Deep Creek Lake MD News and Local Resources: Daily Notes

This afternoon will turn partly sunny with highs in the upper 20s. Saturday will have snow showers, a low of 17 and a high of 30. Sunday will have the same low temperature with a high of 33. Still more snow showers.

We were sad to learn that the Baltimore Sun reported that the first cold-related death in Maryland this season was  in Garrett County. A 65-year-old woman died of hypothermia complications apparently in late November, but that is all we know at this time.

I will be a guest speaker leading a lunch-n-learn conversation today at Noon at HABco. Bring your lunch and listen and interact with others. The topic is “Important Questions to Drive Success for You and Your Business.” Registration required.

In the spirit of the season, Justin Liller and two colleagues from Railey Realty are giving away a $500 Christmas gifts to each of four families in need. Just send Justin a private message with the families’ name and contact information and the four winning families will be chosen on December 11th. All gift recipients will remain anonymous.

Remember to look at the Deep Creek Times Events Page; we’re always adding events as we hear about them and, if you have any events to share, please send them to us!

The Gallery Shop in Oakland will host a holiday reception which will also serve as December’s Arts Connection from 5:30pm – 8:00pm today. The evening will feature refreshments and music while allowing guests to shop from a large selection of locally handmade items.

Don’t forget to check out the annual tree lighting at the B&O Museum in downtown Oakland this evening at 6:00pm.

Tonight and Saturday night, Southern High’s Theater department will present “Willy Wonka” in the cafeteria at 8:00pm. Tickets are available at the door for $5.00.

On Saturday, the museum is hosting the Oakland Express at the B&O Museum for children ages 4-9. It runs from 5:30pm – 7:30pm and is free but requires a reservation, as seating is limited. Contact Michelle Ross at 301-334-2691.

Cold water conditions at the lake have really kicked the walleye and yellow perch fishing into high gear. Some nice walleye are being caught along steep rocky edges, bridge piers and the dam face.

Maryland InfoPortal (formerly called Redbook Online) is the best one-stop for finding financial and non-financial assistance offered by 80 Maryland state government agencies on the web.

Partly cloudy today, highs in the mid-30s with a chance of snow showers in the afternoon. Little to no accumulation expected.

On Tuesday, an individual from Massachusetts was arrested at a residence on Arrowhead Lane in McHenry. The subject initially had called the Garrett County 911 Center multiple times asking for help, stating that he was homicidal and suicidal. After allegedly verbally threatening police on the scene, he was taken into custody.

A substitute teacher at Southern Garrett High School was recently making inappropriate postings on social media; this situation was addressed by the GCPS Superintendent.

On a brighter note: Wisp Resort reported that it began making snow yesterday! December 16th is the planned opening day.

Senator George Edwards and Delegate Wendell Beitzel will hold their annual pre-legislative public meeting this evening starting at 6:00pm, in GIEC Room 111 on the Garrett College campus. This session is open to the public.

Garrett County Community Action Head Start and Early Head Start is currently taking applications for prenatal women and children ages birth to 5 years old for enrollment in home-based and center-based programs. Please call 301-334-9431 for more information and to set up an appointment for an application. Enrollment is based upon eligibility and openings.

Mountain Laurel Medical Center to open a new location in McCoole, MD.

WVU Hospitals and Garrett Regional Medical Center have entered into a management agreement. Also, GRMC CEO Mark Boucot will lead Potomac Valley Hospital.

Enrollment, advising and registration for credit and non-credit programs at Garrett College are in-process and extend until just before the formal start of the winter and spring semesters, which begin on January 3rd and January 23rd, respectively. Visit www.garrettcollege.edu or call admissions at 301.387.3044.

If you feel like driving a little, check out all the holiday festivities going on this month in Frostburg!

MFC Ministries Inc. (Joe & Rena Perozich) are holding a marriage counseling workshop at the Marriott at Waterfront Place in Morgantown on February 16-17, 2018.

The 10th annual Mountain Maryland Plein Air painting “competition” call for entries is now open. They are trying something really different this time around: They are moving the 2018 Mountain Maryland Plein Air to the fall!

