Per Montgomery County: To combat the harrowing issue of human trafficking, the Montgomery County Human Trafficking Prevention Committee is introducing its inaugural education and awareness campaign. Montgomery County residents will soon encounter powerful anti-human trafficking messages displayed on buses, bus stops and various social media platforms. The ads will be placed on 12 buses in English and Spanish and be displayed at five bus transit shelters. The campaign will run through October.
The campaign is a collaboration of the County’s Human Trafficking Prevention Committee and the County Department of Health and Human Services.
The Powerball drawing scheduled to take place Saturday, October 7, has an estimated jackpot of $1.4 billion, with an estimated cash option of $643.7 million. Powerball drawings take place every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million. The odds of winning a prize are 1 in 24.9. Additional details below courtesy of Powerball:
“The Powerball jackpot evaded players Wednesday night, after no ticket matched all six number drawn – white balls 9, 35, 54, 63, 64 and red Powerball 1. The Power Play® multiplier was 2X. The Powerball jackpot now stands at an estimated $1.4 billion for the next drawing on Saturday night. The jackpot has a cash value of $643.7 million. Saturday’s estimated jackpot ranks as the third largest in the Powerball game and fifth largest among U.S. lottery jackpots.
The DMV Chocolate & Coffee Festival is coming to Montgomery County on November 7 & 8, 2026, at the Adventist HealthCare Fieldhouse in Germantown, Maryland. Get ready to sip, sample, shop, and enjoy a full weekend of family-friendly fun!
Sip, Sample & Shop
Get ready to explore a festival floor filled with top chocolate makers, coffee roasters, bakeries, specialty food vendors, artisan brands and small businesses from across the region and beyond. Sample new flavors, meet the people behind the products and shop directly from the talented makers and businesses who created them.
Experience Chocolate History
One of the highlights of this year’s festival is a large-scale chocolate sculpture of George Washington on horseback, created by award-winning chocolate artist Paul Joachim.
The sculpture will be part of a special exhibit exploring chocolate’s place in early American history. Guests can see the sculpture up close, sample colonial-style drinking chocolate, and shop the exclusive Collector’s Heritage Box inspired by the historic drink. It’s a unique opportunity to experience chocolate through art, history, and taste all in one place.
Seminars, Demonstrations & More
Visit the Sip & Share Seminar Classroom for educational sessions and demonstrations throughout the weekend, all included with your festival admission. Explore topics ranging from ancestral cacao in the Ecuadorian Amazon and the realities of starting a coffee business to craft chocolate and festival trivia. Learn directly from experts and makers as they share their knowledge, demonstrate their craft and offer a closer look at how their products are made.
Fun for All Ages
The DMV Chocolate & Coffee Festival offers an experience the whole family can enjoy. Kids under 12 receive free admission with a ticketed adult and can get creative at our complimentary kids’ craft tables. Festival mascots Chunk & Bean will also be on-site for meet-and-greets and photo opportunities throughout the weekend. Families can even shop for Chunk & Bean plushies, children’s books and other kid-friendly items.
Whether you’re a serious chocolate lover, a coffee enthusiast, a foodie or simply looking for a fun fall outing, there’s something for everyone to see, taste, shop and enjoy.
Save on Tickets
The DMV Chocolate & Coffee Festival Maryland Edition takes place November 7 & 8, 2026, at the Adventist HealthCare Fieldhouse in Germantown, Maryland.
MoCo Show readers can use code MOCO10 at checkout to save 10% on online festival tickets. Grab your tickets and get ready to sip, sample and shop at one of the sweetest weekends of the fall!
Access to the outdoor dining area/pier will be via two gangways attached to the existing boardwalk. The new structure projects 10’-2” from the boardwalk and will be 12 feet tall from the finished floor. Gaithersburg Planning Staff supports the proposal for a dining pier in the Rio Washingtonian Lake, finding it in compliance with the approved sketch plan and Schematic Development Plan SDP- 9462-2023. “The dining pier will provide additional outdoor seating for Copper Canyon and will enhance the use of lake. There remains adequate parking for the proposed commercial addition and all applicable development standards have been met.” No timeframe for the pier has been announced.
