garrett – Jay's Real Estate Blog

2025 GCBR Home Show Expo

Mar 29 at 11:00AM – 3:00PM
Garrett County Fairground

270 Mosser Road
Ag Hall
McHenry
21541

Family-friendly, free & open to the public! Activities for kids. Food available, proceeds going to Cindy’s Fund. Vendors include lenders, landscapers, home inspectors, interior designers & MORE!
The Expo will host an extensive range of businesses – from service providers to lending institutions to home improvement and construction companies – all within Garrett County and the surrounding area. The public will have a chance to meet with local businesses that may be of resource to them and their home needs. This will be an opportunity for businesses to connect and showcase what they have to offer YOU!

Additionally, The Travel Mug trailer will be setup to sell hot and cold beverages.
Cindy’s Fund (a local charity on a mission to help cancer patients in Garrett County) will be running concessions from the kitchen with proceeds going to support their mission, and Emalee Dicks will be doing face painting for children for FREE.

Courtesy of Level Acres Landscaping & Nursery from Springs, PA, at least the first 50 children will get to become mini landscapers for a day! Kids will have the opportunity to experience a little piece of landscaping with some added fun, designing and decorating individual planters, and planting a plant to take home and watch grow.

Come to meet with our vendors or just to look around at the boats and hot tubs that will be on display!

Easter at the Airport

Garrett County Government

The Garrett County Airport is opening its doors for a fun-filled, family-friendly Easter celebration on Saturday, April 12, from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. This free event, presented in partnership with Taylor-Made Deep Creek Sales, welcomes guests of all ages to enjoy an afternoon of activities, crafts, and sweet treats.

Families can take part in egg coloring with TEAM 1629 Robotics, create paper airplanes from coloring sheets, and snap pictures with the Easter Bunny. Kids will also receive free candy eggs while supplies last. Adding to the excitement, HART for Animals will be on-site with adoptable puppies looking for their forever homes.

The Garrett County Airport invites the community to come out, celebrate the season, and enjoy a unique Easter event in a one-of-a-kind setting.

For more information about the event, please contact Adison Wyer, Garrett County Airport Manager, at 301-746-8599 or awyer@garrettcountymd.gov.

Maryland Sets 51 Youth Fishing Rodeos for 2025

The Southern Maryland Chronicle

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is ready to make waves in 2025, rolling out 51 youth fishing rodeos across the state for kids ages 3 to 15. From the first blooms of spring to the crisp days of late fall, these free events aim to hook young anglers—whether they’re casting their first line or sharpening seasoned skills—in a tradition that’s been reeling in Maryland families for over six decades. Spanning 16 counties, the rodeos promise a blend of excitement, education, and a chance to connect with nature, often set against the backdrop of Maryland’s sprawling State Parks.

This isn’t just about fishing—it’s about legacy. Some of these rodeos trace their roots back to the 1960s, sparked by a vision to give kids a safe space to learn the art of angling while planting seeds of environmental care. Last year, the program drew over 3,300 young participants, a splashy success that’s buoyed DNR’s plans for 2025.

A young angler with his catch during a 2024 youth fishing rodeo near Easton. Maryland DNR photo.
Partnering with dozens of local organizations—from community clubs to park rangers—they’re staging events at ponds, lakes, and streams statewide, backed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program. That federal funding keeps the rodeos free, ensuring every kid gets a shot at the water.

Picture this: a sunny morning at Patapsco Valley State Park, a 5-year-old gripping a rod as a sunfish tugs the line, or a 14-year-old at Tuckahoe State Park perfecting a cast under a volunteer’s watchful eye. The rodeos teach more than technique—knots, baiting, patience—they instill a respect for the ecosystems that sustain Maryland’s waterways.

In 2022, DNR stocked over 6,000 hybrid sunfish and trout for these events, per agency records, tipping the odds toward a catch. No license needed for those under 16, though adults and teens can grab one online or at agents, with every dollar fueling conservation efforts like habitat restoration and fish stocking.

