(7/1) The Maryland Municipal League Summer Conference is being held from June 22 - 25 in Ocean City. The MML holds two Conferences through the year and this one is by far the best attended, my guess is because it is in Ocean City. We will be attending three days of meeting and discussion that range from the opioid epidemic, to planning and zoning tips, to consensus building, to infrastructure concern, to running well organized meetings, to, well you can see it’s a little bit of everything.

The discussions are always very helpful and it is good to sit with 50 or 60 other elected officials and discuss these topics. There is always someone that has had experience and is able to shed some light on even the most difficult topics. The MML elects a new Board of Directors and President at the Summer Conference and I have been helping with the voting for several years.

When I first started attending the Conference I was worried that the larger municipalities would hold an undue influence over the MML but boy was I wrong! Two years ago Jake Romanell was elected President, he served as a councilmember from New Market. This year Perry Jones from Union Bridge is running for President Elect. So in a short span of four years our MML President will have come from two of our smallest municipalities. The absolute best thing about attending the Summer Conference is that when we sit in on discussions we find that every community has similar issues, and it is reassuring to me that most have much greater problems than we have in Thurmont or Emmitsburg!

Summer has arrived and with it comes our great Main Street Farmers Market. The Market is held every Saturday morning in the Municipal Parking lot on Center Street. This year’s vendors will have a great selection of fresh vegetables, fruit, meat, handmade goods, and delicious baked items. Be sure to stop by early for the best selection!

A reminder that the Guardian Hose Company Carnival will be held the week of July 8th. There is still time to get presale all you can ride tickets and be sure to get to the parade to see the Best Parade in Frederick County.

On Saturday, June 22nd we held our First Annual Gateway to the Cure Golf Tournament. The event was well attended and has been declared a great success. The proceeds from tournament will go to our annual community donation to the Hurwitz Breast Cancer Fund at Frederick Memorial Hospital. To date the residents of Thurmont have donated over $60,000 to FMH to help with treatment and research. We dedicated this year’s tournament to the memory of Jill Hooper. Jill was always very active in our community and worked hard to help raise funds for the Cure.

School is out and our children will be outdoors playing, riding bikes and skateboarding. Please keep an eye out for the youngsters as you drive our streets, they may not always be aware of their surroundings. As always, I can be reached at 301-606-9458 or by email at jkinnaird@thurmont.com