Weekly Update – Page 4 – Deep Creek Lake Blog

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Happy 2014!-Wisp News

Weekly updates by Betsy Spiker Holcomb of Taylor-Made Vacations and Sales, Deep Creek Lake. We hope you are well rejuvenated from a long, holiday break! The slope conditions were great over the last few weeks and those who spent their time off here took advantage. Some big news from our household – Griffin will become a big brother in mid-June and he started walking between Christmas & New Year’s. The timing couldn’t have been better. His first major steps were taken at my in-laws home while the whole family cheered with excitement. To see him walk across the living room was magnificent!

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Happy 2014!-Wisp News

Wishing You and Your Family a Healthy and Prosperous 2014! The Holcomb’s – Bob, Betsy, Brendon, Peyton & Griffin

The arctic temperatures are here and will continue to decline sending us into a deep freeze over the next 24-48 hours. The National Weather Service has issued a Wind Chill Warning for Garrett County and schools have already been canceled for tomorrow. From the NWS web alert – as low as 50 below due to temperatures around 20 below tonight, and winds west 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 45 mph. Impacts: frost bite and hypothermia are a certainty if precautions are not taken. Icy surfaces will lead to poor driving conditions. Additional information can be found on their site and here is another good website locals use for weather http://www.garrettcollege.edu/weather/ (scroll down and click on Forecast, Garrett County, MD).

Some other important things to remember during winter advisories are your pipes and the possibility of power outages. If your home has been winterized and the pipes have been drained then I would think you have not much to worry about, but if your home has not been winterized and you are struck with a power outage it may not be a bad idea to have things checked out. To check for outages visit http://outages.firstenergycorp.com/mdwv_.html. We are all keeping our fingers crossed that no one loses power! On a brighter note, the high on Wednesday is 21°, Thursday is 33° and Friday is 42°. Just in time for the weekend!

News from Wisp Resort… The First Tracks Program has begun with chairlift 2 or 3 opening at 8AM on Saturday’s for season pass holders and multi-day ticket holders. This is a great way to get all the fresh powder and corduroy before everyone else! Also, Stage Wisp Concert Series begins this Wednesday and continues every Wednesday to February 26^th. These are free concerts held in Wispers Bar from 6:30-9:00 with performers like the ever-popular Davisson Brothers Band, Shawn Owen and The Terah Crawford Band.

There is a descent supply of ski-in/out homes & townhomes available for sale: http://mrislistings.mris.com/DE.asp?ID=55509685475. If you would like further information on any of these properties or would like to schedule a time to preview any of them just give us a call (Betsy’s cell: 301.616.5022).

Let us love winter, for it is the spring of genius.
Pietro Aretino

listing.

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Deep Creek Dunk-MLS Stats

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Deep Creek Dunk-MLS Stats. Six inches of snow fell yesterday to add to our well-established base on Wisp Mountain. Watching the Sochi Olympics encourages me to take advantage of the fresh powder, although you will not see me trying any 720’s! Many folks have commented how beautiful Swallow Falls is this time of year. In a normal winter season we would have made several trips to the falls but taking a 1-year old on the snowy walking trails has limited us a little. All well worth it!

There’s plenty of time to register for the 16^th Annual Deep Creek Dunk to benefit Maryland Special Olympics. The event takes place on Saturday, February 22^nd at the Honi-Honi. Registration begins at 12:00 and the dunk begins at 2:00. The amount of registrants is so great that they send the dunkers in the water by groups. As a bystander, the entertainment is plentiful as it typically takes about an hour for all of the dunkers to make their way in and out of the frigid waters of Deep Creek Lake. Costumes range from trunks, bikinis, rock stars, cartoon characters and everything in between! Parking can get tight so you may want to arrive a little early and enjoy the outdoor music and pep rally that takes place beforehand. More details.

Below is a link to the January statistics from our Multiple List Service, used by all local real estate companies. Active listings are down but you will see that start to increase in the spring/early summer as sellers prepare for the summer selling season. Remember, this is just January statistics rather than a whole year.

We wish you the happiest Valentine’s Day and hope to see you at the lake!

