Journalist @baltimoresun writer artist runner #amwriting Chaplain PIO #partylikeajournalist

Journalist @baltimoresun writer artist runner #amwriting Chaplain PIO #partylikeajournalist
Journalist @baltimoresun writer artist runner #amwriting Md Troopers Assoc #20 & Westminster Md Fire Dept Chaplain PIO #partylikeajournalist
Showing posts with label Journalists Allen-Bob. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Journalists Allen-Bob. Show all posts

Saturday, May 26, 2012

'Skip' Amass leads the charge for Westminster's 145th Memorial Day observance

'Skip' Amass leads the charge for Westminster's 145th Memorial Day observance



Keeping the focus on community, service ... and good weather

By Bob Allen May 25, 2012

Not long after the sun comes up on Memorial Day, and hours before Westminster's 145th Memorial Day parade kicks off at 9:30 a.m., Arnold "Skip" Amass will be on site, helping set up the TV cameras and tying up last-minute loose ends.

Most of all, he'll be praying for good weather during an event that he's been busy planning almost from the moment that last year's 144th Memorial Day parade wrapped up.

"To give you some idea of the scope of this project, the committee that's working on this with me has about 145 people on it," said Amass, who for the past 15 years has also been the voice of the parade, providing commentary for Carroll County's public access TV channel 19's live coverage of the event.

This is the first year he's taken on the far more demanding role of principal coordinator.


"The people on the committee, who meet at the American Legion, represent just about every organization and every government in the county, including the library, the farm museum, the police departments," said Amass, 80, himself a Korean War veteran and long-time member of Westminster's Carroll Post 31 American Legion Post.

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Eagle Archive: Wampler's life of service made him an apt participant on #Westminster #Memorial Day http://tinyurl.com/7vojfmx


Atlee Wampler was a tall man who maintained a military bearing forged in heavy combat throughout WWII, all his life

Wampler served as the #Westminster #Carroll Co #Memorial Day parade marshall from 1947 until his death in 1991 http://tinyurl.com/7vojfmx


On May 28, Carroll County and Westminster will mark the 145th observance of Memorial Day with an expanded parade and three-days of activities — thanks to all the hard work of American Legion Carroll Post No. 31 and leaders like Skip Amass, coordinator of this year's activities.

The tradition of the parade and ceremony in Westminster began in 1868, when Mary Bostwick Shellman followed General John A. Logan's May 5, 1868, General Order No. 11 — which called upon people to adorn the graves of Union soldiers with flowers.

She gathered a group of schoolchildren for that task, and they walked from the old schoolhouse on Center Street to Westminster Cemetery.

As with all the many stories in Carroll, the hands and hearts of countless individuals and community organizations have guided and nurtured the observances over the years. The list is long and celebrated.

However, one of the names historically synonymous with Memorial Day is particularly worthy of note — Atlee Willis Wampler Jr… READ MORE: http://www.baltimoresun.com/explore/carroll/news/ph-ce-eagle-archive-0520-20120519,0,5649787.story



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Recently on Explore Carroll and Eagle Archives - by Kevin Dayhoff http://tinyurl.com/7q46ksr



[20120526 To those who serve thank you] http://tinyurl.com/7q46ksr
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Reflections on #Memorial Day by Kevin E. Dayhoff http://tinyurl.com/br3hams The Tentacle Wednesday, May 23, 2012

The Tentacle Wednesday, May 23, 2012 Reflections on #Memorial Day by Kevin E. Dayhoff http://tinyurl.com/br3hams



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Recently on Explore Carroll and Eagle Archives - by Kevin Dayhoff http://tinyurl.com/7q46ksr



[20120526 To those who serve thank you] http://tinyurl.com/7q46ksr

To those who serve thank you http://tinyurl.com/7q46ksr

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Reflections on #Memorial Day by Kevin E. Dayhoff http://tinyurl.com/br3hams The Tentacle Wednesday, May 23, 2012

The Tentacle Wednesday, May 23, 2012 Reflections on #Memorial Day by Kevin E. Dayhoff http://tinyurl.com/br3hams



Next Monday is Memorial Day. For many it is more than a holiday, it is a day when we gather as a community to express our gratitude to our country’s men and women in uniform, who by their sacrifice cannot be with us to enjoy the day… http://www.thetentacle.com/ShowArticle.cfm?mydocid=5122

This year, Westminster and Carroll County will mark its 145th observance of Memorial Day with an expanded parade and four-days of activities.

