Transportation museum to feature history of movement
Photo by Jay Ferguson
Exhibits to include 1927 Oakland fire truck, county’s first Flying Scot sailboat
Megan Miller Cumberland Times-News
Oakland — OAKLAND — Museum goers in Garrett County will soon have the chance see everything from the county’s first snowmobile to an actual surrey with a fringe on top.
The Garrett County Historical Society and Museum plans to break ground this week on a new Museum of Transportation. The facility, to cost over $1 million, will house unique items and artifacts from the county’s long history of movement on land, water and even in the air.
“In the beginning, we only had three or four vehicles, but once we made the announcement, offers started coming in,” said Robert Boal, president of the historical society.
Now the fleet includes the omnibus carriage used to carry wealthy visitors from the train station to the luxurious Deer Park Hotel; Oakland’s first fire truck, a 1927 LaFrance known as Engine No. 1; and the county’s first snowmobile, a 1964 machine that cost $1,000 and was so expensive at the time that the dealer couldn’t sell it.
But the crowning jewel and center of a new exhibit on the history of Deep Creek Lake is the first Flying Scot sailboat ever manufactured in the county, dating back to 1957.
The boat — officially No. 4, because three prototypes were made — had traveled all the way to Chicago, where it spent 42 years before it was located and recovered for the museum.
The collection also includes a surrey donated by the Naylor family and originally sold in Oakland from Naylor’s Hardware.
The same Naylor family made the new museum possible. Though the historical society is responsible for furnishings and displays, Boal explained, the building itself is being funded by the Howard and Audrey Naylor Trust, through funds administered by the Cumberland-based Community Trust Foundation.
The Naylors lived in Garrett County until 1961, and the trust supports history and education projects in the Appalachian region.
“Above all, they wanted their gift to stress education,” Boal said.
The facility will also include a media room, where lectures and group sessions can be held, he said.
The new museum, to be built by Gnegy Construction, will be located along the north side of Liberty Street in Oakland, beside the existing museum. The original museum will also remain open and houses exhibits of general county history.
Construction on the new museum should be completed within a year, Boal said.
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
Comptroller hears about issues facing Garrett businesses, tourism economy
Megan Miller Cumberland Times-News
McHenry — MCHENRY — Topics ranged from taxes to school schedules, but the bottom line was the same — state legislators need to be mindful of the impact their decisions have on the Mountain Maryland tourism industry, Garrett County’s lifeblood.
That’s a message county officials and business leaders stressed Monday to Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot, who stopped in McHenry as part of his tour of all 24 state jurisdictions.
The start and end date for schools matters not only in Garrett County, where students make up a large portion of the work force, but statewide when families determine whether or not to vacation at the lake, according to county business owners.
“We seem to keep shortening and shortening our revenue season,” said Bill Meagher, owner of the Lakeside Creamery. “Now schools are ending as late as the 20th of June, so you’re at best getting seven weeks out of a 12-week season.”
“In tourism states that have realized that, they have adjusted schedules to accommodate it,” agreed Nancy Railey of Railey Mountain Lake Vacations.
Business owners also struggle with the comparatively high tax rates in Maryland, Meagher said.
CPA Shane Grady echoed the concern, saying that one of the major struggles his firm saw this tax season was a decline in company returns.
“We do see a lot of business owners frustrated with Maryland taxes,” he said.
That’s not the only state-level issue businesses are frustrated with, said Jim Hinebaugh, director of the Garrett County Department of Economic Development.
Hinebaugh said the slow progress and communication breakdowns in dealing with state agencies frustrate businesses owners and sometimes drive them out of Maryland.
“One of the things that … we deal with on a consistent basis is Maryland’s permitting process,” he said. “You submit a request to the State Highway Administration, it takes forever to get a permit, and no one follows up. It all contributes to Maryland’s reputation for being unfriendly as far as business goes.”
But the biggest long-term issue facing local businesses could be the county’s declining population and youth moving out, said Jon Kessler, owner of the Pine Lodge Steakhouse and other businesses.
“We need the rest of the state to recognize that we are not part of the same environment that is growing rapidly,” he said. “People to the east of us …. like the fact that they can come up here and the roads aren’t crowded, but that has a real impact on us.”
Franchot said the concerns about tax rates and bureaucratic red tape are nothing new, and he agrees things need to change.
“We have to keep taxes down — that goes without saying,” he said. “And public employees have to be much prompter and speedier at getting back to businesses on any questions about permits or other regulatory issues. … That’s just a mind-set that has to change in Maryland.”
As for Garrett County’s aging, declining population?
“I hadn’t really had that brought to my attention,” he said. “I’ll have to think about that.”
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
Nordex wind turbines to Maryland wind farm
Nordex USA Inc will supply 20 of its N90 2.5 MW wind turbines for the 50 MW wind farm in Garrett County, Maryland.
