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Area Residents Join In Preparations For Operation Christmas Child Deliveries

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Oct. 28, 2010

by Brenda Ruggiero
In Garrett County as well as across the nation, gifts are being chosen, purchased, and packed into shoe boxes in preparation for Operation Christmas Child’s National Collection Week, which is planned for Nov. 15 to 22.

For Mary Damron, who serves as the organization’s spokesperson, one shoe box gift was not enough. This year marks her 17th season with Operation Christmas Child. Her involvement was first sparked by the war in Bosnia.

“I had actually just prayed for the children of Bosnia for four months, and I caught a glimpse of Franklin Graham’s program where he was taking shoebox gifts into an orphanage in Bosnia,” she explained. “I went around to all my neighbors. I live in the southern part of West Virginia where people do live below the poverty line, but I went to them and asked them to help me to take gifts to children who had never received gifts before.”

The neighbors responded in a big way, bringing 1,258 shoe boxes to Damron’s home in 13 days.

“I borrowed a truck and found Franklin Graham in North Carolina and asked him if he would take the boxes to Bosnia, and he immediately asked me to go with him and deliver them,” she explained. “So I’ve been with him ever since. I couldn’t be in anything that blesses me any more. I’m the one who ends up blessed by seeing the children. Their entire lives are changed through a simple shoe box. It’s just fascinating…amaz-ing to me.”

Damron explained that in many of the countries where the boxes are delivered, the economy is so low that the average annual income is the equivalent of 400 American dollars.

“Because of that, only the very, very wealthy children have crayons, because a box of eight crayons costs $5. Well, I love to watch the children open the crayons, and they’re just amazed. Imagine an 8-year-old girl, and for the first time she’s holding a crayon. It blows your mind. She’ll take it and she’ll color it on the coloring book, and then she’ll turn it back and look at it, get another color, and look at it again.

“If she has any parents available, she’ll take off running to show them the gift, and the men always cry…the men always cry. They can’t imagine that someone would give their child such a valuable gift – she doesn’t just have an eight-pack, she’s got a 24-pack. And you’re standing there knowing that you bought it for 22 cents when they were on sale. So that kinda puts it into perspective.”

Another image that remains in Damron’s mind is of children on garbage dumps.

“We have children on the garbage dumps all over this world who live there because people throw out their rotten food,” she said. “We can’t comprehend it, but every single thing they own, including the food that goes in their mouths, is someone else’s trash. When someone gives them a beautiful box, and everything in it is theirs, it changes how the children feel about themselves.

“I’ve watched little girls on the garbage dump put on necklaces and just start blowing kisses and pretending like they’re a princess or something. Before, they had been so ashamed of what they looked like when we came to the dump. You realize it changes how they feel about themselves inside. It’s a very powerful program that costs us so little to do, and yet it impacts children’s lives for eternity.”

Damron stresses that the most important gift that is given is the knowledge of God’s love for everyone.

“Once the children figure out that they have some kind of human value, which is actually what the boxes do – they tell children that they are a part of the human race – then they’re opened up to believe that God Almighty can love them,” she said

Since she first got involved, Damron has been on about 30 distributions to different countries. Currently, deliveries are made to 128 countries, and the number continues to grow.

Last year, a total of 8.2 million boxes were delivered, and the goal for this year has increased to 8.5 million.

Garrett County is part of the West Virginia Panhandle area for Operation Christmas Child. A total of seven counties are included: Garrett and Allegany in Maryland and Hardy, Grant, Hampshire, Mineral, and Pendleton counties in W.Va.

There are a total of 12 relays, or drop-off locations in the Panhandle area. They are as follows, including the name of the coordinator at each site:

Cherry Glade Mennonite Church, Accident, Diane Yoder; Pleasant View Baptist Church, Oakland, Debbie Welch; Grace Memorial Church, Cumberland, Shirley McKinney; God’s Ark of Safety, Frostburg, Patty Dubit; Fountain United Brethren Church, Keyser, W.Va. (which is the collection center), Trina Kesner; Locust Grove Church of the Brethren, Mt. Storm, W.Va., Paul Pacella.

