(8/2019) Ice Kiosk coming to Thurmont

A new ice kiosk is coming to town soon, with installation projected at the end of August. The property, located on the corner of East Main Street and Apples Church Road was previously occupied by a Bank of America but has been sitting vacant for close to five years.

Current property owner, Jeff Barber, acquired the property over a year ago and has been debating what to do with the small, oddly shaped property. Barber noted that he didn’t want to do anything that was already in town, like an ice cream shop for example, or anything that was going to be in and out of business like so many other small town startups. An ice kiosk seemed like the perfect fit for the space.

The ice kiosk, as described by Barber, is a self-contained, purified ice and water vending machine. The ice will cost about half of what traditional stores sell it for and the water is softened, and filtered through several stages for the best taste and quality. Customers will be able to utilize the kiosk 24/7 with credit card or cash. It will be a great addition to the community of Thurmont, and will be perfect for construction workers, factory workers, residents, and the ball fields located nearby.

The old bank building that occupied the space previously is currently under demolition; afterwards the lot will be repaved for the installation of the ice kiosk. Additionally, once installed, Barber will be landscaping and fixing the sidewalks surrounding the property.

Paving project underway

On Monday, July 15, the State Highway Administration (SHA) began the paving project of MD-77 (West & East Main Street) beginning at Tippin Drive and ending at MD 550. The project includes approximately two miles of milling and overlay of the east and west bound lanes as well as the shoulders through the Town of Thurmont. Residents should expect lane closures with delays and areas of no parking as the project progresses. Signs will indicate areas of no parking. Residents are asked to be patient and be aware of the contractor’s progress through Town as well as the movement of the no parking areas. The anticipated project completion date is August 30.

MHAA awards money for local heritage tourism projects

On July 11, the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority (MHAA) approved $5 million in funding for heritage tourism projects across Maryland’s thirteen certified heritage areas. In the Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area (HCWHA), eighteen local heritage tourism projects in Carroll, Frederick, and Washington Counties received grant awards totaling $796,063.

Locally, monies were granted for the town of Thurmont and Emmitsburg. The Town of Thurmont received $12,259 for the installation of two gateway signs for two of the entrances into the Town of Thurmont. The first two signs were already installed last fall, but the final two, with the help of this grant money, will be placed at the Route 15 north exit and at the end of East Main Street by the Elementary School. The Town of Emmitsburg received $12,062 for their historical wayside exhibits.

Additionally, The Catoctin Furnace Historical Society received $17,600 for the Collier Log House rehabilitation project, and $38,540 for the "Forged in Bone: Facial Reconstructions of Catoctin Furnace’s Enslaved Workers" project. The Friends of Cunningham Falls State Park and Gambrill State Park received $15,000 for the Catoctin Furnace Iron Master’s House ruins stabilization.

For each of these MHAA grants, state support is matched dollar for dollar with other funding. The total investment leveraged by these MHAA grants is more than $2.2 million in the Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area alone. For more information, contact the Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area at info@heartofthecivilwar.org or (301) 600-4031.