FROSTBURG — Frostburg streets will soon be the perfect spot to discover holiday cheer, as plans are being finalized to transform the parking meters along Main Street into works of art through the annual Deck the Meters program.
Organizers Barbara Ornstein and Peggy Atkinson Blair launched the program in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Each one of the city’s parking meters is decorated by an individual, family, business or organization and there’s a waiting list to claim a meter.
Meters are being decorated this week and will remain on display until Jan. 1. Prizes will be awarded in three categories: Best Meter by Family or Individual; Best Meter by Business/Organization/Group; Churches; Holiday Spirit; and a grand prize. Winners receive a cash prize and the grand prize winner will receive a commemorative parking meter trophy.
The winners of the grand prize in 2024 was the Shockey family and Holiday Spirit Award went to the Miller/McKenzie families. The winners of the Business category were Ryoma Academy, first place; Wix & Wax, second place; and Morgan Farms, third place. Winning churches included Barton Presbyterian, first place; First English Baptist, second place; and God’s Ark of Safety, third place. Family and Individual winners were Mazer/Whisner families, first place; Pennington family, second place; and Eberly/Maffley families, third place.
Blair said it has been “exciting and heartwarming” to see so many embrace the project and make it a part of their family traditions.
Bre Grove, a multi-year winner, said the project is a highlight of the season for her family.
“Our meter is a family activity. I start thinking of ideas pretty far in advance, sometimes before I even have that year’s meter put up,” she said. “The first few years I just tried to think of ideas that we could build with wood. We did snowglobes and Heat Miser/Snow Miser. Then I had the idea to build a storefront window that I could change every year like the windows in New York.
The Crowe family has also made the contest a part of their family tradition. The multi-generational crew includes four children and two adults and they spend nearly 40 hours on their annual display.
“This is a family venture. We look on Pinterest for ideas and then try to think of something no one has attempted. We start thinking about it in August and go from there,” Jemma Crowe said. “Our daughter-in-law asked us to help her the first year and we enjoyed it so much we continued. We won for the penguin, angel and the carolers. We don’t do it to win, we do it for the family memories.”
“I cannot believe how people have embraced our dream and made it into a reality,” Blair said. “This crazy idea has truly become a tradition for our town.”