Thurmont Officials Expecting Second Annexation Request

The Mayor of Thurmont announced this month in his column in The Catoctin Banner of yet another proposed annexation. This new development would be located next to Weis Market off of Catoctin Furnace Road and includes mixed-dwelling houses and townhouses which could total 330 homes, a swimming pool, two parks and walking paths. It is all residential and no commercial.

This is the second time the Mayor has been approached to discuss annexation into the town limits. No formal annexation requests have been presented yet by any party.

Currently, any development (annexed or not) could not be approved by town commissioners due to the town’s Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO) which limits new construction when facilities are not available and currently Thurmont Primary School is over capacity with portable classrooms. This alone keeps new construction from being approved. Furthermore, the town’s consent agreement with the Maryland Department of the Environment requires them to fix the sewers and test them before they can do anything.

The Mayor was approached several months ago about a possible annexation of a 235 acre farm north of town boundaries, along US Rt. 15, that would include a large store (possibly a Wal-Mart or similar) and 300 to 400 mixed-dwelling homes. This annexation request has not been presented, but is expected soon.

Read Mayor Burns’ column on page 15 for more information about the possible annexation request for land along Catoctin Furnace Road.

Thurmont Summer Concerts Announced

This year marks the 19th season of Thurmont’s summer concert series sponsored jointly by the Commissioners of Thurmont and the Thurmont Park Commission. To celebrate the occasion two very important concerts are scheduled in the month of June.

To kick-off the concert season, the annual Community Freedom Concert is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 18, 2006 in Thurmont Memorial Park. This is the fifth community concert to feature local and regional volunteer talent in a program dedicated to preserving and renewing our faith in freedom. Anyone interested in providing talent for this concert should call Mike Mahoney at 301-271-3371.

The second highlight of the concert season will be a performance by the United States Air Force Heritage Aire Celtic Ensemble, the newest component of the USAF Heritage of America Band from Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. This concert is free of charge, with ticket, and will be held on Tuesday, June 20 at 7:00 p.m. at Catoctin High School. Tickets are required for seating. Tickets are available at the Thurmont town office, the Thurmont Branch Library, and the Thurmont office of Bank of America. Or, if you prefer, you may send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to George Wireman, USAF Heritage Aire Concert, 128 E. Hammaker St, Thurmont, MD 21788. A maximum of 5 tickets allowed per request.

The remainder of the summer concert series will be held on Sunday evenings at 6:00 p.m. in Thurmont Memorial Park: July 2 — Frederick Spires Brass Band, July 16 —Westminster Municipal Band with a special tribute to John Philip Sousa, July 23 —The Rohrersville Band, August 27 — The Alesia Band, and September 3 at 2:00 p.m. — Harmony Cornet Band. All concerts are free and presented for the enjoyment of the citizens of Thurmont and surrounding areas. Please bring lawn chairs and/or blankets for seating in the park.

Thurmont Branch Library Receives Grant

The Thurmont Branch Library is recently announced that Frederick County Public Libraries was recently awarded a grant for $4,850 from the National Endowment for the

Humanities (NEH) to be used to preserve materials in the new

Thurmont Center for Regional and Agricultural History. The Thurmont Center will be a special research room within the Thurmont Regional Library slated to open in 2007.

The grant specifically supports the purchase of archival quality containers, such as boxes and folders, and other preservation supplies to re-house textual and photographic collections transferred from The Creeger House plus materials related to agricultural history and rural life in Frederick County. These supplies, necessary for the long term preservation of the collections, are very expensive.

Mary Mannix, FCPL Maryland Room Manager, said "The awarding of this competitive NEH Grant will enable the Thurmont Center to become the major repository for the history of Frederick’s north county, as well as establish a major facility for the documentation of the County’s vanishing agricultural heritage. This grant will ensure that those materials under our care are properly cared for and thus will be available for viewing and research by generations to come. It also means that these collections will be readily available to researchers as soon as the Library is open. We are very grateful to the National Endowment for the Humanities for enabling us to proceed with this important project."