South Branch Inn, Moorefield, W.Va., Kristy Stump; Christ Community Church, Augusta, W.Va., Myra Kesner; Living Faith Church, Franklin, W.Va., JoLynn Mitchell; Basagic Funeral Home, Petersburg, W.Va., Cindy Sites; Romney First United Methodist Church, Romney, W.Va., Gerald Lewis; and Paw Paw Church of God, Paw Paw, W.Va., Rose Mary Shrout.

Another opportunity to contribute has been arranged by students at Southern High School who are nominees for induction into the National Honor Society (NHS). Their service project, required by the NHS, consists of collecting new and “gently used” Beanie Babies for inclusion in the boxes. Catherine Baker, a junior at Southern, is spearheading the effort.

She and other inductees have placed collection boxes for the Beanies at the following locations: All county middle and high schools; St. Peter’s Church and parish office, St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, all in Oakland; St. Peter’s at the Lake; the Swanton Otterbein United Methodist; McHenry United Methodist Church; the Dollar Tree; and Oakland City Hall. For more information on this part of the project, persons may contact Baker at 240-321-5204 or beanierescue-@gmail.com.

Additional drop-off centers in any area can by located by visiting www.sa-maritanspurse.org, going to the Operation Christmas Child link, and typing in the ZIP code.

Last year, over 12,000 shoe boxes were packed from the West Virginia Panhandle area. This year’s goal from this area is 15,000.

In Garrett County alone, between 50 and 60 churches and groups regularly participate.

Volunteers in the area include Debbie Welch, area coordinator; Carolyn Livengood, community relations coordinator; Linda Glotfelty, church relations coordinator; Maria Upperman, prayer coordinator; Ross Glotfelty, media coordinator; and Trina Kesner, collection center coordinator.

“When you fill a shoe box for a needy child, even the smallest things mean so much,” Welch said. “School supplies are very important. When you send a box of 24 crayons, you might be sending them a color that they have never seen before. Toothbrushes and toothpaste are also something that the children often do not have. Often, families will share tooth-brushes.”

Welch explained that the age category that receives the least gifts is boys ages 10 to 14. For older boys, she suggested including flashlights or screwdriver sets.

“Include a stuffed animal for each child, no matter what gender or age,” she said. (This will be complemented by Baker and her project.)

In addition, Welch noted that each shoebox becomes a “gospel opportunity,” since each child also re
ceives a small booklet in his or her language telling about Jesus Christ.

“Long after the crayons are used and the toothpaste is gone, children will still have the hope of a future in Jesus,” Welch said. “They will remember that someone cares about them and that they are loved.”

Besides shoebox donations, volunteers are needed year-round for Operation Christmas Child. The areas where service is needed include community, church, media, prayer, and relay centers. Anyone who is interested in becoming a volunteer can contact Welch at 301-334-9648.

Welch noted that a bus trip is planned to the Operation Christmas Child pro-cessing center in Charlotte, N.C., from Sunday, Nov. 23, through Friday, Dec. 3.

“During our time there, we will be examining the boxes to make sure that no inappropriate items are sent,” she said. “We will also be visiting the Billy Graham Library while we are there.”

The cost for the trip will be $115 for the bus and around the same amount for lodging. Interested persons may contact Welch for more information.

Damron will speak at Christ Community Church in Augusta, W.Va., on Sunday, Oct. 31, at the 11 a.m. service. The public is welcome to attend.

“I would love to have a thousand languages to say thank you on behalf of the children,” Damron said. “I’d just like to tell the people thank you and God bless you. Keep doing this and touching the little ones and changing their lives.”

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Maryland black bear hunt closes after 67 kills in five days

Baltimore Sun staff

12:55 p.m. EDT, October 30, 2010

The state Department of Natural Resources says Maryland’s bear hunt is closed after 67 kills in five days.

The seventh annual black bear hunting season, which opened Monday in Allegany and Garrett counties, was officially closed at 9 p.m. Friday.

“The 2010 bear hunt was another unqualified success,” Harry Spiker, Game Mammal Section Leader for the department’s Wildlife and Heritage Service, said in a release. “Unseasonably mild weather made the first part of the season a challenge and kept hunter success low. Despite marginal conditions we safely reached another harvest quota while allowing the first five-day bear hunt in Maryland history.”