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Deep Creek Dunk-January MLS Stats

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Deep Creek Dunk-January MLS Stats. Fluffy powder lined the deck of our home this morning with steady snow dumping throughout the night and into the morning tapering off around noon. Wisp Resort had perfect conditions today as the snow making guns were turned off and shin-high powder was on with light crowds. 14 trails are open along with the tubing park and snow making operations are marching ahead to ensure that the mountain will be completely open by the Christmas Holidays. I hope you have your lodging booked in anticipation of enjoying some fresh powder or perfectly groomed corduroy for the 2013/2014 winter sports season. It’s time to get here and release all that pent-up adrenaline!

Gorgeous corduroy! Griffin’s encounter with Santa, not impressed but tolerable!

Attached you will find a Market Minute Report for November 2013 showing you how our market compares to last year at this time. Our median sales price is up, our current pending contracts is up and our days on the market is down. The following homes have had price drops in the last 30 days: http://mrislistings.mris.com/DE.asp?ID=55357498164. There are quite a few good buys out there.

If you haven’t made plans for how you will be spending your New Year’s Eve, you may want to check out these two options (courtesy of deepcreektimes.com). Honi-Honi is also having live entertainment with a complimentary champagne toast.

New Year’s Eve Event
Ag Heritage Hall Garrett County Fairgrounds
Come celebrate New Years Eve with the Fabulous Hubcaps at the Ag Heritage Hall located at the Garrett County Fairgrounds. $80/Single $150/Couple $560/Table of 8. Meal, entertainment, and champagne toast included. Cash bar available. Visit our web site or find us on Facebook for more information.

New Year’s Eve Celebration & Fur Ball Casino
Dutch’s at Silver Tree, 7pm to 1 am
$150 (includes tip and tax)
Cocktail Hour/Open Bar, Filet & Crab Cake Dinner. Dance to the fabulous sounds of the Bobby Nicholas Band! Champagne Toast at Midnight. Complimentary Casino Chips for HART’s Casino. Silent Auction. A portion of the proceeds benefit the HART for Animals Center fund!

Be safe in your holiday travels and call on us if we can be of any help in the mountains of Deep Creek Lake!

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Well Wishes-Weekend Events

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Well Wishes-Weekend Events. Wishing you and yours all the Special Blessings of this Glorious Season! Below: Griffin and his girlfriendJ Braylynn (our manager’s granddaughter) in awe of the falling leaves. These two charmers are 8 days apart and about to celebrate their 1^st birthday. They also made the back cover of Long & Foster’s Vacation Rental Guide, following this shoot. Photo by Bob Carney.

Hurry and craft your gift giving list, and bring it to this year’s Festival of Trees held November 29th and 30th from 9:00 am – 6:00 pm at the Garrett County Fairgrounds. Meander through beautifully and artfully decorated trees and be sure and take part in all the events and offerings:

Breakfast with Santa
Silent Auction Tables
Mrs. Claus’ Kitchen
Make Your Own Sundae
Grand Finale Live Auction
Handmade Gifts by local artists and crafts people

If you already planned to take the worry out of all the Thanksgiving Day meal preparation by ordering your Thanksgiving Dinner from Wisp just remember to pick up your own utensils.

Also, this weekend is the opening of Wisp’s new retail store “Outdoor Elements”. With over 3,000 sq. ft. of retail space, Outdoor Elements will offer technical and leisure outerwear, hard goods including skiing and snowboarding equipment, logo wear and souvenirs year-round. Details for the Grand Opening:

Date: Friday thru Sunday, November 29 – December 1
Times: Saturday – 8am – 7pm, Sunday 8am – 5pm

Have a wonderful holiday! See you at the lake!

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Festival of Trees

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Festival of Trees. GarrettCounty is home to some very talented artisans. One of these individuals is local Luthier Roger Skipper, who builds amazing first class guitars, violins, mandolins, banjos, ukuleles, dulcimers, dobros, and stand up basses. Anyone who plays a string instrument will most certainly appreciate his incredible work. Each instrument is visually a work of art with custom detailed inlays from the headstock to the bindings.

Looking good is one thing, but the sound that these instruments make is nothing short of stellar. I stopped by his shop the other day and met two musicians from the Pittsburgh Symphony who have bought a total of 10 instruments from him so far. A violinist has bought two violins and has been inspired to buy two mandolins and ukuleles and is learning how to play bluegrass from Roger (who plays all the instruments he makes).

