Happy 1st Birthday Regional Library Mayor's BBQ Hot Success
Happy 1st Birthday Regional Library Mayor's BBQ Hot Success
Happy 1st Birthday Regional Library Mayor's BBQ Hot Success
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Imagination Zone<br />
Children and Teens at the Thurmont <strong>Regional</strong> library<br />
By Janet Vogel<br />
Children’s Services Supervisor,<br />
Thurmont <strong>Regional</strong> <strong>Library</strong><br />
September is <strong>Library</strong> Card Signup<br />
Month, and the Thurmont <strong>Regional</strong><br />
<strong>Library</strong> will kick off the celebration<br />
with a weekend of movies and a<br />
craft. On Saturday, September 5,<br />
the program starts with Alice in<br />
Wonderland at 10:30 a.m., followed<br />
by Horton Hears a Who at 2:00<br />
p.m. Everyone can make a special<br />
bookworm bookmark throughout the<br />
day. All who signs up for a library<br />
card will be entered into a drawing<br />
to win their portrait on a poster<br />
celebrating <strong>Library</strong> Card Signup<br />
Month!<br />
Back-to-school also means<br />
the return of our yearly We Love<br />
Teachers Open House on Thursday,<br />
September 3 from 4:00-7:00 p.m.<br />
Public, private, and homeschool<br />
educators of children in preschool<br />
through twelfth grade are invited to<br />
stop by the library and find out more<br />
about services just for educators.<br />
<strong>Library</strong> staff have filled the month<br />
with special programs for kids of<br />
all ages. Join us for a storytime in<br />
American Sign Language at 7:00<br />
p.m. on Thursday, September 17, or<br />
meet a Thurmont Police officer on<br />
Thursday, September 24 at 7:00 p.m.<br />
Preschoolers can dance at Tots<br />
‘n’ Tunes on the first Friday of<br />
each month, learn Spanish at our<br />
new Spanish storytime on the first<br />
Thursday of each month, enjoy The<br />
Storytime Show with Ms. Jenni on<br />
the second Thursday of each month,<br />
or have fun at our other regular<br />
programs and storytimes (visit www.<br />
fcpl.org for a complete list).<br />
Elementary students will enjoy<br />
Roald Dahl Day on September 12,<br />
including a special showing of James<br />
and the Giant Peach at 10:30 a.m.<br />
Krafty Kids, Wags for Hope, and<br />
Ready, Set, Go Readers also continue<br />
this fall.<br />
Your Hassle-Free Local<br />
Home Buying Team!<br />
Rich Shank<br />
Associate Broker<br />
Business Marketing Degree from MSM Univ.<br />
ROCK CREEK<br />
R E A L T Y<br />
60 Water St., Thurmont<br />
301-271-7707<br />
Licensed in MD & PA<br />
www.rock-creekrealty.com<br />
As always, we have free<br />
computers, board games, toys,<br />
books, magazines, CDs, and DVDs<br />
when the library is open. Pack a<br />
lunch and relax on the deck or take<br />
part in one of our programs.<br />
Visit the Thurmont <strong>Regional</strong><br />
<strong>Library</strong> on Moser Road, call the<br />
Children’s Department at 301-600-<br />
7215, or log on to the library’s<br />
website (http://www.fcpl.org/<br />
information/branches/thurmont/)<br />
for more information and more<br />
programs!<br />
The library located at 76 East<br />
Moser Road in Thurmont celebrated<br />
its first birthday in August. Foot<br />
traffic through the library averages<br />
approximately 10,000 people per<br />
month. In the movie, Field of<br />
Dreams, they said, “Build it, and they<br />
will come.” The operations of The<br />
Thurmont <strong>Library</strong> has definitely been<br />
a successful personification of the<br />
phrase.<br />
For more information, visit our<br />
website at www.fcpl.org or call us at<br />
301-600-7212.<br />
lacie’s legacy<br />
Fundraising Walk<br />
The Lacie’s Legacy Fundraising<br />
Walk will be held on October 17 at<br />
the Carroll Valley Park in Fairfield,<br />
PA. This benefit is held in memory<br />
of Lacie Wivell to Benefit National<br />
Tay-Sachs & Allied Diseases<br />
Association, Inc. Donations may<br />
be mailed to Rick and Lisa Wivell,<br />
376 Stultz Road, Fairfield, PA<br />
17320. Call 717-642-6989, e-mail<br />
