Tucked into a corner of a Frederick shopping center, Jollof on Point serves up the aromatic, inventive flavors of authentic Nigerian cuisine. Owner and chef Abimbola “Abby” Oluboyo also dishes up something not on the menu— heaping servings of her homeland’s legendary hospitality.
BY APRIL BARTEL / PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARK YOUNGBLOOD
IN BLOOM
Think about agriculture in Frederick County and you might imagine cows, corn or small livestock. But how about flowers? With 80 percent of the country’s flowers currently imported, there is an opportunity to grow demand and market for domestic flowers, and many local farms are taking to the new crop with gusto.
BY COLIN McGUIRE / PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARK YOUNGBLOOD
RELATIVE MYSTERY
Buried at Catoctin Iron Furnace wasn’t just the remains of enslaved African Americans who worked at the famous forge near Thurmont. The site also held secrets: Who were these people and what became of their descendants? For more than a century after the furnace closed, no one knew the answers to those questions. Until now.
BY LISA GREGORY / PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARK YOUNGBLOOD
Timing
Guy Fletcher / Editor-In-Chief / gfletcher@fredmag.com
Readers will sometimes ask if we can get something of interest to them included in the next issue of Frederick Magazine . Unfortunately, the “next” issue often means the magazine that has already been printed and published. I politely explain that it’s too late.
In fact, sometimes a month ahead is not enough time. Let me explain.
There are many moving parts inside a single issue of Frederick Magazine , all of which have to be written, photographed, designed and approved no later than a week before the first of the month, allowing time for printing and shipping. Obviously, we don’t try to schedule everything in the magazine to be approved at the
same time; that would be a little scary and frankly bad for my health.
Our solution is to spread the work out, ensuring a constant flow of content from writers and photographers to our editors and graphic artists. At least, that’s the plan.
As I write this Editor’s Note (on May 19) and near the approval date for the June issue, I have one eye on the July issue, which is already deep into writing and photography. The ink won’t even dry on this page before
we are designing pages for July, assigning writing and photography for August and September, and mapping out stories for October, November and December.
Yes, the year moves fast around here. Why am I explaining this? Because one of our feature stories this month, “Relative Mystery” (page 48), has a history that goes back to last year and illustrates that sometimes the journey from idea to print is lengthy.
Back on Sept. 25, writer Lisa Gregory reached out to me with the idea of writing a feature story about genealogical research at Catoctin Iron Furnace that was uncovering descendants of enslaved African American workers at the forge. This was an exciting topic because much of the personal history of the forge’s workers was lost to poor, incomplete or non-existent records.
My first thought was the story would be ideal for our February issue, in time for Black History Month, but the reality is stories this complex often require much time to complete. There is research, including finding living descendants, and many interviews, not to mention the photos and writing. When Lisa told me last November we would have to push the story beyond the February issue, the editor in me was disappointed but the writer in me knew it was best to wait. A story with this much potential deserved the time to be done right. So, June it was, and the story was worth the wait.
I hope you enjoy “Relative Mystery” and the rest of this issue of Frederick Magazine. Have a safe and happy June. FM
Proudly serving our community since 1985
This Independence Day, as fireworks burst across the sky, Frederick Magazine is celebrating a milestone of its own—40 years of storytelling, community, and local pride.
Since 1985, we’ve been Frederick County’s go-to guide for everything local—from arts and culture to dining and events. For four decades, we’ve shared the people, places, and small-town moments that make Frederick truly one-of-a-kind.
This July, celebrate with us:
• Enjoy our special summer coverage highlighting 4th of July events and local traditions
• Be part of our 40th Anniversary tribute to the businesses and people who shaped our journey
• Reserve your space in upcoming issues and join the legacy of trusted, communitydriven advertising
Special Anniversary Opportunity
To mark this momentous occasion, we’re offering limited-time promotional ad rates for our loyal partners and new advertisers alike—because no celebration is complete without YOU.
Whether you’ve been with us from the beginning or are just joining the story, now is the perfect time to connect with thousands of engaged readers who love all things Frederick.
Here’s to 40 years strong—and a future full of fireworks.
“We just completed our taxes and ended up owing this year due to Capital Gains on our investments. What are they and how much are the taxes?”
J.M. – New Market, MD
Chris Rock once remarked, “You don’t pay taxes – they take taxes.” That applies not only to income but also to capital gains.
Capital gains result when an individual sells an investment for an amount greater than their purchase price. Capital gains are categorized as shortterm gains (a gain realized on an asset held one year or less) or long-term gains (a gain realized on an asset held longer than one year).
Keep in mind that the information in this material is not intended as tax or legal advice. It may not be used for the purpose of avoiding any federal tax penalties. Please consult legal or tax professionals for specific information regarding your individual situation.
Long-Term vs. Short-Term Gains
Short-term capital gains are taxed at ordinary in -
come tax rates. Long-term capital gains are taxed according to different ranges (shown below).
It should also be noted that taxpayers whose adjusted gross income is in excess of $200,000 (single filers or heads of household) or $250,000 (joint filers) may be subject to an additional 3.8% tax as a net investment income tax.
Also, keep in mind that the long-term capital gains rate for collectibles and precious metals remains at a maximum of 28%.
Rules for Capital Losses
Capital losses may be used to offset capital gains. If the losses exceed the gains, up to $3,000 of those losses may be used to offset the taxes on other kinds of income. Should you have more than $3,000 in such capital losses, you may be able to carry the losses forward. You can continue to carry forward these losses until such time that future realized gains exhaust them. Under current law, the ability to carry these losses forward is lost only on death.
Finally, for some assets, the calculation of a capital gain or loss may not be as simple and straightforward as it sounds. As with any matter dealing with taxes, individuals are encouraged to seek the counsel of a tax professional before making any tax-related decisions.
Long Term Capital Gains Tax Brackets (for 2025)
Soldiering On
By Amy L. Metzger Hunt / Curator, Heritage Frederick
A set of toy soldiers in Continental Army uniforms was part of a recent donation to Heritage Frederick. The painted figures, consisting of two officers on horseback, two standing officers and seven soldiers carrying muskets, are laid out beautifully in their original box on strips of tissue paper and are in excellent condition, looking as impressive today as when they were purchased in the early 1930s by Clarence Grant Delphey Jr. of West Patrick Street.
Born in 1922, Clarence was the son of Nina Deater and Clarence Grant Delphey Sr. The Delphey family name was well known in Frederick at the time; in the 1910s, Clarence’s uncles J. Paul and Chester opened Delphey’s, where Clarence Sr. worked as head mechanic. The shop, a dealership for Harley-Davidson and Indian, specialized in the sale and repair of motorcycles and bicycles, later expanding to motorboats and other sporting goods. Clarence Jr. was destined to follow
The Grey Iron Casting Company is still in operation today after more than 140 years, specializing in structural building materials.
in his father’s footsteps. After graduating from Frederick High School and serving in the U.S. Army during World War II in Africa and Italy, he came home to Frederick and opened his own business as a mechanic, operating Central Garage until his retirement.
As a boy, Clarence played with a large collection of dime store soldiers, but this particular set, in pristine condition, must have been special to him. The set was made in Mount Joy, Pa., by the Grey Iron Casting Company. The company produced mechanical banks and several lines of toy soldiers during the first half of the 20th century.
Clarence Delphey Jr.’s daughter, Sharon Stauffer, made the donation of Delphey family items to Heritage Frederick.
Rows of electric-generating solar panels have found home on former farmland next to Urbana District Park. FM
Photography By Michael DeMattia
BEAUTY,
GALLERIES
CLOTHING
Statue to Honor Former Mayor and his Vision
By Jeanne Blackburn
What began as a natural disaster in Frederick in 1976 became the impetus for economic rebirth through the vision of then-Mayor Ron Young. He and other officials turned the flood-prone Carroll Creek into a public works and beautification project aimed at even higher goals.
Now, Young, 84, is being immortalized with a sculpture being created of the former city and state official.
“It is a fitting recognition to a remarkable man who was elected mayor four times, his risk-taking to complete his plan for Carroll Creek Park, and to the combined efforts of the people
of Frederick. It is now a destination,” says Marlene Young (no relation to Ron Young), president of the Delaplaine Foundation, one of the sculpture’s benefactors.
After the 1976 flood destroyed much of Downtown Frederick, which had already slipped into economic and civic
decline, Young’s response was more than simply cleaning up. His vision included not only permanent flood control of Carroll Creek, but also creating a beautifying destination for tourism and economic development.
“Ron’s vision for the beautification of the creek area was inspired by the river walks in other cities as a way to enhance the quality of life of the city itself and the prosperity of Downtown Frederick,” says former County Executive Jan Gardner, who chairs the Ron Young Sculpture Committee.
For years, city officials had considered a fitting tribute to Young and engaged in conversations with noted sculptor Toby Mendez, who was the choice of the Young family to design and create the sculpture.
“When Jan Gardner started forming the [sculpture] committee last November, she reached out to me,” Mendez
says. Since then, Mendez has been working on a maquette, which, as he explains, “is a preliminary model or sketch for a sculpture. It is a three-dimensional sketch and, if done well, conveys to the client a clear idea of how the final sculpture will be created.”
When completed, the 7-foot-tall bronze sculpture will be placed in the middle of Carroll Park, at its amphitheater, to surround Young with people and blend the figure into the landscape. The statue of Young, with his hands in his pockets, was inspired by a well-known photograph of Young, taken during the construction of the creek project 30 years ago. The photograph first appeared in Frederick Magazine.
The installation of the statue is planned for October 2026—50 years after the flood.
“I like the project because it gives tribute to someone who had a vision. His vision was further developed by the designers and carried forward by the mayors that followed him. I really think we need to tell these stories,” Mendez says.
Fund Raises Awareness for Mental Health
Jake Baker took his own life a year ago, and now his parents have created a fund in his memory to support nonprofits organization and programs that raise awareness about the importance of mental health and suicide prevention. The Jake Baker 27 Fund, managed by The Community Foundation of Frederick County, will also support family and loved ones affected by suicide.
A Thurmont native, Baker graduated from Catoctin High School, where he was voted most athletic in his class, excelling in wrestling and football. He was also a gifted artist who loved to draw. At Slippery Rock (Pa.) University, he majored in marketing and played defensive end on the football team.
“Jake’s story serves as a powerful reminder that no one should face this journey alone,” say Baker’s parents, James and Karen. “Everyone is important, and we are on a lifelong journey to make sure people know how much they mean to this world. Together, we can change the lives of many generations to come.”
For more information, go to frederickcountygives.org/funds/ jake-baker-27-fund.
LOOKING BACK AT 40 YEARS
In marking our 40-year anniversary (which will be formally celebrated in next month’s issue), we have been looking back this year at past issues of Frederick Magazine . This month, we aren’t going too far back, just 10 years to the June 2015 issue.
The cover story that month, “In Plein Sight,” highlighted the works created by artists participating in the Easels in Frederick plein air painting competition. Artists took to the streets and roads of Frederick County, creating images as varied as a one-lane country bridge, a Hood College building and a field of lavender—an unintentional tapestry showcasing how ideal this area is for creating art in the great outdoors.
The issue also included the poignant story of New Market resident Caroline Stevens, whose discovery of a box of family letters led her to learn much about her father, especially his service in World War II. Her story serves as a reminder that telling the story of Frederick County can come from almost any place in any voice.
POSTCARDS (STILL) NEEDED!
Summer travel season is here! If you are heading to the ocean, lake or mountains, how about taking a copy of Frederick Magazine along on vacation? Our supply of travel photos of readers posing with the magazine was reduced to nil during the pandemic and we never recovered. We need your photos, whether they are from a beach vacation with the family in Ocean City or a business trip to New York City. Heading somewhere farther? Even better! Send your photos and any background information about your trip to editor@fredmag.com.
Dear Dina
DEAR DINA: Now that the weather is warmer, I’d like to focus more attention on tending to my home’s curb appeal. Any ideas that won’t break the bank? What can you recommend to get the most impact for the least amount of money?
SIGNED, CLUELESS FROM CLARKSBURG
DEAR CLUELESS: Paint certainly gives the most bang for your buck and can instantly bring the wow factor. Think of the front door, shutters, even the garage door. It’s a great way to bring personality to your home, too. The color you choose for the front door says so much. What are you trying to convey? Blue hues speak tranquility, while shades of brown say welcome home. Go for red, orange or yellow tones to exude an enthusiasm for life that says you’re looking for the best in people. Another budget-friendly suggestion is to add some plants to your front porch, creating an inviting focal point. Have fun!
Dear Dina is written by Dina Carole, host of the Morning Show on Key 103 (WAFY-FM). You can ask her questions anonymously at any time by going to key103radio.com and clicking on the “Features” tab. Listen to answers weekday mornings at 7:45 and 9:45.
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ARTS RECEPTION
The Frederick Arts Council’s Spring Reception at the Delaplaine Arts Center featured performances by the Frederick Children’s Chorus, the Frederick Regional Youth Orchestra and the Endangered Species Theatre Project. The council is a resource and advocate for local artists, creatives and culturally minded community members. www.frederickartscouncil.org
MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION ANNIVERSARY
Commemorating 60 years serving the emotional wellness needs of the community, the Mental Health Association of Frederick County held a ribbon-cutting event at its Jefferson Street headquarters. The celebration featured presentations from County Executive Jessica Fitzwater and Mayor Michael O’Connor. www.fcmha.org
HEARTLY HOUSE
More than 100 guests came together for Heartly House’s Embracing Hope Luncheon—a celebration of resilience, community and the power of sustained generosity. The event was a platform for Heartly House’s commitment to ensuring that survivors of intimate partner violence in Frederick County never have to face their journeys alone. www.heartlyhouse.org
Photos courtesy
Nancy
Luse
Photo courtesy Abbey Rice
Legal Tax Breaks for Older Couples Who
Sell Their Homes
Consider Irene, who recently became a widow when her husband, Henry, died. Like many married couples, they held the title to their home as Tenants by the Entirety. As a surviving Tenant by the Entirety, Irene automatically acquires all ownership.
