| July 2025

• Get Ready for Our Independence Day Celebrations
• Celebrating National Park and Recreation Month
• Summer Dive-In Movies with MoCoRec
• MoCoRec Summer Camps and Programs are Underway
• Under The Lights Flag Football Returns This Summer
• Showcasing Our Services: Yoga and Wellness with Adina Crawford
• Celebrating Lyttonsville, Emory Grove and Scotland on the ‘Inside Recreation’ Podcast
• Apply for VIP Day at the Montgomery County Fair by July 11
• Upcoming Events with Montgomery County Recreation 

Watch The Rec Insider on YouTube

Want a quick recap of everything that's happening with Montgomery County Recreation this month? Watch the July edition of The Rec Insider on our YouTube channel!

Get Ready for Our Independence Day Celebrations

Celebrate Independence Day with Montgomery County Recreation at our two free firework displays this Friday, July 4 and Saturday, July 5!

Friday, July 4: Germantown Glory at South Germantown Recreational Park, 18041 Central Park Circle, Boyds. Live music will begin at 7 p.m. featuring Central City Orchestra. On-site parking is available, however typically reaches capacity.

Saturday, July 5: Mid-County Sparkles at Albert Einstein High School, 11135 Newport Mill Road, Kensington. Live music will begin at 7 p.m. featuring Downtown Sound. Only handicap parking is available at the high school. Free parking and shuttle service will be available from Westfield Wheaton (11160 Veirs Mill Road, Wheaton) starting at 6:30 p.m.

The fireworks displays will begin approximately at 9:15 p.m. at both celebrations. The timing of the fireworks may change due to weather conditions. Make sure to sign up for Rec Alerts. Lawn chairs, blankets and coolers are welcome at both events. There will be food vendors at both locations.

The celebrations are family-friendly events. The County prohibits alcoholic beverages and smoking. Pets are also not allowed. Large shade structures, tents and large beach umbrellas are also prohibited.

Celebrating National Park and Recreation Month

July is National Park and Recreation Month! Montgomery County Recreation is inviting residents to enjoy the hundreds of recreation programs offered that contribute to a healthier lifestyle and enhance the quality of life for all ages, cultures and abilities. The month-long celebration is a National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) initiative. Community members can share their stories about what Montgomery County Recreation means to them on social media through Facebook, X and Instagram using the hashtags #BuildTogetherPlayTogether and #ParkandRecMonth25. A few highlights during the month include Camp Kindness Day on July 16 and National Park and Recreation Professionals Day on July 18. Montgomery County Recreation encourages you to get out and play, participate and connect with others this month through the wide variety of programs we offer from sports, aquatics, classes, camps and much more!

Summer Dive-In Movies with MoCoRec

Participants of all ages watching "Shark Tale" in the water at Bethesda Outdoor Pool during the first Dive-In Movie night of the summer in 2025.

Join us for a movie under the stars while staying cool in the pool! Our Dive-In Movie nights are back this summer. Enjoy a relaxing and fun night with fellow film and swimming aficionados. It was a full house during our first Dive-In Movie night of the summer at Bethesda Outdoor Pool and registration is filling up fast for the other three events coming up. 

• Saturday, July 19: The Wild Robot (in Spanish/en español) at Long Branch Outdoor Pool 
  
  
• Saturday, Aug. 2: Transformers One at Germantown Outdoor Pool
  
  
• Saturday, Aug. 16: Inside Out 2 at Upper County Outdoor Pool

The Dive-In Movies will take place from 8:30 to 11 p.m. and are for all ages, with a $5 admission fee per person. Clear tubes will be provided for participants. No personal rafts will be allowed. Deck chairs will be available and personal chairs are allowed. Participants ages 17 and under must have a guardian with them at the facility at all times. Space is limited and registration is required for each event.

MoCoRec Summer Camps and Programs are Underway

From arts, sports, field trips and more, there's fun for everyone at our Montgomery County Recreation summer camps.

Summer is here, and our camps are in full swing. There are still limited spots available for July and August in week-long camps. From therapeutic recreation to sports, arts and more, there is a camp for everyone! Search our camps offerings to see which are still available by visiting ActiveMONTGOMERY.  

Under The Lights Flag Football Returns This Summer

Showcase your skills and have fun with friends at our youth Under The Lights Flag Football program this summer!

In partnership with Montgomery Parks, join us for an exciting summer on the gridiron at Under the Lights, a free five-week flag football program for middle and high school students that will take place:

• Mondays at Good Hope Local Park from July 7 - Aug. 4 (5 to 9 p.m.): Register. 
  
  
• Fridays at Martin Luther King Jr. Recreational Park from July 11 - Aug. 8 (5 to 8 p.m.): Register.

Registration is encouraged but drop-in play is welcome.