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DNR Selects 10 Deep Creek Lake Coves For Sediment Study

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Oct. 28, 2010

The list of coves selected for Phase I of the Department of Natural Resources’ Deep Creek Lake Sediment Plan/Study was announced during the recent DCL Policy and Review Board meeting.

Those areas are Brushy Run, Thayerville (Arrowhead), Pawn Run, Penn, Chadderton School, Hickory Ridge, Turkey Neck (Back Bay), Hazelhurst, Poland, and Gravelly Run. Some of the coves not included in the study are Deep Creek, Deer Haven, and Green Glade.

Bruce Michael, head of DNR’s resource assessment service, announced during the “State of the Watershed Forum” in August that the study would be conducted. The forum was sponsored by Friends of Deep Creek Lake.

The group’s director, Barbara Beelar, reported that property owners in coves not selected for the plan have voiced their concerns to DNR and DCL manager Carolyn Mathews. The owners are concerned that if their coves are excluded from the study, they will also be excluded from possible sediment dredging operations.

Beelar said 16 residents from Deep Creek Cove attended the Policy and Review Board meeting and delivered a letter signed by 27 people requesting that their cove be included in the plan. The letter noted that a low-water level and high sediment during the 2010 boat season limited recreational use to less than 10 weeks in Deep Creek Cove.

Mathews explained this week that the coves chosen for Phase I were selected based on several reasons. She noted that DNR wanted to get a broad look from various types of areas and already had data from some coves.

“They (the chosen coves) represent areas around the lake where DNR does not have sufficient data to analyze, and some were selected because they represent different drainage basins, soil types, slope, or land uses,” Mathews said.

She noted another part of Phase I is to conduct a wholistic surficial sediment survey.

“This survey will characterize the existing sediment throughout Deep Creek Lake so DNR can understand the extent of the current situation and to identify the problems,” Mathews said. “Once DNR has the results from the various tests and sampling and compares it to existing U.S. Geological Survey data and historical data, scientists can extrapolate general results for the other areas of the lake and determine areas of concern.”

Implementation of Phase I of the plan has an estimated cost of $103,000. DNR Boating Services is funding $75,000 of this cost, and $25,000 is coming from the Deep Creek Lake Management Fund, according to Mathews.

“If the results of Phase I determine that DNR should move to Phase II, that work will quantify and characterize the accumulated sediment in the lake and then identify reasonable, feasible, and sustainable alternatives to address accumulated sediments,” she said.

Another goal of Phase II will be to identify ways to reduce sediment inputs to the lake, she noted. Ways to reduce sediment loads into the lake would include designing Best Management Practices for minimizing sediment introduction and transport from adjoining property and tributaries to Deep Creek Lake.

“Cost estimates to conduct Phase II are close to $200,000 and sources for those funds are not identified at this time,” Mathews said. “The actual cost of any type of sediment removal would be hundreds of thousands of dollars.”

The manager noted that just because a cove was not included in the Phase I study does not mean it will be excluded from future sediment removal operations. But, at the same time, the dredging operations may not include all DCL coves, based on a variety of reasons, including operation costs and study results.

Beelar explained that sedimentation accumulation is a natural process that is shaped by many factors, including rainfall amounts, soil types, land use, vegetation, land slope, and existing sediment controls.

“There is additional erosion coming from lake shorelines, storm water runoff, and channeling of road runoff into the lake,” she said. “Lake levels controlled by operation of the hydroelectric dam and boating wakes during high water levels contribute to shoreline erosion. Shoreline characteristics influence the mount of erosion, with the best having natural shoreline protection such as grasses, shrubs, and trees, or effective stabilization controls and low-wake zones in unstable areas.”

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Pink Glove Effort Results In More Than $15,500 For Cindy's Fund

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Oct. 28, 2010

Pink turned green on Sunday, as the Pink Glove Dancers from Brenda’s Body Shop presented a check to Cindy’s Fund for $15,683. A Pink Glove Dance Party was held at Southern High School to celebrate the success of the three-month project to promote breast cancer awareness, and to raise money for Cindy’s Fund, a local charity devoted to providing assistance to cancer patients and their families in Garrett County.