The schedule’s a county-by-county haul—Garrett’s mountain streams, Worcester’s coastal flats, and everywhere in between. But some venues cap attendance, so DNR’s nudging families to hit the website, register via listed contacts, and double-check for weather-driven shifts. Last fall’s downpours bumped a few 2024 dates, a heads-up to stay sharp. Events often come with perks—loaner rods, bait, even snacks at spots like Cunningham Falls—making it low-stakes fun with high rewards.

Maryland’s fishing heritage runs deep, from the Chesapeake Bay’s bounty to Deep Creek Lake’s quiet shores. With over 500 miles of fishable streams and countless ponds, per DNR’s maps, the state’s a natural stag

Garrett College spring headcount grows 8%

The Parsons Advocate

Number of spring credit students is highest since 2016
McHenry, MD – Garrett College recorded its highest total of spring semester credit students in nine years this semester, according to data released by the College’s Office of Records and Registration (ORR).

GC has 677 credit students this spring, an increase of eight percent, the highest since the College enrolled 693 students in spring 2016. This spring’s enrollment is the second-highest headcount in the last 12 years.

“We’re very pleased to see enrollment continuing to grow,” said Dr. Richard Midcap, Garrett College’s president. “With spring enrollment now finalized, we’ve seen credit enrollment growth for three consecutive fiscal years.”

Total spring credit hours taken by Garrett’s students increased 8.4 percent, rising from 5,650.50 in spring 2024 to 6,126.50 in spring 2025. That’s the highest total since spring 2020, when the College logged 6,190.75 spring credit hours.

The College’s headcount enrollment has grown 28.7 percent over the last four years, according to ORR data. GC’s spring credit hours increased 23 percent over the same four-year time period.

“Our student headcount is almost 12 percent higher than spring 2020, which was our last pre-COVID semester,” said Dr. Robert “JR” Kerns, GC’s dean of student affairs. “That’s really quite an achievement.”

Kerns said new academic programs, including sport management, and expansion of the College’s intercollegiate athletic program have both played roles in GC’s enrollment growth.

“We’ve been intentionally trying to expand opportunities that provide enrollment growth potential,” said Kerns, adding he expects the radiologic technology program that launches in June and the men’s soccer program that starts in August to further expand enrollment.

Ongoing increases in the number of High School Dual Enrollment (HSDE) students is helping to drive headcount increases, according to Dr. Kelli Sisler, GC’s director of institutional effectiveness.

“HSDE grew almost 15 percent from last spring to this spring,” said Sisler, noting that the Garrett College Scholarship Program continues to fund HSDE. “The five-year trend data is even more impressive – there has been an 85 percent increase in the number of HSDE participants this spring compared to spring 2020.”

Professor Christa Bowser, GC’s chief academic officer, said implementation of The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future by Garrett County Public Schools (GCPS) and Garrett College has played a key role in expanding HSDE.

“The Blueprint emphasizes public schools and colleges working collaboratively to offer high school students a dual enrollment option, which GCPS and the College have worked extensively to provide,” said Bowser. “GCPS and the College already had a close working relationship, but the Blueprint sparked an even higher level of collaboration.”

GC’s part-time student population hit an all-time high this spring with 369 part-time students, which Bowser said is largely due to the increase in HSDE.

Garrett County Chamber Of Commerce What’s Happening In Garrett County

Garrett County Chamber of Commerce

County Commissioners Announce Public Meeting Agenda

Garrett County Government
Board of County Commissioners

Meeting will also be Live Streamed at https://www.facebook.com/garrettcountygovernment/

The Board of County Commissioners may close a portion of this public meeting and move into Executive Session to comply with a specific constitutional, statutory, or judicial requirement that may prevent public disclosure about a particular proceeding or matter.