The weather for today will be mostly sunny with highs in the mid-30s. Winds could gust up to 35mph.

Lots of events going on throughout the day today at the various Ruth Enlow Library locations in the County. 

Oakland’s Lucky Elf promotion is still going strong. For every $25 spent in any local business displaying “the elf”, shoppers receive one chance to win up to 16 local gift certificates.

The Deep Creek Winter Sports Team (DCWST) is a parent-run, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the development of young athletes (ages 7-18) in the winter sports of alpine ski racing and snowboarding. While regular registration has passed, late registration is ongoing.

The Joy of Christ celebration is on again this evening at the Oakland Community Center. The free event starts at 6:30pm but you may join at any time. Music, history and goodies available for locals and visitors alike.

Just in case any of our readers want to get away on a cruise this winter, I have included a link to the December Cruise Trends Survey results which is provided by Cruise Compete.  Some Interesting tidbits of information!

A note of interest to all of our technology and entrepreneurial readers:  The Big Idea CONNECTpreneur Winter Forum will be held in Falls Church on December 13th.  Looks like it might be worth the drive.

Garrett County’s High School Robotics Team 1629, GaCo, will celebrate the National Hour of Code week by hosting its ninth annual FIRST LEGO League (FLL) qualification tournament to be held at Northern Garrett High School this Saturday, December 9, 2017.

Today will be full of showers with highs in the upper 50s. Winds could gust to 30mph in the afternoon.

Deep Creek Winter Sports Team is currently accepting registration for the coming winter season. The team is open to skiers and snowboarders ages 7-17. Members receive professional coaching, the opportunity to compete, and a great way for kids to get to know other kids with the same passion for skiing and snowboarding. For additional information regarding team dues and team training schedule visit the website at www.dcwst.org or contact Kellyann Green cgreen@railey.com.

Maryland Community of Practice (Cop) & Life Course Framework will be presenting “Supporting Families Across the Lifespan” today from 1:00pm – 3:00pm in the GIEC building, room 111 at Garrett College. This workshop addresses support for families and people with developmental disabilities to create “The Good Life.”

Many Appalachian Christmas traditions date back to the Scottish-Irish settlers that made the Appalachian Mountains their home. Some of these traditions are still followed and have even spread beyond the mountains.

Did you know there is actually a lake under Deep Creek Lake? Read the just-released issue of the Deep Creek Dispatch, Newsletter of the Property Owners’ Association of Deep Creek Lake, Inc. to find out about Brown Lake and other lake-related issues of a more current nature.

Senator George Edwards and Delegate Wendell Beitzel will be holding their annual pre-legislative public meeting Thursday, December 7th, at 6:00pm in the GIEC building on the Garrett College campus.

Garrett County has over 900 small businesses and the Small Business Administration (SBA) wants to hear from you, via their new online survey!

Garrett College is offering a Maryland Handgun Qualification class on Saturday, December 9th in Grantsville. If you wish to purchase a handgun in Maryland, this is the first step in the application process. Call 301-387-3069 by Wednesday for more information or to register.

The Chamber will be hosting their December Business After Hours on Thursday, December 14^th at Halian & Associates Landscaping in McHenry starting at 5:30pm.

Local Taylor-Made Deep Creek Vacations and Sales business owner, Jodi Taylor Refosco has been named the President-Elect of the national Vacation Rental Management Association.

Today will be partly sunny with a low of 33-degrees and a high of 49-degrees.

The annual Joy of Christ Celebration and concert is presented this evening starting at 6:30pm at the Oakland Community Center on 8th street. Admission and goodies are all free and you may attend at any time. A nice, free family event to help get all in the seasonal spirit!

It’s beginning to smell a lot like Christmas! Kearstin Hinebaugh is offering one of her always popular essential oils classes – the 12 Sprays of Christmas – tonight in the GIEC at Garrett College from 6:00pm – 8:00pm. It is a “make-and-take” class with all materials provided. Call 301.387.3069 for more information and to register.

