The Western Maryland Mission of Mercy Free Dental Clinic along with County United Way and the Allegany County Oral Health and Prevention Consortium are holding a kick-off event and silent auction fundraiser at the Allegany Arts Council’s Saville Gallery in Downtown Cumberland on August 28 from 5 to 7 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public.

The purpose of the event is to promote the Western Maryland Mission of Mercy Free Dental Clinic that will take place on October 29 and 30 at the Allegany County Fairgrounds, to foster awareness of the oral health crisis in our area and to garner public support for a sustainable long-term solution to provide access to oral health care for low-income and underserved adults.

During the Kickoff event the Mountain Smiles Photography contest winners will be announced. Mountain Smiles is a community photo contest and exhibition running at the Allegany Arts Council’s Saville Gallery August 21 through September 2.

Local artists and businesses are donating items for the silent auction but more are welcome! To donate items for the auction please call Larry or Shawn Bloss at 301-777-0743.  In addition to those donating items for the silent auction, Mission of Mercy would like to recognize and thank the following for their generous support in making this event possible: The Allegany Arts Council, Allegany-Garrett Dental Society, Manhattan Golf and Gallery and Penny Knoble-Bessa.

In Western Maryland and the surrounding area a profound need for access to affordable oral health care exists for low income, uninsured and underserved adults. Allegany County is designated as a dental “Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA).” We do not have enough providers to adequately serve this population.

According to the Maryland Behavioral Risk Assessment Survey 2008 report, Allegany County ranks first in complete tooth loss and last in the percentage of people who have kept all their teeth.  Sixty-one percent of the people surveyed reported that they had never seen a dentist. The local emergency room averages 75 visits a month for oral health needs. Over half of those are individuals with no effective access to oral health care. Allegany Health Right’s Emergency Dental Program receives over 50 requests per month for assistance with an oral health issue from Allegany County residents.  Infections that start in the mouth can travel to other parts of the body greatly affecting overall health in ways that can lead to heart attack, stroke or death

Corner House, a musical duo hailing from Columbia, South Carolina, will perform at Mountain City Traditional Arts (MCTA) on Saturday, September 4th at 7:30 pm. Afternoon workshops for fiddle and guitar are also being offered at 3 pm. For 20 years, fiddler and vocalist Andi Hearn and guitarist Davey Mathias, have been playing music together.

For 20 years, fiddler and vocalist Andi Hearn and guitarist Davey Mathias have been playing music together,  and for more than 10 of those years, their focus has been on performing and teaching Irish Traditional Music. Joining them for the MCTA performance is Frostburg resident and former Corner House band member, Jeff Thomas, on concertina. 

Corner House formed in 2003 and has since performed around the southeast and beyond. Their hearty performances blend traditional jigs, reels, marches and more with ballads and songs from Ireland and a variety of other folk traditions.

Davey has played guitar since the age of nine and has studied a wide variety of traditional styles. He honed his DADGAD guitar accompaniment, learning from Dathi Sproule and Paul Brady, with a nice mix of his own thoughtful style. He brings an authentic and respectful sound that complements Irish traditional music beautifully and has performed with Irish music masters such as Randal Bays, Liz Knowles, Patty Furlong and Asheville’s Half Nine.

Davey is an accomplished tenor banjo player, as well, and applies his warm, laid-back banjo sound to Irish melodies.

Andi took up Irish fiddle in 1998 and has studied with many of the great players from the Irish tradition Martin Hayes, Tommy Peoples and Maeve Donnelly to name a few. She plays in a rustic and soulful style. Andi also has a fine collection of old-style ballads and a rich ornamented singing style. In addition to performing, Andi Hearn runs the Redbird School of Irish Music and organizes the SC Irish Arts Weekend and other events in order to share the living tradition of Irish music with the community.

Jeff Thomas began playing the concertina nearly 20 years ago. In 2005, he relocated to Frostburg from Asheville, N.C., where he was a leading figure in the local Irish music scene. Over the years, he has taken numerous trips to Ireland to hone his skill and has also taken master classes on the instrument. He has played at sessions throughout the United States and Ireland, and conducts concertina workshops each summer at the South Carolina Irish Arts Weekend in Columbia, S.C. Today, he divides his time between playing, teaching and crafting his own line of high-quality Thomas concertinas

Suggested donations for the concert are $5 for adults and $3 for children and students. Workshops are $25; advanced registration is requested.

Dedicated to the education, sales, documentation and perpetuation of traditional art in the Appalachian region, Mountain City Traditional Arts is a partnership of Folklore & Folklife Programming at Frostburg State University, the Allegany Arts Council and FrostburgFirst: A Main Street Community. For more information about the show or the venue, or to register for the workshops, contact 301-687-8040, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or search for Mountain City Traditional Arts on Facebook.

Tenth Annual America’s 9/11 Ride

The general public is invited to greet 9/11 Memorial Riders who will stop in Allegany County at Allegany College of Maryland, 12401 Willowbrook Road SE, Cumberland, on Friday, August 20, 2010 at approximately 8:30 a.m. The riders will begin in Shanksville, Pennsylvania and will be en route to the Pentagon and to Ground Zero. The riders will travel through Downtown Cumberland on the way to their planned stop at ACM.

According to event organizers, “This is about remembering the heroes, volunteers, and victims who lost their lives on September 11, 2001 and since.”

For additional information call Harlan Smith, 301-724-6828.