Roger just buffed out an acoustic dreadnought style guitar that day and we all took a turn playing this wonderful guitar. It was the most amazing sounding instruments I have ever heard. Don’t follow the hype of big builders who mass produce “famous” styles. Get Roger to build you an amazing custom instrument that you will cherish for your lifetime.. Email Roger at rskipper2@verizon.net and tell him The Spiker Team referred you. You will not be sorry! Also check out his website which is under construction. Skipper Strings. Here is a photo of the handcrafted sunburst dreadnought that is currently for sale.

erre

Other handy work…

Coming up in Deep Creek on November 29^th & 30^th is the Festival of Trees, a fundraiser for the DoveCenter. Bring the kiddo’s and let them meet Santa Claus at the breakfast celebration between 9am-10am on both Friday and Saturday. Don’t miss the silent action for a great deal on some unique items.

The Honi also has their Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on November 30^th from 7:00-8:00PM. Events include: Christmas Carols, Kids and Pet Photos with Santa Claus, FREE Hot Chocolate and live band entertainment by the Remedy from 8-11pm.

There still continue to be a good amount of real estate settlements taking place. This is a good sign that sales will continue to pick up in 2014. These properties have recently had price reductions, indicating that the seller’s may have good motivation to sell: http://mrislistings.mris.com/DE.asp?ID=55054075329.

Have a great week and think snowJ! (I hear we may be getting more of it later in the week.)

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Winter-Veterans Day-Real Estate

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Winter-Veterans Day-Real Estate . There are very few things we can predict in life and weather would certainly be one of those! Our temperatures here have been rising and plummeting from day to day, which is pretty typical for this time of year. I know many of us would just as well have snow so that we can enjoy its beauty but we will have to patiently wait for Mother Nature to run its course and bless us with such. If you haven’t done so already, now is a good time to secure your season pass at Wisp Resort. You will not want to wait in line to get it once the slopes open!

As we transition towards winter, remember that docks have to be out of the water by December 1^st and can be returned to the water no earlier than April 1^st. They like to make sure all objects are out of the water before the lake freezes. Our snowmobiles are begging for a frozen lake this year! The last few winters, the temperatures haven’t been consistently cold enough for the lake to freeze to the point where I’m comfortable riding the water. We saw a few brave enthusiasts out there last year but we were not one of them!

Griffin enjoyed his first office Halloween party, especially due to the fact that Mommy allowed him to taste a few of the homemade dishes. I’m not sure he was digging the costume, however! I’ll have to do a better job shopping for one next year.

Event wise, we are kind of in a lull but there will be some upcoming winter events over the next month that we’ll be sure to tell you about. There is, however, a Veteran’s Day Parade in Oakland at 10:00 on Monday, November 11^th. This is something I wasn’t even aware but now that I am I’ll have to check it out for myself. What a great way to honor those who’ve served our country!

The Betsy Spiker Holcomb Team’s featured listings for the week are a contemporary home in RedRunHeights, a waterfront home site on Stockslager Road and a Lincoln Lodge on Mayhew Inn Road:

http://vt.realbiz360.com/Listing-1032448.html

http://vt.realbiz360.com/Listing-996596.html

http://vt.realbiz360.com/Listing-1464279.html

These are the last 15 sales to take place at Deep Creek/Garrett County and you will see that the sales prices are getting closer to the asking prices: http://mrislistings.mris.com/DE.asp?ID=54937273874. Remember that we have an auto email service that we provide that will email you listings within your specific search criteria as soon as they hit the market. If you are not already setup on this service and would like to be please let us know.

A thought from Napoleon Hill for your weekend…Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Swallow Falls-Moonshadow Cafe-Halloween

Weekly updates by Betsy Spiker Holcomb of Taylor-Made Vacations and Sales, Deep Creek Lake. As you already know, I never get tired of singing the praises of Swallow Falls State Park. This weekend we did the loop hike and met some really fun visitors from Baltimore and Northern Virginia. Even after the damaging “Sandy” storm we still see a solid stand of ancient hemlock trees towering over the forest. For some visitors, it was their first glimpse of the awesome aura put off by these majestic trees that stand guard over the powerful Youghiogheny River. We finished our hike, as always, at the calming Tolliver Falls. The water is flowing at a slow and tranquil pace which makes the falls even more calming and was apparent by the group of people entranced by the sights and sounds of this special nook of the park.

