You may think they are not listening, but teens follow your lead on a lot of things.
The Garrett County Health Department’s Just Like You! campaign reminds adults to make sure they show kids how to be responsible about prescription drugs by minimizing the use of prescription pain killers. Alternatives such as ice packs, elevation, or properly used over the counter medications can reduce the need for prescriptions.
Other important issues include always following the directions for dosage and never taking extra or sharing prescriptions with anyone else.
Storing and disposing of prescriptions appropriately is especially important to avoid the chance that someone, especially kids, could take your prescriptions and abuse them. To remove that possibility, old or unwanted prescriptions can be dropped off at one of the local drop boxes, at Garrett County Sherriff’s Office, McHenry Maryland State Police Barracks, or the Oakland Town Hall.
For more information, go to copycatfun.com. The website provides many resources on the importance of adult positive role models for children (developmental asset #14-ADULT ROLE MODELS) and keeping children safe from prescription drug poisoning (asset #10-SAFETY).
The Just Like You! campaign is brought to you by the Garrett County Health Department and partially funded by Maryland Department of Health and SAMHSA. Call the health department at 301-334-7730 or 301-895-3111 for more information.
Garrett County Government was recognized by Healthiest Maryland Businesses as a Silver-level recipient of the Wellness at Work awards.
The Wellness at Work Awards are sponsored by Healthiest Maryland Businesses (HBA), the Maryland State initiative to support healthy workplaces. Any Maryland employer who is a member of Healthiest Maryland Businesses is eligible to apply for the awards, and there is no cost to be a member.
Recognition criteria are based on the CDC’s Workplace Health Model and applicants are asked to describe activities and share examples of policies and tools developed and utilized in the four areas of assessment: planning, management, implementation, and evaluation.
Examples of workplace health program strategies include access to fitness activities and health education, company policies that promote healthy behaviors, insurance coverage for appropriate preventive screenings, and program participation.
Employers may earn a Gold, Silver, Bronze, or an On the Path award based on their activities to establish leadership support for wellness, create wellness committees, survey the needs and interests of their employees, set health improvement goals, and develop monitoring tools to track their outcomes over time.
Workplace health programs can lead to change at both the individual (i.e., employee) and the organizational levels. For individuals, workplace health programs have the potential to impact an employee’s health, such as their health behaviors, health risks for disease, and current health status.
Launched in 2010 and based at the Maryland Department of Health, Healthiest Maryland Businesses helps businesses create customized wellness plans, set wellness goals, and monitor progress.
Good Morning! My apologies for getting off schedule yesterday … apparently, my Wednesday post did not publish! Dear Readers, please help me stay on track and let us know if you see any issues.
The weather for today will be partly sunny with a high near 77 and a low around 67. A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm.
What an awesome image captured by Vicki Schwinabart last night! I love it!
Don’t forget to check our events and entertainment pages for all of the things to do in Deep Creek through the weekend!
What local feature is located at the following GPS coordinates?
N 39° 30.656 W 079° 19.351
17S E 644209 N 4374821
Well, it’s “a chubby chainsaw bear” eating an enormous ice cream cone listed on Waymarking.com. Using GPS coordinates, geocaching or waymarking documents places in the physical world and can be a fun family activity!
The 2019 black bear hunt lottery is now open; 800 applicants across Garrett, Allegany and Washington Counties will receive a permit valid for the five-day hunting season in late October.
The 2019 Deep Creek Art, Beer, and Wine Festival is looking for volunteers! Sign up on at www.DeepCreekWineFest.com: Volunteers will be given a festival t-shirt, free non-tasting entrance into the festival, a discounted tasting ticket only available to those who volunteer, and food and non-alcoholic beverages.
Also, Michelle R. with the Town of Oakland is still in need of at least two volunteers for this week’s Little Yough Concert Blue Steel. If anyone can help out, call Michelle at 301-334-2691.
Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) has started repairs on U.S. 50. Currently, there is a detour in place as the road had washed away in late June due to high waters. The repairs are estimated to be completed by August 2, 2019.
The weather for today will be cloudy with showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. High near 80 and a low around 66. Chance of precipitation is 80% and new rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Thanks to Jenny Dayton for sharing this photo with us! What a great week to be at Deep Creek Lake.
The weather today will be mostly cloudy, with a high near 80 and a low around 68. A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 1pm.
Thanks to Sean Dobich for sharing this early morning kayaking photo at Deep Creek Lake, MD:
The Summer Reading Club is today at the Accident branch from 11:00am-12:00pm. Ruth Enlow Library Director Thomas Vose will present lunar samples from NASA!
Are you or a loved one impacted by cancer? Join the Cancer Support Group tonight at Garrett Regional Medical Center.
We don’t usually see such serious criminal charges here on the mountaintop; here’s the latest from an incident this weekend: Garrett County resident Cody Andrew Upole was charged with attempted first and second-degree murder, first and second-degree rape and first and second-degree assault, following an incident in the area of Pine Drive, off Gorman road late Sunday. Upole was being held in the Garrett County Jail.
The next meeting of the Deep Creek Lake Policy and Review Board is scheduled for 6 p.m. on July 29 at the Deep Creek Lake State Park Discovery Center, 898 State Park Road, Swanton, Maryland 21561.
The Health Education and Outreach staff of the Garrett County Health Department participated in a two-year research project on the implementation of Play Streets events in rural communities, with researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Department of Public Health at Baylor University. One of the outcomes of the research study is the Guide to Implementing Play Streets in Rural Communities, which staff members are holding in the photo above.
Garrett County is featured in the Guide.
Pictured from left to right are GCHD staff members with the researchers: Kendra McLaughlin, Sharon Custer, Amy Ritchie, Linda Costello, Kristen Walker, Christy Thomas, Keshia Pollack Porter (Johns Hopkins University), Sandy Miller, James Michaels, Heather Berg, and Renee Umstattd Meyer (Baylor University). The guide and resources to support implementation of Play Streets will be available August 15, 2019, at www.baylor.edu/publichealth/RuralPlayStreetsGuide and fb.me/PlayStreets4All.
The weather today will be sunny with a high near 79 and a low around 62. It’s going to be a beautiful day!
Driving back home last night, I couldn’t help but pull over for a sunset photo!
Season 2 of “Deep Creek” on SnapChat has launched — you can find it on the Discovery page of the app.
The Maryland Trek is coming up! Meteorologist Justin Berk begins wanted to use this platform to “do something good”. So, he treks from Western Maryland (beginning at Wisp Resort) all the way to the Eastern Shore to empower and encourage kids with cancer.
WNAT: a new sign has been installed recognizing the contributions made by individuals and groups to improve the Lion’s Club park on Bumble Bee Road.
Get outside today!
Learn about Weed or Wildflowers at New Germany State Park this morning at 9:00 am to 10:30 am. Bring your work gloves, kneeling pads, weeding tools, and some elbow grease to help remove unwanted plants from our native plant garden. Please come prepared with your own insect spray, sunscreen and water.
The Maryland Trek is a 7 day, 321 mile Hike and Bike combo starting in the Mountains of Western Maryland, crossing through the suburbs of Central Maryland and culminating on the beach of our Eastern Shore at the inlet of Ocean City
This is a high endurance event that requires extreme physical and mental capabilities. We hike 27 miles almost every day, more than marathon distance, and then spend another 14 miles on our bikes traversing all kinds of both hilly and flat conditions. We liken this to the challenges that children endure while going through their cancer treatments. That is what makes this event so special, the very real strength and persistence that is required to complete this journey.
