Written By Lisa Breslin
Thanks to the sleuthing of Joe Camlin, a 16-year-old junior at Winters Mill High School, Charlie Fisher, Jr. had a reunion with his class ring in Westminster this summer. How the ring dropped from Fisher’s finger and ended up in the down spout of a 65-year-old home at 202 E. Main Street no one knows.
During a renovation project, Camlin was cleaning out the downspout – filled with mud, leaves, beer cans and other unidentifiable refuse – and the ring fell out. Its shimmer caught Camlin’s eye. Camlin meticulously cleaned the ring until the initials “OCF Jr” were clear – as was the fact that it was from Loyola College, Class of 1965.
A few calls to the alumni association later, Camlin discovered that the owner was practically his neighbor, or at least his father’s neighbor.
Fisher, an attorney, works at 179 E. Main Street in Westminster, and Joe’s father, Dean Camlin, has an architectural firm located at 182 E. Main Street.
“I remember losing the ring about 20 years ago, but I have no idea how it ended up in that spout,” said Fisher. “I spent a lot of time at Cockeys Tavern which used to be nearby, but it’s still a mystery. It is great to have the ring back. And the ring is in mint condition. I’m very grateful.”
Bearing Bows to South Dakota
For two summers now, Merle Brilhart and his brother, Bob, have journeyed to the Cheyenne River Reservation at Bridger, South Dakota to teach the art of making wooden or sinew-back bows to native Americans.
The first summer they journeyed to South Dakota, approximately six youths participated in their workshop. Then word traveled, and this year 50 people of all ages from the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, the Yankton tribe and Native Americans from Rapid City either built bows for the first time, or perfected a craft they have cherished for years. In a snapshot (above) that the brothers took on site, five workshop participants proudly display the bows they made.
“I guess it’s a little ironic that we are teaching, or re-teaching a skill, that had been part of their culture for so long, but it has been so rewarding,” said Merle, who is a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Manchester, as well as the Professional Bowhunters Society and the Compton Bowhunters Society. “It may seem as if people are so very different, but experiences like this remind us that people from diverse cultures have so much in common.”
Getting the Lead Out
This September Carroll County Government put together an educational video about Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (MTBE), a fuel additive that oxygenates gasoline to reduce smog and other toxic compounds.
What is good for the air is not good for the ground. Since the late ’90s, there has been a growing concern in Carroll County about MTBE emissions from underground fuel tanks, including those used for home heating oil as well as car fuel.
“The county Environmental Advisory Council and the health department asked us to help them produce a video that educates the public about MTBE contamination as well as testing and remediation,” said Chris Swam (above), the county’s media production specialist. “Public water is protected, but many people have private wells. The best line of defense is for folks with private wells to test them regularly.”
The educational video, titled “MTBE: Get the Lead Out,” can be seen on Channel 24 throughout October and November. See The Carroll Guide at local libraries for more information.
Nothing Beats the Drums – or Jazz
Patrick Bubert (left), son of Howdy and Martha Bubert of Westminster, has been playing with a jazz group called the Alex Band Trio, which is comprised of musicians from the Maryland All State Jazz Band. This year they have really taken off. They’ve performed all over the area, playing in such places as the Baltimore Washington Jazz Festival, the Columbia Arts Festival, Artscape and the Italian Embassy.
When he is not performing or working as a graphic designer for his dad (he designed the MedStar Health LED ring for the Raven’s Stadium), Patrick is building custom-made drums. Over the summer, he worked on 11 drums, including custom-built instruments, ranging from snares to full sets.
“I know that people worry that I’m always running from job to job, but I live to perform,” said Patrick. “Even if I’m exhausted, as soon as I sit down to play, I know there’s nothing better. It’s all worth it.”
Patrick attends University of North Texas, where he is working toward a degree in jazz performance.
What We Did Last Summer
Cartoon menace Calvin once told his friend Hobbes, “There’s never enough time to do all the nothing you want.” With fall in full swing, it is hard to imagine we ever took time to do nothing – but we did. Whether it is the quiet beginning of a new day, or a moment of peace at the end of a busy one, turn back summer’s pages and remember for a moment the importance of seizing life’s moments as well as doing all the nothing you want.
1. 4-H WINNER Shannon Scott won Grand Champion Small Pet Display with her hamster, Jellybean, at Carroll County’s annual 4-H & FFA Fair. Both Shannon and her sister, Lindsey, represented Small Angels Rescue with their pets. (Photo by Karen Scott).
2. PAVING THE WAY Isabel and Flannery Bendel-Simso created paving stones in the backyard of their Westminster home. (Photo by Mary Bendel-Simso).
3. PLUNGING IN Marissa Davies, a member of the Westminster Riding Club’s Seahorses, competed at her first swim meet . (Photo by Mike Lappin).
4. SIDELINED The last thing Hunter Held expected to include in his summer vacation was an ankle-to-thigh cast. During a trip to Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia in early August, Hunter dropped from a tree swing. (Photo by Janet Hollinger).
5. BALDY PEAK This summer, Nick and Wagman and his father, Kevin, traveled to Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimmarron, New Mexico. They hiked and backpacked more than 80 miles together. Along the way, Nick and Kevin climbed to the summit of Baldy Mountain. It took them four hours to reach the peak, which is 12,441 feet high. (Photo by Nick Wagman). L.M.B.
