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CSM believes the most important editorial in our magazine are the great letters we get from you.
It is your voices that make the most interesting stories and capture the heart of Cecil County.
We encourage you to share your thoughts and memories with us all, before they are lost.
Thank you — ETB

Sincerely yours,
Ed Belote Sr, Publisher

P.S.— We've provided a simple and convenient form that you may use, if you wish.

March/April 2009

Dear Mr. Belote,

Thank you very much for donating copies of Cecil Soil Magazine for our third grade students to study the history of Cecil County. We particularly enjoyed the article in your July/August 2007 issue about Conowingo Village. It was a great resource as we studied the positive and negative effects of the building of the Conowingo Dam on its surrounding community. The full-page photo and caption really made history come alive for many of my students.

We appreciate your generosity of providing the entire third grade with copies of your magazine. We look forward to using future issues in our lessons.

Sincerely,
Traci Evans, Grade 3 Teacher
Conowingo Elementary

Publisher’s Note: Mrs. Evans' letter was accompanied by the following letters from her third grade students. CSM appreciates every letter and wants to thank the children very much.

Dear Mr. Belote,
Thank you for the Cecil Soil Magazines, they were truly amazing. My friend, Trevor’s grandpa was in the magazine. That was cool. In the other magazine how did you get a picture of the post office in Conowingo Village? I saw some awesome stuff in those magazines.
Sincerely, Briaunna Morlok Conowingo, Grade 3

Dear Mr. Belote,
Thank you so much for sending our classroom the book, Cecil Soil. I think it is a cool book. The one thing I liked the most were the pictures of all the people that lived at Conowingo Dam. The coolest thing that I saw was the article, “Life Along the Canal.” Thank you so much.
Sincerely, Eliana M. Colon Conowingo, Grade 3

Dear Mr. Belote,
Thank you for sending the Cecil Soil Magazines to our school. One thing I learned is that the power for tvs and computers and things that run on power came from the electric plant which powered the tvs and computers and lots of other things that need to be powered to work.
Sincerely, Skyler Pollak

January 20, 2009
Dear Mr. Belote,
Thank you for sending Cecil Soil Magazine to our school. One thing I learned from your magazine is the New River Ranch continued to be a growing success story until the blizzard of 1958 completely wiped out the stage and structural facilities. I really enjoyed your magazine.
Sincerely, Richard Moore Conowingo, Grade 3

Dear Mr. Belote,
Thank you for sending Cecil Soil Magazine to our school. One thing I learned from your magazine is that it gives people a lot of jobs. And teaching us a lot about the Conowingo Dam. I really enjoyed seeing my friend’s quilt in the magazine and my other friend’s picture and also seeing the Conowingo official office village. Before I go I need to tell you something. You used a lot of information.
Sincerely, Hannah Miller Conowingo, Grade 3

Dear Mr. Belote,
It was so kind that you could let us have that Cecil Soil Magazine. It looks like an exciting magazine. I feel bad for the people who lost their homes, but at least they have a good job. Thank you for the magazine.
Sincerely, Adrianna Lubinski Conowingo, Grade 3
P.S. Thank you, now I can learn about the Conowingo Village.

Dear Mr. Belote,
Thank you for sending the Cecil Soil Magazine to our school. I learned from your magazine you can show us photos about people who used to sing. I really enjoyed that you put my Pop-pop in there.
Sincerely, Trevor Mitchell Conowingo, Grade 3

Dear Mr. Belote,
Thank you for sending my class a Cecil Soil Magazine. Trevor Mitchell’s grandfather is in that wonderful magazine that is so amazing! One thing I learned from your magazine is that the Conowingo Village was so amazing. The photos of the families were wonderful!!!
Sincerely, Katie Eisenhuth Conowingo, Grade 3

Dear Mr. Belote,
I am writing this because I want to thank you for the Cecil Soil Magazine. I like to read and find out more and more about counties, states, and villages. One thing I learned is that Conowingo Dam powers homes and businesses in Pennsylvania. In the magazine that we got to take home my parents and me really like to do all the puzzles that are in the book and trying to find out capitals and doing a word search when I have time.
Sincerely, Andy Dvorak Conowingo, Grade 3

