New playground coming

Transcription

VO LUM E 2 , N O. 9 • w w w. wo o d sb o r o t i m e s . c om • se P t e m b e r 2 0 1 4
VO LUM E 3 , N O. 3 • W W W. WO O D SB O R O T I M E S . C OM • M A R C H 2 0 1 5
New playground
Trimmer
unlikely to seek coming
another term
as Woodsboro commissioner
indicated that finding a replacement would be difficult. “That
Woodsboro Town Commis- will be way too big of shoes to
sioner Donald Trimmer an- fill,” he said.
Burgess Gary Smith urged
nounced that he is unlikely to
seek another term in office in the Trimmer to consider the idea
more, before making a final deMay 9 election.
After a career spanning 28 cision. But Smith conceded that
years, 16 of that as burgess, Trimmer has given years of serTrimmer said at the February vice and time to the town.
This is not the first time Trim10 town meeting that it is time
to retire. “I will probably not be mer has made such an announcerunning,” he said. “I
have been
Computer
image ofment.
proposed playground
In 2009, he announced that
here 28 years and that’s long
enough. You might want to go he would not seek another term
after serving
16 conaround
and look
for somebody as burgess,
By Sherry
Greenfield
The Town
of Woodsboro
secutive
years.
Prior
to
that,
else to take my spot.”
was awarded the Maryland
he
served
as
commissioner
for
Commissioner
Chris
Spruill,
he Woodsboro Regional Open Space Community Parks
eight
years.
But
in
2011,
Trimwho is also
up
for
re-election,
Park will soon have a new and Playgrounds Grant to use
Sherry Greenfield
T
playground, thanks to a state
grant of $129,356.
for the construction of a new,
handicap accessible playground.
The playground structure is for
children ages 5 to 12.
After soliciting design and
pricing
proposals
from sevmer ran for
town commissioneral
recreation
design
compaer again, and, as the top
vote
nies,
town
commissioners
getter, was elected, ousting votined unanimously
at their Aug.
cumbent
Joel Rensberger,
who
12 meeting to hire playground
served
only one term.
Specialists Inc., of Thurmont.
As burgess, Trimmer was inThe company will build the
strumental in securing the
new playground on the south
Woodsboro Bypass, an upgradside of the Woodsboro Regional
ed sewage system, a new sewage
Park, east of Israel Creek.
plant, an upgraded water sys“The whole purpose of puttem, handicap accessible sideting together this proposal is
walks through town, and the
that we want to start encourBell
Court homes for the elderaging usage at this end of the
ly.park,” said Commissioner Bill
He currently
as the
Rittelmeyer,
whoserves
handled
the
town’s
water
commissioner.
bidding process.
InThe
2008,
Trimmer
electcompany
has was
proposed
eddesigning
to the and
Maryland
Municibuilding the new
pal
League Hall
Fame which
playground
forof$126,272.75.
They are proposing to use the
remaining $3,083.25 to install
new barbecue grills, volleyball
courts, and benches at the park
- items the town had not originally
asked
for. that have served
honors
those
“I
asked
not to
leave
20 years as them
an elected
town
ofany
money
on
the
table,”
Ritficial.
telmeyer
said.
Nominations
for the two
The
company
has constructed
town commissioner
seats now
playgrounds throughout Fredheld by Trimmer and Spruill
erick County, including Woodwill be held on Tuesday, April
sboro, Liberty, North Frederick,
21.
Middletown Lincoln, WolfsSpruill was elected to the
ville and Emmitsburg elemencouncil, along with Trimmer,
tary schools. They have also
in 2011. He was a relative new
built playgrounds for the towns
comer, running as a write-in
of Thurmont and Emmitsburg,
candidate.
Fort Detrick, the Brunswick
Spruill housing
moved with
his famiCrossing
development,
ly
to
Woodsboro
in
2007.
Trimand the Middletown Valley
mer
has
been
a
resident
of
the
Apartments.
town
for
over
60
years.
Rittelmeyer said the new
The remaining
memplayground
at thecouncil
Woodsboro
bers
include
Burgess
Smith
and
Regional Park will not have
adult swings or a merry-goround because of the wear and
tear on the rubber surface. A
child swing suspended off the
ground and pushed by an adult
can be built.
“Swings where kids drag their
feet will only tear the surface
up and create a maintenance
problem,” he said. “A merrygo-round where kids run in the
same circle pushing it will wear
and be a maintenance problem
as well.”
Commissioner Ken Kellar
said he was disappointed the
playground will only have toddler swings. “My only regret
is seeing those older swings go
away,” he said. “To me it’s a
loss of adult swings.”
Meanwhile, Rittelmeyer said
nothing will be built until the
town has the grant money in
hand.
“They
won’t order a stick
Donald
Trimmer
of equipment until we have the
grant,” he said.
Trimmer
praised
Ritteltown for
commissioners
Kellar
meyer
his work on Ken
the bid
and
Bill
Rittelmeyer.
process.”I’d like to commend
Bill for doing this,” he said.
“He did an excellent job.”
New home construction coming to Walkersville
Parking problems
of curbs and new sidewalks,” he
said.
The subdivision will also tie
The developers of the Graham
property located on Biggs Ford in to the adjacent Walkersville
Sherry Greenfield
the street inPark
frontoff
of their
housKenneth
RoadByadjacent
to the Walkers- Community
es. Each
receive
withhousehold
new park would
space availville Community Park are one Drive,
use when it is turned
step closer
building
elieftocould
soon 24
be new
comingabletwoforpermits.
the town.
homes onto25theacres.
residents living alongover to
“I think
there does need to be a
“We
feel
like
thisparking
is a good
The
Walkersville
burgess
and
Frederick Street in Walkersville degree of restricted
down
fit,”
said
Andrew
Brown
of J.F.
commissioners
at
their
February
that are upset with people parking there,” said Andy Dewese,
the
11 town meeting granted road Brown lll & Associates. “It will
in front of their houses.
town’s code enforcement officer.
design changes to the proposed be a good addition to your park.”
The Walkersville Town Com- “They live down there, so they
The Parkside subdivision is
Parkside development, allowing
missioners,
at forward
their Aug.
be able
to park
there.”
the only
new
development
developers
to move
with 13notshould
meeting, tentatively approved aplanned
Parking
areWalkerscurrentin thatsigns
area of
the project.
to issuePoss,
parking
permits toville.
ly The
posted
in front
of Run
the nursproposed
Mill
deT. plan
Wesley
president
thoseVerdant
residents living
across fromvelopment
ing homeisrestricting
slated forthe
thenumber
conof the
Development
22 can
newbehomes
Group,
said he
hopes
to begin
the Glade
Valley
Nursing
and Re-struction
of hoursofa car
parked.on
But
Walkersville
construction
thisCenter
year. on
PossFrederick
said land
habilitation
theadjacent
numbertoofthe
parked
cars from
on Pennsylvania
they Street.
will make
improvements
to al-Bowling
Issuing
permits would
nearby Alley
Walkersville
High School
Avenue.
portions
of
Biggs
Ford
Road
that
low those residents to park on and the nursing home has been
The Maryland Department of
will front the new development.
“We will provide the widening the Environment is also considSherry Greenfield
R
ering an application to fill in
39.2 acres of the 100-year floodplain of the Monocacy River to
allow for the construction of six
a frequent
for residents.
five
story problem
office buildings
on
a lot
of issues
down
the “There’s
section of
Biggs
Ford Road
that
is within
jurisdiction
of
there
now,” the
Dewese
said. “It’s
the
of Frederick.
notCity
a huge
issue, but I think they
COPTbeFrederick
LLC
of Coshould
able to park
there.”
lumbia
has
applied
for
the
Commissioner Gary Bakerpersaid
mit in order to construct office
permitted parking should be for
buildings and a parking lot 0.3
residents only. Restricted parking
miles southeast from the intershould ofcontinue
in front
the
section
Biggs Ford
Roadof and
businesses.
U.S.
15, just outside the town
“I think
the residents will
be
limits
of Walkersville.
Biggs
happy,”
he said.
Ford
Road,
which starts at the
intersection
of U.S.
15,toturns
The council
decided
take
into
Pennsylvania
as
a formal
vote on theAvenue
permitted
you
enterissue
downtown
Walkersparking
when Commissionville.
er Chad Weddle is in attendance.
MDE will hold a community
meeting on the permit applica-
Weddle, who lives on Frederick
Street, was not at the meeting.
tion at 6:30 p.m. on March 3,
On another note, Dewese
at the Walkersville Fire Hall.
said
town’s code enforceForas the
Walkersville
residents
ment officer
he has
busy
looking
to avoid
thebeen
traffic
on
this
year
investigating
complaints
Md. 26 and Md. 194, using
from residents
oninto
issues
rangBiggs
Ford Road
town
has
been
another
option.
But with
ing from
tall grass
to snow-covdevelopment
as Parkside
ered sidewalks.such
Dewese
said so
and
Mill
Run
planned
along
the
far this year, he has received 260
two-line
road,
it
is
likely
that
complaints from residents. That
Biggs
Ford Road will also benumber is significantly higher
come congested with traffic.
than the 120 complaints he reWalkersville Burgess Ralph
ceived last year.
Whitmore
acknowledged that
Dewese,
whobecome
blamedathe
wintraffic
could
problem
ter’s said
bad weather
thethe
risetown
in
but
there is for
little
complaints,
said these
the frustration
can
do to avoid
two future
comes when
residents fail to“Peonohousing
developments.
ple
have been here
when
tify should
their homeowner’s
associathe
properties
were to
originaltion first,
before coming
him.
ly “They’re
rezonedstill
in 1986
1987,”
comingand
in even
if
Whitmore said. “We did not rezone it.”
they have a homeowner’s association,” he said. “If somebody has
Meanwhile, for the first time,
a complaint about a neighbor’s
improvements to a stretch of
grass,
to the
[homeowner’s
asMd. go
194,
from
the intersection
sociation],”
said.
“If they have
of Md. 26he to
Devilbiss
Bridge
[an
association]
that
with it, in
Road, have beendeals
included
and
it doesn’t
get done,
Frederick
County’s
listI’lloftake
highwayof priorities
that officials will
care
it.”
present
Failure to the
cut Maryland
grass is a Depart$100
ment
of
Transportation.
fine from the town. The fine is
Every
the county formuposted
on year,
the homeowner’s
walates
a
list
of
major
highway imter bill.
provements that they present to
“We get our money,” Burgess
the state for possible funding.
Ralph
Whitmore
Expanding
Md.said.
194 from two
Dewese
said
thenow
260 tops
com-the
lanes to four of
lanes
plaints,
all but two
haveofbeen
relist, moving
ahead
improvesolved.
process
is
mentsThe
to complaint
Md. 75 in
southern
unanimous.
Frederick County.
Thenotcosts
of many
expanding
“I’m
getting
dinnerthe
highway and
a time “But
frame
invitations,”
he joked.
it’s on
construction
have
yet
to
be
degoing good.”
termined.
Heritage park improvement
COPT withdraws application for office buildings in Hoovers Mill Road Bridge reopened
walking paths.
due toextended
an accident.
On Feb. 5, the Frederick County ary
100-year floodplain off Biggs Ford Road
“I think
pathsKudos
will to
nications,
confirmed
February 24,acSherry
Greenfield
By Sherry
Greenfield
town meeting,
unanimously
COPTa withdrew
its applicaCOPT Frederick LLC of Co- thatcepted
bid of $56,750
from
lumbia, or Corporate Office Prop- tion.
alking
and
jogging Frederick County Paving to
The public meeting on the aperties Trust, withdrew its applicaaround the Heritage build 3,950 feet of new paths.
tion to the Maryland Department plication, scheduled for March 3,
Park in Walkersville
forcancelled,
the projectApperson
will come
also been
of theFarm
Environment,
to fill in 39.2willhasMoney
easier since
the town
in part from the state’s Open
acressoon
of thebe100-year
floodplain
of issaid.
planning
to
expand
the
walking
Space Program.
will
COPT
had appliedThe
for town
the perthe Monocacy River, which would
toward
in order to $23,135
construct office
have paths.
allowed for the construction mitcontribute
and awith
parking
of six five-story
office buildings
on buildings
The Walkersville
Town Comthe project,
muchlot,of 0.3
that
southeast
fromfrom
the intersecBiggsmissioners,
Ford Roadatwithin
City 13miles
their the
August
money
coming
a reserve
tion of Biggs Ford Road and U.S.
of Frederick.
Jay Apperson, the acting direc- 15, just outside the town limits of
tor of MDE’s Office of Commu- Walkersville.
W
Sincefor
thepark
project
was to be lofund
development.
cated
in
a
floodplain
devel“This project is the
definitely
opers needed to receive a permit
needed,” Commissioner Debbie
from MDE.
Zimmerman said. “This will
The proposed office buildcomplete
ings
would the
havepaths.”
sat on farmland
Heritage
Farmcity,
Park,
located
annexed by the
something
on
Devilbiss
Bridge
Road
across
that was a concern to residents
in
from Glade The
Elementary
School,
Walkersville.
town limits
of
Walkersville
at the
already has end
a 9-hole
golfinterseccourse,
tion
of Fountain
Roadfields,
and
baseball
fields, Rock
softball
Biggs Ford Road, just a short distance from the site.
Section Supervisor
Office of Highway Operations an- beMaintenance
a wonderful addition
to the
Mike
Ramsburg,
Office of Highnounced
that
Hoovers
Mill
Road
soccer fields, two covered pa- park,” Commissioner
Russell
was reopened
at the areas,
bridgeand
over way Operations, and his staff for
vilions,
playground
Winch said.
Owens Creek, between Frushour the speedy repair.
Road and Rocky Ridge Road. The
PRE-SORTED
bridge had been closed since Janu-
Postal Customer
Postal Customer
STANDARD
U.S. Postage
PRE-SORTED
PA I D
STANDARD
Westminster,
MD
Permit
100
U.S.No.
Postage
PA I D
Gettysburg, PA
Permit No. 53
2 | WOODSBORO WALKERSVILLE TIMES | MARCH 2015
NEWS
From the Editor
“I’m for limited government,
but…” (State Senator Michael
Hough)
Michael Hough decimated sitting Sen. David Brinkley in the
primary last year with promises to
“stand firm on conservative principles” and “fight out-of-control
taxes.”
Now freshman Sen. Hough has
recently sponsored the Reunification Waiver Bill, which proposes
making it harder for natural parents to recover their children from
foster care. The bill was inspired
by the murder of Anayah Williams, a small child harmed by
her parents, put in foster care, returned to them and shortly thereafter murdered. The parents were
indicted and are being processed
in the justice system.
If we have a foster care system,
it is appropriate for legislators to
try to improve it when problems
surface. Yet, I find it incredibly
ironic that one of Hough’s first
legislative actions involves an expansion of government power, the
power to keep children from their
parents. Ironic, because Hough
ran on limited government, limited taxes and fiscal responsibility.
It was all too easy to poke at
Brinkley’s overall voting record
from a distance. If Hough has a
primary opponent next election
cycle, his opponent can open with
this line, “Hough Sponsored A
Bill To Keep Children From Their
Parents.“ By then people may
have forgotten the details of the
situation and vote based on the
headline.
Maybe I’m being too hard on
Hough because this issue was
about the children. But isn’t every
issue about the children, or the
weak, or the elderly, or the greater good, etc.? Every issue is important to someone, sometimes
to everyone. The challenge is to
establish a base of principles and
use them to guide your decisions.
For example, someone touting the
principle of “limited government”
should probably not draft new
legislation for every issue he cares
about. Could Hough have stuck
to his campaign principles while
trying to prevent further tragedies? Maybe. Just maybe his principles would have him realize we
can’t legislate our way out of every
undesirable situation.
Del. David Vogt has recently fallen into that trap. He has
jumped to the “rescue” of the
mother of a limited ability child
by proposing legislation to waive
school testing for certain categories of students. I put the word
rescue in quotation marks because
I have to admit that in this case
I really didn’t see the issue or the
harm. So Vogt backs a law that
classifies a certain group of people
as different from other groups and
treats them differently. Limited
government? Fiscal responsibility?
What will be the legal and administrative expense for the school
system to analyze the requirements of the resulting law, develop an administrative plan and implement it? It won’t be free. These
well-intentioned laws add up by
the hundreds and even thousands
and eventually create a situation
where everyone is a law-breaker or
things just start getting too hard
or too expensive to do.
The irony I see in Vogt’s case
is that at first glance one might
say the principal of limited government was followed because a
subset of kids won’t have to take
a government mandated test. But
to implement this waiver, a law
has to be stapled onto another law
and navigating through all these
requirements gets confusing and
can really demotivate people subjected to them.
There’s an old saying, “To a
carpenter with a hammer, every
problem looks like a nail.” I expect my legislative representatives
to be a little more broadminded
than that proverbial carpenter.
The current empty gas station
at the corner of Sandstone Drive
and Md. 194 will soon be pumping gas once again. A new Liberty
gas station and convenience store
is expected to open its doors in the
next few months, said the station’s
new owner, Ahmed Hudhud.
Hudhud purchased the property at an auction in November and
has spent the last several months
cleaning it up. “We are replacing
the underground tanks, pumps,
and renovating the store,” he said.
Hudhud said he will be taking
out the former mechanics shop
that operated one time in the back
of the property. “The old [convenience] store will be renovated
and operated,” he said. “The entire space will be converted into a
[convenience] store.”
All the fuel tanks will be replaced with “top of the line” new
tanks, Hudhud said.
Susan Hauver, the town planner for Walkersville, assured the
burgess and commissioners at
their February 11 town meeting,
that an environmental assessment
study was done on the current underground fuel tanks and there
have been no leaks into the soil or
ground water.
