Per Montgomery County: The Montgomery County Anti-Hate Task Force’s Muslim cohort will present their policy recommendations to the task force at a virtual meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 19 at 7 p.m. The Anti-Hate Task Force was formally adopted through a resolution with unanimous support in June. The task force is made up of community and faith leaders working to engage the community and develop recommendations to inform policies that promote safety and combat hate crimes in Montgomery County.
Cohort groups representing the Jewish, Black/African American, LGBTQ+, Asian American and Pacific Islander, Latino/Hispanic and Muslim communities will present their policy recommendations at meetings throughout the fall. Each of the six cohort groups may also hold listening sessions to provide an opportunity for the public to engage and provide input. The Muslim cohort held a listening session on Sept. 11.
Per MCPS: Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. Throughout the month, MCPS schools will be celebrating the unique culture and traditions of students, teachers, staff and community members who trace their roots to Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries in North America, Central America, South America and the Caribbean.
Hispanics and Latinos are the fastest growing ethnic group in MCPS, with 34 percent of the student population. MCPS resources to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month are available here. Instead of starting celebrations on the first day of the month, Hispanic Heritage Month begins the third week of September each year.
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!
Below is a list of businesses that are new or coming soon to the Montgomery Village Shopping Center: Now Open: Antojitos Salvadorenos Isabel Antojitos Salvadoreños Isabel at 19114 Montgomery Village […]
“Hitting our goals will help us defend against the consequences of climate change. But I’m not here to just talk about avoiding tragedy – I’m here to talk about helping people find greater opportunity.”
“Our communities of color – our working parents – our middle-class families: They are the ones who stand to benefit most from our aggressive climate goals. Those are the hands that will install new solar panels at the local rec center. Those are the minds that will invent next-generation wind turbines that power millions of homes. Those are the hearts that will shape a stronger America, where we aren’t just building pathways to sustainability – we’re also building pathways to work, wages, and wealth.”
The National Museum of the American Indian’s Native Cinema Showcase is an annual celebration of the best in Native film. The festival celebrates the best of Indigenous film, spanning documentaries, features, animations, and short-format films by Indigenous filmmakers from across the Western Hemisphere and Arctic.
Olney, MD Art Gallery and Studio to present a Pop-Culture themed group Art Exhibit and Artists’ Alley event.
Highly Animated is a 2-month long celebration of the vibrant world of fan art. From classic JRPG nostalgia, to the latest anime obsessions, to amazing original characters, this exhibition will highlight the passion, creativity and talent within fan communities.
MoCo resident Chef Mike Friedman (Olney), Colin McDonough, Gareth Croke, and Mike O’Malley, the team behind DC restaurants All-Purpose Pizzeria, The Red Hen, and Boundary Stone Public House will be opening a new concept in Downtown Bethesda this November (date according to Washingtonian Magazine). Aventino and AP Pizza Shop will be located at 4747 Bethesda Ave.
Aventino will feature vibrant and traditional Roman cuisine with a menu of antipasti, pasta and more by chef Mike Friedman, and classic cocktails like a selection of spritzes and negronis, in a warm and inviting setting that can hold over 100 guests. Per Washingtonian,the menu will include “dishes like Jewish-style fried artichokes, polenta-crusted fluke, and housemade gelato.”
Per MCPD: John Anthony Vigna, a former Montgomery County elementary school teacher who was convicted in 2017 for sexual abuse of students, has been released from prison.
In July 2023 the conviction of Vigna, now 58-years-old, was overturned and he was released on bond as he awaits a new trial. Since his initial conviction, additional victims have come forward. Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – Special Victims Investigations Division believe that there may be more. Detectives would like to speak with any potential victims and urge them to call 240-773-5050.
Per Montgomery County: The tenth annual Montgomery County “Friendship Picnic” will again bring people of diverse cultures and faiths together to make new friends and discuss ways to build a stronger community. The free picnic will be held from noon-5 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 24, at Wheaton Regional Park. Wheaton Regional Park is located at located at 2000 Shorefield Rd. in Wheaton. A free satellite parking shuttle service to and from the Wheaton Ice Rink and athletic fields will be available.
B.F. Saul has provided an update on Twinbrook Quarter, announcing that they plan to turn the grocery store space over Wegmans in early Spring of 2024, after which Wegmans will begin to build out the store’s interior. The grocery store has a planned 2025 opening.
Roadwork at Halpine & Chapman: Regrading at the intersection of Halpine Road and Chapman Avenue is underway this week and possibly over the next few weeks. The road will remain open with some adjustment to the traffic flow.
With World Teachers’ Day around the corner but teachers making an average of $3,644 less per year than they did 10 years ago when adjusted for inflation, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2023’s Best & Worst States for Teachers, with Maryland coming in as the “6th Best State for Teachers.” Maryland came in first in the ‘Existence of a Digital Learning Plan’ category.
In order to help educators find the best opportunities and teaching environments in the U.S., WalletHub analyzed the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 24 key metrics, ranging from teachers’ income growth potential to the pupil-teacher ratio to public-school spending per student. Teacher-Friendliness of Maryland (1=Best; 25=Avg.):
ActiveMONTGOMERY is the registration and reservation system used to request permits, register for activities, reserve public spaces, and pay online for various classes, camps, and facility rentals throughout the county. While many athletic fields can be reserved online through ActiveMONTGOMER Y, synthetic turf fields can only be reserved by direct communication with a Community Use of Public Facilities (CUPF) or Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission – Montgomery Parks (Parks) employee. Once a synthetic turf field reservation has been processed by a CUPF or Parks employee, the reservation and permit are listed under the applicable ActiveMONTGOMERY account.
The investigation revealed that in 2022 and 2023, the subject employee intentionally misled staff from CUPF and Parks to believe they were requesting reservations for athletic fields on the Council’s behalf when in fact they were doing so for the benefit of their spouse. In total, field use permits in the amount of $19,190 ($11,490 of which was reserved under the council’s ActiveMONTGOMERY account) were obtained by the employee and never paid for. Attempts by Parks staff to obtain outstanding payments were ignored, and at times the employee made reference to their position at the County Council. During the investigation, the employee also intentionally made false statements to OIG investigators in an effort to conceal their misconduct.
The first ‘Taste of Rio’ will take place on Sunday, October 15th from 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm. The “foodie celebration” will take place on the lakefront featuring bites from rio restaurants, live music, craft cocktails and more.
Participating restaurants include: AMC, Auntie Anne’s/Cinnabon, BurgerFi, California Pizza Kitchen, Charley Prime, Chipotle, Copper Canyon Grill, Corner Bakery, Dave & Buster’s, Donutchew, Fantasticks, FineWine.com, Guapo’s, Han Spot, Kung Fu Tea, Lanzhou Pull Noodle, Le Macaron, Miss Toya’s Southern Kitchen, Muse Paint Bar, Nando’s Peri-Peri, Poki DC, Potbelly, Silver Diner, Starbucks, The Bench, True Food Kitchen, Uncle Julio’s, and Yard House.
