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Hailed by The New Yorker as “among the most compelling documents to come out of the war,” From Day to Day is a World War II concentration camp diary—one of only a handful ever translated into English—secretly written by Odd Nansen, a Norwegian. This inspiring diary brilliantly illuminates Nansen’s daily struggle, not only to survive, but to preserve his sanity and maintain his humanity. After having been out of print for over 60 years, Timothy Boyce rescued the diary […]

Unlike our current world, news in the 1860’s traveled slowly across the country and in Texas.  Although the Civil War effectively ended with the surrender of General Robert E. Lee on April 9, 1865, the true end of the war did not occur until August 20, 1866.  During the conflict, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862, to be effective on January 1, 1863.  The proclamation freed enslaved men, women […]

There are two solstices every year: one in June and one in December. The June solstice marks the longest day north of the equator. The 2026 Summer Solstice in Washington DC will be Sunday, June 21, 2026 at 4:24 am EDT.

Father’s Day dates to 1908 when Grace Golden Clayton organized a memorial service at her church in Fairmont, West Virginia to honor her own father and 361 other men who were killed the previous year in a coal mining explosion. This was the country’s first-ever event honoring fathers. 

The following year, Sonora Smart Dodd began a crusade to establish Father’s Day as a national holiday. Dodd was one of […]

Losing patience with insects decimating your garden? Why not try companion planting?  Also referred to as inter-planting, inter-cropping, or polyculture, this eco-friendly, non-toxic method of pest management benefits insects such as bees, butterflies, and ladybugs.  

Companion planting, or placing two or more different plants near one another, is likely to provide seven benefits:  

1. soil preparation and conditioning – using cover crops that fix […]
   

Early voting for the 2026 Gubernatorial Primary Election will be held from 7 a.m.- 8 p.m. from June 11 through June 18. Montgomery County Department of Transportation’s (MCDOT) Ride On bus service has several routes available to transport voters to the early voting centers. 

The following are Ride On and Metrobus routes that serve early voting centers: 

• Activity Center at Bohrer: Ride On Routes 55

June is National Great Outdoors Month. The end of the school year, warm weather, and a need to commune with nature, make this the perfect time to plan and take in the Great Outdoors in all its splendor. 

Started in 1998 under President Bill Clinton as Great Outdoors Week, it was originally an economic stimulus project to increase jobs and GDP through outdoor adventures. It was so popular that it was expanded in […]

Pride Month, June 1 – 30,  has its roots in the Stonewall Uprising, which occurred in New York City in June 1969. The uprising was a turning point in the LGBTQ+ rights movement, sparked by a series of protests against police harassment and discrimination. The following year, the first Pride marches were organized to commemorate the anniversary of the uprising. 

The 2026 Pride Month theme, announced by NYC Pride, is “For All of […]

This spring, Poolesville Seniors in partnership with Story Tapestry offered a multi session photography class led by professional photographer and teaching artist Jessica Wallach.  Using cell phones, point-and-shoot cameras, mirrorless cameras, and DSLRs, participants developed photography skills while investigating light, motion, time, composition, editing, and visual storytelling. Through field trips, discussions, hands-on practice, and collaborative photo reviews, they explored not only how cameras work, but how photographers make choices about what to notice and what matters. 

Participants photographed familiar landscapes, historic sites, […]

The Naval Committee of the Continental Congress purchased and outfitted a Philadelphia merchant vessel as the first Continental Navy fighting vessel, Alfred. In December of 1775, Philadelphia seamstress Margaret Manny sewed the first Continental Colors, and the flag was raised for the first time on an American fighting vessel. 

A year later, the Maritime Committee of the Continental Congress considered it the official flag of the American naval forces. 

On […]