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Pleasant Valley, Garrett County Maryland

I had someone send me this photo of their family farm in southern Garrett County over the weekend and I was reminded of a Garrett County gem – Pleasant Valley. It’s not a town, so you can’t find it on the map as an address, but it is a collection of farms, fields, and homes on Route 219 south of Oakland. There is a prevalent Amish population, generations of local farmers and lots of other cool places to drive by and see. My father had a home in the valley for 10 years or so while I was growing up, so I was fortunate enough to have experienced the beautiful sights, sounds (and smells) of this agricultural area. Pleasant Valley lies beneath the Backbone Mountain ridge, so the backdrop of the highest point in Maryland is equally impressive as you take in the beautiful sights and sounds of Pleasant Valley! Take a trip to see the working farms, and stop by one of the many ‘shops’ that you will encounter along the way. You buy everything from fresh produce and eggs to Garrett County’s own maple syrup, baking goods, fresh baked bread & yummy deserts. There are also fun activities like horse drawn carriage rides, the Backbone Mountain ski farm and you can even arrange a trip to see livestock on a Garrett County farm!

Want your own piece of the Valley? Railey Realty offers many diverse tracts of recreational land, farm/pasture land and homes in this beautiful are of Garrett County. You can search for real estate here, or I would be happy to help you find the property of your dreams in Southern Garrett County, Pleasant Valley and Backbone Mountain!

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

Happy 133rd Birthday to the Republican Newspaper!

Jay’s note: Support the Republican Newspaper – I nominate the Republican and all of its staff as official ‘Garrett County All Stars’!! A year memebership online is only $9.95 – you’ll find more loose change in your house than that in a year!

The Republican newspaper officially turns 133 today, March 4. The first issue of the newspaper was published by James Hayden on March 4, 1877. The paper has been produced every week since.
The newspaper was launched by Hayden in that year, and was named in honor of the recently slain Abraham Lincoln, the first Republican president. Hayden was a veteran of the Civil War, having served in the Union Army.

The paper was purchased in 1890 by Benjamin H. Sincell, who published his first issue on his 20th birthday in that year. It has been in the Sincell family since that time, with just four editors in its history: Hayden; B.H. Sincell until 1946, then George Hanst (brother of Elsie Hanst Sincell), who was editor from 1946 until 1977; and then Donald Sincell, editor from 1977 to the present.

Read the rest of the 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

Public Safety Office Offers Flood Facts

Public Safety Office Offers Flood Facts

Mar. 4, 2010

Flooding may become a major problem in the local area as the large amount of snowfall from February’s storms begins to melt.
“We are very concerned about that likelihood as the temperatures warm up beginning this week,” said Director Brad Frantz, Garrett County Department of Emergency Management.

With that in mind, the director offers the following flood fact sheet from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA):

DURING A FLOOD

If a flood is likely in your area, you should:

•Listen to the radio or television for information.

•Be aware that flash flooding can occur. If there is any possibility of a flash flood, move immediately to higher ground. Do not wait for instructions to move.

•Be aware of streams, drainage channels, canyons, and other areas known to flood suddenly. Flash floods can occur in these areas with or without such typical warnings as rain clouds or heavy rain.

If you must prepare to evacuate, you should do the following:

•Secure your home. If you have time, bring in outdoor furniture. Move essential items to an upper floor.

•Turn off utilities at the main switches or valves if instructed to do so. Disconnect electrical appliances. Do not touch electrical equipment if you are wet or standing in water.

If you have to leave your home, remember these evacuation tips:

•Do not walk through moving water. Six inches of moving water can make you fall. If you have to walk in water, walk where the water is not moving. Use a stick to check the firmness of the ground in front of you.

•Do not drive into flooded areas. If floodwaters rise around your car, abandon the car and move to higher ground if you can do so safety. You and the vehicle can be quickly swept away.

DRIVING FLOOD FACTS

The following are important points to remember when driving in flood conditions:

•Six inches of water will reach the bottom of most passenger cars causing loss of control and possible stalling.

