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Brookside Gardens' year-long 40th anniversary party continues with the Garden of Lights, beginning Nov. 27 and running through Jan. 3. It wouldn't be a party without candles, or in this case 940,000 twinkling colorful lights shaped in imaginative displays throughout the gardens. Enjoy the four seasons illuminated as giant summer sunflowers, autumn leaves, winter snowflakes, spring flowers, rain showers and more. Walk along the easily accessible paths and see what sets this light show apart from others: perhaps it's the hundreds of wrapped trees and shrubs, beautifully lighted gazebos, cascading fountains and the individually formed displays in the shapes of blooming flowers and wild animals. Look for a new moving display of a flock of geese landing in the Gude Garden or an 11-foot giraffe covered with 9,000 lights. This festive, secular light show, now in its 13th season, is a popular family tradition in the Washington, D.C., area, drawing close to 40,000 visitors each winter.

Musicians perform in the auditorium of the visitor's center each night of the show. Light refreshments may be purchased during the entertainment and the garden's gift shop, Marylandica, is open for holiday shopping.

The Garden of Lights hours of operation are 5:30 to 9 p.m., with the last car admitted at 8:30 p.m. Admission is $15 per car or van on Monday through Thursday and $20 per car or van Friday through Sunday. Only cash is accepted at the entrance. Advance tickets and group packages are available for $15 through the garden's Web site, www.brooksidegardens.org, or by calling 301-962-1457. Brookside Gardens is at 1800 Glenallan Ave. in Wheaton.

From synagogue

to theater and back

Three top cantors spanning two generations come together Sunday to offer an exploration of Jewish music, opera and Broadway show tunes filtered through the prism of the American Jewish experience. The show, part of Temple Shalom's 50th anniversary celebration, will be held at 4 p.m. at Temple Shalom, 8401 Grubb Road in Chevy Chase, near the edge of Silver Spring.

The Cantors Three Jubilee: An Afternoon of Bible, Broadway and Liturgical Gems brings together Baltimore's Melvin Luterman, a veteran from the golden age of cantors, and two contemporary colleagues, Alexandria's Sharon Steinberg and Montgomery County's Lisa Levine. This concert of liturgical, Broadway and opera favorites is sure to please.

The show marks the first time these three musical leaders in the region's Jewish Community will join together to share and complement each other's unique styles in a public performance. The concert features duets, trios and individual numbers.

Luterman, the Cantor Emeritus at Baltimore's Temple Oheb Shalom, is a renowned tenor. Steinberg, the cantor at Alexandria's Beth El Hebrew Congregation, is known as a dramatic soprano who has been on the music faculty at a major university. Levine, the cantor at Temple Shalom, is a lyric coloratura who is also well known as a composer of contemporary liturgical music widely used in synagogues all over North America.

A reception follows the concert and is included in the price of admission, which is $18. For more information or advance admission, visit http://cantors3.eventbrite.com/.

Wheaton Social Security

office to re-open

The Social Security office at 11006 Veirs Mill Road in downtown Wheaton has moved to a new location, 10230 New Hampshire Ave., suite 304, in Hillandale. The office opened today and is now open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

All business can also be done on the Web site regardless of the date at www.socialsecurity.gov or by calling call 1-800-772-1213.

Calvary Lutheran School

to hold Thanksgiving service

Calvary Lutheran School, a private Christian school at 9545 Georgia Ave. in Silver Spring, will have a children's Thanksgiving service at 10:15 a.m. Nov. 25. Families are welcome to attend. In place of an offering, the school will be collecting canned goods for nonprofit countywide food service Manna Food Center. For more information, call 301-589-4001, Ext. 204, or send an e-mail to mgall@celcs.org.

Downtown Wheaton Flea Market to be held Sunday

The next Downtown Wheaton Flea Market will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday in the Wheaton Triangle, at the corner of Reedie Drive and Grandview Avenue. The recently opened market features vendors from Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania selling a wide variety of reasonably-priced items. These items include crafts, jewelry, art, antiques, books, cloths and new/used household items. The outdoor flea market is scheduled for every Sunday. At last week's market, hundreds of customers made purchases for holiday gifts, their collections or personal use. Vendor space is available. For vendor space applications or additional information, call 301-649-1915 or visit www.wheatonmd.org.

Greater Glenmont to hold neighborhood watch meeting

The neighborhood watch chairman for the Greater Glenmont Civic Association is holding an important neighborhood crime watch meeting to address and coordinate covering the expanded areas in the civic association. The meeting will be open to all members, and members who have signed up for the neighborhood watch committee are strongly encouraged to attend. It will be held at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Wheaton Community Center, 11701 Georgia Ave. in Wheaton. Neighborhood Watch Chairman Pat Villaloboz, along with Montgomery County Police, will discuss information to jump-start the crime watches in the entire greater Glenmont area.

Ideas for giving

this holiday season

The Thanksgiving season is a time when many of us think about all that we have and all that we are thankful for. Here are some opportunities to consider as a way to give back this Thanksgiving holiday.

-Help families through the Holiday Giving Project of Montgomery County. The Holiday Giving Project, led by Interfaith Works, a non-sectarian community ministry in the county, provides food and gifts to families in need for the November and December holidays. Last year 9,000 county families received food, toys and essentials from donations. Individuals, groups and families can give gift certificates for food, clothing or toys as well as sponsor a food drive or adopt a family. For more information, visit www.iworksmc.org/holiday

giving.html.

-Participate or volunteer for a 5K or half-marathon. Do good on Thanksgiving Day while running off turkey by choosing from one of a plethora of 5Ks or half-marathons in and around the county. For example, the YMCA Bethesda Chevy Chase hosts the Turkey Chase. Call Pam Mintz at 301-229-1347 or send an e-mail to Pam.Mintz@ymcadc.org to volunteer. Fannie Mae also hosts a Help the Homeless Walk. Visit www.helpthehomelessdc.org for more information.

-Be a Friendly Visitor. Not everyone can be in their true home or with their families come Thanksgiving Day. Visit your local hospital, nursing home or retirement home and spend time with the people there or help serve their Thanksgiving meal.

-Check out the list of holiday needs through the Montgomery County Volunteer Center at

www.1-800-volunteer.org. There are a variety of organizations in Montgomery County in need of volunteers and/or donations during the holidays. This list changes so please keep checking back as the holidays near.

Argyle Country Club

to hold fall festival

The Argyle Country Club, 14600 Argyle Club Road in the Layhill area of Silver Spring, is holding a fall festival open to the public and club members. The festival, which will feature a beer and wine tasting, a market with more than 15 vendors and a silent auction, will be from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday at the club. Come enjoy the atmosphere and get some holiday shopping done.

Karaoke in downtown Wheaton

Every Friday night, grab food and a microphone and enjoy Blinkie's Karaoke at Sergio's Places, 11324 Fern St. in downtown Wheaton. New hours for the bilingual karaoke night are from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Visit

www.lasguanacas.com/sergios.htm.

Wheelchair tennis to be held at Wheaton Indoor Tennis arena

Wheaton Indoor Tennis will be offering an exciting new sport, wheelchair tennis, on Friday nights. Wheelchair tennis, which is sanctioned by the United States Tennis Association, continues to be one of the fastest-growing and most challenging of all wheelchair sports, according to officials at the tennis arena. Every Friday night from 8 to 11 p.m., several courts will be reserved especially for wheelchair-tennis play. For the rest of the year, the game will be free for players in wheelchairs ages 18 and up. Registration is required; visit www.park

pass.org. The Wheaton Indoor Tennis arena is in the Wheaton Regional Park, 11717 Orebaugh Ave. in Wheaton.

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.

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.