Dear Mr. Belote,
Thanks for the magazine to our school. One thing I enjoyed about it was that there was a Conowingo Village before the dam was there and that there were houses and other stuff like that.
Sincerely, Chase A. Conowingo, Grade 3

Dear Mr. Belote,
Thank you for sending Cecil Soil Magazine to our school. I learned that in your magazine I knew that my step-dad said that girl is somebody is my step-dad’s cousin. I really enjoyed looking at my step-dad’s cousin.
Sincerely, Cody H. Conowingo, Grade 3

Dear Mr. Belote,
Thank you for sending the Cecil Soil Magazines to our school. I learned a lot from the magazine is that there was a village down under the Conowingo Dam and a lot of other things that are familiar to some people. I learned lots of interesting things I never knew before and I like things like the magazine.
Sincerely, Alex Salvatore Conowingo, Grade 3

Dear Mr. Belote,
Thank you for sending Cecil Soil Magazine to our school. One thing I learned from your magazine is learning about the Conowingo Dam.
Sincerely, Jakob Lewis Conowingo, Grade 3

Dear Mr. Belote,
Thank you for the Cecil Soil Magazine to our school. One thing I liked is that it told my family that there was a Conowingo Village. Also, it told my family that people had to move because of the dam.
Sincerely, Matthew Mannone Conowingo, Grade 3

Dear Mr. Belote,
Thank you for sending the Cecil Soil Magazine to our school. One thing I learned from your magazine is the history that you put in it. I really enjoyed it.
Sincerely, Emma Kilby Grade 3, Evans

Dear Cecil Soil Magazine,

I am writing to you to let you know that you have a very devoted young reader of your magazine, and she is not even old enough to talk. My daughter, Reed Mason, who is named after her great-grandfather, Walton Mason, is your most loyal reader. She turned two years old on February 1, 2009. She loves to sit and read your magazine, by herself or with a friend. She and her grandmother, Marilyn Mason, can sit for an hour thumbing through the Cecil Soil. She enjoys pointing out all of the animal pictures, particularly the horse pictures. She has memorized the latest issue so well that we play games to see who can be the first one to find certain pictures or ads throughout the magazine. I have enclosed two pictures of her reading your magazine. The first picture is her reading the Cecil Soil at the Grange Annual Christmas Dinner this year. We cannot go anywhere without at least one issue of the Cecil Soil. We have one in the diaper bag and one in the car at all times. The second photo is a picture of her reading the Cecil Soil with her great grandmother, Dorothy Williams. I just wanted to let you know that you are attracting readers of all ages, and we certainly appreciate all of your hard work. I don’t know what we would do without the Cecil Soil. Thanks so much.

Thankfully,
Monica Mason
Rising Sun, Maryland

Publisher’s Note: See Reed and her great-grandmother in our May/June installment of “Grandmom’s Grandest”

Dear Ed,

I so enjoyed reading about a fellow gardener. My husband and I have grown our own fruit and vegetable supplies in our large backyard garden (canning and freezing) for the past 30 years. The reasons? First, we both grew up on farms in upstate New York, helping out in the family garden, while growing accustomed to that fresh flavor that is not to be found in the store. Secondly, gardening has been an activity that we could share together, while getting our exercise, and thirdly, it has saved us so much on our grocery bill.

Around 1990, I received a phone call one day from a lady who promised that she could save me bundles of money on my grocery bill. (She was selling frozen foods in bulk). After asking our family size (two adults and two teenage boys), she asked what I spent monthly on groceries. When I told her, my response was followed by silence. Then a meek voice said, “Perhaps you could help me, for I can’t help you.” And she quickly hung up.

In today’s world and economy, it couldn’t hurt anyone to leave the couch in front of the TV, go outside, soak in the sunshine, get some exercise, and enjoy the matchless taste and economic benefits of growing your own fruits and veggies.