•A foot of water will float many vehicles.

•Two feet of rushing water can carry away most vehicles, including sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and pickups.

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

National Guard Mobilized in Deep Creek Lake, Garrett County

You know the snow is piling up when you see the camouflage dump trucks, hummers and heavy equipment taking over the county roads over the past few days. The National Guard was mobilized to assist in the snow removal at Deep Creek Lake and on Garrett County’s roads. If you’ve been following the blog, you’ll know that we had 3 feet of the white stuff and well over 22 feet of snow for the year so far. Another storm system is making its way to the area today. You can imagine what it’s like trying to show/sell property in these conditions, let alone get to work, school, and run errands.
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 commissioners plan to seek re-election

From Staff Reports
Cumberland Times-News

Oakland — OAKLAND — With the filing deadline still months away, several Garrett County incumbents have declared their intention to seek re-election in 2010.

Garrett County offices open in 2010 include: all three county commission seats, state’s attorney, sheriff, clerk of courts, register of wills, judge of Orphans Court, three school board seats for Districts 1, 2, and 3, and the chairs of the Republican and Democratic central committees.

Incumbent County Commissioners Dennis Glotfelty of McHenry and Fred Holliday of Grantsville have both filed candidate papers to retain their seats. Glotfelty represents District 3, and Holliday, District 2.

Commission chairman Ernest Gregg of Mountain Lake Park said he, too, will seek re-election, but has not yet filed his candidate papers. Gregg represents District 1.

On the Board of Education, vice president Thomas Carr, Accident, filed for re-election to the District 2 seat. President Donald Forrester, Mountain Lake Park, has filed to retain the seat representing District 1.

Two men have filed as Republican candidates for the office of sheriff, Robert E. Corley of Oakland and Larry Gnegy of Oakland. The office is currently held by Gary Berkebile.

Incumbent Rita Watson, Republican, Oakland, will face Republican challenger Traci Royce, Oakland, for register of wills.

The deadline for filing candidate papers is July 6. The primary election is set for Sept. 14.

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 smashes snowfall record

262.5 inches have fallen this winter at Keysers Ridge
From Staff Reports
Associated Press

times news — OAKLAND (AP) — The snowiest part of Maryland has set a winter weather record.

More than 2 1/2 feet of snow fell in Garrett County last week, pushing the seasonal total into record territory.

The State Highway Administration said Monday that 262.5 inches have fallen this winter at its garage near Keyser’s Ridge. That tops the old record of 233.5 inches recorded in the winter of 2002-03.

In Oakland, National Weather Service observer Sherry Helbig reports a seasonal total of 210 inches, more than double the winter average of 95 inches.

SHA spokesman David Buck said the snowbanks along state Route 495 are about as high as road crews can pile the stuff using giant snowblowers. He said it’s a challenge the agency has never faced before.

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

Local Photographer Jim Crabtree finalist in Wedding & Portrait Photographers International

A great friend of mine and a local photographer, Jim Crabtree, is in the top 20 in a very important photo competition with a mummy shot of Kasey Bell. Its an international photography association called the WPPI the Wedding & Portrait Photographers International.

There were 1000’s of entries internationally and they were narrowed down to a few hundred and then narrowed down to 20. Jim Crabtree, a Garrett County native, is in the top 20.

You can vote at the official site or go to the Wedding & Portrait Photographers International convention in Las Vegas next week. You can vote as many times as you like, similar to American Idol.

GO HERE TO VOTE: Kasey is #18
http://www.rangefindermag.com/storage/contest/freshfaces_voting.html

Let’s put Garrett County on the map in the photography world and bring home the win for Jim Crabtree – a Garrett County ALL STAR!

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

Maryland maple farms offer syrup, pure and simple – Washington Post – Deep Creek Lake & Garrett County

Garrett County’s & Deep Creek Lake getting some love from the Washington Post today.
An excerpt from the story:
_____________________

In a few days to weeks, the trees in Western Maryland will start blooming . . . buckets.

