Kensington

Per Montgomery County: The 56th Annual Town of Kensington Labor Day Parade and Festival will start off the holiday early, with the parade kicking off at 10 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 4. The parade will include marching bands, equestrian show groups, dance units, floats and ambassadors. Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich is scheduled to participate in the parade.

Following the parade, the festival will continue on Armory Avenue through 2 p.m. The festival will feature food trucks, vendors and activities. More information on the parade is available at https://tok.md.gov/event/kensington-labor-parade-2023/.


MoCo Government

Per Montgomery County: The Rockville City Police Department (RCPD), in partnership with the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office and Montgomery County Public Schools, will hold a “gun buyback” event from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 26, (rain or shine) at RedGate Park in Rockville. The event is open to all and no ID is required. Gift cards of $100 or $200 will be presented to participants for functioning weapons, depending upon the type of weapon brought for exchange.

RedGate Park is located at 14500 Avery Road in Rockville. More than 300 firearms were voluntarily turned in by members of the community during a similar event last August. Community members will be able to voluntarily turn in their firearms and receive a $100 Visa gift card for functioning handguns, rifles and shotguns or $200 in Visa gift cards for functioning assault-style weapons and privately manufactured firearms (ghost guns). All firearms will be accepted with no identification needed and a no-questions-asked policy by law enforcement. RCPD will maintain the ultimate determination on the eligible firearms for gift card issuance.


Montgomery Parks

Per Montgomery County: The competition for court space between tennis players and players of pickleball, the fastest-growing sport in the U.S., will be the topic starting at 1 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 8, in the next event in the Montgomery Parks’ Virtual Speaker Series. The online discussion, which is free to join and open to all, will feature a panel of experts discuss the challenges of meeting the rapidly growing demand for pickleball in local park systems, comparing the situation in Montgomery County with other areas of the country.

Registration to join the discussion is available at Register. What a pickle! Balancing pickleball and tennis in parks. A Zoom link will be sent to registrants the day before the session.


Sponsored

It’s Asian American Pacific Islander Month, and what better way to celebrate the culture than to immerse oneself at the Anne Arundel Asian American Festival outside of Annapolis on May 31st?

Or didn’t get enough Irish last month? Two of the biggest Irish acts returns to the stage with Gaelic Storm and Carbon Leaf. See below for more details and information!

All events are family-friendly, packed with food, live music, interactive experiences, and now even more ways to get active.

To kick things off, you can save 20% on tickets with code MOCOSHOW (valid through May 31 for general admission tickets).

2026 Festival Lineup

Annapolis Irish Festival

May 29 & 30

Experience the spirit of Ireland right here in Annapolis with two days of live music, great food, and high-energy performances. Headlined by internationally recognized acts like Scythian, Gaelic Storm, and Carbon Leaf, the Annapolis Irish Festival blends traditional Irish culture with modern rock festival vibes.

Haven’t heard of Gaelic Storm? Are you sure? They were the band in James Cameron’s Titanic and went from local stars to national powerhouses. We are lucky to have them right here in Maryland so don’t miss out!

Enjoy Guinness, Irish whiskey tastings, craft beverages, local vendors, and nonstop entertainment in a setting that brings thousands together to celebrate Irish heritage.

Anne Arundel Asian American Festival

May 31

Celebrate culture, community, and cuisine at the Anne Arundel Asian American Festival, a vibrant showcase of food, performances, and traditions from across Asia!

Come hungry and enjoy authentic dishes from a wide range of vendors, cultural performances throughout the day, and interactive experiences for all ages. This family-friendly event highlights the diversity and energy of the Asian American community during AAPI Heritage Month.

Food vendors include:

Namit Filipino, Ekiben, Bun’d Up, E-San Thai, MD Brad Butcher and Central Asian dishes, Thai Pinto, Pho Wheels, and The Sister House! (more…)


Education

The Board of Education will hold its business meeting on Thursday, August. 24, 2023. Closed session will begin at 9:00 a.m. Public agenda items will begin at 1:00 p.m.  The meeting will be cablecast live on Comcast Channel 34 (HD 1071), Verizon Channel 36, RCN Channel 89 and the MCPS website.

