Thurmont. There was to be no viewing of the body, but their father, Guy Krom, insisted on the viewing since he wanted to see for himself that it was, indeed, Kenny. The funeral director tried to talk Guy out of it to no avail, and Ron accompanied Guy when he went to view Kenny. Ron said his father was never the same after the viewing. He lost his father in 1983 to cancer.

Gary Valentine — Local Businessman, Neighbor, Classmate and Friend of Kenny

Gary remembers Kenny as quite a character. He was funny, intelligent, and a very giving person. He said Kenny liked the Three Stooges and frequently would do his Curly impersonation, which he would do perfectly. Gary said he was fun to be with, and Kenny spent a lot of time at Gary’s father’s (Richard Valentine) farm. They lived about a mile apart and spent so much of their time along the Monocacy River, fishing and swimming, that they became known as the “river rats.” They played, but they also had daily chores to get done before playtime. Gary and Kenny were in the graduating class of 1965. The last time Gary remembers seeing Kenny was at the drive-in movies in Bridgeport, Maryland. Gary joined the U.S. Air Force and was stationed in Japan.

Gary found out about Kenny when he called home and his dad told him Kenny got killed. Gary said, “It kind of let the wind out of my sails.”

He said he never got hooked up with him overseas. Gary was there and used to do a lot of island hopping and would go in-country (that was what Vietnam was known as to the vets), taking fruit and vegetables in and filled aluminum boxes out. He said that was known as the quiet ride. Gary was in Japan when Kenny was killed. Thank you, Gary, for the memories.

 

Gerry Orndorff — Classmate and Friend of Kenny

Gerry remembers Kenny as a kid who was always fun to be with. After Kenny got his driver’s license and took over Ron’s bread route, Gerry used to ride along and help with the deliveries. They did a lot of fishing and gigging at night and got a lot of fish and frogs. They practically lived at the river when they were young. They didn’t have any money to do anything, and even if they did have the money, there was nothing to do in the rural area, so their river excursions were very pleasurable.

When Rocky Ridge had a festival, Gerry said they would get a quarter from Dad to buy a bottle of pop. He said he was with Kenny when the transmission from Kenny’s van dropped on his trigger finger. After that, he could not bend it. Gerry thought that would keep Kenny from being drafted, but the Army said he could use another finger to pull the trigger. According to Gerry, Kenny also had a trick knee that would give out when he was playing ball, and sometimes, just walking. Kenny passed the Army physical exam, despite his problems. Kenny was proud to be in the U.S. Army and was determined to make the best of it. Gerry was devastated when he got the word of Kenny’s death. Thank you, Gerry, for talking to me.

 

I talked to several friends and classmates of Kenny, and it seems they all basically have similar memories and feelings about him. I am proud to have had the opportunity to talk to the family and friends of the kid who went to Emmitsburg High School, graduated with the class of 1965, grew up and was drafted into the U.S. Army, became Sergeant Kenneth Lionel Krom, and made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

Kenny Krom, a hometown boy, became a true hero in every sense of the word forty-four years ago.

 

Army of the United States

A Co, 3rd, 22nd Infantry, 25th INF Div, USARV

Combat Infantry Badge, National Defense Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal and Purple Heart

D.O.B.: August 2, 1947

D.O.D.: August 18, 1968

Place of death: Tay Province, South Vietnam

The only graduate of Emmitsburg High School to lose his life in the Vietnam War.

by Buck Reed

Articles I Probaby Won’t  Be Writing This Month

First off, let me say the internet is a wonderful tool. At no time in the history of the world has information been so readily available for anyone who has access to it. Not only can we find out the current number of aardvarks at the zoo in Cleveland, Ohio, but we can also find out what Sally Scofield of New Banger, Maine, thinks of her neighbor’s blueberry crumble if the old dear decides she wants us to know. And one thing I know about Sally, she loves to share these things.

Looking up facts can be a tricky endeavor on the internet, and unless Snopes starts verifying the actual number of vegans there are on the planet, you pretty much must rely on what your fellow bloggers are saying. But if you are two days from deadline and need an idea on what to write about, the internet might be helpful. You can read through a few articles that seem to be trending and try to get an idea there. What you do not want to do is go on Facebook and get into your Learning Chef page and ask them for ideas.

The Learning Chef page is a pretty good one as far as sites go. It is made up of both professional and amateur cooks, looking to improve their art by sharing ideas as well as information. Unlike most pages for pro chefs, it doesn’t degrade into rants of self-important line cooks complaining about the know-nothing owners and the uncouth customers who just don’t understand how much Parmesan foam is going to make your dish a hit. The customers have Yelp to rant, and we have Facebook pages to retaliate. These guys are usually good with ideas and criticism and that is why I had no problem asking them for ideas. And they are good ideas, but just not for me.

One aspiring chef wanted me to write an article that would explain the life of a line cook and the trials they deal with on a daily basis. I rejected this idea immediately, under the notion that I do not want this to become a rage page for something that I decided a long time ago I wanted to do. The fact that someone didn’t like my specialty dish doesn’t change any of that. You think your life is hard, try doing it on the cruise ships. The fact that it is hard doesn’t mean I love it any less.

The next suggestion was a treatise on cooking your next meal in the dishwasher or under the hood of your car on the drive home. I can’t really do 500 words on “don’t do that.”

One girl wanted me to write about being a female in a professional kitchen. Until I go the Bruce Jenner route, I really have no frame of reference for this material.

Many suggested I write about Anthony Bourdain. It is a topical subject, but I never really related to his. He was an angry man who had a lot of demons. His story is a good example of no matter how much success or riches you might have in life, if you do not conquer your demons, that success is not going to help you much.

I did get a few ideas that might work, and you might see them here soon if I can flesh them out. But I would like to hear your ideas for this column. Please write to me at RGuyInTheKitchen@aol.com. I promise if I reject them, I will not dedicate an article to them.