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During October, the Montgomery County Department of Parks will offer two different Halloween-themed train rides for children. One train ride will be suited for older children, and a second will be geared toward younger children.

At the Wheaton Regional Park, located at 11717 Orebaugh Ave., the Wheaton Train and Carousel will host the scary "Haunted Train" for ages 8 and up from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday through Sunday and again Oct. 23 to Oct. 30. In addition to the Haunted Train there will also be a Creepy Carousel ride, Hall of Jack-o'-Lanterns and face painting.

The Cabin John Train at Cabin John Regional Park, at 7410 Tuckerman Lane in Rockville, offers the alternative not-so-scary option with its "Eye Spy Train" for children under the age of 8. The train will run from 6 to 9 p.m. From Oct. 22 through Oct. 30. Additional activities include "Eye Spy" cards and flashlights for children, Halloween movies and nightly door prizes.

The cost for the Wheaton Haunted Train and Carousel ride is $6 (which covers all attractions) or $5 with the donation of a can of food. The cost for the Cabin John Eye Spy Train is $5 (which covers all attractions) or $4 with a can of food. Advance same-day ticket sales are available at both train stations beginning at 2:00 p.m. each day the trains run.

For more on the Haunted Train at Wheaton, see www.WheatonTrain

andCarousel.com or call 301-942-6703, and for more on the Cabin John Eye Spy Train, visit

www.CabinJohnTrain.com or call 301-765-8670.

Brookside Gardens

installs a deer exclusion grate

The Conservatory parking lot located at 1500 Glenallan Ave. at Brookside Gardens has a new entrance; one that is more convenient and welcoming for human visitors but just the opposite for the local deer population.

Prior to the installation of the deer exclusion grate (which is similar to a cattle-guard), visitors encountered a closed gate upon arrival. The deer grate allows the automatic gates to remain open, thus saving energy and money used to fix the frequent mechanical failures.

"Grates like these have been used very successfully at other gardens and on farms for years to keep livestock, or in this case, deer from going where they shouldn't" said Brookside Gardens' Marketing Manager, Leslie McDermott.

Deer will not cross over the grate because they don't have a steady footing and fear that they will fall, McDermott said. For that same reason, McDermott said pedestrians should not attempt to walk across the deer exclusion grates and should use the pedestrian gate to the right of the entrance instead. Informational and directional signs have been posted to alert visitors.

A similar grate was installed a few years ago at the staff service entrance to the Gardens and has proven to be very successful at dissuading deer from entering. Future plans include installation of a deer exclusion grate at the Gardens' main gate to the Visitors Center, at 1800 Glenallan Ave.

Area church to hold annual craft and collectible show

The annual Good Shepherd Holiday Craft and Collectible Show will be held 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday in the Good Shepherd Episcopal Parish Hall, located at 818 University Blvd. W. in Silver Spring. Activities for children are planned, and baked goods, pizza and pumpkins will also be sold. Admission is free; proceeds will benefit the church's operating funds and their community outreach communities. For more information, call 301-593-3282l.

Area church to collect food for Manna Food Center in Wheaton

For the second year in a row, deacons from the Warner Memorial Presbyterian Church will be collecting food for Manna Food Center's Smart Sacks program. The Smart Sacks program partners with organizations to provide kid-friendly food in backpacks to children at risk of hunger every Friday so they have food on the weekends when there are no school meals to sustain them. The Smart Sacks program currently operates in 30 elementary schools across the county, feeding more than 1,000 children each week. The Smart Sacks program is considered an important element in breaking the cycle of poverty and teachers have remarked that children come to school on Mondays full of energy that they lacked before participating in Smart Sacks, according to Warner Memorial Presbyterian Church.

Warner will be collecting food from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday at the Giant grocery stores in Olney Village, 17821 Georgia Ave. in Olney, and Westfield Shopping Center, 2900 University Blvd. W. in Wheaton; and the Safeway grocery store in Kensington, 10541 Connecticut Ave. Warner is seeking contributions of single- serving soups, canned pasta, drinks, fruit, crackers, etc. Food may also be dropped off at Warner Memorial Presbyterian Church, 10123 Connecticut Ave. through Oct. 22. Call June Eakin at 301-949-2900 with any questions.

Groups to honor completion

of four local foreclosed homes

On Friday, Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County will commemorate the completion of its third Neighborhood Revitalization Program home with a dedication ceremony. The program is a county-and state-sponsored partnership with Habitat for Humanity to renovate foreclosed homes for needy families. Friday's ceremony will also mark the completion of a two-week long blitz build sponsored by insurance company Freddie Mac.

As a part of Freddie Mac's annual Making a Community Week, employees will help HFH-MC rehabilitate four homes in the Glenmont and Aspen Hill areas of Montgomery County.

The dedication ceremony, to be held from 1 to 1:30 p.m., is free and open to the public. It will be held at 12502 Denley Road in Glenmont.

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 for consideration.

Wheaton Chamber of Commerce to host happy hour

The Wheaton and Kensington Chamber of Commerce will have a networking happy hour from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. today at PJ Rice Bistro, 11160 Veirs Mill Road, suite 164, in Wheaton. There's no entrance fee and order from the bar and off the menu. Visit www.pjricebistro.com or call 301-933-8668.

Downtown Wheaton looking

for vendors for flea market

Downtown Wheaton will host a flea market, separate from the flea markets at Wheaton Regional Park, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 1 in the Wheaton Triangle, at the corner of Grandview Avenue and Reedie Drive. Vendors selling arts and crafts, antiques, collectibles and jewelry are welcome to participate. For more information, send an e-mail to

ljohnsonshows@aol.com, visit www.wheatonmd.org or call 240-777-8106.

Shop for a cause with Mid-County United Ministries, Macy's

Mid-County United Ministries is participating again this year in Macy's nationwide "Shop for a Cause" event. With the purchase of a $5 Shop for a Cause Pass at the Mid-County Regional Services Center, receive discounts up to 25 percent on all Macy's merchandise and a chance to win a $500 Macy's gift card. For each pass sold, MUM will receive $5 toward providing emergency assistance and food for county residents and families in need. The passes must be used Saturday. The Mid-County Regional Services Center is located at 2424 Reedie Drive in Wheaton. MUM's office is on the second floor and is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursdays.

Greater Glenmont Civic Association to host fall festival

The Greater Glenmont Civic Association will host their second-annual fall festival from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday at the Wheaton Community Center, 11711 Georgia Ave. All are welcome to come out and enjoy 14 county and private booths, animals provided by county park police, face painting, pumpkin painting contests, games, juggling, a DJ and $1,500 worth of raffle items. And of course, there will be food and drink.

Senior volunteer

drivers needed

The Senior Connection urgently needs Montgomery County residents to volunteer to help their neighbors 62 and older live as independently as possible by providing escorted transportation to scheduled medical appointments, helping with grocery shopping and running errands and paying a friendly visit or making a phone call to share companionship.

The time commitment and schedule are flexible, and volunteers are provided with life-skills training and recognition events. The Senior Connection also provides volunteer liability insurance coverage.

Call The Senior Connection at 301-962-0820, or e-mail

seniorconnectionmc@gmail.com.

Volunteers sought

for blood collection

The American Red Cross is looking for volunteers ages 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-collection events 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.