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61st annual Garrett County Ag Fair scheduled for July 29–Aug. 5

McHENRY — Although there have been various fairs and carnivals held in Garrett County for at least a century, the contemporary Garrett County Agriculture Fair will observe its 61st anniversary this year, with the 2017 event scheduled for Saturday, July 29, through Saturday, Aug. 5.

The fair will once again consist of a myriad of competitions, ranging from the judging of farm animals and their caretakers to canned goods to photography to 4-H projects. There will be tractor pulls and a baby crawling contest, live entertainment on the Exhibit Hall stage every evening, and Reithoffer Shows will provide a wide variety of rides and amusements.

In addition, numerous service organizations, churches, and other nonprofit entities will have various food and beverage items for sale, and the fair will conclude with the annual Garrett County Livestock Sale.

Among the musical entertainers throughout the week will be Russel Dickerson, Tim Litvin, Sundance Head, the Joseph Sisters, and HeartStrings.

Much of opening day, Saturday, July 29, will be spent entering all indoor exhibits, and the Reithoffer Shows carnival rides will run from 5 to 11 p.m. that evening.

Judging of exhibits will be conducted all day on Sunday, July 30, with the barns closed to traffic, and the entering of horses and marketing animals will be conducted throughout the day, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The day will culminate with an interdenominational worship service at 6:30 p.m., followed by the crowning of the 2017 GC Farm Queen at 7:30 p.m.

All exhibit barns will be open to the public beginning at 10 a.m. Monday, the carnvial rides will be open until 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 age 60 and older. Seniors may ride midway attractions free from 1 until 5 p.m. The day’s schedule will also include a pet show, a 4-H robotics challenge, a high school junior rodeo, and a performance by the Still Kickin’ Cloggers.

The Wednesday slate will include a baby crawl and judging in various animal categories.

A pedal tractor pull, 4-H/FFA beef showmanship judging, a market beef show, and a heavyweight tractor pull will be among Thursday’s events, with Friday’s schedule including the master showman competition, 4-H engineering events, the costume animal parade, cow patty bingo, mechanical bull riding, and peewee swine show.

The final day of the fair — Saturday, Aug. 5 — will include the Livestock Olympics, a dirty-pony contest, the annual livestock sale, the four- and eight-cylinder demolition derby on the fair track.

The cost of admission to the fair on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday (July 29) is $10, which covers unlimited carnival rides, entertainment, and track events. The admission price for Thursday and Saturday (Aug. 5) is $15, which covers the same items noted above. Non-ride tickets, which must be purchased in advance ($7), include entertainment and track events, but not carnival rides. The non-ride tickets can be purchased at First United Bank & Trust in McHenry, Grantsville, and Friendsville; Slopeside Market, Deep Creek Shop and Save; all First Peoples locations; Double G Ranch; Southern States in Mountain Lake Park; and Gregg’s Pharmacy in Oakland.

More information can be found on the fair website at garrettcountyfair.org.

The Garrett County Agriculture Fair is a non-profit organization that is led by a 24-member all-volunteer board of directors.

For more info, click here.

NEW LISTING- 508 Lake Forest Drive

Peaceful wooded waterfront with gentle slope to lake offers deep-water Type A private dock.

Enjoy four-season beauty of the lake, sun and moonrises by a wood-burning fireplace or from the expansive lakeside deck.

Architect/Owner incorporated natural cedar and dry-stacked stone into low-maintenance design; 3 master suites (4BR/4.5BA), ample parking and hot tub ~rental-ready~ if desired!

Must see!

For more info, click here.

Rural editor who railed against Trump retires

Twelve years after the Civil War, a Union Army veteran named James Hayden established a newspaper for Garrett County, and called it The Republican in honor of Abraham Lincoln. One hundred and forty years later, the Lincoln kind of Republican is long gone, and those who live in the Western Maryland county where Hayden’s newspaper is still published each Thursday voted overwhelmingly to make Donald J. Trump the commander in chief.

Donald W. Sincell, the longtime editor of The Republican, who opposed Trump’s election in November, is still shocked by Trump’s 4-1 margin in Garrett County. The Republican, published in Oakland, does not have a history of directly endorsing political candidates. But it was clear from editorials in 2016 that Sincell did not think a Trump presidency would be good for the country. The Republican refrained from endorsing Hillary Clinton, but in words and in cartoons, it railed against Trump.