P.O.Box 502
Woodsboro, Maryland 21798
Office Number 240-446-9797
E-mail: WoodsboroEditor@gmail.com
Executive Editor: Ken Kellar
English Editors: Barbara Forrester, Sharon Kellar, and Esther Kline
Advisers: Michael Hillman, Marg Mills
Advertising: Sharon Graham, Nathan Carmona
Graphic Design and Layout: Joann Lee
News: Sherry Greenfield
Historian: Daniel Kellar
News and interesting articles are welcome and may be submitted
via regular mail to P.O.Box 502, Woodsboro, MD 21798
or by email to WoodsboroEditor@gmail.com.
To arrange advertising contact the editor
Advertise with us!
For more information, contact WoodsboroEditor@gmail.com
New Liberty gas station to open in
Walkersville
Sherry Greenfield
Woodsboro Walkersville
Times
The gas station property has
turned over ownership several times due to stiff competition with its close proximity to the Sheetz gas station, just
south at the corner of Md. 194
and Stauffer Road. The property
served as both a Fuel Worx and
a Valero gas station through the
years.
Hudhud says he has plans to
make his Liberty station successful. “There will eventually be a
super [convenience] store and
new services that are not available
in the area,” he said. “The store
will offer quality products and
services.”
Spread the News!
Extra copies of the
Times
are available at
Trout’s Market
in Woodsboro
and
T.R. Sayor Company
in Walkersville.
Get there early each
month.
Walkersville Calls for Service
January 2015
Monthly Summary for Police Enforcement & Activities
Criminal &
Miscellaneous
Calls
Traffic
Enforcement
Motor Vehicle
Collisions
Alarm
4
Citation
39
Accident Report
0
Assault
2
Warning
90
Non-Reportable
8
Assist other Police
12
SERO
18
Total Collisions:
8
Burglary
0
DUI
0
CDS (narcotics)
2
Total Violations:
147
Disorderly
Other Activities
Community
Policing
3
4
Foot/Bike Patrol
7
Domestic
0
Patrol Check
93
Juvenile Complaint
3
AIRS
139
MDOP
(malicious destruction)
1
Miscellaneous
37
Missing Person
0
Theft / Fraud
1
Trespass
1
Warrant / Summons
1
Total Calls for Service: 68
MARCH 2015 | WOODSBORO WALKERSVILLE TIMES | 3
ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO
One hundred years ago this month
March 5, 1915
Thomas Glynn victim of gas
A pay-day celebration has
proven disastrous for a man
supposed to be Thomas Glynn,
whose place of residence at this
time is unknown, and who died
early today in Montevue Hospital. He is believed to have been
asphyxiated by coal gas at a lime
kiln near Woodsboro, where he
slept over Tuesday night.
According to persons familiar
with the case, the man had been
employed by the Barrick Company. On receiving his pay, he is
said to have started on a celebration which terminated in his lying down Tuesday night beside
the kiln and going to sleep.
Early on Wednesday morning
the employees of the lime kiln
arriving for the day’s work discovered him and tried to awaken him, but were unable to bring
him to.
They carried him to a nearby boarding-house, where he
lay unconscious all day, and on
Wednesday evening someone
fearing that he was critically ill,
sent for Dr. C. A. Stulz, who saw
that his condition was critical,
and being unable to revive him
yesterday morning notified Justice Marion C. Miller, of Woodsboro, who brought the man to
Frederick. At the train he was
met by Deputy Sheriff Jones,
who assisted taking the man to
Montevue, where he is being attended by Dr. B. O. Thomas.
March 8, 1915
Bleeding Tombstone in
Frederick County
Maybe the story below is true
and maybe it is not; all one can
vouch for is the “bleeding tombstone.” It is in the old-fashioned
country graveyard attached
to Grace Lutheran Church at
Rocky Hill, near Woodsboro, in
Frederick County, says The Baltimore Sun.
The graveyard is old; one of
the oldest in Western Maryland,
and it treasures the mortal remains of some of the first hardy
colonials who left the soft seashore country of Maryland and
struck for the blue hills to the
west and the fertile lime-stone
valleys. Prosperity has been ever the hand-maiden of the men
who live under the shadow of
the Blue Ridge and its foothills,
and so this old graveyard has escaped the too usual dilapidation
of its kind. Time and the elements have effaced the inscriptions of the very old sandstone
markers but otherwise, it is trim
and neat and well preserved.
In about the center of it are
three graves-those of George
Fox and his two wives. The first
of the headstones is that of his
first wife, Elizabeth, then Fox’s,
and then that of his second wife,
Mary. Elizabeth’s is the “bleeding tombstone.” In a field of
plain white stones it stands
sheer, marked from top to bottom with red stains, which look
exactly as if blood had burst
from the stone and had smeared
as it flowed. And the tradition of
the countryside is that blood did
burst from the stone and that it
was the fulfillment of a dying
woman’s vow. Alfred Arnoll, the
venerable caretaker of the graveyard tells of the tradition.
“I moved here 45 years ago,”
he tells the curious, “and that
tombstone then was in just the
condition you see now. So I
don’t know anything about it
except what the old people living here told me when I came.
They said that when Mrs. Elizabeth Fox, who was George Fox’s
first wife, was dying in 1816, she
called her husband to her bedside and said to him: “I know
I am dying and I am going to
ask only one thing of you, that
is that you take good care of my
children. If you don’t, then I
hope to God that my tombstone
will burst and bleed!”
“The old people told me,” Arnold continued, “that soon after
Mrs. Elizabeth Fox died, her husband put this stone at her grave.
He seemed to keep in his mind
what his wife told him and to be
impressed. But after a while he
married again. For a time things
went along alright. Then the second wife, the story goes, began
to treat the first wife’s children
badly. People wondered if the
first wife’s dying vow would be
kept. The bad treatment of the
children continued and one day
a man passed the graveyard and
the tombstone looked unusual.
He examined it and sure enough,
it had burst in half a dozen or so
places and there were deep red
stains all over it, just as you see
them now.”
Arnold stops at this point and
catches your questioning look.
He answers it in this wise: “Me,
I don’t know whether the story is
true or not. I know that the old
people who told it to me when
I came here 45 years ago were
truthful people. And you can
see for yourself that none of the
other tombstones here is cracked
and stained like that one. I never heard of any other tombstone
changing like that one has. And
I reckon that if anything mysterious and super natural could
happen, it would when a dying
woman’s command to take good
care of her children was violated.
Still, I don’t know.”
When you have heard Arnold’s
story- he is a tall, whiskered
man, whose face tells of the many, many times he has witnessed
the “dust to dust, ashes to ashes”
– you look about. Up there in
the foothills the air is like crys-
tal, the skies seem very far away,
the horizon looms mysterious
and somehow, you feel like old
Arnold- you don’t know!
All three of the chief figures
in the tradition died many years
ago. Elizabeth Fox, the first wife,
will have been gone 99 years this
coming June. Her tombstone
bears the inscription, “In Memory of Elizabeth Fox, wife of
George Fox, who departed this
life June the 28, 1816, aged 42
years, 10 months, wanting (sic)
21 days.” On the tombstone of
George Fox is the inscription,
“In Memory of George Fox,
who died Dec. 12, 1842; aged
71 years, 2 months and 41 (sic)
days.” The third tombstone, that
of the second wife, bears the inscription: “In Memory of Mary
M., wife of George Fox, died
March 31 1861; aged 68 years,
5 months and 16 days.”
Youth 21 and Girl, Aged 16,
in Elopement
Twice outwitted by an objecting parent, Miss Dora L.
Speak, 16 years old, of LeGore,
and Amos F. Hoff, 21 years old,
of Woodsboro, stole a march
on Mrs. Minnie Park, the girl’s
mother, Saturday night, and
eloped to Ellicott City in a baker’s delivery auto. They were
married at 10:30 o’clock at that
place by the Rev. H. C. Fultz,
pastor of the Lutheran church.
March 9
For Register of Wills
I hereby beg to announce my
candidacy for the office of the
Register of Wills of Frederick
County, Md. Subject to the decision of the Democratic Primary.
Ezra L. Cramer of Walkersville
District
March 10
Smyrna’s Fall Reported Near
London, March 9- Smyrna
is about to fall before Rear Admiral Peirse’s fleet, according to
dispatches from Athens today.
Only three Turkish batteries are
now replying the fire of the British squadron, which has moved
into the harbor and is now shelling the enemy’s guns high on the
hills in the Turkish quarter of
the city.
5,500 Russians Taken – Berlin, March 9- Capture of 5,500
Russians in new battles in Poland was reported in the official
statement from the war office
this afternoon.
Saves Women Spies – Paris,
March 9 – Several women spies
who had been condemned to
death by court martial have had
their sentences commuted by
President Poincare.
Germans are Dislodged –
Petrograd, March 9 – Russian
infantry attacks have dislodged
the Germans from several positions along the Pilica, in Southeast Poland.
March 10
Taken on Serious Charge
K. W. Dorsey, of near Woodsboro, was arrested yesterday by
Deputy Sheriff C. W. Dorcus,
near the Liberty Copper Mines,
on two serious charges. Taken
before Justice Marion C. Miller, Dorsey was held for a further
hearing on Friday under a bond
of $250 in each case. Dorsey
went to the Frederick jail in default of the bail.
March 11
For Sheriff
I hereby beg to announce my
candidacy for the office of Sheriff of Frederick County, Maryland, subject to the decision of
the Democratic Primary.
Robert E. Cromwell, Walkersville District
March 15
For Sheriff
I hereby announce myself as
a candidate for Sheriff of Frederick County, subject to the Republican primaries of 1915. I
stand on my record as an officer
and respectfully solicit your support.
Marion C. Miller, Woodsboro, Md.
March 15
US Maintains Neutrality
To demonstrate its neutrality,
the US Navy invited the Captain of the Prinz Eitel Friedrich,
onto the grandstand to watch
the launching of the US dreadnought Pennsylvania, the largest engine of naval warfare in
the world. The German commander, in full uniform, arrived
on the launching platform early
and mingled jovially with US officers.
The British Admiralty announced that since March 10,
seven British merchant steamers
have been torpedoed by submarines. The captain of the Indian City, which was sunk yesterday, said that he sighted what
he thought was a periscope of a
submarine. He said, “I kept the
steamer going but the submarine
caught up with it, and through
a megaphone the commander of the submarine told me to
put my flag up. I hoisted the
German ensign. The submarine
commander didn’t believe us,
and told us to get into the boats,
which we did, he then blew up
the steamer.”
An eyewitness of the torpedoing of the Indian City says the
submarine remained in the vicinity about an hour and was
of keen interest to the Islanders. Immediately after the attack
became known to patrol boats,
they put to sea in the direction
of the submarine, on which they
opened fire. When the patrol
boats approached the submarine, the latter submerged herself, but reappeared about two
miles further west. The patrol
boats resumed their chase of the
submarine, but they were left
behind by the speed of the submarine which was too great for
them.
After evading the patrol
boats, the submarine sighted the
CONTINUED ON PAGE 21
GOVERNMENT
From the desk of County Executive Jan Gardner
There is a lot to cheer about in
county government. Public participation is growing, employee morale is on the mend, and the transition to charter government is
running smoothly.
The newly appointed ethics
task force has begun its work to restore trust in county government.
They are working to strengthen
ethics laws to make it clear that
county elected officials cannot do
business with the county or profit
from their position. They are also
considering adding a code of conduct for elected officials and restoring penalties or consequences
for serious ethics violations that
were removed by the prior Board
of County Commissioners.
Demonstrating a renewed interest in participation in county
government are the 38 applicants
who applied to volunteer their
time to serve on this task force.
Similarly, applications are pouring
in from citizens interested in serving on the county planning commission. Engaging community
talent and experience and empowering the public to participate and
make a difference is a great sign of
good government.
My leadership teams on jobs,
education, community needs, and
senior citizens will release their
ideas for goals, priorities, and outcomes in these issue areas next
week. Public participation in these
workgroups has been incredible,
and a lot of creative and innovative new ideas have been brainstormed. Action plans will be developed to make sure we create
jobs for the next generation, ensure world class schools, and plan
to meet the needs of a growing senior population.
To protect taxpayers, I have
proposed changes to local regulations to add county oversight
to the construction of water and
sewer infrastructure by developers. The prior Board of County
Commissioners allowed the development community to both build
the infrastructure and inspect it
themselves. I am adding the county back to the inspection process
to ensure high quality infrastructure since this becomes part of the
county water and sewer system.
This ensures a division of responsibilities and that taxpayers will
not be stuck with a future bill to
repair or prematurely replace this
essential infrastructure.
I am spending a couple of days
every week traveling to Annapolis
to advocate for the needs of our
community. The cuts in the Governor’s budget to Frederick County are significant. As proposed,
the cuts to Frederick County total $5.5 million. Cuts to Frederick County are the third highest
among the counties in Maryland.
Cuts to public education alone
amount to almost $3.5 million.
The magnitude of these cuts is
one of the reasons why our Board
of Education is looking to increase
class size and close some of our
smaller schools.
Working with our delegation, I
am pleased to support a tax fairness
bill to avoid duplication of taxation between the county and municipalities. I am also pleased to be
meeting monthly with municipal
mayors to ensure good communications and address issues before
they become a problem.
As usual, there are always a few
state bills that leave you scratching
your head and wondering what
were they thinking? One such bill
introduced by both of our state
Senators effectively gives our local ability to manage the disposal of our trash to an international zero waste organization. This
will virtually eliminate our ability to landfill our trash and could
cost us millions of additional dollars for waste disposal. I am hopeful that common sense will prevail
once the impacts of this legislation
are realized.
It is budget season in Frederick
County. I will be holding a public hearing in March to share and
gather input on the many requests
for county funding. So far, new re-
quests for county funding exceed
$40 million.
The county budget is extremely tight due to an inherited $3.4
million deficit created by the prior board of county commissioners. While there is modest growth
in property tax revenue and income tax revenue reflecting a
slowly recovering economy, these
gains are wiped out as a result
of the last board spending more
money than it had. Multiple reserve funds were tapped including fleet reserves and the workers
compensation reserve fund, and
this one-time money was spent
on ongoing expenses. Over $10
million was irresponsibly transferred from reserve funds, and
there was an assumption in the
budget that the county would sell
some buildings at a price that has
simply not materialized. No one
would ever balance their home
budget in this manner.
Be assured, I will restore financial responsibility. I will balance
the budget, address the deficit,
and do so without a tax increase.
I have asked county agencies to
review all the privatization contracts to identify possible savings.
I will be changing priorities to
make sure the citizens of Frederick County are provided effective
services. I am grateful for the many outstanding county employees
who make this high level of service delivery a reality.
The $160 million in taxpayer
giveaways approved by the prior Board of County Commissioners to two large residential
developments will continue to
plague us for the next two decades. For the most part, these
bad deals cannot be undone because bonds have already been
sold to the benefit of people of
who do not even live here, and
Frederick County taxpayers are
stuck with the obligation to pay
the bill.
In north county news, I was
pleased to join Congressman
Chris Van Hollen to present military medals earned in World War
II by James Wivell to his daughter Marie Messner and extended family. These medals included a purple heart and the bronze
star, the fourth highest medal for
bravery in service provided by
our military. It is never too late
to honor the sacrifices of our war
veterans who served our country during times of conflict. Mr.
Wivell was a medic, and now
several of his descendents continue to serve their community
through volunteerism in our local ambulance companies.
Think Spring! It has been a bitterly cold winter but warm days
are ahead.
From the desk of County Council President Bud Otis
I hope you all had a Happy Valentine’s on February 14 of this
year. I spent a good part of my day
with the Frederick County Farm
Bureau at their Legislative Day at
the New Midway Fire Hall in New
Midway, Maryland. One of the
overriding issues for the farmers
was the lost of crop yields due to
over population of the deer herds
in Frederick County. The Council has been asked to support a
bill that the Legislators are taking
up in Annapolis this session. We
will be doing so in the early part
of March. If you have an interest,
I would like to encourage you to
attend the hearing and make your
feelings known. The hearing will
be March 3 or 10.
I was struck by the story of
one farmer who reported that he
had so large a deer population
that the deer had harvested over
$100,000.00 of his crops before
he could get his fields harvested.
With this kind of loss, our farm
families, which are one the largest industries in our County, will
be put out of business. We cannot allow that to happen!! One
the things visitors comment upon when they travel the roads of
our great County is the wonderful
farms they see all over the County.
I love seeing the deer in the fields
from time to time, but we all need
to realize that we need a balance
between nature and our farming
community. Those of you who do
not live on farms contend with the
deer on the highways. The higher the deer population, the more
deer you see killed along the roadways, and the higher your car insurance rates become. We will attempt to reach that goal in the
legislation that will be voted on
by the Council and in Annapolis
this session. By the way, I gave my
wife her flowers on the 13 because
I knew I would not be around a
lot on the 14 as I wanted to be
with our farmers. Having grown
up on a farm myself, they will always have a spot in my heart.
The next big item that will be
coming up on the Council Agenda will be the County budget for
2016. The budget is going to be
tight this year as revenues have
not caught up to the request for
funding that is coming in. The request from the School Board has
come in and it is twenty-two million above last year’s budget. I can
assure you that the School Board’s
request is going to be trimmed
as the County cannot begin to
match that kind of request. We
have great schools in our County, and that is because of the great
teachers and parents that provide
us with such wonderful young
people.
In my next letter to you, I will
update you on the budget and
provide you with dates to attend
the public hearing that the Council will hold. Your voice is very
important to me, and I am personally inviting you to attend the
hearings because you need to have
a say in how your money is spent!