lisawivell@yahoo.com or visit www.<br />
geocities.com/ourprincesslacie/<br />
Chris Wood<br />
Senior Loan Officer<br />
14 West Patrick St, Frederick<br />
301-639-6439<br />
Licensed in 48 States<br />
cwood@presidential.com<br />
September 2009 . the catoctin banner . 19<br />
“No Farms-No Food” and CSA’s<br />
By Michele Cuseo<br />
I recently saw a bumper sticker<br />
that said “No Farms, No Food.” I<br />
could make sense of the meaning<br />
of the bumper sticker but out of<br />
curiosity I looked into it further<br />
by going on a web search. That’s<br />
where I came across the term “CSA.”<br />
Basically, a CSA, Community<br />
Supported Agriculture, is a farm<br />
that is supported by a community<br />
by having the consumer pre-pay a<br />
certain fee in order to benefit from<br />
whatever produce the farmer grows<br />
for that season. The beneficiaries<br />
of a CSA typically pick up a weekly<br />
selection of the season’s freshest<br />
produce from their local farmer, for<br />
example a box or two of fresh corn,<br />
onions, green beans, yellow squash,<br />
tomatoes, and cantaloupes.<br />
Many believe that CSA’s are the<br />
wave of the future for farmers for<br />
their ability to provide quality, fresh<br />
produce for the local population<br />
and a way for farmers to have a<br />
guaranteed income. For a business<br />
that’s at the mercy of weather<br />
conditions, short growing seasons,<br />
insects, animals, competition from<br />
abroad and economic woes, the<br />
United States loses approximately<br />
one million acres of farmland per<br />
year along with the jobs that are<br />
associated with them. Those farms<br />
and related food systems employ<br />
nearly 23 million Americans across<br />
the county.<br />
In order to salvage their farms,<br />
some farmers have revised the way<br />
they market their farm business<br />
using creative solutions such as the<br />
CSA idea. One such farmer, Rick<br />
Hood, owner of Summer Creek Farm<br />
lives in Thurmont and operates a<br />
successful Certified Organic CSA.<br />
So far Rick provides for 42 CSA<br />
customers. His customers currently<br />
get to enjoy organic tomatoes (many<br />
varieties), squash, raspberries,<br />
cantaloupes, cucumbers, basil,<br />
potatoes (many varieties), beans<br />
(many varieties), broccoli, zucchini,<br />
beets, and many more. He also sells<br />
his produce at local farmers markets<br />
in Frederick and Clarksburg. His<br />
produce also shows up on the plates<br />
of food served in the Frederick<br />
restaurants of Café Nola, Acacia and<br />
Volt. He also sells produce to the<br />
Common Market organic grocery<br />
store and Roots Markets.<br />
Rick claims that the CSA doesn’t<br />
solely support his farm financially. In<br />
order to stay afloat Rick also offers<br />
educational classes in subjects like<br />
Organic Gardening, Rain Barrel<br />
Construction, Composting, Drip<br />
Irrigation and how to raise a small<br />
flock of chickens. In addition, Rick<br />
sells rain collection barrels, sells<br />
produce to local groceries and farm<br />
markets, conducts tours of his farm<br />
and reduces costs by using various<br />
forms of alternative energy (biomass,<br />
soy based bio-diesel, using<br />
photo voltaic cells and using rain<br />
barrels to collect rain water to reduce<br />
water usage on the farm).<br />
And, as if that wasn’t enough,<br />
Rick also writes a newsletter,<br />
and is an active member in<br />
many associations like MOFFA<br />
(Maryland Organic Food and<br />
Farming Association) and MCOGC<br />
(Maryland Certified Organic<br />
Growers Cooperative). He has served<br />
on the board of Future Harvest<br />
CASA, board of the Frederick<br />
County Agricultural Business Council<br />
and has a background in engineering<br />
and marketing.<br />
Rick states that running a farm<br />
is exhausting, hard work and yet<br />
very satisfying. Coming from a<br />
farm family, Rick already knew how<br />
much work was involved. Rick says,<br />
“You’re up before dawn and work<br />
till it’s dark. In farming, you have to<br />
love what you do.”