Per Montgomery Parks: Montgomery Parks is blooming with a full lineup of special events and programs in April. Including events catering to people 55 and older, hikes with (and without) dogs, our annual Petal and Paws event, outdoor Sunday brunches, and roller disco. Put on your hiking boots or roller skates and join us:
April events in Montgomery Parks include:
The public is encouraged to take a brief online survey to share their suggestions. Montgomery Parks, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, is seeking ideas for a new park in downtown Bethesda and is encouraging the public to share suggestions by taking a brief online survey. Comments from the survey will be used in developing concept plans for the park, which will be presented to the public in May. “This green space will be a gathering place for people across the county to recreate, relax, and gather in an urban setting,” said Linda Komes, project manager and landscape architect. “We are really interested to hear from the public about what they’d like to see here because there are so many opportunities to make it a unique destination.”
The Bethesda Market Park project will repurpose two parking lots adjacent to the historic Montgomery Farm Women’s Cooperative Market. When completed, the park and the adjacent Elm Street Urban Park will provide approximately four acres of urban park space in downtown Bethesda. The parks department hosted two in-person meetings on March 15 and 16 to present details about the project. A recording of the presentation is available on the project webpage.
Update: The event has been rescheduled again and will take place on Sunday, April 2, 2023, from 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. at 1301 Elson Street, Takoma Park, Md., 20912
Montgomery Parks, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, is postponing the celebration of the newly renovated Hillwood Manor Neighborhood Park playground, due to inclement weather expected Saturday, March 25. Instead, the event will be held next week, on the pre-scheduled rain date, Saturday, April 1, 2023 from 2:00-3:30 p.m. at Hillwood Manor Neighborhood Park 1301 Elson Street, Takoma Park, MD 20912 (speaking program begins at 2:15 p.m.).
Per Montgomery Parks: Beyond just places to skate, roller rinks of the 70s and 80s were bustling community hubs for fashion, camaraderie, and great music — and Parks Roller Disco is harkening back to those slammin’ good times. This event will be held at Ridge Road Recreational Park on Friday, April 14 from 6 to 9 pm, at Ridge Road Recreational Park’s inline skating rink.
A live DJ will be pumping the tunes and O’Boy Pizza, Catalyst Hot Dogs, Trippy Tacos and Clayboys Shaved Ice will be selling refreshments. Grab your family, invite your friends, and be sure to wear your bell bottoms, peace signs, tie-dye, and other groovy garb. The event is free, and there will be no on-site skate rentals. Some seating will be available, but guests are encouraged to bring blankets or chairs. Can you dig it?
Montgomery Parks is making it easy as pie to find and tour cherry blossoms in parks located throughout the county. Montgomery Parks’ online tree finder map allows cherry tree seekers to easily locate the beautiful blooms; the map features pink dots to represent cherry trees located in parks. According to the National Park Service, peak bloom is expected between March 22-25, 2023.
According to The National Park Service “History of The Cherry Trees” website, “…the planting of cherry trees in Washington D.C. originated in 1912 as a gift of friendship to the People of the United States from the People of Japan.” The first cherry trees were planted in Montgomery County, MD in Chevy Chase as a test to see if the trees would thrive in an environment in the Washington D.C. area.
Montgomery Parks, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, is postponing the celebration of the newly renovated Hillwood Manor Neighborhood Park playground, due to inclement weather expected Saturday, March 25. Instead, the event will be held next week, on the pre-scheduled rain date, Saturday, April 1, 2023 from 2:00-3:30 p.m. at Hillwood Manor Neighborhood Park 1301 Elson Street, Takoma Park, MD 20912 (speaking program begins at 2:15 p.m.).
Montgomery Parks is inviting the public to join in a celebration of the newly renovated Hillwood Manor Neighborhood Park playground. Attendees will enjoy fun on the modernized playground, refreshments, and giveaways. The festivities will be held:
Montgomery Parks will present information, including traffic data and a recommendation, related to the Little Falls Parkway pilot project to the Montgomery Planning Board on Thursday, March 30, 2023, at 5:30 p.m. After the briefing, the Planning Board will hold a public hearing on the project. Details on how to sign up to testify, provide advance testimony and the procedures for testifying are outlined on the Planning Board “Sign Up to Testify” webpage. The deadline to sign up to testify or submit written testimony is March 29, 2023, at 12 p.m.
The Little Falls Parkway pilot project was initiated in June 2022 to address concerns with cut-through traffic in adjacent neighborhoods associated with the weekend closures of Little Falls Parkway for the Open Parkways Program, while retaining space for recreation on the parkway. Traffic counts were conducted on Little Falls Parkway between Arlington Road and Dorset Avenue during May, July, September, and December of 2022 and showed the parkway functions well with two lanes of traffic and has added benefits consistent with Vision Zero goals.
This event has been canceled due to inclement weather. It will not be rescheduled.
Per Montgomery Parks: Put a spring in your step at South Germantown Recreational Park’s HeartSmart Trail (18028 Central Park Circle) for our pet-friendly walk ‘Petals and Paws’. See the flowers begin to bloom and accessorize your canine and walk through the 1.0-mile loop. End the trail with light refreshments for purchase from TOIMOI Bakery, and dog-approved snacks for purchase by Doggy Donuts.
Montgomery Parks host a community meeting to discuss the new neighborhood park coming to Lyttonsville in Silver Spring. The park design is the result of dialogue between planners and the Lyttonsville community during two previous meetings. Montgomery Parks is now seeking feedback on the latest version of the plan. The third meeting will be held online and in person:
Or online: Zoom Link: MoCoParks.org/LCM, Phone: 301-715-8592, Webinar ID: 876 4684 3272
The Montgomery Parks and Montgomery Planning(opens in a new tab) departments presented their Spring 2023 Semiannual Report to the Montgomery County Council on Tuesday, March 7, 2023. The presentations showcased key projects, park activities and plans from the past six months, and initiatives that will be completed over the next six months and beyond. The presentation is given to the County Council every spring and fall and allows County Councilmembers to provide feedback to Montgomery Parks and Planning leadership and staff. Watch the Spring 2023 Semiannual presentation to the County Council here or read highlights available below.
Montgomery County Planning Board Chair Jeff Zyontz began the presentation by highlighting the work of the temporary acting Planning Board. “I’m grateful to Commissioners Cherri Branson, David Hill, and Amy Presley – over the last four months, they were engaged and dedicated to the task they were given, including approving 133 individual regulatory items in addition to recommending approval of master plans for the County Council’s consideration. I look forward to working with the new Planning Board members.”
Montgomery Parks is hosting a virtual speaker series on birding in Maryland. This month’s guest speaker, Gabriel Foley, who coordinates the Maryland-D.C. Breeding Birds Atlas will give an overview of the project and discuss how the public can document breeding birds and support nesting birds in their own communities.
WHAT: Montgomery Parks Speaker Series(opens in a new tab): Birding in Maryland with Gabriel Foley