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Helping bluebirds find a new home

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Although he’s a junior at Springbrook High School, Eric Cargal has been spending more time recently at Riderwood Village, a retirement community for seniors age 62 and older. As part of a community project for his Eagle Scout program, White Oak resident Cargal has been working with Riderwood administrators to build nesting houses for bluebirds and other local species, according to Tim Cargal, father and scoutmaster of Boy Scouts Troop 1068.

‘‘The plan is to locate about 20 houses for birds around the Riderwood property,” he said. ‘‘The understanding is that prior to the construction [of Riderwood], there had been some bluebird habitat ... we wanted to give the birds someplace to live again.”

The program also will include monitoring of the population levels, with collaboration from Riderwood’s bird enthusiast groups.

Fairland Literary Salonmeets Tuesday

The Fairland Literary Salon will meet 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Fairland Library, 14910 Old Columbia Pike, Burtonsville. Bring two pages of your own poetry or prose, or that of your favorite author to share. Call 301-421-5400.

Hikes to highlightRachel Carson Greenway

Three environmentally oriented hikes will celebrate the Rachel Carson Greenway 10 a.m. Saturday. Hikes are scheduled simultaneously.

The Families and Kids Nature Fun Hike, led by Maryland-National Capital Park Planning Commission Park Naturalist Betsy Taylor and Steve Findley, begins at 10700 Colesville Road, at the Burnt Mills Dam. The trip is about one mile, north along Northwest Branch Stream Valley Park.

The Underground Railroad History Hike, led by M-NCPPC historian Susan Soderberg, begins at Woodlawn Manor Park, 16501 Norwood Road, Sandy Spring, and continues nearly two miles along the Rural Legacy Trail portion of the Rachel Carson Greenway to the Sandy Spring Friends Meeting House. Return transportation to Woodlawn will be available.

The Sense of Wonder Hike, led by M-NCPPC forest ecologist⁄botanist Carole Bergmann, begins at the Rachel Carson Conservation Park entrance, 22201 Zion Road, Olney, and continues about two miles through one of the county’s premier conservation areas.

Participants will hike along uneven terrain and are encouraged to wear sturdy shoes, dress in layers and carry a water bottle. The Families and Kids Nature Fun Hike is the shortest of the hikes and is suitable for fit children age 5 and older and their parents. Call 301-495-4600.

Rachel Carson’s former home and historic landmark will be open to the public 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday. The house is at 11701 Berwick Road, in the Quaint Acres area of Silver Spring. Visitors will enjoy a variety of presentations and performance. Call Diana Post at 301-593-7507.

Galway to holdkindergarten orientation

Galway Elementary School in Calverton will hold kindergarten orientation March 29 and 30 at the school, 12612 Galway Drive. Call 301-595-2930 for an appointment.

Other orientations will be held throughout the spring. A list will be published on the School News page in Gazette 2.

PAL seeks vendors for Craft Fair and Spring Bazaar

The Police Activities League is looking for vendors of arts and crafts for its Craft Fair and Spring Bazaar, scheduled 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 13. The event will be held at the PAL Center, located at the Good Hope Community Center, 14715 Good Hope Road in Silver Spring.

The Police Activities League is designed to prevent juvenile crime and reduce juvenile arrests by providing youth with safe havens, meaningful activities and positive role models.

Proceeds will go toward after-school programs and summer camp for youth members of the Montgomery County Police chapter of PAL.

E-mail palbazaar@yahoo.com, or call 301-840-2694.

Buy mulch,help schools

Several area high schools will be holding mulch sales in the coming weeks. Delivery is available in many cases to residents who live near the school or put in large orders.

The Springbrook Athletic Booster Club is holding a spring mulch sale to benefit activities at the school. Bags of shredded hardwood mulch will be ready for pick-up at White Oak Middle School parking lot April 1. Each bag of 3 cubic feet of mulch costs $3.75, or $4 for delivery within the Northeast Consortium area with a minimum of 10 bags. Print an order form from www.gobluedevils.net, or pick up one at the school. Call Kitty Robbins at 301-989-6070.