The tradition of the parade and ceremony in Westminster began in 1868, when Mary Bostwick Shellman followed General John A. Logan’s May 5, 1868, General Order No. 11 to adorn the graves of Union soldiers with flowers. She gathered a group of schoolchildren for the task and they walked from the old schoolhouse on Center Street to Westminster Cemetery.

[…]

Last week I wrote about a local community leader, Atlee Willis Wampler, Jr., who served as the Westminster Memorial Day parade marshal for more than 44 years, from just after World War II until he passed away March 11, 1991.

[…]

That said, I have grown exhausted with the gut-wrenching existentialism and overwhelming fatigue that accompanies covering military funerals for the paper.

I was quite struck by a May 6 article in The Washington Post by Ian Shapira, “Barbara Robbins: A slain CIA secretary’s life and death,” about a little-known Vietnam War casualty from a bombing that occurred in Saigon March 30, 1965.

According to the article, “The CIA director revealed only a few details about the 21-year-old woman, a secretary among spies. In the agency’s annual memorial service for employees killed on the job, then-Director Leon E. Panetta announced that a new name had been inscribed with calligraphy inside the CIA’s Book of Honor: Barbara Annette Robbins, who had volunteered to go to Saigon during the Vietnam War…

[…]

The story of Ms. Robbins is compelling and evocative. Yet for me, what I found particularly haunting was the black and white picture of a very young American, in a far-off land, defending our freedoms, staring right at us.


The Tentacle Wednesday, May 23, 2012 Reflections on #Memorial Day by Kevin E. Dayhoff http://tinyurl.com/br3hams




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Saturday, December 17, 2011

Carroll County Delegation to Annapolis hears legislative wish list for 2012 Annapolis session

Delegation hears legislative wish list for 2012 Annapolis session

Firefighter renew call for casino nights as fundraisers

By Bob Allen December 14, 2011


Carroll County's Delegation to Annapolis was presented this week with a pre-holiday wish list of proposed legislation — some old, some new — to introduce during the 2012 General Assembly.

At a hearing on Dec. 13 at the County Office Building in Westminster, local officials and residents offered their input on bills that would specifically impact Carroll County.

The Annapolis session opens on Jan. 11, and legislators annually hear comments on bill proposals before deciding whether to support or oppose measures when the session gets under way… http://www.baltimoresun.com/explore/carroll/news/ph-ce-delegation-meet-1218-20111214,0,7811250.story

20111214 BAllen Del hears Leg wish list

Related



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Saturday, May 08, 2010

Conspiracy Theories by Bob Allen

Conspiracy Theories

*****

Kevin Dayhoff Soundtrack: http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/ = http://www.kevindayhoff.net/ Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/ or http://kevindayhoffart.com/ = http://www.kevindayhoff.com/ Kevin Dayhoff Westminster: http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/ or http://www.westgov.net/ = www.kevindayhoff.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevindayhoff Twitpic: http://twitpic.com/photos/kevindayhoff Kevin Dayhoff's The New Bedford Herald: http://kbetrue.livejournal.com/ = www.newbedfordherald.net Explore Carroll: www.explorecarroll.com The Tentacle: www.thetentacle.com

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Bob Allen: Hundreds turn out for Tax Day Tea Party

Hundreds turn out for Tax Day Tea Party in Westminster (20090415 Westminster Tea Party)

Carroll County protestors take a colonial style stand

By Bob Allen Posted on
www.explorecarroll.com 4/17/09

Motorists driving along Route 140 in Westminster, April 15, were greeted with a very noisy, colorful and unusual spectacle.

Several hundred protesters -- a large number of them middle-aged and older -- braved the rain and chill to stand along the north shoulder of the highway, from the Church of the Open Door two blocks to the intersection of Gorsuch Road.

They were taking part in an event billed as a Tax Day Tea Party, one of several held across Maryland and across the nation April 15.


More: Hundreds turn out for Tax Day Tea Party in Westminster

20090417 Bob Allen: Hundreds turn out for Tax Day Tea Party

http://explorecarroll.com/news/2762/hundreds-turn-tax-day-tea-party-westminster/#comment-73

And more from Bob Allen on http://www.explorecarroll.com/

BERC seminars aim to turn the tide of unemployment
Published April 17, 2009 by Carroll Eagle
The 30 or so people attending one of two all-day workshops last month at the Carroll County Business and Employment Resource Center are just a handful of names and faces behind the recent headlines. An estimated 4.4 million Americans have lost their jobs ... ...