As maple syrup season nears, producers in Garrett County are readying their tapping equipment for harvesting time, which runs from the end of this month through April. The sap starts to flow during the spring thaw, when the combination of mineral-rich soil and temperate weather yields exceptionally rich and sweet syrup. (Quick dendrology lesson: Sap is the sugary water that circulates in a tree after it wakes up from a cold winter.)

Roughly 30 syrup makers cluster in the mountains and valley around Deep Creek Lake, which is thick with indigenous groves of sugar and red maples. They farm the sap the old-fashioned way, by tapping holes into the sides of trees and arranging a system of rubber tubes or steel buckets to move and amass the sap. Many of them collect the liquid gold by hand, hauling heavy buckets to the evaporation room. To produce a gallon of syrup, they must boil down 40 gallons of sap. Consider that the next time you smother your pancakes in syrup.

Steyer Brothers Farm is the largest producer in Western Maryland as well as the oldest: Last year, it celebrated its 100th anniversary. In a good year, the family-run operation (Grandma still lends a hand) squeezes out about 1,000 gallons of syrup. They sell the sticky amber substance for $7 a pint or $30 a gallon. The price tag is higher than such mass-produced syrups as Aunt Jemima, but compare labels before you go cheap: Major brands may contain less than 2 percent maple syrup; the local liquid is 100 percent pure.

“The syrup here is special because of the soil and the weather,” said Randall Steyer, who runs the 100-acre farm with his wife, teenage daughters and other relatives. “You’d be surprised at how much of this stuff we sell to Vermont.”

— Ben Chapman

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

Google and Garrett County, Deep Creek Lake

When Brian Oxford called to tell me that this project was taking shape, I was incredibly excited to help spread the movement. Let’s help put Garrett County on the map with the power of Google. Check out the main page and sign the petition!

Also, the Facebook group. Get your ideas out there!

From Google’s website:
“Google is planning to launch an experiment that we hope will make Internet access better and faster for everyone. We plan to test ultra-high speed broadband networks in one or more trial locations across the country. Our networks will deliver Internet speeds more than 100 times faster than what most Americans have access to today, over 1 gigabit per second, fiber-to-the-home connections. We’ll offer service at a competitive price to at least 50,000 and potentially up to 500,000 people.”

My Reasons why Garrett County should win:
1) There’s already fiber infrastructure in place here, saving time, resources and money.
2) Google can flex its muscle by putting a RURAL area on the MAP.
3) We are a resort area within a 5 hour driving radius of 10% of the US Population, more people can enjoy it via ‘smart’ vacation homes, as well as full time residents.
4) Garrett County is GREEN…(really, look out your window and I guarantee you see a tree)
5) Our schools are ranked amongst the highest in the state – imagine what equipping our children and teachers with the ability to learn/teach at the speed of Google would do for the future of Garrett County, Maryland, the United States of America and the World.
6)In the event of nuclear fallout, Garrett County is strategically safe – think about it.
7)That kind of speed would make Garrett County a hub for more businesses and workers to telecommute (DC, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Northern Virginia) reducing traffic, saving gas and other natural resources, and creating more jobs (without bailouts or stimulus money).

Spread the word. Google + Garrett County & Deep Creek Lake = Everybody Wins

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

Deep Creek Lake & Garrett County Snowfall History from 1939


You may have heard by now that we have set the new record for snowfall in Garrett County, Maryland this winter. Well, thanks to my friends at Team One (buy a vehicle from Steve Shaffer, he’s the man!), I got a copy of the official Garrett County snowfall history, dating back to 1939! It’s pretty neat to see how much total snow we’ve had each year. I believe this originated from the State Highway Administration. For the record, we are at 234.5 inches so far this year, which beat the previous record of 2003 by…1 inch.

I’m looking forward to 2 or 3 more snowstorms to CRUSH this record once and for all! Who is with me??

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

Jay Ferguson
jay@deepcreekvacations.com
301-501-0420
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McHenry, MD 21541
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