Santa and Mrs. Claus will visit the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre and Social Hall, 1-4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21, for an afternoon of holiday fun with decorations, arts and crafts, and musical performances. Free and open to the public.
Author: Public Information Office (Page 1 of 114)
Rockville’s 48th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday, Jan. 20 at Richard Montgomery High School, 250 Richard Montgomery Drive, will include diverse performances, awards and a keynote speech focused on the theme of “Light in the Midst of Darkness.”
The celebration is free and open to all ages. There will be community service activities beginning at 11 a.m., along with information booths and free refreshments before the program. The program will begin at noon in the auditorium.
To learn more about the celebration as details become available, including opportunities to participate in the service activities, visit www.rockvillemd.gov/mlk.
Volunteers Needed
Organizers are also seeking volunteers to help with setup, cleanup, tech and stage crew, ushering and more. Student Service Learning credit is available. For more information, contact Janet Kelly at 240-314-8316 or jkelly@rockvillemd.gov. For information about accessibility, call 240-314-8108.
An application for community organization grants for Fiscal Year 2021, which begins July 1, is available at www.rockvillemd.gov/communityorggrant.
Grants are awarded annually to local organizations that partner with the city to enhance the quality of life of Rockville residents through education, community engagement or other activities that benefit the Rockville community. Applications are due Friday, Dec. 20.
Call 240-314-8104 for more information.
Meet the artists of the Rockville Art League at an opening reception for their exhibit, 1:30-3:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8, at the Glenview Mansion Art Gallery.
The varied-media artwork of the Rockville Art League Juried Members’ Exhibit will be on display from Dec. 8-Jan. 24.
Gallery hours are 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, and 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Thursday. The gallery is closed on official holidays.
The Glenview Mansion Art Gallery at the Rockville Civic Center is located at 603 Edmonston Drive.
The year was 1995. Bill Clinton was in the White House. The trial of O.J. Simpson was captivating the nation. Martina McBride was set to headline Rockville’s Hometown Holidays and James Coyle was the city’s mayor.
And in May, a time capsule bearing hopes and wishes from residents of the time was buried at the Rockville Senior Center, with plans that it would be unearthed in May 2020, 25 years on from when it was placed.
“Within the capsule the citizens of Rockville, Maryland, have placed messages and memorabilia for future generations to view,” a plaque adorning a stone marking the capsule’s location reads today.
The plan is still to unearth that capsule at the appointed time, but staff at the Senior Center need to know which items to return to whom. Envelopes handed out at the time were used to donate items. Receipts that were issued were to be redeemed for the items when the capsule was dug up.
If you have a receipt ticket, or believe a loved one may have put something in the capsule for you to retrieve, please contact the Rockville Senior Center at seniorcenter@rockvillemd.gov or 240-314-8800.
Camps and Playgrounds Start in June
It’s never too early to start thinking about what to do with your kids over a summer break — and Rockville’s summer programs are open to everyone, not just city residents!
Summer Blast
Summer Blast, Rockville’s affordable, flexible all-day camp, returns to four locations with swimming, field trips, arts, crafts, games and special events. Participants can register by the week or for the whole summer.
Summer Blast provides full-day care, 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. June 22-Aug. 13.
Other camp opportunities include Tiny Chefs Cooking, Mad Science, Lego Invention, robotics, Dramatic Kids, Abrakadoodle and Steel Soccer (formerly U.K. Elite). New this year, Rockville is partnering with Adventure Theater to provide a theater camp at F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre. Camps are for kids age 4-16.
The Rockville Swim and Fitness Center is a great place to swim and stay in shape year-round, but you don’t have to dive in a pool for your workout!
The center has several land-based classes, including Zumba, Teen Fit and yoga. For adults, the center offers Pilates, circuit training, Zumba, Bootcamp and yoga. Whatever your experience level, the Rockville Swim and Fitness Center has a class that can help you be more fit and healthier.
If you’re not into classes, the facility also has a fitness room with ellipticals, treadmills, rowing machines, step climbers and a variety of strength-training equipment.
To see fitness classes at the swim center, visit www.rockvillemd.gov/registration and select “Rockville Swim and Fitness Center” under location and “Fitness” as the category.
Winter registration opens Thursday, Dec. 5. Find Rockville Swim and Fitness Center pool schedules, seasonal hours, personal training opportunities and more at www.rockvillemd.gov/swimcenter.
A Rockville tradition returns for its 45th year, an opportunity to meet Santa and Mrs. Claus, and celebrate the Holiday with festive music. Here’s what’s happening in December at the Rockville Civic Center:
The Rockville Civic Ballet presents “The Nutcracker.”
2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays, Dec. 7 and 14; 2 p.m. Sundays Dec. 8 and 15.
Join Clara on the 45th anniversary in Rockville of her magical journey! Directed by Eleanor Simpson. Tickets cost $17; for seniors 60 and older and children 12 and younger, $13.
Students in grades K-12 are invited to submit a photo of their artwork showing why they love Rockville Recreation and Parks.
If selected, that artwork could end up being featured in future City of Rockville promotional materials!
Two winners will be selected in each of the following categories:
- Cultural arts: ballet, theater, visual arts, music, etc.
- Parks and nature.
- Recreation: sports, swimming, camps, etc.
Winners will receive a stipend credited to their Rockville recreation account to use for registration of future activities.
The deadline to enter is Friday, Feb. 14. Notification for winning entries will be Friday, Feb. 21. Winners may be required to submit their original works.
For more information, email elisdeal@rockvillemd.gov. For an entry form and details, visit www.rockvillemd.gov/studentartcontest.
Throwing out plastic bags, clothes, garden hoses, needles or medical sharps? Please don’t use the brown recycling cart – put them in the gray trash cart.
To find a nearby grocery store that accepts plastic bags for recycling, visit bit.ly/howtorecyclebags.
Help the city keep its recycling and trash collection crews safe. Workers can get stuck by medical sharps and syringes that are not in suitable disposal containers.
To dispose of medical sharps and syringes, use containers made of heavy-duty plastic that close tightly with a puncture-proof lid. Label the container and place it in the middle of your household trash in the gray trash cart – or find a disposal program.
Find more community guidelines about safe disposal at bit.ly/howtorecyclesharps.
Got a city recycling or trash cart that’s falling apart? Damaged lift bars on city recycling or trash carts can cut customers and crew members. Call 240-314-8568. We’ll replace it for you.