Act of 'Passion'
Published April 12, 2009 by Carroll Eagle
It's 6 p.m. on a Sunday, and kids are drifting into St. Bartholomew Catholic Church, in Manchester. At the end of this sunny day, the shadows across the lawn outside are beginning to soften and fade in the impending twilight. Inside, things aren't quite ... ...


Kevin Dayhoff: http://www.westgov.net/ Westminster Maryland Online http://www.westminstermarylandonline.net/ http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/

Kevin Dayhoff www.kevindayhoff.net http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Arnold is Westminster's Police Officer of the Year

http://www.explorecarroll.com/news/2569/citys-top-cop-has-record-excellence/

From
subscriber services email print comment

(Enlarge) Westminster Police Chief Jeff Spaulding, left, congratulates Officer Steve Arnold, center, as Officer of the Year, as Arnold’s wife Diana Arnold, right, looks on. In previous years, Arnold has received the department’s Volunteer of the Year and Civilian of the Year honors. (Staff photo by Go Takayama)

At the Westminster Police Department's annual award ceremony, held March 16 at McDaniel College's Decker Center, Chief Jeff Spaulding said major crimes decreased by 9 percent in Westminster in 2008.

The department's 18 police officers, civilian employees and volunteers honored at the Monday afternoon ceremony were partly responsible for that decrease, he said.

"I really can't explain (the decrease) except that there's been a lot of good work done by the people in this department," Spaulding said.

The highest award, for 2008 Police Officer of the Year, went to South Carroll High School graduate, Private First Class Steve Arnold.

Spaulding detailed the eight-year department veteran's accomplishments last year. As a patrol officer, he responded to 600 calls and provided backup on more than 300 additional calls.

Arnold also took part in 116 criminal investigations, resulting in 133 arrests.

[...]

The department's 2008 Civilian of the Year award went to Karen Bullock, a nine-year veteran.

"With each passing year, Karen plays a more pivotal role in nearly every aspect of our operations," Spaulding said as he presented the award. "She is really the oil on the gears that keep me and the rest of the department working efficiently."

Additional 2008 award winners were as follows:

*Hampstead resident Cecilia Dembroski, a retired accountant who logged 176 hours last year while lending a hand with various clerical and administrative duties, earned the Volunteer of the Year Award.

*Communications Specialist Linda Knott and Corp. Radcliffe Darby were recipients of the department's 2008 Community Service Awards.

*Detective First Class Rick Lambert, PFC Will Valentine, Lt. Kenny Carlisle and volunteer Zack Zumwald received Chief's Commendation Awards for exemplary work in various specialties.

*The Chief's Challenge Award for top DUI enforcement went to Cpl. Jesse Clagett.

*The Chief's Challenge Award for top total law enforcement was presented to Officer Michael Beaumont.

There were six additional recipients of Chief's Challenge Awards -- Lt. Douglas Johnston, Sgt. Michael Bible, PFC Michael Beaumont, PFC Ronald Garner, PFC Adam Laser and PFC Steve Launchi.

Top Shooter Award went to PFC Steve Launchi, who turned in the department's top 2008 score on the shooting range ... 100 percent.

[...]

http://www.explorecarroll.com/news/2569/citys-top-cop-has-record-excellence/

*****

Kevin Dayhoff Soundtrack: http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/ = http://www.kevindayhoff.net/ Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/ or http://kevindayhoffart.com/ = http://www.kevindayhoff.com/ Kevin Dayhoff Westminster: http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/ or http://www.westgov.net/ = www.kevindayhoff.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevindayhoff Twitpic: http://twitpic.com/photos/kevindayhoff Kevin Dayhoff's The New Bedford Herald: http://kbetrue.livejournal.com/ = www.newbedfordherald.net Explore Carroll: www.explorecarroll.com The Tentacle: www.thetentacle.com

Monday, March 09, 2009

Recent Explore Carroll articles by Bob Allen

Recent Explore Carroll articles by Bob Allen
http://explorecarroll.com/
March 9, 2009

Detention Center reopens after meningitis scare

Published March 6, 2009 by Sunday Carroll Eagle, Westminster Eagle
The Carroll County Detention Center has been given a clean bill of health after being placed under quarantine when a Westminster man died suddenly after he was released there Wednesday..Sections of the center in Westminster were placed under quarantine on ... ...


