WHEATON, Md. — July is Park and Recreation Month so celebrate with Montgomery Parks by taking in a Parks Playhouse or Playhouse Junior performance, a Shakespeare performance, a baseball game, Independence Day fireworks, or just enjoy nature. July events in Montgomery Parks include:
Parks Playhouse | July 6, 7, 12, 18, 23, 27 | Various times and locations: Parks Playhouse is a summer series of free, live performances to celebrate the artistry of local bands, troupes and groups.
Rockville’s Independence Day Celebration is held annually at Mattie J.T. Stepanek Park in King Farm. This location offers wonderful spectator viewing, and ample and convenient parking for the 4th of July festivities. Enjoy live music by Under the Covers and a 20-minute fireworks display. The event will take place on Tuesday, July 4, 2023 between 7pm – 10 pm Mattie J.T. Stepanek Park, located at 1800 Piccard Drive, Rockville, MD 20850. The schedule and additional information can be seen below (video of last year’s event also available):
Parking: Free parking is available in lots along Shady Grove and Gaither Roads, as well as on Piccard Drive. These lots are conveniently located near the event site. There is no parking available in the King Farm neighborhood. Please use main roads such as Route 355, Gude Drive, and Shady Grove Road to access these parking lots. There will be ample signage directing people to public parking. View Parking Map/ Accessible parking is available in the parking lot on the corner of Shady Grove Road and Gaither Road. Please display your Accessible Parking Pass when entering the event site.
Per the City of Rockville: Join Lincoln Park Community Center, the Mayor and Council, and members of the Isreal family noon-4 p.m. Saturday, July 8, for a ribbon cutting and community event to rededicate Clarence “Pint” Isreal Park (357 Frederick Avenue).
The Rockville Village program presents East Side Live, featuring a special performance by Little Bit of Blues with Lincoln Park’s own Jay Summerour and Eric Shelby. Vendors and other kid friendly entertainment will also be on site. In the event of rain, the ceremony will take place. The community day celebration will be moved inside Lincoln Park Community Center.
The Maryland Italian Festival is coming to Harford County with live national entertainment, carnival rides & midway, wine/beer/liquor piazza, Italian food & retail vendors, cooking & wine demos, a bocce Tournament and much more. The festival has been touted as being the “largest Italian festival in Maryland.”
The inaugural festival, which is being organized by the Society of Italian-American Businessmen, will take place over three days– from September 29-October 1st at The Equestrian Center (608 N Tollgate Rd., Bel Air, MD. The current lineup of artists that Will be providing entertainment includes the Atlantic City Boys, Ray Massa’s Eurorhythm, the Sicilian Tenors, Louis & Joann Uptown Band, DJ Victor Tosti with more to come.
The Maryland State Fair will return on August 24th for its 142nd year. The fair will take place over three weekends (August 24-27, August 31-September 4, and September 7-September 10) and will be held at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium.
The Maryland State Fair is complete with daily home arts, farm and garden, livestock and horse exhibits, rides, games, live concerts, and entertainment, live Thoroughbred horseracing, fair treats and farm fresh foods, U-Learn Ag. Education Zone, a museum, and more. “No other event provides so much food, fun, and family entertainment for so little!” Gym Class Heroes will also be performing day the fair on Friday, September 8th.
Celebrate America’s independence with friends & family at SummerFest, Gaithersburg’s illuminating summer festival on the expansive grounds of Bohrer Park at Summit Hall Farm. The free event takes place on SATURDAY, JULY 1, 2023, from 6 to 11:30 p.m. The festival features live music, food trucks, local breweries, family-friendly activities, all leading up to a spectacular fireworks display & SummerGlo After Party.
SummerFest kicks off at 6 p.m. with Attraction, one of DC’s top dance bands. Enjoy delicious offerings from food and local craft beverage vendors, including Saints Row Brewing, Lone Oak, True Respite, and Waredaca. ATMs available onsite. The air-conditioned Activity Center will serve as a comfort station with indoor bathrooms and space to relax up until 9 p.m.
Organizers of the widely expanded Scotland Juneteenth Heritage Festival will hold a final press conference on Wednesday, June 14, at the Bethesda Blues & Jazz Club at 7719 Wisconsin Ave to showcase the more than 20 performing acts that will appear across four main venues on June 17th and the 19th. Those performances include: 1) the opening-night Motown and Oldies Concert and Dance Party beginning at 7 p.m. at the Bethesda Blues & Jazz Club; 2) Juneteenth’s Got Talent music and dance performances at the Cabin John Village in Potomac from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.; 3) the Children’s Stage at the Cabin John Regional Park at Potomac from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.; and the Freedom Day Concert at the Anthem theater at the Wharf in DC.
Freedom Day Concert co-headliner Tarrus Riley will appear at the press conference via ZOOM, while internaTonal superstar Wyclef Jean will be issuing an exclusive video statement about why he is lending his name and talents to this fesTval in honor of the Black communities of Montgomery County in Maryland. Other musicians expected to abend in person include Daryl Davis, the nationally renowned keyboard player who will serve as the music director for the festival’s opening-night. Bill Wax, a master of ceremonies for that same event, will also abend the press conference, as will Montgomery County elected officials.
Montgomery County will celebrate Juneteenth at a special event featuring live music, food, art, films and awards from 12-10 p.m. Saturday, June 17, 2023 at the BlackRock Center for the Arts. The Montgomery County Office of Human Rights coordinates the program, which also features the Living Legends Awards honoring county residents who have helped shape the cultural heritage of the African American community. Look for a City of Rockville table and city representatives at the celebration.
The Juneteenth holiday commemorates June 19, 1865, when the Union army arrived in Texas bearing federal orders proclaiming the end of slavery. The orders arrived nearly two-and-a-half years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation declared that enslaved people living in the secessionist Confederate states were now free.
“People love it because it’s all about play,” says park naturalist Katrina Fauss, “there’s permission to have fun and connect to nature and our childhoods. I also think it’s about the scale of the mud slides and piles. There’s just something fun and silly about it all.” Admission to MudFest is $20 per car. Tickets can be purchased in advance online at ActiveMontgomery Mudfest tickets. Tickets can also be purchased at the gate the day of the event with cash only. Ticket sales are final and non-transferable. MudFest goes on rain or shine. If severe weather forces a cancellation, there is a rain date scheduled the following day. “Get down and dirty, jumping, slipping, and sliding in giant mud pits! Cook up a mud pie, make mud art, and play games! This muddy fun will be great for the whole family.”
Mt. Airy will hold its 10th annual Independence Day celebration and fireworks display on Monday, July 3rd at 1008 Twin Arch Rd. The event will feature a band playing from 5:00pm – 9:00pm and food vendors on site with “lots of food options.” Anyone attending is able to bring their own coolers with food and drink as well. It is advised to bring chairs, blankets, or pop-up tents, but grills and pets are not allowed. The event is free, but a donation to the Mt. Airy Food Bank will be accepted. FAQ can be seen below.
KEEN Greater D.C., a nonprofit volunteer organization that provides free on-to-one recreational actvities to children and adults with disabilities, celebrated 31 years last Sunday, June 4 at Timberlawn Local Park in Rockville. This was the 20th annual KEEN Sports Festival where volunteers teamed up with athletes or instructor-led activities including fitness, Zumba, taekwondo and individualized play.
The 20th Annual KEEN Sports Festival celebrated 31 successful years of FREE, one-to-one recreational and exercise activities for children and young adults with significant physical and developmental disabilities. Volunteers teamed up with KEEN’s athletes for instructor-led activities, including Fitness, Zumba and Tae Kwon Do, and individualized play.