Mountain Maryland Gateway to the West Heritage Area Announces FY2017 Mini-Grant Awards

The Mountain Maryland Gateway to the West is pleased to announce the recipients of the FY2017 Mini-grants awarded through the Heritage Area. Over $3,750 was awarded to local organizations to provide funding for innovative exhibits, tours, events, planning and projects which build upon interpretive themes identified in the Heritage Area’s Management Plan. These include: Transportation, Man and Nature, Historic Recreation, and Cultural Uniqueness. Projects seek to attract cultural and heritage tourists to the region. Recipients must match the grant dollar for dollar and complete the projects by May 31, 2017. Grant funding is still available until the $10,000 cap is met and applications and guidelines may be found at the Garrett Heritage website, www.garrettheritage.com.

FY2017 Mini-Grant Awards:

End of the Line Bookstore Signage – $165.50 awarded to the non-profit organization End of the Line Bookstore to create and install signage for the bookstore to create awareness to visitors and residents.

Garrett County Celtic Festival – $2,000 awarded to the Highland Festival of Garrett County, Inc. for assistance of event elements including advertising, children’s village and performers/demonstrators.

Meshach Browning Trail System Signage – $1,135 awarded to the Deep Creek Lake Lions Club to create and install trail signage depicting the story of famous local hunter, Meshach Browning.

Enabling Equipment for Digital Oral History – $476 awarded to the Garrett County Historical Society to film and record oral histories from Garrett County residents.

“We are excited to support these local projects by leveraging the heritage area funds we receive through our management grant from the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority,” said Jen Durben, Heritage Area & Groups Director. “Many local projects would not be possible without mini-grants and these projects help promote heritage tourism to Garrett County.”

About The Mountain Maryland Gateway to the West Heritage Area

The Mountain Maryland Gateway to the West Heritage Area is one of 13 certified Heritage Areas by the state of Maryland. Established in September of 2011 and managed by the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce, the Heritage Area’s mission is to engage public and private partners in the commitment to preserve historical, cultural and natural resources for sustainable economic development through heritage tourism. The Mini-Grant Program is made possible through a Management Grant that the Chamber receives from the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority (MHAA), a state heritage organization and program of the Maryland Historical Trust.

For more information, click here.

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Jay Ferguson

Who I Am My name is Jay Ferguson, and I am a lifelong resident of the Deep Creek Lake area. I am also co-owner of the real estate side of Taylor Made. I have been in the real estate business for 21+ years now and I LOVE what I do! I have to say, my career really took off when I co-founded the real estate side of Taylor Made in 2014. Its been an amazing experience, building a real estate company from the ground up and achieving so much so quickly! In August 2016, we purchased Long & Foster Real Estate Deep Creek, where I had started my career in 2000. In 2018, we on-boarded virtually every agent from Coldwell Banker Deep Creek Realty as they closed up shop and the real estate family grew even more! We now have over 40 sales agents and have expanded to West Virginia and Pennsylvania, as well. Taylor Made is the #1 vacation rental company at Deep Creek with over 475 vacation rental homes, and over one hundred thousand yearly visitors. Its amazing what we have accomplished using the principles of honesty, teamwork and customer service! Personally, my wife Jessica and I enjoy traveling and especially spending time in the outdoors, hiking and exploring the many diverse areas that Garrett County is naturally blessed with. We have raised two wonderful children here, Kayleah (22) and Noah (13). In the summer, we love spending time on the water with friends & family and enjoying the lake life! We are both active in our church, our community & local school activities, and we fill our schedule with plenty of volunteer efforts. I currently serve on the board of directors for Habitat for Humanity. I am proud to say that I was named Deep Creek Time’s Favorite ‘Community Champion’ in 2019. I was also named Garrett County Realtor of the Year in 2018-19, as well. I really enjoy promoting my hometown. I am very proud of the resort area that has developed over my lifetime and look forward to growing the area even more! Deep Creek Lake has been described as ‘The Lake Tahoe of the east', and I think that speaks volumes about the potential to own property here! Deep Creek Lake isn't really a town or city by itself; it's comprised of three towns: Oakland, Swanton & McHenry, Maryland. I am very passionate about my hometown and am impressed with how many people know about it as we travel around the country. Deep Creek Lake is an amazing place to visit and even better place to live! During the pandemic in 2020, our market exploded and more and more people left their primary residence in the city to live here permanently. With distance learning in schools and tele-commuting becoming the ‘norm’, many more people were drawn to the area to ‘live where they love to play’. Why You Want Me Working for You: In addition to being an owner, I am consistently one of the top-producing agents in the entire area and the Associate Broker of record for Taylor-Made Deep Creek Vacations & Sales. I have 21+ years of experience and I am a problem solver. There aren’t many situations that I have not encountered and I have a strategy for almost every scenario that you may encounter. I have extensively trained in all areas of real estate & emerging technologies, and also have trained as an appraiser, as well as served as a full-time Broker. I have a strong knowledge of the industry, as well as many trusted local contacts & affiliations that allow me to perform at a very high level and deliver results. I have a great deal of respect for my peers in this industry and have strong working relationships that I would love to put to work for you. Call me to discuss your situation - I know I can be of great service to you & others you care about! Honesty. Integrity. Results. View all posts by Jay Ferguson