GOVERNMENT
From the desk of Kirby Delauter –
County Council District 5
Two items we have discussed
at the County Council meetings are the closing of Sabillasville Elementary School and
the rehabilitation of the lime
kiln furnace at Walkersville’s
Fountain Rock Park. The first
item is the closing of Sabillasville Elementary School. This
ploy is used every budget cycle
when the FCPS union wants to
use this scare tactic to get their
annual funding increases. I
spoke out against the closing of
this school for several reasons.
First, it is simply just a ploy to
get the masses in the North end
stirred up and supporting the
budget increases so this school
does not get closed.
The school is not going to be
closed, it was never going to be
closed; it was never an issue,
just a ploy. Second, here are the
totals for improvements that
have been spent on this school
over the last seven years: technology, $135,000; playground
improvements, $69,565; air
conditioning, $650,000; roof
replacement, $530,000; and
water storage tank, $106,000.
This is almost $1.5 million taxpayer dollars in improvements
to a school they consistently threaten to shut down during every budget cycle. Who
would make these decisions to
spend this money when there
would be any remote possibility of closing this school? I personally sat down with Superintendent Terry Alban and gave
her a list of items that would
save the school system recurring monies. Things like outsourcing the plumbing, electrical, HVAC, and general
maintenance items rather than
carry hundreds of maintenance
employees with salary, benefits, vehicles, insurance, and
fleet maintenance. We could
outsource on an IDQ (indefinite quantity) contract and only pay for the services provid-
Spread the News!
Extra copies of the
Times
are available at
Trout’s Market
in Woodsboro
and
T.R. Sayor Company
in Walkersville.
month.
ed. This would save millions of
dollars that could be reallocated toward teacher salaries putting the funds where it does
the most good. These are real
savings with real results that
would reward the best teachers
with the best pay. I can’t deal
in ploys and scare tactics; I only deal in the reality of results.
The next item I would like
to discuss is the Fountain Rock
Park Lime Kiln rehabilitation.
The total cost for this project
is approximately $600,000. We
recently discussed this for some
architectural costs and project
management costs. The structure was built in the 1800’s.
Back around 2002, it had some
major work done to it, and
structurally the kiln is sound.
There are a few minor cosmetic
issues that could be repaired for
minimal dollars, but to spend
another $600,000 on this project in these tight budget times
is just simply irresponsible.
I requested that we remove it
from the CIP (capital improvement projects) budget and let
those funds drop to the bottom line (fund balance) to be
used for something more critical at this point. When I was
on the last Board of Commissioners, this item came up and
we removed it and placed it out
four years in a future CIP. This
is what we should have done in
our Council vote recently. We
need to recognize we can’t be
everything to everyone all the
time. There has to be priorities, and this, in my opinion,
isn’t a priority. Frederick High
School’s new construction is
coming in over budget; these
funds could have been transferred to that project and done
far more good than a 150 year
old lime kiln that will be standing when my grandkids have
kids. The project at Fountain
Rock will move forward since
Council member Tony Chmelik and I were out voted 4 - 2 to
spend these funds on this project. One of the reasons I voted against spending the funds
on this project was simple, the
Parks and Rec Dept. solicited
donations from the public to
do the restoration of the lime
kiln through the solicited donations. They received less
than $200 on a $600,000 project. My point to them was simple, if the public doesn’t want
to voluntarily donate their
money for this project, then
why should we take their money by force to do the project?
You voted me into office to
make these types of fiscally
sound decisions, and I will keep
making them. I can’t guarantee
the rest of the council will vote
this way, but I can only be true
to what I told you I would do. I
will look out for your dollars as
my own; that is something you
can count on.
COMMENTARY
Family room
Quantum Mechanics
Chandra Bolton
My physicist husband was explaining quantum mechanics to
me, or at least trying to. His final
summary was “nothing is as it appears.” It reminded me of ninth
grade science when I first learned
that everything, though it may appear solid, is made up of atoms
that are constantly in motion. It
makes you a little uneasy for a
short time to think that the chair
only appears solid and steady because you can’t see the reality of
the atomic motion. Then you accept the illusion and move on. Life
is like that, too. Sometimes understanding the way things work fills
me with wonder. Sometimes I just
don’t want to know the reality.
Another part of the explanation that stuck with me was the
statement that the path that light
takes, while appearing to be a
straight line, wasn’t actually. The
tiny, individual pieces of light,
quanta, may take any number of
twists and turns. The straight line
was really the average of all pos-
sible paths. It reminded me of sitting at a college graduation ceremony, watching all those people
walk across the stage. Looking at
it from the graduation end of the
story, it appears to be a straight
line from birth to diploma. But
every person has those bumps and
detours: a semester lost to mono,
changing majors, having to retake
pre-calculus because you actually
have to do the homework to understand math. Then life sometimes doesn’t work out and you
have to go back for more education because there are no jobs for
someone with your B.A.
Thomas Edison tried 3,000
times to find a practical, reliable,
inexpensive light bulb that would
last more than a few hours without burning out. He said, “If I
find 10,000 ways something won’t
work, I haven’t failed. I am not
discouraged because every wrong
attempt discarded is often a step
forward....” As the parent paying for college, it was hard to take
such a philosophical approach to
the twists and turns in my chil-
Good manners should
never go out of style
Ladies and gentlemen, may
I have your attention please?
How many times have you
heard this phrase? Well, back in
the day, we heard it a lot. Today,
you still hear it at the beginning
of some performances, at some
sporting events, and various
other places where large crowds
are gathered.
My next question — are these
venues really filled with ladies
and gentlemen?
Do the “gentlemen” you
know take their hats off when
entering indoors? Do they open
the car doors for their dates, or
do they sit in the cars and beep
the horns upon arrival? Do the
“ladies” you know sit in chairs
properly, and do they say please
and thank you when appropriate?
Many times, as my brother or
I left the house when we were
young, we would be admonished by our grandmother or
mother to be “sure you act like
a lady or gentleman.” And that
meant, use the good manners
you were taught at home.
In 1922, Emily Post wrote her
first book on proper etiquette.
It was titled Etiquette in Society, in Business, in Politics and
at Home. Growing up, back in
dren’s paths. As the mom, walking that fine line between helping, and letting them learn from
their own mistakes, wasn’t easy either. Edison eventually found carbonized bamboo fibers and is now
known as the Father of the Light
Bulb. My children did graduate and are employed, supporting
themselves.
After listening to my husband’s
explanation, my question was,
“How do scientists know that it
is true?” Apparently quantum
mechanics is a theory. So … we
aren’t completely sure that it is
true. Physicists started with the
accepted theory of the way things
worked. They noticed things that
didn’t seem to fit in. Next came
an idea that might explain the
discrepancies. By experimenting
and observing the results, physicists tested this theory. Sounds
like parenting, doesn’t it? We begin by having expectations of the
way our children will be. Then life
happens and we have to adjust. I
began by believing that there was
a solution for any problem my
children had, if only I could figure
it out. This lasted until our first
baby developed colic at six weeks
old. The pediatrician explained to
me that some babies perceive normal digestion as painful until their
systems mature, usually at about
three months old. There is no
cure. Mother and child were both
very unhappy for about six weeks.
But it did teach me that theories
need to be tested. Einstein didn’t
believe quantum mechanics. It is
a fairly recent development in the
long history of science. If Einstein
can be wrong, maybe my ideas can
be, too.
Einstein’s guide was Sir Isaac
Newton, who lived in the 1600’s.
Other physicists noticed that Newton’s Laws and theories didn’t explain what happened when things
got really tiny. Quantum mechanics was an attempt at an explanation. It doesn’t throw out Mr.
Newton, just brings him into line
with new discoveries of the micro variety. It reminded me of trying to figure out why my daughter’s shoulder hurt. We treated it
as a bad sprain, but it still hurt.
Eventually we found a doctor who
could put all her observations and
test results together and devise a
treatment. Not accepting the first
explanation, persevering until
we had something that fit all her
symptoms, was the key to making
the pain go away.
We have a choice. There are really many levels of reality. Do you
prefer the appearance of the solid chair or the collection of atoms constantly in motion? Is life a
straight line, or how we deal with
the unexpected turns along the
way? Can we accept that our own
ideas need to be tested and measured against the outcome? Do
we stick to the accepted explanation even if it doesn’t really explain
things, or do we try to figure out
what is really going on?
Who knew that theoretical
physics applied to how people’s
lives actually worked? My own,
personal physicist knew, of course.
But then I’ve always said that he
was incredibly intelligent.
the day, if a question arose concerning “proper etiquette,” we
would grab Emily Post off the
shelf and look it up. That wellread and well-worn book stood
right after the Webster’s Dictionary and the Wonder Book Encyclopedias.
In our house, her word was
Gospel. If she said it, then that’s
what we did.
To date, there have been 18
updated editions, and although
Ms. Post died in 1960, her legacy continues, updated by members of her family, including her
great-great grandchildren. In
2011, Etiquette, 18 th Edition –
Manners for a New World was
published, and it was designed
for manners in the 21st century.
It includes manners for everyday use, such as table manners,
dining out, the use of invitations, weddings, and entertaining. But in addition, rules
to follow for communications
and use of modern-day technology are also included. These
chapters will answer questions
such as “when you can unfriend
someone on Facebook,” or can
you “email a condolence note.”
Along with the 18th edition
of Etiquette, you can also purchase a number of books dealing with specific rules for any
number of circumstances. For
instance, one of these deals with
teaching your child good manners and the proper etiquette
used in social networking.
Now this isn’t to say there
aren’t other reference books on
the subject of good manners.
There are. It’s just that Emily
Post was the etiquette guru in
our house over 60 years ago.
Good manners are simply a
matter of treating others with
respect. That, first and foremost includes saying “please”
and “thank you” regularly. It’s
treating others as you would
like them to treat you. It’s holding the door open for someone
who is walking in behind you
and not closing it in his or her
face, especially if the other person is carrying something.
Having good manners is
learning the proper table manners. Not talking with your
mouth full, or not beginning to
eat before everyone else is seated are important. And then,
as I often still have to remind
my grown children, no talking
about bodily functions at the
table.
Good manners also include
being a good sport, whether
you win or lose. And if you’re
like me, you probably know
some people who just never got
the lessons on playing well with
others.
I remember my daughter,
when she was in high school,
coming home from a shopping
trip to the mall. She was visibly
upset when she began to relay an
incident that had occurred that
day. She was on her way into a
store and another young woman was right in front of her. An
elderly gentleman stepped aside
and held the door for them.
The other girl went in but told
the man as she passed that she
could hold the door for herself. My daughter said the man
looked quite embarrassed, but
she said to him, “Thank you for
holding the door for me. I appreciate it.” I think Emily Post
would have been proud of her. I
know I was.
Spread the News!
Extra copies of the
Times
are available at
Trout’s Market
in Woodsboro
and
T.R. Sayor Company
in Walkersville.
COMMENTARY
This and that
Mary Klotz
March. John Phillip Sousa,
Little Women, lions and lambs,
shamrocks and snakes?
March 1 is National Peanut
Butter Lover’s Day (according to
nationaldaycalendar.com). Turns
out that “National” (or international, or state) days have snuck
into the calendar without any
kind of official process or documentation. Some are created by
acts of government at national, state, or international levels.
Some are dreamed up and announced by an industry or special interest group, or an individual with the time and energy
to spread the word. Some, like
National Peanut Butter Lover’s
Day, have no documented provenance at all. Nonetheless, recent
conversation with someone who
grows peanuts in her garden leads
me to bring up a peculiar and apparently little known feature of
the peanut plant of which she was
unaware.
Peanuts are variously reported to have originated in Africa,
where they are called “ground
nuts” -or in South America. Peanuts are part of the legume family, along with beans, peas and
lentils. Have you noticed that inside each individual peanut seed
is a set of tiny leaves? The pea-
nut is an actual seed, which grows
from a pollinated flower. But the
peanut pod grows underground.
How can both be true? The peanut forms at the base of the pollinated flower (which only blooms
for half a day). Then the stem of
the flower lengthens, elongating
until it touches the ground and
the tip works its way down into
the soil, where the peanut matures. This lengthened stem is
called a “peg”. When the plant is
pulled, it appears as though the
peanut grows from the roots, like
a potato. But don’t you believe it!
It takes about 45 peanuts-approximately the entire yield of
one plant- to make one ounce of
peanut butter. I’ve encountered
recipes calling for “ground nut
oil”. That would be peanut oil,
pressed from “goobers” (from the
Bantu word for peanut: “nguba”).
Scientific name Arachis hypogea
(under the earth, cellar).
George Washington Carver
championed peanuts as part of
rotational crop planting to restore solid depleted by cotton
monoculture. Now, China is by
far the top producer at nearly 17
million metric tons. The US is
number three at 3.1 metric tons
in 2012.
National Multiple Personality Day and National Absinthe
day share March 5. Absinthe, 90-
148 proof, is an eerily green, licorice flavored liqueur originating
in Switzerland, is again available
in the US after being banned for
over 100 years. It appears the
drink was blamed for behaviors
caused by drunkenness, rather
than the small quantity of wormwood used as an ingredient. Once
highly fashionable and trendy between 1850 and 1900 (particularly popular among bohemian
writers and artists in Paris), “the
green fairy” appears in several
paintings and books of the times.
Wormwood contains thujone,
which can be toxic and causes
side effects very similar to alcohol. The levels of thujone in
absinthe have never been high
enough to be dangerous- alcohol poisoning would kill you before thujone levels could be hazardous. Thujone levels currently
permitted in absinthe in the US
are one fourth what is permitted in Europe (where absinthe
was also banned). The banning
came as a confluence of the temperance movement, scientific experiments in which huge doses of
thujone proved its (dose related)
risk, and several crimes attributed to absinthe specifically rather
than drunkenness in general.
There is a ritual in serving absinthe involving special glasses
and spoons and the drizzling of
The Thurmont Thespians are bringing back the Little Sisters of Hoboken this winter with “Meshuggah-Nuns! The Ecumenical Nunsense”. (L-R) Emily Cofer as Sr. Amnesia, Allison Banzhoff as Reverand Mother, Anna Perry as Sr. Hubert, Travis Sanders as Howard Listz, Kelli Donaghue as Sr. Robert Ann, and Jessica Paguingan as Sr. Gnu.
The Thurmont Thespians present MeshuggahNuns: The Ecumenical Nunsense!
In 2007 the Thurmont Thespians started the Nunsense series with the original “Nunsense!” which was a huge success
for the local theater group. They
followed that up in 2009 with
“Nunsense 2: The Second Coming” which was also well received
by the area theater goers. Now
six years later they are bringing
another hilarious entry from the
Nunsense series back to the stage
– “Meshuggah-Nuns: The Ecumenical Nunsense” and will once
again be directed by Steven Ross.
Playing the part of Reverend
Mother is Allison Banzhoff from
Hagerstown, MD making her debut with the Thurmont Thespians. Kelli Donaghue from Wood-
sboro, MD will be playing Sister
Robert Anne and Travis Sanders from Fairfield, PA will be taking on the role of Howard Listz.
Making her stage debut is Jessica
Paguingan from Thurmont, MD
who will be playing Sister Gnu
and understudying the role of Sister Amnesia. Rounding out the
cast are Thurmont natives Anna
Perry as Sister Hubert and Emily
Cofer as Sister Amnesia.
“Meshuggah-Nuns” sets sail for
laughs and fun on the high seas
with the Little Sisters of Hoboken
attempting to put on show for the
Faiths of All Nations cruise. They
are joined by Howard Liszt the
only cast member from the ships
production of “Fiddler on the
Roof ” not affected by sea sickness. Hilarity ensues when these
characters join forces to put on
a wacky review show that is part
Catholic, part Jewish, and part
disaster movie, with a little “Gilligan’s Island” thrown in to top it
off.
The show dates are March 20,
21, 27, and 28 at 7:30 PM and
March 22 and 29 at 2:00 PM.
Tickets are $15 per person. Dinner theater is on March 28 at
6:00 and is $35 per person. All
shows are presented at the Thurmont American Legion at 8 Park
Lane, Thurmont, MD.
Reservations can be made by
calling (301) 271-7613
ice water over sugar cubes. When
the cold, sweet water drips into
the absinthe, it turns cloudy.
Some other cordial curiosities: Root liqueur is among several newish offerings from a small
Pennsylvania brewery. Root is
an organic liqueur, based on colonial herbal recipes and is very
reminiscent of root beer, with a
great deal more complexity. Its
ingredients include organic wintergreen, spearmint, cinnamon,
clove, cardamom, allspice, birch
bark, anise, smoked black tea,
lemon, orange, nutmeg, and sugar cane. I have used it as I would
an extract such as vanilla, for flavoring baked apples or sweet potatoes. Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction also offers Snap,
a cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, rooibos tea, ginger, brown sugar, and
vanilla concoction, and Rhuby,
rhubarb, carrots, beets, lemon,
petitgrain (bitter orange oil), cardamom, pink peppercorn, coriander, and vanilla. It references
a rhubarb tea that Ben Franklin supposedly made. Cedilla is
a liqueur from Brazil, made from
macerated acai berries (a “superfruit”). I bought it because the
bottle is purple.
On March 5, the full moon
will be the smallest of the year,
because the moon itself will be
30,000 miles farther from Earth
than it will be in September. The
13th is a Friday this month (as it
was last month). St Patrick’s day
is March 17. The equinox will
occur on March 20: equal lengths
of day and night. Balance, and a
turning point.
COMMENTARY
Ireland’s day
Charissa Roberson
Here in America our calendars are strewn with holidays of
different nationalities and cultures, from Hanukkah to Cinco de Mayo. America’s people
are just as varied as the holidays
we celebrate. Where else can you
ask someone their ethnicity and
have them answer, “I’m a mix
of German, Native American,
and Scots”? My own family has
roots in several different countries, including Ireland. So when
St. Patrick’s Day comes around,
we celebrate the holiday enthusiastically—though perhaps not
completely traditionally.
