The Deep Creek Blog

Tom Wallisch Wins Gold at Winter X Games

The Pittsburgh Tribune Review has an article on  Tom Wallisch and his recent Gold at the Winter X Games.   Wallisch is a native of Pittsburgh and started out at Wisp as a kid.   If you missed it, here's a video from the event. 

 

Garrett Chamber Holds Scavenger Hunt December 7-23

Win Prizes & Take Advantage of Check-In Discounts & Giveaways

As part of a campaign to help promote local businesses, the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce is holding a Scavenger Hunt from December 7 - December 23. Local residents are encouraged to visit fifteen participating area businesses to take advantage of Foursquare check-in discounts and giveaways while completing the Scavenger Hunt with an opportunity to win prizes.

The campaign is a community-wide initiative utilizing the social media application Foursquare which is used by people to “check-in” from different locations. Users of Foursquare can alert friends of where they are and business can promote their establishment and reward loyal customers. The application is free and is one of the newest and fastest growing social media tools.

To participate in the Scavenger Hunt, download the Foursquare app to your mobile device and go on line to visitdeepcreek.com to view the list of participating businesses, their check-in offers and prizes. You must then check-in to, and take a photo of, each business listed and post the photos onto each business’ Foursquare page. As some businesses have specific photo requirements, please read each offer carefully.

After completing the list, stop into the Garrett County Visitors Center to have the check-ins and photos verified. The first sixteen entrants verified by the Visitors Center will select their choice of one of the prizes, available only on a first-come, first-serve basis.   After all 16 prizes are claimed, the contest ends.

For complete contest rules and details, please visit www.visitdeepcreek.com, or call the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce at 301.387.4386.

Garrett Chamber to Launch Community -Wide Social Media Campaign

Social Media Workshop Scheduled for November 18

The Garrett County Chamber of Commerce is launching a community-wide campaign to help promote local businesses. By utilizing social media, specifically the check-in application Foursquare, the Chamber will work with local businesses to help them attract customers.

Because local business involvement is a critical component of this campaign, the Chamber will host a workshop on November 18 to explain the campaign and provide hands-on training to businesses. The Social Media Workshop will be held in a computer lab at Garrett College from 8:30 to 11:30 am. The first stage of the campaign will launch two weeks after the workshop.

“Social media can be an extremely beneficial tool for business promotion when used correctly,” said Nicole Christian, President & CEO of the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce. “That’s why we are going to provide hands-on training to our local businesses so that they can be active participants in this new campaign and reap the most benefits.”

The campaign being launched is a community-wide initiative utilizing the social media application Foursquare which is used by people to “check-in” from area locations. Individual users of Foursquare can alert friends of where they are and business users can promote their establishment and reward loyal customers. The application is free and is one of the newest and fastest growing social media tools.

“The campaign will start out on a local level using Foursquare to help encourage Garrett County residents to patronize local establishments,” said Christian. “Once local participation has taken root, it will help to fuel the use of Foursquare by visitors to Garrett County.”

The workshop will also touch on Facebook and Twitter but is not an introductory course. Those unfamiliar with basic social media skills are recommended to take a precursor social media class. The cost to attend the workshop is $10 for Chamber members and $20 for non-members. However, businesses must be a Chamber member to participate in the community-wide campaign. Due to the limited seating in the computer lab, reservations are required. Walk-ins will not be accepted. Reservations can be made online at www.visitdeepcreek.com or by calling Charlotte at 301.387.6171.

 

Check out the Honi Blog

The Honi Blog is a new addition to our Blogroll.  Check it out for up to date happenings at the Honi-Honi Bar. 

Garrett Trails Website

The Garrett Trails new website is up and running with a lot of information for anyone interested in local trails.   Visit it at www.garretttrails.org. 

MD State Parks Now Connected to Foursquare

To further expand the Maryland DNR's social media efforts, Maryland State Parks are now using the social networking platform, Foursquare, to stay connected to park visitors. Using a GPS-enabled mobile device, Foursquare can determine the user’s location to allow them to check in at any Maryland State Park.

Foursquare is a mobile- web application where members note their location and share what they are up to with others. Park visitors can download the Foursquare app using any GPS-enabled mobile device. After a visitor has checked in at the park using Foursquare, they are able to interact with other users that have checked in at the same location by sharing tips, fun ideas and photos. Users are also able to send that information to their Twitter and Facebook accounts using the Foursquare app.

Although the social networking site is mostly for fun, it can also be a lucrative competition. Some places give the most frequent users the chance to earn prizes and rewards. Participants who check in the most at any one location become the “mayor” of that location on Foursquare. In the future, Maryland State Parks will begin offering incentives to those who check in.

Visit the Maryland State Parks Foursquare homepage at https://foursquare.com/mdstateparks to open an account and get started. Visitors who already have the app installed on their phones can search for the park they are visiting and check in.

To keep up with Maryland State Parks, follow @MDStateParks on Twitter and “like” Maryland State Parks on Facebook.

Maryland’s State Parks not only provide great outdoor recreation for Marylanders and visitors, they are also a great asset to State and local economies. According to a recent study, conducted in partnership with the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development, the Maryland Office of Tourism Development and the Maryland Association of Destination Marketing Organizations, Maryland State Parks have an estimated annual economic benefit of more than $650 million. In 2010, visitors directly spent more than $567 million locally — $25.56 locally for every dollar the State invests in State Parks —during their visits. And almost 95 percent of visitors had their expectations met or exceeded during visits.

Confused About the Weather in Garrett County?

You  might have been if you were checking Accuweather recently.  According to Frank Roylance's Weather Blog, there were some misprints on temperatures for Garrett County recently.  All has been corrected according to the blog.  Today is reporting in at an expected 73 degrees.  Now that sounds more like it.  

