Olney Mill Community Association

Our annual Easter Egg Hunt, with games and prizes for children of all ages, will be held at the Olney Family Park off of Willow Grove on Monday, April 5, 2010. The activities will start promptly at noon, so plan to arrive early. Dress warmly, if necessary, and bring your buckets and baskets!

We need some parent volunteers to stuff candy and trinkets into the eggs over the next few weeks, and to help coordinate the activities during the event. Volunteers should contact Ginger Twombly at (301) 461-9588 or vctwombly@verizon.net. Student Service Learning (SSL) hours are available.

Mill House Lighting: Sunday December 6, 2009,  7:00 – 9:00 p.m. 

Olney Mill residents young and old are invited to help celebrate one of Olney Mill’s oldest traditions… Come gather around the Mill House to feast on delicious cookies and warm drinks, enjoy holiday music and caroling, and start the holiday season off right ~ with friends and neighbors.  Santa Claus is scheduled to arrive via fire truck around 7:30 p.m. to meet with the children.  Santa makes sure to talk with every child before he leaves – so get your lists ready…

Those who are  planning to attend are asked not to park in front of the Mill House, as it is a “No Parking” zone and Santa’s arrival spot. Volunteers are needed to set up, serve refreshments, and clean up after the event, as well as help take down the lights after the holiday season.  Community Service Hours (SSL) are available to MS/HS student volunteers. Anyone wishing to help out should contact Dennis at (301) 570-0394 or datwombly@verizon.net.

See you all there !!

Join your Olney Mill neighbors to celebrate our nation’s independence!  

This year’s fun includes the Olney Community Band, Waterslides, Magician, Moonbounce, the “Mighty Water Balloon Toss,” and lots of great food! The picnic will be held in the northeastern-most area of the Olney Family Park between the two main ponds.  Details and map are included in the July Mill Stream. Given the limited parking, residents are asked to walk if at all possible. The park can be reached via sidewalks from Mt. Olney Lane, Falling Green, the Willow Grove parking lot, and Roseneath. Treadway Rd will be blocked off to allow parking for the Olney Orchestra, handicapped residents, and delivery trucks.  

The picnic will begin at 12:00 noon. We will be serving hamburgers, hot dogs, side-dishes, and drinks. There will be plenty of food, so there is no need to stand in line at 12:00 noon. The ice cream vendor will arrive after 1:00. Please only take one item per person so there is enough for everyone. 

The Olney Orchestra will begin playing patriotic music at 12:30.   This year, our 2009 scholarship winner, Jeremy Milliner, will be playing some of his own selections after 2:00.   Be sure to be there for the presentation of his award and to hear him play. Due to rains this week, some of the grassy areas are expected to be soggy. Residents are advised to wear suitable footwear (boots, flip-flops, sandals). Be sure to apply plenty of sunscreen to your children before they come to the picnic!

We need volunteers to help with a number of the activities. Students can earn SSL hours for their efforts!   Please see Maryland Lehmann or Dennis Twombly to see what things you can do.

We’re looking forward to a great day. Hope to see you there!

This coming Saturday, March 28, the Olney Mill Community Association (OMCA) will be sponsoring its 6th OMCA Spring Clean-up. Last year, nearly 70 volunteers collected litter, cans, bottles, and other items throughout our local parks. Maryland National Capital Parks & Planning (M-NCPPC) will provide permits, gloves, and trash bags, and they will give Student Service Learning (SSL) hour credits for our student volunteers. Remember, community service is an important factor in selecting our annual $1,000 OMCA scholarship winner!

We will meet at 9:00 am at three different staging areas: 1) the Olney Mill House on the corner of Olney Mill Rd and 108, 2) the Olney Family Park on Willow Grove, 3) The Olney Neighborhood Park on Charline Manor. You should wear jeans and long-sleeved shirts to avoid scratches from branches. Wear waterproof boots even if it’s clear because many of the grassy areas may be swampy. Be sure to bring a rain coat if the weather looks at all threatening. If it’s just drizzling lightly by 8:30 Saturday morning, we will go ahead that day as scheduled. The next day (Sunday) is the rain date. Any last minute announcements or postponements will be posted on our web site by 8:00 am on Saturday morning (www.olneymill.net).