It is March 17 and I wake up
to ham frying on the griddle.
The rich, savory smell lies thick
in the air, having drifted back
to the bedroom where I’m still
huddled beneath my blankets.
I yawn, reluctant to leave the
warm comfort of my covers, but
the smell of breakfast beckons to
my hungry stomach. As I begin
to pull on my soft brown hoodie, my eyes light on the calendar
by my bed. St. Patrick’s Day—
today! With a jerk, I tug the
hoodie back over my head and
toss it aside. Brown is no good.
This holiday calls for a different color. Within moments I am
dressed in a bright green shirt
and scampering down the hallway to the kitchen.
The chatter of voices meets
me at the doorway. All the rest
of my family is already up, busily setting out plates and silverware or tending to one of the
hissing pans over the stove. I
say my good-mornings and harass my father until he agrees
to go change into a dark green
sweater. Everyone else is merri-
ly decked out in an assortment
of mint, lime, and mossy shades.
The ham is almost done, I peek
into the pan to check, and eggs
and toast are already on the table. We still need drinks. I fill
the tall glasses with orange juice
and then open the cupboard. It
isn’t just our clothing that will
be green today. We have a family
tradition, probably a pretty odd
one to the world at large, that we
practice every St. Patrick’s Day.
Taking the food coloring out of
its bag, I drip several drops into
each glass and stir them up. The
orange juice swirls for a moment
and then turns into a light green.
I set the glasses by each breakfast plate just as the ham is carried, with great pomp and circumstance, over to the table. We
all seat ourselves in our customary places and survey the spread:
green eggs and ham—delicious.
Really, they are, if you follow Dr.
Seuss’s advice and just try them.
Taking a piece of toast, I dip my
knife into the green-dyed butter, glad that the food coloring is
completely tasteless.
As we enjoy our breakfast, the
conversation turns to St. Patrick,
the reason for this holiday. He is
the patron saint of Ireland, and
tradition says that he taught the
Irish people about God, using
the shamrock. He also allegedly
drove all the snakes out of Ireland. I ask my two older sisters
if they saw any snakes on their
trip to Ireland two years ago.
They say they didn’t see any, but
that their ten day tour had been
along the Connemara Coast –on
horseback. It hadn’t been prime
snake territory. Then the question arises as to whether leprechauns are known to bring good
luck or bad luck, and just what is
the ‘luck of the Irish?’ That debate keeps us occupied for the
rest of the meal.
Right after breakfast, we set
to work stringing up shamrocks
and green ribbons all over the
house, and pasting tiny Irish
flags wherever it is convenient.
My sister finds a pair of huge
green sunglasses, and we take
turns trying them on and posing
for pictures. We even adorn our
long-suffering golden retriever
with a green neckerchief which
stimulates a fresh round of photo shoots.
In the morning, our St. Patrick’s Day is quite silly, but at
dinnertime it becomes more of a
formal occasion. My sister and I
begin the preparations by getting
out our tried and tested recipe
for Irish brown bread. Together we begin to mix the dough.
It is thick, gooey stuff that sticks
between your fingers, making
for quite a mess as the instructions explicitly state to knead it
with your hands. But with time
and a good bit of extra flour, we
manage to shape the dough into
a smooth mound. We make two
crossways cuts into the loaf with
a large cleaver, and then push the
bread into the hot oven. Before
long, the warm, yeasty smell of
baking bread has permeated the
entire house.
While we wait, I turn on a
playlist of Celtic music which
my sister promptly changes to
Irish rock, and I sneakily change
back again. Between battles, we
set our small table downstairs
with a green linen tablecloth and
our best dishes and then help
our mother prepare the rest of
the meal: little red and gold potatoes ready to pop into the oven; carrots and tangy cabbage
boiling in a pot; and corned
beef simmering on the back
burner. I breathe in luxuriously.
The kitchen is lovely, warm and
steamy and imbued with a festive spirit, as if the cooking has
released some enchantment into
the air.
Ding! The timer chimes suddenly, and my sister and I dive
for the oven mitts. A wave of
warmth wafts out to meet us as
we pull open the door. And the
smell…! It is heavenly. We carefully wrap the bread in a cloth,
tucking it in around the corners
to keep the loaf hot.
The cabbage and carrots are
done next, closely followed by
the beef and potatoes. At last
we gather the family together
and carry the meal downstairs.
The table is glowing softly in the
golden candlelight as we take our
seats. We silently clasp each other’s hands and bend our heads in
a prayer of thanks. Then my fa-
ther raises his glass of sparkling
cider.
I cup my fingers beneath my
chilled glass and lift it with the
others. My smile grows wider as
I look across at my family’s faces
half-shadowed in the dim light.
Upstairs, the Celtic music is still
faintly playing; I had succeeded
in making the final switch. The
holiday has been a good one, and
it has reminded me of something
I often take for granted—we are
Americans, but our heritage lies
in many different places. Within this country are nationalities
from all over the world, living
and mingling together in freedom. This month we celebrate
Ireland in our country—half a
world away. Only in America
does there exist such a variety of
cultures. This is America’s heritage.
We bring our glasses together with a ringing clink, and at
once the chatter begins. Dishes are passed this way and that,
the potatoes arching over someone’s head as they reach for the
butter. I fill my plate with beef,
potatoes, and cabbage, but the
greatest temptation is the brown
bread. We all watch hungrily as my sister cuts the circular loaf into thick chunks. It is
still steaming. The crust is perfectly browned, the inside, dense
and moist…the butter melts instantly over my wedge and seeps
down into the soft bread. That
first bite cannot be described.
Spread the News!
Extra copies of the
Times
are available at
Trout’s Market
in Woodsboro
and
T.R. Sayor Company
in Walkersville.
month.
ARTS
Maryland Ensemble Theatre
presents satirical dark comedy
The Arsonists
FREDERICK, MD (February
12. 2015) - Maryland Ensemble
Theatre (MET) continues its
seventeenth Mainstage season
with the satirical dark comedy
The Arsonists by Max Frisch, and
translated by Alistair Beaton.
Inspired by the Communist
takeover of Czechoslovakia in
1948, this absurdist allegory
satirizes the way in which
people can be manipulated
into accommodating their own
destruction. In the play, fires
are becoming something of a
problem, popping up all over
town, but Mr. Biedermann has
it all under control. A respected
member of the community, he
tries to live a life of blameless
middle-class decency. It is this
sense of bourgeois propriety that
renders Biedermann defenseless
when two strangers finesse their
way into his home and settle in.
But when they start filling his
attic with petrol drums, will he
help them light the fuse?
The play was originally
produced at London’s Royal
Court Theatre in 1961 under
The Fire Raisers and its final
run will be Thursday through
Sunday from March 5 through
March 8 at MET, located in
the historic FSK Hotel at 31
W Patrick Street.
Tickets to The Arsonists
are $16.50 through $25.50
and can be purchased at
301.694.4744, marylandensemble.org or in person at the
Maryland Ensemble Theatre
box office.
Tad Janes in The Arsonists
Fiddler in Frederick
Beginning on Friday, March
13th, Fiddler on the Roof will
make its return to Way Off
Broadway with a new staging
for the spring.
In the little village of Anatevka, Tevye, a poor dairyman,
tries to instill in his five daughters the traditions of his tightknit Jewish community in the
face of changing social mores
and the growing anti-Semitism
of Czarist Russia. Rich in historical and ethnic detail, Fiddler on the Roof has touched
audiences around the world
with its humor, warmth and
honesty. The universal theme of
tradition cuts across barriers of
race, class, nationality and religion, leaving audiences crying
tears of laughter, joy and sadness.
Fiddler on the Roof is a musical theatre classic that took its
first bow on Broadway in 1964
starring Zero Mostel as Tevye
and Bea Arthur as Yente, under the direction of legendary
Broadway director/choreographer Jerome Robbins. At the
1965 Tony Awards it was nominated for ten awards and took
home nine of them including
Best Musical, Best Actor and
Actress, and Best Direction of
a Musical. The original production ran for eight years and
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over 3,200 performances. By
the time it closed in the summer of 1972, it was the longest
running musical in Broadway
history (a distinction currently
held by Andrew Lloyd Webber’s
The Phantom of the Opera).
Fiddler has had four Broadway revivals since the original
and a major motion picture film
adaptation released in 1971. A
brand new Broadway revival is
currently in the works for a November 2015 opening, slated to
star Danny Burstein as Tevye.
This spring’s production will
be Fiddler on the Roof ’s second
run at Way Off Broadway. With
a brand new production, Way
Off Broadway is ready to return
to the little village of Anatevka
and once again learn about family and tradition.
Fiddler on the Roof is based
on stories by Sholem Aleichem,
with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and a
book by Joseph Stein. Way Off
Broadway’s production is directed by Bill Kiska, the theatre’s Executive Producer, and
has music direction by Jordan
B. Stocksdale.
Way Off Broadway’s cast is led
by Dino P. Coppa, Sr. as loveable milkman Tevye. His outspoken wife Golde is played by
Tori Weaver, with Mary Ellen
Cameron, Sarah Biggs, and Mallory Rome playing their daughters Tzeitel, Hodel, and Chava,
respectively. Also in this season’s
production are David I. Marcus
as Lazar Wolf, Jordan B. Stocksdale as Motel, Matt Rothenberg
as Perchik, Matthew A. Mastromatteo as Fyedka, and Megan West as Yente. Rounding
out the cast as other members
of the Anatevka community are
Shaylee Chubin, Charlie Cizek,
Ella Coulson, Matthew Crawford, Katharine Ford, Daniel Hafer, Johnna Leary, Brady
Love, Rowan Tarmy, and Joseph
Waeyaert as the Fiddler.
Of interesting note, the cast
of Fiddler on the Roof is made
up of nearly the entire cast of
last season’s Les Misérables,
which won the BroadwayWorld
Baltimore Regional Award for
Best Acting Ensemble.
Fiddler on the Roof runs from
March 13th – May 30th with
performances ever Friday and
Saturday evening, and matinees
on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Sunday of each month. There will
be a special Mother’s Day performance on Sunday, May 10th.
In the evenings, guests arrive
for dinner at 6:00 p.m. with the
show beginning at 8:00 p.m.
For the matinees, guests arrive
for lunch at 12:30 p.m. with the
show beginning at 2:15 p.m.
Tickets for a Friday evening
or Sunday matinee performance
are $44; tickets are $48 on Saturday evenings.
To purchase tickets, one can
stop by the theatre in person
or call the Box Office at (301)
662-6600. For additional in-
formation about Fiddler on the
Roof, or any of Way Off Broadway’s productions, including its
Children’s Theatre and special
events, visit www.wayoffbroadway.com.
Following Fiddler on the
Roof this summer will be West
Side Story.
LIBRARY
A Page from Walkersville Library
57 West Frederick Street, Walkersville, MD (301) 845-8880
Library events
If you haven’t left your house in
a couple of weeks, we don’t blame
you – winter weather is rough.
However, spring is just around the
corner so join us at the library this
March for a range of indoor and
outdoor fun! Elementary school
children, looking to improve their
reading skills, can join a furry
friend and read to one of the Wags
for Hope dogs who are always excited to hear a story on March 3
from 6:30-7pm. Preschoolers can
meet a musician from the Frederick Symphony Orchestra on
March 5 at 1pm, for a very special storytime, complete with an
instrument petting zoo courtesy of Music & Arts! Adult programming is back, and our new
adult reference librarian, Katie
Thompson, will be challenging
our general knowledge on Trivia Throwdown Thursday. Join
us on March 5 at 7pm and prove
that you really do know more than
everyone else! On March 10 preschoolers can work on making
spring sun-catchers at the 10:45
am storytime, and they can also
get busy with blocks, dough and
sand at Construction Junction
on March 12 at 11am. Teens can
learn the basics of Irish set dancing just in time for St. Patrick’s
Day with Walkersville’s only ceili
on March 16 at 3pm, and elementary kids can learn the mathematics behind great masterpieces at
The Science of Art on 17 March
at 4:30pm. The 2014 marble
champions, the Frederick County Knucklers, will be joining us at
the library on Saturday, 21 March
from 1-2pm, to show us how to
shoot for Marble Shooting Skills
Day. Meanwhile, preschoolers
can go on a mini-adventure with
a park ranger from Cunningham
Falls State Park as part of Maryland State Parks – Park Pals
on 26 March at 1:30pm. Final-
ly, Quidditch is back for teens!
Come train with us from 3-5pm
on March 26 and don’t forget BYOB (Bring Your Own Broom).
This is only a fraction of the great
programs running at the Walkersville branch this month, so for
more information please check
out the library web site, www.fcpl.org, or stop by the branch and
pick up a calendar at the reference
desk.
Science at Sundown
Tuesday evenings at 6:30 at the Walkersville Library
By Adrienne Broedel Barbee
Have you ever wondered if
meatballs could fall from the
sky? Or when monsters are just
shadows? Is there a pot of gold
at the end of a rainbow? During
Science at Sundown on the second, third, and fourth Tuesdays
of every month, we read stories
then explore the science behind
the literature with hands on activities.
Science at Sundown is happy
to have STAR READERS from
local elementary schools share
stories then assist with the science activities. Teachers from
Walkersville Elementary join us
as STAR READERS on the second Tuesday. Every third Tuesday is presented by Glade Elementary STAR READER
teachers and the last week fea-
tures Miss Adrienne, our tween
librarian. This program is for
grades 1-5 with an adult (even
great scientists need lab partners now and then). Join us as
we explore the science behind the
stories.
March will feature Weather
experiments with STAR READERS: Principal O’Heithir, Mrs.
Wells, and Mrs. Bussard. An
extra special program features
live animals from the Catoctin Nature Center that visit us
on March 31. Chemistry is the
theme for April. Make Tuesday your family library night
for books, science and STAR
READERS!
Frederick County Government
Boards and Commissions Volunteer Opportunities
The Frederick County Executive invites interested persons to
volunteer their time to serve on several boards and commissions
that include the Commission on Aging, Containment Laboratory
Community Advisory Committee, Roads Board, Social Services
Board, and many others. To view a complete listing of the
vacancies, please visit Frederick County Government’s website at
www.frederickcountymd.gov/boards.
Persons having a desire to serve must be residents and registered
voters of Frederick County. If interested in serving, please submit a
letter of interest and a current resume to:
Mrs. Joyce M. Grossnickle, Administrative Officer
Office of the County Executive
Winchester Hall - 12 East Church Street
Frederick, Maryland 21701
301- 600 -1102
E-mail: fcgboards@FrederickCountyMD.gov
Applications must be received by 4:00 p.m. on Friday, March 20, 2015.
Frederick County Government does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national
origin, sex, religion, age, or disability in employment or the provision of services.
3/10 & 4/14 – WES teachers
3/17 & 4/21 – Glade teachers
3/24 & 4/28 – Miss Adrienne
3/31 - Wild Animals from
Cunningham Falls State Park
Trivia
Linda Murray
Do you know the chemical formula for hydrochloric
acid? Or the winner of Best
Picture at the 1929 Academy Awards? Do your friends
refuse to play Trivial Pursuit
with you? Then you might be
a trivia junkie.
Now’s your chance to put that
useless knowledge to work! This
spring, the Walkersville Library
will be hosting a monthly Trivia Throwdown. Each Throwdown
will consist of four rounds of five
rapid-fire questions and one longer “quiz”. Participants will place
a wager for each answer, 1, 3, 5,
7, or 9, based on how confident
they are in their answer. Points
are earned for correct answers,
but don’t worry, there’s no penalty
for guessing wrong. The winning
team gets to take home the Smarty
Pants Trophy!
Interested? Then put together
a team or take on the competition solo and join us at the Walkersville Library for Trivia Throwdown Thursdays March 5, April 2
and May 14 at 7:00 pm.
Looking to get a leg up on the
competition? Here are some of the
sources used in developing our
questions:
American Trivia: What we all
should know about U.S. history,
culture & geography by Richard
Lederer
The Trivia Lover’s Guide to the
World: Geography for the lost and
found by Gary Fuller
Weird Maryland by Matt Lake
Super Pop!: Pop culture top
ten lists to help you win at trivia, survive in the wild, and make
it through the holidays by Daniel
Harmon
SCHOOLS
FFA travels afar
Jeni Lacko, your Maryland FFA
Association State Treasurer, 2014-15
This January, the Maryland State
Officer team, along with nearly 70
other young people, received the
incredible opportunity to explore
South Africa for two weeks. The
International Leadership Seminar was put on by the National
FFA Organization and provided us
with the opportunity to experience
South African agriculture firsthand by visiting diverse farming
operations, chatting with industry
leaders, dining among locals, and
even harvesting carrots alongside
local workers. In order to prepare
for this trip, each participant completed a 10-week online training
program to reinforce our cultural understanding and strengthen
our knowledge about foreign agriculture. However, no amount of
schooling could have prepared us
for the wild, beautiful, and unforgettable adventure that we underwent during our time overseas.
The ILSSO group was able to
witness the best that South Africa has to offer, such as the heartpounding close encounters with
animals living inside Kruger National Park, the breathtaking panoramic views of Blyde River Canyon, and the mysterious and elusive
creatures that can be found only on
Table Mountain in Cape Town. I
was personally called upon to leave
my comfort zone, try new experiences, stand on top of the world,
and witness love and joy in a way
that I never have before—in the
form of a few beautiful young girls
that I befriended during a trip to a
very poor community called Kliptown in the township of Soweto.