Garrett County Weather

This is the time of year when thoughts around here turn particularly towards the weather.  I like this new site - Garrett County Weather.  

Win a Deep Creek Lake Kayak Tour & Lesson with Casey Eichfeld on EBay

High Mountain Sports is auctioning off a Deep Creek Lake Kayak Tour & Lesson with Olympian Casey Eichfeld on EBay.Olympic whitewater paddler Casey Eichfeld will be giving a private flatwater kayak lesson/tour to a few special guests on Deep Creek Lake. All proceeds go toward supporting him as a whitewater athlete. The tour includes all necessary equipment including: a kayak, life vest, and paddle from High Mountain Sports. The 1 hour tour/lesson will start at 8:30 AM on Saturday July 31st and the winning bidder may bring up to five guests.  Traders Coffee House will provide pastries and beverages before or after the tour. If there are substantial competing bids they will consider a second chance offer to the second highest bid. The Auction ends on July 28. 

High Mountain Sports spokesperson Steven Green commented “We are excited for this opportunity to help an Olympian who has been training in our backyard.  We were discussing fundraising for his Olympic Training Fund with Oakland resident Sarah Anderson and were super stoked to come up with this idea to help out Casey.

Mountain Maryland Photo Facebook Photo Contest

The Mountain Maryland Facebook Page is looking for a photo to use as the page's logo for the month of August.  In addition to exposure on Facebook, the winning photographer gets two tickets for a ride on the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad.  Visit the Mountain Maryland Facebook Page for more details. . The deadline is July 15, so act fast. 

Around Deep Creek Lake

Around Deep Creek Lake is a new public service website created by the folks at Ridgeview Valley.  The goal is to provide an all inclusive list of events going on around Deep Creek Lake and Garrett County.  It also gives users the ability to upload events.  Visit the site at www.arounddeepcreeklake.com and pass it on.

The Garrett County Google Video

Here's the Garrett County Google Video created by Mountainstone Media. Lots of familiar faces. Nice job.

Help Garrett County Win an Ultra High Speed Network

Click Here to Sign the Petition:
http://fiber.garrettcounty.org/form.php

Click Here to Nominate Garrett County with Google
https://www.google.com/appserve/fiberrfi/public/options

From The Republican  last week:

The Board of Garrett County Commissioners announced that it will submit an application to partner with Google to build an ultra high speed fiber-to-the-home broadband network in Garrett County.

On February 10, 2010, Google announced a nationwide Request for Information soliciting proposals from communities across the USA to design, build and test the 1 billion bit per second (1 Giga bps) network, and offer service to at least 50,000 and potentially 500,000 people in selected communities. 

Google’s goals are to develop “next generation” applications in education, medicine, social networking, as well as areas not even imagined yet. In addition, Google wants to test new ways to build and deploy fiber networks, and share knowledge gained with the world. Finally, Google will operate the network as “open access” giving users the choice of multiple service-providers, in an open, non-discriminatory and transparent environment.

Applications must be submitted on line at the Google Fiber for Communities website, www.google.com/appserve/fiberrfi. Google encourages residents of communities submitting an application to support their application through the website, using the “Nominate Your Community” button on the site. The Garrett County application is titled “Garrett Google Fiber Network”, and this name should be used to identify resident support for the application. The deadline for application submission is March 26, 2010.

The Garrett County application team will be directed by the County’s IT and Economic Development departments, and will also involve active participation with the Garrett County Board of Education, Garrett College, Garrett County Memorial Hospital, Ruth Enlow Library, Garrett Community Action Committee, Garrett County Chamber of Commerce, as well as various County department heads and local technology businesses.

The County has established a website and a toll free phone line dedicated to the Garrett Google Fiber Network application, and will update progress on a regular basis. Residents can submit suggestions, comments and questions at the site: http://fiber.garrettcounty.org, or on the phone at 1-866-403-5982.

Board of County Commissioners Chairman Ernie Gregg commented that “we are very excited about the possibility of bringing this level of technical high speed internet connectivity to various sectors of the County.   The County Departments of Economic Development and Information Technology should be commended for their efforts to compile and complete this application”.

Take a Tweethike with MDtrails

If you're interested in learning more about places to hike, bike, paddle, ski, snowshoe..well just about any outdoor activity that involves a trail, you'll want to visit MDtrails.com  Created by Leo Edmiston-Cyr, MD Trails is an interactive website devoted to providing comprehensive information regarding all trails in Maryland. 

The site offers some interesting ways to get trail information, including the use of social media along with visitor participation and contribution.  Below are some of the features the site offers. 

Tweethikes -  Tweethikes allow you to follow hikes in real time via Twitter as contributors make their way along a trail.  The Tweethike provides useful information for anyone planning to visit the trail in the future.  Even if you're not planning an imminent hike, they still make for an interesting read.   To find a Garrett County trail, visit the "Tags" link and look for "Garrett County".  You'll find aTweethike up on the Meadow Mountain Trail at the Deep Creek Lake State Park as well as Lostland and New Germany State Park.

Trailvoice allows individuals to "adopt" a trail - that is contribute information and keeping information on the site current regarding the trail. 

Trail Talk allows the end user to participate by providing details from their own experiences out on the Maryland trails.

Featured Trail gives businesses an opportunity to sponsor a trail that they are on or nearby.  The business will be featured on the sites trail map, gaining great exposure with folks passing through the area.

Take some time to visit www.mdtrails.com before you set out on your next adventure. 

Deep Creek Weather

Welcome Deep Creek Weather to The Deep Creek Blog.  Deep Creek Weather, created by Mountainstone Media, is a site providing comprehensive weather information for Deep Creek Lake, complete with a live cam.  Weather conditions at Deep Creek Lake are now one click away from every Deep Creek Blog page.  ________________________________________________________________________________________