Irene is uncertain what to do with her highly appreciated home. However, Irene should go slowly when it comes to major decisions such as home sales.
Irene wants to know the tax consequences of selling or staying. First, she needs to understand the tax breaks for individuals who sell their principal residences.
Exclusions. The law authorizes “exclusions” that allow home sellers to sidestep income taxes on most of their profits when they unload their principal residences. The profit exclusions are as much as $500,000 for couples filing joint returns and as much as $250,000 for single persons. Sellers are liable for taxes on gains greater than $500,000 or $250,000.
Irene decides to sell. Can she exclude $500,000 or $250,000? The answer depends on the sale date and whether she remarries. Though she’s no longer married, recently widowed Irene still qualifies for the higher amount — as long as she sells within two years of Henry’s death.
Irene remarries. If her new husband, Steve, then lives in the place as his principal residence for at least two years out of the five-year period that precedes the sale date, the profit exclusion will once again be $500,000 (with caveats).
Step-up in basis. Irene is also pleased to get some good news that the government authorizes exceptional condolence gifts for Irene, the basis of inherited assets “steps up” from their original basis.
On Henry’s death, a step-up in basis for their home benefits Irene when she sells her dwelling. What happens if she never sells?
On Irene’s death, there’s a step-up of her adjusted basis. When the heirs sell the home, they’re liable for capital gains taxes only on post-inheritance appreciation.
The bottom line for Irene and her heirs: Whereas a sale by Irene of a home that has appreciated immensely can trigger sizable federal and state taxes, a sale by the heirs dramatically shrinks or even erases those taxes. Irene—and others in similar positions—should work with an Estate Planning lawyer and a CPA to ensure they’re making the best decisions for their longterm plans.
Please call us at 301-696-0567 or self-schedule at lenaclarklegal.com if you would like help protecting your assets and loved ones in the event of death or disability.
Sign up for our monthly newsletter: https://join.industrynewsletters.com/signup/ LawOfficeofLenaAClarkLLC
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INSPIRED PREMIERE
Thousands packed the Weinberg Center for the Arts for the premiere of Inspired , a documentary that chronicles Frederick’s history. The hour-long film, which focuses on the urban revitalization of Downtown following the devastating floods of 1972 and 1976, was produced by the Emmy Award-winning team at 3 Roads Communications. The documentary is scheduled to debut on PBS later this year. www.3roads.com/inspired
LIP SYNC BATTLE
Nine teams took to the stage at Attaboy Barrel House for the annual SHIP Lip Sync Battle, supporting the Student Homelessness Initiative Partnership of Frederick County. More than $34,000 was raised by the event, which will support SHIP’s efforts to provide critical resources and urgent services to the hundreds of county youth experiencing homelessness each year. www.shipfrederick.com
REAL CHANGE INITIATIVE
The Real Therapy, Real Change Initiative kicked off with an event promoting access to high-quality, evidence-based mental health therapy. With the popularity of AI-driven solutions, the initiative emphasizes the importance of working with trained, ethical and compassionate therapists who provide individualized care. www.traumaspecialistsofmd.com/real-therapy-real-change-initiative
ANDREA’S HOUSE GALA
Andrea’s House raised both funds and awareness for the cause of addiction at its Rise & Renew Gala. Founded by Carleah Summers, Andrea’s House works to empower and bring hope to women recovering from the disease of addiction through peer recovery and mental health support, transitional housing, and lifestyle programs and classes. www.andreashouse.org
Photo courtesy Convoy
Creative/Chris Martin
Photo courtesy Michele Corr
Photo courtesy Jane Bass
Photo courtesy Convoy Creative/Chris Martin
then
now
WEST PATRICK STREET AND EAST STREET
What’s the opposite of a green thumb? A black thumb, and until 2021, Lauren Rohwer would have admitted she had one.
The owner of Hilltop Blooms at Sun Eats Farm had little interest in farming flowers back then. But then, as the world was adjusting to life during the COVID-19 pandemic, Rohwer discovered the term “cut flowers” for the first time. From there, as she tells it, her life would never be the same.
“We are first-generation farmers, so everything is new to us,” Rohwer says. “But I bought a book and learned about cut flowers there, so I bought more
books. And then I started listening to podcasts on cut flowers. And then I’d look up YouTube videos on cut flowers.”
She laughs through a smile.
“I guess I went back to school, you could call it,” she admits.
Rohwer wasn’t—and isn’t—alone in finding flowers fascinating. When most people think of Frederick County’s 1,300-plus farms, they might think dairy, corn or livestock—almost anything other than agriculture dedicated to flowers. That perception is changing,
however, with the growth in popularity of fresh cut flowers grown locally.
And according to Katie Stevens, the county’s Director of the Office of Agriculture, the flower trend doesn’t look like it’s going to wilt any time soon.
“Eighty percent of flowers in this country are imported, so there’s a tremendous market for all of this. There are lots of flowers you can’t ship, and with potential tariffs, it’s even more important now to be able to grow flowers locally,” Stevens says.
“The industry is increasing throughout the county,” she adds. “You go to farmers markets now and you can find local farmers who do this. There are flowers you can’t get in some places, but these days, you can actually buy them locally.”
Pandemic Pivot
Though Rohwer eventually found her passion for growing flowers, she’s quick to point that success has not come easy. She’s a mother of four, so maintaining mom duties is a full-time job in itself. Secondly, diving head-first into a hobby that becomes a makeshift career can have endless pitfalls as you reach for a light switch in a dark room.
Hilltop Blooms at Sun Eats Farm
Enter the flower-farming community. Rohwer is not shy about giving shine to other local growers who stepped up in the name of helping her navigate the early days of her flower journey. None of her success could have ever been possible without the kindness of her blossom-loving buddies.
“Everyone around here is so non-territorial,” she says. “They’re so quick to share their passion for it, and there’s room for all of us. If it wasn’t for the reception I received when I started this, I wouldn’t be doing this.”
Rohwer’s story started in 2018 when her family bought the Ijamsville farm also known for its grassfed cattle. The flower business didn’t get going until 2022. Her friend Mary, whom Rohwer refers to as her mentor, encouraged her to dive into the business fully and taught all she needed to know to get it off the ground.
Rohwer had an advantage in that her family already had the land as well as an irrigation system, thanks, in part, to securing some government grants. When the pandemic ostensibly shut the world down, and Rohwer was in search of some beauty in the difficult times, she turned to flowers to help lift herself up.
Soon, she began traveling to local businesses to see if they would be interested in showcasing locally grown flowers. Dentist offices, restaurants, salons— nothing was off limits for her—and the beauty she found in flowers translated into the communal beauty she found in business owners who gave her a chance.
Looking at how far she’s come in a few short years, Rohwer reflects on how much she and her family have invested in the farm—financially, physically and mentally.
“When it’s hard, it doesn’t mean it’s bad. You learn from your failures. I’m the type of person where if I decide to do something, I go all in. Go big or go home,” she says.
“Plus, I think local flowers have been overlooked for a while now. There was a lot of lost backyard farming. You hear a lot of people remembering their grandmother’s garden and not their mother’s garden. When I do workshops, I always hear, ‘My grandmother had that, but my mom did not.’” Rohwer says.
“But me, I love to put seeds in the ground and watch them grow.”
Colorful Vision
Imelda Roberts’ experience with flowers took a different path. Growing up in the Philippines, Roberts loved plants, constantly playing around with the flowers around her. They were healing, she notes, and
as she grew a deeper connection with them, she discovered how inspiring the beauty of the plants can be.
Fast-forward to 2004 and she, along with her husband Jeff Snively, bought 25 acres east of Frederick that would eventually become Blue Dreams USA. It was intended to be the couple’s retirement plan, she explains. After years working in Washington, D.C., the couple made the property their full-time living space in 2014. They then opened the farm to the public in 2017.
Since then, Roberts has seen her dreams come true, which includes the completion of the buildout of their new home on the land last year. Her hope, as
the Blue Dreams website explains, was to develop their farm “where every corner is a moment in time and bursting with colors you can see and smell from afar.”
These days, she says, that ambition has resulted in “mission accomplished.”
“When you have a vision, you can do whatever you want to do,” Roberts says.
“We wanted colors in different parts
of the land and flowers give you the ability to be creative to do something like that. We are still working on different elements, but they are all coming together.”
Blue Dreams currently offers lavender and roses, as well as tea, which Roberts explains is not easy to grow. Plans are to eventually add a sunflower section to their offerings in the rear of their property, but that’s a work in progress as attention is currently on perfecting the front part of the farm.
So far, the couple’s retirement plan has worked well despite some hiccups, including weather, plant-dam-
aging bugs, the pandemic and one of the most familiar challenges all farmers must tackle: weeds.
“The weeds are really a killer,” she says, “because once you start seeing weeds, it ruins the scenery. Plus, they’re not healthy for the plants because they eat nutrients that are
supposed to be for the flowers. My husband does what he can, but it’s hard.”
When she speaks of Snively, Roberts laughs as she thinks aloud about how far her husband has come as a farmhand.
“We thought, if we want to do something, we should do something that we really love,” Roberts relayed. “From there, I kind of overpowered my husband. But he’s beginning to love it, too. The views complement our environment. In the end, this really has been a good choice for how to spend our retirement.”
Decade of Growing
Jamie Beth Derr has been a farmer for life. Growing up, she helped around a farm in Hagerstown. Derr met her husband Chris, who helped his family’s farm before the two attended the same college, married each other and moved home to farm some more.
Chris’ grandparents purchased Valley-Ho Farm in 1962, making him at least a fourth-generation farmer. In 2008, the couple took over his family’s farm west of Middletown before starting a dairy operation in 2013. So, where do the flowers come from?
“When milk prices dropped in 2014, we needed a way to make more money off the farm without taking me off the farm because that just wasn’t going to work. My husband suggested seeing if we could make money off flowers because it’s always been something I do for fun,” Jamie Beth explains.
“But really,” she adds, “our flower business started with us needing more profit coming off our farm.”
The co-owner of what is now known as Valley-HomeMade and HomeGrown says she’s loved flowers for as long as she could remember, dating back to high school, where she started her own secret garden on her parents’ farm. She would sell sunflowers along a roadside stand and whenever she needed a pick-me-up, she turned to plants for comfort.
“My first passion was always dairy farming and it still is,” she says. “But flowers were always just a hobby I loved to do.”
Like Rohwer, Jamie Beth speaks glowingly about her fellow flower farmers who celebrate the growth of the industry throughout Frederick County and collaborate with other flower farmers as they hop into the business. The Office of Agriculture has also been a valuable conduit in helping create that communal nature, she says.
“There’s room for all of us,” Jamie Beth says. “When I started, I would say I was the only [flower farmer] in Middletown Valley and now I think there’s
four. The consumers are there and they want to support locally grown flowers. There’s space for everyone to grow.”
As for what Jamie Beth grows at Valley-Homemade, the results vary. There are sunflowers, snapdragons, Bells-of-Ireland and everything in between.
“If you can grow it in our zone,” she says, “I grow it.”
Marking her 10th season as a flower farmer, Jamie Beth reflects on where the landscape was a decade ago and is excited for the future of industry. As for her own future, she notes that she wants to work with flowers for as long as she’s able.
That doesn’t come without a cost, however. Flower farming isn’t nearly as easy as it might seem, even if the results are beautiful and bountiful.
“It’s hard work, People think flower farming must be fun, but it’s so exhausting. It’s a lot, but I love it,” Jamie Beth says.
“Being able to now make it a second career, it really is a dream come true.”
Canine Class
Dynamic Dog Sports Puts Fido on Course
By Karen Gardner / Photography by Mark Youngblood
ADAMSTOWN—Last fall, I signed up for a dog agility workshop at Dynamic Dog Sports. As I drove (with my dog) up the lane in the waning daylight, I took in the expanse of fenced pastures and large outdoor arenas. Surrounded by horse farms, I realized this property has truly gone to the dogs.
My destination was a spacious, 70-by120 indoor horse arena filled with colorful jumps made of PVC pipe set at odd angles, a 12-inch-wide raised dog walk, and a teeter-totter for brave dogs to cross. Decorated tunnels snaked between the jumps and other equipment. The waiting area provided plenty of room for dog crates and handlers to wait their turns.
“We’re unique,” says Tracy Riley, who founded Dynamic Dog Sports five years ago along with her business partner, Karen Albert. “We can do more than agility.” Classes and workshops at Dynamic Dog Sports range from basic obedience and conditioning to instruction in American Kennel Club-sanctioned Trick Dog and Rally.
Riley and Albert had been teaching dog agility and other dog sports classes for years, and they wanted their own place, a property that could offer dog owners and their canine partners complete instructional and training opportunities. They stumbled upon an 11-acre property, once part of a horse farm, in 2020. “I remember standing in the parking lot, and I could see the possibilities,” Riley says. “But it was a hot mess.”
Weed infested and deteriorating, Riley and Albert set about cleaning up the fields, the former indoor and outdoor riding arenas, and stables—making the site wel-
Dynamic Dog Sports features a wide array of hoops, slalom gates and other obstacles aimed at training dogs in everything from basic obedience to show-level tricks.
coming to dogs and their owners. After five months, they opened for classes. Dynamic Dog Sports now hosts a full slate of classes and workshops most weekdays and weekends. Dogs and handlers can practice or play in the fenced, grassy pastures that surround the indoor and outdoor arenas.
Instructors at Dynamic Dog Sports are nationally rated in dog sports and have foundations in obedience, recall and other skills that competitive canines and their owners need. “We truly believe it’s about connections with instructors and good group dynamics, hence Dynamic Dog Sports,” Riley says. “That’s the vibe we want to create.”
Most dog/owner teams start with a class in obedience or recall before diving into a dog sport. “We all have to start somewhere,” Riley says. Owners and dogs develop a teamwork approach that helps them learn the maneuvers and combinations. Positive reinforcement, consistency and fun are all part of the process. “We’re trying to build the relationship between dog and handler,” Riley says. Dogs and owners come from the Frederick area, as well as throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.