Sandy Bell, president of Cindy’s Fund and twin sister of the late Cindy Kutchman, in whose honor Cindy’s Fund was developed, said she was thrilled to work with Brosnihan in this event. She said Brosnihan has “a special way of getting people enthused and excited” about her events, and that the pink glove campaign was greatly successful in promoting awareness and in supporting the efforts of Cindy’s Fund.

“It has been an amazing journey,” Brosnihan said, “watching the enthusiasm and support in our community grow week to week. The awareness created through the visibility of wearing the pink gloves was astounding. It became a fun, easy way for many people to participate.”

Money was raised via the sale of the gloves to organizations like the county’s rescue squads, fire companies, government agencies, dental offices, hair salons, restaurants, and others. Some businesses participated by purchasing gloves and donating them back for the participants to distribute to spectators during the Autumn Glory Festival.

“During the AGF parades, the awareness really peaked,” Brosnihan said, “with hundreds of parade participants and spectators waving their ‘pink’ hands to show support for Cindy’s Fund and breast cancer awareness.”

The initial goal was to distribute 30,000 gloves, one to represent each person living in Garrett County. Brosnihan said the goal was far exceeded, with nearly 47,000 gloves going throughout the county.

“So many people have asked for the gloves, and wanted their picture taken,” Brosnihan said. “I commend the staff members of The Republican newspaper for their support throughout this project. They featured many of our pink pictures, but with the sheer volume it became impossible to honor every request submitted.
“We have put all the photos collected on our Facebook fan page,” she said. “It is titled ‘Get Your Pink Gloves On.’ We will also be compiling a community slide show, which will be available for interested groups or organizations. We encourage anyone who has not submitted their photos to us but who would like to be included to e-mail them to bbsfitkids@hot-mail.com by Nov. 5.”

The Pink Glove Dancers performed at festivals, fairs, and local events. Brosnihan said the women who committed their time to practices and performances “deserve a lot of credit.”

The top money-raisers in the effort were noted by Brosnihan. Olivia Mortimer came in first with a total of $1,045. In second place was Emily Holland with $530, and Rachel Scott was third with $506.

Brosnihan said donations were always collected after performances, and that increased the fundraising significantly, and also kept the awareness issue at the forefront.

“Garrett County people are so generous,” said Brosnihan, “and they prove it over and over again by their outpouring of support for charities and organizations. I hope people who live here really appreciate just how special it is to have so much love and support from their community.”

Read the rest here.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Garrett County candidates cautious about exploiting shale for natural gas

Kevin Spradlin
The Cumberland Times-News Fri Oct 29, 2010, 07:57 AM EDT

— MCHENRY — Candidates for Garrett County commissioner have varying degrees of concern about exploitation of the Marcellus shale natural gas field and feel that local residents’ concerns are not a top priority for energy companies.

“I think we have to be very careful,” said District 1 candidate Gregan Crawford, a Republican, during a public forum Monday at Garrett College of the field, located a mile or more below the Earth’s surface. “Outside extraction industries rarely have the community’s interests at heart. I think we have to look out for ourselves. We just need to go slow and practice prudence.”

Eric Robison, a Democrat facing Crawford in the Nov. 2 general election, said he attended an informational seminar at Frostburg State University in which members of the Susquehanna River Valley Commission, a water management agency in Pennsylvania that helps monitor environmental impact on local drilling in natural gas fields, spoke about a highly evolved certification program. The program helped to virtually guarantee water quality would not be adversely impacted, Robison said.

Robison said in Maryland, the state Department of the Environment is responsible for issuing permits for such projects. MDE representatives also attended the seminar but said the certified process would not be used here.

“It bothers me that we have a regulatory agency that has ignored the violations of some of these companies that come in,” Robison said. “We need to do what the state is not doing for us.”

Democrat Bill Welch, one of four candidates vying for the District 3 seat, said he knows the gas is needed for energy production and that drilling will bring much-needed revenue to the county. But “it comes back to property rights,” Welch said. Residents’ attitude of “‘let’s trust the state and federal government to protect us’ is the reason I’m here” as a candidate.

Welch said there needs to be two emergency plans in place for drilling and exploration activities, one each for health and physical demands.

“Neither one is there today,” Welch said.

Bob Gatto, one of three write-in candidates challenging Welch in District 3, said he owns property where drilling companies wanted to lease the mineral rights. Gatto opted to keep total control of the land.