My first instinct was to feel sorry for these people, but that feeling
quickly dissolved when we walked
through the narrow alleys and
looked into the smiling faces of the
mothers and children waving at us
through their open doors and say-
ing, “Hello!” as we passed by. Thulani, our guide for the day, pulled
us aside and said, “Do not have
pity on the people of Kliptown.
It is not their decision to be born
here, but it is their decision to die
here.” Thulani himself had grown
up in the impoverished community and is no longer a resident there,
although he spends the majority of
his time assisting in operating the
Kliptown Youth Program.
Kliptown is known for this program, which was created to “eradicate the poverty of mind, body,
and soul” and to support underprivileged children in their efforts
to receive an education. Upon our
arrival to the town, it was apparent
that these people lived a lifestyle
very different from ours. Kliptown
is a maze of small tin shacks and
razor wire, with a few small shops
where items such as herbs, animal
bones, and other substances that
can be made into medicines are
sold. At the heart of the community are the Kliptown Youth Program headquarters and a bubblegum pink solar-powered public
computer room, constructed using grant money from the United
States government. The computers allow the citizens of Kliptown
to further their education, connect
with people outside of their community, and to develop skills which
will benefit them in the workplace.
As we sat down for a musical
presentation in the schoolyard,
a wave of children came rushing
up to our group, hugging us and
climbing onto our laps. The young
girl who clung to me couldn’t have
been more than five years old and
wouldn’t even say a word to me
at first. She was called Tumi, and
we spent the rest of that afternoon
dancing and playing together with
her friends, Precious and Angel.
Saying goodbye to the incredible
people of Kliptown was so difficult, but I will always remember
the feeling of weightlessness that
All of the children in Kliptown captured the hearts of the group, but this sweet infant named Happiness was certainly
one of the stars of the show
The State Officer Team at Beestepan Farm in Middleburg, South Africa. The farm stretches for 42,000 acres, and is used
raise cattle and grow corn, potatoes, sugar beans, and soy beans.
came over me in that schoolyard.
These children weren’t burdened
by the knowledge that they didn’t
have all of the privileges that we are
born with as Americans –in fact,
it was just the opposite. The afternoon we spent in Kliptown was a
pivotal moment for me and several
of the other people on the trip and
certainly put things in perspective
for the group. Although this was
one of the highlights of the trip
for me, there were so many other
learning experiences, memories,
and moments that left me completely awestruck.
My time spent in Africa was so
incredibly rewarding, and now that
I have returned to the States, I am
eager to share the knowledge and
experience I gained on this trip
with everyone I encounter. On behalf of the Team, I would like to
thank everybody who has supported us throughout this adventure.
Each of us returned home with an
expanded cultural understanding,
agricultural knowledge, and overall
worldview, and we look forward to
passing that information on to you!
We will be giving several presentations about our international travel
experiences throughout the year, as
well as at State Convention in June.
Please feel free to contact Mrs. Terrie Shank or the State Officer team
if you have any questions about the
ILSSO Program, or if you would
like for any of us to come and speak
to you about our experiences in
South Africa via email at: tshank@
mdffa.org; officers@mdffa.org .
5th Annual Danny Mack Leadership
Award Winner–Brendan Cassels
Brendan Cassels was awarded the Danny Mack Leadership
award during the annual WHS
football banquet held on Jan.
11. The award was presented
by WHS football alumnus Jeff
Meyers who played on the very
first Walkersville High School
football team in 1977.
Jeff Meyers told us about the
award, “This award has been given to the top Walkersville High
School Varsity Football player
that best displays the qualities/
characteristics of a fellow WHS
Football Player/ Alumni, the
late, Danny Mack. The qualities considered during the selection process of the winner are:
Leadership, Perseverance, Com-
mitment, Dedication, Inspiring
and Never Quit Attitude. Tragically in 2009, Danny lost his
life to AML cancer. Every year
since then, in honor of Danny,
Head Football Coach Joe Polce
and Jeff Meyers select the award
recipient at the end of the season and announce the winner at
the annual football banquet. Prior accomplished WHS Danny
Mack Leadership award winners:
2010 – Quentin Ezell; 2011 –
Mike Kelley; 2012 – CJ Walters;
and for 2013 – Ryan Roberson.
“Brendan is an outstanding
person, very talented football
player, leader and an excellent
role model within the Walkersville Community,” said Jeff
Meyers. “Over the past 3 years
and from the sidelines capturing video, I have watched
Brendan progress as a dominating lineman. It has been a true
honor getting to know him and
his family; nobody is more deserving of this award and everyone is so proud.”
Brendan’s 2014 Season accomplishments include: All
MVAL Chesapeake Conference; Voted Top Offensive
Lineman in Frederick County; All Area; All State; and selected to play in the Baltimore
Crab Bowl and the Baltimore
Touchdown Club Senior AllStar Game.
Award recipient Brendan Cassels with presenter Jeff Meyers
SCHOOLS
2015 Woodsboro
American Legion
Walkersville High
School Scholarship
(L-R) Carolyn Pugh, Executive Director of the Friends of Catholic Education (FOCE) stands with Sister Brenda
Monahan, D.C., Principal at Mother Seton School, Sister Ann Claire Rhoads, D.C., and Carol Hinds, President
of the Board of Directors of FOCE. Sister Ann Claire was the recipient of the 2015 FOCE Excellence in Teaching
Award for Mother Seton School.
For over 40 years, the Woodsboro American Legion Post
#282 has supported many
Glade Valley family children
and youth programs. One of
the most popular programs is
the Walkersville High School
College Scholarship. This year
the Woodsboro American Legion Scholarship will award
$1,000.00 to a deserving WHS
graduating senior.
American Legion Woodsboro
Post #282 Walkersville High
School Scholarship applications are now available at the
WHS Guidance Office. WHS
seniors are encouraged to apply for this scholarship. For
more information about the
scholarship or how to make a
tax deductible contribution to
the American Legion Walkersville High School Scholarship
Fund, please call Roger Hub
240.344.3758 or e-mail rogerhub@gmail.com
New Trade/Technical Scholarship
for Walkersville area residents being
offered
The Peg and Orley Bourland
Educational Assistance Fund is
being awarded for the first time
this year through The Community Foundation of Frederick. This scholarship’s purpose
is to provide financially needbased funds for post-secondary
education in trade or technical
fields and/or help underwrite
the costs associated with tuition, fees, testing, trade tools
and supplies. Applicants’ eligibility requirements are: must
be a resident of Walkersville
school district, must describe
their financial need, career
goals, specify how the funds
will be used and must be enrolled in an accredited postsecondary educational program. Preference is given to,
but not limited to applicants
who are entering the vocational, technical and skilled trade
fields (not 4 year degrees). The
award will be either one $1000
or two $500 scholarships. Ap-
plications are available March
1st-31st, 2015. Applications
are due to The Community Foundation by March 31st
at 4:00pm. Applications are
available at Walkersville High
School, Career and Technology Center (CTC), Glade Valley
Food Bank, Walkersville Public Library, Walkersville Town
Hall, Woodsboro Town Hall,
FCC and The Community
Foundation of Frederick.
Advertise
with
us!
For more information,
contact
WoodsboroEditor@gmail.com
5
COMMUNITY NOTES
Incarnation United Church
of Christ Welcomes Rev. Chris
Spruill
Have You Met…
Marge Mills
From the Emmitsburg News
Journal
The Rev. Chris Spruill has
been called to serve as the new
pastor at Incarnation UCC in
Emmitsburg beginning January 1, 2015. In his words, “I am
thrilled to be back in the pulpit regularly after a brief break
and back as a regular pastor after serving in an interim capacity for the past several years.” He
has lived in the Frederick area
for a little more than ten years
and was the Associate Pastor of
Grace United Church of Christ
in downtown Frederick from
2004 until 2010.
Serving as Incarnation’s pastor is only one of the hats Rev.
Chris will be wearing. He works
full-time for an accounting firm
in Frederick and is a Town Commissioner in Woodsboro, where
he lives with his wife and their
brood of pets. He also teaches
classes at Hagerstown Community College one night a week so
he stays busy. Their daughter is a
third-year student at James Madison University in Harrisonburg,
VA and maintains an apartment
there for most of the year.
Rev. Spruill has served in various capacities in his ministry
career and has volunteered as
Spread the News!
Extra copies of the
Times
are available at
Trout’s Market
in Woodsboro
and
T.R. Sayor Company
in Walkersville.
month.
Hometown: I was born and raised in Frederick
City. I moved to Walkersville in 1968 and still
live there. I raised both my children in Walkersville.
Family Members: I have a daughter Gené
Fouché and her husband Tad Janes, and a
son Gene Mills Jr., and his wife Wendi Devilbiss Mills. I have two granddaughters, Lena
Rose Janes, 14, and Mia Rochelle Mills, 1; and
two grandsons, Jacob Callahan, 10, and Gene
Thomas Mills III, 2.
Occupation: I retired in 2011 from the National Cancer Institute, Fort Detrick. Over the years I have been a reporter and editor for several newspapers. Since retirement, I have been working writing two novels, writing for the Woodsboro/Walkersville Times, and have edited several novels for publication.
a youth worker for the Catoctin Association as well as having served on the Association
Council. He said,”I love preaching, but I also love the chance to
meet with members of the congregation one-on-one. I look
forward to our time together as
we meet the challenges of being
church in the twenty-first century together.” He will be working on a part-time basis with Incarnation and is making himself
available to meet with members
of the congregation and meeting
the Emmitsburg community..
The Emmitsburg community
and Incarnation UCC give you
a hearty welcome, Rev. Spruill.
Favorite Food: Doughnuts, hands down. I grew up eating lots of my grandmother’s homemade
doughnuts and can always eat my fair share of any doughnuts available.
Favorite Restaurant: That would depend on what I am planning to order. Prime rib is my favorite at Shamrock in Thurmont. I also like Village Tavern in Walkersville for the crab cakes
and blue cheese salad dressing. May’s Restaurant in Frederick also has great crab cakes.
Favorite Movie: I like musicals or sappy love stories. I really don’t have an all-time favorite. I
prefer live theatre, again musicals, and am planning to see Hedwig on Broadway in the spring.
In My Spare Time: I am an avid reader. When I first retired, I was reading a book almost every
day. I’ve slowed down a bit, and divide my time between writing and editing, reading, cooking,
and watching television. I enjoy marathon watching of TV series, either those that have concluded, or to catch up from other seasons.
Biggest Pet Peeve: I guess that would be lazy people, or someone who thinks the world owes
him or her a living.
Two people I would like to invite to dinner: Anyone who is hungry and needs a good meal.
Three things I would take on a desert island: matches, a friend, and lots and lots of doughnuts.
Who would you like to meet from history (living or dead) and why? Elvis, who I watched for
the first time on TV when I was 13. He was my favorite singer as a teenager, and as the “King of
Rock and Roll,” will always hold the title as far as I’m concerned. I think he was amazing.
Maple Run
Golf Club
Pro Shop
18 hole course
Golf carts available
Online tee time booking
13610 Moser Road, Thurmont, Maryland 21788
(301) 271-7870 | maplerungolf.com
COMMUNITY
Health Tips
Gardening safely
Dr. Mimi McLaughlin
Yes, spring is coming, and
with it also comes gardening. What a blessing it will be
to dig into the dirt, clear the
land, and get ready to plant
new flowers, seeds, and plants.
In an effort to assist you in being ready, we’d like to share a
few ideas for avoiding muscle
strain while gardening.
Growing your own food for
health, fun, and sustainability
can be a fun and relaxing way
of reconnecting with Mother Nature, and, with the rising
cost of groceries, it is a great
way to save money on grocery
budgets. The use of hoes and
weed whackers has been send-
ing aspiring gardeners to their
local doctor of chiropractic
with yard work related muscle
strains and pains.
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, here are some outdoors
related injury statistics to consider: more than 41,000 Americans injured themselves while
gardening or using gardening equipment; and more than
127,000 people were injured
while operating a lawn mower.
Many common injuries, including tendonitis, sprains,
and strains, can be prevented with proper techniques like
bending at the knees when lifting instead of from the back or
securing a ladder before climb-
ing. The repetitive motion that
your body undergoes when using such equipment can bring
on a whole host of mechanical
problems with the body.
Some tips include: 1. be sure
to switch the side on which
you are operating the equipment as often as possible, and
to balance the muscles being used, alternate your stance
and motion frequently; 2. take
frequent breaks; 3. be sure to
bend from the knees, not the
waist; 4. keep the object close
to your body as you lift, not at
arm’s length; and 5. be sure to
include a warm up/cool down
period that involves stretching.
The garden, a source of food, exercise, relaxation, and, unfortunately, injury
if you aren’t careful.
HISTORY
A First-Hand Glimpse of Walkersville, Md. in 1911
The following text was from
a pencil-written manuscript
found in the ledger of the late
Dr. John David Nicodemus
(1854-1938):
The founding of Walkersville dates back beyond the
memory of any of our residents and consisted for a while
of the three essentials for every
hamlet viz the P.O., store and
blacksmith shop. But modern or greater Walkersville is
of recent origin. It has come
in its present size in the last
2 ½ decades. There are not
more than a score of our present population who resided
here when the R.R. (railroad)
was built in ’72 (1872) (Avenues were laid out.) We now
have a population of 600 souls
which shows the rapid growth
of our village and these dwell
in over 160 commodious and
neat dwellings, many of the
attractive and eclectic designs
and with comforts and conveniences of modern homes such
as gas, bathrooms and heating
systems.
We have not yet reached the
stage of moral perfection but
our people are a church-going
people. Are not penurious and
have been generous to themselves and to please and cater
to their own religious views
have erected six substantial
churches. Paul when he visited
Athens and saw the multiplicity of alters to the various gods,
even to the unknown god said
to the Antenians I perceive
that you are too superstitious.
Should a Paul come to Walkersville and seeing our abundance of churches I am sure he
would say of us we are too sectarian.
We have one bank, whose
prosperity considering its age
is almost unsurpassed by any
in the state. Some of our men
of wealth who looked askance
at it when it was being organized, now when its stock is
selling at two for one feel like
going down behind the barn
and kicking themselves for
not taking a good block of
stock when solicited.
We have six general merchandising stores and one
clothing establishment, where
bargains and fits can be secured as good as any to be
had Bennie Rosenours or
Davy Lowenstine, but it remains for some Wannamakers
to give us all under one roof.
Three physicians and one
drugstore supply all the surgical and therapeutic needs of
the people. Two meat markets
whose steaks equal to those
had at the Belvedere and others so tough even the gravy is
tough. Our wives and sweet
girls rejoice in the convenience of two millinery establishments where Easter and
Fall hats and bonnets of the
latest Parisian styles can be
had galore, but we husbands
and fathers groan under the
burden.
One public hall and bowling alley attached furnish opportunities for amusement
for young and old.
Two barber shops.
Both of our tinners have
well furnished stove stores as
sidelines and do work and find
customers throughout the entire county.
One large creamery owned
by a Washington firm and
two substations for milk handle our dairy products of the
neighboring community and
receive its highest praise commodities in the Capitol and
at Annapolis. Four blacksmith shops and two hair cutting parlors help to supply the
needs of the village and surrounding community.
One hotel, who’s meals
served by the colonel’s wife
have become famous among
its traveling public.
Farming implements of any
kind or design are at your
command at any of the three
or four firms dealing in those
wears.
One bakery that hardly supplies the demands of our people in and out of the village.
We have both a public and
high school taught by five
teachers and attended by 135
pupils. But the school has long
since outgrown the building so
that two teachers have to occupy one room. This is not just
to a community that pays more
taxes than any other outside of
the county seat.
One furnishing and undertaking establishment that will
equip your home in the best of
style at the lowest figure and
cover up the mistakes of the
doctor.
Walkersville is supplied with
water by one of the best gravity systems in the state. This
comes to us direct from springs
uncontaminated by surface
drainage, the surplus of which
is stored for fire and emergencies in a reservoir of ¾ million
gallon capacity. We have a fall
of nearly 150 feet with about
100 pressure which enables us
to project water over the top of
a building at the highest point
within the corporation. This
gives us ideal fire protection
without engines.
With water on tap throughout our village we have all the
convenience that any well developed and modern city has
that comes through an abundant supply of water viz: Bathrooms, pave washes, fountain
lawn and garden sprinklers and
greatly reduced insurance rates.
Immediately upon the installation of the water system
there sprang into existence a
fire company. But it is now in
the language of the (illegible)
Mr. Cleveland lapsed into (illegible).
We have in course of construction a ten ton ice plant
which, when completed will
put its crystal product, made of
pure spring water, and by the
most approved method down
at our kitchen door and with
the cream from the herds of
our pasture land will make the
ice cream crop a large one.
At Walkersville is located
the home office of the Glade
Valley Milling Company and
the Monocacy Valley Canning
Company. These two are the
larger industries of our village.
The former with a capacity of
125 barrels of flour per day
with its frame and steel elevator
furnishes one of the best grain
markets in Western Maryland.
Its manufactured products
are shipped to the ends of the
earth and to conduct its several sidelines of coal, cement,
timber and building material
keeps between 15 and 20 hands
employed constantly.
Article presented by Walkersville Historical Society, Mrs.
Bonnie Leins, President and
Charles and Kathryn Nicodemus
RELIGION
Who makes up the church? (Part Two) (Acts 2:41-42)
Last month, as we continued
to cover the subject of what a Bible-believing church is, we learned
several truths about those that
make up Jesus Christ’s church.
We learned that the church membership ought to be comprised of
those that believe in biblical salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9) and have
been biblically baptized by immersion to profess their faith in Jesus
Christ. As we narrow the subject
down a bit, we must acknowledge
that God gives each local church
two offices of leadership to minister to the church family and lead
Christ’s work on Earth.