Fall golfers…Be advised that the Oakland Country Club is having a late season special until the end of the month. Bring a foursome of golfers and play for $100.00 with a cart Monday-Thursday, $25 a head! Wow, you’d think we are still in the 80’s!

New restaurant alert! As you pass through the town of Accident on the way to Deep Creek Lake you will notice a re-opened cafe on the right across from the car dealership called The Moonshadow Café & Bar. The food is all local – from the meats, cheeses and vegetables. With less than a week under its belt, it has become the talk of the town so don’t miss giving it a try next visit. FYI, this Friday is a Halloween Party if you like to play dress up.

Speaking of Halloween parties, Deep Creek Lake has THE costume party at the lake!! Black Bear Tavern and Restaurant has long been the go-to place for the ghouls and goblin lovers as they pull in all the folks from in and out of town who like to get dressed up and dance the night away. If you have a will to be weird and fun, then make a special trip and take on your favorite Halloween character. Tell the owners Laura and Barry Clapsaddle hello.

Bob and I a few years back…Beauty and the Beast!

From the real estate front, the September market numbers are all up versus a year ago, as you will see on the attached report. We have two featured listings this week. First, is a quaint home in a lush, garden setting with a large, open main level and a 3-car garage and a Price Reduction http://vt.realbiz360.com/Listing-1032448.html. Also, we just listed a great lakefront home site on Stockslager Road with 135’ of waterfront and a Type A dock permit http://mrislistings.mris.com/DE.asp?ID=54711201519.

Now is a great time to look at real estate. With the fall season winding down and snow on the way (yes, this week!!) fewer of our homes are booked making it easy to show them with a moment’s notice. Enjoy your week!

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Wisp Labor Day Sale

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Wisp Labor Day Sale. The end of the summer is approaching like a freight train and I am very happy to have finally had a chance to get on the lake with family. Our oldest sons, Brendon and Peyton, and their girlfriends came up last week to visit with little brother Griffin. They ziplined, rode the mountain coaster, went for a swim at Swallow Falls, jet skied to the southern end of the lake, enjoyed some Brenda’s Pizza (their favorite DCL pizza), and had ice cream at Huey’s. I had a busy week of appointments but caught up with them to go white water rafting at ASCI, a sunset paddleboard session and an amazing dawn patrol wakeboarding/slalom ski session. We also took little Griffin on his first pontoon boat ride (with the older boys tubing the whole way) to Dutch’s Daughter for lunch on the veranda. I suggest you come visit this weekend and cram it all in. Here are some photos of the 4 days of fun!

Betsy and Griffin

Betsy ripping

ASCI

Peyton tubing

Brendon airing it out

Me trying to keep up…

My boys

This weekend is the famous Wisp Sale! Details are…

Wisp Outdoors Equipment Blow Out Sale

Friday, August 30 thru Monday, September 2

9am – 5pm – Wisp Outdoors Adventure Park

Wisp Outdoors Rental Equipment: Limited supply.

Come early for the best selection and save big $$$$!

Sale equipments includes but not limited to
Kayaks,
Canoes,
Mountain Bikes,
Paddleboards and Accessories.*

*Products are in limited supply and based on availability and subject to change.

On the real estate home front, here are 3 great properties at Deep Creek Lake:

Split lakefront chalet with great lake views and a dock slip for $322,000! http://vt.realbiz360.com/Listing-588925.html
Lake Access (no dock slip) 1+ acre home site in The Pinnacle, a well-cared for community with tennis court & lakeside clubhouse for under $95K! http://mrislistings.mris.com/DE.asp?ID=53975317973
Ski-in/Ski-out + Lake Views! Townhome in Villages of Wisp with Lake Access! Established rental. http://vt.realbiz360.com/Listing-1393263.html

Have a great holiday weekend!

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Circle R Ranch-Fishing-Tennis

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Circle R Ranch-Fishing-Tennis. Are you ready to try something new while visiting Deep Creek Lake? How about venturing to Sand Flat Road and paying The Circle R Ranch a visit. Saddle up with the family (ages 7 and up) and go for a trail ride across a gorgeous ridge line in the heart of DCL. Prices are reasonable, and the experience will penetrate deep memories that will last a life time. Get out and smell the summertime air as you travel on the oldest transportation in the history of the world. You will fall in love with these wonderful animals while having the time of your life!

