August 2014

Urbana’s Hometown Newspaper | Serving Urbana, Villages of Urbana, Urbana Highlands, Ijamsville and More
The
TOWN
Courier
Vol. 10, No. 8
28 Pages
August 2014
Local Chef Wins
Award at Competition
By Sally Alt
U
rbana Chef Wu Shougong
displayed his cooking talents
at the Sixth International
Chinese Culinary Competition at
Times Square, Manhattan, at the
end of June. Shougong, a chef and
owner of the Babao restaurant on
Fingerboard Road, won third place
in the Shandong cuisine category
with fried squid rolls and braised
sea cucumber with scallion.
"He was nervous," said Alison,
Shougong's 10-year-old daughter.
However, "When he was [at the
competition], he was happy that he
got chosen."
At the competition, Shougong
cooked his dish onsite in front of
a large crowd. The two-day event
featured cooking and food preparation demonstrations, as well as
Asian music and dance performances on the first day. On the
second day, top chefs competed in
the categories of Shandong, Sichuan, North Eastern, Cantonese and
Huaiyang cuisines, representing
five regions of China.
n
chef award Continued on page 11
Photo | Tracey McCabe
Urbana's Annual Carnival Celebrates 40 Years
Photo | Sally Alt
Chef Wu Shougong, owner of Urbana’s Babao restaurant, won third prize at the Sixth International Chinese Culinary Competition in the Shandong cuisine category at Times Square on June 26.
The 40th Annual Urbana Volunteer Fire and Rescue Company Carnival gave local residents six evenings of fun in mid
July. Unlike the last two years, when rainstorms and near 100-degree temperatures kept crowds away, the weather
cooperated and brought large crowds. "It was a good week," said Jimmy May, fire chief. Carnival funds go directly
to the general fund of the Urbana Volunteer Fire and Rescue, helping pay for fire-fighting apparatus and other
equipment and needs. On the last night of the carnival, the Fire and Rescue Company partnered with the Greater
Urbana Area Food Bank to give discount ride tickets to anyone who donated a non-perishable food item. Jo Ostby,
director of the Food Bank, said the partnership resulted in a truckload of food. "The food bank is packed! What a
great, great idea. This is the perfect partnership," she said.
PRSRT-STD
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
Gaithersburg MD
Permit #1722
Urbana Farm Asks for
Return of Tortoise
By Gina Gallucci-White
G
Photo | Submitted
The Town Courier
309 Main Street
Gaithersburg, MD 20878
Urbana resident Rob Abramowitz climbed Mt. Shasta in northern California with 25 other people
to raise money for the Breast Cancer Fund at the end of June.
Urbana Resident Climbs Mt. Shasta
to Raise Breast Cancer Funds
By Sally Alt
U
rbana
resident
Rob
Abramowitz didn’t just
raise money to support
breast cancer prevention — he
climbed a mountain. At the end
of June, Abramowitz and 25 oth-
er people climbed Mt. Shasta in
northern California to help the
Breast Cancer Fund in its mission
of reducing the risk for breast
cancer.
Abramowitz, whose mother is a
reen Meadows Petting
Farm event planner Maggie Mackay has been
spending the past few weeks
looking at turtle pictures. She
estimates she has been sent between 15 to 20 photos of snapping turtles and a few box turtles. None have been Henrietta, a
yellow-foot tortoise the farm has
had for several years.
“Everyone is just so desperate
to find her,” she said.
On the morning of July 1,
farm owners Ken and Gail Keyes
opened one of their barns to
find a disturbing sight. Animal
n
n
charity climb Continued on page 8
missing tortoise
Continued on page 12
Photo | Submitted
A local boy holds Henrietta, a tortoise who
made her home at the Green Meadows Petting Farm, but was taken from her hay-filled
pen during the early morning hours of July
1. PETA is offering a $3,000 reward for the
return of Henrietta.
Page 2
The Town Courier
August 2014
The Town Courier
August 2014
Page 3
A Summertime Scoop of
Urbana History
By Stacey Axler
L
ocal history buff Gil House gave
the audience at the Urbana Senior Center the inside scoop on
local history at an informative and entertaining session on Tuesday, July 15.
The Urbana Senior Center, located on the ground floor of the Urbana Regional Library, hosts the Inside
Scoop event on the third Tuesday of
every month for area residents age 60
and older to meet new people and
learn a new craft or skill. House had
wanted to host a history discussion at
the Inside Scoop for a long time, and
was excited to share his passion for
historical research with the crowd.
House said he’s been interested in
history for the past several decades.
To present his various historical findings, he brought along pictures and
artifacts to the Center to display to
the audience.
In House’s presentation, he explained that Urbana was founded in
the early 1800s. The first landmark
in Urbana was the Zion Church and
Cemetery, completed in 1802. Three
walls of the original building remain
and can be seen today.
House also discussed his work with
the Landon House, also known as the
Landon Female Seminary, which was
built around 1845 in Urbana. This
building is rumored to have been
n
urbana history Continued on page 15
shoptalk
By Kristy Crawford
Urbana Resident Will Lead
Chamber of Commerce
Photo | Stacey Axler
Urbana history buff Gil House spoke at Urbana Senior Center in mid July, informing and entertaining
attendees with bits of local history.
Local Playwright Explores Tragedy
By Madelyne Xiao
J
on-Erik Hexum was an up-andcoming actor in 1984. At 26, he
was the young, handsome lead
of Cover Up, a CBS action series;
he’d already starred in Voyagers!, an
NBC science fiction series, prior to
that point. Onscreen, his presence
was scintillating — blond-haired and
blue-eyed, Hexum projected a natural charisma.
His career came to an abrupt halt
on Oct. 12, 1984, when he put a prop
gun to his temple and pulled the trigger. Though the gun had been loaded
with blanks, its proximity to Hexum’s
head proved fatal — the young actor
died six days later, the blank charge
having shattered a portion of his skull.
Ijamsville resident and Navy De-
partment mathematician Raymond
Melton found himself empathizing
with the dead man’s mother, Gretha
Hexum. “My cousin’s older son was
killed in a car accident in ’84,” explains Melton. He sent Mrs. Hexum
his condolences and received a form
letter in response. He wrote again;
this time, Gretha Hexum responded
in kind.
Their correspondence lasted a year
and a half, during which time Melton
grew closer to Hexum’s immediate
family and friends. When Gretha
Hexum passed away in 1988, following a year-long battle with breast cancer, Melton decided to take Jon-Erik’s
story to the stage.
The result was “The Human Behind the Image: A Matter of Life and
Death,” a two-act play Melton wrote
with J.P. Mullin, a close friend and
mentor of Jon-Erik’s. Intent upon
illustrating the untimeliness of the
young actor’s death, Melton drew
upon his exchanges with Hexum’s
mother to present the accident from
the viewpoints of family members
and Jon-Erik himself. The title of
the play comes from one of Gretha
Hexum’s letters. “In this whole situation, the studio and production company didn’t take responsibility,” said
Melton.
Melton has presented his play
through a number of dramatic readings — in 2006, at the New Playhouse in Downtown Frederick, and
in 2011, at Bethesda Regional Library.
This month, the play is being featured
n
play Continued on page 15
School Construction and Design
Underway in Urbana
By Sally Alt
D
esign
and
construction
plans for the Urbana Middle School expansion, the
Urbana High School athletic field
and the new Sugarloaf Elementary
School move forward this summer.
Funding for the Urbana Middle
School expansion recently got a
boost when Matan Companies presented a check for $1.6 million to
Frederick County for the planned
fit-out of the school’s unfinished
lower level floor. Matan made the
payment to fulfill a county requirement for an Urbana multi-family
residential project along Route 355.
The middle school expansion
project is important, said Beth Pasierb, facilities planner for Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS),
because Urbana is “a growing area
already over capacity.” At the end
of the 2013-2014 school year, the
middle school was 165 students
above current capacity, she said.
The project will add 300 seats for
students, Pasierb said. The Urbana
Middle School was designed so that
the bottom level could be built out
if the number of students increased.
The school currently has six portable classroom units and will add
four more units this summer to
help with overcrowding.
Design for the Urbana Middle
School expansion project will be-
gin as soon as the FCPS Board of
Education approves the architect’s
contract, which it is expected to
do Aug. 13. “We intend to have
the work completed in time for the
opening of the 2015 school year,”
said Pasierb.
The development of the new
Sugarloaf Elementary School is
also underway. Project design development drawings were approved
by the Frederick County Public
Schools Board of Education on
June 25, according to Brad Ahalt,
senior project manager for Frederick County Public Schools Facilities Services Division. Construcn
school expansion Continued on page 9
After working with the
Frederick County Public Libraries for 12 years, Urbana’s
Elizabeth Cromwell recently
accepted the position as president and CEO of the Frederick County Chamber of
Commerce.
According to Josh Bokee,
Chairman of the Chamber’s
Photo | Submitted
Board of Directors, the decision was an easy one. “Our Urbana resident Elizabeth
Cromwell recently accepted
selection of Elizabeth was the a position as president of the
result of a nationwide, six- Frederick County Chamber
month search that yielded 74 of Commerce after 12 years
resumes and a top flight field as corporate and community
of final candidates,” Bokee partnership director for Fredsaid. “Elizabeth exceeded our erick County Public Libraries.
expectations and that’s what made her the unanimous
choice of our search committee.”
Cromwell, an Urbana resident, has served as FCPL’s
corporate and community partnership director for the
past 12 years. “I would like to thank the Board for their
confidence in me, and everyone involved in the search
for their time and dedication to the Chamber,” Cromwell said. “I can’t wait to get started and begin building
on the strong foundation that I’m honored to inherit.”
Photos | Kristy Crawford
The Town Courier recently welcomed Dawn Furman Gordon and Martin
Schipper to its staff. Both have lived and worked in the Urbana area for
many years and are ready to help local businesses reach out to
the community.
Welcoming New Staff
The Urbana Town Courier welcomes two salespersons to its staff: Dawn Furman Gordon and Martin
Schipper. Gordon and Schipper have joined the Courier
to help businesses interested in advertising in the paper
to get their messages out to the community. Both Gordon and Schipper are longtime commercial real estate
associates with American National Properties (ANP) in
Urbana and understand both the demands placed on local businesses and also the opportunities afforded by our
growing community.
Schipper grew up and still lives in Urbana with his
wife, Pam, daughters Hannah and Guinevere, plus a
menagerie of farm and domestic animals. Gordon has
lived in the area for more than 10 years with her husband, Kevin and son, Garrett. One of their family hobbies includes raising miniature donkeys and goats. ANP
is headquartered next to the Landon House at 3409A
Urbana Pike and you can reach Gordon at 301.674.8010
and Schipper at 240.418.4320.
