Oktoberfest nears in the Kentlands

Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2005

Get ready for horse-drawn hayrides, scarecrow making, magic shows and Bavarian food at the 14th annual Oktoberfest in the Kentlands from noon to 4 p.m. Oct. 9 at the village green.

The yearly festival, which includes music, pony rides and dancing all day, is organized by the City of Gaithersburg and the Kentlands Citizens Assembly.

Admission and parking are free and shuttle service will be available from the Global Exchange Services Building at the corner of Main Street and Route 28.

For more info, call 301-258-6310 or check out www.gaithersburmd.gov.

Marking ‘Constitution Week’ in Gaithersburg

Gaithersburg’s mayor and City Council designated Sept. 17 through Sept. 23, 2005, as ‘‘Constitution Week” in the city.

Allyson Morrison and Kathryn E. George of the National Society of the Daughter’s of the American Revolution accepted the proclamation at a recent council meeting.

Sept. 17 marked the 218th anniversary of the signing of the Constitution in the United States.

Scouts extendtraining class registration

The registration deadline has been extended for the Oct. 1 Forest Oak District Cub Scout and Boy Scout leader training at Grace United Methodist Church, 119 N. Frederick Ave.

Registration forms are online at www.boyscouts-ncac.org⁄forestoak

Home safety exhibitrolls into city

The Great Safety Adventure, an exhibit that teaches youngsters about home safety, will stop in Gaithersburg this week at an elementary school and a home-improvement products store.

The Great Safety Adventure was created and launched in 1999 by the Home Safety Council, a nonprofit that receives funding from home products companies. Lowe’s sponsors the adventure and founded the council.

The free exhibit – one of two traveling the country – will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 1 at Lowe’s of Gaithersburg, 205 Kentlands Blvd.

For more information, go to www.homesafetycouncil.org.

Students receive statelegislative scholarships

Here are the recipients of Maryland legislative scholarships for District 39, as announced by state Del. Joan Stern. Recipients are selected based on academic merit and financial need. The students are listed by their home town and school they attend.

In Derwood:

Jacqueline Tarrau, University of Maryland.

In Gaithersburg:

Gregory Chimera, Quince Orchard High School; Melissa Choi, Philadelphia University; Stephanie Choi, Montgomery College; Joshua Crone, University of Maryland; Nicole Crone, Gaithersburg High School; Emily Dotson, Towson University; Ryan Hare, Gaithersburg High School; John Harrell, Watkins Mill High School; Courtney Jenkins, St. Mary’s of Maryland; Allison Medoff, University of Maryland; Daniel Ruffner, Magruder High School; Gareth Stonebraker, Gaithersburg High School; Kia Thomas, Gaithersburg High School; Kinsley Wilde, Hood College; Gloria Lynn Zaffos, Gaithersburg High School.

In Germantown:

Eunice Amaya, Watkins Mill High School; Farah Aridi, University of Maryland; Sandra Buitrago, University of Maryland; Benjamin Cockshott, Seneca Valley High School; Carla DiBartolomeo, Seneca Valley High School; Melody Gordon, Montgomery College; Geonisa Harris, University of Maryland; Shantee Hawley, Seneca Valley High School; Shelia Jenkins, University of Maryland; Guillaume Kemvo, Montgomery College; Arina Kotlyarskaya, RIT; Cuong Le, Montgomery College; Kunal Narang, Watkins Mill High School; Janette Peer, Home Schooled; Lenae Peer, Montgomery College; Paul Quintanilla, Watkins Mill High School; Travis Riser, Watkins Mill High School; Purvi Shah, University of Maryland.

In Montgomery Village:

Megan Anders, University of Maryland, Baltimore County; Christine Archer, Watkins Mill High School; Brian Case, University of Maryland; Deepal Dharia, Gaithersburg High School; Sebastian Garcia, Watkins Mill High School; Jeanelle Lewis, Montgomery College; Chrisine Stohlman, University of Maryland; Anna Volper, Watkins Mill High School.

For more information on the program, contact Pat Duvall, 301-858-3045.

Salon stageshurricane relief rally

O’Hair Salon and Spa in the Kentlands reports it raised more than $7,000 on Sunday, Sept. 17, in its ‘‘Rally for Relief” to help victims of Hurricane Katrina.

The salon says more than half of the salons in the Gulf region hit by the hurricane were destroyed.

Funds from the Gaithersburg event, held on a day when the salon is usually closed, are being sent to the National Cosmetology Association’s Katrina relief fund.

For more information on making a donation, call 301-977-0800.

Life-saving effort is saluted

Police officer Dennis Whalen was named Gaithersburg’s employee of the quarter for helping to save a life last summer.

While checking car tags at the Motel 6 off of Quince Orchard Road, Whalen’s computer program showed that one of the car owners had been reported missing. The man was also suicidal.

Whalen found the man in a lethargic, semiconscious state, surrounded by bottles of insulin and syringes in a motel room.

Doctors later said his low blood sugar level indicated he was near death.

Without Whalen’s diligence and quick reaction, City Manager David B. Humpton said at a recent City Council meeting, the man would have died.

‘‘This is yet another example of how Dennis’ high work ethic and heads up thinking makes the city shine in a favorable light,” Humpton said.

Police honoredfor volunteer efforts

Gaithersburg police officers were named the city’s team of the quarter for escorting family members of fallen officers during an annual memorial week.

Denise Woodard, Shawn Eastman, Rudy Wagner, Lester Rice, Dwight Lumsden, Curtis Pettaway, Billy White, Beth Quinlan and John Leache were honored for voluntarily spending a full day, usually 12 to 19 hours, each year with those family members attending the National Police Memorial Week in Washington, D.C.

These officers ‘‘make sure that the people arriving for the memorial service do not get stranded or feel neglected, so they know, despite the fact that they have never met them, they have family here,” said City Manager David B. Humpton at a recent council meeting.

Two appointedto advisory committees

Gaithersburg Mayor Sidney A. Katz recently appointed Alex Stavitsky-Zeineddin to the city’s communications committee, and Kent Howard to the economic development committee.

Have a newsworthy note, a tale to share or an offbeat picture? E-mail us at gaithersburg@gazette.net. By snail mail: City Talk, Gaithersburg Gazette, 1200 Quince Orchard Blvd., Gaithersburg, MD 20878.