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BlackRock Center for the Arts will host its first Family Block Party on Saturday to kick off registration for fall art and music courses.

The free event will feature a performance by tot-rock group "Rocknoceros," sidewalk chalk art, art exhibits with art for sale. Sample classes in violin, acting and dance will be offered, Executive Director Charlotte Sommers said.

"It's very much family-oriented," she said. "We wanted to make this more about family and fun. We're just so happy to be a part of this community."

In years past, BlackRock has held a registration kickoff event, but registration is now done online, she said.

"Before it was always about registration," Sommers said. "Now, it's going to be a showcase to show off our venue."

The center, 12901 Town Commons Drive in Germantown, will open its doors to the community from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday.

For more information about BlackRock's Family Block Party, call 301-528-2260 or visit www.blackrockcenter.org.

Car wash to help

wounded warriors

Thor Teams, Inc, a nonprofit mentoring and tutoring program for Damascus youth, will wash cars at the Damascus Sandy Spring National Bank, noon to 3 p.m. Saturday to benefit the injured military personnel at Walter Reed Medical Center. The bank is at 26250 Ridge Ave.

Proceeds from the car wash will be donated to Operation Second Chance, which provides support for service men and women and their families at Walter Reed.

For information, call Mary Kroll at 301-253-4871 or Mike Thornett at 301-461-6188.

Church supper

Celebrate the closing days of summer Saturday with an All-You-Can Eat Fried Chicken and Ham Dinner at the Wesley Grove United Methodist Church.

The meal will also include summer vegetables and salads. Baked goods will be sold.

Dinner will be served starting at 1 p.m. in the church hall, 23640 Woodfield Road in Gaithersburg. Cost is $12 for adults, $5.50 for children between 5 and 12 and younger children eat for free. Carryouts are available for $12.

For information, call 301-253-2894 or visit www.wesleygroveumc.org.

Damascus Fair

just weeks away

The county fair is over, but fair season continues with the annual Damascus Community Fair, Sept. 10-12.

In its 65th year, the Damascus fair is a celebration of the community's agricultural heritage, with a modern perspective.

Consider entering your best county fair exhibits, school projects, baked goods and crafts. Entries will be accepted from 4 to 8 p.m. Sept. 9 at the Damascus Volunteer Fire Department Activity Center and fairgrounds, 10211 Lewis Drive. Entry forms and tags are available at Gladhill Brothers, 28129 Ridge Road in Damascus.

Returning this year is "Agriculture 411," where the public can ask the experts questions about farming and agriculture. In addition, the Maryland Agriculture Showcase will be at the fair. Through colorful displays and interactive exhibits, visitors can learn how agriculture impacts our lives every day.

Family activities include scavenger hunts, an ice cream making contest, veggie races, pedal tractor pulls, a karaoke contest and hay rides. In the Community Corner, children can milk a cow cutout, try out the duck race water tank, play a game of corn hole, explore the corn box or play an old-fashioned game of checkers or chess.

Displays of beef and dairy cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, chickens, turkeys, rabbits and other livestock will be outside. Visitors can chat with owners to learn more about their animals. Inside the building will be displays of fruits and vegetables, flowers and plants, fine arts and photography, hand crafts, electricity, small engines, woodworking, canned products, needlework, sewing and baked goods and candies.

The Damascus Community Fair is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the agricultural heritage of Damascus and educating the public about agriculture in a family-friendly environment.

For a complete listing of events, go to damascusfair.org.

Chamber honors

public safety workers

For saving lives, busting drug dealers, investigating fraud and other commendable acts, 58 public safety employees were honored recently by the Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce.

Awards went to Montgomery County Police 5th and 6th District police officers, Gaithersburg Police Department officers, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service responders and the Montgomery County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association.

The annual awards program was held on the opening day of the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair.

Cpl. Peter D. Baker and Officers Rosemarie Borisow and Dale J. Steffen of the Montgomery County Police 5th District received a citation of bravery for stopping an April 30 attempted suicide at a Germantown residence.

County Police Officer Jonathan P. Greene and Det. William J. Peacock were awarded a citation of bravery for responding to a call about a possible suicide in Germantown. The officers tracked down the woman's car and used a bloodhound to track her scent back to her residence, but she was not found that night.

County Police Cpl. Julia M. Gilroy and Officer Alexander M. DosSantos received a citation of bravery for giving CPR and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to a woman who was believed to be dead. Fire and rescue workers also treated the woman and took her to Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in Rockville where she regained consciousness and was admitted for treatment.

Lt. Donald Yingling and firefighters Sean Sandifer, Damien Madamba, Kyle Helmer, Ellis Murphy and Bradley Logsdon were given a distinguished service citation for responding to a Gaithersburg crash in July. Three people in a minivan off the road near Brink Road and Brink Court could not respond to rescuers because they were exposed to gasoline fumes and carbon monoxide. After the responders broke a window and gave the three oxygen, they were taken to Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in Rockville.

Ten members of the fire and rescue service earned a distinguished service citation for responding to a medical emergency in the basement of a Germantown home on July 14. The homeowner was using a gas-powered saw to cut a concrete hole in the basement wall and was overcome by carbon monoxide fumes while in a small crawlspace. He was released from the Shady Grove Adventist Hospital the next day. Steve Jones, Jeffery Kime, Mike Murdock, Joseph Crum, Christopher Howell, Jedediah Gregory, Nickolas Stamnos, Ernest Billings, Robert Faas and Gary Llewellyn received awards for saving the man.

Marcine Goodloe received the distinguished service citation for serving eight years as president of the Montgomery County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association and leading more than 1,600 volunteers. Goodloe has been an active volunteer for more than 20 years.

Family wins at Taekwondo Junior Olympics

Madeline, Mitchell and Mark Kline of Damascus recently returned from the 2010 Taekwondo Junior Olympics in Virginia Beach with medals.

Madeline, 12, won a gold medal in her division. Mitchell, 10, won one gold and one silver medal in his division. Mark, 8, won two bronze medals. The children are taught by their mother, Susan Kline, who is a senior instructor at HiYa Karate in Mount Airy.

Items for People and Places must be received by 5 p.m. Thursday for consideration for the following week. They can be mailed to The Damascus-Clarksburg Gazette, 9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg, MD 20877; sent by fax to 301-670-7183; or e-mailed to

ssingerbart@gazette.net.