“I bought it for a specific purpose,” Gatto said. “I enjoy it. I felt (drilling) would destroy what I bought it for.”

Gatto, a Republican, said the analysis and general information available on the potential environmental impact on drilling is vague and lacks a level of thoroughness that’s needed for elected officials to pursue policy.

“There’s not enough history with it to make good decisions,” Gatto said.

Crawford gave the current commissioners, including the late Denny Glotfelty, credit for establishing a Marcellus Shale Natural Gas Advisory Committee. Members of the group, created this summer, are charged with gathering information and advising the commissioners about issues related to extraction.

Fellow write-in candidate George Falter, a Democrat, said the hydrofracturing process by which the sheet of rock underneath is split to access and pump out the natural gas is a scary one that involves explosives and chemicals.

“Perhaps they just can’t say the word,” Falter said. “Is ‘insanity’ a strong enough word?”

Republican Tim Thomas did not file as a write-in candidate until two days after the forum. He did not participate in the event.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Northern’s Doerr finishes fourth

Husky senior shoots two-day total 147
From Staff Reports
Cumberland Times-News The Cumberland Times-News Fri Oct 29, 2010, 07:56 AM EDT

— COLLEGE PARK — Northern High School senior Austin Doerr finished in a four-way tie for fourth place in all classes in the Maryland High School Golf Tournament at the University of Maryland Golf Course and finished second among Class 2A/1A players as only one individual state champion is crowned overall in the state tournament.

On Tuesday, Doerr fired a first-round 73, just two shots off the lead and good for second place after the opening round of the tournament, then followed up Wednesday with a 74 to finish at 147.

Doerr concluded his high school golfing career as a three-time AMAC champion and a member of the 2009 and 2010 AMAC championship teams. He was a two-time Garrett County Invitational champion, finished fourth in the 2009 Distrist 1 2A/1A championship and won the 2010 District 1 2A/1A championship before finishing fourth overall in the state on Thursday.

Sixty-one golfers qualified for the state tournament and 36, based on Tuesday’s scores, qualified for the final round.

Doerr was the only golfer from Garrett or Allegany counties in the state tournament.

Wootton’s Connor Tendall shot a 71/72 for a two-stroke victory over his nearest competitors Bart George of Broadneck and Cas Dickerson of McDonough. Only four strokes separated all of the other top 10 boys medalists.

North Carroll took home the Class 2A/1A team title by eight strokes over runner-up McDonough by shooting a team score over the two days of 632. In Class 4A/3A, Urbana held off Damascus to retain the title they won last year by three strokes, 618-621.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Election Slated For Next Tuesday; Gatto Files As Write-In Candidate

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Oct. 28, 2010

Garrett County’s 16 polling places will open at 7 a.m. next Tuesday, Nov. 2, and remain open until 8 p.m. for voters to cast ballots for their favorite candidates in the 2010 gubernatorial general election.
Competitive local races include two of three county commissioner seats, state delegate, county sheriff, one of three seats on the board of education, and judges of the orphans’ court.

The most unusual race for a county commissioner seat is that of District III, which was vacated just last week upon the death of incumbent Denny Glotfelty. The only names that will appear on next Tuesday’s ballot will be those of Glotfelty and Democrat challenger Bill Welch. However, soon after the September primary, Democrat George Falter filed as a write-in candidate, and then just since the death of Glotfelty last week, Bob Gatto also filed as a write-in candidate. Gatto was the second-place finisher to Glotfelty in the primary, which featured four candidates.

Then on Tuesday of this week, Republican Tim Thomas, who finished last in the four-candidate primary, also filed as a write-in candidate,

The other competitive race for county commissioner is in District I, where Republican Gregan Crawford is facing Democrat Eric Robison. Crawford defeated long-time incumbent Ernie Gregg in the primary.

Republican Jim Raley, who defeated incumbent Fred Holliday, is unopposed for county commissioner in District II.

The race for state delegate pits Republican incumbent Wendell Beitzel against Democrat James “Smokey” Stanton, while the candidates for sheriff are Republican Robert Corley and Democrat Skyler Hebden.