Nordex says delivery and installation of the wind turbines will start in August, with the wind farm due to be commissioned in December. The contract with developer and future operator Synergics includes a five-year maintenance agreement.
The Roth Rock wind farm is expected to produce 124 GWh of electricity annually. It will be placed atop the Backbone Mountain along an undeveloped ridge stretching three miles.
The wind energy will be bought by Delmarva Power, the University of Maryland and other entities of the State of Maryland.
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
Free Local Business Listings on DeepCreekAlive.com
http://www.deepcreekalive.com/index.cfm?cid=listings/addlisting1.cfm
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
Wisp New Canopy Tour and Zip Line - Facebook Photos
Wisp Resort is adding to its Adventure Park – with a new Canopy Tour & zipline attraction that I blogged about last month when Karen Myers came to tell us about their newest attractions and summer plans. Here are some photos from their Facebook page:
Darvin Moon - May Cover Ante Up Poker Magazine-Cumberland Times
Darvin Moon, the Garrett County logger who won the $5 million top prize in the 2009 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, is on the May cover of Ante Up, Your Poker Magazine. “Am I the same person? Yes I am. It’s just a life is a lot more hectic,” Moon told the magazine.
The magazine is free in casinos, poker rooms and poker leagues throughout the Southeastern United States and online at AnteUpMagazine.Com….
Read the article about Darvin Moon 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
Stay up to date with the real estate market-Garrett County-Deep Creek Lake
- A basic search: ($200,000-250,000)
- An intermediate search: ($200,000-$250,000 + Water Views)
- And a detailed search: ($200k-250k + water views + 3 bedrooms or more + McHenry + 1 acre or more)
This way, you are seeing everything in the $200k-250k range, but also receiving more ‘direct hits’ with subsequent searches. I have clients who have me running as many as 8 searches – and loving it. They own property here and like to get updates about properties that have sold, so they can keep up with comparable sales. They also like to see updates about their community (Ski Harbor), so I email that search. Then, they are searching for single family homes on the water, in certain areas of the lake (like Rock Lodge Rd, State Park Rd, and anything at Blakeslee). I have another client who only wants homes with public water/sewer – so I tailored a search for those features. And I have other clients who mix & match land listings in the same way – size, price, location, sewer/water, etc.
The sky is the limit with custom MLS searches – I can even set them up to email you ASAP, weekly, specific days of the week, in the morning or evening, or once a month. Completely customizable. The easiest way to set one of these up and try it out is to call me directly or email me with your parameters. Special requests? I’ll do my best!
2010 Taste of Garrett County at Wisp
Date: May 17, 2010
Location: Wisp Resort Main Lodge
Date & Time : May 17 – 6pm-9pm
Description: The spotlight is on foods and beverages prepared, produced, or served by local businesses.
Proceeds will benefit the Garrett County Recreational Trails Project. 301.387.4386
Cost of the event is $25 per person and will entitle each guest
10 tickets to “spend” on food at vendors of their choice.
Cost for children age 12 and under will be $15 (also for 10 tickets).
Additional food tickets will also be available for sale at the event.
There will be no pre-sales of tickets this year. A cash bar will be available
and DJ Jonny Rock will provide entertainment.
DEEP CREEK WATER LEVEL PETITION
Save Deep Creek Lake!
This seems to be a legit concern. I have had clients in shallow coves that have had to take their boat out in AUGUST because of the low water levels. Thanks to Mike Kennedy for bringing this to my attention:
“Here is a link to an online petition created by a group around the lake who have collected data the past few years that show Brookfield Power (the current owner of the dam and hydroelectric facility) is drawing the lake down faster and sooner than in years past. This has caused many of the property owners in the shallower coves to lose September and October as boating months.”
http://www.savedeepcreek.com/Default.aspx
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
A Midsummer Nights Dream - Southern High School
Support the Republiucan Newspaper! It’s only $9.95/year for the online edition!
The whimsical comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, by William Shakespeare, will be presented by the Southern High School drama department next week. The show will be given in the school auditorium on May 20, 21, and 22 at 8 p.m. Admission is $5. Director Erin White said the play is suitable for the entire family.
Pictured in the front row, from left, are cast members Samantha Johnson, Jack Paugh, Mariah Stem, Justin Weeks, Brittany Scott, Hannah Burrell, Marshall Thayer, Justine Delsignore, and Christina McKenzie. Second row, same order: Cory Murphy, Nick Callis, Katie Anderson, Seth Lewis, Sara Estill, Aimee Spiker, Karen Bonser, Cory Stieringer, Aaron Callis, and Brittney Hostutler. Third row: Kelsey Geer, Ellie Lauver, Abby Wildesen, Mikaela Bernard, Jordyn Livengood, Holly Wotring, Brittany McNair, Athena Hardester, Virginia Byrne, Sara King, Brutus Scheffel, Rebecca Reckart, Kristen DeWitt, Kari Hughes, and Emilee Briggs.
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
