The annual Montgomery Village Christmas Tree Lighting will take place on Wednesday, November 30, from 6-7pm next to the CVS parking lot at 19100 Montgomery Village Ave. The event includes a free holiday concert, hot chocolate, and photos with Santa. 

Per Montgomery Village: “Free fun for the entire family! Join Santa and the Montgomery Village Community Band to kick off the holidays. The tree is located adjacent to the Village Center on Montgomery Village Avenue, between the parking lot and CVS. Bring the family to enjoy festive music, an opportunity to sing along with classic carols and complimentary hot chocolate and treats to help celebrate.”

Westfield Wheaton Mall (11160 Veirs Mill Rd) will be hosting a free World Cup kickoff event on Saturday, November 19 from 12-2pm in the mall’s outdoor “Streetery” featuring former D.C. United player Bill Hamid. Additional details per Westfield: Westfield Wheaton is celebrating the FIFA World Cup 2022 with a family-friendly event on November 19 from 12 to 2 pm in The Streetery, the center’s outdoor event and dining space situated between Macy’s and the food court on Parking Level 2. Attendees will be able to play soccer games, enjoy free hot cocoa and apple cider, face painting, giveaways, a live DJ and more. Guests will also learn how to play soccer like a pro with Bill Hamid, the former goalkeeper for D.C. United.

“We are very excited to kick off the 2022 FIFA World Cup and holiday season with our family-friendly sporting event this Saturday,” said Stuart Amos, General Manager of Westfield Wheaton. “This event will be fun for the whole community with games, music, food and is a great opportunity to celebrate the vibrant cultures present in this year’s World Cup tournament.”

Throughout the rest of the holiday season, Westfield Wheaton will have additional programs and shopping experiences specific to the local community. For more information about these events, hours, locations and resources, shoppers can visit westfield.com/wheaton.

Per Montgomery County: “Improbable Comedy,” a stand-up comedy show featuring military comics and veterans in a tribute to Veterans Day, will be held at 8 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 11, at the Gaithersburg Arts Barn. The Gaithersburg Arts Barn is located at 311 Kent Square Rd. in Gaithersburg. Tickets for the show are $22. Discounted tickets of $20 are available for students 15-21. The show is recommended for ages 15 and older. Purchase tickets online here, in person at the Arts Barn box office or by calling 301-258-6394. Improbable Comedy presents a lineup of comedians who have served in all branches of the military or who support their military spouse.

Improbable Comedy is a Silver Spring-based production group that is celebrating 10 years of presenting stand-up comedy to audiences all over Montgomery County. The group works hard to bring underrepresented voices to the stage in its signature shows. Learn more about the group at www.improbablecomedy.com. The show will be hosted by Sharon Kang (Army National Guard) and will feature Doug Bennett (Marines), Demi Chang (Marines), Patrice DeVeaux (Air Force), Pete Bergen (Army) and Sherry Priester (Navy spouse). More background on each:

• Doug Bennett, known as “Mr. Perspective,” hails from Alexandria and is a stand-up comedian, actor and radio host. Doug specializes in speaking from a universal perspective, representing thoughts that sometimes invoke criticism and pointed conversations. When not on stage, he can be found hosting the radio show “Conversations with Comedians” and the “Nempathy” show on Twitch, Facebook and Instagram.
• Demi Chang got her start in life and comedy in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. She has performed at venues across the country and has been featured on the “Kill Tony” podcast and “The Secret Show” in Austin, Tex. As a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and first-generation immigrant, Demi offers audiences diverse and unconventional perspectives.
• Patrice DeVeaux is a writer, producer and creative curator from Richmond. Patrice has traveled all over the country doing standup and has appeared on several TV shows including “News One Now with Roland Martin,” “Kill Tony” and “Revolt TV.” She has been featured on Kenan Thompson’s “Ultimate Comedy Experience.” Patrice has a comedy album available on all streaming platforms called “No Laugh Tracks Vol. 1.”
• Pete Bergen has opened for and performed with Patton Oswalt, Rory Scovel, Bobcat Goldthwait, David Koechner, Carmen Lynch, Kelsey Cook, Chris Gethard and Chris Kattan. He has appeared at venues such as the DC Improv, Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse, Magooby’s Joke House, Church Of Satire, QED Astoria, DC Comedy Loft, and The Drafthouse Comedy Theater. He has more than 18 years in recovery and is in demand for 12-step conventions. Pete also can be seen as a contributor on Fox 5’s “Like it or Not” and “The Final 5.”
• Sherri Priester is a Navy wife who has performed in clubs throughout the Southeast and has appeared on “Coast Comedy Live,” CBS and UBSN on Roku, and serves as a comedy instructor for the Armed Services Arts Partnership.

For more information about the show, visit gaithersburgmd.gov. The Arts on the Green Theater series is funded in part by a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC). To discover more about MSAC grants and how they impact Maryland’s arts sector, visit www.msac.org.