A building that once served as a horse stable now houses training classes for obedience, Rally, dog sports foundations and tricks. “We can do fitness stations and, once a month, we do massage and chiropractic,” she says. Dogs and owners can learn how to properly warm up and cool down their dogs and build up their core and leg strength, much like human athletes.
Riley and Albert met doing dog agility. Each grew up in animal-loving households. Riley competed in horse shows before downsizing to dogs. Albert’s family bred and showed dogs.
They are living out their dream at Dynamic Dog Sports, but there’s also a lot of sweat equity involved. The arenas all have bluestone dust footing, which Riley’s husband maintains several times a week using a large tractor and dragging attachment. Agility equipment must be frequently taken apart and reassembled. Then there’s administrative work, from managing class and workshop schedules to contracting out the lawn mowing.
“It takes hours,” Riley says. “We are here way early in the morning. This is not for the weak. It takes everything we have.”
Riley and business partner Karen Albert opened Dynamic Dog Sports five years ago, converting a weed-grown former horse farm into a state-of-the-art dog training facility.
We’re trying to build the relationship between dog and handler. “ ”
—Tracy Riley, Dynamic Dog Sports
Tracy
biz bites
BUSINESS
Wastler’s Barber Shop Turns 60
Since 1965, Wastler’s Barber Shop, 48 N. Market St., has seen customers ranging from youngsters experiencing their first haircuts to grandpas with lit -
tle hair left to trim, and even politicians who got a haircut there on Election Day as a way to garner good luck. Current owner Frank Wastler III and his staff
Renovations Launched at Keys’ Stadium
The Frederick Keys, in partnership with the city of Frederick and the Maryland Stadium Authority, have kicked off a $39 million renovation project at Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium. Originally opened in 1990, the stadium has been a central fixture of Frederick’s sports and cultural landscape, including as a venue for a Bob Dylan concert.
The planned upgrades will include new home and visiting clubhouses, state-of-the-art batting cages, new bullpens, an expanded concourse and additional fan seating options. The renovations are primarily designed with the Keys in mind. The team is also exploring ways to use the stadium year-round, offering new opportunities for community use during the offseason. Construction is expected to continue through early next spring. www.frederickkeys.com
FCPS Employees of the Year Named
Six Frederick County Public Schools employees have been recognized for their consistent support of students, staff, and the community via the 2025 FCPS Support Employee of the Year program.
Recognized were: Administrative Support Employee of the Year: Theresa Wisner, Central Office; Food Service Support Employee of the Year: Casandra Allison, Middletown High; Operations Support Employee of the Year: Livida Merlos, Ballenger Creek Middle; School Support Employee of the Year: Curtiss Belcher, Brunswick High; Special Education Support Employee of the Year: Courtney Prahl, Centerville Elementary; and Technical Support Employee of the Year: Tammy Barlow, Middletown High.
“We are so grateful for our support employees who play such a vital role in the success of our community,” FCPS Superintendent Cheryl L. Dyson says. “These dedicated employees have gone above and beyond to provide outstanding service to students, staff and families.”
were celebrated recently for the anniversary with balloons and a visit from city officials, as well as the shop’s regulars. Wastler’s is a slice of Americana, starting with the striped pole out front. It’s a place where the barber might ask if you want the usual and you don’t need to explain anything further. Here, fathers and sons can share a bonding experience as they get presentable. www. wastlersbarbershop.com
45 Years of RVs
Beckley’s Camping Center, 11109 Angleberger Road, Thurmont, is celebrating its 45th anniversary of serving the traveling and camping public. The industry has changed much over the years and Beckley’s has kept pace, offering a way to find your perfect RV. In addition to sales of new and used RVs, customers are able to rent as a way to explore what’s available.
The center includes a 6,000-foot showroom and a 6.5-acre lot. A second dealership is also available in Pennsylvania. Beckley’s also stocks anything else you might need for camping. Time to hit the road. www.beckleysrvs.com
on tech
By Jeni Lubbert
Productivity Tools to Stay on Track
Staying productive can sometimes feel like a juggling act, but technology is here to help. From smart gadgets to clever apps, there are tons of tools available to make your day more efficient, organized and stress-free. Whether you’re managing a team at work or trying to stay focused on schoolwork, the right tools can make all the difference.
If your workspace is covered in scattered notes and to-do lists, it might be time for an upgrade. Devices like the reMarkable 2 or Rocketbook give you the familiar feel of writing on paper but add cloud syncing, so your notes never get lost. Prefer working on your phone or laptop? Apps like Evernote and Notion make it easy to create task boards, store notes and keep everything in one place.
Time tracking and productivity apps are game-changers. Toggl Track shows you exactly where your time goes. If you like working in short bursts with breaks in between, try a Pomodoro timer app like Focus Booster or Be Focused. For a more complete view of your work habits, RescueTime quietly monitors your activity and gives you reports to help fine-tune your workflow.
Sometimes, it’s the small things— like remembering to follow up on an email or start the laundry—that throw off your flow. Virtual assistants like Alexa or Google Assistant can set reminders, manage your calendar and control your smart home devices, all with voice commands. If you think better out loud, apps like Otter.ai can turn your speech into text—great for capturing meeting notes, lectures or random bursts of inspiration.
Everyone works differently, and the best productivity tools are the ones that fit your style. Here’s a quick reference guide to some of the most popular choices:
• Notion or Trello: Ideal for project management and team collaboration.
• RescueTime: Automatically
tracks time spent on work and nonwork activities to build better habits.
• ASUS ZenScreen (and other portable monitors): Great for multitasking while traveling or working remotely.
• iPad + Procreate or Adobe Fresco: Ideal for sketching, planning and visual notetaking.
• Moleskine Smart Writing Set: Syncs handwritten sketches and notes to your devices.
• Timeular Tracker: A physical eight-sided tracker that logs different activities—helpful for freelancers.
• GoodNotes or OneNote: Excellent for digital class notes and organizing study materials.
• Rocketbook: Combines handwriting with cloud storage.
• Quizlet: A free study tool for flashcards and practice quizzes.
Finding your productivity groove isn’t about working harder; it’s about working smarter. With the right mix of gadgets and apps, you can turn even the busiest day into something that feels more manageable and maybe even have a little fun!
Jeni Lubbert is a Project Manager at 270net Technologies, a website design and digital marketing firm in Frederick. Contact her at 301-663-6000, ext. 615, or visit www.270net.com.
Staged for Success
Alive @ Five is Keeping the Downtown Happy Hour Going
Frederick’s biggest happy hour isn’t so much a single event as it is an entire season. When late spring rolls around, Thursday evenings at the Carroll Creek Amphitheater come alive with people, live music, food trucks and craft beverages.
“This year, we celebrate 21 years of Alive @ Five,” says Kara Norman, executive director of the Downtown Frederick Partnership, which organizes the event. The event, as she tells it, all began with two primary goals, the first aimed at engaging the Downtown workforce before they returned home for the day.
“We thought if we kept the office crowd past 5 p.m., they would meet coworkers or friends at the event and then head out to dinner after a drink at our happy hour,” Norman says.
Visiting any Alive @ Five event along the creek reveals the fulfillment of the second goal: attracting visitors to Carroll Creek Park, which was the city’s newest public amenity two decades ago.
“We knew that this beautiful new space needed fun activities,” Norman says. “The partnership wanted to be a part of activating this great new Downtown space with music.”
The first Alive @ Five season included just three event dates. This year, it boasts a total of 21 happy hours between May and September, with a projected 1,000 people attending each Thursday evening.
To pull off that big of a party every week, the partnership relies on scores of volunteers each week—946 last year, according to its 2024 annual report—who handle
Over two decades, Alive @ Five has become popular among Downtown workers and others enjoying a Thursday evening listening to live music with friends.
By Joseph Peterson
Photo courtesy Marie Rose Photography
Photo courtesy Leilani Lujan
Photo courtesy Hannah Katzen
duties from taking admissions tickets and selling drink chips to pouring beer and collecting trash.
Booking bands for 21 concerts a year, year after year, is no small feat either, particularly when the desire is to keep it as local as possible. Jade Dunhour, events and promotion manager with the partnership, takes pride in booking many Frederick-based musicians.
“Every season, 95 percent or more of our bands are regional or hyper-local Downtown regulars. Even the bands who come from farther away usually have at least one band member who has strong ties to Frederick,” Dunhour says.
For some lucky musicians, like Downtown resident rocker Dan McGuire, it’s a gig right down the street.
As part of the Dan McGuire Group, a booking agency noted for their various bands, DJs, and other event services, McGuire still plays Alive @ Five. “We don’t do as many public gigs as we used to,” he says, but they love playing outdoors when they can, especially at the Carroll Creek venue.
“There’s just something about it,” McGuire says, “Alive @ Five just has everything we look forward to when
playing outdoors,” including ample seating space for the audience.
Food and beverage options are a celebration of the local craft beverage and culinary scene as well. Norman says attendees can expect tap takeovers from local brewers Idiom, Sandbox and Olde Mother, with Brewer’s Alley—an Alive @ Five staple since the beginning—offered every week. Local distillers like McClintock, True Standard and Tenth Ward offer cocktails on rotation, as well.
As the Downtown Frederick Partnership’s largest fundraiser of the year, the popularity of Alive @ Five has a tangible benefit, as well. Last year, 16,000 attendees raised about $235,000 for the organization.
“All of the net proceeds are invested back into Downtown through the partnership’s work,” Norman says, funding projects like the Downtown Frederick Ambassador Program, securing grants, spearheading public art projects and organizing other events like First Saturday, Frosty Friday, Fall Fest and more.
“Alive @ Five now is a summer staple in Downtown Frederick,” Norman says. “We know of people who met, got engaged, celebrated birthdays at Alive @ Five.”
Every season, 95 percent or more of our bands are regional or hyper-local Downtown regulars. “ ”
—Jade Dunhour, events and promotion manager, Downtown Frederick Partnership
An Alive @ Five fan favorite for years, the Dan McGuire Group will take the stage at the Carroll Creek Amphitheater on June 5.
Photo courtesy the Dan McGuire Group
artsy SPOTLIGHT
Messages in the Wind
Artist Lauren Koch is facilitating a year-long, collaborative and interactive work of art in the third-floor gallery space at the Delaplaine Arts Center, 40 S. Carroll St., inspired by the tradition of Tibetan prayer flags that are joined together into a long banner and flown outdoors. Traditionally, the flags are used to promote peace, compassion, strength and wisdom. The Tibetans believe, according to historians, that the wind will blow the prayers and mantras, spreading good will all around.
Local community members are invited to express their hopes and intentions through Koch’s art installation. Whether words of peace, symbols of love or affirmations of joy and pride, each contribution adds to a colorful banner. Contribute to the installation any time during the Delaplaine Center’s regular hours through next spring. www.delaplaine.org
Claire McCardell Book
Festival Brings Arts to the Creek
Carroll Creek Linear Park will once again transform into an artsand-crafts lover’s paradise during the 31st annual Frederick Festival of the Arts with Craft Marketplace. The free, outdoor event is June 7 and 8, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. It features local and visiting fine artists and craft artisans in a showcase encompassing fine jewelry, works of art and hand-crafted apparel and décor. Residents and visitors will have the opportunity to meet the artists and discover the inspiration and process behind their creations.
Presented by the Frederick Arts Council in partnership with Howard Alan Events, the festival represents artwork selected by an independent panel of expert judges from hundreds of applicants. The vetting ensures that a wide range of mediums and price ranges will be offered. Pets on leashes are welcome. www.artsfestival.com
Journalist and author Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson will be in town June 25 to talk about her recently released book, Claire McCardell: The Designer Who Set Women Free , hosted by the Frederick Art Club and supported by Curious Iguana bookstore and the C. Burr Artz Public Library, 110 E. Patrick St., where the event begins at 6:30 p.m.
Admission is $38, which includes an autographed copy of the book about the Frederick native who made her mark in the fashion industry, along with a reception featuring McCardell’s favorite treat, angel food cake. Proceeds will benefit the club’s art scholarship fund. The deadline to purchase tickets is June 9 and seating is limited. Visit the club’s website, www.frederickartclub.com/new-claire-book-signing, to buy tickets.
Dickinson, who resides in Baltimore, has written for The New York Times, Harper’s, The New Yorker, The Southern Review , The Washington Post Magazine and other publications. She is a National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellow and has earned various awards for her writing.
Carla Wills
Photo Courtesy Mark Thiessen
Carla Wills thought it was a curious thing.
Growing up in Baltimore, “My dad was one of those people who loved to do day trips,” says Wills. “We would just pile in the car and go somewhere on a Saturday or Sunday. We could have gone to the shore, D.C. But nine times out of 10 we ended up heading out to Frederick. I remember … wondering, ‘Why are we always out here?”
She had no family here, no personal history.
Or that’s what she thought.
Wills, a journalist who lives in New York, recently found out that her DNA matches the remains of an enslaved woman discovered in a burial site at Catoctin Furnace ironworks near Thurmont. She now views the Frederick road trips a bit differently. “Perhaps it was an ancestral pull,” she says. “It makes you wonder.”
Wills’ ancestor died in her early 40s. DNA testing indicated she suffered from a blood disorder and her skeletal remains exhibited physical evidence of the toll working at the ironworks took on her body.
“I think of how brutal her life was,” says Wills. “Feeding the furnace. Stoking the fires. She probably had to do a lot of heavy lifting. And she was a woman doing all of this hard work.”
But Wills takes some comfort in at least knowing about her ancestor. “I just need to find out more about her,” she says.
For many African Americans, genealogy and tracing their family history has
not been easy, due to incomplete and often-nonexistent records.
“It often hits a dead end at the era of slavery,” says Elizabeth Comer, an archaeologist and president of the Catoctin Furnace Historical Society, an organization committed to preserving the ironworks site and its history.
Now, that is changing.
Comer’s organization took part in a groundbreaking study, along with researchers from Harvard University, the Smithsonian Institution and the genetic testing company 23andMe, to open a new door for many African Americans searching for their family history.