Sweet Rite

Maple Sugarin' Festival at Hashawha carries promise of spring ... and syrup

Published March 6, 2009 by Sunday Carroll Eagle

Sunday, March 1, was one of those days when late winter and early spring seem to collide. Even though here and there, a couple of evenings earlier, an early-bird frog or two was actually singing, March arrived with subfreezing temperatures and an inch or ... ...


New chapter for books, community college

Published March 4, 2009 by Westminster Eagle
Steven Wantz, executive director of the Carroll Community College Foundation, describes the Random House Book Fair, held on the Westminster college campus for the past 11 years, as both a fund-raising and a friend-raising event. "Over the past 12 ... ...


Mission of Mercy raises awareness of health needs

Published February 27, 2009 by Sunday Carroll Eagle
Mission of Mercy, a nonprofit that provides free health care to Carroll County residents who could not otherwise afford it, is holding a series of open houses to give the public an inside look at its operations and — hopefully in the minds of ... ...


Ridgely hopes to help county embrace 'green' objectives

Published February 27, 2009 by Sunday Carroll Eagle
Neil Ridgely knows his job description as Carroll County's first "sustainability coordinator" raises a few hackles and runs up some political red flags. "Since taking this job (in January) I've had to ask myself every day, 'What is ... ...

20090309 SDOSM Recent Explore Carroll articles by Bob Allen
Kevin Dayhoff www.kevindayhoff.net http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/

Mission of Mercy raises awareness of health needs


Mission of Mercy raises awareness of health needs

Published in
http://explorecarroll.com/news/2461/news-briefs/ on 03/04/2009

Mission of Mercy, a nonprofit that provides free health care to Carroll County residents who could not otherwise afford it, is holding a series of open houses to give the public an inside look at its operations and — hopefully in the minds of administrators — inspire more individuals to donate or volunteer.

The free, one-hour tours, dubbed Coffee with MOM, include a continental breakfast. They will be held at the Barrell House, 10 Distillery Drive, Westminster, where Mission of Mercy's mobile clinic treats medical and dental patients on its periodic stops in Westminster.

The dates are March 4 and 18, April 15 and 29 and May 6 and 27.

Mission of Mercy's client load has spiked as the economy has worsened.

The organization needs doctors and dentists who can volunteer a day or two a month, and also nurses to staff clinics. The operation also needs monetary donations.

MOM officials said clients include not just the unemployed, but also those who are employed but are still either uninsured or under-insured, insofar as they cannot afford their co-payments or need treatment not covered by insurance.

Those interested in attending a Coffee with MOM open house should call 410-857-4811.

Information is also available at
www.aMissionofMercy.org.
— Bob Allen


20090304 Mission of Mercy raises awareness of health needs
SDOSM 20090309

Kevin Dayhoff www.kevindayhoff.net http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/

Friday, March 06, 2009

Annual Random House Carroll Community College Book Fair article by Bob Allen

New chapter for books, community college By Bob Allen

Random House Book Fair also includes movies

Posted on http://explorecarroll.com on 3/04/09

Steven Wantz, executive director of the Carroll Community College Foundation, describes the Random House Book Fair, held on the Westminster college campus for the past 11 years, as both a fund-raising and a friend-raising event.

"Over the past 12 years, it has raised over $200,000," Wantz said of the fair, which takes place Friday, March 6 and Saturday, March 7.

Proceeds from the two-day fair provide scholarships and financial aid to the college's students. In recent years, the fair has drawn about 3,500 people to the campus.

"It's an opportunity for people who have never been on our campus -- or who don't get here very often — to come out and get a peek at an institution that our county commissioners have described as 'the gem of Carroll County,' " Wantz said.

"People can come out and see what's changed and what's new here," he added. "Elements of the book fair (see related article "Books are back in town" for full schedule) are spread throughout the campus, so they get to see what's going on around the college."

Wantz said that in the past five or six years, he and his colleagues at the foundation have gone to great lengths to make the fair a family-oriented event. The Saturday schedule, for example, features a children's activities area ($2), and free events including story times, science presentations and even free children's books, while supplies last.

The emphasis, he said, is "creating a passion for reading in young people."

"There are so many activities this year for young families that you'll need at least a couple of hours to experience the whole thing," he added.

"We're hoping that at this point of the winter, people are fed up with being stuck at home and will come spend the day with us," Wantz said.

In recent years, one of the fair's most successful draws is the Friday night movie at the college's Scott Theater. This year, the Walt Disney movie "Bolt," will be featured — twice.