Per Montgomery County:
For Immediate Release: Thursday, October 27, 2022
“HalloWheaton” will be an afternoon of fun events for all ages, including a costume contest, from noon-4 p.m. on Marian Fryer Town Plaza in Downtown Wheaton on Sunday, Oct. 30. Marian Fryer Plaza is located at 2424 Reedie Drive in Wheaton. The activities will include pumpkin painting, mask painting, face painting, S’mores roasting, craft projects, lawn games and hot chocolate. The activities are free.

The event also will have a beer garden, which will have charges. All proceeds from beer/wine sales will go to Mid-County United Ministries, a local nonprofit organization that provides emergency food and assistance to people in need.  The costume contest will begin at 2 p.m. The event is sponsored by the Wheaton Urban District and Montgomery County Recreation. More information about HalloWheaton is available at www.wheatonmd.org.

We hope to see you at HalloWheaton this weekend! 👻 Learn more ➡️ https://t.co/gvxaAjjUut. @WheatonMD pic.twitter.com/I4bGQf20gj

— Montgomery County MD (@MontgomeryCoMD) October 26, 2022

Per Montgomery County:
As Veterans Day approaches on Friday, Nov. 11, Montgomery County is preparing to join the national “Operation Green Light” salute to veterans and the County’s Commission on Veterans Affairs is seeking additions to its virtual tribute to County veterans. Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich and the County Council are supporting the effort to join Operation Green Light, a program sponsored by the National Association of Counties to honor those who have made immeasurable sacrifices to preserve freedom. The program asks for displays of a green light, from Nov. 7-13, in a window of businesses or residences to honor veterans.

From Nov. 7-13, Montgomery County’s Memorial Plaza, which is located adjacent to the County Executive Building at 101 Monroe St. in Rockville, will be lit with green lights. More information about Operation Green Light is available at https://www.naco.org/blog/counties-take-action-participate-operation-green-light-veterans.

The County’s Commission on Veterans Affairs is continuing to pay tribute to County veterans through a virtual “Tribute to Montgomery County Veterans” website. As Veterans Day approaches, the commission wants to add tributes to the site. The website is open to all residents who have served in military service. In addition, there will be Montgomery County veterans’ tributes during the month of November in the display cases at the Rockville Memorial Library and the Silver Spring Civic Building at Veterans Plaza.

Many people confuse Memorial Day in May and Veterans Day in November. Memorial Day honors military personnel who died in service, particularly those who died in battle or as a result of wounds sustained in battle. While those who died are also remembered on Veterans Day, the upcoming holiday is set aside to honor all of those who served honorably in the military—in wartime or peacetime. Veterans Day is largely intended to thank living veterans and acknowledge their contributions to national security.

The commission is seeking to expand the Tribute to Montgomery County Veterans website by adding information on more veterans whose information is supplied either by the veterans themselves, by family members or by friends. The tribute to veterans website can be found at www.montgomerycountymd.gov/veteransday. From this site, there is a link to the commission’s Fallen Heroes page at www.montgomerycountymd.gov/fallenheroes.

A veteran can share their story, or someone can share the story of a friend or family member, by filling out the Commission’s Google form or filling out its PDF form. Questions can be directed to [email protected].
The following information is needed on the forms:

Per Montgomery County:
Montgomery County Recreation will host family-friendly events for everyone to enjoy during the fall season. From fall festivals to swimming with pumpkins, events will be hosted at community recreation centers, senior centers and aquatic facilities across the County throughout October.
Fall special events hosted by Montgomery County Recreation this year include:

• Floating Pumpkin Patch. Ever picked a pumpkin in a swimming pool? For $5 per person, children ages 2-12 years will have the chance to swim around to pick a pumpkin and then decorate it. Events will take place at the Olney Swim Center, 16605 Georgia Ave., Olney, from 7:30-9 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29; and at the Eunice Kennedy and Sargeant Shriver Aquatic Center, 5900 Executive Blvd., North Bethesda from 10-11:30 a.m. on Oct. 29 and Oct. 30.
• Friday, Oct. 28. 7-9:30 p.m. Upper County Costume Movie Night. Upper County Community Recreation Center, 8201 Emory Grove Road, Germantown. Join a night of fun and make sure to wear your favorite, family friendly, costume. Bring your own blanket or chair.
• Saturday, Oct. 29. 6:30-9:30 p.m. Therapeutic Recreation Saturday Night Social: Halloween Howl Dance. Holiday Park Senior Center, 3950 Ferrara Drive, Wheaton. Annual Halloween costume extravaganza. Special event for ages 15 and up with disabilities will feature a DJ, dancing, games, pizza and other refreshments. Pre-registration is encouraged.
• Monday, Oct. 31. 5-7 p.m. Bette Carol Thompson Scotland. Fall Harvest Festival. 7700 Scotland Drive, Potomac. Costume contest, giveaways, arts and crafts.