Check out the fishing report here at the lake as well as any information regarding boat rentals, tackle suppliers and hot spots (If anyone shares their secret spot). I can give you the best fishing tip for the serious angler… Get out there EARLY! As you know fish have a tendency to feed early in the mornings but more importantly you want to get out there before the boat traffic.

Please see the photo below…

Chances are they caught some fish… Early bird gets the worm, which gets the fish:).

It is tennis time again and the 92^nd Annual Western Maryland Tennis Championships will be held August 1-4^th. Played on red clay, the tournament is sanctioned by the USTA. Our cooler mountain air makes playing in August tolerable. Below is a link to the web site for the tournament as well as a link to the entry form. Cut-off for signup is Tuesday July 30^th. Even if you don’t play, come watch some great tennis.

http://www.mlptc.org/index.html

The real estate market at Deep Creek continues to show some healthy signs as activity continues to show strength through the summer. If you have interest in buying a second home here at the lake, I would advise getting started before the interest rates creep up.

We have 2 featured listings this week:

A 3-bedroom home in Red Run Heights that just had a $15K price reduction. This home is close to Deep Creek Lake and offers seclusion, two family rooms, multiple garages and more. http://vt.realbiz360.com/Listing-1032448.html

In addition, this is a great home site listing in Meadow Lake Estates. Former home was lost to fire and the lot is ready to go with all the extras – septic, well, driveway, garage and pavilion are in place….plus a wonderful water view and use of a private lake. http://vt.realbiz360.com/Listing-1331771.html

Feel free to contact us with any questions – real estate or otherwise. Have a great week and enjoy the sunshine!

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Update-DockDogs

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Update-DockDogs. DockDogs was a success over the weekend with super hero canines competing in long/high jump competitions that really were exciting and entertaining. The crowds fell in love with these Olympian dawgz who were fired up about showing their skills and had their owners sweating trying to take home 1^st place. Check out more details.

“I believe I can fly…”

Michael Jordan eat your heart out!

Tomorrow, July 3^rd, starts the popular Stage Wisp Concert Series with music by The Steve Hussey Band starting at 6pm and wrapping up at 8:30pm. Bring your lawn chairs, blankets, kids, dogs and come relax on the bunny slope at Wisp Resort. This is really a nice chill event that has a cult following by locals and some out-of-towners. If you are here with us, don’t miss it. For the Wednesday night line-up of bands visit www.wispresort.com.

July 4^th On the Mountain is a few days away!!! I always get the Marshall Tucker song “Fire On the Mountain” in my head during the week of July 4^th. I can tell you that the excitement and anticipation comes to a peak for Garrett County for this famous event here at the lake. Find a vantage point from the lake on a boat, on the ski slopes, on highway 219, or any place with a view of the Adventure Park at Wisp. The start time for the event is at dusk on July 4^th with a rain date of July 5^th.

Our featured listing this week is this 4-bedroom lakefront home that has deep water and a dock! The kitchen has been recently remodeled with new appliances & granite counters. New tile flooring and painting was done in many rooms of the home. Take a tour of this great home, which is also an established rental: http://vt.realbiz360.com/Listing-729777.html.

Look at the sold properties in the last 30 days. Woo-hoo…things are getting hot! http://mrislistings.mris.com/DE.asp?ID=53174861925

Interest rates are going up and supply is going down=time to buy!!! Let me know if I can help you find your secondary or primary home here at the lake.

Check out our photo gallery as motivation and inspiration for things you have not experienced here at the lake.

Have a fun and safe holiday weekend!!

Category: Weekly Update

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Happy 2014!-Wisp News

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Deep Creek Dunk-MLS Stats

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Deep Creek Dunk-January MLS Stats

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Well Wishes-Weekend Events

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Festival of Trees

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Winter-Veterans Day-Real Estate

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Swallow Falls-Moonshadow Cafe-Halloween

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Wisp Labor Day Sale

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Circle R Ranch-Fishing-Tennis

Greetings from Deep Creek Lake-Update-DockDogs

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