Shop Notes
Shop Maryland, the state’s annual tax-free shopping
event, is slated for this month, Aug. 10-16. All clothing
and shoes that sell for $100 or less per item will be exempt from Maryland’s 6 percent sales tax at this time.
Accessories and school supplies are not included in the
n
shop talk Continued on page 11
Page 4
The Town Courier
August 2014
askthe editor
Editorial: 240.409.6734
Advertising: 301.279.2304
www.towncourier.com/urbana
Diane Dorney
Publisher
[email protected]
Matt Danielson
President
[email protected]
Bethany E. Starin
Managing Editor
240.409.6734
[email protected]
Sally Alt
News Editor
[email protected]
Virginia Myers
Copy Editor
Kristy Crawford
News Writer
[email protected]
Debi Rosen
Advertising Manager
301.279.2304
[email protected]
Student Writers
Ridhi Chaudhary
Morgan McGrady
Madelyne Xiao
Dawn Furman Gordon
Advertising Sales
301.674.8010
[email protected]
Staff Writers
Nora Caplan
Betty Hafner
Sheilah Kaufman
Gina Gallucci-White
Martin Schipper
Advertising Sales
240.418.4320
[email protected]
Staff Photographers
Tracey McCabe
Shannon Wagner
©2014 Courier Communications
The Town Courier is an independent monthly newspaper
providing news and information for the communities
of Urbana, Urbana Highlands, Villages of Urbana,
Ijamsville, Green Valley, Monrovia and Kemptown
in Frederick County, Md. The paper is published by
Courier Communications, which is responsible for
the form, content and policies of the newspaper. The
Town Courier does not espouse any political belief or
endorse any product or service in its news coverage.
Articles and letters submitted for publication must be
signed and may be edited for length or content. The
Town Courier is not responsible for any claims made
by advertisers. Letters to the Editor and Commentary
do not necessarily ref lect the views of the staff,
management or advertisers of The Town Courier.
Run, Skate and Climb for a Cause
E
arly this summer,
my husband and I
broke our usual Saturday routine to get the
sleep out of our eyes and
our energy on to run a
morning 5K. We ran with
friends, through a local
park that boasts a sunny By Bethany
E. Starin
creekside path winding
over bridges and next to a
pond. As a finishing prize, we were handed
slices of freshly made bread, fresh fruit and
cold water — but that’s not what motivated
our strides as we ran.
Instead, we ran for a courageous woman
who sat in her wheelchair at the finish line,
smiling at each and every runner. She had
suffered from brain cancer for a year and a
half and and our group ran in her honor,
raising funds for the Brain Tumor Society.
She passed away a month ago, now free
from the constraints of a wheelchair and
painful effects of cancer. I won’t ever forget
her smiling countenance at that finish line.
While I don’t consider our few miles to
be valiant, using a Saturday to empower
a suffering friend, honor her life — and
as an athletic goal with chums — is definitely worthwhile. Urbana resident Rob
Abramowitz did something far more impressive this summer. He trained and
climbed Mount Shasta in Northern California to raise funds for Breast Cancer
Fund.
“It was an amazing feeling to reach the
summit after many months of training and
dreaming of what it would be like,” said
Abramowitz of his climb to Town Courier
Staff Writer Sally Alt. Abramowitz’ mother is a five-year breast cancer survivor.
Abramowitz said he and his wife, Debra, raised $6,000 through local yard sales,
Facebook posts and a movie night he
to Florida, across to California and back
home to Maryland. He was welcomed at
the Urbana Park and Ride by close family, a film crew and other local media. A
Montgomery County native, Williams’
trip raised funds to pay for a friend’s ovarian cancer treatments. Since March, Williams has raised more than $4,000.
To see more summer adventures of Urbana locals, flip to pages 6 and 7 for Around
Town's spread of travel photos and snaps
from local events.
It was an amazing feeling to reach the
summit after many months of training
and dreaming of what it would be like
— Rob Abramowitz, Urbana resident
hosted at a local climbing gym. He began training in January, making long, biweekly hikes (one spanned more than 20
miles) to prepare — and finally made the
trek up Mount Shasta at the end of June.
He was accompanied by 25 other climbers.
Flip to the front page to reader more about
Abramowitz’ climb.
Another notable summer trek was made
by Mark Williams, a local who returned
July 26 after skateboarding from Vermont
To share your local summertime musings and travels, please send photos and
article ideas to me any time via phone at
240.409.6734 or at bethany@towncourier.
com. Have a wonderful rest of your summer!
yourviews
Education More Than a Test
Thanks to Kristy Crawford for her July
article on the Urbana woman who reluctantly gave up teaching because our approach of “teaching to the test” is failing
to educate our children effectively. We
would like to be a society whose members
are able to think independently, analyze
issues and devise solutions; to be constructively critical of things as they are; and to
have the wisdom and ability to solve the
new problems that will not be amenable
to traditional measures. Regimented and
uncritical conning of “accepted” facts is
discouraging to student and teacher alike,
and ill prepares our children to become the
wise and capable leaders whom we so desperately need.
— Nick Carrera
Urbana resident off of Thurston Road
Incinerator Controversy
In the July 2014 edition, a story entitled
“Anti-Incinerator Alliance Offers Alternatives” had a couple of conspicuous inaccuracies. First, the story stated “[t]he
waste-to-energy incinerator facility proposal has met with strong opposition from
citizens and environmental groups since its
proposal in 2010 by the current Board of
County Commissioners (BOCC).”
n
your views Continued on page 15
The Town Courier
August 2014
Page 5
Frederick Camerata Theatre Camp Concludes 27th Season
By Hannah Schipper
S
ince its creation 27 years ago, The
Frederick Camerata Musical Theatre
Camp has put on 54 performances, with two each summer. When asked
which one of these shows they liked best,
staff members were unanimous in their answer.
“The one I’m working on at the time.
That’s honestly the truth,” said Camerata
Camp Founder Gail Howard. “It would
be hard for me to look back over so many
shows and say ‘This is my absolute favorite.’ But right now it’s this show, this is my
favorite right now. I am giving my full attention to this one.”
Choreographer Nathaniel Gordon, who
has been at the camp for 22 years, said
that there were parts of each show that he
liked, and that it was difficult to pick a favorite. Liz Miller, stage manager, and Matt
Dohm, music director, agreed.
Becky DeLameter, set designer, technical director and costume coordinator, also
agreed. “That’s hard to say because when
you live with a show, even for two weeks
… it becomes part of your life and you get
very personal with the show. So for the
time of the show, that’s my favorite show.”
One reason the camp has lasted so long
and will no doubt continue is because it is
so much fun, staff said. The name Camerata, Howard said, was picked because it
sounds like camaraderie and that’s the environment they hope to have every sum-
mer. Even though it lasts only two weeks,
campers always become friends. Staff said
that more reserved campers often become
more outgoing, and first time campers
learn how to put on a show.
“One of the goals we have for this camp
is to do a show that they’re not likely to go
back to their high school and do the same
show. So, we try to give them a breadth of
experience,” said DeLameter. Another goal
of the camp, Dohm said, is to build skill
and confidence.
In only two weeks, the camp pulls together a polished show, complete with sets
and lighting, acting, singing and dancing.
This year, the older camp for rising eighth
through 12th graders performed “The
Sorcerer” by Gilbert and Sullivan, and the
younger camp for rising fourth through
seventh graders did “The Adventures of
Beatrix Potter and Her Friends.” The latter
is a retelling of several stories by Beatrix
Potter, as well as the story of her life. It was
performed twice on July 18.
“The Sorcerer” is one of the earlier
plays written by Gilbert and Sullivan, and
is about an engaged couple, a sorcerer, a
village and a mass-distributed love potion.
One way to describe it is a recipe for disaster, but it was far from a disastrous performance.
“The Sorcerer” isn’t the only Gilbert and
Sullivan show the camp has done. In fact,
Dohm, who is an Urbana High School
graduate and currently attends Unin
theatre camp Continued on page 15
Photo | Submitted
Abigail Sigler and Nicole Martinez (pictured from left) perform in “The Adventures of Beatrix Potter and Her Friends” as
Annie Moore and her son Noel.
TAEKWONDO
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Page 6
The Town Courier
August 2014
aroundtOWN
By Kristy Crawford
Photo | Submitted
Recent Urbana High School
(UHS) graduates are
ready for beach week, the
annual post-graduation
ritual festivities in Ocean
City. Pictured here UHS
graduates celebrate the
beginning of their trip.
Photo | Submitted
Ijamsville resident, Alexa “Lexi” McKenzie, a rising sophomore at Urbana High School,
came across an American Idol traveling audition bus during her family’s trip to South
Carolina in July. She took a chance and showed up at 6 a.m. the next day for local auditions. Although a producer told her she was still too young for a formal audition, he
praised her talent and encouraged her to keep trying. “People had come from all over,”
said McKenzie’s mother, Shannon, “and she participated in lots of jam sessions while
waiting in line. I was in awe of the talent.” Lexi said the experience was worthwhile.
“My favorite part was getting to know so many people with the same passion as me!”
Photo | Submitted
Photo | Submitted
Patti Hoover, Urbana Middle School PE teacher, relaxes after an air boat ride amid
alligators on a recent trip to Florida with her daughter Madison and husband,
Jim Walters.
Friends (pictured left to right) Melissa Flores, Cameron
LaDana, Katelin Hawk, Kaitlyn Mahaney, Darby Haggerty and
Courtney Mencarini enjoy the 2014 Urbana Volunteer Fire
Department Carnival in July.
Photo | Submitted
Urbana area friends and family gather to create a group portrait during their summer vacation in Ocean City. Pictured here
(back row, from left) are Logan Johnson, Meaghan Noonan, Sean Johnson and Jake Sherwood as well as (front row, from left)
Zack, David, Morgan and Jennifer Sherwood.
Photo | Submitted
Urbana Middle School teacher Leslee Cramer (pictured right) spent a summer day in Frederick with friend
Kevin Trigger, a teacher at Monocacy Middle School, and two Shiloh shepherds, Luke and Tripp, who belong
to another teacher friend, Becky Althoff, from Thurmont Middle School.
“Quality care for furry babies”
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The Town Courier
August 2014
Page 7
aroundtOWN
By Kristy Crawford
Photo | Kristy Crawford
Fireworks lit up the sky on
Thursday, July 17 at the
annual Urbana Volunteer
Fire Department Carnival.