Registration for events can be completed online at ActiveMONTGOMERY.org. Not all events require registration. Registration for fall programs also is currently underway.

Per Montgomery County:
A full lineup of special events in October from Montgomery Parks will include Halloween train rides and a Sunday jazz brunch. October special events in Montgomery Parks include:

The annual Festival of Lights at the Washington D.C. Temple (9900 Stoneybrook Dr) in Kensington will run from December 1, 2022 to January 2, 2023, including Christmas and New Year’s Day. The lights will be turned on nightly from dusk until 9pm and additional details for the festival will be released in the upcoming weeks.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints cancelled the Festival of Lights in 2021 due to COVID-19 concerns and to focus on the temple’s open house and rededication, which took place this past spring.

From the DC Temple’s Visitors Center Facebook:
“It’s that time of the year again! Mark your calendars because the Festival of Lights is coming back this Christmas! Bring your friends and family and make some memories!

When: December 1, 2022- January 2, 2023
Where: 9900 Stoneybrook Drive Kensington, MD
Contact 301-587-0144 for more information or send us a message!
#dctempleve”

With Halloween just two weeks away, there’s still time to check out some of the spookiest haunted forests and attractions in and around Montgomery County.
1. Field of Screams – 4501 Olney Laytonsville Rd, Olney

Field of Screams, now in its 22nd year in business, was recently voted as the #1 spot in USA Today’s 10 Best Haunted Attractions in the country. Located in Olney, this Hollywood-level production includes well-trained actors and an intense fright experience with decor and props not seen outside the movie industry.

“Enter a horrifically terrifying world beyond imagination at the Fields of Screams in Olney, Maryland. A good walk through the woods on The Haunted Trail and Trail of Terror leaves visitors scurrying away. Along their journey, guests are welcomed into thirteen haunted houses, where they might find anything from dead bodies to hillbillies and butchers. Enjoy Body Bean Bag Pumpkin Toss, Zombie Brain Smash, and other Carnival Town Games for a thrilling, competitive experience.”

General admission tickets start at $44 and include the Slaughter Factory which is a high-end haunted house experience where every detail has been attended to; a one-hour trail of 27 stations; and a compound with over 20 bonfires, tasty concessions, and scares and fun for all (recommended for ages 12 and over). The 2022 Field of Screams Maryland is truly an immersive Halloween attraction. All tickets must be purchased in advance at www.screams.org. Field of Screams Maryland is located at 4501 Olney Laytonsville Rd., Olney, MD just 30 minutes from Washington DC, downtown Baltimore and Northern Virginia. Open every Friday and Saturday in October and most Thursdays and Sundays. Follow Field of Screams Maryland on Facebook and Instagram (@fieldofscreamsmaryland).

2. Markoff’s Haunted Forest – 19120 Martinsburg Rd, Dickerson

This year, Markoff’s Haunted Forest in Dickerson is celebrating its 30th anniversary.  According to their website, “2022 is going to be epic. Heart-pounding scares; Terrifying , twists & turns; Eerie glades & creepy trail ghouls; and Fright-full scenes for you to tremble your way through like Mummy’s little kitten.”

Per Markoff’s Haunted Forest: MHF tickets should be purchased in advance online. Trail tickets are time stamped, and patrons will be admitted to the Trail according to the time stamp on their per-purchased ticket. Town tickets are sold based on full night capacity, and you should allow about an hour for this attraction. Please plan THE TOWN experience to fit with your TRAIL TIME.  The last wagon to Onslaught Mills departs at 10:30pm. Admission to the CURSED VILLAGE is free and open ended. You can hang out here all night. Food, drinks, MHF swag & activities are all available for purchase with credit card. You may arrive to the MHF Village at any time, but you will not be admitted to the Trail until your ticket time. The parking lot entrance opens at 7pm and closes at 10pm. Everyone who is in BEFORE 10pm can stay until the last group completes their Trail experience.

“Since 1992, when the Markoff brothers started with a Haunted School Bus driven to events and festivals around DC, our haunt has provided fright fest lovers with a creative, dramatic, and – YES — terrifying haunt experience. Our creative team combines music, lights, scents, actors, make-up & prosthetics, and artistic brilliance in a series of high-tech, detailed scenes that consistently place MHF among the top haunts in the country.”

3.  Leech Woods – 11201 Bethesda Church Rd, Damascus

Leech Woods is brand new in 2022 and is described as “a thirty minute immersive haunted trail experience of dark terror” that promises a night of chain saws, clowns and dark corners.  Leech Woods also offers food and drink, four bonfires, axe throwing, a DJ booth, fortune telling, and other forms of entertainment each night.

