 County Executive this week reviews his recent trip leading an economic development delegation to India and Vietnam that resulted in the signing of 11 memorandums-of-understanding with businesses that will consider establishing themselves in Montgomery County. He also addresses the Police-Private Security Camera Incentive Program that will help businesses and nonprofits in high-priority areas pay for security cameras. For America Recycles Day, he addresses new programs of the County’s Department of Environmental Protection that allow for additional items to be designated for recycling.
Stories in this issue include:
 The annual Montgomery County Thanksgiving Parade, which is held the Saturday before Thanksgiving, returns at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 18, in Downtown Silver Spring. The parade will again feature a diverse range of participants. Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich is scheduled to be in the parade.
The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration has started a project to maintain pavement and improve ride quality on I-495 (the Capital Beltway) that will impact Montgomery County drivers through the end of the year. The work will be done five nights a week between MD 191 (Bradley Boulevard) and east of Linden Lane and between east of Northwest Branch Anacostia River and US 29 (Colesville Road).
 The Montgomery County Government, and programs that impact County residents, will have schedule and program changes for Thanksgiving Weekend, Thursday-Friday, Nov. 23-24.
 The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) has started lane painting to create dedicated bus lanes on University Boulevard (MD 193) between Amherst Avenue and Dennis Avenue. MCDOT expects to complete the project in early December. The dedicated bus lanes will provide faster Ride On and Metrobus service on this vital corridor, improving the connection between Four Corners and Metrorail at Wheaton Station.
The Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services’ Aging and Disability Services Division continues to provide free hearing aids and personal sound amplifiers to eligible residents age 60-and-over. The County is partnering with Access HEARS, Inc., a nonprofit organization whose mission is to connect individuals with hearing loss to the solutions they need to age well.
 Dog owners can leash up their pups and jump into the holiday season from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 18, at the Holiday Barket at Cabin John Regional Park in Bethesda. The free Barket will feature live music, refreshments for sale, a canine photo booth with the Grinch and plenty of pet-themed shopping.
Montgomery Parks to Create New Ednor Soapstone Quarry Park in Silver Spring That Will Highlight the County’s Indigenous History
Montgomery Parks has acquired the site of a former equestrian facility in Silver Spring to create the new Ednor Soapstone Quarry Special Park that will highlight the indigenous history of Montgomery County. The 32.87-acre property will ultimately provide conservation, research and interpretation of an indigenous soapstone quarry, a rare resource within Maryland.
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Montgomery County’s Alcohol Beverage Services (ABS) will open registration on Sunday, Dec. 3, for limited availability whiskey lotteries that provide opportunities to purchase highly sought spirits. These lotteries will be open only to Montgomery County residents and licensees. ABS expects to release more than 400 bottles for purchase in the lotteries.
 Registration for Montgomery County Recreation’s winter classes and programs are now open. Winter offerings include fitness, sports, visual and performing arts and special events.
 Montgomery Parks is offering hundreds of classes and programs this winter to promote an active, healthy lifestyle. Registration is now open for most winter programs on ActiveMontgomery.org.
 Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, along with the County’s regional services offices and community partners, is hosting a series of 10 “Community Conversations” to seek input on the Fiscal Year 2025 Operating Budget. The next conversation, from 7-8:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 27, will be a hybrid meeting that will focus on the Chinese community.
 The Montgomery Agricultural History Farm Park in Derwood always is a fascinating place that can quickly take visitors back to a time when agriculture dominated the County’s economy and lifestyle. There will now be an opportunity to learn about those times via candlelight tours on Friday-Saturday, Dec. 15-16.
 Montgomery County’s Department of Transportation is seeking County high school students to serve as "Vision Zero Youth Ambassadors." The project-based learning program teaches teens leadership skills, the importance of roadway design, law enforcement, outreach and engagement techniques to address traffic safety needs in their community. Applications are being accepted through Friday, Dec. 15.
 A Stakeholders Forum, hosted by the Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services, will be held from 8:30 a.m.-noon on Wednesday, Dec. 6, in the second-floor auditorium of the Wheaton headquarters of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. The forum is designed for architects, builders, contractors, designers, developers, engineers, land use attorneys, permit expediters and other professionals.
SSTCi's Online Arts Salon: ‘Connected’ Will Be Hosted by Artist Camila Bryce-LaPorte on Monday, Nov. 20
Exploring ways work impacts the notion of connection to other people, places, things, ideas and even the various parts within us will be the theme from 7-8:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 20, as Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. presents the free online arts salon “Connected.” Artist Camila Bryce-LaPorte will host the presentation.
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Community Action Agency 2023 Self-Sufficiency Standard Report Shows Substantial Increases in Cost of Living
The 2023 Self-Sufficiency Standard report released by Montgomery County’s Community Action Agency shows substantial increases in the cost of living, particularly in housing and childcare costs. The Self-Sufficiency Standard describes how much income families of various sizes and compositions need to earn to live without public or private assistance in specific geographic areas.
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Montgomery Parks November Nature Center Programs Will Include Project FeederWatch and Full Moon Friday
Montgomery Parks is offering a full slate of fun and educational programs in November. The special events will include Project FeederWatch on Thursday and Friday nights at the Locust Grove Nature Center in Bethesda and Full Moon Friday on Nov. 24 at Locust Grove.
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Fall is settling in and winter is around the corner, but Montgomery Parks has events and activities for all seasons. The Garden of Lights is now open at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton and there will be a Fall Wedding Vendor Showcase on Monday, Nov. 19, at Brookside Garden.
Montgomery County Alcohol Beverage Services (ABS) is partnering with local businesses to curb alcohol-impaired driving during the holiday season. ABS is distributing beverage coasters that feature a QR code directing patrons to an online list of alternative rides to get home safely when drinking. The coasters will be distributed to bars and restaurants free of charge.
The feeling of celebrating a holiday on a farm will be the theme on Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 2-3, at the annual “Christmas on the Farm” event at the Montgomery Agricultural History Farm Park in Derwood. Among the highlights will be the opportunity to see farm animals up close, to visit the park’s tool museum and to enjoy free cookies and cider.
 Montgomery County’s third annual World AIDS Day Solidarity for Health Equity Breakfast will commemorate World AIDS Day on Friday, Dec. 1. The breakfast, from 9-11 a.m., will highlight HIV’s disproportionate impact on Black women in Montgomery County. It will be held at the Silver Spring Civic Building.
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