Frederick

The Great Frederick Fair begins September 15 at the Frederick Fairgrounds (797 E Patrick St) and will run through September 23.  Entry to the fair is $10 and children 10 and under get in free. Special events include tractor pulls and a demolition derby. On Friday, Gin Blossoms, Sugar Ray, Tonic & Fastball will be performing. Zach Williams, Elle King, Tracy Byrd, and Walker Hayes also have concerts scheduled. Last year’s fair featured one of the last performances by Coolio, who passed away on September 28, 2022.

TMZ reports that rapper Coolio has passed away. The video shows one of his last performances at the Frederick State Fair last Thursday, 9/22. RIP, Coolio.

Per the Maryland State Police: The quick response by Maryland State Police helped save the life of a woman after her vehicle caught fire this afternoon in Frederick County. Shortly after 12 p.m. this afternoon, Sergeant Brian Blubaugh assigned to the Maryland State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division, working out of the New Market Scale House and President of the Maryland Troopers Association, was the first to arrive on the scene following a single-vehicle crash on westbound I-70 at mile marker 49 in Frederick County. According to a preliminary investigation, a Ford van, operated by a 69-year-old woman from Pennsylvania, was traveling westbound on I-70 when for unknown reasons, traveled off of the roadway and struck an embankment when the vehicle began to catch fire.

Sergeant Blubaugh, along with multiple citizens, helped extract the woman from the burning vehicle, ultimately saving her life. The driver was transported by ground to Meritus Hospital in Hagerstown, Maryland for treatment of her injuries. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

The Frederick County Sheriff’s Department post the following Facebook message on Monday, July 24: “On July 21, at approximately 8:40 p.m., a FCSO traffic unit deputy observed a multicolored motorcycle […]

Frederick’s Flying Dog Brewery is being sold to Utica, New York-based FX Matt Brewing Co. According to a report by BrewBound, Flying Dog/FX Matt will begin shifting production from Frederick to New York this summer, but will “maintain a presence in Maryland as FX Matt is seeking a location for an innovation brewery and taproom in Frederick.” Flying Dog was founded in Aspen, Colorado in 1990 and moved production to Maryland full-time in 2007 after purchasing the Frederick Brewing Company in 2006.  Flying Dog is known for brewing innovative, high-alcohol beers with sometimes controversial label art-work by Ralph Steadman.

“It is important to me that FX Matt Brewing is offering employment opportunities to as many employees as possible and we will provide job placement assistance to team members”, says Flying Dog CEO Jim Caruso. “Frederick is a great place to live and do business, unfortunately even though we have invested millions of dollars in the brewery, it has too many limitations and puts Flying Dog at too great a competitive disadvantage.

Per the Maryland State Police: Maryland State Police have identified the man who died following a tanker truck crash Saturday in Frederick County. The victim is Ronald Leroy Heiston Jr., 58, of Smithsburg Maryland. Shortly before noon on Saturday, troopers from the Maryland State Police Frederick Barrack responded to Route 15 North, approximately a half mile north of Rosemont Avenue in Frederick, Maryland, for a report of a single-vehicle crash with a fire. According to a preliminary investigation, Heiston was driving a tanker truck with approximately 8,650 gallons of gasoline from Manassas, Virginia to Taneytown, Maryland. For unknown reasons, Heiston’s vehicle left the right side of the road, struck a tree and caught fire. Heiston was declared deceased at the scene. He was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore, where positive identification was made.

Investigators said six homes and five vehicles sustained damage from the fire that originated from the tanker truck crash. No other injuries or fatalities were reported as a result of the crash or the subsequent fires. Route 15 was temporarily closed in both directions following the crash. The Maryland State Police Crash Team will lead the crash investigation with assistance from troopers from the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division and the Traffic Incident Management Section. The Office of the State Fire Marshal and the Maryland Department of the Environment were notified and responded to the scene as well. Personnel from the Maryland Department of Transportation’s State Highway Administration also responded and established detours around the area. The crash remains under investigation.

Governor Wes Moore released the following statement on the tanker explosion in Frederick:

“My heart goes out to those affected by this tragedy in Frederick.