12-15-00

Sykesville’s new miniature train ride now has its own name and logo thanks to the effort of local graphic designer, Claudia Purkey. In response to a contest sponsored by the town of Sykesville, Mrs. Purkey proposed naming the ride “The Little Sykes Railway” and using a logo which shows the silhouette of the front of a train on a track. The train is accented with colored lights and is on a yellow background with a track-like border. The name of the railway is printed above and across the picture.

The simple but effective design is testament to the professionalism of its designer and lends itself easily to hats, T-shirts, signs or whatever other use the town personnel decide to make of it.

“I enjoy doing things for our wonderful little town. It’s my way of giving back to our community” said Mrs. Purkey. “I really didn’t expect to win, but I’m glad I did” she added.

For her efforts, Mrs. Purkey received a gift certificate to Baldwin’s Station and Pub, a fine dining restaurant housed in Sykesville’s restored railroad station.

Health and Fitness, at Carrolltown Center, and the National Dance Exercise Instructors Training Association (NDEITA), a non-profit fitness professional association, are co-sponsoring two nationally recognized workshops.

An Aerobic Certification Workshop will be held January 20 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Potential and current fitness instructors will learn basic academic and practical applications of teaching group exercise. No college science or teaching background is required. The workshop registration includes a full-day review, written exam, 2 year certificate as an aerobic instructor and membership in the NDEITA. Cost is $179 if sent in 30 days prior to the class date, $199 up to 3 days before the class, and $209 any later than that.

The second class is a Resist-a-Ball Clinic Workshop. It will be on January 21 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The resist-a-ball is a highly effective tool for group exercise and personal training. It can be used to improve balance, coordination, strength and flexibility. This course will provide hands-on training in proper execution on the ball, strength, and dynamic exercises. Instructors can earn 8 continuing education credits for taking this course. The cost is $109.

The workshops will be given at the Health and Fitness location at Carrolltown Center, 6400 Ridge road in Eldersburg. Pre-registration is important since space is limited. To register, call 1-800-AEROBIC (237-6242). For local information, call Tracy Cox at 410-549-5583 or 410-795-9101.

Nine young football players from the Sykesville-Eldersburg area were chosen to participate in the Carroll County Football League (C.C.F.L.) All-Star Games held December 9 at Urbana High School, Urbana, Maryland.

The C.C.F.L., which started as an organization of 6 teams from Carroll County, now includes teams from Frederick, Howard and Baltimore counties as well. Last Saturday, the best players from the league, chosen by their coaches, met in Urbana to compete. The top players from the east side of the league’s geographic area (the East All-Stars) played the top players from the west side of the area (the West All-Stars). There were two games: an A-Team game (11 to 13 year olds) and a B-Team game (9 to 11 year olds). Half-time entertainment at the B-Team game was provided by the Urbana Cheerleading and Dance Team.

The all-stars players who came from our area belong to the Sykesville Raiders football teams, sponsored jointly by the Freedom Area Recreation Council and the Freedom Optimists. On the B-Team were Shaun Kupfer, Jason Grau, Joshua Wynne, and Kyle Hagy. A-Team players included Bryn Holmes, John Mudrick, Zack Reeser, Josh Roskovensky, and Brendan Zuniga. The Raiders were part of the West All-Star Teams which won both games at Urbana. The B-Team, coached by Steve Ritter, won 12 to 10, and the A-Team, coached by Gino Spescia, won 17 to 6.

This is the second year the C.C.F.L. has had an all-star game. Participants this year got to keep their jerseys which were in the league’s blue and white colors.

Anyone interested in more information on the Sykesville Raiders can call 410-795-3342.

The Sykesville Gate House Museum of History is inviting residents of the area to come to the museum for an open house to be held on New Year’s Eve. The antique trains will be running, new exhibits will be on display, holiday decorations will be up and light refreshments will be served.

“It’s our way of showing our appreciation for everyone who comes by throughout the year” said Kari Greenwalt, assistant curator at the museum and hostess of the event.

The open house will run from 3 to 5 p.m. on December 31. Visitors are requested to bring a donation of a canned food item to be given to Carroll County Food Sunday. The Gate house Museum is located at 7283 Cooper Drive in Sykesville. For more information, call 410-549-5150 during regular museum hours which are 1 to 6 p.m. Sundays and Wednesdays (except December 24) and 2 to 8 p.m. Fridays.

The Labyrinth at the Bon Secours Spiritual Center will be available on New Year’s eve from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. (December 31 to January 1,2001) for all who want to walk or meditate their way into the new year. The chapel will also be available and hot chocolate will be served throughout the evening. The Jesus 2000 art exhibit, currently at the spiritual center, will have extended hours on New Year’s Eve, remaining open until 1 a.m. on New Year’s Day. Overnight accommodations can be arranged upon request.

The Bon Secours Spiritual Center serves people of all faiths. It is located at 1525 Marriottsville Road in Marriottsville. For more information, call 410-442-1320.

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TEXT BOX FOR THE HISTORIC SYKESVILLE CHRISTMAS TOUR 2000.

Over 300 people came to Sykesville last Saturday to do the Historic Sykesville Christmas Tour 2000. Armed with maps and descriptions of the various stops, they made their way to 15 different historical properties including the Sykesville Town House, the Sykesville Gate House Museum of History, Saint Barnabas Episcopal Church, Saint Joseph’s Catholic Church, the Springfield Presbyterian Church, and 10 private homes decorated for the holidays.

“I just think it’s fantastic to learn some of the local history of Sykesville” said David Gibson, a visitor from Lineboro. “The people have been very congenial about explaining the history of the houses and the improvements they’ve made” he added.

Most of the private homes were clustered in two areas of town including three Victorian style homes on Norwood Avenue and four homes in the area of Springfield and Central Avenues. The remaining three houses were located on River Road, Obrecht Road and Caracara Court.

“This is our second Sykesville tour. They’ve had different houses...People are always very gracious and knowledgeable” said Barbara Lynch of Eldersburg.

The hosts/hostesses at all the houses were kept busy greeting guests or answering questions. Refreshments such as cider and cookies were offered at some stops. “For us, it was a lot of fun to open this house because not many people had seen it as it was being ‘rescued’, and this has allowed three to four hundred people to come through” said John Quinn, owner of the Obrecht Road home.

The proceeds from the Christmas Tour 2000 will benefit Sykesville Historic District Commission Main Street rejuvenation projects such as brick crosswalks, lighting and landscaping.

“The organizers of this did a fantastic job” said Sykesville Mayor, Jonathan Herman. “[Chairwoman] Judith Klein really went above and beyond to pull this off. I think it’s a great day for Sykesville to have so many people participating in this type of event” he said.

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