MARYLAND TREK: DAILY INTERACTIVE ROUTE MAPS
This 329 mile journey across Maryland is a combination of an average of 27 miles hiking plus 14 miles or more biking each day. All days are a minimum of 41 miles, two days are over 50 miles. The numbers are significant on a personal basis and the breakdown will allow my team to cross the state in 7 days with an average of 8 to 10 hours on the road each day. This is all for Just In Power Kids. Our goal is to develop a network of holistic integrated wellness practitioners AND pay for kids in cancer treatment to get this additional therapy.
Please see more about “why I am trekking across Maryland” (will post shortly) for the purpose, daily kid dedications, and the middle day in memory of my friend Shawn Madden who died two weeks before my first trek. Below are the maps for each day of the route. We hope to have interactive maps here along with live tracking as well.
If you come out to meet my team along the way, we’d love to get a photo with you. Then post it online using the hashtag #mdtrek6
Click on each map to see the elevation and zoom in to specific roads of our route
DAY 1: WISP TO CUMBERLAND
Begins at the summit of Wisp, the only ski resort and one of the highest points in Maryland. The first 27 miles will be on foot/hiking. Then transfer to bike for last 14+ miles.
41.4 mi Distance
Max Grade = 21%
DAY 2: CUMBERLAND TO HANCOCK
First 27 miles by foot, then transfer to bike. The hardest part is mile 32-34 using National Pike to cross Sidling Hill. Ending near bike shot and western MD rail trail in Hancock.
42.1 mi Distance
Max Grade = 18%
DAY 3: FIRST LONG DAY OVER 50 MILES
Start with 10 mile bike on Western MD Rail Trail. This will allow us to stay in MD (no other roads do at this point). Meet up in Big Pool to transfer to hike for 27 miles. Back to bike in Boonsboro and finish in Frederick.
53.0 mi Distance
Max Grade = 19%
DAY 4: MEMORIAL RIDE
Originally dedicated to my friend and fitness pro Shawn Madden who died sudden on Aug 1 2014, two weeks before the first trek, and he was supposed to be part of it. Now we dedicate a memorial in Sykesville for all whom we lost. This route is cycling only (a rest for our feet) goes through Eldersburg to his Gold’s Gym. Then we head to Sykesville (the halfway point of the trek) for a street party. Afterwards we cross through Ellicott City and end the day in Elkridge
58 mi Distance
Max Grade = 14%
DAY 5 PART 1: ELKRIDGE TO ANNAPOLIS CITY DOCKS
This is the hike portion of the day, mostly along Ritchie Highway in Anne Arundel Co, ending at the Annapolis Docks where we meet up with a boat to ‘bike’ across the Chesapeake Bay
22 mi Distance
Max Grade = 9%
DAY 5 PART 2: CROSSING THE CHESAPEAKE
Start with bikes on boats at Annapolis City Docks. This allows us to keep on trek to cross the Chesapeake Bay. We dock at Hemmingways, then continue to end day at Queenstown.
19 mi Distance
Max Grade = 9%
DAY 6- EASTERN SHORE
Crossing Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Cut southeast (left but right on map view) off of Rt 50 by the airport in Easton. Then finish at The Sharptown Fireman’s Carnival
47 mi Distance
Max Grade = 4%
DAY 7: FINISH IN OCEAN CITY
Final Day- Ending at the water by the Inlet in Ocean City.
Most of this day is along Rt 50. We often ride the fastest of the week and have extra time to rest with Slurpies at the 7/11 in Salisbury.
We stop at Starbucks in West Ocean City to put out bikes on the truck and walk the last 3 miles. We finish when our feet touch the water at the Inlet Beach.
The weather today will be partly sunny, with a high near 72 and a low around 59. Saturday will be sunny, with a high near 79 and a low around 63. Sunday will be mostly sunny with a high near 75 and a low around 60. A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon; chance of precipitation is 30%.
Thanks to Andrew Gibson for this adorable photo — the dark clouds always get better with some ice cream by the lake!
As always there are several music acts this weekend – check out the details in our entertainment guide.
It’s a Saturday of chicken! Oakland VFD and Bittinger VFD are having their BBQ Chicken Dinners. YUM!