Researchers analyzed the remains of 27 enslaved individuals buried at the Catoctin Furnace site and compared samples of their DNA with the DNA of consenting customers of 23andMe.
As a result, more than 40,000 relatives were identified, with nearly 3,000 of those being close relatives who share significant DNA. Relatives were found throughout the United States with a concentration in the
The nail pictured above and oTher artifacts on The following pages were discovered during archaeological excavation and oTher research of Catoctin Iron Furnace.
East and Southeast, including 30 close relatives in Maryland.
The study also identified five genetic families from Catoctin Furnace consisting mostly of mothers, children and siblings. Those from the burial site showed a strong genetic connection to particular African groups, including the Wolof and Mandinka of Senegal and Gambia. The remains of three of the individuals indicated genetic markers for sickle cell disease.
“The Catoctin project, through the most sophisticated genetic and genealogical methods, has
“It’s not fair,” Comer says.
“We had hit a brick wall.”
Comer has a long history with Catoctin Furnace. Among those who formed the Catoctin Furnace
dramatically demonstrated how African Americans can find their ancestors who were enslaved long before the Civil War,” says Henry Louis Gates Jr., a Harvard professor and member of the research team, best known as the host of the PBS series Finding Your Roots . “This brilliant project is a model to be emulated.”
Catoctin Furnace was built in 1774 and played a pivotal role in the dawn of America’s first Industrial Revolution. In fact, American cannonballs fired during the Battle of Yorktown came from the ironworks. Slave labor was used at Catoctin Furnace, often relying on the ironworking skills many enslaved workers brought with them from Africa.
Despite an extensive record of the facility’s white owners, including the first elected governor of Maryland, Thomas Johnson, very little was known about the African Americans workers at Catoctin Furnace until recently.
Historical Society in 1973 were her parents. “They always had a love of history,” says Comer, recalling family weekends visiting sites and museums. “I was very aware of Catoctin Furnace as a young child.”
In 1979, the burial site was discovered when a highway expansion was being considered in the area. Concerned individuals such as Comer’s parents suggested that an archaeological survey
Catoctin Iron Furnace
be conducted first. “In each shovel test pit they found bones,” Comer says.
The excavated remains were taken to the Smithsonian for preservation. As the years passed, the little girl who knew she wanted to be an archaeologist at the age of 4 became the president of the very historical society her parents had helped form. She has spent years studying the history of the place and its people, including those enslaved.
And she never forgot the remains from the burial site. As time went on and with the advancements in DNA science, she saw an opportunity. “I knew we now had enormous potential for re-analyzing,” she says.
But even while she looked to the possibilities of science, Comer had long been focusing on the paper trail for documentation of those who labored at Catoctin Furnace. It wasn’t an easy task. African Americans were not listed by name on the U.S. census until 1870. Before that, their names were often left out of the written
Museum of the Ironworker, Catoctin Iron Furnace
record or referred to by only first names or by sex and age. Many of the same, common first names were used for different people, causing confusion. Except for one person named Hanson. “His name was unusual,” says Comer. “We got lucky.”
Hanson, who would become known as Hanson Summers, first appeared in the written record in 1834 as part of an inventory for Catoctin Furnace. He was 17 at the time. But then the trail went cold. “We were focusing on Catoctin, and we had hit a brick wall,” says Comer.
However, two inventories years apart in two counties would enable Comer to continue his story.
One Sunday morning as she was poring over documents yet again, “until my eyes were crossed,” she made quite the discovery. “I just started going through this inventory from 1849 and reading every word of every line,” she says.
of the enslaved workers at Catoctin Furnace.
But it got better.
After determining the relationship to Hanson Summers, Comer asked Jackson and her family to have their DNA tested. “The Summers family was not in the 23andMe database,” says Comer. “I called her daughter and I said, ‘I know your family members were in Catoctin at the time
“And there it was. There was Hanson at Antietam [Iron Furnace near Sharpsburg]. I said to myself, ‘Oh my God, there he is. He was at Catoctin and now he is at Antietam. It’s him. There’s the connection.’”
Through additional investigation and help from a historian who knew a local individual with the name Summers in her family, Comer was then able to identify Agnes Jackson. Jackson’s maiden name is Summers. The 89-yearold Jackson, a resident of Hagerstown, is the great-great-granddaughter of Hanson Summers. Jackson says that she remembers hearing the name Hanson from her family growing up, but didn’t know much else about him. Now, the two have made history. For the first time a living person has been identified as a descendant of one
this cemetery was being utilized. And I’ve got a gut feeling that your family might be represented in that cemetery. Would you be interested in putting your DNA into 23andMe?’”
They agreed to help and Comer’s hunch was correct.
“We give them a voice.”
It was discovered that Jackson and her family had a very close connection to an enslaved girl, 2 or 3 years old, who had been buried there. Hanson Summers and the girl were more than likely half-siblings or first cousins.
Jackson and her family have learned a lot about their family history in a short time. “We’re finding out all of this new information that we would never, ever have found without the science,” says Vicki Winston, Jackson’s daughter.
“I’m proud of my heritage,” says Jackson. In his 1899 obituary, Summers was noted for his
Despite her dire circumstances of being born into slavery, Green says she hopes the girl was able to experience some childlike wonder and happiness. “I imagine her running and playing in the fields,” she says. “Her parents working, but nearby.”
Green pauses with her thoughts. Then says, “We don’t even know her name.” Name or not,
work at Antietam, where he continued after slavery, as having “big great strength,” a man who “thought nothing of wheeling a half ton.” He died at the age of 82.
“They helped build America,”
Sharon Green, another of Jackson’s daughters, says of the enslaved workers, her family. “ We helped build America.” Of the experience discovering her ancestors, she says, “It is just amazing. Sometimes you have to pinch yourself and say, ‘Is this real?’”
Green says that she often thinks of the young girl. “My sisters and I have wondered what she looked like,” she says. “We look at pictures of ourselves as little girls.”
she lives on. “She was on this Earth for such a short time, but all these years later she is making an impact. She is still having an impact.”
Last year, Jackson and her three daughters attended the first reunion of descendants at Catoctin Furnace. “You are meeting other people who tell you that they have relations to people there, too,” says Winston. “Talking to them made it more real.”
The family plans to return for the second reunion this year. There is now a community of those connected to Catoctin Furnace. “[There is] a very large and growing descendant population that we are bringing together through documentary research as well as the DNA,” says Comer.
Agnes Jackson, with daughters Sharon Green, Vicki Winston and Barbara Hart at Catoctin Iron Furnace
They come from across the United States and as far away as London, England. Some are connected from DNA research, while others are linked through genealogical research and family history.
Crystal Emory, who identifies as white and currently lives in North Carolina, is a descendant of Robert Patterson, a free black man who worked as a collier at Catoctin Furnace in the mid-1800s. She hopes to write a book about him. “Remembering our ancestors is so important,” she says. “I have always loved talking about my family history.”
Nancy Smith is also a descendant of Patterson’s.
Growing up in Wisconsin as a white person, Smith admits that she cannot always relate to what her ancestor experienced, but she does wonder.
“How did he get to be free?” she says. “What did it feel like if you’re free living among enslaved people?” Adding, “He had to carry papers proving he was free, but how free is that?”
Carla Wills, the journalist who recently discovered her DNA connection to an enslaved woman from the burial site, is continuing her journey to learn more about the relative she has just come to know and embrace.
“These people were instrumental in the founding of this country and defending it by making armaments,” she says. “They’re unseen, unheard, but so instrumental. I think we have to do our work to make sure that these people get heard. We give them a voice. We show who they are. We tell their stories. I think that’s the work we have to do now.” FM
Emily Bard
By Scott Grove
Last summer, more than 500,000 visitors enjoyed swimming, camping and hiking at Greenbrier State Park. Ranger Emily Bard talks about the park’s history and its amenities, which draw visitors from throughout the region and beyond.
Scott: What is the park’s history and what was entailed in its development?
Emily: Throughout the 1950s, the Maryland Department of Forests and Parks (now split into the Maryland Forest Service and Maryland Park Service) began acquiring land on South Mountain to create a forest buffer for the Potomac River watershed. The land that is now Greenbrier State Park was mostly wooded lots owned by area citizens. It was acquired by the state in bits and pieces in order to build the park. The original plan was to name the park Tawes State Park, since Gov. J. Millard Tawes was a strong supporter of Maryland state parks, but that fell through and the park was instead named for one of its native plants, becoming Greenbrier State Park. Original plans included a ski slope with ski tow and a warming hut, as well as a stable and bridle area for horseback riding, but these amenities never materialized. Construction began on Oct. 16, 1962, with Tawes taking down the first tree himself. The park had a soft opening in 1966 but officially opened in 1967 when the park entrance was completed. Greenbrier was a popular park right from the beginning and remains so to this day.
Scott: What are the park’s major amenities?
Emily: The main draw at Greenbrier is the swimming beach. Visitors should plan ahead to avoid crowds. Greenbrier is also home to about 12 miles of trails, which are especially popular with mountain bikers. It is also a good place to access the Appalachian Trail, with a 0.6-mile connector trail located behind the Visitor’s Center, which includes exhibits about all of the South Mountain Recreation Area’s parks. Camping is also popular here, with 163 campsites to choose from in our campground, and of course fishing and boating on our 43-acre lake. In the summer, paddle boats are available for rent at our concessionaire.
Scott: What is the makeup of your visitors ?
Emily: We see people of all ages and backgrounds here. We are especially popular with families for picnics and swimming in the summer. During the summer, many visitors tell me they’ve traveled from Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and Northern Virginia. In the spring and fall, we see a lot more locals who fish here on a regular basis, walk their dogs or exercise.
Scott: How many visitors do you see during peak season ?
Emily: The park is extremely busy from Memorial Day to Labor Day and drew 504,262 visitors in 2024. If possible, I recommend visiting on a weekday to avoid crowds. The park has been reaching its capacity limit almost every
weekend day for many years now, which means we are forced to turn away visitors. This year, reservations will be required for weekends and holidays in an effort to reduce traffic problems on U.S. 40 and turning away visitors. We will also be opening our newly renovated Camp Office and Fee Station, which should reduce wait times as well.
Scott: Greenbrier Park is one of four state parks in the are a. Emily: Greenbrier State Park is part of a state park complex called the South Mountain Recreation Area. This area also includes Washington Monument State Park, Gathland State Park, South Mountain State Park and South Mountain State Battlefield. Rangers all work out of Greenbrier and visit the other parks as much as possible. For questions about any of these parks, please call Greenbrier State Park.
Scott: How do they differ or complement one another ?
Emily: Each park provides something different and unique to the mountain: Greenbrier is a family spot for its lake and campgrounds; Washington Monument is a great sunset spot and local landmark; Gathland holds the history of writer George Alfred Townsend; South Mountain State Park features the Appalachian Trail; and there are lots of interesting wayside exhibits and trails on South Mountain State Battlefield. The parks are all connected by the Appalachian Trail and serve as a good place to get on and off the trail.
Scott: What are the fees for park entry and camping?
Emily: On weekends and holidays between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend, day use entry fees at Greenbrier are $5 per person for Maryland residents and $7 for out-ofstate residents. On weekdays, Maryland residents pay $3 and out-of-state residents pay $5. Fees are reduced in the off season. Campsites are $21.50 for a basic site and $27.50 for a site with electricity. Gazebos will be closed this year due to construction. Overall, Greenbrier
State Park is a family friendly park with great views and lots of activities. I look forward to seeing everyone this summer!
Emily Bard is a State Park Ranger II, whose duties include supervision of its seasonal rangers and the Greenbrier trails. She earned a bachelor’s degree from West Virginia University and is a member of the Maryland Appalachian Trail Management Committee. Park reservations can be made at 1-888-432CAMP (2267). For general park information, call 301-7914767. Scott Grove is the owner of Grove Public Relations, LLC., a marketing and advertising firm. His work also includes interpretive planning and exhibit design for museums and historic sites. For more info, visit www. scottrgrove.com.
We see people of all ages and backgrounds here. We are especially popular with families for picnics and swimming in the summer. “ ”
—Emily Bard
Going the Distance
Frederick Steeplechasers Running Club Celebrates 50 Years
It’s a warm Wednesday evening. A small crowd of runners is filling tables and chairs outside the breweries on Carroll Creek Park, the culmination— some would say highlight—of another one of the Frederick Steeplechasers Running Club’s weekly “pub runs.”
These happy hours disguised as exercise have done much to help the Steeplechasers’ membership, now at 1,200, and encourage participation in a variety of volunteer opportunities from race training and coaching to club governance.
The Steeplechasers, which takes its name from the city’s famous church spires, was founded in 1975 amid the first running booms in the United States. “I think it started off as a group of people who joined together because they had this love of running,” says Michele Newton, current club president.
Newton joined the club in 2014 to take advantage of the free training provided to members (who pay $25 a year in dues). She ran for fun in college but wanted a formal program to prepare for a half marathon. She got that, and more.
“You might have some people who come into the club, maybe they have a running goal, and they want the structure of a training program or the support to meet the goal. Many times, what people find out is they’ve become part of a community,” she says. “And they end up being so inspired by
The Frederick Steeplechaser’s Running Club’s 1,200 members can be found on trails, country roads or street courses of elite races.
By Guy Fletcher
Photos
courtesy
Frederick Steeplechasers
the people around them that they end up achieving some running goal that they never thought they were capable of, so that’s pretty amazing.”
Ask members of Frederick Steeplechasers what the biggest misconception is about their club and you’re likely to hear the same answer.
“[Those not familiar with the club] think it’s all fast runners and you have to be fast in order to join us, and we fight that myth all the time,” says Harriet Langlois, a club board member.
There are, in fact, runners of all abilities and ages, from a youth program that starts at 8 to the oldest runner at 84. Some are training for marquee events, like the Boston Marathon, while others prefer walking in a 5K. “It’s good because you can be anyone in this club and you’re accepted and supported in your goals,” says Johanna Schick, a member since 2021.
“I don’t particular enjoy [running], but I do it as an exercise,” new member Dorian Young says with a smile. “I didn’t realize how much of a social activity it could be or how many people I could meet and become friends with.”
