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Come share the luck of the Irish at a kickoff event for St. Patrick's Day from 5 to 9:30 p.m. Friday outside at Silver Plaza on Ellsworth Drive in Silver Spring. The party will then move, appropriately, to McGinty's Public House at 911 Ellsworth Drive from 9:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.

There will be live performances from Icewagon Flu Band and Trade Winds, plus a McGinty's Matchmaking Festival, free beads, crafts, face painting, traditional Irish dancing and the old St. Patrick's Day staple, green beer.

Officers awarded for lifesaving efforts in Silver Spring

Montgomery County Police Third District officers Megan Ambrose and Matthew Johnson were awarded Lifesaving Awards, given to employees who provide essential lifesaving actions prior to the arrival of an ambulance, on March 3 at the department's annual awards ceremony.

On June 23, 2009, Ambrose and Johnson responded to an apartment complex in Silver Spring to check on a woman who had not been seen or heard from by friends and family in several days. After it was determined that the leasing office did not have a key to the apartment, Ambrose and Johnson used a ladder to climb up and onto the woman's balcony where they jimmied the lock to gain entrance to the apartment. The woman was located on her bedroom floor, unconscious, in a pool of blood from a head injury stemming from a fall. The officers stabilized the woman who faded in and out of consciousness until an ambulance arrived, saving the woman's life.

County police awarded six Lifesaving Awards and a Medal of Valor, the highest award, at the ceremony.

Habitat for Humanity celebrates 50th county home

On Saturday, Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County will celebrate the completion of its 50th home with a home dedication ceremony, from 2 to 3 p.m. at 3507 Farthing Road in Silver Spring. Habitat for Humanity representatives will be on hand to answer questions from the community about current and past projects and will provide home tours after the ceremony. County officials, volunteers, community members, and corporate sponsors are also expected to attend the event.

HFH-MC was incorporated in 1982, where, with the help of volunteers, it was able to build roughly one home per year. In 2005, The Artery Group LLC, donated land in Burtonsville that resulted in construction of 24 townhouses by HFH-MC. Then in 2009, HFH-MC began the rehabilitation of 13 vacant foreclosed houses in Silver Spring in partnership with Montgomery County Department of Housing and Community Affairs. To date, HFH-MC has completed 38 new construction homes and 12 rehabilitation projects, and they have provided more than 220 Montgomery County residents with a new home, according to a news release from the organization.

For more information or directions, please call 301-990-0014.

Library events

in Takoma Park

Does your middle schooler have a flair for the dramatic? If you think your son or daughter has what it takes to become the next Anton Chekov or Oscar Wilde, bring your playwright-in-training to the first of the Takoma Park Maryland Library's four-part workshop, "Once Upon a Tale" from 7 to 8:30 p.m. March 17.

Led by local poets Elizabeth Rees and Rosanne Singer, participants will be tasked with transforming a popular fairy tale into a theatrical performance to include a full script, character poems and narration culminating in a presentation of the script before an audience of family and friends at the final meeting.

Registration is required to participate in the class, which meets every Wednesday from 7 to 8:30 p.m. March 17 through April 14. Registration is limited to 10 participants, so sign up by visiting the library's Web site, www.takomapark.info/library/ or call 301-891-7259. All classes will take place in the library, 101 Philadelphia Ave. in Takoma Park.

Also this month, children of all ages are invited to take part in the "Comics Jam" beginning at 4:30 p.m. March 19 to explore the wonderful world of illustrated literature with Takoma Park library staff. The jam meets once a month on a Friday and is open to all comers, no registration is required.

County Councilman to address Takoma Park council

County Councilman and Takoma Park native Marc Elrich (D-At large) will appear before his former colleagues (Elrich represented Ward 5 in the city for 10 terms before his election to the County Council) at the weekly meeting at 7:30 p.m. March 22 in the community center, 7500 Maple Ave. in Takoma Park.

Elrich will attempt to update his city colleagues on county-wide issues affecting the city, including Montgomery County's teetering budget situation and how it could impact city services.

For additional information, including upcoming City Council discussion topics, please visit the city Web site, www.takomaparkmd.gov.

Ward 2 night at

Takoma Park City Council

For every Ward 2 Takoma Park resident who has wanted to spend some one-on-one time with the City Council, or just hang out at the community center with some snacks, join Ward 2 Councilwoman Colleen Clay and the rest of the gang at 7 p.m. Monday in the community center, 7500 Maple Ave. in Takoma Park.

A reception in the center's atrium will begin at 7 p.m. with snacks and refreshments followed by the opening of the weekly City Council meeting, the first part of which will be dedicated to hearing testimony from Ward 2 residents regarding important issues in their area.

Ward 2 is best known for its proximity to the Takoma Junction on the eastern edge of the city. The ward includes large parts of Garland and Ethan Allen avenues as well as residential streets like Trescott, Central and Prince George's avenues.

Check the city Web site, www.takomaparkmd.gov for additional information, including a complete list of upcoming council agenda items and detailed street maps of each ward.