NEH is an independent grant-making agency of the U.S. government dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation and public programs in the humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions of recommendations expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Open Auditions for Thespians 9th Summer Youth Musical

The Thurmont Thespians will hold open auditions for their 9th annual summer youth musical, "Teenages", on Saturday, May 20 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., Monday, May 22 and Tuesday, May 23 from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. in the social hall at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 15 North Church Street in Thurmont.

Teenages has been written and composed especially for the Thespians by Kurt Johnson of Waynesboro, Pa. Director Beth Royer Watson has roles for approximately 12 to 20 teenage boys and girls, as well as one male child’s role (5 to 7 years old) and five adult male and female roles for ages 20 to 75. The musical director for "Teenages" will be Eileen Dwyer Winston of Thurmont and the choreographer will be Jennifer Buccheister.

The world premiere of Teenages will be held in eight performances at the Thurmont American Legion Auditorium from July 20 to 23 and July 27 to 30. Rehearsals will begin in late May and continue through June and July on Saturday mornings and several weeknights. Everyone who auditions will receive an onstage role to perform if they attend all the required rehearsals and all performances. Auditions will consist of reading from the script, singing a song and performing some basic dance steps. For more information call Beth Royer Watson at 301-416-0864 or email thurmontthespians@myactv.net.

Teenages is a story of modern youngsters on the edges of trouble, all facing difficult choices and various moral temptations. The songs are in the idiom of contemporary pop and the pre-recorded music is upbeat.

The Thurmont Thespians annual summer youth musical is a full-length two-weekend community theatre production, not a summer camp. As in the past nine years, there will be no charges or fees for participation and the show’s profits will again be donated to a local charity. Participants will be trained in all areas of musical theatre throughout the rehearsal and performance process by an all volunteer staff of experienced theatre mentors.

Local Physician Now Providing in Office Laser Hair Removal

Dr. Christine Curley, M.D. and Meagan Mickley, PA-C. of Emmitsburg Physicians Care, Inc., have announced they are now offering state-of-the-art GentleLASE® laser hair removal for all types of skin. With this exciting new technology, the practice can remove unwanted facial or body hair – quickly, conveniently, and comfortably – right in the office.

Typical applications for both female and male patients include face, underarms, bikini line, legs, back, chest, and private and sensitive areas.

"We’re pleased to be able to offer the most advanced technology available to provide our patients with gentle, highly effective laser treatments. Treatments are extraordinarily quick, even for large areas, such as the legs, back, and chest. With advanced GentleLASE technology," said Dr. Curley. "Patients can now forget about the pain and inconvenience of shaving, plucking, or waxing unwanted hair. "

Emmitsburg Physicians Care Inc. uses the Candela GentleLASE laser which features the patented Dynamic Cooling Device (DCD™), which sprays the upper layers of skin with a fine mist of cryogen prior to each laser pulse. This exclusive cooling technology prevents pain, protects the top layer of skin, and enables the laser energy to reach and gently treat hair follicles.

For information about treatment with the GentleLASE laser, or to schedule a free consultation, call Meagan Mickley or Dr. Christine Curley at 240-529-6636.

Girl Scouts Add a Little Red, White & Blue to Memorial Park

Members of Cadette Troop 1178 of Thurmont spent an afternoon in April planting the center flower bed at Thurmont’s Memorial Park. With the financial support of the Thurmont AMVETS Post 7 and a planting scheme developed by the Thurmont Gardening Club, these girls have once again added a splash of color to our parks. The plantings included red and white azaleas, white candy tuft, blue forget-me-nots, boxwoods and border grass (Liriope). Helping with the planting were troop members (shown above L-R) Meghan Haller, Ashley Smith, April Hinton and Hyla Morris. Troop Leaders Judi Smith and Patty Hinton along with Lynn Stuart of the Gardening Club supervised the work.

Ice Cream for Heart Raises Over $1,600

Jen Krietz of Thurmont raised $1,625.25, smashing her $1,000 goal, at her Ice Cream for Heart fundraiser sponsored by Gateway Market in Thurmont.

The money was raised through donations for ice cream cones, shakes and sundaes on May 7, 2006. An employee of Gateway and a student at CHS, this was Jen’s senior project for high school. Ice cream and supplies were donated by Gateway Market.