After the Clean-up, we invite everyone to join us at the Oakley Cabin on Brookeville Rd (100 yds east of Grayheaven) for a pizza lunch, compliments of OMCA. I will need a count by about 11:00 of who will plans to join us there. Please call or send an email if you plan to attend so we can distribute the volunteers appropriately. At this point, it looks like we need more volunteers for the Charline Manor park group.

Dennis Twombly: (Office: 301-443-9334) or (Cell: 301-461-4357) or send email from this web site via “Contacts” (parks and common areas).

The annual Olney Mill Easter Egg hunt will be held Monday, April 13 in the Family Park.  The fun starts at Noon, so be sure to come to the Park a few minutes early.  And Parents:  Have those cameras ready!

The Family Park is the one with the ponds and has its main entrance on Willow Grove Road. In the event of rain, check back at this website for cancellation or postponement news.

The annual Holiday Tree Lighting will be held Sunday, December 7. Gather with your neighbors at the newly renovated Mill House for songs, cocoa and Holiday Cheer!

Calling all Olney Mill ghosts, goblins, mummies, pirates and witches (any child in costume) to join in the Olney Mill Halloween Parade! Come march around with us and show everyone how scary Olney Mill kids can really be! We will meet at the Olney Mill Park on Charline Manor Road on Sunday, October 26th at 3 p.m. We will parade around the block and then play some games and eat some special ghostly treats. There will be prizes for the prettiest, scariest, and funniest costumes, compliments of Good Earth and Cold Stone Creamery!

Be sure to bring all of the ghouls, ghosts and goblins at your house. All ages welcome. We are looking for volunteers to help out with the event. Community service hours are available! For more information about the event or to volunteer, call the Hotline at (301) 231-3739. There is no rain date for this event.

The Olney Mill Picnic will be held at the Family Park again this year (the park with the ponds and baseball diamonds). Food, music, games, magic and the opportunity to get to know your neighbors! The Family Park entrance is on Willow Grove Road, and there is easy pedestrian access from Treadway, Mount Olney Lane, and Olney Mill road. Come join the fun from Noon to 3 pm. Residents are encouraged to walk to the park, since nearby parking is very limited (non-existent, actually). It’s an Olney Mill tradition and our Nation’s Birthday!

Yes, there is a little rain as of 8:30 am Saturday morning. Nevertheless, we will hold the Yard Sale as scheduled. Larry Van Druff is already handing out red balloons at the Mill House. So plan to get just a little wet and we’ll hope for a good turnout today.

Urgent Notice for Olney Mill Residents: Sometime from April 28 to May 10, Montgomery County will be spraying insecticide to control gypsy moth caterpillars. The gypsy moth is the most serious pest of hardwood trees in Montgomery County and state wide. The caterpillars feed on the leaves, often causing defoliation that damages trees and sometimes causes trees to die. Only areas with high numbers of gypsy moths are being treated. The date of the application will depend on weather conditions. M-NCPPC plans to have staff in the Family Park to keep residents off the trails and out of the park during the spraying.

The insecticide B.t. will be applied by a helicopter flying approximately 50 feet above tree top level. Applications will begin at dawn and continue as long as weather conditions are favorable for spraying. Application to a specific area is usually completed in 15-30 minutes. The spray dries on leaves in approximately 30 minutes. The spray contains the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (B.t.). To be effective, B.t. must be eaten as the caterpillar feeds on leaves. There is no evidence that the use of B.t. poses any risk to humans, domestic animals, or the environment. A good source of information about the insecticide is available on the internet at http://ace.orst.edu/info/extoxnet.

Please avoid touching the wet leaves
Be aware of & avoid the helicopters

For more information about the Gypsy Moth Suppression Program, please see the website: Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection, Gypsy Moth Suppression Program: Daytime phone (240) 777-7700; 24-hour hotline (240) 777-7788. E-mail: AskDEP@montgomerycountymd.gov