                     *To comment on agenda items – please send to comments@garrettcountymd.gov

3:00 Administrative Session

Board Appointments – Garrett County Local Emergency Planning Committee
Backbone Housing, Inc. – Request for Fiscal Year 2026 County Property Tax Abatement
Mr. Null will review a number of administrative and managerial matters under his authority and jurisdiction with the Board of County Commissioners
4:00 Call to Order of Public Session, Invocation, and Pledge of Allegiance

          County Administrator – Additions/Deletions to Public Meeting Agenda

          Approval of Public, Administrative, and Executive Meeting Minutes

4:05 Recognition: Callis Auto Detailing – 35th Anniversary

                  4:10        Garrett County Department of Financial Services – Purchasing Division

                                 Bid Awards:    Bid #25–0206 Pump Station 1–1 / 2–1

                                                        Bid #25–0306 Galvanized Steel Modular Panel Truss

4:15 PUBLIC HEARING: Garrett County Department of Community Development & Planning – Garrett County Water & Sewer Master Plan 2014 – Amendment #5 – To Incorporate Critical Infrastructure Improvements

4:25 Public Commentary

      ADJOURNMENT OF PUBLIC SESSION

4:30 FISCAL YEAR 2026 BUDGET PRESENTATIONS:

                  Garrett County Community Action Committee, Inc. 

                  Garrett County Chamber of Commerce

                  Ruth Enlow Library of Garrett County

   Public issues or concerns that are to be presented to the Board of Garrett County Commissioners during any Public Meeting should be scheduled with Carol A. Riley–Alexander, Executive Assistant to the Board of County Commissioners/County Administrator.

The Board of Garrett County Commissioners’ next scheduled Public Meeting will be on Monday, April 7, 2025 at the Garrett County Courthouse beginning at 4:00 PM.

DCL 100

February 2025 Market Stats

Feb 25 Stats Download

January 2025 Market Stats

January 2025 stats Download

A Bridge Too Far in Western Maryland; the fight for hemlocks and history continues

Dan Rodricks

In the far western corner of Maryland, Steve Storck (photo above) keeps fighting for the old hemlocks in Swallows Falls State Park. As I reported a couple of months ago, the plan to replace a single-lane bridge over the Youghiogheny River, near the entrance to the park, with a wider parallel span would cut into a grove of hemlock trees, some of them more than a century old. Storck, a nearby landowner and champion of the river and forest, has been trying to convince the state that the new bridge is unnecessary — certainly not worth the cutting of potentially hundreds of trees.

If the 150-foot bridge must be replaced, he argues, then Garrett County should build the new one where the present one stands. That would cause a road closure, but it would save the trees and what Storck calls the historic nature of the area, including parts of a road and trail established during the Great Depression by the Civilian Conservation Corps.

“The bridge is to be replaced with a concrete highway-style bridge 100 feet closer to Swallow Falls [State Park], destroying historic resources and clearing five percent of the [historic] Youghiogheny Grove old-growth forest,” he says.

The current bridge, a steel truss, appears to be in good shape, bearing the weight of, on average, 400 to 465 vehicles a day, according to a study submitted to the state.

If you’ve been to Swallow Falls, you know that the bridge requires drivers approaching from one side to yield to oncoming motorists. As a long-time visitor to Swallow Falls, I’ve always found the bridge a quaint traffic-calming measure. It requires you to slow way, way down, which puts you in a good frame of mind as you enter the park.

Nobody asked me, and you can call me a tree hugger, but I don’t see the urgency in replacing the current bridge.

But Garrett County wants a new one.

Here’s the thing: Parts of the area are within the Youghiogheny Scenic and Wild River Corridor. To allow the county to build a new bridge, the state had to grant an exception, and that’s what DNR Secretary Josh Kurtz did. “The scenic and wild character of the river and corridor as a whole will not be injuriously impacted by the construction of the new bridge,” Kurtz said in a letter approving the plan.

The State Highway Administration also said it sees “no adverse effect.”

But Storck is still fighting and he’s appealing to Marylanders to join him.

“You can help stop this by writing to Elizabeth Hughes (elizabeth.hughes@maryland.gov) at Maryland Historical Trust and asking her to require the county to replace the bridge in its current footprint to save our history and the natural beauty of this treasured park.”

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