Send Silver Spring news to Staff Writer Jason Tomassini and Takoma Park news to Staff Writer Jeremy Arias at The Gazette, 13501 Virginia Manor Road, Laurel, MD 20707. The fax line is 240-473-7501. Tomassini can be reached at 240-473-7559 or jtomassini@gazette.net; Arias can be reached at 240-473-7564 or jarias@gazette.net.

Realtor offers scholarship to Silver Spring seniors

For the second consecutive year local realtor, Rhonda Mortensen, is offering a $2,000 college scholarship to a graduating high school senior living in zip code 20901 or 20910 in Silver Spring. Complete scholarship details can be found on www.helpmerhondarealestate.com or send request via e-mail to rhondamortensen@aol.com. No phone calls.

To be eligible the student must be a graduating high school senior, enrolled full time and living in zip code 20901 or 20910. The student must be accepted to a junior college or four-year college for the 2010-2011 school year and must have a minimum grade point average of 3.0. Applicants must provide an official high school transcript and 300-word essay on "Ways I Can Make a Difference."

Three letters of recommendation should be mailed directly to Rhonda Mortensen at Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc., Bethesda Gateway Office, 4650 East West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814. Applications must be received by April 16 and a winner will be notified May 10.

Silver Spring nonprofit celebrates its roots

Trees for the Future, a Silver Spring-based nonprofit organization helping communities worldwide plant fruit and forest trees through seed distribution and training, kicked off its 20th year in existence last month. The Maryland legislature recently recognized the contributions of Trees for the Future with a resolution introduced by Sens. Richard S. Madaleno Jr. (D-Dist. 18) of Kensington and Brian E. Frosh (D-Dist. 16) of Bethesda and Del. Al Carr (D-Dist. 18) of Kensington.

Trees for the Future has planted more than 65 million trees worldwide and educates community leaders on how to restore forests lost to illegal and unsustainable logging practices, according to a news release from the organization.

To learn more, visit http://www.treesftf.org.

Book launch party for Silver Spring author

Join Passion for Learning Inc., to celebrate the release of "Invisible Lines" a new novel for ages 10 and up by award-winning author and Silver Spring resident Mary Amato. The book signing event will include door prizes and a reading from Amato. It will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday at the ArtSpring Pyramid Atlantic Community Arts Store at 8519 Georgia Ave. in Silver Spring.

Amato will read from "Invisible Lines" and talk about what inspires her to write for kids. Proceeds from book sales will benefit Passion for Learning, Inc. and its after school Young Writers' Academies at five Silver Spring schools. For more information, call Cynthia Rubenstein at 301-562-6014 or e-mail her at p4learning@aol.com.

Civil War, World War II mark history of Lyttonsville exhibit

An exhibit celebrating the history of the Lyttonsville community of Silver Spring will be held through Monday at the Gwendolyn Coffield Community Center at 2450 Lyttonsville Road in Silver Spring. The exhibit features Lyttonsville resident Charles Williams, a decorated World War II veteran, and other servicemen. The exhibit hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Before entering the U.S. Army in 1940 at age 21, Williams was an employee of the National Park College in Forest Glen, formally known as National Park Seminary.

He was a decorated soldier in the 366th Infantry Division, Company L, and was wounded in Italy.

Lyttonsville's namesake, Samuel Lytton, was a freed slave before the Civil War. Upon being deeded 68 acres by white landowner Leonard Johnson, Lytton founded the community of Lyttonsville, one of the first pre-Civil War African American communities in the state and country.

The exhibit also features the original deed, vintage photos, maps, news clippings, and other documents.

The event is free, for more information contact Charlotte Coffield, cacoffield@aol.com, or Patricia Tyson at PatriciaTysnnn@aol.com.

Brains can be cool at annual nonprofit event

There's nothing wrong with being cool or being smart, so why not be both? Community Bridges says you can be smart and cool, even within the drama-filled confines of elementary, middle and high school, and that's the theme of the Silver Spring-based organization's third annual "Step Up" event, which will kick-off its "Smart: The Rebirth of Cool" campaign to empower young girls. The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 20 at Montgomery College's Silver Spring Takoma Park campus, 7995 Georgia Ave. in Silver Spring.

The conference is free but attendees are encouraged to pre-register at www.communitybridges-md.org. All youth from fourth grade through 12th grade and their parents are welcome and the first 50 registrants will be entered into a raffle to receive a brand new laptop.

To join in on this effort, and to receive more information about Community Bridges, the kick-off event and campaign, or to refer a girl for a program, call 301-585-7155 or e-mail Gboyinde Onijala at gonijala@communitybridges-md.org.

Kick it old school with Takoma Soccer

Registration for the spring season of Takoma Soccer is now open for boys and girls from nursery school through high school to strap on their cleats and burns some of the calories from a long winter stuck indoors.

The spring season, which runs from March 20 through mid-May, is the soccer league's 28th year and all the games are scheduled at local Silver Spring and Takoma Park fields and parks. Registration costs $50 per player.

For more information or to register today, please visit the league's Web site, www.takomasoccer.org or e-mail Howard Kohn at kohn@erols.com or Andrew Partan at asp@partan.com.