mountain – Page 21 – Jay's Real Estate Blog

Garrett County’s sesquicentennial celebration kicks off

OAKLAND, Md. — A kickoff to Garrett County’s sesquicentennial celebration took place last week at the Garrett County Courthouse.

The 150th anniversary commemorates the incorporation of Garrett County on Dec. 4, 1872. It was formed from neighboring Allegany County and was the last county to be created in the state of Maryland.

The event was held as part of the Board of Garrett County Commissioners public meeting Dec. 6.

The program included a proclamation by the commissioners and special guest speakers Robert Boal of the Garrett County Historical Society and Albert Feldstein, a local historian.

“This is going to take obviously a year to celebrate, so everyone that has had a hand in everything that is going on thus far and moving forward, we appreciate it,” Commissioner Paul Edwards said before reading the proclamation to kick off the year of celebration.

“I am honored to speak on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the county I love and have stayed in for 61 years,” Boal said.

He noted that as far as the creation of Garrett County goes, very little was done before the Civil War.

“There were rumblings of discontent up here in the mountains that we didn’t have enough representation. We were sort of the weak sister, but no movement ever occurred,” Boal said. “With the end of the Civil War, that changed.”

He stated that the region began to boom with the arrival of the B&O Railroad in the 1850s, with agriculture, timber and coal.

“Garrett County felt our wealth and our resources were being taken out of here and we should have more control over all of this,” Boal said.

He mentioned several key players and developers who started the movement.

“It caught on slowly because this was a very remote area,” Boal said. “The awakening in GC started about 1870, and some very powerful locals picked up on it. These men lit the spark that brought the fire.”

He noted that the group started having community barbecues where they met, shared a meal and talked about what this area should be. It turned into a movement that was very strong.

In April 1872, the General Assembly passed a bill to allow for an election, which took place on Nov. 4, 1872. Dec. 4, 1872, was the date set for the county to become the newest in the state.

Feldstein stated that the reasons listed on the petition for creation of a new county included the substantial distance from far Western Maryland to the existing county seat in Cumberland, greater representation in the state’s General Assembly, greater opportunities for local tax revenue and more appropriate expenditures of public funds.

Two possible names were proposed for the county: Garrett and Glade.

He noted that the new county was established by the Maryland State Legislature on April 1, 1872, but it was a requirement that it be left up to the voters.

The vote on Nov. 4 resulted in 1,297 in favor of a new county and 405 opposed.

“Congratulations to Garrett County, and we should all look this good after 150 years,” Feldstein said.

To read the full article click here.

Western Maryland Scenic 1309 receives FRA approval

From Trains.com

RIDGELEY, W.Va. — The Federal Railroad Administration Thursday approved Western Maryland Scenic Railroad 2-6-6-2 No. 1309 for service, officials of the Cumberland, Md.-based tourist railroad tell Trains News Wire. The last Baldwin built for domestic service in 1949 immediately becomes the world’s largest operating Mallet on a 17-mile mountain railroad that was once the Western Maryland main line, including iconic Helmstetter’s Curve.

The locomotive will immediately begin its testing and break in period, leading up to its operation on Polar Express trains next month and regular service and special events next winter and spring. The former Chesapeake & Ohio engine only operated in regular service for six years before retirement and was displayed at the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore for years before Western Maryland Scenic bought and moved it in 2014. The engine and three cars were running this morning.

The $3.5 million restoration of the large articulated was a monumental task for a tourist railroad of modest means and working in a former Western Maryland car shop. Workers last December pushed to get the engine to the point where it could move on its own for the first time in 64 years and debuted it on Dec. 31. Since then, the shop crew has been chasing down thousands of final details, rebuilding the stoker, and acquiring parts that were difficult to come by during the Covid-19 pandemic. The railroad, which had not run since the 2019 season, also worked to reopen during 2021, which made No. 1309’s restoration a close but still second priority.

The Mallet, which uses its steam twice, was the fabled Baldwin Locomotive Works’ last domestic product in 1949 and is thus a major landmark in U.S. steam locomotive manufacturing.