An interesting event, Wilderness Wayfinding will be at New Germany State Park on Saturday at 3:00pm — learn how to navigate the old-fashioned way — without GPS.
More state park events are going on this weekend like Art in the Park! Held Saturday July 13th 2019 from 10am-5pm and Sunday July 14th from 10am-4pm Art in the Park is a juried art event located in Deep Creek Lake State Park with 50+ vendors each year!
Hospice of Garrett County is looking for “Inmates” for their 2019 Jail and Bail at the Garrett County Agricultural Fair! If you or your organization would like to support Hospice for an evening serving in the “jail cell” raising funds for bail (from 6:00 to 9:00 pm) please call Donna at 301.334.5151.
A friend of mine will be taking part in the Beachbody Classic Physique Competition live today July 12 at 5:45PM ET — you can watch here: https://livestream.com/Beachbody/classic
Here’s more information about hiking, biking and paddling the Eastern Continental Divide Loop. Click on the link to enlarge the photo –it’s pretty cool!
The US Census Bureau is hiring for census takers (enumerators). The pay is $18.50/hour and the details can be found at 2020census.gov/jobs
The Town of Oakland has authorized a “smoke test” to test the integrity of the sewer system — the smoke is non-toxic, odorless, non-staining, and is not a fire hazard. The tests will be performed July 15, 2019 through August 9, 2019. For additional information or to report a resident with respiratory issues and immobility, contact Gwen Evans at 301-334-2691.
Kara Taylor didn’t expect to need the assistance of Garrett County Home Health program, but when a complication from gallbladder surgery left the 29-year-old with an abdominal drain for a week, the program was what allowed her to come home sooner.
Garrett County Home Health is a part of the wide range of services provided by the Garrett County Health Department (GCHD).
“Home Health made my transition from hospital to home such an easy and effortless experience,” Taylor said. “My mind was at ease knowing my care was in the best hands from the knowledgeable staff. I cannot thank them enough for their compassionate care!”
However, the staff doesn’t just provide services for their patients, they teach the patient or their caregivers how to continue the care they need between home health visits.
“They taught me about my medication and how to do dressing changes,” Taylor said, “and gave me peace of mind about how to do self-care, and then they checked on me every few days to avoid infection.”
For most people, the term “home health” brings to mind older adults in wheelchairs or using walkers, but as this story shows, home health is not age based. It can help patients of any age as an alternative to lengthy hospitalizations or nursing home placement. The program provides medical needs, assessment and case management/coordination of in-home services so that persons needing medical care can remain at home and reduce return trips for routine medical care.
“Our agency accepts Medicare, but it also accepts most private insurances,” said Jennifer Lee-Steckman, GCHD Community Health Director of Nursing. “You would be surprised by the number of patients who are well under Medicare age.”
Depending on the client’s needs, home health can provide visits from nurses, aides, or physical or occupational therapists. For more information about GCHD’s home health services call 301-334-7750 or 301-895-3111.
The weather for today will be mostly cloudy, with a high near 78 and a low of 63. A chance of scattered showers and thunderstorms most of the day.
Here’s a great photo of life at the Lake from Eric Tatum:
An Opportunity Youth Community Engagement Forum will be held (for adults 16-24 who are not in school nor employed) today, July 11th, from 1 to 2:30 PM at the Senior Center in Grantsville.
Auditions for the next Our Town Theatre children’s show will be held tonight and tomorrow from 5-7 pm at the theatre! Production dates are July 18-20. Anyone who will be in grades kindergarten-12 in the 2019-2020 school year is invited to participate! Auditions are very informal and no materials are needed.
There is a new hot tub listed for sale in our Online Marketplace (under “Hot Tubs”):
The kids at Camp Caring (a camp for students with disabilities held this week at Southern Middle School) got to see a demonstration by Maryland Trooper 5 helicopter and other fire and EMS providers. I saw Troper 5 fly overhead in Oakland yesterday… pretty cool.