A mulch sale to benefit the James Hubert Blake High School Booster Club will be held 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the school, 300 Norwood Road, Silver Spring. Advance orders are $3.50 a bag for 3 cubic feet of shredded hardwood mulch. Contact Ken Salins at 301-384-7616 orkensalins@comcast.net.

The Paint Branch High School Instrumental Music Boosters, in cooperation with Fehr’s Nursery, is selling mulch to benefit all PBHS instrumental music program activities. Hardwood mulch in bags of 3 cubic feet are priced at $4.50 per bag and is delivered free within the area bounded by I-95, I-495, Layhill Road⁄Ednor Road and the Montgomery–Howard county line. To order, call 301-388-0513 or e-mail kaiskat4@aol.com. Orders and payment are due Monday. Delivery will be made between Saturday and April 5.

Poet to be showcasedat Poetry Gallery

Ingeborg Carsten-Miller, a familiar face to many at the Fairland Literary Salon, will have two poems, ‘‘There Are Many Roads” and ‘‘After Watching Robert Frost at 84” on display at the county executive’s Poetry Gallery.

Blood donationdrives set

Forcey Memorial Church will hold a blood drive with INOVA blood donor services 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at 2130 East Randolph Road in Silver Spring. Call Joy Patil at 240-876-9640.

Donors should be at least 110 pounds, feel healthy and age 17 or older. Those who are age 16 may donate with written permission from their parents.

Springbrook to holdinstrumental concert

A spring concert sponsored by the Springbrook High School Instrumental Music Department will be held 7 p.m. Tuesday at the school, 201 Valley Brook Drive, Silver Spring. Cost is $3. Call the school at 301-989-5700.

Church holdsdessert theater

Enjoy a series of seven short plays over dessert and beverage for just $10, and help benefit expectant mothers and breast cancer research at Cedar Ridge Community Church. Play showings start 7:30 p.m. March 31 and April 1 at the main auditorium at 2410 Spencerville Road. Spencerville.

There will be seven short plays with an intermission. All proceeds go to Robin’s Nest in Laytonsville, a home for expectant mothers in need, and to the Susan B. Koman Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Tickets will be on sale at the door or by phone at 301-384-7444, Ext. 23.

Neighbors groupto hold meeting

Neighbors of Northwest Branch will have its next regular meeting 7:30 p.m. April 4 at the White Oak Library, 11701 New Hampshire Ave., Silver Spring. Topics will include activities for April, especially cleanups. Call 301-946-5599.

Let the community know what’s important – send your news items to Benjamin Hu, Burtonsville Gazette, 8650 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20910; faxed to 301-562-3262; or e-mailed to bhu@gazette.net. He may also be reached at 301-562-3271. Deadline is one week prior to publication.

‘The Wiz’ comesto Paint Branch

Paint Branch High School’s Perspectives Club will perform the musical ‘‘The Wiz,” a stage version of L. Frank Baum’s novel ‘‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets are $5 for students and $7 for adults. Call 301-989-5600.

White Oak MS to present ‘Aida’

White Oak Middle School students will perform the Broadway play ‘‘Aida” 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and 2 p.m. Saturday at the school, 12201 New Hampshire Ave., Silver Spring. Tickets are $6 adults and $4 students. Area fifth-graders will get a preview performance today. More than 60 students will have roles in the musical. Call the school at 301-989-5780.

Newport School to hostribbon-cutting ceremony

The Newport School will host a celebration and ribbon-cutting for its move to its new Silver Spring location 2 p.m. today at 12101 Tech Road. The program will include student and special guest performances, including Newport board member Marcus Johnson of Three Keys Music. The school is in its 75th year and had been housed for five years in Wheaton.

Hear a fewAmerican Indian stories

Dovie Thomason will celebrate her Lakota Sioux and Kiowa Apache heritage through traditional stories learned from her grandmother 10:30 a.m. today at Silver Spring Nursery School, 10309 New Hampshire Ave. The program is geared for children between 3 and 6 years old. Tickets are $6 per show, or $5 for groups of 15 or more. Tickets can be ordered by calling 301-588-4475 or by going to www.classactsarts.org.

Stroke support groupmarks 25 years

The Montgomery County Stroke Association is celebrating 25 years of support.