Country Life: Dan Duggan reports “Picked this gal up on O’Brien Road during my walk this morning. She followed me back to the house. Give me a call if you know who she belongs to.”

We hear that the Democrats for Garrett County are holding their annual holiday party at Ace’s Run on December 7th. Social hour starts at 6:00pm followed by dinner and a program. Cost is $40 and you can make reservations/get more information at gcdemoclub@gmail.com or 301.501.0693. If the Republicans are having a party, someone let us know and we will be happy to post that as well.

The Maryland State Police McHenry Barracks is asking the public for information regarding subjects with Active Arrest Warrants, originating from incidents in Garrett County, Maryland. They have photos on their site and ask anyone with information to contact the Duty Officer at 301-387-1101

Check out this short Christmas video I chose especially for all you pet lovers. Consider adopting a puppy (or kitty) from HART or the Garrett County Animal Shelter this season.

Our winters in Garrett County force many people indoors for extended periods which can lead to low vitamin D levels. Many of my friends and colleagues suffer from “low D” and take supplements. They apparently have a lot of company, as the Council for Responsible Nutrition recently reported that 76% of Americans take dietary supplements… Take your vitamins!

Significant project improvements along the Western Maryland Rail Trail has caused temporary closures along sections of the trail from Nov. 27 through Jan. 27, 2018. This two-phase project will clean ditch lines and replace damaged guardrails and fencing along the trail from mile 12.5 to mile 22. For more information, please contact 301-842-2155. All closures subject to change.

The weather for today will be mostly sunny but colder with temperatures staying in the 30s. Saturday and Sunday have identical forecasts at this point: mostly sunny with a low of 29/30 degrees and a high of 44 degrees.

Moonshadow is presenting the Fly Birds Friday evening and the Glenn Strother Project Saturday evening.

Spruce Forest is presenting the 32nd Annual Christmas in the Village, Friday from 4:00 – 8:00 pm and Saturday from noon until 8:00pm. Come enjoy live music in the Village Church, and activities throughout the Village buildings, and luminaries throughout the Village and over the Casselman River Bridge.

The Little Crossings Holiday Market will also take place all weekend, hosting over a dozen local vendors and artisans Friday 4-8 pm, Saturday 12-8 pm, and Sunday 10 am-4 pm.

If you are thinking about getting your Christmas tree this weekend take note: It will likely be harder to find Christmas trees this year and prices may be up 5% – 10%, according to the National Christmas Tree Association. It takes 8 – 10 years for a tree planted to mature and be ready for sale. Less trees were planted at the beginning of the great recession, hence the shortage.

On the topic of Christmas Trees: Woodlake Tree Farm was the pick-up site for the annual Trees for Troops program in Maryland on November 27th. More than 50 Garrett County-grown Christmas trees were transported – courtesy of FedEx Corporation – to Fort Bragg, North Carolina for Trees for Troops weekend, Dec. 1-3.

Don’t forget the Christmas Market at our Town Theater on Saturday from 9:00am – 3:00pm. There’s also other activities going on in Downtown Oakland over the weekend.

Thank you to Michelle Ross for sharing the video clip below of the light display outside of the Oakland Armory designed by CHIPS Network’s Paul Browning. The LED tree syncs up to a local radio station to put on a dazzling light and sound display.

Also, Monday through Friday evening is the Joy of Christ celebration held each night beginning at 6:3pm at the Armory.

Partly cloudy this morning with a chance of rain showers this afternoon. Highs in the lower 50s.

Please don’t forget our local small businesses this season. According to Adobe Analytics, online shoppers spent $6.59 billion on Cyber Monday, with about $2 billion of that through smart phones. It was the biggest online shopping day ever!

Thank you, Railey Realty! Garrett College just announced that Railey Realty became a “Big Splash” Sponsor in support of the I Can Swim Program for Garrett County’s children. The Garrett College Foundation and the Community Aquatic and Recreation Complex (CARC) have teamed up and are offering sponsorship space on the electronic scoreboard within the CARC.

