National Grandparents Day is an observance and not a public holiday in the United States. This year it falls on Sunday, September 13, 2026.
National Grandparents Day has more than one origin. Some people consider it to have been first proposed by Michael Goldgar in the 1970s after he visited his aunt in an Atlanta nursing home. He made 17 trips to Washington DC over a seven-year span to meet with legislators and spent […]
Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year. It begins the celebration of ten High Holidays known as Yamim Nora’im –Days of Awe—which conclude with Yom Kippur. Rosh Hashanah covers two days (first day is called Tishrei). Festivities have marked the beginning of the fall harvest since the earliest days of the Israelites. It is also believed to mark the “birthday of the world”– the creation of Adam and […]
For many states, September represents International Underground Railroad Month. In 2019, The State of Maryland proclaimed September as International Underground Railroad Month. In 2020, the states Maryland and Michigan were trailblazers in the effort to include more states in this celebration, working with the National Park Service’s National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom to connect with verified Underground Railroad sites, facilities, and programs from across the United States.
September was chosen to represent International […]
The first week of September will mark the seventieth anniversary of the end of segregation at what was then the Poolesville combined K-12 School. Montgomery County School Superintendent Forbes Norris and Poolesville Principal Robert Crawford began their tenures only a year before the 1954 landmark Supreme Court Decision, Brown v Board of Education, which declared segregated schools unconstitutional. Dr. Norris presided over the phased-in implementation of school desegregation in Montgomery County, the first county […]
Depending on the weather, mosquito season in Maryland is from April through October. If you want to control mosquitoes in your yard, there is a better way than fogging which kills wildlife and harms pets and children. Fogging does not stop mosquitoes at their source. Instead, try the low-tech Mosquito Bucket Challenge designed by Professor Doug Tallamy, co-founder of the Homegrown National Park movement.
The bucket draws in mosquitoes already […]
National Volunteer Appreciation Week, April 27 – May 4, is an opportunity to pause and reflect on all the volunteers who touch our lives. From our MCVFD firefighters to Jon Wolz our local C&O Canal Association volunteer guide, to your WUMCO volunteers and your volunteer Town Elected Officials, our lives are touched and improved every day by their generosity in sharing their time, talent, and voice to make a difference in our community. […]
If you are looking for an opportunity to get outside and exercise, you don’t need to jog. Gardening is a great workout. What better way to celebrate Earth Month in April than getting your hands in the dirt?
If you are new to gardening, you can start small, using containers or pots. If you are an old hand, you may find that your garden size gets smaller as you get older. Whatever your gardening level, remember you will still reap these benefits:
May Day, usually observed on May 1st, or the first Monday of May, was an ancient public festival marking the first day of Summer. These days this traditional spring holiday is celebrated in many European cultures with festivities of dancing, singing, and cake.
Ancient Roman holidays such as Floralia, the festival of Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers, and […]
According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, May Day baskets were popular back in the 19th and 20th centuries.
May Day has origins in the pagan festival, Beltane, a rural pre-Christian prehistoric tradition where families who were separated by long cold winters would congregate together to celebrate the arrival of spring and being together. Though it has changed from baskets filled with foods that weren’t […]
The U.S. Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (aka The Triple Crown) is the highest honor a racehorse can attain. To win the Triple Crown, a 3-year-old horse must win all three legs or jewels in the series. The three races are The Kentucky Derby (May 2nd), The Preakness Stakes (May 16th), and The Belmont Stakes (June 6th).
The Thoroughbred breed was developed in England in the 18th century and […]