Thomas Edison High School of Technology (12501 Dalewood Dr. Silver Spring) is hosting its Open House for this school year on October 19th from 6-8PM. All MCPS families are welcome to come learn about Edison’s programs and meet their career and technology teachers and community partners.
The 2024 Old Farmer’s Almanac is now available everywhere complete with its 2023-2024 winter weather forecast. Winter arrives this year on December 21, 2023 and sometimes brings shoveling, snow blowing, dealing with bad roads, and unbearable temperatures with it. Lately, we haven’t had much snow to talk about in our area, but this winter may be different according to the almanac with above-normal precipitation and snowfall expected for the entire region. Below, you’ll see forecasts for the Atlantic Corridor and the Appalachians, which covers all of our area.
Will There Be Snow? Yes! Winter precipitation and snowfall will be above normal (2 to 3 inches above monthly averages). The snowiest periods will occur at the end of December, late January, and mid-February. We don’t expect a white Christmas.
How Cold Will Winter Be? Winter temperatures will be above normal overall. Specifically, December is slightly above average temps; temperatures for January and February are below average. The coldest spell will run from late January into mid-February.
The City of Gaithersburg’s Winter Lights Festival is getting ready to welcome visitors for another spectacular season. The wondrous display of lights at Seneca Creek State Park will be open nightly November 24 through December 31. The festival is closed on December 25. The 3.5 mile drive through the enchanted setting of Seneca Creek State Park takes you past more than 450 illuminated displays and beautifully lit trees that light up the night. The park is located at 11950 Clopper Road, conveniently accessible from I-270. Tickets now available (link below).
To ensure a positive and safe experience for all attendees, staff and event-site neighbors the following policies are in place:
Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) is scheduled to begin the Schematic Design Phase for an approved capital project at Damascus High School. Prior to beginning the design process and community engagements, a kick-off meeting for community members and all stakeholders is scheduled on Wednesday, October 18, 2023, at 6:30 pm to share the project information. The in-person meeting will be held in the Cafeteria/All-Purpose room. Doors open at 6:00 pm, presentation begins at 6:30 pm. It is unclear if the meeting will discuss any boundary changes between Damascus and nearby schools like Clarksburg High School.
A major capital project was approved to address various building systems and programmatic needs for Damascus High School, located at 25921 Ridge Road. The Board of Education, in the requested FY 2021–2026 CIP, included expenditures in FY 2022 to continue the planning and design of this major capital project with a completion date of August 2025, but the County Council delayed the expenditures by one year. An FY 2023 appropriation was approved to begin the design of this Major Capital project. An FY 2024 appropriation is recommended for construction funds. This project is scheduled to be completed August 2026. Once completed in 2026, school capacity is expected to increase from 1,543 (where it’s at currently) to 2,250.
While some places have had the same name for hundreds of years, many of the areas we know and love in Montgomery County weren’t always known by the names they have now. Many had similar names, others had very different names, and plenty were part of a different area before they became their own place. Let’s look at a few below in part 1 of this series:
Now: Kensington Then: Kensington Park: In the early 1890s, Washington, D.C. developer Brainard Warner began purchasing land parcels to build a planned Victorian community– he named his subdivision Kensington Park. The 10th and largest subdivision in the area became the Town of Kensington and incorporated in 1894.
Halloween candy sales are expected to be up 15% from last year and CandyStore.com has gathered the data to figure out the most popular Halloween candy for each state– their analysis was even featured on the Today Show. Before we get to Maryland, let’s take a look at the Top 10 across the country and some quick facts about Halloween Candy this year:
10. Snickers
Thai Cottage Bistro is coming to Rockville, taking over the space that was previously home to Oishii Bluefin at 9613-G Medical Center Drive. Oishii Bluefin closed permanently earlier this year.
We don’t have much information on Thai Cottage Bistro at the moment, but we know that the restaurant has its hearing for a beer and wine alcohol license with Montgomery County’s Alcoholic Beverage Services (ABS) at 11:30am on November 2. There hasn’t been much change to the interior yet, but remodeling has started (photo below).
The Gaithersburg Mayor and City Council will hold its Policy Discussion on the annexation of the Walnut Hill shopping center tonight (Monday, October 16, 2023 at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall– virtual participation will also be available). The Annexation Plan proposes several changes to the existing Walnut Hill Shopping Center, including bringing in Aldi to take most of the grocery store space, constructing a new freestanding Sheetz convenience store with accessory gasoline pumps, demolishing an existing small freestanding building on the south side of the property, renovating the exterior of the main shopping center building, and making improvements to the parking lot and landscaping.
Gaithersburg Staff previously recommended that the Mayor and City Council hold their record open until 5:00 p.m., September 29, 2023, with the Policy Discussion and Final Action on October 16th. Staff is supportive of the annexation petition that would annex the Walnut Hill Shopping Center into the City of Gaithersburg.
Back in March we let you know that the 100-year old building that is home to the Olney Ale House was sold to Two Sibs LLC, led by Selim Kantar, for $1.45 million. Olney Ale House, located at 2000 Olney Sandy Spring Rd (Rt. 108 and Doctor Bird Rd.), operated in the space until a kitchen fire caused the restaurant to shut down in 2019. We spoke with new owner Selim Kantar today, who told us that they are still chipping away and anticipate a spring 2024 opening.
The restaurant will keep the Olney Ale House name and operate with an updated menu and new cocktails. Kantar tells us that work is just getting started and that there is a lot of it that has to be done before the restaurant is ready to open, so a 2024 opening is the most likely scenario. We will have updates for you as the restaurant continues with renovations and moves closer toward opening. Below we share with you the restaurant’s rich history, courtesy of the previous Olney Ale House website:
MICHELIN Guide Inspectors spend all year on the road uncovering the best restaurants to recommend. In a sneak peek of the 2023 MICHELIN Guide Washington D.C.— the inspectors have added 10 new restaurants to the guide, spread across the nation’s capital. The previous 24 DC/DC Area Michelin Star restaurants can be seen here.
Per the MICHELIN Guide: “From Three Star and Green Star The Inn at Little Washington (one of only 14 American eateries with Three MICHELIN stars) to One MICHELIN Star Bresca and Two MICHELIN Star Jônt (home to one of Washington’s buzziest hospitality directors), Washington, D.C is home to some of the most fabulous MICHELIN Guide restaurants. But with our Inspectors, fabulous isn’t enough. That’s why in spite of the delicious flavors within the nation’s capital, check out these 10 tasty additions.” The 10 additions can be seen below:
A property in Rockville, known as the Rockville Metro Center, will be auctioned online beginning on November 13, 2023. The property consists of a vacant office building comprised of approximately 145,491 square feet, located on approximately 2.5 acres at 255 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20850 adjacent to the Rockville Metro station. The starting bid is $2.5 million.
The property provides optionality for many uses, including the ability to redevelop the site as a residential building or convert the existing structure into life science space. The PD-RCI zoning has a wide range of applications, including the opportunity to redevelop the site into a mid-rise or high-rise residential building.