Elrich Cancels Garrett Park Harvest Festival, Citing Need to Protect Non-Natives

GARRETT PARK, Md. — Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich today canceled the Garrett Park Harvest Festival “out of an abundance of caution for the well-being of our vulnerable communities” mirroring the county’s recent pivot toward smaller, distributed celebrations meant to shield those designated as at-risk.

In a statement, the county said this year’s festival would be paused “to avoid exposing non-native running bamboo to potential harassment by large crowds, potentially armed with machetes, who support the Council's proposed legislation to ban the sale of invasive bamboo and set quotas on non-natives in new developments."

“We celebrate harvest, but we also have a duty of care,” Elrich told the Baltimore Banner. “Given increased chatter about trimming, chopping, and ‘thinning the groves’, now is not the time to place our communities' non-native bamboo in harm’s way.”

Garrett Park Mayor Chris Keller released a statement expressing the town's frustration: "In 1977, Garrett Park declared itself an Arboretum to avoid the limits on tree species choices imposed by Montgomery County. The Arboretum includes all plants on all town-owned or town-managed land. Japanese timber bamboo and other towering non-natives have nothing to fear in Garrett Park."

Intersection of Knowles Avenue and Weymouth Street, Garret Park, MD. Photo Credit: Google Street View, December 2024, Story cover picture includes this image enhanced to make sign more legible.

Under Elrich's revised plan, the county will redirect festival funds into micro-grants of up to $2,000 for school-based, block-level, and backyard events to celebrate Japanese timber bamboo as a versatile material for creating sturdy fences, trellises, garden structures, and even small buildings due to its strength and durability. 

Councilmembers are expected to continue debate on invasive plant policy this fall. Until then, Montgomery County asks the public to “treat all bamboo with dignity,” keep sharp tools sheathed near thickets, and remember that in Garrett Park the County cannot dictate horticulture.