Happy 1st Birthday Regional Library Mayor's BBQ Hot Success

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