All necessary equipment will be provided, and no prior experience is required. Participants are encouraged to bring enthusiasm and team spirit. Players will learn the basics of the game, participate in drills and team-based competitions.

Showcasing Our Services: Yoga and Wellness with Adina Crawford

From family and work responsibilities to finances and more, stress can be a part of everyone’s lives. Adina Crawford is helping residents in Montgomery County ground themselves through her Gentle Yin Yoga class that she teaches on Saturday mornings at Margaret Schweinhaut Senior Center. Adina has worked as a contractor for Montgomery County Recreation for the past three years and says her yoga classes incorporate balance and mobility to help participants stay upright. She also emphasizes that her classes are meant for everyone and feature three key rules: Meet your body where it is Fall into the pose at the appropriate depth And, most important, have fun! “You want people to have fun and enjoy that connection with their body,” Adina said. “Sometimes you can just see people come in and they’re huffing and puffing and I’m like, ‘Take a deep breath and sigh it out. Allow yourself to be centered.’ It takes a while for that energy to drop and for us to be in a space where we can let all that stress go."

"You have to put yourself in a place of peace and know that you have the power and that you are in control.”  

Adina is certified in yoga, meditation, and fitness and aquatics class instruction. Outside of her work with the department, she has worked in the fitness space for the last decade, which has included her work in establishing and running a local chapter of the Black Girls Run foundation, running several half marathons and marathons, writing the book, Mind Your Breath: Activating Your JOY and serving as a guest speaker and instructor for a variety of national events. In 2024, Adina was invited by the Boston Athletic Association to lead a yoga practice for runners ahead of the Boston Marathon.

Adina Crawford has worked as a contractor with Montgomery County Recreation for the last three years as a yoga and wellness instructor and has taught in the fitness space for over a decade.

Despite all of this success, Adina referred to herself as a late bloomer in her fitness journey. She began her fitness journey 15 years ago when she was 46 and realized that there was still time and space to thrive athletically.

“My message to people is to be kind to yourself,” Adina said. “We do not come out of the womb running or doing yoga. You have to meet your body where it is. Yoga is for all bodies. It’s not just a one size fits all.”

Adina’s favorite part about teaching classes for Montgomery County Recreation is seeing the growth of her students, from their flexibility, mobility and commitment as well as the overall joy they experience in her class.

“We know there’ll be obstacles that can prevent us from doing certain things,” Adina said. “But it’s also the person’s mindset and their willpower to keep going and stretching their bodies. We really have to take time to figure out what’s right for us. There are so many benefits that come from yoga. It’s the fountain of youth! It offers so much for the mind, body and soul.”

Everyone’s journey through fitness moves at their own pace. But participating in health and wellness with others allows residents to have a better handle of their stress levels both short and long term. Adina said that when participants take these necessary steps, they can control their own destinies.

“When it comes to working out and being active. We have to be the authors and the finishers of our own stories.”

Celebrating Lyttonsville, Emory Grove and Scotland on the ‘Inside Recreation’ Podcast

(Left to right) Community leaders Patricia Tyson, Rev. Timothy Warner and LaTisha Gasaway-Paul spoke with guest host Monika Hammer on the historical African American communities of Lyttonsville, Emory Grove and Scotland, and the role that Recreation plays in their communities.

The latest episode of our Inside Recreation podcast spotlighted several of Montgomery County's historical African American communities. We spoke with three individuals who are advocating and making a difference in their communities and connected with them on the impact that our recreation centers have.

Take some time and listen in to our special guests and the insights and experiences that they have shared.

• LaTisha Gasaway-Paul, an activist and community leader in the Scotland community.
• Rev. Timothy Warner, Pastor of the Emory Grove United Methodist Church.
• Patricia Tyson, a member of the Gwendolyn E. Coffield Community Recreation Center Advisory Committee in Lyttonsville.

Listen to this episode of Inside Recreation now on major streaming platforms including Buzzsprout, Spotify and Apple Podcasts. You can also watch this episode on our YouTube channel.

Apply for VIP Day at the Montgomery County Fair by July 11

VIP Day returns for its 33rd year this summer on Monday, Aug. 11 at the Montgomery County Agricultural Fairgrounds (16 Chestnut Street, Gaithersburg) from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. This event is for children ages 5-14 with a disability or life-threatening illness. VIPs and their families will receive free early admission into the fairgrounds and enjoy rides, lunch, a swag bag, a 4-H escort and wonderful memories to last a lifetime.

VIPs must be County residents and be able to attend the fair on that day. If you know of children who have not previously been a VIP and would benefit from this special program, email Charles.Butler@montgomerycountymd.gov to request an application. Applications are due by Friday, July 11.

Upcoming Events with Montgomery County Recreation 

From trips to Great Falls Park and the Air and Space Museum to Western and Craft Days at our senior centers, join in on the fun with our Senior Adventures Camps this summer!