Donate books for local collection

Adult and children's material, both prose and poetry, will be set up this fall in the front of the library for anyone to check out. There is no deadline to turn in material because the collection will be ongoing, librarian Ann Geht said.

Geht said the purpose of the collection is to help authors circulate their work and get their names out in the community.

"The library wants the local literary community to be aware of each other and have the opportunity to share their work with local readers," she said.

For more information, call Geht at 240-773-9453.

County to hold

solar car derby

Children ages 8 through 14 are invited to enter the 2008 Solar Car Derby, an event highlighting clean energy use. From 10 a.m. to noon Aug. 23, participants will assemble a working, solar powered model car and, if the sun's out, race them. The event is sponsored by the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection and the East County Regional Services Center. It will be held at the regional services center, 3300 Briggs Chaney Road, Silver Spring.

Participants must register. The program is limited to 22 children, all of whom must be accompanied by a parent or guardian who is a Montgomery County resident. Participants must arrive by 10 a.m. at the latest. To enter, call DEP at 240-777-7700 or e-mail askdep@

montgomerycountymd.gov with the participant's name, the parent or guardian's name, address and home phone number.

Cannon Road ES named outstanding PTA

The PTA at Cannon Road Elementary School in Silver Spring was named the best PTA for its "outstanding outreach to a multicultural parent base" by PTO Today magazine's parent group of the year search. PTO Today is a national magazine for parent-teacher groups.

Cannon Road's PTA was selected from among hundreds of parent groups and will be featured in the magazine's September 2008 issue. There are nine other categories in the parent group of the year search, which include "outstanding new group," "outstanding effort to overcome adversity" and "outstanding community service project." Cannon Road Elementary school is located at 901 Cannon Road.

Quilt club helps

elementary school

Members of Riderwood retirement community's quilt club were recognized by the Audubon Naturalist Society for their support of GreenKids, an outreach program for Montgomery County Public Schools. The club recently raised $700 for a butterfly garden at East Silver Spring Elementary School by raffling an Earth Day quilt made by members. Other Riderwood residents have donated plants and funds to the garden. GreenKids helps support environmental awareness and initiatives through community partnerships and student training. Riderwood is located in Silver Spring.

Paint Branch

drive-in movie night

The Paint Branch High School after-prom committee will host a drive-in movie night showing "Spiderman 3" on a large outdoor screen 8 p.m. Aug. 22 at Paint Branch High School, 14121 Old Columbia Pike, Burtonsville.

Cars are welcome around 7 p.m. There will be outdoor speakers for people sitting outside cars to hear the movie. Admission is free, but a $20 per car donation and $5 walk-in donation is recommended. Proceeds will go to the May 2009 junior-senior prom. Paint Branch High School is located at 18401 Old Columbia Pike in Burtonsville.

On campus

Richard McPayten of Silver Spring graduated this May with a master's degree in Christian counseling and discipleship from Capital Bible Seminary in Lanham. He plans to pursue both a senior pastorate position and an adjunct professor position.

Marilyn J. Praisner

Library events

Tom Lilly, a Baltimore-based performer, will entertain children in a family comedy with magic, balloons, jokes and even a rabbit 7 p.m. Thursday at the Marilyn J. Praisner Library, 14910 Old Columbia Pike, for the library's summer reading finale and ice cream social.

The show, called "Books Are a Blast!" will help pique children's interest in reading and cap off the library's summer reading program. No registration is required.

Teens ages 12-18 will learn how to create a self-published comic or mini book 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the library. Registration is required.

A session for teens and parents on how to prepare upcoming high school graduates on the college application process will be held 7 p.m. Monday at the library. Registration is required.

Fairland Chess Players will meet 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday. Beginners and advanced chess players age 8 and older are welcome. No registration is required.

Join the adult evening book discussion club 7 p.m. Aug. 13 for "We Need to Talk About Kevin," by Lionel Shriver. Registration is required.

To register for programs, call 240-773-9460.

White Oak Library events

The African American Book Club will meet 7 p.m. Tuesday at the White Oak Library, 11701 New Hampshire Ave., to discuss "Brother, I'm Dying," by Edwidge Danticat. No registration is required.

Join a beginner's class for catalog and Internet training 9:15 a.m. Saturdays. The class will cover Web page basics and how to access the library's catalog and databases. Registration is required.

To register for programs, call 240-733-9555.

Exhibit at Heliport Gallery

The exhibit "Heads, Torsos, Legs" will be on display at Gateway's Heliport Gallery through Saturday. The show is based on a revised version of the surrealist game "Exquisite Corpse," in which a piece of paper is folded three times and three different people draw a portion of a figure without seeing the previous person's work.

The Heliport Gallery is managed by the Gateway Georgia Avenue Revitalization Corporation and is located at 8001 Kennett St., Suite 3. Call 301-562-1400 or visit www.

gatewaycdc.com for more information.

Tutor program

needs volunteers

The OASIS Intergenerational Tutoring Program is looking for tutors at its 27 Montgomery County Public Schools. OASIS, a national senior organization, provides volunteer tutors for students in kindergarten through third-grade reading.

Fall training will be held Sept. 9-10 at Macy's Home Store in Montgomery Mall and later in September or early October at North Creek Community Center in Montgomery Village.

Contact OASIS tutor coordinator Kay Meek at 301-588-5416 or krm5416@aol.com or call Marge Feldman at 301-869-1638 to sign up for training or for more information.

Send news items, announcements and community events to Amber Parcher at aparcher@gazette.net, or call her at 240-473-7563. Send them by mail to Burtonsville Gazette, 13501 Virginia Manor Road, Laurel, MD 20707.