Free films focus on science

The exhibit ‘‘Heads, Torsos, Legs” will be on display at Gateway’s Heliport Gallery through Aug. 9. The show is based on a revised version of the surrealist game ‘‘Exquisite Corpse,” in which a piece of paper is folded three times and three different people draw a portion of a figure without seeing the previous person’s work.

A poetry reading will be held 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, followed by an open mike on the themes of the Exquisite Corpse. The closing reception will be held 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Aug. 9. Gallery hours are 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. The Heliport Gallery is managed by the Gateway Georgia Avenue Revitalization Corporation and is located at 8001 Kennett St., Suite 3. Call 301-562-1400 or visit www.gatewaycdc.com for more information.

Friday Night Spotlighton Silver Plaza

Ricardo and the Salseros will perform 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday at Silver Plaza on Ellsworth Drive. Call 301-587-0867 or visit www.silverspringdowntown.com for more information and details about future events.

Takoma Park Folk Festival names T-shirt design winners

Chad Gilmore of Laurel and Keegan Vernon-Clay of Takoma Park are the winners of the third-annual Takoma Park Folk Festival T-shirt Design Contest. Their designs were selected from a record 35 entries, and both will be sold at this year’s Festival.

The winning designs can be seen on the Festival’s Web site, www.tpff.org. The Festival Program Committee also has posted this year’s performance lineup for all seven stages. The Takoma Park Folk Festival will be held 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sept. 14.

Mystery animal visitsSilver Spring Library

The 4-H Group from the Maryland Agricultural Fair will bring a mystery animal to visit the Silver Spring Library 10:30 a.m. Thursday. The event is targeted at children between 3 and 7. The library is located at 8901 Colesville Road. Call 240-773-9420 for more information.

Silver Spring residentjoins Katrina relief efforts

Silver Spring resident Sara Moore recently joined a nine-person volunteer construction team traveling to Mississippi to spend a week rebuilding and repairing homes damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The team will work in the eastern part of the state, assisting reconstruction efforts in Pascagoula, Ocean Springs, Moss Point and Gautier, according to a news release from International Relief Teams.

Local theologianhonored for work

Mary E. Hunt, co-founder and co-director of the Women’s Alliance for Theology, Ethics, and Ritual in Silver Spring, was recently awarded the 2008 Rabbi Martin Katzenstein Award from the Harvard Divinity School Alumni⁄ae Association.

The award recognizes a graduate who exhibits a passionate and helpful interest in the lives of other people, according to a news release from the school.

Hunt spent several years teaching and working on women’s issues and human rights in Argentina as a participant in the Frontier Internship in Mission Program, and is the author of several books, including ‘‘Fierce Tenderness: A Feminist Theology of Friendship,” which earned the 1990 Crossroad Women’s Studies Prize.

Swim club celebrates50th anniversary

If you were once a member of the Connecticut Belair Swim and Tennis Club, join the club Aug. 30 for its 50th Anniversary Feast. Bring your memories and mementos and help the club — located at 3901 Ferrara Drive in Silver Spring — celebrate a half-century of success. For more information, call 301-946-4500 or visit www.cbpool.org and click on ‘‘50th Anniversary Feast” on the left side on the Web page.

Aging women’s organization forms county chapter

OWL, a national grassroots organization that focuses exclusively on issues unique to aging women, has formed a Montgomery County chapter of the Midlife and Older Women’s League. The nonprofit organization has chapters across the country that conduct research, education and advocacy activities to improve the status and quality of the lives of mid-life and older women. For information, call 301-951-3920.

Tutor programneeds volunteers

The OASIS Intergenerational Tutoring Program is looking for tutors at its 27 Montgomery County Public Schools. OASIS, a national senior organization, provides volunteer tutors for students in kindergarten through third-grade reading.

Fall training will be held Sept. 9-10 at Macy’s Home Store in Montgomery Mall and later in September or early October at North Creek Community Center in Montgomery Village.

Contact OASIS Tutor Coordinator Kay Meek at 301-588-5416 or krm5416@aol.com or call Marge Feldman at 301-869-1638 to sign up for training or for more information.

County seeks volunteers to help sexual assault victims

Volunteers are needed to assist sexual assault victims and their families through the Victim Assistance and Sexual Assault Program of the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services.

Volunteers provide crisis counseling and companion services at Montgomery County hospitals and police stations for victims of rape and sexual assault. Bilingual volunteers are encouraged to apply.

All potential volunteers must attend a September training program. They must commit to serve for one year, in an on-call capacity, for one 12-hour shift or two six-hour shifts per week. Volunteers must be at least 21 years old, have a valid driver’s license and immediate access to transportation.

To receive more information or to arrange an interview, call the Montgomery County Victim Assistance and Sexual Assault Program at 240-777-1355 or visit www.montgomerycountymd.gov⁄vasap.

Send Silver Spring and Takoma Park news to Mike Meno at The Gazette, 13501 Virginia Manor Road, Laurel, MD 20707. The fax line is 240-473-7501. Items can be e-mailed to mmeno@gazette.net.