Photo | Submitted
Eighth graders from Urbana Middle School enjoyed the end-of-year dance before moving on to high school. Rising freshman at Urbana High School, Joe Elias,
took a fun group photo before heading to the dance. Pictured here (from left) are Joe Elias, Lily Kim, Molly Clark, Dalton Nichols and Claire Fisher.
Photo | Submitted
Emily Seubert, 7, proudly displays
her ribbon for winning first place in
a 25-meter breast stroke heat at the
last swim meet of the season. The
Urbana Seahawks hosted the Windsor
Knolls Wahoos on Saturday
morning, July 19.
Photo | Submitted
Urbana’s Blake family celebrated the
Photo | Submitted
Fourth of July at their wooded home in
Urbana’s Blake family grows many fruits and vegetables on their large wooded
Adamstown. Pictured here (from left)
are Kate, 15; Maegan, 11; Emily, 10; and farm in Adamstown, but were surprised by this sunflower, the result of feeding
birds last fall.
mother Rebecca around the bonfire.
Photo | Submitted
The Elias family from Urbana stopped at Coca-Coca World in
Atlanta during a summer trip to Georgia, in part to celebrate
Emma’s 13th birthday. Pictured here (from left) are Joseph, John
Michael and Emma Elias, posing with the Coca-Cola bear.
Eric Smock
Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc.
Frederick, MD
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301-831-8288
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Page 8
The Town Courier
■ charity climb
from page 1
five-year breast cancer survivor, raised
$6,000 for the Breast Cancer Fund. The
non-profit organization helps people make
healthier choices by raising awareness about
environmental hazards such as toxic chemicals and radiation that can increase breast
cancer risk. So far, the organization has
raised $257,000 since its inception to help
prevent the disease, said Abramowitz.
Abramowitz and his wife, Debra, raised
money through Facebook postings and garage sales. He also hosted a movie night at a
climbing gym where he showed a film about
the Breast Cancer Fund’s first mountain
climb. People were generous, he said, and
some donors surprised him with the size of
their donations.
During the mountain climb with his
teammates – many of whom were breast
cancer survivors — Abramowitz felt an “immediate sense of community.” He said, “Everybody was there to support each other.”
The common bond the group shared created
strong positive feelings. “You just feel like
you could do anything,” he said.
Climbing Mt. Shasta was “pretty intense,”
said Abramowitz, and not everyone made it
to the top. All the climbers had to work together as a team, instead of just working as
individuals, and it took them several days to
climb and then descend the mountain.
“We started our ascent at 3 a.m., and the
temperature was in the low 20s with a strong
and gusty wind,” said Abramowitz. Because
team members were climbing on the west
face of the mountain, they didn’t see sunlight
until they reached the top of the west face
August 2014
ridge at about 13,200 feet.
“It was an amazing feeling to reach the
summit after many months of training and
dreaming of what it would be like,” said
Abramowitz. The summit plateau was covered in snow and ice. “The scenery was
magnificent with crystal clear views in all
directions of neighboring mountain ranges
and forests.”
Abramowitz began training for the event
in January. For six days every week for six
months, he used the stair machine with a
weighted backpack and rock climbed outdoors and indoors. Every other weekend
he went on a long hike, including one 21mile trek. He also was careful about eating
a healthy diet.
His dog, Charlie, an English labrador,
loved going on hikes with him, and his
daughter, Layla, who will be a second grader
at Centerville Elementary School this fall,
helped him as a timekeeper during his training. By the end of his training, he said, he felt
ready for the climb.
For six months before the climb,
Abramowitz juggled family and work responsibilities with managing his fundraising
campaign. This period was the most challenging aspect of the whole experience, he
said — the climb itself was easy in comparison, because he only had one task to focus
on.
Abramowitz enjoyed the camaraderie
with his teammates so much that he wants
keep participating in future climbs. “I’m going to do it again next year,” he said.
For more information about future
mountain climbing events to raise money for
the Breast Cancer Fund, please visit www.
breastcancerfund.org.
Protect our mountain - Preserve our community
Oppose the commercial firing range and
firearms training facility proposed to be built
at the foot of Sugarloaf Mountain in Urbana, Maryland
Join the fight!
www.sugarloaf-alliance.org
Having owned a small business for 20 years, I know what it takes to create jobs and deliver
quality results on tight budgets. Frederick County needs leaders who will set spending priorities
and focus on critical solutions while eliminating government waste and lowering taxes, so you
can keep more of what you earn.
My County CounCil PlatforM
✓
Lower Taxes
✓
Eliminate Government Waste
✓
Deliver Improvements to Routes 75 and 80
✓
Accelerate Construction of Urbana Elementary and Expansion of Urbana Middle School
✓
Make Frederick County a More Attractive Business Environment
✓
Frederick County First
Conservative leadership. Results for taxpayers.
Republican
Tony Chmelik
for Frederick County Council
The Town Courier
August 2014
Page 9
HAWKTALK
Don
Hoffacker’s
Air Conditioning
& Heating, Inc.
The Impact of Music
T
he smallest choices have the power
to change people’s
lives. I recently made a
small choice that continues to impact me in a
way I never thought was
possible. I made the personal decision to listen to By Morgan
music that had lyrics that
McGrady
I could apply to my life.
From new bands and singers I have found
that there is more to music than the beat.
During middle school, I listened to music that everyone else listened to, thinking I
would fit in. Beyond the beat I was singing
along to songs that went against what I believe in. The lyrics were catchy, but I was
getting nothing out of listening.
Then I heard the song “Dare you to
Move” by Switchfoot. The song’s lyrics
changed my perspective on music. I had
listened to this song countless times before
but one time the meaning of the song stuck
with me. The song gave me something that
I seemed to be missing in lyrics before:
meaning.
With “Dare you to Move” stuck in my
head, I was inspired to start listening to
music that had the possibility of making
a difference in my life. I used music apps
and listened for bands and singers who had
songs that had powerful and reliable lyrics.
I found singers and bands like Colton Dixon, Britt Nicole, For King & Country and
Rend Collective.
The songs I found got me thinking of
the power lyrics can have on a person’s day,
even life. The lyrics became more than
words being sung, they became a way for
me to be inspired. I found myself to be
more motivated throughout the day. When
I am having a rough day music lyrics come
to my mind and give me a reason to turn
the day into a better one.
On Air1 Positive Hits radio, listeners call
in from around the country talking about
how the songs being played impact their
lives. Listening to how they have been impacted even inspires me.
Right in our community at Mountain
View Community Church, the youth
group includes music in its ministry. At
youth group I come on Sunday nights and
know that worship will help me strengthen my faith and help me find the meaning
behind the words. I am able to take a break
from distractions and take the needed time
to worship and let the meaning of the lyrics truly impact me in a way other things
cannot.
Emma Jerore, a college freshman, was
one of the singers for the youth band there
for the past four years and said she has also
experienced the impact of music lyrics. She
joined the band because of her love of music. Jerore said worship songs have added a
new level of meaning to her life.
■ school expansion
days a week and, said Mellott, the new athletic field will also be better place for the
Urbana High School band and cheerleaders
to perform.
Following the completion of the new
athletic field, Urbana High School will
be able to host regional and state athletic
events. Sports events at the high school can
bring more people to the community and
generate more revenue for the school, said
Mellott, adding that the school plans to use
and share the field as much as possible.
Construction of the new athletic field
started in the fall of 2012 and fundraising
took more than a year. Mellott said he is
grateful to community members who have
supported the new UHS athletic field.
from page 3
tion is expected to start in June 2016 and
end in August 2017, he said.
The new athletic field at Urbana High
School is also slated for completion this
summer. Construction for the field is expected to be finished by Aug. 13, according
to Tim Mellott, Urbana High School Athletic Boosters President.
“We’re moving right along,” said Mellott. When the new athletic field is completed, he said, “We’ll have a safe, consistent surface to play [on] in pretty much all
weather conditions.”
Student athletes will also be able to use
the new athletic field 24 hours a day, seven
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The song
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seemed to
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in lyrics
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meaning.
The impact of music is astounding to
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by one small decision I made after hearing
a Switchfoot song. What song will impact
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Editor's Note: Morgan McGrady is a rising
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at Mountain View Community Church and is
passionate about reporting on community topics.
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Page 10
The Town Courier
August 2014
BRING US YOUR LOWES OR HOME DEPOT QUOTE,
AND WE WILL BEAT IT BY 10% AND PAY THE MEASURE FEE.
$6.49 sq.ft.
3/4” x 5” Teak $6.99 sq.ft.
3/4” x 3 5/8” Teak
3/4” x 3 1/4” Tigerwood
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3/4” x 3 1/4” Brazilian Walnut
$4.89 sq.ft.
Compare to Lumber Liquidators
August 2014
■ chef award
from page 1
Shandong cuisine is derived from the
cooking styles of the Shandong province.
According to Shougong, everyone loves
Shandong cooking, which he describes as
the best of all Chinese cooking. Shandong
dishes are not too spicy and appeal to both
young and older people, he said.
Shougong’s specialty dishes include cashew chicken, kung pao chicken, moo shu
pork, beef and chicken, as well as crispy
beef, chicken and pork. Fresh carrots, celery
and green peppers give the perfect accent to
the crispy chicken, and peanuts, chili peppers and green onions provide a nice contrast of flavor in the kung pao chicken. His
favorite dish to prepare is Peking duck.
The Town Courier
He said that he would like to compete in
the Chinese cooking event next year, if he
is invited to attend.
Shougong has worked for seven years at
Urbana’s Babao restaurant. Beautiful Chinese art hangs on the walls, and silk flowers
are placed at every table in the intimate and
well-lit restaurant.
Shougong learned how to cook from his
grandfather Wu Yu Zhong, who taught
him how to prepare food for weddings. He
studied with his grandfather in China when
he was 17 and 18 years old. He later worked
at North China restaurant in Bethesda,
Md., which is owned by his grandfather’s
brother.
The most important factors in learning to
cook Chinese food are chopping food correctly and controlling heat while cooking,
said Shougong. Cooking apprentices must
also learn how to properly clean vegetables
and the kitchen where they cook, he added.
Good Chinese chefs know how to make
fish and pork taste good, and they use the
best part of the meat, Shougong said, adding that chefs should not waste any food.
Chinese food tastes different from American food, Shougong said, because people
in China prefer salty foods, and Americans
like foods that are sweeter.
