Tuesday January 5

Yesterday was very “gloomy” with scattered snow showers.  Today we will have scattered flurries before 1:00 pm, then scattered snow showers, mainly after 4:00 pm. Patchy fog before 1:00 pm. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 34 degrees and calm winds. Chance of precipitation is 30%. This evening we will have scattered snow showers before 1:00 am, then scattered flurries after 1:00 am. Cloudy, with a low around 25.

Garrett Regional Medical Center welcomed Rosanna Marie Schissler as the first baby of 2021 born at 5:02 p.m. on Sunday, January 3rd.  She was delivered by Marlana Bollinger, MD of Wellspring Family Medicine. Rosanna weighed in at 6 pounds, 12.5 ounces and was 18.5 inches long. She is the daughter of Ariel Butcher and Steven Schissler of Crellin Maryland. Congratulations to the parents and welcome to Garrett County little Rosanna!

The Deep Creek Lake Lions Club recently installed two new features at the Meshach Browning History Center at its park on Bumble Bee Rd (next to HART).  Meshach Browning was one of the earliest settlers of what would become Garrett County. In December, the Club installed a photo stand-in panel depicting a comic interpretation of Meshach Browning being pursued by a family of bears. The faces of each figure were cut out allowing visitors to take pictures showing their faces through the holes. The panel was handpainted by local artist Katie McGee and was funded by a donor who wished to remain anonymous.  Here’s a photo of the bear chase cut-out:
LIONS meshach bears cutout

LIONS New Cutout

Feeling lucky? Then take the family (or friends) out to the LIONS Meshach Browning History Center at their park on Bumble Bee Road and take a photo in the cut-out pictured above. Send it in to me at info@deepcreektimes.com and I will draw one entry as a winner and mail them some Deep Creek Times “bling” and maybe some LIONS bling as well.  If I am in a good mood, I may even throw-in an autographed picture of yours truly, which is very valuable (OK, that last bit is a total lie, but I am trying to get you to participate!). And, yes, this is open to LIONS of all ages too.

As promised yesterday, here’s the latest numbers on COVID for the County. The 7-day case rate for Garrett County is currently below the rate for the state with a rate of 40.4. Garrett County is now ranked 14th out of 24 jurisdictions and a bit below the 42.8 rate for the state. Garrett County’s reports for today include: A total of 1,515 COVID-19 cases; A total of 52 deaths due to COVID-19 or its complications; and A 7-day positivity rate of 11.9%, compared to Maryland’s rate of 9.5% – tied for 6th with Prince George’s County.  Things may be looking a little better…

Free COVID-19 testing will be held at the MEDCO Building in the McHenry Business Park on Tuesdays (including today) from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm and Thursdays from 10 am to 2 pm. Preregistration is recommended to speed up the process on the testing day. Visit garretthealth.org for preregistration information. The site also provides information on other testing locations.

The Garrett County Health Department reports that they have made very good progress to-date in vaccinating essential medical and public safety professionals.  The Health Department will soon be announcing that they are able to move to Phase 1B of the vaccine plan, which will be available for all residents of Garrett County who are 75 or older.  When the announcement is made, it will include specific instructions on how to schedule an appointment. There will be no charge for vaccinations. Proof of age and Garrett County residency will be required.

Recently, the Oakland Community Heritage Foundation Clean and Green Team took part in the annual Tucker Community Foundation “Run for It” event to raise money to enhance the Oakland Dog Park. The Foundation challenged participants to raise team support for the community cause of their choice and then run or walk for that cause in a 2k/5k event during the month of September. Congratulations to all those on the Clean and Green team as they raised over $700.  As part of the team’s mission to assist the town with projects to maintain and add to the uniqueness of Oakland, the $700 plus award will be used to improve the Oakland Dog Park.  Well done folks! Here’s a photo of the snow-coverd dog park:

Dog Park 1-4-20

Oakland Dog Park

Here’s a esoteric factoid on Maryland for you:  People coming to Maryland in one-way U-Haul trucks in 2020 decreased by 9% year-over-year, while departures dropped 8% over 2019. Arrivals accounted for just over 49.5% of all one-way U-Haul traffic during 2020 to make Maryland the No. 46 state for netting DIY movers, sliding one spot from its No. 45 ranking the previous year. Maryland’s leading growth city is Frederick. Other notable net-gain cities include Westminster, Aberdeen, Highlandtown, Baltimore, Bel Air, Lanham, Owings Mills, Gaithersburg, Landover, Odenton and Cumberland. Find the complete 2020 U-Haul Growth States rankings at uhaul.com.

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