Potomac — Potomac Day, the annual community festival sponsored by the Potomac Chamber of Commerce, is just around the corner.

The day-long celebration is scheduled for Saturday Oct. 20 in Potomac Village, kicking off with the annual Potomac Day Parade up River Road to Falls Road at 10:30 a.m.

Each year, the parade features hundreds of entrants, including bands, horses, antique cars, school groups, scouting organizations, and elected officials.

The children’s fair follows after the parade with free amusement rides and activities.

The People of the Year, including the business person of the year, citizen of the year, and youth of the year have a special place in the parade, often on the top of the back seat of convertibles. Each will be honored at an awards dinner at Normandie Farm in November, where the Potomac Day charity will also receive a donation from the Potomac Chamber of Commerce.

Classic cars will be on display, and a business fair will be set up in the Potomac Promenade parking area from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Call the Potomac Chamber of Commerce at 301-299-2170 or visit www.potomacchamber.org.

House Tour

The 57th annual Potomac Country House Tour is set for Oct. 13-14.

Hundreds of volunteers from St. Francis Episcopal have been planning this event for the past year.

Since 1956, the women of Potomac’s St. Francis Episcopal Church have sponsored this October house tour to benefit Montgomery County charities, St. Francis outreach programs, and local, national and international charities. The house tour includes a weekend of events at St. Francis which is located in the heart of Potomac Village.

Tickets to the tour are $20. The tour is open from noon – 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 1 and 2.

See www.potomaccountryhousetour.org

The two-day tour will include three "one-of-a-kind" homes and Glenstone.

A 15,000 square foot French Colonial mansion designed by the homeowners with architect John Neufeld and constructed by Bogdan Builders is “the result of years of planning and love of open spaces and light,” according to event planners. “Step into the spectacular marble foyer and take in the suspended double circular staircase, glorious wall of windows overlooking the outside patios, and two-story chandelier.”

A colonial farm house, designed by architect Bruce Hutchinson and built by Brendan O’Neill, “stands on property that was an open farm field a mere four years ago,” according to St. Francis organizers. “Homeowners Mike and Betsy Brunner achieved their visions of comfort and easy accessibility for their retirement, as well as open and relaxing spaces for family entertaining.”

And the Palladian-style home on the tour is “a fresh and up-to-date model of Roman revival architecture, combined with French art and accent pieces reflecting the homeowners’ honeymoon-inspired love of Paris.”

A special private tour of Glenstone is offered for 20 participants selected by drawing from those who make a separate donation to House Tour Charities.

Glenstone, a 150-acre estate in Potomac, is home to one of the world’s most important collections of contemporary art.

“Glenstone seamlessly integrates art, architecture and landscape into a serene and contemplative environment to form a unique connection between art and visitor. It assembles and presents post-World War II art of the highest quality in a series of refined architectural and outdoor spaces. These settings exist to exhibit works of art — created from 1945 through the present — that represents the greatest historical shifts in how are is seen and experienced.”

See Glenstone.org.

Ten winners will be selected and each winner will be given two tickets to the tour at 11 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 13.

“Any museum in the world would be eager to have the Glenstone collection for itself,” according to Earl A. Powell III of the National Gallery of Art.

Potomac’s Got Talent

The Potomac Community Center will kickoff its new season with a new talent show to be held in conjunction with the Potomac Family Fun Fest on Friday, Sept. 28 from 4-9 p.m. at the Potomac Community Center, 11315 Falls Road.

“Does your family, or your child, have a talent that you'd like to show off? Our community talent show is the perfect place to try,” according to the Potomac Community Center. “We're looking for individuals and groups to show off their talents (singers, bands, musicians, anything) and compete for prizes at our talent show.”

See www.potomacsgottalent.com to sign up and describe your act.

Call the Potomac Community Center at 240-777-6960 for more information about the Potomac's Got Talent competition.

Family Fun Fest is open to the entire community — members, non-members and families with youth or adults of all ages. The event will include carnival rides, an obstacle course and wrecking ball, the Squeals on Wheels Petting Zoo, music from Electric Entertainment and the Potomac’s Got Talent event.

The Potomac Community Center’s Club Friday program begins its 22nd year at the Community Center on Oct. 5, the week after Family Fun Fest (see above).

Activities for students in third through sixth grades include basketball, bingo, dances, ping pong, gym hockey, soccer, crafts, movies and special theme nights.