II. The church leadership
It is clear that the Bible teaches
that the ground is level at the foot
of the cross. In other words, every person that comes into God’s
family through salvation has equal
favor with God and receives an
equal portion of His Spirit. Just
so, every person that comes into
our congregation is equally welcome to worship the Lord with
us as we learn about and serve
Him, no matter their gender, race,
or background. However, there
must be structure to any assembly, otherwise chaos and disorder
exist. Our God is one that does
all things decently and in order (I
Corinthians 14:40); therefore He
created two positions of leadership in the local church: the pastor and deacon.
First, we must understand that
the head of every local church is
not the pastor, but the Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:23; Colossians 1:18). Jesus purchased the
church with His own blood and
directs His assemblies through
His Word and Spirit as He sees fit.
It is the job of every pastor to lead
the church to follow the leading of
the Lord Jesus.
Three words exist regarding
the pastor in Scripture that define
his function and position: pastor,
bishop, and elder. Pastor is the
most commonly used word for a
church leader today and means
shepherd. Jesus is the Good Shepherd of the church and appoints
every pastor to shepherd His flock
in His stead, until He comes and
reclaims them for His own (John
10:11-16). Paul and Peter both
spoke to pastors as shepherds in
Acts 20 and I Peter 5. Some of
their shepherding duties include
feeding the flock of God through
preaching and teaching (I Peter
5:2; Acts 20:28), doing the work
of the ministry out of love for
Christ (I Peter 5:2), being godly
examples before the flock (I Peter
5:3; I Timothy 4:12), and watching over the spiritual welfare of
the flock (Acts 20:28-31).
Bishop means overseer or administrator. Paul wrote to Timothy and Titus regarding the qualifications of a bishop in their
respective books, outlining how a
pastor ought to act as the administrator of the church (Titus 1; I
Timothy 3). The pastor is responsible to the Lord Jesus for everything that occurs in the church,
from the doctrine taught to running the daily operations, and will
give an account to Him (Hebrews
13:17; Acts 20:28-31) for his
faithfulness or disobedience.
Elder is the most common term
for a pastor and was an interchangeable term in the New Testament with bishop and pastor.
The pastor as an elder is a spiritual leader in the church that is
not new to the faith. This means
that he is not easily swayed by the
world, flesh, and Devil, and especially not by money (I Timothy
3:1-7; I Peter 5:2). He also has a
proven walk with the Lord and is
able to disciple those of his flock
through preaching, teaching, godly counsel, and example.
Second, we come to the office
of the deacon. This office was created out of necessity by the apostles when the physical needs of
the assembly were taking them
away from their spiritual obligations (Acts 6:1-7). The word deacon means servant or minister.
The deacon is literally the servant
of the pastor and the church, who
works to relieve the pastor of duties that take him away from the
ministry of the Word and prayer.
The Lord Jesus is the greatest example of a servant and declares
that the greatest in the Kingdom
of Heaven will be the servants of
all (Mark 10:42-45). As the pastor
is the servant of the church, so also
is the deacon.
The duties of the deacon can include administrative work, property maintenance, preparation for
church services, and whatever else
would take the pastor away from
his God-given duties. The qualifications of this office are outlined
by Paul and are vital to the health
of the church (I Timothy 3:8- 13)
because of the spiritual maturity
required. The deacon is a helper
and an assistant. When this position is executed properly, the
church is able to function more ef-
ficiently. The end of Acts 6 tells us
that the sacrifice and humility of
the men chosen for this position
allowed the church to produce
great fruit through the increased
preaching of the Gospel!
The membership of the local church ought to be made up
of those that are saved, baptized,
and have a proven desire to follow
the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 2:42).
Amongst that membership are
to be two offices: the pastor and
deacon. The pastor must be a servant leader that leads the church
to follow the Lord Jesus. He is to
be a shepherd, administrator, and
spiritual leader. The deacon is to
be a servant leader that helps the
pastor with the duties of the ministry that would take him away
from the ministry of the Word
and prayer (Acts 6:1-4). When
the church understands and obeys
these biblical truths, it is able to
go forward for the Lord in unity
and the power of the Holy Spirit.
James Bussard is the pastor of
Heritage Park Baptist Church that
meets at 8 N. 2nd St. in Woodsboro, MD @ 11:30am on Sundays and throughout the week.
For questions or comments about
this article, please call (301) 3042127 or write him at HeritageParkPastor@Gmail.com.
For
more service times and information about the church, please go
to www.FrederickforChrist.com
or call (301) 304-2127.
world, when we can hardly change
ourselves?
Jesus brought us the message
of change, and he also showed us
through his life how we can bring
this change about. First and foremost it comes with our own transformation; if we want to change
the outer world, then we need to
start by changing our inner world.
Jesus teaches us in his Sermon on
the Mount that we need to fast and
pray and give, and that all of these
things need to be done in secret.
That we do these practices not to
boast or to put on a show for others, but that we do these practices
in order that we might be transformed. We engage in these practices in order to orient our inner
lives towards God and in this way
we can make an outward transformation in our world.
The outward world will not
change unless my inward world
changes. If I do not forgive, how
can I expect others to forgive me?
If I can only forgive once, how
many times can I expect to be forgiven? If I cannot love my neighbor, how can I expect my neighbor to love me? If I cannot work
to rid the injustices in the world,
how can I expect the world to rid
the injustices that are done to me?
If I deserve to have, who am I to
deny others the same? If I cannot
change myself, how can I ever expect the world to change?
It is easy for us to let our fears
and our anxieties creep in to our
psyches when we ask ourselves
these questions. But God tells us
not to worry about things beyond
our control. God tells us to have
faith and trust in God’s love for us,
and God will take care of the rest.
So my personal goal is to engage
in these inward practices in the
hope that it will lead me toward a
closer relationship with God, and
my trust is that in turn it will promote a more personal relationship
with all of you, and together we
can transform our world.
Join us on Sunday mornings to
hear more about God’s love and
good news for us - worship is at
9:00 am at 8 North Second Street,
Woodsboro. For information
about our service or for other questions about what you read in this
article or about St. John’s United
Church of Christ call the church
phone at 301-845-7703 or email
Pastor Sean at PastorDeLawder@
aol.com. Visit us at Facebook to
find out information about our
community Ash Wednesday service – stjohnsuccwoodsboro – As
always, we welcome you to share
your thoughts. A note from Pastor Sean
Especially during the Lenten
season many people will spend
time on developing their spiritual disciplines. I am no different
in that respect. And as I do more
theological reading, engage in ad-
ditional prayers, and work on my
personal transformation, I came
across a question from the modern day theologian Brian McLaren. He asks in his book We Make
the Road by Walking, “How can we
change the world, when we can
hardly change ourselves?” I think
to myself, that is a good question.
I think that for the most part we
all try our best to be good people,
to do the right thing, to treat people as we want to be treated; and
yet how often do we fall short? We
are just two months in to our New
Year’s resolutions and how many
of us have resigned ourselves that
our resolutions were too optimistic? We have already gone back to
our old ways; those vows to eat
better and exercise are just a memory. So the question that Brian
McLaren asks strikes me as particularly valid on this cold winter day
as I too say to myself, I will exercise tomorrow.
But there are even bigger questions to ponder than “Did we
stick to our New Year’s resolutions?” There are the age old questions that Jesus sought to remind
us of, like how often and who are
we to forgive? Who is our neighbor and how are we to treat them?
Just what are we supposed to do
about the injustices in our world?
Who deserves to have and who deserves to have not? And as I think
about these important questions
and my role in answering them, I
think back to the question I started with, how can we change the
BOOK OF DAYS
Chambers’ Book of Days (published 1869)
The First Locomotive in the Britannia Tube
It must have been an anxious day for the late Robert
Stephenson when, on March 5,
1850, he first sent a locomotive engine through the wonderful Britannia tubular bridge
over the Menai Straits, an anxious day, but probably not a
distrustful one: for he, like all
our great engineers, knew his
own strength, and relied on
the soundness of the principles
which had guided him.
Assuredly it was no small
difficulty which he had been
called upon to overcome.
While the Chester and Holyhead Railway was being constructed, Stephenson pondered
how it should cross the Menai.
Telford’s beautiful suspension
bridge being deemed too slight
for the purpose, he planned a
tube or hollow girder, through
which a train might pass as
through a tunnel. To make
such a tunnel of sheet iron stiff
enough to resist any tendency to bending was a formidable task. The Menai Strait, at
the point selected for the crossing, is about eleven hundred
feet wide at high water: in the
middle is a rock called the Britannia Rock, rising a few feet
above high water level. Stephenson resolved to erect a pier
of masonry on the rock, so as
to break the span of the strait
into two portions. To ensure
manageable dimensions, it was
determined that there should
be two tubes, one for the up
and one for the down trains.
A masonry tower was to support the Caernarvon end of the
tubes, and another to support
the Anglesea end. There would
thus therefore be four separate tubes, forming two when
joined end to end.
Mighty were the engineering
agencies brought to bear upon
the work, and long was the period during which the operations continued. Should the
tube be of cast iron or wrought?
Should the cross section be
square, circular, or oval? Before these questions could be
properly answered, the skill of
Stephenson, Fairbairn, Hodgkinson, and other eminent engineers was taxed to the utmost, and the company spent a
large sum of money in preliminary experiments. Years rolled
on: and it was not until 1850
that the trains could cross the
bridge that was commenced in
1845. There was the Britannia
Tower to build, a large mass of
masonry higher than the Monument near London Bridge and
containing twenty thousand
tons of stone. There were the
Caernarvon and Anglesea Towers to construct on nearly as
massive a scale. There were the
vast abutments further inland
for which Mr. Thomas, whose
carvings in stone at the new
Houses of Parliament display
so much skill, was employed
to sculpture four lions couch
ant twenty-five feet long, majestic in their colossal repose.
But the tubes were the most
important achievement; each
tube is a hollow trunk varying
from twenty-five to thirty feet
in height, and about fifteen
feet wide. The top and bottom
are cellular, to insure increased
strength. All parts alike, sides
and cells, are formed of very
thick sheet or plate iron,
strengthened with angle-irons,
and riveted. Never, perhaps,
was there such another job of
riveting as this: more than two
million rivets were driven red
hot into holes punched in the
plates! Four gigantic tubes were
thus built up piece by piece,
on platforms ranged along the
Caernarvon shore.
Probably the greatest lift, in
a mechanical sense, ever effected, was the lifting of these
tubes —each of which weighed
nearly two thousand tons, and
had to be raised a clear height
of one hundred feet. Each tube
was removed from its platform
to eight floating pontoons
and was towed upon them to
its place between the towers.
Then, by a most extraordinary
combination of chains, pulleys, hydraulic-machines, and
steam-power, each tube was
steadily raised inch by inch
until at length it reached its
proper elevation, where suitable supports for its ends were
provided. The Menai Strait
had never before known such a
holiday as that which marked
the day selected for raising the
first of the tubes. Engineers of
eminence came from all parts
of the United Kingdom, and
from foreign countries, to
mark critically Stephenson’s
great achievements; directors
and shareholders came to witness a work on which so many hundred thousand pounds
of their capital had been expended; while curiosity-seekers, congregating from the
neighbouring counties, swelled
the number of those who lined
both sides of the strait. Amid
the busy hum of preparation
and movements which could
be understood only by those
versed in engineering science,
one figure was above or apart
from all others—it was Robert
Stephenson, directing and controlling the work of vast bodies
of mechanics and labourers. It
was a long day, a day of eighteen hours continuous work, to
raise each tube to its height of a
hundred feet. Many may guess,
but none can know, the feelings that agitated the mind of
the great engineer on this day.
Perhaps ` agitate ‘ is not the
proper word, he was too selfpossessed to be agitated: but
the ordeal must nevertheless
have been a terrible one —seeing that a mishap might bring
the whole enterprise to ruin.
And when, many months afterwards, the tubes were properly adjusted end to end, and
a continuous tunnel made,
the passage of the first locomotive through it was another great event to be recorded in
the history of the mighty Britannia Bridge. Each portion of
tube had shewn itself firm and
stiff enough to bear bravely the
lifting process: but would the
tubes, as a continuous tunnel,
bear the rush and pressure, the
rattle and vibration, of a ponderous locomotive? The 5th
of March 1850, was the day
selected for practically solving this problem: and the solution bore out in every way
the calculations of the engineer. Three locomotives of the
heaviest character known to the
narrow gauge were chained end
to end. They were decked with
the flags of all nations. Robert Stephenson acted as driver
of the leading locomotive, and
other men of science stood or
sat wherever it was most convenient. This weight of ninety tons was driven to the centre of one of the tubes, where it
was allowed to remain stationary with its full dead weight for
a few minutes: and the same
took place on the return trip.
Then a coal-train of three hundred tons was driven through,
and then another train of two
hundred tons was allowed to
rest with all its weight for two
hours in the centre of the tube.
The plates and rivets bore the
test triumphantly: and thus
was completed a modern wonder of the world.
Welsh poet John Evans described the limestone lions
decorating both ends of the
bridge:
Pedwar llew tew
Heb ddim blew
Dau ‘ochr yma
A dau ‘ochr drew
Four fat lions
Without any hair
Two on this side
And two over there
Under the snow
It is a well-ascertained fact
that snow affords a comparatively warm garment in intensely cold weather. This is
difficult for non-scientific persons to understand, but it is
based on the circumstance that
snow, on account of its loose
flocculent nature, conducts
heat slowly. Accordingly, under this covering, exactly as
under a thick woolen garment,
the natural heat of the body is
not dissipated rapidly, but retained.
Instances are abundant to
shew that snow really protects
substances from cold of great
intensity. Farmers and gardeners well know this; and, knowing it, they duly value a good
honest fall of snow on their
fields and gardens in winter.
There are not the same tests to
apply in reference to the human body; nevertheless, the
fact is equally undeniable. The
newspapers every winter record
examples. Thus the Yorkshire
papers contained an account,
in 1858, of a snow storm at
or near Market Weighton, in
which a woman had a remarkable experience of the value of
a snow garment. On the 7th of
March she was overtaken by
the storm on the neighbouring moors, and was gradually snowed up, being unable to
move either forward or backward. Thus she remained forty-three hours. Cold as she of
course was, the snow nevertheless prevented the cold from assuming a benumbing tendency;
and she was able to the last to
keep a breathing place about
her head. On the second day
after, a man crossing the moor
saw a woman’s bonnet on the
snow; he soon found that there
was a living woman beneath
the bonnet, and a course of judicious treatment restored her
to health.
The remarkable case of Elizabeth Woodcock is still more
striking. In the winter of 1799
she was returning on horseback
from Cambridge to her home
in a neighbouring village, and
having dismounted for a few
minutes, the horse ran away
from her. At seven o’clock
on a winter evening, she sat
down under a thicket, cold,
tired, and disheartened. Snow
came on; she was too weak to
rise, and the consequence was
that by the morning the snow
had heaped up around her
to a height of two feet above
her head as she sat. She had
strength enough to thrust a
twig, with her handkerchief at
the top of it, through the snow,
to serve as a signal, and to admit a little daylight. Torpor supervened, and she knew little
more of what passed around
her. Night succeeded day, and
day again broke, but there
she remained, motionless and
foodless. Not senseless, however, for she could hear church
bells and village sounds, nay,
even the voice and conversation of some of her neighbours.
Four whole days she thus remained—one single pinch of
snuff being her only substitute for food during the time,
and this, she found to her sorrow, had lost its pungency.
On the fifth day a thaw commenced, and then she suffered
greatly, but still without being
able to extricate herself. It was
not until the eighth day that
the handkerchief was espied
by a villager, who, with many others, had long been seeking for her. Stooping down he
said, ‘Are you there, Elizabeth
Woodcock?’ She had strength
enough to reply faintly, ‘Dear
John Stittle, I know your voice.
For God’s sake, help me out!’
She died half a year afterwards,
through mismanagement of
frost-bitten toes; but it was fully admitted that no one, unless cased in snow, could have
lived out those eight days and
nights in such a place without
food.
FOOD
Recipe box Homemade cheese
Irish Brown
Bread
Here’s a traditional Irish recipe
from our regular column writer
Charissa Roberson:
Irish Brown Bread
2 ¼ cups whole wheat flour
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 ½ cups buttermilk (substitute:
1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon
juice in 1 cup milk)
Step 1: Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Combine all ingredients except buttermilk in a large bowl
and mix ingredients with your
hands. Make a well in the dough
and pour in 1 ½ cups of the buttermilk.
Step 2: Continue mixing with
hands and pour in remaining cup
of buttermilk. Dough will be wet
and sticky.
Step 3: Brush hands with flour
and mold dough into a ball. Place
the ball on a floured cookie sheet
and, with a knife, make a deep X
in the top of the loaf.
Step 4: Bake bread for about 50
minutes, or until golden brown.
Then move loaf to wire rack and
let cool for about 10 minutes.
Slice. Recipe makes a loaf about 7
inches in diameter.
Marg Mills
When Little Miss Muffet sat
on that tuffet, what do you suppose was in the bowl? We all
know it was curds and whey, but
was it cottage cheese curds or
was it paneer?
This month the publisher of this newspaper asked me
to make paneer, a cheese that a
friend of his had told him about.
He had already made it himself,
and liked it. I was just wondering if it was as easy to make as he
originally told me it was.
Well that’s what I’ve been
working on this month. I finally
succeeded in coming up with the
right consistency and taste, but
it was a trial and error mission
to say the least. Since the recipe
calls for using a gallon of milk to
start, I was determined to make
it work and not have to pour the
whole thing down the sink.