Crews from railway preservation came from across the U.S. to assist in the final weeks of reassembly, a painstaking and difficult process for a locomotive that received little maintenance in its working life, spent years on display in a humid environment, and was disassembled by a different restoration crew. Its restoration was slowed earlier by an employee’s theft of parts, significant funding challenges, and the immensity and complexity of such a large locomotive.

steam locomotive outside depot
Western Maryland Scenic 2-6-6-2 No. 1309 begins test runs today following FRA approval of the locomotive after an extensive 7-year, $3.5 million restoration. Here it is outside Cumberland Depot. (Walter Scriptunas II photos)
When it begins regular operations, No. 1309 will be the only articulated rod engine in action in the eastern U.S., and the largest steam power in the East. Union Pacific’s Big Boy operates on UP tracks and is a simple articulated, meaning it feeds high-pressure steam to all four cylinders.

No. 1309 will be operated on 17 miles of the former Western Maryland Railway main line from Cumberland, Md., via famous Helmstetter’s Curve, to Frostburg, Md.

Stalled for funding at the end of 2019, the project was at a standstill. In February 2020, Trains Magazine launched the “Steam the Last Baldwin” campaign to raise money to restart the project. Readers responded with more than $275,000 in donations, and the John Emery Rail Heritage Trust made a special mid-year grant of $50,000 to keep work moving forward. The engine was set on its drivers in June 2020, and final reassembly began.

You can read about the final restoration efforts in our special edition, “Steaming the Last Baldwin,” and a companion DVD. Both are available online at the Kalmbach Hobby Store.

Garrett had only growth in Maryland tourism during pandemic

The Garrett County Republican

McHENRY — While Garrett County has experienced a boom in tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic, the rest of Maryland is struggling to recover.

While the state’s tourism industry as a whole experienced a 64% decline during the pandemic, Garrett County actually posted a 36% increase from pre-pandemic levels, according to Liz Fitzsimmons, managing director of the Office of Tourism for the Department of Commerce.

“Garrett County was the anomaly,” Fitzsimmons said. “The only region, the only county that was able to do this.”

In 27 years with the Office of Tourism, Fitzsimmons said the Office of Tourism never had to go before any group and say that there were decreases. That changed in 2020, when the industry was dealt a severe blow.

Sales figures for overnight stays in hotels, motels and rental units are key indicators of the state of tourism, she said, as those visitors spend money in other areas, such as food, entertainment, recreational activities and retail items.

For the category of hotels, motels, apartments and cottages, sales figures for the 2021 fiscal year totaled $56.05 million — a 56% drop from pre-pandemic 2019’s $128.6 million. For hotels and motels selling food, the results were even worse: from $35.4 million in 2019 to $10.7 million in 2021. That constitutes a 69.7% drop.

The Garrett County Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual tourism update Tuesday morning at its Business Before Hours meeting, hearing from state officials just how hard the pandemic hit Maryland recreation.

“I last attended this meeting two years ago,” said Tom Riford, assistant secretary of the Department of Commerce’s Division of Tourism, Film & the Arts. “What a different world it was two years ago to today. Just totally, totally different.”

Riford said tourism is the fourth-largest industry in the state, employing people, providing tax revenue and helping the quality of life.

“Maryland’s tourism industry was especially hard-hit in March of 2020. And the last 20 months has seen the tourism industry working together to move forward to get to the other side,” he said. “I’m very proud of what was accomplished in this county in 2020, and in 2021. You led the state.”

The Wisp Resort’s ski school in 2021 had its best year since it opened in 1955, he said.

In continuing with the Autumn Glory Festival through the pandemic, Garrett County “has shown many other jurisdictions that it can move forward, and move toward a positive tomorrow,” Riford said.

Garrett County’s accommodation sales would have been even higher, but Gov. Larry Hogan had ordered the closing of hotels and motels at the start of the outbreak. When they were allowed to reopen, rooms and houses throughout the Deep Creek Lake area were rented almost immediately. Many were people who were seeking to leave areas of Maryland and Virginia that were experiencing early rises in COVID-19 cases.

That has spilled over into the Garrett County real estate market, where home sales have been strong for months, with houses now averaging $431,461.

However, those same eager visitors now have other options, Fitzsimmons said, with borders reopening and international travel now possible.

Six of the 10 richest counties in the United States are located in Northern Virginia, she said, and those are the customers that Garrett County needs to continue to attract — even as options such as Europe are now available again.

“They are the people who helped drive these increases,” Fitzsimmons said, encouraging business owners to reach out and continue to develop the relationships they’ve developed with visitors during the pandemic.