If you were not a regular reader of The Republican, and just picked up a copy while vacationing at Deep Creek Lake, you might have found that remarkable, even courageous.

“I get criticism all the time because I tend to take a more liberal stance on a lot of issues,” says Sincell. “People will write or they’ll call and say, ‘You need to change the name of that paper to The Democrat.’ And my response has always been that I didn’t name the paper, first of all. And, second of all, as the editor, as an individual human being, I consider things for their fairness, for their logic, for what seems right, and I don’t care if it comes from a Republican or a Democrat.”

When I contacted Sincell to talk about life in Garrett in the time of Trump, I did not expect him to report the following news: The Republican has just been sold to a West Virginia media company, a publisher of rural weeklies. Sincell, 65, retires this Friday after more than 40 years at the editor’s desk, ending a long run for one of Maryland’s last family-owned weeklies.

Don Sincell’s great-grandfather bought The Republican from Hayden in 1890. His grandfather, great-uncle and father ran the paper for many years. Don Sincell became editor in the 1970s. There have only been four editors in the 140-year history of the newspaper.

The decision to sell to NCWV Media was a tough one, Sincell says. But he says the new owner is better positioned to take The Republican across the digital divide.

For more info, click here.

NCWV Media purchases The Republican of Oakland, Maryland

CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — NCWV Media continued its growth efforts on Thursday, purchasing The Republican, a weekly newspaper based in Oakland, Maryland.

The deal is effective June 30, said Donald W. Sincell, president of Sincell Publishing Co. Inc., Oakland, and editor of The Republican newspaper.

The newspaper, which was founded in 1877 by James Hayden, has been owned and operated by five generations of the Sincell family since it was purchased from Hayden in 1890 by Sincell’s great-grandfather, Benjamin H. Sincell.

“There is no one in the next generation of our family who is interested in taking over management of the business for the future, so the timing for such a decision seemed right.”

There will continue to be family involvement and management from members of the family, as Sincell’s younger sister will become the new editor of the paper, and his daughter will continue to be part of the news staff.

“In fact, we are so pleased that the majority of our long-time employees will still have their jobs upon the transfer of ownership, which was a significant concern for our family,” said Sincell, who added that all the employees “are like members of our family.”

Sincell said he is optimistic about the continued publishing of The Republican, stating that the new owner is “on the cutting edge” of the publishing business, in both print and online.

“Brian Jarvis, president of NCWV Media, also comes from a multi-generation family involved in newspaper publishing and clearly understands all of the aspects of ‘rural living,’ which was another important factor in our decision-making process,” Sincell said.

“He and his leadership team are passionate about local media and grasp so well the vitally important role that a local newspaper plays in the community. And they will be adding some exciting new and innovative content and services, giving our paper a fresh look overall.”

Jarvis, whose company publishes The Preston News & Journal, The Exponent Telegram daily, as well as The State Journal, The Bridgeport News, The Fairmont News, The Weston News, The Blue & Gold News and NCWV Life Magazine, said the Oakland paper fits the company’s strategic mission well.

“We are very excited to be part of The Republican. We plan to build on what the Sincell family did for several generations by continuing to provide great local reporting, being a proud partner of local businesses and creating a strong digital presence for the area,” Jarvis said.

“Garrett County is located adjacent to Preston, which could naturally create many unique opportunities for the readers and customers of both publications,” Jarvis said.

NCWV Media purchased Preston Publications, which includes the Preston County News & Journaland the weekly shopper the Penny Saver, in November 2014.

Since it was brought into the NCWV Media family, it has won several awards from the West Virginia Press Association, as well as being named “Business of the Year” by the Preston County Chamber of Commerce at its April awards dinner.

The Republican will continue to be published for Thursday distribution, and at least for the short term, both the main office in Oakland and the satellite office in Grantsville Plaza will remain at the same locations.

“Our pledge is that The Republican will continue to provide great news and marketing delivered to the homes of Garrett County residents and those of many of our subscribers all across the country,” Jarvis said.

