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The Monocacy Garden Club continued its annual December tradition and decked the halls of the historic Waters House in Germantown.
The club first decorated the house, which is the oldest house in Germantown, in 2000 to prepare for its annual holiday celebration and the arrival of Santa Claus, Peg Coleman wrote in a letter to The Gazette. The house was built in three parts and the oldest part dates back to the 1790s.
This year, garden club members went to work, weaving garlands around the stairway and adorning the mantels and tree with flowers, ribbons and ornaments. Josephine Bacas hung the kissing ball in the entrance hall, according to Coleman.
"The decorations blend in perfectly with our Victorian theme and our current display of Washington Shopping," docent Alison Dineen said in a statement from the club.
The Waters House, 12535 Milestone Manor Lane, is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays or by appointment. For more information about the Waters House call 301-515-2887.
Santa tour
You better watch out, you better not cry — Santa Claus will be making a visit to Poolesville on Sunday.
Santa will be riding through town in an Upper Montgomery County Volunteer Fire Department fire engine starting at 5:30 p.m. Residents are invited to give Santa and his firefighter elves cookies, brownies and other treats.
Parents, children and pets should stay on the sidewalk and not approach the truck. The fire engine cannot enter cul-de-sacs or narrow lanes. For more information, call Jeffery Eck at 240-529-3438.
Fa-la-la Haha!
Get in the holiday spirit on Saturday with a performance of "The Holiday Follies" by Susan Wall's Carousel Puppets at noon at the Upper County Community Center, 8201 Emory Grove Road, Gaithersburg.
Stay a while and make arts and crafts, sing holiday songs and take home a holiday goodie bag.
The Upper County Steppers will perform at 1 p.m.
The event, which ends at 2 p.m., is free and light refreshments will be served. For more information, call Thelma Nolan or Jordan Henson at 301-840-2469.
Stepping it up
Bring a toy to donate and your family to watch a step competition hosted by the Upper County Steppers and the Montgomery County Recreation Department at the Upper County Community Center on Friday.
Donations will be distributed in the community.
The Triple Step Community Step Competition and Toy Drive begins at 7 p.m. at the center, 8201 Emory Grove Road, Gaithersburg. Admission is either a new unwrapped toy, a gift card or a $5 donation.
For more information, call 301-528-9697 or e-mail ucs20874@yahoo.com.
Lace up, skate around
Park Play Days will be held December 22, 23, 29, 30 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Cabin John Ice Rink, 10610 Westlake Drive, Rockville. The day includes tennis and ice skating lessons, arts and crafts, games and sports.
For ages 6-13 years. $27. Reservations required. Extended day available. Call 301-365-2246 or visit www.CabinJohnIce.com.
Twice as nice
Poolesville resident Mary Ann Powell has written a sequel to her debut book "Emerson," a young adult novel published last year.
"Prince Alley Em" follows up with Carol, a young girl who lives with her family at the fictional Loafing Hills Horse Farm in the foothills of Sugarloaf Mountain. The book also visits several real-life places in the upcounty, such as Circle of Hope Therapeutic Riding in Barnesville.
Powell will sign her book at the Poolesville Library, 19633 Fisher Ave., from 3-5 p.m. today and 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday. Copies of the book are $17.99.
For more information or a signed copy, call 301-407-2121 or e-mail m.a.powell@comcast.net.
Hajj celebrations help needy
The Montgomery County Muslim Council will provide 5,000 pounds of fresh meat to the needy through Interfaith Works, a group of nonprofits, congregations and businesses that is organizing the county's Holiday Giving Program. This is the fourth year the council has been involved in the project, according to Rashid Makhdoom, a council spokesman.
Muslims celebrated the Hajj, an annual pilgrimage to Mecca honoring Abraham's sacrificing of a ram on Dec. 8. According to the tale, God tested Abraham by asking him to sacrifice his first-born child. Abraham showed he was willing and God saved his son, substituting a ram. Muslims celebrate the lesson by retracing Abraham's steps and slaughtering a sheep, camel, goat, cow or another animal to commemorate his sacrifice. Tradition has it that the meat is shared with friends and family and donated to the poor.
Muslims celebrated with celebrations sponsored by mosques in Boyds, Burtonsville, Silver Spring and Potomac.
For the past four years, Muslim families have donated meat to the Rockville-based Manna Food Center. This year, the Muslim Council saw an increase in need and will deliver the professionally processed, wrapped and packed meat "as a gesture of interfaith conciliation, understanding and outreach," Makhdoom said in an e-mail to The Gazette.
Submissions for the Dec. 24 People and Places must be received by 10 a.m. Thursday. People and Places will take a break on Dec. 31. Items for the Jan. 7, 2009, paper must be received by noon Dec. 31. Send submissions to Melissa A. Chadwick via e-mail at mchadwick@gazette.net, fax at 301-670-7183 or mail to The Germantown-Boyds-Poolesville Gazette, 9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg, MD 20877.
