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Community Park dedicated to former mayor

(9/15) Several dozen attendees were present at the community park on September 12 to dedicate the recreational facility in memory of former Emmitsburg Mayor Edward Eugene Myers.

Several dozen individuals attended the dedication, including local, county and state dignitaries, members of the Myers family, friends and associates.

The local commissioners had previously voted to rename the park after the former mayor, and adopted a formal proclamation enacting the name designation at their September meeting. The proclamation was read as part of the dedication ceremony by the Mayor, Don Briggs. A sign designating the new Community Park name was unveiled at the end of the ceremony at the park's east entrance.

The Reverend Vincent O'Malley, presenting the invocation, stated that Myers was "a giant of a man in his community, his family, and in his church," and "may he inspire us to do likewise."

On behalf of Frederick County, County Executive Jan Gardner addressed the gathering by commemorating Myers' many achievements in the interests of the community, and read a county proclamation declaring September 12 as Edward Eugene Myers Day, while county Council Vice-president Mike Blue also stated that the former Mayor was "a phenomenal father and civic leader."

Myers died at age 77 in 2006 and had served as the town mayor from 1974 to 1978. He also served as chairman of the town Planning and Zoning Commission, as a parks commissioner, and as president of the town commissioners.

The former mayor was also quite active in local sports and recreation. Commissioner Frank Davis noted that when local baseball became popular in the 1970s, the town only had a single field that served for multiple purposes.

Commissioner Davis previously stated that Myers is credited with being the one who had a vision of creating a community park. Davis recalled how the former mayor spent "countless hours of his own time," mustering together the necessary funds to bring the project to fruition, and the workforce to create it, "and then basically took an old hay-field and began the development of the community park."

Commissioner Cliff Sweeney said Myers had also established a clay tennis court and an ice-skating rink. He said the rink was located next to the dog-walk in the park. "It (the old rink) is grown up now, but you can still see the water. It’s full of frogs … but it’s still there."

Among Myers’ many other accomplishments, he served for ten years with Vigilant Hose Company as a fireman and as a chief, and is credited with aiding in the effort of having the National Fire Academy sited on the grounds of the former St. Joseph’s Academy.

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