According to the Maryland DNR, Walleye fishing at Deep Creek Lake has been excellent this week. Most anglers are casting diving jerkbaits for the walleye, or drifting minnows along steep rocky shorelines. Large yellow perch and smallmouth bass can also be in the mix, especially when drifting minnows.

Are you ready? Garrett County is! National Weather Service officials just recognized Garrett County as a StormReady® community. Fred McMullen, Warning Coordination of the National Weather Service forecast office in Pittsburgh will present County officials with a recognition letter and special StormReady signs during a ceremony at the Garrett County Courthouse Public Meeting Room on Monday, December 4, 2017 at 4:00pm.

Pickleball play is available at the Oakland Community Center gym (old armory) on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 3:00pm to 5:00pm beginning on December 1st. The Garrett College Community Aquatic & Recreation Complex (CARC) will continue to offer play times on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. For playing times at the CARC, contact 301-387-3786 or visit online at www.gccarc.com. Call the Continuing Education desk at 301.387.3069 for more information on the Oakland games or to register.

Heard that hotel rooms for the annual PACE event in Annapolis are going fast. In fact, Loews, the host hotel, may already be totally booked. If you plan on attending, book a hotel real soon.

The Maryland Water Monitoring Council is holding its 23rd annual Water Quality Conference on December 8th. The conference will include 70 talks and 41 poster presentations on topics as varied as citizen science, climate resilience, community engagement, ocean health and stream restoration. Students are encouraged to attend and there is a networking session.

Today will be partly cloudy with a low of 38 degrees and a high of 47 degrees.

Wisp Resort is holding a Winter Job Fair tonight from 5:30pm – 7:30pm at The Lodge. There are a number of seasonal winter job openings, for both indoor and outdoor positions.

The Garrett College Adventure Equipment Center at the COAS building above the dorms on campus will be holding a sale on Friday December 1st from 9:00am-12 noon and on Monday December 4th from 9:00am -12 noon. They will be selling used mountain bikes, kayaks, camping gear, sleeping bags and back packs.

The Ruth Enlow Library and Garrett County Family Support Services will co-host a free teen sensory and social event on Saturday, December 2, 10:00am – 11:00am, at the Oakland Library, 6 N. Second St., Oakland, MD. All students must be accompanied by a responsible adult. To register for this event, contact Susanne at 301-334-3996 ext. 0105 or skight@relib.net.

As entrepreneurs, we are bummed to hear of the closing of a few local enterprises: Top Chefs in Oakland has closed (Note: Don Champion’s catering business is still open), Telli’s Deli in McHenry closed a few weeks ago, and we just heard Mountain Postal will be closing their McHenry (only) location (not the ones in Grantsville or Oakland) at the end of December.

Here’s something a little different: Dr. Reza Azad, “one of the leading experts of the Persian Arts on the East Coast,” will be giving a presentation on Persian Arts in America and showing rugs from his private collection at the C. William Gilchrist Museum of the Arts in Cumberland on December 3rd from 11:00am – 4:00pm.

The weather will be sunny and mild with highs in the upper 50s.

Jess Daddio, travel editor for Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine, is scheduled to give a presentation, ‘A Woman’s Experience Biking the Great Tour Divide Route’ as part of the adventure sports colloquium series this evening at 7:00pm in Room 1013 of the Center for Adventure & Outdoor Studies (CAOS) building at the McHenry campus of Garrett College. For more information persons may contact the Garrett College Adventure Sports office at 301-387-3330.

A new addition to the Tumbarello Clan! I know so many of our readers – locals, second home owners and visitors alike – I thought I would share my first grandchild has arrived safely Monday morning.

Garrett Regional Medical Center’s Subacute Unit won its fourth consecutive Best Nursing Home award from US News & World Report. The annual award requires the facility to meet certain performance standards consistently throughout the 12 month period.

Garrett County needs you! Today is Giving Tuesday, an internationally recognized day of giving back to our communities. Consider joining the movement and giving back – whether it’s some of your time, a donation, gift or the power of your voice in your local community.

