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Local First Wheaton, an alliance of local business owners and nonprofit leaders working toward keeping Wheaton a sustainable place for small business, released a local business guide at the Taste of Wheaton festival Sunday. The Shop Local Guide has a map of Wheaton and listings of more than 50 member businesses to help residents and visitors find local sources for goods and services. If you didn't pick one up Sunday, visit local businesses and information centers in Wheaton to grab the free publication.

Yard sale to benefit sellers and Kennedy High

Get your spring cleaning done and bring the clutter to John F. Kennedy High School's yard sale, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 30 in the large parking lot at the school, 9201 Randolph Road in Wheaton. "Swaptopia," a community partnership that helps raise money for schools and charity organizations, is looking for sellers at the event. Forty percent of seller fees will support the school and help fund college scholarships while the rest will go to the seller. Sellers who register in advance online at www.swaptopia.net pay a discounted fee of $30. Sellers can also pay $40 cash on the day of the sale, but are encouraged to make an advance reservation by e-mail. For more information, visit Swaptopia.net or send an e-mail to gretchen@swaptopia.net.

Flea market to be held

at Wheaton Regional Park

Start cleaning out those closets and basements in preparation for the "Flea Market in the Park," to be held 8 a.m. to noon the second Saturday of each month — June 13, July 11 and Aug. 8 — at the Wheaton outdoor skating rink at the Wheaton Regional Park, 11717 Orebaugh Ave.

Vendors, crafters, artisans and artists are all welcome to set up a booth. The fee for a 10-by-10-foot space is $20. Bring tables, crates, blankets, chairs and whatever else to display the wares. The Wheaton outdoor rink is completely covered on top and partially covered on the sides and there are indoor restroom facilities and vending machines on site.

Load in begins 7 a.m. Vendors, visit www.parkpass.org to register. The "course" numbers are: 76800 for June 13, 76801 for July 13 and 76802 for Aug. 8. Registration opens Friday. For questions, call the Wheaton Ice Arena manager at 301-649-3640.

Discuss senior exploitation

in Elder Series

John McCarthy, the State's Attorney for Montgomery County, and Eric Friedman, the director of the county's Office of Consumer Protection, will speak 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tuesday at this week's Elder Series at Holiday Park Senior Center, 3950 Ferrara Drive in Wheaton. Friedman will focus on scams involving unlicensed home-improvement contractors, fake checks, door-to-door sales and credit practices. McCarthy will discuss the role prosecution plays in scams and a new program called Montgomery's CASE/PASE project: "Putting an End to the Exploitation of Seniors."

As part of May's "Older Americans Month in Montgomery County," the Elder Law Series is aiming to give tools to empower older adults, their adult children and providers of services to mature adults. Registration is $25 for the entire seven-part series or $5 per workshop.

Registration brochures are available at Holiday Park by calling 240-777-4999 or visiting www.holiday

park.us. For more information about Senior Law Day, call Helen Abrahams at 301-468-4449 or send an e-mail to Helen.abrahams@montgomery

countymd.gov.

Learn all about Wheaton summer camps

Don't forget about the Wheaton Summer Camp Expo at the Wheaton Regional Park's outdoor skating rink, 11717 Orebaugh Ave. From 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. May 31, get the scoop on all the camps taking place at Wheaton Regional Park. There will be representatives from Wheaton Ice, Wheaton Tennis, Week in the Park, Brookside Gardens, Brookside Nature Center and Wheaton Park Stables; plus onsite ParkPASS registration; fun activities for children; refreshments; and give-aways. There will also be a free tennis mini-lesson for the kids and a free ice skating session for all who attend the expo. For more information, call 301-649-3640.

Brookside Gardens

summer events

Spring is progressing into summer, and the glorious show of early-blooming flowers has passed. Attend the free "summer and fall bulbs" program 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. May 29 at Brookside Gardens to learn about some of the many bulbs and rhizomes (both tropical and hardy) that fill the summer and fall garden landscape. See what's new and rethink old favorites. Course number is 67449; visit www.parkpass.org to register.

Visit Brookside Garden's newly-themed children's garden. This down-to-earth garden highlights beauty and natural fun in the "Nature's Fun in Your Backyard" theme. See what's inside a gnome hut, follow stepping stones to a tea party, build and stack natural wooden blocks, pretend you are a farmer, climb into a tree house, observe life around a water garden and discover important pollinating insects. In honor of the garden's 40th anniversary, or ruby anniversary, visitors will see many ruby-red flowers in this garden as well as others.

Brookside Gardens is located at 1800 Glenallan Ave. in Wheaton. Call 301-962-1400 for program information.

Ten percent weekends

in Wheaton

Enjoy discounts of up to 10 percent at participating Wheaton businesses during weekends in May. Visit www.wheatonmd.org to download the coupon and present it to the following businesses: Alamo Grill Tex-Mex, By Brazil, Cabanita Peruvian Restaurant, Color Carpetworks Floor & Tile, DeJaBel Café, Ferdinand's Restaurant, Gail's Vegetarian Catering, Los Chorros Restaurant, Marchones Italian Specialties, Nut House Pizza, Ray Picture Framing, Ray Picture Framing, Saigonese Restaurant, Showcase Aquarium, Song Phat Noodle Grill, Speedy Signs/RaceApeel, The Arc of Montgomery County Thrift Store, The Little Bitts Shop and Wheaton Body Shop. Limit one coupon per customer per weekend at each business. Discount does not apply to tax or gratuity.

Wheaton Library events

Give your child "the birthright of musicality" by making music a fun and enjoyable part of everyday life. Come to "Music together with Nancy Nuttle" 10:15 a.m. and 11 a.m. Friday at the library. Take a ride on the "Rhythm Express" with marching, dramatizing songs and dancing with scarves.

The Wheaton Library is located at 11701 Georgia Ave. For more information on programs, call 240-777-0678.

Volunteer drivers

needed for seniors

A driver is needed for two to three hours per week to drive a senior to medical appointments. The volunteer drivers will work through The Senior Connection, a nonprofit organization that aims to provide older adults with resources so they can live independently. The Senior Connection is located at 3950 Ferrara Drive in Wheaton. Volunteers' travel costs are tax-deductible and the schedule can be at the convenience of the driver.

Volunteers needed to help

new English speakers

The Wheaton Library is looking for volunteers who are 18 or older to assist patrons who are trying to learn English. The library is located at 11701 Georgia Ave. Apply in person or call 240-777-0676.

Volunteers sought

for blood collection

The American Red Cross is looking for volunteers age 14 and older to assist its blood collection staff at blood drives and blood donor centers. Responsibilities include greeting donors and providing them with essential reading materials, serving refreshments and observing donors for post-donation reactions to giving blood.

Volunteers will be trained and must make a commitment of two or more blood operations each month. Blood drives last four to six hours. To register for training or for more information, call the American Red Cross volunteer office at 1-800-272-0094, ext. 1, or e-mail karlofft@usa.redcross.org.

Items for People and Places may be sent to Amber Parcher, The Gazette, 13501 Virginia Manor Road, Laurel, MD 20707. The fax line is 240-473-7501; or e-mail aparcher@gazette.net. Call 240-473-7563. Deadline is one week prior to publication.

Have you taken a photo at an event or in your community that you'd like to share with your neighbors? Attach the photo as a JPEG and e-mail it to editor Fred Lewis at flewis@gazette.net. Please include the name of the person who took the photo and the names of people in the picture, and we will consider running them on this page in a future edition.