"We actually sold out and had to turn people away from the movie for the past two years," Wantz recalled. "So this year, we're having two showings, one at 4 p.m. and another at 7 p.m.

"Also, 'Bolt' isn't out yet on DVD, so you can come out to the college and still see it on the big screen," he added.

Wantz said it's yet another barometer of the book fair's appeal that many authors and vendors return year after year.

One of these is John Hoffert, a Hanover, Pa., resident who has written several thrillers, including "The Zero Factor," "Aphrodite's Redemption" and "The Time of Reckoning" — part of what he calls "The Lion" Series.

Hoffert has rented a table and been selling and signing copies of his books at the fair every year for the past five, and he'll be back again this year.

"It's a really good venue, and ... they don't charge vendors an exorbitant up-front fee," said Hoffert, who hopes to finish the latest novel in the Lion Series, "Pyrrhic Victory: The Lion's Wrath," later this year. (For an excerpt, visit
www.JohnHoffert.com.)

"As book fairs go, it's just the right size," he added. "I was at a really big book fair in Philadelphia not too long ago, and there were hoards of people, but most of them had come to see the big-name writers. Independents like me really did get lost in the shuffle.

"It's definitely much friendlier — and much more manageable," he said.


20090304 Random House Book Fair article by Bob Allen

Kevin Dayhoff www.kevindayhoff.net http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Carroll County Commissioners to get briefing on incinerator, cost


Commissioners to get briefing on incinerator, cost by Bob Allen

News Briefs

Posted on http://www.explorecarroll.com/ 2/06/09

Carroll County Public Works Director Mike Evans said this week that the deal for a proposed waste-to-energy incinerator to be used by Carroll and Frederick counties is still "attractive" to the county, even though the cost of the project has risen from $332 million to $527 million.

That's because Carroll County's share, he said, will be 40 percent of that -- and hasn't really risen since the initial projection.

Evans said Carroll's County's share of the costs do not work out to a straight 40 percent of the projected $527 million. He added that under this latest proposal, Carroll's projected costs have not risen, but appear to actually come in slightly lower.

"The numbers get skewed pretty quickly," he said. "When you look at it from our perspective, the numbers are still very attractive."

Evans will brief the Board of County Commissioners on the project update at the board's regular meeting Thursday, Feb. 12, in Westminster.

The briefing follows a presentation last week in Frederick County by Wheelabrator Technologies, a company slated to build and operate the waste-to-energy incinerator in Frederick County.

The facility, if built, would be used by both counties.

Evans said no action will be required from the Carroll Commissioners on Feb. 12 in terms of moving ahead with the project. For one thing, the Frederick County Commissioners have not yet decided whether to accept Wheelabrator's proposal and move forward with the project.

If Frederick County does approve the project, it must then formally "invite" Carroll to join it in going forward with the planning and permitting phase "and find out if we can get a permit," said Evans.

He estimated that part of the process alone will take about two years. The site for the incinerator is slated to be in Frederick County, although no location has been formally announced.


-- Bob Allen

http://explorecarroll.com/news/2258/news-briefs/

20090206 SDOSM Commissioners to get briefing on incinerator, cost


Kevin Dayhoff www.kevindayhoff.net http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/

Thursday, January 08, 2009

Journey of history, discovery - 'Legacy' is lesson in heritage for filmmaker

Journey of history, discovery - 'Legacy' is lesson in heritage for filmmaker

By Bob Allen
ballen@patuxent.com

Posted on
http://www.explorecarroll.com/ 1/07/09

As it is with nearly every Maryland county, Carroll has its own list of historical "firsts."

In Carroll County, for instance, the first rural free delivery postal route in the nation was established (in 1899).

The very first reaping machine was invented and patented here (1839). And in 1764, the first Methodist congregation in North America met near present-day New Windsor.

Yet unlike Maryland counties such as Anne Arundel or Washington counties, Carroll did not host key events in the founding of the nation or endure the trauma of a major Civil War battle.

That's why veteran filmmaker and Westminster resident Marilyn Maguire assumed a more grassroots perspective in 2007 when she began mapping out "Carroll County's Legacy," her recently completed 58-minute-long video history of her adopted home county.

"Joe Getty (one of numerous local historians interviewed in 'Carroll County's Legacy') has the perfect line that you hear very early in the film," Maguire explains.