The Garrett County Government has entered into an agreement with Maryland Environmental Service (MES) to operate the County’s water and wastewater treatment plants as of August 5, 2019. This will reduce the County’s labor force by thirteen positions; however, any affected employees will have the opportunity to apply with preferential consideration for similar positions with MES, or to apply for other positions that may be open within the County or throughout MES’ extensive area-wide operations.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is now recruiting members for the Maryland Conservation Corps (for young adults ages 17-25) for training in extensive conservation, environmental, and natural resources management projects across the state. The department seeks to hire 35 full-time members who will work on seven teams for an 11-month period, beginning in late September 2019.
Wisp Resort has hired ski industry veteran Ron Hawkes as its new general manager replacing Jerry Geisler who is retiring after 45 years at the western Maryland resort. Hawkes is intimately familiar with the Mid-Atlantic ski market having served as President and General Manager at Roundtop Mountain Resort in Pennsylvania for eleven years, and he brings wide ranging experience to the job having worked at ski resorts in Vermont, New York, Colorado, and even Chile in South America.
Hawkes comes to Wisp from Camelback Resort in Pennsylvania which, like Wisp, has both summer and winter resort activities. Prior to that he was the general manager at Montage Mountain Resort near Scranton, Pennsylvania and was previously the GM of the Wyndham Garden York hotel in York, Pennsylvania.
Vern Greco, CEO of Pacific Group Resorts, Inc. which operates Wisp, indicated Hawkes rose to the top of a strong pool of candidates which included applicants from ski areas as far away as New Mexico and China and as close as Virginia. Greco noted the experience Hawkes has accumulated in the non-ski related aspects of the business were equally important for a place like Wisp which includes a conference hotel, large event venues, and active summer operations.
“When you are looking to replace a guy like Jerry who has been at Wisp for more than four decades, it helps to bring in strong and relevant expertise which is what Ron provides,” Greco explained. “Experience alone wasn’t enough, however. Since we introduce so many new people to skiing and snowboarding, we were looking for someone who loves the sport and could spread that enthusiasm to our guests. Ron is an avid skier and ski instructor who enjoys the sport so much he even spent time teaching at Winter Park Resort in Colorado this past spring after Camelback finished its ski season.”
Hawkes’ affinity for skiing led to his entree into the ski business which included nine seasons teaching skiing in Chile in the South American winter months. During that time, he ran the ski school at Whitetail Resort in Pennsylvania in the early 90’s and was the Ski School Training Director at Mt. Snow in Vermont in the mid 90’s. He then spent ten years at Hunter Mountain in New York as the Director of Skiing and Snowboarding. While he was the assistant general manager at Camelback, he also took on the position as the staff trainer for the ski school because of the importance of a beginner’s first experience on the slopes.
As a year round destination, Wisp features 36 holes of golf, and Hawkes has experience on the links as well, both as a recreational and tournament player and working at Jack Frost National Golf Club in Pennsylvania. “Being the General Manager at Wisp Resort is a perfect crescendo for my career in this business. It’s an exact culmination of the experiences I’ve gained from skiing to lodging to golf, and even to the water sports at Wisp which in many respects are equivalent to my experience overseeing the waterpark at Camelback. I’m very much looking forward to helping the Wisp guests enjoy all the adventure the resort and the Deep Creek Lake area have to offer.”
The weather today will be partly sunny, with a high near 81 abd a low around 66. Isolated showers and thunderstorms after 2pm.
Thanks to Alex DePerro for sharing this photo from his weekend with us:
The next Garrett County Chamber of Commerce Marketing Roundtable is today at 11 am. The presenter will be the Maryland Department of Natural Resources representatives giving an overview of Garrett County’s newest state parks: Sang Run and Wolf Den.
The farmer’s market is today at 10am — we are seeing the first green and red peppers at the market.
Along with a few other events and Discovery Center happenings, the Stage Wisp Concert Series continues tonight with Optimus Riff.