By the way, my favorites are asparagus, so expensive in the store, and parsnips, hard to find in the store. And beets give a double pleasure. The delicious sweet bottoms and the greens cooked and served with butter and vinegar. And how nutritious it all is and I know exactly what has been put on them while growing and what is put in them to process.

Grow on, my dear fellow gardener. We’ll be out there with you, enjoying the benefits.

Mary White
Rising Sun, Maryland

Dear Ed & Carol,

Thank you so much for providing “The Charlestown Heislers: A Family Portrait” in your January/February 2009 issue of Cecil Soil Magazine. It is very well written and the photo layout is fantastic. I have enjoyed many county history articles in the “Soil” over the years and greatly appreciate your efforts for my family.

Although my parents uprooted me from Charlestown in November 1943, I have always thought of myself as “Joe Boy” Heisler from Charlestown and Cecil County.

Very truly yours,
Joseph L. Heisler
Hershey, Pennsylvania

Dear Mr. Belote,

I’m enclosing a picture of my father, Ralph M. Reed on the right, Mack Dinsmore in the middle, and Dick Wright on the left. The picture was taken in the 1950s at the Cox farm on Firetower Road.

George Cox lived in that area and the pheasants were raised on his farm. Hunters were permitted two a day. You’ll see six on the ground.

Sincerely,
Kay R. Howell
Rising Sun, Maryland

Dear Mr. Belote,

I want to thank you for the great article in the July/August issue, paying tribute to “Cecil County Warriors.” My husband, Wallace Williams Jr., was one of the warriors. It was informative and very well done.

I have found that most of the articles in the Cecil Soil issues are of real interest to me and other Cecil County residents. In the July/August issue, to which I earlier referred, had a picture of the Class of ’38 from Elkton High School and good pictures of the Foard family of Chesapeake City.

The distribution of the magazine around the county is a real benefit to us. You can pick it up almost anywhere. I’ve gotten copies in a drug store and a physical therapy center.

Keep up the good work.

Sincerely,
Barbara Williams
Elkton, Maryland

Dear Cecil Soil,

The photo in the Jan/Feb issue is on Moore Road in Conowingo, under the Conrail Railroad bridge, which runs over the Octoraro Creek.

I know this because I lived across the Octoraro Creek on Mayse Lane for 20 years.

My kids and I swam and canoed and fished in the Octoraro, and have very fond memories of our Conowingo home. We moved to West Virginia in January of this year. As we were closing at Mason Dixon Reality in Rising Sun, they had a copy of this issue. Imagine my surprise as I saw the photo as we drove out of Cecil County after 20 some years being Cecil County residents!!

I loved Cecil County, I will miss it dearly, especially Bluegrass on Sundays at Jumbo Jimmy’s in Perryville. I have your back issues of Cecil Soil, and every issue has a surprise in it for me, especially Sept/Oct issue where I saw the picture of Al Hamilton getting his hair cut by the Mayor! One of my bluegrass buddies. When I saw it I wondered if his family saw it, and got my answer in the Nov/Dec issue when his wife sent a letter identifying him. He is truly missed by his bluegrass family. If there was bluegrass to be heard, Big Al was there.

I don’t know if a subscription can be sent to West Virginia but I would gladly buy one to keep my contact with Cecil County.

Being optimistic…I’m enclosing a pic of me taken at Jumbo Jimmy’s. If I win the Cecil Soil T-shirt, I’ll wear it proudly!

Fondly,
Marie M. Moessner
Belington, West Virginia

Publisher’s Note: Thank you Marie, that’s a beautiful picture of the Conrail Railroad bridge, and we’ll get a T-shirt out to you soon!

Please send your letters to: Cecil Soil Magazine, P.O. Box 645, Rising Sun, MD 21911. You may also fax them to 410-658-3242 or use this handy form. All letters become the property of Cecil Soil Magazine and Back Porch Publications, LLC, and may be edited for clarity or space. All letters received are given due consideration for publishing. Beginning in January 2010, writers of letters selected for publication in future issues will receive a free one-year subscriptions to CSM, or extensions to their existing subscriptions, when applicable.
IMPORTANT: YOU must call 410-658-3286 to claim and arrange for receipt of your free subscription!!

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