Montgomery Parks Events
Upcoming Events & Special Classes
Ongoing Events and Shows
Special Historic and Cultural Events
Upcoming Events & Special Classes
October 2008
Harvest Festival
Agricultural History Farm Park
Saturday and Sunday, October 4-5
11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
18400 Muncaster Road, Derwood, MD 20855
Cost: $10 per car (covers admission & parking)
Call for bus and mini-van parking rates
Sample life on the farm from the 1850s to the present. Dozens of fun, free activities, as well as great live music, craft demonstrations, antique farm equipment, live farm animals and much more! This event is sponsored by Whole Foods and Washington Parent, and presented in part by the Friends of the Agricultural History Farm Park, Gaithersburg Equipment Company, the Master Gardeners, the 4-H Jersey Club and 4-H Back-in-Time Club, and the Montgomery County Association for Family and Community Education.
For more information visit the Agricultural History Farm Park web site or call 301-924-4141. On event days, please call 301-721-0312. Volunteers are needed for this fun event! Call 301-495-2464.
November 2008
Blacksmiths & Friends Show
Agricultural History Farm Park
Saturday and Sunday, November 1 & 2
10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Cost: Free
18400 Muncaster Road, Derwood, MD 20855
Professional and amateur blacksmiths, silversmiths, coppersmiths and other artisans will demonstrate their art before your very eyes. There'll be hands-on activities for kids, demonstrations, metal gifts and art for sale, and hayrides and food available for purchase. This event will take place at the beautiful Agricultural History Farm Park, rain or shine. Call 301-807-0342 for more information.
December 2008
Christmas on the Farm
Agricultural History Farm Park
Saturday and Sunday, December 13 & 14
Noon - 5:00 p.m.
Cost: Free
18400 Muncaster Road, Derwood, MD 20855
Get into the holiday spirit with us at the Ag Farm! Enjoy turn-of-the-century decorations, free live Christmas music and caroling, free hayrides (weather permitting), and free hot cider and ginger snaps Bring your cameras and take pictures of your friends and family in our antique sleigh. There'lll be homemade baked goods for sale as well. For more information, call 301-948-0052 or visit www.AgHistoryFarm.org.
Special Historic and Cultural Events
September 2008
"Lessons from the Past" Presentation
Kingsley Schoolhouse
Saturday, September 27
11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Cost: Free
Take a walk down memory lane to this historic one-room schoolhouse, meet some of the students who attended school at Kingsley Schoolhouse. Get a taste of what it was like to be a student back then by writing on real slate boards, carrying water from the stream in buckets, and playing a game of dodgeball (which was very popular as far back as the early 1900s). Families can also enjoy sack races, a cake walk, nail-driving contests, videos of other former Kingsley students, and more. Bring a picnic and enjoy lunch by the stream!
This event is sponsored in part by the Friends of Little Bennett Regional Park and the Clarksburg Historical Society, Inc. Kingsley Schoolhouse is located in Little Bennett Regional Park. Parking is available at the Church of God, 23900 Clarksburg Road, opposite the Snowden Farm Parkway. A shuttle will take visitors to the Schoolhouse and back.
October 2008
"Hoops & Crinolines, Bonnets & Snoods" A Civil War Fashion Demonstration with Denise Benedetto
Oakley Cabin
Saturday, October 4
Noon - 4:00 p.m.
Cost: Free
Rain date: October 11
3610 Brookville Road, Olney, MD 20832
Come learn about clothing styles for men and women during the Civil War era with historic interpreter Denise Benedetto. This event is sponsored by the Friends of Oakley Cabin and the Underground Railroad.
"The Night Sky and the Underground Railroad"
Woodlawn Cultural Park
Friday, October 24
7:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Cost: Free
16501 Norwood Road, Sandy Spring, MD 20860
Historian Anthony Cohen gets Maryland Emancipation Day started a little early with this night hike of the Underground Railroad Experience Trail. For more information, call 301-650-4373 or visit www.UndergroundRRExperience.org. This event is co-sponsored by the Menare Foundation, Inc.
