Currently viewing the tag: "Ott House"

Members of the Catoctin High School (CHS) Class of 1985 are invited to the Ott House in Emmitsburg on Saturday, November 28, beginning at 5:30 p.m. The Ott House does require masks and social distancing. If the gathering does not work out at the Ott House, an alternative gathering place will be posted the night of the gathering at the Ott House. Facebook has been used as the primary vehicle to spread this invitation.

If you know a 1985 CHS graduate, please let him or her know about this plan. All questions may be messaged on Facebook to Debra Abraham, emailed to deb@epluspromotes.com, or called to 301-271-1050.

Deb Spalding

Few readers are unfamiliar with the Subway sub. Subway’s menu is easy to grasp and the process of creating each sub is custom, as each customer picks every part of the sub, from the bread to the meat, veggies, and condiments. Always yummy, Subway has improved the quality of their products one by one over the past few years in keeping with nutritional trends, as well as introducing new limited-time special flavor sub and salad options. There’s always something new at Subway, along with the option to build it your way.

“We have the biggest menu anywhere and great prices, but people are the most important part of our business,” expressed owner, Dean Biller. He shared that his customers are great and his staff members are like members of his family. His family that also includes his eleven-year-old daughter, who he claims rocks his world. “I have really good managers and staff who I value greatly. Happy crew means happy customers.”

Dean also operates a recording studio and plays bass in the band, Beyond Empty. They’ve played at the Ott House a few times. Emmitsburg Subway’s assistant manager, Ashley Maccabee, is a drummer in the band, as well as a drum instructor at the Let There Be Rock School in Frederick, Maryland. Beyond Empty plays a variety of music, ranging from Led Zeppelin to the Stone Temple Pilots.

Dean’s Subway adventure began when he, who resides in Westminster, Maryland, had his eyes open for a business opportunity. Formerly a Ford mechanic, Dean had been in food service since 1981, while working for Kraft. Dean and his wife and business partner, Lyn, noticed a Subway store for sale in Emmitsburg in late 2001, and, liking the franchise, decided to purchase the store soon after, in 2002. Emmitsburg Subway was previouly owned and operated by Terry Gladhill and her business partner Linda. They opened the store in 1997. Soon after taking over in Emmitsburg, the Billers planned a sister store in Thurmont. That location opened in 2005. About their Subway business venture, Dean said, “It’s been fun…it’s been challenging.”

Subway also caters. At the time of this interview, Dean and his team had just delivered four hundred subs for an event. “My focus is on the people and the value.”

Online, at subway.com, applications for employment and remote ordering can be found. The Emmitsburg and Thurmont Subway stores are open Mondays through Thursdays, 7:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.; Fridays, 7:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m.; Saturdays, 8:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m.; and Sundays, 9:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m. The Emmitsburg Subway is located at 101 Silo Hill Road in the Silo Hill Shopping Strip; the Thurmont Subway is located at 224 North Church Street in the Thurmont Plaza Shopping Center.

Dean can be contacted directly by emailing catoctinsubway@yahoo.com, and he invites you to stop in for a sub.

See their spring specials in their advertisement on page 42.

Emmitsburg Subway staff members pictured from left are Kim Ruby, Josh Cornish, Dean Biller (owner), and Ashley Maccabee.

Vanessa (Maccabee) Niemann, professionally known as “Gal Holiday,” came to live in the Catoctin Mountains with her family when she was eleven, and made many friends throughout the county at church and at school. As fate would have it, she left here as soon as she could and began a long journey musically that finally ended up in New Orleans, where she formed a Honky Tonk band called Gal Holiday and the Honky Tonk Revue.

Armed with powerhouse vocals and serious songwriting with bass player and music director, David Brouillette, Vanessa and Dave have made Gal Holiday and the Honky Tonk Revue a vehicle to keep country dancehall culture alive, while paying homage to classic honky tonk greats such as Hank Williams, Connie Smith, and Webb Pierce.

They perform in New Orleans regularly at popular hot spots. In November, she took a long journey back home by van to begin an East Coast tour with her band. She packed the Ott House in Emmitsburg on a normally quiet Thursday night with family, old friends, old fans, along with many new ones. After playing drums at the Ott House with the band, Ashley Maccabee—Vanessa’s “little  brother” as she affectionately calls him—continued to play with them for the rest of the tour. Gal Holiday and the Honkey Tonk Band will tour popular dance venues in Virginia, New York, and New England.

To hear the music “The Gal” and her band create is magical. Their energy and amazing talent, as well as Vanessa’s charisma and good looks, are the perfect formula for a great night, whether one just wants to listen or “dance baby, dance!”

As her mother, Christine Schoenemann Maccabee, said, “She makes a sad song happy.”

At the Ott House, there were smiles on every face, and the joy was palpable. It was indeed a great night for dancing, whether it was with the one you came with or with complete strangers.

Gal Holiday has shared stages and performed with many other talented musicians, including Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett, Tim McGraw (Jazz Fest), Wayne Hancock, and other notorious crooners. After almost a decade, Gal Holiday continues to evolve through original compositions, which dominate their most recent release, “Last to Leave.” This song was featured in a statewide advertising campaign for Louisiana Propane.

Gal Holiday and the Honky Tonk Band will not be a regular local act, but will likely come back once or twice a year, we hope. Visit www.galholiday.com for more information.

gal holiday (2)

Vanessa Niemann is pictured performing, with her bass player and music director, David Brouillette, behind her.