Paneer is the cheese most often made in India. In most
households there, it is made every few days and is a staple in
most meals. It can be used in any
dish calling for cheese and adds
a different texture to the food.
Even when refrigerated, it only
keeps four to seven days, so you
would need to have a few different recipes on standby and ready
to make so none is wasted.
Now paneer has little taste
alone, and really isn’t very good
to eat by itself. At least that’s my
opinion. But added with oth-
er ingredients it may mean a
whole range of new ideas in
your meal planning. Think of
the recipes in which you use
cottage cheese, and use paneer
instead. For instance, it can be
added to just about any of your
curry or vegetable dishes.
When the grilling season
starts, I’m planning to try paneer kabobs. That will be easy
and should be tasty. I can use
slices of fresh vegetables, cherry tomatoes, any kind of meat,
and chunks of paneer. When
I make kabobs, I just sprinkle
them with olive oil and a bit
of salt, and grill. Paneer doesn’t
melt like other cheeses, and
should be just right for grilling.
One recipe I’ve been trying to
make for years, has had me stifled. My former mother-in-law
used to make a cottage cheese
pie. It was a baked egg custard with cottage cheese added.
When I tried to make it (many
times) the taste was there, but
as it cooled, the whey went to
the bottom of the pie and made
the crust so soggy all you could
eat was the filling. So, after I
made the paneer, I thought I’d
try it. It was perfect. It took on
the flavor of the other ingredients, tasted just like custard
with cottage cheese in it, and
was wonderful. Guess I’ll be
making paneer more often from
now on.
Paneer
1 gallon whole milk
1/4 cup lemon juice (a few drops
more may be needed)
Pour milk into large pan. Heat
on medium until just reaching a
boil. Stir often so it will not stick
to bottom of pan. If a skim forms,
you can take it off or stir it into
the milk.
When the milk comes to a boil,
take off the burner and add lemon juice (or vinegar) stirring constantly. You will see curds forming
in pan and whey will begin to separate. The whey will turn a yellowish-green color. Let it sit undisturbed for about 15 minutes and
curds will go to the bottom.
After the whole thing separates,
put the curds into a cheesecloth
lined colander. You should probably wet the cheesecloth a bit so
it stays put. Also, use a large piece
of cloth so it hangs over the edges
of your colander. Rinse the curds
with cool water for 10 to 20 seconds. Bring the four corners of the
muslin together to make a cheese
package. Use a large rubber band
to secure the muslin and hang
for about 30 minutes. You can
squeeze gently by hand just a bit
before hanging.
Unwrap the cheesecloth and rewrap it smoothly around cheese.
Shape it into a disk, 2 inches
thick. Place it on a plate and put a
heavy pan on top to press it. After
30 minutes, turn the cheese over
and put pan back on to press other
side. You are now ready to store in
an airtight container in the refrigerator. Will last 4 to 7 days.
Paneer Cheese Pie
One unbaked pie crust
4 beaten eggs
2/3 cup sugar
2 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup crumbled paneer
Beat eggs and sugar until foamy.
Add milk, vanilla and nutmeg. After combined with mixer, add paneer. Crumble it into small pieces.
Pour mixture into unbaked 9-inch
pie shell, sprinkle top with a bit of
nutmeg, and bake at 375 degrees
until crust has browned, about 45
minutes. Make sure filling does
not move freely in center before
removing from oven. Refrigerate,
although it can be enjoyed warm.
IN THE COUNTRY
How you can feed America
Katelyn Allen, Frederick County
Dairy Princess
What did you purchase on your
most recent trip to the grocery
store? Chances are the receipt contained many foods considered to
be basic staples like bread, meat,
eggs, or water. Dairy products,
such as milk, cheese, and yogurt
should claim vital spots as well.
With nine essential nutrients to
keep bodies strong and healthy, it
is no wonder milk is often in such
demand. Providing for ourselves
and our families is a top priority.
For the one in six Americans
struggling with hunger, nearly
12.5 million families nationwide,
however, the grocery list may become limited to those items that
can be provided by a food bank or
similar organization. Shelves are
filled with pastas, canned fruits
and vegetables, cereal, or other nutritional foods able to be kept for
a long period of time. But what
good is the cereal with no milk?
Or a hamburger with no cheese?
Because the valuable proteins and
vitamins found in dairy products
require refrigeration, they are often seen as too fragile to be kept
in typical food bank conditions.
Milk is one of the least-donated
items to food banks, even though
it is one of the most-requested by
food bank families, with 95% of
our nation’s food banks claiming that they do not have enough
Spread the News!
Extra copies of the
Times
are available at
Trout’s Market
in Woodsboro
and
T.R. Sayor Company
in Walkersville.
milk, mainly due to a lack of donations. Sometimes, the organizations will be able to distribute
powder or dried milk, or even a
small amount of fluid milk under
the right conditions. According to
the Feeding America campaign,
the average food bank customer
receives the equivalent of only one
fluid gallon of milk for the entire
year. The Food & Drug Administration’s Dietary Guidelines for
Americans recommend three servings of dairy products per person
per day which totals up to a whopping 68 gallons of milk necessary
each year. For food bank regulars,
these numbers result in an annual deficit of 67 gallons worth of
calcium, protein, vitamins A and
D, riboflavin, phosphorus, and
other nutrients. A serious lack of
calcium such as this puts the individual at a much higher risk for
bone-crippling diseases like osteoporosis. Simply examining the
numbers of our country’s hunger
problem makes it clear that we
must somehow work to improve
the quality of life for those around
us.
To help solve the problem of
the milk deficit for those who
truly need it, Feeding America partnered with milk cooperatives and farmers across the country to create The Great American
Milk Drive. The program works
by using donations pledged by
people in every state to purchase
milk for local food banks. Since
the campaign was launched last
April, 288,461 gallons of milk
(and counting!) have been donated. The program also tracks how
much milk each state has raised
since the money from an individual’s donation is given to a food
bank in their area. In Maryland,
1,913 gallons of milk have been
donated to food banks across the
state that serve a total of nearly
773,000 people. The campaign
has been extremely successful in
bringing the nutrition of milk to
the tables of those who may not
be able to afford it, and it continues to work towards the goal of
eliminating hunger in our country. If you want to be a part of the
Great American Milk Drive, simply log onto www.milklife.com/
give to read more about the program and its operations. By clicking the “Donate Now” button at
the top of the page, you can donate any amount you wish towards providing milk for those in
need in your community. Feeding America, the network responsible for operating the majority of
our country’s food banks, will use
your donation to purchase gallons
of milk for a food bank in this area. The process is easy and makes
a tremendous impact on the lives
of many. I encourage you to take
part in this movement and thank
you for your support.
Source: milklife.com/give
HISTORY
Monocacy Manor and the founding of Woodsboro
Dahl Drenning
The following account of the
founding of the town Woodsboro is based upon information
from several sources including
“Poverty in a Land of Plenty” by
Gregory A Stiverson, “Pioneers
of Old Monocacy” By Grace L.
Tracy and John P. Dern, “Woodsboro Remembers” by Francis
Meehan Smith, and “Monocacy and Catoctin Vol. II” by C.E.
Schildknecht.
The town of Woodsboro was
laid out in February of 1786,
three years after the conclusion
of the Revolutionary War, by Lt.
Colonel Joseph Wood on Monocacy Manor Lot 52. He purchased the lot in 1782 during
the war when all of the lots of
the Monocacy Manor were confiscated by the State of Maryland
from the Calvert family the proprietary owners of the Maryland
colony and sold to the highest
bidder. Exercising warrants that
were awarded for militia service
Joseph Wood bought Lot 52 and
five years later founded the town
which has borne his name now
for two hundred and twenty
nine years.
Monocacy Manor was a
unique entity in Frederick
County and was one of several similar land holdings of Cecilius Calvert the Second Lord
Baltimore scattered across the
Maryland colony that were intended to be leased rather than
patented or owned. Each manor was divided into lots which
were leased or rented to tenants
for extended periods of time
thus providing a predictable income for the Calvert family for
the foreseeable future. Nearly
ten thousand acres of Monocacy
Manor were surveyed in 1724
including lands located between
the Monocacy River on the west
and Israel’s Creek to the east,
beginning north of the tracts
upon which the city of Frederick would be built and extending beyond present day Woodsboro. None of the lots were
leased until 1741 with three of
the first four tenants being of
English origin. The preponder-
ance of tenants on the Manor
were German immigrants who
very likely moved south from
Pennsylvania via the Monocacy Trail, and who, by the 1760s,
had developed farmsteads on
the best of the available lots.
The very heart of Monocacy
Manor is the productive agricultural region that is known
today as Glade Valley.
Joseph Wood, of English origin whose family had been in
America for four generations
and was the father of the town
founder, came west from Cecil
County in September of 1741
and obtained the second lease
issued on the Manor for the
one hundred acre lot 56 located
south of Woodsboro on the east
side of route 194 between the
modern day road and Israel’s
Creek. Thus it is quite possible that Joseph Wood, the town
founder, who was born in September of 1743 was born on lot
56, making him a true native of
Frederick County though at his
birth still very much an English
subject. Joseph Wood, the settler, on Lot 56, became known
as Joseph Wood of Israel’s Creek
so as not to be confused with
another early Frederick County settler Joseph Wood of Linganore. Joseph Wood of Israel’s
Creek served as a judge on the
early courts of Frederick County and received a commission as
a Major in the Maryland Militia during the French and Indian War. He was also instrumental in the lay out and creation
of an extension of the Monocacy Trail which became modern
route 194.
Although having no legal
claim to ownership the Manor
tenants worked to make their
life as comfortable and productive as possible. The average dwelling on the Manor was
constructed of logs and contained 558.2 square feet of living space, measuring 19.4 feet
wide by 28.2 feet long with a
brick, stone, or wooden chimney. Most dwellings had a shingle roof. With few exceptions
the kitchens were connected or
contained within the log houses.
Joseph Wood’s house on Cash Smith Road, built circa 1770
The few detached kitchens were
on lots leased to those with English surnames. Tobacco production on the manor was nearly
nonexistent. Almost all tenants
constructed log barns that often contained more square footage than did the dwellings they
themselves occupied. The barns
had either a shingle or thatched
roof. Thatching was a popular
option among the German tenants in spite of the potential
fire hazard. Log stables to house
livestock were also constructed
in addition to the barns whose
primary function was to house
forage and grain. Eventually the
familiar “bank barn”, of which
there are numerous extant examples were constructed to combine both the sheltering of livestock and the storage of feed and
grain in one structure. Wheat
was the principle cash crop on
the manor from early on with
several mills constructed on Israel’s creek to facilitate the production of flour. A few artisans
operated on the Manor including several “smiths” and weavers.
One church appears on the territory of the Manor which was
Glade Church the German Reformed congregation located on
Manor lot 19 in what is now
Glade cemetery near Walkersville.
When the auction of the Manor occurred on September 10,
1782 at Grost’s Tavern in Fredericktown most of the tenants
who had cleared the land and
developed the farmsteads where
upon they resided were outbid
for ownership of the property
by militia officers and merchants
who purchased the lots with an
eye toward speculation. Only Jo-
seph Wood Jr., who was both a
tenant and an officer, was able
to bid successfully for the land
upon which the town of Woodsboro would be developed and for
whom, as it turned out, was no
less a speculative enterprise. The
life span of Monocacy Manor
was fifty seven years from 1724
when the tract was surveyed to
the dissolution of the manor in
1781, with actual tenancy lasting forty years from 1741 until the confiscation and auction
in 1781. After the auction date
there begins a steady stream
of property sales and transfers
even until today with Monocacy
Manor lot numbers still showing up in contemporary deed
descriptions. Some descendants
of the earliest tenants still reside
on or near the Manor. Among
the most notable is the Barrack
family who as German immigrants used the name Berg and
occupied several hundred acres
on three separate Manor lots not
far from the present location of
the Barrack Garden Center near
Walkersville.
Colonel Joseph Wood in addition to his tenancy with his father
on the Manor was also a “freeholder” of non-Manor property
in and around the area he would
develop as the town which bore
his name including Woods Mill
Land on Israel’s Creek. It was
there in the 1760s he established
a merchant mill and constructed an impressive brick mansion
which he owned and operated
and where he resided until 1793
when he suffered a major financial reversal. His financial demise
however did not result from the
lack of effort on his part. In addition to his income from his
milling operation and the eventual sale of the Woodsboro town
lots, Colonel Wood attempted
to establish himself, much in the
same manner as the colonial Calvert family, as the “proprietor” of
the town he established, retaining
an income from “ground rent” on
the lots which he sold to the first
residents and from the property
owners who would follow them “
in perpetuity”. The ground rent
in Woodsboro ,similar to that for
which the city of Baltimore is famous, was collected by a Wood
family descendant as late as the
1970s.
Joseph Wood was one of the
earliest city planners in Frederick
County if not the first. A copy of
Wood’s original platt of the town
with the lot sizes, street designations and the terms of purchase
dictated and spelled out by him
is in the possession of the Corporation of Woodsboro and located in the town office. Variously identified as Wood’s Town,
Woodsberry and Woodsborough
by the early twentieth century
the speculative enterprise of the
young officer and entrepreneur
became known as Woodsboro
and remains so today. As you
drive north on Maryland 194,
a highway petitioned into existence by Joseph Wood of Israel’s Creek consider the names of
the communities through which
you pass: Walkersville, Woodsboro, Keymar, Bruceville (on the
original road), Taneytown, and
Littlestown. Most were named
for prominent eighteenth century community leaders and
town founders but only one was
named for a person to the Manor born.
HISTORY
One hundred years ago continued from page 3
steamer Headlands and went in
pursuit of that ship. The chase
was brief. The German easily
overtook the old steamer. Both
vessels were seen to be constantly turning and maneuvering as a
result of the merchantmen’s efforts to escape destruction.
Finally the steamer stopped,
and a few minutes later the crew
was observed boarding lifeboats.
Shortly thereafter, an upward
rush of black smoke was seen.
The Headlands began to settle
down by the stern. The submarine then went off to the westward and was pursuing a third
steamer when she disappeared
from view of those on shore.
March 17
Intoxicated Man Attacks School
Pupils of the Continental
School, near Woodsboro, and
the teacher, Miss Alma Poffinberger, of Myersville, were given
a scare yesterday morning about
10 o’clock when a man, said to
be drunk, endeavored to break
into the building. It took the
combined efforts of the teacher
and about 20 pupils to hold shut
the door through which he attempted to gain entrance. They
managed, however, to hold the
door until neighbors heard the
commotion and came to their
relief.
Later in the day, Paul Sissell, 26 years old, was arrested
by Constable Winebrenner and
charged with the offense. He was
taken before Justice Miller but is
said to have been too much intoxicated to stand trial and was
released under care of his father
for a hearing today.
The neighborhood of the
school was thrown into excitement by the affair. Loud swearing and noise at the door caused
the teacher to go there and she
found the man ready to enter.
Badly frightened, she slammed
the door shut and threw her
weight against it. The children,
also frightened, huddled into a
group, but when Miss Poffinberger found that she could not
hold the door herself, she called
then to assist her.
John E. Smith, a trustee of the
school, heard the commotion
and hurried to the school house.
With other neighbors he pulled
the man away and then hurried
to Woodsboro for the constable.
Constable Winebrenner found
Sissell lying in the woods and
placed him under arrest.
March 18
Fined in Justice Court
Frightening the pupils and
teachers of Continental School
near Woodsboro, Tuesday,
cost Paul Sissell, 26 years old,
$23.35, when he was arraigned
before Justice Miller, at Woodsboro, yesterday.
The teacher of the school,
Miss Alma Poffinberger, of
“A group shot of patrons of the warehouse, later N.Z. Cramer and Sons, about 1874, a year or so after it was built.”
Myersville, and two pupils appeared against him, together
with other witnesses. Sissell did
not remember the occurrence,
he said, but stated that he was
willing to admit he was at fault,
as everybody said he was there.
March 20
Bromides Are Being Used By
“Dope” Victims
Extra large doses of preparations containing a certain
amount of drugs exempted
by the Harrison anti-narcotic
law are being taken by Frederick County “dope” users in an
effort to secure relief from the
cravings for narcotics. Yesterday it was reported from good
authority that one “dope”
user had hit upon the happy idea of using sodium bromide. Others have purchased
medicines containing a certain amount of chloral, it is
reported. Again, it is claimed
that some are using chloroform to secure sleep and rest
from their cravings.
Neither of the above has the
effect produced by the use of
cocaine, opium, laudanum,
or the like. The fiends merely use it for the purpose of securing relief. If they are unable to lay their hands on the
drug, they substitute what
they believe will be a substitute for their “old-time drug.”
Most any kind of a bromide is
claimed to be popular among
the “dope” users. Bromides
simply have a hypnotic effect
and act as a sedative.
Alexandria,
Virginia
Is
Fighting The “Dope” Evil - Alexandria authorities are worried over the trouble which is
being caused by “dope fiends”
since the rigid enforcement in
this city of the Harrison antinarcotic law, which went into
effect March 1.
A young white man was taken to the police station after he had threatened to kill
a druggist, a physician, and
a city official because they
would not supply him with
morphine. He was sent to the
Western Asylum for the Insane
at Staunton by a lunacy commission. Another young white
man became violent, and he
was also sent to Staunton. Yesterday, an aged white man,
who was alleged to be addicted
to the laudanum habit, became
violent when he could not procure a supply of the drug and
was locked up in the police station.
Deprived Of Drugs By Law,
Many In Hospitals - Philadelphia – One hundred fiftyone drug fiends have applied
to hospitals here for the “cure”
since the Harrison drug act
went into effect. Officials at
the Philadelphia hospital announced today that an average
of eight drug victims apply for
aid daily.