Shougong’s brother, Shouzhen Wu,
works with him as a chef at Babao, and
Shougong’s 10-year-old daughter, Alison,
helps out at the restaurant by pouring water, serving salads and boxing food for customers. Some 40 of Shougong’s relatives
live in the area; he has lived in the United
States for 20 years.
and bakeries across the Frederick area. The
market is open every Sunday from 11 a.m. –
2 p.m. behind the Urbana Regional Library.
Some local providers include Full Cellar
Farm, Mayne’s Tree Farm, Allen’s Apiary,
Blue Faerie Farm, The Brothers’ Olde Fashioned Bakery of Maryland, Earth to Table,
Raw Bliss, Spruce Run Farm, Sweet Marie’s Treats and Bailey’s Gems. Fresh-picked
crops include peaches and nectarines, tomatoes, corn and zucchini, plus natural and
cream honey. IN10SE BBQ is also on hand
for delicious food and drink. Check out the
Urbana Regional Library Farmer’s Market
own page on Facebook.
Early site preparations are underway at
the former Cracked Claw property and
construction is slated to begin in the fall for
a gas station/convenience store plus a new
location for Advanced Auto Parts.
Plans were approved for the Landon
House businesses and property, but, as is
typical with the bureaucratic backlog of
most local governments, the opening of
the Silk Mill restaurant and other businesses has been delayed, in this case until early
2015. Check for occasional updates on The
Landon House Facebook page.
shoptalk
from page 3
program, but online and layaway orders
qualify for tax-exempt status if the order is
placed and accepted during the seven-day
period. This year, Virginia’s tax-free event
will be Aug. 1-3. Pennsylvania and Delaware do not charge sales tax. For more information, visit the Federation of Tax Administrators web page at www.taxadmin.
org/fta/rate/sales_holiday.html.
The Urbana Library Farmer’s Market is in full swing and the bounty of local goods continues to grow from farms
Page 11
Page 12
The Town Courier
■ missing tortoise
NEW
SUMMER
FASHIONS
in store
NOW
from page 1
feed and medical powder was strewn all
over the floor of the barn. A 650-pound
mother pig and her 11, 7-day-old piglets
had been spray-painted with a purple
medical antiseptic spray. The message,
“Hello my pretty,” was left on the sow.
Signs had also been painted over, with
one proclaiming, “Urbana rules.” Henrietta, who has a small hole in her shell,
was missing from her hay-filled pen.
Keyes said his first reaction was frustration because the farm, which was not
open the day the vandalism was found,
has had no vandalism in the past. He
filed a report with the Maryland State
Police and began the clean up process.
Signs were taken down and washed. The
mama pig got a bubble bath and her piglets were cleaned off.
In an effort to get Henrietta back, the
Keyes and Mackay decided to use the
power of social media to get the word
out about the theft and vandalism. The
response was huge.
Mackay’s original Facebook post informing fans of the incident lead to
nearly 3,000 shares reaching more than
250,000 users and more than 900 comments.
People offered to help with clean up.
They wanted to start Gofundme campaigns to earn money for a reward and
surveillance equipment. Some just want-
August 2014
ed to volunteer. “The public response
was more than I could have imagined,”
Keyes said.
People for the Ethical Treatment of
Animals (PETA) is offering a $3,000 reward for the return of Henrietta.
The huge outpouring has been a positive aspect to the vandalism. “That is
definitely the silver lining,” Mackay said.
“We feel so supported and so loved. The
outreach has been absolutely humbling
and just absolutely amazing.”
Weeks later, Keyes said “there is still
some leftover residue of the purple spray
on the mother pig but I don’t think she
looks in the mirror and notices it.”
There has been no word on Henrietta even after the farm announced they
would take her back with no questions
asked. “I hope we get Henrietta back,”
Keyes said. “I would have thought we
would have gotten her back (by now).
I would have thought it was a teenage
prank.”
People haven’t forgotten about Henrietta. “Every time I post something (to
the Facebook page) somebody always responds ‘Any word on Henrietta?’ so I try
and update everyone, but we have not
heard anything,” Mackay said.
Tortoises are land-based reptiles while
turtles call the water their home. Keyes
is afraid that someone may have put her
in the water thinking that would be the
best place for her – not knowing she
couldn’t survive there.
“I hope that didn’t happen,” he said.
The Town Courier
August 2014
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The Town Courier
August 2014
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August 2014
■ urbana history
from page 3
moved to Urbana from its original location
in Fredericksburg, Va. In Maryland, the
Landon building has served as a seminary,
military school and private house.
The Landon site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975,
and House has spent countless hours researching the history of the building. With
his presentation, House brought along
original wood samples from the Landon
House, as well as some of his nail collection
that included “tree nails,” pieces of wood
used instead of iron nails to secure building
beams in place.
House, who volunteers at the Frederick
Historical Society, became interested in
history after his father passed away.
■ play
from page 3
on the main stage of the Renegade Theatre
Festival, to be held in Lansing, Mich., in
mid August.
“It’s not about me,” said Melton. “It’s
about the Hexum family.” In each case,
Melton has sought to deflect attention from
himself, even declining the title of playwright.
The man behind the play, wary though
he may be of limelight, is an experienced
author and actor. Melton trained for five
years as an actor, taking classes at the
American Academy of Dramatic Arts in
Manhattan and the Maryland Academy of
Dramatic Arts. He considered acting professionally, but always saw playwriting as
a stress-reliever, a diversion. “I was really
bored,” Melton said, laughing. “I started
writing in 1991, three or four years before
I retired.”
Melton’s approach to playwriting is evident throughout The Human Behind the
Image. “Every scene is based on conflict,”
said Melton. He places a special emphasis
on the naturalism of his characters’ dialogue, their uniqueness as onstage presenc-
■ theatre camp
from page 5
versity of Maryland, first found out about
the camp when he went to see a friend perform in “H.M.S. Pinafore.” He has worked
at the camp for three years.
The Frederick Camerata Musical Theatre Camp takes place during the summer at Hyattstown Christian Church, 10
minutes or so from the Villages of Urbana.
The Town Courier
“I knew my father attended the Buckingham Boys School in Buckeystown,
Maryland, but I realized he never talked
too much about the school,” House said.
“It made me want to sort through the records to find out more. There is so much
history in the local area.”
The activities for The Inside Scoop alternate each month to offer residents different
options. The theme for this month’s event
is “A Bounty of Tomatoes and Zucchini,”
which will teach attendees new recipes for
a surplus of garden vegetables.
“The Inside Scoop gives residents an educational opportunity,” said Susan Hofstra,
program manager for the Senior Center.
“A main goal of any senior center is to provide education opportunities, but we want
to show it can be a fun education. It is more
than your traditional education.”
es. “Each character is an individual,” Melton explains. “The more you visualize the
character in your mind, the clearer he or
she becomes to the audience.”
Many scenes in Melton’s play feature
two characters and their intimate conversation: Jon-Erik and his girlfriend, Gretha
Hexum and the family’s lawyer. The play
features a twist ending, Melton’s own spin
on the strange circumstances surrounding
Jon-Erik’s death.
Melton lived and worked as a high school
teacher in Michigan and Illinois for more
than 30 years; Jon-Erik Hexum was a graduate of Michigan State University. MSU’s
theatre department will present a dramatic
reading of The Human Behind the Image
on the main stage of the Renegade Theatre
Festival, to be held in Lansing, Mich. from
Aug. 14 – 16. The performance will commemorate the 30th anniversary of Hexum’s death.
For more information about the
Renegade Theatre Festival, visit www.
renegadetheatrefestival.org.
A Memorandum of Understanding to
move forward on a Regional Waste-To-Energy facility was signed by BoCC President
Jan Gardner on July 23, 2009. In other
words, Jan Gardner was a strong supporter
and promoter of the WTE facility during
the previous BoCC administration.
This leads me to another inaccuracy: “[c]
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Editor’s Note: Madelyne Xiao is a graduate of
Urbana High School. Xiao heads off to Stanford
University this fall.
Ainsley Stedman was a camper at the older
camp and a staff member at the younger
camp. She is a rising freshman at Urbana
High School. When asked about her experiences, she said, “I thoroughly love the
camp; it’s one of the highlights of my summer! May it be helping out or doing the
camp! The friends I have made over the
years always brighten my day.”
Editor’s Note: Hannah Schipper lives in Urbana and attends Urbana High School.
yourviews
from page 4
Page 15
andidates Jan Gardner and Mark Sweadner
have publically opposed the incinerator.”
Candidate Gardner’s opposition is purely
based upon the newly revised energy costs/
benefits of this proposed facility, not upon
any of the alternatives presented by the No
Incinerator Alliance.
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Page 16
The Town Courier
August 2014
localvoices
End of Voting Machines
M
aryland
voters will notice
changes
when
they go to the polls after the November 2014
general elections. The
Diebold electronic voting
machines used for several years will be gone. In
By Rich
April 2007, the Maryland
Terselic
General Assembly voted
unanimously to adopt a new paper balloting system.
Diebold was an early leader in developing and marketing electronic voting machines and captured a substantial portion of
the nation-wide market. By the early and
mid-2000s, 385 counties had adopted Diebold or competing machines. Ten percent
of voters nationwide used such machines.
Maryland bought, rather than leased, its
Diebold machines.
Unfortunately, paper ballots were not
produced that could validate individual
voter choices. Everything was recorded
within the electronic memory of the machines. The absence of hard copy ballots
prompted voter challenges and numerous studies by computer scientists of the
Diebold software. A key element of the
Diebold machine was the memory card
onto which voting results were recorded.
Computer scientists who studied the cards
concluded that the programming could be
maliciously altered by persons who might
gain access to a machine for as little time as
a minute. Access could also be gained by
custodians of the machines. Diebold efforts
to reprogram the machines to deal with the
threats were judged as providing less than
full protection.
While there was no actual evidence that
any election results had ever been compromised, the feared potential for doing so was
enough to influence an almost nationwide
defection away from the Diebold-type machines. In response, the company left the
elections business.
What alternative systems are in store
for Maryland voters? At an election worker training session I attended, the group
was told the state plans to issue a request
for proposals (RFP) for purchase or lease
of a new system. The nature of the system
to be specified is unknown, but the prospect is that it would produce a paper ballot.
The votes might be read – possibly by optical character reading – into a recording
and tallying system. Should questions arise
about a voter’s choices, a paper copy could
be produced.
The elections director for Frederick
County, Stuart Harvey, remains a strong
supporter of the Diebold system. He ben
local voices Continued on page 23
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The Town Courier
August 2014
Page 17
nora’scorner
A Destination Wedding at 8,200 Feet
L
ast fall, I received
the “save the date”
notice of my second
grandson’s and his fiancee’s wedding to be held
in Vail, Colo., in June
2014. It is a familiar place
to the bridal pair who live
in Denver and are avid
By Nora
skiiers. What a good idea
Caplan
advance planning was for
both families and friends. I looked forward
to an exciting event, a new place to visit
and an opportunity to be reunited with all
my family.