And speaking of giving, Sabrina Liggett from the Painted Cupboard, will be walking around downtown Oakland on today and Wednesday of this week to get donations for the children’s treat bags for A Great Small Town Christmas on December 8th.  If you would like to donate please let Michelle Ross know and they can have someone swing by. Contact Michelle at GOBA (301.334.2691) for more information.

The Lodges at Sunset Village has a special going on until Wednesday, November 29th. They are giving 5% off a one-night booking and 15% off additional night rentals. These prices include free ski lift tickets and/or other discounts (check for specifics).

Here are the winners from the weekend’s Festival of Trees:

Tall Trees:
Best in Show: Dutch’s at Silvertree
1st Place: North Glade 4-H/
1st Place: Southern Middle School
2nd Place: Crossroads Church
2nd Place: Girl Scouts Troop 55004
Special Recognition: Mary Browning Senior Center
Special Recognition: Phi Theta Kappa

Smaller Trees: 
1st Place: Heather Hanline for Pat Hanline Excavating
2nd Place: Lori Nelson for Inn at Deep Creek

Centerpieces: 
Best in Show: Heather Hanline
1st Place: Stephen Rodeheaver for Schoolhouse Earth
2nd Place: GCC Technologies

Wreaths:
Best in Show: Garrett College Financial Aid Office
1st Place: Amy Schmidt, Garrett County Farm Queen
2nd Place: Judy Simpson, Pleasant Valley Woodcrafts

We’ll have a sunny black Friday today with highs in the upper 40s. Tomorrow will be cloudy with a chance of rain or maybe snow with a low of 29 degrees and a high of 46 degrees. On Sunday, a chance of snow and temperatures hovering around 30 degrees.

We hope you had a great Thanksgiving as we sure did! There are lots of holiday-themed events going on this weekend in the area. We try to capture a bunch of them below:

The 10th annual Festival of Trees will be held at the Garrett County Fairgrounds today from 9:00am – 5:00pm and from 9:00am – 4:00pm tomorrow, with entertainment and a live auction to follow into the evening on Saturday. These beautiful Christmas wreaths, trees and other entries are all one-of-a kind and are truly works of art. The event is also a lot of fun – even Santa attends – and the proceeds from the auction benefits the Dove Center.

Saturday is officially Small Business Saturday where we all can help support local entrepreneurs and small businesses for all of your holiday shopping.

There are lots of great small retail businesses worthy of a visit on Saturday: Bear Creek Traders in McHenry (open 9:00am – 7:00pm Saturday) has a great mix of household, clothing, Deep Creek Lake exclusive and other items. Also, at the Lake is Grand Central Home Furnishings offering national furniture brands for a great value. In Grantsville, High Country Creamery will be open 8:00am – 4:00pm and Penn Alps Craft Shop will be open 11:00am-8:00pm. There are many others all around the County…

Before, during and after shopping, there are a number of great locally-owned eating and drinking establishments, including: Smiley’s Bar and Grill, Brenda’s Pizzeria, MoonShadow, Ace’s Run, Trader’s Coffee House, Harvest Moon Market and others…

And don’t forget downtown Oakland and all they have to offer. The Gallery Shop, operated by the Garrett County Arts Council, will be celebrating its first anniversary at the new location on 2nd street. They will be open from 10:00am – 5:30pm on the 24th and 25th and will be offering door prizes, free giveaways, a kids’ craft and refreshments.

Downtown Frostburg also has quite a big day planned for from 9:00am – 5:00pm Saturday, with a number of small businesses offering special deals. There’s also a Handmade Holiday Fair from 11:00am – 4:00pm, and other features, including a variety of freebies.

Settle into the holiday season with the Honi-Honi Christmas Tree Lighting at 7:00pm on Saturday and the Handmade Holiday with Local Artisans at Little Crossings Suites on Saturday from 10:00am to 6:00pm and, Sunday from 10:00am to 4:00pm.

Ho! Ho! Ho! Beginning November 26th Santa will place his special mailbox in the Garrett Regional Medical Center hospital lobby. He will have letters there ready for children to write a message on to him. Place the letter in Santa’s special box. Children will receive a personal response from Santa. Please include a full return address to make sure Santa’s response can find your child.