The weather today will be sunny, with a high near 79 and a low around 63.
Thanks to Dee Dave for sending in this photo of her “deer” friend making herself at home:
Speaking of Deer … and, this was actually unintentional …
Did you know that Deer Park water was THAT Deer Park? As in, Deer Park or Oakland, Maryland.
(From the Deer Park water website: https://www.deerparkwater.com/our-story)
“In 1873, the Deer Park Hotel opened its doors to visitors traveling to the oh-so-beautiful Appalachian Mountains. Built as a premier resort and spa, the hotel quickly added “natural spring” to its list of amenities. They began bottling water from nearby Boiling Spring (named for appearance, not temperature) for guests to enjoy — including famous folks like Presidents Cleveland and Taft. But the hospitality of the Deer Park Brand didn’t stop there.
The water was popular with hotel guests — so popular, in fact, they asked the B&O Railroad to start serving it on their trains. And, just like that, the railroad began to offer Deer Park Brand Natural Spring Water in their dining cars around 1905. The half-gallon glass bottles were labeled “Not For Sale” — a treat that was reserved for passengers only. One hundred sixty gallons of Deer Park Brand water were served daily. (Talk about H2O on the go!)
Interest in the Deer Park Hotel declined over the years when cool, mountain air in the summertime was no longer considered a commodity (thanks, AC). Eventually, the resort was shut down, and in 1966, the Boiling Spring Holding Corporation bought the spring and surrounding land from the B&O Railroad. The corporation laid the foundation for a new bottled water company: Deer Park Spring Water, Inc.
Today, the Deer Park Brand continues to spread refreshment throughout this great region. While we no longer bottle our natural spring water from the famous Boiling Spring, we’ve expanded our reach further than ever before, sourcing water from 13 springs across four states. These springs continue to keep the folks refreshed — and ensure the Deer Park legacy lives on for centuries to come.”
But, this bottle I had in my kitchen still says “… sources: springs located in … Oakland, MD”. A neat local story!
The third hydrilla treatment will take place on July 16. Hydrilla verticillata (Hydrilla) is a listed noxious weed defined as any plant designated by a Federal, State or county government as injurious to public health, agriculture, recreation, wildlife or property. Hydrilla has adapted to grow under low light conditions, which gives it the ability to colonize deeper water. Learn more from the MD DNR.
At last night’s Garrett County Commissioners meeting, a Proclamation was made that July 2019 is Garrett County Lake Appreciation month. Also, Mark Widmyer from the Governor’s Office issued a state Proclamation.
The Mountain Maryland Music Institute is offering choral, elementary choral, middle school instrumental and high school instrumental sessions and camps. Contact Dr. Sean Beachy, director of the Mountain Maryland Music Institute, at 301-387-3106 or sean.beachy@garrettcollege.edu for upcoming session information.
Please note the color theme for the 2019 Garrett County Agricultural Fair photography exhibition is purple but there was a misprint in the premium book saying it was orange. Thus, BOTH purple and orange entries will be accepted. The premium book with all the details can be found here.
The first week of the Garrett College Mountain Maryland Music Institute is officially complete. Students from the first week’s session publicly displayed their progress and skills in a culminating performance in the auditorium at the College’s McHenry campus.
String ensemble (ages 12-17) focused on technique, ensemble repertoire, and music theory in a group setting. In the piano session (ages 8-17), students focused on technique, repertoire, and music theory. Both sessions had the opportunity to enjoy outdoor activities as well.
Two more weeks of music camp sessions will take place July 8th through July 12th, and July 15th through July 19th. Choral, elementary choral, middle school instrumental and high school instrumental sessions are on the agenda.
For upcoming program/session information, or to inquire about the availability of scholarships funded by the Community Trust Foundation, contact Dr. Sean Beachy, director of the Mountain Maryland Music Institute, at 301-387-3106 or sean.beachy@garrettcollege.edu.
To register online, visit www.garrettcollege.edu/camps or contact 301-387-3786.