The club organizes eight races a year, four free events for members and
four “signature” sponsor-supported events open to the community. This month the club will sponsor the evening Summer Solstice 8K race in Walkersville on June 14, with proceeds supporting Blessings in a Backpack.
Race fees raised nearly $60,000 last year and were donated to a variety of local charities, including longstanding beneficiary the Women’s Giving Circle of Frederick County. The club further supplements its revenue by providing race timing and course marking services to other groups organizing small races.
Training is a big reason for people to join the club, but, like Newton, they find the community and they are hooked.
Which brings us back to the pub runs, which have been cleverly re-branded pub run or happy hour for the benefit of those who would prefer to tip a pint with their running friends.
“I think it’s pretty easy to say we like the running community more than we actually like running,” says member Billy Clem with a laugh. “There’s a lot of times I don’t like running, but I like coming out and running with my friends.”
Members of the Frederick Steeplechases come from all walks of life whose ages range from 84 to 8-yearold participants in a youth program.
It’s good because you can be anyone in this club and you’re accepted and supported in your goals. “ ”
—Johanna Schick, member, Frederick Steeplechasers
TRENDING
stylin
No, I really wasn’t a jewelry person at the beginning. “ ”
—Leslie Moore
WEARABLE ART
Frederick resident Leslie Moore was a dancer and a teacher, showing others the movements that brought her joy. “I’m big, big into music,” she says, “and I’m a nature person.” These facets inspired her to become a jewelry artist and start a line of accessories she calls Turtle Jewelry Designs. “At the time when I first started making jewelry, I was really slow,” she says with a laugh, adding that the turtle reference also points to a Native American symbol for women, particularly Mother Earth.
Moore and her husband recently downsized into a condo from a house that had an expansive studio for creating her earrings, necklaces, rings, pendants and bracelets. “I have a small studio now in what’s supposed to be the dining area, but it works,” she says. Here she can get lost in designing and creating, skills she initially gained from a class at Frederick’s Delaplaine Arts Center.
“It’s peaceful. When I’m working in the grove it’s wonderful,” she says, especially with music playing. Moore primarily works in silver, although some of her designs incorporate other metals. “I love stones,” she says, often adding them to the mix.
Before embracing the art form, Moore says she wasn’t much for wearing jewelry herself, but soon “turned into a jewelry tree once I started making it.”
Affirmation that she was onto something came quickly as people started commenting on what she was wearing and wanting it for themselves. “It’s an honor to see my work come to life on somebody,” she says.
Turtle Jewely Designs is available on Etsy, The Muse, 19 N. Market St., and at Yogamour Yoga and Healing Arts Center, 1 Worman’s Mill Court.
tell us TRENDING
Michael Turell Entomologist
How does the world of insects relate to humans? Why is it important to study them?
There are more different kinds of insects than any other kind of creature and they play a critical role on our planet. Many are beneficial and pollinate much of the food that we eat, while others are evil creatures and drink our blood and transmit the pathogens that cause disease. In fact, mosquitoes are responsible for more than 700,000 human deaths every year from malaria, dengue, yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis and other diseases. While some people think that insects are ugly, almost everyone agrees that butterflies are beautiful.
Although you’re retired, do you remain active in the science of insects?
I retired more than nine years ago and have remained active in the field. Professionally, I am still attending and giving presentations at national and international meetings, lecturing at several universities, helping to conduct workshops in various countries, writing papers, and reviewing manuscripts for several journals. I’m the adviser to a 4-H Club, specializing in learning about insects, and am a counselor for Insect Study Merit
Badge for Scouting America. I have served on staff for every National Scout Jamboree since 1993. In addition, I have given numerous presentations to various groups about insects including Rotary, Master Gardeners, homeschooled groups, public libraries and many others.
What’s something interesting that people might not know about insects?
Insects are essential for the pollination of the food that we eat. It is not just honey bees
that are important. In fact, honey bees are an exotic species in the Americas and there were no honey bees anywhere in the Americas before the Europeans brought them here in 1622. Despite the lack of honey bees before this date, there was still a lot of food because native bees, flies, butterflies and even beetles are very important pollinators, too.
How are honey bees faring these days? Varroa mites are the biggest problem that honey bees face in the Americas. These mites transmit diseases to bees and are responsible for many of our colonies dying. While varroa mites have greatly increased colony mortality rates, we are also producing more colonies than in the past, so there are still a lot of honey bees.
How did you become interested in this field?
I moved from New York City to the suburbs when I was 4, and this big kid (he was 8) got me interested in creepy crawly things. I liked things that everyone thought were disgusting. I attended Cornell University as an entomology major. The U.S. Army changed my professional interests from general to medical entomology during the Vietnam War. I earned a master’s degree in public health at Tulane University and then my doctorate in the epidemiology of infectious diseases at the University of California, Berkeley, before becoming a research scientist at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases at Fort Detrick for 35 years. My work allowed me to conduct field studies on mosquitoes all over the world, including South America, Central America, Africa, Asia and Europe.
Bold Welcome
Jollof on Point Puts Nigerian Cuisine on the Table
By April Bartel / Photography by Mark Youngblood
At Jollof on Point, Abimbola “Abby” Oluboyo isn’t just serving food—she’s dishing up authentic tastes of her Nigerian homeland, along with a hearty helping of hospitality. Tucked into the corner of the Festival shopping center at 450 Prospect Blvd., her cheerful eatery delivers unique flavors and a family-style welcome to everyone who walks through the door.
Oluboyo opened Jollof on Point in March 2024, inspired by her mother’s “buka” restaurant in Nigeria. These popular, unpretentious eateries, sometimes little more than a roadside stall, are known for dishing up steaming scoops of homestyle food with no frills, just flavor. “I try to recreate that exact feeling here,” says Oluboyo. “It’s not anything fancy. Just enjoy the homestyle food.”
Guests at Jollof on Point choose their meals by the scoop, as is traditional in a buka, creating personalized plates that let them sample a variety of rich, aromatic dishes. From savory jollof rice to silky egusi (spinach and melon seed) stew and tender goat meat topped with Ewedu (jute leaves), diners can build a meal that fits their appetite and curiosity. “You don’t have to commit to a full plate of just one thing,” Oluboyo explains. “You can stretch your dollar and enjoy bold flavors.”
And bold they are. Nigerian cuisine is known for its deep, layered profiles created by cooking down tomatoes, onions, bell peppers and habaneros in palm oil—a foundation known as “pepper sauce.” You won’t find the raw crunch of fresh peppers; instead, it is simmered with spices like thyme, paprika, rosemary and curry powder. While
Guests at Jollof on Point choose their meals by the scoop, as is traditional in a buka, creating personalized dishes that let them sample a variety of rich, aromatic dishes.
Nigerian cooking shares the pepper-based flavor foundation of Caribbean and West African cuisines, Oluboyo says its richness and emphasis on stewed dishes align with many familiar cooking styles—like making Italian-style marinara sauce that simmers for hours.
Jollof rice—the restaurant’s namesake— is a West African icon. Oluboyo ’s version is “party-style,” cooked in massive, custom cauldrons that give a smoky edge. These thick-walled pots are as much a part of the recipe as the ingredients themselves. “If you use a regular pot, you don’t get that same flavor,” Oluboyo insists. “It locks the flavor in. It’s what makes the rice special.”
The restaurant’s offerings also include suya (grilled skewered meat), moin moin (steamed bean puree), and puff puff, the pillowy, golden doughnuts dusted with sugar. Meat pies, reminiscent of Caribbean patties, are handmade from scratch.
Everything is halal and thoughtfully prepared with allergen sensitivity in mind— the moin moin, for example, is made without fish or eggs so vegetarians and those with dietary restrictions can
enjoy. For general service, the spicy heat is toned down, too.
In addition to the daily dine-in menu, Jollof on Point does a healthy catering business for events of all sizes. A beautifully arranged on-site event space—complete with shimmering décor and room for about 50 guests—is available for reservation. “This space is for the community. We want people to celebrate here.”
That spirit of inclusion is what makes Jollof on Point truly special. Oluboyo ’s generosity shines in her sample policy—first-time diners are encouraged to taste before they commit. It’s also in her commitment to local suppliers where possible. But above all, it’s in the way she speaks of her adopted hometown. “The Frederick community … has been amazing,” she says. “They support us, they leave beautiful reviews and they spread the word. That’s why we’re here. This is home.”
As cooking videos play overhead and the scent of simmering peppers fills the air, it’s clear this is more than a restaurant. “It’s not just about the business,” says Oluboyo. “It’s about meeting people and being part of the community. I’ve made so many new friends just because they come in to try the food. I’m very grateful for this.”
just serving food
dishing up authentic tastes of her Nigerian homeland, along with a hearty helping of hospitality.
It’s not anything fancy. Just enjoy the homestyle food. “ ”
Abimbola “Abby” Oluboyo isn’t
at Jollof on Point—she’s
—Abimbola “Abby” Oluboyo, Jollof on Point
tiny plates ON THE TABLE
CHEF Q BACK IN THE KITCHEN
Unresolved issues with her previous location in Frederick prompted Juoaquina Latty, better known as Chef Q, to close B Anderson’s Restaurant last year. But once again she’s cooking catfish, greens, shrimp and grits, and other soul food favorites while creating a community, this time at 66 Souder Road in Brunswick.
It almost didn’t happen.
Latty was ready to return to a previous nonprofit career, but her daughter showed her the outpouring of support on the restaurant’s website following the posting of a farewell letter. “There were 48,862 hits. People were saying, ‘Please, no, you have to come back.’ Thus, we are back in the restaurant business,” she says. They found a spot, a former Chinese restaurant, and her husband jumped in on renovations. “It’s just beautiful. I’m loving it.”
The menu, based on recipes learned from her grandmother, will pretty much remain the same, with the addition of breakfast through the week and “on weekends we’re going to have some fun with specials.”
“The only thing that has changed is that I’m well-seasoned this time,” Latty says. “I ran on emotion before. This time it’s a business.” But don’t be fooled by her seemingly no-nonsense approach. This is still the woman with an easy laugh who believes in the power of food to spread love. “It’s not about making money; there’s too much of that going on in the world.
GAS STATION TRANSFORMED
Not everyone saw the potential in a former gas station, but Catherine Dilley and her partner Kobi Assa had the vision to transform it into a welcome addition to the neighborhood as The Station Market & Café, 629 N. Bentz St. The business is a natural extension of their Eaters Acres Farm & Kitchen at 10802 Old Annapolis Road, with the food they grow showing up at The Station.
“I had been looking for a space and kept passing by and seeing that it was for lease and thinking someone should do something with this place,” Dilley says, standing in what was once a car wash and is now an inviting café that includes amazing pastries. “I had a Swedish grandmother who loved to bake. In fact, all of my family baked,” she says. The menu also includes soups and sandwiches, plus entrees such as oyster mushroom ragout.
The Station will host a farm market on Saturdays from 11 a.m.-3 p.m., with produce and goods ranging from honey to hand-crafted items. www. thestationmarketandcafe.com
I’ve created a movement to serve good food and become a part of the community.”