From all points of the compass most of
us flew to Denver. We stayed overnight to
help us get acclimated to the altitude. After
checking in at our motel, we had enough
time that afternoon to visit the Denver Botanic Gardens, which is currently featuring a spectacular exhibit of Dale Chihuly’s
magnificent glass sculptures. The gardens
are a must for all visitors to the capital of
Colorado. They consist of 23 acres in Denver’s Cheesman Park neighborhood and
according to one source, contain the largest collection of plants from cold temperate
climates around the world.
Currently, the Chihuly glass sculptures
emerge from their pool or landscaped settings like giant underwater creatures or
stalagmites or waving leaves in bright turquoise or saffron or brilliant crimson red.
The two-hour drive to Vail is a memorable
experience in itself – you can see patches of
snow on towering rocky peaks, torrents of
water gushing down the slopes and frothy,
rushing water in streams beside the highway. I caught a glimpse of a herd of buffalo near one grove of lodge pole pines; my
son and his family driving to our hotel that
night almost hit two moose. At the crest of
one mountain an elevation sign informed
us we were at close to 11,000 feet. If I
hadn’t prepared myself by drinking quarts
and quarts of water beforehand, I might
have been panting by then. I didn’t need
the easily available small containers of oxygen that others in our wedding party did.
Vail is situated in a deep valley, surrounded by mountains with moving ski
lifts and gondolas for those who want to
see the views from the top, to play with
Frisbees, and enjoy other summertime activities “up there.” Far below, many of the
shops and restaurants in the village centers
have Tyrolean-like architecture. We savored the wide variety of colorful flowers
everywhere — poppies, every shade of coln
nora's corner Continued on page 22
Photo | Lisa Dane
Lupines bloom in front of a hotel in Vail, Colo., where columnist Nora Caplan attended her grandson’s wedding this summer.
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Page 18
The Town Courier
August 2014
kaufman’skitchen
Soups for Summer: A Great Way to Use the Summer’s Bounty
S
ummer is when we
get to relax, enjoy
good friends and
serve great recipes made
from fresh farm produce,
and fresh seafood.
Creamy Cold
Cucumber Soup
By Sheilah
It is great on a hot sumKaufman
mer night since it is light
and easy, and you will
feel cooler with every bite. Can’t wait to
try this with my home-grown cucumbers! From “Simple Summer: A Recipe for
Cooking and Entertaining with Ease” by
Jonathan Bardzik. “Simple Summer” has
40 easy and delicious recipes along with
stories and recommendations for music and
drinks for easy summer entertaining. Each
recipe comes with photos and easy tips to
get them right the first time. This wonderful book has some fabulous recipes, and I
plan to cook my way through it. For more
information, go to www.jonathanbardzik.
com.
1 shallot, grated
2 garlic cloves, grated
4 large cucumbers, peeled and seeded
2 cups whole plain yogurt
1 tablespoon finely chopped mint
2 tablespoons chopped dill
1 cup cold water
juice of 1 lemon
salt
pepper
diced onion and cucumber for garnish
Place shallot and garlic in a large bowl,
and using a box grater, grate cucumbers
into the bowl.
Stir in yogurt and fresh herbs. Add water to dilute to the desired consistency. You
may not use the whole cup. Season to taste
with lemon juice (you may not use all
the juice, so add a tablespoon at a time),
salt and pepper. Garnish, chill and serve.
Serves 6 to 8.
Ruby Plum Soup
Another lovely cold soup, but this one
does not taste like a dessert. This is a savory soup due to the buttermilk and red
wine. From “Simple Summer.” In 2011,
Bardzik began sharing his love of cooking at Washington, D.C.’s historic Eastern
Market, where he provides weekly demonstrations using fresh ingredients from the
market’s local farmers and purveyors.
6 plums, pitted and diced
1 tablespoon finely minced fresh
ginger
1 cup dry red wine like cabernet
sauvignon
2 tablespoons honey
1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup whole milk
or cream mixed with 1 tablespoon
fresh lemon juice to white vinegar,
left to sit for 5 minutes)
1/ 4 cup white balsamic vinegar
Place plums and ginger in a pan and cook
over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add wine,
cover, and cook for 5 more minutes. Remove from stove and let cool to room
temperature. Pass half the cooked plums
through a food mill or processor. Add to a
bowl with remaining stewed plums and stir
together. Stir in honey and milk. Season
to taste with vinegar, adding half first and
more as needed. The amount used will depend on how sugary your plums are.
Crab Chowder
Ann Chandonnet is a food historian,
poet, journalist and author of “Colonial
Food” (Shire Publications). This history book with recipes provides a window
onto daily life in colonial America, and is
a wonderful introduction to the extraordinary culinary transformation kindled
when explorers and colonists from England, Europe and Russia arrived in North
America. Survival was a challenge as was
using new and unknown ingredients and
combining old recipes with new ingredients. Crucial help was provided by Native
Americans, and recipes developed into the
increasingly sophisticated fare served in
inns and taverns. Wonderful color photos,
and a great book for kids studying colonial
times.
2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, peeled and grated
1/4 pound mushrooms, cleaned and
sliced thin
2 ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 pound crab meat
1 teaspoon salt
dash cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
4 sprigs parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon chives, chopped
1/4 cup sherry or brandy
hot, cooked rice
In a large pot, melt butter, stir in grated
onion, and cook over moderate heat for a
minute or two. Stir in mushrooms slices
and cook several minutes. Add tomatoes
and cook 5 minutes. Stir in crab meat, salt,
cayenne, and cream. Heat mixture to a boil
— but do not boil. Add parsley, chives and
brandy. Serve with a heaping tablespoon of
cooked rice in the center or slices of hardboiled egg on top. Serves 4 to 6.
Editor's Note: Find more of Sheilah’s culinary treats at www.cookingwithsheilah.com.
The Town Courier
August 2014
MIKEAT THE MOVIES
And So It Goes PG-13 ****
Love among the aging
is a topic often developed and often laughed
at. Mainly because many
audiences are too young
to realize that life’s urges
die slowly, if at all. Stories
of elder love can be a reBy Mike
flection of reality neverCuthbert
theless.
In the case of this film
it is hard to believe it possible because the
male half of the obvious partnership is such
a jerk. Oren Little (Michael Douglas) is a
racist, misanthropic realtor who manipulates his listings by putting racially loaded pictures in the frames of pictures in
his houses (not a smart tactic, as it proves)
and insulting nearly everybody he has to
deal with. His single listing, at $8.6 million (self-evaluated) is a tough sell because
it was his family’s home. His wife died of
cancer several years before the action of
the film, his only son, Luke, (relative newcomer Scott Shepherd) went to jail on SEC
charges, and Little down-sized to a property he bought and named “Little Shangri-La.” It is a group of apartments.
Next door lives Leah, a lounge singer
widow (Diane Keaton) whose problems as
a singer center upon the fact that every time
she sings a sad song or talks about her dead
husband, she breaks down and can’t sing.
Little sums up Leah’s act: “What kind of
an act is this? All she does is cry!” She responds with a question all of us are asking
by the time she gets to it: “Do people really
allow you to get away with being you?”
His first kind word to her is a backhanded compliment: “I know a hot property
when I see one,” not exactly what Leah
sees herself as at 65. But Oren turns into her
manager, changes her repertoire, demands
that she stop talking about strokes and dead
people, changes her costumes (one, a horrible polka dot number, would have him
fired by anyone with taste) and finds her
a job that pays double what she’s earning.
It has to be love. Complicating the entire
picture and the war that is brewing is Sarah
(Sterling Jerins), the granddaughter Oren
has never met. She immediately captures
Leah’s heart and within a scene or two Sarah refers to Leah as “Grandma” and sleeps
most of the time in her apartment.
Other than a star turn by Frances Sternhagen as Claire, secretary at Oren’s brokerage, Oren has the best lines in the picture:
“I’ve sold houses older than you in worse
condition,” “The last time I had sex I tore
my ACL,” and “I like you, and I don’t like
anybody.” After a very funny seduction
scene in which Leah succumbs but warns:
“I’ll leave my bra on,” Oren messes up and
has to get back in her good graces.
This is a romantic comedy so you know
more or less how it’s going to end up. The
danger of the film, directed by Rob Reiner
(who has a bit part as Leah’s accompanist
with the worst toupé of 2014), is that it will
become too sweet. Reiner almost gives in
during a scene at an amusement park but
pulls back just in time.
Most of the emotional changes in the film
are predictable, which makes for risky plotting, but Reiner brings it off thanks to his
talented cast and the underplaying of Jerins.
A line from Leon Uris’ “The Source” kept
popping into my head as I enjoyed this film:
“A man knows he possesses his own soul as
long as he can fall in love with a woman his
own age.” It is a good truth to remember,
and the core of this film for all ages. Summer fun, but good stuff as well.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
PG-13 ***
A violent, philosophically-hooked spectacular, this entry in the “Apes” series takes
us to a time in which San Francisco is populated by relatively few humans with not
enough power or good sense to survive the
colonization of Earth by the infected apes
of years ago. The apes’ leaders have since
learned some English — enough to get into
further trouble — and are in position to
choke off the city.
An intrepid band of scientists and adventurers led by Malcolm (Aussie Jason Clarke)
and including Keri Russell as a substitute
for his wife, killed off in a previous installment, heads off to plead with Caesar,
the leader of the apes, to allow them the
opportunity to fix a power plant fueled by
hydro power. Koba, Caesar’s deputy, does
not trust humans, as most apes do not, but
Caesar is a wise ape, dedicated to peace, and
gives them permission to do their thing in
two days. Meanwhile, Koba goes off the
reservation and leads a renegade gang of
apes into San Francisco to wipe out the humans.
A condition of Caesar’s allowing a truce
is that the humans eliminate all guns. This
they do with the help of a simian gun control measure — smash all remaining guns
of any kind. Enough remain in hidden arsenals, however, to fuel the final war. Caesar, thanks to Koba’s treachery, discovers a
truth: “I always thought apes better than
humans. I see now I was wrong.”
Various peace offerings have been made
between apes and humans, most notably
a graphic novel given to the big orange
orangutan by Kodi Smit-McPhee, another Aussie, as Alexander, Malcolm’s son.
