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CONTACT:
Marylou Berg, Communication Manager, 240-314-8105
Community Invited to Remember Life, Legacy of Mattie J.T. Stepanek
Celebration Offers Music, Food, Chess-a-thon and Bankshot Tournament
ROCKVILLE, Md., Oct. 6, 2008-The dedication of the Mattie J.T. Stepanek Park on Saturday, Oct. 18, will round out a series of events in Rockville to honor the memory of a child who touched the community with his poetry, mission to celebrate life every day and messages of hope and peace.
The ceremony and associated activities are planned for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.at the 26-acre park, located at the intersection of Gaither Road and Piccard Drive in the King Farm community.
Stepanek, who died in 2004 at age 13, was afflicted with Dysautonomic Mitochondrial Myopathy (a form of Muscular Dystrophy). His Heartsongs series, a collection of poetry books, were New York Times Best Sellers.
The dedication of Mattie's Peace Garden Park will feature the unveiling of life-sized statues of Mattie and his service dog, Micah. Benches with quotes from Mattie's books, along with personalized bricks, will be positioned around the garden and the park.
The Rockville Mayor and Council will be at the event, as well as Mattie's mother Jeni Stepanek, and representatives from the Mattie J.T. Stepanek Foundation, formed to continue spreading the message of hope and peace.
The event will also feature entertainment from a 100-voice choir singing a song written by Peter Choplin that is based on Stepanek's final peace speech. The teen band, Creation, will perform "We Need to Stop" based on Stepanek's poem, "For Our World."
In addition to the songs written specifically in memory of Stepanek, Nile Rodgers, who helped produce and compose an album by Sister Sledge, will perform "We Are Family."
The King Farm Citizens Assembly will provide food for the event, which is expected to draw 1,000 people. There will be crafts, children's games and activities.
Residents can sign up to participate in a chess-a-thon and Bankshot tournament. The chess-a-thon will feature a chance to beat a chess master, who will play against roughly 20 other players at the same time. There will be three, 45-minute sessions in which players can sign up to play at 11:30 a.m., 12:15 and 1 p.m.
The Bankshot tournament features 16 basketball stations that each offer a different backboard from which players can bank their shot. The game is accessible to all. Sign up for the tournament at the event.
For more information on the park and the dedication ceremony, call the City's Department of Recreation and Parks at 240-314-8620 or visit www.rockvillemd.gov.
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