Today will be partly cloudy today with highs in the mid 30s; cold.

We at Deep Creek Times are very thankful for all of our readers, advertisers and contributors and we wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving! Check back tomorrow for more Notes…

Scattered rain showers this morning turning to snow showers this afternoon. Little to no accumulation. Highs in the mid-30s this morning falling to low 30s this afternoon. Cold. Winds gusting to 25 mph.

If you are traveling for the holiday, please note that the AccuWeather forecast calls for rain to hug the East Coast, Lake-effect snow to slick roads near the Great Lakes and if you look closely at the map, snow close to us here in Garrett County. Check local weather channels for updates and please be safe.

Here’s something different: There’s a “Make your own Sage Bundles and Incense Sticks” workshop sponsored by MountainShine Creative and Bloomheart Botanicals in Cumberland today from 6:00pm – 7:00pm.

Consider stopping by the Christmas Market at our Town Theater on Saturday, December 2nd, from 9:00am – 3:00pm. They are also looking for elves to bake and/or serve at the market for the event. Contact Kim Madigan at kmadigan@garrettcounty.org for more information or to volunteer.

Just received word that tickets are now on sale for what is billed as the world’s largest outdoor show. I know we have a number of hunters, fishermen, boaters and outdoors enthusiasts so thought I would share. Its runs from February 3^rd through the 11^th in Harrisburg PA.

Speaking of outdoorsy stuff, New Germany State Park will be hosting their Free Hunter Education Field Day Workshop on December 11^th from 10:00am – 2:00pm at the Lake House. Must be 13 and have completed the Maryland Hunter Education Course.

Don’t forget to save your turkey necks and giblets for tasty treats for the Deep Creek Lake Discovery Center Aviary birds! They must be uncooked and from a reputable supplier. You can freeze them and drop them off at the main office or anytime Friday-Sundays 10-4. They love them and it is good for their beaks and well being!

Increasing clouds with a low temperature of 27 degrees and a high of 48 degrees.

The Ruth Enlow Library has a number of activities geared toward children going on today as well as a Community Conversations listening session in Oakland from 6:00pm – 7:30pm.

Just in time for holiday shopping the Loar Gift Shop at the Garrett Regional Medical Center is holding its famous everything $6.00 sale today until 4pm. Jewelry, scarves, gloves, rings, socks, leggings and much more. Plus, the event benefits the patients, staff and guests of GRMC because all proceeds are used by the Loar Auxiliary to purchase medical equipment.

Our Oakland Walmart is offering bags full of “All the Sides You Need” for a Thanksgiving meal. For every bag you purchase (up to 20 bags) Oakland Walmart will donate a matching bag to a local church or food pantry.

Congratulations to the Garrett College Lakers men’s basketball team. They swept their two David K. Martin Classic contests over the weekend to remain undefeated and nationally ranked in NJCAA DII play!

The Ruth Enlow Library announced yesterday that it has added Hoopla Digital – a unique digital entertainment/media service – to its online resources for patrons. This service provides thousands of movies, television shows, music albums, eBooks, audiobooks, comics, and graphic novels – all available for mobile and online access with a valid library card. Contact your local library branch for more information.

As we enter this season of giving, we urge you to be a smart giver. Check out give.org to find BBB Accredited Charities that have fully disclosed information to the BBB Wise Giving Alliance. There are also some “charities” with names that are very close to well-known charities.

While Thanksgiving as an expression of gratitude for divine blessings dates back to the 1530s, it was Abe Lincoln that fixed the date on the calendar in 1863. He decreed that it be on the final Thursday of November, which FDR changed to the third Thursday, until critics forced him to move it back to the fourth in 1942 — a great factoid to impress your dinner guests on Thursday!

Speaking of gratitude, I am thankful for the variety of great small businesses, and entrepreneurs, in Garrett County. Today is #NationalEntrepreneursDay to celebrate the entrepreneurial spirit, innovation and hard work of all entrepreneurs.

Plus, this Saturday, November 25^th is Small Business Saturday. More to follow over next few days on local efforts to support our small businesses.