“We hope to improve on this local news coverage and distribution by increasing reporters and correspondents. Garrett County is large in geography, so having the resources to cover all the towns will be pivotal,” he said.

For more info, click here.

Testimonial Tuesday

“In short : Jay Ferguson and Taylor-Made Real Estate are the best! Jay sold our home in record time and made it a great experience to boot.

From day one Jay told us ” I am going to sell your home,” and there was an offer on the table less than 8 hours after the house was listed. Jay did his homework. He had a thorough understanding of pricing trends and of the strengths of our unique development before the unit went on the market.

The results : our unit sold faster than almost any other house in our community that had been listed over the past five years and it sold at a higher price than most if not all of those same units.

Jay and his wonderful, friendly staff at Taylor-Made have created a digital marketing juggernaut. They take the time to get it right the first time and are very effective in making sure potential buyers will easily find your home’s listing online with accurate information on well designed, eye-catching web pages.

Jay is honest and straightforward. Jay never made a promise he did not deliver on. Jay is an expert negotiator and we always felt he was looking out for our best interest first. Jay very patiently walked us through all the steps we needed to sell our home. Jay was readily available to answer any questions or to update us on any developments regarding our contract. Jay’s knowledge and acumen are second to none. He is just a great upbeat guy and a pleasure to work with. He is also a cool cucumber. Selling a home can be a stressful situation at times but thanks to Jay’s people skills he always kept things on an even keel.

His excellent support staff (including Megan, Susan and Allie) were also tremendously helpful and friendly. Everything Jay does is deliberate and has purpose. Jay is truly there to serve his clients and exceed his client’s expectations which he definitely did in our case.

I would recommend Jay to anyone who is considering selling their home. Jay is one of the hardest working, most positive, talented professionals we have had the pleasure to work with in any field. While there are a lot of great agents in Western Maryland Jay is in a class of his own. We were blessed to have him in our corner and I promise you will feel the same if you choose Jay to sell your home.” – Rob Paine

NEW LISTING- 565 Glendale Road #308

Check out my listing at Silver Tree Suites.

Take a closer look at this over-sized unit at Silver Tree Suites. You will feel the difference that this 722sf offers over smaller units – and so will your guests!

This in-demand unit rents more often than most because of the added size and attractive layout with loft bedroom.

Best priced unit compared to other similar floor-plans. Enjoy the lakefront amenities & added bonus of rental income!

For more info, click here.

NEW LISTING- 167 Tenderfoot Road

Check out my new listing!

Yellowstone log home on 4.31 wooded acres. 3BR/2BA on the main and upper levels, and 2 more BR + BA on the lower level are framed, dry-walled, just waiting for paint and flooring.

Construction is 90% finished and most materials needed to finish are stored in basement.

Property is priced $50k under assessment! Two impressive fireplaces and a peaceful front porch. 5BR rental projections ~$25k+/yr.

For more information, click here.

JUST LISTED- 1406 Wheeling Ave, Mtn Lake Park

Updated rancher on 4 town lots! Newer roof, flooring, bathroom, paint + central AC & 3 ways to heat. You will love the MEGA yard, a large portion of which is fenced-in and gets plenty of sunshine. Large wraparound deck for entertaining. Attached garage and room to add-on more living space in the partially finished basement. All this, and you are a short stroll to Broadford Park!

You will love the MEGA yard, a large portion of which is fenced-in and gets plenty of sunshine.

For more info, click here.

NEW LISTINGS- 4190/4232 Sand Flat Road

Check out my listings on Sand Flat Road!

Overlooking a beautiful horse farm, these houses have great rehab potential. With some TLC, these homes could be a great first home or a weekend getaway. Located close to McHenry, Oakland and Deep Creek Lake.

4232 Sand Flat:

4190 Sand Flat:

For more information on 4190, click here.

For more information on 4232, click here.

Garrett County Health Department one of seven to receive national accreditation

OAKLAND — The Garrett County Health Department recently became one of seven county health departments in Maryland to receive national accreditation from the Public Health Accreditation Board.

“I’d have to say, honestly, Garrett County is not a good health department — Garrett County is a great health department,” Howard Haft, deputy secretary of public health at the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, said during an accreditation celebration Wednesday. “Incredible leadership, incredible staff that are very dedicated with many, many years of dedicated service.”