It starts with the portion sizes, what she calls “love plates” where, for instance, a senior couple on a limited income can split an order and still be pleasantly full. There are the Monday night dinners she delivers to residents of nearby senior housing, the setup for customers to pay-it-forward for neighbors who can’t afford a meal, and the clients she hires from the Scott Key Center once a week to bake cookies. “There’s a mission for everybody,” she believes. “God will work it out.” www.bandersonrestaurant.com
ON THE TABLE
cravings
10 Tavern
10 E. Main St., Thurmont. 301-271-7422 Classic all-American cuisine. $
agave 137 Tequila Bar & KiTchen
137 N. Market St, Frederick. 240-439-4367 Best margaritas, tacos and entertainment on Market St. $$
airways inn
310 Aviation Way, Frederick. 301-228-2100 Sandwiches, salads and more. Adjacent to airport. $
H a.K.a. Friscos
4632 Wedgewood Blvd., Frederick. 301-698-0018. Upbeat sandwich shop also offering house-roasted meats, salads and potatoes. $$
aleKo’s village caFé 4304 Old National Pike, Middletown. 301-371-3500. Greek, vegetarian and vegan specialties, subs and salads. $
anchor Bar
5605 Spectrum Dr., Frederick. 240-651-5580. Home of the Original Buffalo Wing. $$
anTrim 1844 smoKehouse resTauranT
30 Trevanion Road, Taneytown. 410-756-6812. Open daily for dinner. French-American cuisine. Reservations required. $$$
aTlanTic grille
3531 John Simmons St., Suite D-05, Urbana. 301-810-5220. American steak and seafood restaurant. $-$$$
ayoKa aFrican cusine
100 W. Patrick St., Suite M, Frederick. 240-626-1801. Enjoy a taste of authentic African dishes. $$
H Beans & Bagels
49 E. Patrick St., Frederick. 301-620-2165 Light breakfasts and lunches. $
Beans & Dreams
203 E. Main St., C, Middletown. 240-490-7070 Café and coffee shop. $
H BeeF ‘n Buns ‘n ParaDise
1448 W. Patrick St., Frederick. 301-898-2075 Big burgers and great ice cream selections. $
Belles’ sPorTs Bar & grill
1202 E. Patrick St., Frederick. 301-696-9623 Great ribs and other American fare. $
Bellisario’s Pizza
934 N. East St., Frederick. 301-662-9233. Sauce and dough made fresh daily. $$
H BenTzTown
6 S. Bentz St., Frederick 301-301-8430. Southern fare. $$-$$$
Big PaPi’s
5711 Industry Lane, Frederick. 240-651-5969 Authentic Mexican dishes. $-$$
H BlacK hog BBq & Bar
118 S. Market St., Frederick. 301-662-9090 221 Shorebird St., Frederick. 301-662-9600. 3323 Worthington Blvd., Urbana. 240-699-0070. 100 Middletown Pkwy, Middletown. 240-490-8147. Specializing in various styles of barbecue. $$
Bollinger’s resTauranT anD uncle DirTys Brew worKs
210 N. Church St., Thurmont. 301-668-1522. Home-cooked meals, fresh baked pies, cakes and desserts. $$-$$$
BoneFish grill
1305 W. 7th St., Frederick. 301-271-3500. Contemporary grill chain offering a seafood-centric menu, plus steaks and cocktails. $$$
Brewer’s alley
124 N. Market St., Frederick. 301-631-0089. Contemporary American regional cuisine and microbrewery. $$
BuFFalo wilD wings
210 Shorebird St., Frederick. 301-662-1333. Chicken wings, sandwiches and other family fare. $
Bushwaller’s
209 N. Market St., Frederick. 301-695-6988. Irish fare in an attractive pub setting. $$-$$$
The Buzz caFé 11801 Fingerboard Road, Suite 3, Monrovia. 301-865-4900. Scratch bakery and café that eatures breakfast and lunch items as well as custom cakes and goodies. $-$$
cacique
26 N. Market St., Frederick. 301-695-2756 Fine Spanish and Mexican cuisine. $$-$$$
H Café Bueno
255 E. 4th St. 301-620-8858. Authentic Mexican food. Burritos a favorite. $-$$
H caFé nola
4 E. Patrick St., Frederick. 301-694-6652 Bistro café. Coffee, tea and sandwiches. $
1700 Kingfisher Drive, Frederick. 301-8982027. 5100 Buckeystown Pike, #194, Frederick. 301-668-6301. A variety of hot gourmet sub sandwiches. Dine in, takeout and catering available. $
flaminG Grill & Buffet
1003 W. Patrick St., Frederick. 301-664-3388 Chinese, Japanese and American cuisine. $-$$
A casual seafood restaurant with top quality fresh food, affordable prices, and unmatched service. $-$$$
H Modern aSia
H The Red hoRse
996 W. Patrick St., Frederick. 301-663-3030. A Frederick institution for great steaks and seafood. $$$
Red LobsteR
1020 W. Patrick St., Frederick. 301-846-9474. Fresh seafood. $$
Rice thai bistRo
181-C Thomas Johnson Drive, Frederick. 301-329-5199. Journey through the vibrant flavors of Thailand. $$
Ricci RestauRant
1021 Mill Pond Road, Frederick. 240-578-4273
Restaurant and wine bar offering tasty Italian dishes, wood-fired pizza and steak. $$
Roasthouse Pub
5700 Urbana Pike, Frederick. 301-418-6098 Craft beer, American fusion bistro. $$
Rosati’s Pizza
911 W. 7th St., Frederick. 301-694-4650. Chicago-style pizza, pasta, sandwiches and salads. $$
Rube’s cRab shack
17308 N. Seton Ave., Emmitsburg. 301-447-4116. All-you-can-eat seafood, dinner menu, lunch, fullservice bar and carryout. $-$$$
saboR de cuba
9 E. Patrick St., Frederick 301-663-1036 Cuban cuisine. $$
santa Rosa RestauRant
107 Baughmans Lane, Frederick. 301-662-9348
Salvadorean and Mexican food. $-$$
saPPoRo ii
5 W. Church St.., Frederick. 240-815-7079
Fine Japanese and Korean dining. $-$$$
schRoyeR’s taveRn
Maryland National Golf Club, 8836 Hollow Road, Middletown. 301-371-0000 Contemporary American cuisine. $$$
7th sisteR
228 N Market St., Frederick 240-332-3186. Menu is built on costal flavors, seasonal ingredients and small creative flourishes that surprise and comfort all at once. $$-$$$
showRoom
882 N. East St., Frederick. 301-835-7628
Modern American diner with menu designed by celebrity chef Bryan Voltaggio. $$-$$$
120 Frederick Road, Suites B&C, Thurmont. 301-271-2858. Chinese, Thai, Japanese, sushi bar, Asian fusion, dine in, carryout, catering. $-$$
H south mountain cReameRy
50 Citizen’s Way, Ste. 101, Frederick. 301-383-8790. We take your favorite sweet and savory treats to a whole new level. Sweet: sundaes, milkshakes, and more. Savory: Farm-fresh pizzas, made from scratch using fresh, local ingredients. $-$$
south maRket sandwich co
105 S. Market St., Frederick. 240-651-3797 A quaint, gourmet sandwich shop. $$
staRvin maRvin PizzeRia and subs 6942 Crestwood Blvd., Frederick. 301-695-7827 New York–style pizza, Philadelphia cheesesteaks and more. $
sumittRa thai
12 E. Patrick St., Frederick. 301-668-2303
Thai favorites including satay, pad thai and garden rolls. $-$$
suRf house isLand cantina 8925 Fingerboard Road, Urbana. 240-341-7157 Authenic surfer food and drinks. $$
sushi nomu
4969 Westview Drive, Frederick. 240-656-1330. Asian sushi. $-$$
suvai biRyani
11791 Fingerboard Road, Monrovia. 301-363-8725
Mixing classic recipes with a modern twist. $$
Taco Bar
1450 W. Patrick St., Frederick. 301-732-5716
Authentic Mexican fast food. $
TeMpo di pasTa
244 E. Church St., Frederick. 240-780-8517. Gourmet Italian dishes. Handmade pasta. $$
taichi bubbLe tea
5866 Ballenger Creek Pike, Frederick. 240-815-7961. Bubble teas, fruit teas, ramen, poke bowls, sushi burritos and rice bowls. $$
taj mahaL baR & GRiLL
1301 W. Patrick St., Frederick. 301-682-2213. Authentic Indian fare featuring home made spices. Serving lunch and dinner. Wine and beer available. $-$$
Known for dumplings with a variety of fillings. $S
uP on maRket bistRo 301 N. Market St., Frederick. 240-831-4847. Charming restaurant/bistro offering full service breakfast, lunch and dinner. Uniqueness and variety with a touch of elegance. $-$$$
vaLLey GRiLL sPoRts baR Hollow Creek Golf Club, 50 Glenbrook Drive, Middletown. 301-371-0400
Contemporary American cuisine. $-$$
H waG’s
24 S. Market St., Frederick. 301-694-8451 Classic hamburgers and fries. $
white Rabbit GastRoPub 18 Market Space, Frederick. 240-651-1952
Craft beer house serving high-end beer and food. $-$$
wiLcom’s inn 11234 Fingerboard Road, Monrovia. 301-798-8686. Iconic local landmark. International steakhouse and sports bar. $-$$
the wine kitchen on the cReek 150 Caroll Creek Way, Ste. 160, Frederick. 301-663-6968. Wine bar with American bistro fare. $$
H zi Pani café bistRo
177A Thomas Johnson Drive, Frederick. 301-620-1932. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Casual dining with full bar. $-$$
Calling All Shoppers
The Green Dragon Farmers Market Meets the Urge
By Nancy Luse / Photography by Nancy Luse
EPHRATA, Pa.—We are four friends of a certain age who should be thinking about downsizing but instead found ourselves on a road trip to the home of The Green Dragon Farmers Market, voted the second-best farmers market in America, according to USA Today.
Located near Lancaster, the market boasts seven main buildings filled with everything imaginable, as well as outside stands with all manners of wares indicative of a consumer-oriented society. The only thing dwarfing the 100-vendor market is the parking lot that spreads out forever with cars and trucks filling a rolling field. This being Amish country, many have arrived in a horse and buggy.
Farmers markets in this part of the country go back generations, with towns setting aside a day of the week for farmers to come to town with their goods for sale, taking time to bid on livestock at an auction. Such markets were a perfect blend of commerce and getting together as neighbors and friends to socialize.
But times change, and while Frederick County has an abundance of farmers markets, it’s not the same as places like The Green Dragon. Here, it’s more like a county fair, a place for people watching and continuously walking around to check things out. It even smells like the fair with the air filled with the aroma of frying dough or sausages and peppers.
The Green Dragon only operates on Fridays, from 8 a.m.-8 p.m., and the only
Some 100 vendors spread across seven main buildings and outside stands at The Green Dragon Farmers Market, where everything imaginable is sold.
time it’s closed is if Christmas happens to fall on a Friday.
It all started when Noah Burkholder opened a garage and repair shop on the site in 1932. It later turned into a restaurant for a short stint before becoming a tavern called Schreck’s, celebrated as a speakeasy and dance hall. The genesis behind the current name, according to the market’s website, occurred when Mr. Schreck was strolling along the Boardwalk in Atlantic City and saw a restaurant called the Green Dragon, a name he thought would be perfect for his business. You have to admit, it lends a touch of the exotic to a place selling Whoopee Pies and paraphernalia touting a certain U.S. president.
We finally found a good parking space and set out to explore. We admired the handcrafted wooden furniture in one building—none of which would fit in our van—skipping to a section of the market that had more totable products, munchies to be more specific. We were, as one of the vendors bragged, “in the capital of snack food land.”
Indeed. This part of Pennsylvania is famous for its pretzels and potato chips,
and there are also purveyors like Uncle Leroy’s Candy Kitchen with fudge and brittles, or Peter Peppers PA Pickles, with its simple slogan: “If you like good pickles we’ve got them.” The claim is reinforced by the long line of customers stretching down the aisle.
We found another popular draw at Hazard’s Distillery, a family-owned business from Mifflintown, Pa., that specializes in moonshine and whiskey. The blackberry shine was a crowd favorite, and a few jars came home with us.
Food is definitely a part of the day and when it came time for lunch, we wanted a place where we could sit and spell our tired feet. We found a spot with a low ceiling, counter stools and a view of the grill. The menu is a blend of Asian-Amish, with egg rolls in the mix.
Perhaps this is the beauty of The Green Dragon—the many unexpected facets, whether it’s the young girl singing in a voice like Loretta Lynn or spotting a bouquet of flowers beautifully fashioned from cassava wood in one of the many sheds. Even as we searched for the van, we were talking about a future visit. “Next time, I’m bringing a cart,” someone said. www.greendragonmarket.com
Regional favorite baked goods, including shoo-fly pie, are in plentiful supply at the market. Other popular snacks are homemade pickles, pretzels and lots and lots of potato chips.
We found a spot with a low ceiling, counter stools and a view of the grill. The menu is a blend of Asian-Amish with egg rolls in the mix. “ ”
postcards ON THE ROAD
MOROCCO
FLORIDA
VIRGINIA
George and Christine Johnson saw the famous Clydesdales at Highland Stables in Busch Gardens Williamsburg.
Bonnie Pheil and Stuart Lewis visited Hassan II Mosque, Africa’s second-largest functioning mosque, in Casablanca.
Tina Young and her granddaughter, Eden, swam with the manatees in Crystal River.
you’re here ON THE ROAD
By Jake Wynn
Showing Pride
Every June, Carroll Creek swaps its usual greens and brick reds for a surge of rainbow, an annual reminder that Pride Month is strongest close to home. With WorldPride DC wrapping up just down the road, Frederick takes the baton: Frederick Pride returns Saturday, June 28, ready to turn Carroll Creek Park into the county’s most colorful block party.
Frederick Pride, the county’s largest Pride celebration and one of the largest in the state with nearly 30,000 attendees last year, features hundreds of vendors, live music, DJs and plenty of community spirit on display.
Pick up a handmade flag or pin, sample vegan empanadas, or toast with a cocktail while the set list rolls on. However you chart the day, dollars spent on merch or in the beverage garden loops back to The Frederick Center, funding year-round counseling, peer-support groups and safe-space programming for LGBTQ+ neighbors.
Throughout the month of June you’ll find Pride events around the county, from Brunswick to Downtown Frederick, with author talks, happy hours and pool parties.
For the first time, Pride weekend begins with an inaugural parade on Friday, June 27, stepping off in the evening on East
Patrick Street and gliding toward the Baker Park Bandshell. Be part of history as Frederick hosts its first Frederick Pride Parade the night before the big day.
This year, Frederick Pride comes after WorldPride DC in the nation’s capital and lets Frederick reaffirm its own inclusive character. Veteran attendees know the rhythms: creek-side stroll, impromptu dance break, noon drag show, repeat. If you’re new, just follow the music. Bring a reusable bottle (hydration matters and it’s typically a hot afternoon), a bit of cash for tip buckets and enough sunscreen to handle hours of June sun. The rest—joy, connection and plenty of Frederick Pride swag—takes care of itself.
Frederick Pride will include 200plus vendors, from LGBTQ+ artisans to hometown nonprofits; a dual-stage lineup featuring live bands, DJs and Frederick’s
reigning drag royalty; the Lambda Car Show, showcasing chrome classics and whisper-quiet EVs; a beverage garden pouring Frederick County brews, wines and spirits; and children and youth area with crafts, games and wildly creative face paint.
Frederick has earned its reputation as a welcoming, inclusive destination. Local businesses, restaurants and attractions openly support LGBTQ+ residents and visitors, creating spaces where everyone feels at home—from laid-back coffee shops to late-night music venues.
Events like Frederick Pride reinforce that commitment while delivering a clear economic boost: the festival fills hotel rooms, keeps restaurant tables turning and drives sales for businesses in Downtown Frederick and across the region. When you take part, you’re supporting an affirming community and investing in the local economy that keeps Frederick thriving year-round.
Plan your visit and Frederick Pride month activities over at VisitFrederick.org.
Jake Wynn is the senior marketing and communications manager at Visit Frederick, the designated destination marketing organization for Frederick County. Contact him at 301-600-4023 or jwynn@ fredco-md.net. Learn more about Visit Frederick at visitfrederick.org.