The weekly evening event takes place from 7-9 p.m., and the Center will open the snack bar at 6:30 p.m.

Online registration is underway at https://www.recweb.montgomerycountymd.gov

After Hours meets the first Friday of every month from 9:15 to 11 p.m., and also runs through March 1, 2013.

The program is available for sixth through eighth grade students.

Call the Potomac Community Center at 240-777-6960.

Special Olympics

Potomac resident Pam Yerg is the area director for Special Olympics-MD Montgomery County and the director for TOPSoccer program, an outreach program MSI partners with to offer soccer to elementary, middle and high school children with disabilities.

On Monday, Oct. 1, Special Olympics-MD Montgomery is scheduled to host the 11th Annual Montgomery Masters Golf Tournament and Raffle, the major source of funding for the Special Olympics area programs, according to Yerg. The tournament will be held at Montgomery County Club and there are openings for foursomes and sponsors.

Georgetown Prep and the Bar Association of Montgomery County will host the First Annual Inspiration Walk, 1500M and 5K Run to benefit Special Olympics on Sunday, Oct. 14. The Montgomery County Road Runners Club will manage official timing of the events.

See www.somdmontgomery.org for information on both events.

Wootton High School will host the 12th Annual Meredith Cup TOPSoccer Festival on Sunday, Oct. 28. Montgomery County youth volunteer as “buddies” to train with, play with and build friendships with the TOPSoccer athletes. The opening parade of athletes is scheduled for noon and events continue through 3:30 p.m. at Wootton High School, 2100 Wootton Parkway. See www.msisoccer.org.

Contact Yerg at jeyclan@verizon.net or 301-424-3083.

Walk to School Day

Students, parents and community members throughout Montgomery County will walk and bike to school on International Walk to School Day, Wednesday, Oct. 3.

Residents are encouraged to participate.

Last year, more than 40 schools participated in events designed to promote health, identify safer routes for walking and improve air quality.

International Walk to School Day was founded in 1997 as a way to bring community leaders and children together to promote more walkable communities, safer streets, healthier habits and cleaner air. For those who live too far from school to walk, drive part of the distance, park and then walk the rest of the way.

For more information, or to organize an event at a child’s school, contact Nadji Kirby, 240-777-7169 or e-mail nadji.kirby@montgomerycountymd.gov. Or visit www.montgomerycountymd.gov/saferoutestoschool.

Park After Dark

The grounds of the historic Great Falls Tavern in Potomac will be the setting for an evening under the stars around the bonfire, listening and dancing to music and enjoying food and beverages. Silent and live auctions with special "experience packages," will be offered.

Last year’s inaugural Park After Dark sold out. Tickets for this year’s event on Oct. 13 will benefit the C&O Canal National Historic Park.

See www.canaltrust.org to purchase tickets. A portion of the ticket price is tax-deductible. For more information or to become a sponsor, contact info@canaltrust.org.

Crash Course in Planning

The Montgomery County Planning Department will host an Open House to teach citizens how it creates and plans communities.

Tour the headquarters, learn about the latest projects approved by the Planning Board, see what’s planned for Montgomery County communities, talk with planners, a bring children for a “build-a-box-city” activity.

“Attend our Open House to get a crash course in how good planning results in great communities,” according to the Planning Department.

The Planning Smarter Open House is planned for Saturday, Oct. 6 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Park and Planning Headquarters, 8787 Georgia Avenue, in Silver Spring. See

www.montgomeryplanning.org/planningsmarter

Great Falls

The Park Service and Canal Trust seek volunteers to come to Historic Great Falls Tavern on Oct. 6 from 9 a.m. to noon. Volunteers, 12 and older, will paint, rake, clean and clear debris from the Tavern and the surrounding areas.

For more information or to sign up, contact Becky Curtis at 301-745-8889, or email her at volunteer@canaltrust.org.

And More

And don’t forget the events at the Potomac Library, 10101 Glendolden Drive, including the used book sale on Saturday, Oct. 13 at 10 a.m.

The event is sponsored by the Friends of the Library.

And on Halloween, at 4 p.m., a spooky storytime Halloween program for children three to six and their families will be offered at the library. Children should wear costumes for the costume parade.

Call 240-777-0690 or see http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/apps/libraries/branchinfo/pt.asp.