In the District III board of education race (non-partisan), incumbent Rodney Durst is being challenged by Rodney Reckert, while incumbents Donald Forrester (District I) and Tom Carr (District II) are unchallenged.

Vying for seats for the judges of the orphans’ court are incumbent Republicans Clifford DeWitt, James Margroff, and Wayne Wilt, and Democrat challenger Everett DeBerry, three of whom will be elected.

County officials running unopposed are clerk of the circuit court Sondra Buckel, state’s attorney Lisa Thayer Welch, and register of wills Rita Watson, all Republicans.

Republican state senator George Edwards is also alone on the ballot. Other state offices to be determined are governor/lt. governor, comptroller, and attorney general. Federal races include those of congressional District 6, currently held by Republican Roscoe Bartlett, and U.S. Senate, held by Democrat Barbara Mikulski. Each are facing several challengers.

GATTO

CONTROVERSY

Upon the death of Garrett County commissioner Denny Glotfelty last week, the Republican Central Committee had only a matter of hours to decide whether or not to select a nominee for that position. Doing so would have automatically granted that candidate all votes cast for the late Glotfelty.

A statement released Thursday evening by Brandon Butler, chairman of the committee, said that the committee members decided that they did not have enough time to select a candidate.

“Hastily making such a decision without thoughtful deliberation would not honor Denny’s legacy,” Butler said. “Therefore, it is our request that you honor Denny’s legacy by voting for him one more time…. By doing so, it will give us, your fellow Republicans, the opportunity to interview and select just the right candidate to fill the big shoes Denny left behind.”

If Glotfelty wins in Tuesday’s election, the central committee will then make one or more recommendations and then submit the list to the governor, who will then select the person to fill the commissioner seat.

The decision to not name a candidate was made by the outgoing members of the committee, as new members elected in the September primary have not yet been sworn in and were therefore ineligible to participate in that decision.

The inaction by the committee drew immediate criticism from a number of persons, including some of the new committee members, who believed that Bob Gatto, the second-place fin-isher in the primary, should have been named.

Former Garrett County commissioner Brenda Butscher, one of the newly elected committee members, contacted The Republican and said that the majority of the new members were indeed behind naming Gatto, and said that she had done a lot of “leg-work” even prior to Glotfelty’s death to try to have Gatto selected.

“At least three of the new committee members believed that because the current members knew of the seriousness of Denny’s illness well before his death, they had plenty of time to have someone else lined up in the event of his death before the election,” Butscher said. “Unfortun-ately, we new members were not legally allowed to have a say since we have not yet been sworn in.”

Even Bill Welch, the Democrat challenger in the race who says he has been a friend of Glotfelty’s for many years, criticized the inaction by the committee.

“Bob Gatto has spent a tremendous amount of time and money in this campaign, and he has earned this opportunity,” Welch said. “I would rather lose the election than to see the Republican Central Committee get away with this.”

In his campaign advertising, Welch accuses the committee of purposely not selecting a candidate so that they can choose their own candidate, whom he describes as “a hand-picked partisan that power brokers can control.” He adds that the snubbing of Gatto by the committee “shows contempt for local feelings.”

The immediate family members of Glotfelty also announced publicly that the now deceased commissioner requested that, in the event of his death, Gatto should take his place on the ballot.

“That was one of Dad’s last requests,” Amy Beeman said on Monday.

The support for Gatto prompted another statement from Butler released Tuesday that now encourages voters to support Gatto’s write-in effort.

“After talking with the family, both the current and the newly elected committees have decided to back the write-in candidacy of Mr. Bob Gatto…. We are honoring the wishes of the Glotfelty family in this time of tremendous loss for us all,” the statement read, and then included directions for how one casts a write-in ballot.

Those directions are as follows:

•Touch the box to the left of the word “WRITE-IN” in the contest for which you wish to cast a write-in vote.

•Using the electronic keyboard, enter the candidate’s name, last name first. Then press RECORD WRITE-IN to cast your vote. Your vote will not be counted un-less the record button is pushed.

•Any abbreviation, misspelling, or minor variation in the form of the name of a candidate shall be disregarded in determining the validity of the write-in vote as long as the intended candidate can be determined. Writing the last name only will constitute a valid vote, unless there is more than one candidate with the same last name.

