Poolesville Town Commission President Jim Brown says political advocacy in Montgomery County’s western corner may look a little different than it does in more populous areas.

“We don’t storm the field with signs and yelling and T-shirts,” Brown said. “We actually just talk to people.”

The town’s annual Poolesville Day, which Brown says embodies those values, will take place Saturday, with a full slate of bands, dance groups, food vendors and activities for kids. But many also come to rub elbows with county and state officials who could send some sought-after dollars toward the Upcounty.

“Our Poolesville Day breakfast is one of the biggest political events in the county for the entire election year,” said Brown, who founded the Fair Access Committee, which lobbies for Poolesville and the western part of the county. “Essentially every single political person is going to be at our breakfast.”

Brown said the big ask this year is for county money to build a bubble around the town’s pool so that it can be used during colder months. He said the town has already saved up $500,000 for its construction, but needs county help for staffing and renovations.

“I hate to say it, but they kind of owe it to us,” Brown said.

Poolesville leaders say their needs go much deeper than the swimming pool.

There are no county buses and no Metro stations in the portion of the Agricultural Reserve, which can make it hard for carless residents to go shopping and to their doctor’s appointments.

“For 15,000 people, there are three doctors within a 15-mile radius,” said Sarah Paksima, also a member of the town commission.

Western Upper Montgomery County Help Inc., commonly known as WUMCO, is a nonprofit organization that helps residents get to medical appointments and other necessary services. A 2022 county health study found that Poolesville residents have the worst health outcomes compared to people living in every other county ZIP code.

That finding prompted the creation of a county-funded mobile health clinic, which began providing social services and medical, dental and mental health care to both insured and uninsured county residents this past spring. While Brown and Paksima said it has helped address some inequities, access to medical specialists is still a glaring problem.

“The closest family planning and reproductive health access is in Germantown, 15 miles away,” Paksima said.

In past years, Poolesville Day, which includes a parade, has attracted as many as 15,000 people. People who don’t know the Upcounty are welcome, Brown said.

“It’s for our residents. There’s no doubt about that, but it’s also for us to put our best foot forward, to introduce ourselves to other people in the region and let them know that Poolesville is a really welcoming, fun place to go.”