Join Montgomery Parks for some not-too-scary Halloween fun this October! From Halloween Eye Spy miniature train rides to Frankenskate roller skate Halloween party, we’re pumpkin spicing things up for Howl-oween. Halloween-themed events in Montgomery Parks include: 

Halloween Eye Spy Trains | Saturdays and Sundays during October, starting October 7 | 10 a.m.‒ 6 p.m.: Cabin John Miniature Train, 7410 Tuckerman Lane, Bethesda &Wheaton Miniature Train and Ovid Hazen Wells Carousel, 2002 Shorefield Road, Wheaton. Tickets on sale now! Ride through “Trainsylvania” with your Eye Spy card to look for seasonal objects along the tracks during the ride. Purchase tickets for Cabin John train. Purchase tickets for Wheaton train. A small number of tickets will be available for purchase onsite, but ride times will not be guaranteed. $6.


Bethesda Row is hosting a Trick or Treat event that will allow children dressed in costumes to make their way around the shops and restaurants for treats from the businesses on Wednesday, October 25th from 5:30pm-7:30pm. Tickets are required per child (not adult), for $5 each, with all proceeds going directly to Manna Food Center.More per the event listing below:

Come dressed in your spookiest or most festive costumes and make your way to Bethesda Row for an evening of family-friendly Halloween fun. Explore the neighborhood’s restaurants and shops where you can snag some delectable treats and surprises. Pose for a photo with our lively costume characters and be sure to share your unforgettable moments with us on social media for a frightfully fantastic prize!


Wisdom Martin, a Montgomery County resident, joined the FOX 5 News team in 2003. 20 years later, this past June, he celebrated his last broadcast with FOX 5 with the network where he has recently been the morning anchor, starting the day at 4 a.m. through 6 a.m. and from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Good Day DC. As of Mid-September, the award-winning anchor took on a new assignment by joining the Get Up DC team on WUSA9 (video below).

Per FOX 5: His career started while he was a sophomore at Jackson State University. His first job in TV news was running the teleprompter on the weekends at WAPT news. From there he worked his way up to news photographer, editor and sports reporter for the weekend shows, before graduating. After leaving Jackson, he became a news and sports reporter/anchor at KSEE in Fresno, California; WRAL in Raleigh, North Carolina (Go Tar Heels!), weekend anchor at CNN in Atlanta; and anchor/reporter at WKRN in Nashville Tennessee.


Last month, 250 chorus students from Clarksburg and Walt Whitman high schools performed at the 2023 World Culture Festival. Nearly 1 million people from more than 180 countries are estimated to have participated in the three-day celebration of unity, diversity and peace on the National Mall. The event included 60 performances from more than 17,000 artists, musicians and dancers representing cultures from every corner of the globe. MCPS students opened the festival singing the national anthem with the U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own” and the U.S. Army Chorus, followed by two original compositions fusing English and Sanskrit lyrics—Blessings Invocation and One World Family, and America the Beautiful – Vande Mataram with Grammy-nominated artist Chandrika Tandon.

Amy Vanek and Michelle Kim, choral music directors at Clarksburg and Whitman, worked to prepare the students for the festival within three weeks. Others who help to coordinate the students’ appearance included: Kanan Shah, MCPS’ World Culture Festival coordinator and occupational therapist at Infants and Toddlers, Emory Grove; Elaine Chang, director of partnerships; Amita Mongia, teacher at Garrett Park Elementary School; Randy Rumpf, fine arts supervisor; Katie Murphy, choral and general music coordinator, and Ed Owusu, principal at Clarksburg, and Robby Dodd, principal at Whitman.


The Garden of Lights display transforms Brookside Gardens into a magical winter wonderland. Stroll through the one-half mile, outdoor, walk-through exhibit and enjoy the twinkling lights and glimmering one-of-a-kind displays adorning the flowerbeds and grounds throughout the 50-acre horticultural gem in Wheaton. Hot chocolate and light snacks will be available for purchase.

Garden of Lights will open on November 17, 2023. The exhibit is open every night through December 31, 2023, except November 20-23 and December 24-25, 2023. Event information:


The Jolly Shows Carnival will be at Westfield Montgomery Mall (7101 Democracy Boulevard, Bethesda) from Wednesday, October 4th until Sunday, October 8th. The carnival was previously scheduled to take place from September 20th-24th, but was postponed due to inclement weather.

There will be over 30 attractions, including carnival rides, games, and food wagons. According to their website, “We are a new generation of carnival operators who strive to be more progressive and professional. We realize that we must produce a premium product for our customer’s hard earned money. We won’t forget our proud traditions, but we are committed to overcoming the stigmas which have hindered our industry for far too long.”


The Gaithersburg Washington Grove Volunteer Fire Department (GWGVFD) will be hosting its family-friendly open house on Sunday, October 8th at 801 Russell Avenue in Gaithersburg from 12pm until 4pm. The event will offer experiences for the entire family, including food, beverages, and music provided by the department. There will be be fire safety demonstrations, a moon bounce, the opportunity to climb onto a firetruck, and meet and greets with firefighters, EMTs, and Sparky the mascot.

Since 1927 the Gaithersburg Washington Grove Volunteer Fire Department has served the communities of Gaithersburg, Washington Grove, Derwood and Montgomery Village.  The GWGVFD operates two stations with both volunteer and career personnel. Their volunteers are involved operationally as Firefighters, Paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians. They also have administrative volunteers with many of their members having served for more than 20 years.


White Oak Duckpin Lanes at 11207 New Hampshire Ave, which opened in 1959, is officially reopening today (Saturday, September 30). The bowling alley has been closed since September 2021 due to flooding and a subsequent dispute with the building’s landlord. A video hyping the return of the MoCo institution can be seen below.

A GoFundMe created for the business in December, 2021 has raised over $27,000.  White Oak Lanes announced it would be returning back in February of this year: “As you are probably aware, White Oak Lanes experienced a really bad flooding incident back in September of 2021. This incident caused substantial damage to our lanes. Even though we are going to be sad to see the old lanes leave, we will definitely be excited to see the new lanes when they are completed! When you come back, White Oak will have new lanes, approaches, and pin decks! Hope everyone is as excited about that as we are!”


The Salgado family, known for their extravagant yearly Christmas display, is hosting a haunted walkthrough this year for Halloween at 11609 Lucrece Ter. in Germantown. The Christmas display will be returning following the Halloween display. The “Salgado’s Haunted Trail” was created by siblings Pahan and Supuli Salgado and their cousins Nimaya and Nipun (video and photos below).

They will be open Sunday, October 1 from 7:30pm-10pm and from October 6 through 15 from 7:30 to 10pm. Then they will open on October 20, 21, 22, 27, and 28, and on Halloween 31 October from 7:30pm to 10pm (all weather permitting).


The Rockville Antique and Classic Car Show, a city tradition for six decades, rolls into Rockville Civic Center Park on Saturday, Oct. 14.

The show’s 60th edition will be held 11 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at the picturesque park at 603 Edmonston Drive. Home to the historic Glenview Mansion, the hills of Rockville Civic Center Park offer a fall backdrop for collectors and enthusiasts to share memories as they stroll through vehicles from 32 car clubs, from Packard and Plymouth to Fiat and Ferrari. This year’s special display will celebrate 75 years of Lotus.


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