March 23
120,000 Drilling Along Nile
New York - Camped in the
shadow of the Pyramids and
perfecting themselves for warfare by daily drills in the ancient valley of the Nile, 120,000
British territorial troops from
Australia, India and Egypt are
awaiting the call to go into
the trenches, said Charles Burnette, of Boston, who arrived
here today, a passenger on the
steamer Patria, from Marseilles
and the Azores.
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John L. Thompson Jr., Attorney at Law
General practice of law including:
Wills/Estates/Probate, Contracts,
Financial and Medical POAs,
Real Property, Divorce, Business
Law, Landlord/Tenant
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Jthompson@FrederickMD.com
Phone: (301) 845-8139 | Fax: (301) 845-2323
12 Liberty St, Walkersville, MD 21793-8531
ASTRONOMY
Pluto
Jeffrey Grills – Co-director of the
FCPS Earth and Space Science
Lab.
Rumor has it that most of the
people reading this article remember learning the nine planets that
orbit the sun.
In 2006, the world collapsed for
those who taught astronomy. The
planet Pluto, after a 76-year run
as the 9th planet in the solar system, was demoted to dwarf status.
It was sent packing to the minors.
It was red shirted. The beloved
9th planet was stripped of its major league stature at the end of an
international astronomical conference in Prague. Only a quarter of the membership who stayed
for the last day of the conference
made this epic decision. The other
members blew off the last day of
the conference. Maybe they headed to a beach along the Adriatic
Sea. Who knows?
People throughout the world
had an opinion. Teachers were
upset because they had to explain it to their students. Planetarium directors were in a tizzy because they had been bloviating for
years about the mnemonic device
“My Very Educated Mother Just
Served Us Nine Pizzas” to help
students memorize the planets in
order from the sun. Directors of
various urban science museums
were embarrassingly vocal about
reinstating a spherical shaped rock
slightly smaller than our moon
that orbits the sun every 243 years
to its rightful status as a planet.
Even the really smart astrophysicists, the Sheldon Cooper types,
were at each other’s throats.
It has been nine years since the
great demotion. A few ancient
planetarium directors still write
occasional letters and pontificate
about reinstating Pluto as a planet. Clyde Tombaugh, the amateur
astronomer who discovered Pluto
in 1930, is revered as a rock star by
many in the astronomy community. (Clyde’s cremated ashes are
aboard the New Horizons Spacecraft that is presently taking pictures of Pluto after a 10-year voyage to the outer solar system.)
So, what does this ancient planetarium director think about the
decade old Pluto decision?
First, school children have been
saved from learning hundreds of
additional objects that orbit the
sun. With the invention of newer and more powerful telescopes
and better techniques to search
for this miniature object, hundreds of additional Pluto-like objects have been discovered. Second
graders simply couldn’t remember
that many! “Planets in the Solar System” might be one of the
few things left that students have
to memorize, so eight planets is a
more reasonable number.
Second, Pluto is an odd ball. It
doesn’t orbit like the other planets. It doesn’t fit the classification
of a planet. With new information
discovered, a new classification of
outer solar system objects was developed. That is what happens in
science.
Third, it really wasn’t and isn’t
a big deal. Most people think that
history begins when they are born,
but the whole “Pluto” scenario
had happened before.
In 1801, an Italian astronomer
named Giuseppe Piazzi, discovered a new planet between Mars
and Jupiter’s orbit. (This was back
when Thomas Jefferson was elected president and the Barbary pirates of northern Africa were terrorizing merchant sailors from
various countries.) For a while
astronomers thought it might be
a comet, but after some debate,
“Ceres” became the 7th planet in
the solar system. It was called a
planet for 50 more years!
Throughout the next 50 years,
additional objects were found orbiting between Mars and Jupiter. An astronomer named William Herschel coined a new word
to describe these objects – “asteroid,” meaning star-rock. After its
50-year run, Ceres was demoted
to asteroid status and the solar system was reduced to six planets. Although this cannot be verified, I
don’t believe that the rugged individuals of the 1850s fell apart because of the demotion of Ceres.
Thirty-one years later, Herschel
discovered the new 7th planet of
the solar system – Uranus. (Pronounced: “yur-un-us” for all you
sophomores out there.)
However, with the new classification status of “dwarf planet” developed in 2006, Ceres, like Pluto,
was re-classified as a dwarf planet
because of its spherical form. Asteroids have a tendency to look
like sick potatoes.
What can possibly erase the
trauma that has bestowed the astronomy and educational systems
throughout the world?
The New Horizons spacecraft
is approaching Pluto and will be
at its closest encounter on July
14, 2015. On March 6, 2015, the
Dawn spacecraft will go into orbit
around Ceres. Years after the discoveries of these celestial objects,
promotions and demotions, the
first close up images and scientific study of these two space objects
will occur. Astronomers, teachers,
students, and Sheldon will be at
peace. Clyde and Giuseppe will be
smiling.
The ESSL is hosting several upcoming events: March 3 will be
Teddy Bear and PJ night in the
planetarium. Elementary students and younger are invited to
wear their pajamas and bring a
stuffed animal. On March 14, the
“Most Epic Pi Day Ever” will begin with a Pi K race. Other pi related events will occur throughout
the day. Please visit the ESSL website for more information. https://
education.fcps.org/essl/user
Farmers’ Almanac
Salon
Allure
Services include:
“It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot
and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light,
and winter in the shade.”
Charles Dickens (1812-1870)
MID-ATLANTIC WEATHER WATCH: Fair, not as cold (1,2,3) with snow in the northern part
of the region and rain in the south (4,5,6). Fair and cold (7,8,9,10,11,12) turning cloudy and cool
(13,14,15). Rain, some snow in the north (16,17,18) and again, cloudy and cool (19,20). STORMS,
some severe in the south (21,22); fair and mild temperatures (23,24,25). Windy, colder, with lake-effect snow, showers in the south (26,27) turning fair and mild (29,29,30,31).
- Cuts and styling
- Coloring
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- Nail treatments
- Waxing
Let us
be part of your special day.
Reserve your
wedding consultation today!
31- D East Frederick Street, Walkersville, MD 21793
301- 845 - 2300 | facebook.com /mysalonallure | http://salonallurellc.net
FULL MOON: March’s FULL MOON will occur on March 5. Because March’s warmer temperatures
tend to soften the frozen earth just enough to allow earthworms to begin appearing, it has been known
as WORM MOON. It has also been called the SAP MOON by many Native American tribes because
sap would start to rise and run at this time.
SPECIAL NOTES: Don’t forget to set your clocks one hour ahead when Daylight Savings starts on
Sunday, March 8 at 2:00 AM EST. The Vernal Equinox will occur on Friday, March 20 and signals
the arrival of Spring (at last!). On March 11, 1888, the famous “Blizzard of 88” struck the northeastern United States. In the days that followed, over 400 people perished as a result of the harsh weather.
HOLIDAYS: Be sure to wear something green in honor of St. Patrick on Tuesday, March 17. Palm
Sunday is on 29 March.
THE GARDEN: Get started early if the weather allows. As soon as your compost pile thaws, start to
turn it with a fork as best you can. March is prime time for feeding shrubs and perennials that bloom
in the Summer months. For best selection, consider buying Summer bulbs like gladiola, cannas, irises,
dahlias and lilies but wait until mid to late April to plant. It has long been a tradition to plant peas and
potatoes on St. Patrick’s Day. Onion sets, asparagus, and rhubarb can also be planted now as well. Start
to remove mulch covers from roses, azaleas, and other tender shrubs once nighttime temperatures rise
into the mid-30’s. Start to prune Summer and Fall blooming shrubs now but wait to prune Springblooming shrubs such as azaleas until after they bloom. Lastly, many regions have flower shows in the
month of March. Check where one is going to be held in your area and make plans to attend. They can
be the source for many great ideas for your garden this year.
J. GRUBER’S THOUGHT FOR TODAY’S LIVING
☞
Your ad here!
☞
“If you are going to do something good, do it now; if you are going to do a mean thing,
do it tomorrow.”
STORY TIME
The Hut
By Adam Locksmith
Talos and Aristo, warriors from
opposing countries, were stranded on
an island with an old wise weaver,
Demetrios. The three have learned
to set aside their differences and do
what each does best to survive on the
island and are attempting to make a
boat to leave:
Talos had a good morning fishing in the cove. He was up before
the sun, and now, in mid-morning, he was almost done cleaning
and hanging most of his catch.
Lately he had been fishing longer
with his spear to try to accumulate extra fish for their eventual
journey off the island. Demetrios
had been doing most of the design
and fine work for their boat. Talos
did some of the heavy work on the
boat while keeping everyone supplied with fish. Nimble Aristo was
the only one who could climb the
palm trees, and he provided most
of the water (from coconuts) and
building materials for the boat.
Preserving the fish was hard
work. Talos had to catch the fish
early in the morning to get the fish
out in the sun in time to dry well.
Talos would clean his catch and
slice the meat very thinly. On a
sunny day, the fish, hanging from
racks, would dry in the sun, but
this method didn’t always work.
Clouds or rain showers could
cause the meat to spoil, but Talos
was managing to slowly build up
a supply of crisp dried fish that he
stored in his new hut.
Talos put the remaining fish
in his basket and headed for
his camp. He was so tired from
his early start and hard work he
thought a half hour nap would do
him good.
Talos was looking forward to a
nap in his new hut. He had made
it from panels that Demetrios had
woven from palm fronds. The
panels were strong and shed the
water. They could be closed when
it was chilly or storming. The panels could be swung open to allow
breezes to blow through when it
was hot like today.
When Talos arrived at his camp,
he saw feet sticking out from his
hut. “Aristo, what are you doing
in my hut?” queried Talos.
Aristo slowly sat up, stretched
out his arms and yawned, “What
makes it your hut?”
“I built it!” exclaimed Talos.
“And with what did you build it?”
Talos replied, “I made it from
panels I paid Demetrios to weave
for me.”
Aristo then asked, “And from
what did he weave the panels?”
“You know, palm fronds. He
uses them for most of his craftwork,” Talos replied.
Aristo then asked, “And who
owned the palm trees from which
they came?”
Puzzled, Talos responded,
“Well, no one I guess.”
“Then this is not your hut. As a
matter of fact, I supply Demetrios
most of the palm fronds he uses
to make his creations. So I probably collected the palm fronds in
this hut. So you see, it is not clear
at all that this is your hut. Please
let me rest a bit and then I’ll share
it with you like we share the palm
trees.” Aristo lay back down and
rolled over.
Talos became aware that he
was gripping his spear tightly. He
knew Aristo was wrong, but words
failed him. As he felt his anger
rise, he also felt dread. He knew
how important it was for him and
the others to cooperate and get
along, but he thought this might
end if he acted on his anger. He
ran away before his anger would
overcome his logic.
Talos sought out Demetrios.
Demetrios invited Talos to sit
with him while he prepared lunch.
Talos told him of the day’s events.
When Talos finished, Demetrios asked, “Do you see those dried
palm fronds beneath that palm
tree over there? “ Talos nodded.
“To whom do they belong, Talos?”
Talos thought for a moment
and replied, “If this were in my vil-
lage, back home, the tree would be
on someone’s property, land that
they had purchased, been granted
by the king, or inherited, and the
fronds would belong to the property owner. But the island is so big
and we are so few we haven’t made
property claims. So I don’t think
those fronds belong to anyone.”
Demetrios then said, “Please
go fetch me four of those fronds.”
When Talos returned, Demetrios snatched the fronds from his
arms and threw them on the fire.
“Get me four more please.” Talos
obeyed, and Demetrios threw
those on the fire too. The third
time the fronds were snatched
from Talos’s hands his face flashed
annoyance and anger. “You seem
upset Talos. Is it because I’m burning those fronds from under the
tree?”
“Not exactly, you aren’t burning
the fronds under the tree; you are
burning the ones I collected.”
Demetrios then asked, “So what
makes the fronds in your hand
different from the fronds under
the tree?” Talos kicked the dirt,
puzzled. Demetrios, growing a
little impatient because his stomach was rumbling with hunger
and his lunch was about done answered for him, “Your labor! You
see, you collected those fronds,
and your labor has become part
of the fronds. But those fronds on
the ground are of no value to me
so your labor is not valued. That is
because I can’t weave with them.
They are brittle, and those that
don’t break, cut my fingers. I need
the green fronds up in the trees to
perform my work. Do you know
who owns those green fronds up
there?”
Talos answered, “No one.”
Demetrios said, “Correct, now
go fetch me a few green ones from
up in that tree.” “You know I can’t
climb those trees,” said Talos.
Demetrios continued, “Neither
can I, but Aristo can. There is a
big difference between a green
frond up in a tree and one handed to me by Aristo. The difference
Photo by Jenna Kellar
is Aristo’s fronds are collected. His
effort, his labor, turned the fronds
from unreachable to a supply for
my weaving. His labor made those
fronds his.”
Talos frowned and said, “That
sounds like what Aristo said. So
he has a claim on the fronds he
collected no matter what becomes of them, even if I make
them into a hut?”
“Of course not Talos!” Demetrious stomach grumbled a little and his lunch was starting to
blacken a bit too much so he continued a little more quickly, “He
sells his fronds to me for cooked
meals and my weavings. When I
pay him for the fronds I become
the owner of the fronds, and he
has no more claim on them. The
fronds are then mine until I sell
them in a product I made. You
traded your fish for my woven
panels to make your hut, and
that’s when they became yours.
The hut you built is your property and no one else’s. You turned
no one’s fish into your fish by
catching them. Then you traded your fish for my panels which
then became yours. Aristo has
no further claim on anything he
sells away. Now I’m sorry but my
lunch is ready and I want to eat it
while it is hot.”
Talos bowed saying, “I appreciate you explaining these things to
me,” and trotted off.
Talos arrived back at his camp
and saw Aristo still lying in his
hut. He tapped Aristo’s foot with
his and said quietly but firmly, “Aristo, get up and get out of
my hut.” Aristo recognized the
firm tone of voice and knew it
was time to get up. Talos said, “
Demetrios just gave me a lesson
I would like to share with you if
you don’t mind.” “Not at all”, replied Aristo. “Good. Do you see
this fish in my basket?” asked
Talos. “Yes.” “Do you know the
difference between this fish and
those that swim in the bay?” “Yes,
yours is dead,” replied Aristo.
Frustrated Talos answered, “No
this one is caught by me and is
mine, the ones in the bay are no
one’s.”
Aristo then said, “Well that
may be true but your fish is also
dead. Am I wrong?”
Talos sighed, “Demetrios is
probably done with his lunch,
please come with me so he can
teach you something.” Aristo
agreed.
Luckily, wise Demetrios was
able to explain to Aristo how
common property can become
private property. Aristo apologized to Talos for using his hut
and ordered a set of panels from
Demetrios so he could make his
own hut, and the three continued to work together to finish
their boat.
Offering a variety of
Home Owner and Contractor services
Custom moulding, doors, & windows
Material takeoff and estimation
Lumber and plywood cut to size
Key cutting
Rope & chain cut to length
Rekeying locksets
Saw and tool sharpening
Glass and plexi-glass cut to size
Paint and stain mixing
House charge accounts
Outside sales rep will come to you
Delivery to your job site
Blueprint takeoff
Engineered wood and truss design welcomed
Large variety of moulding and trim on hand
Window and door specialists
NZ Cramer & Son is a building material dealer who serves contractors, homeowners and commercial accounts. Our
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Hours of Operation: Monday - Friday 7:00AM - 5:00PM, Saturday 7:00AM - 12:00PM, Sunday closed
101 Creagerstown Road • Route 550 North • Woodsboro, Maryland 21798
Phone: (301) 898-9116, (301) 845-6371 • Fax: (301) 898-5854
UPCOMING EVENTS
Upcoming Events
March 2 – 15
Fundraiser – Please help
Walkersville
High
School
(WHS) Theatre fundraise by
visiting Trout’s Towne Restaurant anytime from March 2-15.
Trout’s will donate $1 to WHS
Theatre for every omelet or dessert purchased during this time
period. Please also be sure to visit Pie Five in Market Square on
March 23 for another fundraising opportunity for the Theatre.
March 7
Indoor Yard Sale – Indoor
Yard Sale with Bake Table, Saturday March 7, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
(snow date 3/14/15), St. John’s
United Church of Christ, 8 N.
2nd St., Woodsboro
March 8
Gov’t – Woodsboro Town
Meeting at 7pm
Women’s Day – International
Women’s day is observed annually
on March 8 to raise political and
social awareness of the struggles of
women. More than 100 nations
recognize Women’s day (35 declared it a national holiday) with
thousands of events held by organizations, governments, charities,
educational institutions, women’s
groups, corporations and the media. People give flowers and other
small gifts to their mothers, wives,
grandmothers and daughters, as
well as coworkers, teachers, and
friends to show respect, appreciation and love. This occasion is
gaining traction in the U.S.
March 9
Gov’t – Walkersville Town
Meeting at 7:30pm
March 19
Gov’t – Woodsboro Planning
Commission meeting at 7pm,
March 23
Gov’t – Walkersville Town
Meeting at 7:30pm
Fundraiser – Please visit Pie
Five in Market Square on Mar. 23,
for another fundraising opportunity for the WHS Theatre
March 25
Woodsboro Days planning
meeting – 7 pm at the Woodsboro American Legion. For information call 301-676-5312 or
email woodsborohistoricalsociety@gmail.com
March 28
Gov’t – Woodsboro Town
Workshop at 7pm
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301-845- 4050 | 126 Walkers Village Way, Walkersville, MD 21793
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salon needs. You'll leave looking and feeling the best you've
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New playground coming

Transcription

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