As a fund-raiser, the Montgomery County Stroke Association is selling tickets to Olney Theatre’s ‘‘Anything Goes” 2 p.m. April 23. Tickets cost $40 each, a portion of which is a tax-exempt donation to the MCSA. Call Janet Gritz at 301-622-2282.

Volunteers also are needed for the positions of accountant, computer support, secretary, fund-raiser and program planner. Call 301-681-6272.

Be prepared in in caseof emergencies

The East County Regional Center at 3300 Briggs Chaney Road has rescheduled an Emergency Preparedness Community Forum, with a new time of 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. March 30. Presenters include Gordon Aoyagi, director of the Montgomery County Homeland Security Department, and a representative of the Montgomery County Health and Human Services. Call 240-777-2300.

Immanuel’s helps menfulfill their promise

Immanuel’s Church will host the first Latino Promise Keeper’s event ‘‘Desatado Unleashed” 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. April 1. This event is bilingual Spanish-English and open to all men. Promise Keepers is a Christian evangelical ministry dedicated to uniting men to become positive, ‘‘godly influences” in the world. Click on www.promisekeepers.org⁄span10 for more information, or contact Jose Flores at jflores@immanuels.org or 301-989-4673, Ext. 1270. Immanuel’s Church is at 16819 New Hampshire Ave., Silver Spring.

White Oak libraryevents planned

Preschool storytime for children ages 2 to 5 with a parent or caregiver is held 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Thursdays in March at White Oak Library, 11701 New Hampshire Ave., Silver Spring. The events feature books, flannelboard stories and music.

Storytime for children ages 2 to 5 with a parent or caregiver also is held 10:30 a.m. Saturday, ‘‘Cuddle-ups,” storytime for the very young will feature simple stories and rhymes for newborns to 2 years with parent or guardian 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Monday.

White Oak morning book group will hold a discussion 10:30 a.m. Tuesday of ‘‘Middlesex” by Jeffrey Eugenides.

For more information, call 301-622-2492.

Hospice honorssilver anniversary

The Montgomery Hospice will pay tribute to volunteers and supporters who have made a tremendous impact during the hospice’s 25 years 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Conference Center, 5701 Marinelli Road, North Bethesda. The black-tie event will include cocktails, dinner, live music by Onyx and a silent and live auction.

Honorary guests include Edward Hall Asher of the Chevy Chase Land Company and Michael McCarthy of McCarthy Investment Company. Friends for Life honorees include Cokie and Steve Roberts and J. Donald Schumacher, president and CEO of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.

Call 301-921-4400 or visit www.montgomeryhospice.org. Tickets are $250 per person and are partially tax-deductible.

Schools sponsor fund-raiser for heart health

White Oak Middle School students are looking for sponsors for a health fund-raiser to raise money for the American Heart Association. The series of events starts Monday with an assembly with Radio One 93.9 FM. On March 29 and 30 the ‘‘Hoops for Hearts” events include basketball activities. Call Cara Grant at 301-989-5780.

Free tax returnhelp available

The RSVP⁄AARP Tax Assistance Program offers visitors free, IRS-approved help with their tax returns at the Fairland Library, 14910 Old Columbia Pike in Burtonsville. This program is all-volunteer, and by appointment only. Montgomery County citizens should call 301-468-4179 to make appointments.

Church holdsSL classes

Classes for English as a Second Language are now open for registration at Calvary Alliance Church at 12020 Old Gunpowder Road in Beltsville. Call 301-595-4393 or visit www.cmacalvary.org. Lessons are 7 p.m. Tuesdays, and continue through April 25. Fee is $35 for materials and refreshments.

‘Friendly Visitors’needed

Volunteers are needed for the Mental Health Association’s Friendly Visitors Program. The program needs volunteers who can spend a minimum of four hours per month and commit to one year of visits to visit seniors who are frail, lonely, and isolated due to physical problems and may also have some depression and anxiety due to multiple losses.

Visiting times are flexible and orientation and ongoing training is provided. The next orientation training sessions are 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. today and April 15. Volunteers need to attend only one of these orientations. Applications must be received 10 days prior to training. For more information and an application, call Carolyn Wanner at 301-424-0656, Ext. 107.

