Speech and Testimony
County Executive Leggett’s Remarks at the World of Montgomery Festival
Montgomery College, 1 Mannakee Street, Rockville
As prepared
I want to thank everyone for coming out this afternoon for the 8th Annual World of Montgomery Festival.
Today we are also celebrating the 15th anniversary of the Gilchrist Center - our wonderful immigrant resource center. Former County Executive Charlie Gilchrist established the foundation for the welcoming community that has made our county so special. We are honored to have members of the Gilchrist family with us here today.
I also want to thank the sponsors from the Fund for Montgomery and the organizers from KID Museum; Montgomery College; MCPS; Arts & Humanities Council; and the City of Rockville.
This event, much like our County, just keeps getting bigger and better. People have come to our County from every corner of the globe; and this is one of the best ways to showcase the incredible diversity of our County.
Montgomery County has become a majority minority community and one of the most culturally diverse in the nation. Today, one-third of our residents were born outside of the United States. And, among the 156,000 students enrolled in the MCPS system, 138 distinct languages from 157 countries are spoken at home.
This festival offers tremendous opportunities to find out about connecting with the community through service, traditional arts, and fun activities for the whole family.
To that end, I hope you are visiting and enjoying the cooking demonstrations and great music at the Global Kitchen, and the International Village, where you can also see traditions and cultures from the four countries in our Sister Cities program – China, El Salvador, Ethiopia and India.
Again, thanks for coming. Please continue to have a great time!
Thank you!
Release ID: 16-058October 16, 2016; 12 - 4 p.m.