They bond over the book while Ellie (Keri
Russell) bonds with Caesar by healing his
wife of an infection and treating his wound
from being shot by Koba. It’s all very family-friendly and most all survive for yet
another chapter in the series. The violence
level is high, the rule of “An ape never kills
another ape” is honored more in the breach
than in the observance and the chase and
fight scenes are spectacular. But the story
is essentially what you’ve come to expect
when apes and humans get together in the
future. Not for children who like monkeys.
www.facebook.com/TownCourierUrbana
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August 2014
offthe shelf By Robyn Monaco
Are Apps Good For Babies?
I
s there a parent among us who hasn’t
downloaded an “educational” app for
our baby or toddler?
I did for a flight from Baltimore to Rapid City, S.D., with a four-hour layover in
between. It seemed like the right thing to
do. Just another item in my survival pack
of extra diapers, wipes and clothes. It could
be the one thing to get us through the trip
scream-free.
And yet, I felt guilty when I used the app
with my 1-year-old. Because as a librarian, I know that the jury is still out on all
of the effects of digital media where very
young children are concerned. Even the
American Association of Pediatrics (AAP)
recommends that children under age 2
get no screen time at all. Yet in a recent
AAP study, 90 percent of parents said their
2-and-under kids use some form of electronic media.
Our children are being raised in an increasingly digital world. But even with all
the focus on ebooks and educational apps
these days, old-fashioned print books still
provide a superior reading experience —
especially for young children whose literacy skills are just beginning to emerge.
Paper books enable total immersion in
reading — no hyperlinks or need to make
choices while asking “Should I click on
this?” In fact, research cited in the School
Library Journal article “Too Soon?” suggests that the visual and aural gimmicks
and game-like features embedded in many
kids’ ebooks draw young readers’ attention
from the written words, diminishing their
memory of what was read.
Let’s be realistic. There are circumstances when a conveniently available iPhone
app is the difference between sanity and a
meltdown. Maybe you are three-quarters
of the way through a flight and have already exhausted your supply of books and
toys with no nap in sight. Maybe you’re
at the doctor’s office for your little one’s
routine wellness visit when she begins to
remember that this is the place where the
shots are given. Or maybe you’ve spent the
entire evening carrying your child around
the house because that is the only way they
will stop crying and you’d like a few minutes to just sit down.
We librarians know these moments happen so we’d like to acquaint you with some
online clearinghouses that review and rate
children’s media. These resources can help
you find digital tools that are easy to use,
playful, make connections to your child’s
n
off the shelf Continued on page 22
reader’schoice
‘Sisterland’
Written by Curtis Sittenfeld
C
urtis Sittenfeld came
into the spotlight
with her 2005 novel “Prep” and 2008 bestseller, “American Wife,”
loosely based on first lady
Laura Bush. (Although it’s
a positive portrayal of the
main character, Mrs. Bush
By Betty
insists she’s never read it.)
Hafner
Sittenfeld’s newest novel,
“Sisterland” (2013), ventures into territory
far from these earlier works about a New
England prep school and the Washington
political arena. Here she tells the story of
identical twin sisters who were born with
psychic ability but deal with it in completely
different ways.
Traditional Kate tries to live unostentatiously as a St. Louis housewife and mother of two young children whereas Violet,
who lives just minutes away from her sister, is a practicing psychic. The story builds
when Violet appears on a TV news show
predicting that an earthquake will strike
the area on a specific date that fall. And in
case we need to be reminded of the horrific damage that earthquakes can wreak
or that Missouri has had its share of them,
Sittenfeld begins with a prologue in which
Kate gives a chilling account of three catastrophic quakes that took place in the area
in 1811 and 1812.
Kate, who narrates the story, has tried
to ignore her psychic abilities because she
doesn’t want to accept them, yet she and
Violet have made enough correct predictions for her to trust her sister. This throws
Kate’s daily life into chaos. Sittenfeld’s
writing is at its best when she covers Kate’s
everyday activities. The dialogue is pitch
perfect. Every young mother will hear herself in Kate interactions with her children
(Rosie, 3, and Owen, 1); her husband, Jeremy; and Hank, the husband of Jeremy’s
colleague Courtney and a stay-at-home
dad with whom Kate and her kids spend
time every day. Violet adds a refreshing
change with her colorful language, her
budding lesbian relationship and her ongoing involvement with the media.
Flashbacks enrich the story by showing
how the two sisters evolved as they did.
Kate revisits the alarming behavior of their
depressed mother, the creative world the
two young girls called “Sisterland,” and
the flashes of psychic ability that made
them pariahs during their teen years.
It’s an entertaining, informative novel,
though jerky toward the end. The events
are completely out of left field, but Sittenfeld keeps you reading, anxious to discover
how a surprising turn of events will be resolved. As Sittenfeld says in an interview,
“‘Sisterland’ is not fundamentally about
being psychic. It’s about marriage, sisterhood and life in the suburbs.”
The Town Courier
August 2014
Page 21
monthlyagenda Compiled by Bethany E. Starin
Local Events
Theatre, Arts and Music
Summerfest Family Theater
The Inside Scoop: Tomatoes and Zucchini
Wondering what to do with the
abundance of tomatoes and zucchini in
the garden? Get the inside scoop on new
recipes and menu ideas for using the bounty
of tomatoes, zucchini and other produce
from the garden or local farmers market.
Held Tuesday, Aug. 19 at 6:30 p.m., this
event includes a cooking demonstration
and food tasting plus recipes for tomato
ice cream and zucchini crust pizza. All
participants will receive copies of recipes.
Held at the Urbana Senior Center. For
more information call 301.600.7020 or go
to www.FrederickCountyMD.gov/aging.
Sixth Annual Benefit Car Show
On Aug. 7, beginning at 10 a.m., a singer, songwriter, performer and musician
from Lewisburg, Penn., Billy Kelly, hit
Frederick with his unique Kindie Rock
sound just right for singing and dancing.
Kelly is accompanied by the Blahblahblahs
and the performance is held at Baker Park
Bandshell. The event is free.
Ask Nurse Steve
The Urbana Senior Center hosts a lunch
on Aug. 14 at noon. This event, $4.80 per
person, includes a talk by Nurse Steve on
“Do I really need a flu shot every year? An
explanation of how and why flu vaccines
are developed.” Also, breakfast is served for
lunch. Held at the Urbana Senior Center. For
more information call 301.600.7020 or go to
www.FrederickCountyMD.gov/aging.
Bunco! Bunco! Bunco!
On Tuesday, August 26, at 5:30 p.m.,
come join for an evening of Bunco! Light
refreshments offered include birthday
cake and ice cream. Held at the Urbana
Senior Center. For more information
call 301.600.7020 or go to www.
FrederickCountyMD.gov/aging.
Urbana's Sixth Annual Benefit Car Show
is slated for Sunday, Aug. 24, from noon
to 4 p.m. There will be a large number of
cars and a wide variety of models featured;
last year more than 80 cars were included. The event also features food, vendors,
games and family-fun activities, including
a moon bounce. The rain date is Sept. 7.
The proceeds from this event benefit the
participants at Daybreak Adult Day Services. This event is free and hosted at Dynamic Automotive at 8824 Urbana Church
Road. For more information, visit www.
dynamicautomotive.net.
August’s First Saturday
On Saturday, Aug. 2, enjoy live music,
late shopping hours, outdoor dining,
entertainment and more, part of Frederick’s
First Saturday event from 3 – 9 p.m.
Participate in our Downtown Frederick
“Selfie” Contest! Enter by taking a photo
at your favorite downtown spot (e.g.,
landmark, shop, restaurant), participating
in your favorite downtown activity (e.g.,
shopping, walking, dining), or including
your favorite downtown person (e.g.,
business owner, volunteer). Upload the
photo using #DestinationFrederick. The
person with the most popular photo will
receive a $25 Downtown Frederick Gift
Card. For more information, go to www.
downtownfrederick.org.
Brain Freeze Ice Cream Social
On Aug. 2, from 3 – 9 p.m., come to
the Potters’ Guild of Frederick’s Gallery
in downtown Frederick and take home
a beautiful, handcrafted bowl filled with
delicious ice cream donated from South
Mountain Creamery. Proceeds will be
donated to the Frederick Rescue Mission.
Ticket sales begin on July 3. The Potters’
Guild of Frederick County is located at 14
S. Market Street. The event costs $20 for
adults and $10 for children ages 12 and under. For more information, send emails to
[email protected].
Movie Night on the Creek
On Friday, Aug. 15, guests ages 21 and
older are invited to a free movie on the
creek. Hosted from 7 – 11 p.m. on the
Carroll Creek Amphitheater, enjoy beer
from Wantz Distributors, wine and sangria
from Spin The Bottle Wine Company and
snacks from The Reunion, along with preshow entertainment. Beginning at 9 p.m.,
n
Monthly agenda Continued on page 23
Some of our office listings:
WOODBINE • $575,000
FREDERICK • $520,000
Ron Alexander • (410) 446-3606
Liz Dixon • (301) 401-9772
MONROVIA • $399,900
Robert Krop • (301) 524-2887
FREDERICK • $468,900
FREDERICK • $460,000
Bob Dent • (240) 409-9300
Debra Murray • (301) 639-7730
GAITHERSBURG • $380,000
WESTMINSTER • $329,900
TIMONIUM • $319,900
John Rasoulpour • (301) 404-5646
Natasha Doan • (240) 818-9712
Natasha Doan • (240) 818-9712
GERMANTOWN • $310,000
MYERSVILLE • $294,900
FREDERICK • $279,000
Heather Winpigler • (301) 639-2653 Kim Metzner • (301) 536-1491
Dale Austin • (301) 471-6211
FROSTBURG • $199,900
HAGERSTOWN • $174,500
FREDERICK • $164,900
HAGERSTOWN • $259,000
FREDERICK • $228,900
Heather Winpigler • (301) 639-2653 Lisa Cairns • (301) 748-2834
FREDERICK • $2,500/mo
Deb Bargeski • (301) 748-6719 Deb Bargeski • (301) 748-6719 Robert Krop • (301) 524-2887 Jean Dodds • (240) 447-2541
FREDERICK • $2,200/mo
Ken Grant • (301) 520-1840
Page 22
The Town Courier
August 2014
offthe shelf
from page 20
Peekaboo Barn
Lullaby Planet
Smart Tot Rattle
everyday experiences, and are open-ended
and interactive. Among the best are Common Sense Media, Graphite, Appysmarts
and Children’s Technology Review.
Regardless of what apps you download,
the absolute key is that you engage in exploring these digital tools together with
your child. Have your little one sit in your
lap to create a cozy, fun, interactive experience as you tap and swipe away. Talk to
your child about what is happening on the
screen. Ask questions. Your child learns
and grows best when he or she is with
you and having fun playing, singing and
talking. Follow the joy together.