County seeks volunteersfor ombudsman program

Those interested in helping enhance the quality of life for nursing home residents are invited to volunteer as long-term care advocates with the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, Aging and Disability Services. Ombudsmen promote the highest quality of life for residents in nursing home settings and help resolve problems.

This volunteer opportunity offers flexible daytime hours and autonomy in developing problem-solving strategies. Assignments are available at nursing homes throughout Montgomery County. Training and technical assistance are provided by experienced professionals.

A training session for volunteers will be held 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 3 through April 7 at Holiday Park Senior Center, 3950 Ferrara Drive, Wheaton. Participants will receive a comprehensive orientation to the aging process, nursing home systems, applicable laws and advocacy skills.

Class size is limited and registration is required. For more information, call Eileen Bennett at 240-777-1067.

Wheaton HS class of 1966to hold reunion

The Wheaton High School class of 1966 will hold its 40th reunion with a welcome reception May 26 and main event May 27. Contact Carol Xander at 301-593-2783 or csx24@juno.com, or visit www.whs66.org.

Anniversary of county’s immersion program

A celebration of the 30 years of Montgomery County Public School’s French Immersion Program will be held 2 p.m. Saturday at Montgomery Blair High School, 51 University Blvd. E., Silver Spring.

Current students and staff with their families, past students and staff with their families and friends of immersion are invited. The event will include presentations by current students and will feature guest speakers and photo displays.

Past students are encouraged to attend this reunion to share how immersion has affected their lives, and to catch up on former classmates and teachers.

For more information, contact Reine Levis at Sligo Creek Elementary School at 301-562-2722, or Reine_Levis@fc.mcps.k12.md.us.

Volunteers needed to help second-graders read

Three Montgomery County nonprofit organizations including the George B. Learning Academy, Interages and Passion for Learning are seeking volunteer tutors to work with struggling second-grade students at 56 Montgomery County Public Schools. The program, the ‘‘Ruth Rales Comcast Kids Reading Network,” provides tutoring materials, training and ongoing support materials at each school. Volunteers tutor a second-grader for one hour per week, which can take place before, during or after school.

Volunteers also may select their top preferences for school locations. Burtonsville and Silver Spring area elementary schools in need of tutors include Broad Acres, Cannon Road, Burnt Mills and Fairland. Call 301-279-3890 or visitwww.montgomeryschoolsmd.org⁄readingnetwork.

Volunteers sought forlow-income tax preparation

The Montgomery County Child Care Resource and Referral Center is seeking volunteers to help low-income families file their income taxes with the Earned Income Tax Credit.

The Internal Revenue Service will provide tax preparation through April 15 in Rockville.

The center also is seeking volunteer greeters to review tax documents before preparation. There also is a need for bilingual volunteers.

For more information, contact Susie Carpio at 301-279-1035 or susie.carpio@montgomerycountymd.gov.

Calling all Colesvillestrawberry lovers

The date for Colesville’s next strawberry festival has been set for May 20, and volunteers are needed to help coordinate the 24th annual celebration. The managing committee meets once a month at the Fairland Community Center, 14906 Old Columbia Pike in Burtonsville.

According to John Wnek, organizer of the event, the committee is looking at expanding the range of attractions at the Strawberry Festival.

Interested volunteers, schools and fair sponsors should call Wnek at 301-607-8770.

Historic school openfor meetings, seeks artifacts

The Historic Smithville Colored School on Randolph Road in Silver Spring is now available to host public meetings, and the staff is looking to acquire artifacts from the segregation period for its museum, such as textbooks, furniture and photographs. The artifacts will go toward an educational program, which includes a museum and computer center to teach visitors about that era.

To donate artifacts or to book a meeting, call Andrew Klugh at 301-384-0171.

Volunteers to delivermeals needed

Colesville Meals on Wheels needs replacement volunteers to continue serving the homebound in Woodmoor, Four Corners, Burnt Mills, White Oak, Colesville, Calverton and Burtonsville. Meals on Wheels delivers food five days a week, between 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., all days except major holidays and when schools are closed due to snow. Each volunteer need only commit two hours per week. Call Sarah Day at 301-384-5735.