Upcoming ‘Outdoors Maryland’ Episode Tells The Story Of South Mountain Magic

It includes legends of the Snarly Yow, Snallygaster.

Owning s Mills, Md (KM) The legends and creatures of the South Mountain area of Frederick County will be told on an upcoming episode of “Outdoors Maryland” on Maryland Public Television. Sarah Sampson , the Producer of “Outdoors Maryland,” says the program will tell the story of the Snarly Yow and the Snallygaster. “Really what we’re doing is exploring some of these legends., and some of these mythical beasts of Frederick County, but especially as they relate to the landscape,” she says. “So we’re looking at South Mountain as a place that’s right for the imagination to come up with some of these mythical creatures.”

The episode featuring the South Mountain area will air on Tuesday evening, January 17th at 7:30. It will also be live streamed on mpt.org/livestream.   This will  be the program’s 34th season finale.

The Snarly Yow is described as . “a big, black, sort like a wolf-dog type creature. There are sightings of it reported have been reported across Frederick County, but specifically Turner’s Gap. That area of South Mountain is said to be where the Snarly Yow roams,” says Sampson.

Also in the spotlight is the legend of the Snallygaster, a creature with wings who flies around and snatches people from the ground with its claws. Sampson says there is some disagreement over what the Snallygaster looks like. “I’ve heard dragons. Some renditions of it look like a big serpent or an alligator,” she says.

The MPT production crew visited a cave the Snallygaster would have might inhabited   if it was real. Sampson says the crew had no encounters with the Snallygaster or the Snarly Yow.

“We also talk about the Wizard of South Mountain. There’s a mention of that legend as well in this segment. His name is Michael Zittle. There’s Zittletown’s Road,” she says.

Zittle has been called the “high priest of all that is evil.” He’s also credited with curing illnesses.

“Outdoors Maryland” began airing on MPT in 1988, and is produced in cooperation with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. “The goal is really just to tell the stories about the diverse natural resources across the state,”: says Sampson. “We try to hit every area of the state, certainly throughout the season, and we try to hit different locations in each episode as well.”

The program is a half-hour in length with three segments. Sampson acknowledges there may not be enough time to tell the entire story of South Mountain. “There’s always so much more to these stories that we want to tell,” she says. “But I do think people should tune in to watch this segment; and the other two in the episode are really worth while.”

In addition to the South Mountain area, “Outdoors Maryland” on January 17th will feature a dinosaur hunt in Dorchester and Wicomico Counties, and mountain biking in Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll and Howard Counties.

Sampson says the program will be back next season MPT.

By Kevin McManus