The agenda, with related materials attached, can be found on the Board of Education’s BoardDocs site (please visit this link for the most up-to-date agenda)


Event

Historic Indigenous Recognition Event to Take Place in Montgomery County, Maryland

The Taino American Indigenous National Organization (T.A.I.N.O.) proudly announces its upcoming signature public event,


Burtonsville

Per the Office of Senator Craig Zucker: Today, the State Board of Public Works released $3.5 million in funding dedicated to the redevelopment of Burtonsville Crossing Shopping Center. The District 14 Legislative Delegation, consisting of Senator Craig J. Zucker, Delegates Anne Kaiser, Bernice Mireku-North, and Pamela Queen, requested that the funding be secured after hearing the community’s visions for the future of the space. The team appreciates the Board of Public Works’ decision to release the funds, allowing renovations to begin.

“We are very pleased with today’s Board of Public Works vote to release the $3.5 million in funding for this project, said Senator Zucker and Delegates Kaiser, Mireku-North, and Queen. “East County is a diverse area, and this funding represents the beginning of a more significant commitment from the District 14 team, the State of Maryland, and Montgomery County, are going to put into this project. The people of Burtonsville and East County deserve a world-class shopping center, and we are glad we helped make this a reality.”


Bethesda

The owners of ala in Dupont Circle have announced they will open ala Bethesda at 4948 Fairmont Ave, in the former Positano restaurant space.  According to ala, the menu will be similar to the Dupont location, “where the cuisine melds the flavors of Turkey, Syria, Israel, Lebanon and beyond (known as the Levant region), an area of the world that has both a long history and a colorful past.” The new restaurant will feature a patio and rooftop, and is expected to open this fall.

Per ala: ala is under the culinary direction of Executive Chef Ercan Sahn, an internationally trained chef who recently took over the kitchen.   The menu celebrates the flavor and history of the Levantine cooking it has become synonymous for, but with a fine dining touch.  A native of Turkey, Chef Sahn has worked all over the world over the past 20 years, including in Dubai, Turkey and Cyprus.   Most recently, Sahn worked closely with acclaimed DC Chef Fabio Trabocchi at Michelin starred Wharf restaurant Del Mar.  He will also oversee the menu at ala Bethesda. Owner Deniz Gulluoglu and her family live in the Cabin John area of Bethesda and are excited to bring the restaurant to Montgomery County.


MDLottery

Her plans for her winnings include “maybe a little investing,” she said, and possibly a vacation to an as-yet undetermined destination. As for other folks who play Lottery games and are still hoping for a big win, she says, “Just be positive.” Sharing in her positivity is the Lottery retailer where she bought the ticket, the Sunshine Ethio store at 6907 New Hampshire Avenue in Takoma Park, which picks up a bonus of $1,000. Featured image courtesy of Google Maps. 


Gaithersburg

Per the City of Gaithersburg: The City is in the process of developing new parking permit regulations and updates to the City Code. Feedback is sought from residents to learn about existing neighborhood parking conditions. A survey is available online here through October 1, 2023.

The Permit Parking Program will consolidate the variety of existing City Parking Permits, including Residential Permit Parking, Commercial Permit Parking, The Crossings Permit Program, Commuter Permit Parking, and Temporary Permit Parking, into one program.


Silver Spring

Update: Another escalator replacement was completed at Silver Spring Station earlier this week. The final escalator replacement at the station is now underway. 

History: On September 6, 2022, Metro began a major capital project replacing the five entrance escalators at Silver Spring Station. All five escalators will be replaced with brand-new ones that are more durable and reliable. Metro’s contractor KONE will install the escalators as part of an ongoing project to replace 130 escalators across the Metrorail system by 2028, helping to ensure the regional infrastructure remains in a state of good repair.


Events

Per Montgomery Parks: It’s almost autumn and school’s back in session but there’s always fun to be had at Montgomery Parks. It’s the last chance to enjoy water amenities for the year. Take your favorite pup to Yappy Hour, come out to play at Never Grow Up, catch a concert or lecture. That’s just a sampling of the offerings this month.

September events in Montgomery Parks include: 


Beyond MoCo

Metro is accelerating the escalator replacement work at Tenleytown-AU Station and will replace the two east entrance escalators with brand-new ones that are more durable and reliable.  Starting Monday, August 28, 2023, the entrance on the east side of Wisconsin Avenue, closest to 40th Street, will close for approximately four months. By closing the east entrance, construction crews can work on both escalators at the same time, increasing project efficiency and reducing the overall project duration by roughly two months.

During the entrance closure, construction crews will also continue to replace the final escalator that runs from the intermediate level to the mezzanine. Metro began construction to replace four entrance escalators and three internal escalators at this station in August 2021. To date, four escalators have been replaced at the station, including the two escalators at the west entrance. All escalator replacement work at Tenleytown-AU will be complete when the east entrance reopens in late December. Customer Impacts: