Per Montgomery Parks: It’s almost autumn and school’s back in session but there’s always fun to be had at Montgomery Parks. It’s the last chance to enjoy water amenities for the year. Take your favorite pup to Yappy Hour, come out to play at Never Grow Up, catch a concert or lecture. That’s just a sampling of the offerings this month.
September events in Montgomery Parks include:
On August 21, 2023, Montgomery Parks will begin renovating the lighting in the Capital Crescent Trail, Dalecarlia Tunnel, with six ceiling-mounted lights to make the tunnel brighter, safer, and more reliable for commuters, recreational cyclists, and pedestrians.
This work will require narrowing the tunnel down to one lane during the construction day so users should expect slowdowns and stoppages during the work period. Equipment will be removed from the tunnel at the end of the day. Signage will be posted during project workdays. Park Police will be present to assist commuters at both ends of the tunnel during work times.
Per Montgomery County: August starts giving hints that the end of summer could be in sight, so the nature centers of Montgomery Parks are offering many ways to make the most of the month. The schedule includes a class on how to make citronella candles that can ward off mosquitoes and a walk through the wildflowers of the Locust Grove Nature Center in Bethesda.
The August schedule of special events at nature centers will include:
Montgomery Parks‘ annual deer population management program will take place from September 2023 into March 2024, across 48 parks. Two new park locations are being added to the deer management efforts this year. Montgomery Parks will notify residents adjacent to newly added/adjusted park locations by mail, signage, and other electronic forms of communication such as email and social media posts. A complete schedule of program dates and locations is available online. This year, archery-managed hunts are being added to the following park locations:
In addition to these expansions, one deer population management park location (3 park units) will also see an adjustment to the strategy. North Germantown Greenway Stream Valley Park (Brink Rd. & Wildcat Rd. southeast)/Great Seneca Stream Valley Park Unit 2/Blunt Rd. Local Park will transition from firearms-managed hunting to archery-managed hunting. Initiated 27 years ago, the program addresses deer populations in many areas of the county that result in deer-automobile accidents, excessive damage to the environment, private landscapes, and agriculture and concerns over disease. Once programming is implemented and established in these areas, routine maintenance is required to balance deer with available habitat and human land uses.
Montgomery Parks is encouraging dog owners to show their pets and the public some love this August, by keeping their dogs leashed at all times in public, unless visiting a dog park where dogs are permitted to be off leash. National Dog Month and the dog days of August are the perfect time for a stroll in the park, but it’s critical that dogs be on-leash for their own safety and everyone else’s.
“We have had reports in area parks about off-leash dogs fighting, chasing people, injuring wildlife, getting lost or being hit by cars traveling on nearby roads,” said Captain Tracy Lieberman, Park Police public information officer. “Even the best-behaved dog can get scared and act aggressively or take off running. Holding the leash keeps the pet owner in control of the situation.”
Montgomery Parks is seeking public input on its Capital Improvement Program (CIP) for fiscal years 2025 – 2030 (FY25-30). Community suggestions for the upcoming CIP may be submitted online, via email, U.S. mail, or in person at the public forum. The public forum takes place Thursday, September 7, 2023, at 7 p.m. at the Wheaton Headquarters of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), 2425 Reedie Drive, Wheaton, MD 20902.
The CIP is prepared every two years to cover a six-year cycle and funds new parks and park amenities, environmental restoration, and rehabilitation projects that increase the life of assets. FY25-30 Capital Improvement Program priorities may include:
Per Montgomery Parks: Montgomery Parks is ending the current season of Parks Playhouse on a high note with a week of events in August, culminating with a concert by The Nighthawks on Friday, August 18, at Cabin John Regional Park.
“It’s been a great season filled with over 30 performances this summer between Parks Playhouse and Parks Playhouse Junior,” says Michael Coppersmith, director of Montgomery Parks Activation Program. “We are excited to close out the summer season with The Nighthawks before heading into fall.”
Montgomery Parks has closed Sligo Creek Parkway, between University Boulevard and New Hampshire Avenue, and Beach Drive, from Connecticut Avenue to Knowles Avenue due to the anticipated flooding, high winds, and downed trees.
Additionally, Montgomery Parks is urging the public to stay out of parks and off trails and parkways today, August 7, 2023, due to the severe weather forecast for this afternoon through the evening. An announcement will be sent out when the parkways are reopened, and it is safe to use parks and trails.
Per Montgomery County: August starts giving hints that the end of summer could be in sight, so the nature centers of Montgomery Parks are offering many ways to make the most of the month. The schedule includes Family Fire Night and Treasure Hunting in Wheaton Regional Park.
The August schedule of special events at nature centers will include:
Enjoy the last full month of summer with Montgomery Parks. Take in the final Parks Playhouse and Playhouse Junior performances of the season, Foodie Fridays, the Underground Railroad Experience Trail and so much more. August events in Montgomery Parks include:
Parks Playhouse | August 2, 15, 16, 17, 18 | Various times and locations: Parks Playhouse is a summer series of free, live performances to celebrate the artistry of local bands, troupes and groups.
Long awaited renovations are about to begin at Columbia Local Park, located at 14900 Old Columbia Pike in Burtonsville. The park, which is adjacent to the Marilyn J. Praisner Community Recreation Center and the Marilyn J. Praisner Library, has consisted of a baseball field, two tennis courts, and picnic shelter receive very little use, compared to the southern portion of the park. In addition to the baseball field, tennis court, and picnic shelter in the northern portion of the park, three additional tennis courts have been taken out of service, leaving only a large, open paved area surrounded by a ten-foot-tall fence.
The 25.2-acre park is bisected by a densely forested stream valley, effectively splitting the park into two distinct spaces. With significant frontage along Old Columbia Pike, the three basketball courts, two baseball fields, and multi-user swing in the southern portion of the park are highly visible and heavily used. Beyond the forested stream valley, the northern portion of the park is relatively isolated, obscured from Old Columbia Pike by the nearby library and recreation center. As such, The purpose of this project is to find a permanent use for the former tennis courts and simultaneously activate the northern portion of the park to make it more inviting to future users and to discourage inappropriate activities from occurring. Because Columbia Local Park is within the Upper Paint Branch Special Protection Area, the amount of impervious surface within the park cannot be increased. One of the goals of the project is to remove and de-consolidate paved areas wherever possible.