If you’d like some apps that are ready to go
when the next meltdown is fast approaching
and your everyday toolbox of toys, nursery
rhymes, books and peekaboo games are not
cutting it, here are a few apps that we recommend for you to enjoy with your child:
Work with your child to learn the names
of animals and hear the sounds they make.
Tap on the bouncing red barn to open the
doors and see and hear from the adorable
animals inside. This app is a simple and
fun way to spend some time on the virtual
farm with your little one.
This application features six fully interactive scenes that encourage you and your
child to interact with cute and lovable
characters who are ready to go to sleep.
High contrast images with bold colors
and simple shapes paired with a realistic
rattle sound.
Happy Baby Faces
This app allows you to make alphabet
flash cards using your own digital photos.
You can make several decks of flashcards,
including ones that feature photos of your
family and neighborhood.
And after you survive the meltdown together with the assistance of these apps,
come visit us at the Urbana Regional Library with your little one. We have lots
of highly interactive board books that are
even more fun than apps!
Tiny Tap
Make simple tap games using your own
family photos and voice that will delight
your child as she learns more about herself
and her loved ones.
Sago Mini Sound Box
Introduce your child to sound and music! Just shake, rattle and tap together and
listen for cheerful chimes, horns, drums,
animals and more. Works with multitouch, so have fun playing together with
your child!
Babies love looking at other babies! Super easy interface allows you and your little one to look at high quality photos of
endearingly cute babies. Plus, shake the
phone to hear rattles! Features a lock mode
so as not to let curious fingers make calls or
launch other applications.
My First App
Help your little one tap on the smiling
baby face and you see a photo of a happy
baby making happy sounds. If you tap on
the unhappy baby face, you get the opposite. That’s it!
My A-Z
Editor’s Note: Robyn Monaco is the children’s librarian at the Urbana Regional Library.
She’s also a Villages of Urbana resident.
nora’scorner
from page 17
umbine I never knew existed (the columbine is the state flower of Colorado), and
to my astonishment, there were lilacs in
bloom (ours in Maryland, of course, had
finished flowering several months before).
A free bus service circles the town. I used it
once to visit the Vail public library, which
has an ongoing used book sale with hardbacks at $3 for one and a second book free.
The books I chose were my cheapest and
almost only souvenirs; resort prices are to
be expected in an upscale place like Vail.
My second bus ride took me to the farmers’ market Sunday afternoon. For several
blocks the streets are closed; stalls are lined
up on either side with homemade or home
grown products for sale. I bought rosemary-flavored jelly and mint-scented lip
balm from a woman who raised herbs.
Bountiful information about accommodations and vacation activities in Vail are
available on the Internet. Our bridal pair
was thoughtful enough to provide all their
guests with suggestions and ideas for extra
before and after their wedding events. A
few of us explored what Vail calls its “Alpine Treasure” — the Betty Ford Alpine
Gardens, which are “The World’s Highest
Botanical Garden – 8,200.” The garden is
located in a relatively small area just behind
the Manor Vail Lodge. Upwardly curving
paths lead visitors to the top of a landscaped
steep hillside, with levels that exhibit the
kinds of plants and flowers that grow at different altitudes. Each clump of flora has a
name sign near it. So that they can experience this rare pleasure, the elderly and /or
handicapped can rent wheelchairs from a
service in town. Hotel staff can easily provide information about needed services.
Oh, yes, the wedding was held outdoors,
underneath a rectangular framework of
poles trimmed with small bouquets of pale
pink and ivory roses. The ceremony was
simple and meaningful. The bride’s white
lace gown and lace trimmed veil were the
most beautiful and completely becoming
attire I’ve ever seen. The groom, who loves
the outdoors, provided sprigs of plants native to Colorado to pin in his and all his
groomsmen’s lapels. The six little flower
girls wore cowboy boots with their white
linen sundresses and wreaths of the same
roses as those in the bride’s bouquet. In
spite of the overcast sky, it didn’t rain. After the ceremony we walked a few steps to
a nearby restaurant for the wedding dinner,
followed by dancing in an adjacent room.
I can hardly imagine a more beautiful
location for a wedding than Vail. But you
will enjoy it even more if you prepare for
what will be a big change in altitude for
most people. Keep hydrated.
Urbana’s Professional Service Directory
Kid’s Villa Learning Center
Premium Tall Fescue Sod
Pickup or delivery • Also ask about sod installation
Visa/MasterCard accepted
301.349.2400 or email [email protected]
24438 River Rd • Dickerson, MD 20842
BattleviewTurfFarm.com
Full and Part-Time Programs •
Infant-2’s • Summer Camp •
Before and After School Care
No registration fee when you mention
this ad at time of enrollment
Call now to take a tour
301-874-9100
9503 Fingerboard Rd
www.UrbanaDayCare.com
Acupuncture
Jiang Tan L.Ac.; CMD
301-874-5658
www.drtanahc.com
3520 Worthington Blvd #101
Frederick MD 21704
*We do take insurances*
The Town Courier
August 2014
vitalsigns
How to Fix those Nagging Injuries
W
e all have those
great ambitions
to start working
out and finally reach our
goals, but we relax a bit
and then get hurt at the
summer cook-out playing
football or a beach game
of whiffle ball. Here’s a
By Andrew
primer on how to avoid
Taylor
nagging summertime injuries.
First, if pain exists always consult a doctor and make sure you are cleared to exercise. Once you have done that, consider
these basics.
No. 1: Back pain
Back pain is one of the most commonly
reported injuries among American adults,
and can be caused by many different problems. Often, physical therapists can attack
back problems by fixing everyday issues
such as standing and sitting with proper
posture, without slumping or slouching.
When we are seated for long periods of
time, our hip flexors are shortened and/or
our hamstrings are in a contracted position.
Implementing a good physical therapy program that involves rolling upper and lower
back muscles, hamstrings and hip flexors
can make a big difference in preventing and
alleviating back pain. A simple program
might include stretching out hip flexors
and hamstrings, working on balance and
utilizing core stabilization exercises such as
single leg balance holds, planks and glute
bridges.
No. 2: Shoulder pain
Shoulder pain occurs for a multitude of
reasons. We see it a lot with forward pro-
truding shoulders, tight upper neck muscles
and upper trapezius muscles. These tight
areas can also cause headaches and neck
pain. Rolling the upper back with a foam
cylinder can relax those tense muscles. Lying on the foam roller and arching over it
to open up the thoracic cage can also be
effective. Other exercises that can help involve stretching the arms, belly, shoulders
and neck.
No. 3: Knee pain
Knee pain can be caused by overuse: repeated bending of the kneecap can irritate
nerves and overstretch tendons, the tissues
that connect muscle to bone. Pain often
occurs when you bend your knee walking,
squatting, kneeling or running. It may be
worse when walking downstairs or downhill.
The good news is that minor to moderate knee pain often heals on its own, given time. In some cases, resting the knee
as much as possible and icing it regularly is all that is needed. Other treatments
might include compressing the injured area
with elastic bandages, straps or sleeves, or
stretching the muscles around the knee, including the quadriceps. Of course, consult
a medical practitioner to first determine
what type of knee pain you may be experiencing for the best, most targeted results.
Editor’s Note: Andrew Taylor is a fitness director at Urbana’s Dynamic Fitness. He earned
his M.S. degree in exercise science from the University of California at Pennsylvania and maintains several certifications including one from the
National Strength Professionals Association.
Taylor played college sports, spent six years
coaching collegiate sports teams and currently
trains local Frederick athletes in his spare time.
monthlyagenda
from page 21
see the feature presentation — Anchorman:
The Legend of Ron Burgundy. Bring lawn
chairs and blankets. For more information,
contact Celebrate Frederick at 301.600.
CITY or visit CelebrateFrederick.com.
Alive @ Five
On Thursdays Aug. 7, 14, 21 and 28, the
Carroll Creek Ampitheatre will host live
music from 5 – 8 p.m. This event is hosted
every Thursday May through September
and always includes alcoholic beverages,
local food and a variety of prizes and pro-
motions from the event’s sponsors. Admission is $5, and all events are for participants
21 and over. For more information, go to
www.downtownfrederick.org.
Free Outdoor Yoga Class
Every Thursday morning from 7 –
8 a.m., a yoga class is offered outdoors on
the Carroll Creek Amphitheater in downtown Frederick. This includes Thursday,
Aug. 7, 14, 21 and 28. The events are
sponsored by Sol Yoga and the Downtown
Frederick Partnership. For more information, go to www.downtownfrederick.org.
localvoices
from page 16
lieves the county has maintained sufficiently close control of the memory cards and
voter access cards to preclude the likelihood of compromise. However, he admits
the aging equipment is in need of maintenance that could be problematic given the
demise of the Diebold firm.
Is demise of the Diebold system justified
solely on technical-scientific grounds? I
doubt it, but the political implications of a
threat to voting integrity can be credited as
clinching the decision. Will a system that
produces a paper ballot answer all possible
integrity concerns? Unlikely, I fear.
Editor’s Note: Rich Terselic is a member of
the board of directors of the Villages of Urbana
Homeowners’ Association.
Page 23
Page 24
The Town Courier
August 2014
UrbanaSports
Skateboarding for a Cause
By Kristy Crawford
A
fter more than 8,000 miles through
35 states in more than four months,
Mark Williams has returned home
as he pursues a longtime dream and supports a friend in need.
Williams’ journey, skateboarding from
Vermont to Florida, across the country to
California and back to Maryland, included about seven pairs of shoes, a half-dozen skateboards, plus trucks (a piece on the
bottom of the board where the wheels attach) and other necessary equipment. He
eagerly returned to Maryland on Saturday,
July 26 and was enthusiastically greeted by
dozens of friends and family members with
banners and signs cheering “Skate, Mark,
Skate!” at the Urbana Park and Ride on
Fingerboard Road.
Local news channel WHAG filmed a
brief segment about the trip and aired it
Saturday evening. Close family, including Williams’ sister Sarah Steinberg and
her children – 9-year-old Lily, 6-yearold twins Violet and Chase, Holly, 3, and
Blake, 9 months – were happy to be reunited with Williams. Steinberg wore a
T-shirt that said, “Team Mark CRT” and
Williams’ mom, Patti, wore a shirt that
said, “My Hero is My Son, Mark.”
