By Melissa Chotiner, Media Relations Manager for Montgomery Parks This Saturday, June 8, Montgomery Parks is serving as the host site for the county’s inaugural Be Active Montgomery! health festival. It will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at South Germantown Recreational Park, one of our biggest parks, and will feature lots of free games and activities, including ... Read More »

By Sid Sclar Everyone knows that as we change the seasons from spring to summer, it’s time to check smoke alarm batteries, change out air filters, and perform so many other seasonal home routines. But what about your alarm system? If you don’t have an alarm system and are looking for a way to deter burglary and theft from your ... Read More »

By Pamela Schipper In a March 2011 Q&A for the Washington Independent Review of Books, Alice McDermott said, “If my characters don’t continually surprise me, I’m preaching a story, not composing it. Writing fiction, just like reading fiction, should be a continual act of discovery.” This author of many novels, including the National Book Award winner Charming Billy, will share ... Read More »

By Melissa Chotiner, Media Relations Manager for Montgomery Parks Ever come across an unexpected creature while out exploring nature? A snake? Fox? Coyote? Odd looking amphibians? We do all the time in our parks. If you get a surge of excitement or wonder—perhaps even shock, fear or awe—park ranger may be a career you’d love. This summer Montgomery Parks is ... Read More »

Sample our March/April 2013 issue, and you’ll find nourishment and fun. Small-plate cuisine artist José Andrés dishes on thinking big about food and how we connect to it. Montgomery Parks offers a diverse menu of recreational and educational opportunities in 418 county parks. Chef Geoff shares his recipe for success that includes food, merriment, fun and especially bacon. Hersheypark presents ... Read More »

Photo caption: Montgomery County legends The Nighthawks perform blues and roots rock again this year. Don’t miss seeing them take the Regal Stage on Sunday, May 26, 6:30 p.m. By Pamela Schipper When it started on Memorial Day weekend 1989, Rockville’s Hometown Holidays was supposed to be a one-time event. The Rockville Mall was reopening and the city was working to revitalize ... Read More »

THIS CONTEST HAS ENDED Enter for a chance to win a copy of “A Good Man: Rediscovering My Father, Sargent Shriver” AUTOGRAPHED with Father’s Day greeting by Mark Shriver Contest begins at noon on June 7 and ends at 8:00 a.m. on June 12. You must “like” our Facebook page and complete the online entry form in order to enter ... Read More »

By Joe Kraut, Manager, Pope Farm Nursery, Montgomery Parks When you think of parks, you probably think of trees. For Montgomery Parks, trees (as well as shrubs and flowers/plants) come from our very own Pope Farm Nursery, located on Airpark Drive in Derwood. The nursery was founded in 1974, and produced its first crop of trees in 1979. Greenhouses and ... Read More »

By Sid Sclar Follow These Steps for Better Home Security This Spring Warm weather might be great for the flowers, but right along with these longer days of spring and summer comes an increase in the rate of burglaries and break-ins in homes all across America. Hedge wisely Now is the time to beautify your property and create a deterrent ... Read More »

Photo Caption: In late February 2009, Mark Shriver reads with Justin, then 9 and a fourth grader in the Save the Children literacy program at Owsley County Elementary School in Booneville, Kentucky. Photo Courtesy of Save the Children. By Gina Gallucci-White | Photography by Phil Fabrizio Whenever Mark Shriver is asked to speak at a gathering, he starts off by ... Read More »