The health department received accreditation in November and all the work was done by staff, who worked in each domain, according to Rodney Glotfelty, the health department’s health officer.

“Accreditation is a big deal — only 12 percent of local health departments in the United States have been accredited so far,” Glotfelty said. “Of that 12 percent, only 7 percent serve populations under 50,000.”

Once documentation was submitted to the accreditation board, a site review team visited the health department to discuss the various domains, said Glotfelty.

“When you step back and look at how many health departments in the nation reached this level and most of them being much bigger, the standards don’t change regardless of the size,” said Paul Edwards, chairman of the Garrett County Board of Commissioners. “For us to reach that with the size and scope of the staff here, when others that are much bigger have yet to do that, I think it speaks volumes of the commitment of the staff and Rodney’s leadership.”

The health department earned accreditation after a two-year, multi-faceted peer review assessment process to ensure it meets or exceeds a set of quality standards and measures for public health.

“It’s not just the documentation. It’s really the fact that people put their heart and soul into it and they change how they do things to make them just the absolute best practices in the nation,” Haft said. “You are really the unsung heroes in health care.”

The national accreditation program works to improve and protect the health of the public by advancing the quality and performance of the nation’s health departments. The program, which is jointly supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, sets standards against which the nation’s more than 3,000 governmental public health departments can continuously improve the quality of their services and performance.

“I just wish that everybody in the state legislature, federal legislature, everybody in the community really understood how important the work you do every day is — I understand it,” Haft said.

Peaceful wooded waterfront with gentle slope to lake offers deep-water Type A private dock.

Enjoy four-season beauty of the lake, sun and moonrises by a wood-burning fireplace or from the expansive lakeside deck.

Architect/Owner incorporated natural cedar and dry-stacked stone into low-maintenance design; 3 master suites (4BR/4.5BA), ample parking and hot tub ~rental-ready~ if desired!

Must see!

For more info, click here.

If you were not a regular reader of The Republican, and just picked up a copy while vacationing at Deep Creek Lake, you might have found that remarkable, even courageous.

Don Sincell’s great-grandfather bought The Republican from Hayden in 1890. His grandfather, great-uncle and father ran the paper for many years. Don Sincell became editor in the 1970s. There have only been four editors in the 140-year history of the newspaper.

The decision to sell to NCWV Media was a tough one, Sincell says. But he says the new owner is better positioned to take The Republican across the digital divide.

For more info, click here.

CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — NCWV Media continued its growth efforts on Thursday, purchasing The Republican, a weekly newspaper based in Oakland, Maryland.

The deal is effective June 30, said Donald W. Sincell, president of Sincell Publishing Co. Inc., Oakland, and editor of The Republican newspaper.

The newspaper, which was founded in 1877 by James Hayden, has been owned and operated by five generations of the Sincell family since it was purchased from Hayden in 1890 by Sincell’s great-grandfather, Benjamin H. Sincell.

“There is no one in the next generation of our family who is interested in taking over management of the business for the future, so the timing for such a decision seemed right.”

There will continue to be family involvement and management from members of the family, as Sincell’s younger sister will become the new editor of the paper, and his daughter will continue to be part of the news staff.

“In fact, we are so pleased that the majority of our long-time employees will still have their jobs upon the transfer of ownership, which was a significant concern for our family,” said Sincell, who added that all the employees “are like members of our family.”

Sincell said he is optimistic about the continued publishing of The Republican, stating that the new owner is “on the cutting edge” of the publishing business, in both print and online.

“Brian Jarvis, president of NCWV Media, also comes from a multi-generation family involved in newspaper publishing and clearly understands all of the aspects of ‘rural living,’ which was another important factor in our decision-making process,” Sincell said.

“He and his leadership team are passionate about local media and grasp so well the vitally important role that a local newspaper plays in the community. And they will be adding some exciting new and innovative content and services, giving our paper a fresh look overall.”

Jarvis, whose company publishes The Preston News & Journal, The Exponent Telegram daily, as well as The State Journal, The Bridgeport News, The Fairmont News, The Weston News, The Blue & Gold News and NCWV Life Magazine, said the Oakland paper fits the company’s strategic mission well.