Deep Creek Lake Water Levels for the Winter 2021/2022

Garrett County Government

Brookfield Hydroelectric facility has agreed to lower the Deep Creek Lake water levels near the lower end of the “Rule Band” for several month during this winter. The lower rule band lake level for December and January is set at 2,455 feet.The lower lake levels during the winter months will have the following benefits:

allow Garrett County Department of Public Works – Public Utilities Division to install pipes for the McHenry to Thayerville water connection project,
provide opportunities for lake property owners to conduct maintenance on shoreline stabilization projects,
potentially reduce nuisance or invasive submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) in shallow habitats by exposing the plants to freezing temperature.

Deep Creek Lake Rule Band for monthly water levelsInformation on the Deep Creek Lake water level “Rule Band” can be found at the following Department of the Environment website: https://mde.maryland.gov/programs/water/water_supply/pages/deepcreeklake.aspxand on the Department of Natural Resources website: https://dnr.maryland.gov/pprp/Pages/DeepCreek/results.aspx

Annual Autumn Glory Festival set for October in Garrett County, Md.

McHenry, Md. — Garrett County, Md., celebrates the 51st anniversary of its annual Autumn Glory Festival, presented by the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce, with two large parades, live music, band competitions, antique and craft shows and more from Wednesday, Oct. 10, through Sunday, Oct. 14.

Drive or bike one, or both, of the county’s 2018 Autumn Glory Fall Foliage Tours. For details, go to visitdeepcreek.com.

The Garrett County Chamber of Commerce’s annual Autumn Glory Kickoff Dinner will kick off the festival on Wednesday, Oct. 10.

Thursday features the Oktoberfest dinner and a fireman’s parade.

The Official Maryland State Banjo and Mandolin Championships is at 7 p.m. Friday.

On Saturday, Oct. 13, the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Autumn Glory Grand Feature Parade, features more than 100 entries. That day also will feature the Western Maryland Tournament of Bands at 6 p.m.

for more information click here.

Just Listed! 162 Highline Drive!

“Irvana”, a 6BR 5.5BA vacation rental in Highline. Over $60k in yearly rental income! Enjoy HUGE lake and mountain views stretching even beyond DCL State Park! Home is well equipped with 4 master suites, 3 fireplaces, a screened in porch and a loft. Outside, enjoy low maintenance yard space and a hot tub overlloking the lake. Ski-in, ski-out — Wisp ski slopes are a few hundred feet away!

For more info click here!

62nd-annual Garrett County Agriculture Fair kicks off

The 62nd annual Garrett County Agriculture Fair kicks off with events running for an entire week.

The event will include many competitions, ranging from the judging of farm animals to canned goods, photography and 4-H and school projects.

All exhibit barns will be open to the public beginning at 10 a.m. Monday, the carnvial rides will be open from 1-11 p.m. and various contests/competitions will be held throughout the day. Tuesday will be Senior Citizens Day, with free admission granted for those ages 60 and older. Seniors may ride midway attractions free from 1-5 p.m. The day’s schedule will also include a pet show, a 4-H robotics challenge, and a Barrell Ba$h.

for the rest of the weeks schedule and info click here

Price Change for 2095 Rock Lodge Road!

4BR 2.5BA split-lakefront home on a whopping 3.25 acres! Deep-water Type A dock in coveted Cherry Creek Cove. Contemporary home offers a cozy, lodge feel with double-sided fireplace, a roomy kitchen, exposed beams, Anderson windows, 2nd living area and a sun-drenched deck. Lakeside deck area to enjoy shade by the lake! Paved driveway and improved basement has ample storage and a workshop area!

for more information click here.

“If you are looking for an agent that will treat both you and your home with “respect”, I can’t reccomend Jay highly enough.”

If you are looking for an agent that has a great reputation and will go the extra mile to sell and find homes for all clients- call Jay now!

New Listing 118 Sears Lane!

Price improvement! PRIVATE setting near the southern part of the lake, just off of Sky Valley Rd. Well maintained home with hardwood floors, spacious kitchen and plenty of room for entertaining! Large master suite, huge rec room and lots of storage options. Ample parking, shady lot & yard area. Just a few miles to Deep Creek Lake State Park and shopping, dining, entertainment!

For more information click here

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