Getty, in recounting the various waves of English, Irish and Pennsylvania-Germans who comprised the county's earliest white inhabitants, notes:

"The history of Carroll County is the history of everyday life, of ordinary people doing ordinary things, and so when you talk about our history you're talking about the thread of everyday living in the patchwork of Carroll County's history."

[…]

Living 'Legacy'

The Carroll County Community Media Center will hold the premiere of the television documentary "Carroll County's Legacy" on Wednesday, Jan. 7, at 6 p.m., at the Community Media Center, 1301 Washington Road in Westminster. The screening will be followed by a question and answer period with the producer, Marilyn Maguire of Maryland Public Television. The premiere is free and open to the public, although reservations are requested. To RSVP, call 410-386-4415.

In addition, excerpts from "Carroll County's Legacy" can be viewed on the Carroll County History Project's Web site,
http://www.carrollhistory.org/.

DVD copies of "Carroll County's Legacy" can be purchased for $30 by calling the Community Media Center, at 410-386-4415.


Read the entire article here: Journey of history, discovery - 'Legacy' is lesson in heritage for filmmaker

20090107 Journey of history discovery by Bob Allen

http://explorecarroll.com/community/1993/journey-history-discovery/

Kevin Dayhoff E-mail him at: kdayhoff AT carr DOT org His columns appear in The Tentacle,
www.thetentacle.com; The Westminster Eagle /Eldersburg Eagle The Sunday Carroll Eagle - Opinion: http://explorecarroll.com/opinion-talk/ www.kevindayhoff.net http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/ www.westminstermarylandonline.net http://kbetrue.livejournal.com/

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

A Tomato Convocation in Westminster By Bob Allen

A Tomato Convocation in Westminster By Bob Allen


I’m a big fan of old varieties of plants and I’m Patuxent writer Bob Allen’s biggest fan – although I remain jealous over the huge novella word limits he is given by our editor, but that is the stuff of another column. On second thought, maybe not.

A Tomato Convocation in Westminster

http://explorecarroll.com/community/710/tomato-convocation/

Heirlooms are ripe for celebration By Bob Allen
ballen@patuxent.com

Posted 8/24/08

The mouthwatering magic and savory mystique of heirloom tomatoes was celebrated in Carroll County last week at a lively, tomato-inspired confabulation of food, fun and horticultural education and tomato lore.

If there had been a gaudy neon marquee advertising the Carroll County Master Gardeners' annual Heirloom Tomato Festival, it might have flashed:

"TOMATOES! TOMATOES!
NOTHING BUT...
HEIRLOOM! HEIRLOOM!
ALL THE TIME!"

Held at the Saturday, Aug. 16, Carroll County Farmers Market, the sixth annual festival was a spirited gathering of tomatoes and the people who love them, grow them, cook with them, talk about them and celebrate their merits.
But these were not just any tomatoes on parade.

In fact, the mere mention of store-bought hybrids (often distinguished by bland taste, pallid complexion and cardboard-like pulpiness) was met by good-natured disdain.

To most master gardeners, the only kind of tomato worthy of salt, vinegar, garlic, basil, olive oil and salad dressing is a genuine, home-grown heirloom.

Indeed, heirlooms are the true hall of famers of the tomato world.

[…]

An heirloom is a pure-bred tomato that has been established and kept true to its specific variety, with its gene pool unsullied by hybridization for least 50 years.

The master gardeners on hand at the Heirloom Tomato Festival provided fresh, juicy samples of the colorful-looking and even more colorfully named array of heirlooms from their back yard and side lot tomato patches -- Goliaths, Bullhearts, Hillbillies, Blackrims, Siberians, German Greens, German Johnsons, Aunt Rubies, Belgian Pinks, Brandywines, Polish Linguisas and a host of others.

[…]

All proceeds went to a special agriculture education scholarship fund set up by Carroll County Master Gardeners.

Maryanne Turner, president of Carroll County Master Gardeners, the local chapter of the state-wide volunteer training program coordinated by the University of Maryland Cooperative Extension, was doling out bite-sized samples of her green tomato pie, which were gobbled nearly as quickly as she could scoop them into little paper cups and put them on the counter.

[…]

For more on the Master Gardeners program, or to learn how to get a copy of the tomato recipe booklet, call Steve Allgeier at the Carroll County Extension Office at 410-386-2760.


You can read the rest of Mr. Allen’s mouthwatering novella, complete with recipes, here:
A Tomato Convocation in Westminster

http://explorecarroll.com/community/710/tomato-convocation/

20080824 A Tomato Convocation in Westminster By Bob Allen