“We are very excited to be part of The Republican. We plan to build on what the Sincell family did for several generations by continuing to provide great local reporting, being a proud partner of local businesses and creating a strong digital presence for the area,” Jarvis said.

“Garrett County is located adjacent to Preston, which could naturally create many unique opportunities for the readers and customers of both publications,” Jarvis said.

NCWV Media purchased Preston Publications, which includes the Preston County News & Journaland the weekly shopper the Penny Saver, in November 2014.

Since it was brought into the NCWV Media family, it has won several awards from the West Virginia Press Association, as well as being named “Business of the Year” by the Preston County Chamber of Commerce at its April awards dinner.

The Republican will continue to be published for Thursday distribution, and at least for the short term, both the main office in Oakland and the satellite office in Grantsville Plaza will remain at the same locations.

“Our pledge is that The Republican will continue to provide great news and marketing delivered to the homes of Garrett County residents and those of many of our subscribers all across the country,” Jarvis said.

“We hope to improve on this local news coverage and distribution by increasing reporters and correspondents. Garrett County is large in geography, so having the resources to cover all the towns will be pivotal,” he said.

For more info, click here.

“In short : Jay Ferguson and Taylor-Made Real Estate are the best! Jay sold our home in record time and made it a great experience to boot.

From day one Jay told us ” I am going to sell your home,” and there was an offer on the table less than 8 hours after the house was listed. Jay did his homework. He had a thorough understanding of pricing trends and of the strengths of our unique development before the unit went on the market.

The results : our unit sold faster than almost any other house in our community that had been listed over the past five years and it sold at a higher price than most if not all of those same units.

His excellent support staff (including Megan, Susan and Allie) were also tremendously helpful and friendly. Everything Jay does is deliberate and has purpose. Jay is truly there to serve his clients and exceed his client’s expectations which he definitely did in our case.

Check out my listing at Silver Tree Suites.

Take a closer look at this over-sized unit at Silver Tree Suites. You will feel the difference that this 722sf offers over smaller units – and so will your guests!

This in-demand unit rents more often than most because of the added size and attractive layout with loft bedroom.

Best priced unit compared to other similar floor-plans. Enjoy the lakefront amenities & added bonus of rental income!

For more info, click here.

Check out my new listing!

Yellowstone log home on 4.31 wooded acres. 3BR/2BA on the main and upper levels, and 2 more BR + BA on the lower level are framed, dry-walled, just waiting for paint and flooring.

Construction is 90% finished and most materials needed to finish are stored in basement.

Property is priced $50k under assessment! Two impressive fireplaces and a peaceful front porch. 5BR rental projections ~$25k+/yr.

For more information, click here.

You will love the MEGA yard, a large portion of which is fenced-in and gets plenty of sunshine.

For more info, click here.

Check out my listings on Sand Flat Road!

Overlooking a beautiful horse farm, these houses have great rehab potential. With some TLC, these homes could be a great first home or a weekend getaway. Located close to McHenry, Oakland and Deep Creek Lake.

4232 Sand Flat:

4190 Sand Flat:

For more information on 4190, click here.

For more information on 4232, click here.

OAKLAND — The Garrett County Health Department recently became one of seven county health departments in Maryland to receive national accreditation from the Public Health Accreditation Board.

The health department received accreditation in November and all the work was done by staff, who worked in each domain, according to Rodney Glotfelty, the health department’s health officer.

“Accreditation is a big deal — only 12 percent of local health departments in the United States have been accredited so far,” Glotfelty said. “Of that 12 percent, only 7 percent serve populations under 50,000.”

Once documentation was submitted to the accreditation board, a site review team visited the health department to discuss the various domains, said Glotfelty.

The health department earned accreditation after a two-year, multi-faceted peer review assessment process to ensure it meets or exceeds a set of quality standards and measures for public health.

“It’s not just the documentation. It’s really the fact that people put their heart and soul into it and they change how they do things to make them just the absolute best practices in the nation,” Haft said. “You are really the unsung heroes in health care.”

“I just wish that everybody in the state legislature, federal legislature, everybody in the community really understood how important the work you do every day is — I understand it,” Haft said.

“If you think about it, you have hit the apex of your industry and that’s something worth celebrating,” said Edwards.

For more information, click here.

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