 County Executive Marc Elrich this week relates some good news in the battle against COVID-19: the recently approved vaccines for children 6 months to 5 years old will quickly be available in limited quantities in Montgomery County. He also talks about the report that finds the Washington-Baltimore Region is second in the nation for attracting talented life sciences workers. He reminds eligible renters that the deadline for applying for rental relief assistance is Thursday, June 30. The County Executive encourages residents to join him in Downtown Silver Spring on Sunday for the ‘Pride in the Plaza’ special event. And he offers thoughts on former Board of Education member Reggie Felton, who passed away recently.
 Montgomery County will host two Independence Day fireworks displays and family gatherings this year, one in Kensington on Saturday, July 2, and the other on Monday, July 4, in Germantown.
 Following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) full approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for children ages 6 months to 5 years, Montgomery County’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has started vaccinating this age group as vaccines are available. However, initial supplies are limited.
 Montgomery County residents have several ways to get tested for COVID-19.
 The Montgomery County Government, and programs that impact County residents, will observe schedule and program changes for the formal observance of Independence Day on Monday, July 4. In some cases, services also will have schedule changes on Sunday, July 3.
 Progress of continuing work on the Purple Line, including introduction of the new contractor, has been the focus of a series of in-person meetings being held by the Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration (MDOT MTA). The final meeting of the series is scheduled for 6:30-8 p.m. on Tuesday, June 28, at Oak View Elementary School in Silver Spring.
 Tickets to Montgomery County Recreation’s seven outdoor pools this year are available online for pre-purchase. Tickets for the holiday on Monday, July 4, are now available. Tickets are available at a discounted rate of $5 per person.
 Thursday nights will be alive with music this summer in Downtown Silver Spring as the free “Silver Spring Thursday Night Concerts” series returns to Veterans Plaza. Concert series are scheduled for 7-9 p.m. each Thursday evening through Aug. 11. The next performance, on June 30, will feature the six-piece Moxie Blues Band playing blues, with a touch of Southern rock.
 The free, family-friendly “Evenings in Olde Towne” concert series will have performances on Thursday nights in June, July and September at the City Hall Concert Pavilion in Olde Towne Gaithersburg. All concerts will take place from 6:30-8 p.m. The next show will feature the “Brent & Company Band” on Thursday, June 30.
‘Grandreaders’ Program Pairing Seniors Reading to Young Students Will Be Available this Summer
Montgomery County Public Libraries, in partnership with the Jewish Council for the Aging, Heyman Interages Center, will be offering the “Grandreaders” Program at several branches this summer. The one-on-one program pairs a Grandreader volunteer with a child from kindergarten to third grade to practice reading aloud.
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A new Hotel Relief Grant Program is set to launch on Friday, July 1, for Montgomery County hotels with 10 or more rooms and Bed and Breakfasts with five or more rooms. The ownership of these facilities must be based in Maryland and be able to demonstrate a loss of revenue of 25 percent or more from September 2021 through January 2022 compared to September 2019 through January 2020. Up to $500 per room in Hotel Relief Grant money is available.
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The Montgomery County Racial Equity and Social Justice Advisory Committee (RESJAC) will host a virtual community forum from 4-6 p.m. on Sunday, June 26, The forum, which will have opening remarks from County Executive Marc Elrich and County Councilmember Nancy Navarro, aims to bring together the community and County leaders to learn more about topics including food insecurity, health justice, housing and reparations.
‘Two Montgomery County Cooks: Recipes and Communities’ Will Be Presentation of Montgomery History on Tuesday, June 28
Culinary history—recipes, cookbooks, what we ate and how we ate—can reveal new understandings of community and culture. A talk and slide presentation that will be presented by Montgomery History at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, June 28, will explore cookbooks written a generation apart by Elizabeth Ellicott Lea and Maria Brooke Watkins.
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 Montgomery County’s celebration of June as Pride Month continues with special events of varying types. The events will include “Pride on the Field” in White Oak on Friday, June 24, and Pride in the Plaza activities on Sunday, June 26, in Silver Spring.
 Montgomery Parks June special events will include two more events highlighting the County’s outstanding parks. The schedule on Friday, June 24, includes Skate Night at the Takoma-Piney Branch Local Park and Pride in the Park Movie Night at Jesup Blair Local Park in Silver Spring.
The Montgomery County Board of Elections is seeking school-age students, grades 6-12, to participate in its “Future Vote” program. Interested students can choose to serve as Future Vote ambassadors or as election poll workers.
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 Gaithersburg’s Children’s Summer Concert Series continues at the City Hall Concert Pavilion on Wednesdays in June and July, with free performances from 10:30-11:15 a.m. The next performance will feature the hip hop music of “Christylez Bacon” on June 29.
The Germantown Community Recreation Center, located at 18905 Kingsview Rd., has closed for the summer to allow for a roof replacement project. The center closed on June 22 and is scheduled to reopen on Thursday, Aug. 18.
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