DOWNTOWN BRUNSWICK HISTORIC
MARYLAND
HOT PICK
June 14
18th Annual Barnstormers Tour and Plein Air
Paint Out: The Barns of Sabillasville
This self-guided tour showcases Frederick County’s agricultural heritage and the architecture of historic barns. Visit eight unique barns on farms around the Sabillasville area. Docents will greet visitors at each barn and artists and crafters will be creating on location. An art show and sale with live music and food will be offered after the tour at the host barn. See website for ticket sales and additional information. Tour: 10 a.m.−3 p.m.; art sale and show: 3 p.m.−5 p.m. $. 301-663-3885. www. fredericklandmarks.org
MONDAY
Historic District Ghost Tours
Fridays and Saturdays in June
Downtown Frederick. In the Historic District Ghost Tour, participants take a journey through Frederick’s gruesome and bloody past, with nearly 300 years of war, executions and revenge and documented stories of the paranormal. Tours meet in front of Brewer’s Alley Restaurant, 124 N. Market St. Private tours also available. Reservations required. 8 p.m. $. www.marylandghosttours.com
TUESDAY WEDNESDAY
One Vast Hospital—Civil War Walking Tours Saturdays and Sundays in June
National Museum of Civil War Medicine, 48 E. Patrick St. After the Battle of Antietam, Frederick became one vast hospital when caring for the causalities. With accounts taken from the diaries and letters of the surgeons, soldiers and civilians who were there, this guided walking tour explores the locations of the city’s Civil War hospitals in churches, schools and public buildings. Saturdays at 10:30 a.m.; Sundays at 2 p.m. $. 301-695-1864. www.civilwarmed.org
Carillon Recital Sundays in June Joseph Dill Baker Carillon in Baker Park, Downtown Frederick. Open for guests to hear John Widmann, City Carillonneur play the 49-bell carillon of bronze bells. 12:30 p.m. www.bakerparkcarillon.org
FCC Visual Arts Department Student Juried Show Through June 4 Mary Condon Hodgson Art Gallery, Frederick Community College, 7932 Opossumtown Pike. The FCC Visual Arts Department presents the spring 2025 art student juried show. 301-846-2566. http://calendar. frederick.edu
Yoga with Yogamour
Saturdays in June
Sky Stage, 59 S. Carroll St.
An all-levels flow yoga class with experienced instructors from Yogamour, a Frederick-based public yoga studio. $. 9 a.m.–10 a.m. 301-6624190. www.skystagefrederick.com
4 5 6 7
THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY
Clyde’s Through June 15
Maryland Ensemble Theatre, 31 W. Patrick St. Clyde’s, a truck stop sandwich shop, offers its misfit kitchen staff a shot at redemption. Even as the shop’s callous owner tries to keep them down, the staff members learn to reclaim their lives, find purpose and become inspired to dream by their shared quest to create the perfect sandwich. See website for show times. $. 301-694-4744. www.marylandensemble.org
SILVER: A Journey Through Space and Time
Through June 29
The Delaplaine Arts Center, 40 S. Carroll St. Multidimensional digital art and animation photography. Fusing colorful animated loops and photography in collaboration with technology, SILVER (Dan Silver) finds the process forms the journey of his art, continually inventing a new creative communication between mediums. 301-698-0656. www.delaplaine.org
Sumner Crenshaw
Through June 29
The Delaplaine Arts Center, 40 S. Carroll St. In this exhibit titled Old Gods, Crenshaw’s paintings pull from mythological and folkloric imagery to explore the inner psyche. The artist brings to life figures from many pantheons, including Greek, Irish, Welsh, Norse and Persian traditions. 301-6980656. www.delaplaine.org
DeAnna Boyer
Through June 29
The Delaplaine Arts Center, 40 S. Carroll St. This series of paintings titled Hinterland reflect on the artist’s relation ship with and understanding of nature, inspired by time spent sketching and observ ing various biodiverse ecosystems from the Appalachian Mountains to the Burren National Park in Ire land. 301-698-0656. www. delaplaine.org
National Juried Exhibition Through July 13
The Delaplaine Arts Center, 40 S. Carroll St. This annual juried show features works in a variety of media by artists from around the region and the nation. 301-698-0656. www.delaplaine.org
Garrett County Celtic Festival and Highland Games
June 1
Friendsville Town Park, Old River Road, Friendsville. Celebrate Celtic influence in Appalachia at this daylong family-friendly event featuring music, workshops, dancing, bands, clans, living history, educational presentations and more. 9:30 a.m.–5 p.m. www.gccelticfestival.com
Steam Train Rides
June 1
Walkersville Southern Railroad, 34 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Walkersville. Experience the exciting sights, sounds and smells of steam as you ride behind a real coal-fired steam locomotive! Reservations recommended. 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. $. 301898-0899. www.wsrr.org
Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony
June 1
The Maryland Theatre, 21 S. Potomac St. Hagerstown. The Maryland Sympho ny Orchestra performs its grand finale of the season, joined by Baltimore Choral Arts, and featuring Quinn Mason’s A Joyous Trilogy and Ludwig van Beethoven’s monumental Symphony No. 9, Op. 125, a timeless work that transcends eras with its epic and powerful resonance. 3 p.m. $. 301-790-4000. www. marylandsymphony.org
June
National Museum of Civil War Medicine, 48 E. Patrick St. Step back in time aboard a vintage 1966 double-decker bus for a fascinating one-hour journey through Downtown Frederick, exploring the city’s critical role in the Civil War and the evolution of the battlefield medicine. 2 p.m. $. 301-6951864. www.civilwarmed.org
Sky Stage Swing Dance
June 4
Sky Stage, 59 S. Carroll St. Enjoy an evening of swing dancing under the stars hosted by Revolution Modern Dance, starting with a brief lesson at 7 p.m., followed by social dancing. 7 p.m.–10 p.m. 301-662-4190. www.skystagefrederick.com
Frederick Keys Baseball
June 4, 5, 10–15, 24–29 Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium, 21 Stadium Drive. The Frederick Keys host West Virginia Black Bears twice in the opening month of the season, along with series against State College Spikes, Mahoning Valley Scrap pers and Williamsport Crosscutters. A full schedule with promotional events, fireworks dates, celebrity appearances and other happenings is available at www.mlbdraftleague. com/frederick. $. 301-662-0013.
Frederick in the Civil War: A Bus Tour of the Historic City
1
General Grief Support Group
June 5, 12, 19, 26
Frederick Health Hospice, 1 Frederick Health Way. A drop-in group designed to provide support to individuals who have experienced the death of a loved one. Participants can share their stories and express their grief as they work towards healing. June 5 and 19, 2 p.m.–3:30 p.m.; June 12 and 26, 5 p.m.–6:30 p.m. 240-566-3030. www.frederickhealthhospice.org
Alive @ Five
June 5, 12, 19, 26
Carroll Creek Amphitheatre located between Market and Carroll streets. The 2025 season of Alive @ Five continues. The outdoor happy hour features live music, beer, wine and food every Thursday through Sept. 25. See Dan McGuire Group on June 5; Nick Frey & The Sons of Thunder on June 12; Ahzay & The Squad on June 19; and Four Star Combo on June 26. Must be 21 or older. 5 p.m.−8 p.m. $. 301-698-8118. www.downtownfrederick.org
Weinberg Center for the Arts, 20 W. Patrick St.
Presented by the Frederick Speakers Series, Sarah Koenig is the host and co-creator of the award-winning podcast Serial, which recently completed its fourth season and is credited with bringing mainstream attention to podcasting. Tickets are also available for a Meet & Greet reception immediately following the presentation, with proceeds benefitting children’s programming at Frederick County Public Libraries. 7:30 p.m. $. 301-600-2828. www.weinbergcenter.org
Frederick Speaker Series: Sarah Koenig June 5
Tour de Frederick June 7
Walkersville Fire Hall. 79 W. Frederick St. An annual charity bike ride benefitting Boys & Girls Club of Frederick County and powered by the Rotary Club of Carroll Creek, featuring four, scenic multi-distanced routes and a finish line festival. See website for start times and registration information. www. tourdefrederick.com
MET Comedy Night
June 6, 7, 13
Maryland Ensemble The atre, 31 W. Patrick St. Enjoy comedy night at the MET, featuring The Comedy Pigs on June 6 and 7 and That’s What She Said on June 13. See website for show times. 301-694-4744. www.marylandensemble.org
First Saturday: Love Local June 7
Downtown Frederick. Support local businesses by shopping with an independent retailer, eating at a local restaurant, supporting local artists and exploring Downtown Frederick. Every First Saturday features streets filled with live music and entertainment and unique events at Downtown businesses! Many shops, galleries and restaurants will be open until 9 p.m. or later. 301-698-8118. www.downtownfrederick.org
Art Matters Artist Talk June 7
The Delaplaine Arts Center, 40 S. Carroll St. Solo exhibition artists SILVER (Dan Silver), Sumner Crenshaw and DeAnna Boyer present their work and artistic history. 2 p.m. 301-6980656. www.delaplaine.org
Frederick During the Civil War Walking Tour June 7
Heritage Frederick, 24 E. Church St. Explore what it was like to live in Frederick during the Civil War. Stories include the last Confederate invasion of the North, the ransom of Frederick and the Battle of Monocacy. 10:30 a.m. $. 301-6631188. www.frederickhistory.org
Wild West Express June 7
Walkersville Southern Railroad, 34 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Walkersville. Jesse James and his gang are on the loose. Expect an Old West raid on the train and be aware that there will be the sound of gunfire. Reservations recommended. 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. $. 301-898-0899. www.wsrr.org
Artopia June 7
Downtown Frederick. A new event designed to put the creative community in the spotlight. This day full of local art includes chalk art and live plein air painting by Frederick-based artists all over town. Experience live art competitions and explore Downtown Frederick’s more than 15 galleries and studio spaces filled with art. 301-698-8118. www.downtownfrederick.org
EVENTS
Harold López-Nussa featuring
Grégoire Maret
June 7
New Spire Arts, 15 W. Patrick St. This Cuban-born pianist and composer blends traditional Cuban rhythms with innovative structures, creating a modern Latin jazz experience that’s both emotionally resonant and musically groundbreaking. 8 p.m. $. 301-600-2828. www.weinbergcenter.org
Creative Outlet June 7
The Delaplaine Arts Center, 40 S. Carroll St. Kids and adults are invited to drop in to get creative together on art activities at family tables. Each session features a themed activity. This month, make funky self-portraits in the style of Giuseppe Arcimboldo. No large groups. $2. 3 p.m.−5 p.m. 301698-0656. www.delaplaine.org
Sky Stage Concert Series
June 7, 8, 28
Sky Stage, 59 S. Carroll St. Regional grunge-funk favorites Jack Funk help Sky Stage celebrate Frederick Festival of the Arts, with support from Undertone on June 7 at 7 p.m., followed by Section 20, a full band with horns, playing favorite jams with their own twist on June 8 at 2 p.m. Southern rock four-piece The Moran Tripp Band performs on June 28 at 7 p.m. www.skystagefrederick.com
Life Expressions: The Tuesday Painters June 7–29
Links Bridge Vineyards, 8830 Old Links Bridge Road, Thurmont. The Tuesday Painters originated more than 30 years ago when Mary Pfister first offered her “Tues days with Mary” art instruction. Artists from those classes continue to come together to learn from, motivate and inspire each other. A reception is scheduled for June 8 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. 301-4662413. www.linksbridgevineyards.com
My Secret Garden
June 7–29
Eastside Artists’ Gallery, 313 E. Patrick St. An exhibition of works by featured artist Beth Stinson. A First Saturday opening is scheduled for June 7 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, Noon–5 p.m. www.eastsideartistsgallery.com
Art Sale! June 7, 8
The Delaplaine Arts Center, 40 S. Carroll St. An annual sale for gently used books, miscellaneous art supplies, frames, décor and other odds and ends. On Saturday, items are priced as tagged. On Sunday, paywhat-you-want for the leftover items. Proceeds benefit educational programs at the Delaplaine. No donations accepted. Saturday, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.–4 p.m. 301-698-0656. www.delaplaine.org
Downtown Frederick Artwalk June 8
The Delaplaine Arts Center, 40 S. Carroll St. Take a self-guided jaunt downtown and visit local galleries. The Delaplaine will feature wood wall art by Eunice Turner. Noon–4 p.m. 301-698-0656. www.delaplaine.org
Gary Schlappal June 7–29
NOMA Gallery, 437 N. Market St. An exhibition of work by Gary Schlappal. Fridays and Saturdays, Noon–8 p.m.; Sundays, Noon–4 p.m. 240-367-9770. www.nomagalleryfrederick.com
Cross Pollination June 7–July 9
Mary Condon Hodgson Art Gallery, Frederick Community College, 7932 Opossumtown Pike. An art exhibit by Karen Peacock and Judith Kornett. An opening reception is scheduled for June 7 at 5 p.m. 301-8462566. http://calendar.frederick.edu
Summer Concert Series
June 8, 15, 22, 29
Baker Park Bandshell, 121 N. Bentz St. Enjoy free musical entertainment in Baker Park. Canned food donations will be collected each evening to benefit the Frederick Food Bank. This month’s lineup includes: The Soul Truth with Billy Mayfield on June 8; The Plate Scrapers on June 15; I&I Riddim on June 22 and Quick Shift on June 29. See website for weekly food truck schedule. 7 p.m.–8:30 p.m. 301-600-2489. www.celebratefrederick.com
Mount Olivet Cemetery History & Mystery Tour June 8, 22
Mount Olivet Cemetery, 515 S. Market St. Guests discover Frederick’s history as they navigate through the labyrinth of graves, crypts and monuments of one of Maryland’s largest cemeteries. Tours meet inside the main gate. Reservations required. Private tours also available. 7 p.m. $. www.marylandghosttours.com
Night at the Museum: Weddings June 10
Heritage Frederick, 24 E. Church St. A new monthly museum experience that features wine, cheese and crackers and a sneak peek at special artifacts that curator Amy Hunt has pulled out just for participants. 5:30 p.m.–6:30 p.m. $. 301-663-1188. www.frederickhistory.org
Literature Night June 10 Sky Stage, 59 S. Carroll St. Slant Light Poets hosts this installment of Literature Night, followed by open mic readings. Free to enter and/or attend. 7:30 p.m.–9:30 p.m. www.skystagefrederick.com
Frederick Festival of the Arts with Craft Marketplace June 7, 8
Carroll Creek Linear Park, Downtown Frederick. The Frederick Arts Council’s 31st annual juried fine arts and craft festival showcasing creativity and artistic expression amidst the scenery of Downtown Frederick. Festival admission is free to all. 10 a.m.–5 p.m. 301-662-4190. www.frederickartscouncil.org
Pride and Prejudice
June 12
Weinberg Center for the Arts, 20 W. Patrick St.