•Candidates may give out cards containing a diagram and instructions, including how to spell the candidate’s name.

Read the full article here.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all o
f your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Holiday Light Show Canceled At Md. State Park

Oct 27, 2010 11:20 am US/Eastern

CUMBERLAND, Md. (AP) ― The American Red Cross says it is canceling its drive-through holiday light show at Rocky Gap State Park near Cumberland due to a lack of volunteers.

Bill Crawford of the group’s Western Potomac Chapter told the Cumberland Times-News on Tuesday that after nine years, it’s just too much work to manage the more than 60 displays known collectively as Mountain Reflections.

Crawford says the colorful display netted the group $20,000 last season. He says the number of vehicles has dropped from a peak of 7,800 in 2004 to about 4,000 last year.

Crawford says the group’s wine-tasting fundraiser in Garrett County has equaled or exceeded net proceeds from the light show in recent years with far less effort.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

GC Heritage Plan Reviewed During Public Hearing

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Oct. 28, 2010

The Garrett County commissioners held a public hearing on Tuesday for the 2010 Garrett County Heritage Area Management Plan draft. About 15 people attended the event.

According to county administrator Monty Pagenhardt, the total cost of the project is $197,850. Funding came from a Maryland Heritage grant, $98,485; Garrett County, $96,065; and the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce, $3,300.

Grant resource writer Peggy Jamison explained that the hearing was primarily an informational one and did not require the commissioners to make any motions at that time. The commissioners, therefore, left the record open for further public comment.

Project consultant Peter Johnston of Peter Johnston & Associates, Easton, gave an overview of the plan and Maryland Heritage Areas Authority (MHAA). The program was initiated by the General Assembly 10 years ago on the premise that cultural and heritage resources could be the basis for revitalization and economic development in communities.

Garrett County went through the first phase of the Heritage Area certification process a couple of years ago. Currently there are 10 certified areas in the state. The local area will probably be the last one certified by the MHAA, Johnston noted.

In the first phase, communities are recognized as Heritage Areas by demonstrating they have the ability and organizations in place to manage, promote, and preserve their cultural, natural, and historic resources.

Because of state guidelines, all of Garrett County could not be considered as a Heritage Area. Only certain local communities have been recognized as being part of the local Heritage Area, Jamison noted.

In the second phase, a management plan is developed and an area becomes certified. With certification, the area organizations and agencies become eligible for certain grants and loans to help their programs and projects. Ideally, these programs and projects then lead to increased tourism, revitalization of communities, and economic development.

The commissioners recently appointed the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce as the entity to oversee the plan. Johnston’s firm suggested the chamber for that role, in part, because it is the county’s marketing organization for tourism.

Johnston noted Tuesday, however, that another organization could be appointed in the future if needed.

He described the plan as a “strategic blueprint” to build consensus among partners to enable plan implementation, prioritize public resources to generate significant private investment in the Heritage Area, and build a sustainable Heritage Area program through public and private partnerships.

The goals are to establish a management structure for the Garrett County Heritage Area; preserve, protect, and promote the county’s heritage resources; raise public awareness regarding the county’s history, culture, and resources; and increase economic development related to heritage tourism in Garrett County for the benefit of Heritage Area stakeholders, partners, and friends.

Johnston also noted that the plan includes “action strategies” for marketing and outreach. Those strategies include creating a “Friends of the Heritage Area” group in which the public will have input in preserving and promoting the county’s heritage.

Read the full article here.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

27 bears killed at Maryland hunt season start

From the Washington Post:

Maryland natural resources officials say 27 bears were killed on the first day of this year’s black bear hunting season.

State officials say the season lasts through Saturday, but hunting will be stopped once the quota of 65 to 90 bears is reached. The quota is five more than last year when hunters killed 68 bears.

Harry Spiker, a bear biologist with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, says Leslie Nightingale of Lonaconing killed the first bear, a 234-pounder she caught in Garrett County just west of Deep Creek Lake on Monday.

This year marks Maryland’s seventh bear season since hunting resumed in 2004 after a 50-year ban. Hunting is limited to Allegany and Garrett counties.

— Associated Press
By Washington Post editors | October 26, 2010; 10:31 AM ET

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Author: ilovedeepcreeklakerealestate

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