The Bethesda Library hosted a special program on March 15 featuring University of Maryland paleontologist Thomas Holtz, author of ‘‘Dinosaurs: The Most Complete, Up-to-Date, Encyclopedia for Dinosaur Lovers of All Ages.”
About 30 dinosaur lovers of various ages came out for Holtz’s presentation, during which he showed casts of dinosaur fossils and some actual fossils.
Giant teeth that came from some of the biggest dinosaurs were an audience favorite, said Children’s Librarian Rosemary Yorke, who invited Holtz to speak.
Holtz talked about his book, what to look for when hunting for dinosaur fossils and answered countless questions from kids and grown ups.
‘‘He started talking to the kids before the program even started,” Yorke said. ‘‘Afterwards we gave him a piece of cake but he didn’t even stop. He kept answering questions and even walked one man out to his car to continue their discussion.”
Bethesda troop recognizes new Eagle Scouts
Bethesda Boy Scout Troop 461 recognized three new Eagle Scouts at an Eagle Court of Honor on March 6.
Andrew Hamm and Willem Klein, seniors at Saint Anselm’s Abbey School in Washington, and Kevin Kappeler, a freshman at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, earned the highest rank attainable in Boy Scouts.
In 2005, all three participated in the National Scout Jamboree at Fort AP Hill in Virginia, a unique event in which nearly 40,000 Boy Scouts and leaders from all over the nation gather every four years to share experiences and activities. In addition to their Scout activities, all three friends have participated together in recreational baseball and in their church youth group.
Requirements for Eagle Scout include earning a minimum of 21 merit badges, holding various leadership positions with progressive responsibility within the troop, and leadership and completion of an extensive community service project planned and led entirely by the Eagle Scout candidate.
Hamm designed, re-graded and rebuilt an amphitheater around a fire pit at Locust Grove Nature Center on Democracy Lane in Bethesda. The new design provided more seating and helped to prevent erosion.
Kappeler designed, built and installed six wooden benches for the Audubon Naturalist Society in Chevy Chase. He also designed, built and furnished a 54-cubic-foot outdoor storage box for the Audubon Society center in Leesburg, Va.
Klein designed a repair to a creek bed at the Audubon Naturalist Society in Chevy Chase. He led a large group of Scouts who installed sand, filter fabric and rocks to control erosion. Hiss project required considerable movement of several tons of dense materials to a remote work area.
Troop 461 has been chartered under the authority of the National Capital Area Council since 1952 to the Saint Jane Frances de Chantal Catholic Church located on Old Georgetown Road in Bethesda. Troop 461 is currently under the leadership of Dick Holcomb.
Benjamin Pyle, a junior at Walter Johnson High School, is the Troop’s most recent Eagle Scout and is the 72nd boy from Troop 461 to earn that rank since 1963.
B-CC Rescue Squadmembers complete training
Members of the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad were honored in spring graduation ceremonies at the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Training Academy on March 14.
Twelve Rescue Squad volunteers were recognized for completing training programs to become Emergency Medical Technicians or Firefighters.
Rescue Squad volunteer Emily Rogell was the top performer in her class and carried on the squad tradition of excellence by receiving the A. Marvin Gibbons Award for outstanding academic performance in Montgomery County’s rigorous Essentials of Firefighting Class.
Rescue Squad volunteers Rita DeLaroca and Henrike Veith also completed the Essentials of Firefighting Class. The 120-hour firefighter’s course consists of extensive classroom instruction as well as physically demanding practical training, including live firefighting exercises.
Rescue squad volunteers Hilary Gates, Dean Ho, Jennifer Hoffman, Karima Hurt, Meghan Miller, Valerie Smith, Hahn Soe-Lin, Tamara Tatunchak and Jill Weaver completed the Emergency Medical Technician-Basic (EMT-B) class. EMT-B is the first level of formalized medical training required for all Rescue Squad volunteers. The training program consists of more than 130 hours of classroom time coupled with additional in-hospital clinical requirements and hours spent riding Rescue Squad ambulances on actual emergency calls. EMT-Bs perform a variety of skills, including patient assessment, basic life support and use of automated external defibrillators.
All Rescue Squad volunteers and staff receive professional training and meet or exceed state standards before responding to emergency calls.
For information on volunteering with BCCRS, call the membership hotline at 301-657-5557, e-mail membership@bccrs.org , or visit www.bccrs.org.
Art on displaythis weekend at Glen Echo
This is the last weekend to catch ‘‘Pathways: The Artists’ Journey,” an exhibit of kilnformed art at The Art Glass Center at Glen Echo, a prominent glass school, studio and gallery. The exhibit features glass sculpture, vessels and wall art created by five emerging artists. Each artist has a unique story to tell and does so through her glass art. The works on exhibit encompass diverse styles and a wide range of kilnforming techniques. ‘‘Pathways: The Artists’ Journey” will be on exhibit 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Art Glass Center Gallery in Glen Echo Park, 7300 MacArthur Blvd. For information, call Bobbi Baumann Vischi at 703-850-9783.
Also in Glen Echo Park, The Yellow Barn Gallery will present recent paintings by Potomac artist Bobbi Shulman this weekend. Gallery hours are noon to 5 p.m. A reception for the artist will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday.
The show, entitled ‘‘An Exploration of Color and Light,” includes primarily local Maryland scenes, from the farms and enclaves of Montgomery County to the Eastern Shore.