Williams, a 26-year-old Montgomery
County native, graduated from Damascus
High in 2006 and has since built a business
selling skateboards and equipment online
and teaching young children how to skate
safely, something he learned more than 12
years ago. He eventually wants to open
his own shop in Ocean City, Md., selling
skateboards, equipment and pizza. For the
past few years his motivating mantra and
his company have been called CRT, Certified Respected Talent, and will call his
new business CERTY.
Williams has saved money over the
years but knew he needed to do something
bigger to realize his dream and decided
to take a chance and solicit funds online
while skateboarding around the country.
He signed up with the popular fundraising
site gofundme.com.
“My goal was to reach 35 states in 100
days of skating and to skate 8,000 miles,”
Williams said. “When I complete this goal,
I will be the first person in history to do
so.”
When Mark found out his friend’s sister,
Katie Wright, was struggling with stage
3 ovarian cancer, he immediately decided to share his adventure and raise mon-
Complete outdoor living design/Build serviCes
Photo | Kristy Crawford
Mark Williams is welcomed by family and friends in late July at the Urbana Park and Ride after a nationwide trip via his
skateboards to raise money to open his own business and to help a friend battling cancer.
ey to help. “Part of the donations I raise
are going to help Katie pay for her cancer
treatments, and maybe help find a cure one
day,” he said. Since March, Williams has
raised more than $4,000.
After a couple of practice trips, to places such as Pittsburgh and back, Williams
began his adventure in late March, starting his trip by skating from Vermont to
Florida. He struggled through snow and
cold weather, but took as few days off as
possible. When he did take a break, as he
did when traveling through Manhattan, he
added makeup days to his schedule.
Williams skated down the East Coast to
Tampa, Fla., away from trafficked highways and busy streets when possible. From
Tampa, he skateboarded up to Alabama
and then west through Mississippi, Texas
and New Mexico, reaching California in
mid-June. After brief stops to rest and visit,
Williams headed back east, through Colorado, Kansas, Indiana and Ohio.
He was grateful when offered donations,
food and places to stay – sometimes a couch
or a car. He enjoyed meeting many new peo-
ple and making new friends. He made some
local newspaper issues and was on news stations in Ohio and Nevada. He called family
regularly, and kept followers updated on his
gofundme site and Facebook.
Williams admits he got lonely, but he
was determined to reach his goal and said
his faith kept him going. “The best part of
the trip was being closer to the Lord,” Williams said. “A lot of times it was just Him
and me and my boards.” The worst part,
Williams said, was several days of heavy
rain, which he slogged through in Kansas,
among other states.
Before his big adventure, Williams was
living in Gaithersburg near his mother, Patti Mooney; father, Andy Williams; brother
Drew Williams; and sister, Sarah Steinberg,
who lives in Urbana with her husband,
Nathan, and their five children. Steinberg,
who coaches cheerleading for the Urbana Recreation Council, helped keep her
brother organized and in touch with family,
friends and the media.
n
skateboarder Continued on page 26
Ultimate Frisbee Gains
Popularity in Urbana
By Rishub Nahar
O
301-874-1801
www.metrohardscapes.com
ICPI Certified • MHIC #121308 • NCMA Certified • Locally Owned
n a summer evening in Urbana, you’ll
find swirling disks cutting through
air and whistling through space outside Centerville Elementary School. You
can see about 30 sweat-drenched players
pumping endless adrenalin, massive arrays of skills and personalities clashing in
a spectacular show of athleticism and sport
— all part of the rising phenomenon of Ultimate Frisbee.
Locally, Ultimate Frisbee is an up and
n
ultimate frisbee Continued on page 26
Photo | Rishub Nahar
Ultimate Frisbee is a growing sport in Urbana and a recent
game included (from left to right) Soham Roy, Nicholas
Danner, Bhasswanth Portalanka and Navneeth Babra.
The Town Courier
August 2014
Page 25
coach’scorner By Kathryn Linehan
Becoming a Hawk: A Coach's Story
I
first came to Urbana High School
(UHS) in 2010 as an assistant coach for
the Hawk’s varsity girls basketball team.
At the time, I was a longtime friend and
former teammate of then head coach, Jessica Mills. As a Linganore High School athlete and graduate of 2002, I had only been
a visitor at Urbana. I was ready for a new
beginning at UHS and for the opportunity
to coach with an old friend — even though
a number of my old Linganore friends
joked with me that it was tough to see me
in navy, UHS’s color!
I had always known of Urbana’ s rich academic and athletic tradition, and in that
first season I was excited to be a part of it.
There was a tremendous amount of support
for our team from the school and the community. I was also very impressed by the
dedication and drive of the UHS student
athletes to succeed not only on the court/
field, but also in the classroom. In the three
seasons I spent as an assistant coach at UHS,
we graduated multiple players who earned
academic and athletic scholarships.
It is that first season, though, that stands
out most. The 2010-2011 team was a wonderful group of student athletes. We had
players with exceptional talent and basketball IQ – stand-outs like Cara Mason,
Peyton Carper, Mari Kordell and Kristen
Juenger (three of whom are currently playing college basketball). We were the 4A
North Region and Monocacy Valley Athletic League (MVAL) Piedmont champs
that year and fell just short of playing for
the state title. (We lost in overtime in the
state semifinals, 58-57, to Henry A. Wise
High School out of Prince George’s County.)
One of my favorite on-court memories
from that first season is the game we played
at Walkersville in late January: We were
down 16 with only minutes remaining in
the third quarter. Coach Mills took a time
out and then our girls went on one of the
most dominating runs I have ever seen in a
high school basketball game. We produced
a 35-point turnaround in less than 12 minutes of game time and ended up winning
by 19!
While we had a lot of on-court success in
2010-2011 and I learned a lot about coaching, what I remember most is the great
group of players, parents, coaches, fans and
school staff members who welcomed me to
Urbana and made me feel like Urbana was
home. I was officially a hawk!
I stayed at UHS for another two seasons
as Coach Mills’ assistant coach for the varsity team. Then the head coaching job for
the girls varsity team at Linganore High
School opened up in late September 2013.
I decided to apply, got the job and left
UHS for the opportunity of a head coaching position.
But I kept my ties to the Urbana coaching staff, school and community. So when
Coach Mills stepped down after last season, and the UHS varsity girls basketball
coach position was open, I had another decision to make: stay at Linganore or apply
to return to UHS and the program I had
been a part of since 2010.
Needless to say, the Hawk’s Nest called
me back and I could not be more excited
to be the new girls varsity basketball coach
for UHS! We have already started summer
workouts that include lifting and having
open gym. We have a great group of play-
ers in the program that are hardworking,
positive and a lot of fun to work with.
Coaching basketball has been my passion
for the last decade and I am ready to carry
on the tradition of excellence at Urbana.
Even though the season is months away, I
am already looking forward to being back
home on the Urbana sideline!
Editor’s Note: Kathryn Linehan, 30, is the
Varsity Girls Basketball Coach at Urbana High
School. Linehan lives in Frederick and is a professor in the math department at Montgomery
College in Germantown.
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Page 26
The Town Courier
■ skateboarder
■ ultimate frisbee
For the next month, Williams plans to
rest, visit locally and in Ocean City and
continue planning, because his venture is
far from over. In September, he plans to
take up a new skateboard and visit additional states. This time, the plan is back to
Pennsylvania, then west through Illinois,
Michigan, Wyoming and hopefully to
Washington state, before the weather gets
too cold. He continues to accept donations
at his gofundme page, entitled “35 State,
100 Days, 8,000 Miles.” Check his page
entries and photographs on Facebook or
email Williams at crtskateboards@gmail.
com.
coming sport which combines elements
of both frisbee and football. Players must
advance through the field by throwing the
frisbee to a team mate. Should the pass be
incomplete or intercepted by the other
team there is an automatic switch of posession. As such the game is quite fast paced.
Currently USA Ultimate is the main national organization for Ultimate Frisbee
and organizes championships and tournaments in every state. The Maryland championships are held in Catonsville.
Ultimate Frisbee in Urbana started
humbly about two years ago when Sid Vanam, a rising junior at Urbana High School
(UHS), and a couple friends started tossing
an old Frisbee they had found in his garage. Inspired by YouTube videos showing
outrageous stunts and frisbee tricks, Vanam
and his friends started playing Ultimate
Frisbee games and honing their skills. The
game exploded and now around 30 different players gather to participate. Ultimate
Frisbee in Urbana has yet to participate in
a formal league. However, games are usually held on Friday evenings at Centerville
Elementary School. Vanam said he plans to
create an official Ultimate Frisbee team at
Urbana High to compete against local high
schools and those in neighboring counties.
One Friday evening, a player threw
the Frisbee so it barely hovered over the
ground and traversed the distance of the
entire field. Another spectacle included
one player who threw the frisbee in a boomerang fashion so it ricocheted back.
from page 24
Photo | Kristy Crawford
Mark Williams skates into the Urbana Park and Ride on
July 26, welcomed by friends and family.
LEARN TO
SPEAK SPANISH!
Urbana location opening in September
Spanish Educational Center
3409-A Urbana Pike
Frederick, MD 21704
410-988-0749
Information and Registration
www.ispeakspanishtoday.com
from page 24
August 2014
One veteran player is Gareth Weakly,
a recently graduated senior from UHS.
Weakly started playing Ultimate Frisbee
in elementary school while he lived in Illinois. He rediscovered his passion for the
sport in his freshman and sophomore years
of high school; he was part of his school’s
team that advanced to states before moving to Urbana. Weakly said he loves the
sport for its action and strategy but above
all he loves the pure spirit of the game.
Ultimate Frisbee is almost always self refereed; therefore, according to Weakley,
players build an innate trust in each other.
Weakly’s tip for a rookie is to learn how to
throw both forehand and backhand shots
as well as learning to curve the frisbee in a
controlled manner.
Yet, this game isn’t just for the veterans.
Navneeth Babra, a rising junior at Urbana High, is a relatively new player to the
game. He said he only grudgingly started
playing because his friends kept asking him
to come. He quickly found out however
that it was a fast paced and vigorous game
that was extremely entertaining. Babra said
his favorite part of the game is fast break
plays. He said Ultimate is his new favorite
athletic hobby. He plans to continue playing it after high school. The frisbees soar
high above the fields of Centerville Elementary School; as do the hopes of a new
five-star Urbana Frisbee team.
Editor's Note: Rishub Nahar is a rising sophomore at Urbana High School. His favorite subject is economics and in his spare time, Nahar
loves to play tennis. He lives in the Villages of
Urbana.
The Town Courier
August 2014
Page 27
Eric Steinhoff
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SteinhoffProperties.com
[email protected]
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Page 28
The Town Courier
August 2014
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