November 2008
Maryland Emancipation Day Celebration
Saturday, November 1
10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Cost: Free
On November 1, 1864 slaves living in Maryland were set free by a new state constitutuion. Join the Montgomery County Department of Parks as we celebrate this significant milestone in Maryland history at several historic sites throughout the county. A special nike hike of the Underground Railroad Experience Trail will kick-off the celebration, Friday, October 24 and other activities planned for Saturday, November 1 include a special program at Oakley Cabin in Olney, guided hikes of the Underground Railroad Experience Trail and tours of the Josiah Henson Historic Site.
Fora complete listing of sites and activities, visit the Maryland Emancipation Day Celebration web site. Volunteers are needed for this day filled with fun activities, please contact 301-650-4373.
Ongoing Events and Shows
"Wings of Fancy" Live Butterfly Exhibit
Brookside Gardens South Conservatory
May 3 – September 21, 2008
10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily
Admission: Adults: $5.00
Children (ages 3-12): $4.00
Children (age 2 and under): admitted free.
Groups of 15 or more must pre-register; call 301-962-1467 for reservations. School Group Tour Information
Enter a wonderous world of Asian, Costa Rican and North American butterflies at Brookside Gardens' spectacular "Wings of Fancy" live butterfly exhibit! Now in its 12th year, this international exhibit feature hundreds of live butterflies, flying freely among tropical flowering nectar plants in our greenhouse.
"Wings of Fancy" is located in Brookside Gardens' South Conservatory, 1500 Glenallan Avenue in Wheaton, MD 20902. Tickets may be purchased at the Gift Shop in the Visitors Center at 1800 Glenallan Avenue, or in the Conservatory Gift Shop. Call the "Wings of Fancy" hotline at 301-962-1453, or 301-962-1400 for more information.
Note to butterfly lovers: The exhibit is in a greenhouse, which is usually ten degrees warmer and more humid than it is outside--and temperatures increase over the course of the day. Also, the walk between the Visitors Center and the Conservatory is about 2/10 of a mile (about 8 minutes) along a steep but shady incline. So please, bring water with you, and drink it to stay hydrated.
Underground Railroad Guided Hikes
Sandy Spring, Maryland
Every Saturday through November 1
10:00 a.m.
Cost: Free
History buffs and hikers alike are invited to hike the beautiful, historic Underground Railroad Experience Trail! Every Saturday morning at 10 a.m. (April 5 through November 1), an experienced guide leads the way along this historic 1.5 mile route (3 miles round trip), through fields and woods and across streams to Sandy Spring. Hikers will learn various techniques that people escaping slavery used to elude pursuers. These free hikes begin at the stone barn at Woodlawn Manor Park (16501 Norwood Road in Sandy Spring), and take about 90 minutes. For more information and a trail map, click here.
Oakley Cabin Guided Tours
Olney, Maryland
Every Saturday through November
Noon - 4:00 p.m.
Cost: Free
Built in the 1820s, Oakley Cabin was first used by slaves on the Oakley/Dorsey farm, and later by free black families as part of a roadside community. The cabin is fully furnished to depict various periods of its history and development, and provides hands-on experiences for visitors and researchers. Guided tours are available every Saturday beginning April 5. To volunteer as a docent (historic guide) at Oakley Cabin, please see the listing above for the March 8 training session. Visit www.OakleyCabin.org for directions.
The Kingsley Schoolhouse
Historic Kingsley Schoolhouse is open for special occasions. Please check the Upcoming Events listings to see what's coming up.
Uncle Tom's Cabin (the Riley House)
The cabin and house are open for special occasions. Please check the Upcoming Events listings to see what's coming up. . For more information, please call 301-650-4373 or visit JosiahHensonSite.org
The Hyattstown Mill
Hyattstown Mill is operated by the Hyattstown Mill Arts Project (HMAP), which hosts rotating exhibits and live music performances in the Mill Gallery from April through October. The gallery is open weekends, holidays and for special events. The new exhibit “History of Mills in Montgomery County” will be on display in June 2008. Call 301-874-2452 for more information.
Date of last update: September 22, 2008