Per Leech Woods: According to Montgomery County historical land records, the present site of Leech Woods was originally settled by Warwick and Jeanne Leech and their six children sometime in early 1790.  Having immigrated from Hungary, the family chose Damascus, Maryland based on its temperate climate and heavily wooded region which reminded them of their homeland.  The Leech family store thrived as the leading local merchant of hides, furs and hunting supplies.  During the disastrous Winter of 1804, the Leech family store was robbed and vandalized by unknown attackers and the body of John Leech, the youngest son, was found nailed to the back wall of the store.  The remaining bodies of the family members were later found bludgeoned and bound inside of the root cellar of their homestead.  No further information about the attackers or motives for the killings are known.

Per Montgomery County:
Montgomery County Recreation will host family-friendly events for everyone to enjoy during the fall season. From fall festivals to swimming with pumpkins, events will be hosted at community recreation centers, senior centers and aquatic facilities across the County throughout October.
Fall special events hosted by Montgomery County Recreation this year include:

• Saturday, Oct. 15. Noon-3 p.m. Chevy Chase Fall Festival. Jane E. Lawton Community Recreation Center, 4301 Willow Lane, Chevy Chase. Activities include a pumpkin patch, moon bounce, face painting and games. The event is free for all ages.
• Saturday, Oct. 22. Pumpkin Derby. A Pumpkin Derby is a unique, side-by-side race featuring handcrafted, decorated Pumpkin Racers in a funky, hilarious, suspenseful and dramatic display of ingenuity. Bring pumpkins already decorated. Registration is required with a program fee of $20. With registration, you can pick up racer kits at the Mid-County or Ross Boddy community recreation centers. Events will take place at 10 a.m. at the Mid-County Community Recreation Center, 2004 Queensguard Road, Silver Spring, and at 11:30 a.m. at the Ross Boddy Community Recreation Center, 18529 Brooke Rd., Sandy Spring.
• Saturday, Oct. 22. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Ross Boddy Fall Harvest Festival. Ross Boddy Community Recreation Center, 18529 Brooke Road, Sandy Spring. event will feature crafts, games and a pumpkin derby race.
• Saturday, Oct. 22. 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Fall Festival at North Potomac. Nancy H. Dacek North Potomac Community Recreation Center, 13850 Travilah Rd., Rockville. Registration is required.
• Saturday, Oct. 22. 4-6 p.m. Coffield Family Fall Festival. Gwendolyn. E. Coffield Community Recreation Center, Lyttonsville Road, Silver Spring. Come dressed in Halloween costumes to win a prize. Enjoy games, a dance party and treats.
• Saturday, Oct. 22. 4-7 p.m. Trunk or Treat at Marilyn J. Praisner Community Recreation Center, 14906 Old Columbia Pike, Burtonsville. Trick-or-treating, a costume contest, arts and crafts. Planning to decorate your vehicle? Register by Friday, Oct. 14.
• October. Floating Pumpkin Patch. Ever picked a pumpkin in a swimming pool? For $5 per person, children ages 2-12 years will have the chance to swim around to pick a pumpkin and then decorate it. The event will take place at Martin Luther King Jr. Swim Center, 1201 Jackson Road, Silver Spring, from 4:30-6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 22; Olney Swim Center, 16605 Georgia Ave., Olney, from 7:30-9 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29; and at the Eunice Kennedy and Sargeant Shriver Aquatic Center, 5900 Executive Boulevard, North Bethesda from 10-11:30 a.m. on Oct. 29 and Oct. 30.
• Friday, Oct. 28. 7-9:30 p.m. Upper County Costume Movie Night. Upper County Community Recreation Center, 8201 Emory Grove Road, Germantown. Join a night of fun and make sure to wear your favorite, family friendly, costume. Bring your own blanket or chair.
• Saturday, Oct. 29. 6:30-9:30 p.m. Therapeutic Recreation Saturday Night Social: Halloween Howl Dance. Holiday Park Senior Center, 3950 Ferrara Drive, Wheaton. Annual Halloween costume extravaganza. Special event for ages 15 and up with disabilities will feature a DJ, dancing, games, pizza and other refreshments. Pre-registration is encouraged.
• Sunday Oct 30. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Masquerade Jazz Brunch, Bauer Drive Community Recreation Center, 14625 Bauer Drive, Rockville. Seniors can enjoy a wonderful brunch with a festive Halloween twist. Come dressed to impress and ready to dance as you will have an opportunity to enjoy the musical performance by Dick Kaufman and the Glenn Pearson Band. $25 per person.
• Monday, Oct. 31. 5 – 7 p.m. Bette Carol Thompson Scotland. Fall Harvest Festival. 7700 Scotland Drive, Potomac. Costume contest, giveaways, arts and crafts.

Registration for events can be completed online at ActiveMONTGOMERY.org. Not all events require registration. Registration for fall programs also is currently underway.