A classic 1940 film about pride, prejudices and misunderstandings that combine to complicate relationships and to make happiness difficult. Sponsored by Wonder Book. 7:30 p.m. $. 301-6002828. www.weinbergcenter.org
Storytime in the Garden
June 12
Heritage Frederick, 24 E. Church St. Explore the beauty of the Heritage Garden at this free event that provides little learners an opportunity to hear a story and make their own related craft. 11 a.m. $. 301-663-1188. www.frederickhistory.org
Summerfest Family Theatre
June 12, 19, 26
Baker Park Bandshell, 121 N. Bentz St. Enjoy free children’s entertainment featuring local, regional and national performers showcasing theatre, music, dance, mag ic and more! Canned food donations will be collected each evening to benefit the Frederick Food Bank. This month’s event features Guava Jelly on June 12, Unique Devotions and the Rhythm Mamas on June 19 and Mr. Jon & Friends on June 26. 10 a.m. 301600-2844. www.celebratefrederick.com
F.A.M.E. Open Mic Night
June 13
Sky Stage, 59 S. Carroll St. Frederick Acoustic Music Enterprise hosts a free open mic night in a welcoming envi ronment for patrons to collaborate, build skills and get to know other local artists. Free to enter. 7 p.m.–10 p.m. www.skystagefrederick.com
Asia on the Creek June 14
Carroll Creek Linear Park, Downtown Frederick. The Asian American Center of Frederick celebrates Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and promotes Asian heritage and culture at this annual event in downtown Frederick. Enjoy vibrant cultural performances, traditional art, ethnic cuisine, dance, music, games, vendor market, and more. 3 p.m.–8 p.m. www.downtownfrederick.org
June 14
Walkersville Volunteer Fire Department, 79 W. Frederick St., Walkersville. Herald the beginning of summer by running the 10th annual Frederick Summer Solstice 8k or 1-mile fun run/walk presented by the Frederick Steeplechasers Running Club. Enjoy a celebration party featuring craft beer and live music following the race. Proceeds benefit Blessings in a Backpack. 7:30 p.m. www.frederickmagazine.com/calendar
Frederick Summer Solstice 8K and Fun Run
Foundations of Frederick Walking Tour
June 14
Heritage Frederick, 24 E. Church St. Experience the history and beauty of downtown as knowledgeable guides share the fascinating stories that make up historic Frederick. 10:30 a.m. $. 301-663-1188. www.frederickhistory.org
Step into the Past at the Thomas Farm
June 14
Thomas Farm, 4632 Araby Church Road. Sheltered in their basement during the battle, the Thomas family, their friends, and those enslaved at the farm emerged to find the house and property had sustained significant damage during the heaviest fighting of the Battle of Monocacy. Join rangers and volunteers at the Thomas Farm to learn the stories of those who were on the farm that fateful day. Infantry demonstrations will also be conducted throughout the day. 11 a.m.–3:30 p.m. 301-662-3515. www.nps.gov/mono/index.htm
Father’s Day Picnic
June 15
Walkersville Southern Railroad, 34 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Walkersville. Celebrate Father’s Day with a relaxing twohour train ride. Bring your own picnic to enjoy at the local community park. 11 a.m. $. 301-898-0899. www.wsrr.org
Colin Mochrie & Brad Sherwood: Asking for Trouble
June 15 Weinberg Center for the Arts, 20 W. Patrick St. An evening of sidesplitting laughter with the dynamic duo from TV’s Whose Line is it Anyway? 7:30 p.m. $. 301-600-2828. www.weinbergcenter.org
Father’s Day Walking Tour
June 16
Courthouse Plaza, 100 W. Patrick St. Explore the lesser known stories of Frederick’s past on this 90-minute tour that ends at Carrol Creek, the perfect place to treat dad to a beverage and a bite to eat. 10:30 a.m. $. 301-663-1188. www. frederickhistory.org
Summerfest at the ESSL
June 18
Earth and Space Science Laboratory, 210 Madison St. Explore the Earth and Space Science Laboratory, take a closer look at our solar system, engage in science breakout sessions and enjoy a show in
planetarium at this special summer event. See Perfect Little Planet at 10 a.m., Secrets of the Sea at 11 a.m., Accidental Astronaut at noon, T.Rex at 1 p.m. and National Parks Adventure at 2 p.m. Purchase tickets for specific shows online in advance. 9:30 a.m.–3 p.m. $. 240-2362694. https://edu.fcps.org/essl
Salsa Night with Frederick Salsa
June 18
Sky Stage, 59 S. Carroll St. Dance to Latin beats at this popular monthly event that begins with a brief salsa lesson by Frederick Salsa. Spirits available for purchase for guests over 21 with a valid ID. 7 p.m.–10 p.m. www.skystagefrederick.com
Juneteenth: From Enslaved to Emancipated June 19
Monocacy National Battlefield, Best Farm, 5106 Urbana Pike. Slavery was legal in Maryland until November 1, 1864, when the new state constitution, voted on by Marylanders, went into effect ending the practice. Join a ranger walk to learn about the enslaved people who lived and worked on the six historic properties that make up Monocacy National Battlefield, as well as the U.S. Colored Troops who enlisted at Monocacy Junction. 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m. 301-662-3515. www.nps.gov/mono
Juneteenth Celebration
June 19
Sky Stage, 59 S. Carroll St. OUT40 Media hosts a film screening in celebration of the national Juneteenth holiday. 8 p.m.–10 p.m. www.skystagefrederick.com
Ty Herndon June 20
Weinberg Center for the Arts, 20 W. Patrick St. With his chart-topping hits like What Mattered Most, Living in a Moment and It Must be Love, and as a trailblazing LGBTQ advocate, Herndon offers a journey through resilience with heartfelt songs reflecting personal growth and inclusivity. 8 p.m. $. 301-600-2828. www.weinbergcenter.org
Comedy Night June 20
Sky Stage, 59 S. Carroll St. Nationally-touring stand-up comedians curated by Bojo Entertainment. All ages welcome. Spirits available for purchase for guests over 21 with a valid ID. 7 p.m.–8:30 p.m. www.skystagefrederick.com
Cinderella—The Broadway Musical June 20–Aug. 16
The Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre, 5 Willowdale Drive. The 2013 Broadway adaptation of the classic musical that tells the timeless story of a kind and mistreated young woman who, with the help of her fairy godmother, is able to attend the royal ball where she captivates the heart of the prince, while opening his eyes to injustices throughout his kingdom. See website for show times. $. 301-662-6600. www.wayoffbroadway.com
Frederick’s Black Heritage Walking Tour June 21
Heritage Frederick, 24 E. Church St. Visit landmarks and hear stories revealing Frederick’s Black heritage from the early 19th century to the present day. This tour features sites associated with enslavement and segregation and highlights the achievements of a diverse and vibrant black community in the pursuit of equality and freedom. 10:30 a.m. $. 301-663-1188. www.frederickhistory.org
Mystery Train June 21
Walkersville Southern Railroad, 34 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Walkersville. An evening of fun mayhem as WSRR hosts an interactive mystery event featuring one of Way Off Broadway and Justin M. Kiska’s Marquee Mysteries, where the audience has to put the clues together to determine who had the means, the motive and the opportunity to commit the crime. Reservations recommended. 6 p.m. $. 301-898-0899. www.wsrr.org
Youth Inte-GREAT! Deaf/hearing Fairytale Theatre
June 21, 22
Sky Stage, 59 S. Carroll St. A theatrical program featuring both hearing and deaf performers and ASL interpreters. Presented by Endangered Species Theatre Project teen and youth classes.
7 p.m.–6:30 p.m. www.skystagefrederick.com
Maryland Lavender Festival [photo] June 21, 22
Springfield Manor Winery Distillery Brewery, 11836 Auburn Road, Thurmont. Enjoy a day in the lavender fields at this annual festival that features artisan vendors, live music, food trucks, handcrafted spirits, crafts, demonstrations, seminars and more. Purchase tickets in advance. 9 a.m.–4 p.m. www.springfieldmanor.com
The FSO—The Bright Lights of Broadway [photo]June 22
Weinberg Center for the Arts, 20 W. Patrick St. Experience the magic of Broadway as The Frederick Symphony Orchestra takes the audience on a captivating exploration of iconic Broadway musicals. 3 p.m. $. 301-600-2828. www.weinbergcenter.org
Claire McCardell: The Designer Who Set Women Free June 25
C. Burr Artz Public Library, 110 E. Patrick St. Join The Frederick Art Club and author Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson for a book signing celebrating the designer who revolutionized women’s fashion. 6:30 p.m. $. www.frederickmagazine. com/calendar
Yoga in the Garden Series
June 26
Heritage Frederick, 24 E. Church St.
A new outdoor, all-levels yoga series surrounded by summer blooms, historic charm and community connection. 5:30 p.m. $. 301-663-1188. www.frederickhistory.org
Drum Circle with Aya Cultural Arts
Studio June 27
Sky Stage, 59 S. Carroll St. Drum circle facilitator Ayanna Gallant guides participants in a rhythmic journey playing rhythms together, inviting various instruments from around the world, songs, movement and more. 5 p.m.–6:30 p.m. www.skystagefrederick.com
Aelita, Queen of Mars
June 27
Weinberg Center for the Arts, 20 W. Patrick St. The silent film era returns to the big screen at the Weinberg, accompanied by the mighty Wurlitzer. 7:30 p.m. $. 301-600-2828. www.weinbergcenter.org
Art & Architecture Walking Tour
June 28
Heritage Frederick, 24 E. Church St. Experience the history and beauty of downtown in this tour that explores popular architectural styles, local art and history. 10:30 a.m. $. 301-663-1188. www.frederickhistory.org
African American History
Walking Tour
June 28
African American Resources Cultural and Heritage Society Heritage Center, 125 E. All Saints St. AARCH tour guides take participants on an informative exploration of local history on All Saints Street and the surrounding area in this 60-90 minute walking tour. Learn about the cultural and historical importance of the neighborhood that was the center of the African American community until the early 1960s. 11 a.m. http://aarchsociety.org/walking-tours
Spirit of 75 Tour June 28
Weinberg Center for the Arts, 20 W. Patrick St. Celebrate the Spirit of ’75 with this 50th anniversary tour featuring Zebra, Angel and Starz. 7 p.m. $. 301600-2828. www.weinbergcenter.org
Middletown’s Annual Independence Day Celebration
June 28
Middletown Community Park, 7628 Coblentz Road, Middletown. Bring a blanket and enjoy a full day of entertainment for the entire family, including children’s activities, arts and craft vendors, food, music and more. Begins at noon; fireworks at 9:30 p.m. Rain date is June 29. www.middletown.md.us
Frederick Pride
June 28
Carroll Creek Linear Park, Downtown Frederick. Join The Frederick Center at this annual free celebration of LGBTQ+ community featuring musical guests, drag performances, children’s activities, local vendors and nonprofit organizations, local food trucks, breweries and wineries, a pride shop and more. 11 a.m.–6 p.m. 301-696-3552. www. thefrededrickcenter.org/frederick-pride
Country Roads and Gardens Tour
June 28, 29
Explore charming country roads and beautiful gardens throughout the picturesque mountains and valleys of Middletown, Myersville, Wolfsville and Smithburg. This self-guided driving tour includes more than 10 garden spots. Some locations will also feature plein air artists, musicians, food trucks, garden activities and more. See website for ticket information. 10 a.m.–4 p.m. www. eventbrite.com
Sherlock Sundays June 29
Sky Stage, 59 S. Carroll St. Endangered Species Theatre Project presents a new episode of The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, and a spoof production by Kerr Lockhart. 7 p.m. www.esptheatre.org
Annual Fireworks Display
July 3
Brunswick Middle School complex, Brunswick. Join family and friends for a dazzling celebration of freedom and community, featuring fireworks, patriotic spirit and vibrant colors to celebrate Independence Day. Rain date: July 5. 9 p.m. 301-834-7500. www.brunswickmd.gov
Frederick’s 4th—An Independence Day Celebration
July 4
Baker Park, 121 N. Bentz St. This annual event features two stages of entertainment, family-friendly rides, activities, food and fireworks for the entire family. Enjoy food from more than 20 vendors, local craft and national beer, wine and cocktails, children’s activities and more. Pick a seat early because the park fills up quickly for the fireworks show at dusk! Noon−Dusk. 301-600-2844. www.celebratefrederick.com FM
Unfurnished Start
By Jody Brumage / Archivist, Heritage Frederick
This historic photograph, recently added to the archives of Heritage Frederick, captures a typical late-19th century scene of a Frederick County family gathered in front of their simple dwelling. What makes this photograph special is the family depicted and their lasting impact on the Middletown community through a business that currently is marking its 110th anniversary.
The young man seated on the horse is Calvin Tressler Kinna Gladhill, who was born in Beallsville (now Harmony) in 1874. His father, Daniel Gladhill, was a native of Frederick County who established a wheelwright and wagon shop in Beallsville around 1840. His first wife, Mary Bowers Gladhill, died in 1870. Daniel married a second time to Magdalene Kinna, who is visible on the right side of the photograph, and the couple had eight children, including Calvin and daughter Bessie, who is seen in the center of the photo.
The village of Harmony is perhaps best known for the Harmony Cornet Band, which, founded in 1916, is a popular performer at local parades, festivals and other events.
Calvin Gladhill and his wife, Lola Wiles Gladhill, opened a furniture, stove and wagon shop in Myersville around 1910. Calvin also provided undertaking services. In 1915, they moved the business to Middletown, occupying the former Schlosser Tannery along West Main Street. In 1929, Gladhill built a four-story concrete block building to house the furniture store and funeral business; the structure, with additions completed in 1955 and 1970, remains in use today. Lola Gladhill managed the business after Calvin’s death in 1935 for many years with the aid of her children. In 1998, the family sold Gladhill Furniture to present owners who continued the family’s legacy.