Per MCPS: “The Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County is thrilled to announce the release of CultureSpotMC’s 2023-2024 School Year Guide to Student Arts Activities! This guide celebrates creativity, learning and the vibrant arts community in Montgomery County. The Council has curated an exciting lineup of arts events, programs and activities tailored for students of all ages. Whether you’re a parent, educator or student, there’s something for everyone in this year’s guide.
Ready to explore the world of student arts activities in Montgomery County? View the 2023-2024 School Year Guide here and embark on an artistic journey like never before.
The museum’s annual Native Art Market features award-winning and innovative Indigenous artists from across the Western Hemisphere. This event invites lovers of art and craftsmanship to meet Indigenous artists and learn about the traditional arts and contemporary Indigenous creativity. Visitors will have the opportunity to purchase traditional and contemporary handcrafted artworks, including beadwork, jewelry, paintings, photography, pottery, and sculpture.
The MoCo Epic is a festival celebrating mountain biking, natural surface trails, and the community that makes this region a great place to ride! 2026 marks the 16th anniversary of the MoCo Epic.
The Sherwood High School Varsity baseball program for has earned a Team Academic Excellence Award from the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA).
The team Academic Excellence Award honors high school and college programs coached by ABCA members that post a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. Sherwood students were recognized for achieving a 3.48 team GPA.
Bethesda Row is hosting a Trick or Treat event that will allow children dressed in costumes to make their way around the shops and restaurants for treats from the businesses on Wednesday, October 25th from 5:30pm-7:30pm. Tickets are required per child (not adult), for $5 each, with all proceeds going directly to Manna Food Center.More per the event listing below:
Come dressed in your spookiest or most festive costumes and make your way to Bethesda Row for an evening of family-friendly Halloween fun. Explore the neighborhood’s restaurants and shops where you can snag some delectable treats and surprises. Pose for a photo with our lively costume characters and be sure to share your unforgettable moments with us on social media for a frightfully fantastic prize!
Per MCPS: Set for Saturday, Oct. 14, the second annual Latina Legacy Conference is an event to empower and inspire Latina female high school students. The free event will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Montgomery College Takoma Park/Silver Spring campus. The keynote speaker is Vilma Nájera, principal at Watkins Mill High School.
This year’s conference theme is ¡Unidas, Adelante! and the topics to be discussed include Latina wellness and mental health, Latinas in education, Latina empowerment, and social justice and the Latina student voice. The event is being presented by the MCPS Office of Strategic Initiatives, Montgomery College and Poder Educators. To register, interested students should reach out to their school’s representative on this list by Monday, Oct. 9.
Per MCPS: “The 2024 Regeneron Science Talent Search (Regeneron STS) application is now open! Every year, thousands of high school seniors eagerly await this chance to submit their original research to the nation’s oldest student STEM competition in the hopes of being named one of the scientific leaders of the future – and of winning the top prize of $250,000.
The online application consists of essays, questions about students and their research, recommendations from teachers and mentors, and more, including the submission of an original research paper. This year’s deadline is Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023 at 8 p.m. ET.
Per MCPS: MCPS staff and families are invited to attend the Inaugural USA Festival of Education from 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 21. The Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Potomac is hosting the event, which will bring together teachers, researchers and policymakers and include those leading school change in areas such as AI, the science of learning, student and faculty well-being, coaching and school design. This will be the first time the Festival of Education will take place in the U.S.; the event is a renowned event created by Wellington College in the United Kingdom.
The day’s agenda includes more than 50 sessions and a speaker lineup that includes Assistant Secretary of Education Roberto Rodriguez, teachers and administrators from area school districts, and policy leaders including David Steiner, executive director of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy.
Per MCPS: Registration for the George B. Thomas Sr. Learning Academy, Inc., also known as Saturday School, is open for the 2023–2024 school year. Saturday School provides K–12 academic support programs in math and English/Language Arts. The longest-running mentoring and tutoring program in Montgomery County began on Sept. 30 in eight locations, and also will provide a virtual option. The curriculum is aligned with MCPS and is taught by certified teachers. The locations are: Montgomery Blair, Albert Einstein, Paint Branch, Springbrook, Wheaton, Gaithersburg, Clarksburg and Northwest high schools.
The annual cost is $85; $40 for families eligible for Free and Reduced-price Meals (FARMs). Registration for Saturday School, Grades 1–12 is here. Kindergarten registration is here. For an additional cost of $150 for a five-week session, Saturday School also offers classes in Coding and Robotics.
