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Vote online daily for the Darby Store now through May 10.
SILVER SPRING, MD —The Darby Store, a Montgomery Parks historic site, is vying for a portion of $1 million in grant funding against 23 other historic sites in the Washington D.C. metro region as part of a Partners in Preservation (PiP) community-based initiative sponsored by American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The campaign relies on votes from the public to determine which sites will be awarded how much of the grant money.
Vote for the Darby Store once a day through May 10 at https://www.preservedmv.com/competitors/darby-store.
The Darby Store is one of 117 historic structures in Montgomery Parks and is an important piece of Montgomery County’s history dating back to 1910. The site, located at the heart of historic Beallsville represents simpler times when general stores served as community hubs for purchasing goods, meeting friends and sharing news of the town.
The Darby Store was purchased by Montgomery Parks in 2004 and efforts have been ongoing to restore it. The building has been moved from the roadside, the roof and porch have been replaced and the exterior is now in excellent shape.
“This funding is needed to restore the interior of the Darby Store. The store’s wood floors, varnished counters, full-wall shelving for goods, and decorative metal ceiling still need to be put back so the store can become a county gathering place once more,” said Julie Mueller, Cultural Resource Project Manager for Montgomery Parks.
Vote, Share and Tweet to help the Darby Store
Now through May 10, the community is invited to visit www.PartnersinPreservation.com to help the Darby Store earn points by voting online and via mobile once a day, every day, sharing with friends via Twitter, checking in on Foursquare and taking photos on Instagram. The site that receives the highest number of points is guaranteed to receive grant funding. At the end of the program, a Partners in Preservation advisory committee comprised of Washington-area civic and preservation leaders will recommend how the remainder of the preservation grants will be awarded. Full details on voting terms and how to earn points for sites can be found at www.PartnersinPreservation.com
Join us Sunday May 5, 2013 at the Darby Store Open House
Montgomery Parks will host a special open house event at the Darby Store on Sunday, May 5 from 1 – 4 p.m. where people can learn more about the store and its role in the County’s history. The event will feature live music from the Darby Store Jug Band; attendees can join the band as well as participate in games and activities at the store. Open house attendees will also have an opportunity to vote for the Darby Store while onsite. These votes will generate points in the PiP campaign for the store to win much needed funding for its restoration.
Darby Store Open House Sunday, May 5, 1PM – 4PM 19801 Darnestown Road Beallsville, MD 20839For more information please visit www.votedarby.org.
About Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning – Montgomery Parks
Montgomery Parks manages more than 35,000 acres of parkland, consisting of 418 parks. Montgomery Parks is a department of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), a bi-county agency established in 1927 to steward public land. The M-NCPPC has been nationally recognized for its high quality parks and recreation services and is regarded as a national model by other parks systems. www.montgomeryparks.org.
About Partners in Preservation
Launched in 2006, Partners in Preservation is a program in which American Express, in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, awards preservation grants to historic places across the country. American Express has committed more than $15 million to Partners in Preservation, helping historic sites in seven cities to date, including San Francisco, Chicago, New Orleans, Boston, Seattle, Saint Paul/Minneapolis and New York, and has engaged more than a million people.
Through this partnership, American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation seek to increase the public’s awareness of the importance of historic preservation and to preserve America’s historic and cultural places. The program also hopes to inspire long-term support from local citizens for the historic places at the heart of their communities. For more information, visit PartnersinPreservation.com or Facebook.com/PartnersinPreservation, or follow us on Twitter at Twitter.com/PartnersinPres.
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SILVER SPRING, MD—Montgomery Parks, part of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission will unveil major new additions to the Woodstock Equestrian Park at a ribbon cutting event on Saturday, April 27, 2013 at 10 a.m. Details about the event and the park are outlined below.
WHO: Elected officials, community leaders and members of the regional equestrian community will join Montgomery Parks to celebrate the opening of the newly expanded Woodstock Equestrian Park.
WHAT: The event will feature a color guard presentation, brief remarks and a series of riding demonstrations showcasing the new amenities of the park.
Woodstock Equestrian Park Opening Schedule of Events
10:15 Color Guard by the Maryland-National Capital Park Police, Montgomery County Division
10:25 Speaking Program
Mary Bradford, Director of Montgomery Parks
Isiah Leggett, Montgomery County Executive
Craig Rice, Montgomery County Councilmember
Aleco Bravo-Greenberg and Bill Rickman Jr., supporters of the park
Jamie Kuhns, Senior Historian, Montgomery Parks
Riding Demonstrations Begin
11:10 Bascule Farm Jumping Demonstrations in the Outdoor Arena
11:30 Capitol Polo Club Two-on-Two Polo Match in the Outdoor Arena
Seneca Valley Pony Club Riding Demonstrations on the Cross CountryCourse
Noon Maryland Horse Industry Board “Touch of Class” Award announcement followed by a pony driving demonstration by the award recipient
The newly expanded Woodstock Equestrian Park spans 872 acres, and features
- A 230’ x 350’ outdoor riding arena with sand footing
- A six-acre beginner-novice cross country course including bank, ditch, step and water jump
- 16 miles of equestrian and hiking trails
- 4 horse-friendly bridges
- 2 parking lots with entrances marked by monumental stone walls on each side of Rt. 28
- Several restored historic buildings dating back to the late 18th century including the Seneca Stone Barn and historic buildings on the Brewer Farm
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SILVER SPRING, MD – What does it mean to have 1 million people live in your community?
Montgomery County now can answer that question, given that its population, calculated by the U.S. Census Bureau, reached 1,004,709 last July. Data released Thursday shows that Montgomery County, the largest jurisdiction in the state since 1989, is now the first county in Maryland to reach the population milestone.
The Census data shows Montgomery County’s population gained over 13,000 people between July 2011 and July 2012, up from a revised 991,645 the previous year, a 1.3 percent increase.
Most of the population increase is due to births, what demographers call a “net natural increase” of 7,630 people. In the period, 13,097 births exceeded 5,467 deaths.
The rest of the increase is attributed to 8,700 people migrating into the county from abroad, offsetting the net loss of 3,100 people moving out of the county during the period. A trend of international migration that began in 1990 has not slowed.
Demographers say those changes are a result of a rebounding economy and housing market, which provides the confidence and means to set up house elsewhere. During an economic downturn, people tend to stay put.
Planners say we are ready for more residents thanks to a plentiful, diverse housing stock and good public transportation.
“We’ve planned for our population to increase,” said acting planning director Rose Krasnow. “Years ago, we set up tools to preserve our agricultural land and maintain our single-family neighborhoods. More recently we have created many mixed-use, multi-family housing opportunities in our downtowns or near Metro.”
While Montgomery is growing, it is not growing as fast as recent years. The rate of growth in 2012, 1.3 percent, is slower compared to the rates for the past three years, which ranged from 1.6 to 1.8 percent. Before the recession, the county grew less than 1 percent per year from 2002 to 2007.
Montgomery County contributed to the Washington, D.C. region’s growth of close to 90,000 more people, reaching 5.8 million in the period.
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